Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploiting the potential of manufacturing network embeddedness: An OM perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance in setting the level of autonomy (i.e. parental control) of plants in a network to enhance operational performance. In particular, the effect of autonomy on performance is analysed directly and indirectly through internal manufacturing network integration (MNI) and external supply chain integration (SCI) as two dimensions of manufacturing network embeddedness. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on data from 441 manufacturing plants in 17 countries. Data were gathered during the Sixth International Manufacturing Strategy Survey. Five main constructs were obtained after carrying out a confirmatory factor analysis: plant autonomy, internal MNI, external SCI, efficiency and effectiveness. Direct and indirect relationships among the constructs are tested through a structural equation model. Findings Higher levels of autonomy correlate with higher effectiveness and similar efficiency. However, lower autonomy leads to higher levels of manufacturing network and SCI, which enhance performance. Although not statistically significant, the analysis of the total effects reveals a mildly positive effect of autonomy on effectiveness and negative effect on efficiency, which requires further investigation. Research limitations/implications Further research could include headquarters’ perspectives or additional determinants (e.g. business strategy objectives). Practical implications Managers should set autonomy levels strategically: higher for effectiveness and lower for efficiency. However, lower autonomy can also strengthen internal MNI and external SCI, thus improving operational performance. Originality/value The concept of manufacturing network embeddedness highlights the importance of considering external supply chain and internal MNI in the same framework, as both dimensions can affect operational performance.
Optimal tax routing: network analysis of FDI diversion

The international corporate tax system is considered a network. Just like for transportation, “shortest” paths are computed, which minimize tax payments for multinational enterprises when they repatriate profits. We include corporate income tax rates, withholding taxes on dividends, double tax treaties, and double taxation relief methods. We find that treaty shopping leads to an average potential reduction of the tax burden on repatriated dividends of about 6% points. An indicator for centrality in the tax network identifies the UK, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands as the most important conduit countries. Low-tax havens do not have a crucial role in reducing dividend repatriation taxes. By contrast, tax haven financial centres do. In the regressions we find that the centrality measures are robustly significant explanatory variables for bilateral FDI stocks. This also holds for our treaty shopping indicator.
Selecting new drugs for pain control: evidence-based decisions or clinical impressions?

BACKGROUND Selecting drugs for pain control in dentistry should be based on scientific research rather than clinical impressions. This article highlights the scientific attributes of analgesic medications that make them practical for treating postoperative dental pain. METHODS This article is based on a review of the general characteristics of double-blind, controlled clinical studies compared with clinical observation in dental practice. The literature reviewed included all recent published clinical studies in refereed journals pertinent to the use of rofecoxib, a selective cyclo-oxygenase-2, or COX-2, inhibitor, in treating postoperative dental pain. The author focuses on some pharmacokinetic parameters of this agent as they compare with those of nonselective COX-2 inhibitors used to control dental pain. (The other selective COX-2 inhibitors, celecoxib and valdecoxib, do not carry label indications for short-term management of postoperative pain.) RESULTS The findings of this literature review show that the COX-2-selective inhibitor rofecoxib is no more effective than conventional, nonselective, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, for the relief of postoperative dental pain. Rofecoxib does, however, have the disadvantage of requiring rescue medication from a different class of drugs in a significant number of patients. CONCLUSIONS The currently available COX-2-selective inhibitors do not replace conventional NSAIDs for the short-term treatment of postoperative dental pain. However, they are useful for treating chronic pain conditions because they produce fewer adverse effects when taken long-term than do conventional NSAIDs. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Selecting drugs for the short-term relief of postoperative dental pain should be based on a careful assessment of all relevant pharmacological characteristics of a given agent, especially those related to maximum dosage, duration of action and efficacy.
Prominent facilitation at beta and gamma frequency range revealed with physiological calcium concentration in adult mouse piriform cortex in vitro

Neuronal activity is characterized by a diversity of oscillatory phenomena that are associated with multiple behavioral and cognitive processes, yet the functional consequences of these oscillations are not fully understood. Our aim was to determine whether and how these different oscillatory activities affect short-term synaptic plasticity (STP), using the olfactory system as a model. In response to odorant stimuli, the olfactory bulb displays a slow breathing rhythm as well as beta and gamma oscillations. Since the firing of olfactory bulb projecting neurons is phase-locked with beta and gamma oscillations, structures downstream from the olfactory bulb should be driven preferentially at these frequencies. We examined STP exhibited by olfactory bulb inputs in slices of adult mouse piriform cortex maintained in vitro in an in vivo-like ACSF (calcium concentration: 1.1 mM). We replaced the presynaptic neuronal firing rate by repeated electrical stimulation (frequency between 3.125 and 100 Hz) applied to the lateral olfactory tract. Our results revealed a considerable enhancement of postsynaptic response amplitude for stimulation frequencies in the beta and gamma range. A phenomenological model of STP fitted to the data suggests that the experimental results can be explained by the interplay between three mechanisms: a short-term facilitation mechanism (time constant ≈160 msec), and two short-term depression mechanisms (recovery time constants <20 msec and ≈140 msec). Increasing calcium concentration (2.2 mM) resulted in an increase in the time constant of facilitation and in a strengthening of the slowest depression mechanism. As a result, response enhancement was reduced and its peak shifted toward the low beta and alpha ranges while depression became predominant in the gamma band. Using environmental conditions corresponding to those that prevail in vivo, our study shows that STP in the lateral olfactory tract to layer Ia synapse allows amplification of olfactory bulb inputs at beta and gamma frequencies.
A new proposal of pension regimes typology: empirical analysis of the OECD countries

In the paper, we present a new typology of pension regimes based on two main dimensions: the extent of involvement of the state and the market, and the role of voluntary schemes. We propose three theoretical pension regimes. The study proves that our theoretical typology is also consistent with empirical pension systems in OECD countries. In order to group them into the similar pension models, we employ multivariate statistical analysis. As a result of our empirical research, the regimes distinguished in the theoretical framework have found their counterparts in the clusters of real pension systems operating in 30 countries.
Prevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in Danish deer

To estimate the prevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in the most common species of Danish deer, blood samples were collected from roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), fallow deer (Dama dama), and red deer (Cervus elaphus). A total of 156 blood samples were collected primarily from hunts in three areas of Denmark from November 1990 to December 1991. Presence of deer IgG antibodies to the Borrelia burgdorferi strain DK ECM 1 were shown by an indirect immunofluorescence assay at serum titre 1:64. Antibodies to spirochaetes were detected in 52% of roe deer, 38% of fallow deer, and 27% of red deer. There were significant differences between the number of seropositive animals in the three areas of Denmark examined, but no differences could be shown for age, sex or season. The high antibody prevalence indicates that deer are exposed to tickborne Borrelia burgdorferi throughout Denmark.
ACCOUNTING REPRESENTATION AND THE SLAVE TRADE: THE GUIDE DU COMMERCE OF GAIGNAT DE L'AULNAIS

The Guide du commerce occupies a distinctive place in the French-language literature on accounting. Passed over by most specialists in the history of maritime trade and the slave trade, the manual has never been the subject of a documented historical study. The apparent realism of the examples, the luxury of details and their precision, all bear witness to a deep concern to go beyond a simple apprenticeship in bookkeeping. Promoting itself essentially as “un guide du commerce,” the volume offers strategic examples for small local businesses, as well as for those engaged in international trade. Yet, the realism also demonstrated the expertise of the author in the eyes of potential purchasers. Inspired by the work of Bottin [2001], we investigate the extent to which the manual reflects real-world practices and provides a faithful glimpse into the socio-economic context of the period. Two additional questions are discussed briefly in our conclusion. First, can the work of Gaignat constitute a source document.
Juvenile Hormone Analog Enhances Calling Behavior, Mating Success, and Quantity of Volatiles Released by Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae)

ABSTRACT The application of a juvenile hormone analog, methoprene, to newly emerged adult males reduced the time required for sexual maturation and enhanced mating success in several species of tephritid fruit flies. In this work, we investigated the effect of topical methoprene application on West Indian fruit fly, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), male calling, mating, and volatile release. Males treated with topical methoprene exhibited sexual maturation and reproductive behavior 2 d earlier when compared with control males treated with acetone. Methoprene-treated males began calling and mating at 4 d old, whereas control males did not call and mate until 6 d old. The gas chromotographymass spectrometry analysis of volatiles showed that during calling A. obliqua males consistently released four compounds; three of them were identified as (Z)-3-nonenol, (Z,E)-&agr;-farnesene, (E,E)&agr;-farnesene, and a fourth compound with the appearance of a farnesene isomer. Both treated and control males released the same compounds, although treated males started to release volatiles before that control males. The results are discussed in view of possible methoprene application with the aim of reducing costs in fly emergence and release facilities before eventual release of A. obliqua in the field, thus improving the sterile insect technique.
Spinothalamic lamina I neurones selectively responsive to cutaneous warming in cats

1 In order to further characterize the role of lamina I as the source of central ascending neural pathways for thermoreception and thermoregulation, experiments were performed on anaesthetized cats to determine the quantitative response characteristics of warming‐specific lumbosacral spinothalamic lamina I neurones. 2 We identified 10 neurones out of 474 that were selectively excited by cutaneous warming (Warm cells). Their thresholds were all in the range 35‐37 °C at a baseline of 34.5 °C, and their discharge linearly encoded the temperature of graded, innocuous warming stimuli with a sensitivity of 2.1 Hz °C−1. 3 The stimulus‐response function of the Warm cells plateaued at temperatures that were in the noxious heat range. 4 The Warm cells were distinguished from other classes of spinothalamic lamina I neurones by their peripheral inputs, central conduction velocities and level of ongoing activity. 5 The discharge of Warm cells compares well with the known human psychophysics of warm sensibility, and these neurones are likely to be crucial to discriminative thermoreception. Additionally, a role in thermoregulation, a defining feature of mammalian homeostasis, is suggested.
Best Practices in Developing a Positive Behavior Support System at the School Level

School-wide positive behavior support (PBS) is a broad set of research-validated strategies designed to create school environments that promote and support appropriate behavior of all students. These environments are brought about through the identification of common behavioral expectations that are valued by the school community and can apply to all students in all school settings and situations. These common expectations are directly and explicitly taught to all students to create an atmosphere in which students know what is expected of them at all times. Furthermore, in a PBS framework, students are systematically and frequently acknowledged for their appropriate behavior. Undesired behavior, when it occurs, is responded to swiftly and consistently. A school environment is therefore created that (a) teaches students skills to behave appropriately, (b) positively acknowledges students engaging in those behaviors, and (c) provides consistency and stability in interactions among students and staff members. A method of ongoing data collection regarding student behavior is a hallmark of PBS, emphasizing the need to use such information for making decisions about the effectiveness of the school’s universal prevention efforts and about group and individual student performance (Carr et al., 2002; Lewis & Sugai, 1999; Office of Special Education Programs Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports [OSEP], 2004). PBS is predicated on the assumption that typical school discipline practices are ineffective for promoting and supporting desired behavior in school. School discipline policies typically list punishments for behavioral infractions, such as exclusionary suspensions or expulsions. While such exclusion practices may produce a rapid decrease in undesired behavior at the time it occurs, they usually do not produce long lasting behavior change and they typically do not provide teaching opportunities to promote desired behavior (Constenbader & Markson, 1998; Skiba & Peterson, 2000). In addition, school personnel generally under use positive reinforcement techniques (Maag, 2001). Despite intermittent positive reinforcement’s ability to sustain appropriate behaviors in students, many teachers believe that students should behave appropriately ‘‘just because they should. ’’ Yet, a high degree of positive acknowledgment of students’ appropriate behaviors can foster positive relationships between staff and students, which in turn could influence the overall climate of a school and student outcomes (Baker, Terry, Bridger, & Winsor, 1997; Lehr & Christenson, 2002). School-wide PBS is a structured way to promote positive relationships in schools and to provide students with social and behavioral skills to be successful learners and school citizens. Researchers have demonstrated positive outcomes for staff in terms of regained time for administrative duties and instruction as a result of not having to address behavior problems (e.g., Scott & Barrett, 2004) and for students in terms of reductions in challenging behaviors at all grade levels (e.g., Bohanon
Second-Line Salvage Treatment of AIDS-Associated Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia: A Case Series and Systematic Review

Background:Limited clinical data exist to guide the choice of second-line salvage treatment for AIDS-associated Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP). Methods:We did a systematic search of MEDLINE for all randomized and observational studies of PCP treatment published up to August 2007 and included individual treatment data of AIDS-associated PCP from a tricenter study. We calculated pooled estimates of reported outcome of second-line treatment using averaged odds ratios (ORs). Results:Twenty-nine studies with sufficient detail of second-line treatment and outcome, including data from 82 individual cases from the tricenter study, yielded a total of 468 PCP second-line treatment episodes. Response rates to second-line treatment were comparable for trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX; 68%) and clindamycin-primaquine (73%) (OR for response = 2.1 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1 to 3.2] and 2.7 [95% CI: 1.3 to 4.0], respectively) but were considerably lower for intravenous pentamidine (44%; OR = 0.8 [95% CI: 0.6 to 1.0]). Conclusions:Clindamycin-primaquine is an alternative to intravenous pentamidine as second-line treatment for PCP in patients who fail treatment with TMP-SMX. TMP-SMX should be used as a second-line treatment for those failing first-line treatments with regimens other than TMP-SMX.
[Anxiety and depression in asthmatic adults in comparison to healthy individuals].

BACKGROUND Asthmatic patients present different degrees of anxiety and depression, being psychiatric pathologies the most frequent alterations related to this illness. In this country there is available information of asthma in children but just a few about adult patients. OBJECTIVES To know the frequency of anxiety and depression in adult asthmatic patients, compare them with healthy individuals and determine their relationship with the severity of illness. PATIENTS AND METHODS There were included asthmatic adults (GINA 2002) and as control group healthy individuals, using the HAD scale (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) to determine the presence of anxiety and depression RESULTS 120 patients participated, 60 in each group with a mean age of 34 years old in the group 1 (asthmatic) and 31 years old in group 2 (healthy individuals). The HAD scale results in group 1 showed that 30% of patients presented anxiety, and 8% showed depression; in group 2 18% had anxiety and 3% depression. There are more anxiety and depression in asthmatic patients than in healthy individuals, p < 0.05, correlation between depression and severity of asthma is r = 0.288. CONCLUSIONS Anxiety is frequent in asthmatic patients, being less common the presence of depression but related with asthma severity. These results contrast with available information where up to 54% of asthmatic patient present anxiety and 30% depression, using the same scale HAD. It is necessary to identify these problems, with the object to give an integral an accurate treatment to the patient.
Multilocus Sequence Typing Lacks the Discriminatory Ability of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis for Typing Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT Nontyphoidal salmonellae are among the leading causes of food-borne disease in the United States. Because of the importance of Salmonella enterica in food-borne disease, numerous typing methodologies have been developed. Among the several molecular typing methods, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is currently considered the “gold standard” technique in typing Salmonella. The aim of this study was to compare the discriminatory power of PFGE to multilocus sequence typing (MLST) in typing Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium clinical isolates. A total of 85 Salmonella Typhimurium clinical isolates from cattle were used in this study. PFGE using XbaI was performed on the 85 isolates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention method, and data were analyzed using the BioNumerics software package. Fifty PFGE profiles were observed among the isolates, and these grouped into three major clusters. For the MLST analysis, the manB, pduF, glnA, and spaM genes were amplified by PCR from the same 85 isolates. DNA sequencing of these four genes, manB, pduF, glnA, and spaM, showed no genetic diversity among the isolates tested, with a 100% identity in nucleotide sequence. Moreover, the DNA sequences of the aforementioned genes showed 100% identity to the sequence reported in GenBank for the S. enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 strain. Therefore, MLST, using these genes, lacks the discriminatory power of PFGE for typing Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.
Patent Claims and Patent Scope

Patent scope is one of the important aspects in the debates over “patent quality. ” The purported decrease in patent quality over the past decade or two has supposedly led to granting patents of increased breadth (or “overly broad” patents), decreased clarity, and questionable validity. Such patents allegedly diminish the incentives for innovation due to increased licensing and litigation costs. However, these debates often occur without well-defined measurements of patent scope. This paper explores two very simple metrics for measuring patent scope based on claim language: independent claim length and independent claim count. We validate these measures by showing that they have explanatory power for several correlates of patent scope used in the literature: patent maintenance payments, forward citations, the breadth of patent classes, and novelty. Using these data, we provide the first large-scale analysis of patent scope changes during the examination process. Our results show that narrower claims at publication are associated with a higher probability of grant and a shorter examination process than broader claims. Further, we find that the examination process tends to narrow the scope of patent claims in terms of both claim length and claim count, and that the changes are more significant when the duration of examination is longer.
Potential of April-June multi-temporal images for crop mapping before harvest: A case study of Kashgar

This research aims at evaluating the potential of multi-temporal images acquired in April-June period for crop mapping before harvest in Kashgar China. Firstly, images of both Landsat-5 TM and Huan Jing (HJ)-1 CCD data were used to acquire an image time series with 30 m spatial resolution and 15 day temporal resolution during the entire growing season. Subsequently, period-by-period separability of different crops was measured by calculating Jeffries-Matsushita (JM) distance. Afterwards, a support vector machine (SVM) was used to compare the classification accuracy of entire growing season and April-June images. The result indicated that the late August image is the best time period to identify crops because the JM distances of pair-wise crop were larger than 1.75. And the average JM distance of April-June images was 1.939, which was slightly lower than that of entire growing season (JM distance 1.999). In addition, the overall accuracy of classification using April-June images was 85.16%. It was 8% lower than that of optimal images of entire growing season (93.74%). The misclassifications of April-June images were mainly attributed to the misclassification between wheat and wheat-maize, as summer were still in an early growing stage in late June. Overall, the research showed that domineering crops in Kashgar can be extracted one month before harvest using multi-temporal images obtained during April and June.