Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Muscle metabolism in fibromyalgia studied by P‐31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy during aerobic and anaerobic exercise

Objective: To investigate mechanisms underlying the reduced work capacity of fibromyalgia (FM) patients were compared to healthy controls at specified workloads, using P‐31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Methods: The forearm flexor muscle group was examined with MRS at rest, at sub maximal and at maximal controlled dynamic work as well as at maximal isometric contraction. Aerobic fitness was determined by bicycle ergonometry. Results: Metabolite concentrations and muscle pH were similar for patients and controls at lower workloads. At maximal dynamic and static contractions the concentration of inorganic phosphate was lower and at static contractions the pH decrease was smaller in patients. The performed work by patients was only 50% compared to controls and the patients experienced more pain. Maximal oxygen uptake was lower in the fibromyalgia group. Expired gas‐analysis in this group showed ventilatory equivalents at similar relative levels of maximal work capacity. Conclusion: Fibromyalgia patients seem to utilise less of the energy rich phosphorous metabolites at maximal work despite pH reduction. They seemed to be less aerobic fitted and reached the anaerobic threshold earlier than the controls.
Follow‐up of chimerism, including T‐ andB‐lymphocytes and granulocytes in children more than one year after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

In bone‐marrow‐transplanted children, early detection of graft failure, relapse, and other potentially treatable problems is facilitated by the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays that monitor whether blood and marrow cells are of recipient or donor origin. Presence of mixed donor–recipient chimerism (MC) within the first year after BMT frequently correlates with clinical problems. To study if MC detected one year or more post‐BMT was also often associated with clinical problems, the chimeric status in 33 children surviving 1–11 yr (median: 2 yr) after BMT was investigated. A PCR with a sensitivity of 1–2%, using fluorescent primers analyzing DNA fragment length polymorphisms, was applied. T‐ and B‐cells and granulocytes were immunomagnetically isolated and tested separately for all patients. Of the 33 patients, of whom 21 had received pretreatment including total body irradiation (TBI), 27 (82%) exhibited full donor chimerism. Six children (18%), four of whom had received pretreatment without TBI, had MC. In three of these children, all with aplastic anemia, isolated T‐cell MC had not posed apparent clinical problems. In two patients, both with MC including B‐cells, immune hemolytic anemia was observed. A sixth patient with AML presented with MC and relapse. In two of the six children MC was detected only by cell subset analysis. In conclusion, analysis of MC in leukocyte subsets is more informative than analysis of whole blood only and may reveal clinically important variations in the origin of different cell populations. The prevalence of MC is lower after the first year post‐BMT, and when present is less often associated with clinical problems.
Virulence of luminescent and non‐luminescent isogenic vibrios towards gnotobiotic Artemia franciscana larvae and specific pathogen‐free Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp

Aims: This study was conducted to test the virulence of luminescent (L) and non‐luminescent (NL) isogenic strains of Vibrio campbellii LMG21363, Vibrio harveyi BB120 (wild type) and quorum‐sensing mutant strains derived from the wild type such as Vibrio harveyi BB152, BB170, MM30 and BB886.
Analyst Sentiment Around Takeover Announcements

This paper studies the sentiment among financial analysts around announcements of mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Analyst sentiment is measured using revisions of consensus earnings forecasts. We find that bidders are more likely to offer stock rather than cash in their takeovers when analyst sentiment is more favorable prior to their takeover announcements. However, the favorable sentiment on stock bidders experiences a downward swing subsequent to takeover announcements. The industry peers of stock bidders also face more favorable pre-announcement analyst sentiment than the industry peers of cash bidders. Unlike the firm-specific sentiment on stock bidders, the industry-wide sentiment persists even after bidders announce their takeovers. Finally, we find that stock bidders and their industries face more favorable analyst sentiment compared to targets and their industries prior to takeover announcements. Our evidence on analyst sentiment in M&As is consistent with inefficient market theories such as the investor sentiment explanation in Shleifer and Vishny (2003). But our evidence cannot be fully explained by efficient market theories such as the asymmetric information explanation in Hansen (1987) and Fishman (1989) and the explanations based on earnings management or affiliated analysts' biased forecasts.
Quantitative Analysis of GAL Genetic Switch of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Reveals That Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of Gal80p Results in a Highly Sensitive Response to Galactose*

The nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of the repressor Gal80p is known to play a pivotal role in the signal transduction process of GAL genetic switch of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Peng, G., and Hopper, J. E. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 99, 8548–8553). We have developed a comprehensive model of this GAL switch to quantify the expression from the GAL promoter containing one or two Gal4p-binding sites and to understand the biological significance of the shuttling process. Our experiments show that the expression of proteins from the GAL promoter containing one and two binding sites for Gal4p is ultrasensitive (a steep response to a given input). Furthermore, the model revealed that the shuttling of Gal80p is the key step in imparting ultrasensitive response to the inducer. During induction, free Gal80p concentration is altered by sequestration, without any change in the distribution coefficient across the nuclear membrane. Furthermore, the estimated concentrations of Gal80p and Gal3p allow basal expression of α-galactosidase, but not β-galactosidase, from the GAL promoter containing one and two binding sites for Gal4p, respectively. Conversely, the expression from genes with two binding sites is more sensitive to inducer concentration as compared with one binding site. We show that autoregulation of Gal80p is coincidental to the autoregulation of Gal3p, and it does not impart ultrasensitivity. We conclude from our analysis that the ultrasensitivity of the GAL genetic switch is solely because of the shuttling phenomena of the repressor Gal80p across the nuclear membrane.
Influence of Frequency Allocations and Optical Filters on FDM Optical Fiber Communications

In long-haul frequency-division-multiplexing (FDM) lightwave transmission systems, transmission characteristics are degraded by four-wave mixing (FWM) generated in optical fibers. To date, equally spaced (ES), unequally spaced (US), and repeated US (RUS) allocations have been demonstrated in FDM lightwave transmission systems. It has already been theoretically and experimentally revealed that intensities of generated FWM lights with fFWM=fi for RUS are lower than those for ES, and a total bandwidth of signal lights for RUS is narrower than that for US, where fFWM is a frequency of an FWM light, and fi is a frequency of a signal light with a channel index i. Moreover, to overcome RUS, ES RUS (ERUS) and US RUS (URUS) have been proposed as modified RUSs and theoretically analyzed. In this paper, ES, RUS, ERUS, and URUS allocations are studied from the viewpoint of a transmission bandwidth of an optical filter. It is revealed that FWM noises are reduced in URUS more than in ES, RUS, and ERUS with a decrease in a transmission bandwidth of an optical filter. The upper limit of a filter transmission bandwidth to achieve a bit error rate of 10-9 is also obtained.
Demand management in fresh food value chains: a framework for analysis and improvement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the problems with demand management in fresh food value chains and to propose a framework for demand analysis and improved demand management.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on empirical evidence from multiple case studies undertaken in the UK food industry.Findings – Evidence from the case studies indicates a consistent misalignment of demand and supply, due to demand amplification, poor production systems and inconsistencies with information and data handling procedures.Research limitations/implications – The case study evidence is limited to the UK context and is therefore unlikely to be representative of the global situation in fresh food value chains. The proposed framework is based on the case study evidence but has not been formally tested.Practical implications – More collaboration, information sharing and joint planning from primary production through to retailing is critical if fresh food value chains are to function efficiently an.
An iterative learning process based on Bayesian principle in pursuit-evasion games

In a pursuit-evasion game, a pursuer tries to capture evader while the evader is trying to avoid capture. During the pursuit and evasion, pursuer longs for minimizing the distance from evader at any time while evader wants to the maximal distance. Although the relevant information of each side is unknown for each other, the initial information about pursuer and evader's locations and transition directions can be presented according to the prior probability. Then a Bayesian iterative process can be used to modify the probability of opponent's actions and to maximize the probability. It can make the pursuer and evader satisfy their min and max needs respectively. Simulations show that with the increase of pursuit-evasion area, capture frequency has robust convergence, and average capture time and iterative frequency increase faster.
PHYSICAL HEALTH AND PREVENTIVE HEALTH BEHAVIORS AMONG THAI WOMEN IN BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

In this article we describe the health status of Thai migrant women in Australia. Women's physical health, their use of health services, and adherence to preventive health behaviors are presented. The results are based on data from a descriptive study of 139 women living in Brisbane who completed a structured questionnaire. This information was supplemented with data from in-depth interviews with 17 of the women to gain additional information and insight into immigration, language, social support, and the use of health services. Although the majority of women reported being in good health and only a small percentage suffered from chronic diseases, inherent problems can influence their future health status. These include women's low participation in preventive health programs, unhealthy life style and behavior, perceptions of health services, availability of social support during illness, and issues related to care from general practitioners. Women's understanding of health education and information was influenced by their language skills. Language difficulties and the perceived high costs of medical care in Australia were contrasted with the lower cost and perceived efficiency and efficacy of Thai medical practitioners, and as a result some women delayed medical attention until home visits to Thailand.
Next-product-to-buy models for cross-selling applications

We present and evaluate next-product-to-buy (NPTB) models for improving the effectiveness of cross-selling. The NPTB model reduces the waste of poorly targeted cross-selling activities by predicting the product each customer would be most likely to buy next. We describe the model-building process and discuss theoretical and practical issues in developing a NPTB model. We then illustrate the effectiveness of the NPTB approach with a field test. The field test shows that the NPTB model increases profits compared to a heuristic approach, and that profits are incremental over and above sales that would have occurred through other channels. We then conduct an empirical test of methodological issues. We find that incorporating current product ownership as a predictor enhances predictive accuracy the most, followed by customer monetary value to the company, and demographics. We find that statistical method makes little difference in predictive accuracy, with neural nets having a slight edge. A simple random sample to create the calibration database increases predictive accuracy more than a stratified random sample, although the stratified sample may be preferred to avoid underpredicting unpopular products. We explore the potential for incorporating purchase incidence models in the NPTB approach, and find that this potentially enhances the effectiveness of the NPTB model. We close with recommendations for practitioners and for future academic research.
Income generation and inequality in India's agricultural sector: The Consequences of land fragmentation

This paper is a contribution to understanding income generation and inequality in India's agricultural sector. We analyse the National Sample Surveys of agriculture in 2003 and 2013 using descriptive, decomposition, and modelling tools, and estimate income inequality in the agricultural sector at the scale of the nation and its 17 largest states. We show that: (a) income inequality in India's agricultural sector is very high (Gini Coefficient of around 0.6 during the period), (b) about half of the income inequality is explained by the household-level variance in income from cultivation, which in turn is primarily dependent on variance in landownership, and (c) there are significant state-level differences in the structures/patterns of income generation from agriculture. These findings are important for two principal reasons. First, these measurements of inequality challenge the widely-held belief-based on consumption rather than income data-that India is a low-inequality country. Second, these findings reinforce the idea that the extreme fragmentation of agricultural land is the root cause of poverty in India, and the fact that the fragmentation continues to grow more intense is the singular challenge of Indian development.
Liquid crystal phase transitions in suspensions of mineral colloids: new life from old roots

A review is given of the field of mineral colloidal liquid crystals: liquid crystal phases formed by individual mineral particles within colloidal suspensions. Starting from their discovery in the 1920s, we discuss developments on the levels of both fundamentals and applications. We conclude by highlighting some promising results from recent years, which may point the way towards future developments.
[Percutaneous transluminal hydrodynamic thrombectomy--the initial results].

PURPOSE First clinical applications in the femoro-popliteal vessels of a new system for percutaneous, transluminal hydrodynamic thrombectomy are presented. MATERIAL AND METHOD Three patients suffering from femoro-popliteal thromboembolic obstruction were treated. A new hydrodynamic 8-F catheter with two lumina was used. The jet leaving at the tip of the catheter shredded the thrombotic material. Using the Venturi effect the thrombus was collected. The shredded material was transported outside through the second channel of the catheter. RESULTS All obstructions could be removed. Underlying degenerative vessel disease and older thromboemboli needed additional therapy like PTA or aspiration thrombectomy (PAT). CONCLUSIONS The new catheter is helpful in removing arterial femoro-popliteal thromboembolic obstructions. Additional interventions may be necessary. More clinical experience is needed.
Intravital Macrozoom Imaging and Automated Analysis of Endothelial Cell Calcium Signals Coincident with Arteriolar Dilation in Cx40BAC‐GCaMP2 Transgenic Mice

Please cite this paper as: Bagher, Davis and Segal (2011). Intravital Macrozoom Imaging and Automated Analysis of Endothelial Cell Calcium Signals Coincident with Arteriolar Dilation in Cx40BAC‐GCaMP2 Transgenic Mice. Microcirculation 18(4), 331–338.
Impacts of Responsive Load in PJM: Load Shifting and Real Time Pricing

In PJM, 15% of electric generation capacity ran less than 96 hours, 1.1% of the time, over 2006. If retail prices reflected hourly wholesale market prices, customers would shift consumption away from peak hours and installed capacity could drop. We use PJM data to estimate consumer and producer savings from a change toward real-time pricing (RTP) or time-of-use (TOU) pricing. Surprisingly, neither RTP nor TOU has much effect on average price under plausible short-term consumer responses. Consumer plus producer surplus rises 2.8%-4.4% with RTP and 0.6%-1.0% with TOU. Peak capacity savings are seven times larger with RTP. Peak load drops by 10.4%-17.7% with RTP and only 1.1%-2.4% with TOU. Half of all possible customer savings from load shifting are obtained by shifting only 1.7% of all MWh to another time of day, indicating that only the largest customers need be responsive to get the majority of the short-run savings.
QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

In recent years knowledge has been considered a critical organizational asset. As any other asset, knowledge provides value to organizations only when it conforms to a set of specifications and standards; in other words, when it is of good quality. Several proposals have addressed the issue of quality of knowledge, but there is not a widely accepted way of measuring such a concept. This article introduces a new approach to measure explicit knowledge in a semi-automatic way using software agents. The ideas described in this article are part of the e-Decisional Community concept, an agent-based platform for sharing experiential knowledge. The results of this research process show that it is possible to obtain a percentage of knowledge that represents an approximate measure of an individual's knowledge.
Two-Stage Evaluation of International Tourist Hotels in Taiwan Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract This study used the 2010 data of five-star international tourism hotels in Taiwan and the data envelopment analysis method to evaluate the operating efficiency of various international tourism hotels, expecting to provide a reference to tourists and relevant units. According to findings of this study, in the case of using the single-stage DEA model, the overall efficiency value of 12 DMUs was 1. In the case of using the production efficiency evaluation DEA calculation, the overall efficiency value of seven hotels was 1, and in the case of using the Stage II investment efficiency evaluation DEA calculation, the overall efficiency value of eight hotels was 1. The management matrix could classify 25 international tourism hotels into four types, depending on different attributes, to provide a reference for company improvement. The evaluation model using the two-stage DEA could help to measure the performance of a company's operations and understand different aspects of the various stages of operation. The research findings could be provided to relevant regulatory authorities and investors as a decision-making reference. More importantly, they could be reference indicators for the business management of various international tourism hotels.
Health Care Managers' Perspectives on Intercultural Privacy Concerns

Culture and language both have a strong influence on the quality of health care experiences that one may have. The purpose of this study was to interview health care managers from Bridgeport Hospital to gather data on their perspectives on intercultural privacy and associated concerns regarding the implementation of EMRs in a health care setting. Concerns include the adequacy of current laws to protect patient privacy, patient access to records via the Internet, and challenges of working through language barriers to ensure they understand their rights. Respondents focused mainly on the need for clear and adequate patient communication regarding the implementation of EMRs, and sensitivity to diverse cultures.
Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Attenuates Adrenergic Signaling in Alcohol Fed Rats

Chronic, excessive alcohol consumption is associated with myocardial dysfunction in humans. The molecular mechanisms and cellular signaling pathways contributing to this cardiac dysfunction remain largely unknown. This study examined the effects of chronic alcohol consumption on myocardial function and cardiac myocyte signaling pathways. Adult male rats were fed a commercially prepared diet containing either ethanol (13 g/kg/d) or isocaloric control diet for 1 month. In vivo hemodynamics were measured in awake rats after inserting a catheter tip in the left ventricle under general anesthesia. Ventricular dysfunction was evidenced in awake, alcohol-fed rats by increased left ventricular end diastolic pressure, decreased systolic developed left ventricular pressure, and decreases in both positive and negative dp/dt compared with controls. Cardiac myocytes isolated from alcohol-fed rats also demonstrated an attenuated response to the β-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, compared to controls. This response was significantly reversed by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). Western analyses confirmed inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein synthesis in cardiac myocytes isolated from alcohol fed rats. It is therefore concluded that chronic alcohol ingestion results in iNOS-mediated attenuation of adrenergic signaling and depression in both systolic and diastolic function in rats.
Interleukin-6 Deficiency Influences Cytokine Expression in Susceptible BALB Mice Infected with Leishmania major but Does Not Alter the Outcome of Disease

ABSTRACT Since interleukin-6 (IL-6) may promote Th2 responses, we infected BALB IL-6-deficient (IL-6−/−) mice with Leishmania major. There was not a significant difference between the courses of infection (lesion size and parasite burden) in IL-6−/− and wild-type mice, but IL-6−/−mice expressed lower levels of Th2- and Th1-associated cytokines.
Working Capital Management Practices of Small Firms in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

In a developing economy like Ghana, the contribution of small firms to the employment of the youth is highly recognised, but their contribution towards revenue to the national budget seems negligible. The reason is that some of the firms do not manage their working capital as expected and this has affected the viability of their businesses. The study revealed that the operators of small firms possess limited formal education, weak managerial and financial management skills within the sector. They also lack qualified accounting staff and suitable accounting software which are motivators to effective working capital management practices. Owners/managers were found to act as barriers to efficient usage of working capital management practices. Recommendations on credit control and collection policies, the importance of the use of computer spreadsheets, training and education which the study found to be problems with the sample small firms have been suggested to the owners/managers.