Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is prehospital thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction warranted in the urban setting? The case against

This paper forms the second part of the debate on prehospital thrombolysis (PHT). It is argued that large scale studies have failed to show a benefit for PHT, even when the time saved over conventional treatment was considerably greater than would be the case in the UK urban setting. In practice, a relatively small proportion of the total population receiving thrombolysis would receive PHT. Other strategies to reduce time to thrombolysis can benefit all patients and are likely to be more cost effective and safer.
In vitro migration and adhesion of fibroblasts from different phases of palatal wound healing

Cleft palate patients often show mid‐facial growth impairment after surgical closure of the defect. This is a consequence of palatal wound healing, and more specifically of wound contraction and scar tissue formation. Cells of the fibroblast lineage are responsible for these processes and they display different phenotypes in the course of the wound healing process. The aim of this study was to analyze the in vitro adhesion and migration of wound fibroblasts, isolated during the palatal wound healing process in the rat. Additionally, we analyzed the expression of β1 integrins and vinculin, the key players in adhesion and migration. Palatal fibroblasts from age‐matched controls were analyzed to measure the effects of normal aging. Palatal fibroblasts from unwounded tissue showed a low migratory behavior (<25 μm), a strong capability to adhere (>80%) and a low expression of β1 integrins and vinculin. In contrast, fibroblasts obtained from healing palatal wounds were highly migratory (>200 μm) coupled to a weak capability to adhere (<65%) and a high expression of vinculin and β1 integrins. These data show that the palatal wound healing process induces a change in fibroblast phenotype from “quiescent” to “activated,” which persists in vitro.
The Role of Superficial SR in Modulating Force Development Induced by Ca Entry into Arterial Smooth Muscle

Evidence is presented for the hypothesis that the superficial sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of arterial smooth muscle functions as a “regulated buffer barrier‘’ to Ca entry into the bulk of the myoplasm. Depletion of the intracellular Ca pool, which is sensitive to both norepinephrine (NE) and caffeine, decreases subsequent contraction due to high K+ depolarization. This effect is due to enhanced Ca accumulation by the SR, since it is not accompanied by a decrease in 45Ca influx. Using the Ca entry blockers D600 and La3+ to reduce tension and Ca influx during activation by NE and high K+ depolarization, we observed a threshold type of tension dependence on Ca influx. During the tonic contractile phases, the Ca influx threshold for NE-induced tension was much lower than that for high K+-increased tension. 10−7 M NE, which discharged the SR by only 15%, caused a much smaller decrease in the Ca influx threshold for contraction, indicating that the degree of SR discharge is related to the depression of the threshold. Inositol-trisphosphate was shown to be capable of rapidly discharging Ca2+ from the SR in skinned arterial smooth muscle cells.
Survival of free and microencapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis in Doogh (a yogurt drink)

The present study was investigated the survival of probiotic strains, namely Lactobacillus acidophilus (LAFTI-L10) and Bifidobacterium lactis (LAFTI-B94), in both microencapsulated and free forms in Doogh as a yogurt drink. The effects of probiotic strains on physicochemical and sensory properties, stability, and microstructures of Doogh were evaluated during storage for 45 days in a cold room at a temperature of 5±1 °C. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the number of L. acidophilus and B. lactis in free forms decreased about 1.1 and 2.2 log cycles, respectively. However, the number of the microencapsulated forms were remained relatively constant during the storage period. Both free and microencapsulated forms were successful in keeping the counts of L. acidophilus and B. lactis in Doogh high enough for the therapeutic minimum (106-107 cfug-1) after 45 days. Nonetheless, the number of microencapsulated probiotics was higher than that of the free cells. The acidity, pH, and stability were significantly different between the samples. The microstructure of the samples was affected by the microencapsulation of bacteria because the sample distribution of the clusters and particles was more regular in the samples containing microencapsulated probiotics than in those containing free forms. According to the results of sensory evaluations, probiotics not only exerted no adverse effects on the physicochemical and sensory properties of Doogh but also improved the stability, microstructure, and flavor of this drink. Therefore, Doogh can be considered an effective food carrier for the delivery of probiotic organisms.
Equity Release Products Allowing for Individual House Price Risk

This paper quantifies the impacts of individual house price risk on the pricing of equity release products. An individual house price model is employed to explain house price variations by heterogeneous characteristics. A Vector Auto-Regression (VAR) model is adopted to project the overall house price index and risk-adjusted discount factors. Indices for houses with various characteristics are linked to the overall house price index by using a VAR Model with Exogenous Variables (VARX). The results indicate that the price of the No Negative Equity Guarantees (NNEGs) typically included in reverse mortgages is significantly undervalued without taking into account individual house price risk.
Ethics and Accounting Education in a Developing Country: Exploratory Evidence from the Premier University in Ghana

Purpose – This chapter examines the extent to which ethical issues are integrated in accounting education at a university in a developing country. It also explores the perception of a broad spectrum of stakeholders on the need to integrate ethics into the accounting curriculum. Methodology/approach – The study adopts multiple data collection tools. Questionnaires were predominantly used to solicit information from students, faculty and alumni of University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) as well as accounting firms. There was a content analysis of the course outlines of the accounting major subjects. In addition, policy makers and a professional accountancy body were interviewed to obtain additional insights. Findings – The accounting course outlines reveal limited ethical issues; confirmed by majority of respondents that the level of ethics in accounting education is woefully inadequate. With regard to integrating ethics, there was consensus among stakeholders. Accounting firms argue that ethical issues are crucial to the practice of accountancy, thus the need for their integration into the curriculum. Moreover, the dearth of ethics in the curricula of universities in Ghana is attributed to the limited collaboration between academia and professionals. Research limitations – This study focused on only one university, and some aspects of ethics in accounting education; not examining the quality of ethics, how and at what level it must be taught, and therefore generalising the findings must be done cautiously. Practical implications – The varying stakeholders’ perceptions offer invaluable suggestions for managers and policy makers in developing the human resource for accountancy in Ghana and possibly, other developing countries. The need to reconsider ethics fully is overwhelming. Originality/value – This study is first of its kind in a developing country.
Changes in structure of the facial bones after experimental fracture and displacement of the zygomatic bone in the tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) by means of radiography, the split-line technique, and scanning electron microscopy.

Seven adult platyrrhine monkeys (Cebus apella) of both sexes, had their right zygomatic bone fractured and displaced by surgery. After a time lapse of 7 months, they were sacrificed, macerated, and the crania were studied by means of radiography, the split-line technique, and scanning electron microscopy. The changes on the operated side, observable by radiography, consisted mainly of a discrete disorganization of the zygomatic bone trabeculae and diminution of the radiopacity of the lateral-inferior margin of the orbit, of the zygomaticoalveolar crest and of a line that accompanied the zygomaticomaxillary suture. The split-line technique, applied to the operated osseous region, demonstrated a fibrous disarrangement of the body of the zygomatic bone and of the fractured and repaired areas. At the level of the zygomatico temporal and zygomaticomaxillary sutures, the split-lines converged to the extremity of the involved processes (those which showed volumetric increases) and did not pass along the other side, as on the normal side. The convergence of the lines associated with the volumetric increase displayed an adaptation to the concentration of mechanical forces in the extremity of each process. Scanning electron microscopy of superficial areas of the decalcified and nondecalcified zygomatic bone revealed changes on the operated side compared to the control one. These included irregular and disorganized compact bone showing depression, micro-elevations and irregular foramina, still evidencing a fibrillar arrangement without a defined structural pattern as regards the architectural orientation.
A DC–DC Converter With High Voltage Gain and Two Input Boost Stages

A family of nonisolated high-voltage-gain dc-dc power electronic converters is proposed. The suggested topologies can be used as multiport converters and draw continuous current from two input sources. They can also draw continuous current from a single source in an interleaved manner. This versatility makes them appealing in renewable applications such as solar farms. The proposed converters can easily achieve a gain of 20 while benefiting from a continuous input current. Such a converter can individually link a PV panel to a 400-V dc bus. The design and component selection procedures are presented. A 400-W prototype of the proposed converter with Vin = 20 and Vout = 400 V has been developed to validate the analytical results.
Staging of symptomatic primary breast cancer with MR imaging.

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to investigate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced MR imaging in the locoregional staging of symptomatic primary breast cancer and to determine the impact of contrast-enhanced MR imaging in planning surgical management. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety patients with primary breast cancer (including two bilateral cancers) diagnosed and treated on the basis of conventional triple assessment (clinical, cytologic, and mammographic examination) underwent MR imaging at 1.0 T using a three-dimensional fast low-angle shot T1-weighted pulse sequence before and after contrast enhancement. A short inversion time inversion recovery sequence was also obtained to evaluate the axilla of each patient. After resection, tumors were histopathologically mapped in detail and correlated with the extent of contrast enhancement on MR imaging. RESULTS On the basis of triple assessment, 53 cancers were treated by wide local excision, of which 17 (32%) had positive margins at excision. Residual disease at reexcision was detected in eight of these 17 patients, a finding that correlated accurately with the extent of contrast enhancement on MR imaging. MR imaging was more accurate than mammography in determining invasive tumor size (r2 = .93 versus r2 = .59), in depicting multifocality and extensive intraductal component (sensitivity, 81% versus 62%), and in assessing nipple-retroareolar complex. MR imaging-histopathologic correlation was possible in 75 axillae. Sensitivity and specificity for axillary node metastases were 90% and 82%, respectively. CONCLUSION MR imaging of the breast has value in the preoperative locoregional staging of symptomatic primary breast cancer and is useful in planning a single definitive surgical resection in patients with breast cancer.
Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy, H. pylori Infection and Gastric Preneoplastic Pathology on Fasting Serum Gastrin Concentrations

Background Hypergastrinaemia occasionally indicates the presence of a gastrinoma. However it is much more commonly associated with various benign causes including proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use, Helicobacter pylori infection and/or atrophic gastritis. The extent to which these factors interact to influence fasting serum gastrin concentrations remains incompletely understood. Materials and Methods Fasting serum gastrin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in 1,400 patients attending for diagnostic oesophagogastro-duodenoscopy. After exclusions, 982 patients were divided into four groups and their results analysed. We compared gastrin concentrations in normal patients (no H. pylori infection, no PPI use and no histological evidence of gastric preneoplasia (n=233)), with those in patients who were taking regular PPIs (H. pylori negative with no gastric preneoplasia (n=301)), patients who had active H. pylori infection but no gastric preneoplasia (n=164) and patients with histologically confirmed gastric preneoplasia (n=284). Results Median fasting gastrin concentration in the normal group was 20pM and was significantly increased in PPI users (46pM, p<0.0001), patients with active H. pylori infection (27pM, p<0.0001), and patients with antral (25pM, p<0.01) or corpus (48pM, p<0.0001) gastric preneoplasia. PPI use resulted in further significant increases in fasting serum gastrin concentrations in patients who were infected with H. pylori (50pM, n=56) or who had antral gastric preneoplasia (53pM, n=87), but did not significantly alter serum gastrin concentrations in patients with corpus preneoplasia (90pM, n=66). Conclusions PPI use, H. pylori infection and atrophic gastritis all caused significant elevations of median fasting gastrin concentrations. However, several patients who had potential risk factors for hypergastrinaemia still demonstrated fasting serum gastrin concentrations within the normal range.
How is New England Coastal Sea Level Related to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at 26° N?

Monthly observations are used to study the relationship between the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) at 26° N and sea level (ζ) on the New England coast (northeastern United States) over nonseasonal timescales during 2004–2017. Variability in ζ is anticorrelated with AMOC on intraseasonal and interannual timescales. This anticorrelation reflects the stronger underlying antiphase relationship between ageostrophic Ekman‐related AMOC transports due to local zonal winds across 26° N and ζ changes arising from local wind and pressure forcing along the coast. These distinct local atmospheric variations across 26° N and along coastal New England are temporally correlated with one another on account of large‐scale atmospheric teleconnection patterns. Geostrophic AMOC contributions from the Gulf Stream through the Florida Straits and upper‐mid‐ocean transport across the basin are together uncorrelated with ζ. This interpretation contrasts with past studies that understood ζ and AMOC as being in geostrophic balance with one another.
NILs of Cold Tolerant Japonica Cultivar Exhibited New QTLs for Mineral Elements in Rice

Chilling stress at booting stage can cause floret deterioration and sterility by limiting the supply of food chain and the accumulation of essential mineral elements resulting in reduction of yield and grain quality attributes in rice. Genomic selection of chilling tolerant rice with reference to the accumulation of mineral elements will have great potential to cope with malnutrition and food security in times of climate change. Therefore, a study was conducted to explore the genomic determinants of cold tolerance and mineral elements content in near-isogenic lines (NILs) of japonica rice subjected to chilling stress at flowering stage. Detailed morphological analysis followed by quantitative analysis of 17 mineral elements revealed that the content of phosphorus (P, 3,253 mg/kg) and potassium (K, 2,485 mg/kg) were highest while strontium (Sr, 0.26 mg/kg) and boron (B, 0.34 mg/kg) were lowest among the mineral elements. The correlation analysis revealed extremely positive correlation of phosphorus (P) and copper (Cu) with most of the cold tolerance traits. Among all the effective ear and the second leaf length correlation was significant with half of the mineral elements. As a result of comparative analysis, some QTLs (qBRCC-1, qBRCIC-2, qBRZC-6, qBRCHC-6, qBRMC-6, qBRCIC-6a, qBRCIC-6b, qBRCHC-6, and qBRMC-6) identified for calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr) and magnesium (Mg) on chromosome number 1, 2, and 6 while, a novel QTL (qBCPC-1) was identified on chromosome number 1 for P element only. These findings provided bases for the identification of candidate genes involved in mineral accumulation and cold tolerance in rice at booting stage.
Identifying knowledge-building phases in computer-supported collaborative learning: A review

Collaborative learning is viewed as a social process that incorporates multiple phases of knowledge building (KB). These steps were illustrated in several collaborative knowledge-building models that were introduced in the literature. The models examine the relationship of processes that are associated with individual minds and those that are produced as an outcome of social processes. Usually, the process of KB is initiated when individuals interact with their social environment. One way to stimulate KB is by creating cognitive conflicts, which causes an individual to exit his personal cycle of learning and participate in a cycle of social interactions with his environment. In this review paper, we aim at studying the alignment between the knowledge-building (KB) model proposed by Stahl et al., and the reviewed studies in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. By highlighting KB phases in different computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) platforms, phases that are not clear in some CSCL platforms will be identified, with some insights about the reasons behind the lack of support of these phases. Thus, how the phases of KB are affected by affordances of the CSCL platforms, will also be presented, with suggestions on how to modify the settings to promote different phases of knowledge building.
Regulation of the GATA3 promoter by human T‐cell lymphotropic virus type I Tax protein

The Human T‐cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV‐I) non‐structural protein Tax plays a crucial role in cellular transformation. It activates the transcription factors of various cellular genes and interacts with cellular proteins. There is limited data available on the interaction between specific T‐cell transcription factor GATA3 and Tax. Implications for the significance of GATA3 in T‐cell development and function, T helper2 (Th2) differentiation, and a role of GATA3 during the immune response have been reported. To determine the effect of the Tax protein on GATA3 gene expression, we investigated the interaction between this protein and the GATA3 promoter and repressor regions. Results demonstrated an interaction between Tax and the GATA3 promoter via the transcription factor Sp1 and a role for Tax in the negative regulation of GATA3 expression, through its interaction with the repressor ZEB. This interaction may be involved in the pathophysiology of adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV‐I‐associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM). © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Suicide rate trends in the Slovak Republic in 1993–2015

Background: Suicide is a significant public health issue worldwide, resulting in loss of lives, and burdening societies. Aims: To describe and analyze the time trends of suicide rates (SRs) in the Slovak Republic in 1993–2015 for targeted suicide prevention strategies. Methods: Data for this study were obtained from the mortality database of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. Crude and standardized annual SRs were calculated. Trends and relative risks of suicide according to age and sex were analyzed by joinpoint regression and negative binomial regression. Results: In total, there were 14,575 suicides in the Slovak Republic in the period 1993–2015 (85.3% were men). The overall average age-standardized SR for the study period was 11.45 per 100,000 person years. The rate increases with age, the highest is in men aged 75+ (42.74 per 100,000 person years). Risk of suicide is six times higher in men than in women and nine times higher in men than in women in the age group 25–34. The time trend of SRs is stable or decreasing from 1993 to 2007, but increasing after 2007, corresponding with increased unemployment rate in the country. Conclusion: The SR in the Slovak Republic is slightly below the average of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations. Highest SR is observed in men of working age and in retirement. Society might benefit from a strategy of education for improving the recognition of suicide risks.
A CT-based analytical dose calculation method for HDR 192Ir brachytherapy.

PURPOSE This article presents an analytical dose calculation method for high-dose-rate 192Ir brachytherapy, taking into account the effects of inhomogeneities and reduced photon backscatter near the skin. The adequacy of the Task Group 43 (TG-43) two-dimensional formalism for treatment planning is also assessed. METHODS The proposed method uses material composition and density data derived from computed tomography images. The primary and scatter dose distributions for each dwell position are calculated first as if the patient is an infinite water phantom. This is done using either TG-43 or a database of Monte Carlo (MC) dose distributions. The latter can be used to account for the effects of shielding in water. Subsequently, corrections for photon attenuation, scatter, and spectral variations along medium- or low-Z inhomogeneities are made according to the radiological paths determined by ray tracing. The scatter dose is then scaled by a correction factor that depends on the distances between the point of interest, the body contour, and the source position. Dose calculations are done for phantoms with tissue and lead inserts, as well as patient plans for head-and-neck, esophagus, and MammoSite balloon breast brachytherapy treatments. Gamma indices are evaluated using a dose-difference criterion of 3% and a distance-to-agreement criterion of 2 mm. PTRAN_CT MC calculations are used as the reference dose distributions. RESULTS For the phantom with tissue and lead inserts, the percentages of the voxels of interest passing the gamma criteria (Pgamma > or = 1) are 100% for the analytical calculation and 91% for TG-43. For the breast patient plan, TG-43 overestimates the target volume receiving the prescribed dose by 4% and the dose to the hottest 0.1 cm3 of the skin by 9%, whereas the analytical and MC results agree within 0.4%. Pgamma > or = 1 are 100% and 48% for the analytical and TG-43 calculations, respectively. For the head-and-neck and esophagus patient plans, Pgamma > or = 1 are > or = 99% for both calculation methods. CONCLUSIONS A correction-based dose calculation method has been validated for HDR 192Ir brachytherapy. Its high calculation efficiency makes it feasible for use in treatment planning. Because tissue inhomogeneity effects are small and primary dose predominates in the near-source region, TG-43 is adequate for target dose estimation provided shielding and contrast solution are not used.