Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ideomotor limb apraxia in Huntington ’ s disease : implications for corticostriate involvement

Ideomotor limb apraxia, a disorder of goal-directed movement, has been attributed to lesions in the frontal and parietal lobes, but the role of subcortical structures is less certain. In order to determine its prevalence in a disorder affecting the basal ganglia and corticostriatal connections, we examined imitation of hand gestures in Huntington’s disease (HD) patients. We also assessed the relationship between apraxia and cognitive and motor dysfunction in an effort to better understand the neural underpinnings of apraxia in HD. If damage restricted to the basal ganglia produces ideomotor limb apraxia, then we would expect to find evidence of apraxia in patients who were early in the disease course when selective striatal damage is most common. Such a pattern, however, was not found in our sample. Instead, patients with greater neurological impairment and with a longer duration of disease were more likely than less affected patients to demonstrate apraxia. Apraxia was not related to severity of chorea, but was associated with greater impairment in eye movements, voluntary movements, and verbal fluency. These findings suggest that apraxia in HD results from damage to the corticostriate pathways and the basal ganglia rather than from damage restricted to the basal ganglia. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Clinical Practice Guidelines : Management of cholestatic liver diseases European Association for the Study of the Liver *

EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on the management of cholestatic liver diseases define the use of diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive modalities, including non-invasive and invasive procedures, in the management of patients with cholestatic liver diseases. They are intended to assist physicians and other healthcare providers as well as patients and interested individuals in the clinical decision-making process by describing a range of generally accepted approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of specific
Service blueprinting and BPMN: a comparison

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast a customer‐focused service process diagram tool (blueprinting) with an organizational‐focused process diagram tool (business process modeling notation, or BPMN). Design/methodology/approach – Using a hotel stay as an example, the paper presents both a service blueprint and a BPMN diagram. The authors then explicitly discuss the similarities, differences resulting from an ontological comparison of service blueprints and BPMN, and show where the two tools can be complementary.Findings – The authors have found that one similarity is that service blueprinting segments processes into parts that are similar to BPMN's idea of swimlanes. However, the swimlanes in service blueprinting separate customer actions, customer‐facing employees’ actions and functions, and back‐stage functions, actors, and information systems, thereby effectively mandating certain swimlanes for the purpose of analyzing points of contact between the firm and a customer. Another s.
Determinants of Decentralization within the Firm: Some Empirical Evidence from Spanish Small and Medium- Sized Enterprise

This paper examines empirically the determinants of decentralization of decision- making in the firm for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that tend to be highly centralized. By decentralization of decisions we mean the delegation of decision rights from the owner or manager to the plant supervisor or even to floor workers. Our findings show that the allocation of authority to basic workers or a team of workers depends on firm characteristics such as firm size, the use of internal networks or the number of workplaces, and workers characteristics, in particular, the composition of the laborforce in terms of education and seniority and whether or not workers receive pay incentives. External factors such as the intensity of competition and the firm s export intensity are also important determinants of the allocation of authority.
Distribution structures for food home shopping

In this paper, the relation between the constructs operational complexity, Web‐based orientation of the company and the company’s distribution structure used for the fulfilment of Internet customer orders is investigated in the food home shopping branch. A model is proposed with relations between these constructs, which is researched through a survey among food e‐tailers. A positive association between operational complexity and the distribution structure used could be established, meaning that more complex operations (with a full‐line assortment and a large number of orders) tend to have special (Internet orders only) distribution centres for the fulfilment of Internet customer orders. Companies with a store infrastructure tend to keep using this existing infrastructure (unless the number of orders becomes large) and new Internet‐only companies tend to use special Internet‐orders only warehouses, unless the number of orders is small, in which case co‐operation with existing stores is preferred.
The Role of Cryptography in Security for Electronic Commerce

Many businesses and consumers are wary of conducting business over the Internet due to a perceived lack of security. Electronic business is subject to a variety of threats such as unauthorised access, misappropriation, alteration and destruction of both data and systems. This paper explores the major security concerns of businesses and users and describes the cryptographic techniques used to reduce such risks.
Business/IT-alignment for customer relationship management: framework and case studies

In this paper we apply business/IT-alignment principles to create a framework for CRM. We build upon earlier related work that showed that CRM performance has a positive correlation with the degree of maturity and alignment between business and IT. The business/IT alignment CRM framework facilitates assessing an organisation's current CRM maturity and identifying future CRM improvements. The framework is validated by two different cases, a Caribbean telecommunications firm and a Dutch insurance company. The results of these applications support the validity and applicability of the framework.
Risk and resilience for psychological distress amongst unaccompanied asylum seeking adolescents.

BACKGROUND To investigate the level of posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms, and background risk and protective factors that might increase or ameliorate this distress amongst unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and adolescents (UASC). METHODS Cross-sectional survey carried out in London. Participants were 78 UASC aged 13-18 years, predominantly from the Balkans and Africa, compared with 35 accompanied refugee children. Measures included self-report questionnaires of war trauma, posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms. RESULTS UASC had experienced high levels of losses and war trauma, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Predictors of high posttraumatic symptoms included low-support living arrangements, female gender and trauma events, and increasing age only amongst the UASC. High depressive scores were associated with female gender, and region of origin amongst the UASC. CONCLUSION UASC might have less psychological distress if offered high-support living arrangements and general support as they approach the age of 18 years, but prospective studies are required to investigate the range of risk and protective factors.
Six minute walking test and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity for non-small cell lung cancer: easy performed tests in every day practice.

BACKGROUND Several studies have demonstrated that reduced lung function is a significant risk factor for lung cancer and increased surgical risk in patients with operable stages of lung cancer. The aim of the study was to perform pulmonary function tests and investigate which is a favorable respiratory function test for overall survival between lung cancer stages. METHODS Lung function tests were performed to lung cancer patients with non-small cell lung cancer of stage I, II, III and IV (241 patients in total). They had the last follow-up consecutively between December 2006 and July 2008. The staging was decided according to the sixth edition of TNM classification of NSCLC. The Forced Expiratory Volume in 1sec (FEV1), Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and Carbon Monoxide Diffusing Capacity (DLCO) were measured according to American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society guidelines. The 6 Minute Walking Test (6MWT) was measured according to the American Thoracic Society. RESULTS There was a significant association of the DLCO upon diagnosis and overall survival for stage II (P<0.007) and IV (P<0.003). Furthermore, there was a significant association between 6MWT and overall survival for stage III (P<0.001) and stage IV (P<0.010). CONCLUSIONS The significance for each lung function test is different among the stages of NSCLC. DLCO and 6MWT upon admission are the most valuable prognostic factors for overall survival of NSCLC.
How to catch a city? The concept and measurement of place brands

Purpose – The branding of places has gained popularity among city officials in recent years. Unfortunately, place marketers often disregard the complexity of place brands, as do their counterparts in the academic discussion: the focus repeatedly falls on the simple explorative description of certain city brands, rather than a proper conceptualization of a place brand that employs different measurement approaches for the different elements of the brand. Thus, this paper aims to identify those different elements and discuss measurement approaches that could prove useful in place branding.Design/methodology/approach – Following a review of the extant literature on the measurement of brand image in general and place branding in particular, the paper outlines distinct elements, categories and dimensions of a place brand, as well as a number of approaches from place brand image measurement, with example cases of each approach.Findings – Exploring a brand can be divided into three main approaches: in the form of.
An Improved Method for Armature-Reaction Magnetic Field Calculation of Interior Permanent Magnet Motors

This paper proposes an improved analytical method to calculate the armature-reaction magnetic field (ARMF) of interior permanent magnet motors. Based on the winding function, the armature-reaction magnetic motive force is divided into the q-axis component and the q-axis component to facilitate the analysis. Considering the flux paths, the difference of rotor magnetic potentials in the d-axis and the q-axis is illustrated, which improves the accuracy of the ARMF calculation. The validity of the analytical technique is verified by the 2-D finite-element analysis.
Endothelin-1 expression in prostate cancer and high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prognostic value of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a vasoconstrictor involved in differentiation and growth of cancer, in prostate cancer. STUDY DESIGN A tissue microarray was constructed of 287 prostate cancers from radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens with median follow-up of 48.9 months. Slides were immunostained for ET-1. Intensity and extent of immunoreactivity and their product (IRp) were evaluated. We separately arrayed benign prostatic tissue, atrophy, high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and prostate cancer from 40 men. RESULTS ET-1 expression was stronger in both HGPIN and cancer than in benign tissue (p < 0.001). The intensity and the IRp of ET-1 predicted biochemical recurrence (p < 0.001 and p = 0.044, respectively), while the staining extent showed no significant correlation with outcome (p = 0.68). Recurrence-free survival in patients with strong ET-1 staining was shorter than in those with weaker expression (hazard ratio [CI 95%] 2.44 [1.55-3.84], p < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis including ET-1 expression, preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), extraprostatic extension, margin status, seminal vesicle invasion and Gleason score, only PSA, margins and Gleason score remained significant. CONCLUSION ET-1 is overexpressed in localized prostate cancer and predicts outcome after RP in univariate analysis.
Acceptance of the wireless microphone as a hearing aid accessory for adults

SUMMARY We are on the cusp of a wireless revolu-tion. When the technology meets theexpectation, we will have reached a tippingpoint and change will occur quickly. Thecombination of generation effects, systemicchanges, component miniaturization, anddevelopments in low-cost consumer elec-tronics will all contribute to furtheringadult acceptance of the wireless micro-phone as a hearing aid accessory. As discussed in this ar ticle, the primar ysub-goals to be met in order to improveACCESS to sound via wireless micro-phones include: ❖ Awareness by hearing aid users, the dis-pensing community, and the public atlarge that this technology exists and ishighly effective ❖ Candidacy requirements that are clearlyestablished ❖ Cost reduction ❖ Ease of use in both private applicationsand public places ❖ Smart design to improve cosmetics,reduce intrusiveness, and simplify oper-ation ❖ Support and counseling before, dur-ing, and after the fitting/purchase. David Fabry , PhD, was formerly Vice-President of Professional Relations and Education at Phonak HearingSystems,Warrenville,IL.Drs
An analysis of the competitive business environment of a family run Brazilian auditing firm

The growing reality of globalisation has contributed too many new challenges in the auditing and related services industries, which placed more pressure on audit firms' of all sizes drive for long-term sustainability. Just like their global counterparts, audit firms in the Brazilian marketplace also need to be cognisant of its own competitive business environment in order to survive in a very competitive environment. However, in such a dynamic business environment, organisational resilience becomes a crucial building block in achieving sustainability. The key objective of this article is to identify and consider key factors in the competitive environment of an established nationally-based Brazilian audit firm, that not only embraces a thorough understanding of its business environment, but also of resilient strategies to support the firm's long-term sustainability. Based on a PEST and SWOT analysis, it was found that the firm's internal competencies and business environment, as well as the unpredictable role of government together complex bureaucratic regulations, makes for both challenging and promising times in the Brazilian auditing and related services industry.
Mapping and modeling of boreal forest change in tandem-x data with the two-level model

In this paper, three approaches to forest change modeling with the two-level model (TLM) are compared by fitting the TLM to 12 VV-polarized TanDEM-X acquisitions over a hemi-boreal test site in southern Sweden. It is observed that the best inversion results are obtained when rapid forest change (e.g., harvesting) is modeled as change in canopy density, while growth is modeled as change in forest height.
Share Price Drops and Shareholder Litigation

Under SEC Rule 10b-5, shareholders can sue a corporation that they believe has materially misled them about the firm's prospects. Recent legislation calls for reform of the rules governing shareholder class action litigation. This paper examines volatility and market sensitivity for both sued and nonsued firms. The approach is different from that of earlier papers in several ways. First, rather than selecting an arbitrary period prior to the lawsuit filing date, we examine both the financial performance and new-release characteristics of sued firms during the alleged misleading information period (MIP) of the suit, that is, during the period in which investors allege the firm misled the market. Second, we divide the lawsuit sample into categories depending on the allegations in the suit and the proximity of the MIP to the disclosure that caused the suit. Third, sued and nonsued firm samples, are larger than those in earlier papers. Comparison group samples have also been broadened to include industry, size and past behavior of sued firms, and firms acquitted of the charges. We find that sued firms are more likely to experience episodes of very poor performance as the population of nonsued firms. Sued firms exhibit higher systematic risk than the population of nonsued firms. Prior to the alleged misleading information period, sued firms experience abnormal positive returns for about three years. However, during the misleading information period, sued firms experience significant negative abnormal return. Sued firms issue more positive news in the MIP than matched groups of nonsued firms. Finally, we find that settlement values are significantly positively related to the seriousness of allegations in the suit, the length of time during which the shareholders allege they were misled, and to the overly optimistic tone of announcements about the firm during this misleading information period.
Cross‐reactivity to fish and chicken meat – a new clinical syndrome

Fish is one of the most allergenic foods. While clinical cross‐reactivity among different fishes is a widely accepted feature of fish allergy, associations with other food allergies are not well understood. This study aims at analyzing the relevance of clinical cross‐reactivity between fish and chicken meat in patients with allergy to chicken meat without sensitization to hen's eggs.
From Freud to Gehrig to Rapaport to DiMaggio

Lacking the size, talent, and speed to play shortstop for the New York Yankees, I chose instead to become a psychologist/psychoanalyst. Yet, baseball and psychoanalysis share much in common. Each is played in the inner diamonds of one's mind, values the past and what is passing, and requires a strong work ethic. Both are timeless and involve an almost boring leisureliness between occasional moments of crisis. Then too, each calls for an attitude of consistency and patience and a responsibility to do one's best. From my parents and brother to my wife and son and his family, from my teachers and supervisors to my colleagues, and from Menninger to the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA), I feel deeply grateful for the partners and teammates I have and have had.
Potential Solutions to Rural Broadband Internet Deployment

Broadband availability in rural areas continues to be a major topic of concern in many areas of the country but especially in our rural communities. Several grassroots organizations including the Wireless Communication Association International, and the Rural Broadband Coalition were created for the sole purpose of closing the “Digital Divide” for underserved Americans. Government should support efforts to offer broadband to the masses, but in some cases special legislation is required to pave the way. In Kentucky, the Supreme Court rendered an August 2005 decision that may have severely hindered broadband deployment by restricting rural electric cooperatives from providing any service other than that of electricity. It is unclear whether this decision adversely affected rural cooperative’s plans to pursue providing highspeed Internet to their constituents but it certainly caused them to their entrance into a less than competitive market for rural areas. Reacting relatively quickly to this decision the Kentucky Legislature passed legislation that empowered these organizations to once again offer services like Internet, long distance telephone, and propane gas service (ConnectKentucky, 2006). HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE According to the Connect Kentucky Web-site, the percentage of Kentuckians with high-speed Internet access has grown to 92%. Connect Kentucky is a designated 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization commissioned by Governor Ernie Fletcher to ensure all citizens have broadband access by the end of 2007 by coordination of “the planning, funding, deployment and adoption of high-speed Internet, also called broadband, and related technology at the local level” (ConnectKentucky, 2006). Several issues may be unclear however, for example what is defined as broadband access, and whether affordability is a primary concern, for example, is high speed dialup included in the broadband categorization? Cellular telephones providers like Cingular, Verizon and Sprint are all offering broadband services to select areas that tout broadband download speeds (Lawton, 2005). Most common to rural areas is the EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) network which affords 384 kbps burst speeds (Duryee, 2005). The FCC (2001) defines broadband as 200 kbps for both upstream and downstream transmission speeds from provider to subscriber, but also refers to 200 kbps capabilities in a single direction as sufficient to qualify. Dennis (2002) defines any communication circuit with data speeds of 1 Mbps or greater. What remains in question is whether 200 kpbs is truly fast enough to handle the expanding venue the Internet offers users?
Circuit modeling of the electrical impedance: I. Neuromuscular disease

Multifrequency electrical impedance myography (MFEIM) in the 3–300 kHz range was applied to 68 subjects representing 19 different neuromuscular diseases, and the impedances analyzed using the 5-element circuit model. Depending on severity, the ‘cellular’ parameters r2, r3, 1/c1 and 1/c2 were found to be as much as 10- to 20-fold larger than for normal subjects (taking age and girth into account), but in almost every case the extracellular fluid parameter r1 was at most only marginally affected. Strong correlations are found between r2 and 1/c1, but in the case of ALS that breaks down when c1 (representing the muscle fiber membrane capacitance) falls below half the normal value. Also, c2 (tentatively associated with intracellular organelle membranes) was found to be the most sensitive to disease progress in ALS, about three times more so than the 50 kHz phase, already suggested for use in clinical drug testing. We conclude that following parameters obtained using the combined MFEIM/5-element circuit analysis scheme offer a reliable, non-invasive and objective way of characterizing muscle in neuromuscular disease or during clinical drug testing.
advisability of prophylactic central neck dissection : Primum , non nocere

NODAL DISEASE is a centrally important issue for surgeons managing patients with papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (PTC). Cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis may be found in the majority of patients with PTC; the incidence rate varies widely depending on the mode of detection and the definition of node positivity. American Thyroid Association 2009 guidelines note ‘‘completeness of surgical resection is an important determinant of outcome. residual metastatic lymph nodes (LN) represent the most common site of disease persistence/recurrence. and adequate surgery is the most important variable influencing prognosis. ’’ Hughes et al, in this issue of Surgery, have provided a retrospective, nonrandomized study of 143 patients with PTC greater than 1 cm, treated surgically over a 7-year period. All patients at the time of presentation lacked clinical evidence of nodal disease (ie, N0 status based on negative physical exam, negative preoperative neck ultrasound, and no lymphadenopathy evident at surgery). The decision to offer prophylactic central neck dissection (pCND) was not made prospectively but was determined by surgeon and patient preference and when applied involved bilateral paratracheal dissection. The 2 retrospective groups (one with and one without pCND during total thyroidectomy) were comparable in terms of tumor size, MACIS score, rates of multifocality, and vascular invasion, though the pCND group had a higher rate of extrathyroidal invasion. Hughes et al found no impact on