Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supply Chain Decision Making: Will Shorter Cycle Times and Shared Point-of-Sale Information Necessarily Help?

Using a simulated supply chain experiment based on the well-known "beer game," we examine how changes in order and delivery cycles, availability of shared point-of-sale (POS) information, and the pattern of customer demand affect supply chain efficiency. We find that speeding up cycle time is beneficial, but the sharing of POS information is not necessarily so. Whether or not the sharing of POS information is beneficial depends on the nature of the demand pattern represented by the POS information. If the demand pattern conveys continual change in ultimate downstream customer demand (as does an S-shaped demand pattern), the POS information can distract the upstream decision maker from what is perhaps more immediately relevant information, orders placed by the proximate downstream agent and the supply line.
Guidelines for diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Joint ICS/NCCP (I) recommendations

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem in India. Although several International guidelines for diagnosis and management of COPD are available, yet there are lot of gaps in recognition and management of COPD in India due to vast differences in availability and affordability of healthcare facilities across the country. The Indian Chest Society (ICS) and the National College of Chest Physicians (NCCP) of India have joined hands to come out with these evidence-based guidelines to help the physicians at all levels of healthcare to diagnose and manage COPD in a scientific manner. Besides the International literature, the Indian studies were specifically analyzed to arrive at simple and practical recommendations. The evidence is presented under these five headings: (a) definitions, epidemiology, and disease burden; (b) disease assessment and diagnosis; (c) pharmacologic management of stable COPD; (d) management of acute exacerbations; and (e) nonpharmacologic and preventive measures. The modified grade system was used for classifying the quality of evidence as 1, 2, 3, or usual practice point (UPP). The strength of recommendation was graded as A or B depending upon the level of evidence.
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Panchromatic Data Release (far-UV–far-IR) and the low-z energy budget

We present the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) Panchromatic Data Release (PDR) constituting over 230 deg2 of imaging with photometry in 21 bands extending from the far-UV to the far-IR. These data complement our spectroscopic campaign of over 300k galaxies, and are compiled from observations with a variety of facilities including: GALaxy Evolution eXplorer, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Visible and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA), Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, and Herschel, with the GAMA regions currently being surveyed by VLT Survey Telescope (VST) and scheduled for observations by Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). These data are processed to a common astrometric solution, from which photometry is derived for ∼221 373 galaxies with r < 19.8 mag. Online tools are provided to access and download data cutouts, or the full mosaics of the GAMA regions in each band. We focus, in particular, on the reduction and analysis of the VISTA VIsta Kilo-degree INfrared Galaxy data, and compare to earlier data sets (i.e. 2MASS and UKIDSS) before combining the data and examining its integrity. Having derived the 21-band photometric catalogue, we proceed to fit the data using the energy balance code magphys. These measurements are then used to obtain the first fully empirical measurement of the 0.1–500 μm energy output of the Universe. Exploring the cosmic spectral energy distribution across three time-intervals (0.3–1.1, 1.1–1.8, and 1.8–2.4 Gyr), we find that the Universe is currently generating (1.5 ± 0.3) × 1035 h70 W Mpc−3, down from (2.5 ± 0.2) × 1035 h70 W Mpc−3 2.3 Gyr ago. More importantly, we identify significant and smooth evolution in the integrated photon escape fraction at all wavelengths, with the UV escape fraction increasing from 27(18) per cent at z = 0.18 in NUV(FUV) to 34(23) per cent at z = 0.06. The GAMA PDR can be found at: http://gama-psi.icrar. org/.
Differential expression of murine leukemia virus loci in chemically induced hybrid cells

The time course of murine leukemia virus production after chemical induction was determined in hamster-mouse somatic cell hybrids containing the xenotropic murine leukemia virus induction locus Bxv-1 or the ecotropic locus Akv-2. By using these hybrids, induction could be studied in the absence of secondary virus spread because xenotropic viruses cannot infect hybrid cells and ecotropic viruses cannot infect hybrids which have lost mouse chromosome 5. After induction, hybrids with Bxv-1 produced only a transient burst of virus, whereas those with Akv-2 continued to produce virus for periods in excess of 3 months. The presence or absence of other mouse chromosomes in the hybrid lines did not alter these induction patterns. Thus, endogenous murine leukemia virus loci differ in their response to induction, and both inducibility and the kinetics of virus expression are controlled at or near these proviral loci.
Relationship Between Self-reported Low-back Pain Severity and Other Patient-reported Outcomes: Results From an Observational Study

Study Design: A cross-sectional observational study of physicians and patients with chronic low-back pain (CLBP) in the United States. Objective: To evaluate the association of patient-reported CLBP severity with other patient-reported outcomes. Summary of Background Data: Appropriate management of patients with CLBP can be enhanced by understanding how patients perceive the severity of their CLBP. Methods: Data were from the 2009 Adelphi Disease Specific Programme. Patients reported the severity of their CLBP condition by answering the question Please rate how your chronic lower back pain condition is today with responses of mild, moderate, and severe. Patient-reported severity was evaluated with respect to scores on standard patient self-report measures of pain, pain interference, health status, functional disability, work productivity, and questions addressing satisfaction with medications for treating CLBP. Results: Of 1860 subjects in the CLBP database, 1363 (73.3%) agreed to complete the survey. This sample was similarly distributed between males (49%) and females (51%), with mean age 54.8 years: 52% were employed at least part-time. CLBP severity was rated as mild, moderate and severe by 28.6%, 53.3%, and 18.2% of patients, respectively. With increasing CLBP severity, significant differences were observed in increased pain (P<0.0001), pain interference with function (P<0.0001), and impairment while working due to CLBP (P<0.01), mainly due to presenteeism. Increased work impairment resulted in higher costs related to lost work productivity; annual lost productivity costs were estimated at $7080, $16,616, and $25,032 per patient for mild, moderate, and severe CLBP, respectively (P<0.0001 for pairwise comparisons). Patient satisfaction with pain-related medication was inversely associated with CLBP severity. Conclusions: The association between patient-reported CLBP severity and other patient-reported outcomes demonstrates that in the clinical setting, patient-reported CLBP severity provides an accurate and suitable indicator of patient-reported health status. This indicator may be useful for guiding management strategies for CLBP patients.
Homocysteine Triggers Mucosal Microvascular Activation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

OBJECTIVES:Increased homocysteine contributes to the pathophysiology of several chronic inflammatory diseases. Whether homocysteine could participate in mucosal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been explored yet. Our aims were to study the levels of plasma and mucosal homocysteine in IBD patients and to assess whether homocysteine can trigger an inflammatory reaction on human intestinal microvascular endothelial cells (HIMECs). METHODS:Homocysteine was measured in the plasma, mucosal biopsy, and lamina propria mononuclear cell (LPMC) supernatants from normal and IBD subjects. HIMEC were cultured in presence of homocysteine, TNF-α, or folic acid, alone or in combination. Expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 was measured by flow cytometry and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) production by ELISA. Phosphorylation of p38 and p42/44 was assessed by immunoblot in HIMEC extracts. T-cell- and monocyte-HIMEC adhesion assays were used to evaluate the impact of homocysteine on leukocyte adhesion to intestinal endothelial cells.RESULTS:Patients with IBD displayed significantly higher homocysteine plasma and mucosal levels than control subjects. IBD-derived LPMC released higher homocysteine than control-derived LPMC. Treatment of HIMEC with homocysteine, and synergistically with the combination of TNF-α and homocysteine, triggered HIMEC inflammation, resulting in VCAM-1 up-regulation, MCP-1 production, and p38 phosphorylation. These events lead to an increased capacity of HIMEC to adhere T- and monocyte cells and were blocked by folic acid treatment.CONCLUSIONS:Homocysteine is increased in both the mucosa and plasma of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and contributes to the inflammatory state of the mucosal IBD endothelium. Therefore, homocysteine could play a proinflammatory role in IBD, which can be efficiently targeted by folic acid supplementation.
Efficacy of monopolar dielectric transmission radio frequency in panniculus adiposus and cellulite reduction

ABSTRACT Introduction: Despite high incidence rate of cellulite, there are few studies regarding its treatment. Most of them present non-validated evaluation tools. Radio frequency is a focused treatment very used in aesthetics to reduce it. Objectives: To know the efficacy of Monopolar Dielectric Radio frequency (MDR) treatment in dynamic applications to reduce cellulite, panniculus adiposus and gluteal and posterior thigh regions. Methods: Experimental study consisting of inferior members of nine women. They received 10 sessions based on dynamic applications of MDR. Variables included the following: Cellulite Severity Scale (CSS), appearance of the cutaneous area, flaccidity and ultrasound measurement of the panniculus adiposus. Results: The final CSS score of the leg treated reflects statistically significative differences (p = 0.023) when compared with control leg (p = 0.622). Significant reductions of body perimeters at the level of the great trochanter (p = 0.02), the gluteal region (p = 0.03) and the midpoint of the posterior thigh (p = 0.01) are found. The reduction of the panniculus adiposus measured using ultrasound techniques shows significant changes in the midpoint of the posterior thigh (p = 0.028) as well as in the gluteal region (p = 0.03). Conclusions: The dynamic application of MDR seems to be effective in order to reduce not only the thickness of panniculus adiposus but also gluteal and posterior thigh perimeters.
Calcium transport in membrane vesicles of Bacillus subtilis

Right-side-out membrane vesicles of Bacillus subtilis W23 grown on tryptone-citrate medium accumulated Ca2+ under aerobic conditions in the presence of a suitable electron donor. Ca2+ uptake was an electrogenic process which was completely inhibited by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone or valinomycin and not by nigericin. This electrogenic uptake of calcium was strongly dependent on the presence of phosphate and magnesium ions. The system had a low affinity for Ca2+. The kinetic constants in membrane vesicles were Km = 310 microM Ca2+ and Vmax = 16 nmol/mg of protein per min. B. subtilis also possesses a Ca2+ extrusion system. Right-side-out-oriented membrane vesicles accumulated Ca2+ upon the artificial imposition of a pH-gradient, inside acid. This system had a high affinity for Ca2+; Km = 17 microM Ca2+ and Vmax = 3.3 nmol/mg of protein per min. Also, a membrane potential, inside positive, drove Ca2+ transport via this Ca2+ extrusion system. Evidence for a Ca2+ extrusion system was also supplied by studies of inside-out-oriented membrane vesicles in which Ca2+ uptake was energized by respiratory chain-linked oxidation of NADH or ascorbate-phenazine methosulfate. Both components of the proton motive force, the pH gradient and the membrane potential, drove Ca2+ transport via the Ca2+ extrusion system, indicating a proton-calcium antiport system with a H+ to Ca2+ stoichiometry larger than 2. The kinetic parameters of this Ca2+ extrusion system in inside-out-oriented membranes were Km = 25 microM and Vmax = 0.7 nmol/mg of protein per min.
Decreased cerebellar posterior vermis size in fragile X syndrome

We examined whether posterior vermis size is smaller in individuals with fragile X syndrome (fra X) than in control subjects and whether this decreased size is associated with cognitive performance. Cognitive and behavioral dysfunctions have been identified in fra X; however, underlying neuropathogenic mechanisms remain unclear. MRI was used to investigate the posterior fossa in 32 males with fra X, 28 males with other causes of cognitive disability (CD), and 38 males with normal development (ND) as well as and in 37 females with fra X and 53 female control subjects. Among females with fra X, neurocognitive correlates of posterior vermis size were examined. Posterior vermis size (cross-sectional area) in males with fra X was significantly smaller compared with CD and ND groups, particularly when corrected for intracranial area. Posterior vermis size corrected for intracranial area was significantly smaller in females with fra X compared with control subjects. Compared with males with fra X and non-fra X control subjects, posterior vermis size in females with fra X was intermediate. After statistically removing the effect of mean parental IQ, posterior vermis size predicted a significant proportion of the variance (10 to 23%) of performance on full-scale, verbal, and performance IQ; block design; categories achieved on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; and the Rey inventory score. The size of the posterior vermis is significantly decreased in fra X, more so in males than in females. In females with fra X, posterior vermis size predicts performance on selected cognitive measures.
An Empirical Analysis of Smart Signage and Its Market Delimitation

This study demonstrates that ease of use, usefulness, and hedonic desires affect the intention to use smart signage, based on market delimitations. Smart signage is at an early phase of adoption and its market can be divided broadly into indoor and outdoor markets. In this study, an empirical study model was established in conjunction with the technology acceptance model (TAM), which was applied to the IT area of a smart signage map and to a hedonic model. Empirical results showed that the key hedonic attributes affecting the intention to use smart signage include information delivery for the indoor environment and emotional and entertainment content for the outdoor environment. In the future, specific guidelines can be presented to boost the usage of smart signage through an empirical study based on the identification of external factors that affect usage intention.
Lateralization of a weak signal presented with correlated and with uncorrelated noise.

When a strong signal is presented monaurally, listeners can easily lateralize the sound. However, if noise is added to both ears, there may be uncertainty as to which ear received the signal. This uncertainty was measured over a range of signal energies with perfectly correlated noise (N0) and with uncorrelated noise (NU). In the main experiment, the monaural signal occurred on each trial, and this signal was presented to either the right or the left ear by random determination during the single observation interval. Listeners responded “right” or “left. ” Measures of signal detection were also secured with the monaural signal under release from masking (N0) and without such release (NU). With uncorrelated noise (NU), the listener requires only slightly greater signal energy (1–2 dB) in order to lateralize as well as he can detect. With correlated noise (N0), the psychometric function for lateralization is not only displaced considerably toward higher signal energies, relative to those required for detecti.
Detection of Minimal Residual Disease in Acute Leukemia by Flow Cytometry a

Commercial flow cytometers can detect and enumerate rare cells at the level of 1 per 10(5) other cells within a reasonable measuring time, provided that the rare cells can be uniquely labeled with fluorescent marker. This detection level is sufficient for the enumeration of normal hematopoietic stem cells and committed progenitor cells. Detection at this level is useful for the quantitation of residual leukemic cells in remission bone marrow, for the analysis of the proliferative state of these cells as well as of normal stem cells, which are of importance in choosing the optimal chemotherapy regimen, and for monitoring the efficacy of maintenance chemotherapy. A further improvement in the speed of flow cytometers would be required, however, to make full use of the bone marrow samples.
The Effects of a Spiritual Learning Program on Improving Spiritual Health and Clinical Practice Stress Among Nursing Students

Background: Numerous studies have indicated an association between spirituality and health outcomes. However, little information is available about interventions that have been shown to enhance spiritual health and decrease stress. Purpose: This study examined the effects of a spiritual learning program (SLP) on nursing student-perceived spiritual health and clinical practice stress. Method: A convenience sample of nursing students currently enrolled at a nursing school in northern Taiwan were recruited to participate in this quasiexperimental study as participants to experimental and control groups via simple random sampling. Results from a spiritual health scale and a perceived clinical practice stress scale, together with the score for clinical nursing practice, were compared between the groups. Baseline data were collected from all participants. The experimental group participated in 8 weeks of 50-minute per week SLP, which included lectures, discussion, reflection, and spiritual practices. A second data set was collected from all participants after the intervention. A third data set was collected after all participants had performed 4 weeks of nursing clinical practice. Results: Participants were all women. Average age was 19.4 years (SD = 1.3 years). Generalized estimating equation analysis showed SLP to have a significant short-term effect on improving the total score for spiritual health (p < .01). Significantly greater improvement in clinical practice stress scores was also seen in the experimental group as compared with the control group (all p < .05). The experimental group obtained a higher score of the final clinical practice than the control group (t = 3.771, p < .001). Conclusion: The SLP may encourage participants to see stressors as meaningful events that are connected to individual life purposes. The program developed in this study may be used to improve spiritual health and reduce stress in nursing students’ clinical practice. This SLP may be referenced when designing similar spirituality-related courses and applied to nursing student counseling.
Aurora B Kinase Maintains Chromatin Organization During the MI to MII Transition in Surf Clam Oocytes

Meiosis represents a specialized cell cycle whereby cells undergo two reductive divisions without an intervening S phase. In oocytes, the transition from meiosis I to II is brief, with paired sister chromatids remaining condensed throughout the interkinesis period. This stands in contrast to mitotic divisions where cytokinesis and the return to interphase is always accompanied by chromatin decondensation and nuclear envelope reformation. Because other aspects of M phase exit are normal, we probed the mechanisms that allow for polar body extrusion while retaining chromatin condensation in Spisula solidissima oocytes. If oocytes were activated in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors, oocytes progressed normally through MI, but arrested in interkinesis with condensed chromatin, phosphorylated histone H3 and a disorganized MII spindle. Neither inhibition of CDK1- nor MAPK activity in arrested oocytes was sufficient to drive chromatin decondensation or nuclear envelope reformation, suggesting that these kinases were not responsible for the maintenance of chromatin condensation. However, inhibition of Aurora B kinase activity resulted in chromatin decondensation, loss of histone H3 phosphorylation and reformation of the nuclear envelope. Inhibition of Aurora B activity following MI also resulted in chromosome segregation defects during MII and blocked polar body formation, consistent with Aurora B’s well-established role in cytokinesis. Together, these results suggest that extended Aurora B activity between meiotic divisions maintains chromatin condensation, thus allowing for the rapid reassembly of the MII spindle and progression through meiosis.
Increased Macrolide Resistance of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Pediatric Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia

ABSTRACT Among 380 Mycoplasma pneumoniae isolates from 3,678 pediatric patients with community-acquired pneumonia, 50 macrolide-resistant strains had an A2063G transition in domain V of the 23S rRNA, whereas 5 had an A2064G transition. These resistant strains increased rapidly from April 2002 to December 2006.
Physical activity and inactivity in an adult population assessed by accelerometry.

INTRODUCTION Strong evidence suggests a link between physical inactivity and chronic disease prevalence in the adult population. To target the right groups for interventions in a population, accurate assessment of physical activity is important. The objective of this study was to assess the levels and pattern of physical activity and inactivity in an adult population sample using an objective method. METHODS In total, 1114 adults (56% women, 45+/-15 yr), randomly recruited from the Swedish population across a year, used an accelerometer (Actigraph MTI) for seven consecutive days. Inactivity was defined as <100 counts per minute, and cutoff values for moderate and vigorous activity were 1952-5724 and >5724 counts per minute, respectively. Average intensity was measured as counts per minute. RESULTS The adults were active in at least moderate-intensity activity for a median (intraquartile range) of 31 (18-47) min.d(-1). Fifty-two percent accumulated 30 min.d(-1) of at least moderate-intensity physical activity. Only 1% achieved those 30 min from three or more bouts of at least 10 min. Average intensity, moderate and vigorous physical activity was lower with higher age or body mass index (BMI). Men spent more time than women in moderate and vigorous physical activity, but there was no gender difference in average intensity. The variation in inactivity could not be explained by gender, age, or BMI. CONCLUSION Objectively obtained estimates of physical activity yielded lower values and a different activity pattern compared with those obtained by commonly used self-reports. This highlights the need to better understand the nature and measurement issues of health-enhancing physical activity of adults.