Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analyzing methods for improved management of workflow in an outpatient pharmacy setting.

PURPOSE The results of a workflow analysis at a large central outpatient pharmacy are reported, with theoretical modeling of potential efficiencies attainable through workflow enhancements. SUMMARY In keeping with concepts of "lean health care," a time-motion analysis was conducted at a central outpatient pharmacy that dispenses an average of 250 prescriptions per day. Through direct observation over an eight-week period, pharmacists' dispensing-oriented activities were categorized as either value-added (i.e., centered on direct pharmacist-patient contact and, hence, providing increased value to the patient) or non-value-added. The workflow analysis suggested opportunities to derive more value from pharmacists' time by shifting their efforts away from non-value-added activities (i.e., technical dispensing functions) toward value-added activities: engagement of patients on entry into the pharmacy, pharmacist order verification, and patient counseling. The theoretical application of two models of enhanced workflow indicated that model A (expansion of pharmacy technicians' standard duties to include prescription preparation, stock-container retrieval, and prescription processing) could reduce pharmacists' non-value-added time by about 55%, or more than six minutes per prescription, with an even greater (74%) potential reduction offered by model B (technician performance of checkout procedures in addition to expanded standard duties). Although the research site was atypical in its high staffing level relative to prescription volume, the findings suggest that similar workflow enhancements might be applicable in a range of community practice settings. CONCLUSION Through analysis of existing workflow in an outpatient pharmacy, opportunities to optimize the use of value-added pharmacist time in the dispensing process were identified.
The Relation between Earnings Management Independent Directors and Audit Committee: A Study of Italian Listed Companies

The study investigates whether and how earnings management depends on board monitoring, focusing, in particular, on two aspects: the role of independent directors and the presence of an audit committee in the Italian context. Empirical evidence about the topic does not come to unique results. In fact, on the one hand, independent directors and audit committees, being independent on management influence, are able to better protect shareholders from managerial opportunism (Fama and Jensen, 1983, Weisbach, 1988; Rosenstein and Wyatt, 1990; Byrd and Hickman, 1992; McWilliams and Sen, 1997), but, on the other hand, outside independent directors do not necessarily produce a better performance (Bhagat and Black, 1999; Klein, 1998; Agrawal and Knoeber, 1996) because the boards are “controlled” by management having better information than outside independent directors (Berle and Means 1932; Mace 1971). The purpose of the paper is providing an evidence about the impact of independent directors and audit committee on earnings management of Italian listed companies during the period 2002-2007. A regression analysis statistically examines this correlation. Our dependent variable is an earnings management metric based on the modified Jones model (Dechow, 1995). The results suggest that both independent directors and the existence of an audit committee mitigate earnings management. Governance and control variables are considered in terms of CEO powers and companies size and profitability.
0.1T magnetic resonance image in the study of experimental hydrocephalus in rats. Accuracy of the method in the measurements of the ventricular size.

PURPOSE To investigate the accuracy of 1.0T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to measure the ventricular size in experimental hydrocephalus in pup rats. METHODS Wistar rats were subjected to hydrocephalus by intracisternal injection of 20% kaolin (n=13). Ten rats remained uninjected to be used as controls. At the endpoint of experiment animals were submitted to MRI of brain and killed. The ventricular size was assessed using three measures: ventricular ratio (VR), the cortical thickness (Cx) and the ventricles area (VA), performed on photographs of anatomical sections and MRI. RESULTS The images obtained through MR present enough quality to show the lateral ventricular cavities but not to demonstrate the difference between the cortex and the white matter, as well as the details of the deep structures of the brain. There were no statistically differences between the measures on anatomical sections and MRI of VR and Cx (p=0.9946 and p=0.5992, respectively). There was difference between VA measured on anatomical sections and MRI (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION The parameters obtained through 1.0T MRI were sufficient in quality to individualize the ventricular cavities and the cerebral cortex, and to calculate the ventricular ratio in hydrocephalus rats when compared to their respective anatomic slice.
Design issues in parallel simulation languages

The authors address several key issues in designing languages for parallel discrete-event simulation and survey the state-of-the-art techniques aimed at solving these problems. Attention is given to issues that are specific to parallel simulation, e.g., the parallel synchronization schemes, or issues that have not previously been a problem for sequential simulation, e.g., termination. Various specialized PSLs (parallel simulation languages) may also have quite different design issues. The problem of achieving transparency is addressed. In particular it is observed that a major difficulty in achieving the design criteria is the overhead introduced by the methods for solving the problems considered. In some cases making the design criteria less constrained appears to be unavoidable. The authors also propose several useful high-level language constructs to facilitate modeling in order to have the simulation system deal with the low-level details transparently. They show that extending the capability of an existing programming language is the simplest available technique for designing a PSL. <<ETX>>
When do wholly owned subsidiaries perform better than joint ventures

This study explores when wholly owned subsidiaries outperform joint ventures with local partners. In order to avoid the endogeneity problem inherent in foreign subsidiaries' operating mode decisions that might confound performance measurement, we employ the propensity score matching method, along with the difference-in-differences approach, and compare the performances of joint ventures turned wholly owned subsidiaries vis-a-vis continuing joint ventures. Based on foreign subsidiaries' financial data in China for 1998–2006, we find strong evidence that converted wholly owned subsidiaries outperform continuing joint ventures in industries characterized by high levels of intangible assets such as technology or brand, after controlling for factors that may affect the conversion decision. This finding is consistent with the prediction of transaction cost theory. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Strategies and networks for state-dependent quantum cloning

State-dependent cloning machines that have so far been considered either deterministically copy a set of states approximately or probablistically copy them exactly. In considering the case of two equiprobable pure states, we derive the maximum global fidelity of N approximate clones given M initial exact copies, where N>M. We also consider strategies that interpolate between approximate and exact cloning. A tight inequality is obtained that expresses a trade-off between the global fidelity and success probability. This inequality is found to tend, in the limit N → ∞, to a known inequality that expresses the trade-off between error and inconclusive result probabilities for state-discrimination measurements. Quantum-computational networks are also constructed for the kinds of cloning machine we describe. For this purpose, we introduce two gates: the distinguishability transfer and state separation gates. Their key properties are described and we show how they may be decomposed into basic operations.
Identifying Aquatic Habits Of Herbivorous Mammals Through Stable Isotope Analysis

Abstract Large-bodied, semiaquatic herbivorous mammals have been a recurring component of most continental ecosystems throughout the Cenozoic. Identification of these species in the fossil record has largely been based on the morphological similarities with present-day hippopotamids, leading to the designation of this pairing of body type and ecological niche as the hippo ecomorph. These morphological characters, however, may not always be diagnostic of aquatic habits. Here, enamel δ13C and δ18O values from living hippopotamuses were examined to define an isotopic signature unique to the hippo ecomorph. Although δ13C values do not support unique foraging habits for this ecomorph, living and fossil hippopotamids typically have low mean δ18O values relative to associated ungulates that fit a linear regression (δ18Ohippopotamids = 0.96 ± 0.09·δ18Ofauna − 1.67 ± 2.97; r2 = 0.886, p < 0.001). Modeling of oxygen fluxes in large mammals suggests that high water-turnover rates or increased water loss through feces and urine may explain this relationship. This relationship was then used to assess the aquatic adaptation of four purported hippo ecomorphs from the fossil record: Coryphodon (early Eocene), Moeritherium and Bothriogenys (early Oligocene), and Teleoceras (middle–late Miocene). Only fossil specimens of Moeritherium, Bothriogenys, and large species of Coryphodon had δ18O values expected for hippo ecomorphs; δ18O values for Teleoceras and a small species of Coryphodon were not significantly different from those of the associated fauna. These results show that the mean δ18O value of fossil specimens is an effective tool for assessing the aquatic habits of extinct species.
Intranasal administration of antiretroviral-loaded micelles for anatomical targeting to the brain in HIV.

AIM To investigate the intranasal administration of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) polymeric micelles loaded with high payloads of the first-line antiretroviral drug efavirenz for targeting to the CNS. METHODS & MATERIALS The effect of micellar size and composition and drug payload was assessed, employing simple micelles made of a highly hydrophilic copolymer, poloxamer F127, loaded with 20 mg/ml drug and mixed micelles containing 75% of a poloxamine of intermediate hydrophobicity, T904, and 25% F127 loaded with 20 and 30 mg/ml drug. F127 confers high physical stability, while T904 substantially improves the encapsulation capacity of the micelles. RESULTS The bioavailability of the drug in the CNS was increased fourfold and the relative exposure index (ratio between the area under the curve in the CNS and plasma) was increased fivefold with respect to the same system administered intravenously. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate the potential of this scalable and cost-viable strategy to address the HIV sanctuary in the CNS.
Adapting Novelty to Classical Planning as Heuristic Search

The introduction of the concept of state novelty has advanced the state of the art in deterministic online planning in Atari-like problems and in planning with rewards in general, when rewards are defined on states. In classical planning, however, the success of novelty as the dichotomy between novel and non-novel states was somewhat limited. Until very recently, novelty-based methods were not able to successfully compete with state-of-the-art heuristic search based planners. In this work we adapt the concept of novelty to heuristic search planning, defining the novelty of a state with respect to its heuristic estimate. We extend the dichotomy between novel and non-novel states and quantify the novelty degree of state facts. We then show a variety of heuristics based on the concept of novelty and exploit the recently introduced best-first width search for satisficing classical planning. Finally,we empirically show the resulting planners to significantly improve the state of the art in satisficing planning.
A behavioural smoking treatment based on perceived risks of quitting: A preliminary feasibility and acceptability study with female smokers

Abstract Introduction: Even treatments showing proven efficacy leave the majority of female smokers unable to quit. In response, there has been a special call for novel behavioural treatments, particularly those which target barriers to quitting faced by women. Significant barriers for women who smoke include perceived “risks” associated with cessation (e.g. managing stress and cravings). The purpose of this treatment development study is to test a novel, individualised smoking intervention for female smokers targeting risk perceptions. Methods: Twenty treatment-seeking female daily cigarette smokers were randomly assigned to receive either standard counseling based on the Mayo Clinic’s “Smoke Free and Living It” manual or a new manualised treatment based on individual perceived risks of quitting. Primary outcomes were point prevalence smoking abstinence at the end of treatment and at a 1 month follow-up, and changes in smoking from baseline to 1 month follow-up. Results: The manualised perceived risk treatment demonstrated good acceptability and more participants receiving this treatment were abstinent at the end of the trial than participants in the standard counseling condition. Among participants who did not quit smoking, those receiving the perceived risk counseling reported a greater reduction in smoking at the 1 month follow-up (Cohen’s d = 0.67). Conclusions: This initial study demonstrated that an intervention targeting perceived risks of quitting was feasible to administer, acceptable to female smokers, and showed promise with regard to smoking outcomes, thus warranting further testing through Stage II clinical trials. Reducing perceived risks of quitting may represent a critical target for smoking treatment development.
Facilitation by ecosystem engineers enhances nutrient effects in an intertidal system

Ecosystem engineering research has recently demonstrated the fundamental importance of non-trophic interactions for food-web structure. Particularly, by creating benign conditions in stressful environments, ecosystem engineers create hot beds of elevated levels of recruitment, growth, and survival of associated organisms; this should fuel food webs and promote production on the ecosystem scale. However, there is still limited empirical evidence of the influence of non-trophic interactions on the classical food-web processes that determine energy transfer, that is, consumer-resource interactions. On the basis of a biomanipulation experiment covering 600 m2 of an intertidal flat, we show that ecosystem engineers influence resource uptake efficiency and the accumulation of algae following nutrient enrichment in a soft-sediment food web. Nutrient additions increased chlorophyll a concentrations in the sediment by 90%, but only in plots where we also introduced high densities (2000 per m2) of a burrowing bivalve, the common cockle Cerastoderma edule. The artificial cockle beds increased the nutrient uptake efficiency of the biofilm and promoted sediment accumulation, which suggests that the cockles facilitated the sediment-living algae by increasing sediment stability. This indicates that ecological interactions, rather than the availability of nutrients per se, set the limits for production in this coastal ecosystem. Our results emphasize the need to include facilitation theory and recognize that positive interactions between species are key to understand, manage, and restore ecosystems under human influence.
Presenilin-1 mutations of leucine 166 equally affect the generation of the Notch and APP intracellular domains independent of their effect on Aβ42 production

The Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated presenilin (PS) proteins are required for the γ-secretase cleavages of the β-amyloid precursor protein and the site 3 (S3) protease cleavage of Notch. These intramembrane cleavages release amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), including the pathogenic 42-aa variant (Aβ42), as well as the β-amyloid precursor protein and the Notch intracellular domains (AICD, NICD). Whereas Aβ is generated by endoproteolysis in the middle of the transmembrane domain, AICD and NICD are generated by cleavages at analogous positions close to the cytoplasmic border of the transmembrane domain. Numerous mutations causing familial AD (FAD) that all cause increased production of Aβ42 have been found in the PS1 gene. Here we have investigated the previously uncharacterized, very aggressive FAD mutation L166P that causes onset of AD in adolescence. Strikingly, the PS1 L166P mutation not only induces an exceptionally high increase of Aβ42 production but also impairs NICD production and Notch signaling, as well as AICD generation. Thus, FAD-associated PS mutants cannot only affect the generation of NICD, but also that of AICD. Moreover, further analysis with artificial L166 mutants revealed that the γ-secretase cleavage at position 40/42 and the S3-like γ-secretase cleavage at position 49 of the Aβ domain are both differentially affected by PS1 L166 mutants. Finally, we show that PS1 L166 mutants affect the generation of NICD and AICD in a similar manner, supporting the concept that S3 protease and S3-like γ-secretase cleavages are mediated by identical proteolytic activities.
Adenosine A2A receptor blockade differentially influences excitotoxic mechanisms at pre‐ and postsynaptic sites in the rat striatum

Adenosine A2A receptor antagonists are being regarded as potential neuroprotective drugs, although the mechanisms underlying their effects need to be better studied. The aim of this work was to investigate further the mechanism of the neuroprotective action of A2A receptor antagonists in models of pre‐ and postsynaptic excitotoxicity. In microdialysis studies, the intrastriatal perfusion of the A2A receptor antagonist ZM 241385 (5 and 50 nM) significantly reduced, in an inversely dose‐dependent way, the raise in glutamate outflow induced by 5 mM quinolinic acid (QA). In rat corticostriatal slices, ZM 241385 (30–100 nM) significantly reduced 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP)‐induced paired‐pulse inhibition (PPI; an index of neurotransmitter release), whereas it worsened the depression of field potential amplitude elicited by N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA; 12.5 and 50 μM). The A2A antagonist SCH 58261 (30 nM) mimicked the effects of ZM 241385, whereas the A2A agonist CGS 21680 (100 nM) showed a protective influence toward 50 μM NMDA. In rat striatal neurons, 50 nM ZM 241385 did not affect the increase in [Ca2+]i or the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) induced by 100 and 300 μM NMDA, respectively. The ability of ZM 241385 to prevent QA‐induced glutamate outflow and 4‐AP‐induced effects confirms that A2A receptor antagonists have inhibitory effects on neurotransmitter release, whereas the results obtained toward NMDA‐induced effects suggest that A2A receptor blockade does not reduce, or even amplifies, excitotoxic mechanisms due to direct NMDA receptor stimulation. This indicates that the neuroprotective potential of A2A antagonists may be evident mainly in models of neurodegeneration in which presynaptic mechanisms play a major role. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Human capital, social capital and organizational performance: A structural modeling approach

This research evaluates the human capital and social capital of managers and its influence on the performance of small and medium-sized Portuguese companies. We resorted to the structural modeling methodology approach applied to a sample of 192 small and medium companies aged between four and fifteen years from five different activity sectors. It was concluded that human capital affects social capital and the experience and cognitive ability influence personal relations and complicity. The organizational performance is strongly influenced by human capital through the cognitive ability of the manager. It's an important contribution to the management literature.
Utility of endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration in diagnosing non‐specific inflammatory intrathorcacic lymphadenitis

Endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) has emerged as a minimally invasive technique for diagnosing intrathoracic malignancies and some benignancies; however, there are no data available on the utility of EBUS‐TBNA for the diagnosis of non‐specific inflammatory intrathoracic lymphadenitis.
Nasal Mucosal Temperature after Exposure to Cold, Dry Air and Hot, Humid Air

Objective - To determine the influence of variations in the temperature and humidity of inhaled air on the nasal mucosal temperature at various sites int he nasal airways. Materials and Methods - Fifteen volunteers were enrolled int he study. The temperature was measured on the mucosal surface of the nasal septum at the level of the nasal vestibule, in the nasal valve area, anterior turbinate area and choanae. Temperature measurements were made using a miniaturized thermocouple. Continuous temperature readings were performed before and after 10 min of exposure to either cold, dry air, ambient air or hot, humid air. Results - Inhilation of cold, dry air significantly reduced the temperatyre of the septal mucosa at each location of measurement compared to the breathing of ambient air. Inhalation of hot, humid air significantly increased the septal mucosal temperature at all detection sites. Conclusions - The climatic condition of inhaled air can lead to significant changes in nasal mucosal temperature. As the nasal mucosa is important for nasal air conditioning, short term exposure to air of extreme temperature and humidity can rapidly compromise nasal air conditioning.
Validation of Accelerometer Cut-Points in Children With Cerebral Palsy Aged 4 to 5 Years

Purpose: To derive and validate triaxial accelerometer cut-points in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and compare these with previously established cut-points in children with typical development. Methods: Eighty-four children with CP aged 4 to 5 years wore the ActiGraph during a play-based gross motor function measure assessment that was video-taped for direct observation. Receiver operating characteristic and Bland-Altman plots were used for analyses. Results: The ActiGraph had good classification accuracy in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels III and V and fair classification accuracy in GMFCS levels I, II, and IV. These results support the use of the previously established cut-points for sedentary time of 820 counts per minute in children with CP aged 4 to 5 years across all functional abilities. Conclusions: The cut-point provides an objective measure of sedentary and active time in children with CP. The cut-point is applicable to group data but not for individual children.