Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SEASON-ORIENTED DESTINATION POSITIONING FOR VISITORS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

Despite the widespread interest in tourism seasonality, there is little empirical research on seasonal changes of benefits sought by visitors. Destination positioning based on seasonal changes of benefits sought by visitors is addressed in this study. A Northern Mediterranean destination, Portorož is taken as a case study to investigate whether benefits design different benefit-based segments across the seasons. Cluster analysis for the spring, summer and autumn/winter seasons was undertaken on delineated factor scores of benefits on a yearly basis. The study shows that visitors who search for similar benefits across seasons are related with different demographics and travel related characteristics of visitors.
Localization of last‐order premotor interneurons in the lumbar spinal cord of rats

There is strong evidence that neural circuits underlying certain rhythmic motor behaviors are located in the spinal cord. Such local central pattern generators are thought to coordinate the activity of motoneurons through specific sets of last‐order premotor interneurons that establish monosynaptic contacts with motoneurons. After injections of biotinylated dextran amine into the lateral and medial motor columns as well as the ventrolateral white matter at the level of the upper and lower segments of the lumbar spinal cord, we intended to identify and localize retrogradely labelled spinal interneurons that can likely be regarded as last‐order premotor interneurons in rats. Regardless of the location of the injection site, labelled interneurons were revealed in laminae V–VIII along a three‐ or four‐segment‐long section of the spinal gray matter. Although most of the stained cells were confined to laminae V–VIII in all cases, the distribution of neurons within the confines of this area varied according to the site of injection. After injections into the lateral motor column at the level of the L4–L5 segments, the labelled neurons were located almost exclusively in laminae V–VII ipsilateral to the injection site, and the perikarya were distributed throughout the entire mediolateral extent of this area. Interneurons projecting to the lateral motor column at the level of the L1–L2 segments were also located in laminae V–VII, but most of them were concentrated in the middle one‐third or in the lateral half of this area. Following injections into the medial motor column at the level of the L1–L2 segments, the majority of labelled neurons were confined to the medial aspect of laminae V–VII and lamina VIII, and the proportion of neurons that were found contralateral to the injection site was strikingly higher than in the other experimental groups. The results suggest that the organization of last‐order premotor interneurons projecting to motoneurons, which are located at different areas of the lateral and medial motor columns and innervate different muscle groups, may present distinct features in the rat spinal cord. J. Comp. Neurol. 389:377–389, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pretreatment and process predictors of nonresponse at different stages of inpatient psychotherapy

Abstract Objective: Up to 50% of psychotherapeutic treatments end without significant improvements. While there is first evidence about predictors of nonresponse in outpatient psychotherapy, there are currently no studies investigating predictors of nonresponse in inpatient settings. Based upon a previous systematic literature review, we analyzed the predictive value of initial patient characteristics on nonresponse in symptom distress. Methods: Treatment episodes from 546 patients, treated for at least 4 weeks, were assessed under naturalistic conditions. Nonresponse status (i.e., lack of a reliable improvement in symptom distress) was investigated at four different time points: at week 4, at discharge, and at a two follow-ups (3 and 12 months after discharge). Hierarchical binary logistic regression models were used to predict nonresponse. Sociodemographic data, clinical variables, and the previous response status were entered subsequently in the model. Results: A moderate or functional level of initial symptom distress, a comorbid personality disorder, and previous nonresponse were the most consistent predictors of nonresponse. Conclusions: The results point to the importance of early outcome assessment and suggest the implementation of more symptom-specific treatments.
Polypharmacy in Older Patients ≥70 Years Receiving Palliative Radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIM Many older cancer patients receive five or more daily medications (polypharmacy). The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of polypharmacy in older patients undergoing palliative radiotherapy and its influence on the risk of being unable to complete the prescribed number of fractions, as well as the 30-day mortality and overall survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS Retrospective review of 289 patients aged 70 years or older. RESULTS The median and mean Charlson comorbidity index (11) was 2, ranging between 0-7 (presently treated cancer not included). The median and mean number of daily medications was 7, ranging between 0-18. Only 27% of patients used less than 5 daily medications. Corticosteroids were used by 59% of the patients and opioid analgesics by 55%. Comorbidity, but also symptom severity, as indexed by pain medication, correlated significantly with the prevalence of polypharmacy. In multivariate analysis, neither polypharmacy nor use of corticosteroids or opioid analgesics influenced overall survival. No trends were seen for 30-day mortality or failure to complete radiotherapy. CONCLUSION Polypharmacy is a common phenomenon in older patients receiving palliative radiotherapy and it does not predict adverse radiotherapy outcomes.
Theory of Impulsive Differential Equations

Many evolution processes are characterized by the fact that at certain moments of time they experience a change of state abruptly. These processes are subject to short-term perturbations whose duration is negligible in comparison with the duration of the process. Consequently, it is natural to assume that these perturbations act instantaneously, that is, in the form of impulses. It is known, for example, that many biological phenomena involving thresholds, bursting rhythm models in medicine and biology, optimal control models in economics, pharmacokinetics and frequency modulated systems, do exhibit impulsive effects. Thus impulsive differential equations, that is, differential equations involving impulse effects, appear as a natural description of observed evolution phenomena of several real world problems.
Retinal vascular caliber, blood pressure, and cardiovascular risk factors in an Asian population: the Singapore Malay Eye Study.

PURPOSE To describe the relationship of retinal vascular caliber with cardiovascular risk factors in an Asian population. METHODS The Singapore Malay Eye Study is a population-based, cross-sectional survey that included 3280 (78.7% response) persons aged 40 to 80 years. Retinal vascular caliber was measured from digital retinal photographs using a validated standardized protocol. Data on major cardiovascular risk factors were collected from all participants. RESULTS Of the 3019 participants with retinal vascular caliber data available, the mean retinal arteriolar caliber (CRAE) was 139.5 +/- 15.7 microm (SD), and mean venular caliber (CRVE) was 219.3 +/- 22.2 microm (SD). Smaller retinal arteriolar caliber was associated with higher current mean blood pressure and male sex (P < 0.001 for both). Larger retinal venular caliber was associated with younger age, current cigarette smoking, greater body mass index, higher glycosylated hemoglobin level, and lower HDL cholesterol (P = 0.012 for glycosylated hemoglobin level and P < 0.001 for other risk factors). The association of retinal arteriolar narrowing and blood pressure was stronger in younger people than in older people and in men than in women (P for interaction < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS In this Asian population, smaller retinal arteriolar caliber was associated with hypertension and larger retinal venular caliber with cigarette smoking, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and higher body mass index. The pattern of these associations is similar to that in white populations.
Groups with no nontrivial linear representations

We study the class of groups having no nontrivial linear representations over certain fields. After showing the class to be closed under perfect extensions with locally soluble kernel, we expand considerably the number of acyclic groups known to be in the class, by application to both binate groups and the acyclic automorphism groups of de la Harpe and McDuff.
LEF‐1 regulates proliferation and MMP‐7 transcription in breast cancer cells

Matrix metalloproteinase‐7 (MMP‐7) is a small secreted proteolytic enzyme with broad substrate specificity. Its expression is associated with tumor invasion, metastasis, and survival in a variety of cancers including breast cancer. Using bioinformatics analysis, a conserved LEF‐1 binding site became obvious that is mapped at the promoter region of the genomic MMP‐7 locus. Consequently, electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated in vitro binding of LEF‐1 to the predicted MMP‐7 promoter binding site. Here, we demonstrate that lymphoid enhancer binding factor‐1 (LEF‐1) is associated with regulation of the proliferation‐associated cyclin D1 and a gene encoding MMP‐7 in breast cancer cells. Thus, a decrease of LEF‐1 expression using LEF‐1 siRNA resulted in down‐regulation of cyclin D and MMP‐7 expression, respectively. Moreover, cell cycle analysis of LEF‐1 siRNA‐transfected human breast cancer cells revealed a significant arrest in G 2/M phase. Taken together, our results indicate a pivotal role of LEF‐1 in the regulation of proliferation and MMP‐7 transcription in breast cancer cells.
Assessment of Muscle Pain Induced by Elbow-Flexor Eccentric Exercise.

CONTEXT Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common muscle pain that many people experience and is often used as a model of acute muscle pain. Researchers have reported the effects of various interventions on DOMS, but different DOMS assessment protocols used in these studies make it difficult to compare the effects. OBJECTIVE To investigate DOMS characteristics after elbow-flexor eccentric exercise to establish a standardized DOMS assessment protocol. DESIGN Descriptive laboratory study. SETTING Research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Ten healthy, untrained men (21-39 years). INTERVENTION(S) Participants performed 10 sets of 6 maximal isokinetic eccentric contractions of the elbow flexors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Indirect muscle-damage markers were maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque, range of motion, and serum creatine kinase activity. Muscle pain was assessed before exercise, immediately postexercise, and 1 to 5 days postexercise using (1) a visual analog scale (VAS), (2) a category ratio-10 scale (CR-10) when applying static pressure and palpation at different sites (3, 9, and 15 cm above the elbow crease), and (3) pressure-pain thresholds (PPTs) at 50 sites (pain mapping). RESULTS Maximal voluntary isometric contraction and range of motion decreased and creatine kinase activity increased postexercise, indicating muscle damage. Palpation induced greater pain than static pressure, and longitudinal and transverse palpations induced greater pain than circular palpation (P < .05). The PPT was lower in the medial region before exercise, but the pain-sensitive regions shifted to the central and distal regions of the biceps brachii at 1 to 3 days postexercise (P < .05). The VAS was correlated with the CR-10 scale (r = 0.91, P < .05) but not with the PPT (r = -0.28, P = .45). CONCLUSIONS The way in which muscles are assessed affects the pain level score. This finding suggests that pain level and pain threshold cannot be used interchangeably and that the central and distal regions of the biceps brachii should be included in DOMS assessment using the VAS, CR-10 scale, and PPT after elbow-flexor eccentric exercise.
Bacterial leakage in root canals filled with AH Plus and dentine bonding agents

Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of different dentine adhesives in delaying the coronal bacterial leakage of Enterococcus faecalis in filled root canals. Materials and methods. Ninety-five lower incisors of patients >65 years of age were instrumented using the ProTaper® system and were irrigated with 1 mL of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) alternated with 1 mL 17% EDTA between each file change. Final irrigation was performed with 5 mL of 17% EDTA and then flushed with 5 mL of distilled water. The teeth were randomly divided into five experimental groups (n = 15/group) and one of the following dentine adhesives was applied: (1) AdheSE®; (2) Excite® DSC; (3) Clearfil™ Protect Bond; (4) One Coat 7.0; or (5) Control group without adhesive. After filling the root canals, the samples were mounted on a double chamber device to evaluate the bacterial filtration of E. faecalis during a period of 240 days. The results underwent non-parametric Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and comparisons among groups were done using the Log-Rank test. Results. At 240 days, E. faecalis was detected in samples of all groups in the lower chamber. The highest survival value was obtained by One Coat 7.0, giving statistically significant differences from the other groups, whereas Clearfil™ Protect Bond, AdheSE® and Excite® DSC showed similar behaviours, likewise similar to the Control group. Conclusions. One Coat 7.0 adhesive system provides the longest survival value to delay E. faecalis coronal leakage in filled root canals.
Age is an important predictor of short-term outcome in endoscopic carpal tunnel release

Endoscopic carpal tunnel release is a minimally invasive technique that may reduce sick leave and facilitate postoperative rehabilitation and short-term outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of age as a predictor of short-term outcome in endoscopic carpal tunnel release. We did a prospective registration of patient satisfaction, symptoms and function before and 2-months after endoscopic carpal tunnel release in 101 consecutive patients aged 23–94 years and then submitted the data to multivariable logistic regression analysis. Patient age >65 years was a good predictor of a less favourable short-term outcome, and endoscopic carpal tunnel release may not be justified as a routine procedure in elderly patients.
Viruses associated with acute respiratory infections 1961–71

SUMMARY Influenza-like illness, cold and sore throat was the diagnosis given in over 80% of 5177 acute respiratory illnesses in patients swabbed over a 10-year-period. A pathogenic organism was isolated twice as frequently from patients with a sore throat or an influenza-like illness as from those diagnosed as suffering from croup or laryngitis and bronchitis. A laboratory diagnosis was commoner in school children than in older or younger persons. Most of the organisms isolated were found in association with all types of acute respiratory illness but, with increasing age of the patient, one particular agent or group of agents was more likely to be of aetiological significance.
Differential expression of the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines according to RBC age and FY genotype

BACKGROUND: The Duffy (Fy) blood group (also known as Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines, or DARC) may be involved in regulation of the level of circulating proinflammatory chemokines, and it is an obligatory receptor on RBCs for the human malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax.
Microbial populations and volatile compounds in the‘bone taint’ spoilage of dry cured ham

C. GARCÍA, A. MARTÍN, M.L. TIMÓN & J.J. CÓRDOBA. 2000. ‘Bone taint’ is one of the most important causes of spoilage of dry cured ham. This alteration is characterized by a foul‐smelling odour. The microbial population and volatile compounds associated with incipient ‘bone taint’ were evaluated. Enterobacteriaceae species were found at levels of 7·94 × 105 cfu g−1 in spoiled hams and were not detected in unspoiled hams. Serratia sp. and Proteus sp. are the main organisms characterized. The volatile compounds from the spoiled hams give rise to higher levels of ketones, alcohols and esters than unspoiled hams, that could be originated by microbial metabolism of the above bacteria. Thus, volatile and Enterobacteriaceae analyses should be used to determine this incipient spoilage in the meat industry.
Notice of RetractionA note on single-machine rescheduling problems with learning effect under disruptions

Rescheduling problem means that a set of original jobs has already been scheduled to minimize some classical objective, then the decision maker needs to insert some new jobs into the existing schedule and creates a disruption. In this paper, we consider single-machine rescheduling problem with position-dependent learning effect under disruption, which learning effect means that the processing time of a job reflects a decreasing as a function of the number of repetitions. The objective is to minimize makepan, the total completion time and maximum lateness under a limit of the disruption from the original scheduling, and to minimize the total of the cost with original cost measure and disruption, respectively. We show that the considered problem can be solved in polynomial time.
Corneal optical aberrations induced by photorefractive keratectomy.

BACKGROUND Photorefractive keratectomy causes marked alteration to anterior corneal topography, and is likely to induce major changes to the optical aberrations of the eye. METHODS Six diopters (D) of myopia correction was attempted on one eye of 50 patients, randomly allocated to one of three different treatments: 5-mm or 6-mm single ablation zone, or a double ablation (multizone; -5.00 D correction over 4.6 mm and -1.00 D over 6 mm). Topographic data was used to estimate corneal aberration coefficients. These were compared for effect of ablation zone, before and 1 year after photorefractive keratectomy. The coefficients were used to derive modulation transfer functions for the anterior corneal surface. RESULTS Corneal spherical aberrations and coma-like aberrations both increased significantly following photorefractive keratectomy (p < 0.001). The mean spherical aberration coefficient increased from 0.36 +/- 0.11 before, to 0.91 +/- 0.37 after treatment, while the mean coma-like aberration coefficient changed from 0.28 +/- 0.16 before, to 0.60 +/- 0.31 after treatment. Ablation zone form had a significant effect on spherical aberration (p = 0.030), but not for coma (p = 0.96). The spherical aberration coefficient increased least for the 6-mm ablation (by 0.38 +/- 0.17), compared with the 5-mm ablation (0.69 +/- 0.45) and the multizone (0.62 +/- 0.38). Corneal modulation transfer functions were reduced significantly following the photorefractive procedure. The effect was greatest for large pupil diameters and for spatial frequencies between 2 and 15 cycles per degree. CONCLUSIONS Corneal modulation transfer function calculations suggest that a significant loss of visual performance should be anticipated following photorefractive keratectomy, the effect being greatest for large pupil diameters. Results for three ablation zones show that induced aberrations are least for the largest (6 mm) ablation zone.
The Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction : An Empirical Study on Teachers

Job satisfaction, which can be defined as a positive effect to a person’s total work situation, may influences the quality of life even apart from the workplace. Recent reviews of the literature have concluded that influence of work life on non-work life is both pervasive and mutually reinforcing: i.e., good jobs lead to the good life and vice versa (Champoux, 1981; Kabanoff, 1980; Near et al., 1980; Staines, 1981). If, in fact, job satisfaction is a component of life satisfaction, then job satisfaction should predict life satisfaction over some period of time (Near, 1984). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction on 652 teachers in Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey. The present study was a descriptive correctional research in terms of method and a survey research in terms of data collection. The population for the study consisted of the preschool teachers, primary school teachers, and culture and vocation lecture teachers. The group of subjects representing the population was selected through randomly. The data was collected between October and December 2015. In this research, the data gathering tools were the job satisfaction survey by Paul E. Spector (1985) and the life satisfaction survey by Diener, Emmons, Laresen and Griffin (1985). In order to analyze the collected data, SPSSsoftware was conducted and to analyze the hypotheses correlation analysis, simple and regressions were used. Results indicated that the correlation and regression coefficients are quite high. It means that job satisfaction of the teachers have a significant effect on their life satisfaction. Moreover, the findings were indicated differences in the intensity of relationship between variables depend on socio-demographic traits of the
Concurrent Use of 5% Natamycin and 2% Econazole for the Management of Fungal Keratitis

Purpose: To determine if concurrent use of 5% natamycin and 2% econazole offers greater benefits than monotherapy with 5% natamycin for the management of fungal keratitis. Methods: Subjects presenting to the cornea service were treated with 5% natamycin and 2% econazole used concurrently. We compared the results with a historical control of patients treated with 5% natamycin in the same calendar year. The same clinical and examination protocol including inclusion and exclusion criteria was used for both groups. Results: We compared results of 47 subjects on concurrent use of 5% natamycin and 2% econazole with all 53 subjects who had received 5% natamycin in a previous study (historical controls). Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. There were no significant differences (P = 0.9) between the 2 arms for success (defined as a healed or healing ulcer). Conclusions: Concurrent use of 5% natamycin and 2% econazole does not appear to offer additional benefits over monotherapy with 5% natamycin for the management of fungal keratitis.
Tumours of the testis in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Summary— Testicular neoplasms diagnosed in 80 patients in this hospital have been analysed and compared with series from other African centres and with series from the United States of America and the United Kingdom. A lower frequency of tumours of germ cell origin has been noted, with a correspondingly higher representation of paratesticular neoplasms. There may be an increased frequency of paratesticular neoplasia in Africans.
Structural Flexibility: A New Perspective on the Design of Manufacturing and Service Operations

In this paper, we present a new perspective on flexibility in manufacturing and service operations by exploring a type of operational flexibility that we term "structural flexibility (SF). " We focus on strategic-level issues of how flexibility can be created by using multipurpose resources such as cross-trained labor, flexible machines, or flexible factories. The proposed structural flexibility method uses the structure of the capability pattern to generate indices that quantify the ability of a system to respond to variability in its environment. Simulations of serial and parallel queueing networks provide evidence that this index is useful in predicting the performance rank of alternative designs for implementing multifunctionality in the face of variability. The proposed methodology supports managerial insight into structural design of manufacturing and service systems at the strategic level.