Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Health volunteers’ knowledge of cardiovascular disease prevention and healthy lifestyle following a community trial: Isfahan healthy heart program

Background: Health volunteers can have a great effect by training the population about prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and lifestyle modification. This study evaluated the health volunteers’ knowledge following the Isfahan Healthy Heart Program (IHHP) that was performed between 2000 and 2006. Materials and Methods: In this study, 491 females were selected among health volunteers in the Isfahan and Najafabad districts as intervention areas and Arak as a reference area through 2000-2001 until 2006. They participated in training courses on CVD, its complications, methods of prevention of risk factors control as well healthy lifestyle promotion. The health volunteers’ level of knowledge was assessed before and after training. Results: Before intervention, there was no significant difference between the scores of health volunteers in the intervention and the control regions in terms of knowledge about recognizing the symptoms, complications and prevention of CVD and relevant risk factors and healthy lifestyle. However, their knowledge scores increased significantly in the fields of CVD (β = 0.13, P = 0.04), hypertension (β = 0.18, P = 0.009), healthy nutrition (β = 0.19, P = 0.007), appropriate physical activity (β = 0.17, P = 0.01) and dealing with stress (β = 0.16, P = 0.02) after trainings. Conclusion: The 6 year interventional program of IHHP showed that training health volunteers on prevention of CVD, their risk factors and modification of lifestyle continued to be effective even in a long time.
Phototoxicity in live fluorescence microscopy, and how to avoid it

Phototoxicity frequently occurs during live fluorescence microscopy, and its consequences are often underestimated. Damage to cellular macromolecules upon excitation light illumination can impair sample physiology, and even lead to sample death. In this review, we explain how phototoxicity influences live samples, and we highlight that, besides the obvious effects of phototoxicity, there are often subtler consequences of illumination that are imperceptible when only the morphology of samples is examined. Such less apparent manifestations of phototoxicity are equally problematic, and can change the conclusions drawn from an experiment. Thus, limiting phototoxicity is a prerequisite for obtaining reproducible quantitative data on biological processes. We present strategies to reduce phototoxicity, e.g. limiting the illumination to the focal plane and suggest controls for phototoxicity effects. Overall, we argue that phototoxicity needs increased attention from researchers when designing experiments, and when evaluating research findings.
More variation in use of care, more flat-of-the-curve medicine.

Variation in use of health care is ubiquitous in the United States. It is attributable to exogenous differences in supply of medical resources; to identified and unidentified economic, social, and cultural factors; and to the idiosyncratic beliefs of physicians. It is perpetuated by the parochial character of much clinical practice. Patients in high-intensity areas do not appear to have better health outcomes: Much care is "flat of the curve. " A more robust scientific foundation for clinical decisions could help to reduce variations, but major reform of health care financing is probably necessary to achieve substantial improvement in the organization and delivery of care.
Sex hormones and gender-related differences: their influence on chronic renal allograft rejection.

BACKGROUND Renal hemodynamics and immune responses differ between males and females. Thus, sex hormones and genetically determined gender differences may determine the process of chronic rejection to some extent. METHODS Female (F) or male (M) F344 kidneys were orthotopically transplanted into ovariectomized female Lewis recipients and were treated for 16 weeks with either estradiol, testosterone, or vehicle. RESULTS Testosterone treatment resulted in increased urinary protein excretion independently of the donor gender, as well as extended glomerular sclerosis, interstitial fibrosis, and severe vascular lesions. Additionally, mononuclear cell infiltration was most pronounced in these animals, in parallel to an increased expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), fibronectin, laminin, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the grafts. Estradiol treatment resulted in an improved graft function, reduced glomerular sclerosis, and a diminished cellular infiltration, in parallel to a reduced ICAM-1, fibronectin, laminin, and TGF-beta expression. In animals treated with vehicle, the gender of the donor influenced the outcome. Grafts of male origin had good graft function and histology, whereas grafts from female donors developed severe proteinuria and glomerular, interstitial, and vascular damage. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that a protective effect of estradiol on the progression of chronic rejection exists that is independent of donor gender. Additionally, a male kidney may benefit from the absence of testosterone, whereas the function of a female kidney deteriorates in the absence of estradiol.
Marginal Men of Industry: The Foremen

The industrial foreman today does not share in the decision-making process which is the core of managerial functions. He is instead a transmittor of decision which have been made by his superiors, yet the traditional definition of the foreman's position and the current stated norms are based on the assumption that he has decision-making power. The disparity between expectation and experience produces personal conflict and disruption of managerial organization. The Size of industrial units seems of less importance in producing this marginal situation than does the concetration of decision-making in top management and the imposition on foremen of rules made jointly by top management and worker unions.
Wage Mobility and Dynamics in Italy in the 90&Apos;S

Inspite of the centralized nature of wage bargaining in Italy, we find some evidence suggesting the existence of firm-wage policies. Firstly, the ratio of the between-firm wage variability relative to total wage variability is sizeable, and not very dissimilar from that reported for other countries. Secondly, the tide raising all boats is quite suggestive: not only do individual wages throughout the whole distribution increase as average firm wages increases, but the spread increases too. Firm wage policy matters in shaping not only the wage level distribution but also the wage change distribution. The within-firm s.d. of wage change is almost as high as that of individual wage change, and much higher than between-firm variability of average change in wages. Worker-based statistics, on the other side, show that relative changes in individual wages follow the business cycle, although different parts of the distribution react in a different way to it, the upper tail having a higher responsiveness. Both facts are at odds with the often reported rigidity of Italian wages. Indeed, the detected flexibility is mainly driven by movers and short tenure workers. The cross-country comparison suggests that the relatively high degree of wage compression in Italy could be associated with higher entry and exit rates.
Estimation and Hypothesis Testing for Nonparametric Hedonic House Price Functions

In contrast to the rigid structure of standard parametric hedonic analysis, nonparametric estimators control for misspecified spatial effects while using highly flexible functional forms. Despite these advantages, nonparametric procedures are still not used extensively for spatial data analysis due to perceived difficulties associated with estimation and hypothesis testing. We demonstrate that nonparametric estimation is feasible for large datasets with many independent variables, offering statistical tests of individual covariates and tests of model specification. We show that fixed parameterization of distance to the nearest rapid transit line is a misspecification and that pricing of access to this amenity varies across neighborhoods within Chicago. Copyright (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Are Upstairs Markets Pareto Improving?

We examine the price impact cost of block trades across three trading mechanisms: the upstairs market, a crossing network system, and the limit order book. While, unsurprisingly, both the upstairs market and crossing system provide lower price impact costs for block trades than downstairs, using unique exogenous measures of market access we find no evidence that competition from these external markets has an adverse affect. Thus, despite the threat that they drain liquidity and cream-skim to harm the main market, these alternative trading mechanisms appear from our evidence to be Pareto improving for all investor classes and market participants regardless of which market is the major focus.
Using E‐S‐QUAL to measure internet service quality of e‐commerce web sites in Greece

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of the electronic service quality measurement instrument E‐S‐QUAL and its factor structure in the context of e‐commerce in Greece. Also, to investigates the effects of E‐S‐QUAL factors on customer perceived overall quality, value and loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – Field research was conducted by using a structured questionnaire, utilizing the E‐S‐QUAL model and replicating the work of the model's developers. Principal component analysis, reliability tests and multiple regression analyses were performed to both confirm the scale factor structure and answer the research questions.Findings – The analysis of the research data confirmed the four factor structure of E‐S‐QUAL in the context of e‐commerce in Greece and produced similar results to those of the initial research. Efficiency was proved to be the highest ranked dimension since it has a significant positive effect on all three dependent variables, namely perceived overall qualit.
Longitudinal association of sleep-disordered breathing and nondipping of nocturnal blood pressure in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES The association of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and blunting of normal nocturnal lowering of blood pressure (BP) (nondipping) has only been examined cross-sectionally. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether SDB is prospectively associated with nondipping. METHODS The longitudinal association between SDB and incident nondipping was examined in a subsample of 328 adults enrolled in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study who completed 2 or more 24-hour ambulatory BP studies over an average of 7.2 years of follow-up. SDB identified by baseline in-laboratory polysomnography was defined by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) categories. Systolic and diastolic nondipping was defined by systolic and diastolic sleep-wake BP ratios > 0.9. All models were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index at baseline and follow-up, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, sleep time, length of follow-up time, and antihypertensive medication use. RESULTS There was a dose-response increased odds of developing systolic nondipping in participants with SDB. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of incident systolic nondipping for baseline AHI 5 to < 15 and AHI > or = 15, versus AHI < 5, were 3.1 (1.3-7.7) and 4.4 (1.2-16.3), respectively (P trend = 0.006). The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of incident diastolic nondipping for corresponding SDB categories were not statistically significant: 2.0 (0.8-5.6) and 1.3 (0.2-7.1). CONCLUSIONS Our longitudinal findings of a dose-response increase in development of systolic nondipping of BP with severity of SDB at baseline in a population-based sample provide evidence consistent with a causal link. Nocturnal systolic nondipping may be a mechanism by which SDB contributes to increased cardiovascular disease.
Payday lending in the UK: the regul(aris)ation of a necessary evil?

Abstract Concern about the increasing use of payday lending led the UK's Financial Conduct Authority to introduce landmark reforms in 2014/15. While these reforms have generally been welcomed as a way of curbing ‘extortionate’ and ‘predatory’ lending, this paper presents a more nuanced picture based on a theoretically-informed analysis of the growth and nature of payday lending combined with original and rigorous qualitative interviews with customers. We argue that payday lending has grown as a result of three major and inter-related trends: growing income insecurity for people both in and out of work; cuts in state welfare provision; and increasing financialisation. Recent reforms of payday lending do nothing to tackle these root causes. Our research also makes a major contribution to debates about the ‘everyday life’ of financialisation by focusing on the ‘lived experience’ of borrowers. We show that, contrary to the rather simplistic picture presented by the media and many campaigners, various aspects of payday lending are actually welcomed by customers, given the situations they are in. Tighter regulation may therefore have negative consequences for some. More generally, we argue that the regul(aris)ation of payday lending reinforces the shift in the role of the state from provider/redistributor to regulator/enabler.
Prevalence of MRSA colonization in peripartum mothers and their newborn infants

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cultures were obtained from 288 mother-infant pairs. A questionnaire given to mothers and medical record review assessed risk factors for colonization. Only 2.1% of mothers and 0.7% of infants carried MRSA. There were no identical MRSA mother-newborn pairs. MRSA colonization by expectant mothers is uncommon and transmission to newborns from vaginal delivery did not occur.
Did the Reserve Requirement Increases of 1936–37 Reduce Bank Lending? Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

We analyze the impact of contractionary monetary policy through increases in reserve requirements on bank lending. We compare the lending behavior of banks that were subject to the requirement increases in 1936–37, Federal Reserve member banks, to a group of banks that were not subject to the reserve increase, Federal Reserve nonmember banks. After implementing the difference‐in‐difference estimators, we find that the increases in reserve requirements did not create financing constraints for member banks and lead them to reduce lending. Therefore, the actions of the Federal Reserve concerning the required reserve ratios cannot be blamed for instigating the economic downturn of 1937–38.
The impact of board of director characteristics on Farm Credit Association performance: REGULAR ARTICLES

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify how board size and board member compensation impact the operating performance of Farm Credit Associations. Cooperatives are a unique business structure that might not have profit maximization as a goal. Thus measures of performance other than return on equity are used to establish the link. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses regression to explain the relationship between board characteristics and performance. Findings - The results of the models of return on assets and equity indicated that board size and compensation explain little of the variability in performance in these profitability measures. The results of the models of operating efficiencies explained a greater proportion of the variability in the operating efficiency and operating expenses-to-average assets ratios. In both models the relationship exhibited diminishing returns to board size and per member compensation. Research limitations/implications - The data are based on just one year of performance, limiting the generalizability of the results. Practical implications - The paper includes implications for the size of boards of directors and director compensation. Originality/value - This paper fulfils an identified need to study the impacts of boards of directors for cooperatives.
Lactate Kinetics during Multiple Set Resistance Exercise.

Intensive exercise like strength training increases blood lactate concentration [La]. [La] is commonly used to define the metabolic stress of an exercise and depends on the lactate production, transportation, metabolism, and elimination. This investigation compared multiple set training of different volumes to show the influence of exercise volume on [La]. Ten male subjects performed 3 sets of resistance exercises within 4 separate sessions: Arm Curl with 1 or 2 arms (AC1 or AC2), and Leg Extension with 1 or 2 legs (LE1 or LE2). Each set was performed at a standard velocity and at a previously determined 10RM load. Blood lactate samples were taken immediately before and after each set (pre1, post1, pre2, post2, pre3, post3). Maximum [La] was significantly higher after LE2 (6.8 ± 1.6mmol·L(-1)) and significantly lower after AC1 (2.8 ± 0.7mmol·L(-1)) in comparison with the other exercise protocols. There was no difference between AC2 (4.3 ± 1.1mmol·L(-1)) and LE1 (4.4 ± 1.1mmol·L(-1)). Surprisingly, [La] decreased during the 3(rd) set (for AC exercise), and during both the 2(nd) and 3(rd) sets (for LE exercise) and increased only during the recovery phases. In contrast to our expectations, blood [La] decreased during the 2(nd) and 3(rd) exercise sets and further increased only during recovery phases. However, from the increases observed following the first set, we know that lactate was produced and transported to the blood during our exercise protocol. We speculate that lactate is taken up and metabolized by distal muscle fibres or organs. In addition, as the decreases occurred within a short period of time, blood volume shifts and/or the muscle-to-blood gradient may account for the rapid decreases in [La]. Key PointsBlood lactate concentration [La] decreases during the 2(nd) and 3(rd) set of a resistance exercise program of the leg extensor muscles. [La] decreases during the 3(rd) set of a resistance exercise program of the arm flexor muscles.A significant increase of [La] only appears during the first set, during rest periods and after the last set.The decline of [La] during sets becomes larger over the course of exercise.
Irradiation of gold nanoparticles by x-rays: Monte Carlo simulation of dose enhancements and the spatial properties of the secondary electrons production.

PURPOSE The aim of this study is to understand the characteristics of secondary electrons generated from the interaction of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with x-rays as a function of nanoparticle size and beam energy and thereby further the understanding of GNP-enhanced radiotherapy. METHODS The effective range, deflection angle, dose deposition, energy, and interaction processes of electrons produced from the interaction of x-rays with a GNP were calculated by Monte Carlo simulations. The GEANT4 code was used to simulate and track electrons generated from a 2, 50, and 100 nm diameter GNP when it is irradiated with a 50 kVp, 250 kVp, cobalt-60, and 6 MV photon beam in water. RESULTS When a GNP was present, depending on the beam energies used, secondary electron production was increased by 10- to 2000-fold compared to an absence of a GNP. Low-energy photon beams were much more efficient at interacting with the GNP by two to three orders of magnitude compared to MV energies and increased the deflection angle. GNPs with larger diameters also contributed more dose. The majority of the energy deposition was outside the GNP, rather than self-absorbed by the nanoparticle. The mean effective range of electron tracks for the beams tested ranged from approximately 3 microm to 1 mm. CONCLUSIONS These simulated results yield important insights concerning the spatial distributions and elevated dose in GNP-enhanced radiotherapy. The authors conclude that the irradiation of GNP at lower photon energies will be more efficient for cell killing. This conclusion is consistent with published studies.
Nonsurgical management of acute jejunal diverticulitis: a review.

BACKGROUND Diverticular disease of the colon and its complications are well known and readily considered when patients present with the proper clinical scenario. Conversely, complications of small bowel diverticula are very uncommon entities and are not often thought of as a cause of bleeding, obstruction, or an acute abdomen. OBJECTIVE To report two patients presenting with an acute abdomen caused by acute jejunal diverticulitis who were treated nonsurgically as opposed to surgically as the literature dictates. METHODS Two patients presented with sudden onset of acute periumbilical pain that had increased progressively over 1-2 days before admission. An emergent CT scan performed in each patient with localized peritonitis revealed "collections" consistent with abscess cavities. One patient was treated with antibiotics alone and the other with a combination of antibiotics and percutaneous CT-guided aspiration. CT-guided needle aspiration was performed and the injection of contrast clearly revealed communication with a jejunal diverticulum. Both patients did well and were subsequently discharged without incident or surgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS Acute jejunal diverticulitis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of an acute abdominal process and may be successfully treated nonsurgically despite the recommendations of previous reports.
A Multinomial Logit Analysis of Problem Loan Resolution Choices in Banking

This paper presents a conceptual framework of problem loan resolution choices that is a function of the combined borrower and lender decisions. A bank will choose a workout option if its expected value is greater than the outcome under a no-workout plan. For the borrower, if the reputational penalty due to a default is less than the opportunity cost of the best new alternative, the borrower will have an incentive to default. If the reverse holds then the borrower will be better-off with a loan workout. Using a unique data set composed of borrower, lender and economic factors we empirically examine the problem loan resolution choices. The, results provide support for our conceptual framework that problem loan choices are based on combined borrower/lender variables. Copyright 1995 by Ohio State University Press.
Challenges and Circuit Techniques for Energy-Efficient On-Chip Nonvolatile Memory Using Memristive Devices

Memristive devices have shown considerable promise for on-chip nonvolatile memory and computing circuits in energy-efficient systems. However, this technology is limited with regard to speed, power, VDDmin, and yield due to process variation in transistors and memrisitive devices as well as the issue of read disturbance. This paper examines trends in the design of device and circuits for on-chip nonvolatile memory using memrisitive devices as well as the challenges faced by researchers in its further development. Several silicon-verified examples of circuitry are reviewed in this paper, including those aimed at high-speed, area-efficient, and low-voltage applications.