Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Managing strategic investments decisions : the impacts of their content, the effectiveness of decisions and a protocol for evaluation

The strategic potential of information technology (IT) is now well recognised, but strategic IT projects have high failure rates. The present study proposes the concept of the degree of IT intensity of SIDs and aims to answer the question of whether the degree of IT intensity matters in relation to the decision process, decision content, decision outcome and evaluation methods. Furthermore, critical factors which impact on the effectiveness of SIDs are explored, and a protocol is proposed by mapping the quantitative findings to state-of-art evaluation approaches. A structured questionnaire was developed, and empirical work was undertaken among Taiwanese manufacturers. Experts in two professional associations, the Chinese Association for Industrial Technology Advancement and the Chinese Productivity Centre, helped to identify organisations considered to be representative of the population. 270 organisations were selected and 94 responded. Of these, 80 were valid for further analysis. Several variables are found to be significantly correlated to IT intensity. The Hypotheses testing shows that interaction, the accuracy of information and strategic considerations are mediators in the linkage of IT involvement and the effectiveness of SIDs but the direct link from IT intensity to the effectiveness of SIDs proved to be weak. Consequently, the stepwise variable selecting procedure was employed to reveal the critical variables which impact significantly on the effectiveness of SIDs. The present study seeks to develop a protocol which addresses the practical aspect of SIDs and SITIDs in terms of rules and to integrate these rules to form a model for evaluation. Five major mechanisms of this model are discussed: the scanning mechanism, the strategic flexibility mechanism, the evaluation mechanism, the proactive mechanism, and the feedback mechanism.
Does Dementia Have a Microbial Cause?

The potential contribution of pathogenic microbes to dementia-inducing disease is a subject of considerable importance. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurocognitive disease that slowly destroys brain function, leading to cognitive decline and behavioral and psychiatric disorders. The histopathology of AD is associated with neuronal loss and progressive synaptic dysfunction, accompanied by the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in the form of parenchymal plaques and abnormal aggregated tau protein in the form of neurofibrillary tangles. Observational, epidemiological, experimental, and pathological studies have generated evidence for the complexity and possible polymicrobial causality in dementia-inducing diseases. The AD pathogen hypothesis states that pathogens and microbes act as triggers, interacting with genetic factors to initiate the accumulation of Aβ, hyperphosphorylated tau protein (p-tau), and inflammation in the brain. Evidence indicates that Borrelia sp. , HSV-1, VZV (HHV-2), HHV-6/7, oral pathogens, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, and Candida albicans can infect the central nervous system (CNS), evade the immune system, and consequently prevail in the AD brain. Researchers have made significant progress in understanding the multifactorial and overlapping factors that are thought to take part in the etiopathogenesis of dementia; however, the cause of AD remains unclear.
Opening editorial for exploration in musculoskeletal diseases

The scientific and clinical landscape of musculoskeletal diseases (MDs) has revolutionized in the last decades, becoming a promising field for investigation, either basic or clinical, and therefore for publishing. MDs enclose the most prevalent pathology in the adult population. It is an increasing tide of prevalence as the aging of populations all over the world is associated with an increasing prevalence of both spinal and peripheral joint diseases, mainly osteoarthritis (OA). The most recent data from the Global Burden of Disease show that from 1990 to 2019 MDs ranked first in adults in years lived with disability (YLDs) and rose to rank third in disease-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and within the top twenty years of life lost (YLLs) [1]. It is not only the impact on the diseased population, for example, the health-related cost in the USA of MDs ranks first in the country [2], and yet it is not only health-related costs, but work, social, and personal costs that have also to be considered. In most recent years genetics and mechanisms of inflammation, such as interleukin (IL) or Janus kinase (JAK) pathways have transformed the therapeutic opportunities, as new medications have developed once the diverse mechanisms of inflammation have been elucidated. The blocking of one of the primers and shared pathways of inflammation in MDs, as tumor necrosis factor is, changed the face of clinical practice of the approach to the treatment of rheumatic diseases all over the world. Then IL-1 blockade for crystal-induced and autoinflammatory diseases, IL-6 receptor inhibition for rheumatoid arthritis, giant cell vasculitis, and Still’s disease, and most recently agents that inhibit IL-17A and the IL-12/23 pathway have made the start of the end of the XXth century and the start of the XXIst, the era of the biologics, one of the most evolving periods in MD medicine [3]. In addition, new JAK inhibitors [4], some of them polyvalent, such as upadacitinib for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, have been developed and approved, providing even more options to achieve proper health-related outcomes in MDs. These new developments have been associated with increasing costs in available treatments, and a new field is open to those interested in management: health cost and efficiency analysis. The uprise in the number of biosimilars of biologic agents has also been a challenge for managers, clinicians, and clinicians Open Access Editorial
Floating Microspheres: An Innovative Approach for GastricRetention

Various scientific and technological attempts have been made in the development of gastroretentive dosage forms to overcome several physiological adversities, such as short gastric residence time, unpredictable gastric emptying time etc. These dosage forms can be retained in the stomach for prolonged period of time in a predetermined manner. Gastroretentive drug delivery technology is one of the promising approach for enhancing the bioavailability and controlled delivery of drugs that exhibit narrow absorption window. In pursuit of this endeavour, different novel strategies have been undertaken for the designing of several gastroretentive drug delivery systems including floating microspheres. This manuscript highlights various developmental approaches, characterization aspects, potential drug candidates along with diverse advantages and applications of floating microspheres. Numerous significant research findings in the vistas of these multiparticulates have also been described.
Design of Frequency Reconfigurable Multiband Compact Antenna using two PIN diodes for WLAN/WiMAX Applications

In this study, the authors present a simple reconfigurable multiband antenna with two PIN diode switches for worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX)/wireless local area networks (WLAN) applications. The antenna permits reconfigurable switching in up to ten frequency bands between 2.2 and 6 GHz, with relative impedance bandwidths of around 2.5 and 8%. The proposed antenna has been simulated using computer simulation technology microwave studio software and fabricated on an FR-4 substrate. It is compact, with an area of 50 × 45 mm 2 , and has a slotted ground substrate. Both measured and simulated return loss characteristics of the optimised antenna show that it satisfies the requirement of 2.4/5.8 GHz WLAN and 3.5 GHz WiMAX antenna applications. Moreover, there is good agreement between the measured and simulated results in terms of radiation pattern and gain.
Unsupervised classification of CIGALE galaxy spectra

Aims. The present study aims at providing a deeper insight into the power and limitation of an unsupervised classification algorithm (called Fisher-EM) on spectra of galaxies. This algorithm uses a Gaussian mixture in a discriminative latent subspace. To this end, we investigate the capacity of this algorithm to segregate the physical parameters used to generate mock spectra and the influence of the noise on the classification. Methods. With the code CIGALE and different values for nine input parameters characterising the stellar population, we have simulated a sample of 11 475 optical spectra of galaxies containing 496 monochromatic fluxes. The statistical model and the optimum number of clusters is given in Fisher-EM by the integrated completed likelihood (ICL) criterion. We repeated the analyses several times to assess the robustness of the results. Results. Two distinct classifications can be distinguished in the case of the noiseless spectra. The one above 13 clusters disappears when noise is added, while the classification with 12 clusters is very robust against noise down to a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 3. At SNR=1, the optimum is 5 clusters, but the classification is still compatible with the previous one. The distribution of the parameters used for the simulation shows an excellent discrimination between classes. A higher dispersion both in the spectra within each class and in the parameter distribution, leads us to conclude that despite a much higher ICL, the classification with more than 13 clusters in the noiseless case is not physically relevant. Conclusions. This study yields two conclusions valid at least for the Fisher-EM algorithm. Firstly, the unsupervised classification of spectra of galaxies is both reliable and robust to noise. Secondly, such analyses are able to extract the useful physical information contained in the spectra and to build highly meaningful classifications. In an epoch of data-driven astrophysics, it is important to trust unsupervised machine learning approaches that do not require training samples which are unavoidably biased.
Smartphone as a Disease Screening Tool: A Systematic Review

Disease screening identifies a disease in an individual/community early to effectively prevent or treat the condition. COVID-19 has restricted hospital visits for screening and other healthcare services resulting in the disruption of screening for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Smartphone technologies, coupled with built-in sensors and wireless technologies, enable the smartphone to function as a disease-screening and monitoring device with negligible additional costs and potentially higher quality results. Thus, we sought to evaluate the use of smartphone applications for disease screening and the acceptability of this technology in the medical and healthcare sectors. We followed a systematic review process using four databases, including Medline Complete, Web of Science, Embase, and Proquest. We included articles published in English examining smartphone application utilisation in disease screening. Further, we presented and discussed the primary outcomes of the research articles and their statistically significant value. The initial search yielded 1046 studies for the initial title and abstract screening. Of the 105 articles eligible for full-text screening, we selected nine studies and discussed them in detail under four main categories: an overview of the literature reviewed, participant characteristics, disease screening, and technology acceptance. According to our objective, we further evaluated the disease-screening approaches and classified them as clinically administered screening (33%, n = 3), health-worker-administered screening (33%, n = 3), and home-based screening (33%, n = 3). Finally, we analysed the technology acceptance among the users and healthcare practitioners. We observed a significant statistical relationship between smartphone applications and standard clinical screening. We also reviewed user acceptance of these smartphone applications. Hence, we set out critical considerations to provide equitable healthcare solutions without barriers when designing, developing, and deploying smartphone solutions. The findings may increase research opportunities for the evaluation of smartphone solutions as valid and reliable screening solutions.
Apoptosis Neuron di Cortex Layer 5 dan Kinerja Motorik Tikus Dewasa setelah Pemberian human Wharton’s Jelly-Mesenchymal Stem Cells

DIAN ANGGRAINI. Neuronal Apoptosis in Cortex Layer 5 and Motor Performance of Adult Rats after Injection of human Wharton’s Jelly-Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Supervised by BERRY JULIANDI dan ARIEF BOEDIONO. Apoptosis is a form of cell death that actively occurs in multicellular organism. Apoptosis can occur in tissue or organ, including in the cortex layer 5 which responsible for motor control. Human Wharton’s jelly-mesenchymal stem cells (hWJMSC) are source of stem cell that has been used as a potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. But, there are no scientific report on the effect of hWJMSC to apoptotic neurons in cortex layer 5 and motor permormance of normal rats. This research aims to analyze effect of hWJ-MSC subcutaneous injection to neuronal apoptosis in cortex layer 5 and motor performance of normal adult rats. This research consisted of 6 different groups: 1 control group and 5 experimental groups. Control group were injected with 0.5 mL physiological saline (vehicle). Experimental group were injected with 1x10 cell/rats hWJ-MSC in vehicle. Euthanasia were performed in 0 hours (D0), 12 hours (D0.5), 24 hours (D1), 3 days (D3), 7 days (D7) after hWJMSC injection. Injection of hWJ-MSC did not affect apoptotic neurons density and motor performance of normal adult rats. This research also showed that hWJ-MSC were safe to use in further clinical application.
The Alleviation of Gut Microbiota-Induced Depression and Colitis in Mice by Anti-Inflammatory Probiotics NK151, NK173, and NK175

Gut microbiota dysbiosis is strongly associated with psychiatric disorders and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Herein, we examined whether the fecal microbiota of IBD patients with depression (IBDD) and their gut microbiota culture (iGm) could cause depression and colitis in mice and anti-inflammatory probiotics could mitigate depression in iGm-transplanted or immobilization stress (IS)-exposed mice. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from IBDD patients, which exhibited Enterobacteriaceae-rich gut microbiota, and its gut microbiota culture (iGm) increased depression-like behaviors in mice. Their treatments heightened the blood lipopolysaccharide (LPS) level and colonic IL-1β and IL-6 expression. However, FMT from healthy volunteers or sulfasalazine treatment alleviated cGm-induced depressive-like behaviors and hippocampal and colonic inflammation in mice. Moreover, oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum NK151, Bifidobacterium longum NK173, and Bifidobacterium bifidum NK175, which inhibited LPS-induced IL-6 expression in macrophages, alleviated cGm-induced depression-like behaviors, hippocampal NF-κB+Iba1+ cell numbers and IL-1β and IL-6 expression, blood LPS, IL-6, and creatinine levels, and colonic NF-κB+CD11c+ number and IL-1β and IL-6 expression in mice. Treatment with NK151, NK173, or NK175 mitigated immobilization stress (IS)-induced depressive-like behaviors, neuroinflammation, and gut inflammation in mice. NK151, NK173, or NK175 also decreased IS-induced blood LPS, IL-6, and creatinine levels. The transplantation of Enterobacteriaceae-rich gut microbiota can cause depression and colitis, as IS exposure, and anti-inflammatory NK151, NK173, and NK175, may alleviate stress-induced fatigue, depression, and colitis by regulating the expression of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines through the suppression of gut bacterial LPS.
The Association Between Sprint Speed Test and Isokinetic Knee Strength in Healthy Male Volleyball Players

Background: Volleyball is a sport with technical elements and explosive power. Objectives: This study investigates the relationship between sprint speed and isokinetic knee strength applied at different angular velocities in male volleyball players. Methods: This study was conducted on 15 volunteer male volleyball players (age; 17 - 25 years, height; 1.75 + 0.12 m). Isomedx 2002 isokinetic dynamometer is employed to measure the isokinetic strength, and a 20 m sprint test is conducted to measure the speed. In measuring knee flexion and isokinetic extension strength, quadriceps and hamstring concentric/eccocentric are measured separately on both legs at 60°/sec angular velocity for three repetitions, at 180°/sec for six repetitions, and at 300°/sec for nine repetitions. For statistical analysis, the Spearman’s correlation test was performed using SPSS 18.0 (SPSS Inc., USA) software. Results: The highest torque value in subjects was recorded on both sides at 60°/sec angular velocity, 180 and 300 degrees, respectively, were lower. There was no significant relationship between speed and isokinetic strength at different angular velocities. Conclusions: Based on our results, the highest peak torque in volleyball players was found to be at 60°/sec angular velocity while no significant correlation was found between isokinetic strength of the knee at different angular velocities and speed of volleyball players.
Fecal Feline Coronavirus RNA Shedding and Spike Gene Mutations in Cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis Treated with GS-441524

As previously demonstrated by our research group, the oral multicomponent drug Xraphconn® containing GS-441524 was effective at curing otherwise fatal feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in 18 feline coronavirus (FCoV)-infected cats. The aims of the current study were to investigate, using samples from the same animals as in the previous study, (1) the effect of treatment on fecal viral RNA shedding; (2) the presence of spike gene mutations in different body compartments of these cats; and (3) viral RNA shedding, presence of spike gene mutations, and anti-FCoV antibody titers in samples of 12 companion cats cohabitating with the treated cats. Eleven of the eighteen treated FIP cats (61%) were shedding FCoV RNA in feces within the first three days after treatment initiation, but all of them tested negative by day 6. In one of these cats, fecal shedding reoccurred on day 83. Two cats initially negative in feces were transiently positive 1–4 weeks into the study. The remaining five cats never shed FCoV. Viral RNA loads in feces decreased with time comparable with those in blood and effusion. Specific spike gene mutations linked to systemic FCoV spread were consistently found in blood and effusion from treated FIP cats, but not in feces from treated or companion cats. A new mutation that led to a not yet described amino acid change was identified, indicating that further mutations may be involved in the development of FIP. Eight of the twelve companion cats shed FCoV in feces. All but one of the twelve companion cats had anti-FCoV antibodies. Oral treatment with GS-441524 effectively decreased viral RNA loads in feces, blood, and effusion in cats with FIP. Nonetheless, re-shedding can most likely occur if cats are re-exposed to FCoV by their companion cats.
The European Consumers' Preferences for Organic Food in the Context of the European Green Deal

As an integral part of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda, implementing the European Green Deal is vital to ensure food security and transform food chains into a sustainable model. On the one hand, it enables the gradual abandonment of intensive agriculture and, on the other hand, it supports the responsible consumption of agri-food products and develops the consumer culture toward the appreciation of organic foods. The European Green Deal involves convergence at the member state level towards the sustainable transition of food systems to the new European model of resilience: circular, environmental, and socioeconomic efficiency. The success of food chain transformation depends on many factors, including the level of development of the food system, the consumer profile, factors related to politics, and others. Based on these considerations, this research aimed to study the preferences of European consumers for organic food based on various sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, and nationality. In this regard, data on consumer preferences for organic food were extracted from the Meta platform and statistically analyzed in line with the research objective. This article provides input to the scientific literature in the field by justifying a differentiated approach to implementing the European Green Deal, depending on the consumer profile, in close connection with the variables analyzed. Their impact on shaping consumer preferences for organic food is of particular importance at the European level, which is why the implementation of the European Green Deal must be carried out in line with the specific characteristics of each Member State, with a differentiated focus on each consumer profile. The results of this empirical study confirm the need to develop strategies to raise awareness of the socioeconomic and environmental benefits of consuming organic food, especially among certain types of consumers more reluctant about their own impact on transforming the food chain to a more sustainable model by intensifying the consumption of organic food.
Experimental evaluation of fault recovery methods in Elastic Lambda Aggregation Network

In Elastic Lambda Aggregation Network (EλAN), fault recovery using an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) in a different Central Office (CO) is applicable due to virtualization of OLT and active Optical Distribution Network (ODN). In addition, the Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)-based OLT sharing method has been proposed to maintain minimum connectivity of the excessive number of Optical Network Units (ONU) from a single OLT. In this letter, we report the experiments of these two fault recovery methods implemented on the software-based EλAN prototype system. The required time from failure detection to connection recovery was evaluated in these experiments.
Effect of radiation and temperature on high temperature resistant fiber Bragg gratings

Fiber Bragg gratings can be used to monitor temperature or strain in harsh environments. We investigate the effect of Xrays on type III gratings – also called void gratings –which are known for their capacity to withstand high temperatures. The tested gratings are inscribed in a SMF28 germanosilicate optical fiber using the point-by-point method and a frequency-doubled Yb femtosecond laser emitting at 515 nm. The tested FBGs are separated in two groups depending on their reflectivity levels (Low/High). Half of each group is pre-annealed at a temperature of 750°C during 30 min. We have irradiated all the gratings up to 100 kGy(SiO2) at a dose-rate of 10 Gy/s at two different irradiation temperatures: 25°C and 150°C. For all the irradiations, the grating radiation response is identical independently of the chosen writing and preannealing conditions. When the irradiation is performed at 25°C, a Bragg wavelength shift of 10 pm is observed for all the gratings, which represents an error of less than 1°C at the total dose of 100 kGy while at 150°C the Bragg peak shift only of less than 4 pm corresponding to an error of 0.3°C.