Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Altered Hemorheologic Parameters in Thromboangiitis Obliterans: A New Insight

The hemorheologic abnormalities were studied in patients suffering from thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) and compared findings with those of patients suffering from critical limb ischemia because of peripheral atherosclerotic obstructive disease (PAOD) and the healthy subjects. This prospective study included 20 patients with TAO, 20 patients with PAOD, and 20 healthy subjects. Hematocrit, plasma fibrinogen, red blood cell rigidity, and blood and plasma viscosity were determined in all groups. Hematocrit values of the TAO group were significantly higher than those of the PAOD group and the control group (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). BV at a shear rate of 6.00 sec-1 was higher in TAO than the PAOD and control (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). BV at a shear rate of 225 sec-1 was higher in the TAO and PAOD than the control (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively) and also PAOD values were higher than the TAO (p<0.05). RBC rigidity was higher in the TAO and PAOD than the control (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively) and these values were higher in PAOD than the TAO (p<0.05). These results show the impairment in hemorheologic parameters in TAO may provide a new insight into the treatment of patients with TAO in the active period of the disease.
Relationship between local oxygen consumption and local and external cardiac work: effect of tachycardia.

This study was designed to determine the extent of coupling between regional myocardial segment work and corresponding regional oxygen consumption, and to examine whether tachycardia induced changes in regional work are translated into corresponding changes in external cardiac work. In the open chest anaesthetised dog, the heart was paced at frequencies of 120-270 beats.min-1. Global and regional myocardial O2 supply, consumption, and balance were evaluated at each heart rate, and correlated with corresponding functional changes. Global cardiac function was evaluated from aortic flow, blood pressure, and left ventricular pressure. Coronary sinus flow and O2 saturation were used to calculate O2 consumption. The integrated multiple of myocardial shortening (ultrasonic dimension crystals) by corresponding force (strain gauge arch) during an averaged beat was used to express regional segment work. Regional coronary blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres, and microspectrophotometry was used to evaluate O2 saturation in small arteries and veins. These indices were used to calculate regional myocardial oxygen consumption. NADH redox levels were recorded by surface fluorometry, and were found to increase with heart rate by up to 67%. Increasing heart rate from 120 to 180 beats.min-1 increased regional work from 3040(SEM 220) to a peak of 4290(280) mm.g-1.min-1, whereas external cardiac work did not increase [67.0(2.6) to 65.3(4.4) mm Hg.litre-1.min-1] and fell further at the highest rates. Regional oxygen consumption increased from 6.16(0.47) to 8.29(0.53) ml O2.min-1.100 g-1 and was linearly related to regional work at all heart rates (r = 0.971, p less than 0.05). External cardiac work fell by about 26% whereas global myocardial oxygen consumption increased by 49% during tachycardia. It is concluded that myocardial oxygen consumption is more closely related to regional segment work than to external work, and that tachycardia significantly raises the oxygen cost of external work of the heart.
Role of Syn-eruptive Cooling and Degassing on Textures of Lavas from the ad 1783–1784 Laki Eruption, South Iceland

The Laki eruption involved 10 fissure-opening episodes that produced 15·1 km3 of homogeneous quartz-tholeiite magma. This study focuses on the texture and chemistry of samples from the first five episodes, the most productive period of the eruption. The samples comprise pumiceous tephra clasts from early fallout deposits and lava surface samples from fire-fountaining and cone-building activity. The fluid lava core was periodically exposed at the surface upon lobe breakout, and its characteristics are preserved in glassy selvages from the lava surface. In all samples, plagioclase is the dominant mineral phase, followed by clinopyroxene and then olivine. Samples contain 100 µm) with primitive cores [An* = 100 x Ca/(Ca + Na) >70; Fo > 75; En* = 100 x Mg/(Mg + Fe) >78] and more evolved rims, and >10 vol. % of skeletal, densely distributed groundmass crystals ( 40 vol. %; lava: <40 vol. %), groundmass crystal content (tephra: <10 vol. %; lava: 20–30 vol. %), and matrix glass composition (tephra: 5·4–5·6 wt % MgO; lava: 4·3–5·0 wt % MgO). Whole-rock and matrix glass compositions define a trend consistent with liquid evolution during in situ crystallization of groundmass phases. Plagioclase–glass and olivine–glass thermometers place the formation of phenocryst cores at ~10 km depth in a melt with ~1 wt % H2O, at near-liquidus temperatures (~1150°C). Phenocryst rims and groundmass crystals formed close to the surface, at 10–40°C melt undercooling and in an ~10–20°C cooler drier magma (0–0·1 wt % H2O), causing an ~10 mol % drop in An content in plagioclase. The shape, internal zoning and number density of groundmass crystals indicate that they formed under supersaturated conditions. Based on this information, we propose that degassing during ascent had a major role in rapidly undercooling the melt, prompting intensive shallow groundmass crystallization that affected the magma and lava rheology. Petrological and textural differences between tephra and lava reflect variations in the rates of magma ascent and the timing of surface quenching during each eruptive episode. That in turn affected the time available for crystallization and subsequent re-equilibration of the melt to surface (degassed) conditions. During the explosive phases, the rates of magma ascent were high enough to inhibit crystallization, yielding crystal-poor tephra. In contrast, pervasive groundmass crystallization occurred in the lava, increasing its yield strength and causing a thick rubbly layer to form during flow emplacement. Lava selvages collected across the flow-field have strikingly homogeneous glass compositions, demonstrating the high thermal efficiency of fluid lava transport. Cooling is estimated as 0·3°C/km, showing that rubbly surfaced flows can be as thermally efficient as tube-fed phoehoe lavas.
Manipulation of innate immunity by a bacterial secreted peptide: Lantibiotic nisin Z is selectively immunomodulatory

Innate immunity is triggered by a variety of bacterial molecules, resulting in both protective and potentially harmful pro-inflammatory responses. Further, innate immunity also provides a mechanism for the maintenance of homeostasis between the host immune system and symbiotic or non-pathogenic microorganisms. However, the bacterial factors that mediate these protective effects have been incompletely defined. Here, it was demonstrated that the lantiobiotic nisin Z is able to modulate host immune responses and mediate protective host immunity. Nisin Z induced the secretion of the chemokines MCP-1, IL-8 and Gro-α, and significantly reduced TNF-α induction in response to bacterial LPS in human PBMC. The results correlated with the ability of nisin Z to confer protection against both the Gram-positive organism Staphylococcus aureus, and the Gram-negatives Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium and Escherichia coli in murine challenge models. Mechanistic studies revealed that nisin Z modulates host immunity through similar mechanisms as natural host defense peptides, engaging multiple signal transduction pathways and growth factor receptors. The results presented herein demonstrate that, in addition to nisin Z, other bacterial cationic peptides and, in particular, the lantibiotics, could represent a new class of secreted bacterial molecule with immunomodulatory activities.
Transcriptomic responses to salinity stress in invasive and native blue mussels (genus Mytilus)

The invasive marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis has displaced the native congener Mytilus trossulus from central and southern California, but the native species remains dominant at more northerly sites that have high levels of freshwater input. To determine the extent to which interspecific differences in physiological tolerance to low salinity might explain limits to the invasive species’ biogeography, we used an oligonucleotide microarray to compare the transcriptional responses of these two species to an acute decrease in salinity. Among 6777 genes on the microarray, 117 genes showed significant changes that were similar between species, and 12 genes showed significant species‐specific responses to salinity stress. Osmoregulation and cell cycle control were important aspects of the shared transcriptomic response to salinity stress, whereas the genes with species‐specific expression patterns were involved in mRNA splicing, polyamine synthesis, exocytosis, translation, cell adhesion, and cell signalling. Forty‐five genes that changed expression significantly during salinity stress also changed expression during heat stress, but the direction of change in expression was typically opposite for the two forms of stress. These results (i) provide insights into the role of changes in gene expression in establishing physiological tolerance to acute decreases in salinity, and (ii) indicate that transcriptomic differences between M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus in response to salinity stress are subtle and involve only a minor fraction of the overall suite of gene regulatory responses.
Pilot Trial of a Social Cognitive Theory-Based Physical Activity Intervention Delivered by Nonsupervised Technology in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND Physical inactivity is prevalent in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and this highlights the importance of developing behavioral interventions for increasing physical activity (PA) in MS. This pilot trial examined the efficacy of a 6-week, behavioral intervention based on social cognitive theory (SCT) delivered by newsletters and phone calls for increasing PA in persons with MS who were physically inactive and had middle levels of self-efficacy. METHODS The sample included 68 persons with relapsing-remitting MS who were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received SCT-based information by newsletters and phone calls, whereas the controls received information regarding topics such as stress management over 6 weeks. Participants completed self-report of PA and social cognitive variables. RESULTS The intervention group had a significant increase in self-reported PA (d = 0.56, P = .02) over the 6 weeks, but the controls had a nonsignificant change (d = -0.13, P = .45). Goal setting was changed in the intervention group (d = 0.68, P ≤ .01) and identified as a significant mediator of change in self-reported PA. CONCLUSIONS This study provides initial evidence for the benefit of a theory-based behavioral intervention for increasing PA in MS.
The rationality framework for a critical study of information systems

This paper situates the social implications of information systems (IS) within the broader context of progressive rationalization in modern organizations. Specifically, it examines the roles IS play in the rationalization of organizational processes and its social implications. The paper proposes a rationality framework that synthesizes different approaches to reason and rationality and provides a conceptual model for critical analysis of social and organizational consequences of rationalization in organizations that are enabled and supported by IS. By drawing on a field study the paper interprets three IS cases in order to demonstrate how the rationality framework helps explain different IS–organization relationships in the light of increasing levels of rationality that entail both substantial benefits and considerable risks.
Are Domestic and International Marketing Dissimilar?

Marketing technology has universal validity and potential universal applicability. To date, however, both practitioners and academicians have emphasized the differences between marketing at home and abroad. The author believes that emphasis on the inherent similarities rather than differences will enable a better understanding of the nature of foreign marketing by U.S. firms. To the extent that these similarities are perceived, they will make possible the formulation of more integrated marketing theory, business structure, and academic offerings.
Resource-based View of Strategic Alliance Formation: Strategic and Social Effects in Entrepreneurial Firms

Why do firms form strategic alliances? The traditional theoretical answer has been transaction cost explanations. Yet, these explanations which center on transaction characteristics, static efficiency, and routine situations do not capture the strategic and social factors which propel many firms into alliance formation. In this study, however, we combine these alternative social and strategic explanations for alliance formation. Consistent with these explanations, we find that alliances form when firms are in vulnerable strategic positions either because they are competing in emergent or highly competitive industries or because they are attempting pioneering technical strategies. We also find that alliances form when firms are in strong social positions such that they are led by large, experienced, and well-connected top management teams. The underlying logic of alliance formation is, thus, strategic needs and social opportunities.We develop these findings by extending the resource-based view of the firm to alliance formation and then examining the resulting hypotheses using product development alliances. The study is longitudinal and focuses on entrepreneurial semiconductor firms. Overall, strategic and social explanations of organizational phenomena as well as industry, firm, and top management team factors emerge as central in the paper. This suggests that these factors are relevant for predicting alliance formation, especially in high-velocity industries such as semiconductors. We conclude that failure to include social and strategic explanations creates an impoverished view of alliance formation.
Flicker Noise Behavior in Resistive Memory Devices With Double-Layered Transition Metal Oxide

Characteristics of flicker (or 1/<i>f</i>) noise have been investigated in resistive-switching random access memory (RRAM) devices with TiN/Ti/TiO<sub>x</sub>/HfO<sub>x</sub>/TiN double-layered (DL) metal oxide structure. In DL-RRAMs, no significant difference is found in the normalized current noise power spectral densities of the high- and low-resistance states, unlike RRAMs with the TiN/Ti/TiO<sub>x</sub>/ TiN SL structure. Based on comparative analysis, we demonstrate that the dominant 1/<i>f</i> noise source of DL-RRAM is located near the TiO<sub>x</sub>/HfO<sub>x</sub> and HfO<sub>x</sub>/TiN interfaces, and the origin of 1/<i>f</i> noise is modeled to be the mobility fluctuation. A unique measurement method, which completely breaks down the HfO<sub>x</sub> layer only, was employed for a systematic analysis of RRAMs with three different structures.
Determinants of Outbound Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions by Emerging Asian Acquirers

This dissertation identifies key determinants of outbound cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by emerging Asian acquirers during 2001-2012. Using a zero-inflated model that takes into account different mechanisms governing country pairs that never engage in cross-border M&As and country pairs that actively participate in cross-border M&As, I uncover unique patterns for emerging Asian acquirers. Emerging Asian acquirers originate from countries with lower corporate tax rates than those countries where their targets are located. Furthermore, the negative impact of an international double tax burden is significantly larger than that found in previous studies. While country governance differences and geographical and cultural differences are important determinants of international M&As, relative valuation effects are muted. Coefficients of these determinants vary substantially, depending on whether targets are located in developing or advanced nations. Also, determinants differ considerably between active and non-active players in cross-border M&As. Moreover, comparisons of empirical models illustrate that estimating a non-linear model and taking into account both the bounded nature and non-normal distributions of fractional response variables lead to different inferences from those drawn from a linear model estimated by the ordinary least squares method. Overall, emerging Asian acquirers approach the deals differently from patterns documented in developed markets. So, when evaluating foreign business combinations or devising policies, managers or policymakers should consider these differences.
Developing management systems for emerging countries

Application of Western management theories in different contexts has been questioned for several decades. However, there is still no well-defined theoretical framework for understanding management systems in non-industrialized countries. This article provides some guidelines to develop these frameworks by elaborating some of the major characteristics of strategies, structures, decision-makings and management systems in Developing Countries (DC). The analysis showed evidence that the complexity of national environmental forces of DCs has made the application of Western management theories more problematic in these countries. The article concludes that global business firms should realize that it is time to stop transferring these management systems to DCs and trying to adapt their organizations to these systems and that a clinical type of approach may be more effective.
Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on Partnership Venture Intentions

Literature on ‘self-employment’ have implied and focused on sole-proprietorship. What is missing from the extant literature is the relationship between entrepreneurship education and partnership venture formation. This study explored this gap. This study investigated the impact of entrepreneurship education on partnership venture intentions using entrepreneurship students at Kumasi Polytechnic, Ghana, as case study. The study employed cross-sectional data. Using the convenient sampling method, a sample size of 220 was used for the study. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out. A logistic regression model was employed to estimate the objectives of the study. The study found that entrepreneurship education positively impacts on the intentions to form partnership venture. Stakeholders, academic and training institutions should structure their entrepreneurship programmes to include partnership venture formation. At 5% error level, the study found large scale production, previous experience in running partnership venture, continuity of business as well as access to funds statistically significant to impact on the intentions to form a partnership venture after graduation. Prospective entrepreneurs should pay more attention to these variables to consider partnership venture in their entrepreneurial undertakings.
The randomized fast-track trial in palliative care: Role, utility and ethics in the evaluation of interventions in palliative care?

Background: Randomized trials are the gold standard method for evaluating treatments and services in health care. However, they are often difficult to complete in palliative care, and suffer from poor recruitment. Aim: To introduce the randomized fast-track trial and its potential use in palliative care. Method: The randomized fast-track trial is a form of randomized trial with two periods. In the first, the trial runs as a normal randomized trial. In the second period, the standard (control) group also are offered the intervention. The design is adapted from a ‘wait list’ design (sometimes called a deferred entry or delayed intervention trial) but is both less confusing for patients, who are not on waiting lists, and more appropriate to the nature of services offered. The methodology has the advantage of being more acceptable to many patients, clinicians and ethics committees than standard randomized trials, because all patients will eventually be offered the intervention. Yet it has the rigour of a traditional randomized trial. However, care is needed to ensure the correct timing for the first period, before the standard group receive the intervention. The analysis of data in the second period is complex. Conclusion: The fast-track trial has been used successfully in palliative care among patients severely affected by multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. It is best suited to evaluations of palliative care services among patients who have longer prognoses, for example of several months or more although it has been used in people with prognoses of weeks.
Soy-protein consumption and kidney-related biomarkers among type 2 diabetics: a crossover, randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE Renal disease is a major problem among diabetic patients. The type of protein consumed may affect alterations in kidney-related biomarkers in these patients. This study sought to assess the effects of soy-protein consumption on renal-related markers among type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy. METHODS A crossover, randomized clinical trial was conducted among 14 patients (10 men and 4 women). One diet contained 0.8 g/kg protein (70% animal and 30% vegetable proteins), and a similar diet contained the same amount of protein with 35% animal protein, 35% soy protein, and 30% other vegetable proteins. These two diets were prescribed in each phase of the trial for 7 weeks. There was a 4-week washout between the two phases of the study. RESULTS Consumption of soy protein reduced urinary urea nitrogen (-0.9 +/- 0.8 vs. 0.2 +/- 0.6 mg/dL, respectively, SD; P < .001), proteinuria (-78 +/- 37 vs. 42 +/- 39 mg/day, respectively, SD; P < .001), blood sodium (-2 +/- 0.04 vs. 2.0 +/- 0.06 mg/dL, respectively, SD; P < .01), and serum phosphorus (-0.03 +/- 0.2 vs. 0.2 +/- 0.3 mg/dL, respectively, SD; P < .01) compared with animal protein. Serum and urinary creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, serum calcium, and potassium levels were not significantly changed in soy-protein versus anima-protein consumption. CONCLUSION Soy-protein consumption reduces proteinuria in type 2 diabetes with nephropathy.
Assessment of subjective outcome of hearing aid fitting: getting the client's point of view

This paper provides an overview of the measurement of hearing aid fitting outcomes in real life using self-report methods. Three topics are addressed: (1) why we should measure real-life outcomes; (2) seven different types of self-report outcome data; and (3) issues to consider in self-report outcome measurement- It is stressed that self-report data provide a unique view of the way that clients function and feel in their daily lives with regard to their hearing health. Self-report outcome data are multidimensional, and the different domains are only moderately correlated. When these types of data are gathered, it is essential to control relevant variables to safeguard validity and reliability.