Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Instrumental- and Emotion-Focused Care Work During Physical Health Events: Comparing Gay, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Marriages

Objectives We consider emotion- and instrumental-focused care work and marital stress during significant physical health events in midlife gay, lesbian, and heterosexual marriages. Method We employ the factorial method, an extension of the actor-partner interdependence model, to analyze survey data from 808 midlife gay, lesbian, and heterosexual spouses in 404 unions. Results The amount of emotion- and instrumental-focused care work provided during physical health events, and the associations between care work and marital stress, depends on the gender of the respondent, gender of the spouse, and whether spouses are in a same-sex or different-sex union. For example, in both same- and different-sex marriages, women report providing more emotion-focused care work during their own health event than do men, and respondents report more health-related marital stress when the patient is a woman. Discussion Investigating how midlife same-sex and different-sex spouses care for each other during a spouse's health event expands understandings of gendered aging experiences within marriage. Findings can elucidate health policies and clinical strategies that best support the health of men and women in same- and different-sex marriages.
The Effect of Intravenous Administration of Dexamethasone on Postoperative Pain, Nausea, and Vomiting After Intrathecal Injection of Meperidine

BACKGROUND:Different drugs have been used to enhance postoperative neuraxial opioid analgesia and reduce adverse effects. METHODS:We randomized 60 patients into 2 groups to receive either 2 mL saline or 0.1 mg/kg dexamethasone IV before the administration of intrathecal anesthesia (15 mg and meperidine 15 mg). After surgery, patients were asked to score their pain at 6, 12, 18, and 24 h. The presence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), pruritus and respiratory depression were recorded. RESULTS:The total dose of diclofenac (P < 0.05), visual analog scale pain score at 6-h intervals (P < 0.001), and the incidence of PONV (P < 0.05) were significantly lower in the dexamethasone group. CONCLUSIONS:Administration of IV dexamethasone prior to intrathecal meperidine injection enhances analgesia and reduces PONV.
Differential HFE allele expression in hemochromatosis heterozygotes.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Hereditary hemochromatosis is associated with C282Y homozygosity. Some heterozygotes may also present with abnormal iron parameters. However, the precise role of H63D and C282Y mutations in iron overload is poorly understood. We investigated the level of expression of the mutated and unmutated HFE alleles in these heterozygous patients. METHODS We studied the expression of HFE messenger RNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 34 heterozygotes using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by enzymatic digestion or sequence analysis of the PCR products, which allows relative quantification of mutated and unmutated transcripts. HFE proteins were quantified by Western blotting in Epstein-Barr virus-immortalized lymphocyte extracts from 2 C282Y and H63D homozygotes and a compound heterozygote. RESULTS (187C > G; H63D) mutated transcripts predominated in H63D and compound heterozygotes and the normal transcripts in C282Y heterozygotes. The amount of HFE protein was increased in the H63D homozygotes and the compound heterozygote compared with the C282Y homozygotes. In addition, we found a new mutation at codon 282 (C282S) associated with severe iron overload. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate the existence of differential allelic expression of the HFE alleles, suggesting that the (187C > G; H63D) mutation plays a role in the disease expression in H63D heterozygotes, in particular when associated with environmental or host factors.
Predicting Corrupt Practices in the Public Sector for 23 OECD Countries

This paper adopts the MIMIC approach to estimate the relative development of corruption in 23 OECD countries for the period 1975-1993. The results indicate that Japan, Portugal, Spain, Greece, South Korea, and Turkey face with relatively high level of corruption while Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Denmark, and Belgium experience relatively low level of corruption over time. For the other countries, corruption falls in either moderate category or fluctuates between two different categories. By using panel regression, we also found a statistically significant negative impact of the estimated corruption index on the investment level but not on the economic growth.
Identifying the Transcriptome Signatures of Calcium Channel Blockers in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes.

RATIONALE Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are an important class of drugs in managing cardiovascular diseases. Patients usually rely on these medications for the remainder of their lives after diagnosis. Although the acute pharmacological actions of CCBs in the hearts are well-defined, little is known about the drug-specific effects on human cardiomyocyte transcriptomes and physiological alterations after long-term exposure. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to simulate chronic CCB treatment and to examine both the functional and transcriptomic changes in human cardiomyocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS We differentiated cardiomyocytes and generated engineered heart tissues from three human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and exposed them to four different CCBs-nifedipine, amlodipine, diltiazem, and verapamil-at their physiological serum concentrations for two weeks. Without inducing cell death and damage to myofilament structure, CCBs elicited line-specific inhibition on calcium kinetics and contractility. While all four CCBs exerted similar inhibition on calcium kinetics, verapamil applied the strongest inhibition on cardiomyocyte contractile function. By profiling cardiomyocyte transcriptome after CCB treatment, we identified little overlap in their transcriptome signatures. Verapamil is the only inhibitor that reduced the expression of contraction-related genes, such as myosin heavy chain and troponin I, consistent with its depressive effects on contractile function. The reduction of these contraction related genes may also explain the responsiveness of HCM patients to verapamil in managing left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to identify the transcriptome signatures of different CCBs in human cardiomyocytes. The distinct gene expression patterns suggest that although the four inhibitors act on the same target, they may have distinct effects on normal cardiac cell physiology.
The impact of socioeconomic status on health functioning as assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire: the Whitehall II Study.

OBJECTIVES This study measured the association between socioeconomic status and the eight scale scores of the Medical Outcomes Study short form 36 (SF-36) general health survey in the Whitehall II study of British civil servants. It also assessed, for the physical functioning scale, whether this association was independent of disease. METHODS A questionnaire containing the SF-36 was administered at the third phase of the study to 5766 men and 2589 women aged 39 through 63 years. Socioeconomic status was measured by means of six levels of employment grades. RESULTS There were significant improvements with age in general mental health, role-emotional, vitality, and social functioning scale scores. In men, all the scales except vitality showed significant age-adjusted gradients across the employment grades (lower grades, worse health). Among women, a similar relationship was found for the physical functioning, pain, and social functioning scales. For physical functioning, the effect of grade was found in those with and without disease. CONCLUSIONS Low socioeconomic status was associated with poor health functioning, and the effect sizes were comparable to those for some clinical conditions. For physical functioning, this association may act both via and independently of disease.
Hearing and Vestibular Function After Preoperative Intratympanic Gentamicin Therapy for Vestibular Schwanomma as Part of Vestibular Prehab

Objective: To evaluate auditory and vestibular function after presurgical treatment with gentamicin in schwannoma patients. Background: The vestibular PREHAB protocol aims at diminishing the remaining vestibular function before vestibular schwannoma surgery, to ensure less acute symptoms from surgery, and initiate a more efficient vestibular rehabilitation already before surgery. However, the potential cochleotoxicity of gentamicin is a concern, since modern schwannoma surgery strives to preserve hearing. Study design: Retrospective study. Setting: University hospital. Patients: Seventeen patients diagnosed with vestibular schwannoma between 2004 and 2011, and took part in vestibular PREHAB program. The patients were of age 21 to 66 years (mean 48.8), 9 females and 8 males. Intervention: Intratympanic gentamicin installations before surgery as part of the vestibular PREHAB. Main outcome measures: Hearing thresholds, word recognition score, caloric response, subjective visual vertical and horizontal, cVEMP, and vestibular impulse tests. Results: Combined analysis of frequency and hearing threshold showed a significant decrease after gentamicin therapy (p < 0.001). Pure-tone average decreased with 7.1 ± 8.5 dB (p = 0.004), and speech recognition with 10%. The treatment resulted in unilateral vestibular deafferentation with no notable reaction to bithermal caloric irrigation (reduction 64%, p < 0.001), loss of the vestibulo-ocular response measured by the head-impulse test, and deviation of subjective horizontal/vertical to the side of the lesion (+2.2 degrees, p = 0.010). Conclusions: Intratympanic installations of gentamicin, as part of the vestibular PREHAB, result in unilateral vestibular deafferentation, but constitute a definite risk for high-frequency hearing loss. The hearing results are in line with those reported upon when treating Menière’s disease.
Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of 2‐(arylsulfonyl)oxiranes as Cell‐permeable Covalent Inhibitors of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases

A structure‐based design approach has been applied to develop 2‐(arylsulfonyl)oxiranes as potential covalent inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatases. A detailed kinetic analysis of inactivation by these covalent inhibitors reveals that this class of compounds inhibits a panel of protein tyrosine phosphatases in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner, consistent with the covalent modification of the enzyme active site. An inactivation experiment in the presence of sodium arsenate, a known competitive inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatase, indicated that these inhibitors were active site bound. This finding is consistent with the mass spectrometric analysis of the covalently modified protein tyrosine phosphatase enzyme. Additional experiments indicated that these compounds remained inert toward other classes of arylphosphate‐hydrolyzing enzymes, and alkaline and acid phosphatases. Cell‐based experiments with human A549 lung cancer cell lines indicated that 2‐(phenylsulfonyl)oxirane (1) caused an increase in intracellular pTyr levels in a dose‐dependent manner thereby suggesting its cell‐permeable nature. Taken together, the newly identified 2‐(arylsulfonyl)oxiranyl moiety could serve as a novel chemotype for the development of activity‐based probes and therapeutic agents against protein tyrosine phosphatase superfamily of enzymes.
BA9 lineage of respiratory syncytial virus from across the globe and its evolutionary dynamics

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important pathogen of global significance. The BA9 is one of the most predominant lineages of the BA genotype of group B RSV that has acquired a 60bp duplication in its G protein gene. We describe the local and global evolutionary dynamics of the second hyper variable region in the C- terminal of the G protein gene of the BA9 lineage. A total of 418 sequences (including 31 study and 387 GenBank strains) from 29 different countries were used for phylogenetic analysis. This analysis showed that the study strains clustered with BA (BA9 and BA8) and SAB4 genotype of group B RSV. We performed time-scaled evolutionary clock analyses using Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. We also carried out glycosylation, selection pressure, mutational, entropy and Network analyses of the BA9 lineage. The time to the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) of the BA genotype and BA9 lineage were estimated to be the years 1995 (95% HPD; 1987–1997) and 2000 (95% HPD; 1998–2001), respectively. The nucleotide substitution rate of the BA genotype [(4.58×10−3 (95% HPD; 3.89–5.29×10−3) substitution/site/year] was slightly faster than the BA9 lineage [4.03×10−3 (95% HPD; 4.65–5.2492×10−3)]. The BA9 lineage was categorized into 3 sub lineages (I, II and III) based on the Bayesian and Network analyses. The local transmission pattern suggested that BA9 is the predominant lineage of BA viruses that has been circulating in India since 2002 though showing fluctuations in its effective population size. The BA9 lineage established its global distribution with report from 23 different countries over the past 16 years. The present study augments our understanding of RSV infection, its epidemiological dynamics warranting steps towards its overall global surveillance.
LBS in marketing and tourism management: measuring destination loyalty with mobile positioning data

The aim of this article is to elaborate a mobile positioning-based methodology to measure the ‘destination loyalty’ of foreign tourists to a place. Loyal customers are highly appreciated in marketing, since they are of greater benefit than ‘on–off’ customers; they need different marketing strategies than those required to attract new visitors. Theoretical approaches to the destination loyalty of tourists suggest measuring behavioural loyalty, which we do here by detecting repeated visits. By using passive mobile positioning, we elaborated a methodology to determine repeat visits of tourists to a destination. This uses the number, duration, frequency and geography of visits in order to identify repeat visitors in a particular area. We tested the algorithm using a database containing information about foreign tourists who had visited Estonia in the past 5 years. It revealed that the algorithm permits detection of repeat visits. The results demonstrate that repeat visitors make up 29.9% of visitors to Estonia, 63.9% of the number of visits and 70.14% of the total number of visiting days. The algorithm can also be successfully applied in other location-based services solutions, in targeting location-specific advertising, m-ticketing or in personalising packages of mobile communication services.
Operational Feasibility of Implementing Community-Based Zinc Supplementation: Impact on Childhood Diarrheal Morbidity

Objective: To determine the effect of zinc supplementation on diarrheal incidence and to discover any operational constraints of zinc supplementation at the community level. Methods: We included 1712 children aged between 6 and 48 months in a randomized double blind study in rural area comprising of 11 villages. Children were randomly divided into 2 groups. Zinc/placebo syrup supplementation was continued for 6 months in a weekly schedule from May 2003. Children were followed up weekly for detection of diarrhea from May 2003 until April 2004. Around 30% of the study children were evaluated every 2 months during supplementation period. Results: During the period, 80,534 weekly visits were made giving 1548.73-child years of observation. We detected 1438 diarrheal episodes among 846 children. The incidence of diarrhea was significantly less during the supplemented period (P < 0.001; RR 0.74 (0.64–0.87)) in the zinc group. A significant difference was also noted during the follow up period (P < 0.05). In the zinc group, children <2 years of age had significantly less diarrhea during supplementation and the follow up period. Multiple episodes of diarrhea (≥2) were significantly less in the zinc group. Approximately 85% of the surveillance workers made weekly visits to the houses and 96% of mothers administered syrup weekly to their children. Around 80% of mother's were aware of the possible benefits of zinc supplementation. Conclusion: Weekly zinc supplementation was effective in reducing diarrheal morbidity at the community level and it was operationally feasible.
Target‐Selective Drug Delivery through Liposomes Labeled with Oligobranched Neurotensin Peptides

The structure and the in vitro behavior of liposomes filled with the cytotoxic drug doxorubicin (Doxo) and functionalized on the external surface with a branched moiety containing four copies of the 8–13 neurotensin (NT) peptide is reported. The new functionalized liposomes, DOPC‐NT4Lys(C18)2, are obtained by co‐aggregation of the DOPC phospholipid with a new synthetic amphiphilic molecule, NT4Lys(C18)2, which contains a lysine scaffold derivatized with a lipophilic moiety and a tetrabranched hydrophilic peptide, NT8–13, a neurotensin peptide fragment well known for its ability to mimic the neurotensin peptide in receptor binding ability. Dynamic light scattering measurements indicate a value for the hydrodynamic radius (RH) of 88.3±4.4 nm. The selective internalization and cytotoxicity of DOPC‐NT4Lys(C18)2 liposomes containing Doxo, as compared to pure DOPC liposomes, were tested in HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma and TE671 human rhabdomyosarcoma cells, both of which express neurotensin receptors. Peptide‐functionalized liposomes show a clear advantage in comparison to pure DOPC liposomes with regard to drug internalization in both HT29 and TE671 tumor cells: FACS analysis indicates an increase in fluorescence signal of the NT4‐liposomes, compared to the DOPC pure analogues, in both cell lines; cytotoxicity of DOPC‐NT4Lys(C18)2‐Doxo liposomes is increased four‐fold with respect to DOPC‐Doxo liposomes in both HT29 and TE671 cell lines. These effects could to be ascribed to the higher rate of internalization for DOPC‐NT4Lys(C18)2‐Doxo liposomes, due to stronger binding driven by a lower dissociation constant of the NT4‐liposomes that bind the membrane onto a specific protein, in contrast to DOPC liposomes, which approach the plasma membrane unselectively.
Architecture for semi-automatic multimedia analysis by hypothesis reinforcement

The digitalization of the audiovisual production chain has introduced new opportunities and challenges in the asset management workflow. The huge amount of accesible content requieres new annotation and indexing paradigms that overcome the current limitations in terms of resources and level of detail. A novel approach to improve and automatize professional Media Asset Management systems is proposed in this paper. Our proposed architecture enhances the metadata with new objective concepts that can be ported to the semantic level and can also used through “query by sample” methods. Moreover, the implicit and explicit knowledge about a certain domain can be introduced in the system with a combination of classifiers and a semantic middleware. Last, the system can be replicated in different domains and combined via an initial hypothesis, allowing the scalability of the system to multiple content domains.
Primary isolation and serial passage of hepatitis A virus strains in primate cell cultures

Although several primate cell types have been reported to support replication of hepatitis A virus, optimal conditions for the isolation and production of quantities of virus have not been defined. We therefore examined seven different primate cell types for their ability to support replication of primate-passaged and wild-type virus as reflected by intracytoplasmic accumulation of viral antigen (direct immunofluorescence and radioimmunoassay) and propagation of cell culture-adapted virus. Of the cells tested, low-passage African green monkey kidney (AGMK) cells were most sensitive for initial isolation. Viral replication was documented after inoculation of AGMK cells with seven of nine hepatitis A virus antigen-positive fecal specimens (from seven epidemiologically distinct sources). With six inocula, virus was successfully passed in serial cultures. AGMK-adapted virus was readily propagated in continuous AGMK (BS-C-1) cells. The optimal temperature for the growth of virus in BS-C-1 cells was 35 degrees C. Viral release into supernatant fluids was documented in the absence of any cytopathic effect, and infectivity titers in supernatant fluids 21 days after inoculation (50% tissue culture infective does [TCID50], 10(6.0)/ml) equalled or exceeded those in the cell fraction (TCID50, 10(5.5)/ml). Cells maintained in serum-free media readily supported viral growth, with yields of virus (TCID50, 10(6.5)/ml) equal to or greater than those obtained with cells maintained in 2% fetal bovine serum.
The Appellate Body And Treaty Interpretation

The participants in this final roundtable - Judge Gilbert Guillaume of the International Court of Justice, Judge Paolo Mengozzi of the European Court of Justice, Court of First Instance, Judge Allan Rosas of the European Court of Justice, Judge Tullio Treves of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and myself - are invited to partake in a Brechtian play, to exercise "distanciation": each actor, while playing his role, sheds a critical look at the persona he is incarnating, as if he were evaluating its behaviour and commenting on its predicament from the outside. The actors here are international judges, and they are invited to reflect, at arms length, on the role they are playing on their diverse benches with respect to treaty interpretation. Turning to the methodology of interpretation followed by the Appellate Body, it should be recalled that the original GATT 1947 says nothing about interpretation. Keywords: Appellate body; treaty interpretation; Vienna Convention
Bio-Inspired Credit Risk Analysis: Computational Intelligence with Support Vector Machines

Part I Credit Risk Analysis with Computational Intelligence: An Analytical Survey: Credit Risk Analysis with Computational Intelligence: A Review,- Part II Unitary SVM Models with Optimal Parameter Selection for Credit Risk Evaluation: Credit Risk Assessment Using a Nearest-Point-Algorithm-based SVM with Design of Experiment for Parameter Selection,- Credit Risk Evaluation Using SVM with Direct Search for Parameter Selection ,- Part III Hybridizing SVM and Other Computational Intelligent Techniques for Credit Risk Analysis: Hybridizing Rough Sets and SVM for Credit Risk Evaluation,- A Least Squares Fuzzy SVM Approach to Credit Risk Assessment,- Evaluating Credit Risk with a Bilateral-Weighted Fuzzy SVM Model,- Evolving Least Squares SVM for Credit Risk Analysis,- Part IV SVM Ensemble Learning for Credit Risk Analysis: Credit Risk Evaluation Using a Multistage Credit Risk Analysis with a SVM-based Metamodeling Ensemble Approach,- An Evolutionary-Programming-Based Knowledge Ensemble Model for Business Credit Risk Analysis,- An Intelligent-Agent-Based Multicriteria Fuzzy Group Decision Making Model for Credit Risk Analysis.
The Functionalism of Legal Origins

This article, written on request for the centennial issue of Ius Commune Europaeum, connects the economic literature on legal origins (La Porta et al) and the World Bank's Doing Business reports with discussions in comparative law about the functional method. It finds that a number of parallels and similarities exist, and that much of the criticism that has been voiced against functionalism should apply, mutates mutants, also to these more recent projects. The attraction that these projects have derive not, it is argued, from their methodological sophistication, but instead from "the strange lure of economics" and from the ostentatious objectivity of numbers and statistics.