Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of rheumatoid factor on mortality and coronary heart disease

Objective An association between rheumatoid factor (RF) and increased mortality has been described in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of RF on mortality and coronary heart disease (CHD) in the general population. Methods Subjects were participants in a population-based study focused on cardiovascular disease who attended for a study visit during the years 1974–84. RF was measured and information obtained on cardiovascular risk factors, joint symptoms and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The subjects were followed with respect to mortality and incident CHD through 2005. Adjusted comparison of overall survival and CHD event-free survival in RF-positive versus RF-negative subjects was performed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results Of 11 872 subjects, 140 had positive RF. At baseline RF was associated with diabetes mellitus and smoking and inversely associated with serum cholesterol. RF-positive subjects had increased all-cause mortality (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.80) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.14) after adjusting for age and sex. Further adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors and ESR only modestly attenuated this effect. An increase in CHD among the RF-positive subjects did not reach statistical significance (HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.81, adjusted for age and sex). Subjects with RF but without joint symptoms also had increased overall mortality and cardiovascular mortality (HR for overall mortality 1.33, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.74, after adjustment). Conclusion In a general population cohort, RF was associated with increased all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, even in subjects without joint symptoms.
Capital social das comunidades beneficiadas pelo programa de combate à pobreza rural - PCPR/Projeto São José - PSJ - estado do Ceará

The objective of this study was to identify and analyze tangible and intangible social capital of benefited communities by the resources of rural Poverty Reduction Program in the state of Ceara. The data were obtained by interviewing individuals and leaders of communities benefited by projects such as water supply, land reform, rural electrification and agricultural mechanization. For each type of project, social capital index was constructed. The results indicated that communities have medium level of social capital accumulation and resources supplied by this program contributed to increase social capital in these communities.
Biomechanical Analysis of Postural Control of Persons with Transtibial or Transfemoral Amputation

Rougier PR, Bergeau J: Biomechanical analysis of postural control of persons with transtibial or transfemoral amputation. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2009;88:896–903. Objective: In human subjects, leg amputation impairs upright quiet-stance control. The inability to exert appropriate force reactions under the amputated leg and a slight weight-bearing asymmetry cause the amputee to develop compensatory mechanisms through the sound leg. This study is aimed at assessing these mechanisms and the influence of the level of amputation. Design: The postural strategies of transtibial and transfemoral amputees for maintaining quiet stance were investigated using a dual-force platform. With this device, mean body weight distribution and plantar and resultant center of pressure trajectories can be measured and used to assess the likely compensatory mechanisms. Results: Compensatory strategies were found in both transtibial and transfemoral groups, with a forward shift of the mean positions of the center of pressure under the amputated leg and greater resultant center of pressure displacements appearing along the anteroposterior axis, respectively. The transfemoral group presents a larger center of pressure displacements under the amputated leg than the transtibial group. Conclusion: These data emphasize the role played by the differences between the center-of-pressure magnitudes intervening under the sound and amputated legs and the size of the prosthesis-stump contact area in these postural strategies.
Electrical performance optimization of a silicon-based EUV photodiode with near-theoretical quantum efficiency

Ultrashallow Si p+n photodiodes fabricated in a pure-boron chemical-vapor-deposition (CVD) technology are investigated with respect to the relation between sensitivity to extreme-ultraviolet light and electrical performance (dark current and response time). The photodiodes are covered with a boron layer (B-layer diodes) which can be nanometer thin, allowing a quantum efficiency close to the theoretical maximum in the EUV spectral range. The experimental results presented here show that, by modifying the diode structure, both reproducible low dark current and short response time can be realized without any significant drop of the EUV sensitivity.
Compression therapy for venous leg ulcers

Compression therapy is the mainstay of treatment of venous leg ulcers (VLU). Good wound care and compression therapy will heal majority of small venous ulcers of short duration. [1] Goals of compression therapy are ulcer healing, reduction of pain and edema, and prevention of recurrence. [2] Compression is used for VLU and narrows veins and restores valve competence and reduces ambulatory venous pressure, thus reducing venous refl ux (VR). It also helps decrease infl ammatory cytokines, accelerates capillary fl ow, and lowers capillary fl uid leakage thereby alleviating limb edema. It also softens lipodermatosclerosis, improves lymphatic fl ow and function, and enhances fi brinolysis. [3]
ICT‐enabled coordination of dynamic supply webs

Increasingly, two key trends – value‐ and cost‐conscious customers, and globalization of markets and supply sources – are shifting the competitive focus from the competitive advantage of firms to competitive advantages of entire supply chains. At the same time, the possibilities for flexibility and coordination inherent in modern information and communication technologies are making it possible to design and follow a much greater variety of organization and governance strategies for delivering customer value. Contributes primarily to the development of general principles for ICT‐enabled redesign of supply chains. Rather than examine the individual impact and design implications of each new ICT innovation, proposes principles of abstraction that can be used to frame supply‐chain redesign options and decisions. Concludes with how these principles lead to flexibility in the design of various supply chain options, thereby providing cost and value advantages for the supply chain.
Relationship between water and otolith elemental concentrations in juvenile black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri

Elements contained within calcified structures of fish, molluscs, bivalves and corals may provide a means to determine the characteristics of the environment occupied by an organism over time. In order to establish these characteristics it is first important to establish a link between one or more environmental variables and the concentration of elements within such a calcified structure. Black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri (Family: Sparidae) were reared for 30 d in the laboratory under controlled conditions, during which time the rearing water was spiked with different concentrations of strontium, barium and manganese. The Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca concentration ratios in the otoliths were related to water chemistry, while that of the Mn:Ca ratio was not. Furthermore the Sr:Ca concentra- tion ratio in the rearing water was beyond levels previously examined. Mean partition coefficients (DMe) were calculated for Sr:Ca, Ba:Ca and Mn:Ca ratios, and were 0.131, 0.099 and 0.683 respec- tively. The relationship between the partition coefficients from each treatment group and the ele- mental ratio of the rearing waters was non-linear for all elements, suggesting that extrapolation of the data beyond the concentrations used is not justified. These results indicate that it is possible to recon- struct the past environmental characteristics from fish otolith chemistry, based on the concentration of elements in water. Establishing this link allows for the reconstruction of past environments that fish have occupied based on elemental chemistry.
Hybrid control using recurrent fuzzy neural network for linear induction motor servo drive

A hybrid control system using a recurrent fuzzy neural network (RFNN) is proposed to control a linear induction motor (LIM) servo drive. First, feedback linearization theory is used to decouple the thrust force and the flux amplitude of the LIM. Then, a hybrid control system is proposed to control the mover of the LIM for periodic motion. In the hybrid control system, the RFNN controller is the main tracking controller, which is used to mimic a perfect control law, and the compensated controller is proposed to compensate the difference between the perfect control law and the RFNN controller. Moreover, an online parameter training methodology, which is derived using the Lyapunov stability theorem and the gradient descent method is proposed to increase the learning capability of the RFNN. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified by both the simulated and experimental results. Furthermore, the advantages of the proposed control system are indicated in comparison with the sliding mode control system.
Banners, e-mail, advertainment and sponsored search: proposing a value perspective for online advertising

In this paper, we describe the state-of-the-art in online advertising, addressing particularly the service innovation in the industry, at least partly developed as a solution to the crisis of the end 1990s. We claim that the approach based on cognitive intrusion does not fit the value expectations of the consumers and ultimately, the strategic goals of the firm. Our conclusion is also that permission marketing (on which the e-mail marketing techniques are based) does not solve the problems of online advertising, because it does not fit the needs of the advertisers, or those of the consumers, in the early stages of the relationship. We provide arguments and empirical evidence (primary and secondary) for supporting our statements. We propose a new model of evaluation and management of online advertising, based on the customer value perspective. Since the service innovation in the field is not limited to rich-media banners and e-mail marketing, we try to find the new techniques that better fit a customer value philosophy of online advertising. Lastly, we also highlight the critical aspects of these new online advertising domains.
BUILDING AN INNOVATION FUNCTION WITH PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS: EVIDENCE FROM PORTUGUESE REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS

In recent decades, a vast amount of scientific literature was produced on the phenomenon of innovation and its link with economic growth. However, several questions remain to the fore, specifically, how to measure innovation? What factors contribute towards innovation? How to generate more innovation? Following various currents in the literature, we estimate an innovation function based on various factors such as degree of urbanization, RD the role of entrepreneurship and the role of the spatial dimension Jelcodes:O34,O18 1 BUILDING AN INNOVATION FUNCTION WITH PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS: EVIDENCE FROM PORTUGUESE REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS
On supply chains and reputation risk: tracking changes in supplier codes of conduct

Increasingly, consumers and professional buyers are reluctant to purchase goods and services from firms that produced those goods and services in irresponsible ways, including the use of child and forced labour, unsafe working conditions, and processes which damage the environment. The reputations of firms that operate or source from irresponsible factories are increasingly at risk and, consequently, firms are taking steps to mitigate those risks. Supplier codes of conduct are part of a set of tools used to ensure that business practices at suppliers' facilities are acceptable to buying firms and their stakeholders. Given the relatively recent existence and rapid growth of conduct codes, this paper addresses how their content has changed over time. A longitudinal analysis indicates that supplier codes of conduct are: becoming more explicit in defining transgressions and out-of-compliance situations, incorporating a broader array of human rights provisions, and using language that leads to working together to fix problems, rather than moving business out of suppliers.
Association between tuition discounting and institutional goals at the largest midwestern private universities

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TUITION DISCOUNTING AND INSTITUTIONAL GOALS AT THE LARGEST MIDWESTERN PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES Name: Reinoehl, Jason Kent University of Dayton Advisor: Theodore J. Kowalski, Ph.D. This study examined differences in institutional aid among the largest 4-year privatenon-profit (PNP) institutions in the Midwest. The researcher determined the levels of association between institutional grants and measures of institutional goals, determined the levels of association between institutional grants and measures of institutional goals when controlling for the effects of total-full time undergraduate headcount and institutional wealth and determined whether the practice of tuition discounting has benefited the largest 4-year PNP institutions in the Midwest over the past decade. The variables of the study were categorized as institutional goal and institutional grant variables. Institutional goal variables were further categorized as measures of diversity, enrollment and financial goals. The study population was the 30 largest 4-year PNP institutions having a primary location in a Midwest state and having students between the ages of 18 and 24 constituting at least 85% of undergraduate enrollment. Pearson’s productmoment coefficients were computed to determine strength of associations. Profiles of the
Knockdown of reticulon 4 C by lentivirus inhibits human colorectal cancer cell growth

Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer worldwide with high cell motility and metastatic potential. Reticulon 4C (RTN4-C) is the shortest isoform of the reticulon family protein RTN4, which may act to induce cell apoptosis and suppress tumor development. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of RTN4-C in colorectal cancer, and potentially identify a novel target for anti-tumor therapy. To investigate the biological role of RTN4‐C in colorectal cancer, the expression levels of RTN4‐C were initially analyzed in six colorectal cancer cell lines by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. In addition, lentivirus-based RNA interference was utilized to knock down RTN4‐C expression in RKO and DLD-1 cells with low and high levels of RTN4-C, respectively. The rate of proliferation decreased in RTN4‐C silenced RKO and DLD-1 cells compared with the control, as determined using MTT and colony formation assays. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that RTN4‐C knockdown in RKO cells led to cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, particularly at the sub-G1 phase representing apoptotic cells. These results indicate that RTN4‐C has an important role in colorectal cancer cell growth, which may provide a potential therapeutic approach for human colorectal cancer.
Are freelancers a neglected form of small business

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that freelancing is neglected by researchers as a form of small business activity. It aims to consider whether it is possible and useful for researchers to distinguish freelancers from other types of small business owner.Design/methodology/approach – The paper does this in three ways: first, by conceptualising freelance status; second, by examining the research literature on freelance workers; and, third, by estimating the size of the UK freelance workforce to demonstrate their importance.Findings – The definition proposed permits identification of many types of freelancer hitherto neglected by researchers. Freelancers are a large and growing proportion of the UK business stock and the recent recession has led to a further expansion.Originality/value – Given the size and distinctiveness of the freelance workforce, researchers might explore the similarities and differences between freelancers and other small business owners with regard to: their motivat.
A new ship detector for ScanSAR imagery

Due to its extensive and acceptable resolution, the use of scanning synthetic aperture radar (ScanSAR) image for ship detection has become a common application in ocean monitoring studies. In this paper, a new ScanSAR ship detector, which is based on the Hessian of Laplacian, is proposed. The radar echoes of ships and the antenna gain (AG) phenomenon of the ocean in ScanSAR image are investigated. To address the AG phenomenon and the ship-background contrast, comparison experiments of 3 measures of the Hessian matrix (the determinant, the eigenvalue and the trace) are conducted, and the determinant of the Hessian matrix in scale-space is selected as the detector. To improve the performance of the detector (i.e., infrequent false alarms and low undetected rate), a new 3D (x axis, y axis and scale axis) detector is developed with a protected distance. The proposed method is validated with experimental images, and several comparisons are made to prove its robustness and efficiency.
A benchmarking framework for eTourism capability of destinations’ industries

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a framework for benchmarking the eTourism capability of a destination’s tourism industry, understanding the eTourism capability of a destination’s industry as the contribution that the information and communication technologies (ICT) uptake of that industry makes to its own performance. The impact of ICT in tourism has been suggested through extensive research. Previous work has urged the development of wide-angle studies to enable benchmarking of destinations and their industries. However, relevant research is limited. Macro-level studies in the area tend to focus on a single aspect of technology to evaluate adoption, are not sector-specific nor take into consideration the different levels of contribution that systems may bring to performance. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature on tourism, eTourism, benchmarking and technology adoption provided the baseline for developing this benchmarking tool. Findings – The literature supported the selection o.
Etiology of perfusion-diffusion magnetic resonance imaging mismatch patterns.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Diffusion-and perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI and PWI) are useful tools for the assessment of brain ischemia. Discrepancies between the extent of DWI and PWI abnormalities are thought to depend pre dominantly on time from symptom onset to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. However, underlying ischemic stroke etiology can also be important. A mismatch may indicate the presence of tissue at risk for infarction, whereas the relevance of other DWI/PWI patterns is uncertain. The authors therefore investigated the etiology of brain ischemia in patients with different DWI/PWI patterns. METHODS Retrospective study of 130 patients with acute brain ischemia and detailed stroke workup, including MRI within a week after symptom onset (40 +/- 39 hours). Patients were divided into the following groups: mis-match (PWI > DWI), reverse mismatch (DWI > PWI), and match (<25% difference between PWI and DWI). RESULTS Mismatch occurred in 49% of patients, whereas 22% had reverse mis-match and 29% matched lesions. Time from symptom onset to MRI examination was similar between the 3 groups. Largeartery atherosclerosis increased by almost 4-fold the odds of mismatch (odds ratio: 3.89, 95% confidence interval: 1.72-8.78; P < .001), whereas patients with reverse mismatch were likely to have cryptogenic stroke. Patients with matched lesions were similarly distributed among different stroke subtypes. CONCLUSIONS Ischemic stroke etiology appears to influence the development of specific DWI/PWI patterns. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these observations.
Global Analysis of Protein Sumoylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae*

Although the modification of cellular factors by SUMO is an essential process in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the identities of the substrates remain largely unknown. Using a mass spectrometry-based approach, we have identified 271 new SUMO targets. These substrates play roles in a diverse set of biological processes and greatly expand the scope of SUMO regulation in eukaryotic cells. Transcription appears to be the most prevalent process associated with sumoylation with novel SUMO substrates found in basal transcription machinery for RNA polymerases I, II, and III, pol II transcriptional elongation complexes, and a variety of chromatin remodeling, chromatin modifying, and chromatin silencing complexes. Additionally, our global analysis has revealed a number of interesting biological patterns in the list of SUMO targets including a clustering of sumoylation targets within macromolecular complexes.
Dynamic Capabilities and Superior Firm Performance in the Uk Media Industry

Abstract The past decade has seen a transformation in the way television broadcasters have managed their businesses. This paper examines the theory of ‘dynamic capabilities’ in relation to two UK television broadcasters, BskyB and ITV, and their attempts to transform themselves into multi-product, multi-platform media companies. Using Comparative Financial Analysis and Content Analysis, this paper demonstrates an original contribution to knowledge in two areas. Firstly, it provides evidence of ‘how’ media organisations change their valuable resources over time, and secondly, it provides a means to ‘measure’ the dynamic capabilities corporate financial performance effects over the long-term.
Studies on chick-embryo-adapted rabies virus. V. Protection of animals with antiserum and living attenuated virus after exposure to street strain of rabies virus.

Summary Results of protective antirabic treatment of dogs and guinea-pigs indicate that homologous antiserum administered 24 hours after exposure to street virus exercises a definite preventive effect. Still better results are obtained when administration of antiserum is followed by injection of living Flury virus. These findings are discussed in relation to serological evidence of immunity.
Return on Investment Modeling to Support Cost Avoidance Business Cases for Wind Farm O&M

Accurate life-cycle costing is a key enabler for wind farm operation and maintenance (O&M) optimization. Research has shown that maintenance is not optimized and that significant opportunities exist for reducing the total cost for maintenance and production losses, especially for large wind farms. This paper describes a stochastic life-cycle cost model and an associated return on investment (ROI) model that can be used to assess wind farm O&M management alternatives and technologies. While formulating the ROI associated with investing money in a financial instrument is simple, the calculation of an ROI associated with a future cost avoidance that results from the implementation of a particular technology or process, or from a particular system management approach is not simple. In this paper we develop a simulation-based analysis for determining the ROIs for activities relevant to wind farm O&M. While there are analyses that forecast the ROI of wind turbines and the energy ROI (EROI), these high-level analyses are not applicable to the cost avoidance ROI calculations associated with technology or methodology adoption.