Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the efficacy of rosuvastatin versus atorvastatin, simvastatin, and pravastatin in achieving lipid goals: results from the STELLAR trial

SUMMARY In the Statin Therapies for Elevated Lipid Levels compared Across doses to Rosuvastatin (STELLAR) trial, the efficacy of rosuvastatin calcium (Crestor*) was compared with that of atorvastatin (Lipitor †), simvastatin (Zocor‡), and pravastatin (Pravachol§) for lowering plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) after 6 weeks of treatment. In this multicenter, parallel-group, open-label trial, adults with hypercholesterolemia were randomized to treatments with rosuvastatin 10, 20,40, or 80 mg, atorvastatin 10, 20,40, or 80 mg, simvastatin 10,20,40, or 80 mg, or pravastatin 10, 20, or 40 mg. Efficacy and safety results from this trial have been previously published. The additional analyses included in this report show that 53% (83/156) to 80% (125/157) of patients in the rosuvastatin 10- to 40-mg groups achieved LDL-C levels <100 mg dl−1 (<2.6 mmol l−1), compared with 18% (28/158) to 70% (115/165) of patients who received atorvastatin, 8% (13/165) to 53% (86/163) of patients who received simvastatin, and 1% (1/160) to 8% (13/161) of patients who received pravastatin. Other additional analyses showed that more patients in the rosuvastatin 10- to 40-mg groups than in the comparator groups who were at high risk of coronary heart disease according to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III, Joint European Societies, or Canadian guidelines achieved the LDL-C goals of <100 mg dl−1 (<2.6 mmol l−1) (55% to 77% compared with 0 to 64%), <3.0 mmol l−1 (<116 mg dl−1) (76% to 94% compared with 6% to 81%), and <2.5 mmol l−1 (<97mg dl−1) (47% to 69% compared with 0 to 53%), respectively. Results favoring rosuvastatin versus the comparators were also reported for patients: (a) who had triglycerides >200 mg dl−1 (>2.3 mmol l−1), and achieved both ATP III LDL-C and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) goals (80% to 84% versus 15% to 84%); (b) overall who achieved the Canadian LDL-C goals of <2.5 (<97 mg dl−1) to <5.0 mmol l−1 (< 193mg/dl) (85% to 91% versus 44% to 86%); and (c) who achieved all 3 Canadian goals for LDL-C, triglycerides (<3.0 mmol l−1 [< 266 mg dl−1] to < 2.0 mmol l−1 [<177 g dl−1]), and the total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio (<4 to <7) (70% to 83% versus 35% to 79%). * Crestor is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies and is licensed to AstraZeneca from Shionogi & Co, Ltd, Osaka, Japan. † Lipitor is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc. ‡ Zocor is a registered trademark of Merck & Co., Inc. § Pravachol is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
Identification of Kazinol Q, a Natural Product from Formosan Plants, as an Inhibitor of DNA Methyltransferase

DNA methylation plays a pivotal role in the epigenetic regulation of the transcription of a number of cancer‐related genes, thereby representing an important target for cancer prevention and treatment. In our search for DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors from Formosan plants, by screening against a library consisting of 12 structurally distinct natural products, we identified kazinol Q {4‐[6‐(1,1‐dimethyl‐allyl)‐7‐hydroxy‐chroman‐2‐yl]‐3,6‐bis‐(3‐methyl‐but‐2‐enyl)‐benzene‐1,2‐diol} as an inhibitor of recombinant DNMT1 with IC50 of 7 μM. The effect of kazinol Q on DNMT inhibition was validated by its ability to reactivate the expression of a DNA methylation‐silenced gene, E‐cadherin, in MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cells. Moreover, kazinol Q suppressed the proliferation of MCF‐7 breast and LNCaP prostate cancer cells, in part, through apoptosis induction. The role of DNMT1 inhibition in mediating kazinol Q's antiproliferative effect was supported by the protective effect of ectopic expression of DNMT1 on kazinol Q‐induced cell death. Molecular modeling analysis suggests that kazinol Q inhibited DNMT activity by competing with cytosine binding, a mechanism similar to that described for (‐)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG). Relative to EGCG, kazinol Q exhibits several desirable features for drug development, including chemical stability and increased hydrophobicity, and might have therapeutic relevance to cancer treatment. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
General quantum theory of nonlinear optical-pulse propagation.

Based on the linearization approximation and the conservation of commutation brackets, a general, self-consistent scheme is developed to quantize nonlinear optical-pulse propagation problems. A general computation procedure is developed to calculate the quantum uncertainties of the inner product between any given function and the (perturbed) field operator. As an illustration, a self-consistent quantum theory of the self-Raman effect in optical fibers is presented. The influence of the self-Raman effect on soliton squeezing is examined.
Colour kinetics and storage characteristics of carrot, pulse and rice by‐product based extrudates

Purpose – The utilisation of food waste/by‐products helps to increase produce recovery and enhances nutrition in low‐cost food without any appreciable increase in product cost. The storage behaviour of the product must be studied before commercialisation of the product. This paper aims to focus on this process.Design/methodology/approach – Extrudates (25 g) prepared under optimised conditions of proportion (rice flour, pulse powder and carrot pomace), moisture content, screw speed and die temperature, were sealed using a polythene sealing machine in LDPE bags and aluminium laminated LDPE bags. The bags were then stored for six months in an incubator at temperature of 38±2°C to evaluate the stability of the product. The extrudates were analysed for change in colour, hardness, moisture content and sensory characteristics.Findings – Zero‐ and first‐order models were fitted for prediction purposes. The minimum overall change in color ΔE value, minimum increase in moisture content and minimum increase in hardn.
Effects of changes in the composition of the serosal solution on the electrical properties of the toad urinary bladder epithelium.

1. The potential profile and the cellular and paracellular transepithelial resistances of the toad urinary bladder were measured, by means of micro‐electrode techniques, as functions of the osmolality of the serosal solution. 2. Reductions in serosal osmolality (that increase the rate of active sodium transport) produced proportional decreases in the electrical resistances of the apical and basal‐lateral cell membranes, while the changes in resistance of the paracellular pathway were more complex. The apical membrane potential increased. 3. Increases in serosal osmolality (that decrease sodium transport) produced increases in the electrical resistances of both cell membranes, and moderate reduction in the paracellular resistance. The polarity of the apical membrane potential reversed. 4. These results indicate that reductions in serosal solution osmolality stimulate sodium transport by increasing both the sodium permeability of the luminal cell membrane (thus increasing sodium entry), and the electromotive force generated at the serosal border of the cell, thus enhancing the rate of sodium pumping. Conversely, increases in osmolality reduced sodium transport by reducing both the sodium permeability of the luminal membrane and the serosal membrane electromotive force.
Choosing between Hospitals

Objective. Publicly available information on hospital performance is increasing, with the aim to support consumers when choosing a hospital. Besides general hospital information and information on outcomes of care, there is increasing availability of systematically collected information on experiences of other patients. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of previous patients’ experiences relative to other information when choosing a hospital for surgical treatment. Methods. Three hundred thirty-seven patient volunteers and 280 healthy volunteers (response rate of 52.4% and 93.3%, respectively) filled out an Internet-based questionnaire that included an adaptive choice-based conjoint analysis. They were asked to select hospital characteristics they would use for future hospital choice, compare hospitals, and choose the overall best hospital. Based on the respondents’ choices, the relative importance (RI) of each hospital characteristic for each respondent was estimated using hierarchical Bayes estimation. Results. Information based on previous patients’ experience was considered at least as important as information provided by hospitals. “Report card regarding physician’s expertise” had the highest RI (16.83 [15.37–18.30]) followed by “waiting time for outpatient clinic appointment” (14.88 [13.42–16.34]) and “waiting time for surgery” (7.95 [7.12–8.78]). Patient and healthy volunteers considered the same hospital attributes to be important, except that patient volunteers assigned greater importance to “positive judgment about physician communication” (7.65 v. 5.80, P < 0.05) and lower importance to “complications” (2.56 v. 4.22, P < 0.05). Conclusion. Consumers consider patient experience–based information at least as important as hospital-based information. They rely most on information regarding physicians’ expertise, waiting time, and physicians’ communication when choosing a hospital.
The presence of interleukin-13 in rheumatoid synovium and its antiinflammatory effects on synovial fluid macrophages from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To study the production of interleukin-13 (IL-13) in rheumatoid synovium and the effects of recombinant IL-13 on the phenotype and function of synovial fluid (SF) macrophages and T cells derived from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The presence of IL-13 in SF was studied using an IL-13-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); the production of IL-13 was studied in SF mononuclear cells (SFMC) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The effects of recombinant IL-13 on cytokine production by and phenotype of SFMC were evaluated using cytokine-specific ELISAs and flow cytometry, respectively. The effect of IL-13 on the proliferation of SFMC was determined by 3H-thymidine incorporation. The production and the effects of IL-13 were compared with those of IL-4. RESULTS IL-13 was present in 27 of 28 SF samples, and IL-13 messenger RNA (mRNA) was detectable in SFMC. Importantly, IL-13 levels were significantly higher than those of IL-4, and IL-13 protein and mRNA were expressed in several samples, although IL-4 synthesis was undetectable. Recombinant IL-13 significantly reduced the production of IL-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha and the expression of CD16 and CD64 by SF macrophages, whereas the expression of HLA-DR and CD23 was increased. These effects on SF macrophages were similar to those observed with IL-4, but in contrast to IL-4, IL-13 had no growth-promoting effect on SF T cells. CONCLUSION IL-13 is consistently present in rheumatoid synovium. The ability of exogenous IL-13 to decrease the production of proinflammatory cytokines by SFMC suggests that it may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of patients with RA.
The Impact of Corporate Credibility and Celebrity Credibility on Consumer Reaction to Advertisements and Brands

Abstract Advertisers frequently use endorsers or spokespersons as credible sources to influence consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions. Corporate credibility-the reputation of a company for honesty and expertise-is another type of source credibility that can influence consumer reactions to ads and shape brand attitudes. The present study assessed the impact of endorser and corporate credibility on attitude-toward-the-ad, attitudetoward-the-brand, and purchase intentions. We surveyed 152 adult consumers who viewed a fictitious ad for Mobil Oil company. They rated the credibility of the ad's endorser, the credibility of the company, and attitude-toward-the-ad, attitude-toward-the-brand, and purchase intentions. Path analysis confirmed that endorser credibility had its strongest impact on Aad while corporate credibility had its strongest impact on AB. The findings suggest that corporate credibility plays an important role in consumers' reactions to advertisements and brands, independent of the equally important role of endorser credibility.
Peritoneal implants of ovarian serous borderline tumors: Histologic features and prognosis

The clinicopathologic features of 56 cases of ovarian serous borderline tumors (SBT) associated with peritoneal implants were reviewed. Data from 368 person‐years of follow‐up (median follow‐up, 6.0 years) were analyzed to investigate the possibility that the histologic features of implants of this type of tumor may correlate with the prognosis. Eighty‐five percent of the 56 patients were clinically free of tumor at the time of death or at last contact. Thirteen percent of the patients died of tumor, and one patient (2%) was alive with widespread progressive tumor. The product‐limit estimate of the probability of death from tumor (± standard error) was 4% (±3%) at 5 years and 23% (±9%) at 10 years. The following three histologic features of the implants correlated with an adverse prognosis: (1) invasion (P = 0.0004), (2) severe cytologic atypia in both invasive and noninvasive implants (P = 0.0008) and in noninvasive implants alone (P = 0.02), and (3) the presence of mitotic activity in both types of implants (P = 0.02) and in noninvasive implants alone (P = 0.02). The only other feature that correlated with the prognosis was the presence of residual tumor postoperatively as assessed by the surgeon (P ± 0.01). The product‐limit estimate of death of tumor in patients with at least one of these four adverse prognostic factors was 56% (±20%) at 10 years. Whether or not the patients received radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or both had no statistically significant effect on the outcome. These data and the results of a stratified analysis suggest that patients may benefit from additional therapy if adverse prognostic factors are present, especially invasiveness or severe cytologic atypia. It is unlikely that additional therapy is necessary in patients without adverse prognostic features, because no deaths occurred in this group.
Phenomenology and classification of the childhood psychoses

Synopsis Two hundred and twenty-eight cases of children with final clinical diagnoses of childhood psychosis were reviewed using a standard coding scheme; cases were grouped in three broad categories on the basis of clinical diagnosis (autistic, atypical and schizophreniform). These three groups differed significantly in many respects, although the ‘atypical’ group more closely resembled the autistic group. While it was possible meaningfully to differentiate diagnostic groups using DSM-III criteria, some cases were difficult to classify. Childhood schizophrenia, as strictly defined, was far less common than childhood autism. The development of diagnostic schemes for those children whose disorders are difficult to classify is an important topic for future research.
Is China’S Export-Oriented Growth Sustainable?

This paper assesses the sustainability of China's export-oriented growth over the medium to longer term. It shows that maintaining the current export-oriented growth would require significant gains in market share through lower prices in a range of industries. This, in turn, could be achieved through a combination of increases in productivity, lower profits, and higher implicit or explicit subsidies to industry. However, the evidence suggest that it will prove difficult to accommodate such price reductions within existing profit margins or through productivity gains. Moving up the value-added chain, shifting the composition of exports, diversifying the export base, and increasing domestic value added of exports could give room to further export expansion. However, experiences from Asian economies that had similar export-oriented growth suggest there are limits to the global market share a country can occupy. Rebalancing growth toward private consumption would provide a large impetus to output growth and reduce the need for gaining further market share.
Teamwork in Services: Quality Circles by Another Name?

Much evidence has been generated in the past few years which describes the demise of quality circles (QCs), yet teamwork involving non‐managerial staff, aimed at quality improvement, is still a feature of the quality improvement process of many organizations, particularly within the service sector. Re‐evaluates the classic characteristics of quality circles, as found in the literature, within the context of research carried out within one of the main UK clearing banks. Gives consideration to both the operation and outcomes of QCs within a service organization, and also discusses the role of QCs as part of a company‐wide process of quality improvement, rather than a quality technique used in isolation. Examines the “soft” benefits of QCs and compares the “success factors” identified within the literature for the use of QCs with the empirical evidence. Concludes that, while there are differences in the way in which such teams operate when compared with quality circles, the basic characteristics are the same.
Aspects of risk management in deregulated electricity markets : storage, market power and long-term contracts

This thesis considers the interaction of storage, gaming and forward contracts as mechanisms of risk management in a deregulated electricity market. To date, analyses of imperfect electricity markets have established the "tactical" effect of contracts, that under certain coryectural assumptions, forward contracts have a significant impact on the gaming behaviour of dominant firms in the spot market. However, little work has considered contract strategy, incorporating factors such as the feedback of spot market behaviour on contract market equilibria. This thesis assesses the risk that market participants are exposed to, establishes a measure of risk, and analyses the role that forward contracts play in hedging that risk. Finally, assuming participants are averse to financial risk only, a multiperiod model will be provided that examines whether incentives exist for dominant suppliers to use their market power to amplify the risk faced by consumers in order to increase profit through contract revenue.
Ecology, Domain Specificity, and the Origins of Theory of Mind: Is Competition the Catalyst?

In the nearly 30 y ears since Premack and Woodruff famously asked, “Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind? ”, the question of exactly how much non-human primates understand about the mental lives of others has had an unusually dramatic history. As little as ten years ago it appeared that the answer would be a simple one, with early investigations of non-human primates’ mentalistic abilities yielding a steady stream of negative findings. Indeed, by the mid-1990s even very cautious researchers were ready to flatly assert that Theory of Mind was a uniquely human capacity. Recently, however, an exciting new theor etical perspective on primate social cognition has arisen, and with it the distinct possibility that our evolutionary relatives may understand far more of the social world than we previously believed. In this paper we r eview ne w theor y and evidence suggesting that non-human primates may indeed represent the mental states of others, at least within the domains for which their distinctive social ecology has prepared them. Having asserted that Premack and Woodruff ’s original question can be answered with a qualified yes, we then consider the new questions that arise in its place, particularly how and why our own Theory of Mind became more domain-general than that of other primates.
Assessment of the spontaneous pulsations of the central retinal vein in daily ophthalmic practice

The purpose of this study is to assess the frequency of eyes with a spontaneous pulsation of the central retinal vein in the setting of a busy daily ophthalmic practice. The clinical observational case‐series study included 690 eyes (345 subjects). The optic disc was ophthalmoscopically assessed using a non‐contact ophthalmoscopic lens at the slit lamp. Out of the study population, 526 eyes (76.2%) of 265 (76.8%) subjects showed a detected spontaneous pulsation of the central retinal vein (prevalence rate: 76.2 ± 1.6% [mean ± standard error] per eye, and 76.8 ± 2.3% per subject). In univariate analysis, the presence of a detected spontaneous central retinal vein pulsations was statistically associated with systolic systemic blood pressure (P = 0.04) and with the ocular perfusion pressure (P = 0.03). The results suggest that as examined in the setting of a busy daily ophthalmic practice, the central retinal vein was found to show a spontaneous pulsation in about 80% of the subjects.
Dissipation of pirimiphos‐methyl during wheat fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum

In this study, the dissipation of pirimiphos‐methyl during wheat fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum was investigated. Sample preparation for GC/MS detection of pirimiphos‐methyl residues from fermented wheat substrate was carried out by two steps: extraction with 25 mL of methanol : acetone = 1 : 1 solvent mix for 30 min, followed by clean‐up procedure through a glass column with florisil coupled with elution by 25 mL of ethyl acetate : acetone = 4 : 1. To obtain the highest pesticide degradation level, the fermentation conditions were optimized according to response surface methodology. Our results showed that L. plantarum was able to reduce the level of pirimiphos‐methyl in wheat. Although pirimiphos‐methyl was partially labile during sterilization prior inoculation (~37–50%), and there was also spontaneous chemical degradation of pesticide (~6–11%), overall L. plantarum enhanced degradation from 15 to 34%, that is, to nearly 81%. Additionally, the effect of pirimiphos‐methyl on the lactobacilli growth, and efficiency of fermentation, was studied where pirimiphos‐methyl inhibit the growth of bacteria in concentrations higher than 5 mg kg−1, while the presence of pirimiphos‐methyl did not overall affect the lactic acid fermentation.
Replication and Evaluation of Fund of Hedge Funds Returns

In this paper we use the hedge fund return replication technique recently introduced in Kat and Palaro (2005) to evaluate the net-of-fee performance of 485 funds of hedge funds. The results indicate that the majority of funds of funds have not provided their investors with returns, which they could not have generated themselves by trading S&P 500, T-bond and Eurodollar futures. Purely in terms of returns therefore, most funds of hedge funds have failed to add value.
Who Consumes Firm Disclosures? Evidence from Earnings Conference Calls

Using a set of proprietary records, we examine who consumes quarterly earnings conference calls and under which circumstances the calls are consumed. While there is significant interest in calls by institutional investors and sell-side analysts, we find that investors who do not hold a position in the firm are a leading consumer. We show that buy-side non-holders who consume calls are more likely to hold positions in competitors and to purchase the stock in the future. In addition, many investors who hold large positions only consume calls periodically. We also document a benefit of consuming calls by finding that the consumption of calls is associated with more informed trading decisions. Overall, our investigation illuminates the actual consumption of conference calls by different consumers and the potential benefits of consuming additional firm disclosures.