Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Weekly versus basic smoking cessation support in primary care: a randomised controlled trial

Background: There is insufficient and conflicting evidence about whether more intensive behavioural support is more effective than basic behavioural support for smoking cessation and whether primary care nurses can deliver effective behavioural support. Methods: A randomised controlled trial was performed in 26 UK general practices. 925 smokers of ⩾10 cigarettes per day were randomly allocated to basic or weekly support. All participants were seen before quitting, telephoned around quit day, and seen 1 and 4 weeks after the initial appointment (basic support). Participants receiving weekly support had an additional telephone call at 10 days and 3 weeks after the initial appointment and an additional visit at 2 weeks to motivate adherence to nicotine replacement and renew quit attempts. 15 mg/16 h nicotine patches were given to all participants. The outcome was assessed by intention to treat analyses of the percentage confirmed sustained abstinence at 4, 12, 26 and 52 weeks after quit day. Results: Of the 469 and 456 participants in the basic and weekly arms, the numbers (%) who quit and the percentage difference were 105 (22.4%) vs 102 (22.4%), 0.1% (95% CI −5.3% to 5.5%) at 4 weeks, 66 (14.1%) vs 52 (11.4%), −2.6% (95% CI −6.9% to 1.7%) at 12 weeks, 50 (10.7%) vs 40 (8.8%), −1.9% (95% CI −5.7% to 2.0%) at 26 weeks and 36 (7.7%) vs 30 (6.6%), −1.1% (95% CI −4.4% to 2.3%) at 52 weeks. Conclusions: The absolute quit rates achieved are those expected from nicotine replacement alone, implying that neither basic nor weekly support were effective. Primary care smoking cessation treatment should provide pharmacotherapy with sufficient support only to ensure it is used appropriately, and those in need of support should be referred to specialists.
Partially-connected hybrid precoding in mm-wave systems with dynamic phase shifter networks

Hybrid precoding is a cost-effective approach to support directional transmissions for millimeter wave (mm-wave) communications, and its design challenge mainly lies in the analog component which consists of a network of phase shifters. The partially-connected structure employs a small number of phase shifters and therefore serves as an energy efficient solution for hybrid precoding. In this paper, we propose a DOUBLE PHASE SHIFTER (DPS) implementation for the phase shifter network in the partially-connected structure, which allows more tractable and flexible hybrid precoder design. In particular, the hybrid precoder design is identified as an eigenvalue problem. To further enhance the performance, dynamic mapping from radio frequency (RF) chains to antennas is proposed, for which a greedy algorithm and a modified K-means algorithm are developed. Simulation results demonstrate the performance gains of the proposed hybrid precoding algorithms with the DPS implementation over existing ones. Given its low hardware complexity and high spectral efficiency, the proposed structure is a promising candidate for 5G mm-wave systems.
Curbing corruption, financial development and income inequality

In recent years, many of the Commonwealth countries have experienced a reduction in income inequalities due to the development of financial markets and intermediaries. At the same time, widespread corruption among public officials, civil servants, or politicians from these countries have been well documented. A key public policy question is whether the return to financial sector development at the level of massive corruption, exacerbate income inequality, offsetting the benefits of financial development. Using a panel data of 30 Commonwealth countries over the period of 1995–2008, it is found that the high rates of corruption in the Commonwealth countries are crowding out the return to financial development. The return to financial development on income inequality, at the level of higher corruption, are positive for all countries and significantly larger for the low- and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries, which suggest that the complementary nature of policies that simultaneously reduce corruption and promote financial development have a greater impact in reducing income inequality than implementing these policies separately.
[Prevention of pericardial adhesions with a bioresorbable membrane].

A bioresorbable membrane made of sodium hyaluronate and carboxymethycellulose, has been reported to prevent peritoneal adhesion. This study was designed to test its efficiency in the prevention of pericardial adhesions. Two groups of six pigs (mean weight 72 +/- 8 kg) were chosen for the experiment. The heart was exposed through a left thoracotomy and a wide patch of pericardium was excised. In the test group (n = 6), the left ventricular area without pericardium was divided into two areas: area A where six stitches of Prolene were performed, and area B which was left intact. The membrane was applied on the both areas as well as on the adjacent area covered with pericardium (area C). In the control group (n = 6), the same protocol was performed except for the membrane application. The animals were sacrificed one month later. The adhesion status as well as the visibility of the coronary anatomy was assessed according to severity scores ranging from 0 to 3 for the adhesions and from 0 to 2 for the visibility. The difference between groups was considered significant when p < 0.05. The adhesion score of the area A was 1.7 +/- 0.5 in the test group versus 2.5 +/- 0.5 in the control group (p = 0.02) and the visibility score was 1.3 +/- 0.8 and 2 +/- 0 respectively (p = 0.07). In the area B, the adhesion score was 1 +/- 0 in the test group versus 2 +/- 0.6 in the control group (p = 0.03) and the visibility score was 0.7 +/- 0.5 and 2 +/- 0 respectively (p = 0.001). Lastly, in the area C, the adhesion score was 1 +/- 0 in both groups (n.s.) and the visibility score was 0.7 +/- 0.4 in the test group versus 0.5 +/- 0.5 in the control group (n.s.). In this animal model, the role of the bioresorbable membrane in the prevention of pericardial adhesions is limited to the areas without pericardial cover and without foreign material. The presence of foreign material neutralizes its effect.
EU Delegation and Agency in International Trade Negotiations: A Cautionary Comparison

The principal-agent (PA) approach is increasingly used to explain how and why the EU formulates its trade policy and engages in international trade negotiations. This article evaluates the utility of PA in trade policy through a comparative analysis of the EU's participation in two different international negotiations: the International Competition Network and World Trade Organization (2001-06). The comparison of EU institutions and activities in these two empirical cases suggests that while PA seems well suited to explain international negotiations in regulatory policies (competition), it seems less suited to explain developments in distributive policies (trade). The findings, which reveal potential problems of multiple agents and a greater likelihood of observational equivalence in trade policy, advise caution when using PA to explain the EU's behaviour in international trade negotiations. Copyright (c) 2007 The Author(s); Journal compilation (c) 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
A single supply high performance PA MMIC for GSM handsets using quasi-enhancement mode PHEMT

A 3-stage GaAs FET power amplifier MMIC utilizing a quasi-enhancement mode PHEMT process has been developed for single supply GSM applications. The MMIC operates from a 3.2 V power supply and at 900 MHz, provides 35.5 dBm output power and 63.0% power added efficiency. Another 3 stage MMIC designed for DCS-1800, which at 1750 MHz provides 33.2 dBm output power with 61.1% PAE, is also presented.
The need for a greater focus on obesity and its treatment in sleep medicine.

297 Special Editorial—Hudgel Several years ago I cared for a 350+ pound male in his 30s who had severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), nocturnal hypoxemia, and cor pulmonale. Although this clinical picture is not unusual in our practice of Sleep Medicine, this patient was memorable because during clinic visits we had several conversations about his habitual, uncontrollable excessive fat and sugar laden food consumption, his continued weight gain and related physical limitations, and his embarrassment about his inability to lace his shoes due to the severe brawny edema present in his feet and lower legs. Despite appropriate levels of ventilatory support and oxygen therapy, likely due to his obesity hypoventilation and related mechanisms eloquently reviewed by Vgontzas,1 as well as questionable adherence to the prescribed nocturnal therapy, this young gentleman died a few years later, ironically and sadly on Thanksgiving Day. Although there were many contributing factors to his death, because of this patient’s course, I became vividly aware of the readily apparent, but difficult-to-deal-with prominent underlying mechanism of his fatal disease—obesity. Following this experience, I intensified my efforts to inform obese OSA patients about the important relationship between obesity and their OSA, emphasizing the recommendation to lose weight. However, it became quite obvious that patients usually did not appreciate my raising this thorny but obvious issue, often scorning my comments. Weight loss progress was reviewed during follow-up visits. With the memorable exception of a few very proud and pleased individuals, significant weight loss usually did not occur. Partially because of my relatively low level of success in aiding patients with weight loss, my primary therapeutic focus emphasized pressure support therapy, such as CPAP, with some patients choosing oral appliance or pharyngeal surgical treatment. Looking more introspectively, it is obvious that I was more comfortable and had more resources to deal with CPAP issues such as interface problems and non-adherence than I did with weight loss failure. In addition, most patients did not want to delve into the barriers and difficulties they were experiencing, or had experienced with attempts at weight loss, preferring that we both focus on their CPAP machine, a treatment modality that was potentially beneficial; but in essence, usually distracted us away from a discussion of weight management. Although I was providing a treatment accepted by our field; I was not ofSPECIAL EDITORIAL
The Influence of Reward Program Membership and Commitment on Hotel Loyalty

This research evaluated the role of reward membership and commitment on switching costs, defined as the price at which consumers would switch to a nonpreferred hotel brand. Online survey respondents were classified by reward tier and two types of commitment: value (reward program benefits) and affective (emotional attachment to brand). The results showed that all reward program members exhibit value commitment but upper tier members are more likely to develop an emotional bond. Participants rated likelihood to switch in response to 20 pricing scenarios that varied base price for the preferred brand and discount for a nonpreferred brand. Value commitment was associated with greater price sensitivity, whereas affective commitment produced less differentiation between prices and discounts. Findings indicate that value commitment and lower tier membership are associated with a utilitarian perspective, whereas high-tier members or those with high affective commitment value intangible benefits and are less susceptible to discounting by competitors.
A follow-up study of adherence and glycemic control among Hong Kong youths with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To extend longitudinally an earlier study of the pathway from symptoms of emotional distress (ED) through self-efficacy (SE) and adherence to glycemic control (GC) in youths with diabetes, and to examine the contribution of different specific adherence behaviors to changes in GC. METHODS Fifty-six Hong Kong youths with diabetes received a follow-up evaluation 12-24 months after initial participation. ED, SE, self-reported adherence to medical regimen (SRA), and GC were assessed at both evaluations. RESULTS The pathway from ED to SE to SRA to GC was replicated. Participants' SRA to regular checks on blood glucose levels, and taking steps to maintain levels in the recommended range, explained significant variance in changes in GC. CONCLUSIONS The model offers strategies to enhance health care in youths with diabetes. Findings support the importance of adherence to the medical regimen but emphasize the complexity of the relationship between adherence behaviors and GC. Self-regulatory behaviors, rather than compliance with fixed instructions, appear to have the most impact on GC.
Structural Change and Economic Growth: A Theoretical Essay on the Dynamics of the Wealth of Nations

Preface 1. Introduction Part I. A Multi-Sector Model of Economic Growth: 2. Production in the short run 3. The simplest case of economic expansion - population growth with constant returns to scale 4. Technical change and the dynamics of demand 5. A general multi-sector dynamic model 6. The empirical significance of vertically integrated analysis Part II. Economic Dynamics Theory: 7. The 'natural' features of a growing economic system 8. The 'natural' rate of interest 9. The accumulation of capital and related problems 10. The structural dynamics of a growing economic system 11. International economic relations Index.
Do Boards Affect Performance? Evidence from Corporate Restructuring

We examine the effect of board composition on the restructuring activities of a sample of 94 firms that experienced a material decline in performance. We document that firms with a majority of outside directors on the board are more likely to initiate asset restructuring and employee layoffs and that the reduction in the scale of operations is larger for these firms than firms without a majority of outside directors. We also find subsequent improvements in operating performance for firms with a majority of outside directors that restructure and conclude that board composition has a material impact on corporate performance.
In vitro characteristics of early epidermal progenitors isolated from keratin 14 (K14)‐deficient mice: Insights into the role of keratin 17 in mouse keratinocytes

Keratin 14 (K14) is believed to play a pivotal role in the maintenance of epidermal cell shape and contributing to their resistance to mechanical trauma, thereby protecting the cells from lysing. Mice harboring a K14 null mutation produce phenotypic characteristics of epidermolysis bullosa simplex, a skin blistering disease (Lloyd et al., 1995, J Cell Biol 129:1329–1344). K14 null animals die several days after birth, making the detailed study of the consequences of K14 deletion in epidermal cell physiology in vivo particularly difficult. To define the consequences of K14 loss more precisely, we used an in vitro approach by isolating K14−/− cell lines and studying epidermal differentiation in the K14 null background. Several keratinocyte cell lines were generated from 6‐day‐old mice homozygous for a targeted disruption of the K14 gene (lines designated MKC‐5, MKC‐23, and MKC‐33) and from their wild‐type littermates (lines designated MKC‐1 and MKC‐6). Under low Ca2+ (0.066 mM) and low serum (2%) conditions, both wild‐type and mutant cells were able to adhere to collagen type I–coated dishes and form epithelial sheets. They maintained basal epidermal cell characteristics and continued to proliferate without obvious signs of terminal differentiation; however, K14−/− cells proliferated two‐ to threefold slower than did their wild‐type counterparts. The distribution of K5, the natural partner of K14, at the immunofluorescence level was also normal looking in the K14−/− MKC‐5 cells, but with fewer filaments detectable, consistent with the approximately 20% reduction in K5 detectable on immunoblots. K17 expression was increased approximately 40% in the K14−/− cells. The levels of K15 and K16 were not different in the MKC‐5 and MKC‐6 cell lines, suggesting that they are not contributing factors to the stabilization of K5 in the mutant cells. K8, K19, and vimentin were undetectable in both lines. Both MKC‐5 and MKC‐6 cells underwent morphological and biochemical differentiation in response to a switch to high Ca2+ medium. These findings indicate that K14−/− MKC‐5 cells preserve the morphological, biochemical, and physiological characteristics of epidermal cells for an extensive period of time in vitro, likely due to the compensatory expression of K17. The culturing capacity of these cells also permits the analysis of keratinocyte growth and differentiation in the absence of K14. In addition, the culturing methods we describe will be useful for the generation of epithelial cell lines from a wealth of increasingly available knockout mouse strains with early lethality. J. Cell. Physiol. 180:409–421, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Industrial firm linkages in a post-Soviet urban economy: implications for development policy and programmes

Development strategies as articulated by international financial institutions and bilateral donors appear to omit consideration of urban economies as drivers of economic growth in developing and transition economies. This paper highlights that omission and argues that donor assistance programmes and host government policies should be oriented toward strengthening urban economies by fostering linkages among industrial firms. A study of industrial firms in Yerevan, Armenia seems to indicate linkages among Yerevan′s industrial firms are beginning to form and are associated with growth in the Armenian economy. Policies to strengthen and deepen those linkages should be encouraged.
Crime and the Law: The Social History of Crime in Western Europe Since 1500.

The state, the community, and the criminal law in early modern Europe / Bruce Lenman and Geoffrey Parker -- Crimen exceptum / Christina Larner -- Crime and punishment in early modern Spain / Michael Weisser -- Enforcing the law in the seventeenth-century English village / J.A. Sharpe -- The courts and the Scottish legal system, 1600-1747 / Stephen J. Davies -- "A new engine of power and authority" / David Philips -- The London garotting panic of 1862 / Jennifer Davis -- Crime and the security of the state / Robert Tombs -- The decline of theft and violence in Victorian and Edwardian England / V.A. C. Gatrell.
Modeling Minority Opportunity Programs: Key Interventions and Success Indicators

MORE R.E. S.U. L.T. S. (Minority Opportunities in Research; Research and Evaluation of Students Using Long-Term Studies) is a multi-institutional research study to assess the effectiveness of diverse interventions in Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) programs at three universities. These programs increase interest, motivation, and preparedness for careers in biomedical research among underrepresented minority students. This paper presents research on the efficacy of MORE academic interventions. Aggregated data across three MORE institutions enhances the ability to understand multiple academic interventions. These results have the potential of impacting program design and execution at the institutional, national, and international level.
Dietary intake of flavonoid subclasses and risk of colorectal cancer: evidence from population studies

Objective To systematically evaluate the relationship between flavonoids intake and colorectal cancer risk by conducting a meta-analysis. Results Our meta-analysis included 18 studies involving 16,917 colorectal cancer cases in 559,486 participants in relations to flavonoids intake during six to twenty-six years of follow-up. Our results indicated that specific flavonoid subclasses, such as procyanidins (OR = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.66–0.86) and isoflavones (OR = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78–0.98), showed protective effects against colorectal cancer risk. There was no enough evidence indicating that increased consumption of total flavonoids were significantly associated with reduced risk of colorectal cancer (OR = 0.94, 95% CI, 0.81–1.09). There was no publication bias across studies. Methods We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases for relevant articles before December 2015. A random-effects model was used to estimate summary odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between flavonoids and colorectal cancer risk. We assessed heterogeneity among studies by the Cochran Q and I2 statistics. Conclusions Our meta-analysis provides comprehensive evidence and partly supported the hypothesis that higher habitual intake of foods rich in procyanidins and isoflavones may potentially decrease colorectal cancer incidence. More prospective studies are warranted to verify this protective association.
The Tracheal Accordion and the Position of the Endotracheal Tube

The purpose of this review is to, first, determine the static factors that affect the length of the human trachea across different populations and, second, to investigate whether or not there are dynamic factors that cause the length of the human trachea to vary within the same individual. We also investigated whether these changes in tracheal length within the same individual are significant enough to increase the risk of endobronchial intubation or accidental extubation. A PubMed/MEDLINE and a Web of Science database English-language literature search was conducted in May 2016 with relevant keywords and MeSH terms when available. We found that gender, extremes of age, patient height, postsurgical changes and co-existing disease are static patient factors that affect the length of the human trachea. Dynamic clinical changes that occur under anaesthesia, including Trendelenburg position, head and neck flexion and extension, paralysis of the diaphragm and pneumoperitoneum, cause the trachea to act as an accordion, decreasing and increasing its length. The length of the human trachea in both awake and anaesthetised and paralysed patients is a critical consideration in preventing both endobronchial intubation and tracheal extubation. It is clear from the literature that tracheal length varies widely across populations and, additionally, with the dynamic clinical changes that occur under anaesthesia, the trachea acts as an accordion decreasing and increasing its length within the same individual. Knowledge of the magnitude of the change in tracheal dimensions in response to these factors is an important clinical consideration.
Environmental management in Danish transnational textile product chains

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse environmental responsibility of companies from industrialized countries when they source materials and products in countries with less environmental protection.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a study of corporate environmental management in the Danish textile and clothing sector, with 13 cases based on interviews and material from reports and websites. The criteria for choosing the cases were variety of size and market segment, and a mixture of companies that take environmental initiatives and companies for which it was not known whether they take environmental initiatives.Findings – Several different environmental practices were identified: some companies were early which got sustained initiatives, and some early and not sustained initiatives; some companies were late with sustained initiatives, and some late and not sustained initiatives; and finally, some have a practice without environmental initiatives. Dominating types of initiatives are c.
Non-constant discounting and Ak -type growth models

This paper analyzes an Ak -type endogenous growth model under non-constant discounting, assuming both na¨ıve and sophisticated consumers. For both type of consumers an isoelastic utility with an intertemporal elasticity below one guarantees observational equivalence under exponential and non-constant discounting, but rejects strong equivalence (identical overall impatience does not leads to identical growth rates). Further, polices aimed at increasing productivity of the economy are less growth-enhancing than typically predicted by the literature with exponential discounting.