Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linkages among organisational culture, knowledge management, and patient safety performance: evidence from a state hospital in a developing country

The present study aims to reveal the effects of organisational culture and knowledge management applications on patient safety performance. The sample of the study consists of nurses working in a state hospital with a 502-bed capacity in Turkey. The data were collected through a questionnaire. The analyses conducted revealed that there is a negative correlation between various aspects of organisational culture and patient safety performance. In this correlation, it was found that the strongest effect comes from developmental culture and the weakest effect comes from rational culture. A positive strong and significant correlation was found between applications of knowledge management techniques and patient safety performance. This correlation is most affected by knowledge dissemination and it is followed by knowledge acquisition and responsiveness of knowledge. Moreover, we found a significant correlation between knowledge management and organisational culture. Finally, the implications for practice and literature were discussed and suggestions were made for further research.
System-Level Design Optimization Method for Electrical Drive Systems—Robust Approach

A system-level design optimization method under the framework of a deterministic approach was presented for electrical drive systems in our previous work, in which not only motors but also the integrated control schemes were designed and optimized to achieve good steady and dynamic performances. However, there are many unavoidable uncertainties (noise factors) in the industrial manufacturing process, such as material characteristics and manufacturing precision. These will result in big fluctuations for the product's reliability and quality in mass production, which are not investigated in the deterministic approach. Therefore, a robust approach based on the technique of design for six sigma is presented for the system-level design optimization of drive systems to improve the reliability and quality of products in batch production in this work. Meanwhile, two system-level optimization frameworks are presented for the proposed method, namely, single-level (only at the system level) and multilevel frameworks. Finally, a drive system is investigated as an example, and detailed results are presented and discussed. It can be found that the reliability and quality levels of the investigated drive system have been greatly increased by using the proposed robust approach.
Physiological and behavioral identification of vestibular nucleus neurons mediating the horizontal vestibuloocular reflex in trained rhesus monkeys.

1. To describe in detail the secondary neurons of the horizontal vestibuloocular reflex (VOR), we recorded the extracellular activity of neurons in the rostral medial vestibular nucleus of alert, trained rhesus monkeys. On the basis of their activity during horizontal head and eye movements, neurons were divided into several different types. Position-vestibular-pause (PVP) units discharged in relation to head velocity, eye velocity, eye position, and ceased firing during some saccades. Eye and head velocity (EHV) units discharged in relation to eye velocity and head velocity in the same direction so that the two signals partially canceled during the VOR. Two cell types discharged in relation to eye position and velocity but not head velocity; other types discharged in relation to head velocity only. 2. The position in the neural path from the primary vestibular afferents to abducens motoneurons was examined for each type. Direct input from the vestibular nerve was indicated if the cell could be activated by shocks to the nerve at latencies less than or equal to 1.4 ms. A projection to abducens motoneurons was indicated if spike-triggered averaging of lateral rectus electromyographic (EMG) activity yielded responses with a sharp onset at monosynaptic latencies. 3. PVP neurons were the principal interneuron in the VOR "three-neuron arc. " Eighty percent received primary afferent input, and 66% made excitatory connections with contralateral abducens motoneurons. Surprisingly few, approximately 11%, made inhibitory connections with ipsilateral abducens motoneurons. This imbalance in the ipsi- and contralateral projections was confirmed by measuring the EMG activity evoked by electrical microstimulation in regions where PVP neurons were located. 4. EHV neurons whose activity increased during contralaterally directed head or eye movements were also interneurons in the ipsilateral inhibitory pathway. Eighty-nine percent received ipsilateral primary afferent input, and 25% projected to ipsilateral abducens motoneurons. EHV neurons excited during ipsilateral movements received neither direct primary afferent input nor projected to either abducens nucleus. A small proportion of each of two other cell types having sensitivity to contralateral eye position made excitatory connections with contralateral abducens motoneurons. Other types rarely were activated from the eighth nerve or projected to the abducens nucleus. 5. The significance of the connections of VOR interneurons and the signals they convey is discussed for three situations: smooth pursuit of a moving target, suppression of the VOR, and the VOR itself. PVP neurons convey a signal with a ratio of eye position and velocity components that is inappropriate to drive motoneurons during pursuit or the VOR. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Effects of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Clinical Guidelines on Appropriate Use of Human Papillomavirus DNA Tests

Background:Both clinical guidelines and direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising influence the use of new health care technologies, but little is known about their relative effects. The introduction of a cervical cancer screening test in 2000 offered a unique opportunity to assess the 2 strategies. Objective:To evaluate the effects of clinical guidelines and a targeted DTC advertising campaign on overall and appropriate use of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA tests. Research Design:Quasi-experimental study using difference-in-differences analysis. Data were MarketScan private insurance claims for 500,000 women aged 21 to 64 enrolled at least 12 consecutive months from January 2001 through December 2005. Results:Both clinical guidelines and DTC advertising were associated with increases in overall HPV DNA test use. DTC advertising was associated with a statistically significant increase in HPV DNA test use in 2 groups of DTC cities (+5.57%, P < 0.0001; +2.54%, P < 0.0001). DTC advertising was associated with comparable increases in the probability of appropriate and inappropriate use of the HPV DNA test in primary screening. Clinical guideline releases from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and by a cosponsored panel, were associated with greater increases in HPV DNA tests for appropriate primary screening than for inappropriate primary screening (&bgr; = 0.3347, P < 0.05 and &bgr; = 0.4175, P < 0.01). Conclusions:DTC advertising was associated with increased overall use of a cervical cancer screening test, whereas clinical guidelines were differentially associated with increased appropriate use. These findings suggest distinct influences of consumer marketing and professional guidelines on the use of health care products and services.
TransReport: collaborative supervision of the public transportation

The more cities grow, the more transportation systems face increasing pressure. Although Brazilian citizens have mostly used public transportation as a solution, Brazilian public transportation systems present serious quality problems. There are several solutions to the problems of public transportation, however, few initiatives are focused on supervising the quality of this service. Starting from the assumption that there is a lack of manpower to monitor the large number of vehicles of a big city, we propose the use of a new collaborative system to monitor and evaluate the quality of this service. Our system allows a multitude of users of the public transportation system to provide near real-time feedback to the problems occurring with these vehicles, giving to the managers and the entire population a better understanding of the problems regarding our public transportation. The proposed model of the system is a crowdsourcing alternative solution, with the advantage of being cheaper than sensors as well as more accurate than regular inspections. This article shows how we developed this system, how we surpass the other two existing systems in Brazil and what the first results were achieved with this system, entitled as TransReport.
Beyond Financial Reporting An Integrated Approach to Disclosure

A company's market value is a key determinant of its future success, affecting its ability to raise capital, recruit and retain key employees, and make strategic acquisitions. Confident, well-informed investors are necessary for achieving and maintaining accurate valuation of a company's stock. But standard disclosure practice has left many companies releasing a great deal of data while conveying only limited understanding to outsiders. 2004 Morgan Stanley.
Membranes serve as allosteric activators of phospholipase A2, enabling it to extract, bind, and hydrolyze phospholipid substrates

Significance The catalytic mechanisms of interfacial enzymes acting directly on the interfacial surface of the membrane are notoriously difficult to study experimentally with X-ray crystallography and other biophysical methods. This scientific study is, to our knowledge, the first to highlight similarities and differences in the extraction and binding of a phospholipid molecule into the substrate binding pocket of two human phospholipases A2 (PLA2s): the cytosolic Group IVA cPLA2 and the calcium-independent Group VIA iPLA2. Molecular dynamics simulations, guided by deuterium exchange experiments, are used to show that pathways to the active sites of these PLA2s are opened upon allosteric interaction with the membrane to facilitate entry of the substrate lipid. These enzymes are involved in various diseases, and understanding their mechanisms will aid in the discovery of therapeutics. Defining the molecular details and consequences of the association of water-soluble proteins with membranes is fundamental to understanding protein–lipid interactions and membrane functioning. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes, which catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipid substrates that compose the membrane bilayers, provide the ideal system for studying protein–lipid interactions. Our study focuses on understanding the catalytic cycle of two different human PLA2s: the cytosolic Group IVA cPLA2 and calcium-independent Group VIA iPLA2. Computer-aided techniques guided by deuterium exchange mass spectrometry data, were used to create structural complexes of each enzyme with a single phospholipid substrate molecule, whereas the substrate extraction process was studied using steered molecular dynamics simulations. Molecular dynamic simulations of the enzyme–substrate–membrane systems revealed important information about the mechanisms by which these enzymes associate with the membrane and then extract and bind their phospholipid substrate. Our data support the hypothesis that the membrane acts as an allosteric ligand that binds at the allosteric site of the enzyme’s interfacial surface, shifting its conformation from a closed (inactive) state in water to an open (active) state at the membrane interface.
The Iliac Compression Syndrome

The iliac compression syndrome is a condition of venous congestion in the pelvis starting at the confluence area and radiating to 1 of the legs. It is usually left-sided. Venous drainage from the leg is obstructed and thrombosis may result. Where the right common iliac artery crosses the left common iliac vein compression at the level of the promontory may occur with a chronic inflammatory condition of the vein caused by arterial pulsations. Endothelial proliferation then causes narrowing of the venous lumen. This condition has been found in 7 patients all women. Pelvic phlebography was used to demonstrate the obstruction. Case histories are given. Oral contraceptives may play a role by increasing the tendency to blood thrombus formation and of intimal thickening of the vein. In 1 patient ileofemoral thrombosis developed shortly after administration of oral contraceptives. The disorder can be successfully treated surgically.
Metabolism of Ebracteolata Compound B Studied In Vitro with Human Liver Microsomes, HepG2 Cells, and Recombinant Human Enzymes

Ebracteolata compound B (ECB) is one major active component of both Euphorbia ebracteolata and Euphorbia fischeriana, which have been extensively used as a tuberculocide in the Asian countries. The aim of our present study was to characterize ECB metabolism in human liver microsomes, HepG2 cells, and recombinant human enzymes. One monohydroxylation metabolite, determined by mass spectrometry to be 1-(2,4-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-3-methylphenyl)-2-hydroxyethanone, and one monoglucuronide, isolated and determined by hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase, mass spectrometry, and 1H NMR to be 2-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3-methyl-acetophenone-4-O-β-glucuronide, were observed in human liver microsomal incubates in the presence of NADPH or UDP-glucuronic acid (UDPGA), respectively. However, the mixed incubation of ECB with human liver microsomes in the presence of both NADPH and UDPGA showed the monoglucuronide to be the most major metabolite, indicating that glucuronidation was probably the major clearance pathway of ECB in humans. No glucuronide and only trace monohydroxylation metabolite were observed in HepG2 cells. The cytochrome P450 and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoenzymes were identified by using selective chemical inhibition and recombinant human enzymes. The results indicated that CYP3A4 was probably involved in ECB oxidative metabolism and UGT1A6 and UGT1A9 were important catalytic enzymes in ECB glucuronidation. The results from enzymatic kinetic analysis showed the oxidative metabolism in human liver microsomes; the glucuronidation in human liver microsomes and recombinant UGT1A6 exhibited a typical Michaelis-Menten pattern, but the glucuronidation in UGT1A9 exhibited a substrate inhibition pattern. UGT1A6 had the highest affinity compared with human liver microsomes and UGT1A9, indicating its important role in ECB glucuronidation.
Speech enhancement using a microphone array mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle

An attempt to record speech signals using an array of directional microphones carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is reported. The speech enhancement algorithm estimates the power spectral densities (PSD) of the target speech and rotor noise which are used to calculate a Wiener filter for extracting the target speech. The calculated Wiener filter is then applied to the output of a beamforming implemented on the microphone array signals. The proposed algorithm was tested on a prototype UAV equipped with directional microphones each of which was orientated in different directions. The experimental results revealed that the proposed method was able to significantly reduce both the UAVs rotor noise and an interfering speech in a recording.
Determinants of Budgetary Slack in the Laboratory: An Investigation of Controls for Self-Interested Behavior

This study investigates determinants of budgetary slack using the framework of agency theory and the methods of experimental economics. A computerized, five-period experiment is designed to test the robustness of prior experimental results documenting budgeting behavior inconsistent with economic rationality and self-interest. Similar to prior experiments, pay scheme and information asymmetry are manipulated. In addition, a personality questionnaire and several questions on an exit questionnaire are included to test the effects of reputation and ethical concerns on budgetary slack. A two-way analysis of variance with pay scheme and information asymmetry as factors finds a significant effect for pay scheme, information asymmetry, and their interaction. By controlling social interactions and increasing subject experience, this study is able to document slack levels closer to agency predictions than prior experimental studies. Nevertheless, subjects given the slack-inducing pay scheme are found to restrict the amount of slack in their budgets below 100% (36% to 60% on average) and subjects given the truth-inducing pay scheme are found to build a small but significant amount of slack under most experimental conditions (3.2% to 4% on average). A regression analysis with non-pecuniary factors added to the model finds that budgetary slack is also reduced by reputation concerns, ethical concerns, and a measure of ethical responsibility from the personality questionnaire. This study is able to explain more of the variance in slack than prior studies using traditional agency variables alone.
Systems biology: parameter estimation for biochemical models

Mathematical models of biological processes have various applications: to assist in understanding the functioning of a system, to simulate experiments before actually performing them, to study situations that cannot be dealt with experimentally, etc. Some parameters in the model can be directly obtained from experiments or from the literature. Others have to be inferred by comparing model results to experiments. In this minireview, we discuss the identifiability of models, both intrinsic to the model and taking into account the available data. Furthermore, we give an overview of the most frequently used approaches to search the parameter space.
The Value of Trade Agreements in the presence of Political pressures

An argument often heard in favor of trade agreements is that, by committing to free trade, a government can credibly distance itself from domestic lobbies, But several existing models of endogenous protection suggest that governments have no interest in foreclosing interest group pressures since governments derive rents from the political process. We develop a small‐country model in which factors are sector‐specific in the short run but mobile in the long run. We show that in this setting a government may be worse off in the political equilibrium than under commitment to free trade, and hence it may value a trade agreement.
Extensive cytoreductive surgery combined with intra-operative intraperitoneal perfusion with cisplatin under hyperthermic conditions (OVHIPEC) in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer: a feasibility pilot.

AIMS The feasibility, morbidity and toxicity of an intensified surgical treatment strategy consisting of aggressive cytoreductive surgery, intra-operative intraperitoneal perfusion of cisplatin and hyperthermia were evaluated in women with recurrent ovarian cancer. METHODS Five heavily pre-treated patients with extensive abdominal tumour bulk entered this pilot study. In all cases aggressive cytoreduction leaving tumour remnants <5 mm in diameter could be performed. This was followed intra-operatively by perfusion of the abdominal cavity with hyperthermic cisplatin 50-70 mg/m(2)for 90 min. During perfusion the intra-abdominal temperature was maintained at 40 degrees C. The median duration of surgery was 10 hours (range 9-11 hours). RESULTS No major intra- or post-operative complications emerged. Median post-operative ileus (resuming of soft diet) was 11 days (9-13 days). The mean period of hospitalization was 25 days (range 17-42). Toxicity due to i.p. cisplatin was mainly metabolic and of grade 1-2, while no nephrotoxicity was observed. The pharmacokinetics of cisplatin indicated that the maximum concentration of cisplatin measured in the perfusate was 15 times higher than in plasma. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that aggressive cytoreduction combined with hyperthermic intra-operative intraperitoneal cisplatin was feasible in a small group of heavily pre-treated ovarian cancer patients with extensive tumour bulk with acceptable morbidity and toxicity. Further studies are required in larger groups of patients to further establish the feasibility of this intensified treatment strategy. We stress that OVHIPEC is not a treatment modality on its own for advanced ovarian cancer. The effectiveness of OVHIPEC is likely to be dependent on the effectiveness of post-operative adjuvant chemotherapeutic regimens.
Targeting c‐MET by LY2801653 for treatment of cholangiocarcinoma

Palliative treatment options for human cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) are quite limited and new therapeutic strategies are of utmost need. c‐MET has been shown to be deregulated in many cancers, but the role of c‐MET in the carcinogenesis of CCC remains unclear. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the expression and also to investigate the role of c‐MET and its effective inhibition for the treatment of CCC. In this study we investigated the effects of LY2801653, a small‐molecule inhibitor with potent activity against MET kinase, in human CCC cell lines and in vivo using a xenograft mouse model. We have investigated the role of c‐MET and its inhibitory effects on migration, invasion, colony formation, MET downstream targets, and CCC tumor growth. We also analyzed the role of apoptosis and senescence as well as the influence of hypoxia in this context. c‐MET and p‐MET were expressed in 72% and 12.5% of human CCC tissues and in TFK‐1, SZ‐1 cell lines. MET inhibition was achieved by blocking phosphorylation of MET with LY2801653 and subsequent down regulation of c‐MET downstream targets. Treatment showed in a xenograft model potent anti‐tumor activity. LY2801653 is an effective inhibitor and suppress the proliferation of CCC cells as well as the growth of xenograft tumors. Therefore, inhibition of c‐MET could be a possible alternative approach for the treatment of human CCC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Aid Effectiveness on Growth

The AEL (aid effectiveness literature) is econometric studies of the macroeconomic effects of development aid. It contains about 100 papers of which 68 are reduced form estimates of the effect of aid on growth in the recipient country. The raw data show that growth is unconnected to aid, but the AEL has put so much structure on the data that all results possible have emerged. The present meta study considers both the best-set of the 68 papers and the all-set of 543 regressions published. Both sets have a positive average aid-growth elasticity, but it is small and insignificant: The AEL has not established that aid works. Using meta regression analysis it is shown that about 20 factors influence the results. Much of the variation between studies is an artifact and can be attributed to publication outlet, institutional affiliation, and specification differences. However, some of the difference between studies is real. In particular, the aid-growth association is stronger for Asian countries, and the aid-growth association is shown to have been weaker in the 1970s.