Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The analysis of human cortical bone by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

Samples of cortical bone, derived from human femur, have been studied using terahertz time-domain transmission spectroscopy. The relationship between the broadband THz parameters and the previously acquired values of Young's modulus and x-ray attenuation (CT number), and the density of each bone sample, is investigated. The only significant correlation is that between THz transmission and sample density, suggesting that the potential use of THz radiation as a non-invasive probe of bone quality is limited. The spectra of absorption coefficient and refractive index are plotted over the frequency range 0.1–1.25 THz. There is evidence that the sample hydration state is a factor in the resultant THz parameters.
Duration of Voriconazole Exposure: An Independent Risk Factor for Skin Cancer After Lung Transplantation

Objective To determine whether there is an association between duration of voriconazole therapy and number of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC) after lung transplantation. Design A telephone‐based survey and chart review were performed for all living patients who received a lung transplant at Emory University from 1993 to 2009. Setting Academic medical center. Participants Lung transplant recipients. Main Outcome Measured Number of NMSC after lung transplantation. Results Sixty of 91 (65.9%) subjects were exposed to voriconazole for at least 3 months (11.2 ± 8.7 months, range 3–58 months) after lung transplantation, of whom 16 developed NMSC, with a mean of 38 months to first NMSC. Of 31 patients not exposed to voriconazole, 12 developed NMSC, with a mean of 52 months to first NMSC . By univariate analysis, time since transplant (correlation coefficient (r) = 0.514), age (r = 0.101), and high lifetime sun exposure (r = 0.211) were correlated with number of skin cancers after transplantation. Skin types V and VI were protective (r = −0.353). In multivariate regression, time since transplantation (0.061 per month), age (0.151 per year), skin type I or II (4.939), and months of exposure to voriconazole (0.149) were found to be independent risk factors for number of skin cancers after lung transplantation. Conclusion Duration of voriconazole exposure correlates with number of NMSC after lung transplantation. All patients exposed to voriconazole should be educated about their increased risk of skin cancer and should have regular dermatologic follow‐up for skin cancer screening. Physicians caring for lung‐transplant recipients should consider alternatives to voriconazole in patients at risk for skin cancer.
How to earn your employees' commitment

Executive Overview In today's team-based, empowered, and technology-dependent organizations, employees are increasingly expected to manage themselves. Fostering the employee commitment necessary for self-management requires clarifying and communicating a firm's mission, guaranteeing organizational justice, creating a sense of community, supporting employee development, and placing people first.
Establishing Connections and Networking: The Role of Social Media in Agricultural Research in Nigeria

Session: 205 — Social networking for agricultural research, education, and extension service: an international perspective — Agricultural Libraries Special Interest Group Abstract: Agriculture is important to Nigeria's economy, as it engages about 70% of her labour force and contributes over 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The need for current and relevant information by professionals in this sector for sustainable agricultural production is a crucial issue for the nation. Information communication technology facilities are greatly influencing how information is sourced and disseminated these days, and the latest trend is to use social networking sites. This study therefore examines whether agricultural researchers in Nigeria use social media as a means of networking and collaboration in their endeavours as researchers in the agricultural industry. The study was conducted among agricultural researchers in six agricultural research institutes and a university of agriculture in south-west Nigeria. Questionnaire was the main instrument of data collection. 140 copies of the questionnaire were administered to the target audience and 101(72%) copies were returned and used for the study. The findings reveal that majority of the respondents are middle aged, while the most used social media among agricultural researchers in Nigeria is Facebook. Their major reason for using social media is to establish connection with their professional colleagues. The major benefit derived from using social media is exposure to the latest skills and knowledge in their profession. Recommendations are also proffered to encourage effective use of social media for networking and communication of research results among agricultural scientists in Nigeria.
The Decision to Work by Married Immigrant Women

Using 1980 Census data, the authors analyze the labor force participation of married immigrant Asian women by country of origin, compared with that of married immigrant women from Europe and Canada. The results suggest the existence of a family investment strategy: evidence from both across groups and within groups indicates that a woman's decision to work is affected by whether she has a husband who invests in skills specific to the U.S. labor market, and also by the extent of that investment. Such a family response may help offset the low earnings of immigrant men who initially lack skills for which there is a demand in the American labor market.
Productivity and trade unions in British manufacturing industry 1973-85

This paper uses panel data on British manufacturing industries between 1973 and 1985 to examine the relationship between productivity and labour organisation. It is shown that the precise relationship between unions and productivity levels is difficult to pin down. There is some evidence of a negative relationship further as does controlling for endogeneity. We also find some evidence that industrial concentration is associated with higher levels of measured productivity.
Promise and Pitfalls in the Use of 'Secondary' Data -Sets: Income Inequality in OECD Countries

Secondary data-sets have come to play an increasing role in empirical economic research. This paper examines the major new secondary data-set assembled by Klaus Deininger and Lyn Squire (DS) at the World Bank. We concentrate on its coverage of the OECD countries. We have particularly in mind the user of income inequality statistics who does not wish to go back to the original data. In order to motivate the analysis, we first present two examples of the problems which may arise, showing how both cross-country comparisons and time-series analysis may depend sensitively on the choice of data. Section 3 of the paper sets the DS data-set in the historical context of earlier exercises in assembling comparative information on income inequality. In Section 4, we consider the methodological issues which arise in the use of income distribution data and their relation to the different sources of evidence. In Section 5, we discuss their implications for the comparison of income inequality across OECD countries, and the use of dummy variables to allow for definitional and data differences. Section 6 is concerned with changes in income inequality over time, and the establishment of consistent series for individual countries. The lessons to be drawn for use of secondary data-sets in the field of income distribution are summarised at the end of the paper.
β4 Integrin Marks Interstitial Myogenic Progenitor Cells in Adult Murine Skeletal Muscle

Skeletal muscle growth and its regeneration following injury rely on myogenic progenitor cells, a heterogeneous population that includes the satellite cells and other interstitial progenitors. The present study demonstrates that surface expression of β4 integrin marks a population of vessel-associated interstitial muscle progenitor cells. Muscle β4 integrin–positive cells do not express myogenic markers upon isolation. However, they are capable of undergoing myogenic specification in vitro and in vivo: β4 integrin cells differentiate into multinucleated myotubes in culture dishes and contribute to muscle regeneration upon delivery into diseased mice. Subfractionation of β4 integrin–expressing cells based on CD31 expression does not further enrich for myogenic precursors. These findings support the expression of β4 integrin in interstitial, vessel-associated cells with myogenic activity within adult skeletal muscle.
Exosomes of invasive urothelial carcinoma cells are characterized by a specific miRNA expression signature

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) represents a highly aggressive tumor type compared to non-muscle-invasive tumors. MIBC is characterized by specific molecular alterations, which may also modulate extracellular tumorigenic effects. Tumor-associated exosomes, especially exosomal miRNAs, are important regulators in the interaction between tumor cells and tumor microenvironment by affecting tumor-promoting processes in target cells. It is important to analyze whether their exosomal patterns also reflect the specific molecular characteristics of MIBC. The aim of this study was to compare the miRNA expression in secreted exosomes from urinary bladder cancer cells (UBC) with different degrees of invasiveness. By electron microscopy, nanotracking analysis and western blot we proofed a high quality of isolated exosomes. Microarray analysis identified an invasion-associated signature of 15 miRNAs, which is significantly altered in exosomes of invasive UBC compared to non-invasive counterparts. Therefrom, 9 miRNAs are consistent differently expressed in both, invasive cells and their secreted exosomes. The remaining 6 exosome-specific miRNAs are only deregulated in exosomes but not in their parental cells. MiRNA alterations were verified by qPCR in cell culture and urinary exosomes. In conclusion, we showed that exosomes from invasive UBC cells are characterized by a specific miRNA signature. Further analyses have to clarify the functional relevance of exosomal miRNAs secreted by invasive bladder cancer cells for modification of the tumor microenvironment and their putative role as molecular markers in liquid biopsies.
Predicting U.S. Restaurant Sales Using the Stock Index and Disposable Income

ABSTRACT This study investigates whether stock indexes and disposable personal income can be used to predict future U.S. restaurant sales. A time-series ordinary least squares model was estimated to examine the ability of stock indexes and disposable personal income to predict future U.S. restaurant sales. The final model, established by applying the Cochrane-Orcutt transformation procedure, shows that the S&P 500 index and per capita disposable income can serve as useful leading indicators of future U.S. restaurant sales.
Donor Brain Death Aggravates Chronic Rejection after Lung Transplantation in Rats

Background. Many recipients of lung transplants from brain-dead donors develop bronchiolitis obliterans, a manifestation of chronic rejection. It has been shown that brain death increases inflammatory mediators and accelerates acute rejection in kidney, liver, and heart transplants. In this study, the authors investigated the hypothesis that brain death increases inflammatory mediators in the donor lung and subsequently aggravates chronic rejection of the lungs after transplantation in rats. Methods. Brain death was induced in F344 rats by inflation of a subdurally placed balloon catheter. After 6 hr, donor lungs were assessed for influx of leukocytes, expression of cell adhesion molecules, and cytokine mRNA expression. For assessment of the lung after transplantation, lungs from brain-dead F344 rats were transplanted into WKY rats. Lung function after transplantation was monitored by chest radiographs during an observation period of 100 days. At the end of this period, the lungs were histologically examined; also, cytokine mRNA expression was measured. Lungs from ventilated living donors and living donors served as controls. Results. After 6 hr of brain death, influx of polymorphonuclear cells and macrophages and expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in the donor lungs was increased. After transplantation at postoperative day 100, the lung function was significantly decreased compared with allografts from living donors. In the lung allografts from brain-dead donors, histologic symptoms of chronic rejection were obvious, including severe intimal hyperplasia but without bronchiolitis obliterans. Interleukin-2 mRNA was significantly increased in allografts from brain-dead donors compared with living donors. Conclusions. This study shows that brain death induces an inflammatory response in the donor lung and subsequently aggravates chronic rejection after transplantation. This may explain the clinical difference in long-term function between lungs from cadaveric donors and living donors.
Transcriptome Profiling Using Single-Molecule Direct RNA Sequencing Approach for In-depth Understanding of Genes in Secondary Metabolism Pathways of Camellia sinensis

Characteristic secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, theanine and caffeine, are important components of Camellia sinensis, and their biosynthesis has attracted widespread interest. Previous studies on the biosynthesis of these major secondary metabolites using next-generation sequencing technologies limited the accurately prediction of full-length (FL) splice isoforms. Herein, we applied single-molecule sequencing to pooled tea plant tissues, to provide a more complete transcriptome of C. sinensis. Moreover, we identified 94 FL transcripts and four alternative splicing events for enzyme-coding genes involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoids, theanine and caffeine. According to the comparison between long-read isoforms and assemble transcripts, we improved the quality and accuracy of genes sequenced by short-read next-generation sequencing technology. The resulting FL transcripts, together with the improved assembled transcripts and identified alternative splicing events, enhance our understanding of genes involved in the biosynthesis of characteristic secondary metabolites in C. sinensis.
Effect of pharmaconutrition-supplemented parenteral nutrition for severe acute pancreatitis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of pharmaconutrition-supplemented parenteral nutrition (PN) for severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS A comprehensive search of abstracts was performed in the MEDLINE, OVID, Springer, and Cochrane Library database. Published data of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing the clinically relevant outcomes of pharmaconutrition-supplemented PN versus PN for patients with SAP were analyzed. The analyzed outcome variables included infection, mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, hospital stay, and leukocytes change. Statistical analyses were performed using the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.1 software. RESULTS Four RCTs published in 1998 or later were included in this meta-analysis, in which 76 patients with pharmaconutrition-supplemented PN and 77 patients with PN. Pharmaconutrition-supplemented PN showed significantly better results in terms of infection (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.20-0.91; P =0.03) and leukocytes change (before treated: mean different, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.21-1.65; P =0.01; after treated: mean different, -0.77; 95% CI, -1.47- -0.08; P =0.03). No significant difference could be found in mortality (OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.07-1.19; P =0.09), ICU stay (mean different, -3.65; 95% CI, -9.39-2.10; P =0.21), and hospital stay (mean different, -1.20; 95% CI, -9.89-7.48; P =0.79). CONCLUSIONS The current meta-analysis indicates that pharmaconutrition-supplemented PN only show advantages in infection and leukocytes change.
THE CONDITIONAL CAPM AND CROSS-SECTIONAL EVIDENCE OF RETURN AND BETA FOR ISLAMIC UNIT TRUSTS IN MALAYSIA

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between return and beta for Islamic unit trusts using the cross-sectional regression analysis. The estimation of return and beta without differentiating between positive and negative excess market returns produces a flat unconditional relationship between return and beta. Using the conditional CAPM and cross-sectional regression analysis, the evidence in this paper tends to support a significant positive relationship in an up-market and a significant negative relationship in a down-market. This paper suggests that beta could be used as a tool in explaining cross-sectional differences in Islamic unit trusts’ returns and as a measure of market risk. Based on the adjusted-R2 and standard error of the conditional relationship between returns we find that beta is higher in a down-market than in an up-market. Therefore, both statistics are appropriate measurements of conditional relationships.
Quantum and private capacities of low-noise channels

We determine both the quantum and the private capacities of low-noise quantum channels to leading orders in the channel's distance to the perfect channel. It has been an open problem for more than 20 years to determine the capacities of some of these low-noise channels such as the depolarizing channel. We also show that both capacities are equal to the single-letter coherent information of the channel, again to leading orders. We thus find that, in the low noise regime, super-additivity and degenerate codes have negligible benefit for the quantum capacity, and shielding does not improve the private capacity beyond the quantum capacity, in stark contrast to the situation when noisier channels are considered.
Photoacoustic Analysis Indicates That Chloroplast Movement Does Not Alter Liquid-Phase CO2 Diffusion in Leaves of Alocasia brisbanensis12

Light-mediated chloroplast movements are common in plants. When leaves of Alocasia brisbanensis (F.M. Bailey) Domin are exposed to dim light, mesophyll chloroplasts spread along the periclinal walls normal to the light, maximizing absorbance. Under high light, the chloroplasts move to anticlinal walls. It has been proposed that movement to the high-light position shortens the diffusion path for CO2 from the intercellular air spaces to the chloroplasts, thus reducing CO2 limitation of photosynthesis. To test this hypothesis, we used pulsed photoacoustics to measure oxygen diffusion times as a proxy for CO2 diffusion in leaf cells. We found no evidence that chloroplast movement to the high-light position enhanced gas diffusion. Times for oxygen diffusion were not shorter in leaves pretreated with white light, which induced chloroplast movement to the high-light position, compared with leaves pretreated with 500 to 700 nm light, which did not induce movement. From the oxygen diffusion time and the diffusion distance from chloroplasts to the intercellular gas space, we calculated an oxygen permeability of 2.25 × 10–6 cm2 s–1 for leaf cells at 20°C. When leaf temperature was varied from 5°C to 40°C, the permeability for oxygen increased between 5°C and 20°C but changed little between 20°C and 40°C, indicating changes in viscosity or other physical parameters of leaf cells above 20°C. Resistance for CO2 estimated from oxygen permeability was in good agreement with published values, validating photoacoustics as another way of assessing internal resistances to CO2 diffusion.
Comparison of alternating pressure mattresses and overlays for prevention of pressure ulcers in ventilated intensive care patients: a quasi-experimental study.

AIM To compare the effectiveness of alternating pressure air mattresses vs. overlays to prevent pressure ulcers in mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units. BACKGROUND Pressure ulcers prevention is an important issue in the nursing of critically ill patients. It is not clear whether alternating pressure air mattresses are more effective than overlays to prevent pressure ulcers. DESIGN Prospective quasi-experimental study. METHODS A prospective quasi-experimental study was conducted among patients in the medical-surgery intensive care unit of a university hospital on mechanical ventilation ≥24 hours during two time periods (2001 and 2006). Overlays were used in 2001 and mattresses in 2006. Primary outcome was the incidence of pressure ulcers grade ≥II (according to the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel) during intensive care unit stay. RESULTS The study included 221 patients (116 in 2001 and 105 in 2006). Baseline characteristics were similar between groups except for a higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III score, total and first-day respiratory Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score on day 1 in overlay group. There was significantly lower incidence density in the mattress vs. overlay group (12·41 cases/1000 days vs. 18·67 cases/1000 days of stay). The multivariate analyses showed the use of the mattress to be a protective factor against pressure ulcer onset. CONCLUSION This quasi-experiment study that alternative pressure air mattresses were more effective than alternating pressure air overlays in preventing pressure ulcers in mechanically ventilated critical care patients.
Isolation and characterization of Selenomonas ruminantium strains capable of 2-deoxyribose utilization

Microbes from ruminal contents of cattle were selectively enriched by using 2-deoxyribose (2DR) as a substrate for growth. Bacterial isolates growing on 2DR were gram-negative, curved, motile rods. The isolates grew on a broad range of substrates, including deoxyribose, glucose, ribose, mannitol, and lactate as well as ribonucleosides and deoxyribonucleosides. The strains also grew on rhamnose (6-deoxymannose) but not DNA. Organic acids produced from growth on hexoses and pentoses included acetate, propionate, lactate, and succinate. The isolates were identified as Selenomonas ruminantium subsp. lactilytica on the basis of morphology, substrate specificity, and other biochemical characteristics. Several characterized species of ruminal bacteria were also screened for growth on 2DR, with only one strain (S. ruminantium PC-18) found able to grow on 2DR. Ethanol was produced by 2DR when strains were grown on ribose or 2DR.
Ranking Underwriters of European IPOs

Reputational capital is a valuable asset for underwriters in IPO markets. Existing measures of their reputation are tailored to the US market, where the same established investment banks typically handle IPOs on both the NYSE and NASDAQ. The widely used Carter-Manaster rankings do not grade the reputations of underwriters of 67.5% of IPOs in Europe. The European IPO market is a series of domestic markets, where most underwriters operate almost entirely in a single country. This paper presents European-based rankings of 260 underwriters of 3,776 IPOs in France, Italy, Germany, and the UK from 1995 to 2010, with the number of IPOs underwritten and the amount of capital raised.