Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Percepções de valor e elementos estruturantes das microfranquias

A microfranchise requires investment of up to R$ 50 mil. There are currently 336 franchise chains operating in this format in Brazil. The importance of this type of business is justified by lower income classes' increased purchasing power. However, it is a franchise model that has not been extensively studied. The purpose of this article is to identify whether there are differences between conventional franchises and microfranchises related to value perception and structural elements of the franchise system. This means assessing whether conventional franchises differ from microfranchises in regards to franchisees' perception of support value and perceived brand value. We analyzed 1090 conventional chains and chains which operated through microfranchising using data published during the period 2007-2012. Additionally, we performed three case studies with microfranchisees. OLS regression showed that there are differences in the perception of franchise brand value and but not in the perception of support to the franchisee.
A Social Landscape Analysis of Land Use Decision Making in a Coastal Watershed

Coastal New Hampshire has experienced substantial population growth, resulting in sprawl and increased impervious surfaces that impact water quality and threaten the ecological health of the estuary, Great Bay. Addressing calls for research, this case study analyzed the social landscape to determine whether or not there was potential for watershed-based land use decision making and the characteristics that would support or impede this development. Mixed social science methodologies were applied in a Participatory Action Research environment using semistructured interviews and Geographic Information System maps. Grounded theory directed a qualitative analytical strategy. Results included the identification of key challenges and opportunities for watershed-based decision making, a rich data set, and a theoretical framework characterizing the decision-making landscape through four conceptual categories: “Spatial Awareness,” “Community and Heritage,” “Communication,” and “Thinking Globally, Acting Locally. ” As a result of the study's characteristics and methodology, immediate action learning occurred through a collaborative and educational watershed conference.
Competition Between the Internet and Traditional News Media: The Gratification-Opportunities Niche Dimension

Over the last decade, the Internet has become one of the most popular vehicles facilitating a variety of communication and information-sharing tasks worldwide. Its growing popularity as a new medium of communication has resulted in changes in use of traditional media. The purpose of this study was to better understand the uses of online news compared with news use via traditional media. In light of the niche theory and the theory of uses and gratifications, a new medium survives, grows, competes, and prospers by providing utility or gratification to consumers. In doing so, it may have effects on existing media by providing new solutions to old needs or to more contemporary needs. Data were collected in a telephone survey with 211 respondents in the Columbus, Ohio (Franklin County), metropolitan area. The results clearly indicate that the Internet has a competitive displacement effect on traditional media in the daily news domain with the largest displacements occurring for television and newspapers. The findings also show that there is a moderately high degree of overlap or similarity between the niches of the Internet and the traditional media on the gratification-opportunities dimension. In addition, the results suggest that the Internet has the broadest niche on the gratification opportunities dimension, providing users satisfaction with more needs than any of the traditional media on this dimension.
Evolutionary Processes in Soil Conservation Policy

This paper summarizes and interprets part of the history and some of the apparent evolutionary processes of past soil-conservation policy, and identifies the underlying social objectives of these policies. The findings are compared to those social objectives that economics identifies as the legitimate pursuits of government. It concludes that soil conservation will continue to be an important policy concern as institutions mature and nonpoint pollution policy becomes better developed because of its persisting relevance to both water quality and the future vitality of agriculture. 23 references.
Intelligent Bandwidth Estimation for Variable Bit Rate Traffic

A novel neuro-evolutionary Cartesian genetic programming-based frame size estimator for multimedia streaming applications has been proposed in this letter. The frame size obtained from the proposed estimator is used to calculate and allocate the bandwidth required for frame transmission. Bandwidth calculation and allocation is done via various probabilistic and linear regression methods. To obtain conclusive results regarding the feasibility of the proposed system, different test case scenarios have been exploited. The bandwidth allocation efficiency for the technique has been compared with previously proposed methods to evaluate its effectiveness in precise bandwidth utilization. Compared to other contemporary techniques, our technique gives approximately 98% efficient frame size prediction and bandwidth allocation.
Body mass index and environmental supports for physical activity among active and inactive residents of a U. S. southeastern county.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the associations between body mass index (BMI) and environmental supports for physical activity in active and inactive adults based on national recommendations for physical activity and walking. Residents of a southeastern community (N = 1,111; ages 18-75 years) were contacted using a random-digit-dial method and were asked about neighborhood and community social and environmental supports for physical activity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Physical activity was measured using the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) physical activity module. RESULTS There was a positive association between higher physical activity and walking levels and lower BMI levels. Trusting neighborhoods, having recreational facilities present, and using trails were each associated with twice the odds of being overweight versus obese among those not meeting the national physical activity recommendations. Using trails was also associated with 2.7 times the odds of being overweight as opposed to obese among participants who were not regular walkers. CONCLUSION Improving environmental supports for access and use of trails and recreational facilities may be important for future environmental interventions aimed at reducing obesity among inactive individuals.
Design of reconfigurable tri-band antenna on chip

In the modern telecommunication system, Reconfigurable Antennas which can radiate on more than one pattern at different frequencies are required. There is a requirement for increased functionality of an antenna within a confined volume for today's transmitting and receiving system. Reconfigurable on chip antennas are a solution to these problems. This paper describes the design of a reconfigurable tri-band antenna which radiates for 2.4GHz(ISM Band), 5.2GHZ and 7.5GHz. This tri-band reconfigurable antenna was simulated on high frequency simulation software (HFSS) and the results for return loss and VSWR plot was obtained for three different frequencies. Thus this antenna will lead to reduction in space and the multiple functionality from a single structure.
The New University Cooperative: Reclaiming Higher Education: Prioritizing Social Justice and Ecological Sustainability

Recognizing the state of massive and concomitant crises facing humanity and the planet, from climate change to disparities of wealth to war, and that the current system of higher education contributes to the perpetuation of these crises, there is great impetus for a new approach to how we engage in higher education. From this basis, academics, students, activists, and community members from across the country met to create a New University in Canada, with a vision holistically founded on principles of ecological sustainability and social justice, inclusive and accessible to all. This article will provide a brief critique of higher education and its role in society arguing it does not provide the leadership and knowledge needed to meet these challenges and instead contributes to the perpetuation of these crises. The discussion will then articulate what a higher education institution profoundly grounded in ecology and social justice using a cooperative organizational structure would look like in practice.
Ethics and Excellence: Cooperation and Integrity in Business

The Greek philosopher Aristotle, writing over two thousand years before Wall Street, called people who engaged in activities which did not contribute to society "parasites. " In his latest work, renowned scholar Robert C. Solomon asserts that though capitalism may require capital, but it does not require, much less should it be defined by the parasites it inevitably attracts. Capitalism has succeeded not with brute strength or because it has made people rich, but because it has produced responsible citizens and--however unevenly--prosperous communities. It cannot tolerate a conception of business that focuses solely on income and vulgarity while ignoring traditional virtues of responsibility, community, and integrity. Many feel that there is too much lip-service and not enough understanding of the importance of cooperation and integrity in corporate life. This book rejects the myths and metaphors of war-like competition that cloud business thinking and develops an "Aristotelean" theory of business. The author's approach emphasizes several core concepts: the corporation as community, the search for excellence, the importance of integrity and sound judgment, as well as a more cooperative and humane vision of business. Solomon stresses the virtues of honesty, trust, fairness, and compassion in the competitive business world, and confronts the problem of "moral mazes" and what he posits as its solution--moral courage.
Instant broadcasting system: mobile collaborative live video mixing

With Instant Broadcasting System, people can collaboratively produce, edit, and broadcast live video using only mobile phones, a laptop computer, and available mobile networks. In this demonstration, it is used as a VJ system that supports visitor-generated video, flexible content selection, a communication back channel, and real-time loop editing. These features move the system beyond previous webcam-based VJ concepts.
Shrinking states? Globalization and national autonomy in the oecd

This article refutes the conventional view that globalization, and most importantly the international integration of financial markets, has resulted in a policy race to the bottom among the OECD countries. I demonstrate that globalization has been associated with increasing divergence in national economic policy regimes that continue to be heavily influenced by domestic factors such as the partisan balance of political power and the strength of organized labor movements. Moreover, countries that have chosen to react to market integration by expanding their public economies have not suffered significant macroeconomic costs. Real economic performance has deteriorated substantially throughout the OECD since the 1960s, but this cannot be attributed to the costs of big government in the global economy. Governments have a critical role to play in promoting and maintaining an open international economy. By cushioning the short-term dislocations of markets, governments can increase popular support for liberalization. These are important policy lessons for the developing countries as they become increasingly exposed to global market forces.
Extended resections for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate different strategies for extended resections of hilar cholangiocarcinomas on radicality and survival. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Surgical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma is the only potentially curative treatment. Resection of central bile duct carcinomas, however, cannot always comply with the general principles of surgical oncology to achieve wide tumor-free margins with no-touch techniques. METHODS From 1988 to 1998, 95 patients underwent resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Eighty patients had hilar and hepatic resections and 15 had liver transplantation and partial pancreatoduodenectomy (LTPP; i.e., eradication of the entire biliary tract using a no-touch technique). RESULTS The 60-day death rate was 8%. The overall 1- and 5-year survival rates were 67% and 22%, respectively. Five-year survival rates after R0, R1, and R2 resections were 37%, 9%, and 0%. In a multivariate analysis, surgical radicality was the strongest determinant of survival (p < 0.001). The rate of formally curative resection (R0 resection) was significantly lower in hilar resections (29%) than in liver resections (left hemihepatectomy 59%, right hemihepatectomy 55%, right trisegmentectomy 65%; p < 0.05). The highest rate of R0 resection was observed after LTPP (93%; p < 0.05). Right trisegmentectomies achieved the highest rate of 5-year survival after R0 resection (57%). In a multivariate analysis of patient survival after R0 resection, additional portal vein resection was the only significant factor. The 5-year survival rate after formally curative liver resection with portal vein resection was 65% versus 28% without. CONCLUSION Extended resections, especially right trisegmentectomies and LTPP, resulted in the highest rate of R0 resection. Right trisegmentectomy together with portal vein resection best represents the principles of surgical oncology and may be regarded as the surgical procedure of choice. Immunosuppression limits the applicability of LTPP.
T cells, cytokines, IgE and allergic airways inflammation.

Great progress in the knowledge of the cellular and molecular signals involved in IgE antibody synthesis and in the induction of allergic inflammation has been achieved. A great deal of data support the view that Th-2-like cells are the main type of cells required for IgE production and are able to orchestrate allergic tissue inflammation. In particular, a reciprocal role for IL-4 (positive)- and IFN-gamma (negative)-producing CD4+ Th cells in the regulation of human IgE synthesis has been proven. However, a physical membrane interaction between T and B cells is required for IL-4-dependent IgE synthesis. The analysis of cytokine production by allergen-specific T cells has demonstrated that the great majority of these cells, derived from the peripheral blood of atopic patients, express a Th-2/Th-0 phenotype. Furthermore, in atopic subjects, aberrant in vitro production of IL-4 and IL-5, even in response to bacterial antigens, is displayed by CD4+ T cell clones. There is a general consensus on the accumulation of Th-2-like cells at the level of the target tissues of allergic inflammation such as the respiratory mucosa during allergic rhinitis and asthma, and at the level of the skin during atopic dermatitis. Even in other forms of bronchial asthma (intrinsic and occupational asthma), particular subsets of T cells, able to produce IL-2 and IL-5 but not IL-4, may play an important role. A great effort on the characterization of the factors that may favor the development in atopics of Th cells into Th-2-like cells has been made. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fortification of maternal milk for preterm infants

During the last few decades, neonatal survival rates for preterm infants have markedly been improved. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that preterm neonates should receive sufficient nutrients to enable them to grow at a rate similar to that of fetuses of the same gestational age. Although human milk is the recommended nutritional source for newborn infants for at least the first six months of postnatal life, unfortified human breast milk may not meet the recommended nutritional needs of growing preterm infants. Human milk must therefore be supplemented (fortified) with the nutrients in short supply. The fortification of human milk can be implemented in two different forms: standard and individualized. The new concepts and recommendations for optimization of human milk fortification is the “individualized fortification”. Actually, two methods have been proposed for individualization: the “targeted/tailored fortification” and the “adjustable fortification”. In summary, the use of fortified human milk produces adequate growth in premature infants and satisfies the specific nutritional requirements of these infants. The use of individualized fortification is recommended.
Absenteeism in the UK: A Comparison across Genders

We analyse an empirical model of absence from work based upon a variant of the traditional work-leisure model of labour supply. The model is tested with data from the 1993 UK Family Expenditure Survey and a comparison of absenteeism is made across genders. We find substantial differences in the probability of absenteeism across gender and various family situations. We also find that our conclusions concerning gender differences in absenteeism are sensitive to the definition of absenteeism used and that the differences in the determination of these measures may help to explain some of the existing disagreements in the literature. Copyright 2001 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd and The Victoria University of Manchester
Massive pulmonary gangrene.

1 j1ASSIVE pulmonary gangrene is a rare entity about which little has been written. It is a serious, often fatal complication of lobar pneumonia in which one or more large segments of necrotic pulmonary tissue slough into an abscess cavity, much as a bone sequestrum does in osteomyelitis. Familiarity with this entity is important to the radiologist since the roentgen features are dramatic and virtually diagnostic. Three patients with massive pulmonary gangrene have recently come to our attention and 2 of these are reported here. * On reviewing the literature between 1910 and 1967, we were able to find only a few articles dealing with this condition, and these included a total of only 7 cases. Many papers on lung abscess mention the presence of small localized areas of tissue necrosis in or about the abscess but this is not related to the entity under discussion. To our knowledge, the first reported case of massive pulmonary gangrene was that of Lenoble and Jegat’ in 1921. They described a case of gangrene of the lung with “spontaneous amputation” of the right upper lobe. Their case had a fatal outcome and the diagnosis was proven at autopsy. Sputum smears showed bacteria resembling staphylococcus and pneumococcus, although these were not identified conclusively. In 1943, Hyde and Hyde’ reported 51 patients with Friedl#{227}nder’s pneumonia, one of whom developed massive pulmonary gangrene and soon died. Taylor” described a case of what he termed “spontaneous lobectomy. ” Fried-
Transport and Intracellular Fate of Cysteine-35S in Leukocytes from Normal Subjects and Patients with Cystinosis

Extract: The transport and intracellular fate of cysteine-35S was studied in leukocytes from nine children with cystinosis and nine control subjects of similar age in an attempt to explain the presence of 80 times the normal quantity of free cystine in cystinotic leukocytes. Two differences were observed: the cystinotic cells took up nearly twice as much cysteine-35S as did control cells. Subsequently, almost 40 percent of the 35S was found as the oxidized form, cystine-35S in cystinotic leukocytes, compared with only 2 percent in control leukocytes. Comparison of intracellular and extracellular concentrations of cysteine-35S at steady state showed no differences between normal and cystinotic leukocytes. Both cell types incorporated 30 percent of the intracellular 35S into glutathione and showed the same time course of 35S efflux.Speculation: The increased uptake of cysteine-35S shown by cystinotic leukocytes could be taken as valid conventional evidence for a primary defect in the transport of cysteine in cystinosis. The prompt appearance of the extra 35S transported as intracellular cystine-35S suggests, however, that this rapid conversion may be the primary defect and that the increased uptake of cysteine-35S is but a compensatory mechanism for maintaining the physiological concentration of intracellular cysteine.
RETRACTION: Mechanisms Underlying the Renoprotective Effect of GABA against Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Renal Injury in Rats

The excitation of the renal sympathetic nervous system plays an important role in the development of ischemic acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats. We have reported that intravenous treatment with GABA has preventive effects on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced renal dysfunction with histological damage in rats. However, detailed mechanisms of the action of GABA on the renal injury were still unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to clarify the detailed mechanisms of GABA in ischemic AKI in rats. Ischemic AKI was induced by clamping the left renal artery and vein for 45 min. Thereafter, the kidney was reperfused to produce I/R-induced injury. Intravenous or intracerebroventricular treatment with 3-[[[(3,4-dichlorophenyl)methyl]amino]propyl] diethoxymethyl) phosphinic acid (CGP52432), a GABAB receptor antagonist, abolished the suppressive effects of intravenously applied GABA on enhanced renal sympathetic nerve activity during ischemia, leading to the elimination of the renoprotective effects of GABA. Intracerebroventricular treatment with GABA or intravenous treatment with baclofen, a selective GABAB receptor agonist, prevented I/R-induced renal injury equivalent to intravenous treatment with GABA. However, intravenous treatment with bicuculline, a GABAA receptor antagonist, failed to affect the preventive effects of GABA on ischemic AKI. Therefore, we demonstrated the novel finding that the preventive effect of GABA on ischemic AKI through the suppression of enhanced renal sympathetic nerve activity induced by renal ischemia is presumably mediated via GABAB receptor stimulation in the central nervous system rather than peripheral GABAB receptor.
Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice

Preface and acknowledgements Introduction: women and crime or gender and crime? Part 1 Theory 1 Criminology, victimology and feminism 2 Criminology, victimology and masculinism Part 2 Practice 3 Crime, fear and risk 4 Gendering sexual violence Part 3 Policy 5 Is criminal justice men's work? 6 Gender, the law and criminal justice policy Conclusion: gender, crime and politics References Index