Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Internal Audit, Internal Control and Organizational Culture

For over a century the role of the internal auditor has been recognized as a special role within organizations that provided important support to the organization. The importance of this support has been growing over the century. In particular internal audit is considered to encompass the audit of both operational activities as well as purely financial activities. During the last few years there has been a growing interest in organizational culture. The purpose of this study is to look at the organizational culture of organizations and their internal audit operations from the perspective of operational audit. The study will use an organizational cultural model to see if operational internal audit has identical cultural to the organization, and if not what differences exist, and how these differences might be seen to mean that the operational internal audit with a particular cultural profile better achieves its goals, and assists the organization as a result. In conducting this study, because of the need for richer in depth data than could be achieved with a survey analysis, a multiple case approach has been taken. Three organizations within the same economic sector were examined to see how culture affected their use of operational internal audit, and how the operational internal audit responded. The results suggest that the operational internal audit of organizations generally have their own cultural orientation, and these orientations are independent of the organizations’ own cultural orientations. Further the results suggest that operational internal auditors with a strong cultural orientation towards rules and procedures will better serve their organizations.
Evaluation of turbo H-ARQ schemes for cooperative MIMO transmission

We compare the performance of different linear and non-linear receivers in the context of coded automatic retransmission schemes (type II hybrid ARQ) for cooperative transmission schemes as defined. Cooperative transmission can be seen as a "virtual" MIMO system, where the multiple transmit antennas are given by both the source and the relay terminal [R. Nabar et al.]. This relay may act as a regenerative or non-regenerative terminal, thus providing diversity/multiplexing gain. The evaluation of its actual performance requires the definition of distributed space time codes, forward error correction codes as well as an automatic repeat request protocols. Proposed schemes are evaluated in different conditions, both for linear and near-optimum (sphere decoder) receivers. Results show the benefits of coded cooperation over direct transmission in terms of increased throughput.
Provider Decisions and Patient Outcomes After Premature Metformin Discontinuation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of alternative antihyperglycemic therapy after discontinuation of metformin due to documented declining renal function. This retrospective, single-site study evaluated patients who had metformin discontinued between 1 January 1999 and 30 September 2013. Medical records were evaluated for documented adverse events, subsequent glycemic control, and costs associated with the alternative therapy. Patients served as their own controls. A total of 179 patients met study entry criteria, and their peak A1C was significantly higher within the year after metformin discontinuation (P <0.001). After the provider added new medications to control patients’ blood glucose, their A1C by the end of the first year after discontinuing metformin was similar to their A1C while taking metformin. Significant weight gain accompanied the use of the medications added to replace metformin, with an average increase of 3.81 kg (P <0.001). Additionally, after discontinuing metformin, more patients experienced hypoglycemia with the addition of other medications to control their blood glucose (P <0.001). As expected, the cost of therapy was significantly higher (P <0.0001) after metformin was discontinued because metformin was generically available, whereas the replacement medications frequently were not. Providers should consider the expanded recommendations for the use of metformin in patients with mild to moderate stable renal dysfunction to help such patients avoid weight gain, hypoglycemia, loss of blood glucose control, and increased costs.
STRATEGY-PROOF RESOURCE PRICING IN FEDERATED SYSTEMS

Resource sharing on the Internet is becoming increasingly pervasive. Recently, there is growing interest in federated systems where globally distributed and commoditized resources are traded, such as in peer-to-peer computing, grids, and cloud computing. An important issue in the allocation of shared resources in the context of large federated systems, such as federated clouds, is that users are rational and attempt to maximize their self-interest. In this thesis, we investigate the use of resource pricing with financial incentives to allocate shared resources when users are rational. Using mechanism design, we propose a strategy-proof, VCG-based resource pricing scheme, with provable economic properties that include individual rationality, incentive compatibility and budget balance. We show that multiple resource types per consumer request can be allocated to multiple resource providers with polynomial time complexity. Although we trade-off Pareto efficiency and obtain 80% optimal economic efficiency, we achieve strategyproof, budget balance and computational efficiency, and at the same time increase the number of allocations by 40% under different market conditions. To improve scalability, we propose a distributed auction scheme that leverages on a peer-to-peer DHT overlay network for resource lookups and distribute pricing by resource type. Simulations and experiments on PlanetLab show that the number of resource types in a consumer request does not affect the scalability of our distributed scheme, and the average allocation time increases logarithmically with the number of users. Lastly, in a federated cloud composed of four Amazon EC2 regions, we show using traces from the Amazon cloud that rational users with dynamic pricing increased user welfare by 10% over EC2 spot pricing. As an application of our pricing scheme, we have prototyped SkyBoxz, a federated cloud platform designed for cloud consumers to utilize and cloud providers to manage virtual machines across multiple public and private clouds. The end point of rationality is to demonstrate the limits of rationality. — Blaise Pascal List of Publications
The Role of Early Adopters in the Diffusion of New Products: Differences between Platform and Nonplatform Innovations

This paper takes a contingency view to investigate how the role of early adopters (EAs) in the diffusion process changes between platform and nonplatform innovations, what launch decisions firms take to leverage the role of EAs, and how these decisions change between platform and nonplatform innovations. Relying on an exploratory multiple case study of eight industrial product innovations launched in Italy in the 2000s, the paper suggests that the EAs of these innovations play two distinct roles in the diffusion process. The first role, called dissemination, sees EAs triggering and bolstering the propagation of information regarding their opinion about the value for money, properties, advantages, and disadvantages of the new product after they have bought and applied it in their operations. The second role, labeled imitation, consists of EAs inadvertently communicating to later buyers the fact that they have bought the new product, which propels imitative behavior and thus subsequent adoption. A key finding of the paper, which supports a contingency view of innovation diffusion, is that the dissemination role played by EAs has an impact on the adoption of platform innovations, whereas the imitation one is the mechanism through which EAs stimulate subsequent adoption in the case of nonplatform new products. Furthermore, the paper's results point to a constructive view of the process of launching an innovation, whereby firms target at launch different segments of EAs, whose identity is shaped depending on the platform versus nonplatform nature of the innovation and thus on the role they are expected to play in the diffusion process. Concerning managerial implications, this study provides a first tentative understanding of the launch decisions that product and marketing managers may use to target the most appropriate segments of EAs, to leverage their roles and ultimately to favor diffusion. As regards platform innovations, targeting decisions should be driven by the goal to improve the chances that EAs will be willing to disseminate their experience and opinion regarding the new product. As regards instead nonplatform innovations, firms should target EAs whose specific characteristics increase the likelihood of an imitative reaction by later buyers that fear to suffer a competitive disadvantage if they do not conform to EAs' behavior.
Value‐driven consumer e‐health information search behavior

Purpose – The search for online health‐related information has become increasingly popular. This study examines online health information quality (relevance and clarity) and the perceived value of online health information search (social, utilitarian and epistemic) and how they relate to consumers' satisfaction with their online health information search experience. The resulting intention to repeat a health information search over the internet is also included in a conceptual model to illustrate what drives the process.Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling was utilized to simultaneously assess the proposed relationships among the constructs. Data from 263 online respondents were used to test the measurement and structural model.Findings – Results show that information relevance is strongly related to the utilitarian value consumers receive from information seeking, whereas information clarity is strongly related to epistemic value. Moreover, it is the utilitarian value of the informa.
Integrated optical waveguide polarizer on glass with a birefringent polymer overlay

An integrated optical waveguide polarizer on glass is described. It is based on a filtering zone propagating only TE mode whereas the TM mode leaks out into a birefringent polymer simply deposited on the glass. The polymer is poled by a corona process. The measured polarization extinction ratio between TE and TM modes is better than 39 dB and the excess loss due to the filtering zone is less than 4 dB. The total loss is in the order of 7 dB.
Numerical simulation of two-cavity Gyroklystron amplifier

Many vacuum electron devices are based on the interaction between electron beam and the electromagnetic fields. Modeling and simulation of these devices become a key element in their development. In this paper, using self-consistent nonlinear theory and PIC code, numerical simulations of a two-cavity Gyroklystron amplifier are presented. The nonlinear theory results for the Ka-band Gyroklystron Amplifier are 211kW output power at 34.95GHz, and efficiency of 22.54%, a bandwidth of 1.3%. PIC code using the same parameters, predicts peak output power of 201kW at 34.95GHz and efficiency of 21.47%. The results from nonlinear theory simulation and PIC code simulation are compared in detail and they are found to be in quite agreement in trend.
THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF THE MARKETING INFORMATION SYSTEM: A GUIDE FOR MANAGEMENT

The needs of marketing executives for information are examined and how well these are satisfied within a management information system is considered. It is shown how a marketing system should be considered as a subject, or module, of a total Management Information System, and guidance is given for the development of such a system. Three case studies are included to highlight the main issues raised.
Variation Interpretation Predictors: Principles, Types, Performance, and Choice

Next‐generation sequencing methods have revolutionized the speed of generating variation information. Sequence data have a plethora of applications and will increasingly be used for disease diagnosis. Interpretation of the identified variants is usually not possible with experimental methods. This has caused a bottleneck that many computational methods aim at addressing. Fast and efficient methods for explaining the significance and mechanisms of detected variants are required for efficient precision/personalized medicine. Computational prediction methods have been developed in three areas to address the issue. There are generic tolerance (pathogenicity) predictors for filtering harmful variants. Gene/protein/disease‐specific tools are available for some applications. Mechanism and effect‐specific computer programs aim at explaining the consequences of variations. Here, we discuss the different types of predictors and their applications. We review available variation databases and prediction methods useful for variation interpretation. We discuss how the performance of methods is assessed and summarize existing assessment studies. A brief introduction is provided to the principles of the methods developed for variation interpretation as well as guidelines for how to choose the optimal tools and where the field is heading in the future.
Video Surveillance: Privacy Issues and Legal Compliance

Pervasive usage of video surveillance is rapidly increasing in developed countries. Continuous security threats to public safety demand use of such systems. Contemporary video surveillance systems offer advanced functionalities which threaten the privacy of those recorded in the video. There is a need to balance the usage of video surveillance against its negative impact on privacy. This chapter aims to highlight the privacy issues in video surveillance and provides a model to help identify the privacy requirements in a video surveillance system. The authors make a step in the direction of investigating the existing legal infrastructure for ensuring privacy in video surveillance and suggest guidelines in order to help those who want to deploy video surveillance while least compromising the privacy of people and complying with legal infrastructure.
Distribution and Market Share

This paper presents findings from a census of more than 79,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) in 37 consumer packaged goods categories totaling $55 billion in annual revenue. It shows that, in 86 percent of product categories, the relationship between market share and retail distribution is increasing and convex at the SKU level. The degree of convexity is greater in categories with higher revenues and more concentration in market shares. The relationship is also typically convex within leading brands’ SKU portfolios, showing that the “double jeopardy” phenomenon of low share and distribution not only affects small brands competing against market leaders, it also affects low-share SKUs within a category leader's product line. Holdout evidence shows that the distribution/share relationship within a brand's portfolio of existing SKUs usually holds for new SKUs as well. We explain how knowledge of the distribution/share relationship can help to improve a brand's go-to-market decisions for new SKUs.
Modularity in Organizational Structure: The Reconfiguration of Internally Developed and Acquired Business Units

This paper explores changes in organizational structure and distinguishes between units’ origins. Unit reconfiguration is the addition of units to, deletion of units from, and recombination of units within the firm. This study compares the reconfiguration of internally developed vs. acquired units, explores what forms of unit recombination are common, and observes whether firms pursue recombination before divestiture. Theoretical support is drawn from the dynamic capabilities perspective, research on modular organizational systems, and strategy–structure literature. The findings are that acquired and internally developed units serve different roles in the process of change, and that firms perceive reconfiguration to be beneficial.
MSMBuilder: Statistical Models for Biomolecular Dynamics

MSMBuilder is a software package for building statistical models of high-dimensional time-series data. It is designed with a particular focus on the analysis of atomistic simulations of biomolecular dynamics such as protein folding and conformational change. MSMBuilder is named for its ability to construct Markov State Models (MSMs), a class of models that has gained favor among computational biophysicists. In addition to both well-established and newer MSM methods, the package includes complementary algorithms for understanding time-series data such as hidden Markov models (HMMs) and time-structure based independent component analysis (tICA). MSMBuilder boasts an easy to use command-line interface, as well as clear and consistent abstractions through its Python API (application programming interface). MSMBuilder is developed with careful consideration for compatibility with the broader machine-learning community by following the design of scikit-learn. The package is used primarily by practitioners of molecular dynamics but is just as applicable to other computational or experimental time-series measurements. http://msmbuilder.org
A low-cost wireless sensors positioning solution for indoor parking facilities management

Abstract A relatively low-cost system for indoor parking facilities management is proposed, which is a combined solution of RFID/WiFi and a MEMS IMU monitoring scheme. An RFID localisation module is proposed in the form of so-called virtual gates. To define such virtual gates, either RFID tags or readers are placed at known locations throughout the area of interest. In this study, a number of tags are fixed at known positions and a moving reader is carried by each participating vehicle. Based on this configuration set-up, the Cell of Origin (CoO) technique is applied, in which the system indicates the presence of the user carrying the reader in a cell around the tag location. To define a virtual gate, tags are installed along the parking lot corridors and at critical transit passages in the parking facility. The CoO technique is also proposed in the case of WiFi for location determination of vehicles in a multi-storey car park. In this study, WiFi is employed to monitor the passing vehicles and bridge the gap until a tag can detect a user’s reader again. Thus, a combined positioning solution of RFID and WiFi is achieved. As a complement to the proposed RFID/WiFi system, this study examines the potential and limitations of MEMS IMU sensors (i.e. accelerometers, gyroscopes and barometers) commonly found in modern smartphones. The paper concludes with a detailed discussion on the implications of alternative positioning techniques for indoor parking management.
Cost Differences Among Robotic, Vaginal, and Abdominal Hysterectomy

OBJECTIVE: To compare the costs of vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy with robotically assisted hysterectomy. METHODS: We identified all cases of robotically assisted hysterectomy, with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, treated at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2009. Cases were propensity score-matched (one-to-one) to cases of vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy, selected randomly from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2006 (before acquisition of the robotic surgical system). All billed costs were abstracted through the sixth postoperative week from the Olmsted County Healthcare Expenditure and Utilization Database and compared between cohorts with a generalized linear modeling framework. Predicted costs were estimated with the recycled predictions method. Costs of operative complications also were estimated. RESULTS: The total number of abdominal hysterectomies collected for comparison was 234 and the total number of vaginal hysterectomies was 212. Predicted mean cost of robotically assisted hysterectomy was $2,253 more than that of vaginal hysterectomy ($13,619 compared with $11,366; P<.001), although costs of complications were not significantly different. The predicted mean costs of robotically assisted compared with abdominal hysterectomy were similar ($14,679 compared with $15,588; P=.35). The costs of complications were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, vaginal hysterectomy was less costly than robotically assisted hysterectomy. Abdominal hysterectomy and robotically assisted hysterectomy had similar costs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
[Prehypertension and hypertension among adults in a metropolitan area in Southern Brazil: population-based study].

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence and factors associated with prehypertension and hypertension among adults. METHODS Population-based cross-sectional study carried out with a sample of 1,720 adults in the city of Florianópolis, southern Brazil, from September 2009 to January 2012. Information on demographic and socioeconomic factors, health-related behaviors, anthropometric measures, morbidities, and self-rated health was collected through household interviews. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were also assessed as well as use of antihypertensive medications and medical diagnosis of hypertension. The dependent variable was categorized as normal blood pressure, prehypertension and hypertension. Polytomous multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with use of a multinomial logit model. RESULTS The overall prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was 36.1% (95%CI 33.3;38.8) and 40.1% (95%CI 36.6, 43.5), respectively. The polytomous regression analysis showed that prehypertension was significantly associated with males, black skin, 50 - 59 years of age, leisure-time physical inactivity, and pre-obesity. Hypertension was associated with males, 40 years of age or more, intermediary tertile of per capita family income, less than 12 years of schooling, leisure-time physical inactivity, pre-obesity, obesity, abdominal obesity, and negative self-rated health. CONCLUSIONS It is pressing to introduce effective public health policies to control hypertension among adult population in Florianópolis, Southern Brazil.