Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homocysteine testing in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Objective: To determine pretesting factors associated with elevated total homocysteine (tHcy) levels in a cohort of patients with acute ischemic stroke and to identify patient characteristics associated with physicians’ decisions to obtain tHcy levels in routine clinical practice. Methods: Patient demographics, traditional stroke risk factors, and the results of tHcy tests were recorded for a consecutive series of adult patients with ischemic stroke admitted to an academic medical center from January 1997 to December 1999 (n = 674). Stroke subtype was classified using the TOAST (Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment) criteria. Univariate analyses were used to identify patient characteristics associated with elevated tHcy levels and factors associated with tHcy testing. Multivariable stepwise logistic regression analyses were then used to identify the independent associations of univariately significant variables with tHcy testing. Results: Of 674 patients, 131 (19.4%) were tested for tHcy. There were no associations between age, sex, stroke subtype, or the presence of other stroke risk factors and tHcy levels. Younger age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.54/decade, 95% CI = 0.46 to 0.62), the presence of hyperlipidemia (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2 to 2.9), diabetes (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.29 to 0.78), and cardioembolic (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.23 to 0.95) and small-vessel (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22 to 0.83) stroke subtypes were independently associated with tHcy testing. Conclusions: Elevated tHcy levels were not associated with any of the studied characteristics of ischemic stroke patients. More research is needed to determine factors that aid in selecting patients for tHcy testing and improving diagnostic yield.
[Objectivized evaluation of surgeons exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields -- in the context of exposure duration and Polish and new international requirements regarding workers protection].

BACKGROUND Use of electro surgery units (ESU) in surgeries is linked with electromagnetic field emission, which is assessed according to the requirements of occupational health and safety legislation. MATERIAL AND METHODS Surgeons' exposure characteristics was monitored during 11 surgeries (proctectomy, patency of artery, hepatectomy, cystectomy, tonsilectomy, laparoscopy) by real time of monopolar ESU activity recorder. Investigations of root-mean-square value of electric and magnetic field strength was also performed at various modes of ESU operations during cutting (output power, 55-150 W; frequency, 330-445 kHz) and coagulating (40-240 W, 335-770 kHz). Statistical parameters of distribution of ESU operation over any 6-min periods (according to international requirements regarding protection against adverse thermal effects of electromagnetic field) were assessed. RESULTS Electric field strength, measured 10 cm from the cable supplying an active electrode was 147-675 V/m during cutting and 297-558 V/m during coagulating; magnetic field strength was less than 0.2 A/m in both modes. Monitoring of ESUs showed the following ranges of their operation during surgeries 5-66% of time over starting 3 min of surgery, 3-40% over starting 6 min, and the distribution of their use over any 6-min periods 0-12% (median) / 7-43% (maximum value). CONCLUSIONS The real operation time of ESUs ing surgeries was significantly shorter than that declared by workers. The distance of at least 15 cm between cables, connecting electrodes with generator and workers meets the requirements of the Polish legislation on permissible exposure limits. The assessment of localized exposure of the hand needs a detailed analysis of the SAR ratio distribution and further studies are required.
The effect of minimum wages on employment in emerging economies: a survey and meta-analysis

Abstract Using both qualitative and quantitative (meta-analysis) methods, this paper reviews the growing evidence on the impact of minimum wages on employment in 14 major emerging economies (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey). Overall, minimum wages are found to have only a minimal impact on employment, and there is evidence of reporting bias towards statistically significant negative results. More vulnerable groups (e.g. youth and the low-skilled) are marginally more negatively affected, and there is some indication that higher minimum wages lead to more informal employment.
On the role of ozone feedback in the ENSO amplitude response under global warming

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific Ocean is of key importance to global climate and weather. However, state‐of‐the‐art climate models still disagree on the ENSO's response under climate change. The potential role of atmospheric ozone changes in this context has not been explored before. Here we show that differences between typical model representations of ozone can have a first‐order impact on ENSO amplitude projections in climate sensitivity simulations. The vertical temperature gradient of the tropical middle‐to‐upper troposphere adjusts to ozone changes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, modifying the Walker circulation and consequently tropical Pacific surface temperature gradients. We show that neglecting ozone changes thus results in a significant increase in the number of extreme ENSO events in our model. Climate modeling studies of the ENSO often neglect changes in ozone. We therefore highlight the need to understand better the coupling between ozone, the tropospheric circulation, and climate variability.
Reduction of Noise-stress-induced Physiological Damage by Radices of Astragali and Rhodiolae: Glycogen, Lactic Acid and Cholesterol Contents in Liver of the Rat

Noise is one of the factors that induces critical stress in animals. The contents of glycogen, lactic acid and cholesterol in the liver of noise-stressed rats were analyzed in order to investigate the alleviation of noise-stress-induced physiological damages by traditional medicine using Astragali and Rhodiolae radices. More than 95 dB noise ranging from 2 to 4 kHz reduced the contents of these compounds in the liver of rats not injected with the extract of Astragali or Rhodiolae, but did not change the contents in the liver of rats injected with the Astragali or Rhodiolae extract. These results show that noise induced stress in the rats via a decrease in contents of these compounds in the liver and that Astragali or Rhodiolae maintained the contents of these compounds in the liver of the noise-stressed rats. The results indicate that Astragali or Rhodiolae improved the ability for rats to resist noise stress.
Does formal knowledge search depth benefit Chinese firms’ innovation performance? Effects of network centrality, structural holes, and knowledge tacitness

Accessing external knowledge is an important factor in successful innovation. Knowledge search is an issue of concern for Chinese firms because many firms generally have relatively weak research and development (R&D) and innovation capabilities that cannot support innovative development through mere internal innovations. This study examines the interactive effects of network centrality, structural holes, and knowledge tacitness when formal knowledge search depth (FKSD) affects innovation performance from the perspective of formal/informal knowledge search. A survey of 161 firms in China suggests that FKSD positively affects innovation performance, and the effect is positively moderated by network centrality. Given high knowledge tacitness, FKSD is more effective in fostering innovation performance when firms’ network centrality is higher. Furthermore, high knowledge tacitness results in rich structural holes negatively moderating the effect of FKSD on innovation performance, whereas low tacitness generates a positive moderating role. This indicates that Chinese firms may consider using more formal search channels to increase external knowledge search depth and to dynamically adjust the depth of such a formal search or the mode of network structural embeddedness according to the degree of knowledge tacitness.
Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Differentiate Into Functional Schwann Cells That Sustain Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs) that are available from cell banks can be induced to differentiate into various cell types, thereby making them practical potential sources for cell-based therapies. In injured peripheral nerves, Schwann cells (SCs) contribute to functional recovery by supporting axonal regeneration and myelin reconstruction. Here, we first demonstrate a system toinduce UC-MSCs to differentiate into cells with SC properties (UC-SCs) by treatment with &bgr;-mercaptoethanol followed by retinoic acid and a set of specific cytokines. The UC-SCs are morphologically similar to SCs and express SC markers, including P0, as assessed by immunocytochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Transplantation of UC-SCs into transected sciatic nerves in adult rats enhanced nerve regeneration. The effectiveness of UC-SCs for axonal regeneration was comparable to that of authentic human SCs based on histological criteria and functional recovery. Immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy also demonstrated myelination of regenerated axons by UC-SCs. These findings indicate that cells with SC properties and with the ability to support axonal regeneration and reconstruct myelin can be successfully induced from UC-MSCs to promote functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury. This system may be applicable for the development of cell-based therapies.
Longitudinal fluorodopa positron emission tomographic studies of the evolution of idiopathic parkinsonism

Previous estimates of the rate of progression of the nigral pathology underlying idiopathic parkinsonism (IP) have been derived mainly from pathological studies that have an inherent selection bias. Fluorodopa positron emission tomography (PET) is a reliable tool for assessing nigrostriatal dopaminergic function in vivo. We performed fluorodopa PET on two occasions, 7 years apart, on 16 patients with IP (age at the time of the first scan, 51 ± 14 yr [mean ± SD]) and 10 normal controls (age, 54 ± 16 yr). For the patients with IP, the average duration of symptoms from the time of diagnosis to the first scan was 4.5 years (range, 1–12 yr); their PET index (striatal – occipital)/occipital ratio, dropped by 1.7% per year, from 0.49 ± 0.08 to 0.43 ± 0.08 (p < 0.001). The normals' ratio decreased by 0.3% per year from 0.77 ± 0.05 to 0.75 ± 0.10 (p = 0.33). The ratios in the IP group progressed significantly faster than the controls (p = 0.036). The rate of decline in IP represents 7.8% per decade, expressed as a fraction of the normals' initial mean value at 54 years of age. These results also permit power analysis for the design of future studies assessing the effect of treatment on the underlying pathology in IP.
Forecasting the Equity Risk Premium: The Importance of Regime-Dependent Evaluation

Abstract Asset allocation is critically dependent on the ability to forecast the equity risk premium (ERP) out-of-sample. But, is superior econometric predictability across the business cycle synonymous with predictability at all times? We evaluate recently introduced ERP forecasting models, which have been shown to generate econometrically superior ERP forecasts, and find that their forecasting ability is regime-dependent. They give rise to significant relative losses during market downturns, when it matters the most for asset allocators to retain assets and their client base intact. Conversely, any economic benefit occurring during market upswings is diminished for high risk-averse and leverage-constrained investors.
The Physiological Function of the Urothelium – More than a Simple Barrier

The urothelium, the epithelium lining the surface of the urinary bladder, is a unique cell type with high plasticity and a variety of cellular functions. The urothelium represents the first line of bladder defense and an interface between pathogens and defense mechanisms. Functions of the urothelium include control of permeability, immune responses and cell-cell communication, which seems to play a pivotal role in responding to injuries and infections. The urothelium responds to stretch, during the filling phase of micturition reflex, by increasing the size of apical umbrella cells and by releasing mediators which activate the sensory fibers. For this reason the concept of ‘neuron-like properties’ was suggested. Finally, despite the fact that the urothelium is a frequent site of cancer formation, few experimental model systems are currently available or well characterized for studying urothelial cancer in the era of genomics and proteomics. The purpose of this review is to give emphasis to urothelial physiology and pathophysiology in different bladder disorders and to offer an up-to-date contribution to the field of urothelial research.
Rigour and grounded theory research.

BACKGROUND Grounded theory methodology is a suitable qualitative research approach for clinical inquiry into nursing practice, leading to theory development in nursing. Given the variations in, and subjectivity attached to, the manner in which qualitative research is carried out, it is important for researchers to explain the process of how a theory about a nursing phenomenon was generated. Similarly, when grounded theory research reports are reviewed for clinical use, nurses need to look for researchers' explanations of their inquiry process. AIM The focus of this article is to discuss the practical application of grounded theory procedures as they relate to rigour. METHOD Reflecting on examples from a grounded theory research study, we suggest eight methods of research practice to delineate further Beck's schema for ensuring, credibility, auditability and fittingness, which are all components of rigour. FINDINGS The eight methods of research practice used to enhance rigour in the course of conducting a grounded theory research study were: (1) let participants guide the inquiry process; (2) check the theoretical construction generated against participants' meanings of the phenomenon; (3) use participants' actual words in the theory; (4) articulate the researcher's personal views and insights about the phenomenon explored; (5) specify the criteria built into the researcher's thinking; (6) specify how and why participants in the study were selected; (7) delineate the scope of the research; and (8) describe how the literature relates to each category which emerged in the theory. CONCLUSIONS The eight methods of research practice should be of use to those in nursing research, management, practice and education in enhancing rigour during the research process and for critiquing published grounded theory research reports.
Pax6-dependent boundary defines alignment of migrating olfactory cortex neurons via the repulsive activity of ephrin A5

Neuronal migration is a prerequisite event for the establishment of highly ordered neuronal circuits in the developing brain. Here, we report Pax6-dependent alignment of the olfactory cortex neurons in the developing telencephalon. These neurons were generated in the dorsal part of telencephalon, migrated ventrally and stopped at the pallium-subpallium boundary (PSB). In Pax6 mutant rat embryos, however, these neurons invaded the ventral part of the telencephalon by crossing the PSB. Ephrin A5, one of the ligands for EphA receptors, was specifically expressed in the ventral part of the telencephalon, and its expression level was markedly reduced in the Pax6 mutant. Gain- and loss-of-function studies of ephrin A5 indicated that ephrin A5 plays an important role in the alignment of olfactory cortex neurons at the PSB. Our results suggest that Pax6-regulated ephrin A5 acts as a repulsive molecule for olfactory cortex neurons in the developing telencephalon.
The effect of indomethacin on ovarian prostaglandin release in hens.

Indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin (PG) synthetase, will block uterine muscle electromyographic activity (EMG activity) and oviposition at a midsequence oviposition and ovulation in domestic hens, but does not block the increase in EMG activity associated with the first ovulation of a sequence. To assess the potential relationship between prostaglandin release from the ovarian follicles and EMG activity in egg-laying hens, we determined the concentrations of PGF2 alpha, 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2 alpha (PGFM), and PGE2 in brachial, ovarian follicular and uterine venous plasma and tissues in relation to uterine muscle EMG activity at the first ovulation and at a midsequence oviposition. The concentrations were measured after an i.m. injection (25 mg/hen) of indomethacin. In control hens sampled hourly, beginning 4 h before the peak of EMG activity at the first ovulation of a sequence, there was a sharp increase (p less than 0.05) in concentrations of PGF2 alpha and PGFM in brachial vein plasma coincident with the increase (p less than 0.05) in uterine EMG activity. Hens pretreated with indomethacin also had increased plasma PGF2 alpha and PGFM levels (p less than 0.05) in brachial vein plasma and increased uterine EMG activity (p less than 0.05) at this time. Indomethacin treatment lowered but did not eliminate mean levels of PGF2 alpha in the venous effluent from the largest preovulatory follicle at the first ovulation (36.0 +/- 9.9 ng/ml vs. 14.4 +/- 1.8 ng/ml). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Functional implications of multistage copper binding to the prion protein

The prion protein (PrP) is responsible for a group of neurodegenerative diseases called the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The normal function of PrP has not yet been discovered, but indirect evidence suggests a linkage to its ability to bind copper. In this article, low-copper-concentration bindings of Cu2+ to PrP are investigated by using a recently developed hybrid density functional theory (DFT)/DFT method. It is found that at the lowest copper concentrations, the binding site consists of 4 histidine residues coordinating the copper through ε imidazole nitrogens. At higher concentrations, 2 histidines are involved in the binding, one of them in the axial position. These results are in good agreement with existing experimental data. Comparison of free energies for all modes of coordination shows that when enough copper is available, the binding sites will spontaneously rearrange to accommodate more copper ions, despite the fact that binding energy per copper ion decreases with concentration. These findings support the hypothesis that PrP acts as a copper buffer in vivo, protecting other proteins from the attachment of copper ions. Using large-scale classical molecular dynamics, we also probe the structure of full-length copper-bound PrP, including its unfolded N-terminal domain. The results show that copper attachment leads to rearrangement of the structure of the Cu-bonded octarepeat region and to development of turns in areas separating copper-bound residues. These turns make the flexible N-terminal domain more rigid and thus more resistant to misfolding. The last result suggests that copper binding plays a beneficial role in the initial stages of prion diseases.
Savings Adequacy Assessment: The Case of Malaysian Employees Provident Fund Members

This study examines the potential consequences of early withdrawals from the Malaysian Employees Provident Fund in patterns of savings adequacy by studying the impact of house purchase on household lifecycle consumption. The authors develop an overlapping generations model of a small open economy where investment is available to capital, housing, and financial instruments. Housing is modelled as an asset subject of transaction costs. In equilibrium setting, the empirical estimation of exogenous system parameters sets the optimal levels of consumption and savings. The authors perform empirical analysis by taking into consideration four different scenarios: different employment periods (18-55 vs. 25-55), different retirement periods (55-65 vs. 55-75 vs. 55-85), housing vs. non-housing consumption, and theoretical vs actual contribution rates. Actuarial evaluation shows that low-income employees can have sufficient income to meet their retirement needs in the absence of housing consumption. Policy directions are also discussed.
A 365nW −61.5 dBm sensitivity, 1.875 cm2 2.4 GHz wake-up receiver with rectifier-antenna co-design for passive gain

A 2.4 GHz 365nW wake-up receiver (WuRX) with RF envelope detection using rectifier-antenna co-design for passive voltage gain and RF filtering is presented. The RF frequency-tunable WuRX uses a programmable 32-bit OOK wake-up signature, achieving sensitivity of −61.5dBm for 2.5 kb/s without any off-chip matching components between IC and antenna. RF filtering in the high-Q rectifier-antenna interface results in 10−3 BER even with interferer-to-carrier ratio of 19.1 dB for CW blocker at 3MHz offset. The 65-nm CMOS WuRX IC occupies 1.1mm2, while the WuRX (including antenna) occupies 1.875cm2.
Media Literacy and Critical Thinking: Is There a Connection?

This study investigated the relationship between media literacy and critical thinking skills. To date media literacy advocates have not developed a quantitative means of measuring media literacy. While numerous claims that media literacy and critical thinking are related, a review of the existing literature has not revealed any academic support for the assertion. As a result, a demographic survey and test to measure each skill set respectfully was administered to a sample of undergraduate college students. For this study, a new media literacy measure was developed. Statistical analysis of the test results did show a statistically significant correlation between the scores recorded on each measure (r(34) = 0.322, p < 0.05). The results did not provide support for statistically significant correlations between college students’ self-reported level of media literacy education or self-reported media consumption and their critical thinking scores. This study provides a starting point for the quantitative measurement of media literacy and makes an argument for the inclusion of media literacy education at institutions of higher education.
A review of the empirical evidence

Exceptions are an essential part of the copyright system. They aim to encourage innovation, serve the public interest or respond to market failures. While extensive theoretical and doctrinal research has examined the history, nature, justification, and judicial interpretation of exceptions, empirical evidence in this area of copyright law is limited. This article aims to synthesise the empirical studies on exceptions currently catalogued on the Copyright Evidence Portal. After a short introduction to the topic, the article reviews the debates and questions addressed by scholars investigating exceptions empirically. In doing so, it identifies five main areas of study: i) judicial interpretation; ii) evaluating policy options; iii) impact of exceptions; iv) public domain and incentives; and v) technology and compensation. Under each area of study, the article summarises the main findings of the catalogued studies with a view to generating a picture of existing evidence and research agendas. Finally, the article highlights recent legislative and policy developments that may suggest potential directions for future research.