Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Newer Agents for Rapid Sequence Intubation: Etomidate and Rocuronium

Abstract The emergency airway management of children and adolescents with critical illnesses may necessitate rapid sequence intubation with a sedating and a neuromuscular blocking agent. Etomidate and rocuronium have become increasingly popular for the sedation and paralysis, respectively, of pediatric patients in rapid sequence intubation, and there are many advantages to the use of both agents. Both etomidate and rocuronium have a rapid onset of action, and both agents are relatively free of hemodynamic adverse effects. Etomidate does, however, suppress adrenal function, and consequently, its use in patients with septic shock is controversial. Rocuronium can produce optimal intubating conditions without the serious complications that can accompany succinylcholine. The available evidence supports the safety of etomidate and rocuronium in rapid sequence intubation but also suggests that more prospective studies are needed in pediatric patients.
Lifelong self-directed learning using a computer database of clinical questions.

Physicians often have self-perceived knowledge gaps when they are seeing patients. Traditional continuing medical education is designed to meet the knowledge gaps of groups rather than individual physicians with specific patient problems. Physicians with clinical information needs are advised to critically evaluate high-quality original research in order to practice "evidence-based medicine. " But this advice may be unrealistic for busy clinicians. We propose a system for documenting self-perceived information needs using a computer database. Concise answers to these needs are included in the database along with reference citations supporting the answers. The system tracks continuing education efforts, directs patient care decisions, and focuses lifelong learning on relevant topics. We emphasize the importance of being sensitive to personal information needs and the benefits of maintaining a record of these needs.
Cyclicality of Growth Opportunities and the Value of Cash Holdings

We show that business cycle dynamics and, in particular, the cyclicality of a firm’s growth opportunities, determine the value of cash holdings. Cash is more valuable for firms with relatively more attractive growth opportunities in bad states of the business cycle. Cash holdings provide the flexibility to invest even in times when capital supply is scarce. This valuation effect is strongest for low leverage and high R&D firms, but is independent of their financial status. In firms where changes in cash holdings exert a stronger effect on stock returns, investment and operating performance are also more sensitive to cash holdings.
POTENTIAL ROLE OF BONE MARROW DERIVED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS WITH OR WITHOUT INJECTABLE CALCIUM PHOSPHATE COMPOSITE IN MANAGEMENT OF OSTEOPOROSIS IN RAT MODEL

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the possible therapeutic role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) alone or in combination with injectable calcium phosphate composite in management of osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats. Methods: The MSCs were harvested from femoral bone marrow of male rats, as sex mismatched, to track the MSCs fate and to ensure their homing to the injured females' femurs. The isolated BM-MSCs proved their MSCs identity via their morphological appearance, multilineage potential and the positive expression for CD29, CD44 as well as CD106 and negative expression for CD14, CD34 and CD45. A total number of seventy adult female albino rats were used in the present study. The rats were classified as follows: group 1 was the gonad intact control, group 2 served as untreated ovariectomized (OVX) rats, while the groups from the third to seventh were OVX rats treated with, BM-MSCs, BM-MSCs with injectable bone substitute (IBS), IBS, calcitonin and calcitonin with IBS respectively. Core binding factor alpha-1 (Cbfa-1 or Runx-2) and nuclear factor kappa β (NFκβ) gene expression levels in femur bones were detected using real time PCR. Serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were estimated using ELISA technique. Results: The positive expression of Y-chromosome (sry) gene detected in the BM-MSCs treated groups indicated that the systemically delivered single dose of undifferentiated MSCs was able to home at the females' femur bones. The expression level of Runx-2 showed down-regulation while that of NF-κβ showed up-regulation in femur bones of OVX group. Additionally, serum OPG level was significantly reduced while serum level of MCP-1 was significantly elevated in OVX group as compared to gonad intact control group. The MSCs injection with or without the biphasic calcium phosphate hydroxy-propyl-methyl-cellulose (HMPC) composite produced significant up-regulation of Runx-2 gene expression associated with significant down-regulation of NF-κβ gene expression levels in femur bones. Moreover, this type of treatments produced significant increase in serum OPG level associated with significant decrease in serum MCP-1level when compared with the untreated OVX group. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the usefulness of MSCs in management of osteoporosis. Additionally, the current study spots light on a novel approach of utilizing injectable biphasic calcium phosphate composite with undifferentiated BM-MSCs as a therapeutic application for osteoporosis.
Exploiting globalization potential: U.S. and japanese strategies

This paper develops a model of global strategy that includes the constructs of industry globalization potential, the use of global strategy, the role of organization and management and the performance consequences of using global strategy. Propositions are developed as to why American and Japanese MNCs might differ in their perceptions of industry globalization potential, in their desired global strategy response, in their organizationally‐derived ability to implement global strategy and in their resulting performance. The model and arguments are examined in extensive interviews with senior executives at 36 worldwide businesses belonging to some of the largest American and Japanese MNCs. Data are analyzed using a partial least squares causal model. The results show that the Japanese firms have more globalized stategies than do the Americans, and that this factor affects their performance favorably.
Transfers of Corporate Control in Firms with Non-Controlling Blockholders

I model the choice between a negotiated block trade and a public tender offer as means of acquiring control in a firm with a dominant minority blockholder. Potential acquirers differ in their (privately known) ability to create value in the target firm. In equilibrium, high types go for a tender offer, intermediate types purchase just the blockholder's stake, and low types abstain. The model yields a number of implications. Compared to tender offers, block trades are associated with lower efficiency in equilibrium, which explains lower target announcement returns following block trades. Some equilibrium block trades are value-reducing. The equal opportunity rule (EOR) helps eliminating them, but it needs to go together with a rule allowing to "freeze out" non-tendering shareholders in order to ensure that no value-increasing takeover fails. The two rules are complements: introducing one without the other may hurt efficiency. Better investor protection raises the incidence of full-scale acquisitions relative to block trades. Yet, when the EOR is present, an increase in investor protection may be detrimental for efficiency as it may prevent some value-increasing takeovers.
A Home Bias based on International Asset Pricing model

This paper presents an international asset pricing model based on investors’ behaviour in the presence of asymmetric information about home and international markets. In this model, international asset allocation is based on the information availability about home and international assets. In these markets, only a proportion of international investors trade on home assets, and they are willing to pay for information costs in order to diversify their portfolios. Our model gives an explicit measure of market integration/segmentation through the international investor proportion trading in the home country. At equilibrium, this model has the merits of explaining the behavioral expected rate of return for different degrees of market segmentation. We suggest, in addition, an explanation of the home bias both in domestic and international settings. Under special assumptions, we obtain
A knapsack-type public key cryptosystem based on arithmetic in finite fields

A knapsack-type public key cryptosystem is introduced that is the system is based on a novel application of arithmetic in finite fields. By appropriately choosing the parameters, one can control the density of the resulting knapsack, which is the ratio between the number of elements in the knapsack and their size in bits. In particular, the density can be made high enough to foil so-called low-density attacks against the system. At the moment, no attacks capable of breaking the system in a reasonable amount of time are known. >
Increasing Chinese tourist gamblers in Macao: crucial player characteristics to identify and exploit.

Casinos are today considered major tourist attractions and are a strategic component in the development of a tourism destination. Tourist gamblers are an important market segment providing a reliable source of revenue for casinos. It is necessary to understand the characteristics of these gamblers and to design services and products that cater for their needs. In this study a survey of 402 Chinese tourist gamblers indicated that they have distinctive characteristics, gambling motivations, behaviors and preferences that must be considered and catered to for depth of understanding and devising ways to attract, keep and increase these important customers. Management and marketing implications for local casino operators and destination marketers are drawn.
Business models and closed-loop supply chains: a typology

Purpose – To delineate typologies that capture the relationship between closed‐loop supply chains and value‐added business models, and thereby to suggest a research agenda for the transition to sustainable business.Design/methodology/approach – Develops four new theoretical categories or typologies of closed‐loop systems and applies them to the context of the automotive industry. Conceptual, rather than empirical.Findings – That hybrid closed‐loop systems can be combined with innovative non‐linear value configurations to enable the transition to more sustainable production and consumption.Research limitations/implications – Identifies research agenda to explore how novel business models can integrate with various closed‐loop systems. Theoretical, but grounded in research into the automotive industry.Practical implications – That closed‐loop systems are best implemented outside traditional linear value added structures.Originality/value – Places closed‐loop systems at the heart of the (redesigned) business.
Small GTPase RacF2 affects sexual cell fusion and asexual development in Dictyostelium discoideum through the regulation of cell adhesion

Cells of Dictyostelium discoideum become sexually mature when submerged and in darkness, and fuse with opposite mating‐type cells as gametes. The gene for a Rho GTPase, RacF2, is one of the extremely gamete‐enriched genes (>100‐fold) identified by us previously. Here, we isolated knockout, overexpression, constitutively active and dominant negative mutants of RacF2, and analyzed their phenotypes. These mutants showed anomalies in the extent of sexual cell fusion and asexual development as well as in EDTA‐sensitive cell–cell adhesion. It is suggested that RacF2 controls the process of sexual and asexual development through the regulation of cellular adhesiveness. An analysis of the expression of all 18 rac family genes by real‐time polymerase chain reaction revealed that four additional genes, rac1b, rac1c, racF1 and racG, were induced during maturation, suggesting their possible involvement in sexual cell interactions.
Kernel based robust object tracking using model updates and Gaussian pyramids

Visionbasedtracking, being a challenging engineering problem isone ofthehotresearch areas in*nachine vision. Inrecentstuidies Kernel based tracking usinig Bhattacharya similaritv mea.sutre is showntobean eficient techniquie fornon-rigid object tracking through thesequienceofimnages. In this paper we presented a robutst and efficient tracking approach Jbrtargets having larger motions ascompared totheir sizes. Outr tracking approach is based on calculating theGaussian pyramids ofthe imagesandthenapplying mean shift algorithm at eachpyramid level fo6r tracking thetarget. Model based tracking often sq/fkm-s abruipt changes intarget model, which iscompensated bvthemodel updatesof target. Thisleads to a very efficient androbust nonparametric tracking algorithm Thenew method is easily abletotrack thefast moving targetsandis more robulst and environment independent as compared tooriginal kernel based object tracking.
Functional Spin-Off: A Key to Anticipating Change in Distribution Structure

Building on the concepts of marketing functions and division of labor, this article develops an approach to aid channel designers in anticipating changes in distribution structure before such changes develop into obvious trends. The author suggests that an understanding of how and why producers spin off marketing functions will in turn lead to an understanding of change in all dimensions of channel structure.
Updated Horizontal Inequity in Health Care Utilization in Japan: Comparisons with OECD Countries Using an Original Survey

We compare health care inequity in Japan with that in other OECD countries in 2002 and 2003. To overcome Japanese data problems, we conducted an original survey. Although some problems remain, we obtained internationally comparable results on health care inequity for Japan. We test the utilization measure by the number of outpatients, the number of days of inpatient utilization in the previous year, out-of-pocket payments in the previous year and other measures, such as a yes/no indicator for outpatient or inpatient utilization in a lifetime. The results show that there is no inequity in outpatient or inpatient utilization, but out-ofpocket payments show significant pro-rich inequity.
Tolerance to preharvest sprouting and yield of wheat genotypes from different breeding programs

The objective of this work was to characterize the performance of elite wheat genotypes from different Brazilian breeding programs for traits associated with grain yield and preharvest sprouting. The study was conducted in 2010 and 2011 in the municipality of Capao do Leao, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Thirty‑three wheat genotypes were evaluated for traits related to preharvest sprouting and grain yield. The estimate of genetic distance was used to predict potential combinations for selection of plants with high grain yield and tolerance to preharvest sprouting. The combined analysis of sprouted grains and falling number shows that the TBIO Alvorada, TBIO Mestre, Frontana, Fundacep Raizes, Fundacep Cristalino, and BRS Guamirim genotypes are tolerant to preharvest sprouting. Combinations of TBIO Alvorada and TBIO Mestre with Fundacep Cristalino show high potential for recovering superior genotypes for high grain yield and tolerance to preharvest sprouting.
Transferring the Management of the Provident and Mutual Funds from the Banks

The paper reviews the performance of bank and non-bank mutual funds in Israel. The issue is of particular interest because of legislation (the Bachar Reforms) that required the banks to divest the mutual funds under their control. The legislation was designed to reduce the banks’ influence in the local capital market and introduce new additional intermediaries in these markets. It was also understood, that the legislation would tend to reduce conflicts of interests and bring about better returns for investors. The banks sold off their mutual fund holdings, in fact quite a bit ahead of schedule and in that sense the reforms can be viewed as a success. On the other hand, the data indicate that the relative performance over time of the non-bank funds has been poor and no better than bank fund performance. The published data on non-bank performance tends, however, to (mistakenly) show otherwise, in part because of survivor-bias problems - i.e. the surviving funds perform better than the funds that close and for which returns are no longer reported. In sum, the performance data as well as the fact that these funds are required to pay the banks additional marketing fees as well as costly regulatory requirements in Israel raise doubts as to whether the non-bank funds will be able to provide satisfactory returns over time.
Apolipoprotein CI Deficiency Markedly Augments Plasma Lipoprotein Changes Mediated by Human Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) in CETP Transgenic/ApoCI-knocked Out Mice*

Transgenic mice expressing human cholesteryl ester transfer protein (HuCETPTg mice) were crossed with apolipoprotein CI-knocked out (apoCI-KO) mice. Although total cholesterol levels tended to be reduced as the result of CETP expression in HuCETPTg heterozygotes compared with C57BL6 control mice (−13%, not significant), a more pronounced decrease (−28%,p < 0.05) was observed when human CETP was expressed in an apoCI-deficient background (HuCETPTg/apoCI-KO mice). Gel permeation chromatography analysis revealed a significant, 6.1-fold rise (p < 0.05) in the cholesteryl ester content of very low density lipoproteins in HuCETPTg/apoCI-KO mice compared with control mice, whereas the 2.7-fold increase in HuCETPTg mice did not reach the significance level in these experiments. Approximately 50% decreases in the cholesteryl ester content and cholesteryl ester to triglyceride ratio of high density lipoproteins (HDL) were observed in HuCETPTg/apoCI-KO mice compared with controls (p < 0.05 in both cases), with intermediate −20% changes in HuCETPTg mice. The cholesteryl ester depletion of HDL was accompanied with a significant reduction in their mean apparent diameter (8.68 ± 0.04 nm in HuCETPTg/apoCI-KO miceversus 8.83 ± 0.02 nm in control mice;p < 0.05), again with intermediate values in HuCETPTg mice (8.77 ± 0.04 nm). In vitro purified apoCI was able to inhibit cholesteryl ester exchange when added to either total plasma or reconstituted HDL-free mixtures, and coincidently, the specific activity of CETP was significantly increased in the apoCI-deficient state (173 ± 75 pmol/μg/h in HuCETPTg/apoCI-KO mice versus 72 ± 19 pmol/μg/h in HuCETPTg,p < 0.05). Finally, HDL from apoCI-KO mice were shown to interact more readily with purified CETP than control HDL that differ only by their apoCI content. Overall, the present observations provide direct support for a potent specific inhibition of CETP by plasma apoCI in vivo.
Draft Genome Sequences of Vibrio fluvialis Strains 560 and 539, Isolated from Environmental Samples

ABSTRACT Vibrio fluvialis is a halophilic bacterium found in many environments and is mainly associated with sporadic cases and outbreaks of gastroenteritis in humans. Here, we describe the genome sequences of environmental strains of V. fluvialis 560 (Vf560) and V. fluvialis 539 (Vf539) possessing a variant of the integrative and conjugative element (ICE) SXT for the first time in Brazil and South America.
Sequential Correspondence of Multiple Visual Cues for 3-D Building Reconstruction

Traditional building height estimation from a stereo pair of satellite images relies heavily on the selection of building primitives by the human operator. It is labor-intensive and highly inefficient. In this work, we propose a system to automate the estimation of 3-D building height from an IKONOS stereo pair. Minimum user intervention is required to outline the building top in the left image. Stereo correspondence is automatically established through a multi-scale feature (coarse-to-fine) matching, which is capable of achieving sub-pixel accuracy. The height of the building top is computed using the Rational Polynomial Coefficient (RPC) model. Experimental results show that the proposed method is efficient, robust and it produces accurate building height estimation.
Green supplier selection: a fuzzy AHP and fuzzy ARAS approach

In today's fiercely competitive environment the selection of appropriate suppliers is a significantly important decision for effective and efficient supply chain management. Given the growing environmental concerns during the past decades, a consensus is emerging that environmental pollution issues accompanying industrial development should be addressed together with supply chain management, thus contributing to green supply chain management (GSCM). The aim of this paper is to screen most important criteria of GSCM based on experts' opinions. Since, supplier selection decisions are characterised by a high degree of uncertainty then fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) has been used to determine weights of identified criteria. Results show that resource consumption is the most important attribute in selecting green supplier. For ranking green suppliers in this paper, fuzzy additive ratio assessment (FARAS) is applied. We found that the case company can categorise its suppliers more effectively and at the same time select a more green supply chain partner. Moreover, the case company can provide unsatisfactory suppliers with valuable feedback that will help them improve and become its partners in the future.
Water distribution in disaster relief

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an operations research (OR) model for planning water distribution tours in disaster relief. Especially in situations after a disaster occurrence, characterized by instability and the immediate need of help, high‐quality decisions have to be made fast. For this reason, it is very useful if planning decisions can be alleviated by a decision support system (DSS) using an efficient multi‐objective metaheuristic as its algorithmic core.Design/methodology/approach – The paper develops a metaheuristic search technique based on evolutionary concepts for a real‐world extension of a multi‐objective covering tour problem.Findings – The proposed method supports decision makers in finding appropriate compromise solutions with respect to conflicting objectives (e.g. coverage and travel time). With this work, the authors want to reduce the gap between theory and practical applications. They apply OR methods to a real‐world application in the field of disaster relief oper.
The Buying Center: Structure and Interaction Patterns

This article reports a first step toward developing some quantifiable dimensions of the industrial buying task group, called the buying center. Group composition and interaction processes were examined for purchases of capital equipment and industrial services in 31 firms. Data were analyzed to test the soundness of a communications network perspective on the buying center and the managerial implications of such a perspective. Equipment and service purchase measures differed reliably across several indices suggested by our theoretical orientation. Organizational structure and purchase situation attributes correlated in generally expected directions with the dimensions of the buying group.