Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Management of spermatic cord tumors: a rare urologic malignancy

Primary spermatic cord tumors are rare yet clinically significant urologic lesions that affect patients of all ages. They are the most common tumors of the paratesticular region and generally present as asymptomatic, slow growing, firm, palpable paratesticular masses. Although most of them are benign comprised primarily of lipomas, approximately 25% are potentially life-threatening malignant tumors. The most common reported malignant histological types include liposarcomas, leiomyosarcomas, rhabdomyosarcomas, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, and fibrosarcomas. Management of these malignant tumors has been difficult because of their rarity, therefore there is little consensus regarding optimal surgical and adjunctive treatment strategies. It is recommended that radiological techniques such as scrotal ultrasound (US), computed tomography, and magnetic resonance be used to evaluate these masses before surgery. The curative treatment of choice is radical orchiectomy with high cord ligation and wide excision of surrounding soft tissue structures within the inguinal canal. Patients with inadequately resected disease should undergo a reoperative procedure for wide inguinal re-resection. Retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy is recommended when there is preoperative evidence of retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis and as an adjuvant treatment for rhabdomyosarcomas since they have a higher propensity for lymphatic spread. Adjuvant treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, have shown little efficacy, except in the management of patients with local recurrence or high-grade rhabdomyosarcomas. Long-term follow up is recommended given their high recurrence rates.
Hormonal influences on the carbonic anhydrase concentration in the accessory reproductive tracts of the rat.

The effects of sex hormones on the carbonic anhydrase activity of the rat accessory organs of reproduction were studied. Ovariectomy causes a marked increase in enzjTne concentration, but does not change the total enzyme content of the uteri, indicating that the normal amount of the enzyme was maintained in uteri atrophied by ovariectomy. Estradiol produces marked decreases of the uterine enzjTne concentration of ovariectomized rats, the extent of which depends upon the dosage. When progesterone is injected along with estradiol, it partially inhibits the effect of estradiol on the uterine enzyme of spayed rats, but progesterone by itself has no effect at all on the concentration of uterine enzyme. Eight and fifteen days after castration, the enzyme concentration is mark-edly increased in the ventral prostates of adult rats but is not changed in the seminal vesicles; sixty-five days after castration, the concentration is decreased in both tissues. Also, in immature rats, castration produces in 10 days a ma.
Randomised controlled trial of laparoscopic versus open repair of inguinal hernia: early results

Abstract Objective: To establish the safety, short term outcome, and theatre costs of transabdominal laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia performed as day surgery. Design: Randomised controlled trial. The control operation was the two layer modified Maloney darn. Setting: Teaching hospital and district general hospital. Subjects: 125 men randomised to laparoscopic or open repair of inguinal hernia. Outcome measures: Morbidity, postoperative pain and use of analgesics, quality of life, and theatre costs. Outcome was assessed by questionnaires administered to patients daily for 10 days and at six weeks postoperatively and by outpatient review at six weeks. Return to normal activity was assessed by questionnaire at three months. Results: One vascular complication (2%) occurred in the group that had open repair. Seven complications (12%) including vessel injury and early recurrence arose in the group that had laparoscopic repair (difference in complication rate 10% (95% confidence interval 4% to 18%; P=0.02). Pain scores and quality of life assessed by the short form 36 showed a significant benefit to the group that had laparoscopic repair in the early postoperative period. Return to normal activity was not significantly different between the two groups. Total theatre costs were higher in the group that had laparoscopic repair (mean cost for laparoscopic repair pounds sterling850 (pounds sterling622 to pounds sterling1078); mean cost for open repair pounds sterling268 (pounds sterling245 to pounds sterling292)). Conclusions: Because of the greater complication rate and higher theatre costs forlaparoscopic repair and the patient outcome preferences expressed, the results of larger trials of clinical and cost effectiveness using recurrence as the primary outcome measure should be known before laparoscopic herniorrhaphy is widely adopted.
650-V GaN-based MIS-HEMTs using LPCVD-SiNx as passivation and gate dielectric

In this work, silicon nitride (SiNx) film deposited at 780 °C by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) was employed as the passivation layer and gate dielectric for GaN-based MIS-HEMTs. The LPCVD-SiNx/AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs exhibit suppressed current collapse, small gate leakage current at both reverse and forward gate bias, high forward gate breakdown voltage and high time dependent gate dielectric reliability.
Clinical approach to renal tubular acidosis in adult patients

Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is a group of disorders observed in patients with normal anion gap metabolic acidosis. There are three major forms of RTA: A proximal (type II) RTA and two types of distal RTAs (type I and type IV). Proximal (type II) RTA originates from the inability to reabsorb bicarbonate normally in the proximal tubule. Type I RTA is associated with inability to excrete the daily acid load and may present with hyperkalaemia or hypokalaemia. The most prominent abnormality in type IV RTA is hyperkalaemia caused by hypoaldosteronism. This article extensively reviews the mechanism of hydrogen ion generation from metabolism of normal diet and various forms of RTA leading to disruptions of normal acid‐base handling by the kidneys.
Hybrid Mutual Funds and Market Timing Performance

I examine the stock market timing ability of two samples of hybrid mutual funds. I find that the inclusion of bond indices and a bond timing variable in a multifactor Treynor-Mazuy model framework leads to substantially different conclusions concerning the stock market timing performance of these funds relative to the traditional Treynor-Mazuy model. Results from the multifactor Treynor-Mazuy model find less stock timing ability over the 1981–91 time period and provide evidence of significant stock timing ability across the second fund sample during the 1992–2000 time period.
Human synovium produces substances that inhibit DNA and stimulate proteoglycan and collagen synthesis by cultured human articular chondrocytes and synovial fibroblasts

The effects of synovial conditioned medium (SCM) on DNA, proteoglycan (PG), and protein‐collagen synthesis and respective gene expressions, in human articular chondrocytes (AC) and DNA synthesis in synovial fibroblasts (SFb), were studied in monolayer culture. All SCM exhibited concentration‐dependent inhibition of [3H]thymidine incorporation in both AC and SFb. In contrast, SCM from three OA patients stimulated [35S]SO4 and [3H]glycine incorporations and the expression (RT‐PCR) of aggrecan‐ and type II collagen‐specific mRNAs in AC. The production of agents that inhibit DNA synthesis was blocked by indomethacin and dexamethasone and stimulated by IL‐1β and TNF‐α. The inhibitory substances were not produced by heat‐inactivated tissue nor cultured SFb or AC and were completely solubles in methanol. It is postulated that synovial tissue secretes lipids, most probably arachidonic acid metabolites. These may counteract growth of an inflammatory synovial pannus by inhibiting SFb proliferation and enhance repair of damaged tissues by stimulating the matrix synthesis.
The meaning , antecedents and outcomes of employee engagement : a narrative evidence synthesis

The claim that high levels of engagement can enhance organizational performance and individual wellbeing has not previously been tested through a systematic review of the evidence. To bring coherence to the diffuse body of literature on engagement, we conducted a systematic narrative evidence synthesis involving 214 studies that focused on the meaning, antecedents and outcomes of engagement. We identified six distinct conceptualizations of engagement, with the field dominated by the Utrecht Group’s ‘work engagement’ construct and measure, and by the theorization of engagement within the ‘job demands-resources’ framework. Five groups of factors served as antecedents to engagement: psychological states, job design, leadership, organizational and team factors, and organizational interventions. Engagement was found to be positively associated with individual morale, task performance, extra-role performance and organizational performance, and the evidence was most robust in relation to task performance. However, there was an over-reliance on quantitative, crosssectional, and self-report studies within the field which limited claims of causality. To address controversies over the commonly used measures and concepts in the field and gaps in the evidence base, we set out an agenda for future research that integrates emerging critical sociological perspectives on engagement with the psychological perspectives that currently dominate the field.
IMPROVING POSTHARVEST VASE-LIFE AND QUALITY OF CUT GERBERA FLOWERS USING NATURAL AND CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES

Gerbera is one of ten popular cut flowers in the world which occupies the forth place according to the global trends in floriculture. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effects of chemical, hormonal and essential oil substances in preservative solutions to improve its postharvest qualitative characteristics. Two pulse treatments including distilled water (pulse1) and 4% CaCl2 + 3% sucrose (pulse2) for 24 hour were applied before long-time treatments. Long-time treatments were comprised of (1) Hormonal treatments: 0, 25, 30 mg*l-1 Gibberellic acid, 0, 150, 250 mg*l-1 Benzyl adenine and 0, 100, 200 mg*l-1 5-Sulfosalicylic acid (2) Chemical treatments: 0, 0.4, 0.8 mM Silver thiosulphate, 0, 5, 10 mg*l-1 Nano-silver particles, 0, 4, 6 mM Aminooxy acetic acid and 0, 200 and 400 mg*l-1 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate (3) Essential oils: Thymus essential oil and Stevia essential oils (0, 0.1 and 0.2 mg*l-1). Data were subjected to analysis of variance based on the factorial experiment model in the layout completely randomized design. Mean comparison was performed using the Duncan’s multiple range test. Parameters of fresh weight, stem bending, capitulum diameter, carotenoid pigments of petal and vase-life longevity were evaluated during 12 days. The highest fresh weight was obtained when cut flowers were held in a solution containing pulse1 + 250 mg*l-1 BA. Among all treatments, 8-HQS treatment showed the best effects on preventing stem bending, increasing capitulum diameter and also on prolonging of vase-life, but nonetheless, the effects of pulse treatments and 8-HQS concentrations were insignificant. To conclude, 200 mg*l-1 8-HQS without pulse treatment has the potential to be used as a commercial preservative solution to improve the keeping quality and vase-life of this important cut flower.
Effect of Litter on Development and Severity of Foot-Pad Dermatitis and Behavior of Broiler Chickens

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of litter type and litter treatment with enzymatic-bacterial production incidence and severity of footpad dermatitis and consequently on behavior of broiler chickens. A total of 1,200 one day-old Ross 308 broilers were randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 4 replicates in 2 x 2 factorial design. The first factor was the physical form of the straw (chopped on approximately 2 cm or un-chopped) and the second factor was addition of enzymatic-bacterial product applied directly on the straw. Each replicate consisted of 75 as-hatched birds per pen. Occurrence and severity of the footpad dermatitis and histological evaluation of the scores was done at the end of the trial (42 days of age). During the trial, at 3 and 6 weeks of age, broiler behavior was observed by Scan Sampling Method. The results showed that chopped straw significantly lowered the incidence of footpad dermatitis. Chopped straw in combination with enzymatic-bacterial product showed the lowest footpad dermatitis score in broilers. Histological procedures confirmed the macroscopic evaluation of the footpad dermatitis severity. The chopped straw had a significant effect on some behavioral patterns of broiler chickens. Differences were observed for dust bathing and scratching. Correlation between footpad dermatitis and birds locomotor activity was not confirmed.
Managing knowledge sharing in China: the case of Siemens ShareNet

Purpose – Since previous research has mainly focused on “how multinational companies generally practise knowledge management”, this paper seeks to suggest that very little is known of the particularities of knowledge‐sharing and knowledge management practice in the context of a specific country and culture.Design/methodology/approach – It uses an in‐depth case‐research approach focusing specifically on Siemens ShareNet in China. A total of 35 interviews have been conducted with executives, general managers, and line managers within different units at the headquarters as well as in China.Findings – Knowledge management needs to take the cultural dimension into consideration, as culture decisively influences knowledge‐sharing behavior. Potential for knowledge sharing in the emerging market of China is higher than one may expect, if the necessary adjustment to the cultural context can be made.Research limitations/implications – This research paper investigates a single case focusing on Siemens ShareNet in Ch.
Structural Versus Experienced Complexity: A New Perspective on the Relationship between Organizational Complexity and Innovation

In this paper, we explore the relationship between organizational complexity and firm-level innovation. We define and operationalize a new construct, experienced complexity, which is the extent to which the organizational environment makes it challenging for decision-makers to do their jobs effectively. We distinguish experienced complexity from structural complexity, which is the elements of the organization, such as the number of reporting lines or integrating mechanisms, that are deliberately put in place to help the organization deliver on its objectives, and we argue that structural complexity correlates positively with firm-level innovation while experienced complexity correlates negatively with innovation. Using a novel dataset combining survey and objective data on 209 large firms, we find support for our arguments.
Dilation of Epicardial Arteries in Conscious Dogs Induced by Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition with Enalaprilat

Summary Vasodilators may provoke myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary heart disease. Therefore, we analyzed in conscious dogs the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition by enalaprilat on parameters potentially important to provocation of myocardial ischemia, such as sympathetic activity, myocardial oxygen consumption, and vascular tone in coronary conduit and resistance vessels. Under normal sodium intake (2–4 mEq/kg/day), enalaprilat (0.03 and 0.3 mg/kg i.v. during 5-min infusion with 30-min intervals, n = 8) did not modify the norepinephrine release rate into plasma (a parameter of overall sympathetic activity). The higher dosage reduced myocardial oxygen consumption (to 87 ± 2% of control), mean arterial pressure (MAP) (to 90 ± 1) and coronary conduit artery tone (normalized Δ diameter: +3.2 ± 0.7%) without dilating coronary resistance vessels. Following rennin–angiotensin activation by sodium deprivation (3 × 1 mg/kg furosemide plus 7 days sodium intake <0.2 mEq/day), enalaprilat similarly lowered myocardial oxygen consumption and reduced vascular tone both in coronary conduit (normalized Δ diameter: +4.0 ± 0.9%) and resistance vessels (Δ coronary flow: +45 ± 12%). Although MAP declined to 76 ± 6%, heart rate and norepinephrine release rate were not modified significantly. We propose that the dilation of epicardial arteries results from a direct intramural action. Enalaprilat seems unlikely to provoke myocardial ischemia even in states with a strongly activated renin–angiotensin system.
Microsatellite alterations in urinary sediments from patients with cystitis and bladder cancer

Microsatellite instability (MIN) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in bladder cancer have been suggested for diagnosis and follow‐up of bladder cancer based on urinary sediments, reflecting tumor alterations. We have examined 6 microsatellites in urine sediments from 11 patients with transitional‐cell carcinomas (TCC) and in 31 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 22 of whom had cystitis. In the TCC patients, tumor tissue was available for comparison with urine. Microsatellites were amplified by PCR and compared with leukocyte DNA from the same individual in silver‐stained gels. Altered mobility of bands, new bands and loss of bands were scored. We found MIN and LOH at relatively high frequency in markers from chromosomes 8 and 14 in urine from patients with TCC, but also in BPH patients who had cystitis. Even control patients with BPH without cystitis showed some instability and some losses. Novel bands in urine occurred significantly more often among TCC patients than among BPH patients with or without cystitis (p < 0.001). Band shifts in urine appeared to be more associated with BPH plus cystitis than with TCC. The alterations we found in urine from patients with bladder cancer did not always reflect those found in their tumors, the occurrence of novel bands being significantly higher (p < 0.008) in tumor tissue than in corresponding urine. In conclusion, microsatellite alterations in urine are indicators not only of malignancy but also of inflammatory conditions. Int. J. Cancer 85:614–617, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tetherin Upregulation in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Macaques

ABSTRACT Here we show that simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus macaques results in rapid upregulation of tetherin (BST-2 or CD317) on peripheral blood lymphocytes, including the CD4+ CCR5+ T cell targets of virus infection, with a peak of induction that coincides with peak alpha interferon (IFN-α) levels in plasma, and that tetherin remains above baseline levels throughout chronic infection. These observations are consistent with a role for tetherin in innate immunity to immunodeficiency virus infection.
Optimal Weed Control Strategies in Rice Production under Dynamic and Static Decision Rules in South Korea

This paper analyzes optimal weed control management strategies under static and dynamic decision rules. Seed bank is taken into account to introduce dynamics into the model. We present a numerical example of controlling Sheathed Monochoria (Monochoria Vaginalis) in Korean rice paddy fields. Our results show that producers benefit from dynamic decision rules; higher income and more control of weed density can be obtained with the same amount of herbicide. In order to illustrate the magnitude of differences between static and dynamic models, a numerical example is presented using a data set from Korean rice production. When it comes to controlling weed density, Korean rice farmers are found to be better off under the dynamic model, and the magnitude of advantages are found to be more sensitive to herbicide efficacy and less sensitive to initial seed banks and germination rates in terms of weed density.
Platelet lysate 3D scaffold supports mesenchymal stem cell chondrogenesis: An improved approach in cartilage tissue engineering

Articular lesions are still a major challenge in orthopedics because of cartilage's poor healing properties. A major improvement in therapeutics was the development of autologous chondrocytes implantation (ACI), a biotechnology-derived technique that delivers healthy autologous chondrocytes after in vitro expansion. To obtain cartilage-like tissue, 3D scaffolds are essential to maintain chondrocyte differentiated status. Currently, bioactive 3D scaffolds are promising as they can deliver growth factors, cytokines, and hormones to the cells, giving them a boost to attach, proliferate, induce protein synthesis, and differentiate. Using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiated into chondrocytes, one can avoid cartilage harvesting. Thus, we investigated the potential use of a platelet-lysate-based 3D bioactive scaffold to support chondrogenic differentiation and maintenance of MSCs. The MSCs from adult rabbit bone marrow (n = 5) were cultivated and characterized using three antibodies by flow cytometry. MSCs (1 × 105) were than encapsulated inside 60 µl of a rabbit platelet-lysate clot scaffold and maintained in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium Nutrient Mixture F-12 supplemented with chondrogenic inductors. After 21 days, the MSCs-seeded scaffolds were processed for histological analysis and stained with toluidine blue. This scaffold was able to maintain round-shaped cells, typical chondrocyte metachromatic extracellular matrix deposition, and isogenous group formation. Cells accumulated inside lacunae and cytoplasm lipid droplets were other observed typical chondrocyte features. In conclusion, the usage of a platelet-lysate bioactive scaffold, associated with a suitable chondrogenic culture medium, supports MSCs chondrogenesis. As such, it offers an alternative tool for cartilage engineering research and ACI.
Modulation of Heat-shock Protein 27 (Hsp27) Anti-apoptotic Activity by Methylglyoxal Modification*

Methylglyoxal (MG) is one of the side-products in glycolysis, and it reacts with proteins under physiological conditions. Here, we identified heat-shock protein 27 (Hsp27) as a major MG-modified protein in cells. MG modification of Hsp27 selectively occurs at Arg-188 to form argpyrimidine, and mutation in the residue represses the formation of a large oligomer. This modification process is essential to its repressing activity for cytochrome c-mediated caspase activation. Inhibition of MG modification of Hsp27 causes sensitization of the cells to anti-tumor drug-induced apoptosis. Thus, MG is a novel modulator of cell survival by directly incorporating with the specific protein residue.