Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post‐hyperventilation apnoea in conscious humans.

1. In nine normal subjects, analysis was performed of the number, length and location of apnoeic pauses during 20 min of recovery following voluntary overbreathing (VHV). Four different rates of recovery of end‐tidal PCO2 (PET,CO2), studied in randomized order, were induced by overbreathing to 15 or 25 mmHg, each for 3 or 6 min. Subjects breathed mildly hyperoxic gas mixtures (inspired PO2 approximately 250 mmHg) to and fro into an open circuit via a mouthpiece and pneumotachograph. 2. Apnoeic pauses rarely occurred immediately after the end of VHV but gradually increased in number and length. When averaged across all subjects and protocols, the largest pauses occurred 2.0 +/‐ 0.3 min (S.D.; range 1.6‐2.4 min) after the end of VHV. Based on a definition of apnoea as expiratory time greater than 6 s, apnoeas occurred between mean times of 0.8 and 5.6 min after the end of VHV, the end of this period being associated with a mean PET,CO2 value of 36.4 mmHg, which was below the initial mean resting value of 39.8 mmHg. 3. Within this apnoeic period, 80% of experiments produced apnoeas of less than 10 s duration, 61% of between 10 and 20 s duration and 42% of between 20 and 30 s duration. Only one out of nine subjects consistently failed to show apnoeas. 4. The range of lengths of individual apnoeas and the number per minute were independent of the length and level of VHV and were not significantly different between the four protocols. 5. The number and length of apnoeas did not change in repeated runs in each subject. We were not able to confirm previous reports that apnoeas occurred more frequently in subjects familiar with the experiment. 6. These results reconciled previous studies showing either apnoea or hyperpnoea following voluntary overbreathing in conscious humans. They showed an initial period of heightened breathing lasting about a minute with few apnoeas, consistent with ‘after‐discharge’. Beyond that, apnoeas occurred as an ‘all‐or‐nothing’ phenomenon as long as PET,CO2 was on average less than 3.4 mmHg below resting PET,CO2. The occurrence and length of apnoeas was consistent in individual subjects with no evidence of a learning effect.
Understanding the Relationship Between Use of Innovative Technology and Employee Performance: A Case of the Bank of Jordan

Technological implementation and innovation are considered highly critical in today’s competitive and dynamic business environment. This study aimed at analysing the role of innovative technology and work practices on employee performance within the Bank of Jordon. Quantitative methods aligned with survey technique were used to gather data from managerial and non-managerial staffs of the bank. A close ended questionnaire was used for data collection. Further, statistical analysis using correlation and regression was used to explore research objectives comprehensively. This study found positive correlation between technology implementation, innovative work practices, employee attitudes and employee performance. Employee attitudes were least correlated with performance outcomes. Further, results suggest that innovative technology implementation, work practices and employee attitudes have significant impact on employee performance within the Bank of Jordon. The results of study are not generalisable considering the methodological limitations and sample size. Further researchers can expand scope of this study by incorporating large samples by taking into account triangulation approach. Keywords : Innovative technology, Employee performance, Bank of Jordon
Strategic alliances in the hotel industry: a case study of Sarova Group of Hotels

ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background of the study . 1 1.1.1 The Concept of Strategic Alliance . 2 1.1.2 The Hotel Industry in Kenya. 4 1.1.3 Sarova Group of Hotels. 7 1.2 Research Problem . 8 1.3 Research objective . 10 1.4 Value of the study . 10 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW . 12 2.
Firm reputation and financial performance of SMEs: the Ghanaian perspective

Our paper examines the effects of firm reputation on financial performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana by controlling for firm specific variables such as firm age, firm size, owner/manager's age, leverage and access to capital. It contributes to our knowledge on how firm reputation enhances the financial performance of SMEs in developing economies. We employed primary data from 423 SMEs within the Accra Metropolis. Standard regression analysis was used to analyse the data. We documented a significant positive association between firm reputation and firm performance, denoting that high corporate reputation by an SME enhances its performance. In addition, with the exception of firm size, there was a significant positive relationship between all the control variables and financial performance of SMEs.
Altered Haemostatic Values During Pregnancy in North-West Nigeria: Do Maternal Age and Parity Play Any Role?

Background: Normal pregnancy has been associated with alteration of the haemostatic system which has been linked to increased risk of thromboembolism. The study determined the haemostatic parameters in pregnant women in Kano, North-West Nigeria. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty pregnant women, aged 17-40 years and 100 age-matched nonpregnant women were enrolled for the study between August 2010 and October 2011 in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. Blood samples collected were analysed for prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time with kaolin (PTTK) using Diagen reagents and platelet count using manual method while factors VII and VIII activities were determined according to manufacturers’ instructions of TECO kits and Cormay KG coagulometer. Results: There were significantly lower value of platelet count and higher value of factor VIII activity of (248.2 ± 78.8) X 109/L and 110.7 ± 46.6% in pregnant women compared to (289.4 ± 68.7) x 109/L and 96.8 ± 38.2% respectively, in non-pregnant women (P0.05). Gestation period showed significant effects on PTTK and factor VII activity during pregnancy (P<0.05) but had no effects on platelet count, PT and factor VIII activity while insignificant increased values of factors VII and VIII activities, and increased parity were observed at the age-group 35-40 years. Conclusion: Changes in the haemostatic parameters in pregnancy are associated with reduced platelet count and increased factor VIII activity. Advanced maternal age, increased gestational age and parity may be risk factors for thrombosis. It is recommended that factors VII and VIII assays be included in routine antenatal tests.
Efficacy and safety of Privigen®, a novel liquid intravenous immunoglobulin formulation, in adolescent and adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura

Abstract Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has become a mainstay of treatment for acute and chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The efficacy and safety of Privigen®, a new, ready-to-use, 10% liquid human IgG formulation, was evaluated in this open-label, multicentre study. Privigen® infusions (1 g/kg per day for 2 consecutive days, days 1 and 2) were given to 57 adolescent and adult patients with chronic ITP and platelet counts ≤20 × 109/l. By day 7, 80.7% of patients (95% CI, 69·2, 89·3) achieved platelet counts of ≥50 × 109/l. Correspondingly, haemorrhage number and severity were significantly reduced. Adverse events were generally mild or moderate and typical of underlying disease and IVIG treatment. Privigen® was well tolerated – 104 of 114 infusions were performed at the maximum permitted infusion rate (4 mg/kg/min). Thus, in patients with chronic ITP, a two-day regimen of Privigen® was effective in increasing platelet count, reducing bleeding events and was well tolerated.
Regulation of Thrombin-Mediated Endothelial Cell Contraction and Permeability

A variety of physical forces exist in a dynamic equilibrium in the vascular endothelium (EC) monolayer and serve to maintain EC responsiveness while preserving the integrity of the EC monolayer and barrier properties. Thrombin has potent effects on EC permeabilities disrupting the equilibrium between tethering forces (cadherins, focal adhesion plaque) and forces that increase centripetal tension primarily via myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation. Like other EC effects, thrombin-induced MLC kinase (MLCK) activation is dependent upon receptor proteolysis, Ca2+ mobilization, and activation of protein kinase C (PKC). While EC gap formation is central to barrier dysfunction and dependent upon activation of MLCK, (which phosphorylates MLC) an obligatory event in smooth muscle cell contraction, little is known regarding the events that reverse inflammatory responses, halt the contractile response, and initiate relaxation. However, as these events likely include MLC dephosphorylation, further examination of the processes that regulate MLC protein phosphatase activity, focal intercellular junctions, and extracellular matrix adhesions is needed. These investigations should yield new information as to how receptor occupancy is transduced into specific cellular responses, such as increased permeability, which promotes pathological vascular processes such as tissue edema formation and organ dysfunction.
Grazer control of nitrogen fixation : synergisms in the feeding ecology of two freshwater crustaceans

Using in situ mesocosm experiments, we compared grazing rates, food-selection patterns and nutrient mineralization rates of a daphniid cladoceran and a diaptomid copepod to determine their influence on phytoplankton composition and the prevalence of N-fixing cyanobacteria. We show that grazing and nutrient mineralization may act synergistically within a grazer taxon. Cladocerans exhibited non-selective grazing and high N:P mineralization; copepods exhibited selective grazing and low N:P mineralization. Through such synergistic effects, freshwater systems dominated by copepods would be expected to be more vulnerable to blooms of N-fixing cyanobacteria than those dominated by cladocerans.
The optimal portfolio of emissions abatement and low-carbon R & D depends on the expected availability of negative emission technologies

Combining policies to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere with policies to reduce emissions can potentially decrease CO2 concentrations to earlier levels. We model the optimal selection of a dynamic portfolio of abatement, research and development (R&D), and negative emission policies under an exogenous CO2 constraint and with stochastic technological change. We find that near-term abatement is not sensitive to the availability of R&D policies, but the anticipated availability of negative emission strategies can reduce near-term abatement if CO2 targets are sufficiently ambitious. Further, planning to develop and deploy negative emission technologies can shift optimal R&D funding from breakthrough carbon-free technologies into incremental lower-carbon technologies. Importantly, when the goal is to maintain the present CO2 concentration in the year 2100, an optimized portfolio with negative emission strategies can be 80% cheaper than an optimized portfolio lacking such strategies. However, the cost is not reduced by as much if concerns about tipping points rule out using late-century negative emission strategies to temporarily overshoot the CO2 target earlier in the century.
Differential control of transcription by homologous homeodomain coregulators

The human herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) transactivator VP16 and its homolog from bovine herpes-virus 1 (BHV-1) can each recruit the human homeodomain protein Oct-1 into a transcriptional regulatory complex. Here, we show that these two Oct-1 coregulators possess similar, if not identical, homeodomain recognition properties but possess different virus-specific cis-regulatory specificities: the HSV-1 VP-16 protein activates transcription from the HSV-1 VP16 response element, and the BHV-1 VP16 protein activates transcription from the BHV-1 VP16 response element. A distinct 3-bp segment, the D segment, lying 3' of the canonical TAATGARAT motif (where R is a purine) in the VP16 response element is responsible for the differential cis element recognition and transcriptional activation by these two homeodomain coregulators. These results demonstrate how a single homeodomain protein can direct differential transcriptional regulation by selective association with homologous homeodomain coregulators.
The Urokinase Receptor Homolog Haldisin Is a Novel Differentiation Marker of Stratum Granulosum in Squamous Epithelia

Several members of the Ly-6/uPAR (LU)-protein domain family are differentially expressed in human squamous epithelia. In some cases, they even play important roles in maintaining skin homeostasis, as exemplified by the secreted single domain member, SLURP-1, the deficiency of which is associated with the development of palmoplantar hyperkeratosis in the congenital skin disorder Mal de Meleda. In the present study, we have characterized a new member of the LU-protein domain family, which we find to be predominantly expressed in the stratum granulosum of human skin, thus resembling the expression of SLURP-1. In accordance with its expression pattern, we denote this protein product, which is encoded by the LYPD5 gene, as Haldisin (human antigen with LU-domains expressed in skin). Two of the five human glycolipid-anchored membrane proteins with multiple LU-domains characterized so far are predominantly confined to squamous epithelia (i.e., C4.4A), to stratum spinosum, and Haldisin to stratum granulosum under normal homeostatic conditions. Whether Haldisin is a prognostic biomarker for certain epithelial malignancies, like C4.4A and SLURP-1, remains to be explored.
Comparison of microbiological assay and HPLC-UV for determination of fluconazole in capsules

The development of a specific agar diffusion bioassay for the quantitative determination of fluconazole formulated in capsules was carried out using a strain of Candida albicans ATCC 18804 as the test organism. A prospective validation of the method showed adequate linearity (r2=0.9995), precision (R.S.D. = 4.0% for intra-day and 4.5% for inter-day precision) and accuracy (mean recovery = 102.9%). High performance liquid chromatography was chosen as a comparison method for the fluconazole determination. The contents of fluconazole determined by both methods, for four capsule samples, showed a strong correlation, confirmed by Pearson's correlation coefficient value (r = 0.9884). The bioassay is a suitable method for both research and pharmaceutical industry laboratories.
Intrapartum corticosteroid use significantly increases the risk of gestational diabetes in women with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study compared perinatal outcomes in women with and without IBD. METHODS The population-based Data Integration, Measurement, and Reporting (DIMR) administrative discharge database was used to identify women (≥18 years of age) in Alberta, Canada, with IBD who delivered a baby between 2006 and 2009 inclusive. Women without IBD were randomly sampled and matched in a 3:1 ratio to IBD cases by age at conception (±1 year). Odds ratios of gestational diabetes, preterm birth, low birth weight, cesarean section, and neonatal intensive care unit admission were calculated. RESULTS One hundred and sixteen IBD patients were age-matched to 381 pregnant women without IBD. Gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and cesarean section were more common in women with IBD compared with controls (6.9 versus 1.8%, p = 0.03; 12.9 versus 0.3%, p < 0.0001; 43.1 versus 21.0%, p = 0.009, respectively). On multivariate analysis, women with IBD were independently more likely to have gestational diabetes (odds ratio [OR] = 4.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-16.3), preterm birth (OR = 19.7, 95% CI 2.2-173.9), and to deliver by cesarean section (OR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.6-4.6) after adjusting for age and smoking status. CONCLUSION Intrapartum corticosteroid use significantly increases the risk of gestational diabetes in women with IBD. Furthermore, IBD patients are at higher risk of preterm delivery and are more likely to undergo cesarean section compared with a healthy age-matched population. The finding of a higher risk of gestational diabetes is a novel finding not previously reported in the IBD literature.
Effects of short‐term alendronate on bone mineral density in haemodialysis patients

Background: Low bone mineral density (BMD) is common in dialysis patients. Low BMD predicts the fracture risk in the general population. Bisphosphonate therapy improves BMD and lowers the fracture risk in many populations, but has not been tested in dialysis patients because of concerns about toxicity. In this investigation, the effect of a short course of alendronate on BMD in haemodialysis (HD) patients is evaluated.
Women's knowledge of their HIV antibody state: its effect on their decision whether to continue the pregnancy.

Comment Enhanced rates of reporting drug reactions will improve overall drug assessment, reduce bias, and speed earlier detection of serious toxicity with new drugs. Over the past six years our 800 bed hospital (15 000 admissions yearly) has generated almost 0 2% yellow cards per patient. Offering a fee increased the rate of reporting by almost 50-fold, to 9 7%, whereas the pharmacist's survey detected a rate (5 4%) comparable to that in previous studies. ' Nevertheless, it identified a potential source of additional reportsnurses. In the fee study we were unable to distinguish the value of reporting to an individual colleague, which we believe to be important, and the contribution of the fee, but the number of reports fell substantially after withdrawal of the fee. Two constraints -availability of vellow cards and lack of information on what to report-should be remediable. To counter the main constraint, "lack of time/forgetfulness," we can try only to ensure that reporting of reactions becomes an integral part of patient care. Reporting fees are used in collecting other medical information such as notifiable diseases. We regard the use of a fee to stimulate reporting as an additional tool in drug assessment. Not only did use of the fee greatly enhance the number of reports, producing almost the equivalent to the previous six years' reports within six weeks; it also revealed many serious reactions, including those associated with newer treatments. In the normal course of events these reactions go unreported. We also introduced recently qualified doctors to the reporting system: 48% ofthe target group (in our case junior doctors) reported reactions over six weeks compared with a figure of 16% over 10 years for the current system. ' Further evaluation of the use of a reporting fee is warranted.
The Viability of Establishing Capital Market in Developing Countries: The Case of Ethiopia

The outlook concerning worthiness and significance of establishment of stock market to nations in general, to developing nations in particular, have assorted to a great extent over time. Developing countries are trying towards improving and stepping up financial systems, by way of amplifying their security markets in order to perk up their ability to bring together resources to economy and fruitfully allot them to highly productive segments of the economy. This paper attempts to examine the feasibility of launching a stock market in Ethiopia. Regulatory framework, financial sector development and privatization and private sector development have been covered to analyze practicability of organizing “capital market”. The regulatory framework at hand is not adequate to establish a stock market and despite the boom in privatization, the country’s huge companies still remain under control of the state. Nonetheless, it has been jeopardized by deficiency of financial liberalization and dominance of state banks.
Practical stabilization of uncertain nonholonomic mobile robots based on visual servoing model with uncalibrated camera parameters

In this paper, the practical stabilization problem is addressed for a class of uncertain nonholonomic mobile robots with uncalibrated visual parameters. Based on the visual servoing kinematic model, a new switching controller is presented in the presence of parametric uncertainties associated with the camera system. In comparison with existing methods, the new design method is directly to control the original system without any state or input transformation, which is effective to avoid singularity. Under the proposed control law, it is rigorously proved that all the states of closed loop system can be stabilized to a prescribed arbitrarily small neighborhood of the zero equilibrium point. Finally, the simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller design approach.
Application of Lean Six-Sigma methodology to reducing production costs: case study of a Portuguese bolts manufacturer

Abstract This study describes a procedure that applies the Lean Six-Sigma approach to reducing the production costs of a Portuguese bolts manufacturer. The project was proposed by the product’s customer, who suggested improving some parameters of the processes associated with its manufacture. The customer’s expectations and requirements are called ‘Voice Of the Customer’ (VOC) focusing on the reduction of production costs. Bolts manufacturing has some particularities, such as the considerable lot-size and the high level of products produced. Some of the important Six-Sigma and Lean tools are discussed, which will be of help to Six-Sigma practitioners. The empirical study illustrates methods used to Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC) the Six-Sigma approach. This study consolidates the efficiency and the excellence of the DMAIC methodology, providing arguments to demonstrate its usefulness for the implementation of improvements, both in terms of quality and in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes. This case reveals that there exists an important complementarity between the methodology used and the Lean Six-Sigma concepts when dealing with a continuous improvement project in the context of bolts manufacturing. The findings reinforce conclusions from other studies that the DMAIC methodology can be used in any improvement project, and not just for Six-Sigma projects, whence the methodology emerged.
Entering New Markets: The Effect of Performance Feedback Near Aspiration and Well Below and Above it

Research summary: This study draws on the resource-based view and the behavioral theory of the firm to gain new insights about the effect of performance relative to aspiration level (i.e., performance feedback) on the decision to enter new markets. Results show an inverted U-shaped relationship between performance both below and above aspiration level, and the probability of firms to enter new markets. That is, when firms are well below or well above their aspiration level, they significantly change their behavior. This article develops a theoretical framework to clarify and organize these findings. Managerial summary: This study examines the effect of performance feedback, and particularly, large discrepancies between firm performance and aspiration level on the decision to enter new markets. It provides support to the role of performance feedback in affecting the decision to enter new markets, a factor that has received relatively little attention in the extensive literature that has examined the inducements of such moves. Results show that, as performance falls below or rises above aspiration, a firm's probability of entering new markets increases up to a certain point after which this relationship decreases. This shows that the tendency to enter new markets is different for firms that are in the neighborhood of aspiration level compared to those that are well below or above it. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.