Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A meta‐analytic assessment of the risk of chronic kidney disease in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Epidemiological studies have reported conflicting results regarding hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We systematically reviewed the literature to determine the risk of developing CKD in HCV‐infected individuals compared to uninfected individuals. MEDLINE and PUBMED were searched to identify observational studies that had reported an association between HCV and CKD or end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) through January 2015. Quantitative estimates [hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR)] and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted from each study. A random‐effects meta‐analysis was performed. Fourteen studies evaluating the risk of developing CKD/ESRD in HCV‐infected individuals (n = 336 227) compared to uninfected controls (n = 2 665 631) were identified‐ nine cohort studies and five cross‐sectional studies. The summary estimate indicated that individuals with HCV had a 23% greater risk of presenting with CKD compared to uninfected individuals (risk ratio = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.12–1.34). Results were similar by study type, for cohorts (HR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.12–1.40) and cross‐sectional studies (OR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.09–1.32). Country‐stratified analysis demonstrated a significantly increased risk between HCV and CKD in the Taiwanese subgroup (risk ratio = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.12–1.34) and the US subgroup (risk ratio = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.01–1.32). Egger regression revealed no evidence of publication bias. HCV infection is associated with a greater risk of developing and progression of CKD compared to uninfected controls.
Estimating SDN Traffic Matrix Based on Online Informative Flow Measurement Method

Traffic Matrix (TM) estimation is important to traffic engineering in data center networks. However, current estimation methods are insufficient in estimation accuracy and measurement cost. In this paper, by using the advantage of SDN, we propose an online informative flow measurement based traffic matrix estimation method IFTME, which uses an iterative method to select these most informative flows to measure, so as to decrease the system uncertainty. Besides, we also propose two different measurement flow selection strategies: Flow Intensity First (FIF) and Flow Variation First(FVF). The experiment results on two Internet measurement datasets show that our proposed mechanism can improve the accuracy of traffic matrix estimation effectively, and can also dynamically adjust the measurement flow selection choice according to the time-varying characteristics of network traffic.
Moment-Based SNR Estimation for SIMO Wireless Communication Systems Using Arbitrary QAM

A new method for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimation is considered when multiple receiving antenna elements receive quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals in complex additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) spatially and temporally white (uncorrelated between antenna elements). In this paper, we also present the extension of other existing methods to the single input multiple output (SIMO) configuration. The procedure is non-data-aided (NDA) since it is a moment- based method and does not require, therefore, the a priori knowledge or the detection of the transmitted symbols. Monte Carlo simulations are used to estimate the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) as a measure of performance. The new method is shown to outperform the best NDA moment-based SNR estimation methods, namely the M2M4 and Gao's methods even when they are extended to the SIMO configuration.
Examining Salient Dimensions of Online Shopping and the Moderating Influence of Gender: The Case of Students at a South African University

Online shopping is still in its infancy in South Africa. This is despite the fact that Internet penetration has increased tremendously in the country owing to increased Broadband access combined with the speed of wireless connectivity. Online shopping sales in South Africa are estimated at over R2bn. However, since students are more active on the Internet, they are considered the potential dominant users of online shopping. Thus, it is important for marketers to understand the dimensions that influence students’ online shopping behaviour. In addition, the moderating influence of gender is an important biographical consideration in technology adoption research. A survey was conducted among university students with a view to determine the dimensions that influence the uptake of online shopping. An adapted questionnaire was designed to cover a plethora of online shopping dimensions. The majority of students in the sample were undergraduate females. The findings of the study revealed that students value the convenience of the online shopping experience. Security was also a major consideration for female rather than male consumers, when opting to conduct shopping activities online. Albeit, the results of the independent t-tests revealed significant differences along the security dimension only (p DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n23p1838
Contractual Governance, Relational Governance: Why Do Firms Continue Drafting Contracts?

Governing relationships effectively is central to marketing channel performance. Relational governance theory singles out two key mechanisms, contracts and norms, and suggests that norms surpass contracts in their ability to minimize opportunistic behaviour. Recent research has disputed that perspective though, by noting the dark side of norms and calling for a renewed perspective on contractual governance. An analysis of existing empirical research on contractual versus relational governance of marketing channels leads into the proposal of four research directions that can help better understand why firms keep drafting contracts.
Temperatures measured in human cortical bone when drilling.

Temperature measurements have been made in cortical bone while drilling under controlled laboratory conditions. Cortical temperatures greater than 100 degrees centigrade were frequently recorded when drilling if no specific provisions for cooling were made. The force applied to the drill was found to be much more important than drilling speed as a factor in both the magnitude and duration of cortical temperature elevations. Increases in the force applied to the drill were associated with decreases in the maximum temperatures and the durations of temperature elevation. Worn drills caused much greater temperature changes than new drills. All forms of irrigation that allowed the stream of irrigating fluid to be directed to the point of penetration of the cortex were effective in limiting the increases in cortical temperature. Tapping did not appear to cause significant temperature elevations.
Extended Business Sector Data on Outputs and Inputs for the U.S.: 1987-2011

Using recent data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (or Federal Reserve Board or FRB) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the paper constructs a top down data set that covers the outputs produced and inputs used by an Extended Private Sector of the US economy for the years 1987-2011. The Extended Private Sector consists of the entire US economy less the inputs used and outputs produced by the Public Administration sector and less the US housing sector, both rented and owned. The constructed data set is suitable for measuring the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) or Multifactor Productivity (MFP) of this Extended Private Sector.
AS CADEIAS PRODUTIVAS GLOBAIS: UMA PERSPECTIVA PARA INDUSTRIA BRASILEIRA DE COMPONENTES ELETRÔNICOS

The growing liberalization of global economies and the changing technologies (especially information technology) supply more chances for enterprises to do business in international markets. In Brazil, after the opening of the market in 1990, the local industry is undergoing a deep restructuring process. The restructuring process is heavily influenced by the change of strategies of the transnational corporations in the country, and also dependent on the capacity of local firms in terms of creating the competitive strengths in the new forms of collective organization. This paper shows the role of governance, and here a distinction is made between two types of governance: those cases where the coordination is undertaken by buyers (buyer-driven chains) and those in which producers play the key role( producer driven chains). This paper debate of the environment Brazilian electronic components industry, trying to shimmer possible solutions for your insert in the global chains.
Biochemical, Genetic, and Zoosporicidal Properties of Cyclic Lipopeptide Surfactants Produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens

ABSTRACT Zoospores play an important role in the infection of plant and animal hosts by oomycetes and other zoosporic fungi. In this study, six fluorescent Pseudomonas isolates with zoosporicidal activities were obtained from the wheat rhizosphere. Zoospores of multiple oomycetes, including Pythium species, Albugo candida, and Phytophthora infestans, were rendered immotile within 30 s of exposure to cell suspensions or cell culture supernatants of the six isolates, and subsequent lysis occurred within 60 s. The representative strain SS101, identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar II, reduced the surface tension of water from 73 to 30 mN m−1. The application of cell suspensions of strain SS101 to soil or hyacinth bulbs provided significant protection against root rot caused by Pythium intermedium. Five Tn5 mutants of strain SS101lacked the abilities to reduce the surface tension of water and to cause lysis of zoospores. Genetic characterization of two surfactant-deficient mutants showed that the transposons had integrated into condensation domains of peptide synthetases. A partially purified extract from strain SS101 reduced the surface tension of water to 30 mN m−1 and reached the critical micelle concentration at 25 μg ml−1. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography yielded eight different fractions, five of which had surface activity and caused lysis of zoospores. Mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses allowed the identification of the main constituent as a cyclic lipopeptide (1,139 Da) containing nine amino acids and a 10-carbon hydroxy fatty acid. The other four zoosporicidal fractions were closely related to the main constituent, with molecular massesranging from 1,111 to 1,169 Da.
Improving the Performance of Two-state Mental Task Brain-Computer Interface Design Using Linear Discriminant Classifier

The purpose of this study is to motivate the use of the simpler linear discriminant (LD) classifier as compared to the commonly used multilayer-perceptron-backpropagation (MLP-BP) neural network for brain computer interface (BCI) design. We investigated the performances of MLP-BP and LD classifiers for mental task based BCI design. In the experimental study, EEG signals from five mental tasks were recorded from four subjects and the classification performances of different combinations of two mental tasks were studied for each subject. Two different AR models were used to compute the features from the electroencephalogram signals: Burg's algorithm (ARB) and least square algorithm (ARLS). The results showed that in most cases, LD classifier gave superior classification performance as compared to MLP-BP, with reduced computational complexity. However, the best mental tasks for each subject were the same using both classifiers. ARLS gave the best performance (93.10%) using MLP-BP and (97.00%) using LD. As the best mental task combinations varied between subjects, we conclude that for different subjects, proper selection of mental tasks and feature extraction methods would be essential for a BCI design
Analyzing the Effectiveness of Reward Management System on Employee Performance through the Mediating Role of Employee Motivation Case Study: Isfahan Regional Electric Company

Purpose: Analyzing the effectiveness of reward management system on employee performance through the mediating role of employee motivation was the purpose of the present survey. Method and tools: Given that staff department of Isfahan Regional Electric Company was the statistical population under study simple random sampling was used in this survey. Sample size was determined by means of Cochran formula (140 persons). Historical study and field study methods were the most important methods of data collection and data analysis was performed by means of Amos and Pls software. Findings: Reward management system has a positive and significant effect on employee motivation. Employee motivation does not have a positive and significant effect on employee performance. Reward management system has a positive and significant effect on employee performance (by the presence of motivation as the mediating variable). Conclusion: The findings of this survey in the above company show that there is a positive and significant relation among elements of reward management system and motivation and performance. Such positive and significant relation was found among the elements of reward management system with performance too. This is while there was no positive and significant relation among the elements of reward management system, employee motivation and performance. It is notable that the above relations were presented in the framework of a model using structural equations modeling. Introduction It is prevalent to use different kinds of incentive schemes and rewards in the corporations regardless of their effects and consequences. Anyway, familiarity with the principles of incentive schemes and reward systems is necessary for corporations. Therefore, some topics related to a reward system such as goals of the reward system, principles of giving reward, different types of giving reward, characteristic of reward and punishment, different types of reward to payment management methods and individual and group incentive systems are investigated in this section. In the following, concept of the reward system is first explained. Motivation and various types of it and performance will be studied in the next section. Finally the applied studies regarding the effects of rewards and incentive schemes on employees' job performance, job satisfaction, their motivation and other related variables in the conducted studies will be mentioned.
Impact des formations à l'entrepreneuriat : vers de nouvelles méthodes d'évaluation

Facing the multiplication of entrepreneurship education programmes and the increasing resources allocated to those initiatives there is a need to develop a common framework to evaluate, compare and improve the design of those programmes. That framework should include both a set of clearly identified criteria that goes beyond the estimation of short-term microeconomic impact and a methodology to effectively measure them. The main objective of this article is to present such a framework, based on the theory of planned behaviour which could allow us to measure under the influences of independent variables related to entrepreneurship education programmes changes in attitudes towards the entrepreneurial behaviour, changes in perceptions about social norms and perceived behavioural control and finally changes in entrepreneurial intention. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
Are supply chains global or regional

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the following questions: Are supply chains global or regional? What are the performance implications for firms? Design/methodology/approach – This paper classifies 183 large North American firms into home‐region oriented, host‐region oriented, bi‐regional, and global firms by using geographic distributions of their upstream and downstream activities. The performance implications of the regional supply chains of a broader set of 273 firms by using Tobin's Q and data on intra‐regional sales or assets are further evaluated.Findings – It is found that the evidence to support the regional nature of supply chains – that is, over 85 percent of firms in our sample – have their supply chains within North America. The paper also finds that a regional focus of firms in terms of sales contributes to improved performance as measured by Tobin's Q.Originality/value – The regionalization perspective proposed by Rugman and Verbeke to develop and test the regional nature.
Feasibility and reproducibility of MR fat-fraction measurements in muscle using iterative signal decomposition with a multifrequency fat signal model

Purpose: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a debilitating muscle disease characterized by progressive fatty muscle infiltration, muscle weakness and eventually death. Several therapeutic approaches have been recently developed. To accurately assess the effectiveness of these therapies at the tissue level, quantitative methods for patient follow up are essential because the standard method, biopsy, is invasive and provides only local information. A promising technique to assess fatty infiltration by MR is multiecho chemical shift-based water-fat separation. However, in fat quantification the fat signal is commonly modeled as a single peak, whereas in reality the fat signal consists of multiple peaks. Recently, Yu et al showed that accounting for the multiple peaks improved fat suppression considerably. However, it is unknown how application of a multi peak fit would affect quantitative assessment of fat fraction. In this study we aim to validate the use of multiple frequency water-fat separation in vitro, and test the feasibility and reproducibility of this method in vivo in skeletal muscle in healthy volunteers.
Serial blood lactate measurements predict early outcome after neonatal repair or palliation for complex congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVES Neonates with congenital heart disease may appear hemodynamically stable after operation and then suddenly experience catastrophic decompensation. An improved means of predicting which infants will suddenly die in the early postoperative period may lead to lifesaving interventions. Studies indicate that blood lactate level is proportional to tissue oxygen debt, but information linking lactate levels with outcome in infants after operation is limited. We sought to determine whether a change in lactate level over time was predictive of a poor outcome defined as death within the first 72 hours or the need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. METHODS To test this hypothesis, we studied prospectively 46 infants who were less than 1 month old and were undergoing complex cardiac surgical palliation or repair. Postoperative arterial oxygen saturation, bicarbonate, and lactate levels were recorded on admission to the intensive care unit and every 3 to 12 hours for the first 3 days. RESULTS Thirty-seven patients had a good outcome, and 9 patients had a poor outcome. Mean initial lactate level was significantly greater in patients with a poor outcome (9.4 +/- 3.8 mmol/L) than in patients with a good outcome (5.6 +/- 2.1 mmol/L; P =.03). However, an elevated initial lactate level of more than 6 mmol/L had a low positive predictive value (38%) for poor outcome. In contrast, a change in lactate level of 0.75 mmol/L per hour or more was associated with a poor outcome (P <.0001) and predicted a poor outcome with an 89% sensitivity value, a 100% specificity value, and a 100% positive predictive value. CONCLUSIONS Serial blood lactate level measurements may be an accurate predictor of death or the requirement for extracorporeal membrane oxygenator support for patients who undergo complex neonatal cardiac surgery.
13CO and C18O emission from a dense gas disc at z = 2.3: abundance variations, cosmic rays and the initial conditions for star formation

We analyse the spectral line energy distributions of 13CO and C18O for the J = 1→0 up to J = 7→6 transitions in the gravitationally lensed ultraluminous infrared galaxy SMM J2135−0102 at z = 2.3. This is the first detection of 13CO and C18O in a high-redshift star-forming galaxy. These data comprise observations of six transitions taken with Plateau de Bure Interferometer and we combine these with ∼33 GHz Jansky Very Large Array data and our previous spatially resolved 12CO and continuum emission information to better constrain the properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) within this system. We study both the velocity-integrated and kinematically decomposed properties of the galaxy and coupled with a large velocity gradient (LVG) model we find that the star-forming regions in the system vary in their cold gas properties, in particular in their chemical abundance ratios. We find strong C18O emission both in the velocity-integrated emission and in the two kinematic components at the periphery of the system, where the C18O line flux is equivalent to or higher than the 13CO. We derive an average velocity-integrated flux ratio of 13CO/C18O ∼ 1 which suggests an abundance ratio of [13CO]/[C18O] which is at least seven times lower than that in the Milky Way. This is suggestive of enhanced C18O abundance, perhaps indicating star formation preferentially biased to high-mass stars. We estimate the relative contribution to the ISM heating from cosmic rays and UV of (30–3300) × 10−25 erg s−1 and 45 × 10−25 erg s−1 per H2 molecule respectively and find them to be comparable to the total cooling rate of (0.8–20) × 10−25 erg s−1 from the CO. However, our LVG models indicate high (>100 K) temperatures and densities (>103) cm−3 in the ISM which may suggest that cosmic rays play a more important role than UV heating in this system. If cosmic rays dominate the heating of the ISM, the increased temperature in the star-forming regions may favour the formation of massive stars and so explain the enhanced C18O abundance. This is a potentially important result for a system which may evolve into a local elliptical galaxy.
Video conference 3-D display that fuses images to replicate gaze direction

We propose a new video conference display that replicates the eye contact back channel available to the attendees of real conferences. The display consists of multiple screens that present the remote participants' faces so that they exhibit the participants' gaze direction. We introduce a prototype video conference terminal with two screens and demonstrate that it offers eye contact with directivity of up to 17 degrees.
An investigation of the factors underlying consumers’ implementation of specific food safety practices

Utilises social cognition models to determine the beliefs, attitudes and knowledge of consumers towards food safety. The main aim was to determine the underlying factors influencing consumers’ implementation of specific food safety practices in the home. The research was conducted in two stages. First, salient beliefs of 100 consumers towards food safety were obtained using open‐ended questions. Second, the food handling practices of 40 consumers were observed and their food safety attitudes and knowledge determined using structured questionnaires. Disparities were shown between participants’ knowledge of specific hygiene practices and their implementation of these practices. Participants demonstrated a lack of and/or inadequate implementation of a number of hygiene practices, including a lack of handwashing, poor hand‐washing technique and inadequate cleaning of surfaces. The results suggest measures of perceived behavioural control, perceived barriers and perceived risk may provide developers of food safety intervention materials with more useful information compared with measures of knowledge or intention.