Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic paradigms for information systems and networks

In this thesis, we propose novel methodologies based on economic models and market mechanisms to provide Quality of Service (QoS) to competing user groups or user classes in information networks and systems. We first consider an economy of a packet network where resources are priced by network service providers. User classes, via economic agents, compete for network resources (bandwidth and buffers), and purchase them to satisfy their diverse QoS needs (such as packet loss, delay and thruput). Network providers set prices based on demand and available supply. Using such economic models, we provide a new definition for QoS provisioning, where we obtain the set of optimal resource allocations (Pareto optimal) to provide QoS guarantees to competing user classes. We decentralize the control of resources and services such as scheduling, admission and routing. In addition, we propose novel session routing mechanisms, which are performed by the agents. In our network economy, prices are set based on demands from agents, who represent user classes. Users within a class share resources, and in order to account for them, we propose novel charging mechanisms. Our economic models can be applied to QoS provisioning and QoS based charging/accounting in networks such as ATM and the upcoming Integrated Services Internet. In addition, our economic models can be applied to environments such as private or campus networks and systems, where fictitious money can be used for allocating quotas among users or user groups. We then consider QoS provisioning and resource allocation issues in distributed information systems, where the resources are server processing rate and memory. Users of applications (such as multimedia, transaction processing and database), in order to satisfy their QoS needs, compete for resources from servers of the information system. We consider an economy of such a system, and we show Pareto optimal allocation of resources among competing economic agents, who represent users classes (such as transaction classes). The QoS requirements are average response time and thruput. We show novel static and dynamic session routing algorithms by agents, where control is decentralized. In a large economy, consumers have to find suppliers, and likewise, suppliers have to advertise in order to attract consumers. We present three architectures using Internet Domain name Services to promote interaction between consumers and suppliers in an economy. This interaction is done through bulletin boards where suppliers advertise their services, and consumers search for the right set of suppliers. We design and implement the three architectures, and we compare the architectures based on performance (average consumer search response time), scalability, effective caching/replication and security.
Aβ vaccination effects on plaque pathology in the absence of encephalitis in Alzheimer disease

The authors report a patient with Alzheimer disease (AD) without encephalitis who was immunized with AN-1792 (an adjuvanted formulation of Aβ-42). There were no amyloid plaques in the frontal cortex and abundant Aβ-immunoreactive macrophages, but tangles and amyloid angiopathy were present. The white matter appeared normal and minimal lymphocytic infiltration in the leptomeninges was observed. This case illustrates the effects of an Aβ-based immunization on AD pathogenesis in the absence of overt meningoencephalitis and leukoencephalopathy.
The NSAIDs Indomethacin and Diflunisal as Scavengers of Photogenerated Reactive Oxygen Species

Diflunisal (DFNS) and Indomethacin (IMTC) are two profusely employed NSAIDs that provide anti‐inflammatory and analgesic effects in humans. The scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by both NSAIDs was systematically studied in pH 7 aqueous solution. The ROS O2(1Δg), O2•− and H2O2, generated by visible light irradiation of Riboflavin (Rf) in the presence of DFNS and IMTC, are deactivated by the NSAIDs. The ROS scavenging action by both NSAIDs constitutes an interesting result and adds one more positive aspect to the beneficial actions attributed to these drugs. Nevertheless it should be taken into account that several NSAIDs, in particular IMTC, have been connected to the pathogenesis of gastric mucosal lesions, which in some cases includes ROS generating‐ability. DFNS quenches ROS in a dominant physical fashion. It constitutes an excellent protective‐antioxidant provided that is practically not destroyed/oxidized after the ROS scavenging action. IMTC, being also an efficient interceptor of ROS, belong to the so‐called group of sacrificial‐ROS quenchers: It is easily degraded by the oxidative species in the scavenging action. Although this property is negative in the context of prolonged ROS elimination, exhibits a promissory aspect for the degradation of pharmaceutical contaminants, such as NSAIDs, in waste waters.
Nitric oxide in the crustacean brain: Regulation of neurogenesis and morphogenesis in the developing olfactory pathway

Nitric oxide (NO) plays major roles during development and in adult organisms. We examined the temporal and spatial patterns of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) appearance in the embryonic lobster brain to localize sources of NO activity; potential NO targets were identified by defining the distribution of NO‐induced cGMP. Staining patterns are compared with NOS and cyclic 3,5 guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) distribution in adult lobster brains. Manipulation of NO levels influences olfactory glomerular formation and stabilization, as well as levels of neurogenesis among the olfactory projection neurons. In the first 2 days following ablation of the lateral antennular flagella in juvenile lobsters, a wave of increased NOS immunoreactivity and a reduction in neurogenesis occur. These studies implicate nitric oxide as a developmental architect and also support a role for this molecule in the neural response to injury in the olfactory pathway. Developmental Dynamics 236:3047–3060, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cost-efficiency Analysis of USG-guided Transversus Abdominis Plane Blocks

Detrimental effects of poorly controlled acute pain after abdominal surgery range from patient suffering, distress, respiratory complications, delirium, myocardial ischaemia, prolonged hospital stay and an increased likelihood of chronic pain. Traditionally, patients undergoing major abdominal surgery have received systemic drugs, such as opioids, ketamine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), alpha-2 agonists and paracetamol or epidural analgesia as part of their postoperative pain management. Peripheral nerve blockade is an alternative means of providing analgesia, by anesthetising the sensory nerves conveying pain impulses from the incision site to the spinal cord and brain. The purpose of this study is to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of ultrasound (US) guidance for postoperative bilateral transversus abdominal plane (TAP) block vs landmark-guided epidural block in elective patients undergoing major gynaecologic oncological surgery. The hypothesis was that US guidance for TAP block is cost-effective compared with continuous epidural infusion in managing postoperative analgesia. Our study is the first health economic evaluation of USG guided TAP block vs landmark guided epidural block for the first 24 hours postoperatively. USG guided bilateral TAP blocks are more cost-effective than continuous epidurals in the first 24 hours postoperatively in patients undergoing midline laparotomy for gynaecologic oncologic surgeries. Thus, in patients with contraindications to epidural blocks can have them as a part of their multimodal analgesia plan.
HRM in Multinationals’ Operations in China: Business, People, and HR Issues

This paper presents the results of a study on the HR function in the Chinese operations of large multinational companies. Surveys of both line and HR executives in these firms were conducted. Results reveal that line executives are more sensitive than HR executives to criticality of people management issues as business issues, and that they see HR's strategic orientation as the most critical area for improvement. The challenges and opportunities implied by these results are discussed.
A Glimpse of Truth Maintenance

To choose their actions, reasoning programs must be able to draw conclusions from limited information and subsequently revise their beliefs when discoveries invalidate previous assumptions. In the Truth Maintenance System (TMS) I introduce a new notion of "reason for belief which permits the mechanization of these abilities as a problem solver subsystem The TMS records and maintains the reasons for program beliefs. These recorded reasons are useful in constructing explanations of program beliefs and actions, and in guiding the course of action of a problem solver. This paper outlines some of the structure and applications of the TMS.
Business Strategy: A Guide to Taking Your Business Forward

On these decisions hangs the future of the business: how successful it is, even whether it is successful. Yet business history is full of strategic decisions, both big and small, that were weak, poorly conceived and consequently disastrous. This book looks at the whole process of strategic decision-making: the forces that influence decision-makers, the traps they fall into, the times when a rational approach to decision-making is required and those when intuition is needed, the techniques that can help managers reach a strategically sound decision, and the questions they should ask themselves before coming to a decision. By looking at the range of strategic decisions that companies face and the techniques - old and new - that can help, this book provides insights into how to make effective strategic decisions.
Changing Human Resource Management in an Indonesian State Owned Airline Company: An Effect of Privatization Process Case Study: PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines

Privatization is known to be a solution to generate revenue and cut expenditure for the government, as part of the public sector reform or structural adjustment program. The core of privatization is the transfer of state-owned enterprises to private ownership (Kirkpartrick, 2002: 121-132). For many developing countries, privatization was seen as an omnibus policy which could reduce the budget deficit by forgoing subsidies to public enterprise, reduce debt by writing down the proceeds received from the sale of public enterprises, stimulate private sector investment and thus lower public sector investment, signal a new political climate and increasing the efficiency of former state-owned enterprises (Hoeven & Sziracki, 1997:4).
Prediction method for the deformation of deep foundation pit based on neural network algorithm optimized by particle swarm

Prediction of the deformation is an important means of the construction parameter adjustment and the construction safety of deep foundation pit. Combining particle swarm optimization with neural network algorithm, The prediction method for the deformation of deep foundation pit based on neural network algorithm optimized by particle swarm is established. In order to improve the prediction accuracy and prediction efficiency of the neural network algorithm, The initial weights and the initial threshold value of neural network model are optimized by using particle swarm optimization. In the neural network model, the deformation of foundation pit is predicted by the optimized initial weights and the optimized initial threshold value. Relying on the practical engineering, the effectiveness and practicality of the method proposed in this paper are verified.
Ligand-Directed Signaling at the β3-Adrenoceptor Produced by 3-(2-Ethylphenoxy)-1-[(1,S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronapth-1-ylamino]-2S-2-propanol oxalate (SR59230A) Relative to Receptor Agonists

This study examines signaling pathways activated by the mouse β3-adrenoceptor (AR) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells at high (CHOβ3H) or low (CHOβ3L) levels. Functional responses included extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), cAMP accumulation, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) or extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2) phosphorylation. (–)-Isoproterenol and the β3-AR agonist (R, R)-5-[2-[[2-(3-chlorophenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]-amino]-propyl]1,3-benzodioxole-2,2-decarboxylate (CL316243) caused concentration-dependent increases in cAMP accumulation and ECAR in CHOβ3H and CHOβ3L cells. For cAMP accumulation, the β3-AR ligand SR59230A was a partial agonist in CHOβ3H and an antagonist in CHOβ3L cells but for ECAR was an agonist at both expression levels. This suggested that SR59230A, which is normally regarded as an antagonist, can selectively activate pathways leading to ECAR. Examination of the pathways stimulated by (–)-isoproterenol, CL316243, and SR59230A for both ECAR and cAMP accumulation suggested that the cAMP pathway predominates in CHOβ3H cells, whereas p38 MAPK is a major contributor to ECAR in CHOβ3L cells and was the sole contributor to responses to SR59230A. Western blots of p38 MAPK and Erk1/2 phosphorylation confirmed that MAPKs are activated in CHOβ3H and CHOβ3L cells by CL316243 and SR59230A but that SR59230A has much higher efficacy. In addition, p38 MAPK phosphorylation displayed differences in drug potency and efficacy between CHOβ3H and CHOβ3L cells related to inhibition of the response by cAMP. Thus, CL316243 and SR59230A display reversed orders of efficacy for cAMP accumulation compared with Erk1/2 and p38 MAPK phosphorylation, providing a strong indication of ligand-directed signaling.
Consumer self-service technology adoption in multiple service industries in Saudi Arabia

The current convergence of information and communication technology (ICT) is found to be creating new opportunities. Business organizations are leveraging this technology in response to the need for greater business integration, flexibility, and agility. One of the technologies that have been utilized quite aggressively by firms is the Self-Service Technologies (SST). Although the proclaimed benefits of SSTs are enormous, few institutions which have adopted the SST have achieved its intended objectives. Even thought the use of the SSTs in the service settings within the developed economies has attained an increasing level of acceptance by consumers, little is known about the consumer‟s adoption in the Arab world, particularly in Saudi Arabia which is still lack of research in this area. Therefore, the main aim of this thesis is to explore the SST adoption in multiple sectors in Saudi Arabia as well as the usage of all types of SST. The main focus of this thesis, is to explore the consumers‟ adoption of the SSTs through the users‟ seek values. The users‟ seek values construct is a new construct proposed in this study to complement the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework. The research model composes of four variables: the antecedents of users‟ seek values; the users‟ seek values; the customers‟ intention to use the SST; and the customers‟ adoption of the SST. Using a mall-intercept technique, a sample of 400 respondents was collected in three major cities in Saudi Arabia. The hypothesis was tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results showed that, for the antecedent factors, demographic profiles and personality traits were found to influence the users‟ seek values. In addition, users‟ seek values were found to mediate the relationship between the consumers‟ characteristics and their intention to use the SST. In addition, the intention to use the SST also mediates the relationship between users‟ seek values and the SST adoption. Finally, the direct positive relationship between customers‟ intention and adoption was also confirmed. The research concluded with a discussion on the management implications as well as the recommendations and the future research that need to be carried out.
An Economic Analysis of Auditor Independence for a Multi-Client, Multi-Service Public Accounting Firm

This paper provides an economic analysis of multi-client, multi-service accounting firms. The objective is to aid in the development of a new framework for auditor independence. We adopt the modern theory of the economics of organization, which views organizational structures and relationships as the results of efforts to create and deliver value. We see auditor independence as a property of auditors' interests, both at a personal level and at the level of the accounting firm. A proper assessment of auditors' interests requires a holistic approach. That is, in assessing auditor independence, we must examine the totality of auditors' interests. We identify and analyze a complex web of institutional and personal incentives that affect auditors' interest
RAIM: Redundant array of independent motes

Wireless Sensor Networks in real world context are per se error-prone; motes can be lost, destroyed, corrupted, or stolen. Some scenarios demand a high level of confidentiality and integrity so that an attacker cannot access or alter the secret data. Other setups may require a high level of redundancy so that data from many motes can be recovered by only collecting a few. In this paper we show how both can be achieved at the same time by designing a protocol based on Shamir's Secret Sharing, symmetric ciphers, and Message Authentication Codes to distribute, encrypt, and authenticate the data. Our implementation RAIM supports the whole bandwidth from full redundancy to full confidentiality. RAIM is the first security implementation for Contiki OS, which uses secret sharing techniques. It has been deployed on physical motes, where its real world energy consumption and throughput has been measured. In addition to real world experiments, we provide a simulation to evaluate all possible configurations.
Measuring and improving quality in emergency medicine.

The findings are presented of a consensus committee created to address the measuring and improving of quality in emergency medicine. The objective of the committee was to critically evaluate how quality in emergency medicine can be measured and how quality improvement projects can positively affect the care of emergency patients. Medical quality is defined as "the care health professionals would want to receive if they got sick. " The literature of quality improvement in emergency medicine is reviewed and analyzed. A summary list of measures of quality is included with four categories: condition-specific diseases, diagnostic syndromes, tasks/procedures, and department efficiency/efficacy. Methods and tools for quantifying these measures are examined as well as their accuracy in assessing quality and adjusting for differences in environment, and patient populations. Successful strategies for changing physician behavior are detailed as well as barriers to change. Examples are given of successful quality improvement efforts. Also examined is how to address the emergency care needs of vulnerable populations such as older persons, women, those without health insurance, and ethnic minorities.
Particle Swarm Optimization Approach in a Consignment Inventory System

Consignment Inventory (CI) is a kind of inventory which is in the possession of the customer, but is still owned by the supplier. This creates a condition of shared risk whereby the supplier risks the capital investment associated with the inventory while the customer risks dedicating retail space to the product. This paper considers both the vendor’s and the retailers’ costs in an integrated model. The vendor here is a warehouse which stores one type of product and supplies it at the same wholesale price to multiple retailers who then sell the product in independent markets at retail prices. Our main aim is to design a CI system which generates minimum costs for the two parties. Here a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is developed to calculate the proper values. Finally a sensitivity analysis is performed to examine the effects of each parameter on decision variables. Also PSO performance is compared with genetic algorithm.
CHOROIDAL GRANULOMAS IN SYSTEMIC SARCOIDOSIS

Purpose To evaluate the clinical course, including response to therapy, of patients with macular and peripapillary choroidal granulomas secondary to systemic sarcoidosis. Methods This is a retrospective case study and literature review. Nine patients with choroidal granulomas were identified. Eight patients had a tissue biopsy confirming sarcoidosis; one was diagnosed from clinical history and typical gallium scan. Ocular examinations included fundus examination, fluorescein angiography, and visual field examination. Eight patients had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans looking for intracranial granulomas. Treatment consisted of oral prednisone in eight patients (one with concomitant subconjunctival triamcinolone); one patient received no treatment because of good vision and granuloma in the nasal retina. Variables studied included visual acuity (VA), response of granulomas to treatment, time to recurrence, and associated anterior segment findings. Results Eight of nine patients had a solitary lesion whereas one had multifocal involvement. The granulomas ranged in size from one half to four disk diameters. Eight patients had blurry vision; one was asymptomatic. All nine patients had hilar adenopathy and/or pulmonary parenchymal disease. No patient had nonocular neurologic symptoms and in eight patients who underwent MRI examination no intracranial granulomas were detected. Of the eyes that were treated (n = 8) all had decrease in the size of the choroidal mass at an average of 4 months of treatment. Two had complete resolution. Mean follow-up was 29.2 months. At the time of initial diagnosis only one patient had an active anterior uveitis. Five of nine patients had at least one recurrence. Mean time to recurrence was 7.6 months after discontinuing oral prednisone. The VA at presentation ranged from 20/30 to 20/300. Final VA was 20/30 or better in all patients. Conclusions Choroidal granulomas related to systemic sarcoidosis respond well to oral corticosteroids. They may recur but good vision can be maintained. They are not typically associated with concomitant iritis and also do not appear to be associated with intracranial granulomas.
Effect of the spider toxin Tx3-3 on spinal processing of sensory information in naive and neuropathic rats: an in vivo electrophysiological study

Introduction: Drugs that counteract nociceptive transmission in the spinal dorsal horn preferentially after nerve injury are being pursued as possible neuropathic pain treatments. In a previous behavioural study, the peptide toxin Tx3-3, which blocks P/Q- and R-type voltage-gated calcium channels, was effective in neuropathic pain models. Objectives: In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of Tx3-3 on dorsal horn neuronal responses in rats under physiological conditions and neuropathic pain condition induced by spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Methods: In vivo electrophysiological recordings of dorsal horn neuronal response to electrical and natural (mechanical and thermal) stimuli were made in rats under normal physiological state (naive rats) or after the SNL model of neuropathic pain. Results: Tx3-3 (0.3–100 pmol/site) exhibited greater inhibitory effect on electrical-evoked neuronal response of SNL rats than naive rats, inhibiting nociceptive C-fibre and A&dgr;-fibre responses only in SNL rats. The wind-up of neurones, a measurement of spinal cord hyperexcitability, was also more susceptible to a dose-related inhibition by Tx3-3 after nerve injury. Moreover, Tx3-3 exhibited higher potency to inhibit mechanical- and thermal-evoked neuronal response in conditions of neuropathy. Conclusion: Tx3-3 mediated differential inhibitory effect under physiological and neuropathic conditions, exhibiting greater potency in conditions of neuropathic pain.