Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IMA and IMAR in serum and saliva of preeclampsia – a preliminary study

Introduction: Oxidative stress could play a role in the development of preeclampsia. Ischemia modified albumin (IMA) is a oxidatively modified form of albumin. Objective: To evaluate the levels of salivary and serum IMA and IMA: albumin ratio (IMAR) in preeclampsia and with its severity and investigate their correlation with the fetal birth weight. Methods: This case control study was conducted on 50 preeclamptic (32 mild and 18 severe cases) and 50 normal pregnant controls. Blood and saliva were obtained to measure albumin, IMA and IMAR was calculated. Results: serum and salivary IMA and IMAR were significantly increased in preeclampsia. Although the increase in serum was in accordance with the severity, it was not so in the saliva. Yet, salivary IMAR showed significant difference between controls and mild preeclampsia. There was a negative correlation between IMA and albumin in both serum and saliva. A weak negative correlation was seen between the serum IMAR and fetal birth weight (r = −0.293; p < 0.05), but not with salivary IMAR. Conclusion: This study is an evidence for involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, which is reflected in serum and saliva. Salivary IMAR could be a better marker for early prediction of preeclampsia.
Labor as a Quasi-Fixed Factor

T HE cyclical behavior of labor markets reveals a number of puzzling features for which there are no truly satisfying explanations. Included among these are (1) occupational differences in the stability of employment and earnings, (2) the uneven incidence of unemployment, (3) the persistence of differential labor turnover rates, and (4) discriminatory hiring and firing policies. I believe that the major impediment to rational explanations for these phenomena lies in the classical treatment of labor as a purely variable factor. In this paper I propose a short-run theory of employment which rests on the premise that labor is a quasi-fixed factor. The fixed employment costs arise from investments by firms in hiring and training activities. The theory of labor as a quasi-fixed factor is developed in Part I. In Part II, the implications of this theory are subjected to various empirical tests. Finally, Part III turns to an examination of alternative theories and an extension of my theory to a theory of occupational wage differentials. The concept of labor as a quasi-fixed factor is, in my opinion, the relevant one for a short-run theory of employment. Its implications are amenable to empirical verification and are, in the main,
Localizational Alterations of Calcium, Phosphorus, and Calcification‐Related Organics Such as Proteoglycans and Alkaline Phosphatase During Bone Calcification

To further approach the mechanisms of bone calcification, embryonic rat calvariae were observed at electron microscopic level by the means of fine structures and various cytochemical localizations, including nonspecific proteoglycan (PG) stained by cuprolinic blue (CB), decorin, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronan, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), as well as the elemental mapping of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) by energy‐filtering transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM). In the calvariae, calcification advanced as the distance from osteoblasts increased. Closer to the osteoblasts, the osteoid was marked by an abundance of CB‐positive PGs around collagen fibrils. After crystallization within matrix vesicles, calcified nodules formed and expanded, creating a coherent calcified matrix. The sizes of CB‐positive PG‐like structures diminished as calcification proceeded. Although small CB‐positive structures were accumulated in early stage‐calcified nodules, they were localized along the periphery of larger calcified nodules. Cytochemical tests for decorin, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronan determined their presence in the areas around collagen fibrils of the osteoid, as well as in and around calcified nodules, whereas ALP was found in the matrix vesicles, as well as in and around the calcified nodules. Ca tended to localize at the PG sites, while P often mapped to the collagen fibril structures, in the uncalcified matrix. In contrast, Ca/P colocalization was visible in and around the calcified nodules, where ALP and smaller CB‐positive structures were observed. The difference in the localization patterns of Ca and P in uncalcified areas may limit the local [Ca2+][PO43−] product, leading to the general inhibition of hydroxyapatite crystallization. The downsizing of CB‐positive structures suggested enzymatic fragmentation of PGs. Such structural alterations would contribute to the preservation and transport of calcium. ALP possesses the ability to boost local phosphate anion concentration. Therefore, structurally altered PGs and ALP may cooperate in Ca/P colocalization, thus promoting bone calcification.
Adherence to tobramycin inhaled powder vs inhaled solution in patients with cystic fibrosis: analysis of US insurance claims data

Purpose Tobramycin inhalation powder (TIP), the first dry-powder inhaled antibiotic for pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, is associated with reduced treatment burden, increased patient satisfaction, and higher self-reported adherence for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. We compared adherence in CF patients newly treated with TIP with those newly treated with the traditional tobramycin inhalation solution (TIS), using US insurance claims data. Patients and methods From the Truven MarketScan® database, we identified CF patients chronically infected with P. aeruginosa who had been prescribed TIP between May 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014, or TIS between September 1, 2010 to April 30, 2012 with at least 12 months of continuous medical and pharmacy benefits prior to and following prescription. TIP and TIS adherence levels were assessed. Results A total of 145 eligible patients were identified for the TIP cohort and 306 for the TIS cohort. Significant differences in age distribution (25.0 vs 21.9 years for TIP vs TIS, respectively, P=0.017), type of health plan (P=0.014), employment status (72.4% vs 63.4% of TIP vs TIS patients in full-time employment, P=0.008), and some comorbidities were observed between the two cohorts. Although a univariate analysis found no significant differences between TIP and TIS (odds ratio [OR] 1.411, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.949–2.098), TIP was moderately associated with higher adherence levels compared with TIS in a multivariable analysis, once various demographic and clinical characteristics were adjusted for. These included geographic location (OR: 1.566, CI: 1.016–2.413) and certain comorbidities. Conclusion This study of US patient data supports previous findings that TIP is associated with better adherence compared with TIS; however, further studies will be required to fully elucidate differences in adherence between TIP and TIS.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of benidipine using a slow receptor‐binding model

Purpose: This study examined the relationship between the plasma concentration of benidipine, a long‐lasting antihypertensive agent with Ca2+‐channel‐blocking properties, and its cardiovascular effects (reduction in blood pressure and increase in heart rate) in order to assess the usefulness of pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK‐PD) modelling in describing this relationship.
Audit Committees, Boards, and the Quality of Reported Earnings*

I use data on 252 U.S. firms between 1994 and 2000 to study the relationship between audit committees and boards of directors with financial reporting quality. I initially document several changes in committee and board profile during the sample period. Results from logistic regressions suggest that measures of audit committee and board structure are related to earnings quality in a manner that is generally consistent with the predictions of agency theory. This study contributes to extant knowledge by employing different earnings quality measures from prior studies, and by expanding the range of audit committee attributes deemed important in determining audit committee performance.
Integration of standardized management systems: Searching for a recipe and ingredients

The ever-increasing demand for the development and implementation of effective Management Systems (MS) in the areas of quality, environmental, safety and corporate social responsibility has resulted in the proliferation of generic standards that attempt to describe such systems. Examples of Management System Standards (MSS) include ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and SA 8000. Since the similarities among these MSS, particularly with respect to their structure and underlying concepts, are overwhelming and undeniable, integration of standardized MS stands to reason in most organizations. However, the road to develop a fully Integrated Management System (IMS) is full of roadblocks. This paper discusses the issue of methodology for the integration of internal, function-specific and standardized management systems. Specifically, the "ingredients' (which elements to integrate) and the "recipe' (how to integrate them), are addressed in detail.
The Disability Employment Puzzle: A Field Experiment on Employer Hiring Behavior

The authors investigate potential discrimination against people with disabilities through a field experiment that sent job applications to 6,016 accounting positions for which the applicants’ disabilities are unlikely to affect productivity. One-third of the cover letters disclosed that the applicant had a spinal cord injury, one-third disclosed the presence of Asperger’s syndrome, and one-third did not mention disability. The disability applications received 26% fewer expressions of employer interest. This gap was concentrated among experienced applicants and small private companies that are not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Tests suggest possible positive effects of the ADA, but not of state laws, in reducing the disability gap. Results indicate there may be substantial room for employer and policy initiatives to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Pyramidal Groups and the Separation Between Ownership and Control in Italy

The paper provides an overview of the Italian corporate governance system, focusing mainly on the ownership of Italian firms and on the legal and institutional framework. Like those of most other continental European countries, the Italian corporate governance system features a high concentration of direct ownership, for both unlisted and listed companies; at first glance this suggests a very limited degree of separation between ownership and control. The analysis of direct ownership and of the identity of owners reveals that a major role is played by families, coalitions, the State, and above all by other companies: the largest stake in listed and unlisted companies is held by other non-financial or holding companies. In fact, more than 50 percent of all Italian industrial companies belong to pyramidal groups. Taking the pyramidal structure into account, one can identify ultimate owners and evaluate the actual degree of separation between ownership and control. Measuring separation as the amount of capital controlled per unit of capital owned, we find that in 1996 the average figure was 2.4 for listed companies; it was higher for private non-banking groups (4.5) and lower for State-controlled groups (1.6); for the ten largest private groups, the ratio was approximately 5. In Italy, then, pyramidal groups headed by families, coalitions, or the State have supplanted other forms of separation, whereas financial institutions have played a very limited role in fostering separation. This structure, reinforced by cross-ownership, circular ownership, and interlocking directorates, has allowed stable control over both small and large companies, with few control changes, especially hostile takeovers. The paper first provides a brief description of the legal and institutional framework and in particular of the provisions affecting corporate governance mechanisms (shareholders' rights, directors' liability etc.), and of disclosure rules. Next comes a quantitative description for listed and unlisted companies: ownership structure, taking account of groups; the control structure; the diffusion of pyramidal groups; and an evaluation of the separation between ownership and control. This is followed by a discussion of changes and trends: the simplification of the pyramidal structure due to privatization and to the financial difficulties of private groups; the increasing role of financial institutions; the debate that has led to reform of some corporate governance mechanisms and to a new law for listed companies, in force since July 1998.
A novel method for automatic generation of one-line diagram of distribution network with multiple feeders

As the requirements of smart grid for reliability and operational flexibility improving, construction and transformation of the distribution network have become frequent. However, drawing and maintaining the one-line diagram in manual way cannot satisfy the requirement because of its large workload and fallibility. This paper presents a method for automatic generation of one-line diagram of distribution network with multiple feeders. The method consists of two steps: generate the initial one-line diagram and adjust this diagram. In the first step, the directed edge-list and device information of the network are used as input, and the original topological graph is partitioned into feeders by removing the tie lines. Then we allocate sufficient drawing area for each feeder. Considering the effect of its adjacent feeders that have been generated and the new feeder will connect with, it is crucial to assign the optimal directions to branches. In the second step, the overlap and cross in the interior of each feeder will be eliminated. And in order to reduce the total area of the diagram, the space among the feeders will be adjusted and the longer branches will be handled. Finally, the experiments are conducted in the simulation system that we design and develop, and the results illustrate the method generates an excellent and readable one-line diagram of multiple feeders.
Decreased androgen concentrations and diminished general and sexual well-being in women with premature ovarian failure

Objective: To describe general and sexual well-being in women with premature ovarian failure (POF) and to investigate whether there is a relationship between androgen levels and sexual functioning. Design: Women with POF and healthy volunteers with regular menstrual cycles participated. Participants completed a written questionnaire and underwent hormonal screening. The questionnaire included standardized measures: the Questionnaire for Screening Sexual Dysfunctions, the Shortened Fatigue Questionnaire, and the Symptom Check List-90. Serum hormone measurements included estradiol, total testosterone, bioavailable testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. Results: Eighty-one women with POF and 68 control women participated in the study. Compared with control women, women with POF reported more complaints of anxiety, depression, somatization, sensitivity, hostility, and psychological distress. Overall women with POF were less satisfied with their sexual life. They had fewer sexual fantasies and masturbated less frequently. Sexual contact was associated with less sexual arousal, reduced lubrication, and increased genital pain. However, the frequency of desire to have sexual contact and the frequency of actual sexual contact with the partner did not differ between women with POF and control women. Women with POF had lower levels of estradiol, total testosterone, and androstenedione. Multiple regression analysis revealed that androgen levels had only a weak influence on sexual functioning; higher total testosterone levels were associated with increased frequency of desire for sexual contact, and higher androstenedione levels were associated with elevated frequency of sexual contact. Conclusions: Women with POF have diminished general and sexual well-being and are less satisfied with their sexual lives than control women. Although women with POF had lower androgen levels, we did not find an important independent role for androgens in various aspects of sexual functioning.
Laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy of the normal human corneoscleral limbus.

PURPOSE To elucidate the structure of the human corneoscleral limbus by in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy and to correlate limbal epithelial dimensions and density with the central epithelium and in relation to age. METHODS Fifty adult subjects were recruited into one of two age groups: younger (age<45 years) and older (age>or=45 years). Fifty left eyes of these 50 healthy subjects were examined by laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy, to assess the basal epithelium of the central cornea and inferior limbus. Mean epithelial cell diameter, area, and density were calculated for the central basal epithelium, limbus-corneal basal epithelium, and limbus-palisade epithelium. RESULTS Data were analyzed in relation to the two age groups, group A, 30+/-6 years (n=25; mean+/-SD), and group B, 60+/-11 years (n=25; P<0.01). Mean epithelial density in the limbus-cornea and limbus-palisade regions decreased significantly with age: limbus-cornea group A=7253+/-1077 cells/mm2 group B=6614+/-987 cells/mm2, P=0.03; limbus palisade group A=5409+/-799 cells/mm2, group B=5055+/-722 cells/mm2, P=0.03). Central corneal epithelial density did not change with age: group A=6162+/-503 cells/mm2, group B=6362+/-614 cells/mm2, P=0.08. Mean epithelial density was greatest at the limbus-cornea (7010+/-1081 cells/mm2) and lowest at the limbus-palisades (5289+/-847 cells/mm2). The mean width of palisade ridges was 25.0+/-6.3 microm. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to image clearly the living human corneal limbus by laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy and to demonstrate quantitative changes in the basal epithelium with age.
Assessment and improvement of quality management capabilities for manufacturing industries in Australia

This paper provides an assessment of the quality management capabilities of the manufacturing industries in the Western Sydney Region of New South Wales, Australia based on a conceptual framework of the Quality Management Assessment Framework (QMAF) model which incorporates Information Communication Technology as an enabler. Survey data collected from a range of small, medium and large manufacturing organisations were used in this assessment. The results established the general reliability of the QMAF model and provided comprehensive profile of the quality management capabilities, highlighting deficiencies in industries in the Western Sydney Region. The main limitation of this research was the small sample size, even after conducting follow-up mail outs to the whole population of 1236 organisations. The analysis provides valuable guidelines to the managers of the participating organisations aiming at bettering their business processes in many ways, including benchmarking their performance against the best case scores of the QMAF, a precursor to facilitating the determination of insights which could be used to promote quality improvement programmes.
Option pricing under Ornstein-Uhlenbeck stochastic volatility: a linear model

We consider the problem of option pricing under stochastic volatility models, focusing on the linear approximation of the two processes known as exponential Ornstein-Uhlenbeck and Stein-Stein. Indeed, we show they admit the same limit dynamics in the regime of low fluctuations of the volatility process, under which we derive the exact expression of the characteristic function associated to the risk neutral probability density. This expression allows us to compute option prices exploiting a formula derived by Lewis and Lipton. We analyze in detail the case of Plain Vanilla calls, being liquid instruments for which reliable implied volatility surfaces are available. We also compute the analytical expressions of the first four cumulants, that are crucial to implement a simple two steps calibration procedure. It has been tested against a data set of options traded on the Milan Stock Exchange. The data analysis that we present reveals a good fit with the market implied surfaces and corroborates the accuracy of the linear approximation.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum Delay of Neutrophil Apoptosis through the p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signal Pathway

ABSTRACT Human granulocytic anaplasmosis is caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The bacterium avoids host innate defenses in part by infecting, surviving in, and propagating in neutrophils, as well as by inhibiting neutrophil apoptosis. However, the mechanisms of A. phagocytophilum survival in neutrophils and the inhibition of spontaneous apoptosis are not well understood. In this study, we demonstrated that antiapoptotic Mcl-1 protein (Bcl-2 family) expression is maintained and that inhibition of procaspase-3 processing occurs in A. phagocytophilum-infected human neutrophils. An evaluation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) showed evidence of increased phosphorylation with infection. Moreover, antagonism of p38 MAPK by the inhibitor SB203580 reversed apoptosis inhibition in live or heat-killed A. phagocytophilum-infected neutrophils. A role for the autocrine or paracrine production of antiapoptotic interleukin 8 (IL-8) expressed with A. phagocytophilum infection was excluded by the use of IL-8-, IL-8R1 (CXCR1)-, and IL-8R2 (CXCR2)-blocking antibodies. As previously demonstrated, the antiapoptotic effect was initially mediated by exposure to A. phagocytophilum components in heat-killed bacteria. However, an important role for active infection is demonstrated by the additional delay in apoptosis with intracellular growth and the refractory abrogation of this response by the p38 MAPK inhibitor 3 to 6 h after neutrophil infection. These results suggest that the initial activation of the p38 MAPK pathway leading to A. phagocytophilum-delayed neutrophil apoptosis is bypassed with active intracellular infection. Moreover, active intracellular infection contributes more to the overall delay in apoptosis than do components of heat-killed A. phagocytophilum alone.
Repurposing Albendazole: new potential as a chemotherapeutic agent with preferential activity against HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell cancer

Albendazole is an anti-helminthic drug that has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer properties, however its activity in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) was unknown. Using a series of in vitro assays, we assessed the ability of albendazole to inhibit proliferation in 20 HNSCC cell lines across a range of albendazole doses (1 nM–10 μM). Cell lines that responded to treatment were further examined for cell death, inhibition of migration and cell cycle arrest. Thirteen of fourteen human papillomavirus-negative HNSCC cell lines responded to albendazole, with an average IC50 of 152 nM. In contrast, only 3 of 6 human papillomavirus-positive HNSCC cell lines responded. Albendazole treatment resulted in apoptosis, inhibition of cell migration, cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and altered tubulin distribution. Normal control cells were not measurably affected by any dose tested. This study indicates that albendazole acts to inhibit the proliferation of human papillomavirus-negative HNSCC cell lines and thus warrants further study as a potential chemotherapeutic agent for patients suffering from head and neck cancer.