Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Empagliflozin on Blood Pressure in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension by Background Antihypertensive Medication

In the EMPA-REG BP trial, empagliflozin 10 mg and 25 mg once daily reduced glycohemoglobin, blood pressure (BP), and weight versus placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Patients received placebo (n=271), empagliflozin 10 mg (n=276), or empagliflozin 25 mg (n=276) for 12 weeks (n=full analysis set). This present analysis investigated changes from baseline to week 12 in mean 24-hour systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) in patients receiving 0, 1, or ≥2 antihypertensive medications and patients receiving/not receiving diuretics or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers. Compared with placebo, empagliflozin 10 mg and 25 mg reduced mean 24-hour SBP/DBP in patients receiving 0 (10 mg: −3.89/−2.58 mm Hg; 25 mg: −3.77/−2.45 mm Hg), 1 (10 mg: −4.74/−1.97 mm Hg; 25 mg: −4.27/−1.81 mm Hg), or ≥2 (10 mg: −2.36/−0.68 mm Hg; 25 mg: −4.17/−1.54 mm Hg) antihypertensives. The effect of empagliflozin was not significantly different between subgroups by number of antihypertensives for changes in SBP (interaction P value 0.448) or DBP (interaction P value 0.498). Empagliflozin reduced 24-hour mean SBP/DBP irrespective of diuretic or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker use, with no significant difference between subgroups by use/no use of diuretics (interaction P values 0.380 [systolic]; 0.240 [diastolic]) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (interaction P values 0.900 [systolic]; 0.359 [diastolic]). In conclusion, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension, empagliflozin for 12 weeks reduced SBP and DBP versus placebo, irrespective of the number of antihypertensives and use of diuretics or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01370005.
Collagenase-1 (MMP-1), matrilysin-1 (MMP-7), and stromelysin-2 (MMP-10) are expressed by migrating enterocytes during intestinal wound healing

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a crucial role in wound healing of the skin, airways, and cornea, but data on MMPs in normal intestinal wound healing is limited. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of collagenase-1 (MMP-1), matrilysin-1 (MMP-7), and stromelysin-2 (MMP-10) in intestinal wound repair and to determine the effect of cytokines on the expression of these MMPs in intestinal epithelial cell lines. Methods: Surgical specimens from patients with ischemic colitis (n = 5) were used as an in vivo model of intestinal re-epithelialization. Fetal ileal explants were used as an ex vivo model. In situ hybridization for MMPs -1, -3, -7, and -10 was performed and immunohistochemical stainings were used to localize MMP-7 and -9 expressing cells. Stainings for cytokeratin and laminin-5 were performed to identify epithelial cells and migrating enterocytes, respectively. Caco-2, HT-29, and WiDr cell lines were treated for 6-48 h with different cytokines (e.g. EGF, KGF, IL-1β, TGF-α, TNF-α, and TGF-β1) and Taqman real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to investigate their effect on the expression of MMPs-1, -7, and -10. Results: MMP-7, MMP-10, and MMP-1 were expressed by migrating enterocytes bordering intestinal ulcers in 5/5, 3/5, and 3/5 samples, respectively. In the fetal gut model, MMP-1 and MMP-10 were expressed by migrating enterocytes, but matrilysin-1 expression was not detected. Matrilysin-1 was up-regulated by TNF-α and IL-1β, and stromelysin-2 by TNF-α and EGF in Caco-2 and WiDr cell cultures. MMP-1 was up-regulated in Caco-2 cells by TGF-beta, EGF, and IL-1β, but only by EGF in WiDR cells. Conclusions: It is concluded that collagenase-1, stromelysin-2, and matrilysin-1 are involved in intestinal re-epithelialization in vivo and that they are up-regulated by cytokines relevant in wound repair.
Marketing Strategies in the Microfinance Sector: A Case Study on Hand in Hand Microfinance Pvt. Ltd.

The microfinance sector in Southern India has evolved to be more competitive. The Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which has spawned several Self-Help Groups (SHGs), is a home to a wide range of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). As more players, both NGOs and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), foray into Tamil Nadu’s vibrant microfinance sector, marketing strategies assume significance. Despite the influx of Grameen replicators and the drastic changes in the policy environment brought about by the recent microfinance crisis in Andhra Pradesh, Hand in Hand, an NGO providing microfinance, has succeeded in enhancing the loyalty of its SHG members. A qualitative study has been carried out on Hand in Hand’s marketing strategies, wherein a senior executive and five microfinance clients participated. The socioeconomic impact brought about by Hand in Hand has also been discussed in detail.
Whole genome optical mapping reveals multiple fusion events chained by large novel sequences in cancer

Genomic rearrangements are common in cancer, with demonstrated links to disease progression and treatment response. These rearrangements can be complex, resulting in fusions of multiple chromosomal fragments and generation of derivative chromosomes. While methods exist for detecting individual fusions, they are generally unable to reconstruct complex chained events. To overcome these limitations, we adopted a new optical mapping approach, allowing for megabase length DNA to be captured, and in turn rearranged genomes to be visualized without loss of integrity. Whole genome mapping (Bionano Genomics) of a well-studied highly rearranged liposarcoma cell line, resulted in 3,338 assembled haploid genome maps, including 101 fusion maps. These fusion maps represent 175 Mb of highly rearranged genomic regions, illuminating the complex architecture of chained fusions, including content, order, orientation, and size. Spanning the junction of 151 chromosomal translocations, we found a total of 32 Mb of novel interspersed sequences that were not detected from short-read sequencing. We demonstrate that optical mapping provides a powerful new approach for capturing a higher level of complex genomic architecture, creating a scaffold for renewed interpretation of sequencing data of particular relevance to human cancer.
On the optimality of detectors defined over the ambiguity plane

We study the detectors based on the ambiguity function. These detectors have been shown to be useful for the detection of linear frequency modulated (LFM) signals in the literature. We show that the detectors based on the projection of the cross-ambiguity surface are optimal for the detection of non-fluctuating targets in the Bayesian sense. The given optimality property strengthens the earlier results in the literature and enables us to compare different classes of detectors.
Positive stabilization of discrete-time systems with unknown delay and bounded controls

This paper solves the stabilization problem for a class of linear discrete-time systems with delay, for which the states must not take nonnegative values whenever the initial conditions are nonnegative. In particular, the synthesis of state-feedback controllers is first solved in terms of Linear Programming for the unbounded controls case. This result is then extended to stabilization by nonnegative controls, and stabilization by bounded controls. The proposed conditions are necessary and sufficient and do not involve the value of the delay (which is assumed to be fixed and constant but maybe unknown): only the multiplicative matrix on the delayed states is needed.
Hard or Soft Regulation of Corporate Governance?

We examine whether soft regulation with standardized reporting following the comply-or-explain principle dominates hard regulation of corporate governance practices. Using the example of the German Corporate Governance Code we study (i) whether firms benefit from code compliance and (ii) which firms voluntarily comply with the code. Analyzing a novel, hand-collected panel dataset, we find that while widely-held firms benefit from high compliance, high levels of compliance jeopardize firm performance in dominated firms. In a second step, we show that firm-specific agency costs increase the compliance level, indicating that managers voluntarily use code compliance as a substitute for other governance devices.
Product and brand: Critical success factors in the internationalisation of a fashion retailer

Purpose – To explore the factors crucial to international fashion retailer success and evaluate how internationalisation could be controlled efficiently by a firm.Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a qualitative approach in the form of case studies of two international fashion retailers. This involved structured interviews with management to explore their knowledge and experiences supported by secondary research such as company and media reports.Findings – Defines the critical success factors especially contingent to their businesses, emphasising the importance of brand management, product development and differentiation to international fashion retailers.Research limitations – An exploratory study which model needs testing using quantitative methods.Originality/value – Understanding of how fashion retailers successfully internationalise will increase company efficiency.
Collaborative advantage: The art of alliances

Alliances between companies, whether they are from different parts of the world or different ends of the supply chain, are a fact of life in business today. Some alliances are no more than fleeting encounters, lasting only as long as it takes one partner to establish a beachhead in a new market. Others are the prelude to a full merger of two or more companies’ technologies and capabilities. Whatever the duration and objectives of business alliances, being a good partner has become a key corporate asset. I call it a company’s collaborative advantage . In the global economy, a well-developed ability to create and sustain fruitful collaborations gives companies a significant competitive leg up. Yet, too often, top executives devote more time to screening potential partners in financial terms than to managing the partnership in human terms. They tout the future benefits of the alliance to their shareholders but don’t help their managers create those benefits. They worry more about controlling the relationship than about nurturing it. In short, they fail to develop their company’s collaborative advantage and thereby neglect a key resource
Processing of Spanish Preterite Regular and Irregular Verbs: The Role of Neighborhood Density

Research into lexical processes shows that frequency and phonological similarity (neighborhood density) affect word processing and retrieval. Previous studies on inflectional morphology have examined the influence of frequency of occurrence in speech production on the inflectional verb paradigm in English. Limited work has been done to examine the influence of phonological similarity in languages with a more complex morphological system than English. The present study examined the influence of neighborhood density on the processing of Spanish Preterite regular and irregular verbs as produced by thirty native speakers of Spanish. The results of a naming task showed that regular verbs were processed faster and more accurately than irregular ones. Similar to what has been observed in English, a facilitative effect of neighborhood density for –ir verbs was observed in both regular and irregular verbs, such that –ir verbs with dense neighborhoods were produced faster and more accurately than –ir verbs with sparse neighborhoods. However, no neighborhood density effects were observed for –ar verbs (regular and irregular) in reaction times and accuracy rates. Thus, the activation of a specific –ir verb was facilitated by similar sounding verbs regardless of being regular and irregular. Implications for models of morphology language processing are discussed. De acuerdo a investigación llevada a cabo en torno a procesos léxicos, la frecuencia y la similitud fonológica (vecindario de densidad) afectan al acceso y procesamiento de palabras. Estudios previos sobre morfología flexiva han examinado la influencia de la frecuencia de aparición en actos de producción de habla en el paradigma verbal flexivo del inglés. No existen muchos estudios que examinen la influencia de la similitud fonológica en lenguas con un sistema morfológico más complejo que el que presenta el inglés. En este estudio se ha examinado la influencia de la densidad de vecindario en el procesamiento de verbos regulares e irregulares del español en formas de pretérito por parte de treinta nativo hablantes del español. Los resultados en una tarea de naming mostraron que los verbos regulares se procesaron más rápida y correctamente que los irregulares. Al igual que se ha observado en el inglés, se ha encontrado un efecto facilitador de densidad de vecindario en el caso de los verbos –ir, tanto en sus formas regulares como irregulares, de tal forma que los verbos –ir pertenecientes a un vecindario denso se produjeron más rápida y correctamente que los verbos –ir en vecindarios ermitaños. No obstante, no se han observado efectos de vecindario léxico en los verbos –ar (regulares e irregulares) en cuanto a tiempos de reacción e indices de precisión. Así pues, verbos similares en pronunciación facilitaron la activación de un verbo –ir específico independientemente si el verbo era regular o irregular. Se plantean implicaciones en los modelos de procesamiento morfológico.
A Simple Adaptive Overcurrent Protection of Distribution Systems With Distributed Generation

A significant increase in the penetration of distributed generation has resulted in a possibility of operating distribution systems with distributed generation in islanded mode. However, overcurrent protection of an islanded distribution system is still an issue due to the difference in fault current when the distribution system is connected to the grid and when it is islanded. This paper proposes the use of adaptive protection, using local information, to overcome the challenges of the overcurrent protection in distribution systems with distributed generation. The trip characteristics of the relays are updated by detecting operating states (grid connected or island) and the faulted section. The paper also proposes faulted section detection using time overcurrent characteristics of the protective relays. Simulation results show that the operating state and faulted section can be correctly identified and the protection system settings can be updated to clear the faults faster.
International strategies of emerging market firms

Purpose – This study aims to develop and test a theoretical model to delineate the effects of target market characteristics, firm characteristics and strategic resources, and product characteristics on standardization decisions in brand management of emerging market firms. The effects of standardization on brand performance in international markets are also to be explored.Design/methodology/approach – The study develops a model based on the extant literature and tests its relevance through a survey of eligible managers in charge of international brand operations of 94 strategic business units in Turkey.Findings – The empirical findings indicate that several factors exist as significant drivers of standardization decisions at various levels of brand management. Interestingly, even though firm characteristics and strategic resources were found to be the most critical drivers of brand performance, standardization versus adaptation approaches did not have any significant impact on strategic brand performance.
There’s more than one way to climb a tree: Limb length and microhabitat use in lizards with toe pads

Ecomorphology links microhabitat and morphology. By comparing ecomorphological associations across clades, we can investigate the extent to which evolution can produce similar solutions in response to similar challenges. While Anolis lizards represent a well-studied example of repeated convergent evolution, very few studies have investigated the ecomorphology of geckos. Similar to anoles, gekkonid lizards have independently evolved adhesive toe pads and many species are scansorial. We quantified gecko and anole limb length and microhabitat use, finding that geckos tend to have shorter limbs than anoles. Combining these measurements with microhabitat observations of geckos in Queensland, Australia, we observed geckos using similar microhabitats as reported for anoles, but geckos with relatively longer limbs were using narrower perches, differing from patterns observed in anoles and other lizards. We also observed arboreal geckos with relatively shorter proximal limb segments as compared to rock-dwelling and terrestrial geckos, similar to patterns observed for other lizards. We conclude that although both geckos and anoles have adhesive pads and use similar microhabitats, their locomotor systems likely complement their adhesive pads in unique ways and result in different ecomorphological patterns, reinforcing the idea that species with convergent morphologies still have idiosyncratic characteristics due to their own separate evolutionary histories.
Acute Effects of Fluoxetine Versus Placebo on Functional Health and Well-Being in Late-Life Depression

In a randomized 6-week trial comparing fluoxetine with placebo, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Status Survey (SF-36) scales were used to measure the effects of treatment on functional health and well-being among elderly (age ≥ 60 years) outpatients with major depression. In the fluoxetine and placebo groups, 261 and 271 patients, respectively, completed the SF-36 before treatment and at Weeks 3 and 6. Compared with national norms for individuals over age 60, study patients before treatment exhibited baseline decrements on the following SF-36 scales: mental health, role limitations due to emotional problems, social functioning, vitality, role limitations due to physical problems, and bodily pain. Analyses of SF-36 changed scores from baseline to Week 6 revealed that the fluoxetine group improved more than the placebo group across all scales. Differences in changes of scores between groups were significant (p < .05), favoring the fluoxetine group for the scales of mental health, role limitations due to emotional problems, physical functioning, and bodily pain. Improvements observed in the fluoxetine group were both clinically and socially significant.
LANDSCAPE: An FNCLCC phase II study with lapatinib (L) and capecitabine (C) in patients with brain metastases (BM) from HER2-positive (+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) before whole-brain radiotherapy (WBR).

509 Background: With an incidence of 30%-40%, BM are common complications of HER2+ MBC. Their therapeutic management remains a challenge. As responses on central nervous system (CNS) localization have been reported with L+C combination after WBR, we sought to evaluate the clinical interest of this combination as 1st line treatment for BM in HER2+ MBC patients (pts) with the aim to avoid or to delay WBR. METHODS Eligible pts had HER2+ MBC with BM not previously treated with WBR, C or L. Pts received L1250 mg/day and C2000 mg/m2/day, days 1-14, every 21 days. The primary endpoint was a centrally assessed CNS objective response (CNS-OR) defined as a ≥50% volumetric reduction of CNS lesions in the absence of increasing steroid use, progressive neurologic symptoms, or progressive extra-CNS disease. Using a Simon's optimal two-stage design with a minimum interesting CNS-OR rate of 20%, 41 evaluable patients were needed. Secondary endpoints included: time to progression (TTP) for both CNS and extra CNS disease; time to WBR; prognostic and predictive value of circulating tumor cells (CTC) and toxicity. RESULTS From 04 /2009 to 08/2010, 45 pts were enrolled. Median age was 56 (range 35 to 79), 37 pts had multiple metastatic sites, PS was 0 (17 pts), 1 (25 pts) or 2 (2 pts); 36 pts had two or more BM and 42 had previously received trastuzumab. 41 pts received at least 2 cycles of study treatment. 43 pts were evaluable for efficacy endpoints, with a median follow-up of 10 months (range 2.9-16.5). The CNS-OR rate was 67% (95%CI 51-81), with a median time from inclusion to response of 1.8 month. Median TTP was 5.5 months (95% CI 3.9-5.9) and median time to WBR was 8.3 months (95% CI 5.1-11.7). At baseline, 21/42 pts had ≥ 1CTC, vs 7/39 at day 21, p<0.01 (correlation study ongoing). 20 patients (44%) experienced grade 3 or 4 treatment related toxicity, treatment was discontinued due to toxicity in 3 pts. At the time of analysis, 21 pts had received WBR and 10 pts had died. CONCLUSIONS With a high response rate, L + C is an active treatment option and a viable alternative to immediate WBR for HER2+ MBC pts with newly diagnosed BM.
The Effect of Soccer Performance on Stock Return: Empirical Evidence From â€œThe Big Three Clubsâ€ of Turkish Soccer League

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of soccer performance on the clubsâ€™ stock returns through an empirical analysis applied on Turkish case. The study is based on the data of BeAŸiktaAŸ, Galatasaray and FenerbahA§e, considered â€œthe big threeâ€ in Turkey. The sample period spans the period between 2005 to 2012. Multiple regression models are employed where the effect of performance on the stock return is analyzed by controlling such variables as the market index, the type of the match (i.e., international or derby), the betting odds prior to the match, the venue of the match, the lag between the match date and market opening date and the market index return. The findings show that the soccer performance is significantly and positively related with the stock returns for all the three clubs. The relationship is found stronger in BeAŸiktaAŸ compared to the other two.
Investigating the Main Barriers and Key Success Factors of Consumer Service Exporters: Lessons from Australian Tourism and Education Sectors

Most international service research has focused on the export activities of professional and business to business services. Consumer services such as education, retailing, transport, tourism, and healthcare have been less researched from an international services point of view. These companies frequently export their services by attracting foreign consumers to the domestic marketplace where they provide the service. Drawing from interviews with international managers of Australian tourism and educational companies, this exploratory study attempted to understand the main barriers and drivers of performance for consumer service exporters. Data show that superior performance for consumer service firms combines home and host country as well as firm specific resources and capabilities. International managers play an essential role in leveraging these resources and capabilities in ways that enable the firm to gain advantage.
Paralysis by Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of cattle breeds other than Hereford.

This note records paralysis of 1 yearling each of Charolais, Holstein, Braham-Shorthorn cross, and Hereford after application to each animal of 120 unfed female Dermacentor andersoni ticks collected in British Columbia. Paralysis occurred 5–8 days after infestation. The weight of partially fed female ticks at the time of paralysis varied among animals, ranging from 32 to 83 mg/kg of cattle weight,