Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PORTAL HYPERTENSION: IMAGING AND ENDOSCOPY Colonic mucosa in patients with portal hypertension

Background and Aims : To do a histomorphometric study of vascular changes in colonic mucosa of patients with portal hypertension (PHT) and to find their association with clinical and upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopic observations. Methods : Full length colonoscopy was carried out in 55 patients with portal hypertension and 25 controls. Hemorrhoids, anorectal varices and colopathy were carefully looked for and recorded. Two biopsies each were taken from the caecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and rectum. Sections from all the five sites were examined for histopathological changes with special reference to changes in mucosal capillaries. Morphometric assessment of the diameter of the capillary and thickness of the capillary wall was performed. These histomorphometric changes were correlated with clinical parameters and findings of upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopic findings. Results : Dilated and congested capillaries as well as capillaries with irregular thickening of the wall were seen in a significantly higher number of sections from patients than controls in biopsies from all the five sites from caecum to rectum. On morphometry, the diameter of the capillaries and the thickness of the capillary wall in biopsies from all the five sites in patients was significantly higher than that in the control group. Apart from vascular changes, edema and inflammatory infiltrate in lamina propria were the other significant histological features noted. No significant association between clinical and endoscopic features and histomorphometric assessment was found. Conclusion : Dilated tortuous mucosal capillaries with irregular thickening of wall, edema of lamina propria and mild chronic inflammatory infiltrate are the major histopathological changes seen in colonic biopsies of patients with PHT, showing that PHT produces changes in the colonic mucosa similar to those seen in the mucosa of upper GI tract. However, the histological changes had no correlation with the clinical or endoscopic findings except that the thickness of the capillary wall was higher in patients who had undergone endoscopic sclerotherapy as opposed to those who had not received sclerotherapy. © 2003 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
Exploring differences between Internet apparel purchasers, browsers, and non-purchasers

We investigated whether differences existed among Internet apparel purchasers, browsers, and non‐purchasers in terms of their attitudes about Internet shopping and retailers, willingness to provide credit card information, Internet use behavior, and demographic characteristics. Data were obtained from an Internet survey conducted by the Graphic, Visualization, and Usability (GVU) Center from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Internet apparel purchasers were significantly different both from the Internet apparel browsers and non‐purchasers, but browsers were not significantly different from non‐purchasers.
Estimation of long-range dependence

A set of observations from a random process which exhibit correlations that decay slower than an exponential rate is regarded as long-range dependent. This phenomenon has stimulated great interest in the scientific community as it appears in a wide range of areas of knowledge. For example, this property has been observed in data pertaining to electronics, econometrics, hydrology and biomedical signals.There exist several estimation methods for finding model parameters that help explain the set of observations exhibiting long-range dependence. Among these methods, maximum likelihood is attractive, given its desirable statistical properties such as asymptotic consistency and efficiency. However, its computational complexity makes the implementation of maximum likelihood prohibitive.This thesis presents a group of computationally efficient estimators based on the maximum likelihood framework. The thesis consists of two main parts. The first part is devoted to developing a computationally efficient alternative to the maximum likelihood estimate. This alternative is based on the circulant embedding concept and it is shown to maintain the desirable statistical properties of maximum likelihood.Interesting results are obtained by analysing the circulant embedding estimate. In particular, this thesis shows that the maximum likelihood based methods are ill-conditioned; the estimators? performance will deteriorate significantly when the set of observations is corrupted by errors. The second part of this thesis focuses on developing computationally efficient estimators with improved performance under the presence of errors in the observations.
Avian influenza in the UK: knowledge, risk perception and risk reduction strategies

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to put across the concerns about the potential health hazards to consumers of products following various food scandals (i.e. BSE and the foot and mouth epidemics) have resurfaced again in the poultry market with avian influenza. Changes in patterns of consumption inevitably follow such incidences and the behaviours adopted very often follow risk assessment of the situation. The paper aims to examine and explain the drivers of changes of consumption in a unique segment of the market.Design/methodology/approach – Students were chosen in accordance with previous studies of this type as they represent a homogeneous group, well informed and significant in numbers. The work of Slovic was used to construct a questionnaire to assess consumer risk and this was then extended to the area of consumption change according to the strategies identified by Roselius.Findings – Through a correlation of risk based variables with changes in behaviour, a consumption change model is develop.
Continuous Business Case Usage in the Context of a Strategic IT Enabled Investment at Rabobank

It has been argued that optimal value creation from IT enabled investments requires a business case that is used throughout the entire investment lifecycle, as opposed to an approach that terminates when the investment is formally approved. This approach requires a rational transformation in the perspective on business cases in which they need to become a living document that is frequently updated and matures along the investment. This study presents the business case process for a strategic IT enabled investment at Rabobank. The case site was specifically selected for being a high-performer in the area of continuous business case usage. This case study shows how a high-performer operating in an IT intensive industry makes use of a continuous business case approach during a strategic IT enabled investment and the benefits they perceive from it.
Quantitative Assessment of Combination Antimicrobial Therapy against Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

ABSTRACT Treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections poses a therapeutic challenge to clinicians; combination therapy is often the only viable option for multidrug-resistant infections. A quantitative method was developed to assess the combined killing abilities of antimicrobial agents. Time-kill studies (TKS) were performed using a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate of Acinetobacter baumannii with escalating concentrations of cefepime (0 to 512 mg/liter), amikacin (0 to 256 mg/liter), and levofloxacin (0 to 64 mg/liter). The bacterial burden data in single and combined (two of the three agents with clinically achievable concentrations in serum) TKS at 24 h were mathematically modeled to provide an objective basis for comparing various antimicrobial agent combinations. Synergy and antagonism were defined as interaction indices of <1 and >1, respectively. A hollow-fiber infection model (HFIM) simulating various clinical (fluctuating concentrations over time) dosing exposures was used to selectively validate our quantitative assessment of the combined killing effect. Model fits in all single-agent TKS were satisfactory (r2 > 0.97). An enhanced combined overall killing effect was seen in the cefepime-amikacin combination (interactive index, 0.698; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.675 to 0.722) and the cefepime-levofloxacin combination (interactive index, 0.929; 95% CI, 0.903 to 0.956), but no significant difference in the combined overall killing effect for the levofloxacin-amikacin combination was observed (interactive index, 0.994; 95% CI, 0.982 to 1.005). These assessments were consistent with observations in HFIM validation studies. Our method could be used to objectively rank the combined killing activities of two antimicrobial agents when used together against a multidrug-resistant A. baumannii isolate. It may offer better insights into the effectiveness of various antimicrobial combinations and warrants further investigations.
Financial advice and asset allocation

We explore differences in portfolio composition between investors who receive financial advice and those who do not. Using proprietary data from a national investment savings scheme that contains information of 405,107 individual retirement accounts, we find that financial advice is transformative. People who receive advice hold their assets differently compared to people who do not. We report five key findings. (1) Older, wealthier and female investors are more likely to receive financial advice. (2) Advised investors hold more equity assets. (3) Demographic characteristics affect asset allocation. (4) Advisers tend to recommend asset allocations in line with life-cycle based theories. (5) Investors who received advice tend to earn higher returns in years when equity markets perform well.
Financial Distress as a Collapse of Incentives

This paper explains why companies close to bankruptcy tend to lose their best workers and why the employees who remain lack proper motivation. This collapse of incentives within an organization arises because of a negative interaction between the system of incentives and the capital structure chosen by top management to avoid disciplinary takeovers. Furthermore, the same devices management creates ex ante to entrench itself also make it extremely difficult to renegotiate away the inefficiency ex post. This new approach identifies an additional source of financial distress and also provides a rationale for a mandatory bankruptcy law.
Implications of Recent Research for Program Quality in Cocaine Dependence Treatment

Great strides have been made in recent years regarding the development and evaluation of treatments for cocaine dependence. In particular, several behavioral strategies have been developed with demonstrated effectiveness for diverse populations of cocaine- dependent individuals. These include contingency management, cognitive behavioral treatments, and manualized individual disease model approaches. In addition, large-scale client surveys have identified several correlates of good outcome in the treatment of cocaine dependence, including retention in treatment, increasing compliance, providing services and treatments that address the patient's comorbid psychosocial problems, and encouraging involvement in self-help groups. Finally, greater adoption by treatment providers of strategies commonly used in treatment efficacy research might also contribute to improved treatment quality.
Gynecomastia: physiopathology, evaluation and treatment

ABSTRACT Gynecomastia (GM) is characterized by enlargement of the male breast, caused by glandular proliferation and fat deposition. GM is common and occurs in adolescents, adults and in old age. The aim of this review is to discuss the pathophysiology, etiology, evaluation and therapy of GM. A hormonal imbalance between estrogens and androgens is the key hallmark of GM generation. The etiology of GM is attributable to physiological factors, endocrine tumors or dysfunctions, non-endocrine diseases, drug use or idiopathic causes. Clinical evaluation must address diagnostic confirmation, search for an etiological factor and classify GM into severity grades to guide the treatment. A proposal for tailored therapy is presented. Weight loss, reassurance, pharmacotherapy with tamoxifen and surgical correction are the therapeutic options. For long-standing GM, the best results are generally achieved through surgery, combining liposuction and mammary adenectomy.
The moderating effect of women's alcohol misuse on the relationship between intimate partner violence victimization and postpartum depression.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES We examined the moderating effect of women's alcohol misuse on the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and postpartum depression. METHODS Self-report data were collected from 122 women. Analyses controlled for women's baseline depression severity and partner alcohol misuse. RESULTS Women's alcohol misuse moderated the relationship between psychological IPV victimization and postpartum depression only at high levels of the moderator. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight the mental health risk posed by the combination of psychological IPV and alcohol misuse postpartum. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Findings emphasize the need to investigate the understudied topic of women's postpartum alcohol misuse.
Organizing for Radical Product Innovation: The Overlooked Role of Willingness to Cannibalize

Why are some firms more successful at introducing radical product innovations than others? Following Schumpeter (1942), many researchers have suggested that firm size is the key organizational predictor of radical product innovation. The authors provide an alternate view and argue that one key variable that differentiates firms with strong radical product innovation records from others is the firms’ willingness to cannibalize their own investments. The authors identify three organizational factors that drive a firm's willingness to cannibalize. Results from a survey of three high-tech industries tend to support the alternate view that willingness to cannibalize is a more powerful driver of radical product innovation than firm size is. These results suggest a need to reconsider conventional wisdom on firm size, cannibalization, and organizational synergy.
Signals determining protein tyrosine kinase and glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored protein targeting to a glycolipid-enriched membrane fraction

Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored membrane proteins and certain protein tyrosine kinases associate with a Triton X-100-insoluble, glycolipid-enriched membrane fraction in MDCK cells. Also, certain protein tyrosine kinases have been shown to associate with GPI-anchored proteins in other cell types. To characterize the interaction between GPI-anchored proteins and protein tyrosine kinases, GPI-anchored proteins were coexpressed with p56lck in HeLa cells. Both proteins were shown to target independently to the glycolipid-enriched membranes. Coimmunoprecipitation of GPI-anchored proteins and p56lck occurred only when both proteins were located in the glycolipid-enriched membranes, and gentle disruption of these membranes abolished the interaction. The GPI anchor was found to be the targeting signal for this membrane fraction in GPI-anchored proteins. Analysis of mutants indicated that p56lck was nearly quantitatively palmitoylated at Cys-5 but not palmitoylated at Cys-3. The nonpalmitoylated cysteine at position 3 was very important for association of p56lck with the membrane fraction, while palmitoylation at Cys-5 promoted only a low level of interaction. Because other src family protein tyrosine kinases that are associated with GPI-anchored proteins always contain a Cys-3, we propose that this residue, in addition to the N-terminal myristate, is part of a common signal targeting these proteins to a membrane domain that has been linked to transmembrane signaling.
Assessing E-Procurement Knowledge of Procurement Staffs of AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Limited

This paper aim at assessing e-procurement knowledge of procurement staffs of AngloGold Ashanti, Ghana. The key issues examined in this paper are understanding and perception of e-procurement, benefits and challenges of incorporating e-procurement. Purposive sampling was adopted in selecting the company and the procurement department for the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data and information from the respondents. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that e-procurement is yet to be accepted fully as a replacement to the manual system; staff knowledge on the e-procurement is not satisfactory; benefits and challenges of e-procurement were highlighted. It is recommended that AngloGold must make it mandatory for all its strategic partners to be e-procurement ready to be selected as suppliers for both parties to reap the full benefits of e-procurement adoption and training of staffs on e-procurement software systems.
Insulin-like growth factor (IGF), IGF binding protein (IGFBP), and IGF receptor gene expression and IGFBP synthesis in human uterine leiomyomata.

Oestradiol is important in the growth of uterine leiomyomata and may act primarily or secondarily through mediators such as growth factors, including the insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II), mitogenic peptides. IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) modulate IGF actions at their target cells. The objective of this study was to examine the possible steroid dependence of IGF, IGFBP and IGF receptor gene expression and IGFBP synthesis in uterine leiomyomata, using tissues from women cycling normally and made hypo-oestrogenic by a gonadtrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa). Using a solution hybridization ribonuclease protection assay, anti-sense RNA probes for IGF-I, IGF-II and beta-actin (control) were hybridized with total RNA isolated from leiomyomata exposed in vivo to a range of serum oestradiol (< 40-240 pg/ml) and progesterone (0-10 ng/ml) concentrations. IGF-I gene expression was most abundant in leiomyomata obtained during the late proliferative phase of the cycle and was undetectable in leiomyomata from hypo-oestrogenic patients. IGF-II gene expression was not dependent on endogenous steroid concentrations or cycle stage. IGFBP gene expression was investigated by Northern blotting. The order of relative abundance of IGFBP mRNAs was IGFBP-4 >>> IGFBP-3 >> IGFBP-5 > IGFBP-2 and was not dependent on the in-vivo oestrogen status. Type I and type II IGF receptor gene expression was investigated by polymerase chain reaction using gene-specific primers. Type I and type II IGF receptor mRNAs were detected in leiomyomata and were not dependent on cycle stage or in-vivo oestrogen status. Explant cultures of leiomyomata and myometrium synthesized IGFBP-3 (mol. wt = 38-43 kDa), IGFBP-4, and binding proteins of mol. wt = 34 and 31 kDa. Identification of IGFBP-2 was inconclusive, and IGFBP-1 was not detected. These data support the hypothesis that IGF-I, but not IGF-II, may be a mediator of oestradiol action in the growth of uterine leiomyomata, and that IGFBPs may further modulate, by an autocrine or paracrine mechanism, IGF-I action in this tissue.
Importance Of Integrated Marketing Communication Components Regarding Brand Promotion And Their Effects On Company Performance: An Empirical Research

Competition intensifying with the rapidly changing environment necessitates the companies to be more effective in their performance and makes it inevitable for them to support the effectiveness of the performance with integrated marketing communication components. This study examines the relationship between integrated marketing communication components and company performance. More specifically, the objective of the research is to empirically test the integrated marketing communication and its applications in the Turkish Beverage Sector and to evaluate the brand equity and company performance. A two­phase research is designed to examine the relationship between integrated marketing communications and applied to beverage sector. At the first phase, an exploratory research is carried out for the concept and the basic characteristics oriented towards the concept to be understood better. Whereas at the second phase, the scale and the hypothesis developed by Reid (2002) are tested. Data is collected with face­to­face interview method by using questionnaire form. It is determined from the results of multi­regression analysis that the integrated marketing communication components have a positive effect on the company performance and brand equity.According to the results of this study, Companies in creating brand value and ensuring efficiency in terms of company performance, managers of the company is a leading property. This aspect will contribute to future research.
Barriers to Entry into the Specialty Red Meat Sector: The Role of Food Safety Regulation

Historically, the rules governing red meat food safety in the U.S. were driven as much by global trade and industry rationalization as by food safety. Contemporary and historical documents, statutes, and regulations; a survey of producer and farmers' market representatives; and key informant interviews show that these rules, and their implementation, have affected the current development of niche marketing opportunities. Three significant issues arise from this research: a) the elimination of the state meat inspections limits producer access to slaughter; b) the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) rule limits producer access to processing; and c) uncertainty at the local level limits producer access to direct markets. We conclude that the accumulated rules affect producers' quality of life; and they raise several issues about the relationship between sustainability and policy including barrier mitigation, balancing competing qualities, and the effects of the broader policy context.