Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IMPLICATION OF JUST-IN-TIME (JIT) ON ACCOUNTING

ODAY manufacturing companies are becoming increasingly aware that excellence in manufacturing can provide a competitive weapon to compete in sophisticated worldwide markets. In order to compete effectively, companies must be capable of manufacturing innovative product of high quality at a low cost, and also provide a first class customer services. At the same time, they must have the flexibility to cope with short product life cycle, demands for greater product variety from more discriminating customers and increasing international competition. World-class manufacturing companies have responded to these competitive demands by changing their traditional production system. To eliminate waste and improve quality, an innovation approach to inventory control called the Just-in-Time (JIT) system was developed by the Japanese-Taiichi Ohno, but has gained popularity throughout the world.Taiichi Ohno was considered to be the creator of the Toyota Production system and the father of the JIT system. JIT production system means an organization purchases materials and parts and produces components just when they are needed in the production process. Goods are not produced until it is time for them to be shipped to a customer. Many organizations adopt JIT systems to eliminate sources of manufacturing waste by producing the right part in the right place at the right time. The goal is to have minimum or zero inventories, because holding inventory is a non-value-added activity. The main goals of JIT manufacturing system are eliminate non-value-adding activities, to increase the focus upon product quality throughout the production process, reduction of inventory level, space requirements, wasted materials, time and effort. Plants are design for maximizing efficiency which smoother production flow with fewer disruptions. Improve the organization’s ability to compete with others and remain competitive over the long run.
Evidence that endpoint feedback facilitates intermanual transfer of visuomotor force learning by a cognitive strategy

Humans continuously adapt their movement to a novel environment by recalibrating their sensorimotor system. Recent evidence, however, shows that explicit planning to compensate for external changes, i.e. a cognitive strategy, can also aid performance. If such a strategy is indeed planned in external space, it should improve performance in an effector independent manner. We tested this hypothesis by examining whether promoting a cognitive strategy during a visual-force adaptation task performed in one hand can facilitate learning for the opposite hand. Participants rapidly adjusted the height of visual bar on screen to a target level by isometrically exerting force on a handle using their right hand. Visuomotor gain increased during the task and participants learned the increased gain. Visual feedback was continuously provided for one group, while for another group only the endpoint of the force trajectory was presented. The latter has been reported to promote cognitive strategy use. We found that endpoint feedback produced stronger intermanual transfer of learning and slower response times than continuous feedback. In a separate experiment, we found evidence that the aftereffect is indeed reduced when only endpoint feedback is provided, a finding that has been consistently observed when cognitive strategies are used. The results suggest that intermanual transfer can be facilitated by a cognitive strategy. This indicates that the behavioral observation of intermanual transfer can be achieved either by forming an effector-independent motor representation, or by sharing an effector-independent cognitive strategy between the hands.
Adolescents and Young Adults Knowledge, Adherence and Experiences While on Antiretroviral Therapy in a Tertiary Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria: A Mixed-Method Study

In Nigeria, there is a paucity of data on knowledge and experiences of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with HIV and ART, as well as their challenges maintaining optimal adherence. A mixed-method study was carried out between August and September 2018 among AYAs attending Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Data collection was via AYAs' hospital records, standardized questionnaires, and in-depth interviews (IDIs). The 4-day ACTG tool was used to measure adherence. Collected data were analyzed descriptively. Assessment of 34 AYAs comprising 18 (52.9%) males with 28 (82.4%) students revealed an overall knowledge score about ART and its effect of 73.6%. Twenty-five (73.5%) had poor knowledge of the development of resistant strains of HIV due to non-adherence recorded. Optimal adherence (≥95%) was recorded in 20 (58.8%) AYAs. IDI produced 4 themes: (i) reasons for non-adherence, (ii) ensuring optimal adherence, (iii) Social support systems and disclosure, and (iv) stigmatization. Our study provided formative data and revealed areas for intervention to improve knowledge and adherence to ART.
Utility of tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA in the clinical management of gastrointestinal malignancies.

Background Gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies represent a heterogeneous group of diseases. Traditional tumor markers, though part of standard-of-care, lack sensitivity and specificity. Tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay-based molecular residual disease assessment as well as recurrence and treatment response monitoring can serve as a robust tool in patients with wide range of GI malignancies and ethnicities. Methods A personalized, tumor-informed multiplex PCR-NGS assay (SignateraTM) was used for the detection and quantification of ctDNA in 258 plasma samples from 198 patients with GI cancers at two institutions. Serial time- points were collected on a subset of patients (n=64) to monitor their ctDNA levels in response to treatment. Chi-square test was used to compare ctDNA-positivity rates in different cohorts. Results The study included stage I-IV patients with a median age of 62 years (61% females and 49% ethnic minorities); 92% had surgical resection, 83% received systemic treatment. ctDNA-positivity was significantly associated with advanced stage (P=0.004), and presence/extent of metastases (P<0.00003). Serial time-point analysis showed that 22% (14/64) patients cleared ctDNA following treatment. ctDNA was detected in all patients who recurred (4/4; 100% sensitivity). Conclusions Serial monitoring of ctDNA using a tumor-informed ctDNA assay can be prognostic and predictive in advanced GI malignancies in adjuvant setting.
Forest bird abundance can vary with cross-scale interactions involving climate, exurban cover and forest patch size

Abstract Context. Climate and land use are among the most important drivers of global biodiversity change, and they may be operating at different spatial scales. The effects of cross-scale interactions (CSIs) between these drivers on avian abundance are poorly understood. Aims. Our primary objective was to assess whether the abundances of eight forest bird species in the eastern United States were significantly associated with CSIs involving four subregional climate variables (breeding- and pre-breeding-season temperature and precipitation) and two landscape variables (percentage exurban cover and forest patch size). Methods. For North American Breeding Bird Survey routes in six U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Level II ecoregions, we measured subregional climate variables within species maximum natal dispersal distances, and we measured landscape variables within species median natal dispersal distances. Using Akaike’s information criterion and negative-binomial regression, we compared the fits of 21 a priori competing models separately for each of the eight species, and separately for percentage exurban cover and forest patch size (8 × 2 = 16 model sets). Key results. Total abundances during 2009–2013 of all eight species were associated with CSIs, which were informative in nine of the 16 best-supported models. The informative CSIs in the best-supported models involved all four subregional climate and both landscape variables. These results were evident after we accounted analytically for various methodological and environmental covariates, including within-scale interactions, that may otherwise have obscured the effects of CSIs. In some models, CSIs were more influential than were the associated additive effects, similar within-scale interactions, or other environmental variables, whereas in other models they were not. The associations between species abundances and CSIs were species-specific. Conclusions. CSIs among global drivers of change may be common, and failure to identify CSI effects may result in misleading bird−landscape models. Implications. Understanding how CSIs modify the effects of variables at different spatial scales may be crucial for effective broad-scale management of declining species. Conservation attention to species that are presently common but declining in abundance may help avoid extirpation in parts of their geographic ranges.
A Correlational Analysis Of Instructional Technology Characteristics In North Carolina And Virginia Secondary Agricultural Education Curricula

The focus of this correlational study was to determine which selected demographic and program variables could be utilized in developing an instructional technology profile of North Carolina and Virginia secondary agricultural education teachers. Overall no demographic or program variables were found to be significant indicators to develop a profile. Recommendations included future research upon other instructional technology variables and possibly implementing a “train the trainer” philosophy to encourage more technology adoption by the majority of North Carolina and Virginia secondary agricultural education teachers.
Comparison of dental treatments performed under general anesthesia for healthy and disabled children

Background: This study aimed to assess and compare the type of dental procedures performed under general anesthesia for healthy and disabled children. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study evaluated 361 dental records of children who received dental treatments under general anesthesia in the operating room of Torabinejad Research Center during 2011–2013. Patients with mental or physical disability were categorized as disabled. The age and gender of patients, number of treated teeth, duration of general anesthesia, type of tooth, and type of dental treatment such as extraction, pulp therapy, placement of stainless steel crowns, composite restoration, preventive resin restoration (PRR), fissure sealant treatment, and fluoride therapy were separately recorded for the healthy group and patients with disability. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, and independent sample t-test at P < 0.05 level of significance. Results: Of 361 patients, 263 patients were healthy and 102 patients had disability. Of all disabled children, 48% had physical and 52% had mental disability. Among patients with physical disability, allergy (40%), followed by cardiovascular diseases (26%) were the most common. Mental retardation (54%) followed by cerebral palsy (10%) were the most common mental disabilities. Number of extracted teeth was significantly higher in disabled children (P = 0.006). Furthermore, disabled children received significantly lower PRR (P = 0.015), fissure sealant treatment (P = 0.003), fluoride therapy (P = 0.002), and pulp therapy (P < 0.001) compared with healthy children. Conclusion: Tooth extraction has a higher frequency in disabled children; while, attempts are made to preserve the teeth as much as possible in healthy children.
Inter-subject Correlation While Listening to Minimalist Music: A Study of Electrophysiological and Behavioral Responses to Steve Reich's Piano Phase

Musical minimalism utilizes the temporal manipulation of restricted collections of rhythmic, melodic, and/or harmonic materials. One example, Steve Reich's Piano Phase, offers listeners readily audible formal structure with unpredictable events at the local level. For example, pattern recurrences may generate strong expectations which are violated by small temporal and pitch deviations. A hyper-detailed listening strategy prompted by these minute deviations stands in contrast to the type of listening engagement typically cultivated around functional tonal Western music. Recent research has suggested that the inter-subject correlation (ISC) of electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to natural audio-visual stimuli objectively indexes a state of “engagement,” demonstrating the potential of this approach for analyzing music listening. But can ISCs capture engagement with minimalist music, which features less obvious expectation formation and has historically received a wide range of reactions? To approach this question, we collected EEG and continuous behavioral (CB) data while 30 adults listened to an excerpt from Steve Reich's Piano Phase, as well as three controlled manipulations and a popular-music remix of the work. Our analyses reveal that EEG and CB ISC are highest for the remix stimulus and lowest for our most repetitive manipulation, no statistical differences in overall EEG ISC between our most musically meaningful manipulations and Reich's original piece, and evidence that compositional features drove engagement in time-resolved ISC analyses. We also found that aesthetic evaluations corresponded well with overall EEG ISC. Finally we highlight co-occurrences between stimulus events and time-resolved EEG and CB ISC. We offer the CB paradigm as a useful analysis measure and note the value of minimalist compositions as a limit case for the neuroscientific study of music listening. Overall, our participants' neural, continuous behavioral, and question responses showed strong similarities that may help refine our understanding of the type of engagement indexed by ISC for musical stimuli.
Moment computation of lumped and distributed coupled RC trees with application to delay and crosstalk estimation

In today's deep submicrometer technology the coupling capacitances among individual on-chip RC trees have an essential effect on the signal delay and crosstalk, and the interconnects should be modeled as coupled RC trees. In this paper we provide simple exact explicit formulas for the Elmore delay and higher order voltage moments and a linear order recursive algorithm for the voltage moment computation for lumped and distributed coupled RC trees. By using the formulas and algorithms, the moment-matching method can be efficiently implemented to deal with delay and crosstalk estimation, model order reduction, and optimal design of interconnects. As an application of the algorithm, we provide a new efficient and accurate model for crosstalk estimation in coupled RC trees. Simulation results show it works better than existing methods.
Effect of 5-Azacitidine Treatment on Redox Status and Inflammatory Condition in MDS Patients

This study focused on the impact of the treatment with the hypomethylating agent 5-azacitidine on the redox status and inflammation in 24 MDS patients. Clinical and genetic features of MDS patients were recorded, and peripheral blood samples were used to determine the activity of the endogenous antioxidant defense system (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; glutathion peroxidase, GPx; and reductase, GRd, activities), markers of oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation, LPO, and advanced oxidation protein products, AOPP). Moreover, pro-inflammatory cytokines and plasma nitrite plus nitrate levels as markers of inflammation, as well as CoQ10 plasma levels, were also measured. Globally, MDS patients showed less redox status in terms of a reduction in the GSSG/GSH ratio and in the LPO levels, as well as increased CAT activity compared with healthy subjects, with no changes in SOD, GPx, and GRd activities, or AOPP levels. When analyzing the evolution from early to advanced stages of the disease, we found that the GPx activity, GSSG/GSH ratio, LPO, and AOPP increased, with a reduction in CAT. GPx changes were related to the presence of risk factors such as high-risk IPSS-R or mutational score. Moreover, there was an increase in IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α plasma levels, with a further increase of IL-2 and IL-10 from early to advanced stages of the disease. However, we did not observe any association between inflammation and oxidative stress. Finally, 5-azacitidine treatment generated oxidative stress in MDS patients, without affecting inflammation levels, suggesting that oxidative status and inflammation are two independent processes.
Sphere-constrained maximum-likelihood detection in CDMA

The detection strategy usually denoted optimal multiuser detection, is equivalent to the solution of a (0,1)-constrained maximum-likelihood (ML) problem, a problem which is known to be NP-complete. In contrast, the unconstrained ML problem can be solved quite easily and is known as the decorrelating detector. In this paper, we consider the sphere-constrained ML problem and suggest an iterative solution algorithm. This detector is maximum-likelihood under the assumption that the detected data vector is constrained to lie within a sphere. Based on the defining Karush-Kuhn-Tucker point, it is shown that the suggested detector is closely related to the MMSE detector. Convergence issues are investigated and an efficient implementation is suggested. The BER performance is studied via computer simulations and the expected relations to the MMSE detector are verified.
Corrections to "Modified Adaptive Prototype Inclusive of the External Couplings for the Design of Coaxial Filters"

The filter prototype of side-coupled coaxial filters, which we recently proposed, has been modified to suit an arrangement in which the coupling apertures are placed on the side opposite the coaxial end gaps. In this situation, the modified prototype fits the physical counterpart better, resulting in a further design simplification. In addition, the feeds have also been modeled and included into the prototype, thus enhancing the correspondence between the prototype and physical structure. A practical design, concerning a WIMAX application, shows the reliability of this solution.
Assessment of Noise Effect on Employee Comfort in an Open-Plan Office: Validation of an Assessment Questionnaire

Article Info Background: Today, open-plan offices are among the most common work environments. Although the noise in these environments is usually below the standard level, it is one of the critical annoyance factors due to the nature of the mental work. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess noise effects on employee comfort and validate the Persian version of the assessment of noise effects on employee comfort in the open-plan office questionnaire in Iran. Materials & Methods: The present descriptive study was conducted in an open-plan office in Shiraz, in 2021. We distributed questionnaires among 66 employees. Besides, we translated the questionnaire using the backward-forward technique, with the alpha coefficient and the intra-class correlation used to measure reliability. Finally, we used the Kappa, Spearman, and Mann-Whitney tests in SPSS V22.0 for data analysis. Results: The validity of the questionnaire items was evaluated as acceptable using Kappa and Spearman's coefficients. Besides, the reliability of the questionnaire, using the ICC and the alpha coefficient, was 0.876 and 0.930, respectively. In this study, the employees were sensitive to noise, and their overall satisfaction with their physical conditions was moderate. In total, 47% of the employees considered the noise level of their working environment high and very high, and 35% considered it annoying or very annoying. Conclusions: The findings of the present study showed that the questionnaire was an effective and reliable tool for noise annoyance assessments in office environments. Besides, we can use this tool to determine improvements required in open-plan offices and to evaluate the efficiency of these improvements.
3D Printing and Product Assortment Strategy

3D printing, as a production technology, differs from conventional technologies in three characteristics: design freedom—that is, it can handle certain product designs that conventional technologies cannot; quality distinction—that is, depending on the focal quality dimension, it can lead to a quality level superior or inferior to that of conventional technologies; and natural flexibility—that is, it is endowed with capacity flexibility without sacrificing operational efficiency. This paper investigates the joint impact of these characteristics when a firm selects conceptual designs to form its product assortment, taking into account the production-technology choices available for each design: 3D printing and two conventional technologies (dedicated and traditional flexible). Some designs can be processed by using any technology (generic), whereas others are specific to 3D printing (3D-specific). The firm selects designs to be handled by each technology and then invests accordingly in technology adoption, product development, capacity, and production. We characterize the structure of the optimal assortment based on the popularity of each design. Within the sets of generic designs and 3D-specific designs, respectively, the most popular designs should be included in the assortment; under a mild condition, the optimal assortment comprises the most popular ones among all the designs. Within the optimal assortment, 3D printing should handle the less popular generic designs than conventional technologies. We further demonstrate that the design freedom or improved quality associated with 3D printing may reduce the firm’s optimal product variety. In the absence of design freedom and quality distinction, natural flexibility by itself always enhances product variety; by contrast, traditional flexible technology may reduce product variety. Numerical study shows that 3D printing tends to be more valuable when popularities of the generic designs are distributed more evenly and when popularities of the 3D-specific designs are distributed less evenly. This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management.
Methylphenidate Dosage

The adverse reaction to a single 40-mg dose of methylphenidate in a 38-kg child reported by Sleator1 is unusual and resembles a response that I have observed in a milder form and reported previously in one child who received a daily dose of 40 mg administered in two equal divided amounts.2 This patient had difficulty in speaking and in moving his lips and tongue, associated with twitching movements of the face. Drug administration was continued in a lower dosage because hyperactivity was affected, and the untoward reactions were relieved.
Influence of Covid-19 infection on fetal thymus size after recovery

Abstract Objectives To investigate the long-term effects of the SARS-CoV-2 infection on the fetal immune system by fetal thymus size measurements with ultrasound (USG). Methods This prospective study was conducted in the Turkish Ministry of Health Ankara City Hospital between November 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021, with recovered, pregnant women, four weeks after they had been confirmed for the SARS-CoV-2 infection by real-time polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR). COVID-19 recovered (CR) pregnant women compared with age-matched pregnant controls in terms of demographic features, fetal thymic-thoracic ratio (TTR), and laboratory parameters. Results There was no difference in demographic features between the two groups. TTR found significantly lower in the CR group than the control group (p=0.001). The fetal TTR showed a significant and moderate correlation with maternal monocyte counts, monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and red cell distribution width (RDW); while it did not correlate with lymphocyte counts, c-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin levels. Conclusions The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reduces fetal thymus size in pregnant women with mild or moderate symptoms after recovery from the infection.