Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The factors causing failure of foreign enterprises resource planning (ERP) systems in Pakistan

The purpose of this paper is to examine the causes and reasons of failure of foreign enterprises resource planning (ERP) system’s adoption in Pakistan. ERP integrates all the resources (hardware, software, man power, product and process) of an organization and provides a link to each department for smooth flow of data, information, knowledge, resulting in increased productivity and efficient processes. The paper takes on the descriptive research (research design) to explore the factors that lead to failure of ERPs in developing economies focusing on Pakistan. In this study, data was collected through interviews (mixed mode) and questionnaires from ERP providing companies aimed at gathering data on situations where ERP was implemented and failed. The research identified many factors required for the successful implementation of the ERP and many reasons for failure. Although, the research was carried out on a small scale (and can be enhanced), yet it is assumed to set out the parameters for the successful ERP implementation in Pakistan. The research has also shown that the benefits of some areas of ERP are still to be understood by the stakeholders, while the proper need definition from the ERP implementing organization and knowledge of the ERP usage by the top management remains the highest factors of influence towards the failure of foreign ERP systems in Pakistan.
INDUSTRY AVERAGES AS TARGETS FOR FINANCIAL RATIOS

The traditional literature of financial statement analysis often emphasizes the desirability of adjusting the firm's financial ratios to predetermined targets which are usually based on industry-wide averages. ' This study considers the question of whether there is empirical evidence to suggest that firms do adjust their financial ratios to such targets. The results of the test, using the partial adjustment model, indicate that financial ratios are periodically adjusted to their industry means. One way management can adjust the financial ratios to predetermined targets is to choose from the set of generally accepted accounting measurement rules (e.g., inventory valuation methods) those which affect the financial ratios in the desired direction. This technique-in the context of the income smoothing hypothesis-was proposed by Gordon as a means of maximizing management's utility:
Prediction of fetal outcome without intrauterine intervention using a cardiovascular profile score: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objective: With the help of fetal echocardiography, cardiovascular profile score (CVPS) can be evaluated. However, no general agreement has been recognized on the prediction value of CVPS on fetal adverse outcome. Methods: Literature review has identified up to Nov 2012 in the databases. Meta-analysis was performed in a fixed/random-effect model using Revman 5.1. 1 and Meta-disc 1.4. The differences among different cut-offs were measured by STATA 11.0. Results: Result from seven studies reported an outcome in favor of significant lower CVPS in fetus of adverse outcome with std. mean difference of −1.17 (95% CI = −1.78, −0.55). The overall performance of CVPS ≤6 prediction adverse outcome evaluated as area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) was 0.8777. The AUC of CVPS ≤7 was 0.8728 and the AUC of CVPS ≤8 was 0.7207. However, the result indicated the performance of CVPS ≤6 prediction adverse outcome had a statistical significance comparing to other two cut-offs. Conclusion: Analysis has proven the CVPS is a credible index for predicting fetal adverse outcome. And once CVPS decreased at eight, the patient should be observed carefully. With the CVPS dropped at seven, treatment is demanded immediately while some cases suffer irreversible cardiac dysfunction.
Intrinsic origin of electric dipoles formed at high-k/SiO2 interface

A new model to understand the origin of the dipole formed at high-k/SiO2 interface is presented. In our model, the areal density difference of oxygen atoms at high-k/SiO2 interface is considered as the cause of the dipole. On the basis of our model it is possible to predict the dipole direction and its magnitude for the candidate gate dielectrics, including ones so far not experimentally reported. The validity of the model was experimentally supported by VFB shifts of MOS capacitors, and core-level shifts in XPS measurements.
A Form of Ideational Apraxia as a Delective Deficit of Contention Scheduling

In this paper we studied three brain-damaged patients: the first two, DR and FG, had limb apraxia whilst the third was a control patient (WH2) with an executive function disorder but without limb apraxia. DR and FG were impaired in carrying out everyday actions, whilst they maintained the ability to sequence photographs representing those same activities. The failure in the action production task was not caused by visual agnosia for objects, as the patients could recognise them from sight. Nor was it produced by a loss of knowledge about their functions (De Renzi & Lucchelli, 1988), as DR and FG could identify objects from descriptions of their use. WH2's pattern of performance doubly dissociated from that of the apraxic patients, namely spared action production on the multiple object test, but faulty sequencing of photographs. WH2's difficulties in sequencing photographs were not due to a failure to understand the task, as she could sequence stimuli other than actions (e.g., shapes and numbers). Nor were the differences due to a loss of knowledge about the actions, since she could perform and identify them from photographs. These results show that the kind of apraxia observed in DR and FG is not produced by a degraded action sequence representation (Lehmkuhl & Poeck, 1981; Poeck & Lehmkuhl, 1980). We interpreted our results within a contention scheduling model (Cooper & Shallice, 2000; Norman & Shallice, 1986).
Bartonella entry mechanisms into mammalian host cells

The Gram‐negative genus Bartonella comprises arthropod‐borne pathogens that typically infect mammals in a host‐specific manner. Bartonella bacilliformis and Bartonella quintana are human‐specific pathogens, while several zoonotic bartonellae specific for diverse animal hosts infect humans as an incidental host. Clinical manifestations of Bartonella infections range from mild symptoms to life‐threatening disease. Following transmission by blood‐sucking arthropods or traumatic contact with infected animals, bartonellae display sequential tropisms towards endothelial and possibly other nucleated cells and erythrocytes, the latter in a host‐specific manner. Attachment to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and to nucleated cells is mediated by surface‐exposed bacterial adhesins, in particular trimeric autotransporter adhesins (TAAs). The subsequent engulfment of the pathogen into a vacuolar structure follows a unique series of events whereby the pathogen avoids the endolysosomal compartments. For Bartonella henselae and assumingly most other species, the infection process is aided at different steps by Bartonella effector proteins (Beps). They are injected into host cells through the type IV secretion system (T4SS) VirB/D4 and subvert host cellular functions to favour pathogen uptake. Bacterial binding to erythrocytes is mediated by Trw, another T4SS, in a strictly host‐specific manner, followed by pathogen‐forced uptake involving the IalB invasin and subsequentreplication and persistence within a membrane‐bound intra‐erythrocytic compartment.
Whither the South African Mining Industry?

The South African mining industry, a mainstay of the country’s US$357bn economy, the biggest in Africa as well as the basis of the country’s industrialisation, is at a crossroads. Despite having the world’s largest mineral reserves (estimated at US$2.5tn), mineral production in Q3 2011 contracted by 12 per cent while South Africa’s policy potential, according to the 2011 Fraser Institute survey of the world’s major mining jurisdictions, ranked 67 out of 79 countries reviewed. By contrast, other mining jurisdictions, such as Chile, showed a 12 per cent increase in the value added by mining to gross domestic product (GDP). A significant cause of the industry’s decline lies in the regulatory uncertainty engendered by the implementation of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 2002 (MPRDA), which came into force in 2004. The MPRDA replaced private ownership of mineral rights with one of state custodianship and conditional state licences. In addition, key provisions of the Act are linked to the MPRDA’s socio-economic objectives, in particular black economic empowerment (BEE). These provisions, in turn, are linked to wide ministerial discretion. A combination of an entirely new regulatory regime, combined with the MPRDA’s vague and ambiguous provisions, has led to critical licensing delays, well in excess of South Africa’s peers. At the same time, the promotion of BEE has been flawed, by promoting narrow rather than broad-based black ownership of the mining industry. This, in turn, has become the catalyst behind calls from the African National Congress (ANC)’s youth league for the nationalisation of the industry itself. While this has not been supported by the ANC-led government, the state itself has become more interventionist in the industry. This has led to the revival of the state-owned mining company and the opening of its first coal mine. An ANC research committee has investigated the feasibility of mine nationalisation, but its report is yet to be made public. A final decision on the issue is expected by December 2012, at the ANC’s quinquennial elective conference. At the same time, the Minister of Mineral Resources has announced or implemented a number of regulatory initiatives to address the industry’s problems, including proposed amendments to the MPRDA itself.
A continuously-calibrated 10 M sample/s 12 b 3.3 V ADC

Continuous calibration allows a converter to function continuously in the presence of environmental fluctuations and supply variations by periodically correcting for errors without interrupting the ADC output. This paper introduces a technique for continuously calibrating a pipelined A/D converter. Calibration is performed in the analog domain so as to avoid high-linearity calibration hardware or complex signal processing. A 10 MS ample/s, 12b converter implemented in a conventional 0.5 /spl mu/m, single-poly, four-metal, CMOS technology operates from a 3.3V supply. This experimental circuit digitizes a 4.8 MHz signal with a peak SNDR of 67 dB.
Childhood chorea with cerebral hypotrophy: a treatable GLUT1 energy failure syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To expand the spectrum of glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndromes with a novel clinical and radiological phenotype not associated with microcephaly. DESIGN Case report. SETTING Two academic medical centers. Patient A 7-year-old patient followed up for 4 years. RESULTS The patient exhibited a predominant syndrome of chorea and mental retardation associated with a combination of paroxysmal ataxia, dysarthria, dystonia and aggravated intellectual disability induced by fasting or exertion. She harbored a sporadic, heterozygous amino acid insertion in the GLUT1 transporter (insY292) that, in all likelihood, impaired blood-brain glucose flux. Her brain configuration appeared hypotrophic via magnetic resonance imaging, particularly over the occipital lobes. A ketogenic diet resulted in brain growth that accompanied a favorable symptomatic outcome. CONCLUSIONS To date, glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome includes several epileptic and movement disorder phenotypes caused by the clinical expressivity of the prominent cortical, basal ganglia, and cerebellar abnormalities found in the disease, but hypomorphic or novel variants are probably yet to be discovered.
The Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Partner, Raptor, Binds the mTOR Substrates p70 S6 Kinase and 4E-BP1 through Their TOR Signaling (TOS) Motif*

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) controls multiple cellular functions in response to amino acids and growth factors, in part by regulating the phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase (p70S6k) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1). Raptor (regulatory associated protein of mTOR) is a recently identified mTOR binding partner that also binds p70S6k and 4E-BP1 and is essential for TOR signaling in vivo. Herein we demonstrate that raptor binds to p70S6k and 4E-BP1 through their respective TOS (conserved TOR signaling) motifs to be required for amino acid- and mTOR-dependent regulation of these mTOR substrates in vivo. A point mutation of the TOS motif also eliminates all in vitro mTOR-catalyzed 4E-BP1 phosphorylation and abolishes the raptor-dependent component of mTOR-catalyzed p70S6k phosphorylation in vitro. Raptor appears to serve as an mTOR scaffold protein, the binding of which to the TOS motif of mTOR substrates is necessary for effective mTOR-catalyzed phosphorylation in vivo and perhaps for conferring their sensitivity to rapamycin and amino acid sufficiency.
Molecular, Serological, and Virulence Characteristics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolated from Environmental, Food, and Clinical Sources in North America and Asia

ABSTRACT Potential virulence attributes, serotypes, and ribotypes were determined for 178 pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from clinical, environmental, and food sources on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf Coasts of the United States and from clinical sources in Asia. The food and environmental isolates were generally from oysters, and they were defined as being pathogenic by using DNA probes to detect the presence of the thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh) gene. The clinical isolates from the United States were generally associated with oyster consumption, and most were obtained from outbreaks in Washington, Texas, and New York. Multiplex PCR was used to confirm the species identification and the presence of tdh and to test for the tdh-related hemolysin trh. Most of the environmental, food, and clinical isolates from the United States were positive for tdh, trh, and urease production. Outbreak-associated isolates from Texas, New York, and Asia were predominantly serotype O3:K6 and possessed only tdh. A total of 27 serotypes and 28 ribogroups were identified among the isolates, but the patterns of strain distribution differed between the serotypes and ribogroups. All but one of the O3:K6 isolates from Texas were in a different ribogroup from the O3:K6 isolates from New York or Asia. The O3:K6 serotype was not detected in any of the environmental and food isolates from the United States, and none of the food or environmental isolates belonged to any of the three ribogroups that contained all of the O3:K6 and related clinical isolates. The combination of serotyping and ribotyping showed that the Pacific Coast V. parahaemolyticus population appeared to be distinct from that of either the Atlantic Coast or Gulf Coast. The fact that certain serotypes and ribotypes contained both clinical and environmental isolates while many others contained only environmental isolates implies that certain serotypes or ribotypes are more relevant for human disease.
An investigation of the drive circuit requirements for the power insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)

The drive circuit requirements of the OGBT are explained with the aid of an analytical model. This model can be used to describe the turn-on and turn-off, gate and anode, current and voltage waveforms for general external drive, load, and feedback circuits. It is shown that nonquasi-static effects limit the influence of the drive circuit on the time rate-of-change of the anode voltage. Model results are compared with measured turn-on and turn-off waveforms for different drive, load, and feedback circuits and for different IGBT base lifetimes. The effective output capacitance of the IGBT at turn-off is several orders of magnitude larger than that of the structurally equivalent power MOSFET and depends upon the device base lifetime because the base charge at turn-off depends upon the device base lifetime. However, the gate drain feedback capacitance is unchanged from the value for the structurally equivalent power MOSFET. Thus, the minimum gate resistance that influences the anode voltage rate-of-rise at turn-off is several orders of magnitude larger than that for the power MOSFET and varies with device base lifetime. <<ETX>>
The hemostatic system through aging and menopause

The process of aging is accompanied by several modifications in the hemostatic system at different levels (blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, platelet activity, vascular endothelium). These changes may explain the higher incidence of arterial and venous thrombosis in the elderly compared to young people. Genetic and environmental factors modulate in different combinations the expression of proteins involved in the hemostatic process. Among the latter, diet and smoking habits play an important role, as well as physical exercise and, for women, hormonal status. A gradual and progressive development of a low-grade inflammatory state (clearly demonstrated in the elderly) is also an important factor that influences hemostasis during aging. In spite of the fact that the increased hypercoagulable state observed with aging may account for the higher incidence of thrombosis in the elderly, the finding of a similar pattern of coagulation activation in healthy centenarians suggests that a hypercoagulable state is compatible with health and longevity. Taking also into consideration that no laboratory parameters of hemostasis are predictive of thrombosis on an individual basis, a physician's behavior towards aging patients (e.g. prescription of hormonal replacement therapy to a woman during menopause) should not be affected by laboratory tests, but mainly by a patient's clinical history and the presence of strong risk factors for thrombosis other than age (e.g. diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking).
Fault-Tolerant Operating Strategies Applied to Three-Phase Induction-Motor Drives

This paper presents a comparative analysis involving several fault-tolerant operating strategies, applied to three-phase induction-motor drives, that intend to compensate for inverter faults. The results presented show the advantages and the inconveniences of several fault-tolerant drive structures, under different control techniques, such as the field-oriented control and the direct torque control. Experimental results concerning the performance of the three-phase induction motor, based on the analysis of some key parameters, like induction-motor efficiency, motor power factor, and harmonic distortion of both motor line currents and phase voltages, will be presented
Effects of Nebivolol on Aortic Compliance in Patients With Diabetes and Maximal Renin Angiotensin System Blockade: The EFFORT Study

The beneficial effects of nebivolol on arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction are well documented in untreated hypertensive patients and differ from nonvasodilatory β‐blockers. This study tests the hypothesis that the addition of nebivolol in predominantly African American patients with type 2 diabetes already receiving maximally tolerated doses of renin‐angiotensin system (RAS) blockers will further improve large artery compliance. Patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension on maximal RAS blockade (n=70) were randomized to nebivolol or metoprolol succinate daily. Doses were titrated until systolic blood pressure (SBP) was <130 mm Hg. Radial artery applanation tonometry and pulse wave velocity (PWV) analysis were used to derive central aortic pressures and hemodynamic indices at repeated visits at intervals during a 6‐month period. Both metoprolol succinate and nebivolol groups demonstrated reductions in brachial SBP (−8.2±4.3 mm Hg [P=.01] and −7.8±3.7 [P=.002], respectively) and aortic DBP (−2.4±1.8 [P=.039] and −4.0±2.9 mm Hg [P=.013], respectively). Aortic SBP decreased in the nebivolol group only (125.3±8 to 121.6±8.2, P=.025). There were no between group differences in aortic SBP, DBP, augmentation index, or PWV reduction. A significant increase in hemoglobin A1c was observed only in the metoprolol group. In patients with well‐controlled type 2 diabetes and hypertension treated with maximally tolerated RAS blockade, nebivolol does not offer significant reductions in aortic BP over metoprolol succinate but maintains a stable metabolic profile.
The Budgetary And Performance Influences Of Product Standardization And Manufacturing Process Automation

This study examines how product standardization and manufacturing process automation influence the relations among budgetary participation, flexibility of budget targets, and departmental performance. Product standardization (the product dimension) varies from "one-of-a-kind' (low) to "commodities" (high); manufacturing process automation (the process dimension) varies from "job-shop" settings (involving reliance on hand tools) to "continuous flow" production settings (featuring robots and computer-assisted design and manufacturing aids, such as CAD/CAM). These definitions are developed from Hayes, Wheelright, and Clark [1988] and Clark and Hayes [1988].
The KdV hierarchy in optics

There is a well explored relationship between quantum mechanical scattering from a potential and the Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation of fluid dynamics: if the potential is ‘evolved’ according to the KdV equation then it will have the same reflectivity and transmissivity as a function of energy, for each snapshot in time. In this work we explore this connection in optics, where the permittivity plays the role of the potential. We begin by deriving the relationship between the Helmholtz equation and the KdV equation in terms of the current induced in a material when a permittivity profile is changed slightly. It is then shown that the KdV equation can be used to design a plethora of bounded complex potentials that are relfectionless from both sides for all angles of incidence, and planar periodic media that exhibit a real Bloch vector for all angles of propagation. Finally we apply the KdV equation to reduce the reflection of a wave from an interface between two media of differing refractive indices.