Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Cultural Values for Digital Transformation: Insights from a Delphi Study

The rapid advancement of digital technologies has fundamentally changed the competitive dynamics of industries. To cope with an increasingly unstable environment and to fully leverage the opportunities opened by new technologies, organizations need to transform their businesses. Digital transformation initiatives are prevalent throughout industries, yet often experience failure due to inert organizational cultures preventing change. We adopt a value-centric approach to organizational culture to identify cultural values critical for digital transformation success. Our exploratory Delphi study with 25 research and industry experts resulted in twelve identified cultural values. The results point to an ideal combination of two culture types of the competing values framework, emphasizing values that foster innovation and concern for people. With the identification of an ideal target culture for cultural change initiatives, we extend the knowledge in IT-enabled business transformation literature and lay the foundation for future research on the role of culture in digital transformation.
Volume Blood Flow, Static Pressure Ratio and Venous Conductance in Native Arterio-venous Fistulae: Three Surveillance Methods Compared

Purpose Dialysis venous pressure monitoring has been widely recommended as a surveillance method but has not been shown to improve access outcomes in randomised controlled trials. The method has been impaired by the need to either turn off the blood pump or to derive the static venous pressure from the venous pressure measured with the dialysis pump running. We have developed a unique algorithm which converts Doppler-shifted spectral information derived from unsealed pulsatile blood flow waveforms into an estimate of mean blood pressure (MBP) at the point of ultrasound insonation. Methods We have devised the unique expression shown here: MBP = MAP/(1 + Pff/Vff) where MAP is the mean arterial pressure, Pff = (systolic – diastolic)/MAP measured on the contralateral arm and Vff = spectral maximum – minimum/mean. Venous conductance (VC) can be measured by combining this pressure data with Duplex ultrasound blood flow data. A new device BlueDop™ has been used to illustrate the potential clinical value of non-invasive static pressure ratio (SPRn) in a monitoring role. Duplex and BlueDop™ technology were tested in an arterio-venous fistula (AVF) study in which VC, Q and SPRn were compared. Thresholds used for detection of ≥60% venous stenosis were VC <10 mL min−1 mm Hg−1, Q <500 mL min−1, SPRn >0.56. Results The following accuracy was achieved: VC = 96%, Q = 92%, SPRn = 76% with similar accuracy in predicting premature thrombosis. Conclusions A new algorithm has been described and its in vivo accuracy in estimating mean ‘pressure from flow’ has been confirmed. Two new variables and a new dedicated instrument BlueDop™ have been demonstrated in clinical use.
Impact of Secondary Users' Field Size on Spectrum Sharing Opportunities

Previous works studied the effect of many system parameters on spectrum sharing opportunities where secondary users access the spectrum of primary users. However, a parameter that has received little attention is the spatial size of the field of secondary users. Usually, the field size is assumed to be infinite. Using results developed for infinite fields might be too pessimistic leading to missing spectrum sharing opportunities. This paper studies the effect of the field size on spectrum sharing opportunities. We verify that asymptotic results obtained for infinite fields are applicable for finite but relatively large fields as well, i.e., when the radial depth of the field is much greater than the minimum distance to the primary user. We demonstrate that in some cases, however, asymptotic results are too pessimistic hiding some spectrum sharing opportunities. Moreover, the paper shows that in certain situations a small reduction in the field size may create spectrum sharing opportunities while in certain other situations a huge increase in the field size may not eliminate spectrum sharing opportunities. Our results also suggest the possibility of a secondary network to concurrently share the spectrum with a primary user without the need for spectrum sensing techniques or other cognitive radio functionalities.
Delayed Discharges: Does Staff Well-Being Matter?

Delayed discharges of patients from hospitals, also known as bed--blocking is a long standing policy concern. Such delays can increase hospital treatment costs and may also lead to poorer patient health and experience. Prior research indicates that external factors, such as, greater availability and better affordability of long term care associated with lower delays. Using theories from Economics, this study examines the role of within--hospital factors, namely, staff well--being in alleviating hospital delayed days. We use a new panel database of delays in all English hospital trusts from 2011/12 to 2014/15. Employing longitudinal count data models, the paper finds that staff well--being is associated with lower hospital delayed discharges controlling for long--term factors and management quality. The findings are robust to alternative methods and measures of delayed discharges.
GATA elements are necessary for the activity and tissue specificity of the T-cell receptor beta-chain transcriptional enhancer

Three high-affinity binding sites for the GATA family of transcriptional regulators have been identified within the T-cell receptor beta-chain (TCR beta) transcriptional enhancer, and their functional significance has been determined in an effort to understand the T-cell specificity of the enhancer more fully. One site, TE4, is important for activity of the enhancer in T cells. Neither site TE1 nor site TE2 can functionally replace a mutated TE4 site in T cells; however, the same protein, probably GATA-3, binds all three sites, as judged by electrophoretic mobility shift, oligonucleotide competition, and proteolytic clipping assays. These data suggest that additional proteins are critical for the ability of GATA-3 to activate the TCR beta enhancer. In fibroblasts, the GATA sequence at site TE1 appears to bind a negative regulator. Since this is not true in B cells, B cells and fibroblasts appear to have different mechanisms for negative regulation of the TCR beta enhancer.
Visualization of Online-Game Players Based on Their Action Behaviors

We propose a visualization approach for analyzing players' action behaviors. The proposed approach consists of two visualization techniques: classical multidimensional scaling (CMDS) and Key Graph. CMDS is for discovering clusters of players who behave similarly. Key Graph is for interpreting action behaviors of players in a cluster of interest. In order to reduce the dimension of matrices used in computation of the CMDS input, we exploit a time-series reduction technique recently proposed by us. Our visualization approach is evaluated using log of an online game where three-player types according to Bartle's taxonomy are found, that is, achievers, explorers, and socializers.
Surface-Micromachined Capacitive RF Switches With Low Actuation Voltage and Steady Contact

In this paper, we report fabrication and dynamic characterization of low-actuation-voltage capacitive radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) switches with improved electromechanical performance. Electromechanical and electromagnetic modeling is used to modify the previously known geometries of switches and the number and size of holes in them to improve their overall dynamic characteristics. The switches are fabricated on a Pyrex glass substrate using a low-complexity four-mask surface micromachining process. These designs of MEMS switches require only 4.8–6.2 V as pull-in voltage. The dynamic behavior of these MEMS switches is investigated experimentally. Measured mechanical resonant frequency and quality factor are found to be in the range of 7.56–10.7 kHz and 1.1 to 1.2, respectively. Measured switching times for all the designs are 33– $37~\mu \text{s}$ at their respective pull-in voltages. These switches show bounce-free switching during contact and fast settling after release. Two of the switch designs have insertion loss of less than 0.25 and 0.7 dB at 20 and 40 GHz, and isolation better than 30 dB. Close agreement between experimentally measured and simulation results demonstrates successful realization of fast-switching capacitive RF MEMS switches at low voltage. [2016-0152]
Interventions for promoting the initiation of breastfeeding

The benefits of breastfeeding for the health and wellbeing of the mother and baby are well documented. WHO recommends early (i.e. within one hour of giving birth) initiation of breastfeeding. A recent trial has shown that early initiation of breastfeeding could reduce neonatal mortality by 22% (1), which would contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Globally, over one million newborn infants could be saved each year by initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of life. In developing countries alone, early initiation of breastfeeding could save as many as 1.45 million lives each year by reducing deaths mainly due to diarrhoeal disorders and lower respiratory tract infections in children (2).
Power Laws in Superspreading Events: Evidence from Coronavirus Outbreaks and Implications for SIR Models

While they are rare, superspreading events (SSEs), wherein a few primary cases infect an extraordinarily large number of secondary cases, are recognized as a prominent determinant of aggregate infection rates (R0). Existing stochastic SIR models incorporate SSEs by fitting distributions with thin tails, or finite variance, and therefore predicting almost deterministic epidemiological outcomes in large populations. This paper documents evidence from recent coronavirus outbreaks, including SARS, MERS, and COVID-19, that SSEs follow a power law distribution with fat tails, or infinite variance. We then extend an otherwise standard SIR model with estimated power law distributions, and show that idiosyncratic uncertainties in SSEs will lead to large aggregate uncertainties in infection dynamics, even with large populations. That is, the timing and magnitude of outbreaks will be unpredictable. While such uncertainties have social costs, we also find that they on average decrease the herd immunity thresholds and the cumulative infections because per-period infection rates have decreasing marginal effects. Our findings have implications for social distancing interventions: targeting SSEs reduce not only the average rate of infection (R0) but also its uncertainty. To understand this effect, and to improve inference of the average reproduction numbers under fat tails, estimating the tail distribution of SSEs is vital.
Cost analysis of radical retropubic, perineal, and robotic prostatectomy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Radical prostatectomy can be performed via a retropubic, perineal, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted laparoscopic approach. Our goal was to evaluate the actual charges incurred at our institution with patients undergoing retropubic prostatectomy (RRP), perineal prostatectomy (RPP), and robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed all prostatectomy patients treated over a 22-month period (February 2002-December 2004). The case log included 78 RALPs, 16 RRPs, and 16 RPPs. Hospital charges were broken down into operative and nonoperative amounts. Operative times, blood loss, and length of hospital stay were all determined from the patient medical record. The robotic charges were divided further into the initial and final 20 cases. RESULTS There were significantly higher overall charges for patients undergoing RALP. The operative charges encountered during the robotic "learning curve" were substantially higher than those during our most recent 20 cases. This reduction seemed to correlate directly with the decreasing operative time. The mean operative time for RALP was 262 minutes (range 150-679 minutes). The mean operative time decreased to 225 minutes for our last 20 cases. In contrast, the mean times for RRP and RPP were similar, 202 minutes (range 142-348 minutes) and 196 minutes (range 105-337 minutes), respectively. CONCLUSION Robot-assisted prostatectomy is associated with substantially higher operative and total hospital charges in addition to the capital expense incurred by the hospital in acquiring and maintaining the robotic system. The operative charges did decrease substantially (27%) once the learning curve had been overcome. Perineal prostatectomy, in experienced hands, remains the most cost-effective procedure, with lower operative costs and shorter times. There was no significant difference in the nonoperative charges in the three treatment groups secondary to the short hospital stay.
‘I don’t get this climate stuff!’ Making sense of climate change among the corporate middle class in Lagos

Public engagement continues to be central to wider efforts to address climate change. This study contributes to public engagement debates by investigating engagement with climate change among an often overlooked group, the corporate middle class in Africa’s second largest megacity, Lagos. Combining survey and interviews, I focus analysis on three aspects: awareness, knowledge and concern; role of scientific and social frames in shaping general attitude; and spatial attribution of causes and consequences. The study reveals a universal awareness and high concern about climate change among the respondents, although understanding and perceptions of climate change are significantly socially framed. Social situatedness, more than scientific facts, is the most important definer of overall engagement with climate change. This study thus underscores a nuanced constructionist stance, showing how corporate professionals’ ‘ways of knowing’ climate change is underpinned by a certain co-production between scientific and socio-experiential frames. I highlight implications for research and public engagement with climate change.
Suicidal thinking in multiple sclerosis

Purpose. Studies demonstrate that suicidal ideation ((SI)) is greater in persons with multiple sclerosis ((MS)) than in the general population. SI may offer some MS patients a mechanism for feeling in control of their lives, in the face of a daunting, unpredictable disease. In this study, we determined what specific mental constructs or perceptual themes occur for MS patients experiencing SI, while also examining the construct of ‘control’ as a central theme. Methods. Individual interviews ((N == 16)) were audiotaped, transcribed and qualitatively analysed by two independent raters to test for key themes in MS patients reporting SI. Results. In relation to SI, eight key themes were identified by both raters as having been expressed in interviews: perceived loss of control, increased family tension, loneliness, hopelessness and frustration, physical and psychological impact of MS, loss of perceived masculinity or femininity, regaining control and failure to achieve desired or expected role functioning. We created a model to explain the emergence of these themes as they contribute to SI among patients with MS. All participants indicated that perceived loss of control elicited thoughts of suicide. Conclusion. Perceived loss of control appears to be a major disease related burden associated with SI in MS patients.
Neurotransmitters, Neuroendocrine Correlates of Sensation-Seeking Temperament in Normal Humans

Correlations between sensation-seeking (SS) personality dimension and plasma concentrations of norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine, and NE-dependent testosterone (T), cortisol and prolactin (PRL) were studied in 74 physically and psychologically healthy male volunteers, in order to see whether or not the noradrenergic system is involved in the modulation of this personality trait. Novelty-seeking scores by the Temperament and Character Inventory and SS scores on a Visual Analog Scale were positively correlated with plasma NE, T and PRL levels, suggesting that NE and the downstream cascade of NE-dependent hormones, together with other monoaminergic changes, might be responsible for the development and the degree of this temperamental character.
Preceptors, Interns, and Newly Registered Pharmacists' Perceptions of New Zealand Pharmacy Graduates' Preparedness to Practice

Objective. To determine the perceptions of pharmacy interns and newly registered pharmacists and preceptors regarding the preparedness of graduates to enter professional practice. Methods. A questionnaire was developed from the New Zealand Competence Standards for the Pharmacy Profession (pharmacist level), with additional questions on communication skills included. The instrument contained 16 items and was mailed to preceptors (n=141), interns (n=72), and newly-registered pharmacists (n=101). Microsoft Excel (pivot tables) was used to analyse the quantitative responses. The final question asked respondents to provide free-text comments about the questionnaire, graduates and the program and responses were analyzed quantitatively and thematically. Results. The response rates were 54.6% (n = 77) for preceptors, 100% (n = 72) for interns and 45.5% (n = 46), for newly registered pharmacists. The majority of responses (87.6%; n=2,562) were in agreement that the degree had prepared graduates for practice. Overall, preceptor perceptions of graduates' preparedness for practice were less favorable than graduates' self-perceptions of their preparedness. Four themes were identified from the free-text comments: the need for improved skills, more professional attitudes, better English communication, and additional training in extemporaneous compounding. Conclusion. Feedback elicited from graduates and preceptors was helpful in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a new bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) program and proved useful in both the accreditation and curriculum revision processes.
The influence of Hispanic ethnicity on nonsmall cell lung cancer histology and patient survival

Most studies exploring ethnic/racial disparities in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compare black patients with whites. Currently, the effect of Hispanic ethnicity on the overall survival of NSCLC is poorly understood. Therefore, the authors carried out a large‐scale, population‐based analysis using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data base to determine the impact of Hispanic ethnicity the survival of patients with NSCLC.
Distributed Unequal Error Protection Rateless Codes over Erasure Channels: A Two-Source Scenario

In distributed rateless coding, multiple disjoint sources need to deliver their rateless coded symbols (where a symbol may contain a single bit or thousands of bits) to a common destination via a single relay. In this paper, we propose and design novel distributed rateless codes called DU-rateless codes that can provide Unequal Error Protection (UEP) for disjoint sources with unequal data lengths on erasure channels. To design DU-rateless codes, we tune the coding parameters at each source and propose to smartly combine the encoded symbols at the relay. We analyze DU-rateless codes employing And-Or tree analysis technique and leverage our analysis to design several sets of codes for various setups employing the-state-of-the-art multi-objective genetic algorithms. We evaluate the performance of the designed codes using numerical simulations and discuss their advantages.
Mental Health Conditions are Associated With Increased Health Care Utilization Among Urban Family Medicine Patients

Purpose: To assess the relationship between the presence of a mental health condition and health care utilization among family medicine patients. Methods: We used the Patient Health Questionnaire plus a posttraumatic stress disorder screen to measure 6 common mental health conditions. In a sample of 367 patients recruited from 3 urban family medicine practices affiliated with Boston University Medical Center, we measured self-reported health care utilization of primary care provider visits, emergency department visits, nonpsychiatric hospitalizations, and outpatient mental health visits. We determined the association between screening positive for the mental health conditions and health care utilization using both multivariable logistic regression and Poisson regression methods while controlling for sex, age, race, income, insurance status, marital status, educational level, and the presence of chronic medical conditions. Results: After controlling for potential confounders, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder were statistically significantly associated with more PCP visits, ED visits, and nonpsychiatric hospitalizations. Neither major nor minor depression were associated with more PCP visits, ED visits, or nonpsychiatric hospitalizations, except that minor depression was associated with 103% increase in PCP visits (P < .001). Alcohol use disorder was associated with 16% fewer PCP visits (P = .01) but 238% more nonpsychiatric hospitalizations (P < .001). Conclusions: After controlling for confounders we found that mental health conditions among a sample of family medicine patients were associated with increased use of ED services, nonpsychiatric hospitalizations, and, to a lesser extent, PCP visits.
Expression of CD52 mRNA in the rat embryo

CD52 is a leukocyte differentiation antigen first discovered in humans as expressed on the surface of lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils. The human CD52 is found on chromosome 1, and two alleles are both known to be reasonably common. A closely homologous gene has been identified in the cynomologous monkey and related genes have been found in mouse, rat and dog. The role of CD52 in lymphocyte is still unclear but the anti‐CD52 antibodies named CAMPATH‐1 antibodies are largely used for therapy where depletion of lymphocytes is required. In the past expression of the antigen on progenitors of leukocytes in bone marrow had been excluded, but recent work indicates CD52 is highly expressed on cells with colony‐forming and NOD/SCID (non‐obese diabetic‐severe combined immunodeficiency)‐engrafting capacities, both at the mRNA and membrane protein level. We have investigated CD52 expression during development in rat embryos by in situ hybridization. We report here that the antigen is highly expressed in the liver that is the major organ where multipotent hematopietic stem cells differentiate but also in the splancnopleuric mesoderm, at early stages of embryo differentiation, where hematopietic stem cells are suggested to arise. CD52+ cells were found in areas active in vasculogenesis at early embryo stages and in the walls of the vessels in the liver at mid gestation. CD52+ cells were also found to emerge among c‐Kit positive cells.
Impact of excess weight and estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms on clinical course of homozygous β thalassemia

Abstract In homozygous β thalassemic patients we examined the role played by the interaction of ER gene polymorphisms with adverse environmental factors. A total of 108 homozygous β thalassemic patients, 60 prepubertal mean age 9,5 ± 3,7 years (27 M, 33 F) and 48 pubertal mean age 22,2 ± 5,4 years (21 M, 27 F), regularly treated with red cell transfusion and iron chelation therapy were segregated on the basis of their XbaI and PvuII ER gene polymorphisms. Body mass index (BMI), lipidic pattern and blood pressure values were evaluated in each group. No significant differences were observed between patients segregated by their PvuII ER genotypes. Prepubertal and pubertal patients of both sexes lacking XbaI site showed BMI, HDL, LDL cholesterol significantly different than the other patients. In addition, triglyceride levels and blood pressure values were significantly higher in pubertal patients of both sexes lacking XbaI site than in other patients. ER XbaI polymorphism appear to influence nutritional factors, metabolic status and blood pressure and could be considered additional risk factors for later cardiac involvement in β thalassemic patients.