Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interventions to improve treatment, retention and survival outcomes for adolescents with perinatal HIV-1 transitioning to adult care: moving on up.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW There is an increasing number of deaths among adult survivors of perinatal HIV. Multiple and complex factors drive this mortality, including problems with retention in care and adherence during adolescence, coupled with the critical period of transition from paediatric to adult care, increasing their risk of treatment failure and severe immunosuppression. We reviewed studies that evaluated the impact of service delivery interventions to improve the health of perinatally infected adolescents living with HIV (P-ALHIV) to gain insight into what might help them survive the vulnerable period of adolescence. RECENT FINDINGS Youth-focused health services and individual-level interventions may improve P-ALHIV adherence and retention in care. However, there have been few studies, many with small sample sizes and with short durations of follow-up that end before the transition period. Studies from other childhood-onset chronic diseases are similarly limited. SUMMARY Further studies are urgently needed to identify optimal intervention strategies to reduce mortality and poor outcomes as the adolescent population expands and ages into adult care. Until we have a more robust evidence base, programmes can develop transition plans based on best practice recommendations to optimize the health and longevity of ALHIV in adulthood.
Interference-aware MAC scheduling and SAR policies for Bluetooth scatternets

Bluetooth utilizes fast frequency hopping to mitigate interference from other wireless devices and other Bluetooth piconets that share the same frequency range. However, it still can not avoid the interference between piconets entirely. In our simulation, we observed that the inter-piconet interference can significantly degrade the system throughput by more than 30%. The system throughput within a piconet can be improved by a proper arrangement of the segmentation/reassembling (SAR) policy and a good selection of MAC scheduling protocols. Many SAR policies and MAC scheduling protocols were proposed, but none of them takes the inter-piconet interference into consideration. In this paper, we study the impact of the interference on the performance of TCP traffic over a Bluetooth scatternet with multiple overlapping piconets. To alleviate the impact, we propose interference-aware SAR policies as well as the interference-aware MAC scheduling protocols. The simulation results show that our schemes help reduce the impact of the inter-piconet interference by more than 50%.
Significance of small dense low-density lipoproteins as coronary risk factor in diabetic and non-diabetic Korean populations

Abstract Small dense low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) have been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes in previous studies. However, the significance of small dense LDLs as a coronary risk factor for subjects with type 2 diabetes remains unclear. We measured mean LDL particle diameter by gradient gel electrophoresis (Quantimetrix Lipoprint™ LDL System) in 44 type 2 diabetes patients, 100 CHD patients, 35 CHD patients with type 2 diabetes and 88 age-matched control subjects. Mean LDL particle sizes were significantly smaller (p<0.05, Mann-Whitney test) in diabetes mellitus-only patients (25.7±0.8nm), CHD-only patients (25.2±1.4nm), and CHD patients with diabetes mellitus (24.9±1.6nm) than in controls (26.2±1.4nm). As for the mean LDL particle size, the prevalence of small dense LDLs (mean diameter ≤25.5nm) was higher (p<0.05, χ 2 test) in all disease groups than in controls. Furthermore, the LDL particle size in CHD patients with diabetes mellitus (24.9nm) was significantly smaller (p=0.049) than in diabetes mellitus-only patients (25.7nm). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that small dense LDL was independently associated with the incidence of CHD in all subjects [odds ratio (OR) 4.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–16.1, and OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.2–17.3, p<0.05]. In this study the LDL particle size did not further decrease in CHD patients even when they had diabetes. However, the presence of CHD affects the LDL particle size in diabetes patients. These results suggest that identifying LDL size as a routine laboratory test could be used as a marker for CHD risk in both diabetic and non-diabetic Korean populations.
COMMENT RENFORCER LA RÈGLEMENTATION SUR L'INDÉPENDANCE DES AUDITEURS ? QUELQUES LEÇONS TIRÉES DU MARCHÉ FRANÇAIS

Cet article s'appuie sur les travaux academiques des dix dernieres annees pour evaluer les effets de la reglementation francaise visant a accroitre l'independance des auditeurs. Pour les societes cotees en bourse, l'obligation de recourir a deux auditeurs se solde notamment par une moindre concentration du marche de l'audit : les Big Four detiennent une part de marche plus faible. Pour autant, les honoraires ne sont pas plus faibles, en raison vraisemblablement, d'une part, des couts de coordination entre les deux auditeurs qui excedent les benefices escomptes resultant d'un marche plus concurrentiel, d'autre part, de l'impossibilite de changer d'auditeur pendant la duree legale de six ans. Par ailleurs, la plus grande independance supposee, induite par cette reglementation specifique, ne se traduit pas par une moindre gestion des resultats par les dirigeants francais, malgre l'interdiction de facturer des honoraires de conseil. Ces constats empiriques nous conduisent a avancer que des assouplissements reglementaires du marche de l'audit pourraient s'averer benefiques pour les actionnaires des entreprises francaises.
EFFICIENT REDUCED-BASIS TREATMENT OF NONAFFINE AND NONLINEAR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

In this paper, we extend the reduced-basis approximations developed earlier for linear elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations with affine parameter dependence to problems in- volving (a) nonaffine dependence on the parameter, and (b) nonlinear dependence on the field variable. The method replaces the nonaffine and nonlinear terms with a coefficient function approximation which then permits an efficient offline-online computational decomposition. We first review the coefficient function approximation procedure: the essential ingredients are (i) a good collateral reduced-basis approximation space, and (ii) a stable and inexpensive interpolation procedure. We then apply this approach to linear nonaffine and nonlinear elliptic and parabolic equations; in each instance, we discuss the reduced-basis approximation and the associated offline-online computational procedures. Numeri- cal results are presented to assess our approach.
Using Components for Architecture-Based Management The Self-Repair case

Components are widely used for managing distributed applications because they not only capture the software architecture of managed applications as an assembly of components but also permit to dynamically adapt these applications to changing environments. Following this approach, our practical experience in the Jade environment about developing an autonomic repair management service with a self-healing behavior shows novel requirements on reflective component models for architecture-based management systems. First, we have identified five essential runtime abstractions that a component model must include in order to efficiently support an autonomic repair service. Second, our experience suggests that traditional reflective component models should be extended so that it is possible to specialize meta-operations. Third, our experience also shows that a meta-data checkpointing capability is best-suited for metadata recovery after failures. We demonstrate the soundness of these findings in several ways. We applied the difficult problem of autonomic repair to both J2EE and JMS middleware. We further stressed our algorithms and mechanisms by applying them recursively towards gaining a selfhealing property for the repair service itself. Although our experience was done in the Jade context, using the Fractal component model, we believe our findings to be general to architecture-based management systems using reflective component models.
Mergers and Acquisitions: A Guide to Creating Value for Stakeholders

In 1999, MCI WorldComm and Sprint agreed to merge. Valued at $129 billion, this expected transaction was the largest in history. However, it fell victim to regulators in Europe concerned with the potential monopoly power of the merged firm. This M&A action was merely the latest in a growing trend of "blockbuster" mergers over the past several years. Once a phenomenon seen primarily in the United States, mergers and acquisitions are increasingly being pursued across national boundaries. In short, acquisition strategies are among the most important corporate-level strategies in the new millennium. The need for clear, complete, and up-to-date guide to successful mergers and acquisitions had never been greater. This book more than fills that need. Looking at successful--and unsuccessful--mergers and acquisitions in a number of different industries, Mergers and Acquisitions: A Guide to Creating Value explains how to conduct an acquisition and how to avoid pitfalls that have doomed many such ventures. The authors take the reader step-by-step through the process, starting with the elements of a successful merger, due diligence to ensure that the target firm is sound and fits well with the acquiring firm, and how mergers and acquisitions are financed. They move on to explore how firms find partners/targets for acquisitions that have complementary resources and how to find partners with which integration and synergy can be achieved. Finally, they discuss the potential hazards found in M&A's and how to avoid them, how to conduct successful cross-border acquisitions, and how to ensure that ethical principles aren't breached during the process. Based on 15 years of research, this essential guide goes beyond specific case studies to cover all aspects of these ventures, making it required reading for all managers seeking to build a successful strategy.
The Influence of Competition on Marketing

The research devoted to the competitive impact upon marketing has multiplied since the seminal works of Alderson (1937) who argued for differential advantage a company should try to achieve. These were structured mainly around two problems: market orientation and its impact on organizational performance and the design of marketing-mix within the context of rivals’ activities. Two questions remain under-explored: that of the alternative to marketing ways of market behaviour within the competitive context, and that of the influence of managerial perception of competition on the design of marketing-mix. In relation to the first topic, this article proposes embracing the development of market orientation within a broader context of competitive advantage. The premise of marketing always playing a key role in the achievement of competitive advantage within the context of high intensity of competition is undermined. With regard to the second topic, the paper develops an integrative framework of the managerial perception of the competition and its influence on marketing-mix. It is demonstrated that not only the structure of competitive environment and their participants’ behaviour influence the design of a firm’s marketing-mix but also how the processes are interpreted by managers. The paper is of a conceptual character. On the basis of current literature it integrates the construct of market orientation with competitive advantage, marketing-mix and managerial representations of competition into one research model. It is concluded with a discussion of managerial and future research implications.
Genetic Context and Structural Diversity of Class 1 Integrons from Human Commensal Bacteria in a Hospital Intensive Care Unit

ABSTRACT Most surveys for class 1 integrons are at least partly predicated on PCR screening that targets integron conserved regions. However, class 1 integrons are structurally diverse, so dependence on conserved regions may lead to missing clinically relevant examples of class 1 integrons. Here, we surveyed a commensal population of bacteria from patients in an intensive care unit to identify class 1 integrons irrespective of their structure or genetic context. We identified several examples of class 1 integrons linked to complete Tn402-like or Tn402 hybrid transposition modules and diverse insertion points with respect to the inverted repeat IRi boundary. The diversity and abundance of class 1 integrons identified are such that many novel elements seen here would not have been identified by commonly used methods, and they revealed an additional level of complexity.
Selection of appropriate electronic banking channel alternative

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the important criteria responsible for the adoption of different electronic banking channel (EBC) alternatives in Indian perspective. It also evaluates the intensity of the various criteria, namely demographics, technological factors, service components and intention to use in determining the overall priorities of EBC. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 110 respondents using pairwise comparison-based survey instrument. The collective data was analyzed using analytical hierarchy process and priorities of different EBC were computed. Findings – ATM was found out to be the most preferred EBC alternative, followed by internet banking (IB) and mobile banking. Awareness, self-efficacy, ease of use, usefulness and security were the criteria responsible for making ATM, the most preferred channel. Practical implications – This paper imparts a better understanding of customers’ preferences among different EBC alternatives. It also explores the re.
Non-REM Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

O bstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are common chronic diseases and share several similar risk factors. The prevalence of GERD in patients with OSAS is significantly higher than the general population. For example, 21 patients with sleep-disordered breathing were found to have GERD (33.3% of snorers, 64.3% of patients with OSAS). Twentythree patients with sleep-disordered breathing had laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) (66.7% of snorers, 60.7% of patients with OSAS). Furthermore, laryngeal inflammation assessed using the Reflux Finding Score was present in 26 out of 29 patients with OSAS (90%), with changes suggestive of LPR. There were significant correlations between laryngeal inflammation and severity of OSAS. However, no temporal or causal relationship has ever been demonstrated between the two diseases. This article focuses on the potential relationship between GERD and OSAS, which has been raised more recently. Because of the decrease of primary peristalsis and the reduced production of saliva, as well as the diminished acid and volume clearance of the esophagus, sleeping can be considered as a risk factor of the reflux event by itself. Moreover, it should also be taken into account that the transdiaphragmatic pressure increases in parallel with the growing intrathoracic pressure generated during obstructive apnea episodes. This has a nonnegligible effect on the phrenoesophageal ligament, which is connected to the lower esophageal sphincter. Repetition of the pressure changes results in insufficiency of the cardia. While this pressure change produces a considerable suction effect, further reducing the clearing mechanism of the gastric volume, lower esophageal sphincter insufficiency can directly lead to reflux disease.
The effect of employee workplace representation on firm performance. A cross-country comparison within Europe

In this paper, we contribute to the extant Industrial Relations literature, which is almost completely confined to estimating the effects of worker participation within a single country, by conducting a comparative multi-country study using unique data from the European Company Survey 2009. We compare representation regimes within the European Union. We categorize the EU Member States into five clusters with similar participation characteristics: the Germanic, French, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and transition cluster. Across these clusters, we first estimate the effects of the presence of what we refer to as an information and consultation body on firm performance, measured by economic performance of the establishment as assessed by managers-respondents. Second, we estimate the effects of managerial attitudes on performance, as we assume – and find – that only taking into account the mere presence of a worker representation is insufficient, as mutual understandings between management and employee representatives affect the functioning of the employee representation body, and hence firm performance.
Diagnostic Methods of Ectopic Pregnancy and Early Pregnancy Loss: a Review of the Literature

Abstract This review article presents recent evidence on early pregnancy loss and ectopic pregnancy. In the light of recent evidence, the β-hCG discriminatory zone may be extended in clinically stable cases without evidence of bleeding. A possible cut-off is 4300 mIU/ml, which corresponds to when a sonographer should detect an intrauterine pregnancy. Embryonic demise can be confirmed when a transvaginal ultrasound finding shows no heartbeat in an embryo of more than 7 mm CRL, no embryo in a gestational sac having a mean sac diameter of more than 25 mm, or no appearance of an embryo within 7–10 days after the primary examination. These are considered definitive signs of embryonic demise. Suggestive signs of embryonic demise require closer monitoring of the pregnancy.
BRINGING MORE COMPETITION TO REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE

This paper provides an economic analysis of the residential real estate brokerage industry. We nd that the traditional model for residential real estate brokerage services may be dated, and could be improved substantially with some public policy interventions that spur innovation. We believe that there are numerous barriers to entry that are slowing the emergence of new models for serving consumers. Some of these barriers are likely to be anti-competitive. Examples include discrimination against new brokerage models and online brokers who wish to join multiple listing services; state legislation that would require minimum service requirements, e ectively preventing ‘‘a la carte’’ o erings; and prohibitions by real estate commissions on providing rebates to customers. In our opinion, none of these practices should be allowed. We o er three broad policy recommendations: First, antitrust authorities should carefully scrutinize e orts to limit competition in Robert W. Hahn and Robert E. Litan are the co-founders and directors of the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies. Jesse Gurman is a research assistant at the AEI-Brookings Joint Center. The authors would like to thank Scott Wallsten, John Weicher, Susan Woodward and Norm Miller for helpful comments. Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the American Antitrust Institute’s Symposium on Competition in the Residential Real Estate Brokerage Industry in November 2005 and at the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice’s Competition Policy and the Real Estate Industry Workshop in October 2005. In addition, a shorter version of the paper appeared in the Milken Institute Review in December 2005. The views expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the institutions with which they are a liated.
The Associations between the Goodwill Impairments and the External and Internal Economic Indicators

After the adoption of IFRS 3 and IAS 36 in 2005, goodwill and its related impairment have been criticized recently about their reliability and the true presentation of the economic value on the company’s financial statements. The valuation of goodwill and its impairment were subjected to an idea of the earnings management, where the management of the company subjectively decided the values to be realized, especially, the value of goodwill impairment that was criticized and questioned about its association with economic impairment indicators. However, this is in contrast with the purpose of IAS 36 on enhancing the fair presentation of the goodwill’s value, and the requirement that the company should consider and follow the economic impairment indicators while evaluating the goodwill impairments.The purpose of this study is to examine the association between the goodwill impairments, which were recorded by the listed telecommunication companies in Sweden (NASDAQ OMX Stockholm) during the year of 2005 to 2014, and the external and internal economic indicators. The Swedish listed telecommunication companies on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm were selected for this study with the reason that the companies in telecommunication industry have more possibilities to face with higher risk of impairment due to the high value of recorded goodwill. Moreover, the data was collected from information available on the company’s annual reports, and the discussion was based on the usages of tables and diagrams. Consequently, the results of this study have revealed that the values of goodwill impairments recorded by the selected companies did not associate with the external and internal economic indicators during this ten-year period. Additionally, this lack of association between these variables could also be explained by the ideas of agency theory and earnings management.
What is spread through air space?

Recently, aerogenous tumor spread was recognized as a prognostic factor in the pathologic diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma. Onozato et al. (1) showed that a tumor island, which is defined as an isolated, large collection of tumor cells within alveolar spaces that lack a well-demarcated micropapillary configuration, increased the risk of recurrence in patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Interestingly, the connection of a tumor island to the main tumor was demonstrated by three-dimensional reconstruction analysis. Kadota et al. (2) reported that tumor spread through air spaces (STAS), defined as the presence of tumor cells that goes beyond the edge of the main tumor to within at least the first alveolar layer in the lung parenchyma, was a significant risk factor for recurrence of small (≤2 cm) lung adenocarcinoma in patients who underwent limited resection. The 2015 World Health Organization classification (3) introduced STAS as a new route of invasion and included it in the exclusion criteria for minimally invasive adenocarcinoma. A study by Warth et al. (4) defined STAS as detachment of small solid cell nests (at least 5 tumor cells) away from the main tumor mass and classified it according to the distance from the main tumor mass as limited type ( 3 alveolar layers). That study showed that the presence of STAS, regardless of extent, significantly reduced recurrence-free survival and overall survival of patients with resected adenocarcinoma of any stage.