Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional Morphological Analyses of Positional Dependence in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Background:It is generally considered that patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) at increased perioperative risk should be placed in nonsupine positions throughout the recovery process; however, not all patients with OSAS show positional dependence. The authors hypothesized that morphological differences exist in three-dimensional (3D) soft tissue and craniofacial structures of the pharyngeal airway between positional and nonpositional OSAS. Methods:The subjects of the study were body mass index–matched, age–matched, and apnea hypopnea index–matched positional (n = 10) and nonpositional (n = 10) Japanese OSAS patients and body mass index–matched Japanese control subjects (n = 10). Pharyngeal magnetic resonance imaging and cephalometric radiography were performed during wakefulness. Results:The patients with positional OSAS had a smaller volume of the pharyngeal lateral wall soft tissues, larger maxilla-nasion-mandible angle, and smaller lower facial height than the nonpositional OSAS and the control subjects. The patients with positional OSAS showed a significantly steeper sella-nasion-mandible angle and smaller craniofacial volume than the control subjects. There were no significant differences in tongue volume and 3D pharyngeal anatomical balance between positional and nonpositional OSAS. Multivariate stepwise regression for positional dependence showed that the dominant determinant was the volume of the lateral pharyngeal wall, followed by lower facial height and maxilla-nasion-mandible angle. Conclusions:Patients with positional OSAS have wider airways in the lateral parts, lower facial height, and more backward position of the lower jaw, which may explain differences in the maintenance of pharyngeal airway patency in the lateral sleep position.
On the Effectiveness of Incentive Pay: Exploring Complementarities and Substitution between Management Control System Elements in a Manufacturing Firm

Abstract Extant research already emphasises that complementarities and substitution involving incentive pay and other elements of an organisation's management control system play an important role in terms of explaining the effectiveness of incentive systems. Despite this awareness calls continue for more research addressing the need to better understand how interdependencies arise among management control system elements and how they affect organisational effectiveness. Based on an in-depth case study on the implementation of a new incentive system in a manufacturing firm, we seek to provide more research and insight into how incentive pay features in complementary and substitutional relationships in an individual organisational setting. Greater insight can help illustrate how complementary and substitutional relationships unfold in even more complex ways than current research indicates, as well as how the effectiveness of the incentive system in the individual organisational setting is determined by these relationships.
Can p53 staining be used to identify patients with aggressive superficial bladder cancer?

Approximately 10% of patients with superficial bladder cancer (pTa/pT1) recur with life‐threatening muscle‐invasive disease. Identification of these patients has been a major goal of bladder cancer research. In 1994, it was suggested that p53 immunostaining could identify the cancers that would progress and it was proposed that tumours that stain for p53 should be treated aggressively with radiotherapy or cystectomy. Despite the hundreds of studies published since on the relationship between p53 and progression in superficial bladder cancer, the clinical utility of p53 immunostaining has not been resolved because of limitations concerning the numbers of patients and the length of follow‐up. This study set out to overcome these limitations by using tissue from a large multicentre trial that recruited 502 patients with a median follow‐up of 10 years. Each of 34 patients that had progressed with ≥ pT2 disease or had distant metastases or had died from bladder cancer was compared with one or two matched controls. Sections were stained with a mouse monoclonal antibody to p53, pAb1801. In agreement with many of the earlier studies, p53 immunostaining had prognostic significance. The adjusted hazard ratio for time to progression for the pAb1801‐positive versus negative group was 2.5, with 95% confidence intervals of 1.05–5.98 (p = 0.039). The other major risk factor that is associated with progression of superficial bladder cancer is pT1G3 disease. Of the 42 pT1G3 cancers, 14 (33%) progressed. The proportion of cancers with p53 staining that progressed was similar to the proportion of pT1G3 cancers that progressed, but neither the sensitivity nor the specificity of association of p53 staining with progression is sufficient to recommend cystectomy in individual patients. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Decreased excretion of urine glycosaminoglycans as marker in renal amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of renal amyloidosis is normally established by kidney biopsy. In order to advance the determination of the diagnosis and the initiation of the therapy, fast and cheap, non-invasive diagnostic techniques are required. METHODS Urine excretion of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) was measured in 10 patients with AA amyloidosis and 5 patients with AL amyloidosis and compared to 25 controls with primary glomerular diseases and 22 healthy controls. The subjects with primary glomerular disease were matched with regard to their renal function and the degree of albuminuria. RESULTS The median urine GAG to creatinine ratio and the median fractional GAG excretion were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in both AA amyloidosis (0.21 mg/mmol and 0.053 respectively) and AL amyloidosis (0.33 mg/mmol and 0.077 respectively) compared to control patients with primary glomerular disease (1.73 mg/mmol and 0.336 respectively) and healthy controls (2.67 mg/mmol and 0.226 respectively). The urine GAG to creatinine ratio did not correlate to age, sex, serum creatinine, urine albumin, or to the plasma levels of acute phase proteins. CONCLUSIONS The decreased GAG excretion in renal amyloidosis is probably caused both by diminished number of functioning nephrons, decreased GAG synthesis in functioning glomeruli, and the trapping of GAG by amyloid fibrils. Urinary GAG excretion may serve as an independent marker of renal amyloidosis. It may be used in diagnostic work-up of renal amyloidosis in patients with glomerular diseases and in screening of amyloidosis in patients with chronic inflammatory disorders, with or without signs of renal disease.
Acute effects of noise exposure on 24-h ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive adults

Objective: Noise exposure is associated with elevated blood pressure, but the effects on susceptible workers have not been reported. This repeated-measure study investigated the effects of noise exposure on 24-h ambulatory blood pressure among hypertensive, pre-hypertensive, and normotensive adults. Methods: We enrolled 113 volunteers in an occupational cohort in 2009. Individual noise exposure and personal blood pressure were measured simultaneously over 24 h on working and non-working days. Linear mixed-effects regressions were used to estimate the effects on SBP and DBP by controlling for potential confounders. Results: Each A-weighted decibel (dBA) increase in a 30-min time-lagged exposure was associated with transient elevations of work-time SBP [0.30 (95% confidence interval: 0.06, 0.54) mmHg] on working days as well as sleep-time SBP [0.39 (0.12, 0.66) mmHg] and DBP [0.33 (0.14, 0.51) mmHg] on non-working days among 19 hypertensive adults. In contrast, 46 normotensive workers had transient increases in work-time SBP [0.16 (0.03, 0.29) mmHg] and DBP [0.25 (0.15, 0.34) mmHg] on working days as well as sleep-time SBP [0.17 (0.06, 0.29) mmHg] and DBP [0.21 (0.14, 0.29) mmHg] on non-working days caused by a 1-dBA increase in the current exposure. All groups had sustained increases in 24-h average ambulatory SBP and DBP induced by noise exposure on 2 days, but the hypertensive workers had the most pronounced increase in SBP. Conclusion: Hypertensive adults are more susceptible to noise exposure with a greater effect on ambulatory SBP. These results suggest a need for more protection for this subpopulation.
DNA and RNA Binding by the Mitochondrial Lon Protease Is Regulated by Nucleotide and Protein Substrate*

The ATP-dependent Lon protease belongs to a unique group of proteases that bind DNA. Eukaryotic Lon is a homo-oligomeric ring-shaped complex localized to the mitochondrial matrix. In vitro, human Lon binds specifically to a single-stranded GT-rich DNA sequence overlapping the light strand promoter of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). We demonstrate that Lon binds GT-rich DNA sequences found throughout the heavy strand of mtDNA and that it also interacts specifically with GU-rich RNA. ATP inhibits the binding of Lon to DNA or RNA, whereas the presence of protein substrate increases the DNA binding affinity of Lon 3.5-fold. We show that nucleotide inhibition and protein substrate stimulation coordinately regulate DNA binding. In contrast to the wild type enzyme, a Lon mutant lacking both ATPase and protease activity binds nucleic acid; however, protein substrate fails to stimulate binding. These results suggest that conformational changes in the Lon holoenzyme induced by nucleotide and protein substrate modulate the binding affinity for single-stranded mtDNA and RNA in vivo. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments show that Lon interacts with mtDNA polymerase γ and the Twinkle helicase, which are components of mitochondrial nucleoids. Taken together, these results suggest that Lon participates directly in the metabolism of mtDNA.
Risk Management and the Theory of the Firm

This article integrates risk management decision variables into the theory of the firm under risk and develops risk management decision rules consistent with the firm's overall objectives. The theoretical construct chosen for extension to the risk management problem is the capital asset pricing model. Utilizing this model, decision rules are developed for optimal proportional retention, selection of aggregate deductibles and choosing reserving policies. The results differ significantly from the expected value decision rules developed by previous researchers. The article concludes by examining the impact on the decision rules of relaxing some of the key assumptions of the model. Recent years have witnessed significant progress in the application of quantitative decision tools to the solution of risk management problems. These developments have ranged from purely theoretical exercises to highly particularized practical applications and have encompassed the entire spectrum of quantitative methodology. For example, a model for the selection of optimal deductibles has been developed and applied by Allen and Duvall [1, 4]. Optimal insurance and loss prevention decisions have been the subject of a paper by Shpilberg and de Neufville [16] which employed a decision theoretic framework. A study which involved the testing of alternative decision tools, such as utility theory and the worry factor method, has been conducted by Neter and Williams [13] while a computer simulation model of self insurance of workers' compensation losses was developed by Mortimer [11]. The fitting of loss distributions to facilitate the more precise estimation of future claim costs has been emphasized by Hartman and Siskin [9]. Finally, Head [8] has illustrated how capital budgeting can be applied in the context of risk management decision making. These and numerous other studies have provided the basis for significant improvements in risk management analysis. However, as is perhaps inevitable in a developing field, most of the articles have concentrated on J. David Cummins is Assistant Professor of Insurance in the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Professor Cummins is Research Director of the S. S. Huebner Foundation and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Risk and Insurance. He is the author of An Econometric Model of the Life Insurance Sector of the U.S. Economy and co-author of Consumer Attitudes Toward Auto and Homeowners Insurance. This paper was submitted for publication June, 1975. It was presented to the 1975 Risk Theory Seminar.
In vitro anti-oxidant, cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of Achillea teretifolia Willd extracts on human prostate cancer cell lines

Background: The majority of Achillea species are the most important native economic plants of Anatolia. They include highly bioactive compounds, so they have therapeutic applications. Objective: In the present study, the aim was to investigate in vitro anti-oxidant, cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of Achillea teretifolia Willd extracts (Turkish name: Beyaz civanperÇemi). Materials and Methods: The anti-oxidant potential of the extracts was analyzed by the free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and total phenolic content methods. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was used to detect cytotoxicity of the extracts onhuman prostate cancer cell lines (DU145 and PC-3) and human gingival fibroblast (HGF) cells. mRNA expression levels of pro-apoptotic (bax, caspase-3) and anti-apoptotic (bcl-2) genes were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The results showed that extracts exhibited a remarkable DPPH scavenging activity, and total phenolic content of the methanol extract was higher than that of the water extract. As time and concentration were increased, the methanol extract exhibited a more powerful cytotoxic effect on prostate cancer cells. In prostate cancer cells, the levels of mRNA expression of the bax and caspase-3 genes were significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05), whereas the expression of bcl-2 was down-regulated (P < 0.05). In HGF cells, there were no cytotoxic effect and apoptosis induction triggered by the extracts. Conclusion: The methanol extract had more powerful anti-oxidant, cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects than the water extract. The extracts could be good anti-oxidant sources, and they might include anti-cancer compounds triggering the cytotoxicity and the apoptosis on prostate cancer cells.
Validity and Reliability of Greek Versions of Two Scales Assessing Family and Friend Support for Exercise Behaviour

This study examined the validity and reliability of Greek versions of two scales assessing family and friend support for exercise behaviour. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were performed in a sample of 360 students. Additionally, CFAs were applied in a second sample of 726 physically active adults. Finally, associations were examined among scales and physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, and socio-demographic variables. Results indicated (a) a two-factor model for the Family Support for Exercise Behaviour Scale, (b) a one-factor solution for the Friend Support for Exercise Behaviour Scale, (c) satisfactory reliability coefficients, and (d) associations among the scales and physical activity, self-efficacy and socio-demographic variables. Conclusively, the social support scales were valid and reliable.
Distinct iron–sulfur cluster assembly complexes exist in the cytosol and mitochondria of human cells

Iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters are cofactors found in many proteins that have important redox, catalytic or regulatory functions. In mammalian cells, almost all known Fe–S proteins are found in the mitochondria, but at least one is found in the cytosol. Here we report cloning of the human homologs to IscU and NifU, iron‐binding proteins that play a critical role in Fe–S cluster assembly in bacteria. In human cells, alternative splicing of a common pre‐mRNA results in synthesis of two proteins that differ at the N‐terminus and localize either to the cytosol (IscU1) or to the mitochondria (IscU2). Biochemical analyses demonstrate that IscU proteins specifically associate with IscS, a cysteine desulfurase that is proposed to sequester inorganic sulfur for Fe–S cluster assembly. Protein complexes containing IscU and IscS can be found in the mitochondria as well as in the cytosol, implying that Fe–S cluster assembly takes place in multiple subcellular compartments in mammalian cells. The possible roles of the IscU proteins in mammalian cells and the potential implications of compartmentalization of Fe–S cluster assembly are discussed.
Fibroblast reticular cells engineer a blastema extracellular network during digit tip regeneration in mice

Abstract The regeneration blastema which forms following amputation of the mouse digit tip is composed of undifferentiated cells bound together by an organized network of fibers. A monoclonal antibody (ER‐TR7) that identifies extracellular matrix (ECM) fibers produced by fibroblast reticular cells during lymphoid organogenesis was used to characterize the ECM of the digit, the blastema, and the regenerate. Digit fibroblast reticular cells produce an ER‐TR7+ ECM network associated with different tissues and represent a subset of loose connective tissue fibroblasts. During blastema formation there is an upregulation of matrix production that returns to its pre‐existing level and anatomical pattern in the endpoint regenerate. Co‐localization studies demonstrate a strong spatial correlation between the ER‐TR7 antigen and collagen type III (COL3) in histological sections. ER‐TR7 and COL3 are co‐induced in cultured digit fibroblasts following treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha and a lymphotoxin beta receptor agonist. These results provide an initial characterization of the ECM during digit regeneration and identify a subpopulation of fibroblasts involved in producing the blastema provisional matrix that is remodeled during the regeneration response.
Blue Laser Light Increases Perfusion of a Skin Flap Via Release of Nitric Oxide from Hemoglobin

It has recently been shown that nitrosyl complexes of hemoglobin (NO-Hb) are sensitive to low-level blue laser irradiation, suggesting that laser irradiation can facilitate the release of biologically active nitric oxide (NO), which can affect tissue perfusion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic value of blue laser irradiation for local tissue perfusion after surgical intervention. Blood was withdrawn from a rat, exposed to NO and infused back to the same rat or used for in vitro experiments. In vitro, an increase of NO-Hb levels (electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy) up to 15 µM in rat blood did not result in the release of detectable amounts of NO (NO selective electrode). Blue laser irradiation of NO-Hb in blood caused decomposition of NO-Hb complexes and release of free NO. Systemic infusion of NO-Hb in rats affected neither systemic circulation (mean arterial pressure) nor local tissue perfusion (Doppler blood flow imaging system). In contrast, a clear enhancement of local tissue perfusion was observed in epigastric flap when elevated NO-Hb levels in blood were combined with local He-Cd laser irradiation focused on the left epigastric artery. The enhancement of regional tissue perfusion was not accompanied by any detectable changes in systemic circulation. This study demonstrates that blue laser irradiation improves local tissue perfusion in a controlled manner stimulating NO release from NO-Hb complexes.
DETERMINAN PENENTU HOLDING PERIOD PADA INDEKS LQ45

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui signifikansi pengaruh bid-ask spread, market value, dividend payout ratio, risk of return dan earning per share terhadap holding period pada Indeks LQ45 selama periode 2010-2013. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada perusahaan-perusahaan yang terdaftar pada Indeks LQ45 selama periode 2010 hingga 2013 (8 kuartal). Jumlah sampel yang digunakan pada penelitian ini sebanyak 23 perusahaan dengan metode purposive sampling . Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui observasi non partisipan . Teknik analisis yang digunakan adalah regresi linear berganda.Berdasarkan hasil analisis ditemukan bahwa bid-ask spread berpengaruh negatif dan tidak signifikan terhadap holding period pada Indeks LQ45. Market value dan dividend payout ratio berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap holding period pada Indeks LQ45. Risk of return berpengaruh negatif dan signifikan terhadap holding period pada Indeks LQ45. Earning per share berpengaruh positif dan tidak signifikan terhadap holding period pada Indeks LQ45.
Putting Prison in its Place

"In order that any punishment should not be an act of violence committed by one person or many against a private citizen it is essential that it should be public, prompt, necessary, the minimum possible under the circumstances, proportionate to the crimes and established by law. " Cesare Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishment, 1764.My opening quotation captures the essence of Enlightenment thought on the administration of justice. It remains as important a guiding principle today as when it was written 240 years ago. When we narrow the focus to the most severe sanction available to the state, namely imprisonment, the imperatives of necessity, parsimony and proportionality take on even greater urgency. This means that there must be unambiguous and overwhelming arguments in favour of any expansion of a country’s prison system.It is difficult to be precise about the number of additional spaces that are planned. The November 2004 Implementation and Progress Report for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform states that up to "800 additional new places" will be provided through the replacement of Mountjoy Prison in Dublin and Fort Mitchel in Cork. This would potentially bring the total number of prisoners to around 4,000. However some media reports have suggested that a future with 4,500 prisoners is envisaged. This would include new cellblocks at other sites.
Keeping an eye on the truth? Pupil size changes associated with recognition memory

During recognition memory tests participants' pupils dilate more when they view old items compared to novel items. We sought to replicate this “pupil old/new effect” and to determine its relationship to participants' responses. We compared changes in pupil size during recognition when participants were given standard recognition memory instructions, instructions to feign amnesia, and instructions to report all items as new. Participants' pupils dilated more to old items compared to new items under all three instruction conditions. This finding suggests that the increase in pupil size that occurs when participants encounter previously studied items is not under conscious control. Given that pupil size can be reliably and simply measured, the pupil old/new effect may have potential in clinical settings as a means for determining whether patients are feigning memory loss.
Promoting interdisciplinarity in primary school in the framework of science education

The promotion of interdisciplinarity has been gaining prominence all around the world to better prepare students for the real-life challenges of an increasingly demanding society. This study aims to investigate how to promote interdisciplinarity in primary school in the framework of science education. With a qualitative methodology and an interpretative approach, participants are primary school teachers who participated in a collaborative continuing professional development program. Findings of our research show that teachers gained the skills to design and implement interdisciplinary tasks adequate to primary school syllabus. Keywords: interdisciplinarity, science education, professional development, hands-on, primary school. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2018. 132.8