Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RFID acceptance in SMEs using TOE framework: an empirical investigation on Iranian SMEs

The aim of this study is to identify effective factors on radio frequency identification (RFID) adoption in supply chain management (SCM) of manufacturing industries in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework. The methodology of this study is based on practical and descriptive survey by a structural equation modelling. Statistical population of the study is SME managers in Iran. The number of 213 managers was selected as potential sample. The results show that TOE framework has considerable effects on RFID acceptance. The inclusive results and presumptions in this study are effective for recognising extensively determinant factors on RFID acceptance in SMEs.
Bisphenol A Exposure Alters Developmental Gene Expression in the Fetal Rhesus Macaque Uterus

Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure results in numerous developmental and functional abnormalities in reproductive organs in rodent models, but limited data are available regarding BPA effects in the primate uterus. To determine if maternal oral BPA exposure affects fetal uterine development in a non-human primate model, pregnant rhesus macaques carrying female fetuses were exposed orally to 400 µg/kg BPA or vehicle control daily from gestation day (GD) 50–100 or GD100–165. Fetal uteri were collected at the completion of treatment (GD100 or GD165); tissue histology, cell proliferation, and expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and progesterone receptor (PR) were compared to that of controls. Gene expression analysis was conducted using rhesus macaque microarrays. There were no significant differences in histology or in the percentage of cells expressing the proliferation marker Ki-67, ERα, or PR in BPA-exposed uteri compared to controls at GD100 or GD165. Minimal differences in gene expression were observed between BPA-exposed and control GD100 uteri. However, at GD165, BPA-exposed uteri had significant differences in gene expression compared to controls. Several of the altered genes, including HOXA13, WNT4, and WNT5A, are critical for reproductive organ development and/or adult function. We conclude that second or third trimester BPA exposure does not significantly affect fetal uterus development based on morphological, proliferation, and steroid hormone receptor assessments. However, differences in expression of key developmental genes after third trimester exposure suggest that BPA could alter transcriptional signals influencing uterine function later in life.
Cartography in a Gameful Context Involving the crowd in drawing our future maps

Maps shape our view of the world and help us in our everyday lives to orient in unfamiliar territory. The art of creating maps however was reserved to a privileged group of people for a long time. Today’s progresses in technology have opened it to anyone with internet access, as free crowdsourced projects have emerged, dedicated to create an open map of the world. However, editing the map and contributing data is still harder than necessary and so the existing projects did not yet hit the masses. To solve this problem, cartography-related games are proposed in this thesis. Their goal is to unite cartographic work and gaming concepts in an easy to use abstraction layer, ready to be applied in a global, crowdsourced scale. The players should be enabled to participate immediately, without any cartographic background, and use their local knowledge to submit valuable geographic information. This approach makes it possible to create maps of unprecedented detail and actuality, which can make life easier and open whole new application ares for people with special interests (e.g. hiking, cycling) or disabilities (e.g. for blind people). This thesis will give an overview of ludic ways to contribute geographic data and provide background information about the concerning topics cartography, humanbased computation and games in general. Based on that, abstract concepts for cartography-games have been developed and three exemplary game descriptions are provided. The goal of this thesis is to discover, if cartographic work is possible and feasible in a gameful context.
Value Dimensions of Thailand as Perceived by U.K. Tourists

The study attempts to investigate the underlying values of Thailand as perceived by UK tourists with the aim to increase the knowledge of consumer values and their relationship to other variables considered as satisfaction maximizers. The researcher conceptualizes the value framework to closely reflect the major characteristics of tourism destination. Various measures of consumer value are adopted for the study. The study confirms that tourist perceived value is a multidimensional construct which positively affects both tourist overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Marketing concepts of service quality, customer satisfaction and consumer values are applied in the study.
Major complications associated with transcatheter atrial septal occluder implantation: a review of the medical literature and the manufacturer and user facility device experience (MAUDE) database.

OBJECTIVE To summarize major complications and outcome for patients receiving percutaneous closure of atrial septal communications. DESIGN The Medline database and the United States Food and Drug Administration manufacturer and user facility device experience databases (MAUDE) were searched for reports related to complications with atrial septal occluding devices. The medical literature documenting complication rates for these devices were reviewed and summarized. The MAUDE database complication reports were compared with those reported in the medical literature using national implant estimates. OUTCOME The MAUDE database correlated in the type of complications most frequently encountered with each device. However, based on estimated total implant numbers, there is a higher incidence of major complications, including death. AGA devices had a 0.3% erosion/perforation rate with a higher morbidity and mortality (29%) than previously reported. NMT devices had a lower incidence of erosion/perforation rate of 0.05%. Embolization rates for the NMT devices were also lower than published European studies, possibly reflecting the US restriction of the device for closure of patent foramen ovale. Thrombus was more frequently encountered on the NMT device. Both AGA and NMT devices have been shown to be safe and effective alternatives to cardiac surgery. The MAUDE database correlated, with a very low overall complication rate, but showed a higher estimated major complication rate than the medical literature. These data demonstrate the difficulty in quantifying rare complications in the premarketing analysis and the obligation providers have to report and evaluate complications through vigilant postmarketing surveillance.
Efficacy of ceftiofur hydrochloride sterile suspension administered parenterally for the treatment of acute postpartum metritis in dairy cows.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of ceftiofur hydrochloride sterile suspension administered parenterally for treatment of acute postpartum metritis (APM) in dairy cows. DESIGN Multilocation, randomized block, field trial. ANIMALS 406 cows in the first 14 days postpartum. PROCEDURE Cows with rectal temperatures > or = 39.5 degrees C (103.1 degrees F) without clinical signs of respiratory or gastrointestinal tract disease and with a fetid vaginal discharge were allocated randomly in blocks of 3 to 3 treatment groups: sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) solution administered at a dosage of 2 mL/45.4 kg (2 mL/100 lb), SC or IM, once daily for 5 days (control); or ceftiofur hydrochloride administered at a dosage of 1.1 or 2.2 mg of ceftiofur equivalents (CE)/kg (0.5 or 1 mg/lb, respectively), SC or IM, once daily for 5 days. Cows were evaluated on days 6, 10, and 14, and clinical cure or failure to cure was determined. Clinical cure was defined as no additional antimicrobial treatment administered, rectal temperature < 39.5 degrees C, and absence of a fetid vaginal discharge. RESULTS On day 14, clinical cure rates were 77%, 65%, and 62% for the 2.2 mg of CE/kg, 1.1 mg of CE/kg, and control groups, respectively. No significant differences were detected in clinical cure rates between control and treatment groups on day 10 or 6. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Ceftiofur hydrochloride administered at a dosage of 2.2 mg of CE/kg, SC or IM, once daily for 5 days was efficacious for treatment of APM in dairy cows.
Upright treadmill vs. semi-supine bicycle exercise echocardiography to provoke obstruction in symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a pilot study

Aims Recent findings regarding hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) haemodynamics emphasized the relationship between symptoms, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO), and the preload condition as the venous return level. As various types of exercises have different effects on peripheral vascular beds, this study sought to compare upright treadmill exercise echocardiography (EE) to semi-supine bicycle EE in maximum provoked LVOTO in HCM patients. Methods and results Semi-supine bicycle and upright treadmill EE were prospectively performed in HCM patients with New York Heart Association functional Class II. Maximal LVOT gradient at rest in the supine and standing position, and during Valsalva manoeuvre, LVOT gradients of both semi-supine bicycle and treadmill exercise at peak and post-exercise, maximal exercise levels, and blood pressure adaptation were recorded. One patient was excluded for not sufficient image quality during treadmill. We studied 22/23 patients (mean age: 54.9 ± 12.3 yrs; 55% male). The supine position at rest displayed a mean maximal LVOT gradient of 46.1 ± 44.8 mmHg, which increased to 51.6 ± 41.2 mmHg during Valsalva (P = 0.066), and to 55.1 ± 37.8 mmHg in the standing position (P = 0.053). Mean maximal peak exercise LVOT gradient with semi-supine bicycle was significantly lower than in treadmill EE (54.6 ± 38.2 mmHg vs. 87.5 ± 42.1 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.01). Among these patients, 41% exhibited LVOT gradient ≥ 30 mmHg at rest. Moreover, 41% exhibited LVOT gradient ≥ 50 mmHg during Valsalva, 55% in resting standing position, 41% at peak semi-supine bicycle exercise, 91% at peak treadmill exercise, and 95% in standing position during treadmill recovery period. Conclusion This pilot study may suggest treadmill's greater value compared to semi-supine bicycle EE for determining maximum LVOT gradient in HCM.
Do the Poor Pay More?

Are low-income families victims of high prices in small neighborhood stores? This article goes beyond asking what prices small stores charge and examines the purchasing patterns of low-income families. What kind of stores do they patronize? Why? Do they use the convenience stores in the low-income areas? Do many buy food on credit? How well do they perceive price differences among stores? These are some of the questions answered through a survey in a Philadelphia redevelopment area.
Performance Analysis of CSMA / CA ( Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance ) Protocols for Wireless Local Area Networks in Multipath and Shadowing Environments

The channel throughput and packet delay of wireless media access control (MAC) protocols with Rayleigh fading, shadowing and capture effect are analyzed. We consider CSMA/CA protocols as the wireless MAC protocols, since CSMA/CA protocols are based on the standard for wireless Local Area Networks (LANs) IEEE 802.11. We analyze the channel throughput and packet delay for three types of CSMA/CA protocols; Basic CSMA/CA, Stop-and-Wait CSMA/CA and 4-Way Handshake CSMA/CA. We calculate the capture probability of a AP (Access Point) in the channel with Rayleigh fading, shadowing and near-far effects, and derive the throughput and packet delay for the protocols. We have found that the performance of CSMA/CA in radio channel model is reduced 50 percent more than those of error free channel model in low traffic load, while the throughput and packet delay of CSMA/CA in radio channel show better performance than those of error free channel model in high traffic load. We also found that the 4-Way Handshake CSMA/CA protocol is superior to the other CSMA/CA protocols in high traffic load.
Hurting those who help: Development and validation of a victim conflict scale -

Workplace conflict is increasingly recognized as a common and harmful workplace stressor. However, despite anecdotal research evidence, researchers have relatively neglected to study the conflict that might occur between first responders and victims of emergency situations. This dearth in research may be due to the lack of an empirically validated scale measuring this conflict. As such, the first goal of the current study was to create and validate a Victim Conflict Scale. Additionally, the second goal of the current study was to empirically investigate some possible negative outcomes of victim conflict, including burnout, turnover intentions, and job satisfaction. To create the Victim Conflict Scale, items were generated by meeting with focus groups of first responder firefighters, and paired down through working with another focus group and content analyses, yielding 17 total items. These items, as part of a larger survey project, were administered to a sample of 201 firefighters. In terms of course findings, from a psychometric standpoint, the Victim Conflict Scale seems to function well. Additionally, based on a structural equation modeling analysis, the initial evidence provided support that victim conflict is negatively associated with important employee outcomes. These results indicate that victim conflict is an important workplace stressor for this first responders, and the Victim Conflict Scale can be used in future research to investigate the effects of victim conflict, as well as to design interventions surrounding this construct.
Industrial Districts, Agglomeration Economies, and FDI in Italy

The aim of this paper is to examine the role of industrial districts, sector-specific and non-sector specific agglomeration economies in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Italian regions and provinces. We found that Italian inward FDI are positively affected by specialization economies, whereas industrial districts and diversification economies do not matter.
Buy‐phase and buy‐class effects on organisational risk perception and reduction in purchasing professional services

Despite the importance of professional services to organisations, relatively little is known about the way they are purchased. This study details the risks perceived and risk‐reducing strategies employed by purchasers in local government and examines how these vary with buying‐phase and buy‐class. Risk varied little, but some of the 36 risk‐reducing strategies identified varied across the buying phases and were more useful in the modified‐rebuy situation. The results are discussed in the context of risk measurement and implications for purchasers and providers of professional services.
Emergency ultrasound credentialling for focused assessment sonography in trauma and abdominal aortic aneurysm: A practical approach for Australasia.

OBJECTIVE Focused assessment with sonography for trauma and emergency ultrasound for abdominal aortic aneurysm are now practiced widely by non-radiologists in emergency departments worldwide. Various credentialling programs have been proposed for novice sonographers; however, their feasibility has been questioned. We adopted the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) credentialling process for emergency ultrasound to determine whether it is feasible for emergency physicians in the Australasian environment. METHODS Three full-time emergency medicine specialists and a post-Fellowship Examination trainee at Auckland Hospital undertook the credentialling process. RESULTS All four participants had sufficient scans to complete the process after 16 months. Accuracy for focused assessment with sonography for trauma, 90% (95% CI 83-95%), and abdominal aortic aneurysm, 99% (95% CI 90-100%), is similar to that previously reported. CONCLUSION The ACEM credentialling process for focused assessment with sonography for trauma and abdominal aortic aneurysm is practical and achievable for emergency medicine specialists working in the Emergency Department at Auckland Hospital. Further studies are necessary to determine whether this holds true for other major trauma centres in Australasia.
Schnorr-Euchner sphere decoder with statistical pruning for MIMO systems

A near-maximum-likelihood (ML) detection algorithm for spatially multiplexed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems has been considered. The sphere decoder (SD) is one of the promising techniques to solve the ML problem. However the SD has a loose necessary condition for pruning branches, and it becomes impractical in large dimensional systems. We propose a Schnorr-Euchner SD with statistical pruning (SP-SESD) in order to further reduce complexity with small performance degradation. Squared statistical constraint radius (SCR) and expected partial path metric from unvisited levels are defined from statistics of noises, and two pruning conditions are jointly applied to search tree for detection efficiency. A flexible trade-off between bit error rate (BER) and complexity can be supported by selecting two pruning probabilities in the proposed scheme, and hence one can design various MIMO detectors according to system demands. Simulation results show the proposed SP-SESD requires lower computational complexity than any statistical pruning approaches, although performance degradation is negligible. The proposed algorithm is effective for MIMO systems with any number of antennas.
Fractional Slot Concentrated Winding PMSM With Consequent Pole Rotor for a Low-Speed Direct Drive: Reduction of Rare Earth Permanent Magnet

This paper deals with a 44pole-48slot fractional slot concentrated winding permanent magnet synchronous machine (FSCW PMSM) for a low-speed direct drive. Two different rotor topologies, a surface permanent magnet (SPM) rotor and a consequent pole (CP) rotor, are optimized and compared both analytically and experimentally. The experimental results confirmed that an FSCW PMSM with a CP rotor can achieve almost equivalent performance at the rated state when compared to an FSCW PMSM with an SPM rotor with 33% less permanent magnet material.
Cell growth and length distribution in Escherichia coli

The length growth rate of an exponentially growing population of Escherichia coli B/r was calculated from the population length and birth length distributions. Cell elongation took place at a constant rate that doubled at a certain length. This change in rate was responsible for a sudden drop in the frequency of classes of cells longer than that length. Asymmetry in cell partition was able to generate cells both shorter and longer than the expected twofold range, but did not greatly modify the length distribution in between.
A Conceptual Model of Medical Student Well-Being: Promoting Resilience and Preventing Burnout

ObjectiveThis article proposes and illustrates a conceptual model of medical student well-being.MethodThe authors reviewed the literature on medical student stress, coping, and well-beingand developed a model of medical student coping termed the “coping reservoir. ”ResultsThe reservoir can be replenished or drained by various aspects of medical students’ experiences. The reservoir itself has an internal structure, conceptualized as consisting of the individual’s personal traits temperament and coping style. The coping reservoir metaphor is used to highlight the dynamic nature of students’ experiences, with potential outcomes including enhanced resilience and mental health versus distress and burnout.ConclusionMedical student well-being is affected by multiple stressors as well as positive aspects of medical training. Attention to individual students’ coping reservoirs can help promote well-being and minimize burnout; formal and informal offerings within medical schools can help fill the reservoir. Helping students cultivate the skills to sustain their well-being throughout their careers has important payoffs for the overall medical education enterprise, for promotion of physician resilience and personal fulfillment, and for enhancement of professionalism and patient care. This and other models of coping should be empirically validated.
Pioneering the Xenopus Oocyte and Egg Extract System

unique powerful of the oocyte and to microinject biochemically significant amounts of material into them out complex biological This approach using the oocyte as a living biochemical test tube long predated the age of cloning and gene transfection. Later, the synchronous, hormone-stimulated transition of the oocyte from G 2 to M phase during maturation encouraged a focus on cell cycle control. Key events over the years include identifying changes in protein phosphorylation as the initiating signal for oocyte maturation and, more universally, for the action of maturation-promoting factor (MPF) to drive cells into M phase. A crucial advance came from developing methods to produce large quantities of concentrated egg extracts that could carry out MPF-dependent cell cycle transitions, DNA replication, and other complex processes in vitro . M phase phosphorylation analysis led to purification of p90RSK and the discovery of the MAPK pathway, which underlies many biological events, including the metaphase arrest of the unfertilized egg. A seminal breakthrough came from purifying MPF from egg extracts and showing that it was a complex of the Cdc2 kinase and cyclin B, uniting the genetic and biochemical approaches to cell cycle control. The oocyte and egg extract system continues to provide new insight into many areas of biology, including the action of other mitotic kinases and centrosome duplication. The unique and powerful features of the Xenopus system hold great promise
Solubilization, purification and functionalization of carbon nanotubes using polyoxometalate

In this work, we developed a convenient and efficient method for solubilization, purification and functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using a versatile reagent (phosphotungstic acid (HPW)). Because HPW can spontaneously attach to graphite walls as polyanions and provide static repulsion, CNT aggregates were divided into individual and small bundles of CNTs and turned into a stable solution by sonication in the presence of HPW. Amorphous carbon impurities and metal catalysts in the raw CNTs were removed by centrifugation and filtration. Finally, purified CNTs with a yield of 82 wt% were obtained. Using HPW on graphite walls as an electrostatic and acid anchor, positively charged titania nanoparticles and albumin molecules were successfully assembled around CNTs without altering their delocalized π-electron system. The versatility of this simple approach could be extended beyond inorganic nanoparticles and proteins, to other systems with desired properties.
PTTI applications at the limits of GPS

Abstract : Canadian plans for precise time and time interval services are examined in the light of GPS capabilities developed for geodesy. We present our experience in establishing and operating a geodetic type GPS station in a time laboratory setting, and show sub-nanosecond residuals for time transfer between geodetic sites. We present our approach to establishing realistic standard uncertainties for short-term frequency calibration services over time intervals of hours, and for longer-term frequency dissemination at better than the 10(-15) level of accuracy.