showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Effects of contextual variables on strategic investment decision-making styles: An empirical study from Pakistan.
2022
There is a gap in the literature of strategic investment decision making (SIDM) concerning the links between context variables, infrastructure and SIDM practices (or SIDM styles) in developing countries. This research aims to fill that gap. Survey data (N = 128) from the manufacturing companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange was collected via an e-mailed questionnaire and visits to the companies. Data are analyzed with factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results reveal what we call four different SIDM styles (or emphases): managerial power-, financial analysis-, top management-, and strategy-based investing. These styles are considered to be novel perspectives on SI…
Earnings management of target firms and deal premiums: The role of industry relatedness
2022
This paper contributes to the merger and acquisitions (M&A) literature by providing evidence for the role of industry relatedness in the association between target firms' earnings management (EM) before the deal and the premium offered by the acquirer. We argue that familiarity with the industry's policies and practices is a crucial factor that helps acquirers to see through targets' EM. Our evidence supports this prediction in relation to accounting manipulation as we observe that the income increasing accrual manipulation of the target results in significantly higher premiums offered by acquirers in interindustry deals, which is not the case when targets and acquirers belong to the same i…
A peptide from the staphylococcal protein Efb binds P‐selectin and inhibits the interaction of platelets with leukocytes
2022
AimsP-selectin is a key surface adhesion molecule for the interaction of platelets with leukocytes. We have shown previously that the N-terminal domain of S. aureus extracellular fibrinogen-binding protein (Efb) binds to P-selectin and interferes with platelet-leukocyte aggregate formation. Here, we aimed to identify the minimal Efb motif required for binding platelets and to characterise its ability to interfering with the formation of platelet-leukocyte aggregates.Methods and ResultsUsing a library of synthetic peptides, we mapped the platelet-binding site to a continuous 20 amino acid stretch. The peptide Efb68-87 was able to bind to resting and, to a greater extent, thrombin-stimulated …
Trends and cycles in CO2 emissions and incomes: Cross-country evidence on decoupling
2022
This paper provides cross-country evidence on the relationship between growth in CO2 emissions and real GDP growth from 1960 to 2018. The focus is on distinguishing longer-run trends in this relationship from short-run cyclical fluctuations, and on documenting changes in these relationships over time. Using two filtering techniques for separating trend and cycle, we find that long-run trends show evidence of decoupling in richer nations—particularly in European countries—but not yet in developing economies, and that there is stronger evidence of decoupling over the 1990 to 2018 sub-period than over the earlier 1960 to 1989 sub-period. There is also a strong cyclical relationship between emi…
Epidemiology, treatment, and recurrence of odontogenic and non-odontogenic cysts in South Sulawesi, Indonesia: A 6-year retrospective study
2022
Background: Diagnosis of jaw cysts is challenging in general dental practice, and most cases are incidentally discovered through routine dental radiography. The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiology and treatment of odontogenic and non-odontogenic cysts to better understand the status of these lesions in populations in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Material and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on patients treated at four different hospitals in Makassar between January 2011 and June 2017. Patients diagnosed as having odontogenic or non-odontogenic cysts were included in the study. Information on variables such as sex, age, histopathological, and anatomical distributio…
A novel compound heterozygous mutation in PYGM gene associated with McArdle’s disease
2022
McArdle's disease is an autosomal recessive glycogenosis due to mutation in the myophosphorylase gene (PYGM) resulting in a pure myopathy. The clinical onset typically occurs in childhood with cramps, myalgia, and intolerance to physical exercise, although late onset forms are also reported. We describe a case of a 17-year-old male complaining of cramps and myalgia following brief and intense exercise. The patient reported marked improvement in muscle fatigability few minutes after starting aerobic exercise. When he was a child, he had experienced few episodes of vomiting, nausea, and black colored urine following physical activity. Laboratory testings revealed high creatine kinase serum le…
Analytical representation of bimodality in bivariate distribution of chain length and chemical composition of copolymers
2022
Abstract Tuning the bimodality of microstructural features in polymers has provided novel properties and applications. A classic example is to overcome the trade-off between processability and mechanical properties in polyolefins. A recent example is to decrease the interfacial tension in blending incompatible polymers. Therefore, the development of a bimodality index (BI), especially for the chain length distribution (CLD) and the chemical composition distribution (CCD), is crucial for the quantitative design of materials. This study introduces quantitative expressions for the bimodality of univariate CLD on the linear scale, and CCD. Moreover, we develop a bimodality criterion for bivaria…
In Sicilia un'autentica rarità casearia: la Vastedda della valle del Belìce DOP
2022
Describing the voice of online bullying: An analysis of stance and voice type in YouTube comments
2022
Abstract In this article, I analyze the expression of stance in YouTube comments responding to a speech by Greta Thunberg addressing the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit. I use quantitative and qualitative analysis of explicit stance features (including attitude markers, boosters, hedges, self-mentions, and reader addresses) in order to characterize the voice type that commenters construe and examine how this voice type potentially functions as a tool for social influence. The analysis shows that the comments include continual emphatic and emotive attitude marking, almost exclusively evaluating Thunberg herself (e.g., her authenticity, cognitive ability, gender and youth), rather t…
Therapeutic Approaches for Cerebrovascular Dysfunction After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: An Update and Future Perspectives
2022
Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a severe subtype of stroke occurring at a relatively young age with a significant socioeconomic impact. Treatment of aSAH includes early aneurysm exclusion, intensive care management, and prevention of complications. Once the aneurysm rupture occurs, blood spreading within the subarachnoid space triggers several molecular pathways causing early brain injury and delayed cerebral ischemia. Pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying brain injury after aSAH are not entirely characterized, reflecting the difficulties in identifying effective therapeutic targets for patients with aSAH. Although the improvements of the last decades in perioperative manageme…
Modelling, Simulation and Characterization of a Supercapacitor in Automotive Applications
2022
In the energy storage field, supercapacitors (SCs) are gaining more and more attention thanks to features such as high-power density, high life cycles and lack of maintenance. In this article, an improved SC three-branches model which considers the residual charge phenomenon is presented. The procedure to estimate the model parameters and the related experimental set-up are presented. The parameter estimation procedure is repeated for several SCs of the same type. The average parameters are then obtained and used as initial guesses for a recursive least square optimization algorithm, to increase the accuracy of the model. The model of a single SC is then extended to SC banks, testing differ…
Liraglutide reduces plasma PCSK9 in patients with type 2 diabetes not treated with statins
2022
Dyslipidaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which increases cardiovascular risk, includes abnormal metabolism of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Our group has recently shown that liraglutide increases LDL catabolism in patients with T2DM and that it reduces the expression of PCSK9 (a major inhibitor of LDL-receptor expression) in vitro and in mice. This prompted us to study the effect of liraglutide on plasma PCSK9 level in patients with T2DM.We studied prospectively 82 patients with T2DM (51 without statins, 31 with statins). Plasma PCSK9 and plasma lipids were measured before and six months after the initiation of a treatment with liraglutide at a dose of 1.2 mg/day.Plasma PCSK9 was…
Camellia japonica : A phytochemical perspective and current applications facing its industrial exploitation
2022
In response to the increased popularity of medicinal plants, a number of conservation groups are recommending the investigation on poorly characterized and widely distributed species, as it is the case of camellias. In particular, Camellia japonica L. is a widespread species found in Galicia (NW Spain), where it has been largely exploited with ornamental purposes. Recent findings on its phytochemical characterization showed thousands of bioactive ingredients, mostly represented by phenolic compounds, together with terpenoids, and fatty acids. These molecules present associated biological activities, acting as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer agents. This review …
Prevalencia y factores de desgaste profesional en radiólogos durante la pandemia COVID-19
2022
Antecedentes: La epidemia por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) se ha extendido por todo el mundo desde principios de 2020, sometiendo a los profesionales sanitarios a una sobrecarga laboral ya un mayor nivel de estrés físico y emocional. Objetivos: El objetivo de este estudio es determinar la prevalencia de desgaste profesional y sus posibles factores asociados en los radiólogos españoles durante la COVID-19, y su comparación con la situación previa a la pandemia. Métodos: Estudio observacional realizado entre los meses de abril y agosto de 2020 (durante la pandemia) mediante una encuesta en línea. Se obtuvieron un total de 150 respuestas. Se recopiló y comparó la información demográfica y labor…
Resection of Brainstem Cavernous Malformations: Pearls and Pitfalls for Minimizing Complications
2022
BACKGROUND: Surgical management of brainstem cavernous malformations (CMs) is a controversial topic in the field of neurosurgery. These lesions have a propensity to hemorrhage, thereby disrupting surrounding brainstem eloquence.METHODS: This article provides the personal reflections are senior author and a narrative literature review on resection of brainstem CMs.RESULTS: Here we discuss the indications for microsurgery, microsurgical techniques and nuances, and perioperative management considerations necessary to minimize complications during resection of brainstem CMs, which are lesions of venous origin.CONCLUSIONS: The natural history of the lesion, risk of future hemorrhage, and potenti…
La céramique médiévale et moderne (12e - 17e siècles) en Bourgogne : production, consommation, diffusion. Projet Collectif de Recherches 2018-2021. B…
2022
Le programme collectif de recherches intitulé « La céramique médiévale et moderne (12e - 17e siècles) en Bourgogne : production, consommation, diffusion » a entamé ses travaux en 2018, pour une programmation sur quatre années, jusqu’en 2021. Il a pour objectifs de détecter les sites de fabrication potière médiévaux et moderne en Bourgogne, d’en caractériser la production et d’évaluer leur diffusion sur les sites d’habitat.Le nombre de chercheurs associés au programme, rattaché à l’UMR ARTEHIS (Dijon), varie légèrement d’année en année mais tourne en moyenne autour d’une douzaine (11 en 2018, 13 en 2019, 14 en 2020 et 2021). Ils sont issus de diverses institutions (Inrap, Etat, privé, UMR, b…
Show me your tail, if you have one! Is inbreeding depression occurring in wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) from Italy?
2022
Knowledge of genetic diversity is important to wildlife conservation because genetically depleted populations experience an increased risk of extinction. Mammalian carnivores are characterized by small and fragmented populations and low dispersal, so that genetic erosion can lead to the fixation of deleterious genes relatively quickly, leading to morphological abnormalities. Kinked tails and cowlicks are indicative of inbreeding depression and have been described in two wild cat species so far, the puma (Puma concolor) and the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). Here we report the first records of morphological abnormalities in five populations of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) …
BCLC strategy for prognosis prediction and treatment recommendation: The 2022 update.
2022
Treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has experienced major advancements since the last update of the official Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) prognosis and treatment strategy published in 2018. Advancements in the field have emerged in all areas, but in this manuscript, we present those that have primed a change in the strategy and comment why some encouraging data in select interventions are still considered immature and in need of further research to gain their incorporation into an evidence-based model for clinicians and researchers. Finally, we describe the critical insight and expert knowledge that is needed to take clinical decisions in individual patients so that the rec…
Room temperature synthesis of two-dimensional multilayer magnets based on α-CoII layered hydroxides
2022
Research on two-dimensional (2D) materials is one of the most active fields in materials science and nanotechnology. Among the members of the 2D family, layered hydroxides (LHs) represent an exceptional case of study due to their unparalleled chemical versatility which allows the modulation of their physicochemical properties at will. Nowadays, LHs based on earth-abundant metals are key materials in the areas of energy storage and conversion, hybrid materials or magnetism. ɑ-Co hydroxides (Simonkolleite-like structures) are promising phases with tuneable electronic and magnetic properties by ligand modification. However, even in the simple case of ɑ-CoII hydroxychlorides, the preparation of…
Low-Rank Tucker-2 Model for Multi-Subject fMRI Data Decomposition with Spatial Sparsity Constraint
2022
Tucker decomposition can provide an intuitive summary to understand brain function by decomposing multi-subject fMRI data into a core tensor and multiple factor matrices, and was mostly used to extract functional connectivity patterns across time/subjects using orthogonality constraints. However, these algorithms are unsuitable for extracting common spatial and temporal patterns across subjects due to distinct characteristics such as high-level noise. Motivated by a successful application of Tucker decomposition to image denoising and the intrinsic sparsity of spatial activations in fMRI, we propose a low-rank Tucker-2 model with spatial sparsity constraint to analyze multi-subject fMRI dat…
Polysaccharide hydrogels for regenerative medicine applications
2022
Chemistry Section: Book of Abstracts
2022
A new solver for incompressible non-isothermal flows in natural and mixed convection over unstructured grids
2022
Abstract In the present paper we propose a new numerical methodology for the solution of 2D non-isothermal incompressible flows for natural and mixed convection in irregular geometries. The governing equations are the Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations and the Energy Conservation Equation. Fluid velocity and temperature are coupled in the buoyancy term of the momentum equations according to the Oberbeck–Boussinesq approximation. The governing equations are discretized over unstructured triangular meshes satisfying the Delaunay property. Thanks to the Oberbeck–Boussinesq hypothesis, the flow and energy problems are solved in an uncoupled way, and two fractional time step procedures are s…
Recommendations of the treatment-resistant depression expert center network for promoting tobacco smoking cessation based on the results from the rea…
2022
Abstract Background Tobacco smoking has been associated with suicide, impulsivity and depression in non-clinical populations with differences across sexes. Objective To determine the role of tobacco smoking in Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) according to sex in a precision-medicine approach. Method The FACE-TRD cohort is a national cohort of TRD patients recruited in 13 resistant depression expert centers between 2014 and 2021 and followed-up at 6 months. A standardized one-day long comprehensive battery was carried out, including trained-clinician and patient-reported outcomes, and patients were reevaluated at 6 months on their smoking and psychiatric hospitalization outcomes. Results…
Shallow ocean oxygen decline during the end-Triassic mass extinction
2022
The end-Triassic mass extinction (ETME) was associated with intensified deep-water anoxia in epicontinental seas and mid-depth waters, yet the absolute oxygenation state in the shallow ocean is uncharacterized. Here we report carbonate-associated iodine data from the peritidal Mount Sparagio section (Southern Italy) that documents the ETME (~ 200 Ma) in the western Tethys. We find a sharp drop in carbonate I/(Ca + Mg) ratios across the extinction horizon and persisting into the Early Jurassic. This records local dissolved oxygen and iodate decline in the near-surface ocean of low-latitude Tethys due to the development of depleted oxygen concentrations. Consequently, during the ETME even sha…
Fibred-categorical obstruction theory
2022
Abstract We set up a fibred categorical theory of obstruction and classification of morphisms that specialises to the one of monoidal functors between categorical groups and also to the Schreier-Mac Lane theory of group extensions. Further applications are provided to crossed extensions and crossed bimodule butterflies, with in particular a classification of non-abelian extensions of unital associative algebras in terms of Hochschild cohomology.
THE USE OF THE GAME BETWEEN NEUROEDUCATION AND MEDIA EDUCATION
2022
Play, which has always been considered an essential vector for the growth and cognitive and emotional development of everyone, constitutes a significant activity for the promotion of the person, as well as a way of liberating growth, protected from the interference of the hyper-structured world of adults. (Coggi, Ricchiardi, 2011). This work aims to reflect on the educational dimension of play with respect to two distinct visual angles: brain-based education research (Neuroeducation) and the world of video games (Media education) with the sole aim of outlining the potential of playful practice, not without some methodological warning for its use in the pedagogical-didactic field. Neuroeduca…
First trap-assisted decay spectroscopy of the $$^{81}$$Ge ground state
2022
AbstractThe $$\beta $$ β -delayed $$\gamma $$ γ spectroscopy of $$^{81}$$ 81 As has been performed using a purified beam of $$^{81}$$ 81 Ge $$(9/2^+)$$ ( 9 / 2 + ) ground state at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility (IGISOL). The $$^{81}$$ 81 Ge$$^+$$ + ions were produced using proton-induced fission of $$^{232}$$ 232 Th and selected with the double Penning trap JYFLTRAP for the post-trap decay spectroscopy measurements. The low-spin $$(1/2^+)$$ ( 1 / 2 + ) isomeric-state ions $$^{81m}\hbox {Ge}^+$$ 81 m Ge + were not observed in the fission products. The intrinsic half-life of the $$^{81}$$ 81 Ge ground state has been determined as $$T_{1/2}=6.4(2)~\hbox {s}$$ T 1 / 2 = 6.4 ( …
Le organizzazioni di volontariato nella provincia di Palermo
2022
Il capitolo presenta un’analisi delle organizzazioni di volontariato della provincia di Palermo, sulla base dei dati di una survey regionale, condotta su iniziativa dei tre Centri di servizio per il Volontariato e del Comitato di Gestione dei fondi speciali per la Sicilia. L’obiettivo e quello di delineare un’immagine articolata delle organizzazioni, in ragione di alcune dimensioni essenziali: 1) identificazione anagrafica (denominazione, comune della sede sociale, forma giuridica, iscrizione/non iscrizione al registro regionale del volontariato/della protezione civile e al Centro di Servizio per il Volontariato); 2) informazioni circa il profilo socio-professionale, la rete di appartenenze…
The process of female borrower discouragement
2022
Recent entrepreneurial finance literature identifies ‘borrower discouragement’ as an important phenomenon explaining why female entrepreneurs hold less capital to grow their venture. But how do you become a discouraged borrower? We apply grounded theory to interviews with Tanzanian female entrepreneurs and model the process via which these entrepreneurs become discouraged. Our model suggests that entrepreneurs hold negative perceptions regarding loan application, allocation and payback procedures shaped by both internal and external information sources. We demonstrate that negative perceptions cause an unfavorable attitude towards formal loans which together with entrepreneurs' perceptions …
The Effect of Predator Population Dynamics on Batesian Mimicry Complexes.
2022
Understanding Batesian mimicry is a classic problem in evolutionary biology. In Batesian mimicry, a defended species (the model) is mimicked by an undefended species (the mimic). Prior theories have emphasized the role of predator behavior and learning as well as evolution in model-mimic complexes but have not examined the role of population dynamics in potentially governing the relative abundances and even persistence of model-mimic systems. Here, we examined the effect of the population dynamics of predators and alternative prey on the prevalence of warning-signaling prey composed of models and mimics. Using optimal foraging theory and signal detection theory, we found that the inclusion …
Hipopigmentación capilar y cutánea secundaria a pazopanib
2022
Smart Monitoring of Civil Infrastructures
2022
In this presentation, I will show a case study of smart monitoring applied on pavement road to detect the distresses and verify the real state of life of the infrastructures. The methodology used is based on the photogrammetric technique that allow us to carry out a 3D model that has the follow features: low cost process, low time process, user friendly, repeatability. These features consent to make a planning with frequently acquisition to guarantee a reliability monitoring. It works with the comparison between the dense clouds of the 3D models acquired in different moment: the mean square distance between the dense clouds shows where there has been a new distress or an increasing of an ol…
COVID-19 Profit Warnings: Delivering Bad News in a Time of Crisis
2022
Abstract Profit warnings (large negative earnings surprises) are important corporate reporting documents for delivering bad news and a distinctive corporate communication genre. The 2020 COVID-19 exogenous shock provides a unique worldwide crisis context for company disclosure of bad news. The research develops a genre-based typology/analytical framework for assessing COVID-19 profit warnings’ quality comprising: (1) Four profit warning/forecast quality characteristics and (2) Eight profit warning/forecast disclosures. For a sample of 160 profit-warning documents, the research manually analyses their content, culminating in a disclosure quality score/index. The research tests a model of the…
Coupling of electromembrane processes with reverse osmosis for seawater desalination: Pilot plant demonstration and testing
2022
Reverse osmosis (RO) is the most widespread technology to produce drinking water from seawater (SW). However, the integration of different membrane processes offers interesting alternatives. In this work, electromembrane processes were integrated with RO to desalinate real seawater in a pilot plant with 25 m3/day capacity. Electrodialysis (ED, either two-stage or single stage), shortcut reverse electrodialysis (scRED) and assisted reverse electrodialysis (ARED) pre-desalinated seawater before RO with the ED-ED-RO, ED-RO, and scRED-ARED-RO process schemes. Treated wastewater was used as salt sink in the scRED-ARED tests. The performance of the pilot plant can be summarized as follows: water …
Inhibition of bacterial virulence factors of foodborne pathogens by paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) extracts
2022
Abstract Capsicum annuum extracts of different polarities were tested for their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and anti-Quorum sensing (QS) activity against several pathogenic microorganisms and possible toxic effects using an in vivo model (Galleria mellonella L.). Hexane (HE) and Chloroform extract (CE) were the most active in inhibiting biofilm formation of the eight bacteria tested, with inhibition percentages between 22 and 88% for a concentration of 100 μg/mL. These extracts were potent inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm, and microscopy analysis confirmed a significant reduction in adhered cells. Moreover, polystyrene surfaces coated with these extracts decreased Staph. aureus a…