Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems ( PACIS ) 2014 WE “ LINE ” BECAUSE WE ’ RE HAVING FUN

As smartphones become more and more popular, uses of social media on mobile devices have grown explosively. Previous studies have investigated usage behaviors of social networks in various ways, but few of them emphasized the activities on smartphones and social applications. In this study, we develop a research framework based on the network externalities and cognitive absorption to explain users’ actual utilization and satisfaction of a popular social mobile messaging app in Asia: LINE. Two different contexts information sharing and game playing were examined in this research. We tested our research model using 331 data collected via online survey and we found that (1) network externalities (the number of peers) had a positive effect on an individual’s actual usage; (2) cognitive absorption positively affected an individual’s actual usage of and satisfaction toward LINE; (3) LINE users’ actual utilization had a significant impact on their satisfaction; (4) LINE users’ intrinsic motivation (measured by cognitive absorption) is more important than extrinsic motivation (measured by network externalities); and (5) tasks with higher hedonic motives such as game playing may be a stronger trigger of LINE users’ actual utilization.
Balanced wideband tapered three-transducer low-loss SAW filters with impedance conversion

This paper presents the balanced three-transducer SAW filters using tapered IDTs on YZ LiNbO3 with impedance conversion as 1:2.6 from the input to output in a wide fractional bandwidth of 6-28%. The filters have shown an insertion loss of 4-6 dB, passband ripple of 0.5-2 dB, shape factor of 1.3-2.5, stopband attenuation of 20-35 dB in a center frequency of 35 MHz. Matching the filters with the loads was provided by LC-elements. Withdrawal weighting is used in order to improve the filter selectivity.
Aneurysm growth, elastinolysis, and attempted doxycycline inhibition of elastase-induced aneurysms in rabbits.

PURPOSE To establish the relationship between elastin degradation and aneurysm growth in New Zealand white rabbit model aneurysms, and to explore the potential for pharmacologic inhibition of elastinolysis and aneurysm growth with use of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor doxycycline. MATERIALS AND METHODS Elastase-induced, saccular aneurysms created in the right common carotid artery in 30 animals randomly divided into controls (n = 16) and doxycycline treated (n = 14) were studied. Aneurysm growth was determined by angiography and aneurysm specimens were collected at 7 and 14 days for histologic and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS Aneurysms were characterized by marked elastin degradation and thickening of the arterial wall media in the absence of inflammatory cell markers. There was no evidence for expression of MMPs in the aneurysm wall at any time point. Aneurysm formation and growth were not prevented by the systemic administration of doxycycline. Mean aneurysm width increased from 3.1 +/- 0.7 mm at 3 days to 3.7 +/- 0.8 mm at 7 days and 4.2 +/- 0.8 mm at 14 days (P =.012 and P =.017, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in aneurysm size and elastin content at any time point between doxycycline treated and control animals. CONCLUSION Elastase-induced rabbit aneurysm formation is accompanied by total elastin destruction that was not inhibited by the administration of doxycycline. Aneurysms in this model may be caused by the initial infusion of elastase, rather than by ongoing degradation from endogenous proteases released by inflammatory cells.
From pattern to process: linking intrinsic water‐use efficiency to drought‐induced forest decline

The rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ca) has been related to tree growth enhancement and increasing intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE). However, the extent that rising Ca has led to increased long‐term iWUE and whether climate could explain deviations from expected Ca‐induced growth enhancement are still poorly understood. The aim of this research was to use Ca and local climatic variability to explain changes during the 20th century in growth and tree ring and needle δ13C in declining and nondeclining Abies alba stands from the Spanish Pyrenees, near the southern distribution limit of this species. The temporal trends of iWUE were calculated under three theoretical scenarios for the regulation of plant‐gas exchange at increasing Ca. We tested different linear mixed‐effects models by multimodel selection criteria to predict basal area increment (BAI), a proxy of tree radial growth, using these scenarios and local temperature together with precipitation data as predictors. The theoretical scenario assuming the strongest response to Ca explained 66–81% of the iWUE variance and 28–56% of the observed BAI variance, whereas local climatic variables together explained less than 11–21% of the BAI variance. Our results are consistent with a drought‐induced limitation of the tree growth response to rising CO2 and a decreasing rate of iWUE improvement from the 1980s onward in declining A. alba stands subjected to lower water availability.
The pediatric forum: confidentiality and adolescents' willingness to consent to sexually transmitted disease testing.

Since asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis infections are common among sexually active adolescents routine universal screening is recommended to reduce infection rates associated morbidity and health care costs. This paper examines adolescent willingness to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) under varying confidentiality conditions. Written survey was given to patients aged 15-24 years in two general pediatric practices in North Carolina. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used for data analysis. Out of 803 who had completed the questionnaire 342 were sexually active. 92% of the participants reported that they would agree to STD testing without parental notification while 38% or 35% would agree to testing linked to potential or definite parental notification respectively. In terms of gender there were more males than females who were willing for STD testing with parental notification. Moreover age and socioeconomic status were not associated with willingness to consent to STD testing linked to parental notification. Due to the threats to privacy associated with billing and reimbursement issues this study indicates the need of changing the way the systems of providing confidential testing are organized.
Methods of Antigen Recovery Vary in Their Usefulness in Unmasking Specific Antigens in Immunohistochemistry

Microwave heating of histologic sections in citrate buffer (MAR) is a widely used method of antigen recovery but often results in loss of tissue sections. Low-temperature antigen retrieval (LTAR), incubation at 80°C in citrate buffer for 2 hours with trypsin pretreatment is an alternative method reported to result in better antigen recovery for specific antigens as well as decreased loss of tissue sections. To optimize our immunohistochemical evaluation of breast carcinomas, we compared the efficacy of these methods of antigen recovery for several important antigens. Ten breast carcinomas were immunostained for estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR), Ki-67/MIB1, p27/Kip-1, and Bcl-2 after MAR, LTAR with enzymatic pretreatment, or no antigen recovery. The immunohistochemical staining was scored and compared for each antibody and antigen recovery combination. The proportion of tissue lost from each slide after staining also was assessed. More and stronger positive staining was achieved with antibodies to Ki-67/MIB1 and ER when LTAR was used compared with the other two methods; in contrast, optimal staining with antibodies to Bcl-2 was achieved when MAR was used. Staining with anti-p27/Kip-1 was nearly equal with either LTAR or MAR. Staining with anti-PR was slightly better with MAR than with LTAR. Tissue loss was greatest for MAR compared with LTAR or with no antigen recovery. For selected cases, LTAR caused focal tissue damage, and either the immunostaining with LTAR had to be repeated or only a portion of some tissue sections would be used for examination. LTAR was the most effective for ER and Ki-67/MIB1. MAR provided the most intense staining for Bcl-2 and PR, but this enhanced staining must be weighed against the greater tissue section loss from MAR. This study demonstrated that AR methods are not equally applicable to all antibodies.
Efficacy and tolerability of dolutegravir and two nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors in HIV-1-positive, virologically suppressed patients.

Andrade-Villanueva JF, et al. Dolutegravir versus raltegravir in antiretroviral-experienced, integrase-inhibitor-naive adults with HIV: week 48 results from the randomized, doubleblind, noninferiority SAILING study. Lancet 2013; 382:700–708. 4. Raffi F, Rachlis A, Brinson C, Arasteh K, Gorgolas M, Brennan C, et al. Dolutegravir efficacy at 48 weeks in key subgroups of treatment-naive HIV-infected individuals in three randomized trials. AIDS 2015; 29:167–174. 5. Bonfanti P, Martinelli C, Ricci E, Carradori S, Parruti G, Armignacco O, et al. An Italian approach to postmarketing monitoring: preliminary results from the SCOLTA (Surveillance Cohort Long-Term Toxicity Antiretrovirals) project on the safety of lopinavir/ritonavir. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2005; 39:317–320.
Renal cystic disease and ammoniagenesis in Han:SPRD rats.

Cyst formation in conditions associated with increased renal ammoniagenesis (hypokalemia, distal renal tubular acidosis, renal mass reduction) and experimental links between increased ammoniagenesis and interstitial inflammation have suggested a role for ammonia in the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). To explore this hypothesis, Han:SPRD rats, a PKD model that affects male more severely than female animals, have been used. Heterozygous cystic (Cy/+) and homozygous normal (+/+) male and female offspring of Cy/+ rats were divided at 3 wk of age into control groups drinking water and experimental groups drinking 300 mM NH4Cl, 300 mM KHCO3, 200 mM KHCO3, 200 mM KCl, 200 mM NaHCO3, or 200 mM NaCl. At 2 months of age, the rats were kept fasting from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. in metabolic cages and urine samples were collected under mineral oil. The rats were then weighed and anesthetized for the collection of blood and kidneys. The administration of 300 mM NH4Cl, and to a lesser extent that of 200 mM NaCl, was accompanied by an increase in the urinary excretion of ammonia and aggravation of the renal cystic disease. On the other hand, the administration of 300 mM KHCO3, 200 mM KHCO3, or 200 mM NaHCO3 lowered the urinary excretion of ammonia and markedly reduced the severity of the cystic disease and interstitial inflammation. The administration of 300 mM KHCO3, and to a lesser extent that of 200 mM KHCO3, resulted in the precipitation of calcium phosphate in the medullary collecting ducts. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Angiogenic Switch in Multiple Myeloma

Abstract Angiogenesis is the hallmark of cancer. Growing evidence indicates that an imbalance between pro- and anti-angiogenic molecules triggers the angiogenic switch during tumor progression. Several molecules, able to affect vascular formation and function, are now beginning to be elucidated. Recent data indicate that angiogenesis also occurs in hematological malignancies. In multiple myeloma it has been demonstrated that patients with active disease have an increase in bone marrow angiogenesis correlated with the progression of disease and an adverse prognosis. The pathophysiology of myeloma-induced angiogenesis is complex and involves either the direct production of angiogenic molecules by myeloma cells or their induction in the microenvironment. In this review we have focalized our attention on the main factors involved in the angiogenic switch that occurs in MM patients.
Modulatory effect of iron on the pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa mouse corneal infections

The iron concentration of the culture medium used to prepare the inocula influenced the pathogenesis of mouse corneal infections by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. When the parental strain PAO1 was cultured in high-iron medium (5 micrograms of Fe per ml), it was less virulent than when it was cultured in low-iron medium (0.05 microgram of Fe per ml). The iron concentration of the growth medium had no effect on the virulence of a P. aeruginosa mutant which was resistant to the iron regulation of toxin A yields (PAO-toxFeR-18). A severely defective iron transport mutant, PAO-toxFeR-10, was avirulent regardless of the iron concentration of the growth medium. These studies indicate that both iron acquisition and iron regulation of toxin production are important factors in the determination of P. aeruginosa virulence.
Why Should I Provide Social Support? A Social Capital Perspective of Individual Helping Behavior in Healthcare Virtual Support Communities

The phenomenon of online social support has been studied for years. However, little is known about the factors that drive individual online helping behavior. While the Information systems literature provides rich insights into the determinants of online social support, the emphasis has been exclusively on the provision of informational help. By contending the need to expand our investigation to different types of support, this paper studies individual provisions of both informational and emotional social support in healthcare virtual support communities (HVSCs). Drawing on social capital theory, the structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions of social capital are conceptualized as the social support determinants. The results show that the social capital dimensions can be both facilitators and inhibitors of the two types of social support. This study can contribute not only to the literature on HVSCs, but also to studies of other types of virtual communities such as electronic networks of practice.
Managing evidence-based knowledge: the need for reliable, relevant and readable resources

1of studies examining the information-seeking behaviour of physicians found that the information resource most often consulted by physicians is textbooks, followed by advice from colleagues. The textbooks we consult are frequently out of date, 2 and the advice we receive from colleagues is often inaccurate. 3 Also, nurses and other health care professionals refer only infrequently to evidence from systematic reviews in clinical decision-making. 4,5
Kinetics and Dynamics of Intravenous Adinazolam, N‐Desmethyl Adinazolam, and Alprazolam in Healthy Volunteers

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of adinazolam mesylate (10 mg), N‐desmethyl adinazolam mesylate (NDMAD, 10 mg), and alprazolam (1 mg) were investigated in 9 healthy male subjects in a randomized, blinded, single‐dose, 4‐way crossover study. All drugs were intravenously infused over 30 minutes. Plasma adinazolam, NDMAD, and alprazolam concentrations, electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in the β (12–30 Hz) range, performance on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and subjective measures of mood and sedation were monitored for 12 to 24 hours. Mean pharmacokinetic parameters for adinazolam, NDMAD, and alprazolam, respectively, were as follows: volume of distribution (L), 106, 100, and 77; elimination half‐life (hours), 2.9, 2.8, and 14.6; and clearance (mL/min), 444, 321, and 84. More than 80% of the total infused adinazolam dose was converted to systemically appearing NDMAD. All 3 benzodiazepine agonists significantly increased β EEG activity, with alprazolam showing the strongest agonist activity and adinazolam showing the weakest activity. Alprazolam and NDMAD significantly decreased DSST performance, whereas adinazolam had no effect relative to placebo. Adinazolam, NDMAD, and alprazolam all produced significant observer‐rated sedation. Plots of EEG effect versus plasma alprazolam concentration demonstrated counterclockwise hysteresis, consistent with an effect site delay. This was incorporated into a kinetic‐dynamic model in which hypothetical effect site concentration was related to pharmacodynamic EEG effect via the sigmoid Emax model, yielding an effect site equilibration half‐life of 4.8 minutes. The exponential effect model described NDMAD pharmacokinetics and EEG pharmacodynamics. The relation of both alprazolam and NDMAD plasma concentrations to DSST performance could be described by a modified exponential model. Pharmacokinetic‐dynamic modeling was not possible for adinazolam, as the data did not conform to any known concentration‐effect model. Collectively, these results indicate that the benzodiazepine‐like effects occurring after adinazolam administration are mediated by mainly NDMAD.
Fetal Hyperinsulinemia and Protein Turnover in Fetal Rat Tissues

The effects of fetal hyperinsulinemia on protein turnover in various tissues of fetal rats were determined after transuteral injection of insulin to rat fetuses at day 19 of gestation. Tissue protein content was measured on the subsequent days of gestation (days 20–22), and protein synthesis was determined at day 20 of gestation in fetal tissues after intravenous injection of [3H]phenylalanine into the maternal circulation, followed by measurements of tissue free and protein-bound phenylalanine specific radioactivity in fetal diaphragm, brain, heart, and liver. Rates of protein degradation in these fetal tissues were calculated by subtracting protein accretion rates from rates of protein synthesis. The injection of insulin to rat fetuses at day 19 of gestation resulted in relative macrosomia versus saline-injected controls from the same litter (body wt at day 20 of gestation, 3.26 ± 0.15 g for saline-injected fetuses and 3.60 ± 0.25 g for insulin-injected fetuses, P < 0.001) and increased protein and RNA content of brain, heart, and liver. Although fractional rates of protein synthesis were not significantly elevated in tissues from the hyperinsulinemic fetuses, absolute rates of protein synthesis were increased in brain, heart, and liver of hyperinsulinemic fetuses. Hyperinsulinemia did not reduce calculated rates of protein breakdown in fetal brain, heart, or liver but did in fetal diaphragm. We conclude that the major effect of fetal hyperinsulinemia on protein turnover in rats is to increase protein synthesis in selected tissues without simultaneously affecting protein breakdown.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of percutaneous coronary intervention versus thrombolytic therapy in patients with an ST-elevated myocardial infarction

Background/aim: An acute myocardial infarction is a life-treating condition that requires urgent hospitalization and medical treatment. An ST-elevated myocardial infarction indicates a much larger degree of myocardial necrosis and should be treated with reperfusion strategies, such as percutaneous coronary intervention or thrombolytic therapy. The aim of the study was to economically evaluate these treatment methods and determine of their cost effectiveness. Methods: A Markov model was developed using the TreeAge® software and was based on data of effectiveness and local Serbia cost calculations in the literature. The duration of one cycle was one year, and the time horizon was set to 40 cycles, i.e., 40 years. The costs and outcomes were discounted by 3% annually. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed with 1000 virtual patients, as well as a sensitivity analysis, represented by a Tornado diagram, in which the values were varied by ±50%. Results: Percutaneous coronary intervention is not a cost-effective treatment for ST-elevated myocardial infarctions. Treatment with thrombolytic therapy, i.e., streptokinase, had a better cost-effectiveness ratio given that PCI is two times more expensive per one quality adjusted life year gained, 76558 , 11 rsd/QALY for PCI vs. 37263 rsd/QALY for thrombolytic therapy. Even after parameters varying by ±50%, PCI did not become an economically viable treatment with positive net benefits. Conclusion: Our results indicated that acute myocardial infarctions with ST elevations should be treated with thrombolytic therapy because of its higher clinical effectiveness and lower costs. The aim of the further analyses should identify the patients with acute myocardial infarctions in Serbia whose condition would economically justify the use of PCI.
Altered hippocampal long‐term synaptic plasticity in mice deficient in the PGE2 EP2 receptor

Our laboratory demonstrated previously that PGE2‐induced modulation of hippocampal synaptic transmission is via a pre‐synaptic PGE2 EP2 receptor. However, little is known about whether the EP2 receptor is involved in hippocampal long‐term synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. Here we show that long‐term potentiation at the hippocampal perforant path synapses was impaired in mice deficient in the EP2 (KO), while membrane excitability and passive properties in granule neurons were normal. Importantly, escape latency in the water maze in EP2 KO was longer than that in age‐matched EP2 wild‐type littermates (WT). We also observed that long‐term potentiation was potentiated in EP2 WT animals that received lipopolysaccharide (LPS, i.p.), but not in EP2 KO. Bath application of PGE2 or butaprost, an EP2 receptor agonist, increased synaptic transmission and decreased paired‐pulses ratio in EP2 WT mice, but failed to induce the changes in EP2 KO mice. Meanwhile, synaptic transmission was elevated by application of forskolin, an adenylyl cyclase activator, both in EP2 KO and WT animals. In addition, the PGE2‐enhanced synaptic transmission was significantly attenuated by application of PKA, IP3 or MAPK inhibitors in EP2 WT animals. Our results show that hippocampal long‐term synaptic plasticity is impaired in mice deficient in the EP2, suggesting that PGE2‐EP2 signaling is important for hippocampal long‐term synaptic plasticity and cognitive function.
Principals, Teachers, and Student's Perception of the Information and Communication Technology in Kuwait Secondary Schools (Rhetoric and reality)

ICT integration has been advocated to provide opportunities to improve students’ achievement and engagement through transforming the educational setting. A valuable tool that contributes in enhancing and developing students’ cognitive skills for lifelong learning, ICT integration has introduced a new educational philosophy, shifting the role of students into a more central position in the pedagogical processes. Kuwait, as with many other countries, has recently planned ICT integration to develop its citizen’s capacities. This study sought to capture the principals’, teachers’, and students’ perceptions of ICT integration in pedagogical activities, as well as how ICT is being used for learning and teaching activities in three ICT leading Kuwaiti secondary schools. Interviews with principals, teachers, and students were conducted, along with an open-ended questionnaire for the teachers, researcher observations, and document analysis. The findings revealed that ICT integration in Kuwait needed to be reinforced to accomplish the ICT integration objectives. A call for further support for teachers, and a reconsideration of the ICT integration strategies were also recommended.