Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Insulin Sensitivity: Metabolic Effects in Hypertension, Diabetes, and Heart Failure

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are established in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure; both conditions are complicated by resistance to insulin-mediated glucose disposal. The defect in essential hypertension is both tissue and pathway specific, i.e., confined to nonoxidative (glycogen synthetic) routes of intracellular glucose utilization in skeletal muscle, whereas heart failure and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) are associated with more widespread abnormalities of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Thus, the mechanisms of the insulin resistance in hypertension, NIDDM, and heart failure are fundamentally different, so metabolic responses to drug therapy may not be the same in all insulin-resistant states. There have been conflicting reports about the effects of ACE inhibitors on insulin sensitivity and glycemic control. A number of studies, both with captopril and with enalapril, have shown small increases in insulin sensitivity, and there is evidence that this is due to enhanced glucose uptake into skeletal muscle. The interpretation of these studies, however, is often compromised by poor trial design, lack of full placebo data, various indirect measurements of insulin sensitivity, and heterogeneous patient populations in whom the biochemical mechanisms of insulin resistance (and drug responses) may not be the same. Overall, there probably is a modest class effect of ACE inhibitors that enhances insulin-mediated glucose disposal; the mechanism of this effect is likely to be a combination of increased muscle blood flow, local renin-angiotensin system blockade, and elevated kinin levels.
Foundations of research.

Inevitably, reading is one of the requirements to be undergone. To improve the performance and quality, someone needs to have something new every day. It will suggest you to have more inspirations, then. However, the needs of inspirations will make you searching for some sources. Even from the other people experience, internet, and many books. Books and internet are the recommended media to help you improving your quality and performance.
Quantitative Measurement of Physical Activity in Acute Ischemic Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack

Background and Purpose— The purpose of this study was to quantitatively measure and describe the amount and pattern of physical activity in patients within the first week after acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack using accelerometers. Methods— A total of 100 patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack admitted to our acute stroke unit wore Actical accelerometers attached to both wrists and ankles and the hip for ⩽7 days. Patients were included within 72 hours of symptom onset. Accelerometer output was measured in activity counts (AC). Patients were tested daily with Scandinavian Stroke Scale. Results— Physical activity peaked in the morning and declined during the rest of the day. In patients with stroke, total AC were 71% lower than in patients with transient ischemic attack. AC were 80% lower in the paretic compared with those in the nonparetic arm in patients with ischemic stroke. For the legs AC were 44% lower on the paretic side and an overall increase in AC with time was found. There was a significant increase in AC with increasing Scandinavian Stroke Scale and a decrease in AC with increasing age. Conclusions— This study demonstrates the feasibility of using accelerometers to quantitatively and continuously measure physical activity simultaneously from all 4 extremities and the hip in patients with acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack. Our study provides quantitative evidence of physical inactivity in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The method offers a low cost and noninvasive tool for future clinical interventional physiotherapeutic and early mobilization studies. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT01560520.
[Isolation and identification of Triterpenoid compounds in the fruits of Chaenomeles lagenaria (Loisel.) Koidz].

OBJECTIVE The fruit of Chaenomeles lagenaria is a commonly used drug in Chinese traditional medicine. It is especially effective on rheumatism. The current work is to find out the chemical basis of its pharmacological activity. METHOD All compounds were extracted with organic solvents and separated by silica gel column or thin layer chromatography, and then purified by recrystalization. The structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical reactions and spectral data analysis. RESULT In addition to the compounds reported in our previous work, three triterpenoid compounds were separated and identified as 3-O-acetyl ursolic acid, 3-O-acetyl pomolic acid and betulinic acid respectively. CONCLUSION It is obvious that triterpenoid compounds are dominant among the chemical constituents of C. lagenaria. But it is still to be clarified whether they are the chemical basis of the drug's pharmacological activity.
Association of increased platelet‐associated immunoglobulins with thrombocytopenia and the severity of disease in secondary dengue virus infections

Severe thrombocytopenia and increased vascular permeability are two major characteristics of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). To develop a better understanding of the roles of platelet‐associated IgG (PAIgG) and IgM (PAIgM) in inducing thrombocytopenia and its severity of disease in patients with secondary dengue virus infection, the relationship between the PAIgG or PAIgM levels and disease severity as well as thrombocytopenia was examined in 78 patients with acute phase secondary infection in a prospective hospital‐based study. The decrease in platelet count during the acute phase recovered significantly during the convalescent phase. In contrast, the increased levels of PAIgG or PAIgM that occurred during the acute phase of these patients decreased significantly during the convalescent phase. An inverse correlation between platelet count and PAIgG or PAIgM levels was found in these patients. Anti‐dengue virus IgG and IgM activity was found in platelet eluates from 10 patients in an acute phase of secondary infection. Increased levels of PAIgG or PAIgM were significantly higher in DHF than those in dengue fever (DF). An increased level of PAIgM was associated independently with the development of DHF, representing a possible predictor of DHF with a high specificity. Our present data suggest that platelet‐associated immunoglobulins involving antidengue virus activity play a pivotal role in the induction of thrombocytopenia and the severity of the disease in secondary dengue virus infections.
The ‘bounded' career: An empirical study of human capital, career mobility and employment outcomes in a mediated labour market

Many scholarly attempts to ascribe meaning to contemporary employment have adopted terms such as ‘new’ or ‘boundaryless’ careers.We argue that it makes more sense to conceptualize careers as ‘bounded’ than as ‘boundaryless’. We argue that careers are bounded by prior career history, occupational identity and by institutional constraints imposed by ‘gatekeepers’ to job opportunities. We present an empirical study of employment outcomes in a mediated labour market. Drawing on placement history and CV data from IT professionals, we examine the impact of occupation-specific human capital, prior career mobility and agency relationships on the probability of being shortlisted for a vacancy. We find that a candidate's prior history with the recruitment agency is a more important factor than occupation-specific human capital in determining access to job vacancies, indicating that intermediaries structure labour market opportunities. Even in a high-turnover industry, prior career mobility has a negative effect on access to permanent vacancies.
The Quick Inventory of Pain Symptoms (QIPS)

The article presents the Quick Inventory of Pain Symptoms (QIPS) to assess the frequency and intensity of pain experienced within the last week in non-clinical samples. The first evaluation of the inventory administered to 100 undergraduate and graduate students revealed a concurrent validity of the QIPS with the four pain-related items of the symptom checklist (SCL-90r). Furthermore, this preliminary analysis showed that the QIPS is capable of revealing sex differences. Further studies are needed to validate the inventory and its psychometric properties to evaluate its use in different populations.
Consensus on Hearing Aid Candidature and Fitting for Mild Hearing Loss, With and Without Tinnitus: Delphi Review

Objectives: In many countries including the United Kingdom, hearing aids are a first line of audiologic intervention for many people with tinnitus and aidable hearing loss. Nevertheless, there is a lack of high quality evidence to support that they are of benefit for tinnitus, and wide variability in their use in clinical practice especially for people with mild hearing loss. The aim of this study was to identify a consensus among a sample of UK clinicians on the criteria for hearing aid candidature and clinical practice in fitting hearing aids specifically for mild hearing loss with and without tinnitus. This will allow professionals to establish clinical benchmarks and to gauge their practice with that used elsewhere. Design: The Delphi technique, a systematic methodology that seeks consensus amongst experts through consultation using a series of iterative questionnaires, was used. A three-round Delphi survey explored clinical consensus among a panel of 29 UK hearing professionals. The authors measured panel agreement on 115 statements covering: (i) general factors affecting the decision to fit hearing aids, (ii) protocol-driven factors affecting the decision to fit hearing aids, (iii) general practice, and (iv) clinical observations. Consensus was defined as a priori ≥70% agreement across the panel. Results: Consensus was reached for 58 of the 115 statements. The broad areas of consensus were around factors important to consider when fitting hearing aids; hearing aid technology/features offered; and important clinical assessment to verify hearing aid fit (agreement of 70% or more). For patients with mild hearing loss, the greatest priority was given by clinicians to patient-centered criteria for fitting hearing aids: hearing difficulties, motivation to wear hearing aids, and impact of hearing loss on quality of life (chosen as top five by at least 64% of panelists). Objective measures were given a lower priority: degree of hearing loss and shape of the audiogram (chosen as top five by less than half of panelists). Areas where consensus was not reached were related to the use of questionnaires to predict and verify hearing aid benefit for both hearing and tinnitus; audiometric criteria for fitting hearing aids; and safety of using loud sounds when verifying hearing aid fitting when the patient has tinnitus (agreement of <70%). Conclusions: The authors identified practices that are considered important when recommending or fitting hearing aid for a patient with tinnitus. More importantly perhaps, they identified practical issues where there are divided opinions. Their findings inform the design of clinical trials and open up debate on the potential impact of practice differences on patient outcomes.
Synchronization in Complex Hybrid Networks

Synchronization in complex hybrid networks is studied. Hybrid networks presents the so called "small world" phenomenon, i.e. small distance between any pair of nodes and clustering effect, and can be considered as the union of a local and a global graph, the former providing local connections and the latter providing small distances. After recalling a few results stated in previous papers, we prove that although local graph networks do not synchronize when the number N of nodes is large, the addition of only a small number of global edges makes these hybrid networks synchronize. The obtained results are supported by numerical examples.
Wind Integration in Power Systems: Operational Challenges and Possible Solutions

This paper surveys major technical challenges for power system operations in support of large-scale wind energy integration. The fundamental difficulties of integrating wind power arise from its high inter-temporal variation and limited predictability. The impact of wind power integration is manifested in, but not limited to, scheduling, frequency regulations, and system stabilization requirements. Possible alternatives are suggested for a more reliable and cost-effective power system operation. New computationally efficient methods for improving system performances by using prediction and operational interdependencies over different time horizons remain critical open research problems.
Rheological characteristics of fresh and frozen PSE, normal and DFD chicken breast meat

1. Textural and rheological differences among broiler breast meat ranging from pale, soft and exudative (PSE) to dark, firm and dry (DFD) in their fresh and frozen (and thawed) forms were investigated. 2. The PSE meat showed significantly higher lightness values and lower pH and water holding capacity values than normal and DFD meats; DFD meat was also significantly different from normal meat. 3. During cooking, PSE meat lost significantly more liquid and produced a softer gel than normal or DFD meats; texture profile analysis parameters were lower for the PSE meat. 4. The storage modulus values (G′, rigidity of elastic response of the gelling material) showed that DFD meat produced a more rigid gel during cooking (especially above 54°C) and later during cooling (back to 30°C) compared with the PSE meat. 5. Freezing resulted in a trend of lower G′ values before, during and after cooking. The results indicated that meat proteins were damaged during freezing and PSE meat was more severely affected, or that more protein denaturation occurred in the PSE meat.
Exploring the Gender Digital Divide in Jordan

Abstract Connecting with citizens is invariably the aim of almost all e-government projects. Still, governments face multiple challenges in their pursuit of reaching out to their diverse citizenry spread across an equally varied geographical terrain. The digital divide refers to the unequal access of citizens to information and communication technology (ICT), and unequal possession of the skills and experiences needed to optimize this technology. The digital divide is a social challenge that keeps people from taking advantage of public services through the Internet or other ICT channels. This article will explore the concept of the digital divide in Jordan, with a particular focus on the gender digital divide (GDD). The authors conducted an empirical study of this divide within a specific group represented in Jordanian society (University students) to find out how e-government and GDD intersect in developing countries. Results point to the existence of GDD in the Jordanian society with even university educated men uncomfortable with the thought of allowing women equal access to the Internet and computers. The GDD, we found, was being reinforced by cultural mores and educational institutions in a country that otherwise boasted of commendably high computer literacy rates. The results have implications for the Jordanian Government in general and policymakers behind e-governance projects in particular as well as proponents of gender equality.
COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION *

A science of psychology must assume that behavior is lawful. We recognize diversity, but we assume that both similarity and difference are products of the same fundamental laws that combine and recombine in unique ways to yield the rich diversity of behavior that we observe between and within species. The proper analysis of behavior is not in terms of simpler behavior and more complex behavior or in terms of simpler organisms and more complex organisms, but rather in terms of general functions such as perception and learning that are found in all forms of behavior. We avoid the invention of new laws of behavior for each newly discovered level of complexity in favor of the formulation of more powerful generalizations.
Compensation of owner managers in Canadian family‐owned businesses: expropriation of minority shareholders

The aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis of owner managers expropriating minority shareholders by receiving excessive compensation. Using a sample of Canadian family firms, we found that when there is divergence between voting rights and cash flow rights, owner CEOs receive higher compensation than non-owners. The higher the divergence between voting rights and cash flow rights, the higher the excess compensation. Further analysis shows that only poorly governed firms are affected by the expropriation problem. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Cet article se propose de tester l'hypothese d'expropriation des actionnaires minoritaires par les cadres proprietaires via l'obtention d'une remuneration excessive. Les resultats obtenus sur un echantillon d'entreprises familiales canadiennes montrent que lorsqu'il y a divergence entre les droits de vote et les droits aux flux de tresorerie, la remuneration percue par les PDG proprietaires est plus elevee que celle percue par les PDG non proprietaires. Le niveau de la remuneration est proportionnel au niveau de divergence entre les droits de vote et les droits aux flux de tresorerie. Des analyses plus poussees revelent que seules les entreprises mal gerees souffrent du probleme d'expropriation. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of theophylline on prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND Whether treatment with adenosine receptor antagonists such as theophylline can prevent contrast-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) remains controversial. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials using MEDLINE (1966 to July 2011), EMBASE (1980 to July 2011), Web of Science (1986 to July 2011), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1996 to July 2011), without language restriction. SETTING & POPULATION Patients undergoing contrast procedures. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES Randomized controlled trials assessing adenosine antagonists versus control for prevention of contrast-induced AKI. INTERVENTION Adenosine antagonists with or without N-acetylcysteine versus control with or without N-acetylcysteine. OUTCOMES Contrast-induced AKI, change in serum creatinine level, requirement of dialysis, and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS 16 trials (1,412 participants) were included. Theophylline significantly decreased the risk of contrast-induced AKI (13 trials, 1,222 patients; risk ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.26-0.89; P = 0.02; I(2) = 45%) and had a protective effect on the absolute change in serum creatinine concentration (13 trials, 1,170 patients; standardized mean difference, -0.31 mg/dL; 95% CI, -0.50 to -0.11; P = 0.002; I(2) = 60%). Meta-regression showed a significant relation between the relative risk of contrast nephropathy and baseline serum creatinine level or Jadad score. No clear effects of treatment on risk of dialysis and in-hospital mortality were identified. LIMITATIONS Power to assess clinical end points was limited. CONCLUSIONS Theophylline treatment significantly reduced the incidence of contrast-induced AKI and had a modest improvement on kidney function after contrast exposure in the general population. However, beneficial effects of theophylline were not observed in patients with high baseline creatinine values (serum creatinine ≥1.5 mg/dL). In addition, the long-term effect of this agent on more clinically important outcomes was not established. Future large-scale high-quality multicenter trials in participants with different underlying risks of contrast-induced AKI and that incorporate the evaluation of clinically relevant outcomes are required.
Internet Addictive Individuals Share Impulsivity and Executive Dysfunction with Alcohol-Dependent Patients

Internet addiction disorder (IAD) should belong to a kind of behavioral addiction. Previous studies indicated that there are many similarities in the neurobiology of behavior and substance addictions. Up to date, although individuals with IAD have difficulty in suppressing their excessive online behaviors in real life, little is known about the patho-physiological and cognitive mechanisms responsible for IAD. Neuropsychological test studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of the effect of IAD on the cognitive function. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether Internet addictive individuals share impulsivity and executive dysfunction with alcohol-dependent individuals. Participants include 22 Internet addictive individuals, 22 patients with alcohol dependence (AD), and 22 normal controls (NC). All participants were measured with BIS-11, go/no-go task, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Digit span task under the same experimental condition. Results showed that Barratt impulsiveness scale 11 scores, false alarm rate, the total response errors, perseverative errors, failure to maintain set of IAD and AD group were significantly higher than that of NC group, and hit rate, percentage of conceptual level responses, the number of categories completed, forwards scores, and backwards scores of IAD and AD group were significantly lower than that of NC group, however, no differences in above variables between IAD group and AD group were observed. These results revealed that the existence of impulsivity, deficiencies in executive function and working memory in an IAD and an AD sample, namely, Internet addictive individuals share impulsivity and executive dysfunction with alcohol-dependent patients.
Does Religiousness Increase Self-Control and Reduce Criminal Behavior?

Previous research suggests that religiousness correlates with less criminal behavior and that this relationship is partially mediated by higher self-control. Because most studies are cross-sectional, causality remains uncertain as stable between-subject factors may influence self-control, religiousness, and offending, confounding their relationships. Moreover, directionality may be reversed with higher self-control leading to both higher religiousness and less offending. The current research aimed to directly exclude these possibilities using longitudinal data from 1,354 adolescents participating in the Pathways to Desistance Study. Results indicated that short-term, within-subject increased religiousness predicted decreased future criminal behavior and that this effect was partially mediated by increased self-control. A reversed model in which past self-control predicted future religiousness was not significant. These findings suggest that religiousness may be causally related to offending, and self-control is likely one of multiple mediating processes. Additional research in this area appears warranted and may yield effective strategies for reducing criminal behavior and improving self-control.