Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide: a successful exercise in international cooperation.

Bone marrow transplantation using unrelated donors has become a clinical reality but a large number of challenges remain. One of the most important and a crucial one is locating a suitable donor. To cope with this very large registries have been formed but each of these lacks donors with phenotypes which occur in other registries. To facilitate the search process a collation system designated Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW) was started. Several times a year it collects the phenotypes of all donors from all participating registries on a worldwide basis. The data are sorted by phenotype number of the broad antigens; the splits are specified immediately after the broad phenotypes. Here the experience with the first 11 editions is summarized. Although there is a steady increase in the numbers of donors and phenotypes included in BMDW, < 1% of the theoretically possible HLA-A, -B, -DR split phenotypes are so far represented. Furthermore, 70% of these phenotypes are unique, i.e. they occur in one donor only. As a result 30% of the donors have a phenotype which occurs in one registry only. Of 49 Europdonor donors who donated bone marrow, 8 (16%) had a phenotype which did not occur in any of the other registries. Because BMDW indicates in which registry a potential donor can be located, it can reduce search time by 75%. We conclude that the use of BMDW is the fastest and most cost-effective way to locate donors with rare phenotypes, whether or not they are of Caucasoid origin.
Forecasting Macroeconomic Variables Using Collapsed Dynamic Factor Analysis

We explore a new approach to the forecasting of macroeconomic variables based on a dynamic factor state space analysis. Key economic variables are modeled jointly with principal components from a large time series panel of macroeconomic indicators using a multivariate unobserved components time series model. When the key economic variables are observed at a low frequency and the panel of macroeconomic variables is at a high frequency, we can use our approach for both nowcasting and forecasting purposes. Given a dynamic factor model as the data generation process, we provide Monte Carlo evidence of the finite-sample justification of our parsimonious and feasible approach. We also provide empirical evidence for a US macroeconomic dataset. The unbalanced panel contains quarterly and monthly variables. The forecasting accuracy is measured against a set of benchmark models. We conclude that our dynamic factor state space analysis can lead to higher levels of forecasting precision when the panel size and time series dimensions are moderate.
Effects of bovine somatotropin on libido, serum testosterone, hematology and certain biochemical metabolites of Sahiwal bulls

In this study, effects of bovine somatotropin (bST) on libido, serum testosterone, haematological indices and serum biochemical metabolites in Sahiwal bulls were investigated. Bulls of the treatment group (n=3) were given bST @ 500 mg weekly, for 10 weeks, while control bulls (n=3) were injected with equal volume of normal saline. Reaction time of these bulls was recorded fortnightly. Blood samples collected fortnightly were analyzed for haematological parameters, while, serum samples were assayed for testosterone and biochemical metabolites. Results revealed that bST treatment of Sahiwal bulls significantly decreased reaction time (5.25±0.28 vs 7.50±0.42 sec) and increased serum testosterone concentrations (14.02±0.19 vs 12.55±0.44 ng/ml) compared to controls (P<0.05). Similarly, total leukocyte counts (10.49±0.83 vs 7.91±0.38 x 10 3 /ul) were increased, while PCV (36.78±0.64 vs 40.78±1.28%), MCV (51.02±0.47 vs 54.90±0.68fl) and MCH (16.20±0.10 vs 16.86±0.14 pg) decreased. Serum globulin (5.43±0.11 vs 5.17±0.04 G/dl) was higher and serum urea (12±0.47 vs 15.33±0.82 mg/dl) lower in treated bulls (P<0.05). However, bST had no effect on blood Hb, RBC counts, MCHC, ESR, DLC, platelets counts, serum total proteins, albumin, glucose and SGPT activity. Thus, treatment of bulls with bST improved libido, increased testosterone, total leukocyte counts and serum globulin, and decreased PCV, MCV, MCH
Combining sky and earth: desert ants (Melophorus bagoti) show weighted integration of celestial and terrestrial cues

Insects typically use celestial sources of directional information for path integration, and terrestrial panoramic information for view-based navigation. Here we set celestial and terrestrial sources of directional information in conflict for homing desert ants (Melophorus bagoti). In the first experiment, ants learned to navigate out of a round experimental arena with a distinctive artificial panorama. On crucial tests, we rotated the arena to create a conflict between the artificial panorama and celestial information. In a second experiment, ants at a feeder in their natural visually-cluttered habitat were displaced prior to their homing journey so that the dictates of path integration (feeder to nest direction) based on a celestial compass conflicted with the dictates of view-based navigation (release point to nest direction) based on the natural terrestrial panorama. In both experiments, ants generally headed in a direction intermediate to the dictates of celestial and terrestrial information. In the second experiment, the ants put more weight on the terrestrial cues when they provided better directional information. We conclude that desert ants weight and integrate the dictates of celestial and terrestrial information in determining their initial heading, even when the two directional cues are highly discrepant.
Chronic sinusitis.

Sinusitis is a very common chronic illness with a substantial health care impact. This review focuses on factors contributing to sinusitis pathogenesis and chronicity, including anatomic factors, disturbances in mucociliary clearance, microbial pathogens, and inflammatory factors. A distinction is made between "infectious" and "noninfectious" types of inflammation in chronic sinusitis. The inflammatory characteristics of noninfectious inflammation are reviewed primarily in the context of chronic hyperplastic sinusitis with nasal polyposis. Key features of this type of inflammation include the presence of chronic inflammatory cells, large numbers of eosinophils, and IL-5-producing T lymphocytes. Allergic fungal sinusitis is discussed as a special type of chronic sinusitis. Published studies on the outcomes of medical management are reviewed. Finally, algorithms for medical management of chronic sinusitis and allergic fungal sinusitis are presented.
The Critical Role of the Stem Region as a Functional Domain Responsible for the Oligomerization and Golgi Localization of N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferase V

We demonstrated that a region in the stem ofN-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V), a Golgi resident protein, is not required for enzyme activity but serves as functional domain, responsible for intracellular localization. Deletion of the domain led to complete retention of the kinetic properties but resulted in the cell surface localization of the enzyme as well as its efficient secretion into the medium. The lack of this domain concomitantly abolished the disulfide-mediated oligomerization of GnT-V, which appears to confer the Golgi retention. When the domain was inserted into the stem region of a cell surface-localized type II membrane protein, the resulting chimeric protein was substantially oligomerized and predominantly localized in the intracellular organelle. Furthermore, it was found that the presence of this domain is exclusively responsible for homo-oligomer formation. This homophilic interaction appears to involve a hydrophobic cluster of residues in the α-helix of the domain, as indicated by secondary structure predictions. These findings suggest that the domain specifically participates in the Golgi retention of GnT-V, probably via inducing homo-oligomer formation, and would also provide a possible mechanism for the oligomerization, which is critical for localization in the Golgi.
Use of the Functional Independence Measure for Outcomes Measurement in Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation

&NA; Assessment of functional status is a major responsibility for professionals practicing in rehabilitation facilities. Functional assessment tools have been created to meet this need. One of the most widely used tools is the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Data from the FIM are used to examine patient outcomes for several purposes. This article explores the rationale for use of the FIM as an outcomes measure and research regarding the validity, reliability, responsiveness, and utility of this tool. Limitations of this instrument, future research needs, and implications for rehabilitation professionals also are discussed.
Chemical mixtures: current risk assessment methodologies and future directions.

Some of the most challenging problems that toxicologists confront are determining how biological effects of components in a complex mixture may interact, determining how these interactions affect the overall toxicity of the mixture, and determining how to incorporate this information into risk assessments of chemical mixtures. There has been considerable effort in this area since the publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's guidelines for risk assessment of chemical mixtures in 1986. This paper reviews the terminology used to describe chemical interactions and the methodologies that have been developed for conducting risk assessments of chemical mixtures. Particular attention is directed towards an examination of the applicability and validity of the methods for the assessment of risk posed by exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of chemical mixtures. Limited, yet compelling, data are reviewed that suggest that for noncancer endpoints, adverse effects are unlikely to occur when the individual components in the mixture are present at levels well below their respective thresholds. Synergistic or antagonistic effects, not readily predicted from the mechanisms of action of the individual components, are possible when the mixture components are present at levels equal to or above their individual thresholds. Finally, synergistic carcinogenic effects have been observed in animal studies of mixtures, even at relatively low doses.
Quality value-chain: a meta-synthesis of frontiers of quality movement

Executive Overview As the quest for quality spreads through U.S. industry, many managers are confused by the multitude of terms used in reference to quality. In this article, I review the historical evolution of the quality movement as it spread across the world, and identify champions who periodically discovered new frontiers of quality. Each champion formulated a quality philosophy based on his own unique background and perspective. This review shows how U.S. managers, in the quest for quality, have often gone offshore, particularly to Japan, to seek additional perspectives. Foreign quality champions such as Ishikawa, Taguchi, and others have contributed as significantly as their U.S. counterparts—Deming, Juran, Crosby, and others. From an implementation viewpoint, each frontier of quality is integrated in a Quality Value-Chain framework. From this new framework it can be seen that successive frontiers of quality sought bigger challenges by attempting to integrate domains farther removed from core produ.
Building the Case for Financial Education

The need for financial education among Americans is often demonstrated with alarming rates of bankruptcy, high consumer debt levels, low savings rates, and other negative outcomes that may be the result of poor family financial management and low financial literacy levels. The collective response by public and private organizations to the accepted and often demonstrated need for financial education has been impressive in size and scope. This article provides an overview of the wide range of programs aimed at improving Americans’ financial literacy as well as a short review of the current evidence of the effectiveness of financial education programs. We advocate for the adoption of a comprehensive framework or approach to evaluation to assist those currently delivering, and planning to deliver, financial education and highlight some of the key challenges. A five-tiered approach to program evaluation is described and outlined to provide a general framework to guide financial education evaluation.
The Impact of Demand Management on Service System Performance

Reports of overbuilding in the lodging industry, closings of hospitals, bankruptcies of fast-food chains, and acquisitions of debt-ridden airlines are strong signals that demand management problems exist in service industries. The phenomenal growth experienced by the total service sector has masked these problems somewhat. When the differential between lagged demand and service capacity supply becomes significant, efficiency, productivity, utilisation, service quality, and profitability decline.
Impact of university-industry contracts resulting in patents on the quality of patenting in biotechnology

This article aims to identify the factors that influence the quantity and quality of patents to which academic inventors have contributed, and in particular, the effects of funding and of consulting. Using a unique database of academic funding providing detailed accounts of grants and contracts over the years, we build an econometric model of patenting taking into account the obvious problems linked with endogeneity. Our results show that while the average amount of funds raised from contracts has a positive non-linear effect on the number of patent applications, obtaining more public funds has the opposite effect. In contrast, public funds have a positive impact on the citations obtained by these patents, whereas a greater amount of contract funds has a detrimental effect on the number of citations obtained.
Do gastropod abundances and distributions vary in relation to primary productivity and site complexity ?

Population ecology incorporates a variety of foundational tenets that aid in understanding community structure and biodiversity of organisms in the natural world. For example, it has been observed that increasing the habitat and environmental complexity is correlated with increasing species diversity (Rosenzweig, 1995). Lake Tanganyika, in central East Africa, represents an ideal system to test this canon. The rocky littoral zone of Lake Tanganyika supports a highly diverse ecosystem, including numerous species of the endemic gastropod clade Lavigeria. Although Lavigeria is the most common gastropod on the rock surfaces and the focal organism of several studies examining sedimentation, speciation, and predation, the diversity and abundance patterns of this species flock remain poorly understood (Michel et al., 2003).
Stress, coping, and suicide risk in psychiatric inpatients.

The present study investigated the relationship between interpersonal problems, coping styles, and suicide risk. Seventy-one adult psychiatric inpatients completed a suicide risk scale, a measure of interpersonal problems, and a coping scale designed to measure eight coping styles. Patients admitted with a history of suicidal attempts were compared with patients admitted for other reasons. Interpersonal problems were found to be significantly and positively related to suicide risk. The coping style of "suppression" (tendency to avoid threatening or uncomfortable situations) was found to be significantly and positively related to suicide risk [F(2, 68) = 4.54, p < . 01]. Several other coping styles were found to be significantly related to suicide risk. These findings are congruent with a "two-stage model of countervailing forces" and have both research and clinical implications.
Ecological and Social Differentials in Mortality: Inequalities by Metropolitan-Nonmetropolitan Residency and Racial Composition

Abstract Studies of differentials in mortality usually have been bivariate and without benefit of a theoretical structure. In this study, mortality is approached through a multivariate framework and conceptualized as an indicator of inequality resulting from differential life chances and styles, which, in turn, reflect general stratification processes. An ecological factor, residency, and a social factor, racial composition, are used to investigate four questions: Do metropolitan counties have lower death rates than nonmetropolitan counties? Does the difference between White and non-White county mortality still favor White counties, and will a racial differential favoring White-designated counties exist when residency status is held constant and when areal social class characteristics are held constant? All counties of the 12-state North Central Region (N = 1056) provide the data. T-test, covariance, and multiple classification analyses are used to investigate the questions. Metropolitan and White countie.
Human resource planning: A key to internal and external fit

In winning businesses, familiarity of human side of business has been radically augmented and its evolution has high value added impact. The resource based view supporting the human resource planning can be a major source of competitiveness for the organization. It can be only achieved if human resource planning is consistent with both organizational objectives which we name internal fit and it must be flexible in nature so that through different human resource activities it can build up capabilities so that the organization will be able to respond quickly to the external environment named external fit.
Is there a link between compensation packages and job performance in the Ghana police service

Employee compensation has gained significant attention for its impact on employee job performance. However, few empirical studies have actually examined the relationship between compensation and job performance in the public sector organisations in Ghana. This study fills the research gap by investigating the link between compensation packages and job performance in the Ghana Police Service. Using an exploratory and quantitative research design, a multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 200 police personnel from the Ghana Police Service. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. With a 100% response rate, the data were analysed using the descriptive and inferential statistics such as multi-linear regression, mean scores and standard deviations. At a 95% level of significance, the multi-linear regression results found a moderately positive link between compensation packages and job performance. The study showed that a good number of compensation packages were sometimes received by the personnel. The results indicated that personnel were somehow satisfied with some of their compensation packages. Equitable and holistic compensation packages are more likely to attract, develop, motivate and retain qualified and competent personnel and further increase job performance and employee productivity in the Ghana Polices Service. Key words: Compensation packages, job performance, motivation, police service, Ghana.
What Can the Family Contribute to Business? Examining Contractual Relationships

The degree to which the family dominates as a form of business organization depends in part on whether a business's operations favor the implicit informal personal relationships of families or the explicit, formal, impersonal contractual relationships, characteristic of market-oriented organizations. In some situations family identity, trust, personal ties, and the monitoring functions that family relationships provide promote greater incentives for success than explicit, formal contracts. In other cases, formal relationships can provide a more effective means of linking workers within the firm, even when the workers are family members.
The interplay of monetary and fiscal policies in a multinational currency union

In our multi-country currency union model, national fiscal authorities free ride on the single monetary authority, which leads to higher interest rate variability. We carry out welfare comparisons between monetary autonomy and currency union, assessing the sensitivity of results around calibrated parameter values. Under country-specific demand and supply disturbances, monetary union stabilisation is hampered by steeper supply slopes, a greater preference for price stability, governments' stronger fiscal objective focus and a higher sensitiveness of aggregate demand to real exchange rates. Sensitivity results are ambiguous for country size. Supply-driven small open economies may benefit from maintaining monetary sovereignty.
Does Competition Reduce Price Dispersion? New Evidence from the Airline Industry

We analyze the effects of competition on price dispersion in the airline industry, using panel data from 1993:Q1 through 2006:Q3. Competition has a negative effect on price dispersion, in line with the textbook treatment of price discrimination. This effect is pronounced for routes with consumers characterized by relatively heterogeneous elasticities of demand. On routes with a homogeneous customer base, the effects of competition on price dispersion are smaller. Our results contrast with those of Borenstein and Rose, who found that price dispersion increases with competition. We reconcile the different results by showing that the cross‐sectional estimator suffers from omitted‐variable bias.
An Examination of the Determinants of Hotel Reits' Unsystematic Risk

This article follows up on a previous study that examined the systematic risk of hotel real estate investment trusts (REITs). Although the previous study found that the predominant component of hotel REITs' risk was the unsystematic risk, it analyzed only the determinants of the systematic risk. This article discusses the relevance of hotel REITs' unsystematic risk in firm valuation and investigates financial variables that affect the unsystematic risk. Using backward selection regression method, we found that hotel REITs' unsystematic risk was associated positively with debt and dividend payout but negatively with capitalization. The findings suggest that large hotel REIT firms paying lower dividends and using less debt are likely to have an advantage in firm valuation.
Changes in masticatory performance and quality of life in individuals with chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND This study evaluates the effect of periodontitis on masticatory performance and quality of life index. METHODS Patients (n = 24; 23 to 76 years of age) with periodontal conditions ranging from healthy to generalized disease categorized by the alveolar bone height-to-tooth length (AB/T) ratio were separated into the following two groups: control (AB/T >50%) and test (AB/T <50%). The masticatory performance was evaluated through continuous mastication of a special device called a biocapsule. The Brazilian Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14Br) questionnaire was used to assess the oral health-related quality of life. The Student t test was applied for independent samples (P <0.05) to evaluate the masticatory performance, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine quality of life (P <0.05). RESULTS There was a statistically significant difference in masticatory efficiency between groups (P = 0.006). Statistically significant differences were also observed in the following parameters: 1) physical pain (P = 0.003); 2) psychologic discomfort (P = 0.008); 3) physical disability (P = 0.033); and 4) OHIP-14Br total score (P = 0.001). The control group achieved the best indicators. Both the masticatory performance and quality of life indicators showed significant correlation with the alveolar bone height. CONCLUSION The loss of periodontal supporting structures has negative effects on the masticatory performance and quality of life.