Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Length of the selectivity filter of aquaporin‐1 *

We have characterized the selectivity filter of the water channel aquaporin‐1 (AQP1) of proximal straight tubules (PST), as an equivalent cylindrical structure with a diameter of ∼ 4.5 Å, where water molecules single file. We report here efforts to evaluate its length. PST were dissected from rabbit kidneys, held with pipettes in a chamber bathed in a buffered mannitol isosmotic solution (MBS, 295 mOsm/kg). Changes in tubule cell volume with time (dV/Adt), were monitored, on line, with an inverted microscope, a TV camera and an image processor. Osmotic permeability coefficients, Pos, and reflection coefficients (σs) were measured with several solutes: mannitol (M), raffinose (R), sucrose (S), glycerol (G), acetamide (A) and urea (U). For this purpose PST were suddenly exposed (in ∼ 80 ms and for 20 s) to a hyperosmolality step (ΔCs) achieved by adding to MBS a ΔCs of 35 mOsm/kg of either R, S, M, G, A or U. Cells shrunk within 500 ms of t = 0 to their osmometric volume and remained shrunk for the 20 s of the ΔCs. Pos was measured from the shrinking curves; Pos = 3000 ± 25 μm/s with either R, S, M, G, A or U. This procedure also allowed to calculate σs; σs = 1.00 for R, S, M, G, A and U, indicating that these solutes do not penetrate the water channel. In contrast, the shrinking curves produced by a ΔCs = 35 mOsm/kg formamide (F) were 15th to 16th slower and smaller (subosmometric) than those produced by a ΔCs = 35 mOsm/kg of R, S, M, G, A or U. Furthermore, with F, cells did not remain shrunk. They recovered their original volume within 3 s. Pos (measured with F) is denoted as Pos*; Pos* = 480 ± 30 μm/s. σs,formamide (denoted σsp) = 0.16 ± 0.01. Use of σsp and Pos* values in Hill's equations for the bimodal theory of osmosis leads to n = 2–3, n being the number of water molecules single filing within the channel selectivity filter, whose length must lie within 6 to 9 Å, a value lower than previous values calculated from the Pos Pd* ratio.
Concerning pH gradients between the extracellular compartment and fluids bathing the bone mineral surface and their relation to calcium ion distribution.

In a previous report describing studies of surviving bone samples in vitro it was shown that various aspects of bone cell metabolism have an influence on the calcium concentrations achieved in the incubation medium after a steady state is reached (1). Although the Ca and Ca X P concentrations maintained in the media surrounding actively metabolizing bone samples were higher than those maintained by inactivated samples, the underlying mechanisms remained obscure.
[Compliance to drug therapy in inflammatory bowel diseases outpatients from a university hospital].

BACKGROUND Compliance to drug therapy is important for a successful treatment. Although many studies have assessed compliance to treatment in patients with chronic diseases, few investigations have been carried out in inflammatory bowel diseases. AIM To assess compliance to drug therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, followed at a university hospital, who had prescribed medication supplied by the Brazilian National Health System. METHODS In a cross sectional study, a structured interview was applied to assess the compliance of 26 Crohn's disease patients, 26 ulcerative colitis patients and 4 cases with undetermined colitis. Patients were characterized as presenting higher or lower degree of compliance, based on the comparison of the information provided by the patient in the interview and data in the medical records. The Morisky test was also used to assess the behavioral pattern of the patient regarding the daily use of the medication. RESULTS The interview showed that 15.4% of patients with Crohn's disease and 13.3% of those with ulcerative colitis could be regarded as less compliant. However, the Morisky test revealed lower compliance in 50% of patients with Crohn's disease and 63.3% of those with ulcerative colitis. Univariate analysis showed an association between low compliance and long disease duration, married status and colon involvement in Crohn's disease, and between low compliance and increased disease activity and greater number of medications in ulcerative colitis. However, multivariate analysis did not confirm any association between low compliance and any demographic or clinical factor. CONCLUSIONS A high degree of noncompliance to treatment, linked to habitual behavior and hard to predict from demographic or clinical factor, was detected in inflammatory bowel disease patients, which suggests the need for investment in patient education regarding medication use.
A Consumer Approach towards Assessing the Value of Co-Creation

The classic view of marketing has always regarded the customer as external to the firm and a passive recipient of the firm’s value creation effort. However, there is an increasing conception that in order to succeed in today’s challenging market environment, value needs to be co-created by companies and consumers, and co-creation is seen as an innovative method to facilitate these value creation activities. One of the primary limiting factors of greater consumer engagement has historically been the poor connectivity between customers and producers. The Internet is regarded as a new form of technology that significantly facilitates and enhances the connectivity between customers and producers, and through this, the phenomenon of virtual co-creation emerged. Virtual co-creation is a considerably new and growing phenomenon that offers a new opportunity for marketers to better satisfy customer requirements by involving them more fully in the creation of a new product. While the concept of virtual co-creation has been thoroughly examined at a conceptual level, empirical research in this concept is limited and has primarily focused on co-creation in a firm setting. Thus, minimum attention has been paid to the phenomenon of co-creation from a consumer perspective. Specifically focusing on co-creation in the New Product Development context, this study examines consumer value perceptions of the virtual co-creation method, and its subsequent impact on consumer future intention to use the co-creation method. A Value-based Technological Acceptance Model was adopted to measure consumers’ value perception of the co-creation method. Using My Starbucks Idea and Dell’s Design Studio as the examples, this model was empirically tested in two instances: 1) the ‘contribution’ & non-technological product category, and 2) the ‘selection’ & technological product category. The study found that consumers, in general, had a positive value perception of co-creation methods, which, in turn, positively influence their future intention to use the co-creation method. This confirmed that virtual co-creation, as a new method for firms and consumers to collaborate in creating a new product, was well received by consumers. With the existence of this opportunity for collaboration, virtual co-creation is deemed to be a trend that is hard to ignore as it offers a promising and a more holistic approach to a New Product Development strategy.
Use of hypertonic saline for the treatment of altered mental status associated with diabetic ketoacidosis.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) occurs in 25% to 40% of children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus (1). Clinically apparent cerebral edema, which occurs in approximately 1% of episodes of DKA in children, is associated with a mortality rate of 40% to 90% (2–4). It is responsible for 50% to 60% of diabetes-related deaths in children (5, 6). In addition, asymptomatic cerebral swelling is thought to occur more frequently in children with DKA (7, 8). The traditional therapy for cerebral edema in DKA has been the use of 20% mannitol. However, the brisk diuresis caused by this drug may lead to intravascular dehydration, hypokalemia, hypotension, prerenal azotemia, and even decreased cerebral blood flow. A small amount may also be converted to glycogen in the liver, thus further disturbing the glucose homeostasis (9). Hypertonic saline (HS, 3%) has recently been examined as a treatment for intracranial hypertension and cerebral edema in trauma patients. Its use has been shown to reduce raised intracranial pressure while augmenting intravascular volume and increasing mean arterial pressure (10). We report a case series of pediatric patients with DKA in whom HS was used to control apparent intracranial hypertension. All four patients had good clinical outcome, without apparent side effects.
The mythical man-month: Essays on software engineering

Like Bahbage, he lobbied for mathematical reform, stumped for the centrality of science in cultural advancement, argued that government support was crucial, and proved a stubborn and crotchety opponent when crossed. And, as Colin Burke reminds us in this fine and fresh new look at Bush, Bush envisioned machines relevant to the history of computing that never lived up to their promise. I doubt that Burke would agree with my description of Bush as a latter-day Babbage; nevertheless, this detailed study makes the comparison almost inevitable. Burke helps us appreciate how Bush's fascination with the mechanization of calculation and comparison caused his inventive work to swirl around problems relevant to the emergence of the modern computer. Moreover, Burke suggests that two of Bush's less familiar engines-one, the Rapid Selector, a bibliographic machine and a close cousin of the Memex of faddish fame; and the other, the Comparator, a cryptanalytic device-provide the stuff to fill in the holes in the history of the computer [p. ix). It is never very clear just what these holes are; this reader, at least, was not convinced that the careers of these two machines were anything but eddies along the shore of the main currents of computer evolution. They were decisive failures, as Burke admits, rooted in a stubborn commitment to intractdbk and ultimately unfashion-able if not outdated technologies. The strengths of this book indeed lie elsewhere. These exotic devices are of interest in themselves and deserve their biographer's attention. Burke details the labors of Bush and friends to use microfilm, electronics, and photoelectricity to mechanize the library-hereby resolving a putative information overload (it turns out that there wasn't one)-and help the U.S. Navy's cryptographers break enemy codes during World War 11. Burke is best, however, when discussing not machines themselves but when individuals and bureaucracies are at loggerheads. Ego, ambition, and organizational and technological vision were at stake. On the military side, and against much intcrnal resistance , Bush allies such as Stanford C. Hooper and Joseph Wenger dreamed of building the next generation of rapid analytic machines and, in doing so, dreamed of upgrading the scientific navy by forging alliances with " college professors " like Bush; on the civilian side, Bush and his " boys " worked to maneuver the navy into a project that promised much in the way of personal and institutional prestige, income for research, and opportunities for graduate …
A Model of Median Auroral Electron Flux Deduced from Hardy 2008 Model Probability Density Maps

Abstract : The Hardy auroral precipitation flux model has been extensively used for modeling high latitude phenomena and space weather operation since its initial development in 1985. The original Hardy model (referred here as H-85 model) specifies the average pattern of auroral electron precipitation as a function of geomagnetic latitude, magnetic local time and magnetic activity Kp index. The H-85 model has recently been extended into a probability model in 2008 with a much larger collection of new DMSP observations since 1985. The upgraded Hardy model, referred here as H-08, turns out to be a large database and lacks functional representation. The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to functionally represent the H-08 model. We reduced median auroral fluxes from the H-08 model probability maps, and conducted a regression analysis to fit the median auroral fluxes using real spherical harmonics. We derived a reduced model of median auroral fluxes named as H-08MV to distinguish it from the earlier models. The developed functional representation will greatly enhance usefulness of the new Hardy model for space weather prediction.
Ultrasonic piezotome surgery: is it a benefit for our patients and does it extend surgery time? A retrospective comparative study on the removal of 100 impacted mandibular 3rd molars

Aim of the study was to evaluate if there is a constant and significant reduction in traumaticity when mas- sively traumatic oral surgical procedures such as the removal of third molars are conducted with only ul- trasonic surgical devices (Piezotomes) expressed in a reduction of postsurgical pain and swelling on the patient’s side since such clinical experiences by the authors suggested this. Since oral surgeons criticize a higher time consumption for surgeries with Piezoto- mes also the objective time consumption was evalu- ated and compared to the traditional methods. Mate- rial and Methods: 56 female and male patients were selected that already underwent a removal of an im- pacted third mandibular molar on one side with rota- ry instruments by bone destructive burring with a still persisting comparable third mandibular molar on the contralateral side complaining about recur- rent pain episodes and were already documented for pain and swelling before. The ultrasonic surgical re- moval with the Piezotome was conducted with a buc- cal osteotomy of the compacta lateral to the impacted third molar, preservation of the resected compacta in saline solution, removal of the third molar by single or multiple dentotomy and full anatomical restitution of the surgical site with the preserved buccal com- pacta. The swelling was documented by kephalome- try 24/48/72 hours and 1 week post surgery, the pain index by the total consumption of ibuprofen-400 mg—tablets. Lesions of the mandible nerve were documented. Netto surgery time was taken from the first incision to the last suture of the procedure. Re-sults: 6 patients had to be excluded from evaluation due to incomplete post surgical follow up. A signify-cant (***, p > 0.999) decrease in pain and swelling of 50% was detected both for the parameters swelling and pain with Piezotome-surgery. No lesions of the mandible nerve were detected with Piezotome sur- gery whereas surgery with rotary instruments re- sulted in 16% hypesthesia at least up to one week. Although netto surgery time was approximately 50% longer when done with the Piezotome at the begin-ning the time consumption normalized with the growing experience of the surgeons back to the time schedule when surgery was performed with rotary instruments revealing no significant differences (-, p < 0.73). Conclusions: The results of this retrospective study suggest that Piezotome-surgery is superior in atraumaticity and soft-tissue safety compared to tra- ditional procedures with burs and grants the patients significantly less post surgical pain and swelling. Al- though—as it is with all new surgical tools and pro- tocols—surgery time is longer at the beginning when purely working with ultrasonic surgical devices time consumption reduces to normal values after a learn- ing curve.
Internet financial reporting in an emerging economy: evidence from Jordan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the status of financial reporting on the internet by companies operating in an emerging economy, namely Jordan. Design/methodology/approach – The paper surveys 127 companies listed in the first market of Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) for the year ended 2008/2009. The primary sources of the data used in this study are the global and the Jordanian electronic web sites. The paper employs descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests to explore the internet financial reporting (IFR) practices among Jordanian companies. Findings – The results show that 87 Jordanian companies (69 percent) possess web sites with about 51 percent (44 of the 87) include financial reports and 32 out of 44 companies (about 73 percent) disseminate all their financial information on their web sites. The paper also finds that the extent of disclosure of the corporate financial and nonfinancial information on the ASE web site is statistically different form the companies’ web sites. Furthe.
Servant leadership as employee-organization approach for performance of employee citizenship behaviors in the Nigeria’s electric power sector

In 1986 McCann‐Erickson commissioned a study called Leisure Futures from the Naisbitl Group. This paper summarises some of the general findings for marketing readers. We are moving from an industrial, manufacturing‐based economy to a service, information‐based one, and many of our basic assumptions and constructs will need to change. New ways of forecasting and managing the future will be needed and Leisure Futures represents a first application of thematic content analysis in five European countries. Leisure trends are compared between these countries and North America in some detail. Overall findings concern the changing consumer and his or her changing expectations respecting technology, convenience, globalisation, affluence, values, and many other related topics. Specific aspects of change are explored and some broad marketing examples and applications discussed. Many apparent consumer paradoxes are explored, and certain key concepts such as the search for balance, and the need to experience both the .
In-vitro degradation characteristics of poly(e-caprolactone)/poly(glycolic acid) scaffolds fabricated via solid-state cryomilling

Poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL)/poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) scaffolds were fabricated via solid-state cryomilling along with compression molding and porogen leaching techniques. Four types of scaffolds were produced using four distinct cryomilling times. These scaffolds were evaluated for their in-vitro degradation behavior hydrolytically in phosphate buffer saline (PBS). The degradation profiles were investigated over a period of 60 days. The percentage of weight loss, percentage of water absorption, morphology, compressive, thermal, and material properties were studied as a function of degradation time. Weight loss and water absorption demonstrated a high correlation, which showed an increasing behavior with increase in cryomilling time and degradation time. Morphology of the scaffolds analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed micro-cracks on the surface of the cylindrical struts due to hydrolytic attack and dissolution of hydrophilic PGA. Changes in compressive modulus and crystallinity over the degradation period and material properties were analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. DSC and XRD results indicated that hydrolytic attack had taken place during degradation, resulting in moments of increased and decreased percent crystallinity. This study successfully brought forth the differences in resultant properties of the PCL/PGA scaffolds as a function of degradation time.
Are Product Returns a Necessary Evil? Antecedents and Consequences

The firm–customer exchange process consists of three key parts: (1) firm-initiated marketing communications, (2) customer buying behavior, and (3) customer product return behavior. To date, the literature in marketing has largely focused on how marketing communications affect customer buying behavior and, to some extent, how past buying behavior affects a firm's decisions to initiate future marketing communications. However, the literature on product returns is sparse, especially in relation to analyzing individual customer product return behavior. Although the magnitude of the value of product returns is known to be high ($100 billion per year), how it affects customer buying behavior is not known because of a lack of data availability and understanding of the role of product returns in the firm–customer exchange process. Given that product returns are considered a hassle for a firm's supply chain management and a drain on overall profitability, it is important to study product return behavior. Thus, the authors empirically demonstrate the role of product returns in the exchange process by determining the exchange process factors that help explain product return behavior and the consequences of product returns on future customer and firm behavior. In addition, the authors demonstrate that product returns are inevitable but by no means evil.
The Barber Suggestibility Scale and the Creative Imagination Scale: experimental and clinical applications.

Abstract With regard to both the Barber Suggestibility Scale (BSS) and the Creative Imagination Scale (CIS), this paper discusses why and how they were constructed, how they have been used in the past, and how they will probably be used in the future. The paper also presents norms for both scales and data pertaining to their reliability and validity. To make the scales readily available for researchers and clinicians, all of the BSS and all of the CIS, together with scoring criteria, are presented in two appendices.