Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrasonographic measurement of tophi as an outcome measure for chronic gout.

OBJECTIVE To validate the usefulness of measuring tophi with ultrasonography (US) as an outcome measure for chronic tophaceous gout. METHODS Patients with crystal-proven gout were included. To evaluate validity, intraarticular and articular deep tophi were evaluated with both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and US. Tophi were punctured with US guidance to evaluate face validity. Interobserver and intraobserver measurement studies were done to evaluate reliability, and to estimate the smallest detectable difference. Sensitivity to change was evaluated with a 12-month followup observational study of urate-lowering therapy. RESULTS US detected at least one tophus in all joints where MRI found nodules considered to be tophi. There was a good correlation, but just fair agreement between measurements with US and MRI. Puncture of nodules suspected of being tophi recovered urate crystals in 83% of the procedures. Intraobserver intraclass correlation was > 0.90 for diameters and volume, while it was 0.71 to 0.83 in the interobserver study. US was found to be sensitive to change, and there was an inverse correlation between serum urate concentrations and change from baseline measurement of tophi. CONCLUSION US measurement of tophi fulfilled the OMERACT filter for an outcome measure, although it should be tested further in randomized clinical trials.
Acupuncture for alcohol withdrawal: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Previous trials on acupuncture in alcohol addiction were in outpatients and focused on relapse prevention. Rates of dropout were high and interpretation of results difficult. We compared auricular laser and needle acupuncture with sham laser stimulation in reducing the duration of alcohol withdrawal. METHODS Inpatients undergoing alcohol withdrawal were randomly allocated to laser acupuncture (n = 17), needle acupuncture (n = 15) or sham laser stimulation (n = 16). Attempts were made to blind patients, therapists and outcome assessors, but this was not feasible for needle acupuncture. The duration of withdrawal symptoms (as assessed using a nurse-rated scale) was the primary outcome; the duration of sedative prescription was the secondary outcome. RESULTS Patients randomized to laser and sham laser had identical withdrawal symptom durations (median 4 days). Patients randomized to needle stimulation had a shorter duration of withdrawal symptoms (median 3 days; P = 0.019 versus sham intervention), and tended to have a shorter duration of sedative use, but these differences diminished after adjustment for baseline differences. CONCLUSIONS The data from this pilot trial do not suggest a relevant benefit of auricular laser acupuncture for alcohol withdrawal. A larger trial including adequate sham interventions is needed, however, to reliably determine the effectiveness of any type of auricular acupuncture in this condition.
Performance Evaluation of 3D MIMO LTE-Advanced System

This paper demonstrates a simulation methodology based on a reasonable 3D channel model. System level simulations on various 3D antenna port configurations are performed, and results are compared with those of 2D MIMO system. Several interesting observations are made from the evaluation results: (1) the vertically distributed active antenna elements provide less MIMO gain than the horizontally distributed active antenna elements; (2) with the same number of antenna elements, the 3D active antenna configuration can provide better performance than the 2D one, and the performance improvement is much larger for MU-MIMO than SU-MIMO; (3) even when the 2D antenna configuration has more antenna elements (providing more antenna array gain) than the 3D active antenna configuration, the 3D configuration can still outperform the 2D one if there are enough transmitter ports.
Mutations in the NS5A and E2‐PePHD regions of hepatitis C virus genotype 1b and response to combination therapy of interferon plus ribavirin

Background/aims: Combination therapy with interferon (IFN) and ribavirin is the current standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C, but the efficacy is still not satisfactory, especially for genotype 1b. NS5A and E2 proteins of hepatitis C virus (HCV) may repress the IFN‐induced RNA‐dependent protein kinase (PKR), and thus have the potential to influence the response of HCV to IFN therapy; however, this issue remains controversial.
Accrual Anomaly: A Cointegration Approach

In this study, I provide a refinement to the accrual anomaly with a new measure of earnings reversal for a given level of accruals. This new measure is the predicted earnings reversal based on the firm specific cointegration relation between earnings and cash flows implied by the accounting identity that earnings is the sum of the cash flows and the accruals. More specifically, it is the amount of earnings reversal for a given level of accruals based on the long-run equilibrium relation between earnings and cash flows for each firm. As this earnings reversal measure captures the firm specific time-series characteristics of earnings, cash flows, and accruals, I predict that it will yield a better cross-sectional ranking than the level of accruals for the accrual strategy which in turn will yield higher size-adjusted returns. I provide evidence that investing in a hedge portfolio that takes short (long) positions in firms with negative (positive) forecasted earnings reversals implied by the accruals yields annualized size-adjusted returns of 21.53 percent using the in sample parameter estimates alone and 8.80 percent using the out of sample parameter estimates in an additive way to the level of accruals between 1964 and 2008. My findings, which are robust to various earnings measures, sub-periods, sub-samples, and model specifications suggests that the performance of the accrual strategy can be enhanced by considering the firm level time-series characteristics of earnings, cash flows, and accruals.
Exploring current benchmarking practices in the Egyptian hotel sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current state, understanding and opinions of benchmarking in the Egyptian hotel sector in order to establish its perceived benefits, obstacles, and possible improvements.Design/methodology/approach – By way of a three part structured self‐administrated questionnaire, a representative sample of 128 two, three, four and five star hotels (giving a response rate of 29 percent) in Sharm El‐Sheikh, Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor were examined. Descriptive statistics were drawn from general hotel data, in addition to data pertaining to the understanding of benchmarking and the impressions or experiences of its barriers and future use.Findings – A generally positive attitude towards benchmarking predominated, with the majority of participants understanding benchmarking to be a quality enhancement tool that can bring about better service. Most perceived it to be a useful and inexpensive strategy to connect to other businesses. Furthermore, senior management st.
Stages and sequences of initiation and regular substance use in a longitudinal cohort of black and white male adolescents.

OBJECTIVE This study examined whether developmental sequences and stages of substance-use initiation and regular use differed and, if so, whether they varied for black and white adolescent males. METHOD The analyses were based on a cohort of inner-city boys in the Pittsburgh public schools, who had been followed prospectively from ages 7 to 19 across 18 data waves (N = 412). RESULTS Blacks were most likely to end initiation of any use and regular use with marijuana, whereas alcohol and tobacco were the most common end stage drugs for whites. Whites were also more likely than blacks to initiate and to become regular users of hard drugs. For both races, the typical developmental sequence for substance-use initiation and regular use was alcohol and/or tobacco, then marijuana, and then hard drugs. However, blacks were more likely to deviate from this sequence than were whites. Participants who initiated any substance use faced a high probability of becoming a regular user of at least one substance. CONCLUSIONS There were differences in the sequences and stages of substance-use initiation and regular use by race. Further research is needed to identify the antecedents of escalation to regular use and progression of regular use across substances and to delineate the cultural and environmental factors that affect substance-use progression.
Use of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Survival Following Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Background: While there is accumulating evidence that use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) decreases breast cancer risk, little is known about the impact of NSAIDs on survival after breast cancer diagnosis. Methods: We assessed whether recent, prediagnostic NSAID use and lifetime cumulative aspirin use before diagnosis were associated with survival among 1,024 women with incident, primary, invasive breast cancer. Results: Recent prediagnostic use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen and lifetime use of aspirin up to diagnosis were not associated with either all-cause mortality or breast cancer–specific mortality. Neither dose nor frequency of use was associated with risk. Associations were not different for pre- and postmenopausal women. Conclusion: In our data, prediagnostic NSAID use and lifetime cumulative aspirin use were not associated with breast cancer survival. Impact: Our findings do not support a role of NSAIDs prior to diagnosis in breast cancer survival. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(1); 239–42. ©2011 AACR.
Inflammatory Pain Reduces C Fiber Activity-Dependent Slowing in a Sex-Dependent Manner, Amplifying Nociceptive Input to the Spinal Cord

C fibers display activity-dependent slowing (ADS), whereby repetitive stimulation (≥1 Hz) results in a progressive slowing of action potential conduction velocity, which manifests as a progressive increase in response latency. However, the impact of ADS on spinal pain processing has not been explored, nor whether ADS is altered in inflammatory pain conditions. To investigate, compound action potentials were made, from dorsal roots isolated from rats with or without complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) hindpaw inflammation, in response to electrical stimulus trains. CFA inflammation significantly reduced C fiber ADS at 1 and 2 Hz stimulation rates. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in the spinal cord slice preparation with attached dorsal roots also demonstrated that CFA inflammation reduced ADS in the monosynaptic C fiber input to lamina I neurokinin 1 receptor-expressing neurons (1–10 Hz stimulus trains) without altering the incidence of synaptic response failures. When analyzed by sex, it was revealed that females display a more pronounced ADS that is reduced by CFA inflammation to a level comparable with males. Cumulative ventral root potentials evoked by long and short dorsal root stimulation lengths, to maximize and minimize the impact of ADS, respectively, demonstrated that reducing ADS facilitates spinal summation, and this was also sex dependent. This finding correlated with the behavioral observation of increased noxious thermal thresholds and enhanced inflammatory thermal hypersensitivity in females. We propose that sex/inflammation-dependent regulation of C fiber ADS can, by controlling the temporal relay of nociceptive inputs, influence the spinal summation of nociceptive signals contributing to sex/inflammation-dependent differences in pain sensitivity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The intensity of a noxious stimulus is encoded by the frequency of action potentials relayed by nociceptive C fibers to the spinal cord. C fibers conduct successive action potentials at progressively slower speeds, but the impact of this activity-dependent slowing (ADS) is unknown. Here we demonstrate that ADS is more prevalent in females than males and is reduced in an inflammatory pain model in females only. We also demonstrate a progressive delay of C fiber monosynaptic transmission to the spinal cord that is similarly sex and inflammation dependent. Experimentally manipulating ADS strongly influences spinal summation consistent with sex differences in behavioral pain thresholds. This suggests that ADS provides a peripheral mechanism that can regulate spinal nociceptive processing and pain sensation.
EXPORT ACTIVITIES OF TURKISH MANUFACTURERS

Factors influential in directing Turkish manufacturers to exporting are discussed. The research shows that the majority of these companies started exports due to unexpected orders and entered this field as a result of domestic economic factors. For most of these companies, the domestic market preserves its significance. Therefore, a different marketing strategy is not implemented for exports. However, as size and export volume increase, a change in attitudes is observed, supporting the findings of previous empirical studies that involvement in export marketing is a sequential and gradual process.
Heterochrony in somitogenesis rate in a model marsupial, Monodelphis domestica

Marsupial newborns are highly altricial and also show a wide array of shifts in the rate or timing of developmental events so that certain neonatal structures are quite mature. One particularly notable feature is the steep gradient in development along the anterior–posterior axis such that anterior structures are generally well developed relative to posterior ones. Here, we study somitogenesis in the marsupial, Monodelphis domestica, and document two heterochronies that may be important in generating the unusual body plan of the newborn marsupial. First, we demonstrate a 4‐fold change in somitogenesis rate along the anterior–posterior axis, which appears to be due to somitogenesis slowing posteriorly. Second, we show that somitogenesis, particularly in the cervical region, initiates earlier in Monodelphis relative to other developmental events in the embryo. The early initiation of somitogenesis may contribute to the early development of the cervical region and forelimbs. Other elements of somitogenesis appear to be conserved. When compared to mouse, we see similar expression of genes involved in the clock and wavefront, and genes of the Wnt, Notch, and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathways also cycle in Monodelphis. Further, we could not discern differences in somite maturation rate along the anterior–posterior axis in Monodelphis, and thus rate of maturation of the somites does not appear to contribute to the steep anterior–posterior gradient.
A Relational Virtual Machine for Program Evolution

A tracheostomy tube includes an outer cannula and a removable, disposable inner cannula. The inner cannula is provided with a tapered portion located just behind its distal tip which forms simultaneously an air tight seal with the outer cannula and a stop device for preventing the protrusion of the tip substantially beyond the end of the outer cannula. The stop device furthermore compensates for variations in the length of the inner cannula by controlling the position of the tip between a location flush with the end of the outer cannula and one just slightly beyond. A coupling connector is mounted on the proximal end of the inner cannula to provide easy, releasable attachment of the inner cannula to the outer cannula. The inner cannulae are inexpensively constructed from a soft, flexible polyvinyl chloride material and are dimensionally compatible with any particular outer cannula.
Deep Learning Approach for Classification of Mild Cognitive Impairment Subtypes

Timely intervention in individuals at risk of dementia is often emphasized, and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is considered to be an effective precursor to Alzheimers disease (AD), which can be used as an intervention criterion. This paper attempts to use deep learning techniques to recognise MCI in the elderly. Deep learning has recently come to attention with its superior expressive power and performance over conventional machine learning algorithms. The current study uses variations of auto-encoders trained on neuropsychological test scores to discriminate between cognitively normal individuals and those with MCI in a cohort of community dwelling individuals aged 70-90 years. The performance of the auto-encoder classifier is further optimized by creating an ensemble of such classifiers, thereby improving the generalizability as well. In addition to comparable results to those of conventional machine learning algorithms, the auto-encoder based classifiers also eliminate the need for separate feature extraction and selection while also allowing seamless integration of features from multiple modalities.
Signaling Strategies in Competitive Interaction: Building Reputations and Hiding the Truth

The authors develop a conceptual framework of how managers interpret competitors' signals over time in various market contexts. From the framework, the authors generate hypotheses about the relative effectiveness of signaling strategies used by firms in different market contexts. The authors conducted two empirical studies involving a repeated entry-pricing game to test the hypotheses. The results of Study 1 show that the entrant's perceptions of the aggressiveness of the incumbent depend on the focus and strength of the incumbent's signals. The results of Study 2 show that the strength of the entrant's responses to the incumbent's signals depends on the incumbent's use of bluffs and the cost of information about the factors driving the incumbent's signals. The implications of these findings for how firms should signal to achieve such strategic objectives as revealing or concealing information, developing a desired reputation, and influencing competitors' responses over time are discussed. The authors conclude by discussing the limitations of the article and its implications for further research.
Brand alliance dependency and exclusivity: an empirical investigation

This paper examines the effects of resource dependency and contract exclusivity on the attitudes and intentions of consumers in brand alliances. Findings indicate that attitudes of the brands before the alliance (pre‐attitudes) have a positive effect on the attitude toward the alliance, which has a positive effect on perceived quality of the alliance, willingness to pay a premium price and purchase intention. Further, attitudes toward the brands after the alliance (post‐attitudes) reveal a positive spillover effect for both the host and ally brands. Interestingly, the moderating effects of dependency and exclusivity differ based on whether the brand serves as the host or the ally brand in the alliance. Analyses conducted after controlling for the effects of familiarity of the ally brands revealed consistent results.
Materialism, Attitudes, and Social Media Usage and Their Impact on Purchase Intention of Luxury Fashion Goods Among American and Arab Young Generations

Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Foursquare provide consumers with tremendous opportunities to create and disseminate brand-related content and product usage information around the world. This study investigates whether materialism, an important construct of consumer behavior, is a consequence of social media usage, which also influences users’ attitudes toward social media advertising (SMADV) among American and Arab young social media users. In addition, this study examines the relationship between materialism and purchase intention of luxury fashion goods across American and Arab users. Overall, the results suggest that Arab social media users exhibited higher levels of materialism and social media usage as well as more favorable attitudes toward SMADV than did American users. In both samples, social media usage positively predicts materialism and users’ SMADV attitudes. Both samples showed positive relationships between materialism and purchase intention toward luxury fashion goods. Theoretical and managerial implications for global online advertisers are provided.
Factors Affecting the Purchase Decision of Investors in the Residential Property Market in Malaysia

The objective of the paper is to determine the key factors that investors consider before making an investment decision to purchase a residential property. In this study, 200 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to respondents who have obtained or transacted more than one (1) residential property for the past three years. Only 105 survey forms were returned and used in generating the analysis. Locational, neighborhood, structural and financial factors were taken into consideration in this survey. The results revealed that locational, financial and structural factors do affect property investors in making their purchases. By understanding the motivation behind purchasing residential properties, investors would be able to gauge the factors that matter most before investing in property.
Perceived risk and the consumer buying process: internet airline reservations

Purpose – This research aims to investigate the premise that the use of internet airline reservation systems is perceived to be riskier than traditional airline reservation shopping.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 263 respondents investigated perceived risk at various stages of the consumer buying process.Findings – The results reveal that perceived risk for airline reservation services follows a pattern throughout the consumer buying process. When viewed as a dynamic process, perceived risk for internet airline services shows more radical changes in risk levels than the traditional service. The analyses indicate that performance, physical, social, and financial risk are related to perceived risk at certain stages of the consumer buying process.Practical implications – A major finding of this study is that there is a risk premium for internet airline reservation services and the risk premium permeates all stages of the consumer buying process. It is further demonstrated that the internet risk pr.
Endometrial, breast and liver safety of soy isoflavones plus Lactobacillus sporogenes in post-menopausal women

Objective: To assess the safety of a nutraceutical compound containing soy isoflavones and Lactobacillus sporogenes on endometrium, breast and liver function. Setting: Outpatient Menopausal Clinic. Study Design: 130 healthy postmenopausal women suffering from menopausal symptoms were randomized to receive soy isoflavones 60 mg and Lactobacillus sporogenes 1 billion spores (group E: 65 women) or calcium and vitamin D3 (group C: 65 women). Safety of the treatment was assessed at baseline and after 1 year taking into account endometrial thickness, mammographic density, serum levels of transaminases, γ-GT and bilirubin. Efficacy of the treatment was evaluated rating the score of menopausal symptoms at baseline and every 3 months. The statistical analysis was carried out with χ2, Fisher exact’s test and ANOVA. Results: After 12 months of treatment mammographic density, endometrial thickness and hepatic function did not show significant differences between groups, while menopausal symptoms were progressively and significantly reduced in severity and frequency during treatment with soy isoflavones plus Lactobacillus sporogenes versus calcium plus vitamin D3. Conclusion: A 12 months treatment with a nutraceutical compound based on isoflavones and Lactobacillus sporogenes at the recommended doses is safe for endometrium, mammary glands and liver function in postmenopausal women.