Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Practice and barriers of mammography among Malaysian women in the general population.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the practice and barriers of mammography and associated factors among Malaysian women in the general population. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 women in Shah Alam, Selangor; Malaysia. The questionnaire contained 27 questions and was comprised of two sections; socio-demographic characteristics and practices, knowledge and barriers of mammography. All the data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 13.0. RESULTS Of the 200 Malaysian women who participated in this study, the majority were under the age of 50 years (65.5%), Malay (86%), and married (94.5%). Regarding any family history of cancer in general, the majority of the participants had none (78%). However, some did report a close relative with breast cancer (16.5%). While the majority of them knew about mammography (68%), 15% had had a mammogram once in their life and only 2% had the procedure every two or three years. Univariate analysis showed that age, family history of cancer, family history of breast cancer, regular supplement intake, regular medical check-up and knowledge about mammogram were significantly associated with mammogram practice among the general population (p=0.007, p=0.043, P=0.015, p=0.01, p=0.001, p<0.001; respectively). Multivariate analysis using multiple linear regression test showed that age, regular medical check-up and knowledge about mammography testing were statistically associated with the practice of mammography among the general population in Malaysia (p=0.035, p=0.015 and p<0.001; respectively). Lack of time, lack of knowledge, not knowing where to go for the test and a fear of the test result were the most important barriers (42.5%, 32%, 21%, 20%; respectively). CONCLUSION The practice of mammogram screening is low among Malaysian women.
The specific inhibition of influenza A virus maturation by amantadine: an electron microscopic examination.

Amantadine specifically inhibits the release of virus particles from cells infected with the Rostock (H7N1) strain of influenza A virus, apparently as a consequence of a membrane protein M2-mediated conversion of haemagglutinin (HA) to its low pH conformation. Electron microscopic observations, together with immunogold labelling, showed that amantadine action does not alter the distribution of HA on the cell surface nor does it prevent the formation of budding virus particles. It was not possible, however, to discern whether low pH HA inhibited the final stage in virus maturation, i.e. pinching off, or simply prevented release of fully formed particles.
Efficacy of Cidofovir in a Murine Model of Disseminated Progressive Vaccinia

ABSTRACT An animal model that mimics progressive disseminated vaccinia was elaborated. To this end nude (athymic) mice were inoculated intracutaneously with vaccinia virus in the lumbosacral area. Viral replication (DNA) in the skin was detected as early as day 2 postinfection (p.i.). Mice developed typical vaccinia lesions at the site of inoculation by day 4 to 6 p.i. By about 2 weeks p.i. , the infection had spread all over the body, a situation reminiscent of disseminated vaccinia in humans. The infection resulted in viremia and spread of the virus to visceral organs, as well as to the brain. Topical treatment with cidofovir, initiated at the day of infection or at day 1 p.i. , completely protected against virus-induced cutaneous lesions and against associated mortality. When treatment was initiated at a later time (day 2 to 5 p.i.), a partial but marked protective effect was noted, which can be explained by the fact that by that time, the virus had spread from the skin to the visceral organs. Next, infected animals were left untreated until the time (∼2 weeks p.i.) at which disseminated vaccinia had developed. When systemic treatment with cidofovir was initiated at that time, it caused lesions to heal and regress. In most of these animals, lesions had completely (or almost completely) disappeared by day 10 to 15 after the start of therapy. The observation that cidofovir is able to cause healing of disseminated vaccinia lesions in animals should have implications for the therapy of complications of vaccination against smallpox.
Foreign Bank Lending and Shock Transmission: The Case of Asia

This study introduces Asian evidence on implications of foreign bank lending for financial shock transmission. The region’s most recent experience of the Global Financial Crisis reveals that transmission through balance sheet adjustments and interbank markets is significant for global foreign banks but not for Asian regional foreign banks. Global foreign banks identified as bearing subprime-related losses lead to 50 per cent reduction in lending growth by their Asian subsidiaries. A higher level of money market dependence as evident for global foreign banks is also a major factor in a subsidiary’s loan contraction in crisis. The study highlights the role of diversity of foreign bank ownership in stabilizing credit supply in times of stress.
An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Green Brand Awareness on ConsumerPurchase Decisions in Ghana

The study determines Ghanaian consumers’ awareness of green marketing issues and whether it impacted on their purchase decisions.200 respondents were interviewed from 4 satellite markets within Accra. The findings indicate that Ghanaian consumers have a low level (15.5%) of awareness of green marketing issues and it affected the purchase decision of only 7%. Price was ranked ahead of green concerns as influencing purchase decisions. It was established that younger consumers are more likely to be influenced by green issues. Ghanaian consumers’ awareness of green issues can be enhanced if green brands producers and campaigners develop strategic promotional activities.
HIFα Targeted for VHL-Mediated Destruction by Proline Hydroxylation: Implications for O2 Sensing

HIF (hypoxia-inducible factor) is a transcription factor that plays a pivotal role in cellular adaptation to changes in oxygen availability. In the presence of oxygen, HIF is targeted for destruction by an E3 ubiquitin ligase containing the von Hippel–Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL). We found that human pVHL binds to a short HIF-derived peptide when a conserved proline residue at the core of this peptide is hydroxylated. Because proline hydroxylation requires molecular oxygen and Fe2+, this protein modification may play a key role in mammalian oxygen sensing.
Methylprednisolone Treatment Does Not Influence Axonal Regeneration or Degeneration Following Optic Nerve Injury in the Adult Rat

Background: Methylprednisolone (MP) is often used to treat optic nerve injury. However, its effects in experimental crush injury have not been extensively evaluated. Methods: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a standardized optic nerve crush injury. Animals were treated either with 30 mg/kg MP intravenous bolus followed by subcutaneous injections every 6 hours for 48 hours, or with a drug vehicle alone. Results: The injury resulted in a partial loss of neuronal nuclei-labeled retinal neurons and a corresponding degeneration of axons distal to the injury. ED1-labeled macrophages accumulated at the site of lesion, phagocyting FJ-labeled axonal debris. Regenerative fibers expressing growth associated protein-43 were seen proximal to the lesion, but did not traverse the glial scar. Analysis of optic nerve function using visual evoked potentials showed typical signals in intact animals, which were abolished after injury in MP-treated and untreated animals. Conclusions: We did not detect any effects of MP on retinal cell survival, macrophage activity at the site of injury, axonal degeneration/regeneration, or visual function. These experimental results provide a physiologic underpinning for the lack of efficacy demonstrated in a large trial of MP treatment of clinical optic nerve injury.
The Evolution of Brand Preferences and Choice Behaviors of Consumers New to a Market

The authors examine how brand preferences and response to marketing activity evolve for consumers new to a market. They develop a theoretical framework that begins with a consumer's first-ever purchase in a product category and describes subsequent purchases as components of sequential purchasing stages. The theory is based on the notion that choices made by consumers new to a market are driven by two competing forces: consumers' desire to collect information about alternatives and their aversion to trying risky ones. These forces give rise to three stages of purchasing: an information collection stage that focuses initially on low-risk, big brand names; a stage in which information collection continues but is extended to lesser-known brands; and a stage of information consolidation leading to preference for the brands that provide the greatest utility. The authors use a logit-mixture model with time-varying parameters to capture the choice dynamics of different consumer segments. The results show the importance of accounting for product experience and learning when studying the dynamic choice processes of consumers new to a market. Insights from this study can help marketers tailor their marketing activities as consumers gain purchasing experience.
Information Technology Capability and Firm Performance: Contradictory Findings and Their Possible Causes

Several studies support the positive link between information technology capability and firm performance, including Bharadwaj (2000) and Santhanam and Hartono (2003), which appeared in MIS Quarterly. We conducted a study to see if this link is still statistically significant. It is now over a decade since the first study was published, during which several significant developments in the IT industry have taken place. Unlike the 1990s, when proprietary information systems prevailed, the 2000s are characterized by more standardized and homogeneous information systems and with the rapid adoption of ERP and web technologies. Thus, we attempted to reexamine the link between IT capability and firm performance with data from the 2000s. Surprisingly, the results of our current analysis showed no significant link between IT capability and firm performance. Contrary to earlier studies, IT leader firms in our study didn't show better financial performance than control firms. We discuss several possible causes for the change in findings and present an in-depth comparison in business performance between the two groups--IT leader and control--over a period extending from 1991 to 2007.
Service Recovery on Stage: Effects of Social Media Recovery on Virtually Present Others

Increasingly, customers use social media to voice complaints, making those comments visible to a wide range of uninvolved, virtually present others (VPOs). Many companies seek to shift their complaint-handling efforts away from public online platforms and toward private interactions. However, this approach might not be optimal due to the importance of transparency in social media recovery and its impact on VPOs. Using multiple experiments and building on signaling theory, vicarious learning, and trust repair mechanisms, this study reveals that service recovery transparency acts as an important signal of quality, eliciting trust, and improving VPOs’ word-of-mouth (WOM) and purchase intentions. However, service recovery transparency forms a signal of poor quality when the service recovery is unsuccessful, resulting in negative implications for VPOs’ WOM and purchase intentions. Conditional transparency provides transparency about selected aspects of the service recovery (i.e., the process or result), enabling companies to exploit the positive aspects of transparency and evoke more favorable VPO intentions than would arise with complete opaqueness. Such efforts are necessary because even high brand equity firms suffer when failing to provide recovery transparency.
FLT PET/CT Is Better Than FDG PET/CT in Differentiating Benign From Malignant Pancreatobiliary Lesions

Purpose 18F-fluorothymidine (FLT), unlike FDG, is incorporated exclusively into DNA and is considered a specific marker of cell proliferation. The role of FLT PET/CT scan in differentiating benign from malignant pancreatobiliary tumors is unknown. Patients and Methods Twenty-five suspected pancreatobiliary tumors on contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) scan in 23 patients were evaluated by FDG PET/CT and FLT PET/CT scans. The histopathology or fine-needle aspiration cytology was considered as criterion standard for the diagnosis. Surgeons were blinded to FLT PET/CT results. Management decision was guided by clinical and CECT scan and FDG PET/CT. Results Five of 23 patients had metastatic disease on CECT imaging. The remaining 18 underwent exploratory laparotomy. Two of them had synchronous lesions. Histopathology/fine-needle aspiration cytology confirmed malignancy in 17 lesions and benign disease in the remaining 8 lesions. All 8 benign lesions were negative on FLT PET/CT. Seven of the 8 benign lesions were clinically diagnosed as malignancy on CECT and FDG PET/CT. The specificity, positive predictive value, and accuracy were higher for FLT PET/CT (100%, 100%, and 92%) compared with CECT (12.5%, 70.83%, and 72%) and FDG PET/CT (12.50%, 69.57%, and 68%). However, the sensitivity of FLT PET/CT (88.24%) was similar to CECT (100%) and FDG PET/CT (94.12%). Conclusions Molecular-based FLT PET/CT is a better imaging than FDG PET/CT in differentiating benign from malignant lesions in the pancreatobiliary region. It has a potential to bring down the incidence of preventable radical resection in suspected pancreatobiliary tumors.
6 Multiple Sclerosis and Celiac Disease

Celiac disease (CD) has traditionally been thought of as a primarily intestinal disorder, and is now considered the most important autoimmune disease related to gluten intolerance (gluten-sensitive enteropathy) (Freeman et al., 2011). It occurs in genetically susceptible individuals through the ingestion of gluten and is more frequent in women, as is also the case for many autoimmune diseases (Gleicher & Barad, 2007; Invernizzi et al., 2009).
The Service Provider Switching Model (SPSM)

Building on Keaveney’s work and using related studies from the disciplines of marketing and psychology, a model of service provider switching was developed. It was empirically examined using structural equation modeling with data from customers of mortgage services of various Canadian financial institutions. Factors deemed responsible for switching behavior, along with switching intentions, were measured from mortgage customers. Self-reports of their actual behavior were also collected via telephone.
Tele-otolaryngology consultations between two rural primary-care centres in southern Lapland and the University Hospital of Umeå

In 1996 a telemedicine link was established between two primary-care centres of Västerbotten county and the University Hospital. Specialties involved at the University Hospital were otoloaryngology, orthopaedics and dermatology. Videoconferencing used ISDN at 384 kbit/s. The primary-care centres were equipped with video-endoscopes. During the first 21 months, there were 32 otolaryngology consultations. The average time for each consultation was between 15 and 30 min. Patients, general practitioners and specialists were interviewed using questionnaires with answers on a six-point scale, in which a score of six was best. Patient satisfaction produced a mean score of 5.7. The specialist doctors rated the video-consultation satisfactory for diagnosis. Roughly 40% of the referrals could be avoided by telemedicine. The general practitioners rated the educational effect of the consultation very highly.
Cross-Unit Competition for a Market Charter: The Enduring Influence of Structure

Marketing strategists who operate in turbulent markets face a competitive landscape marked by volatility and evolving market structures. As customer requirements change, an organization that stays in alignment with its markets will form new business units or alter the market charters of existing business units. In a longitudinal study, the authors traced the structural realignments that accompanied a Fortune-500 firm's entry into the Internet market. As the charter moved from a freshly created unit to an established business unit, the authors found support for the prediction that the former organizational structure will continue to shape the identity, beliefs, and social ties of managers. The study highlights the structural, social, and cognitive factors that must be managed as corporate decision makers search for the best strategy–structure fit for an emerging market opportunity.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE -- INFLUENCE ON LOGISTICS INTEGRATION, COSTS, AND INFORMATION SYSTEM PERFORMANCE /

Organizational structure significantly influences firm performance. A recent survey of logistics professionals revealed that centralized structures accommodated logistics system integration better than decentralized structures. Also, centralized firms spent a lower percentage of net sales on logistics costs and information system support costs than decentralized firms. On the other hand, no signficiant differences were identified between centralized and decentralized firms in terms of information system performance. Information system support needs were addressed comparably regardless of organizational structuring. However, while centralized and decentralized firms exhibited similar capabilities in terms of effectiveness (reaching goals), centralized firms appeared to be more efficient (resource utilization).
Single and Combined Effects of Organic Selenium and Zinc on Egg, Fertility, Hatchability, and Embryonic Mortality of Exotic Cochin Hens

A study was conducted to examine the effects of diets supplemented with organic selenium, (Se) and zinc, (Zn) on the performance of Cochin exotic breeder hens. Forty-two week old hens (n=120) and males (n=12) were assigned to four treatment groups of 10 females and 1 male each. Birds with no mineral supplementation (Group 1); feed supplemented with . 33 ppm Se (Group 2) feed supplemented with 20 ppm Zn (Group 3), and feed supplemented with . 33 ppm Se and 20 ppm Zn (Group 4). Eggs were collected for 21 days to determine egg production and egg weight. Fertility and embryonic mortality were determined by candling eggs on days 12 and 18. Hatchability was calculated on day 21 based on fertility and egg set. Results showed that egg production did not increase significantly, although birds provided feed containing Se or Se and Zn produced 4% and 6%, respectively, more eggs than the control hens Egg fertility was similar for most treatments, but fertility of hens provided the Zn-supplemented diet, was significantly lower than fertility of other treatment groups. Hatchability based on fertile eggs was 4.6% and 3.0% higher than the control and for eggs from hens provided feed supplemented with Se or Se+Zn, respectively. Early and late embryonic mortality was significantly (P<0.05) lower in eggs from hens provided diets containing Se+Zn, than in eggs from the control hens or hens fed diets containing Se or Zn only. In conclusion, supplementing diets of exotic hens with Se and Zn increased egg production and significantly reduced early and late embryonic death. Addition of these minerals to the diets might provide exotic bird producers a method to increase the performance of these birds.
A Robust Control Framework for Linear, Time-Invariant, Spatially Distributed Systems

A robust control framework for linear, time-invariant (LTI), spatially distributed systems is outlined in this paper. We adopt an input-output approach which takes account of the spatially distributed nature of the input and output signals for such systems. The approach is a generalization of $H^\infty$\xspace control in the sense that the 2-norm (in both time and space) is used to quantify the size of signals. It is shown that a frequency-domain representation, in the form of a graph symbol, exists for every LTI, spatially distributed system under very mild assumptions. The graph symbol gives rise to left and right coprime representations if the system is also stabilizable. We investigate fundamental issues of feedback control such as feedback stability and robust stability to plant and/or controller uncertainty quantified in the gap-metric. This includes a generalization of the Sefton--Ober gap formula to the infinite-dimensional operator case. A design example in which an electrostatically destabilized membrane is feedback-stabilized concludes the paper.
Regulation of blood flow in the mammary microvasculature.

Although milk yield of cows and goats is known to be closely related to the total flow of blood through the udder, a number of studies suggest that milk yield can vary independently. No studies have attempted to measure the proportion of total flow that is nutritive. Within the mammary gland, capillary networks form a basket-like architecture surrounding each alveolus. Notably, flow in individual capillaries is not constant and varies among capillaries. Capillary flow (measured by intravital microscopy) was decreased by oxytocin, which generally increased total flow in the mammary artery, suggesting that the proportion of total flow that is nutritive can vary. In addition to classic metabolic regulators (e.g., carbon dioxide and oxygen) of tissue blood flow, the mammary gland produces a number of vasodilatory compounds, including parathyroid hormone-related protein, insulin-like growth factor-I, prostacyclin, nitric oxide, and endothelin. All of these compounds have been shown to alter mammary blood flow. Mammary tissue also contains kallikrein and angiotensin-converting enzyme, which convert circulating kinins and angiotensin, respectively, into potent vasoactive compounds. A number of these compounds are produced by epithelial cells themselves, providing a mechanism for the functioning epithelium to control its own blood supply and, hence, nutrient flow for milk synthesis. In this review, we examine the nature of the mammary microcirculation, its behavior under different conditions, and some of the regulatory features of the mammary microvasculature.