Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of paliperidone extended-release and quetiapine in inpatients with recently exacerbated schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE The authors compared paliperidone extended-release and quetiapine in patients with recently exacerbated schizophrenia requiring hospitalization. METHOD In a 6-week double-blind study, inpatients with a recent exacerbation of schizophrenia were randomly assigned to treatment with paliperidone extended-release, quetiapine, or placebo. A 2-week monotherapy phase was followed by a 4-week additive-therapy phase. Target doses were at the upper end of recommended ranges: paliperidone extended-release, 9 or 12 mg/day, and quetiapine, 600 or 800 mg/day. The primary endpoint was the difference in mean total change score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) between paliperidone extended-release and quetiapine at the 2-week monotherapy phase endpoint. RESULTS Six-week completion rates were 77.5% (124/160) with paliperidone extended-release, 66.7% (106/159) quetiapine, and 63.8% (51/80) placebo. Improvement in mean PANSS total change score was greater with paliperidone extended-release than with quetiapine from day 5 (-11.4 versus -8.2) through the monotherapy phase endpoint (-23.4 versus -17.1). Only paliperidone extended-release showed significantly greater PANSS improvement compared with placebo at 2 weeks. At the 6-week study endpoint, there was a significantly greater improvement with paliperidone extended-release compared with quetiapine despite similar use of additive therapy (predominantly other antipsychotics). Common adverse events with paliperidone extended-release, quetiapine, and placebo, respectively, were tremor (13.9%, 5.0%, 7.5%), somnolence (8.9%, 11.9%, 1.3%), insomnia (10.1%, 9.4%, 11.3%), and headache (12.0%, 7.5%, 13.8%). Six-week adverse event-related discontinuation rates were 6.3%, 10.1%, and 6.3%, respectively, in the paliperidone extended-release, quetiapine, and placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS Compared with quetiapine, paliperidone extended-release improved symptoms earlier and to a greater degree in patients with recently exacerbated schizophrenia requiring hospitalization, with no unexpected tolerability findings.
Consumer Perceptions of Product and Service Quality Attributes in Six U.S. States

Abstract Of seven dimensions contributing to garden center quality, customers ranked plant quality as the most important dimension (30%) and responsiveness and assurance as half as important (15%); the other dimensions (tangibles, reliability, empathy, quality of non-plant products) were slightly less important (10%). Plant health and condition (32%) was the most important plant or product characteristic, followed by price (22%) and assortment and variety (21%). Large gaps between customer expectations and perceptions existed for ‘clearly marking plant price’ (0.9), ‘willingness to offer guarantees’ (0.8), ‘plant health’ and ‘name labeling’ (0.7). Service quality gaps were reported for the tangibles dimension in the range of 0 to −0.29 and in the other four dimensions (reliability, empathy, responsiveness and assurance) in the range of −0.30 to −0.59. More frequent purchasers (Buyer 3—people who made more than 10 purchases from surveyed outlets) purchased over two-thirds of their plants from the survey ou.
MR Cholangiopancreatography at 3.0 T: Intraindividual Comparative Study With MR Cholangiopancreatography at 1.5 T for Clinical Patients

Objectives:To prospectively evaluate the image quality and diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) at 3.0 T compared with that at 1.5 T used for patients. Materials and Methods:This study was approved by our institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. Three-dimensional MRCP with both a 1.5-T system and a 3.0-T system was administered to 33 consecutive patients suspected of having biliary and/or pancreatic diseases. For 3-dimensional MRCP imaging, a respiratory-triggered Fast Recovery Fast Spin Echo sequence with the parallel imaging technique was used for both systems. The spatial resolution at 1.5 T was matched to that at 3.0 T, and matrix size was 512 × 160, field of view (FOV) 36 × 36 cm, slice thickness 2 mm, and the number of slices ranged from 44 to 54. Repetition time varied according to the patients’ respiratory cycles, which ranged from 3000 milliseconds to 6000 milliseconds, and effective echo time, ranging from 391 milliseconds to 482 milliseconds, was automatically determined by the systems. Contrast of imaging of the common bile duct versus that of the periductal tissue was quantitatively evaluated. The image quality for homogeneity of signal intensity, image noise, susceptibility artifacts, and overall imaging quality and diagnostic accuracy for stenoses of bile and main pancreatic ducts and for pancreatic cystic lesions were qualitatively evaluated. The results for 1.5- and 3.0-T were then compared statistically, by using the paired t test for quantitative evaluation of contrast between the common bile duct and the periductal tissue, the Wilcoxon signed rank test for visual evaluation of the image quality, and the McNemar &khgr;2 test for evaluation of sensitivity and specificity for diagnostic purposes. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. Results:Contrast of the common bile duct versus that of the periductal tissue at 3.0 T was superior to that at 1.5 T (P < 0.001). In the visual evaluation, image quality at 3.0 T was superior to that at 1.5 T for evaluation of image noise (P < 0.001), overall image quality (P < 0.001), and delineation of intrahepatic bile ducts (P < 0.01) and the main pancreatic duct (P < 0.05), whereas there were no significant differences in homogeneity of signal intensity and in susceptibility artifacts. The diagnostic accuracy for 3.0 T was approximately equivalent to that for 1.5 T. Conclusion:Our results for patients with biliary and pancreatic diseases demonstrate a marked improvement in contrast of the common bile duct versus that of the periductal tissue and image quality including image noise at 3.0 T compared by 1.5 T when identical spatial resolution configuration were used. The results suggest that 3.0 T may allow higher spatial resolution and offer promise for improved diagnosis in MRCP, although further investigations using optimize scan parameters will be needed before its full potential can be achieved.
Reg2 protects mouse insulinoma cells from streptozotocin-induced mitochondrial disruption and apoptosis

We reported previously that pancreas-specific ablation of IGF-I in mice induced an increased expression of regenerating family proteins Reg2 and Reg3β in the pancreas and protected them from streptozotocin (Stz)-induced β-cell damage. We, therefore, assessed the effect of ectopically introduced Reg2 on Stz-induced apoptosis in MIN6 mouse insulinoma cells and report here that Reg2 protects MIN6 cells from Stz-induced apoptosis by attenuating its ability to disrupt mitochondrial membrane integrity, activate caspase-3 and promote poly-ADP ribose polymerase cleavage, and induce apoptosis. These changes correlated with suppression of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation by Stz. Reg2 inhibited Stz-induced proapoptotic events as well as the inactivation of JNK. Inclusion of chemical inhibitor of JNK to Reg2 expressing cells rendered them sensitive to Stz. These data demonstrate that Reg2 protects insulin-producing cells against Stz-induced apoptosis by interfering with its cytotoxic signaling upstream of the intrinsic proapoptotic events by preventing its ability to inactivate JNK.
Effects of exercise training modality on glucose tolerance in men with abnormal glucose regulation.

To determine the effects of exercise training modality on glucose tolerance in men with untreated abnormal glucose regulation, 26 untrained men (age 54 +/- 9 years; mean +/- SD) with either non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (N = 8), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (N = 12) or hyperinsulinemia with normal glucose tolerance (N = 6) were studied before and after 20 wk of either strength training (ST) (N = 8), aerobic (treadmill walk/jog) training (AT) (N = 8), or no exercise (control group; N = 10). Plasma concentrations of glucose and insulin were measured after a 12-14 hr fast and during a standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) before and after training. The ST program significantly reduced total plasma glucose area (mmol.l-1.120 min-1) under the OGTT curve (1348 +/- 251 vs 1190 +/- 329, p < 0.05), and plasma glucose levels (mmol.l-1) at 60 min (p < 0.05), 90 min (P < 0.05), and 120 min (p < 0.05) after glucose ingestion. Strength training also lowered the total plasma insulin area (pmol.l-1.120 min-1) under the OGTT curve (60082 +/- 25467 vs 46727 +/- 11273, p < 0.05) as well as plasma insulin levels (pmol.l-1) at fasting (p < 0.05) and at 90 min (p < 0.01) and 120 min (p < 0.05) after glucose ingestion. All men with IGT (four in each training group) normalized their glucose tolerance following the training. There were no significant differences in OGTT results between ST and AT and no changes were observed in the control group. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Analyzing Travel Blogs Using a Realist Evaluation Approach

The emergence of virtual social networks has enabled people to communicate and gather information at the click of a button. Although it has been generally accepted that Internet blogs are an important factor influencing consumers’ purchase decisions, the content of travel blogs has commonly been reduced by current research to statistical data and mere categories. This article suggests that it is only by incorporating qualitative analyses of travel bloggers’ experiences that destination marketers can extrapolate, comprehend, and ultimately incorporate into marketing strategies the meanings tourists assign to their tourism experiences. A brief review of the current research methods on blogs establishes the need to apply a realist evaluation of travel blogs using qualitative techniques to complement quantitative research methods. This would allow for both objective and subjective travel experience components to be examined and considered for research and marketing purposes.
Trust: The Unwritten Contract In Corporate Governance

Corporate governance systems exist to discourage self-interested behavior. One question that is often overlooked is how extensive these systems should be. A look at corporate governance today suggests that self-interest is high because companies are compelled - by regulators and the market - to adopt a long list of contracts, controls, and procedures to restrict employee behavior. However, the research literature suggests that companies might benefit if they enacted fewer, rather than more, controls. Companies that successfully foster high levels of trust between employees and monitors benefit from lower bureaucracy, simpler procedures, and higher productivity. We examine this issues in greater detail, and ask: • Would shareholders be better off if companies devoted greater effort to fostering trust? • Can trust be fostered in all settings? • Are some industries more likely to attract individuals that put their own interests first? • How can executives develop a culture that discourages self interest and encourages trust? Topics, Issues and Controversies in Corporate Governance and Leadership: The Closer Look series is a collection of short case studies through which we explore topics, issues, and controversies in corporate governance. In each study, we take a targeted look at a specific issue that is relevant to the current debate on governance and explain why it is so important. Larcker and Tayan are co-authors of the book "Corporate Governance Matters", and "A Real Look at Real World Corporate Governance. "
A cross‐cultural comparison of style in Eastern European emerging markets

Torn between socially‐mandated dress conformity and the glitter of Western designers, consumers in Eastern Europe have always been interested in Western style. After the fall of Communism, fashion, led by Western brands, quickly conquered consumers, while local manufacturers started to offer quality goods. Exposure to Western brands and advertising affected consumer values: former collectivist values are gradually being replaced by individualism. These changes are occurring at different rates and vary in different market segments. Under these conditions, a study was conducted in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, comparing respondents on two dimensions of style: fashion‐consciousness (capturing individualism) and dress‐conformity (capturing collectivism). The findings support the hypothesis that fashion consciousness is highest for Westernized Hungarian respondents, who have the highest income and can afford fashionable clothing. Dress conformity was highest for Bulgarian respondents, who had setbacks in adopting a market economy and are less Westernized. The findings support demographic differences predictions: younger individuals are more fashion conscious than older individuals, whereas dress conformity is higher for older than for younger individuals. Finally, men are more fashion conscious than women. The findings on gender differences in dress conformity are mixed. Marketing implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.
A Direct Aggregation Approach to Inferring Microparameters of the Koyck Advertising-Sales Relationship from Macro Data

The authors examine the advertising-sales relationship in the framework of the Koyck model. They note that if only macro (e.g., annual) data are available, it is necessary to approximate micro (e.g., monthly) data in order to minimize the “data interval bias” in estimating the microparameters. They examine two previously proposed models for minimizing the data interval bias and propose a direct aggregation model that avoids some of the problems common to those two models. The proposed constrained search estimation method eliminates the problem of infeasible parameter estimates present in the OLS estimation of the two previous models. A comparison of the constrained search estimation of the three models in a simulation setting indicates that the proposed model recovers the microparameters more accurately than the other two models.
Saliency Detection in Aerial Imagery Using Multi-Scale SLIC Segmentation

Object detection in a huge volume of aerial imagery requires first detecting the salient regions. When an image is over-segmented by the superpixels, the latters will adhere to object boundaries, resulting in their shape deformation and size variation, which can be used as the saliency measure. The normalized Hausdorff distances from the inner pixels to boundary of the superpixels are then transformed to the posterior probability of saliency useful to build the saliency map and the salient region map. The method implemented by the multi-scale Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC) is simple without a priori knowledge on the object, computational efficient, robust to low image contrast, free of parameter tuning and is therefore suitable for aero-surveillance applications.
A study on work life balance amongst managers of garment units in Tamilnadu State, India

Work life balance plays an important role now a day. Employees want it, managers need it, and organization cannot afford to ignore it! Managers need to take work-life balance seriously particularly in garment units. The more overworked and overloaded, the higher the demands or the expectations on the department or the work unit, the more the managers have to rely on their employees to produce at the highest possible level of efficiency, effectiveness, and quality. If managers are out of balance or stressed or sick then they will be less committed to the outcomes, they will be less committed to the organization, they will be less committed to the client, the product or goods or service that they are producing. This research paper examined the work life balance amongst managers of garment units in Tamil nadu state. The methodology adopted for the study was descriptive research design. Data were collected from 480 managers through questionnaire method around Tamilnadu state, India. In the present study, stastical tools such as percentage analysis, mean value, chi-square, ANOVA, and correlation analysis were used for the analysis. The results indicated that the work life balance of managers are not completely successful due to their present working hours, working environment and increase in products prices, work load, responsibilities in work and decrease of job security due to recession.
Are traffic violators criminals? Searching for answers in experiences of European countries

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a major cause of mortality and serious morbidity with high costs along the entire European Union (EU) geography (Castillo-Manzano et al., 2014; Orsi et al., 2012). Worldwide, among the issues that contribute to the occurrence of RTAs, most of studies highlight behavioral factors as a principal explanation; particularly those that reduce capabilities (drowsiness, fatigue, alcohol or drug consumption) or increase risk while driving (traffic offences, driver stress, violence and aggressiveness in traffic, motor vehicle crimes) (Petridou & Moustaki, 2000 analyze this classification in depth).
Modelling the consequences of e‐service quality

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to model the consequences of achieving better service quality in e‐services.Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual model is developed though a survey of literature on e‐services and allied domains and validated through a survey of users of job‐portals in India.Findings – The conceptual model finds significant support based on the empirical study. It is seen that the four components of e‐service quality: efficiency, fulfilment, system availability, privacy, are linked to trust and satisfaction.Practical implications – The study underscores the need to focus on service quality in the context of e‐services. The positive linkages should motivate practitioners to invest more to achieve greater service quality.Originality/value – By focusing on the consequences of e‐service quality, the study contributes to the growing stream of e‐service quality literature. This is also one of the few studies to look at other categories of e‐services apart from e‐tailing.
Changes in satiety hormones and expression of genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism in rats weaned onto diets high in fibre or protein reflect susceptibility to increased fat mass in adulthood

Risk of developing obesity and diabetes may be influenced by the nutritional environment early in life. We examined the effects of high fibre or protein diets on satiety hormones and genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism during postnatal development and on adult fat mass. At 21 days of age, Wistar rat pups were weaned onto control (C), high fibre (HF) or high protein (HP) diet. Tissue and blood were collected at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after birth. A second group of rats consumed the weaning diets until 4 months when they were switched to a high fat–high sugar diet for 6 weeks, after which body and fat mass and plasma glucose were determined. In young rats, HF diet increased plasma glucagon‐like peptide (GLP‐1) compared to C and HP and decreased leptin compared to C at postnatal days 28 and 35. Hepatic fatty acid synthase mRNA was down‐regulated by HF and HP compared to C at days 28 and 35. In brown adipose tissue, HF increased uncoupling protein‐3 mRNA whereas HP increased mRNA of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐6. Body weight, fat mass and glycaemia in adult males and fat mass in females were greater after the high fat challenge in rats that consumed the HP diet from weaning. Increasing fibre or protein in postnatal diets causes rapid change in satiety hormone secretion and genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism which appear to influence fat mass and glycaemia in adulthood, high protein being associated with increased susceptibility to obesity.
RFID and buyer‐seller relationships in the retail supply chain

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to understand why a collaborative innovation, such as radio‐frequency identification (RFID) technology, engenders seemingly opposite buyer‐seller relationship reactions among members of a supply chain.Design/methodology/approach – The researchers carried out a three year exploratory multiple case study using the grounded theory approach through participant‐observation and collaborative action research. The research project culminated in a fully functional RFID proof of concept solution which involved multiple layers of a retail supply chain. The researchers chose the retail industry for the study because it provided the ideal conditions to answer the research question.Findings – The results highlight the role of supplier‐buyer relationships as both crucial antecedents that shape RFID infrastructure and the consequence of RFID implementation. Specifically, the impact on and of eight key dimensions was considered, namely communication and information sharing, cooperation, .
A method for unbiased and efficient estimation of number and mean volume of specified neuron subtypes in rat dorsal root ganglion

By means of unbiased stereological principles and systematic sampling techniques, the number, the mean volume, and the distribution of neuron volumes of the A‐ and B‐cells of the dorsal root ganglion have been estimated. The number of each neuron type was estimated from the product of the volume of the ganglion, obtained with the Cavalieri principle on serial sections of the ganglion, and the numerical density, obtained with the Cavalieri principle on serial sections of the ganglion, and the numerical density, obtained with optical disectors on the same sections. The mean volume of the cell bodies of each type was estimated by applying the nucleator technique to the neurons sampled with the optical disectors. The precision of the estimate in each animal was evaluated on the basis of the variation between animals. An optimal sampling scheme is described by which estimates of the total number, the mean volume, and the distribution of cell body volumes can be obtained in about 8 hours.
Secondary Arterial Hypertension: Improvements in Diagnosis and Management in the Last 10 Years

The diagnosis and management of secondary hypertension has improved in the last decade as a result of the advances in the acknowledgment of some physiopathologic mechanisms and mainly by the development of new diagnostic methods. Furthermore, the treatment of some types of secondary hypertension may be solved by noninvasive techniques. Hypertension of renal and renovascular origin, coarctation of the aorta, primary hyperaldosteronism, and adrenal medullary tumors are analyzed. The main results of some relevant studies on diagnostic and treatment of those diseases are presented. Also, some experimental methods are mentioned, taking into account the possibility of clinical use in the near future.