Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological analysis of the male reproductive accessory glands of the bat Artibeus lituratus (Phyllostomidae: Chiroptera)

Bats are distributed worldwide from tropical to temperate regions. Despite their wide geographical radiation and advances in studies using evolutionary approaches, aspects related to the reproduction of these animals remain poorly explored, especially those related to the male reproductive accessory glands (RAGs). Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the morphophysiology of the male RAGs in the bat Artibeus lituratus. The RAGs in A. lituratus are composed of a compact intra‐abdominal glandular complex, consisting of the prostate with two prostatic regions (ventral and dorsal), plus Littre glands and a pair of extra‐abdominal bulbourethral glands. The ventral region of the prostate has an epithelium with variable morphology, due to its holocrine type of secretion. In contrast, the dorsal region has a typical cubic‐to‐columnar pseudostratified epithelium. Both regions contain two cell types, basal and secretory cells. Similar to the epithelial morphology, the secretion also varies, with the ventral region containing numerous PAS‐positive globular vesicles, whereas the dorsal region has a more fluid, hyaline and PAS‐negative secretion. Littre glands are dispersed in the connective tissue of the urethra, while the bulbourethral glands are located in the penile root, both glands with cubic‐to‐columnar pseudostratified epithelium and globular PAS‐positive secretion. The results demonstrate that the RAGs of A. lituratus are composed of two prostatic regions, ventral and dorsal, and urethral and bulbourethral glands, with no seminal vesicles. Each prostatic region has unique and distinctive characteristics, with the ventral region presenting an exclusive holocrine nature and the dorsal region having similarities to the ventral prostate of rodents.
Brain abscesses--the Groote Schuur experience, 1993-2003.

OBJECTIVE To review management and outcome of patients with brain abscess treated at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) between 1993 and 2003. PATIENTS AND METHODS Case notes, radiological results and laboratory records were reviewed retrospectively for 121 patients at GSH who underwent a neurosurgical procedure for treatment of a brain abscess between 1993 and 2003. Patients not treated surgically were excluded. Follow-up with serial computed tomography (CT) scans, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the temperature chart were used to determine the duration of parenteral antibiotic treatment and the need for repeat surgical evacuation of pus by either aspiration or excision of the capsule. RESULTS The mean patient age was 33 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 5:1. Headache, depressed level of consciousness and pyrexia were the commonest presenting symptoms. Other symptoms included seizures and hemiparesis. The frontal lobe was the commonest site (44%); the majority of abscesses occurred as a result of infection following trauma. Mastoiditis (21%) and sinusitis (8%) were the second and third most common causes. Organisms were identified in 81% of cases; polymicrobial infections occurred in half of these. Thirty-three different organisms were identified, the majority of which were Gram-positive bacteria. Anaerobes were present in 23%, while methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was identified in 1 patient. Nocardia was seen in 3 patients, 2 of whom were diabetic. The average duration of parenteral antibiotic therapy was 15 and 19 days for excision and aspiration respectively. Accurate ESR records were available in 75% of cases, with a positive predictive value in 81%, while CRP (in use since 1999) was helpful in 92% of cases. OUTCOME Sixteen patients (13%) died, 12 of whom had been admitted with a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of less than 4T/15. Thirteen patients developed epilepsy. On discharge, patients continued to take oral antibiotics for another 4 weeks, at the end of which they were reviewed at the neurosurgery outpatient department. CONCLUSION Compared with previous studies from this hospital, mortality and morbidity have been diminishing progressively. GCS at the time of admission remains the most important prognostic factor.
Identification of methylation markers for the prediction of nodal metastasis in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Hypermethylation is an important mechanism for the dynamic regulation of gene expression, necessary for metastasizing tumour cells. Our aim is to identify methylation tumour markers that have a predictive value for the presence of regional lymph node metastases in patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC). Significantly differentially expressed genes were retrieved from four reported microarray expression profiles comparing pN0 and pN+ head-neck tumours, and one expression array identifying functionally hypermethylated genes. Additional metastasis-associated genes were included from the literature. Thus genes were selected that influence the development of nodal metastases and might be regulated by methylation. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) primers were designed and tested on 8 head-neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines and technically validated on 10 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) OOSCC cases. Predictive value was assessed in a clinical series of 70 FFPE OOSCC with pathologically determined nodal status. Five out of 28 methylation markers (OCLN, CDKN2A, MGMT, MLH1 and DAPK1) were frequently differentially methylated in OOSCC. Of these, MGMT methylation was associated with pN0 status (P = 0.02) and with lower immunoexpression (P = 0.02). DAPK1 methylation was associated with pN+ status (P = 0.008) but did not associate with protein expression. In conclusion, out of 28 candidate genes, two (7%) showed a predictive value for the pN status. Both genes, DAPK1 and MGMT, have predictive value for nodal metastasis in a clinical group of OOSCC. Therefore DNA methylation markers are capable of contributing to diagnosis and treatment selection in OOSCC. To efficiently identify additional new methylation markers, genome-wide methods are needed.
Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma in a 3-year-old American Boy with a Family History of Thyroid Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma is a rare malignancy in children. It represents 0.4% to 3.0% of all childhood malignancies, with greater than 70% of cases presenting between the ages of 11 to 17 years and is exceptionally rare in children under 5 years of age. The most common type of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in children is papillary thyroid carcinoma, most of which are believed to be related to radiation exposure and only approximately 5% of cases have a family history of papillary thyroid cancer. In this report, we present a papillary thyroid carcinoma in a 3-year-old American boy with a family history of thyroid cancer and no known history of radiation exposure. A literature review with discussion on the management and treatment of pediatric papillary thyroid carcinoma follows.
The Determinates of Financial Development in Iraq

his paper examines the effect of factors on the development of commercial banking in Iraq. Seven factors used as determinates for financial depth which are per capita GDP, inflation rate, government budget deficit, share of state-owned banks of total assets as proxy of financial repression, oil sector domination, international trade openness and political stability as explanatory variables against the banking development as endogenous variable. By using VAR model, empirically the paper found that the per capita real GDP, the degree of openness and share of state-owned banks of total assets are the variables stimulated the financial depth in Iraq during 1980 and 2010. However other variables did not register any influence for financial development in Iraq. In addition, the paper found unidirectional relationship between financial development and economic growth run from real sector to financial sector.
The The impact of territorial policies on the distribution of the creative economy: tracking spatial patterns of innovation in Slovenia

The creative economy as an alternative pathway for industrial decline was first introduced into practice in metropolitan regions of the Global North. Since then, it has gradually spread out to other highly urbanized areas of the Global South and transitional areas such as post-socialist European countries. Numerous studies tried to explain structural conditions and suggested policies to attract, retain and release creative potentials. However, the focus on promotion of the creative economy is still on large cities and sectoral policies by emphasizing economic, social and legislative issues of the creative labour. There is little evidence about how territorial policies shape the development of the creative economy, especially in medium-sized and small towns outside the reach of the agglomeration areas. The aim of this paper is to study the impact of territorial policies on the distribution of the creative economy in Slovenia as an example of the post-socialist country. By analysing spatial-temporal trends of patents, we track patterns of innovation between 1975 and 2014 in the urban system. A central focus is given to examine changes in urban hierarchy, i.e. relationships between Ljubljana as the capital and the only large city in the country, regional centres and small towns. The spatial-temporal analysis of patents granted in Slovenia confirmed the linkages between territorial innovation systems and policies. The main findings show that innovation has become more evenly distributed across space, which can be attributed to long tradition of polycentric spatial development in times of Yugoslavia and more recent territorial policies favouring further dispersion of the local self-government system in Slovenia.
Method for Continuous Measurements of Renal Sympathetic Nerve Activity and Cardiovascular Function During Exercise in Rats

The sympathetic nervous system is believed to play a major role in regulating cardiovascular function during exercise. However, only a few direct measurements of sympathetic nervous activity during whole body dynamic exercise have been attempted. In the present study, we have established a method to allow routine measurement of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and cardiovascular function during treadmill exercise in rats. We trained Wistar rats to run on the treadmill for a week before the surgery. At least 2 days before the experiment, electrodes for recording RSNA, electrocardiogram and electromyogram, and catheters for the measurements of systemic arterial and central venous pressures were implanted under aseptic conditions. Satisfactory signal to noise ratios were obtained in 80%, 60% and 40% of the group at 1‐3 days, 4‐7 days and 8‐10 days after the surgery, respectively. RSNA was successfully recorded without contamination by external noise during treadmill exercise. Treadmill exercise resulted in an abrupt increase in RSNA, by 82% at 0.5 min, and then reached a stable level of ∼40% during the period of 5‐30 min after the onset of treadmill exercise. This experimental model allows us to study the neural mechanisms involved in the regulation of cardiovascular function during dynamic exercise in rats.
Working Paper Technology trade in economic development

Recent evidence on the respective contributions of institutions and trade to income levels across countries has demonstrated that – once endogeneity is considered – institutional quality clearly dominates the effect of trade. We argue that overall trade is not the most appropriate measure for technology diffusion as a source of productivity growth and propose to focus on imports of research and development (R&D) intensive goods instead. Overall, we confirm previous findings that institutions matter most and that overall trade is not positively associated with per-capita income levels. Yet this does not hold for technology trade, as there is a positive and significant linkage between technology imports and income levels. This outcome is robust to various model specifications, including an instrumental variable approach.
Long term pulsatile growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone therapy in children with GH deficiency.

We treated seven GH-deficient children with 3-hourly 1 microgram/kg sc pulses of GHRH-(1-44) for 6 months and 2 micrograms/kg.pulse for another 6 months. Four patients had a serum GH response to iv GHRH before treatment, and an additional patient responded to iv GHRH after 1 month of pulsatile sc GHRH administration. The mean cumulative growth velocity increased from a pretreatment mean of 2.7 +/- 0.2 (+/- SE) to 8.4 +/- 2.5 and 5.4 +/- 0.7 cm/yr after 2 months and 1 yr of treatment, respectively. Low dose pulsatile GHRH therapy was effective in promoting growth in five of seven children, with height gain ranging from 4.4-7.5 cm at the end of 1 yr's therapy. Only one of the two patients who did not respond to GHRH had an improvement in linear growth when they were subsequently treated with synthetic GH. The other patient, a 16.5-yr-old pubertal girl who had both satisfactory GH and somatomedin-C responses during GHRH therapy, did not respond to either GHRH or, later, synthetic GH. The pretreatment serum GH response to iv GHRH, the serum somatomedin-C concentrations, and the peak serum GH response during sc GHRH therapy were not reliable predictors of clinical response.
catena-Poly[[silver(I)-mu-ethane-1,2-diamine-kappa2N:N'] trifluoromethanesulfonate].

The title complex, {[Ag(C2H8N2)](CF3SO3)}n, is a mononuclear silver(I) compound. The AgI atom lies on a mirror plane and is bicoordinated in a linear configuration by two N atoms from two ethane-1,2-diamine ligands, giving zigzag polymeric chains with an [—Ag—N—C—C—N—]n backbone running along the b axis. These chains are interconnected by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate anions (which also lie on mirror planes), forming a three-dimensional network.
Vertical Structure and the Risk of Rent Extraction in the Electricity Industry

This paper studies how competition and vertical structure jointly determine generating capacities, retail prices, and welfare in the electricity industry. Analyzing a model in which demand is uncertain and retailers must commit to retail prices before they buy electricity in the wholesale market, we show that welfare is highest if competition in generation and retailing is combined with vertical separation. Vertically integrated generators choose excessively high retail prices and capacities to avoid rent extraction in the wholesale market when their retail demand exceeds their capacity. Vertical separation eliminates the risk of rent extraction and yields lower retail prices.
Time course of improved flow-mediated dilation after short-term exercise training.

PURPOSE The purpose was to determine the influence of a unilateral localized short-term handgrip training protocol on brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (BAFMD) and to examine the time course of such changes. METHODS Fourteen healthy males (age: 26 +/- 5.7 yr) underwent high-resolution ultrasonographic brachial artery assessments before (V1), during (V2-V7), and at the end of 4 wk (V8) of 60% maximal voluntary contraction handgrip training (20 min.d-1, 5 d.wk-1) of the nondominant arm. RESULTS Before training resting diameters were similar between the trained (nondominant) and untrained (dominant) arms. A 2 (trained and untrained arms) x 2 (V1 and V8) repeated measure ANOVA revealed a significant main (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03) and interaction effect (P = 0.05 and P = 0.01) for the percent and absolute change in BAFMD. BAFMD improved 62% and 70%, respectively from V1 to V8, for the percent and absolute change. Subsequent linear orthogonal polynomial contrasts indicate both the percent and absolute change in BAFMD were statistically different at V2 (end of week 1 and 4 training days) from V1. These unilateral changes were not accompanied by changes in resting artery diameter, hemodynamic measures, hematological markers, and indices of heart rate variability suggesting the change may be locally mediated. CONCLUSIONS This study shows a localized short-term exercise-training program resulted in significant improvements in BAFMD in the trained arm compared with the untrained arm and suggests this occurred after only 4 d of training.
Dressing Your Online Auction Business for Success: An Experiment Comparing Two eBay Businesses

Businesses can choose who they want to be online. Product and company attributes that are directly perceivable in the real world can be manipulated to make a favorable impression on online buyers. This study examines whether creating a more professional online e-image can signal consumers about unobservable product or company quality, and whether this signal influences their willingness to transact with the company, and ultimately the prices they are willing to pay for the company's goods and services. An empirical study is presented that examines two online auction businesses utilizing different company names and auction listing styles to sell items in parallel over the course of one year. The findings suggest that increasing the quality of an auction business's e-image does increase consumers' willingness to transact with the business, and increases prices received at auction. The study also demonstrates the ability to use eBay as an experimental laboratory for testing a variety of hypotheses about purchasing behavior online.
Students’ Attitudes, Academic Performance and Preferences for Content Delivery in a Very Large Self-Care Course Redesign

Objective. To evaluate students’ performance/attitudes toward a flipped team-based learning (TBL) format in a “very large” self-care course based on student content delivery preference. Design. Third-year students enrolled in the course were surveyed regarding elements of redesign and homework completion. Additionally, their performance and incoming grade point average were evaluated. Assessment. A survey was completed by 286 of 305 students. Nineteen percent of respondents preferred traditional content delivery, whereas 30% preferred flipped TBL, 48% preferred a mixed format, and 3% had no preference. The grades achieved in the course were: A (49%), B (48%), C (3%) and D (0%). The majority completed “all” or “most” of the homework, appreciated attributes of course redesign, felt home preparation and in-class activities engaged them, and reported improved communication/evaluation skills. Content delivery preference significantly affected attitudes. Conclusion. Students positively received a flipped team-based learning classroom format, especially those who preferred flipped TBL or mixed content delivery. A minority with preference for traditional teaching style did not enjoy the new format; however, their academic performance did not differ significantly from those who did.
Comparative study of episiotomy repair: Absorbable synthetic versus chromic catgut suture material

Objectives : To compare absorbable synthetic sutures with chromic catgut sutures for episiotomy repair with respect to pain analgesic requirement, nature of wound healing, and removal of residual suture material. Methods : The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital for Southern Railway patients. It is a prospective, comparative study between polyglactin 910 rapide 2-0 versus polyglactin 910 1-0 versus chromic catgut 1-0. For the present study, a total of 150 patients were selected. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to their turn. Outcome studies were pain assessment by visual analogue scale (VAS) in lying, walking and sitting postures, analgesic requirement, nature of wound healing, and removal of residual suture material. Results: Compared with chromic catgut, and polyglactin 910, polyglactin 910 rapide group is associated with less pain in walking and sitting postures, and there was less need for analgesics (P<0.05). Removal of residual suture material was more common in polyglactin 910 (28%). Conclusions: Polyglactin 910 rapide is the better suture material than polyglactin 910 and chromic catgut for episiotomy repair in pain perception resulting in less analgesic requirement in postpartum period.
Factors Determining Brand Image: A Product Comparison of Proctor & Gamble and Unilever in Pakistan

A brand is unlikely to have one brand image, but several, though one or two may predominate. The key in brand image research is to identify or develop the most powerful images and reinforce them through subsequent brand communications. The aim of the research is to conduct a study of brand image and provide recommendations for brand image enhancement after theoretical analysis of brand image on sales . This research has been done as a comparison between the products of P&G and Unilever in Pakistan with respect to their brand image that, Does the brand image has any impact on the fast moving consumer good’s consumption of different companies? Does brand image affects consumer behavior? For this research the tool we are using questionnaire. Brand image can be reinforced by brand communications such as packaging, advertising, promotion, customer service, word-of-mouth and other aspects of the brand experience. This would also be seen with having different kind of questions in questionnaire to cover as many aspects of brand image. The results show that there were more users of Unilever Products as compared to Proctor and Gamble with advertising, Customer Satisfaction and Innovation positively correlated with Brand Image.
Product Turnover and the Cost of Living Index: Quality vs. Fashion Effects

This paper evaluates the effects of product turnover on a welfare-based cost-of-living index. We first present some facts about price and quantity changes over the product cycle employing scanner data for Japan for the years 1988-2013, which cover the deflationary period that started in the mid-1990s. We then develop a new methodology to decompose price changes at the time of product turnover into those due to the quality effect and those due to the fashion effect (i.e., the higher demand for products that are new). Our main findings are as follows: (1) the price and quantity of a new product tend to be higher than those of its predecessor at its exit from the market, implying that firms use new products as an opportunity to take back the price decline that occurred during the life of its predecessor under deflation; (2) a considerable fashion effect exists for the entire sample period, while the quality effect is declining over time; and (3) the discrepancy between the cost-of-living index estimated based on our methodology and the price index constructed only from a matched sample is not large.