Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasma Surfactant Protein-B: A Novel Biomarker in Chronic Heart Failure

Background—In chronic heart failure (CHF), elevated pulmonary microvascular pressure (Pmv) results in pulmonary edema. Because elevated Pmv may alter the integrity of the alveolocapillary barrier, allowing leakage of surfactant protein-B (SP-B) from the alveoli into the circulation, we aimed to determine plasma levels of SP-B in CHF and their relation to clinical status. Methods and Results—Fifty-three outpatients with CHF had plasma SP-B and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) assayed, in addition to a formalized clinical assessment at each clinic review over a period of 18 months. The control group comprised 19 normal volunteers. Plasma SP-B was elevated in CHF (P<0.001), and levels increased with New York Heart Association classification (P<0.001). SP-B correlated with objective clinical status parameters and NT-proBNP. During follow-up, major cardiovascular events occurred in patients with higher plasma SP-B (P<0.01) and NT-proBNP (P<0.05). Furthermore, on conditional logistic regression analysis, only SP-B was independently associated with CHF hospitalization (P=0.005). The 53 patients underwent a total of 210 outpatient visits. When the diuretic dosage was increased on clinical grounds, SP-B had increased 39% (P<0.001) and NT-proBNP had increased 32% (P<0.001). Conversely, at the next visit, SP-B fell 12% (P<0.001), whereas NT-proBNP fell 39% (P<0.001). Conclusions—Plasma SP-B is increased in CHF, and levels are related to clinical severity. Furthermore, within individual patients, SP-B levels vary with dynamic clinical status and NT-proBNP levels. Because plasma SP-B is independently associated with CHF hospitalization, it may, by virtue of its differing release mechanism to NT-proBNP, be a clinically useful biomarker of the pulmonary consequences of raised Pmv.
The Effects of Entrepreneurship, Competitiveness, and Technology Innovation on Growth: A Case of ASEAN Economic Development

Abstrak: Meskipun temuan empiris sebelumnya telah memberikan wawasan mendalam bagaimana kewirausahaan, inovasi, pengetahuan, daya saing, dan pertumbuhan ekonomi saling terkait. Namun, pemahaman yang komprehensif masih kurang tentang antarmuka dari semua variabel tersebut: daya saing, inovasi, kewirausahaan dan pertumbuhan. Pertumbuhan ekonomi nasional pada tingkat agregat aktivitas ekonomi dipandang sebagai negara di dikaitkan dengan perusahaan meninjau dan kecil, serta perusahaan mapan, dan memungkinkan pemahaman yang lebih jelas tentang mengapa kewirausahaan sangat penting bagi perekonomian secara keseluruhan. Perusahaan kecil dan berita menghasilkan inovasi, mengisi ceruk pasar dan persaingan meningkat, sehingga berkontribusi untuk realokasi sumber daya dalam kegiatan ekonomi. Dalam rangka upaya potensial dan strategi untuk penciptaan lapangan kerja dan pekerjaan untuk kaum muda, kewirausahaan semakin diterima sebagai suatu sarana penting dan strategi tambahan yang berharga untuk menciptakan pekerjaan dan meningkatkan mata pencaharian dan kemandirian ekonomi kaum muda. Untuk negara-negara maju, TIK merupakan enabler yang penting dalam kegiatan kewirausahaan, terutama untuk UKM. Kewirausahaan dan manajemen usaha kecil sering disebut sebagai salah satu aspek yang paling penting dalam pembangunan ekonomi suatu negara, dengan kata lain, ini akan menentukan daya saing suatu negara. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa daya saing kewirausahaan, negara, dan inovasi indikator penggerak utama pertumbuhan ekonomi. Kebebasan ekonomi, khususnya, tampaknya akan bertindak sebagai salah satu akselerator utama terhadap pembangunan ekonomi di negara-negara ASEAN.
Experiences of the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis: a focused ethnography of Somali patients and healthcare professionals in the UK.

AIM To explore experiences of the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis from the perspective of Somali patients and healthcare professionals involved in their care. BACKGROUND The Somali population has the third highest incidence of tuberculosis occurring in persons born outside the UK. Tuberculosis is a disease with sociocultural as well as physical consequences. Nurses should understand how the disease is experienced by people from different ethnic backgrounds to implement strategies for prevention and management of tuberculosis. DESIGN A focused ethnography. METHOD Individual interviews with 14 Somali patients and 18 healthcare professionals with experience of providing care to Somalis were undertaken in 2008-2009. Interviews explored the patient experience from onset of symptoms to completion of treatment. Data were analysed using Framework approach. FINDINGS Despite presenting in primary care early, patients experienced diagnostic delays due to low clinical suspicion of tuberculosis among general practitioners. Although patients reported felt and enacted stigma, it did not adversely affect concordance with treatment. Patients were reticent about sharing their diagnosis among wider networks due to perceived stigma. Psychological support from families and specialist nurses was valued highly. Healthcare professionals perceived that stigmatization of tuberculosis was diminishing among Somalis leading to improved management of tuberculosis. Patients and healthcare professionals raised concerns about the longer term physical and psychosocial implications of tuberculosis once treatment was completed. CONCLUSION Nurses have a role in promoting early presentation, timely diagnosis, and treatment adherence through supporting Somali patients and raising awareness of the disease among primary care practitioners.
Weighted Norm Inequalities for a Maximal Operator in Some Subspace of Amalgams

Abstract We give weighted norm inequalities for the maximal fractional operator ${{\mathcal{M}}_{q}},\beta $ of Hardy–Littlewood and the fractional integral ${{I}_{\gamma }}$ . These inequalities are established between ${{\left( {{L}^{q}},\,{{L}^{p}} \right)}^{\alpha }}\left( X,\,d,\,\mu \right)$ spaces (which are superspaces of Lebesgue spaces ${{L}^{\alpha }}\left( X,\,d,\,\mu \right)$ and subspaces of amalgams $\left( {{L}^{q}},\,{{L}^{p}} \right)\left( X,d,\mu \right)$ ) and in the setting of space of homogeneous type $\left( X,d,\mu \right)$ . The conditions on the weights are stated in terms of Orlicz norm.
Investment opportunity set, board independence, and firm performance : The impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) on high growth firms’ corporate governance. Specially, the study examines whether there is a negative impact of SOX on the interactive effect of board independence and investment opportunity set on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach - – Sample firms were selected from the Investor Responsibility Research Center Directors’ database. Both accounting- and market-based firm performance measures are used. Regressions are run to test the hypothesis. Findings - – It was found that the impact of SOX on the interaction effect of board independence and investment opportunity set on firm performance is negative. Originality/value - – The results suggest that the impact of SOX in corporate governance and regulatory environment mitigates the effect of board independence on the relationship between investment opportunity set and firm performance, consistent with the notion that the enactment of SOX increases monitoring costs of board governance especially for high-growth firms.
Human Tissue Kallikreins: A New Enzymatic Cascade Pathway?

Abstract Serine proteases are proteolytic enzymes with an active serine residue in their catalytic site. Kallikreins are a subgroup of the serine protease family which is known to have diverse physiological functions. The human kallikrein gene family has now been fully characterized and includes 15 members tandemly located on chromosome 19q13.4. Here we discuss the common structural features of kallikreins at the DNA, mRNA and protein levels and summarize their tissue expression and hormonal regulation patterns. Kallikreins are expressed in many tissues including the salivary gland, endocrine tissues such as testis, prostate, breast and endometrium, and in the central nervous system. Most genes appear to be under steroid hormone regulation. The occurrence of several splice variants is common among kallikreins, and some of the splice variants seem to be tissuespecific and might be related to certain pathological conditions. Kallikreins are secreted in an inactive zymogen form which is activated by cleavage of an Nterminal peptide. Some kalikreins can undergo autoactivation while others may be activated by other kallikreins or other proteases. Most kallikreins are predicted to have trypsinlike enzymatic activity except three which are probably chymotrypsinlike. New, but mainly circumstantial evidence, suggests that at least some kallikreins may be part of a novel enzymatic cascade pathway which is turnedon in aggressive forms of ovarian and probably other cancers.
The influence of experimental hypothyroidism on hepatic and renal function in rams in an arid tropical environment.

Crop residues are rich in thiourea content, on account of the indiscriminate use of thiourea as a fertilizer. It is interesting to investigate the impact of thiorea feeding on liver and kidney functions in adult sheep. Experimental hypothyroidism was induced by per os feeding of thiourea to nine adult Marwari rams. Prior to the start of the trial, plasma levels of thyroxin (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine amminotransferase (ALT), glucose, protein, A/G ratio, BUN and creatinine were assessed to establish control values. The clinical profi le of the rams and evaluation of the above parameters were conducted on Days 3, 5 and 7 post thiourea feeding. At the end of the experiment a decrease in respiration, heart rate, temperature and feed intake were observed. A signifi cant fall in T4 and glucose was observed on day 7, whereas a signifi cant increase in TSH, ALP, AST and ALT were observed. The elevation in protein, BUN and creatinine concentrations was not much signifi cant. The altered hormone profi le revealed the hypofunction of the thyroid gland. The increased concentration of enzymes revealed bile duct hyperplasia, damage to hepatocytes and the biliary network. Further, a shift in metabolic profi le suggested low energy intake and depressed growth. In conclusion, thiourea feeding induces hypothyroidism, generalized oxygen starvation at tissue level and disturbs hepatic and renal functions.
A Description of Routes out of the Labor Force for Workers in Sweden

This paper collects and reviews information about routes to retirement and exits from the labor force by older workers in Sweden. It gives a concise survey of rules of the major retirement schemes covering disability, sickness and unemployment. Usinglongitudinal micro data from the period between 1992 and 1999, it also studies alternative measures of retirement, joint retirement behavior of spouses, transition path probabilities, and successive exits in terms of a reduction in working time from fulltime to part-time employment.
A time-interleaved continuous-time /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ modulator with 20MHz signal bandwidth

This paper presents the first implementation results for a time-interleaved continuous-time /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ modulator. The 3rd-order low-pass modulator operates at an oversampling ratio of 5 with a time-interleaving factor of 2 at sampling frequencies of 100MHz and 200MHz. It achieves an SNDR of 57dB and 49dB in signal bandwidths of 10MHz and 20MHz, respectively.
Determinants of economic preferences

We designed an experiment that examines how knowledge about the price of a good, and the time at which the information is received, affects how the good is experienced. The good in question was wine, and the price was either high or low. Our results suggest that hosts offering wine to guests can safely reveal the price: much is gained if the wine is expensive, and little is lost if it is cheap. Disclosing the high price before tasting the wine produces considerably higher ratings, although only from women. Disclosing the low price, by contrast, does not result in lower ratings. Our finding indicates that price not only serves to clear markets, it also serves as a marketing tool; it influences expectations that in turn shape a consumer's experience. In addition, our results suggest that men and women respond differently to attribute information.
Comparative Analysis of Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine and Artificial Neural Network for the Differential Diagnosis of Benign and Malignant Solid Breast Tumors by the Use of Three-Dimensional Power Doppler Imaging

Objective Logistic regression analysis (LRA), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and a neural network (NN) are commonly used statistical models in computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) systems for breast ultrasonography (US). The aim of this study was to clarify the diagnostic ability of the use of these statistical models for future applications of CAD systems, such as three-dimensional (3D) power Doppler imaging, vascularity evaluation and the differentiation of a solid mass. Materials and Methods A database that contained 3D power Doppler imaging pairs of non-harmonic and tissue harmonic images for 97 benign and 86 malignant solid tumors was utilized. The virtual organ computer-aided analysis-imaging program was used to analyze the stored volumes of the 183 solid breast tumors. LRA, an SVM and NN were employed in comparative analyses for the characterization of benign and malignant solid breast masses from the database. Results The values of area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, referred to as Az values for the use of non-harmonic 3D power Doppler US with LRA, SVM and NN were 0.9341, 0.9185 and 0.9086, respectively. The Az values for the use of harmonic 3D power Doppler US with LRA, SVM and NN were 0.9286, 0.8979 and 0.9009, respectively. The Az values of six ROC curves for the use of LRA, SVM and NN for non-harmonic or harmonic 3D power Doppler imaging were similar. Conclusion The diagnostic performances of these three models (LRA, SVM and NN) are not different as demonstrated by ROC curve analysis. Depending on user emphasis for the use of ROC curve findings, the use of LRA appears to provide better sensitivity as compared to the other statistical models.
Robust Conditional Predictions in Dynamic Games: An Application to Sovereign Debt

We study the problem of an outside observer who, based on observations on a particular economic setting, tries to make an inference about the set of equilibria where the economy could be; our aim is to obtain robust predictions conditional on equilibrium history for dynamic policy games. Our main result is a characterization of “equilibrium consistent outcomes”: outcomes of the game in a particular period, that are consistent with a subgame perfect equilibrium conditional on an equilibrium history. We focus on a model of sovereign debt as in Eaton and Gersovitz (1981); but, our methodology can be readily applied to other dynamic policy games as in models of capital taxation or monetary policy. For this model, we characterize the set of equilibrium consistent debt prices. While the upper bound is the price in the optimal Markov equilibria, the lowest equilibrium consistent price is both positive and backward looking. In our baseline case, where output is continuous or there is a public randomization device, the last opportunity cost (the amount of debt just repaid, the conditions under which that debt was repaid, and how much debt was issued) is a sucient statistic of the set of equilibrium consistent prices. When income is discrete or there are no randomization devices available, the whole history could determine equilibrium consistent prices; whether or not a particular event in history matters for equilibrium consistent prices today depends on the likelihood and the length of that particular history. We finally link the set of equilibrium consistent outcomes with the predictions of a Bayesian econometrician who is uncertain about the prior over outcomes.
A Versatile Multi-Input Multiplier over Finite Fields

Multiplication of three elements over finite fields is used extensively in multivariate public key cryptography and solving system of linear equations over finite fields. This contribution shows the enhancements of multiplication of three elements over finite fields by using specific architecture. We firstly propose a versatile multi-input multiplier over finite fields. The parameters of this multiplier can be changed according to the requirement of the users which makes it reusable in different applications. Our evaluation of this multiplier gives optimum choices for multiplication of three elements over finite fields. Implemented results show that we takes 22.062 ns and 16.354 ns to execute each multiplication of three elements over GF ((24)2) based on table look-up and polynomial basis on a FPGA respectively. Experimental results and mathematical proofs clearly demonstrate the improvement of the proposed versatile multiplier over finite fields.
Transnational citizens and identities: International students' self-perceived identities, their social networks and their consumption of entertainment media in Australia

International students are part of a global circulation of people who face challenges maintaining their national, cultural and ethnic identities. They encounter such challenges while developing new (transnational) identities as they physically cross national boundaries for the purpose of education and seeking migration. In travelling abroad international students become transnational citizens who grow to be adept at maintaining links with their home countries while exploring new cultures similar to or other than their own. By conducting 30 in-depth interviews with international students in Melbourne on their self-perceived identities in Australia, their social networks and their consumption entertainment media, this study suggests that the consumption of entertainment media (film, television and music) and the creation and maintenance of social networks in Australia play pivotal roles in identity maintenance and/or formation which may be permanent (e.g. national and cultural identities through their sense of belonging to home country) or temporary (e.g. identity through status as international students). Entertainment media and social networks are elements that contribute to the links international students have with the homeland while developing of their sense of belonging in Australia. This study also observes that international students have transnational identities before embarking on their educational sojourn due to their exposure to global entertainment media outside of their home country, home culture and home language (e.g. Mainland Chinese consumption of American entertainment media).
An antagonist of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 induces mitotic catastrophe in ovarian cancer cells

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is expressed by malignant cells in ovarian cancer and is implicated in their growth and spread. We report here a unique mechanism of action of a small peptide antagonist of CXCR4 on ovarian cancer cells: induction of cell death by mitotic catastrophe. CTCE-9908 inhibited ovarian cancer cell migration to CXCL12, but on longer incubation, caused cell death in CXCR4-positive cells. CTCE-9908 did not cause apoptosis or cellular senescence, but induced multinucleation, G2-M arrest, and abnormal mitosis in ovarian cancer cells. This suggests that cell death was caused by mitotic catastrophe. Using microarray and Western blot analysis, we showed that CTCE-9908 deregulated DNA damage checkpoint proteins and spindle assembly checkpoint proteins at G2-M phases of the cell cycle. Combination treatment of CTCE-9908 and the drug paclitaxel led to an additive cytotoxicity that also involved mitotic catastrophe. We conclude that CTCE-9908 has a unique mechanism of action in ovarian cancer cells that seems to be CXCR4 specific. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(7):1893–905]
Diagnostic Power of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor in Breast Cancer Patients Based on ROC Analysis

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been described as an important regulator of angiogenesis which plays a vital role in the progression of tumor. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is a cytokine whose functions include regulation of hematopoietic lineages cells growth, proliferation, and differentiation. We investigated the diagnostic significance of these parameters in comparison to CA15-3 in BC patients and in relation to the control group (benign breast tumor and healthy women). Plasma levels of the tested parameters were determined by ELISA and CA15-3 was determined by CMIA. VEGF was shown to be comparable to CA15-3 values of sensitivity in BC group and, what is more important, higher values in early stages of BC. VEGF was also the only parameter which has statistically significant AUC in all stages of cancer. M-CSF has been shown to be comparable to CA15-3 and VEGF, specificity, and AUC values only in stages III and IV of BC. These results indicate the usefulness and high diagnostic power of VEGF in the detection of BC. Also, it occurred to be the best candidate for cancer diagnostics in stages I and II of BC and in the differentiation between BC and benign cases.
Serum Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Reference Values for an Automated Chemiluminescence Immunoassay System: Results from a Multicenter Study

Background: Analysis of insulin-like growth factor I in serum (S-IGF-I) is an integral component in the diagnosis of GH-related disorders and is going to be of interest in the diagnosis and follow-up of many disorders. The objective of the present study was to develop cross-sectional reference values for S-IGF-I measured by an automated chemiluminescence immunoassay (Nichols Advantage®). Methods: The study included samples from 3,961 healthy subjects (2,201 males, 1,760 females) aged 1 month to 88 years. Six laboratories were involved in this study and the samples were analyzed by one of seven automated immunoassay systems run in these laboratories. For data analysis, polynomial age and sex-specific models were fitted after transformation of S-IGF-I values. Results: The results show the well-known age dependency of S-IGF-I levels. At ages <20, higher S-IGF-I levels were seen in girls with an estimated mean peak of 410 µg/l at age 14 and an estimated mean peak of 382 µg/l at age 16 in boys. Thereafter, a rapid decrease was seen to approximately 25 years of age, followed by a slow age-dependent decrease. In adulthood, S-IGF-I in males were slightly, but significantly higher than in females. It could be shown that the mean values of some reference sample subgroups differed significantly from the total mean. However, the multicenter approach used in this study reduces the impact of systematic population, sample handling and laboratory differences on the calculated reference mean. Conclusion: The present study establishes age- and sex-specific reference values for a fully automated immunoassay system based on a large population of healthy subjects. The established reference values may be used for this immunoassay system in different laboratories provided that the systematic difference between systems is low.