Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low serum 25(OH)D levels are assocıated to hıgher BMI and metabolic syndrome parameters in adult subjects in Turkey.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the association of 25(OH)D levels with biochemical, anthropometric, and metabolic data obtained from normal and obese people. METHODS This study was carried out on 90 individuals between the ages of 18 to 63 that had various body mass indexes. Blood samples and anthropometric measurements were taken. RESULTS Waist circumferences, fat mass, LDL cholesterol levels, HDL cholesterol levels, 25(OH)D levels, and triglyceride levels were significantly different according to the body mass index groups of the participants (p<0.05). When compared to the normal body mass index group, both other groups (overweight and obese) had higher waist circumferences, triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol levels, fasting insulin levels, HOMA-IR ratios, parathyroid hormone levels, and fat mass, and had lower 25(OH)D levels (p<0.05). The overweight group participants had higher 25(OH)D levels than the obese group, and had lower waist circumferences, fat mass, fasting insulin level, HOMA-IR ratios, and HbA1C and PTH levels than those in the obese group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION In conclusion, the mean level of 25(OH)D is very low in overweight and obese individuals and low serum 25(OH)D levels appear to be associated with obesity, visceral obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome in obese patients.
The Cell Wall in Ripening Avocados

Abnormalities in ripening lead, in some years, to substantial losses of fruit. For example, in tomato, there is a physiological disorder known as "blotchy" fruit which has been related to alterations in the cell wall metabolism (7). Some areas within the fruit fail to soften normally resulting in hard spots in the otherwise ripe fruit. This reduction in quality of the fruit often results in rejection from the market. A similar disorder has been reported in the avocado fruit. Oppenheimer (11) found that low yield (related to temperatures or individual fruiting habits of the trees), delay in harvest, large size of fruit, and non-adhering seed-coats were factors which seemed to be associated with a high percentage of abnormal fruit. In order to reduce these abnormalities we must learn more about the cell wall changes taking place during the normal softening process.
Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and salt intake in Portugal: changes over a decade. The PHYSA study

Objective: To determine prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and the 24-h sodium excretion (24h-UNa) in the Portuguese adult population and to examine their changes from a similar study done in 2003. Design and setting: A population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in 2011–2012. Methods: A multistage-stratified (by age and sex) sampling method was used to select a representative sample of the 18–90-year-old population yielding 3720 participants (52.6% women, 97.1% Caucasians). Hypertension was defined as a SBP of at least 140 mmHg or DBP of at least 90 mmHg [average of 2–3 blood pressure (BP) measurements by trained observers with OMRON M6] or reported knowledge or treatment with antihypertensive drugs at the first visit (V1). A complete clinical information was obtained with a standard questionnaire. This procedure was repeated 10–15 days after visit 2 (V2) and 24-h urinary sample was collected for 24h-UNa, 24-h potassium excretion and creatinine excretion. Results: The overall prevalence of hypertension at V1 was 42.2% (44.4% in men, 40.2% in women) (42.1% in 2003). The age-specific prevalence of hypertension was 6.8, 46.9 and 74.9% in people below 35 years, 35–64 years and above 64 years. Comorbidities were 2.2–6.3 times more common in hypertensive patients vs. normotensive individuals. Overall, among the hypertensive patients, 76.6% were aware of the hypertension condition, 74.9% were treated and 42.5% were controlled (BP <140/90 mmHg), that is, respectively, 1.7, 1.9 and 3.8 times higher vs. data in 2003, with lower values in men vs. women and younger vs. older people. Global mean BP was 127.4/74.6 ± 17.7/10.5 vs. 134.7/80.4 ± 21.2/14.1 mmHg in 2003. From V1 to V2, control of hypertension increased on average by 14.8%. Multivariate analysis showed that age and BMI were independently associated with prevalence of hypertension. 24h-UNa (84% valid urinary samples) was 182.5 ± 64.7 mmol/day (10.7 g salt/day) and 24-h potassium excretion 75.2 ± 26.1 mmol/day. 24h-UNa was higher in patients with hypertension than in normotensive individuals (185.4 ± 64.8 vs. 177.8 ± 64.5 mmol/day; P < 0.02) and correlated with SBP (r = 0.05), age (r = 0.08) and BMI (r = 0.10) (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Hypertension prevalence among Portuguese adults remained stable in the past decade, but proportions of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension improved significantly. Salt intake is still high being almost double the WHO recommendations.
Mercado imobiliário e amenidades urbanas: a view through the window

In this article, we use a hedonic equation to estimate the implicit prices of urban amenities based on housing market data for the city of Sao Paulo. We test two different specifications, one with the original independent variables, and another with factors to correct for multicollinearity. In addition to the traditional monocentric model, we include an accessibility vector for a duocentric city. A criterion to select the appropriate environmental variables based on residual spatial interpolation is introduced. We conclude that proximity to train stations, green areas and strict residential zones raise rents, while criminality reduces them.
EMPIRICAL TESTING OF CAPITAL ASSET PRICING MODEL

The present study examines the CAPM in the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) using the Black, Jensen and Scholes-BJS approach. Our results show that there is a linear relation between risk and portfolio returns. However, while testing the major hypothesis from the time series tests, that the intercept should be significantly equal to zero, and the hypothesis from the cross-sectional tests, that the intercept should be equal to zero and the beta coefficient should be equal to the mean excess return on the market, we came up with the conclusions that the traditional CAPM is not verified in the ASE for the period between the 1 st of July 1992 and the 30 th of June 2001. The inferences are quite different when testing Black’s twofactor model. Specifically, the hypothesis that the expected excess return on the beta factor should be significantly equal to zero, which would prove a consistency with the traditional CAPM, is not verified for all the periods of the analysis. (JEL G12).
Changes in circadian rhythm for mRNA expression of melatonin 1A and 1B receptors in the hypothalamus under a neuropathic pain‐like state

Several clinical reports on neuropathic pain of various etiologies have shown that it significantly interferes with sleep. Inadequate sleep due to neuropathic pain may contribute to the stressful negative consequences of living with pain. It is generally recognized that melatonin (MT) system in the hypothalmus is crusial for circadian rhythm and sleep‐wake transition. However, little, if any, is known about whether neuropathic pain could affect the MT system associated with sleep disturbance. In this study, we investigated the possible changes in circadian rhythm for the expression of MT receptors, especially MT1A and MT1B receptors, in the hypothalamus of mice with sciatic nerve ligation. The samples for real‐time RT‐PCR assay were prepared at 8:00, 14:00, 20:00, and 2:00 on day 7 after sciatic nerve ligation or sham operation. The mRNA expression of MT1A and MT1B receptors at 2:00 in sciatic nerve‐ligated mice, which exhibited thermal hyperalgesia along with an increase in wakefulness and a decrease in nonrapid eye movement sleep, was significantly greater than those in sham‐operated mice, whereas the levels of both MT1A and MT1B receptors at 8:00 in sciatic nerve‐ligated mice were significantly lower than those in sham‐operated mice. These findings suggest that neuropathic pain‐like stimuli lead to sleep disturbance in parallel with changes in circadian rhythm for mRNA expression of MT 1A and 1B receptors in the hypothalamus of mice. Synapse 68:153–158, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Project management tools and techniques in high‐technology SMEs

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the use of project management practices in small high‐technology firms and to identify what contributes to project success.Design/methodology/approach – The results presented in this paper are based on a survey of Irish high‐technology small‐to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). A questionnaire was distributed to over 200 organisations via e‐mail and a response rate of 20 per cent was achieved.Findings – Results suggest that the existence of a project manager and the use of project planning significantly contribute to project success. Control for projects resides primarily with owner‐managers and achieving quality standards is a significant success criterion. Additionally, having clear goals/objectives and top management support are identified as the most important success factors in the firms surveyed.Research limitations/implications – This paper presents the findings of an initial investigation into the management of projects within SMEs. The study has been limited by.
Community College Enrollment, College Major, and the Gender Wage Gap

The literature on the narrowing of the gender wage gap during the 1980s considers, among other factors, the closing of the male-female differential in post-secondary education. This paper looks specifically at the role played by the dramatic relative increase in women's enrollment in two-year colleges. With independent cross-sections developed using NLSY data, the authors find that the gender wage gap narrowed by 0.0469 log points between 1985 and 1990 and by 0.0932 log points between 1989 and 1994. The more pronounced decrease observed for 1989–94 is largely explained by erosion of male-female differences in weeks worked, job tenure, and full-time employment. A more novel finding is evidence that while change in the quantity of education provides essentially no explanatory power, disaggregating education by two-year and four-year providers and by major field of study accounts for 8.5–11% of the closing of the wage gap over the 1989–94 period.
Direct in vitro infection of human intestine with HIV‐1

ObjectiveTo directly infect human fetal intestine with HIV in vitro. DesignHuman fetal intestinal explant cultures were exposed to HIV-1 and monitored for evidence of infection by biochemical assay, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. MethodsHuman fetal intestinal explants (14–21 weeks) were established in culture and exposed to HIV-1. Tissue culture fluid was assayed for p24 antigen and reverse transcriptase activity over a 14-day period. Explants were removed from culture on days 4, 7, 10 and 14 postinoculation and subjected (1) to immunohistochemistry to detect p24 and gp160/41 antigens, and (2) to in situ hybridization to detect HIV-1 RNA. Explant tissue culture fluid was cocultured with Jurkat T-cells to detect infectious viral particles. ResultsReverse transcriptase activity and p24 antigen levels in fetal explant culture fluid rose between 7 and 14 days after viral inoculation. Jurkat T-cell cocultures confirmed the presence of infectious virus. Cells in the lamina propria resembling lymphocytes and macrophages of both small intestine and colon stained positively for the viral proteins p24 and gp41. The same type of cells also stained positively for HIV-1 RNA using in situ hybridization. Dual-label immunohistochemistry, combined immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of viral protein and RNA in cells bearing the CD3, CD4 (lymphocyte) or CD68 (macrophage) surface markers. There was no evidence at any time of HIV-1 infection of epithelial cells. ConclusionsCells of the lamina propria of the small intestine and colon, bearing lymphocyte or macrophage markers, can be directly infected by and support the replication of HIV-1. Such infection may be implicated in the pathogenesis of HIV enteropathy.
Permutable power series and regular iteration

If f(z) is a power series convergent for |z| < ρ, where ρ > 0, then f(z) is said to have a fixpoint of multiplir a1 at z = 0. In the (local) iteration of f(z) one studies the sequence {fn(z)}, n = 0, 1, 2, … in a neighbourhood of z = 0, fn(z) benig defined by For many values of the multiplier a1, including 0 < |a1| < 1 and |a1| > 1, the local iteration of f(z) is completely mastered by the introduction of Schröder's functional equation.
Down-regulation of the Small Conductance Calcium-activated Potassium Channels in Diabetic Mouse Atria*

Background: SK channels are implicated in atrial fibrillation (AF), and diabetes (DM) is a risk factor for AF. Results: Atrial SK2 and SK3 are significantly down-regulated from accelerated turnover in diabetic mice, resulting in action potential prolongation and arrhythmias. Conclusion: SK channel down-regulation may lead to arrhythmogenesis. Significance: SK channel down-regulation contributes to atrial electrophysiological dysfunction in DM. The small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels have recently been found to be expressed in the heart, and genome-wide association studies have shown that they are implicated in atrial fibrillation. Diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor of atrial fibrillation, but the ionic mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. We hypothesized that SK channel function is abnormal in diabetes mellitus, leading to altered cardiac electrophysiology. We found that in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, the expression of SK2 and SK3 isoforms was down-regulated by 85 and 92%, respectively, whereas that of SK1 was not changed. SK currents from isolated diabetic mouse atrial myocytes were significantly reduced compared with controls. The resting potentials of isolated atrial preparations were similar between control and diabetic mice, but action potential durations were significantly prolonged in the diabetic atria. Exposure to apamin significantly prolonged action potential durations in control but not in diabetic atria. Production of reactive oxygen species was significantly increased in diabetic atria and in high glucose-cultured HL-1 cells, whereas exposure of HL-1 cells in normal glucose culture to H2O2 reduced the expression of SK2 and SK3. Tyrosine nitration in SK2 and SK3 was significantly increased by high glucose culture, leading to accelerated channel turnover. Treatment with Tiron prevented these changes. Our results suggest that increased oxidative stress in diabetes results in SK channel-associated electrical remodeling in diabetic atria and may promote arrhythmogenesis.
The characteristics of IT investment decisions and methods used in the US lodging industry

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine and to compare the most utilized information technology (IT) investment decision methods between hotels with centrally managed IT, and hotels with locally managed IT.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data were collected via a structured questionnaire from hotel managers in the USA.Findings – The key findings of the research are that evaluation activities for hospitality IT investments have not been performed widely and consistently. Although sophisticated evaluation methods have been developed over the years, they do not appear to have provided a satisfactory answer to improve IT decision‐making practice. In this study, significant differences were found in how IT investments are evaluated in hotels with centrally managed IT as compared to hotels with locally managed IT. The hotels with centrally managed IT tend to use more financial and non‐financial evaluation methods since all investments are expected to show a positive return on investment.Pr.
The Services Internationalization Process: An Exploratory Investigation of Australian Service Company Internationalization to China

Service companies possess different characteristics from non-service-based companies, affecting their process of internationalization. This article examines the internationalization of service organizations using case studies of 23 Australian service organizations internationalizing to China. It finds that the internationalization process is influenced by the type of service the organization produces. The Uppsala internationalization model partially explains internationalization for companies producing exportable services but did not explain internationalization for companies, which produce nonexportable services (services that must be located within the market). International experience, government regulations and capital intensity were influential for internationalization. The findings develop a model for service organization internationalization.
Exploring open innovation approaches adopted by small and medium firms in emerging/growth industries: case studies from Daegu–Gyeongbuk region of South Korea

This study explores the status of open innovation in small and medium firms that operate in emerging or growth technological industries that have been designated as new growth engines in the Daegu–Gyeongbuk district in South Korea. Chesbrough (2003, 2006a,b) had demonstrated that the motive power of growth and development of big enterprises, be it in hi-tech or lowtech industries of USA, is ‘open innovation’. Studies that followed examined the relationship between open innovation and industry performance had focused considerably on developed/mature industries. Though they analysed open innovation of small and medium firms, their analysis was limited to statistical relationships between open innovation and industry performances. Through the case studies this study’s findings indicate that small and medium firms in South Korea seem to be dynamically adopting open innovation in the process of changing their business lines to more prospective hi-tech areas for their existence. It also seems that continuous growth and development could not be expected with closed innovation, and that the existence of small and medium firms can be threatened during verification period because it takes considerable time to get approval or support form markets or science and technology business circle.
Legal Pluralism and the Continuing Quest for Legal Certainty in Ecuador: A Case Study from the Andean Highlands

In 1998 Ecuador constitutionally recognised the use of customary law alongside national law, through which a situation of formal (de jure) legal pluralism came into being. However, rules that would define the personal, territorial and material jurisdiction of both forms of law have never been approved and no case law has yet been developed. There is still no general agreement regarding the proper scope to be granted indigenous authorities for the administration of customary law. The purpose of this article is to shed light on that ongoing challenge by focusing on its practical implications at the local level. Starting with an historical overview of how legal pluralism has been dealt with over the last 500 years, this article proceeds to examine the contemporary situation, including an interpretation of a recent homicide which occurred in the indigenous parish of Zumbahua. The indigenous proceedings in this case support this article’s thesis that the absence of coordinating rules, and the resulting legal uncertainty, may be leading to increasingly punitive measures by indigenous authorities.
Environmental policies for a multifunctional agricultural sector in open economies

This paper derives the efficient set of policies for a multifunctional agriculture and relates them to trade. In general, efficiency cannot be achieved through simple output subsidies, but the efficient policies to move closer to socially optimal levels of multifunctional, non-commodity outputs may also change commodity output levels. Accounting for international price effects, large importing and exporting nations have incentives to favour subsidies for non-commodity outputs and to oppose them, respectively, regardless of the true value of these agriculturally related public goods. The policy incentives are illustrated through a stylised simulation of US agriculture. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Ferritin in the Serum of Normal Subjects and Patients with Iron Deficiency and Iron Overload

The concentration of ferritin in serum gives a quantitative measure of the amount of storage iron in normal subjects and those with iron deficiency or overload. The mean level in normal men is 69 ng/ml, compared with 35 ng/ml in normal women. A concentration below 10 ng/ml is associated with a low transferrin saturation and iron-deficient erythropoiesis.
Institutions and Bank Performance: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis

This article investigates the impact of institutions on bank efficiency and technology, using a stochastic frontier analysis of a data set of 7,959 banks across 136 countries over 10 years. The results confirm the importance of well-developed institutions for the efficient operation of commercial banks. Furthermore, the insights reveal the impact of institutional reforms in improving bank efficiency. The results are robust to adjustments in country-specific effects, achieved by including country dummies, as well as across different risk profiles. Moreover, they provide empirical evidence in support of the public view of the banking sector.
Forecasting Time Series with Long Memory and Level Shifts

It is well known that some economic time series can be described by models which allow for either long memory or for occasional level shifts. In this paper we propose to examine the relative merits of these models by introducing a new model, which jointly captures the two features. We discuss representation and estimation. Using simulations, we demonstrate its forecasting ability, relative to the one-feature models, both in terms of point forecasts and interval forecasts. We illustrate the model for daily S&P500 volatility. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs: Understanding advantages and limitations

Pituitary stimulation with pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs induces both follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Pituitary gonadotropin secretions are blocked upon desensitization when a continuous GnRH stimulus is provided by means of an agonist or when the pituitary receptors are occupied with a competitive antagonist. GnRH antagonists were not available originally; therefore, prolonged daily injections of agonist with its desensitizing effect were used. Today, single- and multiple-dose injectable antagonists are also available to block the LH surge and thus to cause desensitization. This review provides an overview of the use of GnRH analogs which is potent therapeutic agents that are considerably useful in a variety of clinical indications from the past to the future with some limitations. These indications include management of endometriosis, uterine leiomyomas, hirsutism, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, premenstrual syndrome, assisted reproduction, and some hormone-dependent tumours, other than ovulation induction.