Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innovation and Productivity in Services: Evidence from Chile

Abstract We analyze empirically the firm-level relationship between innovation and productivity in the Chilean service sector using the manufacturing sector as a benchmark. We find that manufacturing and service industries have similar determinants of the probability of introducing technological innovations. We also find a positive effect of technological and nontechnological innovation on labor productivity for both sectors. However, there are some differences in the quantitative importance of some determinants of innovation. Our findings help to characterize the different stages of the service industry’s innovative process and its effect on an emerging economy, providing useful information for policy design.
Pattern of Uveitis in a Referral Ophthalmology Center in the Central District of Thailand

Abstract Purpose: To report the pattern of uveitis in a major ophthalmology center in the central district of Thailand. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in uveitis cases visiting the Department of Ophthalmology at Rajavithi Hospital, Thailand, from January 2007 to October 2012. Results: Four hundred and forty-six patients (mean age 42 years, female 53.8%) were included in the study. Uveitis was unilateral in 51.1% of cases. Anterior uveitis was the most common (44.8%) case, closely followed by panuveitis (40%), posterior uveitis (14.3%), and intermediate uveitis (0.9%). Specific diagnosis was established in 51.6% of patients. The three most common specific diagnoses were Vogt–Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease (22.4%), followed by Behçet disease (6.7%) and herpetic anterior uveitis (5.8%). Conclusions: The most common type of noninfectious uveitis group was VKH, while herpetic anterior uveitis was the most common type of infectious uveitis in the central district of Thailand.
Comparative study of oral mucosa micronuclei in smokers and alcoholic smokers.

OBJECTIVE To compare the frequency of micronuclei and metanucleated anomalies in the oral mucosa of smokers, alcoholic smokers, and nonsmokers. STUDY DESIGN Three groups were studied: group I, 15 smokers; group II, 16 alcoholic smokers; and group III, 20 nonsmokers. Three smears from the lateral left border of the tongue were processed for Feulgen staining. A minimum of 300 cells per participant were examined for the quantification of micronuclei and metanucleated anomalies. RESULTS The Kruskal-Wallis test showed no significant difference in the frequency of micronuclei (p = 0.602) or karyorrhexis (p = 0.114) among the three groups, but there was a significant difference in the frequency of broken eggs, binucleated cells, and karyolysis (p = 0.001). Spearman's correlation indicated an influence of the number of cigarettes per day on micronuclei frequency. Tobacco caused significant alterations in the exfoliative cytology (broken eggs, binucleated cells, and karyolysis) of chronic smokers, but not in the frequency of micronuclei or karyorrhexis, despite the observation of a larger absolute number of micronuclei in group II. CONCLUSION The action of genotoxic agents (tobacco and alcohol) causes alterations in the frequency of micronuclei and metanucleated anomalies.
[Differences in health-related quality of life between male and female hemodialysis patients].

BACKGROUND Previous studies in renal patients have reported that women perceive a lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL) than men: however, these studies have been carried out without taking into account the gender-related differences shown in general population samples. The aims of the present study are: a) to define the HRQOL dimensions in which there are differences between men and women on chronic hemodialysis (HD), correcting then the differences on the generic dimensions by means of standardization by age and gender of the obtained scores, using Spanish normative data, and b) to identify the variables that cause these possible gender-related differences on HRQOL. METHODS A cross-sectional multi-center study was carried out with 152 patients (69 men and 83 women) receiving HD treatment in 43 Spanish centers, using the KDQOL-SF to evaluate their HRQOL. The generic KDQOL-SF scores were standardized by age and gender using Spanish normative data. Sociodemographic, clinical and psychosocial variables were also collected on each patient. A MANOVA was carried out to study the variables associated with the gender-related differences on HRQOL. The sociodemographic, clinical and psychosocial variables showing significant differences between men and women in the previous univariate analysis were entered as covariates. RESULTS The KDQOL-SF scores showed statistically significant differences between men and women in four scales: physical functioning, emotional role limitation, social function and emotional well-being. In contrast, standardized scores showed no differences between men and women in the profile or degree of HRQOL impairment. Although statistically significant gender-related differences were shown in educational level, employment, haemoglobin, Kt/V, trait anxiety and depressive symptoms, only the last two variables showed an independent effect on the differences in HRQOL. CONCLUSION Impaired HRQOL in women on HD reflects the gender-related differences that are also shown in the general population, and they are related to the higher prevalence of trait anxiety and depressive symptoms in women.
GAT (GGA and Tom1) Domain Responsible for Ubiquitin Binding and Ubiquitination*

GGAs (Golgi-localizing, γ-adaptin ear domain homology, ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF)-binding proteins) are a family of monomeric adaptor proteins involved in membrane trafficking from the trans-Golgi network to endosomes. The GAT (GGA and Tom1) domains of GGAs have previously been shown to interact with GTP-bound ARF and to be crucial for membrane recruitment of GGAs. Here we show that the C-terminal subdomain of the GAT domain, which is distinct from the N-terminal GAT subdomain responsible for ARF binding, can bind ubiquitin. The binding is mediated by interactions between residues on one side of the α3 helix of the GAT domain and those on the so-called Ile-44 surface patch of ubiquitin. The binding of the GAT domain to ubiquitin can be enhanced by the presence of a GTP-bound form of ARF. Furthermore, GGA itself is ubiquitinated in a manner dependent on the GAT-ubiquitin interaction. These results delineate the molecular basis for the interaction between ubiquitin and GAT and suggest that GGA-mediated trafficking is regulated by the ubiquitin system as endosomal trafficking mediated by other ubiquitin-binding proteins.
Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Inflammatory Rheumatological Conditions.

BACKGROUND Approximately 1.5 million adults in Germany suffer from an inflammatory rheumatological condition. The most common among these are rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis-above all axial spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis (Bekhterev's disease) and psoriatic arthritis. These systemic inflammatory diseases often affect the heart as well. METHODS This review is based on pertinent articles retrieved by a selective literature search, on current European guidelines, and on the authors' clinical experience. RESULTS Rheumatic inflammation of cardiac structures can manifest itself as pericarditis, myocarditis, or endocarditis. The heart valves and the intracardiac conduction system can be affected as well, leading to AV block. Functional sequelae, e.g., congestive heart failure, can arise as a consequence of any inflammatory rheumatic disease. The long-term mortality of rheumatic diseases is elevated predominantly because of the increased risk for cardiovascular comorbidities. The cardiovascular risk profile should therefore be re-evaluated regularly (e.g., at 5-year intervals) in cooperation with the patient's primary care physician. The cardiovascular manifestations of rheumatic disease, such as pericarditis, myocarditis, and vasculitis, are treated initially with high-dose glucocorticoids and then over the long term with maintenance drugs such as methotrexate and azathioprine. Biological agents are sometimes used as well. CONCLUSION In patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, the elevated cardiovascular risk should be kept in mind and preventive measures should be initiated early. This subject should be further studied in controlled trials so that the treatment options for patients with cardiac involvement can be evaluated.
Acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide is inhibited by wogonin in mice via reduction of Akt phosphorylation and RhoA activation

Neutrophil infiltration into the lung is the critical characteristic of acute lung injury (ALI), which is a clinical state with acute inflammatory syndrome. Up to now, there is no effective medicine for ALI. Wogonin has been shown to posses serval biological activities including anti‐inflammation, anti‐oxidant and anti‐carcinoma.
&bgr;-Adrenergic Stimulation of L-type Ca2 Channels in Cardiac Myocytes Requires the Distal Carboxyl Terminus of &agr;1C but Not Serine 1928

&bgr;-Adrenoceptor stimulation robustly increases cardiac L-type Ca2+ current (ICaL); yet the molecular mechanism of this effect is still not well understood. Previous reports have shown in vitro phosphorylation of a consensus protein kinase A site at serine 1928 on the carboxyl terminus of the &agr;1C subunit; however, the functional role of this site has not been investigated in cardiac myocytes. Here, we examine the effects of truncating the distal carboxyl terminus of the &agr;1C subunit at amino acid residue 1905 or mutating the putative protein kinase A site at serine 1928 to alanine in adult guinea pig myocytes, using novel dihydropyridine-insensitive &agr;1C adenoviruses, coexpressed with &bgr;2 subunits. Expression of &agr;1C truncated at 1905 dramatically attenuated the increase of peak ICaL induced by isoproterenol. However, the point mutation S1928A did not significantly attenuate the &bgr;-adrenergic response. The findings indicate that the distal carboxyl-terminus of &agr;1C plays an important role in &bgr;-adrenergic upregulation of cardiac L-type Ca2+ channels, but that phosphorylation of serine 1928 is not required for this effect.
Reconnecting with oneself while struggling between life and death: The phenomenon of recovery as experienced by persons at risk of suicide

The body of knowledge regarding health and recovery as experienced by patients at risk of suicide is limited. More research is needed into the meaning of recovery and what strengthens the desire to live. The aim of this study was to describe the phenomenon of recovery in a context of nursing care as experienced by persons at risk of suicide. In line with a reflective lifeworld research approach, 14 patients from a psychiatric clinic in Sweden participated in phenomenon-oriented interviews. Data were analyzed to describe the essence of the phenomenon. The results reveal that the phenomenon of recovery means 'reconnecting with oneself while struggling between life and death'. Three meaning constituents emerged: being in an expressive space and giving voice to oneself, regaining dignity through nurturing connectedness, and finding a balance in the tension between life and death. In conclusion, the meaning of recovery is to experience the ability to manage one's own life. Professional caregivers need to acknowledge patients' lifeworlds, in a way that enable patients to experience themselves as capable of managing their own lives. Professional caregivers should also facilitate the involvement of supportive relatives.
Human Resources (HR) as a strategic business partner: value creation and risk reduction capacity

The competitive forces firms face today, and will continue to face in the future, demand organizational excellence through which HR departments could make a real contribution to the business through their value-added and risk reduction capacity, while been accepted as equal strategic business partners in organizations. The article discusses HR department’s capability of being seen as an integrated value-driven business function, while it also demonstrates its risk reduction capacity, both critical outcomes of HR’s strategic positioning within the business agenda.
Serial-position effects for items and relations in short-term memory

Two experiments used immediate probed recall of words to investigate serial-position effects. Item memory was tested through probing with a semantic category. Relation memory was tested through probing with the word's spatial location of presentation. Input order and output order were deconfounded by presenting and probing items in different orders. Primacy and recency effects over input position were found for both item memory and relation memory. Both item and relation memory declined over output position. The finding of a U-shaped input position function for item memory rules out an explanation purely in terms of positional confusions (e.g., edge effects). Either these serial-position effects arise from variations in the intrinsic memory strength of the items, or they arise from variations in the strength of item–position bindings, together with retrieval by scanning.
Rapid Detection of Polymorphisms of the Nitric Oxide Cascade

Abstract NOS3 (endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase) and p22phox (subunit of NAD(P)H oxidase) are two genes whose products are involved in formation and degradation of NO, a ubiquitous signaling molecule largely responsible for the maintenance of normal endothelial function. The G894T polymorphism of NOS3 and the C242T polymorphism of p22phox are reportedly associated with numerous cardiovascular diseases. For each polymorphism we developed a rapid and reliable method with the hybridization probes format on the LightcyclerTM and compared it with conventional PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis with regard to reliability, duration and cost. The new methods are more reliable, faster and less expensive than PCR-RFLP analysis and therefore represent a significant advantage in the detection of two candidate risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
Effect of light on nonphotosynthetic microorganisms. II. Photochromogenicity in genus Streptomyces.

The effect of light on the pigmentation of various strains belonging to the genus Streptomyces was investigated. It was revealed that six species of streptomycetes, S. massaporeus, S. phaeopurpureus, S. chibaensis, S. salmonicida, S. fluvissimus and S. longispororuber, were photochromogenic, i.e., these strains can be photoinduced to synthesize pigments. On the basis of these results, pigmentation in Streptomyces is discussed.
ZNN-Fast and Scalable Algorithm for 3 D ConvNets on Multi-Core and Many-Core Shared Memory Machines

Convolutional networks (ConvNets) have become a popular approach to computer vision. It is important to accelerate ConvNet training, which is computationally costly. We propose a novel parallel algorithm based on decomposition into a set of tasks, most of which are convolutions or FFTs. Applying Brent’s theorem to the task dependency graph implies that linear speedup with the number of processors is attainable within the PRAM model of parallel computation, for wide network architectures. To attain such performance on real shared-memory machines, our algorithm computes convolutions converging on the same node of the network with temporal locality to reduce cache misses, and sums the convergent convolution outputs via an almost wait-free concurrent method to reduce time spent in critical sections. We implement the algorithm with a publicly available software package called ZNN. Benchmarking with multi-core CPUs shows that ZNN can attain speedup roughly equal to the number of physical cores, for machines with up to 40 cores. We also show that ZNN can attain over 90x speedup on a many-core CPU (Xeon PhiTMKnights Corner). These speedups are achieved for network architectures with widths that are in common use. The task parallelism of the ZNN algorithm is suited to CPUs, while the SIMD parallelism of previous algorithms is compatible with GPUs. Through examples, we show that ZNN can be either faster or slower than certain GPU implementations depending on specifics of the network architecture, filter sizes, and density and size of the output patch. ZNN may be less costly to develop and maintain, due to the relative ease of generalpurpose CPU programming. TODO: Maybe add a sentence about how ZNN can work on arbitrary topology networks, bah TODO: Don’t like up to 40 cores (that’s how much we have tested, ZNN will work for more cores)
Is Modified Jones Model Effective in Detecting Earnings Management? Evidence from A Developing Economy

This study analyzes the effectiveness of Modified Jones Model in detecting earnings management among the initial public offerings that are listed between 1985 – 2005 in the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE). Prior research documented that the Modified Jones model is effective in detecting earning management in mostly developed economies. However recently an empirical research of Korean stock exchange revealed that the Modified Jones model was not effective in detecting earnings management in the context of Korea. Our findings are similar to the Korean experience. Results of our study confirmed that Modified Jones model is not effective in detecting earnings management in the context of Bangladesh. We employed the modified Jones model to detect earning management in context of Bangladesh capital market and found out that it was not found very effective as the explanatory power of the model was only about 9 percent. This study then attempted to extend the modified Jones model and found it to be very successful. The inclusion of few factors such as revenue, depreciation expenses, retirement benefit expenses, asset disposal gains/losses with the modified model was very effective in detecting earning management in the context of Bangladesh. The explanatory power of the model was increased to about 84 percent. Therefore it is concluded that the modified Jones model is not effective in gauging the extent of earnings management practiced by the IPO firms in the Bangladesh capital market.
REESTIMACIÓN Y AMPLIACIÓN DE LA EVIDENCIA SOBRE LAS ECONOMÍAS DE ESCALA EN EL SISTEMA FINANCIERO COLOMBIANO

Este trabajo busca ampliar los resultados obtenidos en otros estudios sobre la existencia de economias de escala en el sistema bancario colombiano y extender el analisis para el caso de las corporaciones de ahorro y vivienda (CAV) y las corporaciones financieras (CF), con el fin de conocer la estructura de costos de estas entidades financieras. Se encontro que, en efecto, los bancos tienen economias de escala, lo mismo que las CAV, lo cual crea barreras naturales a la entrada y limita a las competencias en este mercado. Por otro lado, las economias de escala se pueden aprovechar mejor si los bancos y las CAV aumentan su tamano, ya que estan operando en la parte decreciente de los costos medios y presentan economias de escala crecientes. Respecto a las CF, se encontro que una parte de los costos medios y de las economias de escala es constante, indicando que ha y un tramo de la produccion donde se produce eficientemente.
Extensive Lesions of Monkeypox in a Prairie Dog (Cynomys sp.)

Monkeypox with extensive lesions was diagnosed in a prairie dog that was involved in a recent human outbreak of monkeypox in the Midwestern United States. Gross lesions included oral ulcers, pulmonary consolidation, enlarged cervical and thoracic lymph nodes, and multifocal, small, white umbilicated plaques in the gastrointestinal wall. Microscopic lesions were extensive in the lungs and consisted of fibrinonecrotic bronchopneumonia with vasculitis and poorly defined eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in cells thought to be alveolar epithelial cells, histiocytes, and fibroblasts. Multifocal necrotizing lesions, often accompanied by myxedema, were also present in most of the other examined organs. Aggregates of pox viral particles were observed within lesions by transmission electron microscopy. Monkeypox virus infection was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and virus culture at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This report highlights the difficulties of rapid diagnosis of exotic or emerging diseases and further substantiates the prairie dog as an animal model of monkeypox.
Outside of life: traditions of infant burial in Ireland from cillin to cist

The infant forms an ambiguous class of individual, located on the periphery of normal lifecycle events. This is often reflected in the character and choice of burial location. During the Historic period in Ireland the separate burial of unbaptised infants reused earlier monuments, particularly those with Early Christian associations. These cillini (children's burial grounds) were frequently situated in marginal locations and their identification with the host site often enhanced their ambiguous and liminal character. A review of the prehistoric evidence also suggests the differential treatment of infants during the Neolithic-Early Bronze Age, in particular the location of infant burials in the passages of two later Neolithic sites at Fourknocks, Co. Meath. The reuse of earlier megaliths for infant burials may reflect the reinvention of these sites in the contemporary mythological landscape at a latter stage in their own monumental lifecycle.
Effects of adrenaline on longitudinal arterial wall movements and resulting intramural shear strain: a first report

Using ultrasound we recently demonstrated that in central elastic arteries as well as in large muscular arteries in humans there is a distinct longitudinal displacement of the arterial wall during the cardiac cycle. Further, for the first time, we also demonstrated that the inner parts of the vessel wall, the intima‐media complex, in these vessels exhibit a larger longitudinal displacement than the outer part of the vessel wall, the adventitial region, introducing the presence of substantial shear strain, and thus shear stress within the vessel wall. The role of these unexplored phenomena is unknown. Here, in a first study on the longitudinal movements of the porcine common carotid artery, we show that administration of adrenaline (epinephrine) might have pronounced effects on the longitudinal displacement of the intima‐media complex. In this experiment the longitudinal displacement of the intima‐media complex increased >200% at the highest blood pressure levels as compared to baseline. Further, shear strain within the wall increased >250%; the longitudinal displacement of the adventitial region being smaller than that of the intima‐media complex. Thus, our results indicate that adrenaline can markedly influence the longitudinal displacement of the arterial wall and the resulting shear strain, and thus shear stress, within the arterial wall. This opens up a new field within cardiovascular research, revealing a previously unknown mechanism in the circulatory system. Further studies on larger materials are needed to confirm our findings and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and the physiological, pathophysiological and clinical implications of this phenomenon.
Diagnosis of Non-invasive Follicular Tumor with Papillary-like Nuclear Features (NIFTP): A Practice Changer for Thyroid Fine-needle Aspiration Interpretation

Recently, a subset of follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma that is encapsulated and non-invasive has been designated as â€œNon-invasive Follicular Tumor with Papillary-Like Nuclear Featuresâ€ (NIFTP). This entity is considered as a â€œnon-invasive neoplasiaâ€ rather than a carcinoma with clinical consequences for the management of the patients. This entity shares some morphological features of papillary thyroid carcinoma and creates a new challenge for the cytopathologist to recognize it in an attempt to avoid overtreatment. In this review, we discuss the morphological obstacles in diagnosing NIFTP on pre-operative fine needle aspirations, how to report these findings as well as the clinical utility of molecular algorithm that can help its diagnosis.