Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of subcutaneous fat and of previous exposure to cold on the body temperature, peripheral blood flow and metabolic rate of men in cold water

Individual fat men have been observed to lose less heat than thin men in cold surroundings (Winslow, Herrington & Gagge, 1937; Pugh & Edholm, 1955; Carlson, Hsieh, Fullington & Elsner, 1958; Keatinge, 1959). It has been reported that men maintained their peripheral blood flow better when exposed to cold sitting still indoors, after a period of physical training in a cold climate, than they did in a similar experimental exposure to cold before this period of training in a cold climate (Brown & Page, 1952-3; Keatinge & Evans, 1958). In the present experiments men with a wide range of fat thickness have been immersed repeatedly for periods of 30 min in water at 15° C, in order to determine whether their falls in deep body temperature during immersion depended mainly on the thickness of their subcutaneous fat or mainlyon their peripheral blood flow, and whether these falls were increased by exposure to cold or by exercise earlier in the day. Reports about the effect of acclimatization to cold on men's metabolic rates in the cold have been conflicting (Burton, 1941; Adolph & Molnar, 1946; Le Blanc, 1956) but it has been found (Keatinge, 1959) that repeated brief immersion in water at 15° C reduced men's over-ventilation and increase in heart rate, as well as their metabolic rate, during such immersion. Metabolic rates have been measured in the present experiments in the hope of throwing light on the mechanism and significance of such changes. The experiments have also provided information about the method by which the metabolic rates of fat and thin men were adjusted to their differing rates of heat loss in the cold.
Microbial Analysis of Air in a Public Hospital in the City of Fez ,

The hospital environment generally comprises, water, air, and surfaces. which are often contaminated with microorganisms of human and environmental origins. These germs constitute microbial reservoirs that may present a risk of infection for hospitalized patients. In this light we studied the microbiological quality of the air in a public hospital in the city of Fez, in order to prevent nosocomial infections. A prospective study over a period of 4 months was conducted at eight services. The samples were prepared with the sedimentation technique, by exposing the Petri dishes containing nutrient agar, in an area of 1 m for 15 minutes. The dishes were incubated at 37 ± 1 °C for 48 h. Isolates were identified by conventional biochemical gallery and bioMériaux API gallery. A total of 32 samples were analyzed. Microbial identification showed the presence of 14 bacterial types, with the dominance of coagulase negative Staphylococcus (48%), and followed by Bacillus sp (14%), Staphylococcus aureus and Aeromonas salmonicida (8%) each, Gram negative cocci (7%) and Pseudomonas vesicularis (5%). Other bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas putrificiens, Streptococcus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Serratia liquificiens, putrificiens Serratia, Serratia rubidaea and Stenotromonas maltophila were isolated with low proportions. All studied hospital blocks showed a diverse microbial load: trauma (20%), surgery (17%), intensive care (16%), central operating room (14%), neonatology (13%), kitchen (10 %), cardiovascular gastrology (7%) and emergency (4%). These results demonstrated the need to implement of systematic measures of hospital surveillance a comprehensive policy for the prevention of nosocomial infections including a systematic air treatment protocol.
Combined MEMS inertial sensors for IMU applications

Today MEMS inertial sensors have already entered a broad market area and have mastered the step into high volume mass production, as seen on 3-axis accelerometers. The competitive product innovation cycle however gives constant pressure on the development of multi-axis and multi-type sensor systems to finally conclude in a full inertial measurement unit (IMU). Up to now the combination of accelerometer and gyrometer on one chip was limited by the incompatibility of the different operational pressure requirements. In this paper we introduce a new technology approach enabling the allocation of different cavity pressures on wafer level. This new concept is being industrialized with the new combi sensor SD755, which contains in a first step one accelerometer and one angular rate sensor on the same silicon chip.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as an Emerging Ubiquitous Pathogen: Looking Beyond Contemporary Antibiotic Therapy

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a commensal and an emerging pathogen earlier noted in broad-spectrum life threatening infections among the vulnerable, but more recently as a pathogen in immunocompetent individuals. The bacteria are consistently being implicated in necrotizing otitis, cutaneous infections including soft tissue infection and keratitis, endocarditis, meningitis, acute respiratory tract infection (RTI), bacteraemia (with/without hematological malignancies), tropical pyomyositis, cystic fibrosis, septic arthritis, among others. S. maltophilia is also an environmental bacteria occurring in water, rhizospheres, as part of the animals' microflora, in foods, and several other microbiota. This review highlights clinical reports on S. maltophilia both as an opportunistic and as true pathogen. Also, biofilm formation as well as quorum sensing, extracellular enzymes, flagella, pili/fimbriae, small colony variant, other virulence or virulence-associated factors, the antibiotic resistance factors, and their implications are considered. Low outer membrane permeability, natural MDR efflux systems, and/or resistance genes, resistance mechanisms like the production of two inducible chromosomally encoded β-lactamases, and lack of carefully compiled patient history are factors that pose great challenges to the S. maltophilia control arsenals. The fluoroquinolone, some tetracycline derivatives and trimethoprim-sulphamethaxole (TMP-SMX) were reported as effective antibiotics with good therapeutic outcome. However, TMP-SMX resistance and allergies to sulfa together with high toxicity of fluoroquinolone are notable setbacks. S. maltophilia's production and sustenance of biofilm by quorum sensing enhance their virulence, resistance to antibiotics and gene transfer, making quorum quenching an imperative step in Stenotrophomonas control. Incorporating several other proven approaches like bioengineered bacteriophage therapy, Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), essential oil, nanoemulsions, and use of cationic compounds are promising alternatives which can be incorporated in Stenotrophomonas control arsenal.
Adoption of supply chain management-enabling technologies in SMEs: the view from the top vs. the view from the middle

This paper uses data from two separate surveys conducted within Australian SMEs in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector. The perceptions of two groups – Senior Managers (CEOs, Managing Directors, General Managers) and Functional Managers (Marketing, Operations, Logistics, Financial Controller, etc.) – are compared in relation to the benefits accruing from the use of Business-to-Business (B2B) enabling technologies for the management of supply chains. The evidence from this research indicates that there are significant differences in perception of contribution to performance, understanding and knowledge of the implications and potential of B2B e-commerce technologies between these two groups. Compared with managers of functional areas, senior managers are found to be more negative about their contribution to business outcomes, and they generally display a lower level of understanding of their potential and of the implications of adoption. The implications of the research are important for the theory of innovation adoption and diffusion, as in this case, the extent of adoption appears to be influenced by this gap in perceptions. As such, the characteristics of the innovation and of the two separate groups in organisations, which will have some role to play in the adoption decision, are being influenced by another important dimension – the strategic implications of the innovation. The observation of this interaction provides some insight into the dynamics of adoption of technology-related innovations in SMEs.
Energy renovations of EU multifamily buildings: do current policies target the real problems?

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) require ambitious policies for existing buildings. One important aspect of policy design is to understand the decision making of building owners and investors. Governments can support such decisions with grants, but public funds can only cover part of the investments. Hence, schemes need to be well-designed to stimulate the market and support sustainable market transformation. However, funding is not the only issue and there are other structural barriers. This is particularly the case for owner-occupied multifamily housing, where the governance and dynamics of collective decisions are major barriers to energy renovations. Our paper focuses on decision making on energy investments in owner-occupied multifamily housing (condominiums) in Europe. Condominium-type ownership is the dominant form of ownership of apartment buildings in most New Member States. It is also dominant in Southern Europe and widespread in other countries (Austria, Finland). We build on work done in the IEE project ENTRANZE (www.entranze.eu), which develops policy recommendations for increasing the number of near-zero energy renovations. Our data include a comprehensive review of the structures of decision making in nine European countries, expert interviews, and detailed analysis of the drivers and barriers of energy investments. We highlight similarities among countries, along with significant differences. These differences are further explored via 3 country studies on the legal, institutional, financial and social aspects of energy investments in condominiums. Finally, we assess the overall relevance of these barriers in selected EU Member States by combining the investigation of barriers with quantitative data on the structure of the building stock, the share of condominiums and related governance structures in different countries.
THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ON INVESTMENT DECISION MAKING: A CASE OF UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC (2004-2013)

This study analyzes the role of financial statements on investment decision making: a case of United Bank for Africa Plc. in Nigeria. Financial Reporting Standards and Practices have in the recent past come under great criticisms, demanding that accountants take further steps in ensuring that the true and fair view of the actual worth of business are also incorporated in the financial statements published by them. The general objective is to ascertain the role of financial statement on investment decision making in United Bank for Africa Plc. of Nigeria . This study used the secondary data from ten years financial statements of the bank. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression method of analysis, was adopted to test the hypotheses. The parameter estimates of the regression equation obtained revealed that, the transparency of financial statements of the bank has significant influence on the investment decision making of the users of financial statements. All the parameter estimates employed in the regression equation were statistically significant via the test of hypotheses. It is an indication that, the model for this research work is good for investment decision making by the prospective investors and policy making purposes by the management of the bank. From the descriptive statistics and percentage analysis used for the verification of the questionnaire collected via survey method; the results reveal that one of the primary responsibility of management to the investors is to give a standardized financial statement evaluated and authenticated by a qualified auditor or financial experts. It also showed that investors do understand the financial statement well before making investment . The results of the analysis also indicated that investors depend heavily on the credibility of auditors/financial expert approval of financial statement in making investment decisions and as such published financial statement is very important in the investors’ decision making. We therefore agreed that, profitability, assets, liabilities and equities of banks are significant ways of evaluating the performance of a bank report on investment decision making. We therefore, recommended that adequate care and due diligence should be maintained in preparation of financial statements to avoid faulty investment decisions which could lead to loss of funds and possible litigations. The study proffered other proper recommendations emanating from the findings.
Cementless total hip arthroplasty and limb-length equalization in patients with unilateral Crowe type-IV hip dislocation.

BACKGROUND Total hip arthroplasty in patients with unilateral congenital high dislocation of the hip (Crowe type IV) presents many challenges, including the problem of a marked limb-length discrepancy. The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyze the results of total hip replacement with limb-length equalization in these patients. METHODS From 1988 to 1996, fifty-six patients (forty-seven women and nine men) with unilateral Crowe type-IV dislocation of the hip were treated with a cementless total hip arthroplasty at a mean age of 35.4 years. The preoperative limb-length discrepancy averaged 4.9 cm. Prior to the total hip arthroplasty, forty-eight patients with a limb-length discrepancy of >4.0 cm underwent iliofemoral distraction with use of an external fixator for eight to seventeen days. The acetabular cup was placed in the anatomical position in every patient. Shortening femoral osteotomies were not required. RESULTS The iliac fixator pins loosened in six patients. No patient had a pin-site infection, hip joint infection, or nerve palsy. At the time of follow-up, at an average of 147.2 months, the Harris hip score averaged 90.2 points. Overall, the mean lengthening after the total hip arthroplasty was 4.6 cm. There were no revisions of the femoral stem. Nine cups were revised, four because of polyethylene wear and five because of loosening. CONCLUSIONS We were able to safely place the acetabular cup at the anatomical position without femoral shortening by bringing the femoral head to the normal level preoperatively; thus, we could restore nearly normal limb length. We believe that our twelve-year results are similar to those of total hip arthroplasty in patients without dysplasia.
Moscow As An International Financial Centre

The creation, development, and function of the international financial centres (IFC) is the subject of the international finance investigation. The article deals with the perspectives of the Russian IFC. The paper embraces a wide range of challenges that are faced nowadays in the Russian Federation as a whole, and particularly Moscow. The article presents the comparative analyses of different rating and indices, which reflect the current situation in the business and financial situation of the country.
ASPF: A Policy Administration Framework for Self-Protection of Large-Scale Systems

Despite its potential to tackle many security challenges of large-scale systems such as pervasive networks, self-managed protection has been little explored. This paper addresses the problem from a policy management perspective by presenting a policy-driven framework for self-protection of pervasive systems called ASPF (Autonomic Security Policy Framework). Enforced authorization policies in a device are adapted according to the security context, both at the network and device levels. ASPF describes how an autonomic security manager may control OS-level authorization mechanisms sup- porting multiple classes of policies. Evaluation of an ASPF implementation shows that the framework enables effective self-protection of pervasive systems. ASPF is also applicable for autonomic security management of other types of large- scale infrastructures such as cloud environments. Keywords-Autonomic Computing, Self-Protection, Policy Management, Authorization, Pervasive Networks.
LOW WAGED WORK AND GENDER PAY EQUITY IN NEW ZEALAND

This paper examines the nature and extent of links between low waged work and gender pay equity in the New Zealand labour market. Women, especially Maori and Pacific women, are overrepresented in low waged work. Internationally, high levels of female unionisation and centralised bargaining are strongly associated with lower wage differentials and a lower gender pay gap. In New Zealand, as in many English speaking first world countries, differentials are widening and collective bargaining covering lower proportions of the labour force, to the detriment of gender pay equity and particularly the position of lower waged women. But before turning to these main issues with which I am charged, I cannot resist making some remarks about equal pay for work of equal value in general.
Characterization of Prostaglandin E2‐Induced Ca2+ Mobilization in Single Bovine Adrenal Chromaffin Cells by Digital Image Microscopy

Abstract: We recently reported that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) stimulates phosphoinositide metabolism accompanied by an increase in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. In the present study, temporal and spatial changes in [Ca2+]i induced by PGE2 in fura‐2‐loaded individual cells were investigated by digital image microscopy and were compared with those induced by nicotine and histamine. Image analysis of single cells revealed that responses to PGE2 showed asynchrony with the onset of [Ca2+]i changes. After a lag time of 10–30 s, PGE2‐induced [Ca2+]i changes took a similar prolonged time course in almost all cells: a rapid rise followed by a slower decline to the basal level over 5 min. Few cells exhibited oscillations in [Ca2+]i. In contrast, nicotine and histamine induced rapid and transient [Ca2+]i changes, and these [Ca2+]i changes were characteristic of each stimulant. Whereas pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin (100 ng/ml, 6 h) did not block the response to any of these stimulants, treatment with 12‐O‐tetra‐decanoylphorbol 13‐acetate (100 nM, 10 min) completely abolished [Ca2+]i changes elicited by PGE2 and histamine. In a Ca2+‐free medium containing 3 mM EGTA, or in medium to which La3+ was added, the [Ca2+]i response to nicotine disappeared, but that to histamine was not affected significantly. Under the same conditions, the percentage of the cells that responded to PGE2 was reduced to 37% and the prolonged [Ca2+]i changes induced by PGE2 became transient in responding cells, suggesting that the maintained [Ca2+]i increase seen in normal medium is the result of a PGE2‐stimulated entry of extracellular Ca2+. Whereas the organic Ca2+‐channel blocker nicardipine inhibited [Ca2+]i changes by all stimulants at 10 μM, these [Ca2+]i changes were not affected by any of the organic Ca2+‐channel blockers, i.e., verapamil, diltiazem, nifedipine, and nicardipine, at 1 μM, a concentration high enough to inhibit voltage‐sensitive Ca2+ channels. These results demonstrate that PGE2 may promote Ca2+ entry with concomitant release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores and that the mechanism(s) triggered by PGE2 is apparently different from that by histamine or nicotine.
Private Sales for Travel Website in Finland: Case Travelbox

Alina Eremenko Private Sales for Travel Website in Finland: Case Travelbox, 58 pages, 2 appendices Saimaa University of Applied Sciences Business and Culture, Imatra Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Degree Programme in Tourism Bachelor’s Thesis 2013 Instructors: Marja Antikainen, Saimaa University of Applied Sciences Teemu Hakolahti, Mediatalo Toimelias Oy. The purpose of the study was to examine the concept of private sales for travel indepth in the context of e-Tourism and to evaluate the timeliness and progress of the newest private sales for travel website called Travelbox, which will be launched in Finland by Mediatalo Toimelias Oy digital marketing company, based in Lappeenranta. The information for theoretical part of the research was gathered from literature, magazines, newspapers, statistics and Internet. Quantitative research was used as the primary research method. The data for the research was collected online via Google Drive platform, social networks and forums, where online survey form has been distributed. Based on the findings of the research, the assumption of the popularity and relevance of the Travelbox portal in the future was supported, and the formula of its success was deduced. Furthermore, the information for the initial content creation on the website was gathered. The results can be applied by the website owners in order to create packages and sales offerings to be represented on the website in the future.
Cross-cultural adaptation of the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire among Turkish workers with low back pain.

BACKGROUND Psychosocial risk factors are very important in the development of chronicity in low back pain. And Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire (ÖMPQ) is the screening instrument concerning these psychosocial and work-related risk factors in patients with low back pain. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of Turkish version of the ÖMPQ in patients with low back pain. METHODS Turkish ÖMPQ was developed using the ``forward-backward translation'' method. It was administered to 120 working Turkish patients with acute-subacute low back pain. Test-retest reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients and internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Concurrent construct validity was evaluated by correlating the ÖMPQ with Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), fear avoidance beliefs questionnaire (FABQ), clinical and demographical variables and assessed with principal component analysis. RESULTS The Turkish versions was re-tested for 110 patients with acute-subacute low back pain. Test-retest reliability was high with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.93. Internal consistency was 0.96. The ÖMPQ score correlated highly (r> or = 0.60) with VAS-pain, ODI and sick-leave days; moderately (0.30 < r < 0.60) with FABQ and weakly (r< 0.30) with duration of pain and Schober test. Principal-components analysis revealed 3 factors explaining 43% of the variance. ÖMPQ had moderate predictive validity (AUC: 0.66; 95% CI 0.54; 0.81) in identifying patients with spinal pain that were under risk of long-term sick leave (> 15 days). The sensitivity was 0,54 and the specificity was 0.97. CONCLUSION Turkish version of ÖMPQ is a valid, reliable, and acceptible instrument among Turkish working population with low back pain.