Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Manufacturing process flexibility revisited

Purpose – To provide an update on a paper published in 1987 in IJOPM.Design/methodology/approach – Provides an assessment and update of “An agenda for research on the flexibility of manufacturing processes”. Findings – Gerwin's seminal work added welcome rigor to a concept, manufacturing flexibility, which had gained prominence during the previous decade. Finds that many of Gerwin's insights have stood the test of time. A number of things have changed since that time, but others have remained much as they were. Machines have become more capable and computer‐based controls have improved machine and process flexibility, but the character of that flexibility has remained very much the same.Originality/value – Revisits Gerwin's conceptualization of manufacturing process flexibility and subsequent progress in understanding it.
Fluid Spatial Imaginaries: Evolving Estuarial City‐regional Spaces

This article looks at successive attempts to create new spatial imaginaries around three estuary-based city regions in England: the London�Thames Gateway, the Atlantic Gateway/Mersey Belt (Manchester and Liverpool), and Hull and the Humber ports. We develop a framework of analysis for new planning and regeneration spaces that takes forward debates on relational and territorial geographies, spatial imaginaries and the creation of new regional identities as governance objects. Specifically, we adopt a long-term and comparative perspective that allows an examination of how successive efforts at regional building are both path-dependent and context-specific, as new approaches reflect emerging ideas about how best to construct successful regions in a changing global economy.
Family and High School Experience Influences on the Postsecondary Educational Plans of Ninth-Grade Students

The objectives of this study were to review the current literature on status attainment and student college choice and to develop and test a structural model of predisposition to attend college. Family and student background characteristics, parents’ educational expectations for students, level of student involvement in school, and student achievement were cited as influences on students’ predisposition toward postsecondary education and were the chief components of the model. Data from 2,497 ninth-grade students and their parents were used to test the model using LISREL. Parents’ expectations exerted the strongest influence throughout the model. Parents’ education, student gender, high school GPA, and high school experiences also contributed significantly in explaining students’ aspirations.
Psychosis Requiring Hospitalization in an Adult ADHD Patient on a Therapeutic Stimulant: A Case Report and Review of Treatment Alternatives

This is a case of a patient on therapeutic dextroamphetamine for adult ADHD who developed severe psychotic symptoms requiring hospitalization and anti-psychotic medication. While there are case reports of patients who abuse stimulants or do not take them as directed, there is little in the literature describing those who take moderate doses as prescribed, particularly over a short duration, and develop florid psychosis.
Expression of Placental Leptin and Leptin Receptors in Preeclampsia

This study investigated the expression profile of placental leptin and leptin receptor isoforms in preeclampsia, using placental tissue from normal pregnancies that were matched in gestational age and birth weight as controls. A total of 29 cases of preeclampsia were studied by immunohistochemistry, including 16 severe and 13 mild preeclampsia cases. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was further performed using RNA extracted from frozen tissue (10 severe preeclampsia, 10 mild preeclampsia, and 20 normal third trimester placentas). In all tissue sections, immunostaining signal was shown in the cytoplasmic compartment of the trophoblastic cells. Both the severe and mild preeclampsia groups showed significantly higher immunostaining for leptin compared with normal controls (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the severe and mild preeclampsia groups (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in immunostaining for leptin receptor between both severe and mild preeclampsia compared with controls (p > 0.05). RT-PCR showed significantly higher levels of mRNA transcripts of leptin in severe preeclampsia (p < 0.05), but not mild preeclampsia (p > 0.05), compared with normal controls. No significant difference in expression of all the receptor isoforms was demonstrated between both severe and mild preeclampsia groups compared with controls (p > 0.05). In conclusion, we confirmed an up-regulated expression of leptin in placental tissue in preeclampsia. However, there was no difference in the expression of all leptin receptor isoforms in placental tissue between preeclamptic and normal pregnancies. The leptin signal probably does not play a major primary role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
Cognitive reserve in elderly: neuropsychological aspects and the education role in the latest findings

The elderly population is growing worldwide, and therefore cognitive decline and dementia is a major problem for healthcare system. However, many elders do not develop dementia or significant cognitive impairment even though present brain lesions, such as cortical atrophy and/or lesions, leading to the concept of Cognitive Reserve (CR). The main objective of this review is to establish the recent findings of CR in elderly cognition and explore some of the cognitive markers related to CR. In order to accomplish that we carried out a search for papers published either in English or Portuguese language in the last 5 years in the Medline database using as keywords cognitive reserve, elderly and aging/ageing. We filtered 14 studies that specifically approached the neuropsychological aspects (e.g, memory, attention, orientation, executive function) and reviewed them in detail. Based on these papers regarding old-aged individuals, education appears to have several implications on CR by strengthening cognitive abilities, however does not appear to impact on cognitive decline. Besides, we realized that cognitive performance is one of the form to measure CR, even though the methods cannot be standardized, which may be the cause of some varied conclusions. Regarding CR, education was the most prevalent measure, and CR seems to have a beneficial effect on executive function and episodic memory and it seems to act by both neural reserve and neural compensation. Print exposure appears as a potential variable positively related to cognitive performance and CR.
Canadian curling coaches' use of psychological skills training

Multiple conceptual frameworks support the link between coaches’ attitudes and behaviors, and their effect on a variety of athlete outcomes, such as performance, motivation, and athlete self-perceptions. The present study explored the relationships among coaches’ attitudes and behaviors, with respect to psychological skills training (PST), and the beliefs of their athletes. One hundred and fifteen coaches completed PST attitude (SPA-RC-revised) and behavior measures, while 403 athletes completed two perception measures (CCS and SCI). Structural Equation Modeling showed that the proposed relationships were statistically significant, except for the pathway between coaches’ attitudes and their behaviors. Results support the disconnect between coaches’ attitudes and behaviors previously established in PST research, as well as the theoretical links between coaches’ behaviors and athletes’ perceptions (i.e., evaluation of their coach and self-confidence).
FANNING OUT OF THE SOLAR f-MODE IN THE PRESENCE OF NON-UNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELDS?

We show that in the presence of a magnetic field that is varying harmonically in space, the fundamental mode, or f-mode, in a stratified layer is altered in such a way that it fans out in the diagnostic kω diagram, with mode power also within the fan. In our simulations, the surface is defined by a temperature and density jump in a piecewise isothermal layer. Unlike our previous work (Singh et al. 2014), where a uniform magnetic field was considered, here we employ a non-uniform magnetic field together with hydromagnetic turbulence at length scales much smaller than those of the magnetic field. The expansion of the f-mode is stronger for fields confined to the layer below the surface. In some of those cases, the kω diagram also reveals a new class of low-frequency vertical stripes at multiples of twice the horizontal wavenumber of the background magnetic field. We argue that the study of the f-mode expansion might be a new and sensitive tool to determine subsurface magnetic fields with azimuthal or other horizontal periodicity.
Inclusion of direct tunneling gate current in the Symmetric Doped Double Gate MOSFETs Model

The gate current present in double-gate fully depleted MOSFETs can significantly contribute to the channel current measured in these devices. For this reason, models must take account of this effect in order to represent correctly the behavior of the devices. In this paper, we report a complementation to the symmetric doped double gate model for MOSFETs, by including the presence of gate tunneling current. Gate current is expressed in all the operation regions, using only one equation. Agreement observed between modeled and experimental curves in inversion, depletion and accumulation region, as well as for transistors with different geometry was excellent.
The Role of Alcohol Expectancies in the Associations Between Close Friend, Typical College Student, and Personal Alcohol Use

ABSTRACT Background Perceptions of peer drinking and alcohol expectancies have been consistently associated with alcohol use among college students. There is evidence that perceived peer drinking also shapes alcohol expectancies. Research has yet to address the potential differential impact of perceived drinking by close friends versus by typical college students on alcohol use among first-semester college students. Relatedly, mediation of these associations by specific domains of alcohol expectancies has yet to be examined. Objectives: The first aim of the present study was to investigate whether perceptions of close friend drinking were more strongly associated with alcohol expectancies, alcohol use, and consequences of alcohol use than perceptions of typical college student drinking. The second aim focused on which alcohol expectancy domains partially accounted for the association between close friend drinking, typical college student drinking, and alcohol use and consequences. Method: Participants (n = 400 first-semester college students) completed survey questionnaires, which included measures of perceived close friend/typical student alcohol use, alcohol expectancies, and drinking behaviors. Results: Results showed that close friend alcohol use was more strongly associated with alcohol use and consequences compared to typical college student use both directly and indirectly through expectancies about alcohol enhancing social behaviors. Conclusions/Importance: These findings suggest that first-semester college student drinking is more influenced by perceived alcohol use among close friends than typical college students. Future intervention efforts for alcohol use on college campuses may benefit from including close friend network components along with targeting alcohol expectancies regarding social behaviors.
Real-world rotman lens prototyping and analysis

In this paper, tools to semi-automate and speed up the Rotman lens design process are suggested, allowing researchers to rapidly iterate designs or produce studies that span multiple design parameters. As guidance for the analysis of these lenses, methods for measuring or simulating insertion loss and beam efficiency of the entire lens are described. These are real-world characteristics that must be assessed and optimized if Rotman lenses are to contend with other phase-shifting devices for military or commercial use.
Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma concentrations of nitric oxide metabolites in postoperative patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage

ObjectiveTo measure cerebrospinal fluid and plasma concentrations of nitrate and nitrite as indicators of nitric oxide production in adults after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). DesignA prospective, clinical study. SettingMultidisciplinary intensive care unit. PatientsNine patients (three males and six females, aged 29-64 yrs) with aneurysm-induced SAH were studied. Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission ranged from 9 to 15. Ruptured aneurysms were clipped within 72 hrs of ictus, and then conventional hypervolemic, hemodilution, and induced hypertension methods were applied. InterventionsNone. Measurements and Main Results Nitrate and nitrite concentrations of patients were examined sequentially by a capillary zone electrophoresis every day for 13 days. As a control group, cerebrospinal fluid was sampled from patients (n = 9, six males and three females, aged 30-60 yrs) without neurologic disorders who underwent spinal taps for spinal anesthesia, and plasma from healthy human volunteers (n = 43, 21 males and 22 females, aged 23-49 yrs). There were no significant differences over time in cerebrospinal fluid nitrate concentrations after SAH. Concentrations of cerebrospinal fluid nitrate after SAH were increased compared with control values. Plasma nitrate concentration was decreased compared with control values, but the value on day 14 was increased significantly (p < .05) compared with those during days 2–11. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid nitrite concentrations after SAH were similar to those in control subjects. Similar concentrations of nitric oxide metabolite in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were observed between the patients with and without symptomatic vasospasm. ConclusionThe increase of cerebrospinal fluid nitrate after SAH may attribute to the endogenous nitric oxide production in the injured brain.
Circular RNAs in Cardiovascular Disease: An Overview

Circular RNA (circRNA), a novel type of endogenous noncoding RNA (ncRNA), has become a research hotspot in recent years. CircRNAs are abundant and stably exist in creatures, and they are found with covalently closed loop structures in which they are quite different from linear RNAs. Nowadays, an increasing number of scientists have demonstrated that circRNAs may have played an essential role in the regulation of gene expression, especially acting as miRNA sponges, and have described the potential mechanisms of several circRNAs in diseases, hinting at their clinical therapeutic values. In this review, the authors summarized the current understandings of the biogenesis and properties of circRNAs and their functions and role as biomarkers in cardiovascular diseases.
The GAPs, GEFs, and GDIs of heterotrimeric G-protein alpha subunits

The heterotrimeric G-protein alpha subunit has long been considered a bimodal, GTP-hydrolyzing switch controlling the duration of signal transduction by seven-transmembrane domain (7TM) cell-surface receptors. In 1996, we and others identified a superfamily of “regulator of G-protein signaling” (RGS) proteins that accelerate the rate of GTP hydrolysis by Gα subunits (dubbed GTPase-accelerating protein or “GAP” activity). This discovery resolved the paradox between the rapid physiological timing seen for 7TM receptor signal transduction in vivo and the slow rates of GTP hydrolysis exhibited by purified Gα subunits in vitro. Here, we review more recent discoveries that have highlighted newly-appreciated roles for RGS proteins beyond mere negative regulators of 7TM signaling. These new roles include the RGS-box-containing, RhoA-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RGS-RhoGEFs) that serve as Gα effectors to couple 7TM and semaphorin receptor signaling to RhoA activation, the potential for RGS12 to serve as a nexus for signaling from tyrosine kinases and G-proteins of both the Gα and Ras-superfamilies, the potential for R7-subfamily RGS proteins to couple Gα subunits to 7TM receptors in the absence of conventional Gβγ dimers, and the potential for the conjoint 7TM/RGS-box Arabidopsis protein AtRGS1 to serve as a ligand-operated GAP for the plant Gα AtGPA1. Moreover, we review the discovery of novel biochemical activities that also impinge on the guanine nucleotide binding and hydrolysis cycle of Gα subunits: namely, the guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (GDI) activity of the GoLoco motif-containing proteins and the 7TM receptor-independent guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity of Ric‑8/synembryn. Discovery of these novel GAP, GDI, and GEF activities have helped to illuminate a new role for Gα subunit GDP/GTP cycling required for microtubule force generation and mitotic spindle function in chromosomal segregation.
Functional Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors That Mediate Ganglionic Transmission in Cardiac Parasympathetic Neurons

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) mediate ganglionic transmission in the peripheral autonomic nervous system in mammals. Functional neuronal nAChRs have been shown to assemble from a combination of α and β subunits, including α3, α5, α7, β2, and β4 in RNA-injected oocytes, but the subunit composition of functional neuronal nAChRs in vivo in mammals remains unknown. We examined the subunit composition of functional nAChRs in the intracardiac parasympathetic ganglion in a physiologically intact system in vivo. We report here that localized perfusion of the canine intracardiac ganglion in situ with an antagonist specific for nAChRs containing an α3/β2 subunit interface (α-conotoxin MII 100–200 nm) resulted in reversible attenuation of the sinus cycle length (SCL) response by ∼70% to electrical stimulation of the preganglionic vagus nerve. Perfusion with antagonist specific for receptors containing an α3/β4 subunit interface (α-conotoxin AuIB 1 μm) resulted in attenuation in SCL responses (∼20%) compared with baseline when applied by itself, but not in animals pretreated with α-conotoxin MII. Perfusion of the ganglion with α-bungarotoxin (1 μm, which blocks α7 receptors) caused a reduction in SCL response by ∼30% compared with baseline when perfused on its own and when added after blockade with MII and AuIB. Perfusion with hexamethonium bromide resulted in complete blockade of ganglionic transmission, confirming total perfusion of the ganglion and the nicotinic nature of ganglionic transmission at this synapse. Immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies against specific nicotinic subunits confirmed the presence of α3, α7, β2, and β4 subunits. We conclude that functional ganglionic transmission in the canine intracardiac ganglion is mediated primarily by receptors containing an α3/β2 subunit interface, with a smaller contribution by receptors containing α7 nAChRs. Despite the presence of β4 subunits in functional channels, a contribution of a distinct α3/β4 receptor population that does not include an α3/β2 subunit interface was less clear.
Volunteers' Life-Styles: Market Segmentation Based on Volunteers' Role Choices

This study applies market segmentation techniques to the problem of volunteer recruitment and retention in nonprofit voluntary orga nizations. Four types of volunteer roles are studied: direct service, leadership, general support, and member-at-large. A mail survey is analyzed, and the conclusion is reached that the volunteer market can be meaningfully segmented and that knowledge of volunteers' differing life-styles can lead to the effective targeting of particular groups.
Continuity and Change in Gang Membership and Gang Embeddedness

Objectives. Drawing from social network and life-course frameworks, the authors extend Hagan’s concept of criminal embeddedness to embeddedness within gangs. This study explores the relationship between embeddedness in a gang, a type of deviant network, and desistance from gang membership. Method. Data were gathered over a five-year period from 226 adjudicated youth reporting gang membership at the baseline interview. An item response theory model is used to construct gang embeddedness. The authors estimate a logistic hierarchical linear model to identify whether baseline levels of gang embeddedness alter the longitudinal contours of gang membership. Results. Gang embeddedness is associated with slowing the rate of desistance from gang membership over the full five-year study period. Gang members with low levels of embeddedness leave the gang quickly, crossing a 50 percent threshold in six months after the baseline interview, whereas high levels of embeddedness delays similar reductions until about two years. Males, Hispanics, and Blacks were associated with greater continuity in gang membership as well as those with low self-control. Conclusions. The concept of gang embeddedness broadens understanding of heterogeneity in deviant network immersion and is applicable to a wide range of criminal and delinquent networks. Gang embeddedness has implications for studying the parameters of gang careers and for a range of criminological outcomes.
An Evaluation of An Anti-Bullying Intervention in Toronto Schools

This paper describes the development of the Toronto Anti-Bullying Intervention. The effectiveness of the Anti-Bullying Intervention was examined with quantitative and qualitative data gathered before and 18 months after its implementation. The results of this research confirm that bullying continues to be a pervasive problem in Toronto schools. There were some improvements in students' reports of bullying as assessed at the individual, peer, and school levels. Over the first 18 months of the program, children reported increased teacher interventions to stop bullying. More bullies indicated that teachers had talked to them, but there were no differences in the proportion of bullies or victims who had discussed their problems with parents. Fewer children indicated that they could join in a bullying episode following the intervention. There was an increase in the number of children who admitted to bullying, but a decrease in the number of children who had been victimized during the past five days. These inco.
Synthesis and fluorescence properties of new fluorescent, polymerizable, metal-chelating lipids.

Liposomes incorporating fluorescent, metal-chelating lipids find applications in molecular recognition of peptides, 2D protein recrystallization, protein targeting, and biological sensing. It would be advantageous to combine the usefulness of polymerizable, metal-chelating lipids and fluorescent lipids. Herein, we report the synthesis and fluorescence properties of several fluorescent, polymerizable, metal-chelating lipids. They have been successfully incorporated into liposomes and then polymerized. These lipids can be used as membrane probes to study the polymerizable liposomes in the unpolymerized state and to investigate lipid redistribution during polymerization. In addition, if a luminescent metal ion (e.g., Eu(3+), Tb(3+), etc.) is used to complex the headgroup, the lipids can probe the membrane interior and exterior simultaneously.
From Fixers to Floaters: an Empirical Analysis of the Decline in Fixed Exchange Rate Regimes

The purpose of this article is to explain the decrease in the fixed exchange rate regimes we have experienced the last decades. Our econometric approach is duration analysis, and the explanatory variables used are taken from the literature on optimum currency areas. The sample consists of 51 countries and covers the period 1973-1995. The degree of openness proves to be the most influential variable. Increasing openness by 1% decreases the hazard for adopting a floating exchange rate by 1.29%, i.e. an elasticiy of -1.29. The size of a country and the inflationary differential against foreign countries are also significant. But the corresponding elasticities (0.19 and 0.25) are considerably lower than for openness.