Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing online purchase intention of smartphones: A hierarchical regression analysis

Abstract This study determined which of the factors—company, personal, and technical—could influence online purchase intention of smartphones. Toward this goal, data gathered from 230 students were analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis. Three steps of hierarchical regression analysis disclosed that security and trust were the consistent predictors of online purchase intention of smartphones. Trust was the strongest predictor of online purchase intention of smartphones. It was disclosed that price was initially considered when buying the device. However, subsequent analyses revealed that this variable was no longer considered when personal-related factors were included in the analysis. Quality was not a significant predictor all throughout the analysis. The results of the study offered explanations on the conflicting results of previous studies in terms of price and quality. It was concluded that the study was able to determine the factors that could influence purchase of smartphones in an online environment. Recommendations and implications to theory and practice were also discussed.
Axotomy induces preprotachykinin gene expression in a subpopulation of dorsal root ganglion neurons

The distribution of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cell sizes that show changes in preprotachykinin (PPT) gene expression and substance P (SP) levels following axotomy was examined using RNA blot analysis, in situ hybridization histochemistry, and immunocytochemistry. PPT mRNA was induced in medium‐sized (1,000–2,000 μm2) and large‐sized (>2,000 μm2) cells in the DRG after axotomy. There was a 165% increase in the number of labeled cells after sciatic transection and a 260% increase after spinal nerve transection which results in axotomy of all the cells in the ganglion. The further increase after spinal nerve transection suggests that the induction occurred in axotomized neurons. PPT mRNA label was also present in a reduced number of small (<1,000 μm2) cells after axotomy. SP immunoreactivity was also induced in medium‐and large‐sized cells and reduced in small‐sized cells. Our findings suggest that the expression of the PPT gene and SP is differentially regulated in different subpopulations of DRG neurons after axotomy and is consistent with the hypothesis that tachykinins may be important in both sensory transmission and regeneration. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rosiglitazone Attenuates Transplant Arteriosclerosis After Allogeneic Aorta Transplantation in Rats

Background. Transplant arteriosclerosis is a leading cause of chronic transplant dysfunction and is characterized by occlusive neointima formation in intragraft arteries. Development of transplant arteriosclerosis is refractory to conventional immunosuppressive drugs and adequate therapy is not available. In this study, we determined the efficacy of the synthetic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-&ggr; agonist rosiglitazone to attenuate the development of transplant arteriosclerosis in rat aortic allografts. Methods. Lewis aortic allografts were transplanted into Brown Norway recipient rats. Recipient rats received either ∼5 mg rosiglitazone/day (starting 1 week before transplantation until the end of the experiment) or were left untreated. Transplant arteriosclerosis was quantified using morphometric analysis. Alloreactivity was measured in vitro using mixed lymphocyte reactions. Regulatory T cell frequency and function were analyzed using flow cytometry and in vitro suppression assays, respectively. Intragraft gene expression was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Finally, medial and neointimal vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation was analyzed in vitro. Results. Rosiglitazone significantly reduced transplant arteriosclerosis development 8 weeks after transplantation (P<0.01 vs. nontreated). Rosiglitazone reduced T cell alloreactivity which was not mediated through modulation of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells. Reduced development of transplant arteriosclerosis coincided with reduced intragraft expression of stromal-derived factor-1&agr; and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-&bgr;. Finally, rosiglitazone reduced growth-factor-driven proliferation of both medial and neointimal vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro, which was not mediated through PPAR&ggr;. Conclusion. PPAR&ggr; agonists may offer a new therapeutic strategy in clinical transplantation to attenuate the development of transplant arteriosclerosis and thereby chronic transplant dysfunction.
HYPERICUM PERFORATUM ATTENUATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF CERULEIN-INDUCED ACUTE PANCREATITIS IN MICE

ABSTRACT A considerable body of recent evidence suggests that oxidative stress and exaggerated production of reactive oxygen species play a major role in several aspects of inflammation and shock. Hypericum perforatum is a medicinal plant species containing many polyphenolic compounds, namely flavonoids and phenolic acids. Because polyphenolic compounds have high antioxidant potential, in this study we evaluated the effect of Hypericum perforatum extract on acute pancreatitis induced by cerulein administration in male CD mice. Intraperitoneal injection of cerulein in mice resulted in a severe, acute pancreatitis, which was characterized by edema, neutrophil infiltration, tissue hemorrhage, and cell necrosis as well as increases in the serum levels of amylase and/or lipase in comparison to sham-treated mice. The infiltration of the pancreatic tissue of these animals with neutrophils (measured as increase in myeloperoxidase activity) was associated with expression of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1. Immunohistochemical examination demonstrated a marked increase in the staining (immunoreactivity) for nitrotyrosine and poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) in the pancreas of cerulein-treated mice in comparison to sham-treated mice. In contrast, the degree of (a) pancreatic inflammation and tissue injury (histological score), (b) expression of ICAM-1, (c) the staining for nitrotyrosine and PAR, and (d) myeloperoxidase activity was markedly reduced in pancreatic tissue sections obtained from cerulein-treated mice administered Hypericum perforatum extract (30 mg/kg, suspended in 0.2 mL of saline solution, o.s.). Moreover, the treatment with Hypericum perforatum extract significantly reduced the mortality rate at 5 days after cerulein administration. Taken together, our results indicate that Hypericum perforatum extract reduces the development of acute pancreatitis.
How do professional service staff perceive and engage with professional development programmes within higher education institutions?

ABSTRACT Professional development is vital for professional service staff but there is little research evidence on how this group engages with development programmes. A cross-sectional study of professional service staff was carried out in two universities who are engaged in the Association of University Administrators Mark of Excellence. The study examined the perceived barriers and motivations for staff to engage in development and the degree of support from line managers for staff development. A web-based questionnaire was sent to 90 staff in Uni A and 459 staff in Uni B. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the similarities and differences between the universities. Key findings indicated the barriers that prevented staff from engaging in professional development included the lack of a supportive line manager, time, opportunities and workload. Staff felt motivated to engage in professional development when opportunities were linked to future roles and career progression within a defined career pathway.
Political Aspects of Household Debt

The recent literature has shown that income inequality is one of the main causes of borrowing and debt accumulation by working households. This paper explores the possibility that household indebtedness is an important cause of rising income inequality. If workers experience rising debt burdens, their cost of job loss may rise if they need labor-market income to continue borrowing and servicing existing debt. This, in turn, will reduce their bargaining power and increase income inequality, inducing workers to borrow more in order to maintain consumption standards, and so creating a vicious circle of rising inequality, job insecurity, and indebtedness. We believe that these dynamics may have contributed to observed simultaneous increases in income inequality and household debt prior to the recent financial crisis. To explore the two-way interaction between inequality and debt, we develop an employment rent framework that explicitly considers the impact of workers' indebtedness on their perceived cost of job loss. This is embedded in a neo-Kaleckian macro model in which inequality spurs debt accumulation that contributes to household consumption spending and hence demand formation. Our analysis suggests that: (1) workers' borrowing behavior plays a crucial role in understanding the character of demand and growth regimes; (2) debt and workers' borrowing behavior play an important role in the labor market by influencing workers' bargaining power; and (3) through such channels, workers' borrowing behavior can be a decisive factor in the determination of macroeconomic (in)stability.
Add-on Amlodipine Improves Arterial Function and Structure in Hypertensive Patients Treated With an Angiotensin Receptor Blocker

The present study was designed to determine whether adding amlodipine further improved functional and structural cardiovascular damage in hypertensive patients whose blood pressure was already well controlled with an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker (ARB). The cardiothoracic ratio on chest radiographs, level of urinary albumin excretion, pulse wave velocity (PWV), intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid arteries, and 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) were evaluated before and 12 months after the start of add-on of amlodipine or placebo in 50 hypertensive patients being treated with an ARB. The add-on amlodipine therapy significantly improved the PWV from 1689 ± 61 to 1447 ± 47 cm/s and the IMT from 0.88 ± 0.08 to 0.75 ± 0.06 mm in the hypertensive patients treated with an ARB without altering their mean 24 hour ambulatory BP values, but did not alter the cardiothoracic ratio or urinary albumin excretion. Amlodipine also significantly decreased the variability of ambulatory BP, but the decrease did not significantly contribute to the changes in PWV or IMT. Thus, the add-on low-dose amlodipine therapy had benefits in terms of the vascular function and vascular structure of hypertensive patients treated with an ARB that were independent of its depressor effects. The antiatherogenic pleiotropic properties of amlodipine have a preventive effect on the progression of arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients treated with an ARB.
Magnetic resonance imaging as a biomarker in renal cell carcinoma

The ability to noninvasively discriminate the most common types of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) based on their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearances or their magnetic resonance phenotypes is achievable. Intracellular lipids, a histologic characteristic of the clear cell RCC, can be identified on chemical shift MRI. Intratumoral hemosiderin deposition, as observed histologically with papillary RCC, correlates to the low signal intensity on T2‐weighted images. In addition to morphologic imaging features, the different subtypes of RCC have distinct patterns of enhancement on dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI. Clear cell tumors demonstrate much greater enhancement than papillary and chromophobe RCCs during the corticomedullary and nephrographic phases. The MRI technique arterial spin labeling (ASL) uses magnetic fields to label the water protons in arterial blood and measures blood flow into tissue; quantitative images of blood flow can be generated without exogenous contrast media. Multiple measurements of tumor perfusion may be repeated before and after a physiologic or drug challenge (ie, antiangiogenic therapy). In RCC xenografts and in patients with metastatic RCC, ASL MRI assessments can be used to monitor blood flow changes in response to antiangiogenic therapies. High blood flow on ASL MRI in RCC xenografts correlates with viable tumor at histopathologic analysis, whereas zones of absent or diminished signal correspond to necrosis. ASL MRI has the potential to serve as a biomarker for patients with metastatic RCC by offering a noninvasive measure of tumor blood flow changes accompanying antiangiogenic therapy. Cancer 2009;115(10 suppl):2334‐45. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Impact of reliance on CT pulmonary angiography on diagnosis of pulmonary embolism: a Bayesian analysis.

BACKGROUND Spiral computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has become the primary test used to investigate suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) at many institutions, despite uncertainty regarding its sensitivity and specificity. Although CTPA-based diagnostic algorithms focus on minimizing the false-negative rate, we hypothesized that increasing use of CTPA also might lead to false-positive diagnoses. OBJECTIVE Determine the frequency of possible false-positive diagnoses of PE when CTPA is the primary diagnostic test. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Two academic teaching hospitals. PARTICIPANTS 322 patients with suspected PE evaluated with CTPA. MEASUREMENTS We used a validated prediction rule to determine the pretest probability of PE in each patient. We combined these pretest probabilities with published estimates of CTPA test characteristics to generate expected posttest probabilities of PE. We compared these posttest probabilities to actual treatment decisions to determine the rate of false-positive diagnoses of PE. RESULTS Among 322 patients investigated for PE, 37 (12%) had high pretest probability, 101 (32%) moderate, and 184 (57%) low. CT scans were interpreted as positive for PE in 57 patients (17.8%). Regardless of the pretest probability of PE, 96.5% of patients with a positive CTPA were treated with anticoagulants. Even under an optimistic assumption of CTPA test characteristics, as many as 25.4% of these patients may have been treated unnecessarily as a result of a false-positive diagnosis. Most of these patients had a low pretest probability of PE. CONCLUSIONS Failure to utilize Bayesian reasoning when interpreting CTPA may lead to false-positive diagnoses of pulmonary embolism in a substantial proportion of patients.
INCIDENCE OF, AND RISK FACTORS FOR, MALNUTRITION AMONG CHILDREN AGED 5–7 YEARS IN SOUTH INDIA

Summary Protein–energy malnutrition is a major health problem contributing to the burden of disease in developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of, and risk factors for, malnutrition among school-going children in south India. A total of 2496 children aged 5–7 years from rural and urban areas of south India were recruited in 1982 and followed up for malnutrition over a period of 9 years. Their body heights and weights were measured every six months and socio-demographic factors such as mother’s education and father’s education and relevant household characteristics and hygiene practices collected. Body mass index and height-for-age z-scores were used to determine children’s levels of underweight and stunting, respectively, classified as normal, mild/moderate or severe. Risk factor analysis was done for pre-pubertal ages only using Generalized Estimating Equations with cumulative odds assumption. There was a significant difference between male and female children in the incidence of severe underweight and stunting (6.4% and 4.2% respectively). Children in households with no separate kitchen had 1.3 (1.0–1.6) times higher odds of being severely underweight (p=0.044) compared with those with a kitchen. Children without a toilet facility had significantly higher odds of severe underweight compared with those who did. Children with illiterate parents had higher odds of severe stunting than those with literate parents. In conclusion, the prevalence of malnutrition among these south Indian children has not changed over the years, and the incidence of severe malnutrition was highest in children when they were at pubertal age. The risk factors for stunting were mostly poverty-related, and those for underweight were mostly hygiene-related. Adolescent children in south India should be screened periodically at school for malnutrition and provided with nutritional intervention if necessary.
The Role of the Anesthesiologist in Fast-Track Surgery: From Multimodal Analgesia to Perioperative Medical Care

BACKGROUND:Improving perioperative efficiency and throughput has become increasingly important in the modern practice of anesthesiology. Fast-track surgery represents a multidisciplinary approach to improving perioperative efficiency by facilitating recovery after both minor (i.e., outpatient) and major (inpatient) surgery procedures. In this article we focus on the expanding role of the anesthesiologist in fast-track surgery. METHODS:A multidisciplinary group of clinical investigators met at McGill University in the Fall of 2005 to discuss current anesthetic and surgical practices directed at improving the postoperative recovery process. A subgroup of the attendees at this conference was assigned the task of reviewing the peer-reviewed literature on this topic as it related to the role of the anesthesiologist as a perioperative physician. RESULTS:Anesthesiologists as perioperative physicians play a key role in fast-track surgery through their choice of preoperative medication, anesthetics and techniques, use of prophylactic drugs to minimize side effects (e.g., pain, nausea and vomiting, dizziness), as well as the administration of adjunctive drugs to maintain major organ system function during and after surgery. CONCLUSION:The decisions of the anesthesiologist as a key perioperative physician are of critical importance to the surgical care team in developing a successful fast-track surgery program.
Prodromal cognitive signs of dementia in 85-year-olds using four sources of information

Objective: To evaluate the utility of assessing four cognitive domains obtained from four information sources to identify individuals at risk for developing dementia, Alzheimer disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD). Methods: A representative population sample of nondemented 85-year-olds (n = 313) from Gothenburg, Sweden, was examined regarding memory, language, and visuospatial and executive functions, using self- and key informant reports and neuropsychiatric and psychometric examinations. The sample was followed 3 years for incident dementia, AD, or possible VaD. Results: All cases of dementia, AD, and VaD were preceded by low performance in most domains irrespective of information source. Isolated low memory performance or low cognitive performance with unimpaired memory did not predict dementia. Positive predictive values increased with number of domains affected. Self- and key informant reports were less useful for predicting dementia than neuropsychiatric and psychometric examinations. The best positive predictive value (88%) was for low cognitive performance in all domains using neuropsychiatric and psychometric examinations; however, sensitivity was only 18%. Conclusions: Although memory impairment was necessary to predict dementia, it was not sufficient. Other cognitive domains needed to be affected. Relying on self-reports or key informants for early detection of dementia excluded a large group at risk. In addition, vascular dementia appeared to have a prodromal stage.
LONG-TERM ORAL GANCICLOVIR PROPHYLAXIS FOR PREVENTION OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION AND DISEASE IN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS HIGH-RISK RENAL TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

Background. Although specific therapy is available with ganciclovir, cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease remains a major problem after renal transplantation especially in CMV seronegative recipients of organs of seropositive donors (D+R-). Methods. In an open-labeled prospective controlled trial we evaluated the effect of long-term oral ganciclovir prophylaxis (3 g/day for 3 months posttransplantation) in a cohort of 31 CMV-high risk (D+R-) renal transplant recipients (GC) compared with a cohort of 28 high-risk patients with targeted CMV prophylaxis (CO) receiving i.v. ganciclovir during anti-rejection therapy. Primary end-points were CMV infection, diagnosed by pp65 antigenemia assay or serologic method, and CMV disease. Additionally severity of CMV disease quantified by a scoring system was evaluated. Results. CMV prophylaxis significantly reduced the incidence of CMV infection (CO: 75%, GC: 45%;P <.05) and CMV disease (CO: 60%, GC: 29%;P <.05) without relevant side effects and without any clinical suspicion of ganciclovir resistance. Severity of CMV disease as quantified by a scoring system was reduced from 8.3±6.7 points in controls to 3.3±2.6 points in ganciclovir-treated patients (P <.05). Mortality did not differ significantly between the two groups (CO: n=3, GC: n=1; NS). However, there was one lethal CMV disease and a second death possibly attributable to CMV disease in the control group, whereas in ganciclovir-treated patients there was no CMV-associated fatal outcome. Conclusion. Long-term oral ganciclovir prophylaxis is effective and safe in CMV high-risk renal transplant recipients.
p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Phosphorylates Cytosolic Phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) in Thrombin-stimulated Platelets

The Ca2+-sensitive 85-kDa cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) is responsible for thrombin-stimulated mobilization of arachidonic acid for the synthesis of thromboxane A2 in human platelets. We have previously shown that thrombin activates p38 kinase, a recently discovered new member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family (Kramer, R. M., Roberts, E. F., Strifler, B. A., and Johnstone, E. M. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 27395-27398) and also induces phosphorylation of cPLA2, thereby increasing its intrinsic catalytic activity. In the present study we have examined the role of p38 kinase in the phosphorylation and activation of cPLA2 in stimulated platelets. We have observed that activation of p38 kinase accompanies receptor-mediated events in platelets and coincides with cPLA2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, in the presence of inhibitors of p38 kinase, the proline-directed phosphorylation of cPLA2 was completely blocked in platelets stimulated with the thrombin receptor agonist peptide SFLLRN and was suppressed during the early (up to 2 min) phase of platelet stimulation caused by thrombin. Unexpectedly, we found that prevention of proline-directed phosphorylation of cPLA2 in stimulated platelets did not attenuate its ability to release arachidonic acid from platelet phospholipids. We conclude that: 1) cPLA2 is a physiological target of p38 kinase; 2) p38 kinase is involved in the early phosphorylation of cPLA2 in stimulated platelets; and 3) proline-directed phosphorylation of cPLA2 is not required for its receptor-mediated activation.