Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adjuvant Intraarterial Injection of 131I-Labeled Lipiodol After Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Progress Report of a Case-Control Study with a 5-Year Minimal Follow-up

Recurrences after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma are frequent. A single postoperative injection of 131I-labeled lipiodol in the hepatic artery was shown in 1999 by Lau and colleagues to be an effective adjuvant treatment, and those results were strengthened by our experience with a case-control study, reported in 2003. The goal of this paper is to update the 2003 results for a minimal follow-up of 5 y. Methods: Between January 1999 and September 2001, 38 patients were given an adjuvant postoperative intraarterial injection of 131I-lipiodol and were matched (for Okuda group and tumor size) with 38 patients who had undergone resection between January 1997 and January 1999 without postoperative treatment. The 2 groups were similar. Results: There were 28 recurrences in the control group and 22 in the 131I-lipiodol group (not statistically significant), and the mean time of recurrence was 21 and 26.5 mo, respectively, after surgery (statistically significant). The number of recurrences was lower in the first 2 y in the 131I-lipiodol group (statistically significant). Disease-free survival was better (P < 0.03) in the 131I-lipiodol group than in the control group (2-, 3-, and 5-y rates [±95% confidence interval] of 77% ± 7%, 63% ± 8%, and 42% ± 8.5%, respectively, for the 131I-lipiodol group vs. 47% ± 8%, 34% ± 8%, and 27% ± 8%, respectively, for the control group). Overall survival did not differ between the 2 groups (P = 0.09), even though there was a trend toward better survival in the 131I-lipiodol group (2-, 3-, and 5-y rates of 76% ± 7%, 68% ± 7.5%, and 51% ± 9%, respectively, vs. 68% ± 7.5%, 53% ± 8%, and 39% ± 8%, respectively, in the control group). Conclusion: With a longer follow-up, the results of this retrospective case-control study still favor a single postoperative injection of 131I-lipiodol. These retrospective findings point out the need for a large-scale, prospective, randomized study.
Information Sharing in Global Supply Chain Systems

Abstract With increasing frequency the effective management and coordination of supply chains requires the sharing of a wide range of data. But the challenge, both technically and socially, to share information increases when customers and suppliers are spread throughout the geographic regions of the world. It is this challenge that is addressed here. First a conceptual framework is built. This framework classifies the stages of information sharing within a supply chain and proposes seven variables that affect the flow of information between customers and their suppliers. These variables include industry, market and competitive environment, national culture, corporate IT culture, size, IT infrastructure, and country IT support. The results are generalized and summarized in a Supply Chain IT Linkage Capability Model. Case studies of four organizations are presented and analyzed to validate the role of these variables in data sharing strategies. The paper concludes with several implications for global information technology supply chain management systems.
Single-chip surface-micromachined integrated gyroscope with 50/spl deg//hour root Allan variance

A MEMS surface-micromachined gyroscope integrated on a single 3/spl times/3 mm/sup 2/ chip with a 3 /spl mu/m BiCMOS process has 4 /spl mu/m-thick polysilicon structure, 5V 6 mA power supply, 0.05/spl deg///spl radic/s spot noise, 12.5 mV//spl deg//s, >30,000 g shock survival, and -55 to 85/spl deg/C operating range.
The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of an End‐of‐Life Simulation Experience for Baccalaureate Nursing Students

AIM This article presents an example of a high‐fidelity end‐of‐life simulation developed for an elective course in a baccalaureate nursing program. BACKGROUND Nursing education programs often lack opportunities for palliative care experiences in undergraduate education. Simulation offers an alternative learning strategy for nursing students to apply principles of palliative care and communication in a safe, interactive learning environment. METHOD An end‐of‐life simulation for senior nursing students was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Following participation in the simulation, students evaluated educational practices and their satisfaction and confidence in learning. They also completed reflection papers on their learning. RESULTS Student means for items on educational practices and satisfaction and confidence in learning were all between agree and strongly agree on a 5‐point scale of agreement (n = 21). CONCLUSION The end‐of‐life simulation experience created an opportunity for nursing students to gain confidence in their ability to provide palliative nursing care.
Scenarios in society, society in scenarios: toward a social scientific analysis of storyline-driven environmental modeling

Scenario analysis, an approach to thinking about alternative futures based on storyline-driven modeling, has become increasingly common and important in attempts to understand and respond to the impacts of human activities on natural systems at a variety of scales. The construction of scenarios is a fundamentally social activity, yet social scientific perspectives have rarely been brought to bear on it. Indeed, there is a growing imbalance between the increasing technical sophistication of the modeling elements of scenarios and the continued simplicity of our understanding of the social origins, linkages, and implications of the narratives to which they are coupled. Drawing on conceptual and methodological tools from science and technology studies, sociology and political science, we offer an overview of what a social scientific analysis of scenarios might include. In particular, we explore both how scenarios intervene in social microscale and macroscale contexts and how aspects of such contexts are embedded in scenarios, often implicitly. Analyzing the social ‘work’ of scenarios (i) can enhance the understanding of scenario developers and modeling practitioners of the knowledge production processes in which they participate and (ii) can improve the utility of scenario products as decision-support tools to actual, rather than imagined, decision-makers.
cDNA cloning and characterization of vascular apoptosis-inducing protein 1.

Hemorrhagic snake venom induces apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells (VEC). In previous reports, we described the purification from crude venom of Crotalus atrox of two vascular apoptosis-inducing proteins (VAP1 and VAP2) that specifically induce apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells. We report here the cDNA cloning and characterization of VAP1. VAP1 cDNA encoded a protein with 610 amino acid residues. The amino acid sequence predicted from the cDNA indicated that VAP1 belongs to the metalloprotease/disintegrin family and that it is a multidomain polypeptide with a proprotein domain, a metalloprotease domain, a disintegrin-like domain, and a cysteine-rich domain. In the disintegrin-like domain, the sequence DECD replaces the RGD sequence that has frequently been found in such domains. We demonstrated that VAP1 has Zn(2+)-dependent metalloprotease activity and degrades fibrinogen. After incubation in the presence of either EDTA or EGTA, VAP1 was hardly able to degrade fibrinogen and to induce apoptosis in VEC. Our results indicated that VAP1 is a new type of snake venom metalloprotease/disintegrin and suggest that the metalloprotease activity of VAP1 might be involved in the induction of apoptosis by VAP1 in VEC.
Increased Toll‐like receptor 4 expression in infants with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis

The fusion protein of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) binds to the pattern recognition receptors, TLR4 and CD14, and initiates innate immunity response to the virus. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of TLR4 on peripheral blood lymphocytes and monocytes in peripheral blood of infants in both acute and convalescent phase of RSV bronchiolitis (n = 26). In addition, TNF‐α expression in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated monocytes was also assessed. The results showed TLR4 to be expressed predominantly by monocytes in both sick infants and controls. During the acute phase of infection monocytes up‐regulated TLR4 in eight infants, which returned to the levels recorded in controls 4–6 weeks from infection. There was no difference in the percentage of TNF‐α secreting monocytes. Of the clinical parameters tested, minimal oxygen saturation was found to correlate negatively with this expression in the group of infants with increased TLR4. Additional studies are under way to correlate this finding with the outcome of the immune response to RSV.
Process range in manufacturing: an empirical study of flexibility

This paper examines the relationship between one form of manufacturing flexibility---process range---and structure, infrastructure, and managerial policy at the plant level. The paper provides evidence of the strength of the links between manufacturing flexibility and such factors as scale, technology vintage, computer integration, and workforce management. Data from 54 plants in the fine-paper industry are presented, and a model of the determinants of short-term flexibility is developed. The plants examined differed by a factor of 20 in their ability to accommodate large process variation. The evidence suggests that flexibility is strongly negatively related to scale and degree of computer integration, yet positively related to newer vintages of mechanical technology and workforce experience. Some results differ significantly from the prevailing view of the industry, in particular, that newer plants are less flexible. The paper shows that newer machine technology is more flexible once other factors are controlled for. In the longer term, the results show that management has a significant impact on the improvement of flexibility in operations, regardless of the technology and infrastructure in place. Plant network managers' views of flexibility are important. The data suggest that inflexible plants may be inflexible partly as a result of their being considered inflexible by network managers, and never being assigned the product range needed to improve the capability.
Mapping ergonomics application to improve SMEs working condition in industrially developing countries: a critical review

In industrially developing countries (IDC), small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for the highest proprotion of employment. Unfortunately, the working conditions in SMEs are often very poor and expose employees to a potentially wide range of health and safety risks. This paper presents a comprehensive review of 161 articles related to ergonomics application in SMEs, using Indonesia as a case study. The aim of this paper is to investigate the extent of ergonomics application and identify areas that can be improved to promote effective ergonomics for SMEs in IDC. The most urgent issue found is the need for adopting participatory approach in contrast to the commonly implemented top-down approach. Some good practices in ergonomics application were also revealed from the review, e.g. a multidisciplinary approach, unsophisticated and low-cost solutions, and recognising the importance of productivity. The review also found that more work is still required to achieve appropriate cross-cultural adaptation of ergonomics application. Practitioner Summary: Despite continuous efforts in addressing ergonomics issues in SMEs of IDC, workers are still exposed to poor work conditions. We reviewed factual-based evidence of current ergonomics application to inform future strategies of ergonomics in IDC, using Indonesia as a case study.
If and to What Extent Spirituality Impacts the Leadership Practices of Four African American Superintendents

Public school superintendents have one of the most challenging, demanding, and visible positions in American society. They provide educational leadership in approximately 15,499 school districts across the United States. Their visibility is marked by the fact that the majority of leadership positions are held by non- minority individuals (American Association of School Administrators, AASA, 1992). The underrepresentation of minorities in public school leadership positions on a national level has been thoroughly documented over the years, and the limited representation of African Americans in top positions of public school administration is glaring (AASA, 1983, 1992; Jones & Montenegro, 1985, 1988; Montenegro, 1993). The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand if and to what extent spirituality impacts the leadership practices of four African American superintendents. The focus of the study was to explore how these administrators living in the South constructed and/or defined leadership; what obstacles or barriers, if any, affected their path to leadership; and if to what extent their spirituality is embedded into their leadership practices. Critical Race Theory (CRT), with its focus on defining, addressing, and exposing educational
MUSE: The Bank of Canada's New Projection Model of the U.S. Economy

Staff projections provided for the Bank of Canada's monetary policy decision process take into account the integration of Canada's very open economy within the global economy, as well as its close real and financial linkages with the United States. To provide inputs for this projection, the Bank has developed several models, including MUSE, NEUQ (the New European Quarterly Model), and BoC-GEM (Bank of Canada Global Economy Model), to analyze and forecast economic developments in the rest of the world. The authors focus on MUSE, the model currently used to describe interaction among the principal U.S. economic variables, including gross domestic product, inflation, interest rates, and the exchange rate. Brief descriptions are also provided of NEUQ and BoC-GEM.
The Search for Broad Environmental Information and New Product Development Success in Technology-Based SMEs

In this study we examined the relationships between environmental scanning and information sources on new product development (NPD) success in a sample of 112 Korean technology-based SMEs. We found a significant positive relationship between scanning the task sectors of the environment of customers, competitors and technology on the timeliness and creativity of the NPD process. We also found that external personal sources of customers, competitors and suppliers/distributors and internal sources of employees, company library, etc. had a significant positive relationship with NPD success, while the use of professional sources of information such as lawyers, bankers and trade and industry association members had a negative impact on NPD success. We discuss the findings and their implications.
Comparison of motor, cognitive, and behavioral features in progressive supranuclear palsy and Parkinson's disease

Major clinical features and global measures were systematically evaluated and compared in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and Parkinson's disease (PD). In addition to gaze palsy and early postural instability in PSP, absence of levodopa‐induced dyskinesia, frontalis muscle overactivity, primitive reflexes, visuospatial impairment, and substantial frontal behavioral disturbances differentiated almost all patients with this disorder from PD. For PSP, behavioral changes related to severity of general disability, thereby challenging previous models of relationships between behavior, motor, and cognitive disturbance for this disorder. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
Secondarily generalized seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy

Purpose: Secondarily generalized tonic–clonic seizure (SGTCS) may occur rarely in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), but SGTCS is the major risk factor for sudden death and for seizure‐related fatal injuries. Our aim was to investigate clinical factors associated with the occurrence of SGTCS in TLE by addressing two questions: (1) What clinical features differentiate patients with TLE who regularly had SGTCS from those who did not? (2) Is there an association of secondarily generalized seizures with preceding seizure elements and clinical data?
Segmentation of the senior travel market by the means of travel motivations

The article reports on the segmentation of Swiss senior travellers on the basis of their travel motivation. Switzerland is considered a mature market which is why this country serves as a role model for future travel behaviour. In contrast to previous studies, which identified up to six clusters, the results reveal that in the case analysed there are three clusters. Two of them partially represent a life cycle concept: TIME HONOURED BON VIVANTS (phase 1; towards the end of a professional life), and GRIZZLED EXPLORERS (phase 2; from the start of a retired life). These two segments are complemented by RETRO TRAVELLERS, which incorporate many characteristics of the previous two but differentiate themselves in terms of education as well as professional positions.
CALL FOR PAPERS Translational Research in Acute Lung Injury and Pulmonary Fibrosis TGF- -induced IL-6 prevents development of acute lung injury in influenza A virus-infected F508del CFTR-heterozygous mice

Woods PS, Tazi MF, Chesarino NM, Amer AO, Davis IC. TGF-induced IL-6 prevents development of acute lung injury in influenza A virus-infected F508del CFTR-heterozygous mice. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 308: L1136–L1144, 2015. First published April 3, 2015; doi:10.1152/ajplung.00078. 2015. —As the eighth leading cause of annual mortality in the USA, influenza A viruses are a major public health concern. In 20% of patients, severe influenza progresses to acute lung injury (ALI). However, pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ALI development are poorly defined. We reported that, unlike wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 controls, influenza A virus-infected mice that are heterozygous for the F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (HETs) did not develop ALI. This effect was associated with higher IL-6 and alveolar macrophages (AMs) at 6 days postinfection (d.p.i.) in HET bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). In the present study, we found that HET AMs were an important source of IL-6 at 6 d.p.i. Infection also induced TGFproduction by HET but not WT mice at 2 d.p.i. TGFneutralization at 2 d.p.i. (TGF-N) significantly reduced BALF IL-6 in HETs at 6 d.p.i. Neither TGF-N nor IL-6 neutralization at 4 d.p.i. (IL-6-N) altered postinfection weight loss or viral replication in either mouse strain. However, both treatments increased influenza A virus-induced hypoxemia, pulmonary edema, and lung dysfunction in HETs to WT levels at 6 d.p.i. TGF-N and IL-6-N did not affect BALF AM and neutrophil numbers but attenuated the CXCL-1/keratinocyte chemokine response in both strains and reduced IFNproduction in WT mice. Finally, bone marrow transfer experiments showed that HET stromal and myeloid cells are both required for protection from ALI in HETs. These findings indicate that TGF-dependent production of IL-6 by AMs later in infection prevents ALI development in influenza A virus-infected HET mice.
Pre-dispersal context and presence of opposite sex modulate density dependence and sex bias of dispersal

Pre-dispersal conditions and presence of opposite sex modulate density dependence and sex bias of dispersal Authors: Abhishek Mishra, Sudipta Tung, V.R. Shree Sruti, Mohammed Aamir Sadiq, Sahana Srivathsa, Sutirth Dey* Affiliations: Population Biology Laboratory, Biology Division, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research-Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, Maharashtra, India, 411 008 1. abhishek.mishra@students.iiserpune.ac.in 2. sudipta.tung@students.iiserpune.ac.in 3. shree.sruti@students.iiserpune.ac.in 4. mohammed.aamir@students.iiserpune.ac.in 5. sahana.srivathsa@students.iiserpune.ac.in 6. s.dey@iiserpune.ac.in Running title: Robustness of density-dependent dispersal
Investment Analysis Under Uncertainty

Investment projects are described in this paper as a pattern of uncertain cash flows over time; i.e., as a cash flow pattern over an event tree. Whereas the portfolio problem of selecting projects generally requires simultaneous consideration of all available projects, here we seek sufficient conditions for accepting and rejecting individual projects. These conditions are formulated as mathematical programming problems which are amenable to routine application at subordinate levels of an organization. “Investment is, in essence, present sacrifice for future benefit. But the present is relatively well known, whereas the future is always an enigma. Investment is also, therefore, certain sacrifice for uncertain benefit. ”1
Executive Incentive Plans, Corporate Control, and Capital Structure

Abstract Agency theory recognizes that the interests of managers and shareholders may conflict and that, left on their own, managers may make major financial policy decisions, such as the choice of a capital structure, that are suboptimal from the shareholders' standpoint. The theory also suggests, however, that compensation contracts, managerial equity investment, and monitoring by the board of directors and major shareholders can reduce conflicts of interest between managers and shareholders. This research investigates the relationship between the firm's capital structure and 1) executive incentive plans, 2) managerial equity investment, and 3) monitoring by the board of directors and major shareholders. This paper finds a positive relationship between the firm's leverage ratio and 1) percentage of executives' total compensation in incentive plans, 2) percentage of equity owned by managers, 3) percentage of investment bankers on the board of directors, and 4) percentage of equity owned by large individual investors. These findings are consistent with the predictions of agency theory, suggesting, in turn, that capital structure models that ignore agency costs are incomplete.
Advisory Board and Earnings Persistence

We examine the relationship between the board of directors and earnings persistence. We define the advisory role of board members as providing strategic counsel to top management. We argue that strategic counseling provided by the board helps create and sustain growth, which, in turn, translates into more persistent earnings. We find that for firms whose boards are dedicated to advising, earnings are more persistent and the association between earnings and future cash flows is higher, compared with firms whose boards are not focused on advising. We further find that advising by boards increases the persistence of both the cash flows component and the accruals component of current earnings. In additional analyses, we fail to find a consistently positive correlation between boards with intensive monitoring and more persistent earnings. Putting together, these results suggest that the relation between board structure and earnings persistence is more likely driven by the advisory role and less likely by the monitoring function of the board of directors.