Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mid-Term Efficacy of Beraprost, an Oral Prostacyclin Analog, in the Treatment of Distal CTEPH: A Case Control Study

Background: Prostanoids are a well-established therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and observational studies suggest their efficacy even in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) patients. Objective: To compare the effects of 6 months of treatment with beraprost, an orally-active prostacyclin analog, in patients with distal CTEPH and PAH. Design: Case-control study. Population: Sixteen patients with severe pulmonary hypertension (NYHA II–IV), eight with distal CTEPH matched with eight patients with idiopathic PAH for similar effort tolerance. Methods: All patients were in stable clinical and hemodynamic condition for 3 months with maximal standard therapy. During the titration phase (4 weeks) beraprost was increased to maximal tolerated dose (mean daily dosage: CTEPH 275 ± 47 µg, PAH 277 ± 47 µg) in adjunction of standard therapy, patients were followed-up for 6 months. Main Outcome Measures: World Heart Organization (WHO) functional class, exercise capacity measured by distance walked in 6 min, and systolic pulmonary pressure (echocardiography), were evaluated at baseline, and at 1-, 3- and 6-month interval. Results: At 6 months WHO class decreased significantly in both groups (CTEPH from 2.7 ± 0.6 to 2.0 ± 0.24, p < 0.05; PAH from 3.0 ± 0.26 to 2.1 ± 0.25, p < 0.05), similarly the 6-min walk distance increased significantly from baseline (CTEPH from 312 ± 31 to 373 ± 29 m, p < 0.003; PAH from 303 ± 31 to 347 ± 29, p < 0.0003). Systolic pulmonary artery pressure showed a trend toward lower value (CTEPH from 85 ± 7 m to 81 ± 6 mm Hg, p = NS; PAH from 89 ± 7 to 82 ± 5, p = NS). During the observation period we did not have any death. The drug was well-tolerated with minor side-effects. Conclusion: In patients with CTEPH beraprost had similar mid-term clinical and hemodynamic improvements than in patients with PAH.
A gene complex coding for the membrane-bound hydrogenase of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16

One of the key enzymes in the chemolithoautotrophic metabolism of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 is a dimeric, membrane-associated hydrogenase. The genetic determinants of this enzyme are located on the endogenous megaplasmid pHG1 (G. Eberz, C. Hogrefe, C. Kortlüke, A. Kamienski, and B. Friedrich, J. Bacteriol. 168:636-641, 1986). Complementation studies showed that the information required for the formation of active membrane-bound hydrogenase occupies more than 7.5 kb of megaplasmid DNA. We cloned and sequenced this region and identified the genes encoding the two hydrogenase subunits (hoxK and hoxG). The nucleotide sequence contains nine additional closely spaced open reading frames. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that the gene product of one of these open reading frames (hoxM) is involved in the process leading to the attachment of hydrogenase to the membrane. Other open reading frames may encode additional processing functions and components of a hydrogenase-linked electron transport chain. Analysis of Tn5-B21-mediated transcriptional fusions provided evidence that the structural genes and accessory functions belong to at least three coordinately regulated transcriptional units.
Entrepreneurial Choice and Performance: A Re-Appraisal of Liquidity and Human Capital Constraints

A new theory of entrepreneurial effort demonstrates that reducing liquidity constraints may retard the performance of the self-employed. A two dimensional empirical approach then distinguishes the impact of human and financial capital on both the number and performance of the self-employed. This analysis supports the theory - exogenous financial capital (inheritance) increases the number of self-employed but not their income. It also finds an inverse U-shaped relationship between inheritance and numbers hired by the self-employed. Higher levels of education reduce the number of self-employed but enance their performance. The net effect of education on employment creation is positive.
Do Foreign-Owned Firms Have a Lower Innovation Intensity Than Domestic Firms?

This paper addresses the question of whether foreign ownership matters regarding innovation intensity. It is well documented that foreign firms display lower innovation and R&D intensity than local firms do. However, (foreign) investors bear not only innovation performances in mind when making up their investment decisions. Unless factors such as firm size, labour productivity, skill and export intensity, sectoral affiliation and geographical area of operation are not properly controlled for, one is running the risk of comparing apples and oranges. To account for the selectivity bias we employ matching estimators when comparing the innovation intensity between domestic and foreign-owned firms. The observed gaps in innovation intensities do not only survive this matching test, but turn out higher as compared to the results that would have been derived from conventional regression analyses.
A comparison of the Slaughter skinfold-thickness equations and BMI in predicting body fatness and cardiovascular disease risk factor levels in children.

BACKGROUND Although estimation of percentage body fat with the Slaughter skinfold-thickness equations (PBF(Slaughter)) is widely used, the accuracy of this method has not been well studied. OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine the accuracy of the Slaughter skinfold-thickness equations. DESIGN We compared agreement between PBF(Slaughter) and estimations derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (PBF(DXA)) in 1169 children in the Pediatric Rosetta Body Composition Project and the relation to cardiovascular disease risk factors, as compared with body mass index (BMI), in 6725 children in the Bogalusa Heart Study. RESULTS PBF(Slaughter) was highly correlated (r = 0.90) with PBF(DXA), but it markedly overestimated levels of PBF(DXA) in children with large skinfold thicknesses. In the 65 boys with a sum of skinfold thicknesses (subscapular- plus triceps-skinfold thicknesses) ≥ 50 mm, PBF(Slaughter) overestimated PBF(DXA) by 12 percentage points. The comparable overestimation in girls with a high skinfold sum was 6 percentage points. We also found that, after adjustment for sex and age, BMI showed slightly stronger associations with lipid, lipoprotein, insulin, and blood pressure values than did PBF(Slaughter). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that PBF(Slaughter), which was developed among a group of much thinner children and adolescents, is fairly accurate among nonobese children, but markedly overestimates the body fatness of children who have thick skinfold thicknesses. Furthermore, PBF(Slaughter) has no advantage over sex- and age-adjusted BMIs at identifying children who are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease based on lipid, lipoprotein, insulin, and blood pressure values.
Implementation of six sigma in Australian manufacturing small and medium enterprises

The present study discusses the status of quality management practices in manufacturing SMEs in Australia and investigates the reasons why they are not implementing the Six Sigma methodology. This study emphasises that Six Sigma can be implemented in manufacturing SMEs. Moreover, this study identifies the motivation for adopting Six Sigma by Australian manufacturing SMEs. A Six Sigma implementation framework is developed and presented.
Consumer Foreign Online Purchasing : Uncertainty in the Consumer-Retailer Relationship

Consumer foreign online purchasing (CFOP) in this thesis refers to the exchange between consumers and foreign online retailers. Despite empirical facts showing increasing interest of consumers to purchase from foreign online retailers, researchers have only paid modest interest to this new marketing field. In response to recent researchers’ calls for further studies in this new field, this thesis aims to add knowledge on why some consumers purchase from foreign online retailers and others do not. CFOP is associated with uncertainty, so it is important to study what affects uncertainty and how consumers deals with uncertainty.Contrary to marketing-management theory studies, this thesis employs behavior theory and adopts views from relationship and network perspectives. The theoretical framework in this effort is business relationship concepts (commitment, trust, and uncertainty) and provides deeper understanding of how consumers behave in foreign online purchasing contexts. The empirical studies in this thesis employ multiple methods, including, in-depth, focus groups, narrative interviews, and two quantitative studies. This thesis discusses previous studies on marketing management theory, business-to-business and business-to-consumer relationships. Based on the framework, this thesis contributes with deeper insight for understanding consumers’ foreign online purchasing behavior. The empirical and theoretical contributions of this thesis not only advance understanding of this market arena, but also may attract the interest of other researcher.In addition to the four papers with different theoretical contributions, the thesis contains a summary to properly position its theoretical background. Since the papers have a variety of emphases and stress different uses of analytical tools, uncertainty, commitment, and trust, the summary connects the four papers into a theoretical framework. The theoretical frame explicitly states the findings in the papers. It explains factors that affect uncertainty in CFOP and also how consumers deal with uncertainty in order to establish and develop relationships through the pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase phases.
Firm’s Competitiveness through Supply Chain Responsiveness and Supply Chain Management Practices in Nigeria

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is management of material, money, men, and information within and across the supply chain to maximize customer satisfaction and to enhance competitive advantage. However, the characterization of the current business practices by variation in demands and differences in customer requirements has motivated many firms to be responsive. In the light of this, the paper examines how these firms respond to these changes so as sustain and further create competitive advantages. One hundred and fifteen (115) manufacturing companies, basically medium/large companies formed the sample of the study and data was analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The result revealed positive association between Supply Chain Responsiveness (SCR), SCM practices and Competitive Advantage. Finally, the study provides suitable recommendation on the scope for improvement based on current levels of various predominant SCM practices and SCR criteria that directly impact competitive advantage of a firm, so as to make the organizations more competitive. Key words: Supply Chain Practices, Responsiveness, Competitive Advantage, Information Sharing.
Funding Liquidity and Equity Liquidity in the Subprime Crisis Period: Evidence from the Financial ETFs Market

Using financial ETFs from various financial industries, we set out in this study to explore the relationship between funding liquidity and equity liquidity. We measure funding liquidity from the interbank as well as the collateral markets and examine how funding liquidity affects bid-ask spread, market depth, and net buying volume during the subprime crisis period. Our results show that a higher degree of funding illiquidity leads to an increase in bid-ask spread and a decrease in market depth and net buying volume, indicating that equity liquidity tends to decrease. However, we find evidence of an adverse relationship between net buying volume and funding liquidity for the global ETFs. Based on the event study, we find that there is a significant net buying volume during the Bear Stearns event, but funding illiquidity decreases equity liquidity more significantly following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Overall, our study provides a better understanding of the role of the liquidity-supplier funding constraint during the subprime crisis period.
The power–duration relationship of high‐intensity exercise: from mathematical parameters to physiological mechanisms

The origins of intolerance during exercise have perplexed scientists for well over a century. A better understanding of the processes that contribute to limiting high-intensity exercise have far-reaching implications, not only for elite exercise performance, but also for the wide spectrum of health, quality of life and mortality. It is intriguing, therefore, that there has existed for about 50 years a mathematical model that has the capacity to predict intolerance during high-intensity constant-work rate exercise. This hyperbolic power–duration (P–d) relationship was first described by Monod and Scherrer for a single muscle group in 1965, and has since been extended to whole-body exercise (e.g. Poole et al. 1988). This model characterises a ‘critical’ power output (CP) or speed (CS) that, once exceeded, will lead to exhaustion in a duration predicted by the completion of a constant amount of work (W ′) (Morton, 2006). CP, which lies between the lactate threshold and maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2 max), reflects an intrinsic threshold of aerobic energy provision – defining the highest constant-work rate for which steady states in ventilation, gas exchange (e.g. V̇O2 ) and metabolic (e.g. muscle and blood acid–base status) variables can be achieved (Poole et al. 1988). That CP reflects a parameter of aerobic function is supported by the fact that it is sensitive to interventions affecting oxygen transport and utilisation, such as breathing hypoxic gas mixtures or endurance exercise training. While W ′ has been likened to a (predominantly) anaerobic energy source (Monod & Scherrer, 1965; potentially comprising stores of intramuscular glycogen, high-energy phosphates and oxygen), relatively less is known about the physiological underpinnings of this parameter. Importantly, the robust nature of the P–d relationship is demonstrated in its ability to characterise exercise tolerance for a wide range of exercise modalities (including cycling, running, swimming, kayaking, rowing and knee-extension over durations of ∼2–30 min; Morton, 2006), for different subject populations (ranging from adolescents to the elderly, and from elite athletes to patients with chronic heart or lung diseases), and for different species (humans, lungless salamanders, ghost crabs, mice, horses and now also rats; Copp et al. 2010). It is our belief, therefore, that a better understanding of the basis of the P–d relationship will elucidate the factor (or factors) that contribute to limiting exercise performance – the secrets of which are defined within the parameters that shape its curve. Surprisingly, however, there is relatively little evidence supporting the physiological origins of the P–d relationship. As such, the underlying physiological equivalents of the defining mathematical P–d parameters, CP and W ′, remain conjectural.
Protectionism As a Safeguard: A Positive Analysis of the GATT Escape Clause with Normative Speculations

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) establishes a multilateral framework for the liberalization of international trade in goods. Under the auspices of GATT, signatories have reduced tariffs affecting hundreds of billions of dollars in trade annually.1 GATT also constrains the use of quotas and other quantitative restrictions on imports and exports,2 the use of internal tax and regulatory policies to favor domestic over foreign producers,3 and a variety of other protectionist devices. Because of the extensive GATT restrictions on government interference with international markets, it is tempting to view the Agreement as a high-minded, trade-liberalizing undertaking, devoted to the pursuit of free trade and to the defeat of protectionist forces. But scholars have long argued that such a view of GATT is naive, and that it must instead be understood as an expedient bargain among the self-interested political leaders of GATT signatories. 4 Although GATT can largely be justified by sound arguments about the public interest in a liberal trading order, it is best understood with the aid of public choice theory. The subject of this Article is a particular GATT provision that is indeed difficult to comprehend without the public choice perspective-Article XIX, which allows signatories to renege upon their commitments to reduce trade barriers. More precisely, Article
Inhibition of Activated Sludge Respiration by Heavy Metals

Inhibition of the respiration microbial activity in the activated sludge caused by heavy metal concentrations (Cr, Cd, Cu and Ni) was studied by means of respirometric method using Strathtox respirometer (Strathkelvin Glasgow). The studied sludge samples were obtained from the two waste water treatment plants with different types of pollution (municipal waste water and domestic waste water). Keywords—heavy metals; toxicity; respirometry; sludge; waste water treatment plant
Switched-Battery Boost-Multilevel Inverter with GA Optimized SHEPWM for Standalone Application

This paper presents a boost-multilevel inverter design with integrated battery energy storage system for standalone application. The inverter consists of modular switched-battery cells and a full-bridge. It is multifunctional and has two modes of operation: 1) the charging mode, which charges the battery bank and 2) the inverter mode, which supplies ac power to the load. This inverter topology requires significantly less power switches compared to conventional topology such as cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter, leading to reduced size/cost and improved reliability. To selectively eliminate low-order harmonics and control the desired fundamental component, nonlinear system equations are represented in fitness function through the manipulation of modulation index and the genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to find the optimum switching angles. A seven-level inverter prototype is implemented and experimental results are provided to verify the feasibility of the proposed inverter design.
Measurement of the internal impedance of traction rails at 50 Hz

The electrical behaviour of sample steel traction rails is analysed considering the resistance and inductance (both external and internal). Measurements are performed on two rails arrangements at different current levels (up to nearly 2 kA) at 50 Hz and over an extended frequency range (50 Hz to 100 kHz) at low currents, so that skin effect and saturation phenomena are clearly visible. Great accordance with the results obtained using Carson's formulae is experienced.
Pengaruh Dukungan Supervisor dan Pemberdayaan Terhadap Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Study aims to determine and obtain a clear picture of supportive supervisor, empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior; and to determine the impact of supportive supervisor and empowerment towards organizational citizenship behavior of employees in PT Setia Makmur Cemerlang. Research used explanatory survey method, while the sample was taken from employees of the company. Research instrument (questionnaires) was used as primary data collection to explain the causal relationship between supportive supervisor and empowerment on organizational citizenship behavior of employees in PT Setia Makmur Cemerlang. Analysis used simple linear regression and multiple linear regression method. Result of this study shows that there is significant influence between supportive supervisor and empowerment towards organizational citizenship behavior.
Effects of 900-MHz Microwave Radiation on γ-Ray-Induced Damage to Mouse Hematopoietic System

Exposure of humans simultaneously to microwave and γ-ray irradiation may be a commonly encountered phenomenon. In a previous study data showed that low-dose microwave radiation increased the survival rate of mice irradiated with 8Gy γ-ray; however, the mechanisms underlying these findings remain unclear. Consequently, studies were undertaken to examine the effects of microwave exposure on hematopoietic system adversely altered by γ-ray irradiation in mice. Preexposure to low-dose microwaves attenuated the damage produced by γ-ray irradiation as evidenced by less severe pathological alterations in bone marrow and spleen. The protective effects of microwaves were postulated to be due to up-expression of some hematopoietic growth factors, stimulation of proliferation of the granulocyte–macrophages in bone marrow, and inhibition of the γ-ray induced suppression of hematopoietic stem cells/hematopoietic progenitor cells. Data thus indicate that prior exposure to microwaves may be beneficial in providing protection against injuries produced by γ-ray on the hematopoietic system in mice.
Kidney malformations in fetuses of A x C line 9935 rats.

Fifty A × C 9935 strain inbred rat litters were examined near term; 88/315 fetuses (27.9%) showed renal malformations (renal agenesis and hydronephrosis). Unilateral renal agenesis occurred more often on the right side (11.5%) than the left (3.6%), especially in males. Renal agenesis was always associated with absence or hypoplasia of a uterine horn or vas deferens and epididymis on the corresponding side. However, the ovaries or testes were present and intact. Hydronephrosis was seen more often on the left side (11.4%) than the right (3.5%). There was no significant sex difference in the frequency of renal agenesis and hydronephrosis. In hydronephrosis the ureteropelvic junction was patent, and hydroureter always accompanied moderate hydronephrosis. Atresia near the vesicoureteral junction was considered as a cause of hydronephrosis. There was a close morphogenetic relation between renal agenesis and hydronephrosis.
Evaluation of digital competence from a gender perspective

Digital competence1 should be an essential skill in the professional development of educators. The purpose of the research project presented in this paper is a diagnostic self- assessment of digital competence of students taking the Undergraduate Degrees in Education of the University of Salamanca (Spain), and check if the gender variable affects the results. The methodology used is among the so-called ex post facto, quantitative and based on the online questionnaire technique for information gathering. The analyses conducted were descriptive, inferential and correlational, using Student's t-test to compare means. The results show that, of these future educators, men score higher than women in ICT knowledge and use, while women score higher in attitude.
The Effect of Effective Corporate Governance Structure in Improving Investors' Confidence in the Public Financial Information

The primary goal of corporate governance is to create a balance of power-sharing among shareholders, directors, and management to enhance shareholder value and protect the interests of other stakeholders. Effective corporate governance structure improves investor confidence, it ensures corporate accountability, enhances the reliability and quality of public financial information, and enhances the integrity and efficiency of the capital market. The study has covered 10 public companies in Jordan. Resolution data were analyzed using the statistical program (SPSS), in addition to other statistical methods. The study concluded that corporate governance in the Jordanian public companies is effective because it is complying with state and federal statutes, complying with listing standards, and implementing best practices suggested by investor's activists and professional organizations. Also the study recommended to maintain the current level of investors' confidence and to work on developing the legal framework for corporate governance in the light of the proposed development of a conceptual framework, and finally encouraging accounting, administrative, economic and legal research and studies, that leads to the best practices to meet the governance requirements.