Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of consumers’ intentions to use smartphones apps for flight ticket bookings

ABSTRACT This study examines customers’ adoption and acceptance of smartphone apps to book their flight tickets. By integrating customers’ innovativeness, involvement and perceived trust as additional variables, this study extends the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and proposes a theoretical model that includes seven explanatory variables of the customers’ behavioural intentions: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, customers’ innovativeness, customers’ involvement and perceived trust. Data were collected from 369 customers who had booked their flight tickets via smartphone apps and was further analysed by employing partial least squares (PLS). Findings suggest that performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, customer innovativeness and perceived trust are positive and significant determinants of customers’ intentions to book their flight tickets on smartphone apps. Accordingly, several important implications for academics and industry decision makers are formulated.
The video head impulse test

Abstract Conclusion: Additional research is needed to validate the importance of the video head impulse tests (vHIT), but it provides an important contribution to the evaluation of anterior and posterior semicircular canal disorders. Objectives: To share observations of the vHIT test in clinical neurotology and to discuss the significance of the study findings. Methods: This study comprised 200 patients with a clinical history of vestibular disturbances who were submitted to a vHIT including all six semicircular canals. Results: Abnormal responses of the anterior and posterior canals were found in several patients, either alone or combined with altered responses in the lateral canals. A unilateral hypoactive response of a posterior canal was found in a patient with a small vestibular schwannoma.
Quality assurance for the diagnostics of viral diseases to enhance the emergency preparedness in Europe.

The threat posed by emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases and, more recently, by the intentional release of infectious agents in a susceptible population, has been receiving considerable attention at the national and international levels. Public health efforts to strengthen disease detection, surveillance and control have been intensified. However, clinicians and clinical microbiology laboratories play an important role in the early detection of disease, the identification of the putative agent, and notification of the appropriate authorities. To be effective in this role, laboratories must be specially prepared to handle viral agents safely, and need, among other things, the appropriate rapid and sensitive diagnostic tests. In 1998 the European Network for Diagnostics of 'Imported' Viral Diseases (ENIVD) was established. ENIVD presently comprises, as permanent members, 44 expert laboratories in 21 European Union (EU) member states and 4 non-EU countries and is one of the networks on infectious diseases funded by the European Commission. ENIVD fulfils many of the important tasks required for the surveillance and control of imported, rare and emerging viral infections such as the exchange of expertise and the organisation of external quality assurance (EQA) programmes, both of which are needed to improve diagnostics. Here, we summarise the data generated by recent EQA activities focussed on the diagnostics of infections with hantavirus, dengue virus, filovirus, Lassa virus, orthopox virus and the SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV). These were carried out between 1999 and 2004 and involved 93 laboratories from 41 countries, including laboratories from additional countries outside of Europe. Particularly the EU-candidate countries and Eastern neighbouring countries will be invited to join the network in the near future. A public website is available at http://www.enivd. de.
High Efficiency Electroporation of Human Umbilical Cord Blood CD34+ Hematopoietic Precursor Cells

Human umbilical cord blood provides an alternative source of hematopoietic cells for purposes of transplantation or ex vivo genetic modification. The objective of this study was to evaluate electroporation as a means to introduce foreign genes into human cord blood CD34+ cells and evaluate gene expression in CD34+/CD38dim and committed myeloid progenitors (CD33+, CD11b+). CD34+ cells were cultured in X‐VIVO 10 supplemented with thrombopoietin, stem cell factor, and Flt‐3 ligand. Electroporation efficiency and cell viability measured by flow cytometry using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) as a reporter indicated 31% ± 2% EGFP+/CD34+ efficiency and 77% ± 3% viability as determined 48 hours post‐electroporation. The addition of allogeneic cord blood plasma increased the efficiency to 44% ± 5% with no effect on viability. Of the total CD34+ cells 48 hours post‐electroporation, 20% were CD38dim/EGFP+. CD34+ cells exposed to interleukin‐3, GM‐CSF and G‐CSF for an additional 11 days differentiated into CD33+ and CD11b+ cells, and 9% ± 3% and 8% ± 7% were expressing the reporter gene, respectively. We show that electroporation can be used to introduce foreign genes into early hematopoietic stem cells (CD34+/CD38dim), and that the introduced gene is functionally expressed following expansion into committed myeloid progenitors (CD33+, CD11b+) in response to corresponding cytokines. Further investigation is needed to determine the transgene expression in functional terminal cells derived from the genetically modified CD34+ cells, such as T cells and dendritic cells.
A test of processing efficiency theory in a team sport context

In this study, we tested some key postulates of Eysenck and Calvo’s processing efficiency theory in a team sport. The participants were 12 elite male volleyball players who were followed throughout the course of a competitive season. Self-report measures of pre-match and in-game cognitive anxiety and mental effort were collected in groups of players high and low in dispositional anxiety. Player performance was determined from the statistical analysis of match-play. Sets were classified according to the point spread separating the two teams into one of three levels of criticality. Game momentum was also analysed to determine its influence on in-game state anxiety. Significant differences in in-game cognitive anxiety were apparent between high and low trait anxiety groups. An interaction between anxiety grouping and momentum condition was also evident in cognitive anxiety. Differences in set criticality were reflected in significant elevations in mental effort, an effect more pronounced in dispositionally high anxious performers. Consistent with the predictions of processing efficiency theory, mental effort ratings were higher in high trait-anxious players in settings where their performance was equivalent to that of low trait-anxious performers. The usefulness of processing efficiency theory as an explanatory framework in sport anxiety research is discussed in the light of these findings.
Acute cytomegalovirus infection complicated by collapsing glomerulopathy.

Collapsing glomerulopathy (CG) is a renal injury described initially in association with HIV-induced nephropathy but also seen increasingly in non-HIVinfected individuals. Some authors recognise it as a separate clinicopathological variant of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) associated with nephritic syndrome, rapidly progressive chronic renal failure and the histopathologic features of glomerular capillary collapse [1,2]. It has also been linked with other viral infections including hepatitis C, but to date not with cytomegalovirus (CMV). There may be an association with lymphoproliferative disorders and autoimmune disease, but this is less certain [3]. We report the first case of CG leading to end-stage renal failure in a patient with acute CMV infection. To our knowledge, this is the first well-documented association of acute CMV infection and renal failure in an immunocompetent non-transplant patient.
Caregiver Burden and Social Support in Mothers with β-Thalassemia Children.

BACKGROUND In our knowledge, there was no available information on social support and caregiver's burden among parents of thalassemic children. AIM To examine caregiver's burden and social support in mothers of thalassemic children, this study was conducted. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2013 in Jiroft Thalassemic Center (JTC) in southeast of Iran. To assess the caregiver's burden and social support, caregiver burden scale and Norbeck social support questionnaire was used respectively. RESULTS There was a response rate of 98% (160 out of 163 mothers were participated). Generally, 51.5% and 49.5% of mothers reported low and high level of social support, respectively. In term of caregiver's burden, 20%, 29% and 51% of mothers reported high, moderate and low level of burden, respectively. There was no significant correlation between mean score of caregiver's burden and mean score of social support. CONCLUSION Our study showed that social support of Iranian mothers with thalassemic children is low. In addition, caregiver's burden among this group of mothers is high. Further research is recommended to prepare more evidence in this regard.
Risk of Readmission and Emergency Surgery Following Nonoperative Management of Colonic Diverticulitis: A Population-Based Analysis

Objective:To characterize the clinical course of patients with diverticulitis after nonoperative management and determine factors associated with readmission and subsequent emergency surgery. Background:Clinical course of this disease remains poorly understood; indications for elective colectomy are unclear. Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study of patients managed nonoperatively after a first episode of diverticulitis in Ontario, Canada (2002–2012). Time-to-event analysis and Fine and Gray multivariable regression were used to characterize the risks of readmission and emergency surgery for diverticulitis, accounting for death and elective colectomy as competing events. Results:A total of 14,124 patients were followed for a median of 3.9 years (maximum 10, interquartile range: 1.7–6.4). Five-year cumulative incidence was 9.0% for readmission, 1.9% for emergency surgery, and 14.1% for all-cause mortality. Patients younger than 50 years had higher incidence of readmission than patients aged 50 years and older (10.5% vs 8.4%; P < 0.001) but not emergency surgery (1.8% vs 2.0%; P = 0.52). Patients with complicated disease (abscess, perforation) were at increased risk of readmission than those with uncomplicated disease (12.0% vs 8.2%; P < 0.001), as well as increased risk of emergency surgery (4.3% vs 1.4%, P < 0.001). In multivariable regression, complicated disease and number of prior admissions were associated with increased risk of emergency surgery, yet age less than 50 years was not. Risks associated with complicated disease were nonproportional over time, being highest immediately after discharge and decreasing thereafter. Conclusions:Absolute risks of readmission and emergency surgery are low after nonoperative management of diverticulitis, providing evidence for the practice of deferring colectomy for patients without persistent symptoms or multiple recurrences.
CD8 T-cell responses in early HIV-1 infection are skewed towards high entropy peptides

Objective:To understand the mechanisms underlying the differential targeting of T-cell responses during HIV-1 disease progression. Design:We performed a cross-sectional analysis of HIV specific CD8 T-cell responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from 21 subjects with well characterized acute or early infection and 88 subjects with chronic HIV-1 infection. We also performed a longitudinal analysis of T-cell responses in five early infected subjects one of whom was studied extensively over a 4-year-period. Methods:PBMC were stimulated with pools of peptides encompassing all of the HIV-1 proteins in an interferon-γ ELISpot assay. A mean entropy score was calculated for each peptide in the HIV-1 genome. Results:The early infected group preferentially targeted variable peptides with higher entropy while responses towards more conserved peptides with lower entropy predominated in the group with chronic infection. In five early infected subjects followed longitudinally, responses to variable proteins declined while those to conserved proteins increased over time. In the subject who was followed for 4 years, epitopes in Vif and Nef were targeted early and escape occurred in three of these four epitopes. During the chronic phase of his infection, the early responses waned with an associated increase in breadth of T-cell responses mainly to Gag and Pol epitopes. Conclusion:Taken together, these data demonstrate that HIV-specific CD8 T cells are directed preferentially to the variable peptides in early infection but diminish in frequency during chronic disease, in large part due to cytotoxic T lymphocyte escape.
Role of Ultraviolet Radiation in Papillomavirus-Induced Disease

Human papillomaviruses are causally associated with 5% of human cancers. The recent discovery of a papillomavirus (MmuPV1) that infects laboratory mice provides unique opportunities to study the life cycle and pathogenesis of papillomaviruses in the context of a genetically manipulatable host organism. To date, MmuPV1-induced disease has been found largely to be restricted to severely immunodeficient strains of mice. In this study, we report that ultraviolet radiation (UVR), specifically UVB spectra, causes wild-type strains of mice to become highly susceptible to MmuPV1-induced disease. MmuPV1-infected mice treated with UVB develop warts that progress to squamous cell carcinoma. Our studies further indicate that UVB induces systemic immunosuppression in mice that correlates with susceptibility to MmuPV1-associated disease. These findings provide new insight into how MmuPV1 can be used to study the life cycle of papillomaviruses and their role in carcinogenesis, the role of host immunity in controlling papillomavirus-associated pathogenesis, and a basis for understanding in part the role of UVR in promoting HPV infection in humans.
Noninvasive tumor hypoxia measurement using magnetic resonance imaging in murine U87 glioma xenografts and in patients with glioblastoma

There is a clinical need for noninvasive, nonionizing imaging biomarkers of tumor hypoxia and oxygenation. We evaluated the relationship of T1‐weighted oxygen‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (OE‐MRI) measurements to histopathology measurements of tumor hypoxia in a murine glioma xenograft and demonstrated technique translation in human glioblastoma multiforme.
Business characteristics and efficiency of rural tourism enterprises: an empirical study from China

ABSTRACT The booming rural tourism (RT) has broadened ways for rural revitalization and poverty alleviation strategy in China. Rural tourism enterprises (RTEs), as the core operator and a hinge delivering its benefits to rural communities, play a critical role in the achievement of RT expectation on rural revitalization. To address the research gap in business characteristics and efficiency of RTEs, and make the theoretical contribution to rural business and tourism management, this study collected and analyzed the business data with investors or managers of 60 national-class RTEs in Jiangsu Province, north Yangtze River Delta of China. The results showed that business characteristics of RTEs varied with their property, business strategy, and rural industrial base. Flexible and sustainable business operation and comprehensive regional development have a profound influence on business efficiency that presented multi spatial disparity from inter-regional and intra-regional views, respectively. In addition, the political and practical implications on rural business and RTEs for research and practice were also discussed.
Use of a nictitating membrane flap for treatment of feline acute corneal hydrops-21 eyes.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of the use of a nictitating membrane flap (NMF) as therapy in 19 cats (21 eyes) affected with feline acute corneal hydrops (FACH). METHODS Medical records from 19 cats diagnosed with FACH and treated with a NMF were retrospectively evaluated. Information was collected from multiple veterinary hospitals and included signalment, medical history, therapy, and ocular outcome. RESULTS Breeds included 13 Domestic Shorthairs, 2 Exotic Shorthairs, 2 Maine Coons, 1 Persian, and 1 Domestic Medium Hair. Two cats were bilaterally affected. Median age of cats was 3.2 years (range 0.26-15 years). Eleven patients were spayed females, 6 were neutered males, and 2 were intact males. Topical steroids were previously administered in 5 (23.8%) eyes; oral steroids were previously administered in 7 cats (36.8% of patients); three patients received both oral and topical steroids. Thirteen of 21 (61.9%) eyes had a history of ocular disease including ulcerative and nonulcerative keratitis, anterior uveitis, corneal sequestrum, conjunctivitis, and glaucoma. Median duration of NMF was 15 days (range 6-30 days). Follow-up ranged from 12 to 1601 days (median 169 days). Corneal perforation occurred in 1 (4.7%) eye and was successfully repaired. One lesion (4.7%) in a diabetic patient did not resolve. Nineteen of the treated eyes (90.5%) resolved with no complications. CONCLUSIONS A nictitating membrane flap successfully treated 90.5% of FACH eyes (89.5% of patients).
Canadian Inflation Targeting

This paper examines the intellectual environment in Canada that led to the adoption of inflation targets starting in 1991, reviews some of the Canadian contributions to the vast literature on inflation targeting and presents evidence in support of the view that the implementation of inflation targeting in Canada has been particularly successful when compared with the experiences of other inflation-targeting countries and the US.
Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy at the elbow in a pizza chef

A case of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy at the elbow in a 22-year-old pizza chef is described. An on-site analysis revealed that job tasks performed by the worker exposed him to a combination of biomechanical risk factors. Patient history and workplace observations suggest that occupational physical exposure may have caused the bilateral entrapment neuropathies. The present report underlines the advisability of a detailed occupational history in the case of entrapment neuropathies of the upper limbs commonly regarded as being related to biomechanical occupational exposure.
Trade Volume Choice and Price Discovery: Evidence from Deutsche Börse

Using a comprehensive sample of stocks traded in Xetra system in German Stock Exchange, we first investigate the choice of trade volume by analyzing the trade size clustering and LOB-matched trades. Furthermore, we examine the role of these specific types of trade in the price discovery process. Our results confirm the stealth trading hypothesis and suggest that informed traders are likely to use the small-unrounded and small-matched market orders. In addition, the effects of other types of trades are either less informative or not significant.
The multiple prosodic cues differentiating questions and statements in Miami Cuban Spanish

Previous work on the intonational phonology of Miami Cuban (MC) Spanish [1, 2, 3] has revealed that broad focus declaratives and absolute interrogatives have the same nuclear tones. In laboratory speech, [2] found that these two sentence types, when compared paradigmatically, show significant differences in peak scaling and pitch range [2]. The present study examined peak scaling with syntagmatic comparisons between nuclear and prenuclear peaks as well as paradigmatic comparisons of pitch range and f0 peak timing in laboratory and semi-spontaneous speech. The results reveal significant differences in peak scaling and pitch range, but no differences in peak timing, confirming [2]. However, preliminary perception results reveal no difference in listener interpretation when only peak scaling is manipulated, suggesting free variation or additional cues to sentence modality in this dialect.
Cancer-related impairments influence physical activity in uterine cancer survivors.

INTRODUCTION The extent to which physical activity (PA) participation among uterine cancer survivors may be limited by physical and functional impairments (PFI) related to cancer treatment is unknown. We sought to describe PA participation, characterize the prevalence of PFI, and examine the association between PFI status and PA participation within this population. METHODS We conducted a study using a mailed survey among uterine cancer survivors who received treatment at a university hospital. We asked about PA and PFI using validated self-report questionnaires. PA was calculated using MET-hours per week (MET·h·wk). PFI was defined as having one or more of the following symptoms: lower limb lymphedema, general pain, fatigue, or severe bladder, bowel, or pelvic issues. Ordinal logistic regression was used to quantify the odds ratio (OR) between PA and PFI. RESULTS The response rate to our survey was 43%. Among the 213 study participants, 40%, 13%, 13%, 12%, and 23% reported participating in <3.0, 3.0-8.9, 9.0-17.9, 18.0-26.9, and ≥27.0 MET·h·wk of PA, respectively. Walking is the preferred mode of exercise for physically active uterine cancer survivors. Of the survivors, 53% experience at least one PFI. The most common PFI is lower limb lymphedema (36.2%), followed by general pain (22.5%). The OR of PFI decreased as MET-hours per week of PA increased (OR, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.84; P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS The majority of uterine cancer survivors experience PFI that significantly reduce the likelihood of PA participation. PA recommendations for uterine cancer survivors should take into account treatment-related impairments that can affect PA participation.
Acquired Hemophilia A in Women Postpartum: Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Acquired hemophilia A in women postpartum is diagnosed by a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), low plasma levels of coagulant factor VIII, and the detection of an inhibitor against factor VIII in the Bethesda assay. Effective treatment of bleeding symptoms should be based upon the clinical situation and depends on the inhibitor characteristics against human and porcine factor VIII. Immu nosuppression usually does not significantly affect the disap pearance of the factor VIII inhibitor antibody. The natural his tory of acquired hemophilia postpartum is independent of im munosuppressive treatment and featured by spontaneous disappearance of the inhibitor against factor VIII in the major ity of cases.