Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Everyday Democracy”: an ethnographic methodology for the evaluation of (de-) democratisation

ABSTRACT Comparative democracy indices such as Freedom House Nations in Transit underpin many scholars’ perceptions of democratic progress and backsliding. However, these fail to account empirically for practices of deliberation, a central concern in contemporary democratic theory. They also fail to address the ideational nature of emergent global challenges to democracy. This article addresses these domains of empirical neglect by presenting an “Everyday Democracy” approach to democracy evaluation, an ethnographic methodology rooted in an engagement with democratic theory. Data collected in Serbia and Bulgaria is contrasted, revealing a more vibrant and contested public sphere in Serbia, which is usually graded as less democratic. This finding highlights the need for a reassessment of some assumptions that underpin ongoing debates about democratisation, “backsliding” and the evaluation of democracy generally.
Comparison and evaluation of a novel bioassay and high‐performance liquid chromatography for the clinical measurement of serum voriconazole concentrations

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a novel bioassay for determining serum voriconazole (VRC) concentrations and to compare its routine clinical performance with that of high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The biological activity of VRC was measured by a plate diffusion assay using a VRC‐hypersusceptible Candida kefyr strain. The bioassay’s utility was tested by measuring steady‐state VRC concentrations in 100 serum probes from VRC‐treated patients. The HPLC system used solvent extraction with hexane : dichloromethane followed by reversed‐phase HPLC with ultraviolet detection. The intra‐day and inter‐day accuracy of the bioassay was <5%, while that of HPLC was <1%. The precision (mean coefficient of variation, 3.5%) was equal for both the methods. The limit of quantification was lower for HPLC (0.2 mg l−1) than for the bioassay (0.5 mg l−1). The result of linear regression analysis was HPLC = 1.0178 (bioassay) + 0.328; R2 = 0.88; n = 100. Results of the serum panel ranged from 0.5 to more than 8.0 mg l−1 for the bioassay and from 0.26 to 10.1 mg l−1 for HPLC. Especially in laboratories without access to HPLC, the bioassay may be a clinically useful tool for therapeutic drug monitoring.
Blood pressure changes on upright tilting predict falls in older people.

BACKGROUND orthostatic hypotension may be an important risk factor for falls, though this has not yet been demonstrated in prospective studies. This may be because conventional methods of measuring blood pressure changes are too imprecise and not optimally timed. OBJECTIVES to determine whether changes in blood pressure induced by upright tilt are associated with falls in older people, and whether medication use and symptoms of dizziness are associated with blood pressure changes and falls. METHODS seventy men and women aged 62-92 years participated. We measured blood pressure with a plethysmograph monitor continuously before and after upright tilt. We recorded medication use and symptoms of dizziness in response to the tilt. Subjects were then followed up for 12 months to determine the incidence of falls. RESULTS subjects who fell in the follow-up period had significantly greater decreases in systolic blood pressure when tilted than those who did not fall. Furthermore, those who had unstable systolic blood pressure during the 3 minutes after tilting, in addition to large blood pressure drops, had a two-fold increased risk of falling compared with those with neither of these conditions. Symptoms of dizziness on tilting were uncommon and not associated with blood pressure or heart rate changes, medication use, or falls incidence. Antidepressant and antihypertensive medication use were associated with decreases in diastolic rather than systolic blood pressure, but were not associated with falls. CONCLUSIONS these findings indicate that both the decrease in blood pressure and the unstable nature of the blood pressure response following upright tilt are useful predictors of falls in older people.
Host‐tumor interaction and nutrient supply

Adequate parenteral nutritional support improves nutritional status in cancer patients, but its effect on tumor growth remains controversial. Using a transplantable mammary adenocarcinoma in a rat‐TPN model, the relative effect of different exogenous intravenous nutrients on tumor growth and host maintenance was studied. Relative to chow controls, starvation increased host depletion without reducing tumor growth. Adequate carbohydrate calories alone neither improved host maintenance nor stimulated tumor growth, yet adequate amino acids alone did improve host maintenance but also stimulated tumor growth. Adequate amino acids and carbohydrates given simultaneously maximized both host maintenance and tumor growth. In contrast, an isocaloric, isonitrogenous, intravenous diet providing non‐nitrogenous calories as fat promoted host maintenance equivalent to carbohydrate‐based TPN with no tumor stimulation. This apparent differential utilization of fat calories by normal and malignant cells may permit manipulation of the relative benefit of parenteral nutrition to host or to tumor, permitting host repletion without tumor stimulation or alternatively tumor stimulation at appropriate times to increase sensitivity to phase‐specific antineoplastic therapy.
Prostate Cancer in Iran: Trends in Incidence and Morphological and Epidemiological Characteristics.

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is second most common cancer in men overall in the world, whereas it is the third most common cancer in men and the sixth most common cancer in Iran. Few studies have been conducted on the epidemiology of prostate cancer in Iran. Since ethnicity of Iranian men is different from Asian people and given the epidemiologic and demographic transition taking place in Iran, this study aimed to investigate trends of incidence and morphology of prostate cancer during 2003 - 2008 in the country. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data were collected retrospectively reviewing all new prostate cancer patients in the Cancer Registry Center of the Health Deputy for Iran during a 6-year period. Also carcinoma, NOS and adenocarcinoma, NOS morphology were surveyed. Trends analysis of incidence and morphology was by joinpoint regression. RESULTS During the six years a total of 16,071 cases of prostate cancer were recorded in Iran. Most were adenocarcinomas at 95.2 percent. Trend analysis of incidence (ASR) There was a significant increase incidence, with annual percentage change (APC) of 17.3% and for morphology change percentage trends there was a significant decrease in adenocarcinoma with an APC of -1.24%. CONCLUSIONS Prostate cancer is a disease of older men and the incidence is increasing in Iran. The most common morphology is adenocarcinoma this appears to be decreasing over time. Due to the changing lifestyles and the aging of the population, epidemiological studies and planning assessment of the etiology of prostate cancer and its early detection are essential.
Designing indicators for cooperative sustainability: the Malaysian perspective

This study aims to design a set of sustainability indicators that is pertinent to cooperatives longevity. The primary goal of the cooperatives is towards meeting the economic progress of members while satisfying their socio-cultural interests and protecting the environment. As a sustainable and participatory form of business, cooperatives offer an alternative business model to social enterprises. ,Using an extraction process analysis, this study examined and analyzed guidelines, indices, and framework on sustainability used by the public companies. The selected materials were analyzed using Atlas.ti software, whereby common indicators were divided into themes. The indicators were further scrutinized to suit the cooperatives identity and local regulations. ,The results are presented as indicators for cooperatives sustainability that could serve as strategies and performance measurement. Promotion and expansion of cooperatives could be an important instrument for more than one billion people around the world involved in cooperatives either as members/customers, employees/participants, or both. ,This work extends and complements the on-going efforts in uplifting the cooperatives sector as the third engine of economic growth in Malaysia. It contributes towards enriching the knowledge of the relationship between sustainable development and sustainability and its influence towards the cooperative sector. It may also provide the building blocks for future studies that could explore the usefulness of these indicators to other business setting having a similar objective like the cooperatives.
Heterogeneity and Spatial Dependence of Regional Growth in the EU: A Recursive Partitioning Approach

Abstract We use model-based recursive partitioning to assess heterogeneity of growth and convergence processes based on economic growth regressions for 255 European Union NUTS2 regions from 1995 to 2005. Spatial dependencies are taken into account by augmenting the model-based regression tree with a spatial lag. The starting point of the analysis is a human-capital-augmented Solow-type growth equation similar in spirit to Mankiw et al. (1992, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 107, 407-437). Initial GDP and the share of highly educated in the working age population are found to be important for explaining economic growth, whereas the investment share in physical capital is only significant for coastal regions in the PIIGS countries. For all considered spatial weight matrices recursive partitioning leads to a regression tree with four terminal nodes with partitioning according to (i) capital regions, (ii) non-capital regions in or outside the so-called PIIGS countries and (iii) inside the respective PIIGS regions furthermore between coastal and non-coastal regions. The choice of the spatial weight matrix clearly influences the spatial lag parameter while the estimated slope parameters are very robust to it. This indicates that accounting for heterogeneity is an important aspect of modeling regional economic growth and convergence.
New Demodulation Method for Efficient Phase-Rotation-Based Beamforming

In this paper, we present a new demodulation method to reduce hardware complexity in phase-rotation- based beamforming. Due to its low sensitivity to phase delay errors, quadrature demodulation, which consists of mixing and lowpass filtering, is commonly used in ultrasound machines. However, because it requires two lowpass filters for each channel to remove harmonics after mixing, the direct use of quadrature demodulation is computationally expensive. To alleviate the high computational requirement in quadrature demodulation, we have developed a two-stage demodulation technique in which dynamic receive focusing is performed on the mixed signal instead of the complex baseband signal. Harmonics then are suppressed by using only two lowpass filters. When the number of channels is 32, the proposed two-stage demodulation reduces the necessary number of multiplications and additions for phase-rotation beamforming by 82.7% and 88.2%, respectively, compared to using quadrature demodulation. We have found from simulation and phantom studies that the proposed method does not incur any significant degradation in image quality in terms of axial and lateral resolution. These preliminary results indicate that the proposed two-stage demodulation method could contribute to significantly reducing the hardware complexity in phase-rotation-based beamforming while providing comparable image quality.
Insights into the Biosynthesis and Assembly of Cryptophycean Phycobiliproteins♦

Background: Cryptophytes like Guillardia theta utilize soluble phycobiliproteins for light-harvesting. Results: Guillardia theta adopted phycoerythrobilin biosynthesis from cyanobacteria, and the phycobiliprotein lyase GtCPES provides structural requirements for transfer of this chromophore to a specific cysteine residue of the apophycobiliprotein. Conclusion: Phycobiliprotein synthesis in Guillardia theta combines proven and novel components. Significance: Results provide a better understanding of the evolution and function of unusual phycobiliproteins in cryptophytes. Phycobiliproteins are employed by cyanobacteria, red algae, glaucophytes, and cryptophytes for light-harvesting and consist of apoproteins covalently associated with open-chain tetrapyrrole chromophores. Although the majority of organisms assemble the individual phycobiliproteins into larger aggregates called phycobilisomes, members of the cryptophytes use a single type of phycobiliprotein that is localized in the thylakoid lumen. The cryptophyte Guillardia theta (Gt) uses phycoerythrin PE545 utilizing the uncommon chromophore 15,16-dihydrobiliverdin (DHBV) in addition to phycoerythrobilin (PEB). Both the biosynthesis and the attachment of chromophores to the apophycobiliprotein have not yet been investigated for cryptophytes. In this study, we identified and characterized enzymes involved in PEB biosynthesis. In addition, we present the first in-depth biochemical characterization of a eukaryotic phycobiliprotein lyase (GtCPES). Plastid-encoded HO (GtHo) was shown to convert heme into biliverdin IXα providing the substrate with a putative nucleus-encoded DHBV:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (GtPEBA). A PEB:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (GtPEBB) was found to convert DHBV to PEB, which is the substrate for the phycobiliprotein lyase GtCPES. The x-ray structure of GtCPES was solved at 2.0 Å revealing a 10-stranded β-barrel with a modified lipocalin fold. GtCPES is an S-type lyase specific for binding of phycobilins with reduced C15=C16 double bonds (DHBV and PEB). Site-directed mutagenesis identified residues Glu-136 and Arg-146 involved in phycobilin binding. Based on the crystal structure, a model for the interaction of GtCPES with the apophycobiliprotein CpeB is proposed and discussed.
Utilization of behavioral methods in a multicenter anxiety disorders study.

BACKGROUND There are abundant data to justify the use of behavioral methods in treating patients with anxiety disorders. Yet there also is evidence that these methods have been underutilized in treating these patients. In this study we examined a large sample of patients with anxiety disorders to determine the extent to which behavior therapy methods were used in their treatment. METHOD As part of a multicenter longitudinal study of patients with anxiety disorders in New England, we analyzed data pertinent to the type of treatment received by 231 patients at nine study sites. Study subjects received a battery of interview and self-report instruments administered by trained study interviewers at intake and at 6-month follow-up. A Psychosocial Treatments Interview designed by study personnel and administered by study interviewers at 6 months after intake provided data as to types of psychosocial treatment received by study subjects. RESULTS Behavioral methods were used less frequently than supportive psychotherapy. medication, or psychodynamic psychotherapy. Among behavioral treatments, relaxation and imaginal exposure were used more frequently than in vivo exposure. Obsessive compulsive disorder and agoraphobia without panic were the diagnoses most likely to be treated behaviorally. Behavioral methods were used more frequently in combination with other modalities than they were alone. CONCLUSION When compared with previous studies, the frequency of utilization of behavioral methods appears to have increased moderately. But our data are still consistent with a pattern of inappropriately low utilization of these effective treatment methods.
Bupivacaine infusion for iliac crest donor sites.

Pain is common after a bone graft has been taken from the iliac crest (Kurz, Garfin and Booth 1989). Local wound infiltration with bupivacaine at closure is effective, but relief lasts for only four hours (Todd and Reed 1991). We report a method of infusing bupivacaine which gives effective and lasting analgesia. Patients and methods. Patients requiring iliac crest grafts were randomly selected to receive either bupivacaine infiltration at wound closure or bupivacaine infusion postoperatively. For the infusion group, a fine-bore catheter was tunnelled into the wound between muscle and fat and used to infiltrate 0.5% bupivacaine solution at a rate of 5 ml/hour for 48 hours by a syringe driver. A drain was also used; drain and catheter were removed after two days. For the infiltration group 10 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine solution was injected into the soft tissues by needle and syringe immediately before skin closure. A drain was used. At 24 hours postoperatively, patients graded their
The effects of CYP2D6 and CYP3A activities on the pharmacokinetics of immediate release oxycodone

Background and purpose: There is high interindividual variability in the activity of drug‐metabolizing enzymes catalysing the oxidation of oxycodone [cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 and 3A], due to genetic polymorphisms and/or drug–drug interactions. The effects of CYP2D6 and/or CYP3A activity modulation on the pharmacokinetics of oxycodone remains poorly explored.
Estimation of Seismic Economic Loss and Downtime of Precast Concrete Frames with “Dry” Connections

The seismic loss of buildings comes not only from the damaged structural components. Much more loss may be induced by non-structural components, the demolition loss and social impacts associated with excessive downtime. One of the main characteristics of a resilient city is that the buildings in the city should be able to recover to their pre-earthquake functionalities with minimized economic loss and downtime. For this purpose, a comparative study regarding seismic economic loss and downtime is conducted between the conventional cast-in-situ reinforced concrete frames (RCFs) and precast concrete frames (PCFs) with "dry" connections. The results show that the PCFs with prestressed tendons (PTs) can effectively reduce demolition loss given their extraordinary self-centering capacity provided by PTs. By adding web friction devices at the beam ends, the economic loss of structural components and drift-sensitive non-structural components can be effectively reduced. The downtime of PCFs is reduced at given hazard levels compared with RCF given their rapid repair speed and easy assemblage. In view of the rapid post-earthquake repair and lower earthquake loss, the PCFs are worth further investigation and application to develop resilient cities.
Novel non-operative treatment and treatment strategies in pancreatic cancer

Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer have traditionally been treated with palliative care only. The last decade has seen significant improvements in the surgical treatment of this disease but until the late 1990s there was no effective non-surgical treatment for these tumours. The introduction of gemcitabine has given clinicians treating patients with pancreatic cancer a new option. The published randomised data of gemcitabine in patients with pancreatic cancer has shown both a small survival advantage and significant improvements in quality of life indicators in these patients. These data have stimulated a resurgence of interest in pancreatic tumours and several studies have been or are currently investigating novel treatments or treatment strategies. The explosion in the molecular knowledge of cancer has led to the development of several ‘molecular designer drugs’ that have been tested in pancreatic cancer. The furthest advanced of these is a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor called marimastat. The first randomised data using this new class of agents is increasing and suggests that marimastat may have a role in the future treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer. Other agents such as gastrimmune, are about to enter Phase III studies and several other molecular treatment strategies are progressing from the in vitro stage towards the clinical arena. Each of these treatments and treatment regimens are discussed along with their current progress.
Trust in Direct Leaders and Top Leaders: A Trickle-Up Model

Low levels of employee trust in top leaders pose challenges to organizations with respect to retention, performance, and profits. This research examines how trust in top leaders can be fostered through the relationships individuals have with their direct leaders. We propose a trickle-up model whereby trust in direct leaders exerts an upward influence on trust in top leaders. Drawing on the group value model, we predict that direct leaders’ procedural justice serves as the key mechanism in facilitating the trickle-up process. Further, this process should be particularly strong for employees high on vertical collectivism, and the trickled-up trust in top leaders should exert a stronger impact on employees’ overall performance in the organization than trust in direct leaders. Multiphase and multisource data from 336 individuals support these hypotheses. The findings advance our understanding of trust and leadership by highlighting that trust in leaders at different levels does not form independently and that trust in leaders trickles up across hierarchical levels.
Activity Strategies, Information Asymmetry, and Bank Opacity

Using a large panel of US bank holding companies from 2001 to 2015, we investigate the association between functional diversification and bank earnings management. We document a positive relationship between bank earnings management and bank diversification. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that diversification increases the asymmetric information of banks, leading to greater discretionary power by bank managers. This effect is most prevalent in smaller banks and non-dividend paying banks. The impact of diversification on earnings management is less pronounced during the crisis. Our study is of interest to regulators and other stakeholders who examine factors which affect behavior of bank managers.
A multi‐center study on the surgical management of metastatic disease to adrenal glands

In the management of adrenal lesions in oncological patients, many issues are still controversial: morphological signs of suspected malignancy, accuracy of imaging examinations, use of fine needle aspiration (FNA), and the role of laparoscopy. The present study attempts to address these questions through the evaluation of the management of adrenal metastases (AM) in a wide cohort of patients included in the Italian Register of Endoscopic Adrenal Surgery.
Serum Protein S-100 Predicts Clinical Outcome in Patients with Melanoma Treated with Adjuvant Interferon – Comparison with Tyrosinase RT-PCR

Objective: To study the clinical value of the determination of serum S-100 protein as a single tumor marker or in combination with tyrosinase RT-PCR in patients with melanoma receiving adjuvant interferon. Patients and Methods: Patients were tested for serum S-100 protein luminoimmunometric assay and for blood tyrosinase mRNA (RT-PCR), before starting interferon and every 2–3 months thereafter. Results: One hundred and six patients (stage IIA, 27; IIB, 19; III, 49; and IV, 11) were included in the study. Median follow-up was 51 months (range 2–76). In the univariate analysis, under treatment S-100 ≧0.15 µg/l and a positive RT-PCR correlated with a lower disease-free survival and overall survival (OS). In the multivariate analysis, clinical stage, under therapy positive RT-PCR and S-100 levels ≧0.15 µg/ml, were independent prognostic factors for OS. The hazard ratio for OS was 3.9 (95% CI, 1.67–9.15; p = 0.004) and 2.2 (95% CI, 1.05–4.6; p = 0.016) for S-100 ≧0.15 µg/l and positive RT-PCR, respectively. When both techniques where combined, a positive RT-PCR indicated a poorer clinical outcome only in patients with S-100 <0.15 µg/l. Conclusions: S-100 ≧0.15 µg/l and a positive RT-PCR during adjuvant interferon therapy indicate a high risk of death in resected melanoma patients. S-100 determination has a higher positive predictive value than RT-PCR, while tyrosinase RT-PCR adds prognostic information in patients with S-100 <0.15 µg/l.