Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of sennosides on colonic mucosal histology and bowel preparation.

INTRODUCTION A single high dose of sennosides is often used to optimize bowel preparation for diagnostic procedures. From previous studies it is suspected that sennosides in such a dose cause acute damage to the colonic mucosa. This study was designed to determine any effects of sennosides on histology of colonic mucosa and on bowel preparation. RESULTS In a prospective study 171 patients were randomized for bowel preparation. 84 patients received 1 ml/kg (maximal 75 ml) of a syrup containing 2.0 mg/ml sennoside A and B and 3-5 l of a lavage solution (Sen), 87 patients only received 3-5 l lavage solution (NSen). All patients completed a questionnaire on which patient tolerance was scored. Another questionnaire was completed by the endoscopist, recording quality of the preparation. From the 40 patients with a normal colon (19 Sen, 21 NSen) a biopsy was taken from the sigmoid colon and analyzed for morphological abnormalities. No difference could be demonstrated in tolerance or quality of bowel preparation between the two groups. A marked increase of mononuclear infiltrate in the lamina propria was observed in Sen compared to NSen: in 10/19 vs. 2/21 patients respectively, p < 0.0005. CONCLUSION As these microscopic effects could hamper the interpretation of colonic biopsies, bowel preparation without sennosides is to be recommended.
Acute Temperature Change Modulates the Response of ICa to Adrenergic Stimulation in Fish Cardiomyocytes

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the endogenous catecholamine adrenaline protects sarcolemmal Ca2+ flux through the L‐type Ca2+ channel (ICa) during acute exposure to cold in the fish heart. We examined the response of ICa to adrenergic stimulation at three temperatures (7°, 14°, and 21°C) in atrial myocytes isolated from rainbow trout acclimated to 14°C. We found that ICa amplitude varied directly with test temperature and was increased by adrenergic stimulation (AD; 5 nM and 1 μM) at all temperatures. However, ICa was significantly more sensitive to adrenergic stimulation at the coldest test temperature. In fact, at 7°C in the absence of AD, ICa was extremely low. The addition of 1 μM AD increased peak ICa 7.2‐fold at 7°C, 2.6‐fold at 14°C, and 1.6‐fold at 21°C and ameliorated the temperature‐dependent difference in Ca2+ influx across the cell membrane. We suggest that this increased adrenergic sensitivity is a critical compensatory mechanism that allows the rainbow trout heart to maintain contractility during acute exposure to cold temperatures. In particular, the tonic level of adrenergic stimulation provided by circulating plasma catecholamines (i.e., in the nM concentration range) may be crucial for effective excitation‐contraction coupling in the cold cardiomyocyte.
The epistemologies of Ghazzali, Kant and the alternative

Studies Ghazzali’s and Kant’s metaphysical epistemologies in comparative perspectives to bring out their consequences on the central issue of unification of knowledge. Addresses the problem posed by either of these epistemologies towards unifying knowledge. Shows the central issue of reality as a universal is to be premissed in unification, which is in turn explained to be the direct function of interaction and creative evolution from lower to higher levels of certainty. Shows the unification epistemology to be uniquely premissed in the Qur’anic roots of Oneness of God. Explains this concept substantively in analytical terms. Thus the concept of unification of knowledge means the circular continuity by evolution of the interactions and integration that occur by linkages between the purely a priori and the purely a posteriori domains. This is also meant to convey the phenomenon of epistemic‐ontic continuity of the process towards comprehension and the resulting materiality of forms that subsequently reinforce newer levels of comprehensions. Unification takes place in the plane of such interlinkages, complementarity and convergence or integration. Invokes the problem of unification of knowledge in the contrasting modes of all the three cases, namely Ghazzali, Kant and the unification epistemology, to address the issues of moral market transformation taken up in the midst of human sustainability. Discusses some contemporary issues relating to globalization, economic interlinkages and evolution for world development, in light of the topic of moral market transformation and sustainability. Studies both of these analytically in the unification epistemology paradigm in contrast to the consequences implicative of Ghazzali’s and Kant’s epistemologies.
Future personal "e-payment": IrFM

There is widespread distribution of millions of mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs with infrared data association (IrDA) ports to consumers worldwide. Rapid advancements in both device technology and users' capabilities are the foundations for a new digital payment system, which promises to change the traditional method of payments. By utilizing standard IrDA indoor infrared technology, infrared financial messaging (IrFM) is a financial messaging specification with great prospects for future digital payment systems. In this article, we carry out a comprehensive analysis of IrFM, clarify the benefits of using such a system, and develop a model which allows us to identify the significance of major performance factors of digital payment systems. Issues concerning connection speed, security, reliability, simplicity, and interoperability of IrFM are investigated.
The Psychology of Culture Shock

Foreword. Part I: The Psychology of Intercultural Contact. Introduction and Overview: Setting the Scene. Social Systems as Inputs, Throughputs and Outputs. Culture Contact within and between Societies. Intercultural Contact: Processes and Outcomes. Groups in Intercultural Contact. Dimensions of Intercultural Contact. Outcomes of Contact. Theoretical Perspectives on Intercultural Contact. Intercultural Contact and Adaptation. A Model of the Acculturation Process. Chapter Summary. Part II: Theoretical Approaches to "Culture Shock". Culture Learning. Social Interaction. The Social Psychology of the Cross-cultural Encounter. Cross-cultural Differences in How People Communicate. Intercultural Communication Theory: Integrating the Communication Elements. Social Relations in Multicultural Societies. Cross-cultural Transition and Social Difficulty. Chapter Summary. Stress, Coping and Adjustment. The Stress and Coping Framework. Factors Affecting Stress, Coping and Adjustment. Social Identification Theories. Theoretical Perspectives. Identity, Acculturation and Intercultural Contact. Intergroup Perceptions and Relations. Social Identification Theories and Multicultural Ideology. Chapter Summary. Part III: Varieties of Culture Travellers. Tourists. The Tourist Experience. Tourism and Intercultural Contact. Chapter Summary. Sojourners: International Students. Historical Perspectives. Empirical Research on Student Sojourners. Chapter Summary. Sojourners: International Business People. Cultural Distance, Work Performance and Adaptation of Business Sojourners. Expatriate Adjustment. Women in International Management. Repatriation and Inpatriation. Chapter Summary. Immigrants. Social and Political Influences on Immigrant Acculturation. Migrant Adaptation. Perspectives on Immigrant Youth. Chapter Summary. Refugees. Refugee Status and Mental Health. Pre- and Post-Migration Experiences and Adjustment over Time. Stress, Coping and Adjustment. Acculturation, Identity and Intercultural Relations. Chapter Summary. Part IV: Applications and Conclusions. Culture Training. Training Principles, Issues and Aims. Cross-cultural Preparation in Historical Perspective. Sojourner Training. Training for Multicultural Living. Chapter Summary. Conclusion. The ABCs of "Culture Shock". Intercultural Interactions: Then and Now. The Future. Final Remarks. References.
Biomarkers of mercury toxicity: Past, present, and future trends

ABSTRACT Mercury (Hg) toxicity continues to represent a global health concern. Given that human populations are mostly exposed to low chronic levels of mercurial compounds (methylmercury through fish, mercury vapor from dental amalgams, and ethylmercury from vaccines), the need for more sensitive and refined tools to assess the effects and/or susceptibility to adverse metal-mediated health risks remains. Traditional biomarkers, such as hair or blood Hg levels, are practical and provide a reliable measure of exposure, but given intra-population variability, it is difficult to establish accurate cause–effect relationships. It is therefore important to identify and validate biomarkers that are predictive of early adverse effects prior to adverse health outcomes becoming irreversible. This review describes the predominant biomarkers used by toxicologists and epidemiologists to evaluate exposure, effect and susceptibility to Hg compounds, weighing on their advantages and disadvantages. Most importantly, and in light of recent findings on the molecular mechanisms underlying Hg-mediated toxicity, potential novel biomarkers that might be predictive of toxic effect are presented, and the applicability of these parameters in risk assessment is examined.
Early and Late Postoperative Pain and Side Effects after Mastectomy: A Comparison of Ketamine and Thiamylal Administered for Anesthetic Induction

Objective: To compare acute and long-term postoperative pain and side effects in patients undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer under general anesthesia induced with ketamine or thiamylal. Methods: Twenty four ASA physical status I-III patients undergoing mastectomy were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Ketamine group received intravenous ketamine, 1 mg/kg, and thiamylal group received intravenous thiamylal, 4 mg/kg, at the induction of general anesthesia. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane, N2O and fentanyl. The intensity of pain was assessed by using visual analog scale (VAS) 3 and 16 hr and 2, 3 and 4 weeks after surgery. Postoperative side effects, including nausea, vomiting and hallucination were also recorded. Results: At 16 hr after surgery, VAS in ketamine group was significantly lower than that in thiamylal group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the VAS at 3 hr and 2, 3 and 4 weeks after surgery. There were no differences in the incidence of side effects such as nausea, vomiting and hallucination between the two groups. Conclusion: Intravenous ketamine at the induction of anesthesia could reduce acute postoperative pain but not long-term pain after mastectomy.
Interference Between Work and Family:: A Status Report on Dual-Career and Dual-Earner Mothers and Fathers

This study examined differences by gender and job type in levels of role overload, interference from work to family, interference from family to work, and perceived stress for parents with pre-school children. The results indicate that mothers of pre-schoolers experience more problems balancing work and famiiy demands than fathers, regardless of whether they are in career or earner positions. The dual-career situation is less problematic than the dual-earner situation. Career parents appear to have more control over both work and family domains. Such an increase in control facilitates the ability to balance work and family. The results of this study suggest that employers who are interested in helping their employees balance work and family demands should investigate different mechanisms by which they can increase employees' control over the work and family interface. Interventions such as on-site day care, time management courses, flexible work arrangements, sick-child care, and parenting courses all off.
A signal processing approach to auditory alarm design and evaluation: An analysis of melodic medical equipment alarms

This article explores the application of signal processing in evaluating the design of acoustic and perceptual properties for auditory alarms. An analysis adopting a signal processing approach was conducted on a subset of the melodic alarms for medical electronic equipment proposed by the IEC 60601-1-8 standard. We compared our analytical findings with empirical results on discriminability by P.M. Sanderson et al.(2006) and found general consistency between the two. The comparison sheds light on how signal processing techniques could contribute to evaluation of auditory alarms and the development of standards. Implications for design are also discussed.
Automated Testing with RT-Tester - Theoretical Issues Driven by Practical Needs

The RT-Tester tool has been developed by Verified Systems International in cooperation with the TZI at Bremen University in order to support automated testing for reactive real-time systems. In this article, we give an overview on theoretical issues concerning variants of timed transition systems and their interpretation in hard real-time which have been stimulated by the practical requirements of automated test generation, execution and on-the-fly evaluation. We sketch future developments with the objective to include testing of hybrid systems into our theoretical framework and in the tool architecture of RT-Tester.
Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract: A Genetic Disorder?

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUTs) occur in 3–6 per 1000 live births, account for the most cases of pediatric end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and predispose an individual to hypertension and cardiovascular disease throughout life. Although CAKUTs are a part of many known syndromes, only few single-candidate causative genes have been implicated so far in nonsyndromic cases of human CAKUT. Evidence from mouse models supports the hypothesis that non-syndromic human CAKUT may be caused by single-gene defects. Because increasing numbers of children with CAKUT are surviving to adulthood, better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of CAKUT, development of new strategies aiming at prevention of CAKUT, preservation of renal function, and avoidance of associated cardiovascular morbidity are needed. In this paper, we will focus on the knowledge derived from the study of syndromic and non-syndromic forms of CAKUT in humans and mouse mutants to discuss the role of genetic, epigenetic, and in utero environmental factors in the pathogenesis of non-syndromic forms of CAKUT in children with particular emphasis on the genetic contributions to CAKUT.
Investigation of procalcitonin, IL-6, oxidative stress index (OSI) plasma and tissue levels in experimental mild and severe pancreatitis in rats.

AIM This study was planned to evaluate blood and tissue levels of procalcitonin, IL-6 and Oxidative Stress Index (OSI), which have a role in the pathophysiology of inflammation, in rats with experimental mild and severe pancreatitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty male Wistar Albino rats were included in the study and the rats were equally divided into the three groups. After 1, 5 and 24 hours, blood was obtained from the tail of all rats and samples were taken from pancreas tissue after 24 hours. Amylase, lipase, AST, ALT, WBC, LDH, glucose, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, GGT, ALP and TNF-α, Procalcitonin and IL-6 levels were evaluated from blood and tissue specimens. RESULTS The mild pancreatitis group (group 1) and the severe pancreatitis group (group 3) were compared according to the OSI, Amylase, Lipase, Pct, IL-6, AST, ALT, Glucose, WBC, LDH and Tnf-α levels. In the severe pancreatitis group, a statistically significant increase was detected compared to the mild pancreatitis group (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in TOS, T.Bil, D.Bil, GGT and ALP values (p > 0.05). Statistically significant increase was observed in severe pancreatitis group according to OSI, Amylase, Lipase, Pct, IL-6, LDH, WBC and TNF-α levels samples obtained from pancreatic tissues, compared to mild pancreatitis group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION In conclusion, our study showed that OSI, TNF-α, IL-6 and procalcitonin levels increases proportionally with the severity of pancreatitis. This also suggests that OSI, TNF-α, IL-6 and procalcitonin are the guiding substances in acute pancreatitis, and that this damage increases as the duration and severity of the pathological process increase. However, this result must be confirmed with more detailed and broadly planned future studies (Fig. 3, Ref. 25).
Relative Wolbachia density of field-collected Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in Thailand

ABSTRACT Female Aedes albopictus mosquitoes from natural populations of different geographical regions of Thailand were collected and allowed to oviposit to determine relative Wolbachia A and Wolbachia B densities of their offspring (F1) by using real-time quantitative PCR (RTQ-PCR). An important aspect of this work is that all Aedes albopictus mosquitoes were collected from the field. Twenty-seven offspring were from diverse areas of Thailand (Songkhla, Konkaen, Chantaburi, and Kanchanaburi). The range of relative Wolbabhia A density in F1 mosquitoes was from 0.007 to 1250.78 (bacteria-to-host ratio), whereas relative Wolbachia B densities ranged from 0 to 348.2 (bacteria-to-host ratio). These data are in contrast to those from a previous study that showed a very low amount (less than 0.10) of both relative Wolbachia density types for laboratory strains. The percent transmission of Wolbachia density from mother to each individual offspring cannot be predicted and was not related to the sex of the F1. Obtaining confirmation for variations and unpredictable Wolbachia transmission load raises some concerns about using Wolbachia as a gene-driving system in nature for population replacement if Wolbachia density is involved in cytoplasmic incompatibility in this mosquito.
Cooperative Learning: Integrating Theory and Practice

“Gilles focuses the majority of the book on the relationship in the classroom between the individual teacher and the students. She gives teachers ammunition to overcome resistance to cooperative learning by presenting well-substantiated research on virtually every page of her book showing the benefits of having students study together. ” –Ted Wohlfarth, PSYCCRITIQUES “This text's greatest strengths are bringing together a range of powerful teaching strategies connected to students taking responsibility for their own learning and the learning of others. The focus on both teacher strategies to encourage effective group talk and student strategies to encourage effective discourse is helpful. ” —Nancy L. Markowitz, San Jose State University Although cooperative learning is widely endorsed as a pedagogical practice that promotes learning and socialization among students, teachers still struggle with how to introduce it into their classrooms. This text highlights the strategies teachers can use to challenge student thinking and scaffold their learning as well as the strategies students can be taught to promote discourse, problem—solving, and learning during cooperative learning. Key Features Presents cooperative learning in conjunction with national standards: The book situates cooperative learning within the context of No Child Left Behind and a climate of high stakes testing. ; Links theory with practice: Numerous case studies and small group exercises highlight how teachers can assess both the process and outcomes of cooperative learning. ; Emphasizes the key role teachers play in establishing cooperative learning: Guidelines are given on how teachers can establish cooperative learning in their classrooms to promote student engagement and learning across various levels and for students of diverse abilities. ; Incorporates the latest research on cooperative learning: An overview is provided of the major research and theoretical perspectives that underpin the development of cooperative learning pedagogy. Intended Audience This is an excellent supplementary text for several undergraduate and graduate level K—12 teacher preparation and certification courses regularly offered in schools of education. It can also be used as one of several texts in courses on cooperative learning and as a supplement in K—12 teaching methods courses. Talk to the author!
Essays in capital markets

This thesis consists of three essays in capital markets. The first essay presents a dynamic asset pricing model with heterogeneously informed agents. Unlike previous research, the general case where differential information leads to the problem of "forecasting the forecasts of others" and to non-trivial dynamics of higher order expectations is studied. In particular, it is proved that the model does not admit a finite number of state variables. A comparison of equilibria characterized by identical fundamentals but different information structure shows that the distribution of information has substantial impact on equilibrium prices and returns. In the second essay we explore several sources of serial correlation in returns of hedge funds and other alternative investments. We show that the most likely explanation is illiquidity exposure, i.e., investments in securities that are not actively traded and for which market prices are not always readily available. For portfolios of illiquid securities, reported returns will tend to be smoother than true economic returns, which will understate volatility and increase risk-adjusted performance measures such as the Sharpe ratio. We propose an econometric model of illiquidity exposure and develop estimators for the smoothing profile as well as a smoothing-adjusted Sharpe ratio. For a sample of 908 hedge funds drawn from the TASS database, we show that our estimated smoothing coefficients vary considerably across hedge-fund style categories and may be a useful proxy for quantifying illiquidity exposure. In the third essay our objective is to study analytically the effect of borrowing constraints on asset returns. We explicitly characterize the equilibrium for an exchange economy with two agents who differ in their risk aversion and are prohibited from borrowing. In a representative-agenlt economly with CR.RA preferences, the Sharpe ratio of equity returns and the risk-free rate are linked by the risk aversion parameter. We show that allowing for preference hetterogeneity an(l imposing borrowing constraints breaks this link. We find that anll econony with borrowing constraints exhibits simlultaneously a relatively high Sharpe ratio of stock returns and a relatively
Automotive Software Development for a Multi-Core System-on-a-Chip

There are many economic and technical arguments for the reduction of the number of Electronic Control Units (EC Us) aboard a car. One of the key obstacles to achieve this goal is the limited composability, fault isolation and error containment of today's single- processor architectures. However, significant changes in the chip architecture are taking place in order to manage the synchronization, energy dissipation, and fault-handling requirements of emerging billion transistor SoCs (systems-on-a-chip). The single processor architecture is replaced by multi-core SoCs that communicate via networks-on-chip (NoC). These emerging multi-core SoCs provide an ideal execution environment for the integration of multiple automotive ECUs into a single SoC This paper presents a model-based software development method for designing applications using these multi-core SoCs.