Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Standards and Service Offshoring in India: Moving Beyond Industry and Institutional Specificities

This paper explores the role of international standards in the much-debated globalisation of the service economy. Various strands of economic analyses consider that core attributes of services affect their ability to be reliably delocalised, industrialised, and standardised. In contrast, international political economy approaches draw attention to power configurations supporting conflicting use of standards across industries and nations. The paper examines the case of the rising Indian service industry in customer centres and business process outsourcing to probe these opposing views. Our findings suggest that standards matter in types of services that conventional economic analyses identify as unlikely to be standardised, and that the standards used in the Indian BPO industry are widely accepted. Despite little conflict in actual definitions of market requirements, an international political economy perspective on service standardisation highlights the importance of potential power issues related to workers’, consumers’, and environmental concerns likely to be included in more progressive forms of standardisation.
Planning and Evaluating ICT in Education Programs Using the Four Dimensions of Sustainability: A Program Evaluation from Egypt

This paper presents the findings from a program evaluation of an ICT in education project within the USAID-funded Girls Improved Learning Outcomes (GILO) program. The evaluation uses a framework of four dimensions of ICT sustainability to examine the appropriateness of the design and implementation of the project, which provided simple, relevant technology to 166 schools in Upper Egypt. Project implementation, as described in this article, was carried out with a view towards both rapid and efficient rollout and long-term sustainability. The evaluation study aimed to determine the extent to which the ICT component inputs were still in place and being used by the school and community one year after direct project support had ended. The findings suggest that ICT in education projects must favor neither the hardware nor the pedagogical aspects of the technology. Instead they layer the pedagogical use of technology on top of a deliberate technology infrastructure. The technical and pedagogical aspects of the program should be treated as two distinct efforts with separate, but complementary goals. Paying attention to social, political, economic, and technological dimensions during the process can make a difference in sustainability and, ultimately, success of the initiative.
Risk factors for severe respiratory syncytial virus infection in elderly persons.

Risk factors for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection were determined in 3 cohorts of adults during 2 consecutive winters (1999-2000 and 2000-2001) in Rochester, New York. Community-dwelling healthy persons > or =65 years old and persons >21 years old who had underlying symptomatic cardiopulmonary conditions were prospectively evaluated for RSV infection. Evidence of infection was also sought in persons who were > or =65 years old or had underlying cardiopulmonary disease and who were hospitalized with acute respiratory symptoms. Sixty-nine RSV infections were identified by culture, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, or serologic testing in the prospective groups, and 61 were identified in the hospitalized group. The presence of underlying chronic pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR], 3.97), functional disability (OR, 1.67/integer increase in Instruments of Activities of Daily Living score), and low serum neutralizing antibody titer (OR, 5.89) were each independently associated with increased risk of severe disease, defined as "hospitalization with RSV infection. " These data suggest that the induction of neutralizing serum antibody with an RSV vaccine may potentially reduce disease severity in adult populations.
A model for evaluating the effectiveness of CRM using the balanced scorecard

Customer relationship management (CRM) has become one of the leading business strategies in the new millennium. CRM is a broad term for managing business interactions with customers. The effectiveness of CRM can be measured as a satisfaction level achieved by CRM activities. Although CRM has emerged as a major business strategy for e-commerce, little research has been conducted in evaluating the effectiveness of CRM. Because it is difficult to demonstrate tangible returns on the resources expanded to plan, develop, implement, and operate CRM, the aim of our research is to measure the intangible attributes of these benefits, such as value enhancement, effectiveness, innovation, and service improvement. In this paper, we propose a customer-oriented evaluation model for evaluating the effectiveness of CRM and then illustrate the model through a case study.
Facial nerve stimulation after Nucleus 22-channel cochlear implantation.

OBJECTIVE To review the clinical features, radiographic findings, and programming strategies used in our population of patients who developed facial nerve stimulation after cochlear implantation. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING Patients referred to our nonprofit, outpatient facility were studied prospectively. PATIENTS The study consisted of 14 patients with facial nerve stimulation after placement of the Nucleus 22-channel cochlear implant. INTERVENTIONS Records were reviewed retrospectively, and patients were studied with three-dimensional computed tomographic scanning techniques. Electrical testing was performed, and various cochlear implant programming strategies were evaluated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Important clinical features were reviewed. The radiographic and anatomical relationships of the facial nerve to the cochlea were evaluated, and the programming strategies used to effectively control facial nerve stimulation were reviewed. RESULTS Prevalence of facial nerve stimulation in our population was 7%. The most common cause was otosclerosis. Anatomical data confirmed the close proximity of the basal turn of the cochlea and the labyrinthine segment of the facial nerve. There was a high correlation between the electrodes causing symptoms and those found radiographically to be closest to the labyrinthine segment of the facial nerve. We were able to control facial nerve stimulation in all patients through programming mode changes. CONCLUSIONS Otosclerosis appears to be a risk factor for developing facial nerve stimulation after cochlear implantation, and the site of stimulation appears to be the labyrinthine segment of the facial nerve. Familiarity with more elaborate programming techniques is critical to managing patients with this complication.
Acquired resistance of lung adenocarcinoma to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), such as gefitinib and erlotinib, are the first targeted therapy drugs approved for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Interestingly, treatment with these small molecule, reversible EGFR-TKIs leads to more positive response rates in patients with adenocarcinoma, in females, in Asians, and in patients with no history of smoking. Positive responses to treatment in these populations may be due to the increased prevalence of mutations in the EGFR gene. Several distinct mutations in the EGFR gene have been identified in specimens from patients with NSCLC who responded to treatment with anilinoquinazoline EGFR inhibitors. However, despite the dramatic initial response to TKIs, most lung cancer patients relapse and subsequently become resistant to the drug, a process termed acquired resistance. The precise mechanisms underlying acquired resistance remain unclear. Resistance to EGFR-TKIs could result from several potential mechanisms, including development of a secondary mutation in EGFR (such as T790M), amplification of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase gene, or overexpression of other receptor tyrosine kinases.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Ellis–van Creveld Syndrome by Targeted Sequencing

To the Editor: Ellis–van Creveld (EvC) syndrome is a rare, autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia with the prevalence of 1/60,000 approximately. [1] It is characterized by short limbs, short ribs, postaxial polydactyly, dysplastic nails/teeth, and congenital heart defects (CHD) which were observed in about 60% of affected individuals. Mutations in genes EVC or EVC2 have been identified in two-thirds of patients with EvC syndrome.
Market Power in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market in Alberta, Canada

This paper examines market power in the wholesale electricity spot market in the Canadian province of Alberta. The characteristics of electricity markets and the structure of the post-regulation industry suggest that there is the potential for the exercise of market power by electricity generators. Using data for the period from 1998 to 2002, I estimate a parameter indicating the degree of competitiveness in the market, and find it is consistent more with competition than with the exercise of market power. I conclude that the market design and industry restructuring have been successful in constraining the strategic behaviour of firms.
High-Molecular-Weight Complexes of RsbR and Paralogues in the Environmental Signaling Pathway of Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT Bacillus subtilis has developed an intricate signal transduction cascade to respond to the imposition of a variety of stresses on the cell. Reversible protein phosphorylation and the formation of alternative protein-protein complexes modulate the activity of σB, the RNA polymerase sigma factor subunit responsible for the transcription of the general stress response genes. Some of the regulators of σB, such as RsbR and RsbS, are known to associate in a 25S complex, called the stressosome, that can bind RsbT until RsbT phosphorylates target residues in RsbR and RsbS. To date, the RsbR-RsbS complex appears to be the most upstream component of the σB regulatory pathway. This large structure is thought to play an important role in sensing and/or integrating signals from different physical stresses. The roles of the paralogues of RsbR that are found in B. subtilis remain unclear. We describe here how the RsbR paralogues copurify with RsbR from B. subtilis cell lysates, and we demonstrate in vitro that the paralogues form large complexes either with RsbS or with a prepurified RsbR-RsbS binary complex. We conclude from these biochemical studies that stressosomes in B. subtilis cells contain minimally RsbS and all of the RsbT-phosphorylatable RsbR paralogues.
Energy Cost Minimization in Green Heterogeneous Cellular Networks with Wireless Backhauls

In this paper, we study the problem of energy cost minimization in heterogenous cellular networks with hybrid energy supplies, where the network architecture consisting of radio access part and wireless backhaul links. Owing to the diversities of mobile traffic and renewable energy, the energy cost minimization problem involves both temporal and spatial dimensional optimization. Our proposed solution consists of four parts: At first, we obtain estimated average energy consumption profiles for all base stations based on the temporal traffic statistics, Second, we formulate the green energy allocation optimization in the temporal domain to minimize energy cost for each BS. Third, given the allocated green energy and practical user distribution in each slot, we propose a user association algorithm to minimize total energy cost in the spatial dimension. Fourth, based on the actual user association scheme, we readjust the green energy allocation for each BS. Simulation results show that our proposed solution can significantly reduce the total energy cost, compared with the recent peer algorithms.
Olfactory Responses of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Predator, Laricobius nigrinus (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), to Natural and Synthetic Conifer Volatiles

Abstract Laricobius nigrinus Fender (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) is a specialist predator of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), native to the Pacific Northwest. It has been introduced into the eastern United States for biological control of exotic hemlock woolly adelgid populations that threaten native hemlock. The possible role of olfactory cues in host finding by this predator has received little study. We used gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) to test adult L. nigrinus olfactory sensitivity to volatiles from foliage of both adelgid-infested and uninfested eastern hemlock [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière] and western hemlock [Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. ], and two hemlock woolly adelgid nonhost species (eastern white pine, Pinus strobus L., and western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas ex D. Don). Adelgid infestation did not alter L. nigrinus EAD response profiles to volatiles from either hemlock species. In total, antennal preparations detected only two compounds in samples of foliage volatiles: myrcene in all four tree species and nonanal in eastern hemlock alone. However, in GC-EAD tests with synthetic blends of common conifer volatiles presented at higher concentrations than in our foliage samples, we additionally recorded responses to (−)-limonene, terpinolene, alpha-p-dimethylstyrene, linalool, (−)-bornyl acetate, 4-allylanisole, and alpha-humulene. The apparent absence of olfactory stimulants specific to adelgid-infested foliage is consistent with published ambulatory olfactometer tests in which L. nigrinus adults were not more attracted to infested than uninfested foliage. Myrcene and nonanal should be further explored as compounds produced by hemlock woolly adelgid host trees that may influence L. nigrinus prey-finding efficiency.
Macrophage Dysfunction in Cystic Fibrosis: A Therapeutic Target to Enhance Self-Immunity.

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Semantic association search and rank method based on spreading activation for the Semantic Web

As the information on the web dramatically increases, the existing web reveals more and more limitations in information search because web pages are designed only for human consumption by mixing content with presentation. In order to improve this situation, the Semantic Web based on ontology comes on the stage by W3C, and it will bring a significant advancement in web search. To do this, the Semantic Web must provide different search methods based on relationships between resources. In this paper, we propose a semantic association search methodology that consists of how to find relevant information for a given user's query in the ontology, that is, a semantic network of resources and properties. From this work, users can search the semantically associated resources with their query as valuable and important information.
Response Modeling with Nonrandom Marketing-Mix Variables

Sales response models are widely used as the basis for optimizing the marketing mix. Response models condition on the observed marketing-mix variables and focus on the specification of the distribution of observed sales given marketing-mix activities. The models usually fail to recognize that the levels of the marketing-mix variables are often chosen with at least partial knowledge of the response parameters in the conditional model. This means that contrary to standard assumptions, the marginal distribution of the marketing-mix variables is not independent of response parameters. The authors expand on the standard conditional model to include a model for the determination of the marketing-mix variables. They apply this modeling approach to the problem of gauging the effectiveness of sales calls (details) to induce greater prescribing of drugs by individual physicians. They do not assume a priori that details are set optimally, but instead they infer the extent to which sales force managers have knowledge of responsiveness, and they use this knowledge to set the level of sales force contact. The authors find that their modeling approach improves the precision of the physician-specific response parameters significantly. They also find that physicians are not detailed optimally; high-volume physicians are detailed to a greater extent than low-volume physicians without regard to responsiveness to detailing. It appears that unresponsive but high-volume physicians are detailed the most. Finally, the authors illustrate how their approach provides a general framework.
The Concept of Quality and the Efficiency of Markets: Issues and Comments

A recent article in this Journal by Hjorth-Andersen (1984), hereafter referred to as H-A, on the concept of quality and the efficiency of markets makes valuable contributions and raises interesting issues. This comment will focus on two of the most significant issues raised: market inefficiency and its potential impact on inefficient consumer decision making, and the financial losses consumers suffer due to market inefficiency. I will show that for each issue there are important alternative interpretations of H-A's data that deserve much greater attention. When all the evidence is weighed, it appears that two major interpretations require special consideration:
A Security Breach at Target: A Different Type of BullsEye

On December 18, 2013, it was announced that Target was investigating a security breach in which the credit card and debit card information of an estimated 40 million customers had been acquired by cybercriminals. It was disclosed that the cybercriminals had focused on the point-of-sale systems in Target retail stores. The information that was stolen included credit and debit card information as well as personal identification numbers (PINs). The information obtained by the cybercriminals would allow creation of counterfeit cards. With PINs, the criminals would be able to not only purchase items, but also withdraw money from ATMs using the related PINs. The two most common methods for cybercriminals use to obtain access to customer information at the point of sale terminal is to either have a company insider insert the malicious software (malware) into the company machine or convince an unsuspecting employee to download the malware into the point of sale system. The cybercriminals are then able to gain access to the consumer information that is stored on the magnetic stripe on the back of the credit and debit cards. The magnetic stripe contains valuable information such as account numbers and expiration dates. In Europe, credit cards with a smart-chip are commonly used to restrict the potential information that can be obtained from cybercriminals. While some credit cards in the United States do have a smart-chip, American retailers have resisted using the smart-chip technology in the purchasing transactions which take place within the stores. The reluctance to use the smart-chip technology has resulted in a disproportionate amount of credit card fraud occurring in the United States. The United States accounts for more than 47 percent of the total worldwide credit card fraud, yet the United States generates only 24 percent of the global credit card spending. In addition, over 80 countries globally use smart-chip technology, yet less than 1 percent of current credit cards issued in the United States have smart-chip technology.
Human Resource Planning: A Key Factor in Ensuring the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Organization

This paper investigates the relative influence of human resource planning (HRP) on the effectiveness and efficiency of organization. Effectiveness - being the degree to which the organization is successful in achieving strategy, mission, and vision. Efficiency - being how well the organization uses its resources (financial, human, physical, information). The paper is of the view that organizations being institutions are established to accomplish specified goals. To achieve these goals, the human resource planning is seen as one of the most crucial factors, without which the goals are as good as dead. The study recommended that HRP should be a priority in every organization, since it has impact on organizational performance.
The Dose‐Response Relationship of Tranexamic Acid

Background Prophylactic administration of the antifibrinolytic drug tranexamic acid decreases bleeding and transfusions after cardiac operations. However, the best dose of tranexamic acid for this purpose remains unknown. This study explored the dose‐response relationship of tranexamic acid for hemostatic efficacy after cardiac operation. Methods In prospective, randomized, double‐blinded fashion, 148 patients undergoing cardiac operation with extracorporeal circulation were divided into six groups: a placebo group and five groups receiving tranexamic acid in loading doses before incision (range 2.5 to 40 mg *symbol* kg sup ‐1) and one‐tenth the loading dose hourly for 12 h. The mass of blood collected by chest tubes over 12 h represented blood loss. Allogeneic transfusions within 12 h and within 5 d of surgery were tallied. Results The six groups presented similar demographics. Patients receiving placebo had increased postoperative D‐dimer concentration compared to groups receiving tranexamic acid. Patients receiving at least 10 mg *symbol* kg sup ‐1 tranexamic acid followed by 1 mg *symbol* kg sup ‐1 *symbol* h sup ‐1 bled significantly less (365, 344, and 369 g *symbol* 12 h sup ‐1, respectively, for those three groups) compared with patients who received placebo (522 g, P < 0.05). Tranexamic dose did not affect transfusions. Only initial hematocrit affected whether a patient received an allogeneic transfusion within 5 days of operation (odds ratio 2.08 for each 3% absolute decrease in hematocrit). Conclusions Prophylactic tranexamic acid, 10 mg *symbol* kg1 followed by 1 mg *symbol* kg sup ‐1 *symbol* h sup ‐1, decreases bleeding after extracorporeal circulation. Larger doses do not provide additional hemostatic benefit.