Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Description of a methodological approach to verify the outcome-optimization of tailored therapeutic choices and test application to PCI vs. CABG

Background. The decision process between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) and Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG) is based on inconclusive evidence. Yet, it is generally regarded as capable of optimizing patient outcomes. Objectives. To verify this belief through a statistical approach investigating effect modification by propensity score (PS). Methods The probability of receiving PCI as the revascularisation strategy – PS - was calculated for all the 11750 patients with severe coronary disease who underwent coronary revascularization between 2002 and 2008 in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Long-term risks of PCI vs. CABG for death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization and stroke were calculated by Cox regression in each decile of PS. The homogeneity of the Hazard Ratios (HR) across deciles was assessed with a likelihood ratio test and by visual inspection. Results. Repeat revascularization was the only outcome that significantly differed across deciles of PS (p=0.05) and whose trend supported a favorable effect of the decision process. Conclusion s In agreement with the current scientific uncertainty, but contrary to common opinion, the medical decision process between PCI and CABG based on demographic and clinical factors is marginally capable of optimizing the post-procedural outcomes. The proposed methodology is limited by the assumption that clinicians considered only the variables that entered the PS calculation. Keywords Outcome And Process Assessment (Health Care), Coronary Disease, Coronary Artery Bypass, Angioplasty, Patient Selection, Propensity Score
Resource Integration and Value Co-Creation: Evidence from the Energy Sector

The paper looks at the under investigated topic of mutual resource integration of multiple actors to co-create value. Drawing on seven in-depth cases from resource integrating ecosystems in the energy industry, we find two prototypical pathways of resource integration that are developing alongside the directions of interaction of resources and interaction of organizations and actors. Furthermore, we found that these pathways are contingent to the focal’s firm endowment of operant and operand resources, its size, ecosystem engagement and flexibility in initial value proposition design. We furthermore found, that the synchronization of interaction alongside the interaction of resources and interaction of organizations is a necessary condition for successful value cocreation. We hereby give a guiding framework for firm’s and managers to analyse and direct their value co-creation activities.
The Concept of Ideology

Few concepts play a larger part in present-day discussions of historical and political topics than does that of ideology, and yet it is not always clear what meaning is applied to the term by those who employ it. Even if one confines one's attention to the utterances of sociologists and historians, leaving out of account the terminological misuse seemingly inseparable from ordinary political discourse, it is apparent that different and conflicting meanings are intended by writers who casually refer to the "ideology" of this or that political movement. From the vulgar misunderstanding inherent in the familiar phrase "we need a better ideology to fight the enemy", to the refinements of academic dispute over "the ideology of science", one encounters a terminological vagueness which appears to reflect some deeper uncertainty about the status of ideas in the genesis of historical movements. It is here intended to clarify the theme by examining the different significations attached to the term "ideology", and the shifting status of the phenomenon itself, granted that a propensity so widespread as the duplication and distortion of reality in thought lends itself to the historical approach. If this initial assumption is allowed to pass as a working hypothesis, it is hoped that the term "ideology" will be shown to possess both a definite meaning and a particular historical status: the history of the concept serving as a guide to the actual interplay of "real" and "ideal" factors whose dialectic is obscurely intended in the formulation of the concept itself. The subject has recently been dealt with by, among others, Mr. Ben Halpern ("'Myth' and 'Ideology' in Modern Usage", History and Theory, I, 2, 1961, 129-149). In what follows it is not proposed to take issue with his analysis, but to pursue a line of thought suggested by the present author's concern with the manner in which the ideology concept relates to what is usually known as the "philosophy of history", notably in its Hegelian form.
Sustainable Cultural Events Based on Marketing Segmentation: The Case of Faro Capital of Culture

The city of Faro was designated by the Portuguese government as the 2005 National Capital of Culture. The Faro 2005 National Capital of Culture took place between May and December in several cities of the Algarve region, with most events occurring in Faro. The programme consisted of 185 differ- ent performances represented through music, cinema, theatre, ballet and plastic arts. The paper analyses segments of the population that participated in the Faro 2005 event and discusses the relation between the event's success and the degree of satisfaction of the participants. The contribution of the paper lies in pointing to the importance of an adequate marketing approach of large-scale events, such as cultural events, in order to achieve greater audience appeal/impact, in order to ensure sustainability.
Screening of Thermotolerant Microalgal Species Isolated from Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India for CO2 Sequestration

Extensive work has been carried out to find suitable strain of algae which are tolerant to high concentration of CO2. In the previous studies Chlorella vulgaris (SAG 211.12), a mesophilic strain, showed CO 2 sequestration upto 23% CO 2 concentration. The main constraint using such strains is that they don’t tolerate temperatures beyond 35-40oC. Hence attempts were undertaken to isolate algal strains from hot springs located across the western ghats of Maharashtra. Limnothrix redekei, Planktolyngbya crassa and Geitlerinema sulphureum could easily sequester about 28% of CO 2 without hampering biomass production. High temperature adaptability (42oC), high CO 2 tolerance (23.08%), reasonably high biomass production and easy harvesting make G. sulphureum a promising candidate for the CO 2 sequestration in the tropical climatic conditions. Attempts are being made here to screen the isolated strains for lipid production.
Effect of mixing on the structure of a natural plankton community: a mesocosm study

A plankton community (< 202 mu m) from the St. Lawrence Estuary was isolated in four outdoor mesocosms with SLOW and fast mixing regimes. Variations in the concentrations of nutrients, chlorophyll a (Chl a), nitrogen transport rates and plankton species composition were monitored over a 10 day period. The vertical mixing times (T-m) for the slow and fast mixing regimes were 180 and 60 min, corresponding to a vertical eddy diffusivity (K-v) of 2.34 and 7.03 cm(2) s(-1), respectively. The different mixing regimes had a strong effect on the physiology of the phytoplankton and the specific structure of the plankton assemblage. The Slow mixing regime stimulated the development of a mixed community of flagellates, small diatoms and proto-metazooplankton while the fast mixing regime triggered the development of a large diatom-dominated community with lower abundances of proto-metazooplankton. At the end of the 10 day experiment, the Chl a concentrations were 50 % higher in the mesocosms with the fast mixing regime than in those with the slow mixing regime. These results indicate that, under low nutrient conditions, higher turbulence gives a competitive advantage to diatoms and decreases the zooplankton grazing pressure, resulting in net positive growth. Extrapolation of these results to natural systems suggests that a wind-driven mixing event may increase the net phytoplankton biomass production of a stratified water column, even if there is no external input of nutrients.
Quantifying abundance and distribution of native and invasive oysters in an urbanised estuary

Human activities have modified the chemical, physical and biological attributes of many of the world’s estuaries. Natural foreshores have been replaced by artificial habitats and non-indigenous species have been introduced by shipping, aquaculture, and as ornamental pets. In south east Australia, the native Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata is threatened by pollution, disease and competition from the invasive Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. This study assessed the abundance (as number m), size, and distribution of both invasive and native oyster species at 32 sites in the heavily urbanised Port Jackson Estuary, Australia. We tested the hypotheses that there would be: (1) a difference in the proportion of C. gigas and S. glomerata among locations; (2) a greater proportion of C. gigas on artificial compared to natural substrates; (3) a greater numbers of all oysters, with differing size characteristics, on artificial compared to natural substrates; and (4) that the abundance and size of all oysters would vary among locations along an environmental gradient. Environmental variables included distance from the estuary mouth and salinity. We found the abundance and size of all oysters differed among locations; smaller oysters occurred at greater abundances near the mouth of the estuary. Abundance was also higher on artificial, than on natural substrate. Habitat type, however, had no effect on which species of oyster was present. In contrast, distance from the estuary mouth strongly influenced the relative proportion of the two species. The invasive C. gigas comprised 16 % of the oysters sampled, and up to 85 % at some of the upper estuary sites. As predicted, C. gigas was more abundant at locations in the bay ends and upper channel of the estuary; it was also larger in size than the native S. glomerata. This is the first assessment of oyster distribution in Port Jackson and provides a solid base for monitoring changes in the estuarine distribution of a globally invasive pest.
The future of HR Analytics: a Delphi method study

This research describes the future state of HR Analytics by conducting a Delphi method study in which 20 experts took part. HR Analytics is defined as the identification of human drivers for organizational outcomes. The research paper is split up in 4 main topics, namely application, value, structures and systems. Experts have given their opinion about each of these subjects. In order to create quantitative outcomes, these opinions are transformed into a list of answers to which experts assign a total of ten points. These points are summed up and analyzed.
Semi-quantitative Analysis of Expression of Various Genes in relation to Possible Markers for Theileria annulata Attenuation

The sporozoites of Theileria annulata invade bovine MHC II cells, where they differentiate into schizonts. The later can immortalize and induce fundamental changes in their host cells. Live attenuated vaccine is an important way of controlling T. annulata infection of cattle. Production is by prolonged cultivation of macroschizont-infected cells. The mechanisms underlying this transformation are not understood. The objects of this work were to analyze the expression levels of MMPs, Pro-inflammatory cytokines, Tams1 and TashHN genes in relation to possible markers for Theileria annulata attenuation. Semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to quantify and compare variations in gene expression level among different passage numbers of three cell lines. The results of this study demonstrated that the infected cells show detectable specific transcripts for MMP9 in low passage cultures, but it decreased in long term passages (S15 vaccine strain and high passage number of C1 and C2 cell lines). The analyses of three available cell lines indicated detectable amount of specific mRNAs for TashHN. Tams1 specific transcripts were detected in low passage number of C1 and C2 cell lines, but not obtained in attenuated S15 vaccine and prolonged culture of C1 and C2 cell lines. Two pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1-beta and TNF-alpha, were detected with high fluctuations in all three T. annulata infected cell lines, both in low and high passage number. In conclusion, the results of this work clearly showed that the level of MMP9 transcripts is in contrast with the amounts of Tams1 mRNAs in T.annulata schizont infected cell lines that might be considered for virulence and attenuation respectively. Understanding the mechanisms of virulence and attenuation of infected cell line by using molecular biology methods and in vivo animal experiments could help to increase our knowledge about attenuation mechanisms and preparing and identifying appropriate cell lines in order to develop the new T. annulata vaccine cell lines.
Mobility evaluation of wheeled all-terrain robots Metrics and application

Numerous concepts of mobile robots for rough terrain applications, rovers, have been proposed in robotics literature. Unfortunately, in most cases, the locomotion performance of these systems was not properly evaluated or the methodology is not consistent between publications and thus, the results are not comparable. This is a problem because the real value of new concepts is hard to estimate. Therefore, this thesis aims at providing a common basis for evaluation and comparison of the mobility performance in rough terrain which includes: definition of metrics with relevance to mobility; development of tools for performance evaluation according to these metrics; compilation of a catalog of existing systems; carrying out a performance comparison; validation of the metrics by means of experimental testing. The evaluation methods applied in this work focus on simple models for comparative analyses. They are meant to support designers during early phases of development when details of a new mechanism are not yet defined and the selection of candidate systems is large. Several mobility metrics are discussed in this work with emphasis on stability, friction requirement at the wheel ground contact, maximum motor torque, and the rover’s ability to comply with kinematic constraints on uneven terrain in order to avoid slip. These metrics are complementary because they cover different aspects of mobility, and they provide valuable information like stability margins while driving on sloped terrain, the risk of getting stuck in an unknown environment due to excessive slippage or insufficient torque during obstacle climbing, or an indicator for loss of energy caused by slip. Since comparison of several rovers requires a tremendous modeling effort, a software tool was developed which enables extensive comparison through easy modeling and fast processing of simulations. This tool is used here to conduct a performance analysis of a collection of existing rovers based on a static model. On the one hand, this analysis demonstrates the usefulness of such a tool. On the other hand, significant differences in performance between the rovers were detected and show the need for comparative analysis. A novel metric, based on a simple kinematic model, is formulated to predict the level of slip caused by the suspension mechanism of a rover. The link between the metric and the effective slip is shown by means of a dynamic simulation. For validation of the simulation results, a modular hardware system was developed which allows for configuration of four different suspension types. The correlation of measurements from testing and simulation results is highly satisfying and shows the validity of the proposed metrics for performance prediction of real systems.
Effective, non-invasive, high-resolution imaging of biological tissues

New advances in imaging technology now allow for thorough high-resolution investigation of biological tissues that were previously impossible. Whereas traditional confocal light microscopy offers lower resolution images of cells prepared on a sample slide, newer techniques are capable of high resolution three-dimensional imaging, tracking movement within a cell, and even non-invasive imaging of tissues in vivo. These techniques have been successfully applied to challenges such as imaging scaffolds embedded in soft tissues, human chromosomes, and biopolymers. However, careful evaluation of new technologies is still necessary as not all techniques are appropriate for each sample. Researchers must consider desired resolution, sample size, and acceptable sample preparation in order to produce the best reproduction of the biological tissue. This review details the relative merits of several new innovations in fluorescence imaging, as well as their effective application to current research and possible areas of future exploration.
Chicken Anti-Idiotypic Antibodies As an Alternative to the Antimicrobial Treatment for the Control of Escherichia coli K 88 in Domestic Animals

Antimicrobials have been widely used to control dirrheal infections in domestic animals. However, the misuse of these antimicrobials can lead to human health hazards. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of anti-idiotypic antibodies that mimic Escherichia coli K88 antigens in combating diarreal infections in piglets. Polyclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab2) were produced in laying hens against several monoclonal (mAb1) and polyclonal (pAb1) antibodies that recognized Escherichia coli K88 fimbrial antigen. Preliminary evaluation showed that anti-pAb antibodies (Ab2) were superior to anti-mab antibodies. Therefore, the efficacy of two Ab2 preparations [Ab2 produced against rabbit anti-K88 IgG2a and its F(ab’) 2 ] were evaluated following an intragastric administration to neonatal piglets challenged with E. coli K88. Partial protection (62.5% survival) was observed in the Ab2 treated piglets, while only 12.5 % of control piglets (no-Ab2) survived. Our results indicate that Ab2 are excellent surrogate antigens for immunization and could also be useful in the control of E.coli infection in piglets.
Bandwidth performances of reconfigurable reflectarrays: State of art and future challenges

Reconfigurable antennas allow to meet the increasing demands of modern RF communication systems for reconfiguration capabilities, such as beam-steering, multi-band operation, polarization flexibility or frequency agility. Active reflectarrays may represent a valuable solution to satisfy the above tasks. This paper reviews several experimental implementations of reconfigurable reflectarray designs developed in recent years. The paper describes the approaches adopted in the realization of active reflectarray designs, mainly focusing on their bandwidth performances. Future challenges in the design of wideband reconfigurable reflectarrays are also outlined.
Dopamine Production in Hairy Root Cultures of Portulaca oleracea (Purslane) Using Agrobacterium rhizogenes

An efficient transformation system for the medicinal plant Portulaca oleracea was established using agropine-type Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC15834 . Hairy roots were obtained directly from cotyledon leaves explants seven days after inoculation with the bacteria. The highest transformation efficiency was obtained from cotyledon leaves explants, and amounted to 53.3% within two weeks. Roots grew rapidly on solid growth regulator free ½ Murashige and Skoog medium and demonstrated characteristics of transformed roots such as fast growth and high lateral branching. Successful and stable transfer of rolB gene was illustrated by PCR using specific primers of the gene. The hairy roots showed an ability to synthesize natural and medicinal product, dopamine. Elicitation of dopamine production in P. oleracea hairy roots was tested using different concentrations of methyl jasmonate (0, 100, 150, 200 µM) and salicylic acid (0, 125, 250, 500 µM), added to the hairy root cultures during the late growth phase. The results showed that the various concentrations of the methyl jasmonate significantly increased the dopamine content, but, at concentration of 100 µM, its impact was the most pronounced. Salicylic acid had no significant influence on dopamine production in hairy roots of P. oleracea .
A derivative-free projection method for solving convex constrained monotone equations

The CG_DESCENT (CGD) method is one of the most efficient conjugate gradient methods for solving unconstrained optimization problems. However, its applications in some other scenarios are relatively few. In this paper, inspired by one spectral PRP projection method, we extend the CGD method, and establish a derivative-free spectral CGD type projection method to solve large-scale nonlinear monotone equations with convex constraints. Due to it inheriting some nice properties of the conjugate gradient method such as the low memory requirement, the proposed method is very suitable to solve large-scale nonlinear monotone equations. Under appropriate conditions, we prove that the proposed method is globally convergent. Preliminary numerical results show that the proposed method works well.
Analytical Methods for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and their Global Trend of Distribution in Water and Sediment: A Review

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major organic pollutants in the environment, which are toxic to humans and biota, given their carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic nature. In this chapter, we carried out an overview of the sources and toxicity of PAHs, their common analytical methods of determination in the water and sediment samples, and also their global trend of distribution, with a view to provide baseline guidance for relevant control authorities. The choice methods for determining these contaminants are high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV/fluorescence detectors and GC/MS. Mass spectrometer coupled with GC is preferred because it offers robust identification of the analyte compounds both by retention time and mass spectrum, with additional structural information. Results collated revealed an extensive distribution of PAHs with total mean concentrations ranging from 0.0003 to 42,350 μg/L in water and 0 to 1.266 × 10 μg/kg (dw) in the sediment. PAHs in the two environmental matrices were much higher in the regions with intense oil exploration, shipping and industrial activities. It is therefore necessary to regularly monitor their levels in the aquatic environment, so as to provide mitigation options that will prevent risk to humans and aquatic animals.
A Research Framework of the Synergistic Mechanism between the Contract Rigidity and the Contract Flexibility Based on the Improvement of Project Management Performance

The synergistic mechanism between the contract rigidity and the contract flexibility is an effective way to improve the project management performance, but the lack of research on measurement of this mechanism has hindered the scientific decision-making in practice. The paper constructs an empirical research framework which includes the research logic, the research contents, the research methodology and some application strategies and so on. This framework has a certain methodological significance for the study of the contract design or the contract optimization.