Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preliminary Report of a Sutureless Onlay Technique for Incisional Hernia Repair Using Fibrin Glue Alone for Mesh Fixation

The Rives repair for ventral/incisional (V/I) hernias involves sublay mesh placement requiring retrorectus dissection and transfascial stitches. Chevrel described a repair by onlaying mesh after a unique primary fascial closure. Although Chevrel fixated mesh to the anterior fascia with sutures, he used fibrin glue for fascial closure reinforcement. We describe an onlay technique with mesh fixated to the anterior fascia solely with fibrin glue without suture fixation. From January 2010 to January 2012, 50 patients underwent a V/I hernia onlay technique with fibrin glue mesh fixation. Records were reviewed for technical details, demographics, mesh characteristics, and postoperative outcomes. Primary fascial closure with interrupted permanent suture was done with or without myofascial advancement flaps. Onlay polypropylene mesh was placed providing 8 cm of overlap. Fibrin glue was applied over the prosthesis and subcutaneous drains were placed. Mean age was 62.4 years. Mean body mass index was 30.1 kg/m2. Average mesh size was 14.5 cm 3 19.1 cm. Mean operative time was 144.4 minutes (range, 38 to 316 minutes). Mean discharge was postoperative Day 2.9 (range, 0 to 15 days). Morbidity included eight seromas, one hematoma, and three wound infections. Seventeen patients required components separation. Mean follow-up was 19.5 months with no recurrences. This is the first series describing fibrin glue alone for mesh fixation for V/I hernia repair. It allows for immediate prosthesis fixation to the anterior fascia. Early results are promising. Potential advantages include less operative time, less technical difficulty, and less long-term pain. A prospective trial is needed to evaluate this approach.
Price formation in monopolistic markets with endogenous diffusion of trading information: An experimental approach

This paper reports on price formation in experimental markets in which a single seller trades with four buyers. Transactions occur if either a buyer accepts an offer to sell from the seller, or the seller accepts an offer to buy from a buyer. The dissemination of such offers is endogenous in that the seller determines which buyer(s) should be informed about offers to sell, whereas each buyer may broadcast his offer to buy to any of the residual buyers. Complete dissemination of offers is consistent with conventional double-auction trading rules. The result is two-fold. First, the diffusion of trading information is incomplete, in that neither the single seller nor the buyers inform all market participants about offers. Second, observed prices and the number of transactions are in line with the competitive theoretic benchmark.
A phase IIb randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of ubrogepant for the acute treatment of migraine

Aim The aim of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ubrogepant (MK-1602), a calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist (CGRP-RA), for the acute treatment of migraine. Methods This double-blind, placebo-controlled study randomized 834 participants to treat one migraine attack with ubrogepant 1 mg, 10 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, or placebo in a 1:1 ratio. The co-primary endpoints were pain freedom and headache response at two hours. The first primary hypothesis tested the dose-response trend for two-hour pain freedom using a logistic regression model. Subsequent hypotheses tested the effects of each dose on the co-primary endpoints, using a closed sequential testing procedure to control for multiplicity. Results A total of 527 participants received ubrogepant and 113 received placebo. A positive response trend in the proportion of participants achieving two-hour pain freedom was demonstrated (p < 0.001). Ubrogepant 100 mg was significantly superior to placebo for two-hour pain freedom (25.5% vs 8.9%) but not for two-hour headache response. Per the prespecified multiplicity strategy, this nonsignificant result precluded further formal hypothesis testing, although the 50 mg and 25 mg doses demonstrated nominal significance over placebo for two-hour pain freedom (unadjusted p < 0.05). Overall, adverse events were similar between ubrogepant and placebo. Conclusion This trial supports ubrogepant’s efficacy and provides further evidence that CGRP-RAs are viable options for the acute treatment of migraine.
A Simplified Study for Reactive Power Management in Autonomous Microgrids

Reactive power sharing is one of the main issues in the control and operation of an autonomous Microgrids (MGs), especially for MGs composed by power generation interfaced with the MG distribution by means of Power Electronic Converters (PEC). Among the various MG control techniques, the droop is the one that has been widely applied thanks to the possibility of achieving a communication-less regulation of the MG. However some issues arises as far as reactive power and voltage control is concerned. The aim of this study is to draw some analytical consideration of reactive power sharing in droop-controlled autonomous MGs in order to highlight the parameters and configuration that can lead to undesired operational conditions. Key-Words: Microgrids, Reactive Power, Power Electronic Converters, Autonomous Microgrids, Voltage Control, Power Management.
Maternal Hoxa10 is required for pinopod formation in the development of mouse uterine receptivity to embryo implantation

Hoxa10 is a homeobox gene that is expressed both during the embryogenesis of the genitourinary tract and in the adult reproductive tract. Maternal Hoxa10 expression is necessary for endometrial receptivity to blastocyst implantation. The mechanism by which Hoxa10 induces endometrial development to a state of receptivity is unknown as HOXA10‐deficient endometrium appears histologically normal. We altered the expression of Hoxa10 in the uterus of cycling adult female mice and examined the uterus at the time of implantation by transmission electron microscopy for alterations in epithelial morphology. Pinopods are projections on the surface of the uterine endometrial epithelial cells that develop transiently at the time of endometrial receptivity. Blocking Hoxa10 expression by transfection of Hoxa10 antisense into the cycling mouse uterus before implantation dramatically decreased pinopod number. Constitutively expressing Hoxa10 in the uterus just before the normal time of pinopod formation resulted in increased pinopod number. Therefore, Hoxa10 is necessary for pinopod development. Hox genes have been implicated in both the regulation of cellular proliferation and the determination of developmental fate. Hoxa10 exemplifies this dual role in the uterus by regulating both endometrial stromal cell proliferation and epithelial cell morphogenesis. Taken together, these results demonstrate that maternal Hoxa10 has an essential role in pinopod development and this function of Hoxa10 likely contributes to endometrial receptivity for the purpose of blastocyst implantation. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The role of peripheral inflammatory markers in dementia and Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Studies that have investigated the association between markers of inflammation and risk of dementia are conflicting. Therefore, the researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies with the hypothesis that an increased level of peripheral proinflammatory markers would be associated with risk of all-cause dementia or Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS The researchers conducted a literature search of observational studies indexed in the PubMed and PsycInfo databases. Selected studies included those with at least one peripheral inflammatory biomarker and its association with risk of all-cause dementia or AD. Random effects models were used to generate pooled hazard ratios (HRs) comparing the top versus bottom quantile of inflammatory marker level. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I (2) statistic. RESULTS Seven studies were identified, combining for a total 5,717 participants, 746 cases of all-cause dementia and 565 cases of AD. An increased level of C-reactive protein was associated with a 45% increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.91). Similarly, a higher level of interleukin-6 was associated with a 32% increased risk (HR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.64) of all-cause dementia. For AD alone, the association with C-reactive protein was less pronounced (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.42) and interleukin-6 was not associated with risk of AD (HR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.83, 1.35). No significant heterogeneity was found in any of the meta-analyses (I (2) = 0%-40%, p ≥ . 16). CONCLUSIONS An increased peripheral level of inflammatory markers is associated with a modest increase in risk of all-cause dementia. Evidence for an association with risk of AD alone is limited.
In Vivo Plasminogen Deficiency Reduces Fat Accumulation

Summary Obesity and non-insulin dependent diabetes are associated with a decrease in fibrinolysis, which is mediated by the plasminogen system. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the role of the plasminogen system in the reduced body weight of the plasminogen deficient (Plg−/−) mice. In this study we have found that the reduced body weight in Plg−/− mice is due to a reduced rate of the adipose tissue (25% less) and whole body fat (30% less) accumulation during growth in Plg−/− compared to wild-type (WT) littermates. When the mice are fed a high fat-lipogenic diet, adipose tissue accumulation increases in the Plg−/− mice indicating that the capacity for lipid filling of cells was not blocked. In addition, glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase, a marker of late differentiation, was not different in the depots from WT and Plg−/− mice. The number of stromal cells (number × 105/g adipose tissue), isolated from inguinal (Plg−/− 3.4 ± 1.2, n = 6; WT 0.17 ± 0.07, n = 7, p < 0.02) and gonadal (Plg−/− 11.0 ± 0.4, n = 6; WT 3.1 ± 0.7, n = 7, p < 0.05) fat depots, was markedly higher in the depots from the Plg−/− mice than WT mice. Differentiation of stromal cells in culture from the Plg−/− mice was reduced compared to cells from WT mice. These results suggest that differences in the stromal cell population are responsible for the reduced adipose tissue accumulation in the Plg−/− mice, and that the plasminogen system plays an important role in adipose tissue accumulation.
Analysis of filtering methods for 3D acceleration signals in body sensor network

Development of denoising algorithm for 3D acceleration signals is essential to facilitate accurate assessment of human movement in body sensor networks (BSN). In this study, firstly 3D acceleration signals were captured by self-developed nine-axis wireless BSN platform during 12 subjects performing regular walking. Then, acceleration noise was filtered using four common filters respectively: median filter, Butterworth low-pass filter, discrete wavelet package shrinkage and Kalman filter. Finally, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and correlation coefficient(R) between filtered signal and reference signal were determined. We found that (1) Kalman filter showed the largest SNR and R values, followed by median filter, discrete wavelet package shrinkage and finally Butterworth low-pass filter; whereas, after correcting waveform delay for Butterworth low-pass filter, its performance was a little better than that of Kalman filter; (2) Real-time performance of median filter related to its window length; Decomposition level influenced real-time performance of discrete wavelet package shrinkage; Butterworth low-pass filter could bring large waveform delay if filter order and cut-off frequency were not properly selected. The algorithms of these filters would be further investigated to achieve best noise reduction of 3D acceleration signals in future.
Design and Content Analysis of a Hypermarket Website in Malaysia

With the improvement of lifestyle and purchasing power, Malaysians have shifted their shopping preferences from small retail stores to the hypermarkets. One of the reasons is that these hypermarkets offer a complete array of merchandises under one roof. Changes in technology have a great impact on the development of the global economy. The global progression of electronic commerce shows that people are becoming dependent on the Internet for communications and services. The purpose of this research is to evaluate Mydin’s websites. By having a website, it offers Mydin an alternative to disseminate information not only on its company, but also on other promotion, contests, events, corporate social responsibilities activities and other information which is deemed appropriate for it existing and potential customers. In order to do that, Mydin has to recalibrate some of the feature in its websites such as the issue of copyright of the site and also the information on the author or moderator of the website.
A QFD/hoshin approach for service quality deployment: a case study

Discusses the quality strategy deployment (QSD) processes, and addresses how service organizations identify customers’ needs in relation to the development of viable strategies and deployment of quality services using the quality function deployment (QFD) and the hoshin kanri techniques. An integrated QFD/hoshin approach is proposed to help develop viable strategies and attain service quality deployment. An implementation case of the approach is presented based on a recent QSD study in a typical engineering service organization – the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL) of City University of Hong Kong. Incorporating the findings of the study, this paper sets forth the identification of the voice of customers (VOC), the building of a house of quality (HOQ), and the deployment of organizational strategies. Besides, a generic 13‐step guideline of QSD process is elaborated for assisting service organizations to attain continuous performance improvement. Effective implementation of the QFD/hoshin guideline and monitoring the QSD process must garner organizational support and commitment.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy in left ventricular hypertrabeculation/non-compaction and myopathy.

AIMS Little is known how patients with left ventricular hypertrabeculation/non-compaction (LVHT) and heart failure respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). METHODS AND RESULTS Included in this retrospective study were 8/102 patients (3 female, age range 43-78 years), in whom LVHT was diagnosed and in whom a CRT system was implanted. All eight patients were investigated neurologically and in seven of them a myopathy was found. The mean follow-up after CRT implantation was 39 (4-68) months. All patients improved by one or more New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes, and two by two NYHA classes. The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased by < or =5% in 2 patients, by 6-10% in 3 patients, by 12% in 1 patient, and by >30% in 2 patients. The left ventricular systolic function, as assessed by the fractional shortening, did not change in 2 patients, increased by 10% in 2 patients, by 59% in 1 patient, doubled in 2 patients, and showed a five-fold increase in 1 patient. Two patients died during follow-up. CONCLUSION CRT by biventricular pacing in LVHT, heart failure, and myopathy leads to improvement in functional capacity in all patients and improvement of systolic function in half of the patients. The weak response of LVHT patients to CRT may be due to inappropriate selection or comorbidities, in particular, neuromuscular disorders.
Investment guarantees : modeling and risk management for equity-linked life insurance

Introduction. Investment Guarantees. Modeling Long-Term Stock Return. Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Stock Return Models. The Left-Tail Calibration Method. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Estimation. Modeling the Guarantee Liability. A Review of Option Pricing Theory. Dynamic Hedging for Separate Account Guarantees. Risk Measures. Emerging Cost Analysis. Forecast Uncertainty. Guaranteed Annuity Options. Equity-Indexed Annuities. Appendix A: Mortality and Survival Probabilities. Appendix B: The GMAB Option Price. Appendix C: Actuarial Notation. Appendix D: References. Index.
Learning the requirements for compassionate practice

Student nurses’ professional development arises through socialisation in nursing knowledge, values and behaviours. Students are expected to demonstrate compassion; however, compassion is a complex concept, one that creates emotional challenges. A grounded theory study was undertaken to explore student nurse socialisation in compassionate practice. In-depth interviews were undertaken with 19 students in the north of England during 2009–2010, and their concerns and concern management emerged. Students expressed several concerns, one being their emotional vulnerability and uncertainty of the emotional requirements for compassionate practice. A core category of ‘balancing future intentions’ was identified: that students managed feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty through balancing their intentions towards and away from engagement in compassionate practice, depending upon perceived impact on their emotional well-being. The findings are discussed in relation to emotional labour and moral distress, and courage, resilience and self-compassion are explored as a means to enable sustainable compassionate practice.
The Implications of Retained and Distributed Earnings for Future Profitability and Market Mispricing

In this paper, we investigate the informational content of retained and distributed earnings for future profitability and market mispricing. We find that investors act as if the components of retained earnings (current operating accruals, non current operating accruals and retained cash flows) have similar implications for future profitability, leading to an overvaluation of their differential persistence. They also do not distinguish between the distinct properties of distributed earnings, correctly anticipate the persistence of net cash distributions to debt holders (net debt repayment) and underestimate the persistence of net cash distributions to equity holders (dividends minus net stock issues). Our evidence suggests that the accrual anomaly documented in the accounting literature and the anomaly on net stock issues documented in the finance literature could be a subset of a larger anomaly on retained earnings. Overall, our findings on the sources of this anomaly, indicate that it is primary attributable to investorOs limited attention or limited cognitive power on understanding managerial empire building tendencies and managerial violation of accounting principles.
Location-Aware Dynamic Session-Key Management for Grid-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

Security is a critical issue for sensor networks used in hostile environments. When wireless sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network are distributed in an insecure hostile environment, the sensor nodes must be protected: a secret key must be used to protect the nodes transmitting messages. If the nodes are not protected and become compromised, many types of attacks against the network may result. Such is the case with existing schemes, which are vulnerable to attacks because they mostly provide a hop-by-hop paradigm, which is insufficient to defend against known attacks. We propose a location-aware dynamic session-key management protocol for grid-based wireless sensor networks. The proposed protocol improves the security of a secret key. The proposed scheme also includes a key that is dynamically updated. This dynamic update can lower the probability of the key being guessed correctly. Thus currently known attacks can be defended. By utilizing the local information, the proposed scheme can also limit the flooding region in order to reduce the energy that is consumed in discovering routing paths.
Antiprotease therapy in cancer: hot or not?

The activity of a set of peptidases (proteases) involved in cancer progression is collectively known as the cancer ‘degradome’. Invasion and metastasis were initially considered as late events in cancer development and the processes in which proteases were involved. However, recent studies indicate that invasion and metastasis are not late events, but can occur during early stages as well. Moreover, other processes occurring in various stages of cancer progression are also protease-dependent, such as (upregulation of) cell proliferation, (downregulation of) apoptosis, involvement of white blood cells, angiogenesis and induction of multi-drug resistance. Proteolytic activity in tumours is regulated in a complex manner, as both genetically unstable cancer cells and stable stromal cells, such as fibroblasts, endothelial cells and inflammatory cells, are involved. In vitro studies and studies using animal models have clearly shown protease dependency of many processes in carcinogenesis. However, clinical trials using protease inhibitors have thus far been unsuccessful except for a few applications of matrix metalloprotease (MMP) inhibitors when used in combination with cytostatic anticancer agents and/or in the early stages of cancer. Antithrombotics, such as low-molecular-weight heparin and warfarin, were also successful in clinical trials, probably by interfering with proteases of the coagulation cascade. The two-way association between cancer and thrombosis has long been recognised in the clinic. The poor outcome of other clinical trials of protease inhibitors is probably due to the late stages of cancer of the patient populations included, and the limited understanding of the complex regulation and effects of the activity of the various proteases in tumours depending on, among others, tumour type and stage, interactions between the cancer cells, other cells and the extracellular matrix in tumours. Therefore, a better fundamental understanding of the proteolytic complexity in tumours is essential before clinical trials can be rationally designed. At present, antithrombotics, the urokinase-type plasminogen activator system, the membrane-bound membrane-type 1-MMP, cathepsin L and the proteasome seem the most promising candidates as targets for anticancer strategies in early stages of cancer in combination with cytotoxic drugs. Moreover, metronomic therapy is an attractive approach using low doses of inhibitors for prolonged periods of time without interruption to specifically target endothelial cells that are involved in angiogenesis.
HOXB 13 G 84 E Mutation in Finland : Population-Based Analysis of Prostate , Breast , and Colorectal Cancer Risk

Background: A recently identified germline mutation G84E in HOXB13 was shown to increase the risk of prostate cancer. In a family-based analysis by The International Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics (ICPCG), the G84E mutation was most prevalent in families from the Nordic countries of Finland (22.4%) and