Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Early Amniotomy After Foley Balloon Catheter Ripening and Duration of Nulliparous Labor Induction

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between early amniotomy after ripening with a Foley balloon catheter and duration of labor induction. METHODS: In this retrospective matched cohort study, 546 nulliparous women with a singleton viable gestation undergoing cervical ripening with a Foley balloon catheter were compared based on timing of amniotomy after catheter removal: early (defined as artificial rupture of membranes less than 1 hour after Foley removal) compared with no artificial rupture of membranes in the first hour. Women in the early amniotomy group were matched to women in the control group according to health care provider type, cervical examination after Foley removal, and indication for induction in a one-to-one ratio. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were performed to determine whether early amniotomy was associated with vaginal delivery within 24 hours and other adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to compare time intervals from catheter removal to complete dilation and from catheter removal to delivery. RESULTS: In univariable analysis, the frequency of vaginal delivery within 24 hours of Foley placement was higher in women with early amniotomy (42.9% compared with 33.0%, P=.02). The median time intervals from Foley catheter removal to complete dilation (9.0 hours compared with 12.1 hours) and to delivery (10.6 hours compared with 13.8 hours) were also significantly shorter for women who underwent early amniotomy (P<.001 for both). There were no significant differences in any other adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes. In multivariable analysis, early amniotomy remained associated with higher odds of vaginal delivery within 24 hours and shorter times from catheter removal to complete dilation and to delivery. CONCLUSION: Early amniotomy after Foley balloon catheter removal is associated with shorter duration of labor induction among nulliparous women.
Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty towards Cosmetic Products: A Case Study on Bangkok’s Boots Drug Stores

This research focuses on the effects of customer satisfaction and loyalty at a well-known cosmetics store chain in Bangkok, Thailand: Boots stores. Questionnaires were distributed to collect information from 400 respondents who had received the services from the cosmetics departments of Boots stores. The results show that there is a relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. Every dimension of service quality namely responsiveness, tangibility, empathy, assurance and reliability has an impact on customer satisfaction, which can therefore be increased through creating loyalty through every dimension. In addition, there is a relationship between customer satisfaction and relative attitude. If the customers are satisfied with service, they will develop a favorable and positive attitude and this will create repurchase intention in the future, which is customer loyalty.
Early onset ectasia following laser in situ keratomileusus: case report and literature review.

PURPOSE Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) has been associated with the development of postoperative corneal ectasia. We present a case of early onset ectasia after LASIK, review known risk factors in development, and discuss possible strategies for prevention. METHODS A 39-year-old man underwent bilateral LASIK for moderate myopia. Preoperative cycloplegic refractions were -9.00 + 0.25 x 140 degrees OD and -7.75 sphere OS. Corneal topography demonstrated mild inferior steepening bilaterally although definite evidence of keratoconus by either the Klyce/Maeda and Smolek/Klyce keratoconus screening tests was not present. Following the creation of flaps with 160-microm plates, ablations of 93 microm OD and 80 microm OS were performed, estimated to leave residual stromal beds of at least 314 microm OD and 330 microm OS. RESULTS On the first postoperative day, uncorrected visual acuities were 20/400 OD and 20/40 OS. On the fifth postoperative day, the patient's uncorrected visual acuity was 20/400 OD, and 20/300 OS. Corneal topography of the right eye showed profound inferior steepening with an apical corneal power in excess of 57 D; topography of the left eye showed mild inferior steepening. Eighteen months after surgery best corrected visual acuity was 20/40 OD and 20/30 OS with rigid gas permeable contact lenses. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights the need for a high index of suspicion when one notes an asymmetric bow-tie pattern on preoperative LASIK corneal topography, despite seemingly safe estimates of residual stromal bed thickness.
Pharmacokinetics, Tissue Distribution, and Metabolism Study of Icariin in Rat

Icariin is one of the predominant flavonoids contained in Herba Epimedii (Yin-yang-huo in Chinese), a well-known Chinese medicine for the treatment of cancers and immune system diseases. Although Herba Epimedii has been widely used in China and there are so many and various research reports on the herbal drug and its main flavones, very limited data is available on the tissue distribution and biotransformation of icariin. In the present study, a liquid chromatographic method combined with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was developed to quantify the concentration of icariin in rat plasma and various tissues collected at different time points after oral administration of the total flavonoid extract of Herba Epimedii at a dose of 0.69 g/kg (corresponding to 42 mg/g icariin). Biological samples were processed by simple protein precipitation. Genistein was chosen as internal standard. The method was successfully applied to plasma pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies of icariin in rat. As a result, it was worth noting that the tissue distribution characteristics of icariin exhibited a significant gender difference. Moreover, in vivo metabolism of icariin was also investigated. A total of 11 potential metabolites were found in rat feces collected in different time periods after oral and intramuscular administration of icariin. In vivo metabolic pathways were involved in hydrolysis, demethylation, oxidation, and conjugation. The preclinical data would be useful for fully understanding in vivo disposition of this compound and interpreting the mechanism of its biological response.
Corporate social responsibility disclosures during the global financial crisis: New Zealand evidence

This study investigates trends in the prevalence and volume of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure by New Zealand's top 50 listed companies from 2005 to 2010, i.e., the period running up to and immediately after the initial impact of the global financial crisis (GFC). The annual reports and standalone CSR reports of each of the companies for years 2005 to 2010 were examined. The numbers of pages relating to social and environmental disclosures in the annual and the standalone reports for each year were counted, and this data was used to assess whether overall trends could be discerned. CSR disclosure trends were also compared with changes in business confidence. The results reveal a general upward trend in CSR disclosures over the six-year period. Companies operating within industries more prone to public scrutiny or those industries more sensitive to the social and environmental impacts of corporate operations, increased their CSR disclosures, whereas other companies decreased their disclosures.
Are we really measuring the quality of life? Well-being has subjective dimensions, as well as objective ones.

Abstract. In order to compare the quality of life (QOL) in U.S. metropolitan areas economic, sociological, political and cultural data are often gathered and equally weighted without regard for the way QOL is perceived by those who live there. Basing our comparisons of U.S. metropolitan areas solely on objective data or official statistics biases the results so that there is little relationship between one set of measures and another. These results contradict conclusions reached by survey researchers who siwdy the perceptual aspects of the quality of life. Therefore, we must rethink the methods used in future of life studies, Psychographic and demographic data must be integrated.
Potential resource of mistakes existing while using the modern methods of measurement and calculation in the glare evaluation

Glare prediction is associated with the need to calculate the luminance on the basis of the parameters contained in the IES files or by measuring the luminance distribution of the luminous part of luminaires surface in a given direction. The XXI century is the age of all measurements digitization. This causes the parameters until recently immeasurable become measurable in a relatively simple way. As a result the parameters that we can calculate only in an approximate way, can be measured with very high precision. More and more developed digital measurement technique allows the glare determination on the basis of measurements of luminance distributions using ILMD (Imaging Luminance Measuring Device). The measurement results appear to be relatively accurate for luminaires that are characterised by low luminance gradient variation on the whole surface (luminaires with fluorescent lamps, multi-source luminaires covered with diffuser, etc). The results of the same measurements and calculations may be far from the truth for the harshest variants of luminaires with a single high luminance light source and e.g. multi-source LED luminaires without diffuser. The paper presents selected parameters and problems associated with the correct measurements of the luminance distribution of luminaires in the UGR calculation context.
Chlorophylls reductions in fresh-cut chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) with various sanitizing agents.

Safety of fresh-cut products is a widespread health concern and can be achieved by washing treatments with various agents. However, use of these agents can adversely affect the product quality depending on the processing and subsequent storage conditions. The effects of washing treatments with chlorine (50-200 mg L -1 ), hydrogen peroxide (5.00-15.0%) and ozone (6.50 and 10.0 mg L -1 ) followed by a cold storage (15 days/4 °C) period on chlorophylls contents of fresh-cut Beta vulgaris var. cicla (chard) were investigated by HPLC-DAD. In this study, treating samples with the sanitizing agents resulted in reductions in both chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b contents. These reductions generally increased with increasing the agent concentration. Chlorophyll a was found to be more sensitive than chlorophyll b to oxidation reactions with the agents used. Chlorophyll reductions of samples treated with ozone were at the higher level than samples treated by using other agents. Since the differences between chlorophylls contents of the samples treated with chlorine and hydrogen peroxide are very small, hydrogen peroxide can be suggested as an alternative to chlorine for sanitizing chard (P<0.05).
Comparison of aminoglycoside pharmacokinetics in Asian, Hispanic, and Caucasian patients by using population pharmacokinetic methods

A population pharmacokinetic model for aminoglycosides was developed from 24 Hispanic, 16 Asian, and 22 Caucasian patients. A nonparametric expectation maximization algorithm for population modeling was used. With this one-compartment model, the parameters were the slope of the apparent volume of distribution versus weight (VS) and the slope of the elimination rate constant versus the creatinine clearance rate (KS). The mean VS (+/- standard deviation) was not different at 0.264 (+/- 0.05), 0.248 (+/- 0.055), and 0.260 (+/- 0.080) liter/kg of body weight for Asian, Hispanic, and Caucasian populations, respectively (P > 0.10). The KS means +/- standard deviations were 0.00424 +/- 0.00129, 0.00404 +/- 0.00160 and 0.00394 0.00103 [h(ml/min/1.73 m2)]-1 +/- for Hispanic, Asian, and Caucasian populations, respectively. Again, there was no statistical difference among the groups (P > 0.10). In conclusion, there are no differences in aminoglycoside pharmacokinetics among Asian, Hispanic, and Caucasian patients.
Olanzapine plasma concentration in a newborn

Little is known about the use of antipsychotics in pregnancy and the corresponding plasma levels in the newborn child. We report on a woman with schizophrenia treated with olanzapine during pregnancy. Plasma levels of olanzapine were assessed both from the mother and from umbilical cord. The plasma level of the newborn (11 ng/mL) was about one third compared to the mother (range 25—34 ng/mL). The development of the fetus, delivery and the development of the child during the first six months were normal.
TriMARES - A hybrid AUV/ROV for dam inspection

This paper describes the full development process of TriMARES, a hybrid AUV/ROV designed to fulfil the requirements of a consortium for the inspection and periodic monitoring of a large dam reservoir. The demand of robotic systems for underwater operations is growing exponentially and there are many scenarios for which the commercial solutions are not adequate. Such was the case with TriMARES, where it was possible to take advantage of previous designs to achieve a custom solution in a short time. We describe the initial requirements for the underwater system, we present the main solutions adopted for the vehicle subsystems, and we provide some data from the first in-water tests, performed only 6 months after the beginning of the project.
Beta Risk in the Cross-Section of Equities

We develop a conditional capital asset pricing model in continuous time that allows for stochastic beta exposure. When beta comoves with market variance and the stochastic discount factor (SDF), beta risk is priced, and the expected return on a stock deviates from the security market line. The model predicts that low-beta stocks earn high returns, because their beta positively comoves with market variance and the SDF. The opposite is true for high-beta stocks. Estimating the model on equity and option data, we find that beta risk explains expected returns on low- and high-beta stocks, resolving the “betting against beta” anomaly. Authors have furnished code and an Internet Appendix, which are available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Impairment of Cytotype Regulation of P-Element Activity in Drosophila melanogaster by Mutations in the Su(var)205 Gene

Cytotype regulation of transposable P elements in the germ line of Drosophila melanogaster is associated with maternal transmission of P elements inserted at the left telomere of the X chromosome. This regulation is impaired in long-term stocks heterozygous for mutations in Suppressor of variegation 205 [Su(var)205], a gene implicated in the control of telomere length. Regulation by TP5, a structurally incomplete P element at the X telomere, is more profoundly impaired than regulation by TP6, a different incomplete P element inserted at the same site in a TAS repeat at the X telomere. Genetic analysis with the TP5 element indicates that its regulatory ability is not impaired in flies whose fathers came directly from a stock heterozygous for a Su(var)205 mutation, even when the flies themselves carry this mutation. However, it is impaired in flies whose grandfathers came from such a stock. Furthermore, this impairment occurs even when the Su(var)205 mutation is not present in the flies themselves or in their mothers. The impaired regulatory ability of TP5 persists for at least several generations after TP5 X chromosomes extracted from a long-term mutant Su(var)205 stock are made homozygous in the absence of the Su(var)205 mutation. Impairment of TP5-mediated regulation is therefore not directly dependent on the Su(var)205 mutation. However, it is characteristic of the six mutant Su(var)205 stocks that were tested and may be related to the elongated telomeres that develop in these stocks. Impairment of regulation by TP5 is also seen in a stock derived from Gaiano, a wild-type strain that has elongated telomeres due to a dominant mutation in the Telomere elongation (Tel) gene. Regulation by TP6 is not impaired in the Gaiano genetic background. The regulatory abilities of the TP5 and TP6 elements are therefore not equally susceptible to the effects of elongated telomeres in the mutant Su(var)205 and Gaiano stocks.
Loss of Caveolae, Vascular Dysfunction, and Pulmonary Defects in Caveolin-1 Gene-Disrupted Mice

Caveolae are plasma membrane invaginations that may play an important role in numerous cellular processes including transport, signaling, and tumor suppression. By targeted disruption of caveolin-1, the main protein component of caveolae, we generated mice that lacked caveolae. The absence of this organelle impaired nitric oxide and calcium signaling in the cardiovascular system, causing aberrations in endothelium-dependent relaxation, contractility, and maintenance of myogenic tone. In addition, the lungs of knockout animals displayed thickening of alveolar septa caused by uncontrolled endothelial cell proliferation and fibrosis, resulting in severe physical limitations in caveolin-1–disrupted mice. Thus, caveolin-1 and caveolae play a fundamental role in organizing multiple signaling pathways in the cell.
Incorporating Cultural Issues in Education for Ethical Practice

The population of most non-dominant ethnic groups in the USA is growing dramatically. Faculty members are challenged to develop curricula that adequately prepare our future nurses. An increased focus on clinical ethics has resulted from the use of sophisticated technology, changes in health care financing, an increasing elderly population and the shift of care from inpatient to outpatient settings. Nurses frequently face situations demanding resolution of ethical dilemmas involving cultural differences. Nursing curricula must include content on both ethics and cultural sensitivity. Active student participation is an important element providing a foundation for ethical practice. A proposed educational format was introduced with graduating baccalaureate students. In a pilot study, curricular content on cultural sensitivity and ethical practice was taught in separate modules. Students were then asked to identify and problem solve an ethical dilemma involving patients and professional caregivers from vastly different cultures. Course faculty members provided discussion questions to guide the students' thinking.
DNA vaccines for non-infectious diseases: new treatments for tumour and allergy

The last decade of DNA vaccine research was characterised by a pioneer spirit and enormous enthusiasm, with a large number of publications demonstrating the usefulness of this approach. Unfortunately, DNA vaccines have not necessarily met the high clinical expectations and a number of complications need to be overcome. In the case of cancer and allergy, the requirements for achieving the objectives are very different. Vaccines against allergies need to suppress or alter an unwanted immune response, while a cancer DNA vaccine has to overcome tolerance and/or immune suppression and initiate a powerful immune response. This review addresses currently used general optimisation strategies for DNA vaccines such as modification of immunisation regimens, improving the delivery systems and using molecular adjuvants. In addition, cancer-specific approaches, such as the stimulation of innate and adaptive immunity with replicase-based DNA vaccines, and targeting non-tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) are discussed. Specifically for the optimisation of DNA vaccination against allergies, procedures such as allergen gene recoding, T helper (Th)1 modulation, and the creation of safe DNA vaccines by gene fragmentation, ubiquitination or using artificial hypoallergens are being analysed. These strategies, individually or in combination, hold the potential of making DNA vaccines useful for application in the clinic.
Taxes and Market Hours -- The Role of Gender and Skill

Cross-country differences of market hours in 17 OECD countries are mainly due to the hours of women, especially low-skilled women. This paper develops a model to account for the gender-skill differences in market hours across countries. The model explains a substantial fraction of the differences in hours by taxes, which reduce market hours in favor of leisure and home production, and by subsidized care, which frees (mostly) women from home care in favor of their market hours. Low-skilled women are more responsive to policy because of their low market returns and their comparative advantage in home activities.
Impact of vasopressin on hemodynamic and metabolic function in the decompensatory phase of hemorrhagic shock.

OBJECTIVES To explore how the potent vasoconstrictive features of vasopressin impact the rate of cardiovascular collapse and metabolic derangements associated with prolonged hemorrhagic shock. DESIGN A prospective randomized trial. SETTING University hospital-based animal laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Sixteen swine. INTERVENTIONS Swine were bled in an isobaric fashion to achieve a linear decrease in the mean arterial blood pressure to 40 mmHg. The mean arterial blood pressure was then maintained at 40 mmHg until the onset of cardiovascular decompensation, defined as the need to reinfuse shed blood to maintain the blood pressure at 40 mmHg. Once at the onset of cardiovascular decompensation, animals were randomly assigned to 2 resuscitation groups: the crystalloid group received lactated Ringer's solution and the vasopressin group received lactated Ringer's solution and arginine vasopressin. Resuscitation consisted of infusing lactated Ringer's solution with and without vasopressin (0.05 U/kg/min) to maintain a blood pressure of 70 mmHg for 60 minutes. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The rate of crystalloid infusion was compared between groups using an unpaired 2-tailed t test. Metabolic and hemodynamic parameters between groups over time were compared with a repeated measures analysis of variance. Vasopressin decreased the rate of crystalloid infusion during resuscitation by 50%. During resuscitation, the cardiac index in the crystalloid group was restored to near baseline levels and was decreased to near half of baseline levels in the vasopressin group. Animals in the vasopressin group developed a lactic acidemia, but animals in the crystalloid group revealed no change from baseline in the arterial pH and a slight decrease in the plasma lactate. CONCLUSIONS Administration of vasopressin used as an adjunct to maintain blood pressure in the decompensatory phase of hemorrhagic shock slows cardiovascular collapse, but has an adverse effect on metabolic and hemodynamic function. Further investigation is warranted to clarify the role of vasopressin in the delayed management of severe hemorrhagic shock.