833 research outputs found

    Payroll Administration System at PT. Solid Utama Nusantara by Using Microsoft Visual Foxpro 9.0

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    The increasing administrative activities at PT. Main Solid Archipelago and thegrowing need for a wide range of information about personnel, especially the writertrying to help create a system of personnel administration at this company. In apayroll system that has not used the application must be very difficult when to seekemployee data or files related to personnel and payroll. This will make the systemslow, errors caused by wrong at the time input and for different data transfer with theinput. By using the proposed payroll applications, particularly for employee datacollection, data entry is expected to be in accordance with the expected output, so thatthe mistakes that usually occur can be suppressed to a minimum and the process wasmuch faster.With the new computerized system, expected flow of information can move faster sothat the efficiency and effectiveness of the work can be achieved to the maximumextent possible

    The β-model—maximum likelihood, Cramér–Rao bounds, and hypothesis testing

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    This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordWe study the maximum-likelihood estimator in a setting where the dependent variable is a random graph and covariates are available on a graph level. The model generalizes the well-known β-model for random graphs by replacing the constant model parameters with regression functions. Cramer-Rao bounds are derived for special cases of the undirected β-model, the directed β-model, and the covariate-based β-model. The corresponding maximum-likelihood estimators are compared with the bounds by means of simulations. Moreover, examples are given on how to use the presented maximum-likelihood estimators to test for directionality and significance. Finally, the applicability of the model is demonstrated using temporal social network data describing communication among healthcare workers

    CSTX-1, a toxin from the venom of the hunting spider Cupiennius salei, is a selective blocker of L-type calcium channels in mammalian neurons

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    The inhibitor cystine-knot motif identified in the structure of CSTX-1 from Cupiennius salei venom suggests that this toxin may act as a blocker of ion channels. Whole-cell patch-clamp experiments performed on cockroach neurons revealed that CSTX-1 produced a slow voltage-independent block of both mid/low- (M-LVA) and high-voltage-activated (HVA) insect Cav channels. Since C. salei venom affects both insect as well as rodent species, we investigated whether Cav channel currents of rat neurons are also inhibited by CSTX-1. CSTX-1 blocked rat neuronal L-type, but no other types of HVA Cav channels, and failed to modulate LVA Cav channel currents. Using neuroendocrine GH3 and GH4 cells, CSTX-1 produced a rapid voltage-independent block of L-type Cav channel currents. The concentration-response curve was biphasic in GH4 neurons and the subnanomolar IC50 values were at least 1000-fold lower than in GH3 cells. L-type Cav channel currents of skeletal muscle myoballs and other voltage-gated ion currents of rat neurons, such as INa(v) or IK(v) were not affected by CSTX-1. The high potency and selectivity of CSTX-1 for a subset of L-type channels in mammalian neurons may enable the toxin to be used as a molecular tool for the investigation of this family of Cav channels. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

    Suicide in Hong Kong: A case-control psychological autopsy study

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    Background. The relative contribution of psychosocial and clinical risk factors to suicide among Chinese populations is an important issue. In Hong Kong, this issue requires vigorous examination in light of a 50% increase in suicide rate between 1997 and 2003. Method. Using a case-control psychological autopsy method, 150 suicide deceased were compared with 150 living controls matched by age and gender. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the next-of-kin of the subjects. Data were collected on a wide range of potential risk and protective factors, including demographic, life event, clinical and psychological variables. The relative contribution of these factors towards suicide was examined in a multiple logistic regression model. Results. Six factors were found to significantly and independently contribute to suicide: unemployment, indebtedness, being single, social support, psychiatric illness, and history of past attempts. Conclusions. Both psychosocial and clinical factors are important in suicides in Hong Kong. They seem to have mediated suicide risk independently. In addition, socio-economic adversities seem to have played a relatively important role in the increasing suicide rate in Hong Kong. © 2006 Cambridge University Press.published_or_final_versio

    Factors influencing quality of life following lower limb amputation for peripheral arterial occlusive disease: a systematic review of the literature

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    Background: The majority of lower limb amputations are undertaken in people with peripheral arterial occlusive disease,\ud and approximately 50% have diabetes. Quality of life is an important outcome in lower limb amputations; little is known\ud about what influences it, and therefore how to improve it.\ud Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to identify the factors that influence quality of life after lower limb\ud amputation for peripheral arterial occlusive disease.\ud Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Cochrane databases were searched to identify\ud articles that quantitatively measured quality of life in those with a lower limb amputation for peripheral arterial occlusive\ud disease. Articles were quality assessed by two assessors, evidence tables summarised each article and a narrative\ud synthesis was performed.\ud Study design: Systematic review.\ud Results: Twelve articles were included. Study designs and outcome measures used varied. Quality assessment scores\ud ranged from 36% to 92%. The ability to walk successfully with a prosthesis had the greatest positive impact on quality\ud of life. A trans-femoral amputation was negatively associated with quality of life due to increased difficulty in walking\ud with a prosthesis. Other factors such as older age, being male, longer time since amputation, level of social support and\ud presence of diabetes also negatively affected quality of life.\ud Conclusion: Being able to walk with a prosthesis is of primary importance to improve quality of life for people with lower\ud limb amputation due to peripheral arterial occlusive disease. To further understand and improve the quality of life of this\ud population, there is a need for more prospective longitudinal studies, with a standardised outcome measure

    Multimodality minimally invasive autopsy-A feasible and accurate approach to post-mortem examination

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    Background: Autopsy examination has been the bedrock of western medicine. With the decline in the autopsy rate secondary to the negative psychological impact to the deceased's relatives, the benefits of autopsy have been undermined. Minimally invasive autopsy has been introduced but has not been widely adopted as an alternative to the 'traditional' open approach. This technique not only provides information on the cause of death abut also minimizes the disfigurement induced to the deceased. Our study aims to explore the feasibility and evaluate the accuracy of this technique. Methods: A series of coroner cases ordered for autopsy were examined by a group including an experienced forensic pathologist and two experienced laparoscopic surgeons using thoracoscopic, laparoscopic, endoluminal or endovascular approaches. The procedure was video-recorded and the provisional diagnoses and causes of death were made based on the findings. These findings were subsequently correlated with the full autopsy examination. A few limited clinical post-mortem examinations were also performed with consent from relatives. Results: A total of 22 cases of minimally invasive autopsies were performed from November 2007 to March 2008. The median duration of the procedures was 78.3 ± 20.7 min. Thoracoscopies and laparoscopies were performed in 18 patients while additional arterioscopic examination with endoscope was performed in two patients with suspected aortic diseases. Four consented limited clinical autopsies were also performed: two of them involved thoracoscopic biopsies of lung tissues, one was a para-mortem upper endoscopy for the investigation of pathology of the stomach and the other one was laparoscopy for a patient, who died of unexplained acidosis. Comparison with full autopsies showed that the accuracy of the diagnosis was 94.4%, the sensitivity was 90%, the specificity was 100%, the positive predictive value was 100% and the negative predictive value was 88.9%. Conclusion: Minimally invasive autopsy is a feasible approach, yielding accurate findings when compared with conventional autopsies. The former can be a valuable tool for obtaining more valuable information in situations when the next-of-kin of the deceased does not consent to a conventional autopsy. © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

    Ocean-related options for climate change mitigation and adaptation: A machine learning-based evidence map protocol

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    BackgroundOcean-related options (OROs) to mitigate and adapt to climate change are receiving increasing attention from practitioners, decision-makers, and researchers. In order to guide future ORO development and implementation, a catalogue of scientific evidence addressing outcomes related to different ORO types is critical. However, until now, such a synthesis has been hindered by the large size of the evidence base. Here, we detail a protocol using a machine learning-based approach to systematically map the extent and distribution of academic evidence relevant to the development, implementation, and outcomes of OROs.MethodTo produce this systematic map, literature searches will be conducted in English across two bibliographic databases using a string of search terms relating to the ocean, climate change, and OROs. A sample of articles from the resulting de-duplicated corpus will be manually screened at the title and abstract level for inclusion or exclusion against a set of predefined eligibility criteria in order to select all relevant literature on marine and coastal socio-ecological systems, the type of ORO and its outcomes. Descriptive metadata on the type and location of intervention, study methodology, and outcomes will be coded from the included articles in the sample. This sample of screening and coding decisions will be used to train a machine learning model that will be used to estimate these labels for all the remaining unseen publications. The results will be reported in a narrative synthesis summarising key trends, knowledge gaps, and knowledge clusters

    Measurement and Interpretation of Fermion-Pair Production at LEP energies above the Z Resonance

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    This paper presents DELPHI measurements and interpretations of cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries, and angular distributions, for the e+e- -> ffbar process for centre-of-mass energies above the Z resonance, from sqrt(s) ~ 130 - 207 GeV at the LEP collider. The measurements are consistent with the predictions of the Standard Model and are used to study a variety of models including the S-Matrix ansatz for e+e- -> ffbar scattering and several models which include physics beyond the Standard Model: the exchange of Z' bosons, contact interactions between fermions, the exchange of gravitons in large extra dimensions and the exchange of sneutrino in R-parity violating supersymmetry.Comment: 79 pages, 16 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.
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