Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of A Six Week Training Program on Ventilatory Efficiency, Red Blood Cell Rheological Parameters and Red Blood Cell Nitric Oxide Signaling in Young Sickle Cell Anemia Patients: A Pilot Study

Patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) show impaired ventilatory efficiency, altered blood rheology, high levels of oxidative/nitrosative stress and enhanced hemolysis with large amounts of circulating free hemoglobin, which reduces nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. The aim of the study was to investigate whether physical exercise could improve these physiological and biological markers described to contribute to SCA pathophysiology. Twelve SCA patients participated in a controlled six weeks training program with moderate volume (two sessions per week with 15–30 min duration per session) and intensity (70% of the first ventilatory threshold). Parameters were compared before (T0) and after (T1) training. Daily activities were examined by a questionnaire at T0 and one year after the end of T1. Results revealed improved ventilatory efficiency, reduced nitrosative stress, reduced plasma free hemoglobin concentration, increased plasma nitrite levels and altered rheology at T1 while no effect was observed for exercise performance parameters or hematological profile. Red blood cell (RBC) NO parameters indicate increased NO bioavailability which did not affect RBC deformability. Participants increased their daily life activity level. The data from this pilot study concludes that even low intensity activities are feasible and could be beneficial for the health of SCA patients.
The E ects of Gender Segregation on Wages at the Establishment Level: An Empirical Analysis Using a Panel of Matched Employer-Employee Data

The existence of gender di erences in wages is a phenomenon that has been documented by many scholars for several di erent countries and periods of time. One of the main ndings of this research is that there is a connection between the wages of both men and women and the gender composition of occupations, industries, and rms. Such evidence has been important not only to improve our understanding about the channels through which gender pay di erentials occur, but also to assess the e ectiveness of the various policies that aspire to reduce the gender wage gap. Most of the literature has focused on the correlation between gender composition and wages at the occupational and industry levels. One of the established empirical ndings of these studies is that workers' wages vary systematically with the gender composition of occupations and industries. More speci cally, the empirical evidence shows that the proportion of females in occupations and industries is negatively related to the wages of both men and women.
A Comprehensive Review on Bast Fibre Retting Process for Optimal Performance in Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites

Natural fibres are a gift from nature that we still underutilise. They can be classified into several groups, and bast natural fibre reinforcement in polymer composites has the most promising performance, among others. However, numerous factors have reported influences on mechanical properties of the fibre-reinforced composite, including natural fibre retting processes. In this review, bast fibre retting process and the effect of enzymatic retting on the fibre and fibre-reinforced polymer composites have been discussed and reviewed for the latest research studies. All retting methods except chemical and mechanical retting processes are involving secretion of enzymes by bacteria or fungi under controlled (enzymatic retting) or random conditions (water and dew retting). Besides, enzymatic retting is claimed to have more environmentally friendly wastewater products, shorter retting period, and controllable fibre biochemical components under mild incubation conditions. This review comprehensively assesses the enzymatic retting process for producing high-quality bast fibre and will become a reference for future development on bast fibre-reinforced polymer composites.
Option Implied Stock Buy-Side and Sell-Side Market Depths

This paper investigates option valuation when the underlying market suffers from illiquidity of price impact. Using option data, I infer trading activities and price impacts on the buy side and the sell side in the stock market from option prices across maturities. The finding displays that the stock market is active when the stock prices plummet, but becomes silent after the market crashes. In addition, the difference of option implied price impacts between the buy side and the sell side, which indicates asymmetric liquidity, increases with the time to maturity, especially on the day of the market crisis. Moreover, investors have different perspectives on the future liquidity after liquidity shocks when they are in a bull market or in a bear market according to the option implied price impact (or market depth) curves. I also calibrate three market indices simultaneously and reach the same conclusion that the three markets become erratic on the event date and calm down in the aftermath.
Postgraduate Education of Board Members and R&D Investment—Evidence from China

Increasing research and development (R&D) investment has been a common strategy to advance the sustainable development of economy and competitiveness across the world. Instead of external determinants, exploring the influence of internal factors such as the characteristics of board members is an important topic, yet under-researched. This article aims to reveal whether a firm’s R&D investment is related to the directors’ postgraduate education experience. Further, we want to explore whether this relationship shows heterogeneity in different industrial environments. We analyzed information from a sample of 1374 listed companies in China using descriptive statistics, ordinary least square (OLS) regression and instrumental variable (IV) estimation, and came to the following conclusions: First, the percentage of directors with doctorates significantly increases the chance of investing R&D activities. Second, in the second industry, the higher the proportion of postgraduate education degree holder as directors in a firm, the more expenditure the firm invests in R&D activities. Yet, there is no such association in the third industry. Finally, if a capital-driven strategy is adopted, directors with a master’s degree tend to reduce R&D investment in IT companies. Findings from this research not only enrich innovation management theory, upper echelon theory, and human capital theory, but also provide insights for corporate governance and national sustainable innovation.
CMAR_A_200759 4809..4814

*These authors contributed equally to this work Introduction: Albumin and alkaline phosphatase have been previously demonstrated as independent prognostic factors for various types of cancer. Here, we aimed to explore the potential value of pretreatment albumin to alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) on overall survival (OS) in nonmetastatic breast cancer patients. Methods: A total of 746 nonmetastatic breast cancer patients were enrolled in this study. Receiver characteristic curve was used to analyze the AAPR threshold. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression methodology. Results: The optimal cutoff value of AAPR in predicting OS in nonmetastatic breast cancer patients was 0.525. Increased pretreatment AAPR level was related to age at diagnosis (≥60 years vs <60 years, P=0.000), tumor size (T≤2 cm vs T>2 cm, P=0.034), estrogen receptor (positive vs negative, P=0.022), progesterone receptor (positive vs negative, P=0.025), carcino-embryonic antigen (abnormal vs normal, P=0.016), surgery (lumpectomy vs mastectomy, P=0.002), chemotherapy (yes vs no, P=0.004), radiotherapy (yes vs no, P=0.013), endocrine therapy (yes vs no, P=0.027) but not with lymph node involvement, HER-2 status or CA-153. The 5-year OS rate was 80.16% for the low AAPR group and 92.66% for the high AAPR group. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that patients with low-AAPR levels had shorter OS than patients with high-AAPR levels (P=0.001). N classification (P<0.05), Ki-67 (HR=3.603, 95% CI=1.046–12.414, P=0.042) and AAPR (HR=0.447, 95% CI=0.205–0.976, P=0.043) were related to OS in multivariate analyses, respectively. Conclusion: AAPR is an independent prognostic factor for OS in nonmetastatic breast cancer patients. Further prospective studies are required to confirm our findings.
Identification of predictive risk factors for peripheral microvascular complications in patients with Raynaud's Phenomenon

VII Resumo . XI List of figures and tables . XV Abbreviations . XIX Outline and objectives . XXI Scientific and clinical outputs.XXIII CHAPTER 1 | INTRODUCTION. 1 1.1 Rationale . 1 1.2 Objectives.3 CHAPTER 2 | BACKGROUND. 6 2.1 Raynaud phenomenon . 7 2.2 Mechanisms underlying peripheral vasculopathy.25 2.2.1. Endothelium dysfunction . 25 2.2.2. Microvascular damage . 27 2.2.3. Angiogenesis.32 2.3. Vascular biomarkers of disease activity assessment.37 2.4. A PRISMA-driven systematic review for predictive risk factors of digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis patients . 47 CHAPTER 3 | PATIENTS AND METHODS.63 CHAPTER 4 | RESULTS.71 4.1 Peripheral vasculopathy in raynaud phenomenon: vascular disease biomarkers . 73 4.2 Microvascular damage, endothelial dysfunction and ischemic peripheral vasculopathy in secondary Raynaud phenomenon . 87 4.3 Digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: role of flow-mediated dilatation and capillaroscopy as risk assessment tools . 107
Siblings’ Spillover Effects on College and Major Choice: Evidence from Chile, Croatia and Sweden

While it is widely believed that family and social networks can influence important life decisions, identifying causal effects is notoriously difficult. This paper presents causal evidence from three countries that the educational trajectories of older siblings can significantly influence the college and major choice of younger siblings. We exploit institutional features of centralized college assignment systems in Chile, Croatia, and Sweden to generate quasi-random variation in the educational paths taken by older siblings. Using a regression discontinuity design, we show that younger siblings in each country are significantly more likely to apply and enroll in the same college and major that their older sibling was assigned to. These results persist for siblings far apart in age who are unlikely to attend higher education at the same time. We propose three broad classes of mechanisms that can explain why the trajectory of an older sibling can causally affect the college and major choice of a younger sibling. We find that spillovers are stronger when older siblings enroll and are successful in majors that, on average, have higher scoring peers, lower dropout rates and higher earnings from graduates. The evidence presented shows that the decisions, and even random luck, of your close family members and peer network, can have significant effects on important life decisions such as the choice of specialization in higher education. The results also suggest that college access programs such as affirmative action, may have important spillover effects through family and social networks.
Triple Network Resting State Connectivity Predicts Distress Tolerance and Is Associated with Cocaine Use

Distress tolerance (DT), a predictor of substance use treatment retention and post-treatment relapse, is associated with task based neural activation in regions located within the salience (SN), default mode (DMN), and executive control networks (ECN). The impact of network connectivity on DT has yet to be investigated. The aim of the present study was to test within and between network resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) associations with DT, and the impact of cocaine use on this relationship. Twenty-nine adults reporting regular cocaine use (CU) and 28 matched healthy control individuals (HC), underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging followed by the completion of two counterbalanced, computerized DT tasks. Dual-regression analysis was used to derive within and between network rsFC of the SN, DMN, and lateralized (left and right) ECN. Cox proportional-hazards survival models were used to test the interactive effect of rsFC and group on DT. The association between cocaine use severity, rsFC, and DT was tested within the CU group. Lower LECN and higher DMN-SN rsFC were associated with DT impairment. Greater amount of cocaine use per using day was associated with greater DMN-SN rsFC. The findings emphasize the role of neural resource allocation within the ECN and between DMN-SN on distress tolerance.
Observations on the Role of Charge Clusters in Nuclear Cluster Reactions

Deuterium loaded palladium foils, produced by both electrolytic and ultrasonic processing, have been micro-analyzed for nuclear reactions. The characteristic strike marks of charge clusters, known as EVs, have been found to occur concurrently with nuclear reactions in micrometer-sized areas. In the electrolytic case, the reaction is attributed to charge clusters generated from mechanical energy, first stored and then suddenly released, from a brittle metal lattice through the mechanism of fracto-emission of electrons. For the acoustic case, EVs are generated by charge separation in a collapsing bubble. When areas previously free of low energy nuclear reactions are bombarded in either vacuum or air by externally generated charge clusters, nuclear reactions are produced at the bombardment site. Charge clusters are considered to function as a collective accelerator capable of injecting a large group of nuclei into a target with sufficient energy density to promote the nuclear cluster reactions observed.
Weak all

(1) a. All students passed the test / The students all passed the test. ≈ Each of the students passed the test. b. All students gathered / The students all gathered. ≈ The totality of the students gathered. c. All the town had turned out to see the game. ≈ The totality of the town (i.e. all its inhabitants) had turned out to see the game. d. All John’s lying has made him vulnerable to blackmail. ≈ The totality of John’s lying has made him vulnerable to blackmail. e. Where all have you been? (McCloskey, 2000) ≈ Tell me each of the places you have been. f. The soil was all dried out. (Bobaljik 1995, Buchstaller & Traugott 2006; Burnett 2011) ≈ The soil has reached maximal dryness / the soil has every degree on the dryness scale.
Logo Based Pattern Matching Algorithm for Intrusion Detection System in Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a blend of detecting, calculation, and correspondence into a single little gadget. A sensor system comprises of a variety of various sensor systems of different sorts interconnected by a wireless communication network. Sensor information is shared between these sensor hubs and utilized as contribution to a distributed estimation system. The Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is one of the major defensive methods used against attack in WSN. There are three types of methodologies used for detecting intrusion on the network. They are “Signature based, Anomaly based and stateful protocol analysis. ” In this paper, we focus intrusion detection system methodology. The intrusion can happen either in the header part or payload part. Notwithstanding, intrusion detection system can be either “host-based or network-based” intrusion. Also, signature based detection strategies are utilized to identify anomalous bundles or assault in networkbased intrusion detection systems. Thus, the difficulties are confronted by a large portion of the signature based detection systems. For instance, SNORT International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Volume 119 No. 12 2018, 753-762 ISSN: 1314-3395 (on-line version) url: http://www.ijpam.eu Special Issue ijpam.eu
Assessment of Cypermethrin Residues in Tobacco by a Bioelectric Recognition Assay (BERA) Neuroblastoma Cell-Based Biosensor

This study presents a bioelectric cell-based biosensor for the monitoring of the pyrethroid pesticide cypermethrin, a voltage-gated sodium channel blocker, in tobacco samples. For this purpose, neuroblastoma cells were used as biorecognition elements. The potential interference by the tobacco major alkaloid nicotine on the detection of cypermethrin was also studied. In addition, fluorescence microscopy revealed a specific pattern of neuroblastoma cell calcium efflux (Ca2+) after treatment with nicotine or cypermethrin. Finally, actual field-derived tobacco extracts were used for assessing matrix effects on the biosensor’s performance. The biosensor could detect cypermethrin in concentrations up to 1.5 μg mL−1 without being influenced by the presence of nicotine and possibly other tobacco alkaloids. Though not selective for cypermethrin, the neuroblastoma-based biosensor system appears to be a promising alternative to laborious analysis methodologies for rapid, high throughput and cost-efficient screening of this pyrethroid in tobacco samples in the near future.
A-chain Maturation Reexamined: Why Japanese Children Perform Better on “Full” Unaccusatives Than on Passives

This paper suggests that the theory of A-chain maturation can account for an asymmetry in the development of “full” unaccusatives and passives in Japanese. Sano, et al. note that children acquire the full unaccusative earlier than the passive, which, according to them, argues against the ACDH. We show that the early success with full unaccusatives is due to the availability of unergative misanalysis. The nominative case marker drop phenomenon and the syntactic analysis of the full unaccusative also support this hypothesis. We claim that the delay in the acquisition of the full passive is due to the ACDH and also the non-existence of the adjectival-passive strategy in Japanese.
Epitaxial Oxide Devices: Fabrication and Characterization at the Nanoscale

Oxide Spintronics is an emerging research direction in Spintronics today. The exceptional electron charge/orbit/spin correlation present in these complex oxide thin films has produced several fascinating physical phenomena. In this work, half metallic oxides as La0.67Sr0. 33MnO3 , believed to have 100% spin polarized carriers have been used to fabricate epitaxial diodes which are the building blocks of any electronic devices. Very little is known about the interface between typical half metallic ferromagnets and nonconventional semiconductors as doped SrTiO3. The epitaxial interface formed in such systems coupled to the half-metallicity can give rise to interesting insights into the physics of these complex oxides. In this thesis, the versatile technique of Ballistic Electron Emission Microscope has been used to study the local electron transmission as a function of energy across an epitaxial interface between La0.67Sr0. 33MnO3 and Nb doped SrTiO3. Such a study, done for the first time, reveals interesting features in the local transmission, which can be correlated with the electronic and structural properties of these materials and the underlying substrate at the nanoscale.
Quality of life assessment for patients with elbow arterio-venous fistula – a multicenter study

Abstract End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a chronic medical condition that has become a public health problem. A vascular access is mandatory for patients with ESRD in order to receive hemodialysis. The elbow fistula is the most used procedure for creating the vascular access. Maintaining the fistula’s patency represents a constant struggle for these patients representing their lifeline. Our goal was to evaluate the impact that the elbow fistula has on the patient’s life quality (QoL). We performed a multicenter study in the 2nd surgical clinic, Timisoara Emergency County Hospital and the General Surgery department, “Carol Davila” Nephrology Clinical Hospital, Bucharest. We included only the patients that had their first vascular access procedure (elbow fistula) created in one of our centers. All patients completed the SF-36 questionnaire before surgery and at 6 months and 1 year after surgery. The SF-36 score has two major categories: the physical component summary (PCS) and the mental component summary (MCS). The results showed a decrease in the patients QoL after surgery (13.63% for the PCS and 6.87% for the MCS). Also elderly patients (>60 years age) had a decrease in the QoL of 19.11%PCS and 8.17%MCS compared to 10.20%PCS and 4.12%MCS for younger patients. Socio-economic status also has an impact on the patients QoL. Once the vascular access is created, patients must maintain their new lifeline through thorough self care actions and also by restricting their activities affecting the patient’s QoL. Further studies are required to help clarify the association between vascular access and the patient’s QoL.
Association of DASH and Depressive Symptoms with BMI over Adulthood in Racially and Socioeconomically Diverse Adults Examined in the HANDLS Study

Adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is linked to slower weight gain over time. Elevated depressive symptoms may lead to poor quality diets, potentially increasing Body Mass Index (BMI). This study explored these pathways using longitudinal data extracted from 1201–1458 Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study participants. DASH mean score was computed using four 24 h recalls [visits(v)1 + v2/2: 2004–2013] and depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale (v1 + v2/2: 2004–2013). BMI was measured at v2: 2009–2013 and v3: 2013–2017. Multiple linear mixed regression and mediation modeling were conducted, linking CES-D(mean) and DASH(mean) to BMI [v2 and annualized change ΔBMI (v3-v2)] and exploring mediation of the CES-D(mean)–BMI(v3) and DASH(mean)–BMI(v3) associations through DASH(mean) and CES-D(mean), respectively. Models were further stratified by sex, race and poverty status. Inverse cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships of DASH(mean) with BMI(v2) and ΔBMI were detected, mainly in women and <125% of poverty participants. CES-D(mean) was not associated with BMI(v3); no mediation was detected through DASH(mean) in all socio-demographic strata. Moreover, the inverse DASH(mean)–BMI(v3) total effect was not mediated through CES-D(mean). Future studies should explore other pathways aside from depressive symptoms by which DASH can have a preventive effect on weight status over time.
Hunting and the Disturbance of Non-Hunted Species

Hunting is an important economic, social and conservation activity that is widespread throughout Europe. While regular monitoring of the effects of hunting on hunted species occurs, research examining the effects of hunting on non-hunted species is very limited. These non-hunted species coexist alongside hunted species, and as some are vulnerable or threatened by extinction, it is important to determine if and how hunting has any consequences for non-hunted species.
The Obama Effect

This chapter presents a survey study on attitudes towards political campaigning in social media. During the national election in Sweden in 2010, a considerable amount of resources was invested in online communication with the constituency, not least in social media. Whereas several studies have focused on e-democracy at a macro level, there is a lack of studies examining the phenomenon of campaigning 2.0 as it is perceived by the actual voters. This chapter, therefore, asks the question whether the voters noticed the political campaigning in social media at all, and if so, how they perceived it. The main findings are that respondents who were already interested and politically engaged considered campaigning 2.0, in line with the politicians’ rhetoric, as a way to enhance democracy. Respondents who were neither interested nor engaged in politics, on the other hand, showed little interest in this kind of communication. Consequently, the study confirms assumptions about digital divide and continued fragmentation of the citizenry.