nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Effects of Total Quality Management Implementation and Supply Chain Management Capability on Customer Capital

Using structural equation modeling, this study attempts to find the relationship among total quality management (TQM) implementation, supply chain management (SCM) capability, and customer capital (CC) so as to highlight a number of concerns with regard to this type of research. A serious methodology is employed to create a reliable and valid measurement instrument. The researchers collected 830 valid questionnaires from manufacturing companies in Taiwan, and results show that TQM implementation has a positive influence on SCM capability and on CC. Based on this finding, this research suggests that organizations are more concerned about continuous improvement and customer focus than product innovation, benchmarking, supplier quality management, employee training, top management commitment, employee involvement, and compensation system.Results also show that SCM capability has a positive influence on CC and suggests that organizations should focus more on inside out capabilities than spanning capabilities, and outside in capability. This study sheds light that an organization should develop TQM implementation and SCM capabilities in order to create CC and achieving organizational goals.
Primary dysmenorrhea magnitude, associated risk factors, and its effect on academic performance: evidence from female university students in Ethiopia
Venue: International journal of women's health

Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is the most common gynecologic compliant among adolescent females. There is a wide variation in the estimate of PD, which ranges from 50% to 90% and the disorder is the most common cause of work and school absenteeism in adolescent females.  To assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of PD among female university students and understand its effects on students' academic performance.  A cross sectional study was employed in 440 research participants. A multistage stratified sampling technique was employed to select the study units. Structured and pretested self administered questionnaires were used and weight and height measurements were conducted. The severity of dysmenorrheal pain was assessed by using a verbal multidimensional scoring system and visual analog scale. The data were double entered in Epi Info version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 17. Descriptive statistics, chi square test, and logistic regression analysis were performed.  A total of 440 students participated in this study. The prevalence of PD was 368 (85.4% Of these, 123 (28.5% had mild, 164 (38.1% moderate, and 81 (18.8% severe primary dysmenorrheal pain. Among students with PD, 88.3% reported that PD had a negative effect on their academic performance. Of these, 80% reported school absence, 66.8% reported loss of class concentration, 56.3% reported class absence, 47.4% reported loss of class participation, 37.8% reported limited sport participation, 31.7% reported limitation in going out with friends, and 21% reported inability to do homework. Based on the multivariate logistic regression, PD was statistically significant with those who had lower monthly stipends, a history of attempt to lose weight, a history of depression or anxiety, disruption of social network of family, friends or people they love, who consumed more than four glasses of tea per day, who drunk one or more Coca Cola or Pepsi per day, in nullipara, and students with a family history of dysmenorrhea.  PD is more prevalent among female students attending university. It has a significant negative impact on students' academic performance. Thus, it needs medical attention. There are various identified associated risk factors and considering them in the management of the disorder is fundamental. It is also wise to recommend future studies to better identify risk factors for PD and lighten its effect on students' academic performance at a larger scale in the country.
Prevalence of Chronic Illnesses among Medical Students at King Faisal University KFU and their Impact on Academic Performance

Chronic diseases have a range of potential impacts on a person's individual circumstances, including quality of life and broader social and economic effects.  The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and impact of chronic illness on the academic performance among undergraduate medical students at KFU.  A cross sectional study was conducted at college of medicine, KFU, KSA, and was assessed by semi structured questionnaire based on National Health Interview Survey, Health Care Experiences (CSHCN Screener) and School Interference (VAS and PedsQL School Subscale) a variety of measures assessing academic attendance, performance, sociodemographic characteristics, health related habits, physical activity and diseases listed by national health interview survey.  A total Of 197 students were assessed, males were 52.28 (103/197)and females 47.7%(94/197)with a mean age 22.7 1.68. Incidence of absenteeism at school: 1 3 times (39.1% N77) 4 6 times (23.4% N46) More than 7 times (13.6% N27) never missed classes (23.9 N47) 29.9% were having chronic diseases around (22.8% N45) missing classes due to oversleeping, around (10.2% N20) due appointment, and due chronic diseases(N18, 9.1% Students who were missing classes due other reasons (N25, 12.5%.Prevalence of chronic diseases was slightly higher in males (15.2%vs14.72%)than females. The most prevalent condition was irritable bowel syndrome, females (12.8% male (6.8% nutritional anemia: females (3.9% and males (10.6% sickle cell anemia: males (9.6% females(1% repeated diarrhea: females (2.10% males(1% food allergy: females(5.30% and males were(1% No statistically significant difference between students with chronic illnesses and those without as regard grade point average (GPA) p value=0.738.  Chronic illnesses among medical students have no significant impact on their academic performance.
Design and development of an AAC app based on a speech to symbol technology
Venue: 2016 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)

The purpose of this paper is to present the design and the development of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication app that uses a speech to symbol technology to model language, i.e. to recognize the speech and display the text or the graphic content related to it. Our app is intended to be adopted by communication partners who want to engage in interventions focused on improving communication skills. Our app has the goal of translating simple speech sentences in a set of symbols that are understandable by children with complex communication needs. We moderated a focus group among six AAC communication partners. Then, we developed a prototype. We are currently starting testing our app in an AAC Centre in Milan, Italy.
Prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Due to Community Violence Among University Students in the World's Most Dangerous Megacity
Venue: Journal of interpersonal violence

Community violence among the youth can lead to a number of adverse psychiatric outcomes including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) However, little research has been conducted in non Western countries to assess this problem. This study aims to fill the void by assessing the lifetime exposure to traumatic events and burden of probable PTSD among university students in Karachi, Pakistan. A cross sectional study was conducted at four private institutions in Karachi. Self administered questionnaires were filled out by 320 students. Lifetime exposure and symptoms of PTSD were assessed using modified Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Civilian Version (PCL C) questionnaires, respectively. A PCL C score of 44 or above was used as cutoff for probable PTSD. Pearson chi square test was used to assess the association between PTSD and different variables at a level of significance of 5% Ninety three percent of the respondents reported having lifetime exposure to at least one traumatic event with sudden unexpected death of a loved one (n 187) and assaultive violence (n 169) being the commonest reported traumatic events. Positive association for PTSD was seen with enduring physical attacks and motor vehicle accidents. Over a quarter of the students screened positive for probable PTSD, among them almost one third were male and 17% were female. Our results indicate a high exposure to violent events and elevated rates of lifetime PTSD among urban youth. Reduction in violence and better access to mental health facilities is warranted to decrease the health burden of PTSD in Pakistan.
Startup based rotor fault detection in soft started induction motors for different soft starter topologies
Venue: IECON 2016 42nd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society

The use of soft starters has proliferated in industrial induction motors to damp the negative effects of high starting currents, among other reasons. Despite the fact that soft starters reduce the probability of rotor damage, some industrial cases of rotor failures in soft started motors have been reported. Over recent years, a novel diagnosis trend based on the analysis of the motor startup current is rapidly drawing the attention of the industrial maintenance community due to the important advantages of that method versus other well known approaches. An interesting variant of that trend relies on the study of some specific wavelet signals resulting from the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) of that current and on the subsequent computation of fault severity indicators. This method was applied with success to the rotor assessment of motors started direct online and even of certain soft started induction motors. However, the massive validation of the method in different soft starter models and with different topologies of their power block was still pending. This issue is solved in the present work which makes use of extensive testing to obtain a huge set of startup signals corresponding to a motor that is started with four different soft starter variants. The results prove that, despite the identification of the fault components is more difficult when using these drives, it is clearly possible to separate the healthy and faulty condition regardless of the model used.
Software Development Life Cycle Models A Comparative analysis

Software Development Life Cycle Models are frameworks used to design, develop and test the software. They define a set of guidelines which are to be followed during the development. These models make sure that the software is designed systematically, according to the need of the customer and within the time schedule. Different types of software development life cycle models are waterfall, iterative, V shaped, prototype and spiral model. Each of these models has its own benefits and drawbacks. The main aim of this research paper is to study different aspects of all these models and compare them so as to help the developers to choose the most suitable method according to the situation. Keyword: SDLC, waterfall, iterative, V shaped, prototype, spiral model.
Polydatin attenuates d galactose induced liver and brain damage through its anti oxidative, anti inflammatory and anti apoptotic effects in mice.
Venue: Food function

Accumulating evidence has shown that chronic injection of d galactose (d gal) can mimic natural aging, with accompanying liver and brain injury. Oxidative stress and apoptosis play a vital role in the aging process. In this study, the antioxidant ability of polydatin (PD) was investigated using four established in vitro systems. An in vivo study was also conducted to investigate the possible protective effect of PD on d gal induced liver and brain damage. The results showed that PD had remarkable in vitro free radical scavenging activity on 2,2 diphenyl 1 picryl hydrazyl (DPPH. 2,2' azino bis(3 ethylbenzo thiazoline 6 sulfonic acid) (ABTS+ radical ions, and hydroxyl and superoxide anions. Results in vivo indicated that, in a group treated with d gal plus PD, PD remarkably decreased the depression of body weight and organ indexes, reduced the levels of the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alleviated alterations in liver and brain histopathology. PD also significantly decreased the level of MDA and elevated SOD, GSH Px, CAT activity and T AOC levels in the liver and brain. In addition, the levels of inflammatory mediators, such as TNF a, IL 1b and IL 6 in serum were markedly reduced after PD treatment. Western blotting results revealed that PD treatment noticeably attenuated the d gal induced elevation of Bcl 2/Bax ratio and caspase 3 protein expression in liver and brain. Overall, our findings indicate that PD treatment could effectively attenuate d gal induced liver and brain damage, and the mechanism might be associated with decreasing the oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis caused by d gal. PD holds good potential for further development into a promising pharmaceutical candidate for the treatment of age associated diseases.
Effects of Cannabidiol and Hypothermia on Short Term Brain Damage in New Born Piglets after Acute Hypoxia Ischemia
Venue: Front. Neurosci.

Hypothermia is a standard treatment for neonatal encephalopathy, but nearly 50% of treated infants have adverse outcomes. Pharmacological therapies can act through complementary mechanisms with hypothermia improving neuroprotection. Cannabidiol could be a good candidate. Our aim was to test whether immediate treatment with cannabidiol and hypothermia act through complementary brain pathways in hypoxic ischemic newborn piglets. Hypoxic ischemic animals were randomly divided into four groups receiving 30 min after the insult: (1) normothermia and vehicle administration; (2) normothermia and cannabidiol administration; (3) hypothermia and vehicle administration; and (4) hypothermia and cannabidiol administration. Six hours after treatment, brains were processed to quantify the number of damaged neurons by Nissl staining. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were obtained and analyzed for lactate, N acetyl aspartate and glutamate. Metabolite ratios were calculated to assess neuronal damage (lactate/N acetyl aspartate) and excitotoxicity (glutamate/Nacetyl aspartate) Western blot studies were performed to quantify protein nitrosylation (oxidative stress) content of caspase 3 (apoptosis) and TNFa (inflammation) Individually, the hypothermia and the cannabidiol treatments reduced the glutamate/Nacetyl aspartate ratio, as well as TNFa and oxidized protein levels in newborn piglets subjected to hypoxic ischemic insult. Also, both therapies reduced the number of necrotic neurons and prevented an increase in lactate/N acetyl aspartate ratio. The combined effect of hypothermia and cannabidiol on excitotoxicity, inflammation and oxidative stress, and on cell damage, was greater than either hypothermia or cannabidiol alone. The present study demonstrated that cannabidiol and hypothermia act complementarily and show additive effects on the main factors leading to hypoxic ischemic brain damage if applied shortly after the insult.
NOS knockout or inhibition but not disrupting PSD 95 NOS interaction protect against ischemic brain damage
Venue: Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism

Promising results have been reported in preclinical stroke target validation for pharmacological principles that disrupt the N methyl D aspartate receptor post synaptic density protein 95 neuronal nitric oxide synthase complex. However, post synaptic density protein 95 is also coupled to potentially neuroprotective mechanisms. As post synaptic density protein 95 inhibitors may interfere with potentially neuroprotective mechanisms and sufficient validation has often been an issue in translating basic stroke research, we wanted to close that gap by comparing post synaptic density protein 95 inhibitors with NOS1 mice and a NOS inhibitor. We confirm the deleterious role of NOS1 in stroke both in vivo and in vitro, but find three pharmacological post synaptic density protein 95 inhibitors to be therapeutically ineffective.
Identification of candidate biomarkers of brain damage in a mouse model of closed head injury: a metabolomic pilot study
Venue: Metabolomics

We aim to identify candidate brain biomarkers for, and to elucidate the pathophysiology of closed traumatic brain injury (TBI) Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based metabolomic analysis was performed on the whole brain of mice undergoing TBI using a validated technique. There were 10 TBI mice compared to 8 sham operated controls. A total of 45 metabolites were evaluated. There was a statistically significant alteration in concentrations of 29 metabolites in TBI brains as compared to controls (FDR <0.05) Profound disturbances of several metabolic pathways (FDR <1E 07) including pathways associated with purine, alanine, aspartate and glutamine and glutathione metabolism were observed. Also, a significant elevation in glutamate (the main excitatory neurotransmitter) and depression of GABA (the main inhibitory neurotransmitter) was observed. Four metabolites, ADP, AMP, NAD+ and IMP were the most important indicators of TBI, relative to normal controls. All were elevated in the TBI mice. A combination of these 4 biomarkers produced a perfect predictor of TBI status, AUC (95 CI) 1.0 (1.0, 1.0) We also detected significant disturbances in mitochondrial function, energy metabolism, neurotransmitter metabolism and other important biochemical pathways in TBI mouse brains. Further studies to assess the utility of metabolomics to detect and classify the severity of and assess the prognosis of TBI is warranted.
Xenacoelomorpha is the sister group to Nephrozoa
Venue: Nature

The position of Xenacoelomorpha in the tree of life remains a major unresolved question in the study of deep animal relationships. Xenacoelomorpha, comprising Acoela, Nemertodermatida, and Xenoturbella, are bilaterally symmetrical marine worms that lack several features common to most other bilaterians, for example an anus, nephridia, and a circulatory system. Two conflicting hypotheses are under debate: Xenacoelomorpha is the sister group to all remaining Bilateria Nephrozoa, namely protostomes and deuterostomes) or is a clade inside Deuterostomia. Thus, determining the phylogenetic position of this clade is pivotal for understanding the early evolution of bilaterian features, or as a case of drastic secondary loss of complexity. Here we show robust phylogenomic support for Xenacoelomorpha as the sister taxon of Nephrozoa. Our phylogenetic analyses, based on 11 novel xenacoelomorph transcriptomes and using different models of evolution under maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses, strongly corroborate this result. Rigorous testing of 25 experimental data sets designed to exclude data partitions and taxa potentially prone to reconstruction biases indicates that long branch attraction, saturation, and missing data do not influence these results. The sister group relationship between Nephrozoa and Xenacoelomorpha supported by our phylogenomic analyses implies that the last common ancestor of bilaterians was probably a benthic, ciliated acoelomate worm with a single opening into an epithelial gut, and that excretory organs, coelomic cavities, and nerve cords evolved after xenacoelomorphs separated from the stem lineage of Nephrozoa.
Overlap microtubules link sister k fibres and balance the forces on bi oriented kinetochores
Venue: Nature communications

During metaphase, forces on kinetochores are exerted by k fibres, bundles of microtubules that end at the kinetochore. Interestingly, non kinetochore microtubules have been observed between sister kinetochores, but their function is unknown. Here we show by laser cutting of a k fibre in HeLa and PtK1 cells that a bundle of non kinetochore microtubules, which we term 'bridging fibre' bridges sister k fibres and balances the interkinetochore tension. We found PRC1 and EB3 in the bridging fibre, suggesting that it consists of antiparallel dynamic microtubules. By using a theoretical model that includes a bridging fibre, we show that the forces at the pole and at the kinetochore depend on the bridging fibre thickness. Moreover, our theory and experiments show larger relaxation of the interkinetochore distance for cuts closer to kinetochores. We conclude that the bridging fibre, by linking sister k fibres, withstands the tension between sister kinetochores and enables the spindle to obtain a curved shape.
Environmental Impact Assessment of Household Consumption

We analyze the environmental impact of household consumption in terms of the material, water, and land use requirements, as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, associated with the production and use of products and services consumed by these households. Using the new EXIOBASE 2.2 multiregional input output database, which describes the world economy at the detail of 43 countries, five rest of the world regions, and 200 product sectors, we are able to trace the origin of the products consumed by households and represent global supply chains for 2007. We highlight the importance of environmental pressure arising from households with their consumption contributing to more than 60% of global GHG emissions and between 50% and 80% of total land, material, and water use. The footprints are unevenly distributed across regions, with wealthier countries generating the most significant impacts per capita. Elasticities suggest a robust and significant relationship between households' expenditure and their environmental impacts, driven by a rising demand of nonprimary consumption items. Mobility, shelter, and food are the most important consumption categories across the environmental footprints. Globally, food accounts for 48% and 70% of household impacts on land and water resources, respectively, with consumption of meat, dairy, and processed food rising fast with income. Shelter and mobility stand out with high carbon and material intensity, whereas the significance of services for footprints relates to the large amount of household expenditure associated with them.
Personality Trait Like Individual Differences: Much More Than Noise in the Background for Sport and Exercise Psychology

The aim of this chapter is to argue the case that personality trait like individual differences (PTLID) should be considered more than simple error variance by sport and exercise psychologists. PTLID carry their own valuable source of information, and provide added value to our field at the theoretical, methodological, and applied levels. At the theoretical level, PTLID should be incorporated into experimental studies to further test and constrain theoretical predictions. Here, we illustrate how current PTLID theories can inform psychological phenomena in the sport and exercise domain. In particular we elaborate on the example of the Take the First heuristic, to illustrate how conceptual models can be expanded using PTLID theories. At the methodological level, PTLID provide an important methodological control for potential confounding factors that might otherwise contribute to a false acceptance or rejection of theoretical predictions. At the applied level, understanding PTLID outcomes can assist psychologists in designing more targeted interventions that better fit the needs of the individual client. Moreover, that some PTLID can be trained is a particularly appealing notion for the developing athlete or beginner exerciser.