Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Um estudo exploratório do controle gerencial de ativos e recursos intangíveis em empresas brasileiras

This study has for objective to evaluate, in three brazilian companies of the services sector, the importance granted by them to their intangible assets. For the purpose of this study, the body of intangible assets of a company is defined as composed of the technical competence of its workforce; its ability to transfer and incorporate knowledge; the quality level of its relationship with customers, suppliers and job market; and the intensity of its research and development effort. The importance of each intangible asset is verified by (1) the degree of presence of components of each asset; (2) the number of relevant managerial activities related to each asset; and finally (3) the number of frequently used performance indicators related to each intangible asset.
The measurement of coping in breast cancer patients

The feasibility of using the COPE Scale (Carver, Scheier and Weintraub, 1989) as a measure of coping with breast cancer was tested on a sample of 61 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer more than one year previously. Results showed that acceptance and positive reframing were the most common coping responses, replicating earlier research, but that overall the COPE was poor at discriminating between strategies. With the exception of positive reframing, all subscales correlated negatively with well‐being. Frequency of strategy use was negatively associated with well‐being, i.e. the more strategies used, the greater the distress. It was concluded that the abstract wording of some items plus a perceived lack of positive coping responses may have caused the questionnaire to be seen as somewhat irrelevant to the circumstances of this particular group of patients.
Ordering, materiality, and multiplicity: Enacting Actor–Network Theory in tourism

In this article, we demonstrate how Actor–Network Theory has been translated into tourism research. The article presents and discusses three concepts integral to the Actor–Network Theory approach: ordering, materiality, and multiplicity. We first briefly introduce Actor–Network Theory and draw attention to current Actor–Network Theory studies in tourism with a focus on how the approach is sensitive toward heterogeneous orderings. The following section discusses how more recent Actor–Network Theory approaches emphasize multiplicity and thus multiple versions of every ordering attempt. This leads us toward ontological politics, which have bearings on how we approach and understand research methods and how we perform tourism research. In conclusion, we argue that Actor–Network Theory enables a radical new way of describing tourism by critically investigating its ontological conditions.
Different Levels of Transcriptional Regulation Due to Trophic Constraints in the Reduced Genome of Buchnera aphidicola APS

ABSTRACT Symbiotic associations involving intracellular microorganisms and animals are widespread, especially for species feeding on poor or unbalanced diets. Buchnera aphidicola, the obligate intracellular bacterium associated with most aphid species, provides its hosts with essential amino acids (EAAs), nutrients in short supply in the plant phloem sap. The Buchnera genome has undergone severe reductions during intracellular evolution. Genes for EAA biosynthesis are conserved, but most of the transcriptional regulatory elements are lost. This work addresses two main questions: is transcription in Buchnera (i) regulated and (ii) scaled to aphid EAA demand? Two microarray experiments were designed for profiling the gene expression in Buchnera. The first one was characterized by a specific depletion of tyrosine and phenylalanine in the aphid diet, and the second experiment combined a global diminution of EAAs in the aphid diet with a sucrose concentration increase to manipulate the aphid growth rate. Aphid biological performance and budget analysis (the balance between EAAs provided by the diet and those synthesized by Buchnera) were performed to quantify the nutritional demand from the aphids toward their symbiotic bacteria. Despite the absence of known regulatory elements, a significant transcriptional regulation was observed at different levels of organization in the Buchnera genome: between genes, within putative transcription units, and within specific metabolic pathways. However, unambiguous evidence for transcriptional changes underpinning the scaling of EAA biosynthesis to aphid demand was not obtained. The phenotypic relevance of the transcriptional response from the reduced genome of Buchnera is addressed.
Combining graph and flux-based structures to decipher phenotypic essential metabolites within metabolic networks

Background The emergence of functions in biological systems is a long-standing issue that can now be addressed at the cell level with the emergence of high throughput technologies for genome sequencing and phenotyping. The reconstruction of complete metabolic networks for various organisms is a key outcome of the analysis of these data, giving access to a global view of cell functioning. The analysis of metabolic networks may be carried out by simply considering the architecture of the reaction network or by taking into account the stoichiometry of reactions. In both approaches, this analysis is generally centered on the outcome of the network and considers all metabolic compounds to be equivalent in this respect. As in the case of genes and reactions, about which the concept of essentiality has been developed, it seems, however, that some metabolites play crucial roles in system responses, due to the cell structure or the internal wiring of the metabolic network. Results We propose a classification of metabolic compounds according to their capacity to influence the activation of targeted functions (generally the growth phenotype) in a cell. We generalize the concept of essentiality to metabolites and introduce the concept of the phenotypic essential metabolite (PEM) which influences the growth phenotype according to sustainability, producibility or optimal-efficiency criteria. We have developed and made available a tool, Conquests, which implements a method combining graph-based and flux-based analysis, two approaches that are usually considered separately. The identification of PEMs is made effective by using a logical programming approach. Conclusion The exhaustive study of phenotypic essential metabolites in six genome-scale metabolic models suggests that the combination and the comparison of graph, stoichiometry and optimal flux-based criteria allows some features of the metabolic network functionality to be deciphered by focusing on a small number of compounds. By considering the best combination of both graph-based and flux-based techniques, the Conquests python package advocates for a broader use of these compounds both to facilitate network curation and to promote a precise understanding of metabolic phenotype.
Does Economic Growth Reduce Fertility? Rural India 1971-99

In this paper we use a newly available panel data set that constitutes a representative sample of rural India over the period 1971-1999 to examine the role of economic change as a source of fertility decline. We first develop a simple dynamic model of fertility choice that incorporates the possibility of cost-of-time effects a quantity-quality tradeoff and increased access to health and family planning services. This model is the used to structure the empirical analysis of fertility decision-making. A key feature of the empirical analysis is that it controls for household level fixed effects by linking households from different rounds of the survey. The results eliminating the family fixed effect provide strong support for the importance of increases in the value of time of women and of technical change-induced investments in child schooling that accompany economic growth in accounting for fertility decline with little role for parental schooling. In particular we find that aggregate wage changes dominated by increases in the value of female wages explain 39% of the decline in fertility over the 1982-1999 period. In combination changes in agricultural productivity and agricultural wage rates explain fully 80% of the decline. Health centers are found to have had a significant effect on fertility but the aggregate increases in the diffusion of health centers in villages only explains 3.4% of the fall. In summary our results suggest that the process of economic growth has had a major impact on fertility in India over the last two decades and that given sustained economic growth that continues to raise wages and increase returns to human capital the fall in fertility in India will persist for the foreseeable future. A demographic revolution now appears to have at least in part resulted from rather than just accompanied the green revolution. (authors)
Correlation Between Spinal Cord Function Assessed by Intraoperative SCEPs and Morphology of the Compressed Spinal Cord on MRI

Study Design:Retrospective study. Objectives:The objective of this study was to examine whether the morphology of the compressed spinal cord reflects spinal cord dysfunction in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Summary of Background:Segmental levels responsible for clinical symptoms in CSM are usually diagnosed by neurological examination and imaging studies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Electrophysiological examination makes it possible to assess the spinal cord function quantitatively. There are few detailed studies about correlation between intraoperative spinal cord–evoked potentials (following SCEPs) and preoperative MRI. Materials and Methods:A total of 25 CSM cases diagnosed with single intervertebral dysfunction based on preoperative neurological findings and intraoperative SCEPs were included. We recorded 3 different SCEPs and divided the cases into 2 groups: the transverse type (T-type) (n=18) that had abnormalities in all SCEPs; and the upper limbs sensory (abnormal only for MN-SCEPs) and posterolateral (abnormalities in the MN-SCEPs and Tc-SCEPs) type (US-PL-type) (n=7) that had abnormalities other than SCEPs following thoracic spinal cord stimulation. Morphometry was performed on MRI T1-weighed axial images. Clinical preoperative impairment was evaluated using the Japanese Orthopedic Association score. Results:The average Japanese Orthopedic Association score of T-type cases was 8.1 points and that of US-PL-type cases was 10.5. There were no severe cases with <7 points in the US-PL-type group, but there were 9 cases in the T-type group. By morphometric comparison, both the central and the 1/4-lateral compression ratio were significantly lower in the T-type cases. Conclusions:Spinal cord morphology, as observed on MRI in patients with CSM reflected spinal cord dysfunction to some extent and could become the index for functional diagnosis, but it is necessary to consider a dynamic factor.
The Dangers of Decoupling: The Relationship between Compliance Programs, Legitimacy Perceptions, and Institutionalized Misconduct

This theory-building analysis spotlights a dynamic that occurs between decoupling, legitimacy, and institutionalized misconduct. Using data gathered from a case study of widespread deceptive sales practices at a large financial services firm, we demonstrate the dangers of decoupling an organizational compliance program from the core business activities of an organization. We illustrate how decoupling created a “legitimacy facade” that enabled the institutionalization of misconduct and precipitated a loss of external legitimacy.
Democracy and Political Action

'Is democracy working? ' was the theme of the International Political Science Association’s s 20th Political Science World Congress held in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2006, and it remains a fundamental theme for political science around the globe. In this article,1 I will discuss the historical development of the study of democracy through public opinion and behavior research. The article starts with a brief sketch of developments in Western democracies after World War II. With a general emphasis on comparative micro-survey research, it then traces major trends in the empirical study of political participation, with a particular emphasis on the Political Action Study (Barnes et al., 1979; Jennings et al., 1990). The significance of this study resides in its opening the way for political science to consider non-institutionalized acts of political participation not as a threat to pluralist democracies, but rather as an extension of the political repertory of democratic citizens. The article then discusses potential reasons for the observed unexpected decline of political support in Western democracies after the demise of totalitarian communism through the ‘velvet revolution’ in Central and Eastern Europe. In the conclusion, the article speculates about future developments in democratic governance in the light of encompassing social, economic and technological developments such as globalization and the Internet revolution.
Maternal Methyl-Group Donor Intake and Global DNA (Hydroxy)Methylation before and during Pregnancy

It is still unclear to which extent methyl-group intake during pregnancy can affect maternal global DNA (hydroxyl)methylation. Pregnancy methylation profiling and its link with methyl-group intake in a healthy population could enhance our understanding of the development of pregnancy related disorders. One hundred forty-eight women were enrolled in the MANOE (MAternal Nutrition and Offspring’s Epigenome) study. Thiry-four women were enrolled before pregnancy and 116 during the first trimester of pregnancy. Global DNA (hydroxy)methylation in blood using LC-MS/MS and dietary methyl-group intake (methionine, folate, betaine, and choline) using a food-frequency questionnaire were estimated pre-pregnancy, during each trimester, and at delivery. Global DNA (hydroxy)methylation levels were highest pre-pregnancy and at weeks 18–22 of pregnancy. We observed a positive relation between folic acid and global DNA methylation (p = 0.04) and hydroxymethylation (p = 0.04). A high intake of methionine pre-pregnancy and in the first trimester showed lower (hydroxy)methylation percentage in weeks 11–13 and weeks 18–22, respectively. Choline and betaine intake in the first weeks was negatively associated with hydroxymethylation. Women with a high intake of these three methyl groups in the second and third trimester showed higher hyrdoxymethylation/methylation levels in the third trimester. To conclude, a time trend in DNA (hydroxy)methylation was found and women with higher methyl-group intake showed higher methylation in the third trimester, and not in earlier phases of pregnancy.
Estudio de cooperación entre Colombia y Corea del Sur en el sector textil-confecciones

This article identifies business opportunities in the Textile – Clothing industry, between Colombia and South Korea. To this end, we analyze the international flow of raw materials and finished goods between these economies. It is also considered the innovation output (expressed through their national and international patents) and includes several interviews with industry experts.
Vision Based Hand Gesture Recognition

Hand gesture recognition has attracted much attention from academia and industry in recent years due to its apparent superiority over traditional techniques in human-computer interaction in terms of convenience. This domain has been investigated from different perspectives among which vision based approaches provide the most natural and intuitive interfaces. This paper presents a comprehensive review on vision based hand gesture recognition, with an emphasis on dynamic hand gestures. First, a brief introduction of the basic concepts and the classification of hand gesture recognition techniques are given. Then, a number of popular related technologies and interesting applications are reviewed. Finally, we give some discussion on the current challenges and open questions in this area and point out a list of possible directions for future work.
Different approaches to community detection

A precise definition of what constitutes a community in networks has remained elusive. Consequently, network scientists have compared community detection algorithms on benchmark networks with a particular form of community structure and classified them based on the mathematical techniques they employ. However, this comparison can be misleading because apparent similarities in their mathematical machinery can disguise different reasons for why we would want to employ community detection in the first place. Here we provide a focused review of these different motivations that underpin community detection. This problem-driven classification is useful in applied network science, where it is important to select an appropriate algorithm for the given purpose. Moreover, highlighting the different approaches to community detection also delineates the many lines of research and points out open directions and avenues for future research.
Two Approaches on Implementation of CBR and CRM Technologies to the Spam Filtering Problem

Recently the number of undesirable messages coming to e-mail has strongly increased. As spam has changeable character the anti-spam systems should be trainable and dynamical. The machine learning technology is successfully applied in a filtration of e-mail from undesirable messages for a long time. In this paper it is offered to apply Case Based Reasoning technology to a spam filtering problem. The possibility of continuous updating of spam templates base on the bases of which new coming spam messages are compared, will raise efficiency of a filtration. Changing a combination of conditions it is possible to construct flexible filtration system adapted for different users or corporations. Also in this paper it is considered the second approach as implementation of CRM technology to spam filtration which is not applied to this area yet.
No place like home: Opinion formation with homophily and implications for policy decisions

ABSTRACT We set up an opinion diffusion model with a local opinion leader, and using simulations we show the possibility of driving a significant wedge between the opinions of two groups that exhibit homophily although individuals are highly conformist. There exists an opinion gap between the group to which the opinion leader belongs and the other group. This opinion gap increases according to the relative size of the residence community. We show empirical traits related to our simulation: Employing Swiss national referenda data from 2008 to 2012, we show that members of parliament match referenda outcomes in their residence communities closer than they do in neighboring communities and that this wedge interacts significantly with the relative size of the residence community.
Regional patterns of increasing Swiss needle cast impacts on Douglas‐fir growth with warming temperatures

Abstract The fungal pathogen, Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii, causing Swiss needle cast (SNC) occurs wherever Douglas‐fir is found but disease damage is believed to be limited in the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW) to the Coast Range of Oregon and Washington (Hansen et al., Plant Disease, 2000, 84, 773; Rosso & Hansen, Phytopathology, 2003, 93, 790; Shaw, et al., Journal of Forestry, 2011, 109, 109). However, knowledge remains limited on the history and spatial distribution of SNC impacts in the PNW. We reconstructed the history of SNC impacts on mature Douglas‐fir trees based on tree‐ring width chronologies from western Oregon. Our findings show that SNC impacts on growth occur wherever Douglas‐fir is found and is not limited to the coastal fog zone. The spatiotemporal patterns of growth impact from SNC disease were synchronous across the region, displayed periodicities of 12–40 years, and strongly correlated with winter and summer temperatures and summer precipitation. The primary climatic factor limiting pathogen dynamics varied spatially by location, topography, and elevation. SNC impacts were least severe in the first half of the 20th century when climatic conditions during the warm phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (1924–1945) were less conducive to pathogen development. At low‐ to mid‐elevations, SNC impacts were most severe in 1984–1986 following several decades of warmer winters and cooler, wetter summers including a high summer precipitation anomaly in 1983. At high elevations on the west slope of the Cascade Range, SNC impacts peaked several years later and were the greatest in the 1990s, a period of warmer winter temperatures. Climate change is predicted to result in warmer winters and will likely continue to increase SNC severity at higher elevations, north along the coast from northern Oregon to British Columbia, and inland where low winter temperatures currently limit growth of the pathogen. Our findings indicate that SNC may become a significant forest health problem in areas of the PNW beyond the coastal fog zone.
On two-stage fuzzy random programming for water resources management

In this paper, a two-stage fuzzy random programming for a management problem in terms of water resources allocation having fuzzy random variable coefficients and decision vector of random variables is studied. The first results show the fact that a fuzzy pseudorandom optimal solution of a two-stage fuzzy random programming may be resolved into a two of pseudorandom optimal solutions of relative two-stage random programmings. The subsequent results present a method that a fuzzy pseudorandom optimal solution of two-stage fuzzy random programming is structured by a two of pseudorandom optimal solutions of a relative two two-stage random programmings. A numerical example was given to clarify the obtained results. Key words: Two-stage programming, fuzzy parameters, water resources management, interval analysis, fuzzy random variable, fuzzy approach
Clinical predictive value of the in vitro cell line, human xenograft, and mouse allograft preclinical cancer models.

PURPOSE We looked at the value of three preclinical cancer models, the in vitro human cell line, the human xenograft, and the murine allograft, to examine whether they are reliable in predicting clinical utility. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Thirty-one cytotoxic cancer drugs were selected. Literature was searched for drug activity in Phase II trials, human xenograft, and mouse allografts in breast, non-small cell lung, ovary, and colon cancers. Data from the National Cancer Institute Human Tumor Cell Line Screen were used to calculate drug in vitro preclinical activity for each cancer type. Phase II activity versus preclinical activity scatter plot and correlation analysis was conducted for each model, by tumor type (disease-oriented approach), using one tumor type as a predictor of overall activity in the other three tumor types combined (compound-oriented approach) and for all four tumor types together. RESULTS The in vitro cell line model was predictive for non-small cell lung cancer under the disease-oriented approach, for breast and ovarian cancers under the compound-oriented approach, and for all four tumor types together. The mouse allograft model was not predictive. The human xenograft model was not predictive for breast or colon cancers, but was predictive for non-small cell lung and ovarian cancers when panels of xenografts were used. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that under the right framework and when panels are used, the in vitro cell line and human xenograft models may be useful in predicting the Phase II clinical trial performance of cancer drugs. Murine allograft models, as used in this analysis, appear of limited utility.