Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting satisfaction levels of internal customers in Turkish automotive authorized services

This study aims to determine the satisfaction levels of employees considered the internal customers in respect of the total quality management approach and the factors affecting the satisfaction levels. It can be stated that determination of the factors affecting the internal customer satisfaction can be provided to increase the services quality and to make better use from employees’ performance. In the research, the screening method was used and study group is consisted of 550 internal customers working in the authorized services in randomly selected provinces. The findings obtained via answering of the survey questions were evaluated according to frequency, mean and standard deviation. In the study, according to hierarchical differences (Master/Forman-Sub-administrator) between employees in automotive authorized services (AAS), independent groups t-test analysis related to differences of assessments has been used. And, one-way analysis (ANOVA) was used to determine if there were differences according to variables of “educational status” and “working hours” in the evaluations, and, Tukey-HSD test was used in order to determine which groups the possible differences of the groups were between. The significance level was considered as p < 0.05 in testing the differences between the groups. At the result of the study done, the satisfaction levels of the internal customers are seen to be high. It can be stated that internal customers’ sense of dismissing is low, employers and employee mutual love and respect for each other, and, this situation creates an effect which increases the internal customers’ sense of belonging to the workplace. The satisfaction levels of internal customers in AAS are seen at the “medium” level according to their fee and social rights.
Changes in excitability indices of cutaneous afferents produced by ischaemia in human subjects

1 The present study was undertaken to determine whether mechanisms other than membrane depolarization contribute to the changes in excitability of cutaneous afferents of the median nerve under ischaemic conditions. 2 In six healthy subjects, axonal excitability was measured as the reciprocal of the threshold for a compound sensory action potential (CSAP) of 50 % maximal amplitude. Refractoriness and supernormality were measured as threshold changes 2 and 7 ms, respectively, after supramaximal conditioning stimuli. The strength‐duration time constant (τSD) was calculated from the thresholds for unconditioned CSAPs using test stimuli of 0·1 and 1·0 ms duration. Changes in these indices were measured when subthreshold polarizing currents lasting 10 or 100 ms were applied, before, during and after ischaemia for 13 min. 3 At rest, the change in supernormality produced by polarizing currents was greater with the longer polarizing current, indicating that it took up to 100 ms to charge the internodal capacitance. 4 Refractoriness and its dependence on excitability increased more than expected during ischaemia. Supernormality was abolished during ischaemia, and reached a maximum after ischaemia but was then barely altered by polarizing current. τSD had a similar relationship to excitability before, during and after ischaemia. 5 By contrast, during continuous depolarizing current for 8 min to mimic the depolarization produced by ischaemia, the relationship between excitability and refractoriness was the same during the depolarization as before it. 6 It is suggested that the large increase in refractoriness during ischaemia might be due to interference with the recovery from inactivation of transient sodium channels by an intra‐axonal substrate of ischaemia. The post‐ischaemic increase in supernormality and the lack of change with changes in axonal excitability can be explained by blockage of voltage‐dependent potassium channels.
Acceptability of drug detection monitoring among participants in an open-label pre-exposure prophylaxis study

In the world of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) research, there is emerging interest in providing study participants with pharmacokinetic results from drug level testing to guide adherence counseling. The iPrEx randomized control trial was the first study to produce meaningful results of PrEP in humans. In the iPrEx open-label extension (OLE) study, blood plasma samples collected in the first 12 weeks of study participation were tested for the presence of tenofovir/emtricitabine – the drugs which compromise PrEP. Study clinicians shared results (detectable/undetectable) with participants at their 24-week visit. We evaluated the acceptability of receiving these results among a subset of iPrEx OLE participants. We conducted in-depth interviews (n = 59) with participants (those with and those without drug detected) enrolled in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco to assess their experiences with receiving drug detection feedback. Incorporating drug detection results into the clinical study visit was well received and no negative reactions were expressed. For about half of participants, receiving their drug detection lab result was useful while for others it was not important. In a few cases, no drug detected results led to increased efforts to take PrEP consistently and in most cases enhanced open discussion of missed doses. Participants reported a desire for greater specificity, particularly quantitative drug levels needed for protection. We recommend exploring strategies to increase the salience of drug level results, including using feedback to target adherence counseling, and reducing the time between specimen collection, testing, and receipt of results. Future studies should evaluate the feasibility and impact of providing more specific quantitative drug levels using biomarkers of longer term PrEP exposure, i.e., hair/dried blood spots.
Treatment of infantile hemangioma by intralesional injection of propranolol combined with compound betamethasone.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effective and convenient methods of infantile hemangioma treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS From October 2010 to June 2014, 31 infantile hemangioma patients admitted to our hospital, were administered propranolol combined with betamethasone injection treatment of lesions. RESULTS All patients were followed for 6 months-2 years. In treated patients, 24 patients with tumor had complete or nearly complete remission while 6 patients showed partial regression. In 1 patient the tumor had no evident change. Adverse reactions of the therapy included local tissue atrophy, ulcer and anorexia, mild diarrhea in the early treatment. Ulcer wound healed after dressing change. CONCLUSIONS Treatment of infantile hemangioma lesions with an injection of propranolol combined with betamethasone showed good efficacy. The method is safe and reliable with clear curative effect, convenient, less complicated, and especially suitable for patients with a small area infantile hemangioma.
North American Professional Sport: Exploring Competition Time and its Effect on Valuation, Revenue and Profitability

This thesis examines if there is a relationship between competition time and team valuation, revenue and profitability in North American professional sport. The leagues examined were the major four in North America and include the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the National Football League. Using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a guide, appropriate literature of the four BSC categories was reviewed. The four categories of the BSC include Financial, Customer, Internal Business Processes and Learning and Growth. Conceptual models for team valuation, revenue and profitability were constructed using the BSC as a framework. In order to construct the three conceptual models 51 professional sport research variables were identified as useful to this framework. The data was collected over a ten-year period for the seasons 2003/2004-2012/2013. A series of statistical analyses were examined with regression analyses revealed three distinct models for the three dependent variables. It was found that competition time has a significant impact on all three dependent variables. The results from this study will help league executives in creating new strategies for revenue growth and other financial gains. Future research will work towards creating more competition time variables that will aid in determining the proper amount of competition time that needs to be played by each league to maximize league finances.
Complex class 1 integrons harboring CTX-M-2-encoding genes in clinical Enterobacteriaceae from a hospital in Brazil.

INTRODUCTION CTX-M enzymes are the most prevalent extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in Brazil and around the world. The spread of CTX-M lies in their ability to be mobilized by insertion sequences and integrons. This study aimed to identify the mobile genetic structures associated with bla(CTX-M) genes from clinical Enterobacteriaceae strains. METHODOLOGY Twenty-eight clinical non-clonal Enterobacteriaceae were screened by PCR for the presence of bla(CTX-M) genes and class 1 integrase (int1), and for the association of bla(CTX-M) with class 1 integrons. Plasmid incompatibility groups were assessed by PBRT. Wild-type plasmids were transformed into electrocompetent E. coli, and the S1-PFGE technique was used to verify the presence of high-molecular-weight plasmids in both wild-type strains and E. coli transformants. RESULTS Sequencing showed that strains carried bla(CTX-M-2) (n = 25) and bla(CTX-M-59) (n = 3) genes inserted into the 3'-end of complex class 1 integrons. Thirteen strains also carried bla(TEM) and bla(SHV) genes. CTX-M-2/59-containing complex class 1 integrons were also present in E. coli transformants. The most frequent Inc groups were IncA/C (n = 10) and IncF (n = 8). Heavy plasmids were observed in both wild-type strains and E. coli transformants. CONCLUSIONS The presence of the same bla(CTX-M-2-group)-containing genetic structure in seven Enterobacteriaceae species isolated at seven hospital wards shows the great mobility potential of complex class 1 integrons. Also, this is the first report of TEM-15, SHV-45, and SHV-55 in Latin America. The genetic environment of bla(CTX-M-2) accounts for their maintenance and spread among Gram-negative bacteria.
The long term development of New Zealand's electricity supply industry

During the 1980s and 1990s the New Zealand economy went through a process of considerable economic reform. One of the most important reforms was the restructuring of the electricity industry. This process was encouraged by the perception that the industry performed poorly in the 1970s and early 1980s. This article examines the long-term performance of the electricity supply industry. In particular, the growth in electricity demand, productivity, prices, profits and debt levels are all presented. In doing so an evaluation is made of the degree that these reforms have improved the productivity and efficiency performance of the industry.
Bridging the domestic building fabric performance gap

It is recognized that there is often a discrepancy between the measured fabric thermal performance of dwellings as built and the predicted performance of the same dwellings and that the magnitude of this difference in performance can be quite large. This paper presents the results of a number of in-depth building fabric thermal performance tests undertaken on three case study dwellings located on two separate Passivhaus developments in the UK: one masonry cavity and the other two timber-frame. The results from the tests revealed that all the case study dwellings performed very close to that predicted. This is in contrast with other work that has been undertaken regarding the performance of the building fabric, which indicates that a very wide range of performance exists in new-build dwellings in the UK, and that the difference between the measured and predicted fabric performance can be greater than 100%. Despite the small non-random size of the sample, the results suggest that careful design coupled with the implementation of appropriate quality control systems, such as those required to attain Passivhaus Certification, may be conducive to delivering dwellings that begin to ‘bridge the gap’ between measured and predicted fabric performance.
Optimization of Polysaccharide Ultrasonic Extraction Conditions Using Purple Sweet Potato Tubers Based on Free Radical Scavenging and Glycosylation Inhibitory Bioactivities

Background: The purple sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. It is one of the most widely consumed tubers in Asia and is found in many dishes. Many people with diabetes eat purple sweet potato tubers to help reduce blood glucose in China. Objective: To predict the ultrasonic conditions for getting the optimal in vitro antioxidant and antiglycated activity of ultrasonic extracted polysaccharides from purple sweet potato (I. batatas) tubers, the artificial neural network (ANN) regression models was used in this study. Materials and Methods: The antioxidant activity of polysaccharides was quantified by evaluating the hydroxyl radical scavenging effect after ultrasonic extraction, and the data were used in conjunction with optimized extraction conditions to train the predictive ANN models. Results: The following conditions were predicted to yield optimal hydroxyl scavenging activity: 200 W, 22°C, and 40 min. In contrast, conditions of 230 W, 22°C, and 50 min yielded the greatest inhibitory effect on albumin nonenzymatic glycosylation. The accuracy and predictive ability of the models ranged from good to excellent, as indicated by R2 values ranging from 0.953 to 0.998. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that ANN predictive models are useful in ultrasonic processing, which can rapidly and accurately predict the optimum extraction conditions for polysaccharides based on their antioxidant and antiglycated activities. In addition, the results of the present study suggest that the consumption of sweet potatoes may help reduce free radicals in the body and prevent or treat diabetes. Abbreviations used: IBP: Polysaccharide of Ipomoea batatas; RSM: response surface methodology; ANN: Artificial neural network; BSA: Bovine serum albumin.
Theory vs Experiment: What is the Surface Charge of Water?

There is considerable disagreement over whether the gas/liquid surface of water is positive due to the presence of surface-active hydrogen ions or negative due to the presence of surface-active hydroxyl ions. Much has been written and many experimental and simulation studies have been undertaken. We critically analyze these studies to establish what is known unambiguously and what assumptions underlie these opposite views. The conclusion reached after this examination is that there is much misunderstanding over the strength of the evidence for hydrogen ions being surface active and less support for the positive surface than generally regarded. The surface of neutral water is negatively charged.
Differential incidence and type of spasm according to coronary arterial location

BackgroundWe encounter a less provoked spasm in the left circumflex artery (LCX) by acetylcholine (ACh) testing compared with left anterior descending artery and right coronary artery (RCA) in the real world. ObjectivesWe investigated the clinical characteristics of provoked spasm in the LCX by ACh testing. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed consecutive 1392 ACh testing over 20 years (1991–2011). The maximal ACh dose was 100 &mgr;g into the left coronary artery and 80 &mgr;g into the RCA. Positive spasm was defined as transient of more than or equal to 90% narrowing and usual chest symptoms or ischemic ECG changes. ResultsPositive provoked spasm was recognized in 622 patients (44.7%) including 456 RCA spasms, 448 left anterior descending artery spasms, and 176 LCX spasms. LCX-provoked spasm was significantly lower than other vessels (P<0.001). LCX-provoked spasm was observed in 176 patients, of whom 113 patients (64.2%) had triple-vessel spasm, 46 patients (26.1%) had double-vessel spasm, and 17 patients (9.7%) had single-vessel spasm. More than 90% patients with LCX-provoked spasm had multiple spasms. Of 17 patients with LCX single-vessel spasm, 15 patients (88.2%) had focal spasm. ConclusionUnder a maximal ACh dose of 100 &mgr;g into the left coronary artery, LCX-provoked spasm was significantly lower than other vessels and more than 90% of patients had multiple spasms.
Effects of Temperature on Promastigotes of Several Species of Leishmania

ABSTRACT. Six Leishmania species were studied comparatively, in order to determine the influence of temperature “in vitro” on differentiation, infectivily and protein synthesis. Differentiation ocurred in a heterogeneous manner, even in species that produce similar clinical manifestations. Thus, no association could be found between thermosensitivity and disease. The association between expression of proteins and increasing temperatures was analyzed at 34° C by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS‐PAGE), using different incubation times, and employing a technique involving metabolic incorporation of [35S]‐methionine. Protein synthesis was very similar in all the New World species apart from L. amazonensis, which expressed a protein of approximately 80 kDa when incubated at 34° C for 2 hours. All the tested species had in common the expression of a 70 kDa protein. Differences, however, were observed in relation to the time interval for protein expression. in L. chagasi, synthesis was detected after 30 minutes of incubation at 34° C, while L. braziliensis required 1 hour at the same temperature. The “in vivo” and “in vitro” infectivity of the differentiated forms was also analyzed, but no significant differences were observed.
A differential evolution algorithm for solving geometric programming problems

A geometric program (GP) is a type of optimization problem characterized by objective and constraint functions that have a special form. By combining with a simple constraint-handling mechanism based on feasibility rules, a new approach based on a differential evolution algorithm is proposed for solving the GP problem in this paper. Numerical simulation experiments show the validity of the method, and comparative studies expose the proposed algorithm as a competitive approach for geometric programming problems.
Use of syllable center detection for improved duration modeling in Chinese Mandarin connected digits recognition

This paper describes practical approaches for improving Mandarin digit recognition accuracy, especially in cars. We consider syllable and subword unit durations as additional source of information. The explored approach was realized in two stages. First, the system performs standard speech recognition using acoustic spectral features. As a result, an n-best list of hypotheses is generated. In the second stage the hypothesis probabilities are re-estimated using duration models, thus, the hypotheses are reordered such that the correct ones are pushed to the top of the n-best list. In such a way the word error rate (WER) is reduced. We explore state of the art approach of duration n-grams. In order to eliminate the inﬂuence of speech rate variations, the durations are normalized to a relative speech rate, a 10% relative reduction of WER was achieved. A novel approach led to 13.3% WER reduction: the durations were normalized to a syllable rate obtained from the syllable center detector.
Effect of the molecular weight on the physicochemical properties of poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles and on the amount of ovalbumin adsorption

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles were prepared to be used as potential platform for vaccine systems. Commercial high molecular weight PLA (PLAHMW) with Mw 1.5 × 105 and low molecular weight poly(lactic acid) (PLALMW) with Mw 9.3 × 103 were obtained by direct polycondensation from D,L lactic acid and used to prepare nanoparticles by solvent displacement method. The effect of the molecular weight on the physicochemical properties of the polymers, on the nanoparticles dispersions and the amount of ovalbumin (OVA) adsorption was studied. The PLAHMW and PLALMW were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetrical analysis (TGA), modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The particle size distribution and ζ-potential of the obtained dispersions were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electroacoustic spectroscopy, respectively. The ovalbumin adsorption on nanoparticles was evaluated by the Bradford method. PLALMW dispersion showed lower ζ-potential values and larger sizes compared to PLAHMW dispersion. A minor OVA adsorption was achieved for PLALMW.
The eye contact effect in request and emblematic hand gestures

Request and emblematic gestures, despite being both communicative gestures, do differ in terms of social valence. Indeed, only the former are used to initiate/maintain/terminate an actual interaction. If such a difference is at stake, a relevant social cue, i.e. eye contact, should have different impacts on the neuronal underpinnings of the two types of gesture. We measured blood oxygen level‐dependent signals, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, while participants watched videos of an actor, either blindfolded or not, performing emblems, request gestures, or meaningless control movements. A left‐lateralized network was more activated by both types of communicative gestures than by meaningless movements, regardless of the accessibility of the actor's eyes. Strikingly, when eye contact was taken into account as a factor, a right‐lateralized network was more strongly activated by emblematic gestures performed by the non‐blindfolded actor than by those performed by the blindfolded actor. Such modulation possibly reflects the integration of information conveyed by the eyes with the representation of emblems. Conversely, a wider right‐lateralized network was more strongly activated by request gestures performed by the blindfolded than by those performed by the non‐blindfolded actor. This probably reflects the effect of the conflict between the observed action and its associated contextual information, in which relevant social cues are missing.
Information Systems Development and the Changing Role of Internal Audit

This paper investigates the impact of Information Systems Development (ISD) on changing role of internal audit. Based upon a multiple quantitative method research, this paper examines the changes role of internal audit as a result of increasing ISD and complexity of business processes in e-commerce. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey sent to heads internal auditors of FTSE 250 listed companies on London Stock Exchange. Complementary to primary data collected, secondary data were adopted to extend and validate the results in a comparison manner. The results highlight the impact of ISD on changing role of internal audit as shifting from paperless documents to e-commerce and online transactions. The findings of this study indicate that internal auditors' skills should expand beyond accountancy to meet the expectations of top management and audit committee. This paper provides awareness of increasing complexity of e-commerce and online business processes which influence the traditional internal audit function and audit procedures. This study is limited to participants of FTSE 250 listed companies on London Stock Exchange to address the impact of ISD on changing role of internal audit. The implications of this study address valuable concerns to internal audit profession.