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This empirical study explores the financialization of social sustainability driven by sustainability accounting and reporting initiatives (SARIs). Since no globally accepted definition of what social sustainability encompasses exists, the paper asks how social sustainability is translated into the financial market language by SARIs as they provide standards for disclosing corporate non-financial performance and promote their concepts of social sustainability. The paper uses a two-step qualitative content analysis. First, it operationalizes social sustainability based on the empirical data of six sustainability rating agencies. Second, this operationalization is compared with the concepts created by three SARIs. The paper shows significant differences between the concepts of the SARIs and the rating agencies. While the rating agencies altogether interpret social sustainability with 83 distinct aspects, the SARIs, although differently created, use significant reduced concepts where 20% of these aspects are absent. The result of this financialization process could be a simplified and financially determined concept of social sustainability within die socially discourse. The research is limited to social sustainability and its financialization by SARIs. Individual indicators and their way or intensity to capture aspects of social sustainability were not part of the research interest. Further research should investigate the economic and the ecological pillars of sustainability as well as the usage of such financialized concepts within the society and especially by corporations. The paper unfolds the arbitrariness of operationalizing a qualitative phenomenon like social sustainability through the financial system. It discloses the need for looking at the mechanisms behind such processes and at the interests of the actors behind the frameworks. The paper reveals the financialization process driven by SARIs and demonstrates its simplifying effects on the concept of social sustainability. Furthermore, the paper shows that SARIs as metrics for non-financial aspects are troubled with a lack of transparency and a lack of convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definitive diagnosis of histoplasmosis relies on culture and/or cytology/histopathology; however, these procedures have limited sensitivity and cultures are time-consuming. Antibodies detection by immunodiffusion has low sensitivity in immunocompromised individuals and uses histoplasmin (HMN), a crude antigenic extract, as reagent. Novel protein antigen candidates have been recently identified and produced by DNA-recombinant techniques to obtain standardized and specific reagents for diagnosing histoplasmosis. To compare the analytical performance of novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for antibodies testing for diagnosing histoplasmosis using different Histoplasma capsulatum antigens as reagents. The H. capsulatum 100 kDa protein (Hcp100), the M antigen and its immunoreactive fragment F1 were produced by DNA-recombinant techniques. Galactomannan was purified from both the yeast and mycelial cell walls (yGM and mGM, respectively). The analytical performance of the ELISA tests for the serological detection of antibodies against these antigens was evaluated and compared with those obtained using HMN as reagent. Antibodies detection by the Hcp100 ELISA demonstrated 90.0% sensitivity and 92.0% specificity, versus 43.3% sensitivity and 95.0% specificity of the M ELISA, 33.3% sensitivity and 84.0% specificity of the F1 ELISA, 96.7% sensitivity and 94.0% specificity of the yGM ELISA, 83.3% sensitivity and 88.0% specificity of the mGM ELISA, and 70.0% sensitivity and 86.0% specificity for the HMN ELISA. In summary, Hcp100 is proposed as the most promising candidate for the serodiagnosis of histoplasmosis. The primary immunoreactive element in HMN proved to be GM rather than the M antigen. Nevertheless, a higher incidence of cross-reactions was noted with GM compared to M. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Marketing of Scientific & Research Organizations / Marketing Instytucji Naukowych i Badawczych is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ObjectiveTo explore the population health impact of treating all US adults eligible for the Reduction of Cardiovascular Events with Icosapent Ethyl-Intervention Trial (REDUCE-IT) with icosapent ethyl (IPE), we estimated (1) the number of ASCVD events and healthcare costs that could be prevented; and (2) medication costs.MethodsWe derived REDUCE-IT eligible cohorts in (1) the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2009-2014 and (2) the Optum Research Database (ORD). Population sizes were obtained from NHANES and observed first event rates (composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, unstable angina requiring hospitalization, or coronary revascularization) were estimated from the ORD. Hazard ratios from REDUCE-IT USA estimated events prevented with IPE therapy. The National Inpatient Sample estimated event costs (facility and professional) and daily IPE treatment cost was approximated at $4.59.ResultsWe estimate 3.6 million US adults to be REDUCE-IT eligible, and the observed five-year first event rate without IPE of 19.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 16.6%-19.5%) could be lowered to 13.1% (95% CI 12.8%-13.5%) with five years of IPE treatment, preventing 212,000 (uncertainty range 163,000-262,000) events. We projected the annual IPE treatment cost for all eligible persons to be $6.0 billion (95% CI $4.7-$7.5 billion), but saving $1.8 billion annually due to first events prevented (net annual cost $4.3 billion). The total five-year event rate (first and recurrent) could be reduced from 42.5% (95% CI 39.6%-45.4%) to 28.9% (95% CI 26.9-30.9%) with five years of IPE therapy, preventing 490,000 (uncertainty range 370,000-609,000) events (net annual cost $2.6 billion).ConclusionsTreating all REDUCE-IT eligible US adults has substantial medication costs but could prevent a substantial number of ASCVD events and associated direct costs. Indirect cost savings by preventing events could outweigh much of the incurred direct costs.

The integration of Machine Learning (ML) into healthcare informatics holds immense promise, revolutionizing patient care and treatment strategies. However, as this technology advances, it brings forth ethical challenges crucial for careful navigation. ML offers unprecedented abilities to analyze vast healthcare data, leading to personalized medicine and improved outcomes. Yet, ethical concerns emerge, notably in privacy protection, algorithm bias, transparency, informed consent, and data quality. Transparency, explainability, and patient autonomy in decision-making processes are crucial to foster trust and accountability. Striking a balance between innovation and compliance, ensuring data quality, and promoting human-AI collaboration are essential. Addressing these challenges demands adherence to ethical frameworks, continuous monitoring, multidisciplinary governance, education, and regulatory compliance. To fully harness ML's potential in healthcare while upholding ethical standards, collaboration among stakeholders is imperative, ensuring patient welfare remains central amid technological advancements. Ethical considerations must be embedded at every stage of ML implementation to maintain an ethical, equitable, and patient-centered healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios Demográficos y Urbanos is the property of El Colegio de Mexico AC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Prompted by centenary celebrations of the contribution of Edith Penrose to the theory of the firm, the development of resource-based views of the firm (RBV) and knowledge-based perspectives, this article considers the continuing usefulness of Penrose's perspective for strategic management, from the point of view of the practitioner, the management educator and to the development of the academic field of strategic management. As authors, we draw on methods originating with Penrose's pioneering case study methodology by framing illustrative 'vignettes' or case examples for discussion, including that of Tesco, which draws on extensive participant observation as well as theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the interplay between tax haven use, geographic disclosures and corporate tax avoidance. Based on a panel of 497 non-financial EU listed firms during the period 2006–2012, we provide evidence that corporate groups with affiliates in tax havens tend to have lower effective tax rates and lower geographic disclosures fineness scores. We, also, find a positive association between geographic disclosures fineness scores and the firms' effective tax rates. We, further, find that the negative association between tax haven use and the effective tax rate is more pronounced for firms disclosing geographic information at a more aggregated level, showing a moderating effect of geographic disclosures fineness on such association. Our findings are based upon hand-collected data on corporate geographical dispersion, and corroborated by several additional and robustness tests. The research results should be of concern to policymakers and others interested in multinational companies' segment reporting practices and tax planning activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The finite element method (FEM) using Ansys program (APDL) was used in this study to evaluate the idea of tuned vibration absorbers applied to a beam construction for the undamped system. The ideal location for the Dynamic Vibration Absorbers (DVAs) and their numbers to be installed on the fixed-fixed beam in order to lessen beam vibration was also investigated. The DVA was coupled to the fixed-fixed beam vibration node for three vibration modes. The natural frequency and frequency response of the beam were calculated in this study using modal and harmonic analysis, respectively. The vibrational characteristics of the F-F beam with and without DVAs were presented. The simulation results demonstrated that the vibration amplitude decreases in the presence of the DVAs and its reduction depends on the locations of the DVAs and its number. In addition, the attached DVAs affect the structural beam vibration. Depending on the modes of vibration, the vibrational peak is the optimal place to attach DVA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N6A-methyladenosLne (m6A) modification of RNA is the most abundant modification in most eukaryotic RNAs and is involved in almost all stages of the RNA lifecycle, playing crucial roles in regulating RNA expression, splicing, translation, stability, degradation, etc. Recent studies have suggested that m6A modification plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This review summarizes the current research progress on the role of m6A modification in HCC progression, drug resistance, radiofrequency ablation therapy, and immunotherapy, aiming to provide valuable insights for the precise treatment of HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factor analysis is a multivariate statistical analysis technique that has become very popular in recent years. In the factor analysis model, the error covariance matrix is assumed to be the multivariate normal distribution, and outliers are likely to be accounted for. Various estimation methods were compared with Monte Carlo simulation for the factor analysis model. The performances of the estimation methods were evaluated based on the ratio of the total variance explained and the criterion fit values. Considering the MLE, PCA, WLS, and GLS methods for classical factor analysis and the MCD, M, and S methods for robust factor analysis, the ratio of total variance explained, and fit values decreased as the sample size increased. When the number of variables increases, the ratio of total variance explained, and fit values increase at different sample sizes. It can be said that the WLS and GLS methods are better than others for classical factor analysis and the MCD and M methods are better than others for robust factor analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective breastfeeding is the main effort to create optimal life and baby viability. Breastfeeding that is not optimal can be affected by maternal and baby factors. Optimization of breastfeeding can be done with complementary therapy, such as massage therapy, music therapy, and aromatherapy. This study aims to find out the effect of intervention package massage therapy, music therapy and aroma therapy (P, M, A Therapy), on breast milk adequacy at Baros Public Health Center. This study used a quantitative research design, Quasy Eksperimental research design with pre and posttest without control with a research sample of 20 respondents that was taken by using a total sampling technique. The study's result average respondent before an intervention was 35,85, standard deviation 2,560, CI 95% 34,63-37,05. The average respondent after an intervention was 40,35, standard deviation 2,834, CI 95% 39,02-41,68. The results of the statistical test obtained p-value of 0,00 and 0, it was concluded that there was an effect of the PMA therapy on breast milk adequacy. We hope that in future this intervention package can be developed for achieving optimal breastfeeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to focus on a fuzzy metric called Deng's metric in [ 0 , 1 ] -topology. Firstly, we will extend the domain of this metric function from M 0 × M 0 to M × M , where M 0 and M are defined as the sets of all special fuzzy points and all standard fuzzy points, respectively. Secondly, we will further extend this metric to the completely distributive lattice L X and, based on this extension result, we will compare this metric with the other two fuzzy metrics: Erceg's metric and Yang-Shi's metric, and then reveal some of its interesting properties, particularly including its quotient space. Thirdly, we will investigate the relationship between Deng's metric and Yang-Shi's metric and prove that a Deng's metric must be a Yang-Shi's metric on I X , and consequently an Erceg's metric. Finally, we will show that a Deng's metric on I X must be Q − C 1 , and Deng's metric topology and its uniform structure are Erceg's metric topology and Hutton's uniform structure, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether country-level institutions related to the labor market affect firms' disclosure of information about their directors. Our findings, based on a sample of public companies domiciled in 46 countries, show that the level of disclosure of directors' information, particularly information on their remuneration, is lower for firms in countries with better developed labor markets. We further find that in countries with more stringent labor regulations, firms are less likely to disclose both directors' remuneration and biographical information. Firms in countries with better labor systems (e.g. greater mobility in the labor market and more effective social dialogue) make more such disclosures. Overall, our findings suggest that better developed country-level institutions related to the labor market disincentivize firms from disclosing information about directors. However, different types of country-level institutions have different impacts on firms' incentives to make such disclosures. Our study provides valuable insights into how labor market development affects the alignment of boards' incentives with those of stakeholders such as employees and how external pressure from employees affects a firm's strategic actions regarding disclosing directors' information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of the Chinese Ceramic Society is the property of Bulletin of the Chinese Ceramic Society Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Engineering for Thermal Energy & Power / Reneng Dongli Gongcheng is the property of Journal of Engineering for Thermal Energy & Power and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Akofena is the property of Universite Felix Houphouet Boigny and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Cardiovascular (CV) disorders are steadily increasing, making them the world's most prevalent health issue. New research highlights the importance of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) for maintaining CV health Methods: We searched PubMed and MEDLINE for English and non-English articles with English abstracts published between 1957 (when the first report on IGF-1 identification was published) and 2022. The top search terms were: IGF-1, cardiovascular disease, IGF-1 receptors, IGF-1 and microRNAs, therapeutic interventions with IGF-1, IGF-1 and diabetes, IGF-1 and cardiovascular disease. The search retrieved original peer-reviewed articles, which were further analyzed, focusing on the role of IGF-1 in pathophysiological conditions. We specifically focused on including the most recent findings published in the past five years. Results: IGF-1, an anabolic growth factor, regulates cell division, proliferation, and survival. In addition to its well-known growth-promoting and metabolic effects, there is mounting evidence that IGF-1 plays a specialized role in the complex activities that underpin CV function. IGF-1 promotes cardiac development and improves cardiac output, stroke volume, contractility, and ejection fraction. Furthermore, IGF-1 mediates many growth hormones (GH) actions. IGF-1 stimulates contractility and tissue remodeling in humans to improve heart function after myocardial infarction. IGF-1 also improves the lipid profile, lowers insulin levels, increases insulin sensitivity, and promotes glucose metabolism. These findings point to the intriguing medicinal potential of IGF-1. Human studies associate low serum levels of free or total IGF-1 with an increased risk of CV and cerebrovascular illness. Extensive human trials are being conducted to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and outcomes of IGF-1-related therapy. Discussion: We anticipate the development of novel IGF-1-related therapy with minimal side effects. This review discusses recent findings on the role of IGF-1 in the cardiovascular (CVD) system, including both normal and pathological conditions. We also discuss progress in therapeutic interventions aimed at targeting the IGF axis and provide insights into the epigenetic regulation of IGF-1 mediated by microRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, a hierarchical met-ocean data selection model is proposed to reduce the computational cost in stochastic simulation of operation and maintenance (O&M) and enable rapid evaluation of offshore renewable energy systems. The proposed model identifies the most representative data for each calendar month from the long-term historical met-ocean data in two steps, namely the preselection and the refined selection. The preselection incorporates three distinct metrics to evaluate the characteristics of statistical distributions, including the Jensen–Shannon divergence, the encapsulation of extreme met-ocean conditions, as well as the overall vessel accessibility. For the refined selection, a component of temporal synchrony is devised to emulate dynamic changes of met-ocean conditions. As such, a met-ocean reference year comprising twelve representative historical months is subsequently produced and deployed as the input for O&M stochastic simulation. While this research focuses on the development of a generalised methodology for selecting representative met-ocean data, the proposed statistical method is validated empirically using a case study inspired by real-life floating offshore wind installations in Scotland, e.g., Hywind and Kincardine projects. According to the O&M simulation results with five capacity scenarios, the proposed data selection model reduces the computational cost by up to 97.65% while emulating the original results with minor deviations, i.e., within ± 5%. The simulation speed is therefore 43 times quicker. Overall, the proposed met-ocean data selection model attains an excellent trade off between computational efficiency and accuracy in O&M stochastic simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposing a computational imaging method to realize large depth-of-field imaging. • Designing an AF-boosted optical imaging model to capture multi-focus images. • Capturing 5000 raw images to build a real scene dataset for image fusion task. • Training an end-to-end image fusion network tailored to the proposed optical model. • Developing a pilot system to combine optical model with image fusion algorithm. Large DOF (depth-of-field) imaging with high SNR (signal-noise-ratio) is useful for applications such as machine vision and medical imaging. In traditional optical systems, DOF extension is always implemented at the cost of SNR. In this paper, we present a MPCAM (Multi-PSF Camera) system highly integrated with AF (auto-focus) function to realize both large DOF and high SNR imaging. MPCAM based on MPGAN (Multi-PSF Generative Adversarial Network) is first proposed to automatically extract multiple PSFs (point spread functions) and realize high fidelity image reconstruction by features fusion. The proposed end-to-end generative image fusion network is flexible and can be designed with different input dimensions for a given AF application, which is vital to circumvent the trade-off between DOF and SNR. We build a dataset containing 5000 raw images tailored to the proposed network by an off-the-shelf camera. Results show that our MPCAM system can produce images with average higher values than raw images over 4.625, and 0.061 in PNSR (peak signal to noise ratio), and SSIM (structure similarity) metrics, respectively. Moreover, compared to the classic and latest image fusion methods, the results also verify that our method has achieved comparable or even better performance. Due to its advance in high SNR and large DOF imaging, this novel, portable and inexpensive system is suitable for computational applications such as microscopic pathological diagnosis, domain-specific computational imaging and smartphone photography. The implementation code of MPGAN and dataset are available from https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/ktd970903/multi-psf-camera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit is a well-known plant used as a traditional medicine for preventing some diseases because of its abundance in chemical compounds. This research aimed to determine the phytochemical concentration, chemical composition, and antifungal activity of M. citrifolia fruit extract. M. citrifolia fruit was extracted with methanol and then distilled water for the partition extract. Subsequently, the extract was fractionated using various nonpolar to polar solutions, such as; chloroform, ethyl acetate, water, 2-propanol, and methanol fractions. Each fraction was evaporated until the dry extract was released. Additionally, the photochemical concentration of the M. citrifolia fruit extract was quantitatively determined using a UV-visible spectrophotometer. The chemical composition of the M. citrifolia fruit extract of each fraction was identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). Then, the antifungal activity of M.citrifolia fruit extract against C. albicans and C. krusei was determined using the disc diffusion method. The results showed that the phytochemical concentration of the M. citrifolia fruit extract was 1970.25 ppm flavonoids, 35.61 ppm tannins, and 148.62 ppm steroids. 2-Fluorobenzoic acid, eucalyptol, 2-chloroaniline-5-sulfonic acid, hexa-decamethyl octasiloxane, and tetra-propyl stannane were found to be the major components of M. citrifolia fruit extract. According to the research, M. citrifolia fruit extract showed antifungal activity against C. albicans and C. krusei in all tested fractions. The maximum inhibition zone of C. albicans was 14.0 ± 1.00 mm in the 2-propanol fraction, while that of C. krusei was 11.7 ± 0.58 mm in the methanol fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fin de siècle had been stirring writers to engage artistry in depicting class permeating society and the oppression of women under Victoria's regime. E.M. Forster's and John Galsworthy's lyrical style allowed them to explore what the Victorians had hidden: disparities between workingclass England and upper-crust, and women's lives subjugated to the Empire's demands. In 1879, Henrik Ibsen had published A Doll's House, a precursor of what was to come. Forster and Galsworthy were more subtle and yet equally stark in incorporating society and politics into their art. The skilfulness of their invention lies in the ability to cover class, deception, deceit, and unlawfulness while beguiling their readers into a state of unwariness and then confronting them with the unexpected. In Howards End, published as the nineteenth century turned into the twentieth, Forster explores class, subterfuge, social borders and boundaries so as to incorporate into his lyricism the crushing of a last will and testament, theft of property, unmarried motherhood, murder or manslaughter, all the while painting a picture of bucolic charm and purportedly happy families and marriages. Nobel Prize winner Galsworthy's Man of Property (the first book in what became known as The Forsyte Saga) was published shortly before Howards End - similarly combining the poetic with the practical, the idealism that generated hope for a new world in a new century with the expectations that come with the pragmatism of a certain type of Englishman: 'my property', 'my own', 'my wife', 'my life', 'my family', the 'my' being foremost, yet challenged by the changes brought by the fin de siècle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategies focus on securing the competitiveness of medical device corporations by strengthening their organizational capabilities, which, in turn, ensure their continuous development. This study aims to investigate both management strategies and organizational culture, which may affect the performance of these companies, and analyzes the influence of education and training investment. We used data from the 3rd to 6th Human Capital Corporate Panel surveys by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training as well as data from the Korea Information Service and 6,112 workers and 260 companies were analyzed. For the analysis, management strategy and organizational culture were set as independent variables, and corporation performance was set as the dependent variable. Additionally, investment in education and training was set as a control variable between the independent and dependent variables. Corporate performance was analyzed by dividing into organizational satisfaction and organizational commitment. Differentiation strategy and innovative culture had a positive (+) effect on organizational satisfaction, while cost leadership strategy and hierarchical culture had a negative (−) effect. On the other hand, in the case of interaction with education and training investment, cost leadership strategy and hierarchical culture had a positive (+) effect, while differentiation strategy and innovation culture had a negative (−) effect. In organizational commitment, innovation culture had a positive (+) effect, and hierarchical culture had a negative (−) effect. In the case of interaction with investment in education and training, only the hierarchical culture had a positive (+) effect. The innovation culture positively influenced the performance of medical device companies. Furthermore, cost leadership strategy, hierarchical culture, education and training investment improved the corporate performance of these companies. To enhance corporate performance, these companies should create an innovation culture and invest in education and training in accordance with the organizational culture. COVID-19 has proven the excellence of Korea's medical devices, and the medical device industry is expected to continue to grow due to the increase in chronic disease and non-face-to-face treatment. However, the current medical device industry is monopolized by global companies with capital and technological prowess. To overcome this, Korean medical device companies are developing innovative medical devices centered on start-ups, but now is the time to strategically respond to them in order to compete with global companies. In general, companies establish management strategies for survival and growth by analyzing threats and opportunities based on the market environment to maintain the optimal organization according to market competition, government policies, and changes in consumer needs. Strategies are often established based on the culture of the organizations that make up the company. When it comes to strategy establishment, the medical device industry has special characteristics compared to other industries. The medical device industry is based on advanced technology and puts patient safety first, requiring continuous product upgrades. Therefore, it is an essential industry for employees to invest in education and training. The analysis shows the effectiveness of investment in education and training according to the management strategy and organizational culture of medical device companies. It was confirmed that when medical device companies create an Innovation culture, their performance improves. It also shows that when medical device companies adopt a cost leadership strategy, they need to increase their investment in education and training to improve corporate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left atrial ablation to obtain pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) is a technologically intensive procedure utilizing innovative and continually improving technology. Changes in the technology utilized for PVI can in turn lead to changes in procedure costs. Because of the proximity of the esophagus to the posterior wall of the left atrium, various technologies have been utilized to protect against thermal injury during ablation. The impact on hospital costs during PVI ablation from utilization of different technologies for esophageal protection during ablation has not previously been evaluated. To compare the costs of active esophageal cooling to luminal esophageal temperature (LET) monitoring during left atrial ablation. We performed a time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) analysis to determine costs for PVI procedures. Published data and literature review were utilized to determine differences in procedure time and same-day discharge rates using different esophageal protection technologies and to determine the cost impacts of same-day discharge versus overnight hospitalization after PVI procedures. The total costs were then compared between cases using active esophageal cooling to those using LET monitoring. The effect of implementing active esophageal cooling was associated with up to a 24.7% reduction in mean total procedure time, and an 18% increase in same-day discharge rate. TDABC analysis identified a $681 reduction in procedure costs associated with the use of active esophageal cooling after including the cost of the esophageal cooling device. Factoring in the 18% increase in same-day discharge resulted in an increased cost savings of $2,135 per procedure. The use of active esophageal cooling is associated with significant cost-savings when compared to traditional LET monitoring, even after accounting for the additional cost of the cooling device. These savings originate from a per-patient procedural time savings and a per-population improvement in same-day discharge rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deterministic sparse grid method, also known as Smolyak's method, is a well-established and widely used tool to tackle multivariate approximation problems, and there is a vast literature on it. Much less is known about randomized versions of the sparse grid method. In this paper we analyze randomized sparse grid algorithms, namely randomized sparse grid quadratures for multivariate integration on the |$D$| -dimensional unit cube |$[0,1)^D$|⁠. Let |$d,s \in {\mathbb {N}}$| be such that |$D=d\cdot s$|⁠. The |$s$| -dimensional building blocks of the sparse grid quadratures are based on stratified sampling for |$s=1$| and on scrambled |$(0,m,s)$| -nets for |$s\ge 2$|⁠. The spaces of integrands and the error criterion we consider are Haar wavelet spaces with parameter |$\alpha $| and the randomized error (i.e. the worst case root mean square error), respectively. We prove sharp (i.e. matching) upper and lower bounds for the convergence rates of the |$N$| th minimal errors for all possible combinations of the parameters |$d$| and |$s$|⁠. Our upper error bounds still hold if we consider as spaces of integrands Sobolev spaces of mixed dominated smoothness with smoothness parameters |$1/2< \alpha < 1$| instead of Haar wavelet spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate the nature of dynamic capabilities and use a fine-grained measurement to test how centralization, routinization, and formalization relate to the underlying learning components of dynamic capabilities. We find that the effects of centralization, routinization, and formalization are broadly similar for almost all components of dynamic capabilities, and that only a few show a different pattern. Centralization and routinization are negatively related to dynamic capabilities, and formalization has a significantly positive effect. We provide insights into the role of managerial practices by explaining variation among the learning components of dynamic capabilities. This has implications for the nature and development of dynamic capabilities as well as for the routine versus deliberate learning debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the dynamic capabilities framework has proved important for explaining long-term competitive advantage, some scholars have attacked it as lacking theoretical underpinnings. In this article, we clarify the lineage of the "dynamics" in the dynamic capabilities framework from the non-strategic model of Cyert and March to the dynamic evolutionary theory of the firm in Nelson and Winter that enabled the initial breakthrough of Teece, Pisano and Shuen. We explain that the theoretical schism in dynamic capabilities between the tradition of Eisenhardt and Martin and that of Teece and colleagues can be traced to their relative emphasis on behavioral versus evolutionary theories. Finally, we provide a brief overview of implications for emergent topics and empirical research, along with ideas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus is a positive-stranded RNA virus of the family Arteriviridae. The Gp5/M dimer, the major component of the viral envelope, is required for virus budding and is an antibody target. We used alphafold2, an artificial-intelligence-based system, to predict a credible structure of Gp5/M. The short disulfide-linked ectodomains lie flat on the membrane, with the exception of the erected N-terminal helix of Gp5, which contains the antibody epitopes and a hypervariable region with a changing number of carbohydrates. The core of the dimer consists of six curved and tilted transmembrane helices, and three are from each protein. The third transmembrane regions extend into the cytoplasm as amphiphilic helices containing the acylation sites. The endodomains of Gp5 and M are composed of seven β-strands from each protein, which interact via β-strand seven. The area under the membrane forms an open cavity with a positive surface charge. The M and Orf3a proteins of coronaviruses have a similar structure, suggesting that all four proteins are derived from the same ancestral gene. Orf3a, like Gp5/M, is acylated at membrane-proximal cysteines. The role of Gp5/M during virus replication is discussed, in particular the mechanisms of virus budding and models of antibody-dependent virus neutralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mental health problem is a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning. Objective: To assess the risk factors and consequence of mental health problems among patients admitted in Felege Hiwot Referal Hospital in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Methodology: Phenomenological research design was used to conduct this study. Using available sampling, a total of 10 participants were involved. Interview was used as a means of collecting the data. The data was analyzed by thematic and narration techniques of analysis. Result: Early life experience, social crises, economic problem, biological causes like brain damage and injury, heredity, drug use, and traditional believes such as sin, curse, witchcraft, evil spirit, herbal medicine are found to be the risk factors. Low self esteem, loneliness, hopelessness, economic problem, suicidal attempt, unable to detect the need of the patients, history taking challenge, low level of patience, low drug adherence, and counter transference are found to be the consequence of mental health problem. Conclusion: People with mental health problem in the long run are highly prone to suicidal attempt and commitment as a result mental health problem. Recommendations: Concerned government bodies/Health Bureau/and the people shall work on the problems proactively and minimize the consequences through intensive follow up of people with mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)