Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION ACCOUNTING WITH INPUTS NON-DISCRETIONARY FACTORS IN AN INTEGRATED BSC-DEA METHODOLOGY

Measuring the performance of a production system has been an important task in management for purposes of control, planning, etc. The Balanced Scorecard allows us to do just that. BSC is widely used in government and industry because of the clear representation of the relationship and logic between the key performance indicators(KPI) of 4 perspectives financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth. in the other hand , Traditional studies in data envelopment analysis (DEA) view systems as a whole when measuring the efficiency, ignoring the operation of individual processes within a system. We present and demonstrate a multi-criteria approach for evaluating every projects in different stages. Our approach integrates the balanced scorecard (BSC) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) and develops an extended DEA model. The input and output measures for the integrated DEA–BSC model are grouped in “cards” which are associated with " B S C ". With efficiency decomposition, the process which causes the inefficient operation of the system can be identified for future improvement. finally we illustrate the proposed approach with a case study involving six banking branches.
Critical role of germ tube formation in the pathogenesis of candidal vaginitis

A variant strain of Candida albicans incapable of hyphal production at 37 degrees C was used to study the role of germ tube formation in the pathogenesis of experimental vaginal candidiasis in rats. No difference was observed in the in vitro adherence at 25 degrees C of blastoconidia of the variant strain to vaginal epithelial cells when compared with the parent wild-type, germ tube-producing strain and multiple clinical isolates of C. albicans. However, after exposure to conditions favoring germ tube production, the adherence of the variant strain to epithelial cells was significantly less than that of germinated strains (P less than 0.01). In vivo animal studies revealed that the variant strain was less likely to result in vaginal colonization and infection than the wild-type strain and the other clinical isolates. Furthermore, infection, when established, was milder, often transient, and with significantly lower titers of cultured vaginal microorganisms obtained by lavage. Electron microscopic studies confirmed the failure of the variant strain to produce hyphae in vivo. The capacity of C. albicans to produce hyphae appears to be an important but nonessential virulence factor in the pathogenesis of candidal vaginitis.
A Review of the Impacts of Seismic Airgun Surveys on Marine Life

Noise from a single seismic airgun survey, used to discover oil and gas deposits hundreds of kilometers under the sea floor, can blanket an area of over 300,000 km, raising background noise levels 100-fold (20 dB), continuously for weeks or months (IWC 2005, IWC 2007). Seismic airgun surveys are loud enough to penetrate hundreds of kilometers into the ocean floor, even after going through thousands of meters of ocean. Since this exposes large portions of a cetacean population to chronic noise, the International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee noted “. repeated and persistent acoustic insults [over] a large area.should be considered enough to cause population level impacts. ” (IWC 2005). A recent report by the Convention on Biological Diversity noted that “. there are increasing concerns about the long-term and cumulative effects of noise on marine biodiversity. ” and “. there is a need to.take measures [to] minimise our noise impacts on marine biodiversity. ” and “. effective management of anthropogenic noise in the marine environment should be regarded as a high priority for action at the national and regional level. ” (CBD 2012).
Research Report: Hardware-Enforcement of Walther-Recursive Program Functions

Preliminary experiment design and research goals are presented to measure the security implications of using just-in-time (JIT) compilation in conjunction with hardware-enforced restrictions on the computational complexity of general purpose applications. LLVM passes are used during compilation to mark sub-components of an application if they are provably halting (Walter recursive). A modified JIT engine is under development to unroll loops based on run-time semantics, while Intel's Processor Tracing technology is used to enforce those execution bounds. This paper describes an ongoing effort to improve security through the realization and enforcement of restricted computational environments. As an example, an analysis of the impact on the attacker when return-oriented programming is limited to unidirectional execution highlights one such computationally-derived security benefit of this work.
Pathological involvement of chymase-dependent angiotensin II formation in the development of cardiovascular disease

Summary Chymase is a potent and specific angiotensin II (Ang II)-forming enzyme in vitro. There is also strong evidence to suggest its importance in vivo. Recent clinical studies have suggested that high serum cholesterol levels are associated with increased vascular chymase activity and this may assist in the development of atherosclerosis. This clinical finding has been reproduced in hamster models. Studies with transgenic mice overexpressing the human chymase gene suggest a direct association between vascular chymase upregulation and atherogenesis. There is also increased chymase activity following various cardiac diseases such as myocardial ischaemia, volume overload cardiac failure, cardiomyopathy and viral myocarditis, suggesting that increased cardiac chymase activity appears to be involved in cardiac remodelling.
Improvement of magnetic force microscope resolution and application to high-density recording media

Effects of magnetic material, coating thickness, and tip radius on magnetic force microscope (MFM) resolution have been investigated. MFM resolutions better than 8 nm have been confirmed with tips coated by high-magnetic moment materials with optimized thicknesses. High-resolution tips are applied to the observations of recorded magnetization structures of perpendicular and bit-patterned media samples.
In vitro antibiotic sensitivity of strains of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale isolated in the Netherlands between 1996 and 1999

All the strains of Omithobacterium rhinotracheale isolated in the Netherlands between 1996 and 1999 were tested in the agar gel diffusion test for their sensitivity to amoxycillin, tetracycline, enrofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulphonamide (TMP/s). The percentages of strains sensitive to amoxycillin and tetracycline decreased in successive years from approximately 62 per cent to 14 per cent, and four strains were resistant to enrofloxacin or TMP/S. Twelve multiresistant strains were tested against seven alternative antibiotics; they were resistant to all of them except clavulanic acid-potentiated amoxycillin.
Disaggregating Exit Success Rates into Ability and Risk Components

I develop a model that enables the disaggregation of exit rates into ability and risk components. Consequent on this disaggregation, I find decreasing returns to scale within the cross-section of the VC market is induced by strictly concave relations that obtain between the risk component of exit rates and fund size. These strictly concave relations result in a situation where strategies that simply leverage fund risk do not result in superior investment performance. In empirical tests of the relation between ability and fund size, my findings show the ability component of exit rates increases monotonically with fund size, such that fund size is a unique and time invariant proxy for managerial ability, as well as an extremely precise out-of-sample predictor of future investment performance. My findings have implications for models of interactions between VCs and their principals, as well as empirical studies of investment performance within the VC market.
rediction in the face of uncertainty : A Monte Carlo-based approach for systems iology of cancer treatment

Cancer is known to be a complex disease and its therapy is difficult. Much information is available on molecules and pathways involved in cancer onset and progression and this data provides a valuable resource for the development of predictive computer models that can help to identify new potential drug targets or to improve therapies. Modeling cancer treatment has to take into account many cellular pathways usually leading to the construction of large mathematical models. The development of such models is complicated by the fact that relevant parameters are either completely unknown, or can at best be measured under highly artificial conditions. Here we propose an approach for constructing predictive models of such complex biological networks in the absence of accurate knowledge on parameter values, and apply this strategy to predict the effects of perturbations induced by anti-cancer drug target inhibitions on an epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling network. The strategy is based on a Monte Carlo approach, in which the kinetic parameters are repeatedly sampled from specific probability distributions and used for multiple parallel simulations. Simulation results from different forms of the model (e.g., a model that expresses a certain mutation or mutation pattern or the treatment by a certain drug or drug combination) can be compared with the unperturbed control model and used for the prediction of the perturbation effects. This framework opens the way to experiment with complex biological networks in ve co the computer, likely to sa
The utility of genome‐wide association studies in hepatology

Over the last 4 years, more than 450 genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have been successfully performed in a variety of human traits, of which approximately 2% relates to the field of hepatology. Whereas the many robust susceptibility gene findings have provided insight into fundamental physiological aspects of the phenotypes that have been studied, the widespread application has also revealed important limitations of the GWAS design. This review aims to systematically summarize both the strengths and the weaknesses of GWAS, as well as underscore important experiences made in model diseases outside the field of hepatology. By reviewing the GWAS performed in hepatology so far on this broader background, extensions and guidelines for the rational application of the study design in hepatology are proposed. (Hepatology 2010)
Frikommuneforsøg i spændingsfeltet mellem bureaukrati og innovation

Frikommuneordningen anno 2012 repræsenterer et interessant forsøg på at bryde med unødigt statslig kontrol og i stedet opmuntre til kreativitet i den lokale velfærdsstat. Via et casestudie af én af frikommunernes innovationsbestræbelser i beskæftigelsesindsatsen bidrager artiklen med en af de første erfaringsopsamlinger fra frikommuneordningen. Med ammunition fra teorier om bureaukratiske, innovative og ambidextrous (hybride) organisationsformer zoomer artiklen ind på hvorvidt og hvordan frikommuneforsøget evner at forene innovation og bureaukrati. Analysen viser hvor vanskeligt det er i praksis, da frikommuneforsøgets tidlige fase konstant udfordres i balanceringen af samtidige ønsker om stabil drift og innovation. Trods ihærdige innovationsanstrengelser i jobcenterorganisationen ser vi tendenser til at kommunen fraviger de innovative spor (fx idéen om at sætte medarbejderne fri) og i stedet falder tilbage til kendte virkemidler (kontrol). Artiklen diskuterer muligheder og begrænsninger ved frikommuneordningen og afsluttes med en række opmærksomhedspunkter knyttet til det videre frikommunearbejde.
The effect of soybean-based foods on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations.

We would like to clarify statements printed in the editorial by Steinberg (1) accompanying our recent publication about the effect of different forms of soybean-based foods on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentration and other cardiovascular disease risk factors (2). It was written that “. when the change from baseline was examined, all groups had a substantial improvement in lipid values. ” There appears to have been a misunderstanding in the nature of the data presented and the statistical analysis. We did not examine a change from baseline, nor, given the study design, would it have been appropriate to do so. We reported baseline characteristics of the study volunteers at the time of screening (Table 1 from reference 2). These data were collected to verify that the study volunteers met the predetermined inclusion criteria for recruitment and were collected during a period when they consumed their habitual diet. This habitual diet likely differed among individuals; hence, it is inappropriate to compare those data with the data that were collected during the controlled intervention period (Table 3 from reference 2) and draw conclusions. Regardless of the intervention, as we have seen in the past, plasma lipid and lipoprotein values observed during the screening period were frequently less favorable with respect to cardiovascular disease risk profiles than were those observed during any of the intervention periods (3–6). This misunderstanding also led to a second inaccurate statement in the editorial: “It also provides good evidence that soy protein can elicit a hypocholesterolemic effect similar to that of animal protein when the dietary components are held constant. ” Differences between data collected at the end of the intervention periods and those collected at baseline are likely attributable to multiple factors, such as the saturated fat, cholesterol, and fiber contents of the diets, and not to a single dietary component. However, this hypothesis cannot be tested from the available data. The authors had no conflicts of interest to declare.
BENCHMARKING STATE-OFTHE-ART VISUAL SALIENCY MODELS FOR IMAGE QUALITY ASSESSMENT

A significant current research trend in image quality assessment is to investigate the added value of visual attention aspects. Previous approaches mainly focused on adopting a specific saliency model to improve a specific image quality metric (IQM). It is still not known yet which of the existing saliency models is generally applicable in IQMs; which of the IQMs can profit most/least from the addition of saliency; and how this improvement depends on the saliency model used and the IQM targeted. In this paper, a large-scale benchmark study is conducted to assess the capabilities and limitations of the state-of-the-art saliency models in the context of IQMs. The study provides guidance for the application of saliency models in IQMs, in terms of the effect of saliency model dependency, IQM dependency, and image distortion dependency.
Increase in circulating stem cells in patients with myelofibrosis.

An increased number of granulocytic and mononuclear cell colonies was grown in vitro from blood of patients with myelofibrosis and ranged between 162-4370 colonies/ml of blood. The number of colonies grown from normal individuals and ranged between 40-120/ml blood. There was no correlation between the number of colonies and number of potentially proliferating granulocytic cells (myeloblasts, promyelocytes, myelocytes) plated. In six patients colony size was similar to that of colonies grown from normal individuals and larger than colonies grown from patients with leukemia. Morphologically, colonies consisted of either eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes, or macrophages. These data indicate that an increased number of stem cells capable of giving rise to in vitro colonies of granulocytes and mononuclear cells circulate in patients with myelofibrosis. The growth pattern of these colonies differed from colonies grown from leukemia cells suggesting that these may not be closely related diseases.
Dialogical Features, Therapist Responsiveness, and Agency in a Therapy for Psychosis

This study aims to further theoretical and clinical discussions regarding the therapy of psychosis from a dialogical perspective and to contribute to the contemporary research literature that works toward developing methods for studying the dialogical processes in therapy. Three videotaped sessions of a therapy with a heterosexual couple, in which both partners had psychotic experiences, were analyzed using the Dialogical Investigations of Happenings of Change, a method developed with an aim to capture the dialogical qualities of multiactor conversations. The analysis illustrated shifts in the dialogical characteristics of the conversation through the sessions and associated shifts in the clients’ positioning, toward increased agency, as well as enrichment of the narratives regarding their difficulties. The gradual development toward more dialogical conversations, evidenced mainly in increased sharing of dominance and therapist responsiveness and participation, seemed to facilitate the joint construction of new words and meanings, the expression of strong feelings, the narration of difficult experiences, and increased agency. The findings support the view that a client's sense of agency, which can be particularly impoverished in psychosis, can be reconstructed in the context of dialogue, in which clients have a central place in telling their story.
The Highly Abundant Chlorophyll-Protein Complex of Iron-Deficient Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 (CP43[prime]) Is Encoded by the isiA Gene

A chlorophyll (Chl)-protein complex designated CPVI-4 becomes the major pigment-protein complex in Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 cells grown under conditions of iron limitation. Work by Lauden-bach et al. (J Bacteriol [1988] 170: 5018-5026) has identified an iron-repressible operon, designated isiAB, containing the flavodoxin gene and a gene predicted to encode a Chl-binding protein resembling CP43 of photosystem II. To test the hypothesis that the CP43-like protein is a component of the CPVI-4 complex, we have inactivated the isiAB operon in Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 using directed insertional mutagenesis. Mutant cells grown under conditions of iron limitation exhibit pronounced changes in their spectroscopic and photosynthetic properties relative to similarly grown wild-type cells. Notably, the strong 77 K fluorescence emission at 685 nm, which dominates the spectrum of iron-deficient wild-type cells, is dramatically reduced in the mutant. The loss of this emission appears to unmask the otherwise obscured photosystem II emissions at 685 and 695 nm. Most importantly, mildly denaturing gel electrophoresis shows that mutant cells no longer express the CPVI-4 complex, indicating that the isiA gene encodes a component of this abundant Chl-protein complex.
Changes in the Structure of Wages in the Public and Private Sectors

The wage structure in the U.S. public sector responded sluggishly to substantial changes in private sector wages during the 1970s and 1980s. Despite a large expansion in the college/high school wage differential during the 1980s in the private sector, the public sector college wage premium remained fairly stable. Although wage differentials by skill, in the public sector were fairly unresponsive to changes in the private sector, overall pay levels for state and local government workers were quite sensitive to local labor market conditions. But federal government regional pay levels appear unaffected by local economic conditions. Several possible explanations are considered to account for the rigidity of the government internal wage structure, including employer size, unionization, and nonprofit status. None of these factors adequately explains the pay rigidity we observe in the government.
Evidence of Large Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Reduction in Patients With Menière Attacks.

OBJECTIVE To examine the high frequency horizontal vestibular ocular-reflex (hVOR) during acute attacks of vertigo in Menière's disease (MD). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective case series and literature review. SETTING Tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS Patients with clinical diagnosis of unilateral "definite MD. " INTERVENTION Review of medical records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Spontaneous nystagmus and the dynamic hVOR gain change at different stages of an acute episode of MD attack. RESULTS We studied 10 vertigo attacks during the unique stages of the episode. During the acme stage of the attack, lower hVOR gain was recorded on the affected side (mean 0.48 ± 0.23), which was associated with a paralytic nystagmus (beating away from the affected ear). Additionally, the mean hVOR gain remained significantly (p < 0.05) reduced during each of the other stages of the attack as compared with the unaffected side and a control group. After the attack, mean hVOR gains normalized in the affected ear. Mean hVOR gain of the unaffected ear remained normal during all stages. CONCLUSION Vestibular function during an attack of MD is a dynamic process associated with fluctuation of the dynamic (hVOR gain) and static (spontaneous nystagmus) processes, which exist in parallel with the perception of vertigo. Our data support vHIT monitoring during an episode to provide objective and accurate evidence of the ear with active disease. This would be particularly useful for those patients with MD presentations of unreliable hearing or assisting to identify the ear to be treated in the case of bilateral MD.
Asbestos and Asbestos-Related Disease: The South African Case

The asbestos industry in South Africa has suffered a decline in production, employment, and sales over the last few years. This mirrors the state of the industry internationally. In South Africa this has more to do with the economic recession than with legislative restrictions on asbestos use. New information has become available on the extent of asbestos-related diseases in South Africa. In this article, we outline developments in labor organization in the asbestos industry, and discuss the marked lack of control of asbestos, the inadequate state compensation system, and the difficulties facing labor. After describing recent improvements won by trade unions, mainly in the transnational corporation sector, we discuss the implications for industry, labor, and control of the asbestos hazard.
THE TREATMENT OF FUNGOUS INFECTION OF THE SKIN WITH NICETIN*

Deux mille malades du sanatorium de la Nouvelle Ecosse atteints de tuberculose ou souponnes de 1'etre, furent soumis a 1'epreuve percutanee de la tuberculine dite de Vollmer. A 36 reprises cette epreuve s'est averee negative alors que le Mantoux 'a la premiere dilution fut positif; dans 22 autre cas egalement negatifs au Vollmer, le Mantoux a la deuxieme dilution fut positif. Si l'on songe que quatre malades de cette serie ayant des crachats positifs donnerent des reactions negatives aux trois e6jreuves, on se gardera de se fier a aucune d'entre elles aveuglement, et surtout "a la moins sensible des trois.
Selecting a launch vehicle for GEO missions

The decision process concerned with the selection of a launch vehicle, or more appropriately, transportation service, for a particular mission is complex because of the many attributes of launch vehicles that affect financial decision variables. Launch vehicle attributes include price, payment schedule, reliability, lift capability, final orbit placement accuracy, insurance rate, scheduling (including possible delays), and other factors. These influence financial decision variables such as return on investment and risk. A simulation model has been developed and used to convert the launch vehicle or service attributes into impacts on decision variables and resulting choices. Government R&D and policies may affect launch service attributes and hence may influence user choices and resulting market share (the indicator of competitiveness). This paper describes a quantitative method for comparing launch vehicles leading to more informed decisions. A simulation model is described that relates launch service attributes to decision variables with examples presented. In addition, a decision database is described through which the effect of government actions on decisions and market share may be evaluated.