Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectral characteristics of human atrial fibrillation waves of the right atrial free wall with respect to the duration of atrial fibrillation and effect of class I antiarrhythmic drugs.

The aim of this study was to use fast Fourier transform analysis to clarify the characteristics of human atrial fibrillation (AF) waves with respect to the duration of AF and the effect of class I antiarrhythmic drugs. Twenty-two patients (10 paroxysmal AF, 12 persistent AF) without organic heart disease were studied by conventional electrophysiological methods. Electrograms were recorded from the right atrial free wall during AF and spectral analysis was performed for 35s (16 consecutive 4096-ms epochs with 50% overlap) and the fibrillation cycle length (FCL) was calculated from the peak frequency. Mean FCL and SD were determined from 16-epoch data, and the temporal variability of FCL was defined as the SD of FCL. Paroxysmal AF had a longer mean FCL than persistent AF (178+/-26ms vs 139+/-16 ms, p<0.001) and AF duration had a significant inverse correlation with mean FCL (r=-0.79, p<0.001). The temporal variability of FCL was significantly greater in paroxysmal AF than in persistent AF (p<0.05) and there was a significant positive correlation between the mean FCL and the temporal variability of FCL (r=0.66, p<0.001). In 8 of 18 patients given a class I antiarrhythmic drug (cibenzoline or procainamide), AF was terminated and in those patients the mean FCLs before administration of class I drugs were significantly greater than in patients without AF termination. With respect to mean FCL before drug administration, conversion occurred in 100% of patients with FCL > or =168 ms and in 17% of those with FCL <168 ms. A longer duration of AF shortens the mean FCL, which is consistent with atrial electrical remodeling. Class I drugs prolong the mean FCL above a critical level and will terminate AF, which can be estimated from the mean FCL before drug administration.
Use of an avian hepatocyte assay and the avian toxchip polymerse chain reaction array for testing prioritization of 16 organic flame retardants

Risk assessors are challenged with the task of providing data for an increasing number of priority chemicals. High‐throughput toxicity screening methods—which permit rapid determination of toxic, molecular, and/or biochemical effects of a wide range of chemicals—are essential to help meet this demand. The avian embryonic hepatocyte in vitro screening method has been utilized in the authors' laboratory to assess the effects of a wide range of environmental contaminants on cytotoxicity and mRNA expression of genes associated with xenobiotic metabolism, the thyroid hormone pathway, lipid metabolism, and growth. Sixteen structurally variable organic flame retardants (OFRs)—including tetrabromoethylcyclohexane (TBECH), tris(2‐butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP), tricresyl phosphate (TCP), and tris(1,3‐dichloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate (TDCPP)—were screened using the in vitro method in the present study. Hepatocytes from 2 avian species, chicken and herring gull, were prepared, and species differences in hepatocyte viability were observed for several OFRs. For example, TCP was not cytotoxic in chicken hepatocytes up to the highest concentration tested (300 µM), whereas the median lethal concentration (LC50) was 31.2 µM in herring gull hepatocytes. Effects on mRNA expression in chicken embryonic hepatocytes were determined using a 3 × 32 custom‐made Avian ToxChip polymerse chain reaction array and were variable among OFRs; TCP, TDCPP, and tris(2,3‐dibromopropyl) isocyanurate showed the most significant alterations among the target genes assessed. Overall, this rapid screening method helped prioritize OFRs for further assessment. For example, OFRs that elicited significant effects on cytoxicity or mRNA expression represent prime candidates for egg injection studies that determine adverse effects on the whole animal but are more costly in terms of time, money, and embryo utilization. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:573–582. © 2013 SETAC
Study on elder abuse and neglect among patients in a medical college hospital, Bangalore, India

Abstract Elder abuse and neglect is a problem that occurs across all settings and all populations. Elder abuse has many forms, such as abandonment, emotional or psychological abuse, financial or material exploitation, neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. We conducted this research to determine the prevalence of various types of abuse and neglect and their associated factors among elderly patients attending the urban and rural geriatric clinics at a medical college hospital in Bangalore, India. A total of 200 elderly patients participated in the study. The overall prevalence of elder abuse or neglect was 32 (16%), comprised of: verbal abuse in 25 (12.5%); neglect in 22 (11%); financial abuse in 17 (8.5%); and physical abuse in 3 (1.5%). Hence, many elderly patients had experienced multiple forms of abuse. There was statistically significant association between elder abuse and total financial dependence, lack of social support, and depression among the elderly patients.
Women with a Prior Diagnosis of Breast Cancer Are Not at an Increased Risk for Subsequent Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND:Earlier studies regarding the risk of colorectal cancer in women with a prior diagnosis of breast cancer yielded conflicting results.METHODS:A retrospective cohort study was performed using the General Practitioner Research Database of the United Kingdom. Women with a prior diagnosis of breast cancer were compared with female control patients without a prior history of breast cancer. The primary outcome was an incident diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Poisson regression analysis was utilized to assess the effects of potential confounder variables.RESULTS:The study included 17,415 breast cancer patients and 69,660 matched control patients with follow-up time in person years of 52,914 and 331,480, respectively. The relative rate of colorectal cancer among breast cancer patients was 0.80 (95% CI 0.56–1.15). The relative rate of colorectal cancer among women exposed and unexposed to tamoxifen were 0.73 (95% CI 0.49–1.08) and 1.81 (95% CI 0.85–3.85), respectively.CONCLUSION:Women with a prior diagnosis of breast cancer are not at an increased risk of colorectal cancer; these women can follow average risk screening guidelines for colorectal cancer.
Effectiveness of Individual and Aggregate Compensation Strategies

Based on a sample of 175 scientists and engineers, this study shows that individual-based rewards (either in the form of merit pay or individual bonuses) are perceived as less effective than aggregate incentive strategies for R & D workers. The pay effectiveness measures used here include pay satisfaction, propensity to leave, project performance, and individual performance. All things considered, team-based bonuses are perceived as the most effective rewards in an R & D setting. The findings also indicate that employees with a low willingness to take risks are more likely to experience withdrawal cognition if they work for a firm that relies on variable compensation.
AM I A PUBLIC SERVANT OR AM I A PATHOGEN? PUBLIC MANAGERS' SECTOR COMPARISON OF WORKER ABILITIES

Political rhetoric in the United States is rife with condemnations of public sector workers. The assertion that public sector workers are less creative, talented, or autonomous than those working in businesses pervades in both academic studies and public opinions. Facing constant criticisms, do public managers also perceive that government workers are less able than their private sector peers? If so, and more importantly, does the perceived inferiority of worker abilities shake their confidence, thereby undermining their work attitudes? The present study employs social comparison theory to answer these questions. Based on state government managers' responses in the United States, the results indicate that a clear majority of public managers perceive public sector inferiority with respect to worker creativity, talent, and autonomy. The findings also show that perceived inferiority is related to lower job satisfaction, job involvement, and pride in working for the current organization. Based on the findings, we provide suggestions to both researchers and practitioners.
Supply response of potato in Bangladesh: a vector error correction approach.

An attempt has been made in this study to examine the supply response of potato in Bangladesh by using the vector error correction approach. The short-run price elasticity was 0.45 while the long run elasticity was 0.62. Price policies are effective in obtaining the desired level of output for potato. If intervention in the market is of necessity, then it must be implemented during the harvest season for altering price expectations. Also emphases should be given to increase potato export and establishing export oriented potato processing industries.
Serum troponin T measurement in patients with chronic renal impairment predicts survival and vascular disease: a 2 year prospective study.

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular mortality in end-stage renal failure patients is high and early risk stratification in these patients may aid clinical management improving outcomes. Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is a component of the cardiac myocyte which is released into the circulation following myocardial necrosis. It has been shown to be of prognostic significance in patients with unstable angina. The role of cTnT in patients with renal disease remains unclear. The aim of this investigation, therefore, was to assess the prognostic significance of cTnT in chronic renal impairment patients, pre-dialysis. METHODS Ninety-six patients with chronic renal impairment were followed prospectively after cTnT determination by a quantitative laboratory method. The clinical outcomes after 2 years were determined. The measured cTnT values were correlated with biochemical parameters and clinical end-points. RESULTS A cut-off of 0.1 ng/ml was used in assessing the prognostic significance of cTnT. Twenty-five patients had a cTnT >0.1 ng/ml, whilst 71 had a cTnT <or=0.1 ng/ml. Twenty-one patients died during the follow-up period. Eleven of these had elevated cTnT at entry into the study. Death rate in the patients with cTnT >0.1 ng/ml was 42% compared with 14% in those with levels below the cut-off. Thirty-three patients died or had a vascular event. The rate of death or a vascular event in the elevated group was 64% compared with 24% in those with levels below the cut-off. At the end of the study, 23 patients were treated by continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, 29 by haemodialysis, 22 had functioning renal transplants and one patient was not on renal replacement therapy. Factors that were found to significantly affect cTnT were diabetes, age and urea. cTnT was found to be a significant predictor of survival in these patients. Patients with high cTnT values were more likely to end up on haemodialysis. No relation of renal function to cTnT level was found. CONCLUSIONS These results show that in patients with renal impairment, the measurement of cTnT prior to commencing renal replacement is a significant independent predictor of survival. cTnT did show potential as a prognostic test to stratify patients with a high cardiovascular risk and may enable intensive risk factor modification in this patient group. This may be of further use in selection of patients' suitability for renal transplantation.
An Examination of the Demand for Life Insurance

For almost 50 years researchers have sought to explain consumer behavior concerning the purchase of life insurance. This study examines the literature relating to specific demographic and economic factors that may be identifiable as traits influencing the demand for life insurance, and discusses general environmental issues that may relate to life insurance demand. By organizing the wealth of literature in a useful and systematic format, noting consistencies and contradictions, this examination seeks to provide a better understanding of how and why life insurance purchases are made.
A solution to the performance appraisal feedback enigma

Executive Overview It is hard to dispute the value of the ubiquitous formal performance appraisal programs used in almost all large organizations. In theory, these programs should serve important organizational objectives. Each employee should be evaluated at least annually and be given feedback to communicate how he or she is performing. In practice, however, most managers find these feedback interviews distasteful. Unless constrained by some sort of administrative pressure, like a subordinate sign-off requirement, managers are likely to ignore the responsibility. The traditional manager-to-subordinate performance appraisal feedback interview is becoming anachronistic in our culture. The appraisal feedback interview is a very authoritarian procedure—a parent-child type of exchange. Most modern organizations are moving away from authoritarian management toward an involvement-oriented working environment. A performance review discussion based on the subordinate's self review fits an involvement-oriented cl.
Fiscal policy, private investment and economic growth: the case of Ghana

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the relationships between disaggregated government fiscal policy variables; private capital investment and economic growth in Ghana, as well as the similarities and differences in the impact of these variables on private investment (PI) and economic growth. Design/methodology/approach - Cointegration and an error-correction models are used, with time series properties of the variables investigate using augmented Dickey-Fuller test and cointegration of the variables tested using Engel-Granger two step procedure. Findings - The findings indicate that changes in government recurrent expenditure, current government capital expenditure and international trade taxes are significant for growth while changes in tax on domestic goods and services, tax on international trade and tax on income and property matter for private capital investment. The major difference between the impact of fiscal policy on PI and economic growth, however, lies in the direction of impact. Practical implications - Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that different policies be pursued in the promotion of PI and economic growth. Also, given the low correlation between PI and economic growth, it is recommended that the Ghanaian private sector be focused on and fully developed in order for it to perform its role as an engine of growth. Originality/value - Growth has been shown to be influenced by government expenditure and international trade taxes while private capital investment is influenced by taxes on domestic goods and services, international trade and on income and property. Fiscal policy authorities will find these useful.
Base Ratio and Deoxyribonucleic Acid Homology Studies of Six Staphylococcus aureus Typing Bacteriophages

Genetic relatedness among Staphylococcus aureus typing bacteriophages 80, 47, 81, 71, 77, and 187 was investigated by using base ratio determinations and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA hybridization. Guanine/cytosine (G/C) content, as determined by thermal denaturation and chromatographic analysis of the purines released by acid hydrolysis of the DNA, was between 31 and 36%. No pattern correlating G/C content with serological or lytic group was discernible. DNA-DNA hybridization studies indicated high degrees of homology (43% or more) among the genomes of phages in the same serological group. Less homology (29% or less) was observed between the genomes of phages belonging to different serological groups. These findings implied a positive correlation between serological and genetic relatedness.
‘Impression management’ in Chinese corporations: a study of chairperson's statements from the most and least profitable Chinese companies

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether ‘impression management’ exists in Chinese corporate annual reports. Despite flourishing in the Western context, the literature regarding impression management has not yet received any significant development pertinent to China and its cultural norms. The following question is raised: do the most profitable Chinese listed companies disclose information in their chairmen's statements in a way that is significantly different from those of least profitable companies? The results indicate impression management motives do underlie chairman's statements in the Chinese context in a number of ways, as we suggest in this contribution.
Altered skeletal muscle mitochondrial phenotype in COPD: disease vs. disuse.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibit an altered skeletal muscle mitochondrial phenotype, which often includes reduced mitochondrial density, altered respiratory function, and elevated oxidative stress. As this phenotype may be explained by the sedentary lifestyle that commonly accompanies this disease, the aim of this study was to determine whether such alterations are still evident when patients with COPD are compared to control subjects matched for objectively measured physical activity (PA; accelerometry). Indexes of mitochondrial density [citrate synthase (CS) activity], respiratory function (respirometry in permeabilized fibers), and muscle oxidative stress [4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) content] were assessed in muscle fibers biopsied from the vastus lateralis of nine patients with COPD and nine PA-matched control subjects (CON). Despite performing similar levels of PA (CON: 18 ± 3, COPD: 20 ± 7 daily minutes moderate-to-vigorous PA; CON: 4,596 ± 683, COPD: 4,219 ± 763 steps per day, P > 0.70), patients with COPD still exhibited several alterations in their mitochondrial phenotype, including attenuated skeletal muscle mitochondrial density (CS activity; CON 70.6 ± 3.8, COPD 52.7 ± 6.5 U/mg, P < 0.05), altered mitochondrial respiration [e.g., ratio of complex I-driven state 3 to complex II-driven state 3 (CI/CII); CON: 1.20 ± 0.11, COPD: 0.90 ± 0.05, P < 0.05), and oxidative stress (4-HNE; CON: 1.35 ± 0.19, COPD: 2.26 ± 0.25 relative to β-actin, P < 0.05). Furthermore, CS activity ( r = 0.55), CI/CII ( r = 0.60), and 4-HNE ( r = 0.49) were all correlated with pulmonary function, assessed as forced expiratory volume in 1 s ( P < 0.05), but not PA ( P > 0.05). In conclusion, the altered mitochondrial phenotype in COPD is present even in the absence of differing levels of PA and appears to be related to the disease itself. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with debilitating alterations in the function of skeletal muscle mitochondria. By comparing the mitochondrial phenotype of patients with COPD to that of healthy control subjects who perform the same amount of physical activity each day, this study provides evidence that many aspects of the dysfunctional mitochondrial phenotype observed in COPD are not merely due to reduced physical activity but are likely related to the disease itself.
The mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase system : its broadening role in fuel homoeostasis and new insights into its molecular features

The mitochondrial B-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids is preceded by a transport step involving the sequential action of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I and I1 (CPT I and CPT II), together with a carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase [ 11. A broad physiological understanding of the CPT system has been available for three decades, yet despite its operation in almost every tissue of the body this complex transport mechanism has proved extremely refractory to analysis at the molecular level. Renewed efforts to break through the impasse have received impetus from several directions. First, although orignally defined in the context of the regulation of hepatic ketogenesis [Z], the inhibitory effect of malonyl-CoA on CPT I now appears to have much broader significance in mammalian physiology, i.e. it also appears to play a key role in fuel 'cross-talk' in non-hepatic tissues such as heart [3], skeletal muscle [4,5] and the pancreatic B-cell [6,7]. Secondly, there is growing interest in the pharmaceutical industry to develop CPT inhibitors as potential adjuncts to insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus where fatty acid oxidation is excessive and impacts negatively on glucose homoeostasis [8,9]. Thirdly, inherited defects at the CPT locus, some with serious consequences, are being reported with ever increasing frequency [ 10,111. However, it is evident that confusion still surrounds the question of whether, in any given case, CPT I or CPT I1 is the affected enzyme and in which tissue(s) the defect manifests itself. Even less is known about the molecular and genetic factors underlying these conditions. For all of these reasons we and others have been engaged in a major effort to define the CPT system more fully in terms of its structure/function/regulatory relationships. Although considerable progress has been made, particularly in the last five years, this has been accompanied by much debate. In addition, some unexpected and intriguing findings have emerged. In the sections that follow, recent developments in each of these areas will be
Speech restoration: an interactive process.

PURPOSE This study investigates the ability to understand degraded speech signals and explores the correlation between this capacity and the functional characteristics of the peripheral auditory system. METHOD The authors evaluated the capability of 50 normal-hearing native French speakers to restore time-reversed speech. The task required them to transcribe two-syllable items containing temporal reversions of variable sizes, ranging from no reversion to complete reversion, increasing by half-syllable steps. In parallel, the functionality of each participant's auditory efferent system was evaluated using contralateral suppression of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions. RESULTS Perceptual accuracy for time-reversed speech diminished when the size of the applied temporal distortion increased. A lexical benefit was evident, and an important interindividual variability in performance was observed. Functional exploration of the auditory system revealed that speech restoration performances correlated with the suppression strength of the participant's auditory efferent system. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest a clear relation between the functional asymmetry of the auditory efferent pathway (the right-side activity is greater than the left-side activity in right-handed participants) and the comprehension of acoustically distorted speech in normal-hearing participants. Further experiments are needed to better specify how the functionality of the medial olivocochlear bundle can cause phonological activation to be more efficient.
Inventing Money: The Story of Long-Term Capital Management and the Legends Behind It

Preface to the Paperback Edition. Acknowledgements. Introduction. The Theory of Speculation. The Science of Fear and Greed. Trading in Time. The Garden of Forking Paths. The Warning. The Dream Team. Out of Control. The Song of a Martingale. Aftermath. Sources and Further Reading. Index.
Particular solutions of the multi-Helmholtz-type equation

This paper is devoted to finding analytic particular solutions to a class of fourth-order partial differential equations (PDEs). This is done by using polyharmonic spline approximations to the inhomogeneity. Both the 2-D and the 3-D cases are considered, the 3-D case being simpler than the 2-D one. The solutions to the 3-D case are obtained by using the Neumann expansion of the inverse of the homogeneous operator. For the 2-D case, in addition to the finding of the solutions to the inhomogeneous equation, it is necessary to find an appropriate basis for the radial form of the homogeneous equation. These solutions may have independent interest in obtaining t-Trefftz solutions to the homogeneous multi-Helmholtz-type equation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.