Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SOCO's impact on service outcomes of tour guides: the moderating effect of customers’ shopping orientation

This research examines the effects of both sales-oriented and customer-oriented service strategies of tour guides on service outcomes: rapport, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and willingness to tip. This research also investigates how customers’ shopping orientation moderates the above relationships. A convenience sampling was conducted and 370 valid questionnaires were obtained. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The findings are as follows: (1) customer-oriented strategy of tour guides has a significantly positive impact on the service outcomes; (2) selling-oriented strategy of tour guides has a significantly negative impact on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty; and (3) shopping orientation of tour members moderates the relationships between selling orientation and service outcomes. Thus, if tour guides can provide service for customers in a suitable way, they will then improve the customers’ perception of services. These findings provide practical information for travel agencies and tour guides.
Surveillance for Heartland Virus (Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus) in Missouri During 2013: First Detection of Virus in Adults of Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae).

During 2013, we collected and tested ticks for Heartland virus (HRTV), a recently described human pathogen in the genus Phlebovirus (Bunyaviridae), from six sites in northwestern Missouri. Five sites were properties owned by HRTV patients, and the sixth was a conservation area that yielded virus in ticks during 2012. We collected 39,096 ticks representing five species; however, two species, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (97.6%) and Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (2.3%), accounted for nearly all ticks collected. We detected 60 HRTV-positive tick pools and all were composed of A americanum: 53 pools of nymphs, six pools of male adults, and one pool of female adults. This is the first record of HRTV in adult ticks. Virus was detected at five properties that yielded A. americanum ticks, including properties owned by four of five patients. Virus was detected at two sites that yielded virus in 2012. Detection of virus in multiple years indicates that the virus persists in ticks within a relatively small geographic area, although infection rates (IR) may vary greatly among sites and between years at a site. IR per 1,000 A. americanum in northwestern Missouri during the April-July 2013 study period were as follows: all adults, IR = 1.13; adult females, IR = 0.33; adult males, IR = 1.90; and nymphs, IR = 1.79. The IR in nymphs, the stage with the largest data set, corresponds to 1/559 infected ticks. Having robust estimates of IR in various stages for A. americanum should lead to more accurate public health messaging and a better understanding of virus transmission.
Characterization of the Chlamydia trachomatis vacuole and its interaction with the host endocytic pathway in HeLa cells

Chlamydia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular parasite and a major human pathogen, invades eukaryotic host cells and replicates within a membrane-bound compartment (termed the vacuole or inclusion) in the cytoplasm of the host cell. In this report, we describe in detail the characteristics of the vacuole throughout the chlamydial life cycle in terms of the endocytic pathway, as determined by epifluorescent and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. By indirect immunofluorescence, the transferrin receptor (TfR), a component of early endosomes, and the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (CI-M6PR), a component of late endosomes, were found in close association with the chlamydial vacuole as early as 4 h postinfection (hpi) and as late as 20 hpi. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled Tf was also found to colocalize with the vacuole at 4, 12, and 20 hpi, indicating that exogenously added ligands can be transported to the region of the vacuole. Antibodies to several different lysosomal proteins failed to label the chlamydial vacuole at any time point during the life cycle. Indirect immunofluorescence of cells infected with chlamydiae stained with an antibody to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) protein TGN38 demonstrated that in infected cells, the integrity and structure of the TGN was altered. The rates of Tf recycling in infected and uninfected cells were compared by fluorescence microscopy and quantitated with 125I-Tf. While the rate of FITC-Tf recycling from endocytic compartments in chlamydia-infected cells did not appear different from that of uninfected cells, a small pool of FITC-Tf that had accumulated adjacent to the chlamydial vacuole recycled at a slower rate. Quantitation of Tf recycling with 125I-Tf showed that Tf was recycled more slowly in infected cells than in uninfected cells. The altered distribution of several endocytic pathway markers and the slowed Tf recycling are consistent with the hypothesis that the chlamydial vacuole interacts with the endocytic pathway of the host. These results furthermore suggest that the chlamydial vacuole does not correspond to a canonical endocytic compartment but that it is a unique and dynamic organelle that shares several characteristics with recycling endosomes of the host cell. Interactions with the early and/or late endosomal compartments, in addition to the Golgi apparatus, may provide a source of membrane or nutrients for the replicating organisms.
PERSISTENT INHIBITION OF MITOCHONDRIAL PERMEABILITY TRANSITION BY PRECONDITIONING DURING THE FIRST HOURS OF REPERFUSION

Mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening is a crucial event in cardiomyocyte death after I/R. We questioned whether preconditioning (PC) may inhibit mPTP opening during ischemia and/or during reperfusion and whether this effect would persist as reperfusion evolves. Anesthetized New Zealand white rabbits underwent a test ischemia followed by reperfusion. Ischemia lasted either 10 or 30 min, whereas reperfusion duration varied from 5 to 20, 60 and up to 240 min. For each duration of ischemia and reperfusion, animals were randomized as either control or PC. Preconditioning was induced by 5 min of ischemia followed by 5 min of reperfusion. Mitochondria were isolated from myocardium at risk for assessment of the calcium retention capacity (CRC) (potentiometric technique) used here as an index of sensitivity of the mPTP to Ca2+ loading. In controls, the CRC was moderately reduced after ischemia alone, but reperfusion severely and time-dependently accelerated further CRC reduction. Preconditioning failed to modify mPTP opening during ischemia alone, but significantly improved CRC during reperfusion. This protective effect persisted as reperfusion evolved. These data suggest that (a) reperfusion strikingly increases the susceptibility to Ca2+-induced mPTP opening, and that (b) PC inhibits mPTP opening at reflow and throughout the first hours of reperfusion.ABBREVIATIONS-C-control; CRC-calcium retention capacity; CsA-cyclosporine A; mPTP-mitochondrial permeability transition pore; PC-preconditioning
Organisational capabilities for science, technology and innovation policy formulation in developing countries : the case of Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Science and Technology

It is widely accepted that public policies have an important role in driving science, technology and innovation (STI) initiatives in order to achieve socio-economic and development objectives. Nevertheless, previous research reveals that developing countries still face difficulties in formulating policies to support and promote STI. A possible reason for this is found in the apparent lack of capabilities for policymaking. Capabilities are "a precondition for effective policy formulation in developing countries" (UNIDO, 2005, p.16). However, our knowledge and understanding of what these capabilities are, remain limited. In this thesis I examine the roles that capabilities play in formulating STI policies, the development of these capabilities and their evolution over the years. I group policy capabilities into organisational capabilities – which refers to policy processes and routines – and individual capabilities – which refers to the skills of individual policymakers (Nelson and Winter, 1982; Dosi et al., 2000; Feldman and Pentland, 2003). In order to address the identified gaps in literature, I use the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) – which in 2012 completed the formulation of a new national STI policy – as an illustrative case for the investigation of these issues. To achieve the aim of the thesis, I address three research questions: (1) What roles do capabilities play in formulating STI policies at FMST and why? (2) How did policy formulation capabilities originally emerge at FMST and why? (3) How have policy formulation capabilities evolved (i.e. changed over the years, from 1986 to 2012) at FMST and why? To collect data, I interviewed key staff at FMST and stakeholder organisations (who participated in the STI policy formulation exercise), in addition to secondary data from relevant policy documents. The data analysis was based on the “explanation-building” technique (Yin, 2009). The findings reveal the various roles that policy capabilities (processes, routines and skills) play in policy formulation; how and why policy capabilities were developed and their evolution over the years at FMST. The results address the aforementioned gaps. The findings should be useful to policymakers, decision-makers and practitioners involved in STI policymaking, research and capability management.
Sleep History and Hypertension Burden in First-Generation Chinese Migrants Settled in Italy: The CHIinese In Prato Cross-Sectional Survey

AbstractMigration flows from China are largely directed towards the South of Europe, Chinese being now the third largest overseas-born population in Italy. The aim of the study was to investigate hypertension burden and self-reported sleep disorders among 1608 first-generation Chinese migrants aged 16 to 59 years settled in Prato and recruited in a cross-sectional survey. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg or self-reported antihypertensive treatment; potential impact of sleep disorders was analyzed by logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, marital status, education, health insurance, current smoking, parental hypertension, alcohol drinking, overweight or obesity, central obesity, diabetes, high total cholesterol, and high triglycerides. Among the 1608 participants, 21.7% were hypertensive (age-standardized prevalence 19.2%; 95% Cl: 18.5–20.0); 54% of hypertensive subjects were aware of their condition; 70% of aware hypertensive subjects received drugs, and 39% of treated subjects had blood pressure controlled. Self-reported snoring increased the risk of hypertension; when compared with no snoring, the age- and sex-adjusted OR for hypertension of snoring 3 to 6 d/week was 2.11 (95% Cl: 1.48–3.01) and 2.48 (95% Cl: 1.79–3.46) of snoring every day. When compared with a sleep duration ⩽5 hours, subjects with sleep duration of 7 hours had reduced risk of high triglycerides (adjusted OR: 0.66; 95% Cl: 0.43–0.95). Despite a high level of awareness, low treatment rates for hypertension were observed among Chinese participants, independently of health insurance. Sleep history is to be considered in screening and prevention programs.
Risk factors for intraoperative femoral fractures during total hip replacement.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Intraoperative femoral fractures are a serious complication of total hip replacement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of intraoperative femoral fractures in a retrospective analysis of a series of 3,566 total hip replacements. MATERIALS AND METHODS The patients were divided into two groups, A and B. Group A patients had no intraoperative femoral fractures and Group B patients had intraoperative femoral fractures. In Group A there were 3,483 patients (97.7%) and in Group B, 83 (2.3%). The following potential risk factors were evaluated: sex, age, diagnosis, previous surgery at the homolateral hip, surgical approach, fixation type of the femoral component, prosthesis type, surgical stage during which the fracture occurred, and the lead operating surgeon. RESULTS The fracture incidence was higher in females (p < 0.005) in uncemented femoral components (p = 0.005), in patients who had previous surgery at the homolateral hip (p < 0.005), and in revision surgery (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION The analysis of intraoperative femoral fracture risk factors should allow the surgeon to improve the surgical performance and therefore reduce the incidence of this severe intraoperative complication.
Total body irradiation, thiotepa, and cyclophosphamide as a conditioning regimen for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in first or second remission undergoing bone marrow transplantation with HLA-identical siblings.

PURPOSE Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) from HLA-identical siblings can be used to treat children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, a significant proportion of patients with ALL who undergo HSCT relapse. For this reason, we prospectively evaluated a preparative regimen that included total body irradiation (TBI), thiotepa (TT), and cyclophosphamide (CY) in patients with high-risk ALL in first complete remission (CR) and in children with ALL in second CR. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty children (median age, 9 years; range, 1 to 18 years) with ALL in first or second CR who underwent allogeneic HSCT from HLA-identical siblings were conditioned with a combination of fractionated TBI, TT (10 mg/kg), and CY (120 mg/kg over 2 days). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine administered intravenously at a dose of 1 to 3 mg/kg/d for the first 21 days and subsequently orally at a dose of 6 mg/kg/d. RESULTS All assessable patients were engrafted, with a median time of 11 and 24 days for neutrophil and platelet recovery, respectively. The preparative regimen was well tolerated. Only one patient died as a result of regimen-related causes. Eight patients relapsed at a median time of 8 months after transplantation (range, 3 to 9 months), and this determined a cumulative probability of relapse of 23%. Twenty-six of 40 patients (65%) are alive and in complete hematologic remission, with a median observation time of 36 months (range, 14 to 57 months), which results in a disease-free survival (DFS) at 3 years of 65%. The 13 patients who underwent transplantation in first CR had a DFS of 85%, whereas the 27 patients who underwent HSCT in second CR had a DFS of 56%. CONCLUSION These data suggest that TT is an effective cytotoxic drug that can be safely added to the classical TBI-CY regimen. Because of its cell cycle-independent action, good CNS diffusion, and limited extramedullary toxicity, TT may contribute to increasing the percentage of children with ALL who are successfully cured with allogeneic BMT.
Polymorphisms in the TLR3 gene are associated with risk for type 1 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION Viral pathogens seem to play a role in triggering the autoimmune destruction that leads to the development of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) has been shown to recognize double-stranded RNA, a molecular signature of most viruses. It is expressed at high levels in pancreatic β-cells and immune cells, suggesting a role for it in the pathogenesis of T1DM. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether TLR3 polymorphisms are associated with T1DM. METHODS Frequencies of the TLR3 rs11721827, rs13126816, rs5743313, rs7668666, and rs3775291 polymorphisms were analyzed in 449 T1DM patients and in 507 nondiabetic subjects. Haplotypes constructed from the combination of these polymorphisms were inferred using a Bayesian statistical method. RESULTS The rs3775291 and rs13126816 polymorphisms were associated with T1DM, and the strongest association was observed for the additive model (odds ratio (OR)=2.3, 95% CI 1.3-4.2 and OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.1 respectively). In the same way, the frequency of T1DM was higher as more risk alleles of the five polymorphisms were present (P-trend=0.001). Moreover, in T1DM patients, the minor alleles of the rs5743313 and rs117221827 polymorphisms were associated with an early age at diagnosis and worse glycemic control. CONCLUSION The TLR3 rs3775291 and rs13126816 polymorphisms are associated with risk for T1DM, while the rs5743313 and rs11721827 polymorphisms are associated with age at T1DM diagnosis and poor glycemic control. The number of risk alleles of the five TLR3 polymorphisms in the haplotypes seems to influence the risk for T1DM, suggesting that these polymorphisms might interact in the susceptibility for the disease.
Reduction of peripheral blood T cells producing IFN-γ and IL-17 after therapy with abatacept for rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES Abatacept (ABA), a molecule used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), competes with the engagement of CD28, a T-cell receptor for co-stimulatory signals. CD28-mediated signalling regulates several T-cell functions, including inflammatory cytokine production and regulatory T cells (Treg) differentiation. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate the effects of ABA on peripheral blood T-lymphocyte cytokine production and on the number of circulating Treg. METHODS In 24 RA patients treated with ABA for at least 6 months the proportions and absolute numbers of peripheral blood T cells producing interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) after in vitro stimulation, as well as those of Treg were longitudinally evaluated by flow cytometry. RESULTS At baseline, compared with 16 healthy controls, RA patients had a higher percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells producing IL-17 (p=0.021, and p=0.006, respectively), as well as of circulating Treg (p=0.041). After 6 months of therapy with ABA, there was a decrease of the percentage of IFN-γ- and IL-17-producing CD8+ T cells (p=0.033 and p=0.035, respectively), and of Treg (p=0.008), while that of IL-17-producing CD4+ T cells decreased after 12 months of treatment (p=0.005). The number of IL-17-producing T cells and of Treg, higher than in controls at baseline, normalised after ABA therapy. All these variations were statistically significant only in RA patients with EULAR good clinical response (n=17). CONCLUSIONS The blockade of CD28 signal caused by ABA induces the decrease in peripheral blood of IL-17- and IFN-γ-producing T cells.
Repression of DAX-1 and Induction of SF-1 Expression

Angiotensin II (Ang II) and adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulate aldosterone biosynthesis in the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex through induction of the expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein, which promotes intramitochondrial cholesterol transfer. To understand the mechanism of this induction of the StAR protein, we have examined the effect of Ang II and forskolin, a mimicker of adrenocorticotropic hormone action, on two transcription factors known to modulate StARgene expression in opposite ways, DAX-1 and SF-1, in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells in primary culture. Ang II markedly inhibited DAX-1 protein expression in a time- and concentration-dependent manner (to 38.7 ± 12.9% of controls at 3 nm after 6 h, p < 0.01), an effect that required de novo protein synthesis and ERK2/1 activation. This effect was associated with a concomitant decrease in DAX-1 mRNA and an increase in mitochondrial StAR protein levels. Similarly, forskolin dramatically repressed DAX-1 protein and mRNA expression (to 19.6 ± 1.8 and 50.3 ± 4.7% of controls, respectively,p < 0.01). Neither Ang II nor forskolin affected DAX-1 protein and mRNA stability. The aldosterone response to Ang II was markedly reduced (to 59 ± 4% of controls,p < 0.01) in transiently transfected cells overexpressing DAX-1. Whereas Ang II was without effect on SF-1 expression, forskolin significantly increased SF-1 protein and mRNA levels in a cycloheximide-sensitive manner (to 167.4 ± 16.6 and 173.1 ± 25.1% of controls after 6 h, respectively,p < 0.01). These results demonstrate that the balance between repressor and inducer function of DAX-1 and SF-1 are of critical importance in the regulation of adrenal aldosterone biosynthesis.
Comparison of Central Corneal Thickness using Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography Versus Ultrasound Pachymetry.

INTRODUCTION Corneal thickness is an important and sensitive indicator of corneal health. It is useful in monitoring corneal diseases such as corneal oedema and keratoconus, and selecting patients for refractive surgery. Central Corneal Thickness (CCT) is a risk factor for Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG). AIM To compare CCT using ultrasound pachymetry and Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography (AS-OCT), and also to find out the reproducibility of AS-OCT readings for both central and pericentral corneal areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 patients above 40 years of age, and with clinically normal corneas, who underwent CCT measurements by both ultrasound and AS-OCT. Both the eyes were analysed. Two measurements by AS-OCT and 25 measurements by ultrasound pachymetry were taken. The readings were averaged and compared by paired t-test. Repeatability of the OCT pachymetry map sector averages, was assessed by pooled standard deviation, obtained from the two measurements taken from each eye. RESULTS The CCT in right eye by OCT and ultrasound was 516.28±29.76 µm and 532.42±29.71 µm, respectively. The CCT in left eye by OCT and ultrasound was 515.82±29.88 µm and 532.36±29.83 µm, respectively. The difference in CCT measurement by AS-OCT and ultrasound was statistically significant (p<0.001); mean ultrasound CCT being 16.14 µm and 16.54 µm greater than the mean AS-OCT, CCT in right eye and left eye respectively. For AS-OCT, intra-session repeatability was measured. Repeatability of the OCT mapping was 0.01 µm to 1.6 µm and 0.01 µm to 1.9 µm in the right eye and left eye respectively. CONCLUSION The CCT measurement by ultrasound pachymetry gives higher values compared to AS-OCT measurement. Hence, they cannot be interchangeably used in clinical practice. The AS-OCT provides highly repeatable pachymetry map measurements both centrally and pericentrally.
Mediterranean diet and longevity

While several investigations have focused on the association between individual foods and nutrients upon the development of chronic diseases, few have examined the role that entire dietary patterns may play in health and disease. A dietary pattern generally considered to have beneficial health effects is that of the Mediterranean diet. In this paper, five cohort studies exploring the association of Mediterranean diet with overall mortality and hence longevity are reviewed. A number of conclusions can be drawn. First, there appears to exist sufficient evidence that diet does indeed influence longevity. Secondly, an optimal diet for the prevention of both coronary heart disease and cancer is likely to extensively overlap with the traditional Mediterranean diet. It is not yet clear which components in the Mediterranean diet are more important for its apparent health effects, but olive oil, plant foods and moderate wine consumption are likely candidates.