Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COVERT POLITICAL CONFLICT IN ORGANIZATIONS: Challenges from Below

▪ Abstract This review considers a class of political activity that has largely been ignored by researchers extending social movement theory into organizations: covert political conflict. Although much of the literature we discuss focuses on contemporary corporations where the bulk of research on covert conflict has occurred, we also explore studies of covert conflict in a range of historical and organizational contexts that fall outside the contemporary work world. As we define it, covert political conflict encompasses four interrelated elements: contestation of institutionalized power and authority, perceptions of collective injury, social occlusion, and officially forbidden forms of dissent. Beyond these elements, covert conflict varies in its material and symbolic forms, collective dimensions, social visibility, and outcomes. We also examine explanatory approaches for covert conflict at the micro, organizational, field, and macro levels of analysis. Finally, we suggest a number of areas for future res.
Fold-Change Estimation of Differentially Expressed Genes using Mixture Mixed-Model

Microarray experiments produce expression measurements for thousands of genes simultaneously, though usually for a small number of RNA samples. The most common problem is the identification of genes that are differentially expressed between different groups of samples or biological conditions. As the number of genes far exceeds the number of RNA samples, the inherent multiplicity poses a severe problem in both hypothesis testing and effect estimation. While much of the recent literature is focused on the hypothesis aspects, we concentrate in this paper on effect estimation as a tool for the identification of differentially expressed genes. We propose a linear mixed model where the random effects are assumed to follow a mixture distribution, and study in detail the case of three normals, corresponding to genes that are down-, up- or non regulated. Our approach leads to a new type of non-linear shrinkage estimation, where a proportion of estimates is shrunk to zero, while the rest follows standard linear shrinkage. This allows us to estimate the log fold-change of the genes involved and to identify those that are differentially expressed within the same model framework. We investigate the operating characteristics of our method using simulation and spike-in studies, and illustrate its application to real data using a breast-cancer dataset.
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty under local anesthesia: review of 91 patients.

AIM Vertebroplasty (VP) and kyphoplasty (KP) are minimally invasive methods for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures (VCF). In this study, we aimed to present our experience with VP and KP performed under local anesthesia and percutaneously. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between 2002 and 2008, 91 patients (total 112 vertebrae) with VCF due to osteoporosis, tumor and trauma underwent VP or KP. After radiological and routine evaluations, all patients were operated under local anesthesia. Mean operation time was 20 minutes per vertebrae. We never stopped the operation because of intolerance of any patient and all of them were discharged on the day of operation or the next day except one. RESULTS All patients had severe back pain. Mean preoperative Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score for pain was 8.3 and the mean postoperative value was 2.7. Mean anterior wall and mid-vertebral body heights increased by 32% and 43%, respectively. The mean kyphotic angle decreased from 15.4 to 11.2. Cement leakage was observed in 4 patients and one of them underwent an open operation (decompression and stabilization) because of cement leakage to the epidural space. There was no other complication. CONCLUSION Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are safe, effective and minimally invasive procedures. Elderly patients can thefore avoid the potential complications of general surgery and be mobilized and discharged early.
Comments on: "Role of individual ionic current systems in ventricular cells hypothesized by a model study" by Matsuoka S, Sarai N, Kuratomi S, Ono K, and Noma A. Jpn J Physiol 53: 105-123, 2003.

In a recent article in the Jpn J Physiol Matsuoka et al. [1] present in their discussion section a comparison of their cardiac action potential model and the Luo-Rudy dynamic (LRd) model [2]. Figure 10 in their paper compares the action potential (AP), calcium transient (CaT) and selected ionic currents during the AP. Several results of their LRd simulations are conducted using parameters/protocols that influence the comparison and are not provided in their paper. We repeated all simulations presented in their paper and provide relevant results and discussion in this Letter to the Editor.
Definitive management of gallstone pancreatitis in England

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to investigate whether definitive treatment of gallstone pancreatitis (GSP) by either cholecystectomy or endoscopic sphincterotomy in England conforms with British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines and to validate these guidelines. METHODS Hospital Episode Statistics data were used to identify patients admitted for the first time with GSP between April 2007 and April 2008. These patients were followed until April 2009 to identify any who underwent definitive treatment or were readmitted with a further bout of GSP as an emergency. RESULTS A total of 5,454 patients were admitted with GSP between April 2007 and April 2008, of whom 1,866 (34.2%) underwent definitive treatment according to BSG guidelines, 1,471 on the index admission. Patients who underwent a cholecystectomy during the index admission were less likely to be readmitted with a further bout of GSP (1.7%) than those who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy alone (5.3%) or those who did not undergo any form of definitive treatment (13.2%). Of those patients who did not undergo definitive treatment before discharge, 2,239 received definitive treatment following discharge but only 395 (17.6%) of these had this within 2 weeks. Of the 505 patients who did not undergo definitive treatment on the index admission and who were readmitted as an emergency with GSP, 154 (30.5%) were admitted during the 2 weeks immediately following discharge. CONCLUSIONS Following an attack of mild GSP, cholecystectomy should be offered to all patients prior to discharge. If patients are not fit for surgery, an endoscopic sphincterotomy should be performed as definitive treatment.
Optimizing Click-Through in Online Rankings with Endogenous Search Refinement

While considering differentiated products for purchasing decisions, it is costly for consumers to obtain the necessary information to weigh the various alternatives. The vast amount of information available online has revolutionized the way firms present consumers with product options. Presenting the best alternatives reduces search costs associated with a consumer finding the right product. Heterogeneity in consumers' preference for products with multiple attributes makes it challenging to present a relevant ranking, especially when important characteristics, such as price, differ between the formation of the underlying ranking and the consumer's search process. We use novel data on consumer click-stream behavior from a major web-based hotel comparison platform to estimate a random coefficient discrete choice model. We are then able to infer consumer preferences regarding a set of product attributes and propose an optimal ranking tailored to anonymous consumers with different price sensitivity. We are able to customize rankings by relating price sensitivity to their request parameters, such as the length of stay, number of guests, and day of the week of the stay. In contrast to a myopic popularity-based ranking, our model accounts for the rapidly changing prices that characterize the hotel industry, consumers' expected search strategies including result sorting and filtering, and consumer heterogeneity. The platform must determine which hotel ordering maximizes consumers' click-through rates (CTR) based on the information available to the platform at that time, its assessment of consumers' preferences, and the expected consumer type based on request parameters. We find that consumers' CTRs more than double when consumers are provided consumers with customized rankings that refl ect the price/quality trade-off inferred from the consumer's request parameters. We show that the optimal ranking results in consumers' welfare 173 percent greater on average than in the original ranking.
Clazosentan (AXV-034343), a selective endothelin A receptor antagonist, in the prevention of cerebral vasospasm following severe aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase IIa study.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to investigate the safety and tolerability of the novel endothelin A (ETA) receptor antagonist clazosentan in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and its potential to reduce the incidence and severity of cerebral vasospasm following surgical clipping of the aneurysm. METHODS This Phase IIa multicenter study had two parts: a double-blind, randomized Part A (some patients given clazosentan [0.2 mg/kg/hr] and others given placebo), in which statistical inference was performed, and an open-label Part B (patients with established vasospasm given clazosentan [0.4 mg/kg/hr for 12 hours followed by 0.2 mg/kg/hr]) for exploratory purposes only. Primary end points were the incidence and severity of angiographic vasospasm on Day 8 after SAH and the safety and tolerability of the drug. Thirty-four patients (Hunt and Hess Grades III and IV and Fisher Grade > or = 3) were recruited and 32 (15 in the clazosentan group and 17 in the placebo group) were retained in the intent-to-treat population; 19 patients entered Part B. In Part A, treatment with clazosentan resulted in a reduced incidence of angiographically evident cerebral vasospasm (40% compared with 88% of patients, p = 0.008). In addition, the severity of vasospasm was reduced in the clazosentan group (p = 0.012). In Part B of the study, in 50% of assessable patients who were initially treated with placebo reversal of vasospasm was observed following the initiation of clazosentan therapy. The incidence of new infarctions was 15% in the clazosentan group and 44% in the placebo group (p = 0.130). There was no adverse event pattern indicating a specific organ toxicity of clazosentan. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that clazosentan reduces the frequency and severity of cerebral vasospasm following severe aneurysmal SAH with the incidence and severity of adverse events comparable to that of placebo.
Gender differences in socioeconomic inequality of alcohol-attributable mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS The present analysis contributes to understanding the societal distribution of alcohol-attributable harm by investigating socioeconomic inequality and related gender differences in alcohol-attributable mortality. DESIGN AND METHODS A systematic literature search was performed on Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and ETOH from their inception until February 2013. Articles were included when they reported data on alcohol-attributable mortality by socioeconomic status (SES), operationalised as education, occupation, employment status or income. Gender-specific relative risks (RR) comparing low with high SES were pooled using random effects meta-analyses. Gender differences were additionally investigated in random effects meta-regressions. RESULTS Nineteen articles from 14 countries were included. For women, significant RRs across all measures of SES, except employment status, were found, ranging between 1.75 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-2.54; occupation] and 4.78 (95% CI 2.57-8.87; income). For men, all measures of SES showed significant RRs ranging between 2.88 (95% CI 2.45-3.40; income) and 12.25 (95% CI 11.45-13.10; employment status). While RRs for men were in general slightly higher, only for occupation this gender difference was above chance (P = 0.01). Results refer to deaths 100% attributable to alcohol. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The results are predominantly based on data from high-income countries, limiting generalisability. Alcohol-attributable mortality is strongly distributed to the disadvantage of persons with a low SES. Marked gender differences in this inequality were found for occupation. Possibly male-dominated occupations of low SES were more strongly related to risky drinking cultures compared with female-dominated occupations of the same SES.
Critical periods in speech perception: new directions.

A continuing debate in language acquisition research is whether there are critical periods (CPs) in development during which the system is most responsive to environmental input. Recent advances in neurobiology provide a mechanistic explanation of CPs, with the balance between excitatory and inhibitory processes establishing the onset and molecular brakes establishing the offset of windows of plasticity. In this article, we review the literature on human speech perception development within the context of this CP model, highlighting research that reveals the interplay of maturational and experiential influences at key junctures in development and presenting paradigmatic examples testing CP models in human subjects. We conclude with a discussion of how a mechanistic understanding of CP processes changes the nature of the debate: The question no longer is, "Are there CPs? " but rather what processes open them, keep them open, close them, and allow them to be reopened.
SYNCHRONIZATION TO LIGHT AND RESTRICTED-FEEDING SCHEDULES OF BEHAVIORAL AND HUMORAL DAILY RHYTHMS IN GILTHEAD SEA BREAM (SPARUS AURATA)

Food is not continuously available in the wild, and so most animals show a wide variety of circadian rhythms that can be entrained to feeding time. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of time-restricted feeding on the daily rhythms of gilthead sea bream, with food being provided during the day or night under a 12:12 h light-dark (LD) cycle or constant light (LL) conditions. Self-feeding and locomotor activity, as well as daily rhythms of cortisol, glucose, and melatonin, were evaluated. Fish synchronized their feeding behavior to the feeding phase, so that in LD they displayed 78% nocturnal feeding activity under night-feeding and 81% diurnal feeding activity under day-feeding, while under LL-feeding they displayed 72% of their daily activity during the 12 h feeding phase. In contrast, locomotor activity was mostly diurnal (66–71%), regardless of the feeding schedule, and it became arrhythmic under LL. Cortisol showed daily rhythms that peaked at different times, depending on the light and feeding schedule: one peak several hours before feeding under day-feeding and night-feeding, and two peaks under LL-feeding. Glucose displayed low-amplitude variations, with no daily rhythms being detected. Melatonin, however, showed a nocturnal rhythm, regardless of the feeding schedule, while the rhythm became attenuated under LL. Taken together, these results highlight the role of feeding on endocrine and metabolic rhythms, suggesting that feeding behavior should be considered when studying these variables. (Author correspondence: jflopez@um.es)
Linkage between STAT Regulation and Epstein-Barr Virus Gene Expression in Tumors

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latency gene expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines is regulated by EBNA2. However, the factors regulating viral expression in EBV-associated tumors that do not express EBNA2 are poorly understood. In EBV-associated tumors, EBNA1 and frequently LMP1 are synthesized. We found that an alternative latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) promoter, L1-TR, located within the terminal repeats is active in both nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Hodgkin's disease tissues. Examination of the L1-TR and the standard ED-L1 LMP1 promoters in electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that both promoters contain functional STAT binding sites. Further, both LMP1 promoters responded in reporter assays to activation of JAK-STAT signaling. Cotransfection of JAK1 or v-Src or treatment of cells with the cytokine interleukin-6 upregulated expression from ED-L1 and L1-TR reporter plasmids. Cotransfection of a dominant negative STAT3β revealed that STAT3 is likely to be the biologically relevant STAT for EBNA1 Qp and LMP1 L1-TR promoter regulation. In contrast, LMP1 expression from ED-L1 was not abrogated by STAT3β, indicating that the two LMP1 promoters are regulated by different STAT family members. Taken together with the previous demonstration of JAK-STAT activation of Qp driven EBNA1 expression, this places two of the EBV genes most commonly expressed in tumors under the control of the same signal transduction pathway. Immunohistochemical analyses of nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumors revealed that STAT3, STAT5, and STAT1 are constitutively activated in these tumors while STAT3 is constitutively activated in the malignant cells of Hodgkin's disease. We hypothesize that chronic or aberrant STAT activation may be both a necessary and predisposing event for EBV-driven tumorigenesis in immunocompetent individuals.
Microsurgical Management of Residual and Recurrent Aneurysms After Coiling and Clipping: An Experience With 97 Patients.

R esidual and recurrent aneurysms are difficult quandaries for patients and clinicians because curative occlusion is not achieved and a decision about retreatment must be made, weighing the risks of rupture from a partially treated aneurysm against the risks of further intervention, which can be exponentially more challenging than an untreated aneurysm. In a review of incompletely coiled and recurrent aneurysms managed microsurgically during a 10year period from 1997 to 2007, we observed a spike in the annual number of treated patients from an average of 3 patients per year to 11 patients in the last year of the study. We were concerned that this sharp increase in the incidence of residual and recurrent aneurysms requiring surgery might portend a dangerous problem in the durability of endovascular repair, particularly when more than half of recurrent aneurysms had coils extruded from the aneurysm into the subarachnoid space. Since this review, endovascular case volume has grown steadily as results from the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT) were replicated in similar randomized trials like the Barrow Ruptured Aneurysm Trial (BRAT). In addition, market forces and patient preferences for minimally invasive therapies have reinforced this shift in clinical practice away from open craniotomy. Increasing endovascular case volume will magnify the problem of aneurysm recurrence and retreatment after initial coiling unless advances in endovascular technology and technique such as stent-assisted or balloonassisted coiling and flow diverters address this issue. Therefore, we conducted an update of our experience with incompletely coiled and recurrent aneurysms managed microsurgically to measure the magnitude of this problem. In addition, we examined a concurrent experience with incompletely clipped and recurrent aneurysms after clipping also managed microsurgically. This review was intended to better define the indications for surgery, to help select the best first treatment modality, and to elaborate on microsurgical techniques for these challenging aneurysms.
[Relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and work-related awkward postures among a group of health care workers in a hospital].

BACKGROUND There are few studies in the Italian literature on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among health care workers (HCW) keeping and holding awkward postures during their job. OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of low-back, neck and upper limb complaints and the association between risk factors and MSD in HCW working in 15 wards of the Hospital of Cuneo. METHODS A questionnaire was submitted to 113 HCW. Information about demographic and occupational factors, and MSD characteristics were collected to be statistically elaborated. RESULTS The prevalence of complaints regarding at least one of the 3 body regions was 71% in the whole sample (80 subjects). Low back, neck and upper limb were interested, respectively, in 58.4%, 50.4% and 25.7% of the cases. Logistic regression showed a significant association of MSD with score > 7 on the Borg scale (OR = 9.70; CI: 2.01-46.9; p < 0.01), positive musculoskeletal clinical history (OR = 3.67; CI: 1.24-10.88; p < 0.05), and visual defects (OR = 2.88; CI: 1.07-7.81; p < 0.05). Based on the answers from the questionnaire, the onset of MSD was attributed in 41 cases to organizational problems, and in 14 cases to the ergonomic characteristics of the job. CONCLUSIONS The index of prevalence of MSD associated to work-related awkward postures (71%) is very high, greater than that observed among HCW exposed to manual lifting of weights (21%) in the hospital. Thereafter, assessment of exposure and containment of such occupational risk must be considered useful.
Lactation and post-partum amenorrhoea: a study based on data from three Norwegian cities 1860–1964

Summary Medical records from maternity clinics in three Norwegian cities, Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, have been used to study the relationship between lactation and post-partum amenorrhoea during the period 1860–1964. Resumption of menses after a period of post-partum amenorrhoea has been examined separately during lactation, after cessation of lactation, and in the absence of lactation, in 5250 cases. During ongoing lactation the median duration of post-partum amenorrhoea was found by survival analysis to be 12 months for women who had given birth before 1900 and 6 months for women who had given birth after 1900. In a Cox regression analysis, age of menarche and parity were found to influence the duration of post-partum amenorrhoea, in addition to the child's birth year. With a later age of menarche there was longer amenorrhoea, and primiparae resumed menses earlier than multiparae. After cessation of breast-feeding the median duration of amenorrhoea was 1 month, the only variable significantly influencing it being the age of menarche, a younger age showing a shorter duration. In the absence of lactation the survivor function started to decline after 3–4 weeks, and had a half-life of 2 months. None of the variables indicating the woman's social condition seemed to influence the duration of amenorrhoea. The decline in the duration of post-partum amenorrhoea during ongoing lactation from 1860 until today is therefore probably caused by a changed breast-feeding pattern rather than by improved nutrition for women giving birth.