Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antioxidant and cytoprotective properties of infusions from leaves and inflorescences of Achillea collina Becker ex Rchb.

Plants are the main source of molecules with antioxidant and radical scavenging properties that aid the natural defence systems of cells and may be involved in the preservation of human health, particularly preventing all the physiopathological conditions where oxidative damage is a hallmark. Achillea collina Becker ex Rchb. is a medicinal plant of the Achillea millefolium aggregate (yarrow) traditionally used, particularly in mountain areas, as an infusion or alcohol extract for its digestive, antiinflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic and wound healing properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant capacity and cytoprotective activity against oxidative stress of infusions obtained from the leaves and inflorescences of Achillea collina Becker ex Rchb. , assessed by chemical (free radical scavenging activity by DPPH and Folin Ciocalteu assay) and biological assays (in vitro model of cytotoxicity and lipid peroxidation in PC12 cells line). Infusions of leaves had the highest antioxidant properties and cytoprotective activity. The antioxidant capacity was significantly correlated with the total phenolic content but not with the cytoprotective profile. Achillea collina Becker ex Rchb. has good antioxidant and cytoprotective properties, suggesting further investigations on its chemical composition and potential health value, particularly for traditionally prepared infusions of leaves. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Congruence in reported frequency of parent-adolescent sexual health communication: A study from Mexico

Abstract Background: Most studies on parent-adolescent sexual health communication come from developed countries and are based on either parents’ or children’s reports. In developing countries, there is little evidence about the agreement among reports of all parties involved in parent-adolescent sexual health communication. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the congruence (agreement) between adolescents and their parents about how frequently they discuss on selected sexual health topics. Subjects: A total of 1606 parent-adolescent dyads of adolescents attending the first year in public high schools and their parents, in Morelos, Mexico were sampled in this study. Methods: The participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that included the frequency of parent-adolescent communication about eight sexual health topics. An ordinal logistic threshold model was used to estimate intra-class correlation coefficients within parent-adolescent dyads (as a measure of congruence) and to test if thresholds were equal between parents and adolescents. Results: Congruence in reported frequency of parent-adolescent sexual health communication ranged from 0.205 (menstruation) to 0.307 (condoms) for mother-adolescent dyads, and from 0.103 (ejaculation) to 0.380 (condoms) for father-adolescent dyads. The thresholds (i.e., the cutoff points that define the categories in the observed ordinal variable) differed between parents and adolescents for each of the sexual health topics explored (p<0.05 for father-adolescent dyads and p<0.001 for mother-adolescent dyads). Conclusion: Our findings suggest a low congruence between parents’ and adolescents’ reports on parent-adolescent sexual health communication. This might be due to interpretation of frequency and intensity of sexual health communication which differs between parents and adolescents.
Beyond the Last Touch: Attribution in Online Advertising

Online advertisers often utilize multiple publishers and bid in multiple auctions concurrently to deliver ads, a process which may result in externalities between publishers that impact advertising effectiveness. In conjunction with these externalities, uncertainty about consumer visit patterns may limit the advertiser's ability to optimize its campaigns.We define the attribution problem as the attempt to measure such uncertainties and correct for the externalities, and determine the characteristics of a good attribution process. Using an analytical model of an online campaign we show that publisher externalities will lead an advertiser to shift from truthful bidding in equilibrium, and that combined with uncertainty about consumer visits, its profits will be lowered. Our analysis of a common attribution method known as last-touch shows that it reduces advertiser profits compared to not using attribution at all, and that stronger advertisers suffer from a misallocation of consumer impressions due to overbidding for ads resulting from the attribution process. Our analysis of an attribution scheme based on the Shapley value shows that it will improve the profits of advertisers when conversion rates in the market are not too high.
High Glucose Solution and Spent Dialysate Stimulate the Synthesis of Transforming Growth Factor-β1 of Human Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells: Effect of Cytokine Costimulation

Objective To investigate the effect of high glucose and spent peritoneal dialysate on the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1) synthesis of cultured human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) and to examine the effect of costimulation with high glucose or spent dialysate, and cytokines, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) on TGFβ1 synthesis of HPMCs. Design HPMCs were exposed to different concentrations of glucose (30, 60, and 90 mmol/L) or spent peritoneal dialysate for 48 hours in the absence or presence of IL-1β (1 ng/mL) and TNFα (1 ng/mL). TGFβ1 mRNA expression was assessed by Northern blot analysis and TGFβ1 protein release by Western blot analysis and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Exposure of HPMCs to high glucose conditions (30, 60, and 90 mmol/L of D-glucose) induced 2.3-, 3.6-, and 4.0-fold increases in TGFβ1 mRNA expression of HPMC with enhanced TGFβ1 protein synthesis and secretion into the media, whereas there were no significant changes in TGFβ1 synthesis with equimolar concentrations of D-mannitol. Incubation with spent dialysate also significantly increased TGFβ1 mRNA expression and protein secretion compared to control media (p < 0.05). Stimulation with IL-1β (1 ng/mL) or TNFα (1 ng/mL) resulted in a significant increase in TGFβ1 mRNA expression after 48 hours: 2.7 and 2.1 times the control level, respectively. However, TNFα-induced increase in TGFβ1 mRNA expression was not translated into TGFβ1 protein secretion, while IL-1β stimulation induced a significant increase in TGFβ1 protein secretion as well as TGFβ1 mRNA expression. Combined stimulation by high glucose or spent dialysate, together with IL-1β or TNFα, showed a greater increase in TGFβ1 mRNA expression and protein secretion compared to stimulation by high glucose or spent dialysate alone. Conclusion Our results clearly show that high glucose solution and spent dialysate themselves might be sufficient to stimulate the production of TGFβ1 by peritoneal mesothelial cells. In peritoneal dialysis patients, this state of chronic induction of TGFβ1 is further exacerbated in the presence of peritonitis because of the stimulatory effect of proinflammatory cytokines, resulting in augmented TGFβ1 synthesis, thus promoting peritoneal fibrosis.
Immunoglobulins from motoneurone disease patients enhance glutamate release from rat hippocampal neurones in culture

1 The whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique was used to study the effects of immunoglobulins (IgGs) from patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on spontaneous glutamatergic currents in rat hippocampal cells in culture. 2 Focal application of ALS IgGs (100 μg ml−1) to hippocampal cells induced a rise in frequency but not in amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (SEPSC) which outlasted the period of IgG application. The mean frequency ratio (ALS over control) was 3.2 ± 0.6 (n. 19). No changes in frequency or amplitude of SEPSCs were observed after treatment with IgGs obtained from healthy donors (n=5) or from patients with Alzheimer's disease (n=4). 3 ALS IgGs also increased the frequency (by a factor of 2.0 ± 0.3) but not the amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSC) recorded in the presence of TTX (n=19). A rise in frequency of mEPSC was also seen in cells superfused with a calcium‐free solution (n=4). 4 In the presence of TTX, ALS IgGs did not modify the amplitude or the shape of currents evoked by AMPA (100 μm), recorded at a holding potential of −50 mV. 5 It is concluded that ALS IgGs enhance both SEPSCs and mEPSCs through a presynaptic type of action. The excessive release of glutamate from nerve endings may be the cause of motoneurone death in ALS patients.
Handbook of coping : theory, research, applications

Partial table of contents: CONCEPTUAL ISSUES. Coping and Defense: A Historical Overview (J. Parker & N. Endler). Personality and Coping: A Reconceptualization (P. Costa, et al.). ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH METHODS. The Interplay Among Design, Data Analysis, and Theory in the Measurement of Coping (J. Benson & K. Hagtvet). An Approach to Assessing Daily Coping (L. Porter & A. Stone). FACETS OF COPING. Coping in Occupational Settings (S. Cartwright & C. Cooper). Coping with Chronic Pain (J. Katz, et al.). Coping with Multiple Stressors in the Environment (S. Lepore & G. Evans). INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. Individual Differences in Coping (H. Krohne). Age Differences, Coping, and the Adult Life Span (S. Strack & H. Feifel). CLINICAL PARAMETERS: ADAPTIVE COPING AND INTERVENTIONS. Adaptative and Maladaptative Coping (M. Zeidner & D. Saklofske). Facilitating Coping with Chronic Physical Illness (G. Devins & Y. Binik). Indexes.
On the Achievable Rate of Stationary Rayleigh Flat-Fading Channels With Gaussian Inputs

In this work, a discrete-time stationary Rayleigh flat-fading channel with unknown channel state information at transmitter and receiver side is studied. The law of the channel is presumed to be known to the receiver. For independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) zero-mean proper Gaussian input distributions, the achievable rate is investigated. The main contribution of this paper is the derivation of two new upper bounds on the achievable rate with Gaussian input symbols. One of these bounds is based on the one-step channel prediction error variance but is not restricted to peak power constrained input symbols like known bounds. Moreover, it is shown that Gaussian inputs yield the same pre-log as the peak power constrained capacity. The derived bounds are compared with a known lower bound on the capacity given by Deng and Haimovich and with bounds on the peak power constrained capacity given by Sethuraman et al. Finally, the achievable rate with i.i. d. Gaussian input symbols is compared to the achievable rate using a coherent detection in combination with a solely pilot-based channel estimation.
Alternative Volatility Models for Pricing European Currency Options

This paper focuses on modeling foreign exchange return behavior that would result in more accurate currency options pricing. These alternative approaches namely, implied volatility model (IVM), realized volatility model (RVM) and GARCH (1,1) volatility model (GVM) are used in this study. The results, in general suggest that RVM outperforms both IVM and GVM in pricing currency options. In-sample, there is no significant difference between IVM and GVM, but GVM performs better in pricing options than IVM out-of sample. An implication of our findings is that the traders can use the RVM for high-frequency intra-day data to exploit significant information for pricing next trading day options more accurately.
Integrated Model Predictive Traffic and Emission Control Using a Piecewise-Affine Approach

This paper addresses the computational intractability of traffic control when applying the integrated METANET freeway traffic model and the VT-macro emission model in a model-based predictive control (MPC) framework. To facilitate real-time implementation, a piecewise-affine (PWA) approximation of the nonlinear METANET model is proposed. While a direct MPC approach based on the full PWA model is intractable for online applications, a conversion to a mixed-logical dynamical (MLD) model description is made instead. The resulting MLD-MPC problem, which is written as a mixed-integer linear program (MILP), can be solved much more efficiently as it does not explicitly state all model equations for each particular region. As a benchmark, the computational efficiency and accuracy of the MLD-MPC approach is tested on a case study including variable speed limits and a metered on-ramp while optimizing the total time spent (TTS) and taking into account emissions and fuel consumption of the vehicles. The performance is evaluated against the original nonlinear and nonconvex MPC problem and shows an improved computational speed at the cost of some deviation in the cost function values.
Investigating Compliance with Standard Precautions During Residency Physicians in Gynecology and Obstetrics

OBJECTIVES: Physician compliance with standard precautions is important in the specialty of gynecology and obstetrics because of the high frequency of invasive procedures. The current study investigated compliance with standard precautions among resident physicians working in gynecology and obstetrics. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among resident physicians in gynecology and obstetrics in their first (R1), second (R2) and third (R3) years of residency at a teaching hospital in a city in São Paulo. A structured questionnaire that included demographic and professional aspects and the Standard Precautions Adherence Scale were used to collect data. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM® SPSS version 20. Ethical aspects were considered. RESULTS: Fifty-eight resident physicians participated in the study. Of the enrolled participants, 27 (46.6%) were in R1, 12 (20.7%) were in R2 and 19 (32.8%) were in R3. The standard precautions compliance score was 4.1, which was classified as intermediate. There were no significant differences in the compliance scores of the resident physicians across the three years of residency (H=2.34, p=0.310). CONCLUSION: Compliance with standard precautions among resident physicians was intermediate. Preventive measures in clinical practice are not fully adopted in the specialty of gynecology and obstetrics. More important, many professionals claimed lack of sufficient training in standard precautions in the workplace. Such circumstances should draw the attention of hospital management with regard to occupational health risks.
Making sense of mistakes in managerial careers

Purpose – The paper provides initial findings on the causes and consequences of problematic mid‐career work‐role transitions – self‐reported career mistakes described by individuals in terms of a mismatch between expectations and reality.Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory study uses in‐depth interviews based on critical incident technique (CIT) to elicit accounts of problematic work‐role transitions.Findings – Participants reported mismatches arose because their expectations were based on their prior experience, rather than upon information provided by the organisation during the course of the recruitment process. These mismatches stimulated very active sense making on the part of participants, largely focused on finding ways to make their continuation in the role tolerable.Research limitations/implications – The present study, which is exploratory in nature, involved a small sample size, and the use of retrospective accounts. The findings are therefore preliminary and may not be representativ.
Predictors of utilisation of dental care services in a nationally representative sample of adults.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to identify the predictors of utilisation of dental care services in Ireland. PARTICIPANTS The 2007 Irish Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition is a cross-sectional study, conducted in 2006/2007 (n = 10,364), by interviews at home to a representative sample of adults aged 18 years or over. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the influence of socioeconomic, predisposing and enabling factors on the odds of males and females having a dental visit in the past year. RESULTS The significant predictors of visiting the dentist in the past year were for males: having 3rd level education, employment status, earning 50,000 euros or more, location of residence, use of a car, brushing frequently, and dentition status. For females, the predictors were being between 25-34 or 55-64 years-old, education level, earning 50,000 euros or more, location of residence, use of a car, brushing frequently and dentition status. CONCLUSIONS Predictors of the use of dental services vary by gender. Predictors common to both genders were education level, higher income, location of residence, use of a car, brushing frequently and dentition status. Many of the predictors of dental visiting in the past year are also related to social inequalities in health. These predictors may be useful markers of impact for policies designed to address inequalities in access to oral health services.
Cycle Life Modeling of Lithium-Ion Batteries

A first-principles-based charge-discharge model was developed to simulate the capacity fade of Li-ion batteries. The model is based on the loss of active lithium ions due to solvent reduction reaction and on the rise of the anode film resistance. The effect of parameters such as exchange current density, depth of discharge (DOD), end of charge voltage, film resistance, and the overvoltage of parasitic reaction were studied quantitatively. The model controls the required DOD by controlling the discharge time and estimates the end of discharge voltages as a function of cycle number.
Antitumor Effects of Combining Docetaxel (Taxotere) with the Antivascular Action of Ultrasound Stimulated Microbubbles

Ultrasound stimulated microbubbles (USMB) are being investigated for their potential to promote the uptake of anticancer agents into tumor tissue by exploiting their ability to enhance microvascular permeability. At sufficiently high ultrasound transmit amplitudes it has also recently been shown that USMB treatments can, on their own, induce vascular damage, shutdown blood flow, and inhibit tumor growth. The objective of this study is to examine the antitumor effects of ‘antivascular’ USMB treatments in conjunction with chemotherapy, which differs from previous work which has sought to enhance drug uptake with USMBs by increasing vascular permeability. Conceptually this is a strategy similar to combining vascular disrupting agents with a chemotherapy, and we have selected the taxane docetaxel (Taxotere) for evaluating this approach as it has previously been shown to have potent antitumor effects when combined with small molecule vascular disrupting agents. Experiments were conducted on PC3 tumors implanted in athymic mice. USMB treatments were performed at a frequency of 1 MHz employing sequences of 50 ms bursts (0.00024 duty cycle) at 1.65 MPa. USMB treatments were administered on a weekly basis for 4 weeks with docetaxel (DTX) being given intravenously at a dose level of 5 mg/kg. The USMB treatments, either alone or in combination with DTX, induced an acute reduction in tumor perfusion which was accompanied at the 24 hour point by significantly enhanced necrosis and apoptosis. Longitudinal experiments showed a modest prolongation in survival but no significant growth inhibition occurred in DTX–only and USMB-only treatment groups relative to control tumors. The combined USMB-DTX treatment group produced tumor shrinkage in weeks 4–6, and significant growth inhibition and survival prolongation relative to the control (p<0.001), USMB-only (p<0.01) and DTX-only treatment groups (p<0.01). These results suggest the potential of enhancing the antitumor activity of docetaxel by combining it with antivascular USMB effects.
Factors Influencing Quality of Life in Older Women With Heart Disease

Background.Better understanding of factors influencing the quality of life (QOL) of cardiac patients can guide treatment decisions. Objectives.To describe the impact of clinical and psychosocial factors on the QOL of older women with heart disease. Research design. Baseline and 12-month data from women participating in an intervention study. Subjects.Eligible participants, identified from medical records, were female, ≥60 years of age, and diagnosed with cardiac disease. A volunteer sample of 570 women (87% white) completed baseline interviews, with 485 women completing the 12-month assessment. Measures.Utilizing Wilson and Cleary’s conceptual framework (1995), measures of clinical, psychosocial, and functional status were examined for their associations with QOL. Results.At baseline, General Health Perceptions and Symptom Status accounted for 38% and 26%, respectively, of the variation in the QOL rating. Using logistic regression models, seven measures were significant predictors (P <0.05) of maintenance/improvement versus decline in QOL over 12 months: baseline QOL rating; baseline value and change in satisfaction with social activities over 12 months; change in satisfaction with physical activities; change in satisfaction with mental activities; and baseline value and change in perceived stress. For women who maintained or improved their satisfaction with social activities, the odds for also maintaining or improving QOL were 4.5 times the odds for women whose satisfaction with social activities deteriorated. Conclusions.Satisfaction with social activities and perceived stress are important predictors of subsequent QOL. Consideration of the impact of treatments on these factors may help to prevent deterioration of QOL among older female cardiac patients.
The Impact of Different Antibiotic Regimens on the Emergence of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria

Backgroud The emergence and ongoing spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria is a major public health threat. Infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are associated with substantially higher rates of morbidity and mortality compared to infections caused by antimicrobial-susceptible bacteria. The emergence and spread of these bacteria is complex and requires incorporating numerous interrelated factors which clinical studies cannot adequately address. Methods/Principal Findings A model is created which incorporates several key factors contributing to the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria including the effects of the immune system, acquisition of resistance genes and antimicrobial exposure. The model identifies key strategies which would limit the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial strains. Specifically, the simulations show that early initiation of antimicrobial therapy and combination therapy with two antibiotics prevents the emergence of resistant bacteria, whereas shorter courses of therapy and sequential administration of antibiotics promote the emergence of resistant strains. Conclusions/Significance The principal findings suggest that (i) shorter lengths of antibiotic therapy and early interruption of antibiotic therapy provide an advantage for the resistant strains, (ii) combination therapy with two antibiotics prevents the emergence of resistance strains in contrast to sequential antibiotic therapy, and (iii) early initiation of antibiotics is among the most important factors preventing the emergence of resistant strains. These findings provide new insights into strategies aimed at optimizing the administration of antimicrobials for the treatment of infections and the prevention of the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.