Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Levofloxacin-Based Third-Line Therapy for the Eradication of Helicobacter pylori in Peptic Ulcer Disease

Background/Aims The resistance rate of Helicobacter pylori is gradually increasing. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of levofloxacin-based third-line H. pylori eradication in peptic ulcer disease. Methods Between 2002 and 2014, 110 patients in 14 medical centers received levofloxacin-based third-line H. pylori eradication therapy for peptic ulcer disease. Of these, 88 were included in the study; 21 were excluded because of lack of follow-up and one was excluded for poor compliance. Their eradication rates, treatment regimens and durations, and types of peptic ulcers were analyzed. Results The overall eradiation rate was 71.6%. The adherence rate was 80.0%. All except one received a proton-pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, and levofloxacin. One received a proton-pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, levofloxacin, and clarithromycin, and the eradication was successful. Thirty-one were administered the therapy for 7 days, 25 for 10 days, and 32 for 14 days. No significant differences were observed in the eradication rates between the three groups (7-days, 80.6% vs 10-days, 64.0% vs 14-days, 68.8%, p=0.353). Additionally, no differences were found in the eradiation rates according to the type of peptic ulcer (gastric ulcer, 73.2% vs duodenal/gastroduodenal ulcer, 68.8%, p=0.655). Conclusions Levofloxacin-based third-line H. pylori eradication showed efficacy similar to that of previously reported first/second-line therapies.
Granulosa Cell Tumor of Scrotal Tunics: A Case Report

We report a case of adult granulosa cell tumor arising in the scrotal tunics. The patient was a 34-year-old man who presented with right scrotal swelling, first noticed four months previously. Under the initial clinical impression of epididymoorchitis, antibiotic treatment was instituted but there was no response. The paratesticular nodules revealed by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging mimicked intratesticular lesion, and radical orchiectomy was performed. Although several cases of adult testicular granulosa cell tumor, have been reported, the occurrence of this entity in the paratesticular area has not, as far as we are aware, been previously described.
A tripartite DNA-binding element, comprised of the nuclear localization signal and two AT-hook motifs, mediates the association of LEDGF/p75 with chromatin in vivo

Lens epithelium-derived growth factor p75 (LEDGF/p75) is a DNA-binding, transcriptional co-activator that participates in HIV-1 integration site targeting. Using complementary approaches, we determined the mechanisms of LEDGF/p75 DNA-binding in vitro and chromatin-association in living cells. The binding of highly-purified, recombinant protein was assayed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and electrophoretic mobility gel shift. Neither assay revealed evidence for sequence-specific DNA-binding. Residues 146–197 spanning the nuclear localization signal (NLS) and two AT-hook motifs mediated non-specific DNA-binding, and DNA-binding deficient mutants retained the ability to efficiently stimulate HIV-1 integrase activity in vitro. Chromatin-association was assessed by visualizing the localization of EGFP fusion proteins in interphase and mitotic cells. Although a conserved N-terminal PWWP domain was not required for binding to condensed mitotic chromosomes, its deletion subtly affected the nucleoplasmic distribution of the protein during interphase. A dual AT-hook mutant associated normally with chromatin, yet when the mutations were combined with NLS changes or deletion of the PWWP domain, chromatin-binding function was lost. As the PWWP domain did not readily bind free DNA in vitro, our results indicate that chromatin-association is primarily affected through DNA-binding, with the PWWP domain likely contributing a protein interaction to the overall affinity of LEDGF/p75 for human chromatin.
Joint subcarrier and power allocation for reciprocally-benefited spectrum sharing in cognitive radio networks

Aiming at reducing the outage probability of primary users (PU) and obtaining spectrum resources for secondary users (SU), in this paper, we proposed a joint subcarrier and power allocation scheme (JSPA) for reciprocally-benefited spectrum sharing with SUs cooperating with PUs. In JSPA scheme, SUs adopt the decode-and-forward (DF) relaying protocol to help PUs in a two-stage way. Meanwhile, a fraction of unallocated licensed spectrum is allocated for the secondary transmission in every stage. However, if the two-stage cooperation still cannot satisfy PUs' outage quality-of-service (QoS) requirement, SUs then switch to the access mode to entirely capture the licensed spectrum. Our proposal is to maximize the average transmission rate of SUs through joint allocation of subcarriers and power. The closed-form expressions about the outage probability and average transmission rate of both PUs and SUs are derived. Simulation results show that compared with the conventional cognitive cooperation schemes, the average transmission rate of SUs improves.
Working Memory Training and Speech in Noise Comprehension in Older Adults

Understanding speech in the presence of background sound can be challenging for older adults. Speech comprehension in noise appears to depend on working memory and executive-control processes (e.g., Heald and Nusbaum, 2014), and their augmentation through training may have rehabilitative potential for age-related hearing loss. We examined the efficacy of adaptive working-memory training (Cogmed; Klingberg et al., 2002) in 24 older adults, assessing generalization to other working-memory tasks (near-transfer) and to other cognitive domains (far-transfer) using a cognitive test battery, including the Reading Span test, sensitive to working memory (e.g., Daneman and Carpenter, 1980). We also assessed far transfer to speech-in-noise performance, including a closed-set sentence task (Kidd et al., 2008). To examine the effect of cognitive training on benefit obtained from semantic context, we also assessed transfer to open-set sentences; half were semantically coherent (high-context) and half were semantically anomalous (low-context). Subjects completed 25 sessions (0.5–1 h each; 5 sessions/week) of both adaptive working memory training and placebo training over 10 weeks in a crossover design. Subjects' scores on the adaptive working-memory training tasks improved as a result of training. However, training did not transfer to other working memory tasks, nor to tasks recruiting other cognitive domains. We did not observe any training-related improvement in speech-in-noise performance. Measures of working memory correlated with the intelligibility of low-context, but not high-context, sentences, suggesting that sentence context may reduce the load on working memory. The Reading Span test significantly correlated only with a test of visual episodic memory, suggesting that the Reading Span test is not a pure-test of working memory, as is commonly assumed.
Concerted evolution of two Mhc class II B loci in pheasants and domestic chickens.

The major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) of the ring-necked pheasant contains two polymorphic Mhc class II B genes. We show here, by screening of a cDNA library and RT-PCR from RNA, that both of these loci, Phco-DAB1 and Phco-DAB2, normally are transcribed in the spleen. They differ mainly in the 3' untranslated (UT) region, with the transcript lengths, not including the poly(A) tails, being 1,100 nt for DAB1 and 955 nt for DAB2. These two loci are orthologous to the B-LBI and B-LBII loci of the domestic chicken, respectively. DAB1 and DAB2 therefore seem to have evolved from a duplication before the split of the evolutionary lineages leading to the pheasant and the domestic chicken ca. 20 MYA. This is the first report of an orthologous relationship between avian Mhc genes. Yet, the third exons of DAB1 and DAB2 were identical in all available sequences and differed at 10 positions from the exon 3 sequences of B-LBI/B-LBII. The species-specific exon 3 suggests that DAB1 and DAB2 are subject to concerted evolution, i.e., interlocus genetic exchange. The exon 2 sequences show characteristic polymorphism, with hypervariable segments occurring in different combinations in different alleles. Given the divergence in the 3'UT region, the finding of the same exon 2 sequence at both the DAB1 and the DAB2 loci in one of the pheasant haplotypes also suggests that interlocus genetic exchange does occur. Accordingly, the exon 2 sequences tended to cluster irrespective of locus in the phylogenetic analyses. Genetic exchange simultaneously involving both exon 2 and exon 3 may be facilitated by the short length of the intervening intron (< 100 bp) in pheasants and domestic chickens compared with, e.g., humans (about 3 kb).
Ready from Day One: An Examination of One Principal Preparation Program's Redesign in Collaboration with Local School Districts.

This paper presents a newly implemented model of principal preparation at a public university in the southwestern United States. The authors begin by identifying a number of innovative practices currently being carried out within educational administration programs across the United States. Informed by the context of these national models, the authors present their university’s design for the readers’ consideration. This is followed by a discussion of implementation issues (both positive and negative) which the administrators of this program have encountered. Finally, an evaluation matrix is presented which will be utilized in assessing the effectiveness of this principal preparation model.
Remuneration Committee, Board Independence and Top Executive Compensation

In this study, we examine whether the levels and structures of top executive compensation vary discernibly with different levels of board independence. We also examine how the newly mandated adoption of the remuneration committee (RC) in Taiwan affects the board independence-executive pay relation. The mandatory establishment of RC for Taiwanese public firms, starting in 2011, is intended to strengthen the reasonableness and effectiveness of the executive compensation structure; thus, it is timely and of interest for practitioners and regulators to understand whether the establishment of RCs can effectively discipline top executive compensation policies. We first find that CEOs of firms that do not appoint independent directors have greater levels of annual pay than is the case for firms that have appointed independent directors, after controlling for the effect of CEO pay determinants. Second, we find that CEO pay for early RC adopters is more closely related to firm performance. Third, we find that the establishing of RCs may decrease CEO pay and enhance the pay-performance association, in particular for firms that have not appointed independent directors; however, this effect is not found to be statistically significant.
The Impact of Primary Healthcare on Population Health in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

This article assesses 36 peer-reviewed studies of the impact of primary healthcare (PHC) on health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Studies were abstracted and assessed according to where they took place, the research design used, target population, primary care measures, and overall conclusions. Results indicate that the bulk of evidence for PHC effectiveness is focused on infant and child health, but there is also evidence of the positive role PHC has on population health over time. Although the peer-reviewed literature is lacking in rigorous experimental studies, a small number of relatively well-designed observational studies and the consistency of findings generally support the contention that an integrated approach to primary care can improve health. A few large-scale experiences also help identify elements of good practice. The review concludes with several recommendations for future studies, including a focus on better conceptualizing and measuring PHC, further investigation into the advantages of comprehensive over selective PHC, need for experimental or quasi-experimental research designs that allow testing of the independent effect of primary care on outcomes over time, and a more detailed conceptual framework guiding overall evaluation design that places limits on the parameters under consideration and describes relationships among different levels and types of data likely to be collected in the evaluation process.
Flagellin Induces β-Defensin 2 in Human Colonic Ex vivo Infection with Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Enterohemorrhagic E.coli (EHEC) is an important foodborne pathogen in the developed world and can cause life-threatening disease particularly in children. EHEC persists in the human gut by adhering intimately to colonic epithelium and forming characteristic attaching/effacing lesions. In this study, we investigated the innate immune response to EHEC infection with particular focus on antimicrobial peptide and protein expression by colonic epithelium. Using a novel human colonic biopsy model and polarized T84 colon carcinoma cells, we found that EHEC infection induced expression of human β-defensin 2 (hBD2), whereas hBD1, hBD3, LL-37, and lysozyme remained unchanged. Infection with specific EHEC deletion mutants demonstrated that this was dependent on flagellin, and apical exposure to purified flagellin was sufficient to stimulate hBD2 and also interleukin (IL)-8 expression ex vivo and in vitro. Flagellin-mediated hBD2 induction was significantly reduced by inhibitors of NF-κB, MAP kinase p38 and JNK but not ERK1/2. Interestingly, IL-8 secretion by polarized T84 cells was vectorial depending on the side of stimulation, and apical exposure to EHEC or flagellin resulted in apical IL-8 release. Our results demonstrate that EHEC only induces a modest immune response in human colonic epithelium characterized by flagellin-dependent induction of hBD2 and low levels of IL-8.
The Role of Exports in African Economic Development: 
A Comparative Study of Mauritius and Tunisia

Mauritius and Tunisia stand out as two remarkable exceptions to the African economic growth experience. Since their respective independences in 1968 and 1956, both have achieved average real GDP per capita growth well in excess of three percent per year. Export policies featured highly in the developmental strategies of both countries as they transitioned through a dependency on agriculture into manufacturing and then services. What makes this comparison so interesting is that despite such similar success, Tunisia and Mauritius are fundamentally very different. This study comprises the first ever in-depth comparison of these two countries, presenting a qualitative analysis and then augmenting it with a comprehensive set of econometric tests. The focus is on the relationship between exports and economic growth, but the discussion explores the wider context in both countries. Using the Granger-causality approach, we find strong evidence for export-led growth in Mauritius, but no significant evidence of any causal relationship in Tunisia. On the basis of a broader analysis we argue that exports were still important in both countries, but appear to have been more central to the growth process in Mauritius. This broader analysis also highlights that other factors – such as a strong institutional environment – were important in facilitating or directly contributing to such consistent growth.
Politics at the Centre: The Selection and Removal of Party Leaders in the Anglo Parliamentary Democracies

This book is a comparative study of the rules, norms, and behaviour surrounding political party leadership. The primary analysis includes twenty-five parties in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom from 1965 onwards. The topics examined include methods of leadership selection and removal, and the nature of leadership politics. The themes of the book include intra-party democracy, with an emphasis on the relative roles of the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary groups, and the causes of organizational reform within parties. Particular attention is paid to change over time and to differences among parties with explanations offered for both. Considerable attention is paid to the trend of expanding the leadership selectorate including consideration of why many parties are adopting this reform while others resist it. Data, collected from more than 200 leadership elections, are analysed to consider issues such as the competitiveness of leadership contests, the types of individuals who win the contests, and the longevity of leaders. The influence of different methods of selection and removal on these issues is also examined. Much of the analysis is based on in-country interviews conducted with active politicians, former and current party leaders, political journalists, and officials of the extra-parliamentary parties. Extensive use is also made of a comprehensive review of party documents related to leadership selection. Many real-life examples from all five countries are used to illustrate the central concepts and themes. A separate chapter considers the applicability of the findings from the Westminster systems to parties in other parliamentary and presidential systems. The concluding chapter makes a normative argument for methods of leadership selection and removal that include both a party's parliamentarians and its grassroots activists.
Thyroid Function and Dysfunction in Term and Premature Equine Neonates

Background This study was performed to compare thyroid function of premature foals to term foals. Hypothesis Premature foals are more markedly hypothyroxinemic than expected for their severity of illness alone. Animals Twenty clinically normal term foals; 28 sick, hospitalized term foals; 24 sick, hospitalized premature foals. Methods Thyroid hormones (TH) and thyrotropin (TSH) were measured, both at rest and in response to thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH), in the 3 groups of foals. Clinical and clinicopathologic data were recorded. Results Normal foals had high TH at birth, which decreased over the first month into the normal reference range for adult horses. TSH was within the normal adult reference range soon after birth, and did not change over time. At 24–36 hours of age, triiodothyronine (T3) was significantly lower in both premature and term hospitalized foals compared to normal foals; premature foals were not different from term hospitalized foals. Thyroxine (T4) was not different between normal and term hospitalized foals, but was significantly lower than in premature foals of both of these groups. TSH was not different among the 3 groups. TRH stimulation tests identified significant differences in T4 among all 3 groups of foals, whereas T3 was similar in premature and term hospitalized foals and different from normal foals. TSH response to TRH was significantly higher in premature foals compared to normal foals. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The hypothalamic‐pituitary‐thyroid axis is different in foals compared to adult horses. Sick foals exhibit nonthyroidal illness syndrome. Premature foals are more markedly hypothyroxinemic than can be accounted for by their severity of illness alone.
Asymmetric Engagement of Amygdala and Its Gamma Connectivity in Early Emotional Face Processing

The amygdala has been regarded as a key substrate for emotion processing. However, the engagement of the left and right amygdala during the early perceptual processing of different emotional faces remains unclear. We investigated the temporal profiles of oscillatory gamma activity in the amygdala and effective connectivity of the amygdala with the thalamus and cortical areas during implicit emotion-perceptual tasks using event-related magnetoencephalography (MEG). We found that within 100 ms after stimulus onset the right amygdala habituated to emotional faces rapidly (with duration around 20–30 ms), whereas activity in the left amygdala (with duration around 50–60 ms) sustained longer than that in the right. Our data suggest that the right amygdala could be linked to autonomic arousal generated by facial emotions and the left amygdala might be involved in decoding or evaluating expressive faces in the early perceptual emotion processing. The results of effective connectivity provide evidence that only negative emotional processing engages both cortical and subcortical pathways connected to the right amygdala, representing its evolutional significance (survival). These findings demonstrate the asymmetric engagement of bilateral amygdala in emotional face processing as well as the capability of MEG for assessing thalamo-cortico-limbic circuitry.
Does it pay to specialize? The story from the Gridiron

In the field of personnel economics, there are few opportunities to convincingly test for salary returns to specialization as against versatility or multi-tasking. This paper performs such a test by modeling returns to performance measures associated with two different skills practiced by running backs in the National Football League. We find pronounced gains to specialization with substantial predicted differences in returns for alternative skills. Moreover, these differences vary across the salary distribution. In the top half of the salary distribution, especially, model simulations show that specialists in either particular skill generate higher marginal returns than versatile players.
A Privacy Preserving Security Protocol-Based Application for Wireless Communication System

The evolution of digital communication era includes both devices and applications running on different platforms. Specifics applications are needed for a safeguard communication ensuring protection and trust services to the users. The growing need to address privacy concerns when social network data is released for mining purposes has recently led to considerable interest in various network security-based applications. This paper presents a privacy preservation security protocol-based that enabling mutual authentication procedure between involved entities. This scheme provides specific security standards such as data integrity, message confidentiality and session key establishment to ensure security and privacy of both data and network. An extensive analysis shows that the proposed scheme achieves efficiency and can be safeguard to real wireless communication applications. Finally, a performance evaluation and comparison shows that our proposed framework is lightweight and resilient to various kinds of attacks.
Why Voluntary Export Restraints Are 'Voluntary.'

The paper presents an analysis of the effect upon an oligopolistic equilibrium of introducing a voluntary export restraint (VER) upon an importing firm. A VER set at the free trade level of imports is shown to raise the profits of all firms within the industry. The result follows as the imposition of a VER upon a free trade Nash price competition, forces the domestic firm to become an industry price leader. The VER raises industry prices by facilitating collusion and lowers consumer welfare. Pourquoi les restrictions volontaires d 1'exportation sont 'volontaires. ' Ce memoire presente une analyse des effets de l'introduction de restrictions volontaires A l'exportation (RVE) sur une entreprise qui importe dans un monde en equilibre oligopolistique. On montre que l'introduction de RVE approximant le niveau des importations en regime de libre echange devrait augmenter les profits de toutes les entreprises dans l'industrie. Cela decoule du fait que l'imposition de RVE sur un univers de concurrence par les prix a la Nash en regime de libre echange force l'entreprise domestique A devenir le leader en prix. L'introduction de RVE augmente le niveau des prix de l'industrie en facilitant la collusion et de ce fait reduit le niveau de bien-etre des consomrnateurs.