Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The maturity of supply chain sustainability disclosure from a continuous improvement perspective

Purpose - – From a continuous improvement perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the levels of maturity attained by organisations in reporting their supply chain (as well as non-supply chain) sustainability initiatives. It also investigates the extent to which supply chain sustainability (SCS) disclosure varies between different business sectors, as well as the degree of interconnection between various sustainability criteria. Subsequently, it proposes an improvement framework for reporting and implementing sustainability initiatives across the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach - – To carry out this investigation, corporate sustainability reports of selected companies in ten different industries are downloaded and assessed. The paper uses content analysis and principal component analysis to study the disclosure maturity levels of the different industrial sectors. Findings - – The paper's results show that the disclosure maturity level is higher in business-to-consumer industries than in business-to-business industries on both the social and environmental dimensions. The paper also shows that the highly polluting energy sector is the least advanced in disclosing SCS initiatives. Generally speaking, there is no clear pattern in the way organisations disclose sustainability information. The conclusion is that sustainability disclosure is not yet homogeneously structured across different business sectors and organisations are yet to attain the “adult” maturity age. Originality/value - – Very few researchers can claim to have investigated the maturity levels of SCS disclosure from a continuous improvement perspective. This is probably due to the absence of a universally accepted framework that clearly defines the scope of sustainability. The paper tries to fill this gap by proposing a framework that would not only help researchers to study SCS and stakeholders to read sustainability reports, but would also enable practitioners to improve the quality and reliability of the data disclosed, especially as they apply to the supply chain.
Light stimulation evokes two different calcium responses in Müller glial cells of the guinea pig retina

Intracellular calcium responses are a characteristic of glial activation upon neuronal activity. In acutely isolated preparations of the guinea pig retina, Müller glial cells displayed cytosolic calcium rises in response to repetitive light stimulation. The calcium rises consisted of two components, a slowly developing immediate response that occurred simultaneously over the whole length of all Müller cell fibers and a delayed fast response that originated in the ganglion cell layer and spread as a wave through the bodies of some Müller cells toward the outer processes in the photoreceptor layer. The slow calcium response was evoked by photoreceptor‐to‐glia signaling, resulting in a glutamate transporter‐ and zinc‐mediated alteration in the membrane potential and an influx of calcium from the extracellular space. The fast calcium response was evoked by a release of calcium from intracellular stores, probably after activation of purinergic receptors. The data suggest that light stimulation of the retina causes glial activation by alterations in both the membrane potential and receptor‐mediated mechanisms. The former may be implicated in glial support of the neuronal signal transfer from photoreceptors to ganglion cells (glial forward signaling), whereas the latter may constitute a glial feedback signaling from ganglion cells to photoreceptors.
Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Human Monocytes Is Suppressed by IFN-γ via Superinduction of ATF-3 and Suppression of AP-11

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are induced during inflammatory responses and are important for immune regulation, angiogenesis, wound healing, and tissue remodeling. Expression of MMPs needs to be tightly controlled to avoid excessive tissue damage. In this study, we investigated the regulation of MMP expression by inflammatory factors in primary human monocytes and macrophages. IFN-γ, which augments inflammatory cytokine production in response to macrophage-activating factors such as TLR ligands, instead broadly suppressed TLR-induced MMP expression. Inhibition of MMP expression was dependent on STAT1 and required de novo protein synthesis. IFN-γ strongly enhanced TLR-induced expression of the transcriptional repressor activating transcription factor (ATF-3) in a STAT1-dependent manner, which correlated with recruitment of ATF-3 to the endogenous MMP-1 promoter as detected by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. RNA interference experiments further supported a role for ATF-3 in suppression of MMP-1 expression. In addition, IFN-γ suppressed DNA binding by AP-1 transcription factors that are known to promote MMP expression and a combination of supershift, RNA interference and overexpression experiments implicated AP-1 family member Fra-1 in the regulation of MMP-1 expression. These results define an IFN-γ-mediated homeostatic loop that limits the potential for tissue damage associated with inflammation, and identify transcriptional factors that regulate MMP expression in myeloid cells in inflammatory settings.
Combining Upper Limb Robotic Rehabilitation with Other Therapeutic Approaches after Stroke: Current Status, Rationale, and Challenges

A better understanding of the neural substrates that underlie motor recovery after stroke has led to the development of innovative rehabilitation strategies and tools that incorporate key elements of motor skill relearning, that is, intensive motor training involving goal-oriented repeated movements. Robotic devices for the upper limb are increasingly used in rehabilitation. Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of these devices in reducing motor impairments, but less so for the improvement of upper limb function. Other studies have begun to investigate the benefits of combined approaches that target muscle function (functional electrical stimulation and botulinum toxin injections), modulate neural activity (noninvasive brain stimulation), and enhance motivation (virtual reality) in an attempt to potentialize the benefits of robot-mediated training. The aim of this paper is to overview the current status of such combined treatments and to analyze the rationale behind them.
An investigation of goal assignment for a heterogeneous robotic team to enable resilient disaster-site exploration

In this work we present a framework and quantitative metric for comparing the performance and resiliency of goal assignment strategies in the context of autonomous, disaster-site exploration using a heterogeneous team of robots. We propose three feasible policies for assigning user-defined Areas-of-Interest amongst a team of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) and a squadron of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). We characterize the performance of these strategies in a series of simulations using our framework and take into consideration the real-world constraints of stochastic UAV flight time failures, stochastic communications failure, and limited UAV battery life. Finally, we test the sensitivity of the proposed assignment methods to varying levels of UAV flight failure, poor communications, and increased exploration duration.
Pros and cons of lean visual planning: experiences from four product development organisations

This paper investigates the benefits and limitations of lean visual planning at four technology-based companies. Even though Lean product development is getting increased attention, there are few industrial cases investigated outside Toyota. Benefits identified are efficient communication, shared understanding, ability to prioritise tasks and efficient levelling of workloads. Limitations with the method include using it in geographically scattered teams, storing historical information and seeing causal links. The conclusion is that visual planning constitutes a method that is useful for product development teams that need efficient ways of communicating and coordinating team work.
A model to estimate average response time of parallel programs

A model is presented for estimating the average response time of parallel programs. It is assumed that the underlying system has a number of processors and all the processors have the same speed. The system is represented as a state transition diagram in which each state represents the number of processes in the system. A state transition can occur in every Delta t time units. If the system has U processors and i processes, each process will receive Delta t*min (1,U/i) processor time before the number of processes in the system changes. A process is terminated when it receives the required processor time. A program leaves the system when all the corresponding processes are terminated. Methods based on the model are developed to estimate the average response time. Several examples are given to demonstrate these methods. <<ETX>>
Understanding the Influence of Independent Civil Society Monitoring and Evaluation at the District Level

In developing countries, an increasing number of civil society organizations (CSOs) engage in independent monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of government programs and policies. Most CSOs rely on a range of M&E tools in combination with advocacy strategies to hold government accountable and improve the implementation of programs and policies. Despite the popularity of such initiatives, their effectiveness and impact remain unconfirmed and are not well understood. In addition, little is known about the influence of this type of CSO-led M&E at the district level. Using a case study design, the current research provides a map of the different influence mechanisms that occurred following the M&E of the National Health Insurance by Ghanaian CSOs. The research further suggests that the built-in dialogue space is acting as a catalyst for certain influence mechanisms.
A linear-approximation technique for digitally-calibrated pipelined A/D converters

Open-loop amplifiers enrich high-speed capability of pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADC). Because both finite gain and circuit nonlinearity limit the accuracy of this approach, a linear-approximation calibration technique is proposed to compensate such non-ideal effects. Due to the nature of the two phase requirements, a double sampling technique is applied to achieve continuous-time on-line calibration without interrupting the normal data conversion. Pushing the complexity of calibration into the digital domain relaxes the stringent design requirements of analog circuits.
Trajectories in public administration reforms in European Continental countries

The aim of this article is to study key New Public Management (NPM) transformations undertaken at central level in the European Union public administrations of Germanic, Nordic and Southern European countries. Our study shows that there is no global tendency towards the same NPM model, although, within public administration models, there are strong similarities. Although some NPM initiatives have been taken as steps towards implementing these reforms, in other contexts they could have been adopted in order to ward off deeper reforms.
Determinants of housing prices in Spanish cities

Residential price levels in Spain vary broadly among markets. Real estate theory explains that prices depend on market characteristics such as vacancy level, land availability, construction supply elasticity to respond to high or low speed to changes on the demand, as well as potential for economic growth, industrial and services activities located inside urban areas, etc. An analysis of prices in Spanish main cities shows that tensions appear to exist in some of them where economic activity shows different dynamism and price level appears to be independent of it. This paper tries to find evidence of the existing relationship between residential prices and economic and demographic factors that are demand determinants such as wages, migrations and productive structure, among others, to explain price formation in Spanish cities. It uses panel data and GLS methodology applied to 71 main Spanish province capitals and cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The results show evidence of determinants of housing prices and how some relationships appear to exist between price levels and families’ waged income as well as with population and productive structure in Spanish cities.
Determinants of animal traction adoption in traditional agriculture: An application of the multivariate probit procedure to the case of Lesotho

This study identifies the socio-economic factors responsible for the adoption of animal traction in the Maseru district, Lesotho. Data for the study were obtained from a cross-section of farmers, using a two-stage random sampling technique to purposively select both adopters and nonadopters of animal traction technology. The probit model was employed to analyse the data, using the maximum likelihood estimation technique to identify quantifiably the effects of selected variables on animal traction adoption in the study area. The results of the study indicate that the adoption of animal traction in the area of study is equally sensitive to both sociological and economic factors, the most significant being the number of work animals and farm income, respectively. It is specifically recommended, among other things, that efforts be made to advance credit to poor farmers as a motivation towards increased animal traction adoption. This would increase farm output and income in the study area in particular, and in other areas with similar agro-ecological and institutional conditions that might be contemplating introducing this particular technology.
Markets with a continuum of traders

It is suggested that the most natural mathematical model for a market with "perfect competition" is one in which there is a continuum of traders (like the continuum of points on a line). It is shown that the core of such a market coincides with the set of its "equilibrium allocations", i.e., allocations which constitute a competitive equilibrium when combined with an appropriate price structure.
Endovascular Repair of Saccular Ascending Aortic Aneurysm After Orthotopic Heart Transplantation Using an Investigational Zenith Ascend Stent-Graft

Purpose: To report the use of an investigational stent-graft to treat an ascending aortic aneurysm in a patient with a heart transplant. Case Report: A 48-year-old man presented with a 3.5×1.5-cm saccular aneurysm in the mid anterior ascending aorta, abutting the sternum. The patient’s history was notable for placement of a left ventricular assist device followed by orthotopic heart transplantation 2 years prior to treat end-stage familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Under compassionate use, a custom-designed ascending aortic stent-graft (Zenith Ascend) was successfully delivered via an 18-F system and deployed just distal to the origin of the left main coronary artery under pulmonary artery catheter–guided rapid ventricular pacing. The patient was discharged the next day, and 6-month follow-up was unremarkable. Imaging at 5 months showed an excluded aneurysm sac with no endoleak or migration. Conclusion: The ideal ascending aortic stent-graft should be low profile, conformable to the arch anatomy, with short tip delivery system and a stepwise deployment mechanism that allows precise placement relative to the ostia of the coronary arteries and the innominate artery. This case illustrates the advancement of endovascular techniques to the most challenging segment of the aorta to decrease morbidity and mortality in high-risk patients.
Análise Automática de Coerência Usando o Modelo Grade de Entidades para o Português (Automatic Coherence Analysis Using the Entity-grid Model for Portuguese) [in Portuguese]

In this paper we investigate the applicability of Barzilay and Lapata’s (2008) entity-grid model in the evaluation of coherence in scientific abstracts written in Portuguese. More specifically, we focused on assessing whether such model could be employed in the implementation of a classifier capable of detecting linearity breaks that affect coherence. Our experimental results are close to those of the original entity-grid model for English and very similar to the results reported by related works for other languages. Results are also close to those obtained by human judges, showing that the entity-grid model can be applied in the investigated context. Resumo. Este artigo apresenta os resultados de uma investigação acerca da aplicabilidade do modelo grade de entidades proposto por Barzilay e Lapata (2008) na avaliação de coerência em resumos cientı́ficos escritos em português. Mais especificamente, se buscou avaliar se tal modelo poderia ser empregado na implementação de um classificador capaz de detectar quebras de linearidade que afetam a coerência dos resumos. Os resultados experimentais se mostraram próximos aos do modelo original para a lı́ngua inglesa e semelhantes aos relatados por trabalhos relacionados para outras lı́nguas. Os resultados também foram próximos ao obtido por juı́zes humanos, mostrando que o modelo grade de entidades tem potencial para ser aplicado no contexto investigado.
Ligand exchange on gold nanoparticles for drug delivery and enhanced therapeutic index evaluated in acute myeloid leukemia models

Cancer chemotherapy is typically toxic. This problem could be addressed by using differences between cancer and normal cells for controlled delivery of drugs to cancer cells. One such difference is the ubiquitously elevated glutathione expression in cancer cells. We report a simple and versatile synthesis of water-soluble gold nanoparticles passivated with amine-containing molecules, which allow for controlled drug release via ligand exchange with bio-available glutathione. Taking methotrexate-passivated gold nanoparticles (Au:MTX) as an example, drug delivery and controlled release via glutathione-mediated ligand exchange was evaluated. Furthermore, the possibility of using Au:MTX to improve therapeutic index in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) models was examined in vitro and in vivo. Au:MTX exhibited cancer selectivity in vitro. Au:MTX had an elevated potency toward an AML cell line THP-1 in a dosage range of 1–5 nM, and therefore an enhanced delivery of drug, whereas normal hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) growth was minimally affected by Au:MTX and MTX treatments within the same range of dosage. In vivo efficacy and safety of Au:MTX was evaluated in a murine xenotransplant model of primary human AML. Au:MTX treatment, compared to control groups including MTX-only and Au nanoparticle-only treatments, produced better leukemia suppression without added toxicity, indicating an enhanced therapeutic index.
Cost accounting systems structure and information quality properties: an empirical analysis

Purpose - This paper aims to explore the relationships among cost accounting systems structure and information quality properties through an integrated framework of cost system design and use. Design/methodology/approach - In the framework, cost accounting systems structure is defined in terms of the level of detailed information existence, the cost disaggregation according to behaviour, the scope of variances calculation and the frequency of cost information provision. Cost information quality expresses its perceived usefulness by the users in terms of relevance, accuracy, timeliness, usability, compatibility with their needs, up-to-datedness, reliability and thoroughness for decision-making purposes. In order to investigate the existing relationships, data were gathered from 119 leading Greek manufacturing companies via a questionnaire survey. Findings - The empirical findings indicate that the majority of cost accounting systems structure characteristics exert a statistically significant positive influence on cost information quality dimensions. Only the systems' ability to disaggregate costs according to behaviour and their capability to generate customized to user specifications reports were not found to be statistically significantly associated with information quality. Research limitations/implications - The authors believe that their conclusions have important implications for researchers and professionals with respect to cost systems design as well as cost systems evaluation. Originality/value - The innovation of the study lies in the development of an integrated framework that encompasses both cost systems structure characteristics and cost information effectiveness features.
Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of stroke.

BACKGROUND The high morbidity and mortality of strokes result in enormous costs to our society. In the last decade advanced imaging techniques with high sensitivity in the diagnosis of acute stroke have been developed. Acute thrombolytic treatment beyond 3 h of acute stroke duration requires the demonstration of penumbra or 'tissue at risk'. However, the utility of the mismatch concept to identify the penumbra area is controversial. OBJECTIVE The aim is to describe the main features of acute stroke on magnetic resonance imaging. METHOD Information was obtained from a search of the PubMed and Medline databases (keywords: imaging, stroke, diagnosis and infarct) for articles published from 1997. CONCLUSION To conclude, new imaging biomarkers of relevant mismatch, hemorrhagic transformation and worse outcome should be developed in the future.
Modelling close-proximity contact networks among college students

Understanding close-proximity contacts is vitally important to the studies of transmission of respiratory infectious diseases among humans. A variety of researches have been conducted to collect close-proximity contacts in real life among human, especially college students. However, how to build a mathematical approach to model these human contact networks still remains a challenge. In this study, we propose an approach to formulate the contact network modelling problem into optimization problems, and further propose a series of models to model the network generation based on principles of human contacts and friendship. Simulation of our model, together with further comparison of network characteristics, proves the correctness of the network generation model. These mathematical models should greatly facilitate our understanding of the human contact networks and the spreading principle of infectious diseases.
Work Choices and the radical revision of the public realm of Australian statutory labour law.

Australia's statutory labour law has undergone very significant amendment following the enactment of the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 (the Work Choices Act). This article argues that the new law radically revises the public realm of labour law established through the century-old system of conciliation and arbitration. The Act seeks to strip back the influence of trade unions and the traditional regulator, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. It generates a realm of private employer power, augmented where necessary with direct intervention by Executive government to ensure that the old system does not re-emerge. The Work Choices Act is remarkable in its use of statutory language to obscure and defer meaning. The processes of its making were also marked by a reluctance of the government to explain or even acknowledge the import of the law. It is tentatively concluded that the Act is a product of the mix of ideological, pragmatic and psychological motivations underlying its creation.