Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The challenge of greening global product chains: meeting both ends

Greening of product chains has come up as an important means to systematically improve the environmental performance of products from cradle to cradle in Europe and elsewhere. Some experience with inter-firm co-operation aiming at reducing the environmental impacts has been generated in recent years. Most of these experiences involve cooperation between some of the links in product chains, very often stopping at European borders. Problems of market communication, information availability and information costs prevent companies from going beyond these lines. Also, anonymous markets may prevent communication between producers and end-users in the West and supplying firms in developing countries. Only very few documented case studies of global greening of product chains are available. Therefore, the challenge here is how to establish interactions with the first links in supply chains. Within the context of South Africa it is of cardinal importance to identify these links to ensure sustainable synergy. European countries are constantly changing the standards of products in order to meet environmental targets. Moreover, European consumer markets are increasingly sensitive to environmentally sound products. From the perspective of South African suppliers there is an increasing need for interaction in their global product chains. In this conceptual analysis we will present the way that should be followed from both ends of the global product chains. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
An Integrated Stock Market Forecasting Model Using Neural Networks

This paper focuses on the development of a stock market forecasting model based on artificial neural network architecture. A baseline neural network model was developed using GFF architecture. The performance of the baseline model was evaluated by using representative large-cap stocks in six critical industrial sectors. Key performance measures, which included correlation coefficient and mean square error, were identified and used to compare the different models. A self-organising map network was developed to reduce the set of 56 stock market indicators into a final set of 11 indicators that covered market momentum, market volatility, market trend, broad market indictors and general momentum indicators. The model still required additional developments to better forecast turning points in the market. Based on Elliot's Wave Theory, two additional indicators were introduced to improve the forecast accuracy for turning points.
The Olympic Games and raising sport participation: a systematic review of evidence and an interrogation of policy for a demonstration effect

Research questions: Can a demonstration effect, whereby people are inspired by elite sport, sports people and events to actively participate themselves, be harnessed from an Olympic Games to influence sport participation? Did London 2012 sport participation legacy policy draw on evidence about a demonstration effect, and was a legacy delivered? Research methods: A worldwide systematic review of English language evidence returned 1778 sources iteratively reduced by the author panel, on advice from an international review panel to 21 included sources that were quality appraised and synthesised narratively. The evidence was used to examine the influence of a demonstration effect on sport participation engagement and to interrogate sport participation legacy policy for London 2012. Results and findings: There is no evidence for an inherent demonstration effect, but a potential demonstration effect, properly leveraged, may deliver increases in sport participation frequency and re-engage lapsed participants. Despite setting out to use London 2012 to raise sport participation, successive UK Governments' policy failures to harness the potential influence of a demonstration effect on demand resulted in failure to deliver increased participation. Implications: If the primary justification for hosting an Olympic Games is the potential impact on sport participation, the Games are a bad investment. However, the Games can have specific impacts on sport participation frequency and re-engagement, and if these are desirable for host societies, are properly leveraged by hosts, and are one among a number of reasons for hosting the Games, then the Games may be a justifiable investment in sport participation terms.
A Simple Approach to Valuing Risky Fixed and Floating Rate Debt

We develop a simple approach to valuing risky corporate debt that incorporates both default and interest rate risk. We use this approach to derive simple closed-form valuation expressions for fixed and floating rate debt. The model provides a number of interesting new insights about pricing and hedging corporate debt securities. For example, we find that the correlation between default risk and the interest rate has a significant effect on the properties of the credit spread. Using Moody's corporate bond yield data, we find that credit spreads are negatively related to interest rates and that durations of risky bonds depend on the correlation with interest rates. This empirical evidence is consistent with the implications of the valuation model. Copyright 1995 by American Finance Association.
Fibrinogen in Craniosynostosis Surgery

BACKGROUND: During craniosynostosis repair, massive blood loss, consumption and dilution of clotting factors often result in coagulopathy, for which cryoprecipitate, fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and platelets are recommended for treatment. However, cryoprecipitate is not available in most European countries, and the efficacy of FFP in correcting fibrinogen deficiency is limited. We report our experience with human fibrinogen concentrate (Hemocomplettan®) used to improve impaired fibrinogen polymerization in children. METHODS: Results of routine coagulation tests, thrombelastometry (ROTEM®), transfusion requirements, administration of fibrinogen concentrate, and data on the postoperative course of nine consecutive children undergoing major craniofacial surgery were retrospectively collected from anesthesia protocols, medical charts, laboratory and ROTEM® databases. RESULTS: The nine children aged 12 (8, 22) mo (median [25th, 75th percentile]), weighing 9.5 (9, 10) kg had a calculated blood loss of 80 (49, 92)% of calculated blood volume during the surgery lasting 6.4 (4.5, 7.2) h. Impaired fibrinogen polymerization detected by ROTEM® was the main problem underlying dilutional coagulopathy. In all cases, sufficient hemostasis was achieved without adverse effects by administering (if necessary), repeated doses of fibrinogen concentrates (each single dose 30 mg/kg) without FFP or platelet transfusions. All children were successfully weaned from mechanical ventilation within a few hours and were able to be discharged early from the Intensive Care Unit. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of fibrinogen concentrate effectively improves fibrinogen polymerization and total clot strength, which were the main underlying problems of dilutional coagulopathy in children undergoing craniosynostosis surgery.
Text Summarization using Abstract Meaning Representation

With an ever increasing size of text present on the Internet, automatic summary generation remains an important problem for natural language understanding. In this work we explore a novel full-fledged pipeline for text summarization with an intermediate step of Abstract Meaning Representation (AMR). The pipeline proposed by us first generates an AMR graph of an input story, through which it extracts a summary graph and finally, generate summary sentences from this summary graph. Our proposed method achieves state-of-the-art results compared to the other text summarization routines based on AMR. We also point out some significant problems in the existing evaluation methods, which make them unsuitable for evaluating summary quality.
Chapter 5 Transfusion of fresh-frozen plasma in critically ill patients with a coagulopathy before invasive procedures : a randomized clinical trial

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CARD9 mediates necrotic smooth muscle cell-induced inflammation in macrophages contributing to neointima formation of vein grafts.

AIMS Inflammation plays an important role in the neointima formation of grafted veins. However, the initiation of inflammation in grafted veins is still unclear. Here, we investigated the role and underlying mechanism of an innate immunity signalling protein, caspase-associated recruitment domain 9 (CARD9) in vein grafts in mice. METHODS AND RESULTS In early murine vein grafts, we observed robust death of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which was accompanied by infiltration of macrophages and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Meanwhile, SMC necrosis was associated with the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages in vitro. To explore the mediators of necrotic SMC-induced inflammation in grafted veins from mice, we examined the expression of CARD family proteins and found CARD9 highly expressed in infiltrated macrophages of grafted veins. CARD9-knockout (KO) inhibited necrotic SMC-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and NF-κB activation. Furthermore, CARD9-KO suppressed necrotic SMC-induced expression of VEGF in macrophages. Finally, CARD9-KO decreased neointima formation of grafted veins in mice. CONCLUSION The innate immune protein CARD9 in macrophages may mediate necrotic SMC-induced inflammation by activating NF-κB and contributed to neointima formation in the vein grafts.
Mobilization of Full-Length Semliki Forest Virus Replicon by Retrovirus Particles

ABSTRACT Conciliating biosafety with efficient gene transfer remains a constant concern in the development of retroviral vectors. Semliki Forest virus (SFV) replicons allow important retroviral vector production with interesting features. It is noteworthy that retroviruses have the ability to package Ψ+ and, to some extent, Ψ− cellular RNAs. Therefore, it was important to study the retroviral transfer of highly abundant SFV genomes expressing retroviral proteins. Here, we show that full-length SFV-vector replicons, with or without Ψ, are efficiently packaged into retrovirus particles. Mechanistically, our data suggest that SFV packaging is the sum of its retroviral nucleocapsid-dependent recruitment together with a passive hijacking of membrane-anchored SFV replicon. A direct consequence of this phenomenon is the formation of particles harboring autonomous replicative abilities and contaminating vector preparations. Importantly, we confirm that retroviral SFV mobilization is not an exclusive feature of murine gamma retroviruses, since it is also observed using lentivectors.
Diversification, size and growth of the Greek co-operative marketing unions

The association of diversification and growth has been examined in the past in manufacturing industries; expanding to related and to unrelated product activities have been found to have different effects on the rate of growth of firms. These models appeared to suggest that any additional expansion into related activities always resulted in faster growth. However possibly different effects of diversification on the rate of growth of different sized organizations and the role of the initial diversification level were not examined. All these issues are investigated in the case of the Greek cooperative marketing unions over the period 1971-85. The lack of similar studies, at least in European literature, and a general interest in improving cooperative efficiency could lead this empirical work to have some general interest. Copyright 1992 by Oxford University Press.
Using Whole-Exome Sequencing to Identify Genetic Markers for Carboplatin and Gemcitabine-Induced Toxicities

Purpose: Chemotherapies are associated with significant interindividual variability in therapeutic effect and adverse drug reactions. In lung cancer, the use of gemcitabine and carboplatin induces grade 3 or 4 myelosuppression in about a quarter of the patients, while an equal fraction of patients is basically unaffected in terms of myelosuppressive side effects. We therefore set out to identify genetic markers for gemcitabine/carboplatin-induced myelosuppression. Experimental Design: We exome sequenced 32 patients that suffered extremely high neutropenia and thrombocytopenia (grade 3 or 4 after first chemotherapy cycle) or were virtually unaffected (grade 0 or 1). The genetic differences/polymorphism between the groups were compared using six different bioinformatics strategies: (i) whole-exome nonsynonymous single-nucleotide variants association analysis, (ii) deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, (iii) analysis of genes selected by a priori biologic knowledge, (iv) analysis of genes selected from gene expression meta-analysis of toxicity datasets, (v) Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, and (vi) FunCoup network enrichment analysis. Results: A total of 53 genetic variants that differed among these groups were validated in an additional 291 patients and were correlated to the patients' myelosuppression. In the validation, we identified rs1453542 in OR4D6 (P = 0.0008; OR, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.8–18) as a marker for gemcitabine/carboplatin-induced neutropenia and rs5925720 in DDX53 (P = 0.0015; OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.17–0.71) as a marker for thrombocytopenia. Patients homozygous for the minor allele of rs1453542 had a higher risk of neutropenia, and for rs5925720 the minor allele was associated with a lower risk for thrombocytopenia. Conclusions: We have identified two new genetic markers with the potential to predict myelosuppression induced by gemcitabine/carboplatin chemotherapy. Clin Cancer Res; 22(2); 366–73. ©2015 AACR.
Biodistribution and dosimetry of (99m)Tc-depreotide (P829) in patients suffering from breast carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE This paper reports on the biodistribution and dosimetry of (99m)Tc-depreotide in patients. METHODS Whole body planar images were acquired 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, 9, and 24 hours after intravenous injection of 555-740MBq (99m)Tc-depreotide in 5 breast cancer patients. Urine was collected up to 24 hours after injection, allowing for a calculation of renal clearance and an interpretation of whole body clearance. Time activity curves were generated for the thyroid, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, colon, thoracic vertebrae/sternum, and whole body by fitting the organ-specific geometric mean counts, obtained from regions of interest (ROIs). The Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) formulation was applied to calculate the absorbed radiation dose for various organs. RESULTS The whole body images show most of the activity distributed in the liver, spleen, and kidneys. Nearly all excretion of activity occurred by the renal system, and hepatobiliary excretion was negligible. Elimination of administered activity occurred predominantly through physical decay. The mean cumulative measured urinary excretion at 24 hours postinjection was 14.0% (standard deviation; 11.8%) of the administered activity. The highest absorbed dose was received by the kidneys, thyroid, and spleen. The average effective dose was estimated to be 1.15E-02mSv/MBq (standard deviation; 1.41E-03mSv/MBq). CONCLUSION The biodistribution of (99m)Tc-depreotide demonstrated low lung and myocardial uptake allowing early imaging of the supradiaphragmatic region and this with a dosimetry favorable for clinical whole body and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging.
Social Mobility and Preferences for Redistribution in Latin America

This paper has two parts. The first part presents an overview of the evidence concerning intergenerational mobility in Latin America. The second part studies the correlation between mobility perceptions and political preferences. The results show, first, that educational mobility is much lower in Latin American countries than in the United States, and that Latin Americans are quite pessimistic about their own mobility experiences and social equality in general. Second, the results show that preferences for redistribution are stronger (i) among poor individuals, (ii) among those who believe that they were unable to surpass their parents´ socioeconomic status, and (iii) among those who think that market outcomes are unfair. A similar result applies with respect to the support for both market outcomes and the privatization of state-owned enterprises.
A region extraction method using multiple active contour models

A new method for extracting an object region in a complex scene image is proposed. For improving the accuracy and the robustness of region extraction, to the region of a single object, the proposed method applies multiple active contour models (ACMs) controlled by the statistical characteristics of image data. Around the object boundary, these ACMs compete with each other and each ACM extracts a subregion of uniform image properties. As a result of this competition, the entire region of an object is extracted as a set of several subregions. For the proposed method it is necessary to set many initial contours. To lighten this load, a procedure for making multiple initial contours from a single initial curve is also proposed. In this procedure, a few initial curves are set in an image, each initial curve is divided into segments at the optimal loci, and initial contours are made by dilating these segments.
A rapid bedside D-dimer assay (cardiac D-dimer) for screening of clinically suspected acute aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND A rapid laboratory test for diagnosis of acute aortic dissection (AAD) has not been available. We performed this prospective study to determine the utility of a rapid bedside D-dimer (DD) assay for detection of AAD. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients with suspected AAD were recruited and their DD levels were measured by rapid bedside assay. They were divided into 2 groups according to enhanced computed tomography findings: an AAD group (n = 30) and a non-AAD group (n = 48). The median DD level was higher in the AAD group (1.80 microg/ml) than in the non-AAD group (0.42 microg/ml) (p = 0.000). The rapid bedside DD assay showed 100% sensitivity, 54% specificity, 58% positive predictive value and 100% negative predictive value for detection of AAD with a normal DD level of up to 0.5 microg/ml. The combination of DD level >0.5 microg/ml and systolic blood pressure > or = 180 mmHg showed 86% positive predictive value for detection of AAD. Conclusions We conclude that the rapid bedside DD assay is a highly sensitive method for early exclusion of AAD in patients with chest and/or back pain suggestive of AAD. Acute aortic dissection is highly probable if a rapid DD assay shows the elevated DD level with systolic blood pressure > or = 180 mmHg on admission.
Neighbor relations in the Netherlands - a decade of evidence

In the current sociological and geographical literature, contrasting views exist on the role of the neighbourhood and neighbourhood relationships in the life of its residents in current societies. Some scholars believe that in our globalising world, local communities and the neighbourhood in general lost their significance, while others argue that the role of community and neighbourhood contacts is still important. These divergent opinions are mainly due to the absence of comparative empirical studies, which require longitudinal data on neighbourhood contacts. Based on unique and rich panel data on the role of neighbours in the personal networks of inhabitants of 161 Dutch neighbourhoods, we analyse whether neighbourhood contacts and their implications have changed over a 10 year period. We find that neighbourhood relationships have become more important in informal personal networks. This implies paying a visit and helping each other out with odd jobs, but at the same time contact frequency and trust declined in neighbour relationships. For elderly, highly educated residents, home-owners, non-movers and people with initially small local networks, the size of neighbour networks increased substantially, suggesting that at least for these groups, the ‘community saved’ perspective holds.
Comparisons on segmentation of brain MR image

Image segmentation is a focused issue in image processing. Especially, brain segmentation is a key problem in neuroscience. In this study, our aim is to segment the real MR image into gray matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid. Several methods were compared. However, traditional methods such as fuzzy c-means, mixture Gaussian model can't achieve a satisfied result successfully. Markov random field (MRF) model is used and the experimental results show that MRF method is robust to noise which can achieves a perfect segmentation.
An accurate broadband measurement of complex permittivity using microstrip lines

A technique for determining complex permittivity of dielectric materials using VNA measurements of microstrip lines is presented. A method of taking into account dispersion properties of in-fixture TRL calibration standards has been developed. Complex permittivity of Corning 7740 glass and alumina have been measured over the frequency range 1-40 GHz. Comparison of different measurement techniques has been conducteds.