Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Environmental Model for Performance Measurement in Multi-Outlet Businesses

Standards for evaluating the performance of outlet managers in companies with numerous outlets are difficult to formulate because. of the differences in the profit potentials of the various outlets. Differences in measured contribution margins among outlets may be explained by differences in the characteristics of the locations and facilities of the outlets as well as the differences in the performance of the outlet managers. Since the location and facilities of an outlet are not controllable by the outlet manager, the effects of these environmental factors should be extracted before evaluating the performance of the manager. For a small number of outlets, central marketing officials can be familiar with the potentials of the outlets and can subjectively adjust for the potential differences. However, for a larger number of outlets, subjective adjustments for potential differences are not feasible. The performance measurement and evaluation system proposed here extends responsibility accounting to make objective intraperiod performance standards valid and operational. The extended system incorporates statistical techniques to provide a means for estimating the effects upon an outlet's measured performance' of the "nonmanagerial" environmental factors associated with an outlet. Since these environmental factors are not controllable by the outlet manager, they can be eliminated and the manager held responsible only for the effects of those factors controllable by him.
Performance improvement of Chord Distributed Hash Table under high churn rate

Structured peer-to-peer (P2P) networks is becoming popular for their advantages of high scalability and good performance. These networks are based on the Distributed Hash Tale or DHT mechanism to establish and maintain a certain topology. However, while adopting structured P2P network for wireless environment, one have to deal with the phenomenon of frequent join and leave of mobile nodes, namely churn. In this study, we focus on modification of Chord, a well-known DHT protocol, in order to improve its performance under high churn rate. We adopt the atomic ring maintenance mechanism to mitigate the effect of churn over lookup consistency and successfully implement this mechanism in OverSim simulator. Our simulation showed significant performance improvement of the modified Chord protocol under high churn rate in wireless environments.
Sporulation temperature affects initiation of germination and inactivation by high hydrostatic pressure of Bacillus cereus

The influence of sporulation temperature (20, 30 and 37 °C) on the heat resistance and initiation of germination and inactivation by high pressure on Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 spores was investigated. Spores sporulated at 37 °C were the most heat‐resistant. However, spores sporulated at 20 °C were more resistant to the initiation of germination and inactivation by high pressure. Spores were more sensitive to pressure at higher treatment temperatures. At 25 °C, there was an optimum pressure (250 MPa) for the initiation of germination for the three suspensions; at higher temperatures an increase of pressure up to 690 MPa caused progressively more germination. Resistance to the germinability and inactivation by high pressure of the spore population was distributed heterogeneously. Semilogarithmic curves of the ungerminated and survival fraction of B. cereus spores were concave. The resistant fraction of the spore population was lower at higher treatment temperatures. At 60 °C after 30 s of treatment at 690 MPa almost 5 log cycles of the population of B. cereus sporulated at 20 °C was germinated, and more than 7 log cycles of the population of B. cereus sporulated at 30 and 37 °C. The same treatment inactivated 4, 6 and 7 log cycles of the population of B. cereus sporulated at 20, 30 and 37 °C, respectively.
Packet combining for turbo-diversity in HARQ systems with integrated turbo-equalization

In this paper, we present a simple and effective packet combining method for a turbo-diversity transmit scheme in hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) systems over frequency-selective channels. We first show by using a distance spectrum-based analysis that the turbo-diversity scheme outperforms the identical interleaving transmit scheme in terms of frame error rate (FER) performance under a maximum-likelihood receiver, especially for high order modulations. Then, we propose a low complexity combining method with integrated turbo-equalization based on a separate linear equalization for each HARQ transmission followed by a joint decoding instead of an iterative combining strategy. The proposed method has the advantage to be operational for both HARQ modes: namely, Chase combining (CC) and the incremental redundancy (IR). Numerical simulations show that the proposed method can efficiently exploit the potential of the turbo-diversity scheme.
Ocular Surface Reconstruction in Graft-Versus-Host Disease With HLA-Identical Living-Related Allogeneic Cultivated Limbal Epithelium After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation From the Same Donor

Purpose: To report a case of HLA-identical allogeneic living-related ex vivo expanded limbal epithelium in ocular surface reconstruction for chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Methods: Review the clinical findings in a 58-year-old woman with bilateral limbal stem cell deficiency caused by cGVHD who underwent ocular surface reconstruction on the left eye with cultivated limbal epithelial cells (LECs) on intact human amniotic membrane combined with extracapsular cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation. LECs were harvested from a small biopsy of the same HLA-identical living-related donor who already donated peripheral blood cells for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Results: At the present state, after a follow-up of 31 months, the patient shows a successful ocular surface reconstruction with a clear, smooth, and stable corneal ocular surface without recurrence of limbal stem cell deficiency. Nine months postoperatively, patients' corneal thinning progressed to a small perforation, which was successfully treated with a tectonic perforating keratoplasty combined with the removal of irritating lid lashes. Conclusion: The technique of HLA-typed allogeneic ex vivo expansion of LECs harvested from the same living-related donors who already donated hematopoietic stem cells offers a possibility to reconstruct ocular surface in cGVHD.
Phase I pharmacokinetic trial of the selective oral epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib ('Iressa', ZD1839) in Japanese patients with solid malignant tumors.

BACKGROUND This phase I dose-escalating study investigated the tolerability and toxicity of the selective epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib ('Iressa', ZD1839) in Japanese patients with solid tumors. Thirty-one patients were included. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients initially received a single oral dose of gefitinib followed by 10-14 days of observation. Oral gefitinib was subsequently administered on 14 consecutive days, every 28 days. Dose escalation was from 50 mg/day to a maximum of 925 mg/day or dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). RESULTS Most adverse events were mild (grade 1/2); the most frequent were an acne-like rash and gastrointestinal effects. Two of six patients at 700 mg/day had DLT; no further dose escalation occurred. C(max) was reached within 3-7 h and exposure to gefitinib increased with dose. Mean terminal half-life following multiple dosing was 50.1 h (range 27.8-79.7 h). A partial response (duration 35-361 days) was observed in five of the 23 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer over a range of doses (225-700 mg/day), and seven patients with a range of tumors had disease stabilization (duration 40-127 days). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, gefitinib showed a favorable tolerability profile in Japanese patients. The safety profile, pharmacokinetic parameters and antitumor activity observed in our study are comparable to those observed in patients from the USA and Europe.
A Cyclical Model of Multiple-Horizon Credit Rating Transitions and Default

Summary We estimate a model of natural default probabilities conditional on credit ratings and macroeconomic drivers. The output is an issuer-specific expected default rate at variable horizons, which can be combined to form an expected default rate for a given portfolio of rated credits. This permits us, for the first time, to associate a default rate with a rating category conditional on the future path of the economy. In fact, the model outputs an entire issuer-specific transition matrix, of which default is only one possible state. The other states include the entire credit rating scale, as well as withdrawal. We are thus able to assign probabilities to the complete future path of a credit rating conditional on the economy.
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM SOCIOLOGIA DISSERTAÇÃO DE MESTRADO

The objective of this study was to investigate the legitimacy of the activities related to commercialization of science, through the participation of scientists in mechanisms for transferring technology and knowledge to companies in a public university in Brazil. The starting point of the research refers to the discussions around the relationship between universities and business, studied by different perspectives that highlight since the emergence of new paradigms in the production of scientific knowledge, such as the arguments of the entrepreneurial university, even more critical analysis, sometimes stressing negative effects, sometimes demonstrating the maintenance of institutional boundaries between the two organizations. The research used two methods: 1) raising the participation of researchers in the process of technology transfer to industry, using secondary data and 2) qualitative research using semi-structured interviews, identifying the different types of institutional logics handling academic practices, now focused on marketing, sometimes immersed in public science. There was considerable growth in the university's interactions with industry. However, two aspects are considered. The first concerns the predominance of traditional mechanisms of technology transfer, compared to other types of interactions. The second refers to the low level of legitimation of entrepreneurial practices in the cases analyzed, since the defense of scientific logic on the business logic. To evaluate the incorporation of new values and social norms in public science, settled types of scientific orientations: traditional orientation, hybrid traditional orientation and entrepreneurial orientation. From the results it is concluded that the argument of the entrepreneurial university has serious limitations, as the low legitimacy of new processes of technology transfer in the sample. Thus, the diffusion of new scientific practices oriented more contact with the economic demands, not necessarily express a process of institutionalization of academic entrepreneurship, such as the incorporation of new values, norms and scientific orientations.
THOUGHTS ON THE SHARING ECONOMY

Flats, cars, rides, and much more can be shared from peer to peer online today. Some suggest a global and unstoppable trend towards green and more sustainable consumption and local production, which results in an increased economically importance of interpersonal aspects. Others merely see in it the long known principle of flea markets and micro entrepreneurship—transferred to the Internet and app-based age at which mainly price matters. In this article, we take a look at different concepts and challenges of the Sharing Economy.
Extracellular Matrices of the Avian Ovarian Follicle

In egg-laying species, such as the chicken, the mode of transport of lipoprotein particles from the capillary plasma to endocytic receptors on the oocyte surface is largely unknown. Here we show by molecular characterization that the large prominent heparan sulfate proteoglycan of extracellular matrices, termed perlecan or HSPG2 (the product of the hspg2 gene), is a component of ovarian follicles that may participate in this process. However, although normally a major HSPG of basement membranes or basal laminae, in chicken follicles, perlecan is absent from the membranous structure between the theca interna and granulosa cell layers, which to date has been considered a bona fide basement membrane. Rather, the protein is localized in the extracellular matrix of theca externa cells, which produce this HSPG. Furthermore, in chicken testes, perlecan is localized in the peritubular spaces but in less organized fashion than the classical basement membrane components, agrin and laminin. All five domains and structural hallmarks of chicken perlecan (4071 residues) have been conserved in its mammalian counterparts. We have produced the recombinant domain II (containing low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-like binding repeats) of chicken perlecan and demonstrate its capacity to bind LDL and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins ultimately destined for uptake into oocytes via members of the low density lipoprotein receptor family. Binding to perlecan heparan sulfate side chains may facilitate the interaction of lipoproteins with domain II. Based on the current results and on domain-domain interactions revealed by recent ultrastructural investigations of the LDL receptor, nidogen, and laminin (Rudenko, G., Henry, L., Henderson, K., Ichtchenko, K., Brown, M. S., Goldstein, J. L., and Deisenhofer, J. (2002) Science 298, 2353-2358 and Takagi, J., Yang, Y. , Liu, J. H. , Wang, J. H. , and Springer, T. A. (2003) Nature 424, 969-974), we propose a novel role of perlecan in mediating plasma-to-oocyte surface transport of VLDL particles.
Understanding Commercial Property Price indexes

The type of database used for the measurement of commercial property price indexes (CPPIs) dictates the potential weaknesses in the resulting indexes and limitations of the methods available for measuring the indexes. Two major types of data are appraisals of the value of properties and recorded transaction prices. The former is based on expert judgement and may have problems of smoothing and lagging transaction prices. The latter is based on actual transactions and may have sample selectivity bias and limited sample sizes for these heterogeneous properties. These issues are examined.
Dose and time relationships of intravenously injected rat recombinant luteinizing hormone and testicular testosterone secretion in the male Rat.

The ability of hCG and LH to induce testosterone (T) secretion by Leydig cells is well documented. However, the influence of the pulsatile nature of LH secretion, with varying frequency and amplitude, on T production in vivo is less clear. In our earlier studies on the relationship between pulsatile LH release and T secretion in adult male rats, no simple causality was observed. The recent availability of rat recombinant (rec) LH prompted us to study the effects of one and of three i.v. pulses of different doses of rat recLH on T secretion in adult male rats rendered hypogonadotropic by treatment with the GnRH antagonist cetrorelix. One or three supraphysiological pulses of 1.0 microg of rat recLH produced similar maximal T responses. In contrast, high physiological LH pulses (0.1 microg) produced discrete T-response peaks, whereas multiple low pulses of LH (0.03 microg) were needed before a T response was achieved. The T stimulation was greatly diminished after an LH pulse of 0.1 microg if rats had been treated on the previous day with pulses of 0.03 vs. 0.1 microg rat recLH, apparently because of prolonged LH deprivation and lack of Leydig cell priming due to the GnRH antagonist treatment. The novel preparation of rat recLH provides a physiologically relevant tool for studying the complex relationship between pulsatile LH release and T secretion in male rats.
Assessment of chronic aortic dissection: contribution of different ECG-gated breath-hold MRI techniques.

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate the impact of different rapid MRI techniques for the assessment and follow-up of chronic aortic dissections. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-three patients (41 postoperative Stanford type A, 12 type B dissections) were scanned at 1.5 T during a 3-year period. The study reviewed ECG-gated breath-hold black blood sequences and 3D contrast-enhanced MR angiography of the thoracic aorta supplemented by segmented cine and phase-contrast imaging as well as abdominal contrast-enhanced MR angiography. A retrospective separate analysis of black blood acquisitions and contrast-enhanced MR angiograms from a total of 72 examinations was performed by two radiologists to evaluate detection of intimal flaps and assess image quality. RESULTS Sensitivity and specificity of black blood sequences compared with those of contrast-enhanced MR angiography in detecting intimal flaps were 87% and 94% for the thoracic aorta, and 54% and 97% for the supraaortic branches, respectively. Contrast-enhanced MR angiography was subjectively rated as superior to black blood techniques for visualizing intimal flaps and yielded better overall image quality (p < 0.001). Aortic valve competence can be assessed on segmented cine techniques. Phase-contrast sequences enabled the quantification of regurgitant flow across the aortic valve and the analysis of flow patterns in the true and false channels. CONCLUSION Contrast-enhanced MR angiography is superior to black blood MRI in detecting the presence or absence of intimal flaps and is particularly useful in assessing supraaortic branch vessel involvement. Cine and phase-contrast techniques should be included in the imaging follow-up to diagnose possible complications of chronic aortic dissections.
Inoculation onto Solid Surfaces Protects Salmonella spp. during Acid Challenge: a Model Study Using Polyethersulfone Membranes

ABSTRACT Salmonellae are the most frequently reported cause of outbreaks of food-borne gastroenteritis in the United States. In clinical trials, the oral infective dose (ID) for healthy volunteers was estimated to be approximately 1 million cells. However, in reports from various outbreaks, the ID of Salmonella species associated with solid foods was estimated to be as few as 100 cells. We found that fresh-cut produce surfaces not only provided suitable solid support for pathogen attachment but also played a critical role in increasing the acid tolerance of the pathogen. However the acidic nature of certain produce played no role in making salmonellae resistant to stomach acidity. Inoculation onto fresh-cut produce surfaces, as well as onto inert surfaces, such as polyethersulfone membranes and tissue paper, increased the survival of salmonellae during acid challenge (50 mM Na-citrate, pH 3.0; 37°C; 2 h) by 4 to 5 log units. Acid challenge experiments using cells inoculated onto polyethersulfone membranes provided a model system suitable for studying the underlying fundamentals of the protection that occurs when Salmonella strains are associated with solid foods. The surface-associated acid protection, which was observed in several Salmonella strains, required de novo protein synthesis and was independent of stationary-phase sigma transcription factor.
The Variation of Disulfides in the Progression of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

AIM The purpose of this study was to examine thiol-disulfide balance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS This study included 32 subjects with known type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications, 30 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with complications, 28 newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 45 healthy individuals. Thiol-disulfide profile tests were quantified in all groups. RESULTS Compared to the control group, patients in each of the diabetic groups had significantly lower native and total thiol levels, higher disulfide levels, and higher disulfide/native thiol and disulfide/total thiol ratios (p<0.05 for all). Disulfide levels were significantly lower in the newly diagnosed group than in other diabetic groups (p<0.05). There were significant associations between glycemic parameters and thiol-disulfide tests (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS A disequilibrium between thiol-disulfide pairs occurs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a gradual increase to disulfide levels may contribute to the disease's severity. Deteriorated thiol-disulfide homeostasis may be relevant to the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Challenges of Family Business Succession

Although everyday tasks in the family business may not differ from those in a non-family business, the family presence in the business has been recognised as having a profound influence on the operations of the business and on the process of transferring the business to the next generation. In the family business, where family, business and ownership systems are interwoven, leaders may also be confronted with particular challenges as the dreams, aspirations and relationships of family and non-family stakeholders are nurtured and managed. This case presents part of the story of a family business in the small to medium manufacturing sector in Australia. Two generations of family are involved in the management of the business and a number of members of the extended family are employed in the business. The case is intended to encourage thinking about how a family business should prepare for succession and how its leadership may be able to positively influence the succession process.
Generating patterns from fields of cells

In Drosophila, a cascade of maternal, gap, pair‐rule and segment polarity genes subdivides the antero/posterior axis of the embryo into repeating segmental stripes. This review summarizes what happens next, i.e. how an intrasegmental pattern is generated and controls the differentiation of specific cell types in the epidermis. Within each segment, cells secreting the signalling molecules Wingless (the homologue of vertebrate Wnt‐1) and Hedgehog are found in narrow stripes on both sides of the parasegmental boundary. The Wingless and Hedgehog organizing activities help to establish two more stripes per segment that localize ligands for the Epidermal Growth Factor and the Notch signalling pathways, respectively. These four signals then act at short range and in concert to control epidermal differentiation at the single cell level across the segment. This example from Drosophila provides a paradigm for how organizers generate precise patterns, and ultimately different cell types, in a naïve field of cells.