Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical and functional responses to salbutamol inhaled via different devices in asthmatic patients with induced bronchoconstriction.

AIMS This study aimed at evaluating changes in airway patency, lung volumes and perception of breathing discomfort intensity following salbutamol administration via the Diskus dry-powder inhaler (DPI) or a pressurized metered-dose inhaler with the Volumatic valved holding chamber (pMDI + Volumatic) in asthmatic patients with methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction. METHODS On six different study days, 18 patients inhaled methacholine until forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) decreased by approximately 35% of baseline. Following placebo, 200 and 400 microg of salbutamol through the pMDI + Volumatic or the Diskus, changes in FEV(1), volume-adjusted mean forced expiratory flow from 25 to 75% of the forced vital capacity (isoFEF(25-75)), lung volumes and breathing discomfort intensity, assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) score, were repeatedly measured over a 60-min observation period. RESULTS Induced bronchoconstriction was accompanied by obvious reductions in lung volumes and increases in VAS score. After salbutamol administration, FEV(1) and VAS score changes were similar in all experimental conditions. However, following 400 microg salbutamol via pMDI + Volumatic, isoFEF(25-75) values increased up to 4.48 l s(-1) (95% confidence interval 4.06, 4.90), a significantly (P < 0.01) higher value than those attained in all other experimental conditions. Independently of the salbutamol dose, lung volumes rose to significantly (P < 0.01) higher levels in pMDI + Volumatic than in Diskus trials. The low salbutamol dose via the pMDI + Volumatic and the high dose via the DPI increased isoFEF(25-75) and lung volumes to similar extents. CONCLUSIONS Salbutamol via the pMDI + Volumatic provides greater isoFEF(25-75) and lung volume increases in asthmatic patients with induced bronchoconstriction; salbutamol-induced changes in VAS scores poorly reflect those in small airway patency. The lack of differences in FEV(1) increases observed after 200 and 400 microg salbutamol may reflect attainment of the flat portion of the dose-response curve using either device.
NAD-Glycohydrolase Production and speA and speC Distribution in Group A Streptococcus (GAS) Isolates Do Not Correlate with Severe GAS Diseases in the Australian Population

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pyogenes isolates from a tropical region and a subtropical region of Australia with high and low incidences of severe streptococcal diseases, respectively, were analyzed for speA, speB, and speC gene distributions and NAD-glycohydrolase expression. No direct correlation of these characteristics with a propensity to cause invasive diseases was observed.
Neuropsychological deficits in arterial hypertension

ABSTRACT Sixty subjects with uncomplicated essential hypertension and 60 matched normal subjects were submitted to neuropsychological tests in order to establish whether some impairment of cognitive functions can be evidenced even in those hypertensive subjects that are in this respect asymptomatic on standard examination and interview. The hypertensive subjects obtained significantly poorer results than normotensive subjects on memory, visuo‐motor and performance tests. In the control group, the classic negative correlation pattern between age and scores was observed, while in the patient group this correlation could be confirmed only in a few tests. Subgrouping of patients according to hypertension duration and treatment showed that the impairment of cognitive functions manifested itself very early and did not tend to progress within 6–10 years of hypertension duration.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN WEALTH TRANSFER AND EXPENDITURE ALLOCATION: EVIDENCE FROM THE RURAL PHILIPPINES

IT is often hypothesized that parents care about both efficiency and equity in the distribution of household resources among family members. Parents may follow a pure investment strategy by allocating more resources to improve the education, nutrition, and health outcomes of those children who have higher potential rates of return in the labor market (Rosenzweig and Schultz 1982; Sen and Sengupta 1983; Behrman 1988b). In India, for example, boys are favored in nutritional allocation (Behrman 1988a), and as a result boys exhibit better health outcomes (Pal 1999), perhaps because of higher expected labor-market returns for investments in boys. Parents may also be interested in ensuring that all children are equally well-off without much regard to efficiency. Thus, parents may invest more in children with poorer initial endowments to improve the lifetime income position of such disadvantaged children vis-a-vis their other children. Equity and efficiency concerns may also be present simultaneously (Behrman, Pollak, and Taubman 1982; Haddad and Hoddinott 1994). A good example is that of Bangladesh, in which adult men consume higher levels of calories because of their greater participation in energy-intensive activities in which health status influences productivity, even though households are averse to inequalities in the consumption of calories (Pitt, Rosenzweig, and Hassan 1990). This paper seeks to assess whether there is gender bias in the intrahousehold
Intellectual capital disclosure in The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK: A longitudinal and comparative study

Purpose – Intellectual capital (IC) disclosure is investigated over three years covering the IT bubble and its aftermath in three different countries (The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK). Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis is applied to the annual reports of the sample companies; 180 annual reports from The Netherlands, Sweden and UK are analysed in order to make an inter‐country comparison. Three measurement years (1998, 2000 and 2002) were chosen in order to analyse the trend in disclosure over the years.Findings – The study reveals that the Swedish sample companies disclose more, on average, about IC than Dutch and UK ones. In general, there is an upward trend in the average amount of IC disclosure over the observation period, although this trend is slightly reversed in Sweden over the period 2000‐2002. This could be an indication of convergence in disclosure practices (the average amount of IC disclosure) in the countries under scrutiny.Originality/value – The paper shows convergence in IC .
Stem cell properties of human periodontal ligament cells.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Stem cells have been used for regenerative therapies in various fields. The proportion of cells that possess stem cell properties in human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells is not yet well understood. In this study, we quantitatively characterized human PDL cells to clarify their stem cell properties, including self-renewal, multipotency, and stem cell marker expression. MATERIAL AND METHODS PDL cells were obtained from extracted premolar or wisdom teeth, following which a proliferation assay for self-renewal, a differentiation assay for multipotency, immunostaining for STRO-1, and fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis for stem cell markers (including CD105, CD166, and STRO-1) were performed. RESULTS Approximately 30% of 400 PDL cells were found to possess replicative potential and formed single-cell colonies, and 30% of these colonies displayed positive staining for STRO-1, 20% differentiated into adipocytes and 30% differentiated into osteoblasts. FACS analysis revealed that PDL cells, including cell populations, expressed the stem cell markers CD105, CD166, and STRO-1. CONCLUSION The findings of this study indicated that PDL cells possess crucial stem cell properties, such as self-renewal and multipotency, and express the mesenchymal stem cell markers CD105, CD166, and STRO-1 on their cell surface, although there were some variations. Thus, PDL cells can be used for periodontal regenerative procedures.
Are State-Owned Enterprises Unfair Competition?

There is growing concern in the U.S. about competition from foreign, state-owned enterprises. Businessmen, academics, consultants, and government officials have argued that such companies are better off than private sector firms because they are helped by their governments (via subsidies) and that they constitute unfair competition. Extensive field work in Western Europe shows that fears of an uneven competion are unwarranted.
MIGRATION, RETURN, AND HAPPINESS IN ROMANIA

ABSTRACT Research on happiness finds that rising incomes do not generally lead to increases in happiness. This finding suggests that economic migration – i.e., migration motivated by the prospect of increased income – might not bring greater happiness: when economic migrants believe that migration will improve their lives, that belief might be misguided at least insofar as ‘improvement’ is conceived in terms related to happiness. Perhaps economic migration under certain conditions even results in lower happiness, if it involves sacrifices in other respects that are more consequential for happiness. This paper explores these propositions via comparison of Romanian migrants to non-migrants (using data from the European Social Survey) and finds that returned migrants report lower happiness than non-migrants (controlling for other variables), while migrants who have not returned are not different in happiness from stayers. The cross-sectional analysis cannot directly answer questions about the consequences of migration and return – there are no data on the migrants' happiness prior to migration. But the analysis sharpens the questions that might be asked in future research and considers how various scenarios would be consistent with the findings produced here.
Exposure to volatile organic compounds and loss of pulmonary function in the elderly

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are reported to cause adverse effects on pulmonary function in occupationally exposed workers. However, evidence is lacking on the effect in the general population. We hypothesised that VOCs impair pulmonary function through enhancing oxidative stress, especially in the elderly population. A longitudinal panel study of 154 elderly people was performed in South Korea. Repeated spirometric tests were performed up to eight times on different days for each subject. We also measured urinary concentrations of metabolites of the VOC and markers of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine) on the same day of spirometric tests. A mixed linear regression model was used to evaluate the association among the VOC metabolites, oxidative stress markers and spirometric tests. We found that the urinary levels of hippuric acid and methylhippuric acid, which are metabolites of toluene and xylene, respectively, were significantly associated with reduction of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory flow at 25–75% of FVC. We also found significant associations between the metabolites of VOCs and the markers of oxidative stress. In addition, the oxidative stress markers were associated with pulmonary function parameters. This study suggests that exposure to toluene and xylene exert a harmful effect on pulmonary function by exacerbating oxidative stress in elderly people.
RING finger protein 121 facilitates the degradation and membrane localization of voltage-gated sodium channels

Significance Voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV) are known to form clusters at the membranes of excitable cells; however, what governs their transport is largely unknown. We found that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and cis-Golgi associated ubiquitin ligase really interesting new gene (RING) finger protein 121 (RNF121) mediates the degradation and membrane localization of NaV. This apparent quality control of NaV ensures the transport of properly folded channels to the membranes of excitable cells. To our knowledge, this is the first pathologically relevant identification of a voltage-gated ion channel as a substrate for ER-associated protein degradation, whose degradation is governed by an ER- and Golgi-associated E3-ubiquitin ligase. Following their synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV) are transported to the membranes of excitable cells, where they often cluster, such as at the axon initial segment of neurons. Although the mechanisms by which NaV channels form and maintain clusters have been extensively examined, the processes that govern their transport and degradation have received less attention. Our entry into the study of these processes began with the isolation of a new allele of the zebrafish mutant alligator, which we found to be caused by mutations in the gene encoding really interesting new gene (RING) finger protein 121 (RNF121), an E3-ubiquitin ligase present in the ER and cis-Golgi compartments. Here we demonstrate that RNF121 facilitates two opposing fates of NaV channels: (i) ubiquitin-mediated proteasome degradation and (ii) membrane localization when coexpressed with auxiliary NaVβ subunits. Collectively, these results indicate that RNF121 participates in the quality control of NaV channels during their synthesis and subsequent transport to the membrane.
Transforming CRE value through relationship management

Purpose – To provide a roadmap for corporate real estate (CRE) directors to effect change in the way they deliver services through enhanced relationships with their “customers,” the users of CRE.Design/methodology/approach – Previous studies and discussions of customer relationship management are combined with the authors' extensive experience to make a case for formalized change management processes and analyze specific methods for enhancing the effectiveness of these processes.Findings – Relationship management integrates real estate processes into larger corporate processes, converting real estate opportunities into competitive advantages. The transition from a reactive to a proactive mode of service is aided by adoption of new mind sets and new skills sets, including tools and processes for communicating within the organization, enhanced financial/analytical acumen, and metrics for determining successful outcomes.Research limitations/implications – Every CRE department faces unique challenges and oppo.
The relationship between insomnia symptoms and hypertension using United States population-level data

Objective: To examine if the association with hypertension was different between individuals with and without insomnia symptoms. Methods: This was a population-based, multiyear, cross-sectional study with data from the 2005–2008 United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (n = 12 643). Insomnia symptoms were considered if at least one of difficulty falling asleep, prolonged nocturnal awakening, or early morning awakening was reported, at least five times per month. Short sleep time (<6 h) was also considered in the insomnia definition. Ever doctor-diagnosed self-reported hypertension, self-reported current antihypertensive use, and objectively measured systolic and diastolic hypertension were examined. Results: There were generally no associations between insomnia symptoms and hypertension when sleep duration was not considered in the insomnia definition and after controlling for covariates. However, there were significantly increased odds of subjective hypertension measures among individuals with insomnia coupled with short sleep time compared to individuals without insomnia after controlling for covariates [e.g. among individuals with any insomnia: odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) of doctor-diagnosed hypertension 1.49, 1.19–1.88; OR, 95% CI of current antihypertensive medications 1.33, 1.04–1.70]. There were no significant associations though between insomnia symptoms accompanied by short sleep time and objective hypertension measures (e.g. among individuals with any insomnia: OR, 95% CI of measured systolic hypertension 1.32, 0.87–2.02; OR, 95% CI of measured diastolic hypertension 0.96, 0.52–1.75). Conclusion: Insomnia symptoms coupled with short sleep time may be positively related to hypertension, but the lack of association with objective hypertension measures suggests that there may be no true relationship present.
The Linkage between Conferences and Journals in the Information Systems Field: Observations and Recommendations

Younger scholars often receive advice to submit work to conferences for feedback and polishing in anticipation that they will later submit it to a journal for publication. But is this a normal practice? What do the IS scholars really think or do about the linkage between conferences and journals? What are IS journals’ policies and their editors-in-chiefs’ views on that linkage? This paper explores aspects of the relationship between conference presentation and journal publication, which include motivations for participating in conferences, potential for subsequent publication, preferred journal targets, and progress of paper development following conference presentation. We obtained data that form the basis for our findings and recommendations from two main sources: 1) a panel study with two sequential surveys of IS scholars who presented papers at three consecutive International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) meetings (in St. Louis 2010, Shanghai 2011, and Orlando 2012) and 2) an email interview with the editors-in-chief of 21 major IS journals in regard to their respective journals’ policies and their personal views. The paper provides recommendations for various stakeholders including scholars, journal editors, conference organizers, leaders in the field, and anyone outside the IS field who wants to understand its norms and culture.
Research on public remuneration of open content based on collective license

Abstract With the rapid improvement of digital technology, the current copyright regime becomes one of the major hurdles to the innovation of an open knowledge society. This article shows an expansion of consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for global collective licenses (GCLs) over the existing total expense for digital content by conducting the contingent valuation of GCLs. However, to maintain producers’ profitability under an agreeable social contract, a proper mechanism to allocate required costs must be supplemented by the concentrated WTP distribution. This suggests that the real value in the free usage of global digital content lies in its potential to become a publicly managed common utility.
Early Immunization Induces Persistent Tumor-Infiltrating CD8+ T Cells against an Immunodominant Epitope and Promotes Lifelong Control of Pancreatic Tumor Progression in SV40 Tumor Antigen Transgenic Mice1

The ability to recruit the host’s CD8+ T lymphocytes (TCD8) against cancer is often limited by the development of peripheral tolerance toward the dominant tumor-associated Ags. Because multiple epitopes derived from a given tumor Ag (T Ag) can be targeted by TCD8, vaccine approaches should be directed toward those TCD8 that are more likely to survive under conditions of persistent Ag expression. In this study, we investigated the effect of peripheral tolerance on the endogenous TCD8 response toward two epitopes, designated epitopes I and IV, from the SV40 large T Ag. Using rat insulin promoter (RIP) 1-Tag4 transgenic mice that express T Ag from the RIP and develop pancreatic insulinomas, we demonstrate that epitope IV- but not epitope I-specific TCD8 are maintained long term in tumor-bearing RIP1-Tag4 mice. Even large numbers of TCR-transgenic T cells specific for epitope I were rapidly eliminated from RIP1-Tag4 mice after adoptive transfer and recognition of the endogenous T Ag. Importantly, immunization of RIP1-Tag4 mice at 5 wk of age against epitope IV resulted in complete protection from tumor progression over a 2-year period despite continued expression of T Ag in the pancreas. This extensive control of tumor progression was associated with the persistence of functional epitope IV-specific TCD8 within the pancreas for the lifetime of the mice without the development of diabetes. This study indicates that an equilibrium is reached in which immune surveillance for spontaneous cancer can be achieved for the lifespan of the host while maintaining normal organ function.
Reciprocal Retail Internationalisation: The Southland Corporation, Ito-Yokado and 7-Eleven Convenience Stores

Retail internationalisation has become a focus of research activity in recent years. This research has become perhaps both more broad and deep than previous research, reflecting the changes in retail internationalisation itself. There remain, however, fundamental issues about the process and nature of retail internationalisation. This paper examines initially the internationalisation of a concept -the 7-Eleven convenience store - from the USA to Japan. This concept has been subsequently ‘Japanized’ as the convenience store sector in Japan grew rapidly and successfully. The new approach to convenience stoers has now been re-introduced into the United States through the agreed take-over of The Southland Corporation by its original Japanese franchisee, Ito-Yokado. This process of retail internationalisation is analysed and described and placed into the context of current conceptualisations on retail internationalisation.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication use and acceptance by adults with Traumatic Brain Injury

The purpose of this study was to document augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) acceptance and use patterns of 25 adults with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) who used either high- or low-tech AAC devices or strategies at some point during their recovery. Specifically, the purposes were to (a) document acceptance of AAC system recommendations, (b) identify AAC use patterns by persons who accepted the recommendation and for whom AAC intervention was implemented, (c) identify AAC access patterns for message formulation and encoding, and (d) document the kind of communicative functions that different AAC strategies supported. Information was gathered via a questionnaire from speech-language pathologists who provided AAC assessments and interventions at six different sites. The speech-language pathologists provided information about individuals with TBI from their clinics for whom they had recommended AAC. Results revealed that these adults generally accepted both high- and low-tech AAC recommendations and used their AAC systems for extended periods of time. Most utilized letter-by-letter message formulation strategies. When AAC technology was abandoned, it was usually a reflection of a loss of facilitator support rather than a rejection of the technology.