Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Official statistics in Denmark: socio-economic microdata for research

Study Purpose) The HBS is a multi purpose survey. Main uses are: Internally: as one of the data sources for the national accounts and for the establishment of the weights in the price indices. Externally it is used as an important source of information and research on living conditions, etc. and for panning purposes. To this comes marketing purposes, etc. Reference period 1999 Institutional universe All private households (excluding institutions, etc.) Geographic universe Resident population Type of source Household survey (with some information on person level) Study frequency Permanently Sample Size 4.500 addresses (1.500 each of the 3 subsequent years) Sampling method Approximately 30 geographical clusters are selected 'by hand' in a way that ensures: That the greatest cities are covered, That there is a reasonable distribution between the main parts of the country, That there is a reasonable distribution according to the degree of urbanisation That the clusters are made in a way that gives a reasonable way of transportation for the chosen good interviewers. Total response rate 62,9 percent. – but in the subsequent data treatment process some further households are let out so the final figures builds on 61,8 percent of the sampled. Class of survey Household Budget Survey
Nosocomial infections in Black South African Children

Nosocomial infections in infants and children were prospectively studied in the general wards of a hospital serving a developing community. Of 1350 admissions in 5 months, 193 (14.3%) developed 302 infections (22.4/100 admissions). The major risk factors were malnutrition, age less than 2 years and prolonged hospitalization. The most common sites of infection were the lower respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. The most frequently isolated organisms were Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella species and the site of most frequent isolation was the lower respiratory tract for which the method most commonly used was endotracheal aspiration. Seventy percent of isolated were resistant in vitro to conventional antibiotics. Thirty-one percent of infections developed while the patient was awaiting a diagnostic procedure or waiting to be sent home. During the study period 60 patients (4.4% of admissions) were admitted with a nosocomial infection acquired elsewhere (31 at this hospital and 29 from other hospitals). Measles and its complications accounted for 28 of these cases and 7 deaths. This study provides information on nosocomial infections in children from a developing community.
Studies on the Cardiovascular Effects Produced by the Spinal Action of Substance P in the Rat

Administration of 6.5-pmol-6.5-nmol doses of substance P (SP) into the spinal subarachnoid space at T-8-T-10 in urethane-anesthetized rats increases both mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in a dose-related manner. However, in rats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital, an increase in MAP is seen only at low doses of SP (6.5–65 pmol), while a biphasic response is obtained at 650 pmol and only a depressor response at 6.5 nmol SP. These responses also are accompanied by a tachycardia. Depending on the spinal cord level, cardiovascular responses of different time course and magnitude are elicited by SP. The amplitude of the increases in MAP and HR produced by SP (6.5 nmol) are: T-8-T-10 > T-1-T-3 > L-2–L-4 in rats anesthetized with urethane. In rats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital, the decrease in MAP levels is greatest at T-1–T-3. while it is similar at T-8–T-10 and L-2–L-4 levels. The effects of SP on HR are more complex. The different cardiovascular responses obtained with the two anesthetics are not attributed to the relative depth of anesthesia but may be due to differential effects of the anesthetics on sympathetic nervous activity. The effect of SP on HR can be blocked by propranolol, but it remains unaffected by the surgical removal of the adrenal glands. We conclude that this cardiovascular response is most likely mediated by the postganglionic noradrenergic fibres and that adrenal medullary catecholamines are not essential. Using several inhibitors of endogenous mediators, two components to the spinal action of SP on MAP are made evident. The pressor response can be explained solely by the activation of sympathetic preganglionic fibres in the intermediolateral nucleus of the spinal cord, while the depressor response, in addition, may involve the release of a vasodilatatory substance in the periphery, the action of which persists in the presence of cholinergic, histaminergic, serotonergic, or opioid antagonists. Moreover, the adrenal glands are excluded as a possible source of this substance.
Surface effects on alignment of graphic and real objects in a stereoscopic augmented reality environment

This poster provides the latest experimental result of a virtual pointer (VP) alignment task at designated probe positions on a cylinder real object surface in a stereoscopic augmented reality environment. The purpose was to evaluate subject's sensitivity to surface texture, target position on the curved surface, VP form, and binocular disparity. The main findings were: a) surface texture had a significant effect, highly textured surface facilitated higher localization accuracy than low textured surface; b) target position had a significant influence, with the central position relative to the observer had less error than the off-centre position; c) binocular disparity had a perceptual interaction with the target position.
Bacterial diversity at surface water in three locations within the Baltic sea as revealed by culture‐dependent molecular techniques

Diversity of culturable bacteria inhabiting the Baltic sea surface waters was studied in three separate locations. Based on electrophoretically separated whole cell proteins the number of operational taxonomic units (OTU) within each sampling location was high. Most of the OTUs were unique to single locations. Within each sampling location 8–22% of isolates belonged to a single OTU. Rarefaction analysis revealed that the bacterial community was more divergent at a polluted location than at clean areas. Also the most common OTUs were different in clean locations compared to the polluted site suggesting that both diversity and species composition of the bacterial community is greatly affected by pollution. The partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolates of the most common OTUs are unique. Intragroup variation and an OTU‐specific bacteriocin system was observed among the isolates of the second common OTU. The bacteriocin activity was linked to restriction fragment length polymorphism grouping, although additional variation correlating to geographic origin of isolates was observed.
Expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa‐B as a poor prognostic marker in breast cancer

Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa‐B and its ligand (RANK/RANKL) and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) are key molecules for regulating osteoclastic activity in bone. However, little is known about the role of RANK‐related molecules in breast cancer prognosis. We aimed to evaluate RANK, RANKL, and OPG expression and the associated clinical impact in breast cancer.
Tariquidar-Induced P-Glycoprotein Inhibition at the Rat Blood–Brain Barrier Studied with (R)-11C-Verapamil and PET

The multidrug efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is expressed in high concentrations at the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and is believed to be implicated in resistance to central nervous system drugs. We used small-animal PET and (R)-11C-verapamil together with tariquidar, a new-generation P-gp modulator, to study the functional activity of P-gp at the BBB of rats. To enable a comparison with human PET data, we performed kinetic modeling to estimate the rate constants of radiotracer transport across the rat BBB. Methods: A group of 7 Wistar Unilever rats underwent paired (R)-11C-verapamil PET scans at an interval of 3 h: 1 baseline scan and 1 scan after intravenous injection of tariquidar (15 mg/kg, n = 5) or vehicle (n = 2). Results: After tariquidar administration, the distribution volume (DV) of (R)-11C-verapamil was 12-fold higher than baseline (3.68 ± 0.81 vs. 0.30 ± 0.08; P = 0.0007, paired t test), whereas the DVs were essentially the same when only vehicle was administered. The increase in DV could be attributed mainly to an increased influx rate constant (K1) of (R)-11C-verapamil into the brain, which was about 8-fold higher after tariquidar. A dose–response assessment with tariquidar provided an estimated half-maximum effect dose of 8.4 ± 9.5 mg/kg. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that (R)-11C-verapamil PET combined with tariquidar administration is a promising approach to measure P-gp function at the BBB.
Weights Optimization Based on Genetic Algorithm for Variable Weight Combination Model of BP-LSSVM for Day-ahead Electricity Price Forecasting

: Affected by various factors, the electricity market prices are highly volatile seasonal and stochastic with nonlinear and non-stationary characteristics. The previous literature indicates that improving the accuracy of price forecasting by applying one model alone can be problematic . To evaluate the prices properly and efficiently, this study proposes genetic algorithm(GA) -back propagation neural network(BP)-least square support vector machine (LSSVM) (GA-BP-LSSVM) model. The original prices series are preprocessed to eliminate the outliers, then a BP-LSSVM is built to forecast the prices. In order to determine the weights of this combination model, GA is proposed to optimize the weights. Compared with traditional LSSVM, BPNN and BP-LSSVM, the forecasting results of this proposed model applied to the electricity market of Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) suggest the proposed model outperforms other models.
A novel sparse array synthesis method based on two-step convex optimization

A two-step convex optimization algorithm is proposed for array pattern synthesis with minimum number of antenna elements. Firstly, sparse array is synthesized based on convex optimization. Then, the optimized excitation coefficients exceeding the threshold are re-optimized again to obtain lower side lobe level. The non-uniform array and thinned array for the focused and shaped pattern have been investigated using the proposed method. Numerical comparison with other methods indicates that the proposed method has lower side lobe level in both non-uniform and thinned array.
Stochastic local search for incremental SAT

The boolean satisfiability problem (SAT) is stated as follows: given a boolean formula in CNF, find a truth assignment that satisfies its clauses. In this paper, we present a general framework based on stochastic local search and the structure of the CNF formula for solving incremental SAT problems. Given a satisfiable boolean formula in CNF, incremental SAT consists of checking whether the satisfiability is preserved when new clauses are added to the current clause set and if not, look for a new assignment that satisfies the old clauses and the new ones. The results of the experimentation we have conducted demonstrate the efficiency of our method to deal with large randomly generated incremental SAT problems.
A hierarchical control approach for average consensus over heterogeneous multi-agent systems

In this paper, an abstraction-based hierarchical distributed control framework was formulated and applied to output average consensus control of heterogeneous multi-agent systems. First, a network of simpler systems were built with the help of abstraction techniques. In such a way, the complexity coming from heterogeneous dynamics of agents was decoupled from that of the coordination task and the communication topologies. By solving the average consensus problem of those abstractions, the control protocol for physical agents were synthesized in a hierarchical way. An example was given to show its effectiveness.
Early multifocal electroretinogram findings during intravitreal ranibizumab treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE To evaluate changes in the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) undergoing ranibizumab treatment. METHODS This was an observational, longitudinal, prospective study. Treatment-naive patients with nAMD who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria underwent a course of monthly injections of ranibizumab over 3 months. At baseline and month 3, each subject was evaluated with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity (CS), fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and mfERG. Additional mfERGs were performed at weeks 1 and 4 and BCVA and OCT at weeks 4 and 8. RESULTS Eighteen patients were enrolled. Between baseline and week 12, median BCVA improved from 59 to 69 ETDRS letters (P = 0.001), median CS improved from 29 to 30 letters (P = 0.05), mean OCT central foveal subfield thickness (CFT) decreased from 294 to 199 μm (P = 0.005), mean P1 amplitude density of the mfERG central zone increased from 35.85 to 51.55 nV/deg(2) (P = 0.009). The mfERG response correlated positively with BCVA (F = 22; P < 0.0001) and negatively with CFT (F = 12.73; P = 0.00078). CONCLUSIONS Intravitreal ranibizumab therapy appears to induce an increase in mfERGs centrally in patients with nAMD at least in the short term. Longer term studies to investigate the prognostic value of mfERG responses to predict changes in visual acuity in nAMD and other diseases are warranted. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01023971.).
Heat shock protein 32/heme oxygenase‐1 protects mouse Sertoli cells from hyperthermia‐induced apoptosis by CO activation of sGC signalling pathways

Heat shock protein 32 (Hsp32)/heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) may be a key enzyme for the protection of cells against stress. Its anti‐apoptotic effect has been attributed to its product, carbon monoxide (CO), in many types of cells. However, whether its anti‐apoptotic mechanism plays a role in Sertoli cells (SCs) is not yet clear. We hypothesise that Hsp32/HO‐1 and CO generated from it provide survival advantages in SCs by preventing apoptosis under heat exposure. After treatment of cultured SCs with hyperthermia and/or Hsp32/HO‐1 activater hemin, apoptosis was measured valuated by annexin V‐FITC and caspase‐3 activation. We have also analysed the Hsp32/HO‐1‐derived CO content of cultured media and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hyperthermia induced SCs apoptosis, while preincubation with hemin suppressed SC hyperthermia‐induced apoptosis. Hyperthermia and/or hemin increase Hsp32/HO‐1 gene expression and the production of CO, which, in turn, stimulates the generation of cGMP. The results suggest that Hsp32/HO‐1 is a protective factor in heat‐stressed SCs, and that CO generated from Hsp32/HO‐1 is involved in the anti‐apoptotic pathway.
Commentary on: ''Business Marketing Education: A Distinctive Role in the Undergraduate Curriculum,''

New marketing philosophies and core technologies have emerged. Relational marketing orientation, increasing global opportunities and competition, forging closer working relationships with value chain partners, increasing use of information technologies in the marketing processes, and organizing for creating time-based competitive values, all have revolutionized the way marketers create and nurture exchange relationships and transact business in the market place. These trends have important ramifications for what and how we teach the businessto-business marketing course (BMC). Students need to be prepared to operate in the complex and dynamic world of the future. Seen from this perspective, Hutt and Speh’s (1998) article Business Marketing Education: A Distinctive Role in the Undergraduate Curriculum, makes an important and timely contribution in the field of business marketing education. Because a large portion of business school graduates enter firms that have direct involvement in the business market, the business marketing course fills an important gap in the curriculum. Their (1998) article suggests how current specific topical directions in the business marketing field affect the Business Marketing Course (BMC). In this article, however, this issue is looked at through a broader perspective on these directions. Specifically,
Characterisation of a panel of monoclonal antibodies raised against recombinant HCV core protein

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has as yet no practical culture system so any antigen or antibody studies must be carried out using recombinant antigens. In this study, HCV core sequence was amplified by PCR, inserted into pRSET, and expressed in E. coli. The resultant core protein was purified using nickel affinity chromatography which bound the six histidine tag attached to the N‐terminus of the protein. After elution in imidazole buffer, the core protein was used to immunise Balb/c mice and monoclonal antibodies against HCV core were raised. Six monoclonals were examined in a variety of assays. All of them recognised the p27 kDa protein which they were raised against and 2D2 and 3D7 recognised the core component of an HCV Recombinant Immunoblot Assay (RIBA). None of the antibodies recognised the linear peptides in an Innolia HCV assay. 2D2 showed cytoplasmic granular staining in 1–5% of cells in frozen sections of HCV infected livers. Cross‐competition assays between themselves and human anti‐HCV core positive sera divided the antibodies into two main groups (I and II), with a sub‐division of group I into a and b. Group I antibodies were unable to be inhibited by human anti‐HCV sera whereas group II antibodies were inhibited by these sera (up to 62%). Epitopes recognised by all the monoclonals were probably conformational with the group I epitope being located within the first 105 amino acids of the core sequence and the group II epitope between amino acids 105 and 160. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Influence of Ethical Orientation of HRM on Ethical Decision-Making in Organizations: Research Gaps Identified towards a Conceptual Model

This article argued how Ethical Orientation of HRM (EOHRM) could influence Ethical Decision-making (EDM) in organizations, by bridging the identified research gaps. EOHRM is a new concept in HRM literature. It is ‘the extent to which HRM functions have been directed to create, enhance and maintain ethicality within employees, to generate an ethical work force in the organization’. Unethical decision-making and immoral behavior of employees in organizations have become a serious global concern for over three decades. Unethical decision is a decision that is either illegal or morally unacceptable to the society, which could impact on the behavior of employees. The role of HRM functions on organizational performance had received much scholarly attention over the years. Despite its significance in contributing towards the organizational performance, theoretical or empirical research conducted on its impact on EDM are limited.
The association between physicians’ and patients’ preventive health practices

Background: Although much has been written about the potential power of the association between physicians’ personal health practices and those of their patients, objective studies of this relationship are lacking. We investigated this association using objectively measured health care indicators. Methods: We assessed 8 indicators of quality of health care (screening and vaccination practices) for primary care physicians (n = 1488) and their adult patients (n = 1 886 791) in Israel’s largest health maintenance organization; the physicians were also patients in this health care system. Results: For all 8 indicators, patients whose physicians were compliant with the preventive practices were more likely (p < 0.05) to also have undergone these preventive measures than patients with noncompliant physicians. We also found that more similar preventive practices showed somewhat stronger relations. For example, among patients whose physician had received the influenza vaccine, 49.1% of eligible patients received flu vaccines compared with 43.2% of patients whose physicians did not receive the vaccine (5.9% absolute difference, 13.7% relative difference). This is twice the relative difference (7.2%) shown for pneumococcal vaccine–eligible patients of influenza-vaccinated versus nonvaccinated physicians (60.9% v. 56.8%). When we examined the rates of unrelated practices, we found that, for example, mammography rates were identical for patients whose physicians did and did not receive the influenza vaccine. Interpretation: We found a consistent, positive relation between physicians’ and patients’ preventive health practices. Objectively establishing this healthy doctor–healthy patient relation should encourage prevention-oriented health care systems to better support and evaluate the effects on patients of improving the physical health of medical students and physicians.
Openness, Institutions, and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Panel Estimation.

In this study, we look back to the decade old debate over the role of trade openness and institutions on economic growth which is yet unsettled. This paper explores the partial effects of openness and institutional quality on economic growth across countries in the world using panel data set utilizing the available panel series for institutional quality. Using generalized method of moments (GMM) which uses internal instruments, we estimate a specification for standard growth equation. Our estimates take into account the endogeneity of the explanatory variables. We find both trade openness and institutional quality have significant and robust role on economic growth. This result is new to the ongoing debate over growth effects of trade and institutional quality. We also find partial effects of openness on per-capita economic growth is higher for the developing countries, while neither openness nor institutional quality was found significant for developed countries. We also find significant differences in coefficients of real openness and current openness; however both were found statistically significant. 1 Mansur Ahmed is PhD Student of Economics at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27595, USA.
Intra-Household Heterogeneity and Targeting

Using a dataset in which we observe the specific individuals in a household making choices, we study differences in purchase behaviors within and across households in five grocery categories. We develop a choice model that recovers utility parameters from individuals’ choices while allowing for the behavior of individuals from the same household to be correlated via a Bayesian hierarchy. We find that our modeling approach is better at recovering the utility parameters corresponding to each household member’s brand choices especially when we observe few purchase occasions from each of them. The improvement stems from using the household information as a prior for the individual. We find that the within-household heterogeneity in estimated brand intercepts and (to a lesser extent) price sensitivities is about 50% of the across household heterogeneity in these parameters. However, with promotion sensitivities we find within-household heterogeneity to be as large as the across household heterogeneity. We use these estimated utility parameters to compare the expected profitability of promotions targeted at the individual rather than at the household level and find substantial improvements in returns to supermarket promotions. We check the robustness of our results to an alternative model specification and to accounting for possible price endogeneity.