Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disturbed Sleep and Inflammatory Cytokines in Depressed and Nondepressed Pregnant Women: An Exploratory Analysis of Pregnancy Outcomes

Objective Disturbed sleep and depression are potential risk factors for pregnancy complications. Both conditions are known to dysregulate biological pathways responsible for maintaining homeostatic balance and pregnancy health. Depression during pregnancy is associated with poor sleep. Thus, we explored whether disturbed sleep was associated with inflammatory cytokines and risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, as well as whether depression augmented the sleep-cytokine relationship, thereby additively contributing to risk for adverse outcomes. Methods Interview-assessed sleep and plasma cytokine concentrations were evaluated in a cohort of depressed and nondepressed pregnant women (n = 168) at 20 and 30 weeks’ gestation. Outcomes evaluated included preterm birth, birth weight, and peripartum events. Results Among depressed women, short sleep duration (<7 hours) was associated with higher interleukin (IL)-8 across time (&bgr; = 0.506, p = .001), poor sleep efficiency (<85%) was associated with higher IL-6 (&bgr; = 0.205, p = .006), and daytime naps were associated with higher tumor necrosis factor &agr; (&bgr; = 0.105, p = .024). Aspects of poor sleep were associated with having a lower weight baby (p values <.053). Among depressed women, interferon-&ggr; increased risk for preterm birth (odds ratio = 1.175, p = .032). Trends for IL-6 and higher birth weight (&bgr; = 105.2, p = .085), interferon-&ggr; and lower birth weight (&bgr; = −19.92, p < .069), and increased IL-8 and babies weighing less than 4000 grams (odds ratio = 0.72, p < .083) were observed. Conclusions Although speculative, disturbed sleep may disrupt normal immune processes and contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Exploratory analyses indicate that depression modifies these relationships.
Running head : LONGEVITY OF GAZE DIRECTION AFTEREFFECTS 1 Gaze direction aftereffects are surprisingly long-lasting

Adaptation to gaze direction induces aftereffects in the perception of gaze in subsequently presented faces. Gaze adaptation calibrates neural responses to the most frequently occurring gaze signals and therefore frees up capacity to respond to more novel signals, likely enhancing gaze discrimination and supporting novelty detection. The longevity of aftereffects can provide some insight into the temporal window over which this calibration occurs. Since gaze direction is a rapidly changing signal in the face, one might expect gaze aftereffects to also be very short-lived. Here we show that this is not the case. In Experiment 1, we measured participants’ aftereffects immediately after gaze adaptation and 24 hours later. We found significant aftereffects at both times. In Experiment 2, we tested whether long-term adaptation also occured when aftereffects were measured only once, 24 hours after adaptation. Again, we found significant long-term aftereffects. These results demonstrate that gaze adaptation can integrate information over remarkably long periods. We discuss the implications of the longevity of gaze direction aftereffects on our understanding of their functionality, and the functionality of face aftereffects more generally.
Human papillomavirus type 16 sequence variants: identification by E6 and L1 lineage-specific hybridization

A catalog of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 (HPV-16) E6 and L1 signature nucleotides was used to develop PCR-based oligonucleotide probe systems capable of distinguishing HPV-16 class and subclass variants. Twenty-three E6-specific oligonucleotide probes targeting 13 variant nucleotide positions and 12 L1-specific oligonucleotide probes targeting 6 variant nucleotide positions were used to characterize HPV-16-containing cervicovaginal lavage specimens. Nucleotide positions that could be distinguished included E6 nucleotides 109, 131, 132, 143, 145, 178, 183, 286, 289, 335, 350, 403, and 532 and L1 nucleotides 6695, 6721, 6803, 6854, 6862, and 6994. Combined hybridization patterns were assigned on the basis of the predicted HPV-16 class, subclass, or minor class variants described previously (T. Yamada, C. M. Wheeler, A. L. Halpern, A.-C. M. Stewart, A. Hildesheim, and S.A. Jenison, J. Virol. 69:7743-7753, 1995). The major HPV-16 variant lineages detected included European prototype-like (E-P), Asian (As), Asian-American (AA), and African (Af1 and Af2) lineages. In addition, E-G131, an E-class variant, and AA-G183, an AA-class variant, were also identified. For each clinical specimen, DNA hybridization results were compared to nucleotide sequence determinations. Targeted L1 and E6 marker nucleotides covaried within all HPV-16 variant isolates examined. These hybridization-based methods result in minimal misclassification error, are amenable to targeting additional lineage-specific nucleotide positions, and should facilitate the large-scale, low-cost analysis of HPV-16 variants in epidemiologic investigations. Specifically, these methods will facilitate epidemiologic studies of HPV-16 transmission and natural history, as well as studies of associations between HPV variants, host immune responses, and cervical neoplasia.
Power, rewards, and management accounting practice : evidence from an Omani packaging organisation

2 DEDICATION . 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . 5 LIST OF CONTENTS . 7 LIST OF FIGURES . 11 LIST OF TABLES . 12 CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION . 14 1.1. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES, MOTIVATIONS, AND BACKGROUND . 14 1.2. RESEARCH APPROACH . 16 1.3. CONTRIBUTION . 19 1.4. STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS . 21 CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW . 24 2.
Readable and Coherent MultiDocument Summarization

Extractive summarization is the process of precisely choosing a set of sentences from a corpus which can actually be a representative of the original corpus in a limited space. In addition to exhibiting a good content coverage, the ﬁ-nal summary should be readable as well as structurally and topically coherent. In this paper we present a holistic, multi-document summarization approach which takes care of the content coverage, sentence ordering, maintenance of topical coherence, topical order and inter-sentence structural relationships. To achieve this we have introduced a novel concept of a Local Coherent Unit(LCU). Our results are comparable with the peer systems for content coverage and sentence ordering measured in terms of ROUGE and τ score respectively. The human evaluation preference for readability and coherence of summary are signiﬁcantly better for our approach vis a vis other approaches. The approach is scalable to bigger real-time corpus as well.
Effect of Carbapenem Administration on Establishment of Intestinal Colonization by Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Mice

ABSTRACT In a mouse model, ertapenem inhibited the anaerobic intestinal microflora and promoted overgrowth of enterococci, whereas imipenem-cilastatin had no effect on the indigenous microflora. Ertapenem, but not imipenem-cilastatin, promoted modest overgrowth of vancomycin-resistant enterococci when exposure occurred during treatment. Neither agent promoted colonization with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Expression and characterization of a serine protease that preferentially cleaves insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐5

Insulin‐like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) play important roles in regulating the functions of insulin‐like growth factors (IGFs). Because IGFBPs have very high affinity for IGF‐I and IGF‐II, they can regulate the amount of each growth factor that is able to bind to cell surface receptors, therefore, factors that alter IGFBP affinity have the capacity to regulate IGF actions. Protease activities that are present in cell culture systems and physiologic fluids have been shown to degrade IGFBP‐5. Previously, a region of sequence in a serine protease was identified that was homologous with the N‐terminal 90 amino acids of members of the IGFBP family and with members of the CCN family of proteins. In a prior study, the protease was expressed in human kidney cultured cells and the cell culture supernatants were shown to cleave IGFBP‐5, however, it is unknown whether the purified protease would cleave IGFBP‐5 and whether it would also cleave other specific forms of IGFBPs. In this study, we expressed this protease in an insect cell expression system, purified it to homogeneity and tested its capacity to cleave IGFBP‐5. The expressed protease preferentially cleaved IGFBP‐5, and it had minimal activity toward other forms of IGFBPs. The proteolytic activity of this IGFBPase is inhibited by serine protease inhibitors including PMSF and 3,4‐dichloroisocoumarin, as well as by divalent metal ions such as, Zn and Cu. Mutation of the active site serine resulted in a major reduction in IGFBP‐5 cleavage. The protease binds to heparin and its ability to degrade IGFBP‐5 is blocked in the presence of heparin. Inhibition of the activity of the protease following its secretion by B104 cells resulted in inhibition of IGFBP‐5 proteolysis and IGF‐I stimulation of protein synthesis. Northern blotting revealed that the transcript was expressed in multiple human tissues, including placenta, uterus, prostate, testis, spinal cord, brain, liver, small intestine, thyroid, and spleen. The highest expression was in uterus and placenta, suggesting a possible role of sex steroids in regulating its expression. Understanding the mechanism of how cleavage of IGFBP‐5 by this protease alters its activity will help to further our understanding of the biologic actions of the IGFs. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Empirical studies in online retail operations and dynamic pricing

This dissertation studies empirical problems in retail operations management and dynamic pricing through three essays. The first essay studies the financial impact of offering faster delivery in online retail. Using econometric policy analysis framework, we study a quasi-experimental setting in which a group of U.S. customers for a large apparel retailer experienced a reduction in delivery time due to the opening of a new distribution center (DC). We show that faster delivery increased sales growth by 0.58% per week following the opening of the new DC, with the effect varying inversely with respect to distance from the new DC. The second essay studies the design of free shipping threshold policy in online retail using transaction data from a major online apparel retailer. We develop models of customer demand and product return behavior that are consistent with empirical data to determine the optimal level of free shipping threshold. In particular, we incorporate a behavior called order padding, in which customers deliberately inflate their orders to qualify for free shipping, and its effect on product return. We analyze the model to show that a free shipping threshold policy is most effective when the retailer faces high product margin, low shipping revenue, low product return probability, and when order padding does not cause customers to delay future purchase. The third essay studies practical issues in large-scale multiproduct dynamic pricing. We partner with a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise to develop a demand model for its single-game tickets. The demand model is then used to evaluate the effectiveness of dynamic pricing policies. The demand model indicates that due to various practical constraints in pricing, the franchise was unable to benefit from the use of dynamic pricing. We address these issues and use simulation to show that revenue improvement of up to 15% can be achieved through the effective use of dynamic pricing. We also show that a properly calibrated fixed pricing policy based on a detailed demand model can achieve similar levels of revenue improvement as the optimal dynamic pricing policy. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Operations & Information Management First Advisor Marshall L. Fisher
Income inequality and health status: a nursing issue

Objective: To review the association between income inequality and health status, and consider an appropriate nursing response. Primary Argument: Nursing has a rich heritage of advocating for a healthy society established on a foundation of social justice. The future legitimacy and success of public health nursing depends on recognising and appropriately addressing the social, economic and political determinants of health in the populations served. There is an incontrovertible association between population health status, absolute income levels and income inequality. Thus, along with other social determinants of health, income differentials within populations must be a fundamental consideration when planning and delivering nursing services. Ensuring that federal and state health policy explicitly addresses this key issue remains an important challenge for the nursing profession, the public health system and the Australian community. Conclusions: Higher mortality and worse health status occur in societies with higher income inequality. The relationship between income inequality and health appears to be determined both by relative access to resources for health gain and relative social position. The association between greater income equality and improved health may be explained by improved social cohesion. As social factors are at the root of much of health inequality, this knowledge needs to invoke political action and advocacy from the nursing profession to promote the development of healthy public policy. Including indicators of income inequality when planning and monitoring nursing services will enable services to measure to what extent they are based on the principle of social justice.
Accreditation of specialized asthma units for adults in Spain: an applicable experience for the management of difficult-to-control asthma

This paper, developed by consensus of staff physicians of accredited asthma units for the management of severe asthma, presents information on the process and requirements for already-existing asthma units to achieve official accreditation by the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR). Three levels of specialized asthma care have been established based on available resources, which include specialized units for highly complex asthma, specialized asthma units, and basic asthma units. Regardless of the level of accreditation obtained, the distinction of “excellence” could be granted when more requirements in the areas of provision of care, technical and human resources, training in asthma, and teaching and research activities were met at each level. The Spanish experience in the process of accreditation of specialized asthma units, particularly for the care of patients with difficult-to-control asthma, may be applicable to other health care settings.
Onset of depressive episodes is faster in patients with bipolar versus unipolar depressive disorder: evidence from a retrospective comparative study.

OBJECTIVE Depressive episodes can have a very fast onset (< 1 hour) or start very slowly (> 1 month). This interesting aspect, pointing to different neurophysiological pathomechanisms, has not been systematically evaluated so far. The aim of this study was to describe speed of onset of depressive episodes in a consecutive sample of patients with at least 1 depressive episode and to investigate potential differences between patients with major depression versus bipolar affective disorders concerning this variable. METHOD We examined 158 consecutive adult patients with major depression (N = 108) and bipolar disorder (N = 50) diagnosed according to criteria of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, by applying the structured Onset-of-Depression Inventory. Patients with acute critical life events preceding the onset were excluded from final analyses. Data were collected between December 2001 and January 2007. RESULTS There was a significant positive association between speed of onset of the present depressive episode and that of the preceding depressive episode (rho = 0.66, p < .001). Patients with bipolar disorder developed full-blown depressive episodes significantly faster than patients with major depression (p < .001): Whereas depressive episodes began within 1 week in 58% of patients with bipolar disorder, this was the case in only 7.4% of patients with major depression. CONCLUSION Intraindividually, the speed of onset of depression is similar across different episodes. In the absence of acute critical life events, fast onset of depressive episodes (within 1 week) is common in bipolar disorder but rare in major depression. This aspect might be useful to identify depressive episodes occurring within a bipolar affective illness and might characterize a subgroup of patients with a distinct neurobiology.
An alternative method for the analysis of melanin production in Cryptococcus neoformans sensu lato and Cryptococcus gattii sensu lato

Melanin is an important virulence factor for several microorganisms, including Cryptococcus neoformans sensu lato and Cryptococcus gattii sensu lato, thus, the assessment of melanin production and its quantification may contribute to the understanding of microbial pathogenesis. The objective of this study was to standardise an alternative method for the production and indirect quantification of melanin in C. neoformans sensu lato and C. gattii sensu lato. Eight C. neoformans sensu lato and three C. gattii sensu lato, identified through URA5 methodology, Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019 (negative control) and one Hortaea werneckii (positive control) were inoculated on minimal medium agar with or without L‐DOPA, in duplicate, and incubated at 35°C, for 7 days. Pictures were taken from the third to the seventh day, under standardised conditions in a photographic chamber. Then, photographs were analysed using grayscale images. All Cryptococcus spp. strains produced melanin after growth on minimal medium agar containing L‐DOPA. C. parapsilosis ATCC 22019 did not produce melanin on medium containing L‐DOPA, while H. werneckii presented the strongest pigmentation. This new method allows the indirect analysis of melanin production through pixel quantification in grayscale images, enabling the study of substances that can modulate melanin production.
Defining the Current Practice of Facilities Management Service Delivery in Klang Valley (KV) Shopping Centres

The study on facilities management (FM) service delivery, especially in shopping centres, covered Klang Valley area rarely found in previous literature. This paper is imperative in helping the facilities management industry to understand more about the perceptions of the shopping centres, industry and their requirements towards FM services in shopping centres in order to deliver quality, innovative, cost effective and best in value services. Questionnaire survey is used as the tool to collect the primer data. Data collected includes the types of FM services, current FM service provision, the criticality of FM service towards overall business operation. The sample size for this survey is 108 shopping centre, which was chosen randomly among all shopping centres within the Klang Valley areas. The findings from this research showed that there are 11 types of FM services currently being practiced in Klang Valley (KV) shopping centres. The most critical FM services are determined according to each size of the shopping centre. It is confirmed that the shopping centres in Klang Valley deliver the FM services using both provisions that include in-house and outsourcing. However, the majority of Klang Valley shopping centre management is still favored in-house FM service delivery as compared to outsourcing.
Evaluation of [4‐O‐methyl‐11C]KW‐6002 as a potential PET ligand for mapping central adenosine A2A receptors in rats

KW‐6002, a xanthine‐based adenosine A2A antagonist, was labelled with the positron emitter carbon‐11 by O‐methylation of its precursor, KF23325, using [11C]iodomethane and was evaluated in rats as a putative in vivo radioligand for positron emission tomography (PET). Following intravenous injection of [11C]KW‐6002, radioactivity was measured in blood, plasma, peripheral tissues, and in discrete brain tissues over a 2‐h time period commensurate with PET scanning. In brain, [11C]KW‐6002 showed highest retention in striata, with evidence of saturable binding, and lowest retention in frontal cortex (a tissue low in adenosine A2A receptors). PET scanning with [11C]KW‐6002 demonstrated a specific signal in the striata which could be described using compartmental modelling. Specific binding was, however, also detected in extrastriatal regions, including brain areas reported to have low adenosine A2A receptor density. Blocking studies with the A1 selective antagonist KF15372 and the non xanthine‐type A2A antagonist ZM 241385 failed to elucidate the nature of this binding. Thus, although [11C]KW‐6002 shows some potential for development as a PET ligand for quantifying striatal adenosine A2A receptor function, its in vivo selectivity requires further investigation. Synapse 42:164–176, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Variability of Urinary Albumin Excretion in Patients With Microalbuminuria

OBJECTIVE To estimate the within-person variability (SDi) for the overnight urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) in diabetic patients with persistent microalbuminuria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Thirteen normotensive diabetic patients in stable medical control, with normal renal function and without any associated cardiovascular or other clinical disorders, collected overnight urines at monthly intervals during one year. AER was determined by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS Analysis of individual series of AER showed a significant trend (P ≤ 0.01) in three cases. The remaining patients (eight men, two women; seven with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) had a median mean AER 102 μg/min (range 30–238 μg/min). Because the individual mean AERs were significantly associated with their respective SDiS, the data was loge transformed. Log2SDi was estimated as 0.420, and its 90% probability range (0.353–0.490) was calculated using the bootstrap method. CONCLUSIONS The high within-person variance for AER means that only people with an initial AER in the range of 53–76 μg/min have a high probability (P ≥ 0.95) of being classified as microalbuminuric (20–200 μg/min) on a subsequent specimen. However, subjects with an initial AER ≥53 or ≥80 μg/min have a 95 and 99% probability of persistent microalbuminuria. The large variability of AER limits its potential as a serial marker to detect any gradual deterioration of established renal dysfunction.