Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current approaches to pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation

It is well established that smoking is the primary preventable cause of disease and death in the United States and that it is responsible for a wide range of negative health consequences, including but not limited to respiratory disease. According to the US Public Health Service, all patients attempting to quit smoking should be encouraged to use one or more effective pharmacotherapy agents for cessation except in the presence of special circumstances or in populations for which there is insufficient evidence of effectiveness (pregnant women, smokeless tobacco users, light smokers and adolescents). These medications are most effective when coupled with behavioral counseling interventions. This review article provides an overview of comprehensive (the 5 A’s framework: Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) and brief (Ask, Advise, Refer) interventions for assisting patients with quitting, and a more detailed review of the seven first-line pharmacological agents for smoking cessation (nicotine replacement therapy formulations, bupropion SR and varenicline) and combination therapy regimens. This information will facilitate respiratory therapists in addressing the most important risk factor for pulmonary disease in the patient population that they serve.
Linking Balanced Scorecard Measures to Size and Market Factors: Impact on Organizational Performance

This paper examines the relationship between organization size, product life‐cycle stage, market position, balanced scorecard (BSC) usage and organizational performance. Using financial and nonfinancial measures, the BSC appraises four dimensions of performance: customers, financial (or shareholders), learning and growth, and internal aspects. Based on a survey of 66 Australian manufacturing companies, the paper suggests that larger firms make more use of a BSC. In addition, firms that have a higher proportion of new products have a greater tendency to make use of measures related to new products. A firm's market position has not been found to be associated significantly with greater BSC usage. The paper also suggests that greater BSC usage is associated with improved performance, but this relationship does not depend significantly on organization size, product life cycle, or market position.
Local Electrical Utilities — Is Bigger Better?

In recent years Ontario’s local electrical utilities, encouraged by the provincial government, have merged such that the number of utilities has been reduced from over 300 in the 1990s to 74 in 2011. This article examines the determinants of utility costs with a focus on whether larger utilities are more cost-effective than smaller ones. Based on the latest data, we find that costs decrease, although this is not statistically significant, up to 165,000 customers. Beyond 400,000 customers, significant cost increases are encountered, and therefore mergers beyond this size should not be allowed.
Saving–Investment Association and Regional Capital Mobility in China: A Nonparametric Panel Approach

Using a nonparametric panel data model, this paper estimates the degree of time-varying and province-specific capital mobility in China during 1970–2006. We estimate the savings–investment association, that is, the savings retention rate a la Feldstein and Horioka, as a measure of capital mobility. We also split the total savings (investment) into private and government savings (investment) to explore the role of government in improving capital mobility. Over time, we find an improvement in capital mobility after the mid-1990s. Across provinces, we observe higher capital mobility in eastern/coastal regions. From the 1990s, the government is found to play a less important role in promoting capital mobility. Across provinces, the government is found to be more important in either the municipalities (Shanghai and Beijing) or the less developed inland provinces.
Trade-Induced Learning and Industrial Catch-Up

This article develops a model of trade-induced learning whereby both domestic and cross-border learning externalities could drive long-run growth. This framework is used to synthesise the emerging empirical evidence, revealing how trade-induced learning could underpin the mechanics behind trade and growth in at least three important ways: first, trading matters, as firms might be able to increase their productivity due to export and import linkages with buyers and suppliers; second, whom you trade with matters, as richer and more technologically advanced trading partners offer more scope for trade-induced learning; and third, what products you trade matters.
Differential experiences of the psychobiological sequelae of ecstasy use: quantitative and qualitative data from an internet study

Previous work provided preliminary evidence that different patterns of use among ecstasy users may impact on perceived side-effects. Participants recruited via an ecstasy-related bulletin board differed in their responses compared to those recruited via other means. The present investigation compares self-reports of psychobiological dif.culties among ecstasy users recruited either via a bulletin board or by alternative methods. Qualitative data included reports of any negative or positive changes attributable to ecstasy use and reasons for cessation of use. An Internet-based design was utilized and 209 volunteers completed the study, 117 of whom were recruited via a bulletin board devoted to discussion of ecstasy. Psychobiological dif.culties attributable to ecstasy use varied, with mood . uctuation the most common. Differences between the two groups in the extent to which these problems were reported was found. Bulletin board recruits were less likely to report anxiety or poor concentration, but more likely to report tremors/twitches. For the whole sample, lifetime use was associated more with psychobiologial problems, although this pattern was stronger and more pervasive for the nonbulletin board participants. Bulletin board recruits were more aware of possible negative psychological effects and were more likely to report adopting harm reduction strategies. From the qualitative data three negative consequences of use were identi.ed, the most common of which was ëpsychological problemsí. In support of the quantitative . ndings the likelihood of reporting psychological problems increased with lifetime exposure to ecstasy in both recruitment conditions but interestingly this did not appear to impact on reasons for cessation of use. Participants also reported a number of effects that they regarded as bene.cial. Future research should also take these aspects of use into account.
Development of Arterial Calcification in Adiponectin‐Deficient Mice: Adiponectin Regulates Arterial Calcification

Arterial calcification is common, but the mechanisms remain unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate the arterial calcification in adiponectin‐deficient mice in vivo and the effects of adiponectin on cultured vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro. Alizarin red S staining was used to detect arterial calcification of adiponectin−/− mice. Alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin secretion, and Runx2 protein expression were examined in cultured calcifying vascular smooth muscle cells (CVSMCs). The involved signal pathway was studied using a mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor and adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) siRNA. Adiponectin−/− mice developed slight arterial calcification after being fed with normal chow diet for 30 wk. Adenovirus‐mediated supplement of adiponectin attenuated arterial calcification in these mice. On cultured CVSMCs, adiponectin inhibited ALP activity, osteocalcin secretion, Runx2 protein expression, and the formation of mineralized nodules. Adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) protein was detected in CVSMCs, and adiponectin activated p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase. Furthermore, inhibition of AdipoR1 expression or p38 activation reversed the effects of adiponectin on ALP activity. These results showed that adiponectin inhibited osteoblastic differentiation of CVSMCs through the AdipoR1/p38 signaling pathway. Our findings showed that adiponectin−/− mice developed arterial calcification, and this could be attributed to the loss of inhibitory action of adiponectin on osteoblastic differentiation of CVSMCs. It suggested that adiponectin plays a protective role against arterial calcification.
Netnography as a Consumer Education Research Tool

Netnography is a research methodology in use since the late 1990s in the fields of consumer behaviour and marketing, but not fully utilized by researchers in the field of consumer education. This article argues that netnography is a helpful research tool for consumer education researchers who are interested in capturing and critically examining the education and learning occurring in informal sites of consumer education, especially in online communities. This article also presents an example of recent research conducted using netnography to understand how readers of the informal consumer education lifestyle magazine Budget Living created their own interpretations of meaning from the magazine.
5‐HT1 agonists reduce 5‐hydroxytryptamine release in rat hippocampus in vivo as determined by brain microdialysis

1 An intracerebral perfusion method, brain microdialysis, was used to assess changes of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) release in the ventral hippocampus of the chloral hydrate‐anaesthetized rat in response to systemic administration of a variety of 5‐HT1 receptor agonists. 2 A stable output of reliably detectable endogenous 5‐HT was measured in dialysates collected from ventral hippocampus with the 5‐HT reuptake inhibitor, citalopram, present in the perfusion medium. 3 Under these conditions the putative 5‐HT1A agonist 8‐hydroxy‐2‐(di‐n‐propylamino)tetralin (8‐OH‐DPAT) caused a dose‐dependent (5–250 μg kg−1, s.c.) reduction of 5‐HT in hippocampal dialysates. 4 Similarly, the putative 5‐HT1A agonists gepirone (5 mg kg−1, s.c.), ipsapirone (5 mg kg−1, s.c.) and buspirone (5 mg kg−1, s.c.) markedly reduced levels of 5‐HT in hippocampal perfusates whereas their common metabolite 1‐(2‐pyrimidinyl) piperazine (5 mg kg−1, s.c.), which does not bind to central 5‐HT1A recognition sites, had no effect. 5 5‐Methoxy‐3‐(1,2,3,6‐tetrahydro‐4‐pyridinyl)‐lH‐indole (RU 24969), a drug with reported high affinity for brain 5‐HT1B binding sites, also produced a dose‐dependent (0.25–5 mg kg−1, s.c.) decrease of hippocampal 5‐HT output. 6 These data are direct biochemical evidence that systemically administered putative 5‐HT1A and 5‐HT1B agonists markedly inhibit 5‐HT release in rat ventral hippocampus in vivo.
Finance and Growth: Evidence from Some Arab Countries

ABSTRACT This paper estimates the causal relationships between financial development and economic growth for selected Arab countries using cointegration, Granger causality, and the impulse response function techniques. The results indicate that, in the long run, it seems that financial development and real GDP growth are strongly linked. However, in the short-run, the linkage is weak as Granger causality tests and the impulse response functions indicate that causality between real GDP and financial development exists only in four cases. Moreover, for these few cases, there is no clear evidence that financial development affects or is affected by economic growth.
Potential economic contribution of regional tourism development in China: a comparative analysis.

Abstract The tourism industry in China has increased dramatically in recent years. Tourism development has been somewhat asymmetric with east coast provinces developing faster than others. This research compares and contrasts the potential economic contribution of tourism across China's provinces. Because of larger multiplier effects, the more economically developed provincial economies will experience greater economic benefits as a result of further increases in tourism. However, several inland provinces are also poised to benefit from increased tourism. Increases in visitor arrivals in these provinces have the potential to benefit both the tourism sectors and those sectors that demand and supply services to these industries. This is an attractive source of economic development in lesser developed provinces. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FENO), Lung Function and Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Naïve Atopic Asthmatic Children

Background. Measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is a noninvasive, simple, well‐tolerated, and reproducible marker of airway inflammation. Asthmatic children with normal respiratory function could be affected by airway inflammation. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between FENO and bronchial hyperesponsiveness (BHR) to methacholine, and between FENO and lung function in atopic children with intermittent asthma. Methods. Thirty‐seven children (21 male), aged 7.2–14.4 years (median: 10.9 years), suffering from mild intermittent atopic asthma with a physician‐diagnosed history of wheezing and/or chest tightness were studied. None had taken anti‐asthmatic therapy for at least three months before the study. No child had symptoms of respiratory tract infection in the month before the study. All subjects underwent FENO measurement, pulmonary function testing and the methacholine provocation tests. Results. The mean percentages of FEV1 and FEF25–27 were 91.9 ± 10.5 and 88.3 ± 11.8, respectively. The mean FENO was 62.2 ± 39.2 ppb and PC20 methacholine was 0.93 mg/ml ± 0.54. Significant correlations were identified between FENO and FEV1 (p < 0.0059, r = 0.468) and between FENO and FEF25–75 (p < 0.0098, r = 0.439). There was no correlation between FENO and logPC20 (p = 0.14). Conclusions. A single FENO measurement is probably of scarce prognostic and predictive value and it is not surprising to find discordance with BHR. We suggest that FENO measurement could represent a good marker of airway inflammation also in naïve atopic children with intermittent asthma. Repeated measurements over time are probably necessary to understand better the clinical implications of the data obtained in this study.
Profitability of Foreign Banks in Central and Eastern Europe

This article uses data for 418 banks operating in Central and Eastern Europe between 1993 and 2004 to analyse the impact of the mode of foreign bank entry and of the parent institutions’ characteristics on bank profitability. The results show that foreign banks are affected both less and differently by domestic economic conditions, but do react to the health of the parent banks and the economic situations in their home countries. Their mode of entry is important: profits of banks entering via greenfield investment exhibit a complementary relationship with their parent banks, whereas profits of banks acquiring domestic institutions are negatively related to the opportunity costs in their home markets.
Ubiquitin-mediated degradation of hepatitis C virus core protein is regulated by processing at its carboxyl terminus.

Hepatitis C virus core protein, in addition to being a component of the viral capsid, has a number of regulatory functions. Here we showed two bodies of evidence indicating that a fraction of the core protein species is a substrate of the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome pathway of targeted proteolysis. First, the core protein processing the C-terminal hydrophobic region is metabolically unstable, and incubation with a proteasome inhibitor led to a significant accumulation of the protein. Second, an in vivo ubiquitylation assay indicates conjugation of multi-Ub chain to the unstable core protein. In contrast, a stable form of core protein, p21, is also able to be ubiquitylated, but it links to a single or only a few Ub moiety. Therefore, processing event(s) at the C-terminal hydrophobic domain of HCV core protein may affect the ubiquitylation pathway, particularly the efficiency of the multi-Ub chain assembly, resulting in stable, matured core proteins.
A Case Study of Principals' Knowledge of Early Childhood Literacy.

Nationally approximately 40 percent of third grade students do not read at grade level. Principals play a critical role in providing leadership in the implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) to ensure that students not making adequate yearly progress receive targeted instruction to address their deficiencies. The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of five principals through an investigation of their understanding of the reading process as it relates to the implementation of RtI in their schools. I specifically wish to understand: What do principals know about early childhood literacy and how do they use that knowledge to support early childhood teachers? Sub questions relating to the central research question include: How do principals perceive their educational background and experience have prepared them to support early childhood teachers in making instructional reading decisions? How do principals perceive their role in the RtI problem solving process used to determine instructional strategies for early childhood students reading below grade level? How do principals structure their own learning of early literacy within the context of their school? How do teachers perceive the principal’s support of the reading program? What do teachers have to say about the educational background and experience of their principal as those relate to the reading program and to the RtI process in their schools? To address these questions, I conducted semi-structured interviews with five elementary school principals employed in a large, urban district in South Carolina. I used
Using Theory and Evidence to Guide the Use of Educational Outreach to Improve Patient Care

Educational outreach is a common quality improvement (QI) strategy used alone and in combination with other interventions. However, a meta-analysis of educational outreach has failed to identify reasons for variation in its impact. To better understand such variation in findings, a more comprehensive set of characteristics about educational outreach is needed. This article describes the contribution that diffusion of innovations theory and evidence-based continuing education practices can make toward standardizing a set of characteristics to guide QI and research efforts using educational outreach. The article offers a set of characteristics and describes the implications of the set for research and QI efforts.
Some considerations of time delay estimation

The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it is to present further simulation results concerning the generalized cross correlation (GCC) method fer estimating the time delay between received signals at two or more sensors (receivers) when the source is fixed. The second purpose is to discuss some preliminary results related to extending the GCC approach for time delay estimation for the case of a moving source. The specific cases of the GCC approach considered in this paper are the standard cross correlation (SCC) method, the smoothed coherence transform (SCOT) method, and the approximate maximum likelihood (AML) method.
Corporate Entrepreneurship and the Pursuit of Competitive Advantage

This paper presents a theoretical exploration of the construct of corporate entrepreneurship. Of the various dimensions of firm-level entrepreneurial orientation identified in the literature, it is argued that innovation, broadly defined, is the single common theme underlying all forms of corporate entrepreneurship. However, the presence of innovation per se is insufficient to label a firm entrepreneurial. Rather, it is suggested that this label be reserved for firms that use innovation as a mechanism to redefine or rejuvenate themselves, their positions within markets and industries, or the competitive arenas in which they compete. A typology is presented of the forms in which corporate entrepreneurship is often manifested, and the robustness of this typology is assessed using criteria that have been proposed for evaluating classificational schemata. Theoretical linkages are then drawn demonstrating how each of the generic forms of corporate entrepreneurship may be a path to competitive advantage.
Irish and British Electricity Prices: What Recent History Implies for Future Prices

a. Energy Policy and Modelling Group, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork b. Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin c. Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin d. Electric Power Research Institute, Knoxville, TN e. Corresponding author: Economic and Social Research Institute; Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay; Dublin 2; Ireland. laura.malaguzzivaleri@esri.ie; tel. +353 1 863 2000.
Is There an International Convergence in Defence Burdens? Some Initial Findings

Abstract This paper examines whether or not there is convergence in defence burdens across the world. To this effect, σ-convergence and β-convergence methodologies are employed. The sample consists of 128 countries and covers the period 1988–2008. Initial findings reported herein point to a process of convergence in defence burdens possibly reflecting the emergence of defence policies that share similar characteristics at least in terms of the allocation of resources.
Vsx‐1 and Vsx‐2: Two Chx10‐like homeobox genes expressed in overlapping domains in the adult goldfish retina

The genetic linkages of the murine ocular retardation mutation with the Chx10 gene and the murine small eye mutation with the Pax‐6 gene has demonstrated the importance of Paired class homeobox genes in the development of the mammalian retina. Previously, we identified a Paired‐class homeobox gene, Vsx‐1, whose expression in the adult goldfish retina is restricted to the inner nuclear layer (INL) and to postmitotic, differentiating progenitor cells in the growth zone at the retinal peripheral margin, where neurogenesis continues throughout life. Here, we report the molecular cloning and expression pattern of a new Paired class homeobox gene, Vsx‐2, in the adult goldfish retina. Like Vsx‐1, Vsx‐2 expression is highly restricted to the retina in the adult goldfish and overlaps with Vsx‐1 expression in the mature INL. At the peripheral margin, Vsx‐2 is expressed in mitotically active neuronal progenitors and is downregulated as these cells become postmitotic and begin to differentiate. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of Vsx‐2, Vsx‐1, Chx10, and C. elegans ceh‐10 reveal a conserved homeodomain and a unique domain termed the CVC domain. The similarities of the Vsx‐2, Vsx‐1, and Chx10 expression patterns suggest that genes containing the CVC domain have conserved functions during retinal development in vertebrates. J. Comp. Neurol. 387:439–448, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of inequality changes through microeconometric decompositions. The case of Greater Buenos Aires

We apply a variant of the microeconometric decomposition methodology proposed in Bourguignon et al. (1998) to assess the relevance of various factors that affected inequality in the period 1986-1998 in the Greater Buenos Aires area. The results of the paper suggest that the small change in inequality between 1986 and 1992 was the result of mild forces that compensated each other. In contrast, between 1992 and 1998 nearly all factors had some role in increasing inequality to unprecedented levels. The increase in the returns to education, changes in endowments of unobservable factors and their remunerations, and the fall in hours of work by low-income people are particularly important to explain the growth in inequality in the nineties. In contrast, although Argentina witnessed dramatic changes in the gender wage gap, the unemployment rate and the educational structure, these factors appear to have had only a mild effect on the household income distribution.