Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategic analysis of large local construction firms in China

The many transitory changes in China have raised the intensity level of competition among construction firms. Despite having a high growth economy, some construction firms continue to suffer from low profitability. Meanwhile, practical cases and empirical findings related to Chinese construction firms remain lacking. This research develops a conceptual model for improving the competitiveness of large construction firms in China. The model integrates two main streams of strategic management theories—the industrial organisation theories, and the resource‐based and competence‐based views. Critical variables that form the model are initially identified from an environmental analysis and the case studies of 12 large Chinese construction companies. The relationships between competitive strategies, important resources and competencies, and competitive advantage are then verified using survey results. The statistical findings suggest that two strategies—differentiation and market/product diversification, and three important resources and competencies—technological innovative capabilities, financial capabilities and guanxi (relationship), directly affect firm performance as measured by revenue and profit growth.
The effect of IPMC parameters in electromechanical coefficient based on equivalent beam theory

"Effective" electromechanical coupling coefficient for IPMC by equivalent bimorph beam model is studied. The collective effect of the membrane thickness and operating voltage is demonstrated by using a design of experiment of three and four levels of the two factors, respectively. Experiments and finite element analyses using MSC.NASTRAN are used to evaluate the tip displacement and the coupling coefficient for which approximations as function of the thickness and voltage are constructed. Initial curvature of the strips before electrical excitation is also shown to be a factor in "effective" coupling coefficient. A correction factor approach is proposed to include the effect of the preimposed curvature.
Study of a high spatial resolution 10B-based thermal neutron detector for application in neutron reflectometry: the Multi-Blade prototype

Although for large area detectors it is crucial to find an alternative to detect thermal neutrons because of the 3He shortage, this is not the case for small area detectors. Neutron scattering science is still growing its instruments' power and the neutron flux a detector must tolerate is increasing. For small area detectors the main effort is to expand the detectors' performances. At Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) we developed the Multi-Blade detector which wants to increase the spatial resolution of 3He-based detectors for high flux applications. We developed a high spatial resolution prototype suitable for neutron reflectometry instruments. It exploits solid 10B-films employed in a proportional gas chamber. Two prototypes have been constructed at ILL and the results obtained on our monochromatic test beam line are presented here.
Optimal cyclic scheduling of a hoist and multi-type parts with fixed processing times

This paper proposes an exact algorithm to solve a cyclic hoist scheduling problem in a printed circuit board (PCB) electroplating facility, where multi-type parts with fixed processing times are processed in the same time and the parts are not allowed to wait in the tanks or on the hoist. Finding an optimal schedule in such a production line is equivalent to finding two types of related sequences: part input sequence and hoist move sequence. We show that the entering times of the parts are the decision variables of the problem. We formulate our problem using the notion of prohibited intervals and solve it by enumerating the non-prohibited intervals of the decision variables. This enumeration is accomplished more efficiently with a dynamic branch and bound procedure, which utilises relaxed solutions to eliminate redundant non-prohibited intervals in the search process. The proposed algorithm is polynomial in the number of tanks if the number of part types is fixed, but exponential if it is arbitrary. Computational results on randomly generated test instances indicate that the algorithm is effective.
Automatic extraction of the pulmonary artery tree from multi-slice CT data

The purpose of this paper is to present an automated method for the extraction of the pulmonary vessel tree from multi-slice CT data. Furthermore we investigate a method for the separation of pulmonary arteries from veins. The vessel tree extraction is performed by a seed-point based front-propagation algorithm. This algorithm is based on a similar methodology as the bronchial tree segmentation and coronary artery tree extraction methods presented at earlier SPIE conferences. Our method for artery/vein separation is based upon the fact that the pulmonary artery tree accompanies the bronchial tree. For each extracted vessel segment, we evaluate a measure of "arterialness". This measure combines two components: a method for identifying candidate positions for a bronchus running in the vicinity of a given vessel on the one hand and a co-orientation measure for the vessel segment and bronchus candidates. The latter component rewards vessels running parallel to a nearby bronchus. The spatial orientation of vessel segments and bronchi is estimated by applying the structure tensor to the local gray-value neighbourhood. In our experiments we used multi slice CT datasets of the lung acquired by Philips IDT 16-slice, and Philips Brilliance 40-slice scanners. It can be shown that the proposed measure reduces the number of pulmonary veins falsely included into the arterial tree.
How to run a theatre : a witty, practical and fun guide to arts management

"All of us in the arts field are hungry to improve our skills in arts management. The grim tenor of the times makes this witty and fun guide even more valuable to us all! " Ben Cameron, Former Executive Director, Theater Communications Group "Dr. Jim Volz knows how to organize, how to manage, how to motivate, how to assign priorities. In short, he knows how to get the job done. " Abe J. Bassett, Former Dean, Indiana University/Purdue University Jim Volz is one of America's leading theatre consultants with over three decades of work with theatre, dance, music, museum and arts center management. Now, Jim Volz brings his expertise to anyone who works in arts management, from novices to middle managers to executive directors. How to Run a Theater is a unique, dynamic, and savvy guide to building an arts institution that works. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, here is practical advice on a variety of management skills: Financial Management; Personnel Management; Fundraising Development; Board of Trustees Communications; and Marketing & Audience Development. This new edition is thoroughly updated and revised and now includes a Board of Trustee Contract, new budget exercise with ticket income formulae and the use of social networking for marketing and fundraising.
Study on the Flow State of Circulating Cooling Water for the Industrial Heat Exchange Tube in the Electromagnetic Anti-Fouling Process

Comparing with the traditional chemical and physical method, the electromagnetic water treatment technology draws more attention of researchers for its advantages of easy application, small investment, low cost, and being pollution free in recent years. However, due to the less study of the formation process and adhesion of fouling on the surface of heat exchange equipment, the electromagnetic anti-fouling performance cannot be well evaluated. This paper studies the numerical simulation of the flow states of circulating cooling water in heat exchange tubes with a straight shape and U-shaped ones and analyzes the experimental data of fouling resistance on heat transfer surface under the action of 0.5, 0.75, 1, and 1.5 kHz electromagnetic fields. The variations in the velocity field and pressure field at various points in heat exchange tubes declare that the velocity of the circulating cooling water is smaller in the outlet of the pipeline. The change of the circulating cooling water flow state with the pipeline shape causes a certain impact on fluid velocity, and the pressure value at the outlet is larger. It is obtained that the flow velocity in the area with high surface pressure of circulating cooling water is relatively small. The experimental results indicate that the fouling resistance on the surface of the magnetic heat exchange tube is smaller than that of the nonmagnetic one. The anti-fouling efficiency in 0.5, 0.75, 1, and 1.5 kHz magnetic and contrast experiments are 46.8, 84.8, 91.2, and 63.6%, respectively. Better anti-fouling performances are obtained under the action of about 1 kHz electromagnetic frequency. The induction period of fouling on the heat exchange surface is lengthened under electromagnetic fields. All these studies are of significant importance to further understand the formation process and adhesion of fouling on the surface of heat exchange equipment, as well as to better evaluate the electromagnetic anti-fouling performance.
Exploring the distribution of grey and white matter brain volumes in extremely preterm children, using magnetic resonance imaging at term age and at 10 years of age

Objectives To investigate differences in brain volumes between children born extremely preterm and term born controls at term age and at 10 years of age. Study design Children born extremely preterm (EPT), up to 26 weeks and 6 days gestational age, in Stockholm between January 1 2004 to March 31 2007 were included in this population-based cohort study. A total of 45 EPT infants were included at term age and 51 EPT children were included at 10 years of age. There were 27 EPT children included at both time points. Two different control groups were recruited; 15 control infants were included at term age and 38 control children at 10 years of age. The primary outcomes were the grey and white matter volumes. Linear regression, adjusted for intracranial volume and sex, was used. Results At term age, the extremely preterm infants had significantly smaller grey matter volume compared to the control infants with an adjusted mean difference of 5.0 cm3 and a 95% confidence interval of −8.4 to −1.5 (p = 0.004). At 10 years of age the extremely preterm children had significantly smaller white matter volume compared to the control children with an adjusted mean difference of 6.0 cm3 and a 95% confidence interval of −10.9 to −1.0 (p = 0.010). Conclusion Extremely preterm birth was associated with reduced grey matter volume at term age and reduced white matter volume at 10 years of age compared to term born controls.
Potential propensity of traditional herbal materials ingested by collegiate athletes in South China for their consuming health care

Abstract In south China, traditional herbal medicines have been widely used as functional foods or dietary supplements for daily health care. Many plant-derived chemical substances with biological activity are inadvertently ingested by collegiate athletes daily through canton-style herbal tea or herbal slow-cooked soup. In the view of the complexity of herbal ingredients, it is still no full survey reported for the sports risk of plant-derived sports doping. This research is firstly a descriptive statistical analysis. Collegiate athletes with different socio-economic characteristics from medical colleges in 3 different regions in China participated in the questionnaire survey. Three survey forms, including the oral interview, email inquiry, handing out and recovering the questionnaires in live, were developed and performed by researchers. It was first found that collegiate athletes resorted to some traditional herbal materials to protect their health care that there were regional differences (P < .01). Collegiate athletes with Health Fitness and Traditional Wushu as their sports expertise showed a higher frequency of recognition or ingestion in the use of traditional herbal materials (P < .01), while their different living types and cuisine preferences did not seem to be associated with the ingestion frequency of traditional herbal materials. In addition, in the view of the significant differences in the use of herbal preparations to relieve sports stress among young athletes in different regions (P < .01), the findings strongly suggested that athletes should strictly control their use of various herbal preparations during sports training and competition, including herbal wines, herbal oils, topical plasters, analgesic tablets.
The efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine Buyang Huanwu Decoction combined with acupuncture to treat sequela of apoplexy

Abstract Background: Stroke is a common disease in neurology, patients often have different degrees of sequelae, which affect the patient's quality of life. We conducted a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of Buyang Huanwu Decoction combined with acupuncture for the treatment of stroke sequelae. Methods: The current protocol is prepared in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols statement guideline. Seven electronic databases including Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang Data, Scopus, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library were searched in August 2021 by 2 independent reviewers. The risk of bias assessment of the included studies was performed by 2 authors independently using the tool recommended in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (version 5.1.0). We will perform meta-analysis using STATA 11.0 (http://www.stata.com; Stata Corporation, College Station, TX). Results: The review will add to the existing literature by showing compelling evidence and improved guidance in clinic settings. Conclusion: Buyang Huanwu Decoction combined with acupuncture seems to be an effective therapy to ameliorate the clinical symptoms of stroke sequelae. In order to further determine the effectiveness and safety of Buyang Huanwu Decoction combined with acupuncture in treating stroke sequelae, more multicenter and prospective randomized controlled trials must be carried out.
Quantitative CT in mortality prediction in pulmonary fibrosis with or without emphysema

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the quantitative CT analysis of patients with CPFE in comparison with IPF and emphysema. Methods: Patients with CPFE(n:36), IPF(n:38) and emphysema(n:32) were retrospectively included in the study with the approval of the ethics committee. Results: There was a positive correlation between total lung volume and FVC%, TLCO% and 6 MWT, and negative correlation between mMRC and mortality. Negative correlation was found between right, left lung density and FVC%, TLCO% and 6 MWT, and positive correlation between mortality. Also, total lung volume, right and left lung densities were significant in predicting mortality and cut-off values are ≤3831,> -778 and> -775, respectively (p = 0.040, 0.020, 0.013). Conclusion: Quantitative CT are guiding in predicting mortality of the disease.
Sequenced Breakpoints of Crossover Suppressor/Inversion qC1

We used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from a number of balanced lethal strains in Caenorhabditis elegans to show that the crossover suppressor qC1 is an inversion. The rearrangement is complex, with a large primary inversion that contains several other smaller inverted regions. The graphical representation below depicts these various qC1 rearrangements for ease of conceptualization. It is the simplest chromosomal structure compatible with the data currently available, but even then it is worth noting that the complexity of the qC1 chromosome can make the graphical reconstruction difficult to understand, and it may seem a bit like relativity theory or artwork from M.C. Escher (https://moa.byu.edu/m-c-eschers-relativity/).
Genetic predispositions moderate the effectiveness of tobacco excise taxes

Background Tobacco consumption is one of the leading causes of preventable death. In this study, we analyze whether someone’s genetic predisposition to smoking moderates the response to tobacco excise taxes. Methods We interact polygenic scores for smoking behavior with state-level tobacco excise taxes in longitudinal data (1992-2016) from the US Health and Retirement Study (N = 12,058). Results Someone’s genetic propensity to smoking moderates the effect of tobacco excise taxes on smoking behavior along the extensive margin (smoking vs. not smoking) and the intensive margin (the amount of tobacco consumed). In our analysis sample, we do not find a significant gene-environment interaction effect on smoking cessation. Conclusions When tobacco excise taxes are relatively high, those with a high genetic predisposition to smoking are less likely (i) to smoke, and (ii) to smoke heavily. While tobacco excise taxes have been effective in reducing smoking, the gene-environment interaction effects we observe in our sample suggest that policy makers could benefit from taking into account the moderating role of genes in the design of future tobacco control policies.
Alleviating the burden of diabetes with Health Equity Funds: Economic evaluation of the health and financial risk protection benefits in Cambodia

In Cambodia, diabetes caused nearly 3% of the country’s mortality in 2016 and became the fourth highest cause of disability in 2017. Providing sufficient financial risk protection from health care expenditures may be part of the solution towards effectively tackling the diabetes burden and motivating individuals to appropriately seek care to effectively manage their condition. In this study, we aim to estimate the distributional health and financial impacts of strategies providing financial coverage for diabetes services through the Health Equity Funds (HEF) in Cambodia. The trajectory of diabetes was represented using a Markov model to estimate the societal costs, health impacts, and individual out-of-pocket expenditures associated with six strategies of HEF coverage over a time horizon of 45 years. Input parameters for the model were compiled from published literature and publicly available household survey data. Strategies covered different combinations of types of diabetes care costs (i.e., diagnostic services, medications, and management of diabetes-related complications). Health impacts were computed as the number of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted and financial risk protection was analyzed in terms of cases of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) averted. Model simulations demonstrated that coverage for medications would be cost-effective, accruing health benefits ($27 per DALY averted) and increases in financial risk protection ($2 per case of CHE averted) for the poorest in Cambodia. Women experienced particular gains in health and financial risk protection. Increasing the number of individuals eligible for financial coverage also improved the value of such investments. For HEF coverage, the government would pay between an estimated $28 and $58 per diabetic patient depending on the extent of coverage and services covered. Efforts to increase the availability of services and capacity of primary care facilities to support diabetes care could have far-reaching impacts on the burden of diabetes and contribute to long-term health system strengthening.
Macroscopic Model of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Municipalities

In the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector, urban municipalities hold significant responsibilities. The Municipal Transportation and Greenhouse Gas (MUNTAG) model was developed to help municipalities estimate their current transportation emissions, set future targets, and run forecasting scenarios and responses to policies. A set of seven criteria was adopted for the development of the model including low input, ease of use, and feasibility (i.e., the model includes only variables that are controlled by municipalities). The model contains five strategies: land use intensification, public transport, active transport, financial policies, and vehicle technology. Each use is addressed separately and then integrated into one working model. Motorized passenger kilometers traveled (PKT) per capita is first estimated with the gross domestic product per capita and population density. With transit infrastructure indicators, PKT per capita is calculated for each transit mode. Bicycle infrastructure is included to calculate the bicycle mode share. Response to several financial policies (e.g., parking price, area pricing) can be modeled by using elasticity statistics gathered from the literature. Finally, changes in vehicle technology (e.g., hybrid electric vehicles) can be modeled by adjusting the various emission factors. One advantage of the model is that all parameters can be adapted fairly easily to account for municipal specificities. Overall, it is a macroscopic, aggregate, and static model suited for medium-sized and large municipalities that can be useful as a screening tool.
An intelligent movement-based routing for VANETs

Vehicular Ad hoc NETworks (VANETs) are a special case of Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANETs), with high nodes mobility specification, and a large energy resource which could extend coverage and system lifetime. Frequent topology changes let VANETs have particular research interests, like dedicated medium access control and routing optimization. In previous works, the MOvement Prediction-based Routing (MOPR) was proposed for VANETs, which improves the routing process by selecting the most stable route with respect to the movement of the vehicles. In this paper, further MOPR optimizations are presented like the reduction of its overhead (bandwidth optimization) and its implementation and performance evaluation with the NS2 AODV-UU implementation. For the covering abstract see ITRD E134653.
Hormonal therapies in migraine management: current perspectives on patient selection and risk management

ABSTRACT Introduction The link between sex hormones and migraines has long been investigated but the mechanisms underlying this altered interaction are not yet fully understood. Herein, we retrace the knowledge on this association in relationship with risk of stroke. Areas covered Estrogens fluctuations could trigger migraine attacks and exogenous estrogens intake could be a risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and stroke. At the same time, ischemic heart diseases and stroke share a common substrate with migraine and other mood disorders, depression, and anxiety. Expert opinion The use of hormonal therapies in the context of contraception or replacement therapy must be closely evaluated in a careful risk assessment. We highlight the complex interaction of hormone/neuroinflammation pathways underlying the pathophysiology of migraine glimpsing in mood disorders a possible common denominator of link between hormonal and neuronal systems.