Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacodynamic evaluation of intragastric pH and implications for famotidine dosing in the prophylaxis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug induced gastropathy—a proof of concept analysis

Abstract Objective: Famotidine given at a dose of 80 mg/day is effective in preventing NSAID-induced gastropathy. The aim of this proof of concept study was to compare twice a day (BID) vs 3-times a day (TID) administration of this total dose of famotidine on intragastric pH in healthy volunteers. Research design and methods: Two analyses were undertaken: (1) a 13 subject controlled cross-over 24-h intragastric pH evaluation of the BID and TID administration of 80 mg/day of famotidine, as well as measures for drug accumulation over 5 days (EudraCT, number 2006-002930-39); and (2) a pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) model which predicted steady-state famotidine plasma concentrations and pH of the two regimens. Results: For the cross-over study, gastric pH was above 3.5 for a mean of 20 min longer for TID dosing compared to BID dosing on Day 1. On Day 5, the mean time above this threshold was higher with the BID regimen by ∼25 min. For pH 4, subjects’ gastric pH was above this pH value for a mean of 25 min longer for TID dosing compared to BID dosing on Day 1. For Day 5, the pH was above 4 for ∼45 min longer with the TID regimen as compared with the BID regimen. The mean 24-h gastric pH values when taken in the upright position trended higher for the TID dosing period compared to the BID regimen on Day 1. The steady-state simulation model indicated that, following TID dosing, intragastric pH will be above 3 for 24 h vs 16 h for the BID regimen. There was no evidence for plasma accumulation of famotidine with TID dosing as compared to BID dosing from either analysis. Conclusion: The data indicate that overall more time is spent above the acidic threshold pH values when 80 mg/day of famotidine is administered TID vs BID. Key limitations included small study size with a short duration and lack of a baseline examination, but was compensated for by the cross-over and PK/PD modeling design. Although most of the comparisons in this proof of concept study were not statistically significant these results have important implications for future research on gastric acid lowering agents used for the prevention of NSAID-induced gastropathy.
LIABILITIES: A CRITIQUE

The author reviews the positions of major accounting and actuarial bodies on the issue of whether the holder’s own credit standing should be reflected in the fair value of its liabilities, identifying certain anomalies, both in the current GAAP treatment of debt and in the FASB approach to the fair valuation of liabilities. He also examines the treatment in financial theory of risk capital in the case of unsecured debt. An alternative approach is proposed, stressing the need for an objective valuation standard based solely on contractual terms and ambient economic conditions, and yielding readily interpretable public information. Finally, he reviews the probable consequences if, as seems likely, the FASB approach prevails, or, as seems unlikely, the views advocated here prevail.
EFFICACY OF MULTIMEDIA TEACHING INSTRUCTION IN ELEMENTARY MANDARIN CLASS

This study sought to assess the effects of using multimedia teaching instruction versus traditional classroom instruction method on students’ Elementary Mandarin achievement in a branch campus of a public university in Malaysia. The duration of this study covered one semester (December 2007 – April 2008) and quasi-experimental design (post-test only) was used. The samples consisted of two classes of Elementary Mandarin Level II in the branch campus; one class as the control group (n=31) and the other class as the experimental group (n=34). Independence Sample T-test results showed that the students who were taught using multimedia teaching instruction demonstrated significantly higher achievement than that of the traditional classroom instruction. Additional data gathered from face-to-face interviews with a few students indicated that the students showed positive attitude and liked to learn Mandarin through multimedia teaching instruction. They indicated that their learning outcomes are more beneficial, effective and enjoyable compared to the conventional teaching.
Tidal and rotational effects in the perturbations of hierarchical triple stellar systems. II. Eccentric systems : the case of AS Camelopardalis

Aims. We study the perturbations of a relatively close third star o n a tidally distorted eccentric eclipsing binary. We consid er both the observational consequences of the variations of the orbital elements and the interactions of the stellar rotation w ith the orbital revolution in the presence of dissipation. We concentrate mainly on the effect of a hypothetical third companion on both the real, and the observed apsidal motion period. We investigate how the observed period derived mainly from some variants of the O‐C relates to the real apsidal motion period. Methods. We carried out both analytical and numerical investigations and give the time variations of the orbital elements of the binary both in the dynamical and the observational reference frames. We give the direct analytical form of an eclipsing O‐C affected simultaneously by the mutual tidal forces and the gravitational i nteractions with a tertiary. We also integrated numericall y simultaneously the orbital and rotational equations for the possible hiera rchical triple stellar system AS Camelopardalis. Results. We find that there is a significant domain of the possible hiera rchical triple system configurations, where both the dynami cal and the observational effects tend to measure longer apsidal advance rate than is expected theoretically. This happens when the mutual inclination of the close and the wide orbits is large, and the orbital plane of the tertiary almost coincides with the plan e of the sky. We also obtain new numerical results on the interaction of the orbital evolution and stellar rotation in such triplets. The most important fact is that resonances might occur as the stellar rotational rat e varies during the dissipation-driven synchronization pr ocess, for example in the case when the rotational rate of one of the stars reache s the average Keplerian angular velocity of the orbital revolution.
On Patent Licensing in Spatial Competition

We consider the optimal licensing strategy of an outsider patentee as well as an insider patentee in a linear city framework where firms compete in price. We show that offering royalty is best for an outsider patentee for both drastic and non-drastic innovations. For an insider patentee, offering no license is the best when the innovation is drastic, while royalty is optimal when the innovation is non-drastic. The incentive for innovation is higher for an outsider patentee compared to an insider patentee. The overall increase in welfare due to an innovation is the same for both outsider and insider patentees.
Marketing: Concepts and Strategies (6th ed.)

Perfect for students of all backgrounds and interest levels, the sixth edition of Dibb, Simkin, Pride and Ferrell's Marketing: Concepts and Strategies combines a thorough overview of essential marketing principles, concepts and strategies with a visually-engaging, reader-friendly presentation. The text takes students beyond the marketing mix, to recognize that in addition to producing and executing marketing programs, the marketing philosophy can add much strategic direction and market insight to an organization's strategizing. The world for marketers has gone digital, consumers communicate readily with each other via social media, marketing has become more aligned to ethical, responsible and sustainability issues and marketing as an academic discipline has become more critical and reflective. All these developments are key themes in this new edition.
Observation of the Mating Behavior of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Queens Using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID): Factors Influencing the Duration and Frequency of Nuptial Flights

We used radio-frequency identification (RFID) to record the duration and frequency of nuptial flights of honey bee queens (Apis mellifera carnica) at two mainland mating apiaries. We investigated the effect of a number of factors on flight duration and frequency: mating apiary, number of drone colonies, queen’s age and temperature. We found significant differences between the two locations concerning the number of flights on the first three days. We also observed an effect of the ambient temperature, with queens flying less often but longer at high temperatures compared to lower temperatures. Increasing the number of drone colonies from 33 to 80 colonies had no effect on the duration or on the frequency of nuptial flights. Since our results agree well with the results of previous studies, we suggest RFID as an appropriate tool to investigate the mating behavior of honey bee queens.
Gasoline and Diesel Consumption for Road Transport in Spain: a Dynamic Panel Data Approach

Using a panel data set for Spanish regions between 1998 and 2006, we study the factors explaining per capita fuel consumption for road transport at the macroeconomic level. The contributions of the article are the following. First, we specify a dynamic panel data (DPD) model for gasoline and diesel consumption. Second, we properly apply estimation techniques based on the system Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM) procedure of Arellano and Bover (1995). We find that more traditional estimation procedures (pooling-OLS, the Within-Group or the first difference GMM), which might generate bias estimate in a DPD framework, produce important differences that may even change policy recommendations. Finally, we find important differences between the results for the gasoline and the diesel model. While the estimated equation correctly fits the gasoline consumption behavior, results emphasizes the need to specify a different model for aggregate diesel consumption, which must include aditional determinants than those traditionally used in fuel consumption models.
An Empirical Evaluation of Enterprise and SATA-Based Transactional Solid-State Drives

In most file systems, performance is usually sacrificed in exchange for crash consistency, which ensures that data and metadata are restored consistently in the event of a system crash. To escape this trade-off between performance and crash consistency, recent researchers designed and implemented the transactional functionality inside Solid State Drives (SSDs). However, in order to investigate its benefit in a more realistic and standard fashion, this scheme should be re-evaluated in enterprise storage with standard interface. This paper explores the challenges and implications of a transactional SSD with extensive experiments. To evaluate the potential benefit of transactional SSD, we design and implement the transaction functionality in Samsung enterprise-class and SATA-based SSD (i.e., SM843TN) and name it TxSSD. We then modify the existing file systems (i.e., ext4 and btrfs) on topof TxSSD, making both file systems crash-consistent without redundant writes. We perform performance evaluation of two filesystems by using file I/O and OLTP benchmarks with a database. We also disclose and analyze the overhead of transactional functionality inside SSD. The experimental results show that TxSSD-aware file systems exhibit better performance compared to crash-consistent modes (i.e., data journaling mode of ext4 and cow mode of btrfs) but worse performance compared to weak consistent modes (i.e., ordered mode of ext4 and no datacow mode of btrfs).
Verification of Intraovum Transmission of a Microsporidium of Vertebrates: Pseudoloma neurophilia Infecting the Zebrafish, Danio rerio

Direct transmission from parents to offspring, referred to as vertical transmission, occurs within essentially all major groups of pathogens. Several microsporidia (Phylum Microsporidia) that infect arthropods employ this mode of transmission, and various lines of evidence have suggested this might occur with certain fish microsporidia. The microsporidium, Pseudoloma neurophilia, is a common pathogen of the laboratory zebrafish, Danio rerio. We previously verified that this parasite is easily transmitted horizontally, but previous studies also indicated that maternal transmission occurs. We report here direct observation of Pseudoloma neurophilia in the progeny of infected zebrafish that were reared in isolation, including microscopic visualization of the parasite in all major stages of development. Histological examination of larval fish reared in isolation from a group spawn showed microsporidian spores in the resorbing yolk sac of a fish. Infections were also observed in three of 36 juvenile fish. Eggs from a second group spawn of 30 infected fish were examined using a stereomicroscope and the infection was observed from 4 to 48 hours post-fertilization in two embryos. Intraovum infections were detected in embryos from 4 of 27 pairs of infected fish that were spawned based on qPCR detection of P. neurophilia DNA. The prevalence of intraovum infections from the four spawns containing infected embryos was low (∼1%) based on calculation of prevalence using a maximum likelihood analysis for pooled samples. Parasite DNA was detected in the water following spawning of 11 of the infected pairs, suggesting there was also potential for extraovum transmission in these spawning events. Our study represents the first direct observation of vertical transmission within a developing embryo of a microsporidian parasite in a vertebrate. The low prevalence of vertical transmission in embryos is consistent with observations of some other fish pathogens that are also readily transmitted by both vertical and horizontal routes.
Effect of Moderate Physical Training on Left Ventricular Mass in Mild Hypertensive Persons

Exercise might reduce blood pressure in mild essential hypertensive individuals, but it could raise left ventricular mass, counteracting the beneficial effects induced by a decrease in blood pressure. Seventeen (group 1) of 25 mild hypertensive patients, nonresponders to a 3-month low sodium diet (2 g/day), were admitted into a physical training program consisting of three weekly sessions of aerobics (20 minutes), bicycling at prefixed loads (20 minutes), and induced muscular relaxation (10 minutes). They were compared with 15 mild hypertensive patients (group 2), nonresponders to the low sodium diet who remained untrained. The follow-up lasted 15.7±5.8 months. There were significant blood pressure decreases in group 1 at rest (155 ±9.8/101 ±3.3 vs. 136±8.1/86±6.6 mm Hg, p < 0.001) and at maximal effort (219±27.4/119±14.4 vs. l%±21.8/101±10.5 mm Hg, p < 0.001). Maximal work capacity increased from 758.8±256.7 to 944.1±203.8 kpm (/x 0.001). Echocardiographic left ventricular mass index tended to decrease (137.8±36.3 vs. 125.4±29.9 g/m2, p=NS), without any significant modification of either left ventricular volume index or left ventricular shortening fraction. No significant changes occurred in group 2. There was no correlation between blood pressure and left ventricular mass changes and left ventricular shortening fraction and left ventricular mass index changes. According to these results, it seems prudent to prescribe physical training to mild hypertensive patients because it does not induce left ventricular mass increases. The reduction of left ventricular mass did not correlate with blood pressure decreases, suggesting that several factors other than the reduction of left ventricular afterload might be involved.
Donitriptan Selectively Decreases Jugular Venous Oxygen Saturation in the Anesthetized Pig: Further Insights into Its Mechanism of Action Relevant to Headache Relief

The effects of donitriptan on systemic arterial-jugular venous oxygen saturation difference were evaluated in pentobarbitone-anesthetized pigs. Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressures in systemic arterial and jugular venous blood as well as hemoglobin oxygen saturation were determined by conventional blood gas analysis. Vehicle (40% polyethyleneglycol in saline, n = 9) or donitriptan (0.01, 0.04, 0.16, 0.63, 2.5, 10, and 40 μg/kg, n= 7) were cumulatively infused over 15 min/dose. The involvement of 5-hydroxytryptamine1B (5-HT1B) receptors was assessed in the presence of the 5-HT1B/1D receptor antagonist, GR 127935. Donitriptan decreased markedly and dose dependently jugular venous oxygen saturation [ED50 0.5 (0.3–1.1) μg/kg], in parallel with increases in carotid vascular resistance [ED50 0.9 (0.7–1.1) μg/kg]. Since arterial oxygen saturation and partial pressure remained unchanged, donitriptan significantly increased arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference from 0.63 μg/kg (maximal variation: 57 ± 18%, P< 0.05 compared with vehicle). Unexpectedly, donitriptan from 2.5 μg/kg induced marked and significant increases in carbon dioxide partial pressure (pVCO2) in venous blood (maximal increase 18.8 ± 5.7%; P < 0.05 compared with vehicle). Pretreatment with GR 127935 (0.63 mg/kg,n = 5) abolished the fall in venous oxygen saturation and the increase in carotid vascular resistance and reduced the increases in pVCO2 induced by donitriptan. The results demonstrate that donitriptan, via 5-HT1B receptor activation, decreases the oxygen saturation of venous blood draining the head, concomitantly with cranial vasoconstriction. Since donitriptan also increased pVCO2, an effect upon cerebral oxygen consumption and metabolism is suggested in addition to cranial vasoconstriction, which may be relevant to its headache-relieving effects.
Civic Life Online : Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth

Young people today have grown up living substantial portions of their lives online, seeking entertainment, social relationships, and a place to express themselves. It is clear that participation in online communities is important for many young people, but less clear how this translates into civic or political engagement. This volume examines the relationship of online action and real-world politics. The contributors discuss not only how online networks might inspire conventional political participation but also how creative uses of digital technologies are expanding the boundaries of politics and public issues. Do protests in gaming communities, music file sharing, or fan petitioning of music companies constitute political behavior? Do the communication skills and patterns of action developed in these online activities transfer to such offline realms as voting and public protests? Civic Life Online describes the many forms of civic life online that could predict a generation's political behavior.ContributorsMarina Umaschi Bers, Stephen Coleman, Jennifer Earl, Kirsten Foot, Peter Levine, Kathryn C. Montgomery, Kate Raynes-Goldie, Howard Rheingold, Allen Schussman, Luke Walker, Michael XenosW. Lance Bennett is Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication and Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington.
Agriculture, Income Risks and Rural Poverty Dynamics: Strategies of Smallholder Producers in Kenya

Poverty in Kenya has been on the increase over the last decade. It is estimated that 56% of the total population live in absolute poverty. Most of the poor reside in rural areas where agriculture is the main livelihood activity. Majority of Kenya's farmers are smallholders. They account for 75% of the total agricultural output and about 70% of marketed agricultural produce. The fate of smallholder agriculture in this country is therefore central to poverty reduction. A collapse in output and incomes from smallholder agriculture is likely to have damaging welfare effects and retard pro-poor economic growth. Smallholders often operate in a risky environment, which affects the level and variability of household resource endowments and income. The importance of risk analysis in smallholder production systems arises from the fact that strategies to help farmers raise their productivity and income require an understanding of how risk affects their production decisions. Using cross-sectional input-output data from 240 randomly selected households from Vihiga and Kilifi districts covering the 2003/4 agricultural year, and time series data on yields, this study investigates how risk affects farmers' production choices in the crop-livestock systems. Further, it explores the possibility of improving production and income on these smallholder farms. Linear programming and MOTAD are used in analysis. Results indicate there is potential to improve production and income on these smallholder farms through a change in the enterprise mix. The farm plans are sensitive to risk, with trade-offs occurring between higher risk and returns.
The Impact of Link Error Modeling on the Quality of Streamed Video in Wireless Networks

The influence of channel error characteristics on higher layer protocols or methods which are considering or even exploiting the error statistics is significant especially in wireless networks where fading and interference effects result in error pattern correlation properties (error bursts). In this work we are analysing the impact of the channel properties directly on the quality of streamed video. We are focusing on the quality of transmitted H.264/AVC video streaming over UMTS DCH (Dedicated Channel) and compare the quality of the streamed video simulated over measured link error traces (the measurements performed in a live UMTS network) to simulations with a memoryless channel and to models with enhanced error characteristics. The results show that appropriate modeling of the link layer error characteristics is very important but it can also be concluded that the error correlation properties of the link- or the network-layer model do not have an impact on the quality of the video stream as long as the resulting IP packet error probability remains unchanged.
Targeted dendrotomy reveals active and passive contributions of the dendritic tree to synaptic integration and neuronal output

Neurons typically function as transduction devices, converting patterns of synaptic inputs, received on the dendrites, into trains of output action potentials in the axon. This transduction process is surprisingly complex and has been proposed to involve a two-way dialogue between axosomatic and dendritic compartments that can generate mutually interacting regenerative responses. To manipulate this process, we have developed a new approach for rapid and reversible occlusion or amputation of the primary dendrites of individual neurons in brain slices. By applying these techniques to cerebellar Purkinje and layer 5 cortical pyramidal neurons, we show directly that both the active and passive properties of dendrites differentially affect firing in the axon depending on the strength of stimulation. For weak excitation, dendrites act as a passive electrical load, raising spike threshold and dampening axonal excitability. For strong excitation, dendrites contribute regenerative inward currents, which trigger burst firing and enhance neuronal excitability. These findings provide direct support for the idea that dendritic morphology and conductances act in concert to regulate the excitability of the neuron.