Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Major impact of body position on arterial stiffness indices derived from radial applanation tonometry in pregnant and nonpregnant women

Objective: To evaluate the impact of body position on the arterial stiffness indices provided by radial applanation tonometry in pregnant and nonpregnant women. Methods: Twenty-four young women (18–30 years) in the third trimester of a normal pregnancy and 20 healthy nonpregnant women of the same age were enrolled. In each, applanation tonometry was carried out in the sitting and supine position. The following stiffness indices were analyzed: systolic augmentation index (sAix), sAix adjusted for heart rate (sAix@75) and diastolic augmentation index (dAix), all expressed in % of central aortic pulse pressure. Results: The sAix was apparently not influenced by body position, but the transition from seated to supine was associated with a substantial decrease in heart rate. When correcting for this confounder by calculating the sAix@75, systolic augmentation was substantially lower when individuals were supine (mean ± SD: nonpregnant 3.0 ± 14.4%, pregnant 8.8 ± 9.7%) than when they were sitting (nonpregnant 5.7 ± 13.0%, pregnant 11.1 ± 83%, P = 0.005 supine vs. seated in both study groups, P > 0.2 for pregnant vs. nonpregnant). The influence of body position on the dAix went in the opposite direction (supine: nonpregnant 9.7 ± 6.6%, pregnant 4.4 ± 3.5%; seated: nonpregnant 7.7 ± 5.8%, pregnant 3.3 ± 2.4%, P < 0.00001 supine vs. seated in both study groups, P = 0.001 for pregnant vs. nonpregnant). Conclusion: Body position has a major impact on the pattern of central aortic pressure augmentation by reflected waves in healthy young women examined either during third trimester pregnancy or in the nonpregnant state.
Speaking for “Free”: Word of Mouth in Free- and Paid-Product Settings

This research examines drivers of consumer word of mouth (WOM) in free-product settings, revealing fundamental differences with traditional, paid-product settings. The authors build and investigate a theoretical model that highlights two unique characteristics of free products (reciprocity motivation and diminished adoption risk) and considers their implications for WOM sharing. Results of a retrospective survey, two controlled experiments, and an analysis of more than 5,000 mobile apps at Google Play and Apple’s App Store reveal that consumers are generally more likely to share their opinions of free products than paid products, because of feelings of reciprocity toward the producer. However, this difference is reduced when prior consumer WOM is low in volume and highly disperse, signaling greater adoption risk. These findings contribute to nascent understanding of free-product marketing while offering new insights for catalyzing consumer WOM.
Aberrant promoter methylation of the cadherin 13 gene in serum and its relationship with clinicopathological features of prostate cancer

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of cadherin 13 (CDH13) gene promoter methylation in the serum of patients with prostate cancer. Methods This prospective study examined the methylation status of CDH13 in serum samples obtained from patients with primary prostate cancer and age-matched control subjects, using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. Associations between methylation status of CDH13 and various clinicopathological features and patient survival were evaluated. Results A total of 98 patients with prostate cancer and 47 control subjects were enrolled in the study. CDH13 promoter methylation was detected in 44 out of 98 (44.9%) patients with prostate cancer; no methylation was found in control subjects. Methylation of CDH13 was significantly associated with an increased Gleason score, an advanced tumour stage, and a high prostate-specific antigen level. CDH13 methylation was associated with a worse survival outcome and a relative risk of death of 6.132 (95% confidence interval: 3.160, 12.187). Conclusions Promoter methylation of CDH13 occurred frequently in the serum of patients with prostate cancer, was associated with an increased risk of death, and may become a useful independent predictor of a poor prognosis.
Who Is Wary of User Design? The Role of Power-Distance Beliefs in Preference for User-Designed Products

This article evaluates when a user-design approach is and is not effective in strengthening brand preference. It specifically delves into the role of power-distance beliefs in influencing preferences for user-designed products and brands. The authors demonstrate that low-power-distance consumers prefer user-designed products to company-designed products, whereas this effect is attenuated or reversed for high-power-distance consumers. The authors find process evidence that both feelings of empowerment and values of expertise differentially mediate brand preferences depending on power-distance beliefs, thus extending prior research findings. Field experiments conducted in the United States and cross-culturally (Austria and Guatemala) with Facebook’s advertising platform provide convergent evidence using country and political orientation as managerially accessible proxies. This research sheds light on when and why firms should be wary of user-design approaches, based on how power-distance beliefs drive consumers’ preferences.
An exploratory study of social support: a cross‐cultural comparison of Chinese‐, Japanese‐, and Anglo‐American breast cancer patients

This paper investigated the nature of social support for Asian‐ and Anglo‐American women post breast cancer treatment. Forty‐six Anglo‐ and Asian‐American (13 Anglo‐American, 18 Chinese‐American and 15 Japanese‐American women) women were assessed 6 months to 3 years post‐treatment. Assessments consisted of a semi‐structured interview plus standardized psychological tests. Three major hypotheses were developed and tested in the study. Results showed: (1) Anglo‐American women indicated a greater need for social support than either of the two Asian‐American groups in 66% of the categories; (2) no differences were found between the three ethnic groups in receipt of emotional or tangible social support; and (3) the network size and composition differed significantly in 83% of the categories between the Anglo group and at least one of the Asian groups. These differences were in size, mode, and perceived adequacy of social support. Implications for culturally‐based clinical practice which emerge from these findings are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Major and Minor League Baseball Hamstring Injuries

Background: Hamstring strains are a recognized cause of disability for athletes in many sports, but no study exists that reports the incidence and circumstances surrounding these injuries in professional baseball. Hypothesis: Professional baseball players have a high incidence of hamstring strains, and these injuries are influenced by multiple factors including history of hamstring injury, time period within the season, and activity of base running. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiologic study. Methods: For the 2011 season, injury data were prospectively collected for every Major League Baseball (MLB) major and minor league team and recorded in the MLB’s Injury Surveillance System. Data collected for this study included date of injury, activity in which the player was engaged at the time of injury, and time loss. Injury rates were reported in injuries per athlete-exposure (A-E). Athlete-exposures were defined as the average number of players on a team who were participating in a game multiplied by the number of games. Results: In the major leagues, 50 hamstring strains were reported for an injury rate (IR) of 0.7 per 1000 A-Es and averaged 24 days missed. In the minor leagues, 218 hamstring strains were reported for an IR of 0.7 per 1000 A-Es and averaged 27 days missed. Base running, specifically running to first base, was the top activity for sustaining a hamstring strain in both major and minor leagues, associated with almost two-thirds of hamstring strains. Approximately two-thirds of these injuries in both the major and minor leagues resulted in more than 7 days of time loss. Approximately 25% of these injuries kept the player out for 1 month or longer. History of a previous hamstring strain in the prior year, 2010, was found in 20% of the major league players and 8% of the minor league players. In the major leagues, the month of May had a statistically significant higher frequency of hamstring injuries than any other month in the season (P = .0153). Conclusion: Hamstring strains are a considerable cause of disability in professional baseball and are affected by history of hamstring strain, seasonal timing, and running to first base.
Postoperative Pain Reduction with Bupivacaine Instillation After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy(LC) is now the standard technique for removal of gall bladder which is mainly due to gall stones (2) . Pain which occurs after this procedure is significantly less and shorter than that caused by the open cholecystectomy (3,4,5) . However, postoperative pain still the main obstacles to the patient's return to normal activities (2) , and the optimal management has a potential for shortening of hospital stay and for speeding up recovery (4) . Opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are generally used for management of post-operative pain after LC
Expectation and Reality: the Situation of Constructions Sites of the Ministry of Education in Brazil

In 2015, the Ministry of Education (MEC) created the Integrated Monitoring and Control System (SIMEC), an operational and management tool that shows the situation of education-related constructions under city hall management on their website. The city hall managers fill the information on the system. Therefore, we wonder if the constructions´ situation pointed out by Simec reflects their real conditions. The research aims to learn the real situation of constructions described on Simec using on-site survey, observation, photographic record, and, whenever possible, using mobile applications like "Tá de Pé" (It's on) from "Transparência Brasil" (NGO) or "Eu Fiscalizo" (I supervise) from Federal General Accounting Office (a.k.a TCU in Brazilian Portuguese acronym) to send the findings. We inspected nineteen construction sites in four cities in the State of Pará. The results indicate that the situation of most of them (11 of 19) does not correspond to the information filled by the public agents in Simec. The situation indicates an absence of internal controls in MEC during the supervision of the constructions sites. Thus, we want to raise awareness about the change that can be made in society by engaged and empowered actors of social control.
Activation of Protein Kinase C Induces Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Dephosphorylation and Pronucleus Formation in Rat Oocytes1

Abstract Mammalian oocytes are arrested at metaphase of the second meiotic division (MII) before fertilization. When oocytes are stimulated by spermatozoa, they exit MII stage and complete meiosis. It has been suggested that an immediate increase in intracellular free calcium concentration and inactivation of maturation promoting factor (MPF) are required for oocyte activation. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of protein kinase C (PKC) and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, and their interplay in rat oocyte activation. We found that MAP kinase became dephosphorylated in correlation with pronucleus formation after fertilization. Protein kinase C activators, phorbol 12-myriatate 13-acetate (PMA) and 1,2-dioctanoyl-rac-glycerol (diC8), triggered dephosphorylation of MAP kinase and pronucleus formation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Dephosphorylation of MAP kinase was also correlated with pronucleus formation when oocytes were treated with PKC activators. Effects of PKC activators were abolished by the PKC inhibitors, calphostin C and staurosporine, as well as a protein phosphatase blocker, okadaic acid (OA). These results suggest that PKC activation may cause rat oocyte pronucleus formation via MAP kinase dephosphorylation, which is probably mediated by OA-sensitive protein phosphatases. We also provide evidence supporting the involvement of such a process in fertilization.
The Brain Binds Entities and Events by Multiregional Activation from Convergence Zones

The experience of reality, in both perception and recall, is spatially and temporally coherent and in-register. Features are bound in entities, and entities are bound in events. The properties of these entities and events, however, are represented in many different regions of the brain that are widely separated. The degree of neural parcellation is even greater when we consider that the perception of most entities and events also requires a motor interaction on the part of the perceiver (such as eye movements and hand movements) and often includes a recordable modification of the perceiver's somatic state. The question of how the brain achieves integration starting with the bits and pieces it has to work with, is the binding problem. Here we propose a new solution for this problem, at the level of neural systems that integrate functional regions of the telencephalon.
Biases in the perception of drinking norms among college students.

Individual drinking patterns and the perceived typical drinking patterns of close friends and reference groups were assessed in two different studies with college students. In both studies virtually all students reported that their friends drank more than they did. These effects were found across different levels of individual drinking, within different types of samples, across gender of subjects and with different types of questionnaire assessment. In addition, students' estimates of typical or average drinking within their own social living groups were significantly higher than average drinking within the group estimated from self-reports. Because of the consistent, asymmetrical pattern of reports of self and other drinking, it was interpreted that reports of others' drinking were exaggerated. These biases were particularly evident within organized social groups (i.e., fraternities and sororities) but were minimal in reference to "students in general" or "people in general. " Results are discussed in terms of cognitive and motivational factors that potentially could promote or excuse excessive drinking practices among college students.
Overexpression of the dnaA gene in Escherichia coli B/r: chromosome and minichromosome replication in the presence of rifampin

The replication of chromosomes and minichromosomes in Escherichia coli B/r was examined under conditions in which the dnaA gene product was overproduced. Increased levels of the DnaA protein were achieved by thermoinduction of the dnaA gene, under the control of the lambda pL promoter, or by cellular maintenance of multicopy plasmids carrying the dnaA gene under the control of its own promoters. Previous work has shown that overproduction of DnaA protein stimulates replication of the chromosomal origin, oriC, but that the newly initiated forks do not progress along the length of the chromosome (T. Atlung, K. V. Rasmussen, E. Clausen, and F. G. Hansen, p. 282-297, in M. Schaechter, F. C. Neidhardt, J. L. Ingraham, and N. O. Kjeldgaard, ed., The Molecular Biology of Bacterial Growth, 1985). In the present study, it was found that overproduction of DnaA protein caused both a two- to threefold increase in the amount of residual chromosome replication and an extended synthesis of minichromosome DNA in the presence of rifampin. The amount of residual chromosome replication was consistent with the appearance of functional replication forks on the majority of the chromosomes. Since the rate of DNA accumulation and the cellular DNA/mass ratios were not increased significantly by overexpression of the dnaA gene, we concluded that the addition of rifampin either enabled stalled replication forks to proceed beyond oriC or enabled new forks to initiate on both chromosomes and minichromosomes, or both.
Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Hepatitis C and Lack of Awareness: A Case Study of Pakistan

The main objective of this study was to identify the socio-economic factors affecting the hepatitis C and to investigate the awareness of the individuals about the ways of transmission of HCV in Pakistan where about 10 million people are affected with hepatitis C, with high rate of mortality (1). In Pakistan, the prevalence of HCV is 4-6% (2) while in another study, it is about 5-8% (3). Data of 274 persons (Out of which 137 are cases (positive) and 137 are controls (negative)) were collected through questionnaire from Liver Center Faisalabad and different localities. Binary logistic Regression model was applied to determine social and economic factors associated with hepatitis C. We used the following model HEPC= TIOHH+ [1]
Induction of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) by peripheral nerve compression

Nuclear translocation of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), used as a marker for neuronal injury, was studied by immunocytochemistry in sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia and locally along the sciatic nerve after severe chronic nerve compression in rats. In compressed nerves (application of a narrow silicone tube), ATF3 immunoreactivity was seen in the nucleus of sensory neurons and in Schwann cells below the compression at two and four weeks. Removal of the silicone tube (decompression) at two weeks did not affect the number of ATF3-positive cell nuclei in dorsal root ganglia. No ATF3 immunoreactivity was found in undamaged nerves on the other side. Functional variables (toe spreading and muscle force) were impaired at two weeks, with partial improvement at four weeks. Nerve compression induces nuclear translocation of ATF3, a transcription factor associated with survival and regeneration of sensory neurons. The response is related to duration of compression and partly correlated to function.
Computerised screening for visual stress in reading

Visual stress is the experience of unpleasant visual symptoms when engaged in reading and some other visual tasks. There is currently no objective diagnostic test for this condition, which affects a substantial proportion of the population and which can disrupt development of reading skills. The reliability of subjective reports of symptoms has been questioned, especially where children are concerned. Diagnosis by positive response to the preferred treatment method, either the sustained voluntary use of a coloured overlay or immediate improvement in reading rate when using an overlay, is usually regarded as the best option. Recent research has reported that children who are significantly impaired by a visually stressful pattern during reading-like visual search are more likely to show significant improvement in reading speed when using an overlay. This study was designed to evaluate a prototype computerised visual stress screener that incorporated visual search. The results confirmed that primary and secondary school children who were classified by the screener as having high susceptibility to visual stress had larger percent increases in reading rate with an overlay compared with those with low visual stress. The results also indicated that subjective reports of symptoms may not always be diagnostically effective with younger populations. It was concluded that screening for visual stress in reading using a computerised visual search task is an educationally promising development.
Drivers and barriers to food waste reduction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse main drivers and barriers to food waste reduction in the consumption phase and analyse pathways to anti-wastage behaviours. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was performed in order to understand the main variables affecting the behaviour and to identify pathways to move to an anti-waste behaviour. In the end, 84 articles were selected for the final analysis. Findings Drivers and barriers to reduce food waste were categorised in societal factors, personal factors and behavioural factors. Variables can increase the amount of waste (+) or reduce it (−). From them, efforts to move to an anti-wastage behaviour are classified in macro-environmental change, retailers’ engagement, raise awareness of the issue and creating anti-wastage social norms. Research limitations/implications The systematic review did not capture all variables that can influence consumer food waste and it is necessary different approaches to study the issue. Practical implications From the drivers for food waste reduction it is possible to design efforts to help consumers change their pattern of behaviour. Social implications Reducing food waste has effects in changing economic inequality, relative poverty and environmental damages. Originality/value The great majority of studies that analyse consumer food waste focus on behaviours that increase food waste. This special paper identifies how to stimulate and proactively work with behaviours that help to food waste reduction.
Analysis Method of Ground Wave Propagation over Land-to-Sea Mixed-Path by Using Helmholtz-Kirchhoff Integral Theorem

In this paper, we have derived a novel integral representation for the ground wave propagation over land-to-sea mixed-paths by applying the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral theorem. By using the method of stationary phase applicable uniformly as the stationary phase point approaches the endpoint of the integral, we have derived the asymptotic solution for the scattered fields consisting of the first-order and the second-order diffraction terms. We show that the asymptotic solution thus derived agrees with the asymptotic solution derived by applying the aperture field method (AFM) and the method of stationary phase. We have confirmed the validity and the utility of the novel integral representation and its asymptotic solution by comparing with the widely used mixed-path theorem and the experimental measurement performed in Kanto area and Tokyo bay.
Study to estimate the prevalence of risk factors of chronic disease among a fishing community in Tamil Nadu

Studies have shown that fishermen have a higher mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancer and accident. 2 Chronic diseases include many conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, mainly heart disease and stroke; cancer; chronic respiratory diseases; diabetes; others. Cardiovascular diseases account for 30% of deaths, majority of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is caused by external risk factors that can be controlled, treated or modified, such as the diet, tobacco, alcohol and lack of physical activity. 3 About half of the world’s ABSTRACT