Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
‘Four-Closure’: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook & Google are driving business model innovation

This paper explores the rapid growth of four internet-based corporations and critiques the extent to which the Internet has developed from being simply a powerful tool and enabler of industry innovation to achieving status as a fully-fledged technology-based business ecosystem. The need to develop new management theories, tools and techniques to compete with the “Gang of Four” (Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook) are also discussed in some depth as well as providing a critique of traditional models/strategic approaches and more recent theories. This is considered to be an important area of research because as a new class of Internet company emerges incumbent firms in traditional industries will need to know how to prepare for the new challenges facing them.
Vía aérea difícil, detección preoperatoria y manejo en quirófano

Objetivo: Averiguar en nuestro medio la proporcion real de via aerea dificil existente y estimar la utilidad de los test predictivos actuales para su deteccion. Asimismo, valoramos la resolucion de la via aerea dificil, tanto prevista como desconocida. material y metodos: Se realizo un estudio observacional retrospectivo en 500 pacientes intervenidos en el Hospital Universitario Basurto durante dos meses en el ano 2011. Comparamos la prediccion de la via aerea en el preoperatorio con la facilidad de manejo en quirofano de la via aerea dificil tanto prevista como desconocida. Resultados: Existe en nuestro medio 6% de via aerea dificil real. Hasta 75% no es detectado por los test habituales en el preoperatorio. 100% de las vias aereas dificiles desconocidas fueron resueltas con laringoscopia convencional, siendo necesario el uso de otros dispositivos especificos de via aerea dificil, en algunos casos de via aerea dificil prevista. Conclusiones: Asegurar una adecuada preoxigenacion y disponer de material especifico para el manejo de la via aerea dificil resulta obligado, asumiendo la valoracion preoperatoria de esta como una herramienta orientativa y en ningun caso determinante en la facilidad o dificultad de su manejo. La laringoscopia convencional sigue siendo nuestro medio de eleccion para afrontar y resolver con exito la VAD desconocida.
Mouse macrophages contain a truncated CD4 transcript

Mouse macrophages do not express CD4 on their surfaces. We used the polymerase chain reaction to investigate CD4 gene transcription in individual clones of primary mouse splenic macrophages and cell lines of spleen and bone marrow macrophages. The results show only the presence of CD4 mRNA transcripts that are truncated in the 3′ coding sequence, thus explaining the lack of expression of a mature CD4 gene product by these cells.
Kinetics and modeling of autotrophic thiocyanate biodegradation.

The biokinetic parameters for autotrophic systems are difficult to obtain and are often mistakenly determined because the size of the autotrophic population in mixed (i.e., heterotrophic and autotrophic) cultures cannot be accurately estimated. This article presents a systematic approach, combining bioenergetic calculations and experimental data, to obtain values of the biokinetic parameters pertinent to the aerobic, autotrophic biodegradation of thiocyanate. Nonlinear regression techniques were employed using both initial thiocyanate utilization rate data and single thiocyanate depletion curves. Both types of data were necessary to overcome the problems arising from the linear nature of the substrate depletion curves and the high correlation of the biokinetic model parameters inherent in nonlinear regression analysis. The aerobic biodegradation of thiocyanate followed a substrate inhibition pattern that was successfully described by the Haldane-Andrews model. Although regression analysis did not yield unique biokinetic parameter estimates, the following parameter value ranges were obtained: maximum specific substrate utilization rate (k), 0.26 to 0.44 mg SCN-/mg biomass h; half-saturation coefficient (Ks), 2.3 to 7.1 mg SCN-/L; and inhibition coefficient (Ki), 28 to 109 mg SCN-/L. Based on the estimated biokinetic parameter values, a design and operation diagram was constructed that depicts the steady-state thiocyanate concentration as a function of solids retention time for a completely mixed, continuous-flow reactor.
The organization of the thalamocortical connections of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus in the rat, related to the ventral forebrain–prefrontal cortex topography

The medial and central segments of the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus (MD) receive afferents from the ventral forebrain, including the piriform cortex, the ventral pallidum, and the amygdaloid complex. Because MD is reciprocally interconnected with prefrontal and agranular insular cortical areas, it provides a relay of ventral forebrain activity to these cortical areas. However, there are also direct projections from the piriform cortex and the amygdala to the prefrontal and agranular insular cortices.
Phase-aberration correction using signals from point reflectors and diffuse scatterers: measurements

A method for phase-aberration correction of phased-array images is tested using a model of near-field velocity inhomogeneities. A set of grooved room-temperature vulcanizing plates was constructed to simulate near-field aberrations encountered in clinical ultrasound imaging. As expected, large image distortion was experienced when grooved plates producing significant aberrations were placed near the surface of the array. An iterative aberration correction procedure based on cross-correlation measures between neighboring elements in a phased array, using signals reflected from diffuse scatterers, significantly reduced the effects of these aberrations, producing images nearly identical to those generated in the absence of aberrations. The results suggest that a practical phase-aberration correction system can be constructed for medical ultrasound imaging and possibly all coherent imaging systems by using a sampled aperture. <<ETX>>
Elastographie haute-résolution pour l'évaluation des propriétés élastiques de la cornée et de la peau

Ces travaux de these portent sur la mise au point d'une technique d'elastographie quantitative a haute resolution pour l'estimation des proprietes biomecaniques de la cornee et de la peau. Pour cela, nous avons implemente la methode Supersonic Shear wave Imaging (SSI) a des frequences ultrasonores atteignant 20 MHz. L'elastographie SSI consiste a determiner la rigidite d'un milieu a partir de la vitesse de propagation d'une onde de cisaillement dans ce milieu. La geometrie de la cornee et de la peau, qui sont des organes d'epaisseur submillimetrique, impose un guidage des ondes de cisaillement le long des interfaces de ces organes, engendrant des phenomenes dispersifs. Nous avons donc dans un premier temps developpe un modele permettant de calculer quantitativement le module d'Young a partir des courbes de dispersion de l'onde de cisaillement. Dans un second temps, nous avons mis en application l'elastographie SSI pour obtenir des cartographies des proprietes elastiques de cornees porcines ex vivo et in vivo et du derme humain in vivo. Le comportement elastique anisotrope et non-lineaire de ces deux tissus a ainsi pu etre observe. Nous avons ensuite realise une etude preclinique en ophtalmologie, qui demontre la faisabilite d'utiliser l'elastographie SSI pour evaluer in vivo le durcissement corneen induit par un traitement appele " cross-linking de collagene corneen ". Enfin, nous avons mene deux etudes cliniques en dermatologie. L'une a permis d'etudier les variations d'elasticite du derme au cours du vieillissement, l'autre concerne la caracterisation de lesions cutanees.
Two aspartic proteinases secreted by the pathogenic yeast Candida parapsilosis differ in expression pattern and catalytic properties

Abstract Secreted aspartic proteinases (Sap) play a role in the virulence of pathogenic Candida spp. Candida parapsilosis possesses three genes encoding these enzymes: SAPP1, SAPP2, and SAPP3. We analyzed the expression of the SAPP1 and SAPP2 genes and the production of Sapp1p and Sapp2p proteinases in the presence of different nitrogen sources. While the SAPP2 transcript was present under all of the conditions tested, expression of SAPP1 was induced only by the presence of exogenous protein as the sole nitrogen source. The concentration of Sapp1p in the medium upon induction was at least one order of magnitude higher than the concentration of Sapp2p in all media tested in this study. Enzymological characterization of purified Sapp1p and Sapp2p demonstrated that Sapp2p has a more restricted substrate specificity and significantly lower catalytic activity than Sapp1p. Homology models of Sapp1p and Sapp2p revealed structural motifs that may be responsible for the differences between these two enzymes. Our results indicate that C. parapsilosis secretes a low level of Sapp2p proteinase with narrow substrate specificity and low proteolytic activity under most conditions, while expression and secretion of a higher amount of catalytically efficient Sapp1p enzymes is triggered in the presence of exogenous protein serving as a nitrogen source.
INCREASING THE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF ENTERPRISES THROUGH MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

In the literature there are many theories that try to explain why firms adopt the strategy of growth through mergers and acquisitions, or examine the particularities and consequences of this strategy. The purpose of this paper is to highlight, based on certain theories, the most important concepts for understanding the causes and motivations of mergers and acquisitions. Thus, in this paper we address successively the concepts of synergy, market power, information asymmetry, managerial discipline, managerial behaviour, agency costs, transaction costs, barriers to entry.
Barriers to Pediatric Pain Management in Children Undergoing Surgery: A Survey of Health Care Providers

ABSTRACT The appropriate pain management in neonates and children is lacking. Factors that prevent the execution of proper pain relief vary from center to center. We studied the factors responsible for it in a surgical unit. We conducted a survey at a tertiary-level institute among the resident doctors and nursing staff by means of an informal questionnaire analyzing their basic knowledge. The questions pertained mainly to pain assessment, analgesic usage, role of opioids, and formal training, and the responses so obtained were analyzed under these four headings. Seventy-three percent (22/30) of the residents and 74% (26/35) of the nursing staff knew about pain assessment scoring system in pediatric patients. However, assessment of pain in emergency cases was always done by only 6.6% of the residents. Effect of analgesia on severity of pain was never recorded by 33% (10/30) of the residents. Eighty-six percent (26/30) of the residents and 91% (32/35) of the nursing staff had adequate knowledge about analgesic dosage and interval for routine use. Ten of the 30 (33%) residents believed that analgesic administration in an acute abdomen, before definitive diagnosis, will always mask the symptoms. During a minor procedure, 56% (17/30) of the residents always used analgesia. Only 3.3% (1/30) of residents and 2.8% (1/35) of the nursing staff had received a structured training for pain management. Although, 93% (28/30) of the residents claimed to know about the safety of use of opioids, only 46% (14/30) used them routinely as analgesics. Pain management in surgical neonates and children is often ignored. Lack of formal training, inadequate knowledge, and standard protocols are the barriers in our setup, which may in turn be due to overwhelming attention given to the surgical condition.
The optimal fusion method study of multi-source information of the track parameters

This article presents a new optimal syncretic method of the multi-sourced information track-parameters processing. Including the fusion processing method of the double-sourced information and the multi-sourced-information. when multimetrical information exist in the same instant, this algorithm can reject its outliers and eliminate the suspicious errors in the accounting of the track by the multi-source measuring information order with this designed algorithm.Simulation result show this algorithm has good effects in the real_time processing of the track parameters.
Géométrie énumérative et contacts de variétés linéaires : application aux graphes d'aspects d'objets courbes

Les entites algebriques sont abondamment utilisees en vision par ordinateur. La geometrie algebrique est la branche des mathematiques dont le but est l'etude en toute generalite des proprietes de fonctions reliees par des equations polynomiales, d'ou sa pertinence en vision. Pourtant, les cooperations passees entre ces deux domaines sont restees faibles en comparaison des techniques puissantes mises au point dans l'etude des varietes algebriques, cela etant du probablement au haut niveau d'abstraction de la geometrie algebrique moderne. Nous effectuons ici un premier pas dans le sens d'une plus grande interaction. En nous penchant plus specifiquement sur la geometrie enumerative et la theorie de l'intersection, nous etudions le contact de droites et de plans avec des varietes projectives. En particulier, et cela constitue le noyau du document, nous travaillons sur la complexite des evenements visuels intervenant dans la construction de graphes d'aspects d'objets courbes lisses et lisses par morceaux. Nous concluons ensuite sur le nombre de vues typologiquement distinctes d'un objet. Plus generalement, nous verifions des resultats donnes par d'autres techniques et en calculons beaucoup de nouveaux, notre methode ayant le double avantage de pouvoir en grande partie s'automatiser et de fournir des resultats exacts. Les perspectives de recherche sont nombreuses et variees, tant d'un point de vue mathematique que du point de vue de la vision par ordinateur
Phylogeny and biogeography of cichlid fishes (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae)

Family level molecular phylogenetic analyses of cichlid fishes have generally suffered from a limited number of characters and/or poor taxonomic sampling across one or more major geographic assemblage, and therefore have not provided a robust test of early intrafamilial diversification. Herein we use both nuclear and mitochondrial nucleotide characters and direct optimization to reconstruct a phylogeny for cichlid fishes. Representatives of major cichlid lineages across all geographic assemblages are included, as well as nearly twice the number of characters as any prior family‐level study. In a strict consensus of 81 equally most‐parsimonious hypotheses, based on the simultaneous analysis of 2222 aligned nucleotide characters from two mitochondrial and two nuclear genes, four major subfamilial lineages are recovered with strong support. Etroplinae, endemic to Madagascar (Paretroplus) and southern Asia (Etroplus), is recovered as the sister taxon to the remainder of Cichlidae. Although the South Asian cichlids are monophyletic, the Malagasy plus South Asian lineages are not. The remaining Malagasy lineage, Ptychochrominae, is monophyletic and is recovered as the sister group to a clade comprising the African and Neotropical cichlids. The African (Pseudocrenilabrinae) and Neotropical (Cichlinae) lineages are each monophyletic in this reconstruction. The use of multiple molecular markers, from both mitochondrial and nuclear genes, results in a phylogeny that in general exhibits strong support, notably for early diversification events within Cichlidae. Results further indicate that Labroidei is not monophyletic, and that the sister group to Cichlidae may comprise a large and diverse assemblage of percomorph lineages. This hypothesis may at least partly explain why morphological studies that have attempted to place Cichlidae within Percomorpha, or that have tested cichlid monophyly using only “labroid” lineages, have met with only limited success.
An evaluation of cimetidine and ranitidine in the pain relief and acute healing of duodenal ulcer disease.

In a multicenter, single-blind, randomized trial, the effectiveness in pain relief and healing of three regimens of H2-receptor antagonists was compared in 338 patients with endoscopically confirmed active duodenal ulcers, 112 receiving cimetidine 300 mg four times daily (QID), 110 receiving cimetidine 800 mg at bedtime (HS), and 116 receiving ranitidine 300 mg HS. Evaluation of the immediate symptomatic response during the first 24 hours of therapy showed that a greater proportion of patients with nighttime pain were improved on HS regimen and a greater portion of patients with daytime pain were improved on QID regimen. With continued treatment the differences between a once-daily and a four-times-daily regimen disappeared and the HS regimen provided as much daytime pain relief as the QID regimen. For the two once-daily regimens where ranitidine and cimetidine were directly compared, a greater proportion of patients on cimetidine 800 mg HS had an immediate symptomatic improvement than on ranitidine 300 mg HS. When those who smoked were evaluated separately this difference was also evident. During the first 24 hours, a total of 68% of the smokers in the cimetidine HS treatment groups had improvement in daytime pain versus 44% of patients in the ranitidine group at day one. Nighttime pain relief in smokers on day one was apparent in 78% of the patients receiving the cimetidine HS regimen, in contrast to 67% of ranitidine-HS-treated patients. At the completion of a four-week course of treatment, both physicians' and patients' global assessments of the reduction in the severity and frequency of ulcer-related symptoms significantly favored cimetidine HS over ranitidine HS. These results after four weeks of treatment were corroborated by the endoscopy data, which showed 71% of patients in the cimetidine HS group were healed, compared with 63% in the ranitidine HS group. The 300 mg QID cimetidine regimen produced a 69% healing rate. For those patients whose ulcers were unhealed by the end of four weeks of treatment, a further course of treatment produced almost 9C% healing in all treatment groups and symptomatic relief in virtually all patients. None of the regimens was associated with unexpected adverse effects and all patients tolerated the treatments well. The results of this study confirm the efficacy and safety of single bedtime doses of cimetidine or ranitidine, as well as the four-times-daily cimetidine regimen, in the acute treatment of duodenal ulcers. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Rigorous MoM Analysis of Finite Conductivity Effects in RLSA Antennas

Although slot antennas are usually modeled as perfectly electric conductors, for accurate antenna design and optimization, ohmic loss effects cannot be neglected. This is especially true in millimeter and submillimeter-wave applications, and in low-cost technology for mass production, where highly conductive surfaces are out of budget. This paper presents a rigorous but efficient method-of-moments (MoM) formulation for the analysis of radial line slot array (RLSA) antennas, which includes the finite conductivity of metals. First, by using equivalence and reciprocity theorems, effective magnetic currents are defined on each slot aperture, instead of standard electric and magnetic equivalent currents. This choice halves the number of unknowns of the MoM linear system, still preserving the rigor of the electromagnetic formulation. Next, proper Green's functions accounting for the finite conductivity of metals are derived analytically and used in the MoM admittance matrix expressions. A numerical check of self and mutual admittances for a couple of slots etched in a nonperfectly conducting structure is provided against results from a finite-element method. Finally, a few RLSA realizations are analyzed to investigate the effect of ohmic losses in a practical antenna design.
Cognitive behavioural therapy does not reduce overall episode recurrence in people with recurrent bipolar disorder

Scott J, Paykel E, Morriss R, et al. Cognitive-behavioural therapy for severe and recurrent bipolar disorders: randomised controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry 2006;188:313–20.
Intelligent Storage and Retrieval Systems Based on RFID and Vision in Automated Warehouse

The automated warehouse is widely used in different kinds of corporations aiming to improve the storage and retrieval efficiency. In this paper, the robot system with RFID and vision was applied into the design of warehouses. Firstly, the RFID system is used to localize the target roughly and obtain the attributes of the target. Then the onboard vision system is used to recognize and locate the target precisely. Finally, the robot control scheme is designed based on the results of image processing, and the teaching mode and remote mode are used flexibly to assist robot to grasp the target. The combination of these two modes can not only reduce the complexity of robot control, but also can make full use of the results of image processing. Experiments demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system.
Providers' perspectives on challenges to contraceptive counseling in primary care settings.

BACKGROUND Although three quarters of reproductive-age women see a health provider annually, less than half receive recommended contraceptive counseling services. We sought to explore providers' perspectives on the challenges to contraceptive counseling in primary care clinics to develop strategies to improve counseling services. METHODS A qualitative, focus group (n = 8) study was conducted in November and December 2007; 48 of 90 providers practicing in four primary care clinics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center participated. Providers included physicians, nurses, and pharmacists working in these clinics' multidisciplinary teams. Discussions explored perceived barriers to the provision of counseling services. All groups were audiorecorded, transcribed, and entered into Atlas.Ti, a qualitative data management software. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to content analysis. RESULTS Perceived patient, provider, and health system barriers to contraceptive counseling were identified. Perceived patient barriers included infrequent sexual activity, familiarity with a limited number of methods, desire for pregnancy despite medical contraindications, and religious beliefs. Provider barriers included lack of knowledge, training, and comfort; assumptions about patient pregnancy risk; negative beliefs about contraceptive methods; reliance on patients to initiate discussions; and limited communication between primary care providers (PCPs) and subspecialists. Health system barriers included limited time and competing medical priorities. CONCLUSIONS PCPs vary widely in their knowledge, perceived competence, and comfort in providing contraceptive counseling. General efforts to improve integration of contraceptive counseling into primary care services in addition to electronic reminders and efficient delivery of contraceptive information are needed.