Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Better models with Delphi and Analytic Hierarchy Process approaches: the case of Reverse Logistics

Conceptual models, as simplifications of the reality they depict, never can include all the variables affecting some phenomenon. However, they should at least include the most important factors in order to make any practical sense. Typically, these conceptual models are built by observing the phenomena in practice or by studying the concepts theoretically and attempting to decide their relations and relative importance. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method although developed for decision-making under multiple conflicting priorities, can also be used in building conceptual models. This method requires a respondents' sample which will be further expanded beyond one organisation to cover a big enough variety of the specialists with understanding of the real phenomena. This paper describes the use of the AHP method in the combination of Delphi and illustrates it with an example of a recent phenomenon, Reverse Logistics (RL). Based on the results of this AHP study, a conceptual model for RL was formed.
The Current Spectrum of Infectious Glomerulonephritis: Experience with 76 Patients and Review of the Literature

To identify the demographic, clinical, and pathologic features and the prognosis of renal disease in a series of patients with infectious or postinfectious proliferative glomerulonephritis (GN), data were collected from records of 76 adult patients admitted from 1976 to 1993 to 2 neighboring suburban hospital nephrology units, whose catchment population consists of patients living in a suburban borough of Paris with a below-average socioeconomic status. Thirty-four patients (45%) were alcoholics, diabetics, or intravenous illicit-drug users. Sixty-six patients presented with acute nephritic and/or nephrotic syndrome. Acute renal failure was present in 56 (76%) and required dialysis in 14. The diagnostic workup comprised at least 1 renal biopsy in each case. The patient's background, site of infection, clinical course, laboratory variables, and, when available, bacteriologic findings were analyzed in each case to interpret the evolution of the disease. Initial renal biopsy disclosed endocapillary GN in 44 patients, crescentic GN in 26, and membranoproliferative GN in 6. Ten patients had endocarditis. Staphylococci and Gram-negative strains, not streptococci, were the most common bacteria identified. The origin of sepsis was mainly the oropharynx (21), the skin (19) and the lung (14); 19 cases involved multiple sites of infection. Eight patients died (11%), and 20 (26%) recovered renal function, but GN followed a chronic course in 38 (50%), rapidly requiring maintenance dialysis in 6. Poor prognostic factors included age over 50 years, purpura, endocarditis, and glomerular extracapillary proliferation. Twenty-six patients underwent repeat renal biopsy 1 month to 11 years after the initial presentation. The main finding, irrespective of the interval since the first biopsy, was that ongoing or new iatrogenic infection acquired during hospitalization was almost invariably acquired during hospitalization was almost invariably associated with developing glomerular proliferative changes. This study shows that infectious proliferative GN remains common, but that its epidemiology has changed from what was observed until 2 decades ago. The responsible bacteria, when identified, now comprise a majority of staphylococci and Gram-negative strains, in contrast to the streptococci which predominated 3 decades ago. Infectious GN affects with increasing frequency patients with an underlying condition responsible for immunosuppression, especially alcoholism, even in the absence of cirrhosis. Destructive glomerular proliferation persists, especially but not exclusively until infection has been eradicated, and despite rescue treatment with corticosteroids and/or cytostatic drugs. Thus, the prognosis is poor, and infectious GN often ends in renal death. Infection continues in this decade to represent a frequent and probably often overlooked cause of end-stage renal failure. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A Study on Over-investment Behavior of State-owned Companies under the Intervention of Local Governments

From the perspective of public governance objectives,this paper studies the problem of over-investment in state-owned enterprises under the local government intervention. The study found that local economic growth and the size of the deficit have a significant impact on over-investment of the local state-owned enterprises,further studies have shown that the lower region's urbanization rate,the more serious problem of over-investment in the local state-owned enterprises,the level of urbanization has a significant negative correlation with the level of over-investment of local stateowned enterprises. Based on these research findings,this paper proposed that we need to accelerate market-oriented reforms from both the local government and state-owned enterprises.
Blockchains: How they work and why they'll change the world

Bitcoin was hatched as an act of defiance. Unleashed in the wake of the Great Recession, the cryptocurrency was touted by its early champions as an antidote to the inequities and corruption of the traditional financial system. They cherished the belief that as this parallel currency took off, it would compete with and ultimately dismantle the institutions that had brought about the crisis. Bitcoin's unofficial catchphrase, "In cryptography we trust," left no doubt about who was to blame: It was the middlemen, the bankers, the "trusted" third parties who actually couldn't be trusted. These humans simply got in the way of other humans, skimming profits and complicating transactions.
The ability to predict dynamic foot posture from static measurements.

BACKGROUND A study was undertaken to investigate the ability to predict dynamic foot posture from static measurements. METHODS Arch height and arch height ratio measurements were obtained from videotape images of the medial aspect of the foot during standing, walking, and jogging in 5 male and 13 female asymptomatic subjects. RESULTS Arch height and arch height ratio measurements taken in standing explained 66% to 83% of the variance associated with these measurements at midstance during walking and running. Arch height and arch height ratio demonstrated high reliability as static and dynamic measures. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study support the use of arch height and arch height ratio measurements taken statically in the clinical assessment of the foot and may assist the clinician in estimating foot posture during dynamic activity in patients with lower-limb injuries.
Effect of viscoelastic shoe insoles on vertical impact forces in heel-toe running

The purposes of this study were: 1) to compare the impact forces in running using running shoes with con ventional insoles to the impact forces using running shoes with four different viscoelastic insoles, 2) to discuss possible effects of the viscoelastic insoles on lower leg kinematics, and 3) to explain the force and kinematic results using a mechanical model. Kinetic and kinematic data were collected for 14 subjects running heel-toe at an average speed of 4 m/s. The results showed that the four tested viscoelastic insoles did not differ in variables describing the vertical impact forces (vertical force peak, time of occurrence of vertical force peak, maximum vertical loading rate) compared to the conventional insoles furnished in running shoes. Fur thermore, the viscoelastic insoles did not influence ki nematic variables of the lower extremities in a system atic way.
A new foundation for control dependence and slicing for modern program structures

The notion of control dependence underlies many program analysis and transformation techniques. Despite being widely used, existing definitions and approaches to calculating control dependence are difficult to apply directly to modern program structures because these make substantial use of exception processing and increasingly support reactive systems designed to run indefinitely. This article revisits foundational issues surrounding control dependence, and develops definitions and algorithms for computing several variations of control dependence that can be directly applied to modern program structures. To provide a foundation for slicing reactive systems, the article proposes a notion of slicing correctness based on weak bisimulation, and proves that some of these new definitions of control dependence generate slices that conform to this notion of correctness. This new framework of control dependence definitions, with corresponding correctness results, is even able to support programs with irreducible control flow graphs. Finally, a variety of properties show that the new definitions conservatively extend classic definitions. These new definitions and algorithms form the basis of the Indus Java slicer, a publicly available program slicer that has been implemented for full Java.
Painful shoulder: comparison of physical examination and ultrasonographic findings

Background: High frequency ultrasonography is an accurate non-invasive imaging technique for evaluating patients with painful shoulder. Objective: To compare the clinical diagnosis established by a physical examination with high frequency ultrasonographic findings in patients with painful shoulder. Methods: Thirty one consecutive patients with a first flare of shoulder pain were prospectively included in the study. All had a physical examination performed by two blinded rheumatologists. Ultrasonographic examination was carried out within one week of the physical examination by a third rheumatologist experienced in this technique who had no knowledge of the clinical findings. Ultrasonography was considered the optimal diagnostic technique. Results: Clinical assessment showed low accuracy in the diagnosis of periarticular shoulder lesions. Conclusion: Ultrasonography should be used wherever possible to improve diagnosis and treatment of painful shoulder.
Financial Markets and Public Finance in the Transformation Process

The paper surveys the role of financial markets and fiscal institutions in the transformation process going on in Eastern and Central Europe. It highlights (a) the need to create some sort of "social ecological balance" necessary for the working of a modern market economy; (b) the need to develop appropriate financial institutions that can mobilize savings and allocate them efficiently; and (c) the major reforms necessary in the fiscal area. It also calls attention to the extent to which monetary and fiscal policies overlap in these countries and the implications of that overlapping.
Stability of self-esteem across the life span.

Two studies examined the rank-order stability of self-esteem from age 6 to 83: Study 1 was a meta-analysis of 50 published articles (N = 29,839) and Study 2 analyzed data from 4 large national studies (N = 74,381). Self-esteem showed substantial continuity over time (disattenuated correlations ranged from the .50s to .70s), comparable to the stability found for personality traits. Both studies provided evidence for a robust developmental trend: Self-esteem stability was low during childhood, increased throughout adolescence and young adulthood, and declined during midlife and old age. This trend could not be explained by age differences in the reliability of self-esteem measures, and generally replicated across gender, ethnicity, self-esteem scale, nationality (U.S. vs. non-U.S.), and year of publication.
Lipidation by the Host Prenyltransferase Machinery Facilitates Membrane Localization of Legionella pneumophila Effector Proteins*

The intracellular human pathogen Legionella pneumophila translocates multiple proteins in the host cytosol known as effectors, which subvert host cellular processes to create a membrane-bound organelle that supports bacterial replication. It was observed that several Legionella effectors encode a prototypical eukaryotic prenylation CAAX motif (where C represents a cysteine residue and A denotes an aliphatic amino acid). These bacterial motifs mediated posttranslational modification of effector proteins resulting in the addition of either a farnesyl or geranylgeranyl isoprenyl lipid moiety to the cysteine residue of the CAAX tetrapeptide. Lipidation enhanced membrane affinity for most Legionella CAAX motif proteins and facilitated the localization of these effector proteins to host organelles. Host farnesyltransferase and class I geranylgeranyltransferase were both involved in the lipidation of the Legionella CAAX motif proteins. Perturbation of the host prenylation machinery during infection adversely affected the remodeling of the Legionella-containing vacuole. Thus, these data indicate that Legionella utilize the host prenylation machinery to facilitate targeting of effector proteins to membrane-bound organelles during intracellular infection.
HOW CAN SUPPLY MANAGEMENT REALLY IMPROVE PERFORMANCE? A KNOWLEDGE-BASED MODEL OF ALIGNMENT CAPABILITIES

Prior research has underscored the importance of internal and external supply chain integration, but the growing role of the supply management organization in developing this capability is not well specified. In this research, we explore the concept of supply management alignment, defined as the behavioral characteristics and process requirements for understanding and explicitly outlining internal stakeholder needs, and linking these to supplier performance agreements. Using the lens of dynamic capabilities, we propose a theoretical model for creating supply management alignment. This model presents the synergistic effects derived through strong internal lines of communication combined with external supply relationships based on defined metrics and processes. The underlying set of requirements to achieve supply management alignment is proposed and tested in this model, thereby enhancing our understanding of the processes and behaviors required for integration of internal stakeholder needs with external suppliers, which can lead to improved performance. We explore the complementary effects of supply management alignment on network agility and supplier performance improvements. Data from 151 UK manufacturing firms are used to test the model. The results provide a unifying framework tying together many of the prescriptive elements of strategic sourcing into a more coherent theoretical model and establish the basis for future studies of supply management alignment capabilities.
Egyptian Exchange: Organizational Structure, Trading System, Indices & Economic Factors

In 2/7/2008, Cairo Stock Exchange and Alexandria Stock Exchange are merger under new name; this name is Egyptian Exchange (EGX); today Egyptian Exchange (EGX) has 4 equity indices (EGX100, EGX70, EGX30 and EGX20 and 12 sectors indices.EGX trading system has evolved over the last ten years, we find that in application same day trading, margin and development of disclosure rules, but it needs to implementation short-selling and derivatives.Finally, from analysis EGX30 data and some of Economic Factors between 2003 for 2010, the study found significant Positive relationship between EGX30 return with foreign direct investment and tourism (at 1% level), but significant negative relationship with exchange rate (at 1% level) and unemployment rate (at 5% level). As for inflation did not have a correlation with EGX30, the inflation is suffers from government intervention in Market mechanisms, especially prices of bread.
Effect of bar-code technology on the safety of medication administration.

BACKGROUND Serious medication errors are common in hospitals and often occur during order transcription or administration of medication. To help prevent such errors, technology has been developed to verify medications by incorporating bar-code verification technology within an electronic medication-administration system (bar-code eMAR). METHODS We conducted a before-and-after, quasi-experimental study in an academic medical center that was implementing the bar-code eMAR. We assessed rates of errors in order transcription and medication administration on units before and after implementation of the bar-code eMAR. Errors that involved early or late administration of medications were classified as timing errors and all others as nontiming errors. Two clinicians reviewed the errors to determine their potential to harm patients and classified those that could be harmful as potential adverse drug events. RESULTS We observed 14,041 medication administrations and reviewed 3082 order transcriptions. Observers noted 776 nontiming errors in medication administration on units that did not use the bar-code eMAR (an 11.5% error rate) versus 495 such errors on units that did use it (a 6.8% error rate)--a 41.4% relative reduction in errors (P<0.001). The rate of potential adverse drug events (other than those associated with timing errors) fell from 3.1% without the use of the bar-code eMAR to 1.6% with its use, representing a 50.8% relative reduction (P<0.001). The rate of timing errors in medication administration fell by 27.3% (P<0.001), but the rate of potential adverse drug events associated with timing errors did not change significantly. Transcription errors occurred at a rate of 6.1% on units that did not use the bar-code eMAR but were completely eliminated on units that did use it. CONCLUSIONS Use of the bar-code eMAR substantially reduced the rate of errors in order transcription and in medication administration as well as potential adverse drug events, although it did not eliminate such errors. Our data show that the bar-code eMAR is an important intervention to improve medication safety. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00243373.)
Nonparametric Bayes Estimator of Survival Function for Right-Censoring and Left-Truncation Data

The nonparametric Bayes estimator of survival function with Dirichlet process prior under squared error loss for right censored data was considered by Susarla and Van Ryzin (1976). Recently, Zhou (2004) investigated the nonparametric Bayes estimator for doubly/interval censored data with the same prior and loss function. In this paper, we obtain the Bayes estimator for right-censoring and left-truncation data with Dirichlet process prior under squared error loss. Explicit formula for the estimator is obtained and a software package for R is also provided.
Running free: Embracing a healthy lifestyle through distance running

Sport and leisure activity contribute to both health and quality of life. There is a dearth of qualitative studies on the lived experiences of active people, so the aim of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of one particular group of active leisure participants, distance runners, and to highlight the associated health and well-being benefits that result from participating in this increasingly popular form of active leisure. In doing so, this paper will briefly explore the potential opportunities and implications for sport and leisure policy and provision, and highlight examples of how distance running could positively contribute towards government objectives linked to tackling obesity levels, healthy living and physical well-being. It is suggested that similar benefits also exist across other forms of physical activity, exercise and sport. Qualitative methods of enquiry were adopted to understand the nature of the social world of long distance runners through interviews and observations, which were thematically analyzed. One of the key themes emerging from the data was the desire to embrace a healthy lifestyle, which then led to the emergence of four main sub-themes. The first was linked to the importance of seeking self-esteem and confirmation through running; second, an investigation of a selection of negative aspects associated with exercise addiction; third, the need to exercise among sport and leisure participants; and finally, an understanding of the concept of the ‘running body’. Cautionary notes also identified negative aspects associated with exercise and physical activity. The findings highlight the potential role that distance running can play as an easily accessible and enjoyable leisure activity, one that can help facilitate increased participation in exercise and physical activity as an integral part of an active and healthy lifestyle.
4-(4-Chlorophenyl)-6-hydroxy-5-(2-thienylcarbonyl)-6-(trifluoromethyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one monohydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C16H12ClF3N2O3S·H2O, contains two crystallographically independent organic molecules and two water molecules. The organic species are linked by an intermolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond, while the water molecules are connected to them through intermolecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. The thiophene and phenyl rings are oriented at dihedral angles of 62.35 (4) in the first independent molecule and 60.74 (5)° in the second, while the pyrimidine rings adopt twisted conformations in both molecules. Intramolecular N—H⋯F interactions result in the formation of two five-membered rings having envelope conformations. In the crystal structure, further intermolecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into chains.
Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Cells Infected with Influenza Virus

Virus-specific ribonucleic acid (RNA), synthesized in influenza virus-infected cells from 3.5 to 7.5 hr after infection, was studied. After velocity centrifugation in sucrose, three peaks of virus-specific RNA could be identified: 34S, 18S, and 11S. These RNA species are predominantly single-stranded and consist of 90% viral (plus) and 10% complementary (minus) RNA strands. Most (75%) of the complementary RNA is single-stranded, i.e., not part of RNA duplexes or replicative intermediates. The 34S RNA species is an aggregate of 18S and 14S RNA species. Both 18S and 11S RNA species are relatively heterogenous compared to 18S ribosomal RNA, and these species probably contain different RNA molecules having closely related sedimentation coefficients.
In vivo assessment of liver cell apoptosis as a novel biomarker of disease severity in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

In patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a liver biopsy remains the only reliable way to differentiate simple steatosis from nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Noninvasive methods are urgently needed. Increasing evidence suggests hepatocyte apoptosis is a key mediator of liver injury in NAFLD. The aim of this study was to quantify hepatocyte apoptosis in plasma from patients with NAFLD and correlate it with histological severity. Plasma was obtained from 44 consecutive patients with suspected NAFLD at the time of liver biopsy. Histology was assessed blindly. Caspase‐3–generated cytokeratin‐18 fragments were measured in situ via immunohistochemistry and in vivo using a novel enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Plasma cytokeratin‐18 fragments were markedly increased in patients with NASH compared with patients with simple steatosis or normal biopsies (median [interquartile range]: 765.7 U/L [479.6–991.1], 202.4 U/L [160.4–258.2], 215.5 U/L [150.2–296.2], respectively; P < .001). Cytokeratin‐18 fragment levels independently predicted NASH (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.18–3.22; P = .009 for every 50 U/L increase). A cutoff value of 395 U/L calculated using the receiver operating characteristic curve approach showed a specificity of 99.9%, a sensitivity of 85.7%, and positive and negative predictive values of 99.9% and 85.7%, respectively, for the diagnosis of NASH. In conclusion, these findings strongly suggest that determination of hepatocyte caspase activation in the blood is a strong and independent predictor of NASH in human subjects. These data highlight the potential usefulness of this test as a noninvasive diagnostic means of determining histological disease severity in patients with NAFLD. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;44:27–33.)