Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk of venous thromboembolism from use of oral contraceptives containing different progestogens and oestrogen doses: Danish cohort study, 2001-9

Objective To assess the risk of venous thromboembolism from use of combined oral contraceptives according to progestogen type and oestrogen dose. Design National historical registry based cohort study. Setting Four registries in Denmark. Participants Non-pregnant Danish women aged 15-49 with no history of thrombotic disease and followed from January 2001 to December 2009. Main outcome measures Relative and absolute risks of first time venous thromboembolism. Results Within 8 010 290 women years of observation, 4307 first ever venous thromboembolic events were recorded and 4246 included, among which 2847 (67%) events were confirmed as certain. Compared with non-users of hormonal contraception, the relative risk of confirmed venous thromboembolism in users of oral contraceptives containing 30-40 µg ethinylestradiol with levonorgestrel was 2.9 (95% confidence interval 2.2 to 3.8), with desogestrel was 6.6 (5.6 to 7.8), with gestodene was 6.2 (5.6 to 7.0), and with drospirenone was 6.4 (5.4 to 7.5). With users of oral contraceptives with levonorgestrel as reference and after adjusting for length of use, the rate ratio of confirmed venous thromboembolism for users of oral contraceptives with desogestrel was 2.2 (1.7 to 3.0), with gestodene was 2.1 (1.6 to 2.8), and with drospirenone was 2.1 (1.6 to 2.8). The risk of confirmed venous thromboembolism was not increased with use of progestogen only pills or hormone releasing intrauterine devices. If oral contraceptives with desogestrel, gestodene, or drospirenone are anticipated to increase the risk of venous thromboembolism sixfold and those with levonorgestrel threefold, and the absolute risk of venous thromboembolism in current users of the former group is on average 10 per 10 000 women years, then 2000 women would need to shift from using oral contraceptives with desogestrel, gestodene, or drospirenone to those with levonorgestrel to prevent one event of venous thromboembolism in one year. Conclusion After adjustment for length of use, users of oral contraceptives with desogestrel, gestodene, or drospirenone were at least at twice the risk of venous thromboembolism compared with users of oral contraceptives with levonorgestrel.
A CMOS single-chip wireless solution with an adaptive purity-control scheme against ISM-band interferences

The authors present a Bluetooth (BT) single-chip solution to improve the immunity to ISM-band interferences. A transceiver with a purity-controllable local oscillator is proposed. The purity control scheme is experimentally verified through the firmware which controls the interference-transfer function and adjusts the allowable interference level adaptively. This solution is fully integrated in a 0.25-/spl mu/m CMOS process, and it satisfies the specification of the BT v1.2, with the optimal power consumption and the yield enhancement.
Should American Law Schools Continue to Graduate Lawyers Whom Clients Consider Worthless

At a recent national conference on legal education, the associate general counsel of one of America’s largest corporations said that his company no longer allows first or second year associates to work on their matters “because they’re worthless. ” At one time many law schools were comfortable in relying on large firms to turn their graduates into lawyers worthy to represent clients, but the famous “Cravath” system for such training has been in decline and is now severely threatened by the current economic crisis in law practice. The article contrasts the American approach to training lawyers to that in place in other major jurisdictions related to the common law tradition, with a particular focus on Scotland. The article then concludes with an examination of a ground-breaking experiment at the University of New Hampshire Law School, where students who complete a special two year honors program designed to make them “client-ready” are being admitted to practice upon graduation without taking a conventional bar examination.
Identity and Cooperative Behavior in Groups

This study compares two models of motivation for cooperative behavior in groups. Those models are the resource-based social exchange model and the status-based social identity model. A comparison of the two models suggests that both are important in understanding cooperation in groups. However, issues of identity are relatively more important antecedents of cooperation, especially in the case of discretionary cooperative behavior. Further, identity also has a strong influence on attitudes and values, which themselves have been linked to discretionary behavior. Hence, identity issues dominate people’s motivation to voluntarily cooperate with the groups to which they belong.
On the subjectivity and bias of web content credibility evaluations

In this paper we describe the initial outcomes of the Reconcile1 study concerning Web content credibility evaluations. The study was run with a balanced sample of 1503 respondents who independently evaluated 154 web pages from several thematic categories. Users taking part in the study not only evaluated credibility, but also filled a questionnaire covering additional respondents' traits. Using the gathered information about socio-economic status and psychological features of the users, we studied the influence of subjectivity and bias in the credibility ratings. Subjectivity and bias, in fact, represent a key design issue for Web Credibility systems, to the extent that they could jeopardize the system performance if not taken into account. We found out that evaluations of Web content credibility are slightly subjective. On the other hand, the evaluations exhibit a strong acquiescence bias.
Work-related factors as predictors in the retirement decision-making process of older workers in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT This article examines work-related factors and their impact on the retirement decision-making process. We particularly focus on organisational human resources policies and normative climate regarding retirement. Organisations create opportunities and conditions for career extension via their personnel instruments. The normative climate may encourage or discourage retirement. We use a ten-year follow-up study among 1,458 older employees in the Netherlands aged 50–59 at baseline. Results reveal that older workers are sensitive to social approval earned from their co-workers and supervisor. A social climate that supports working up to higher ages is an important requisite for reducing the attractiveness of the early retirement option. Retirement intentions, formed in the years prior to retirement, are shaped by workplace norms and supervisors' attitudes. Results indicate that in order to delay retirement, policy initiatives cannot be reduced to altering financial restrictions surrounding retirement but need to address the forces at the organisational level that channel workers out of employment.
Activity Driven Budgeting of Software Projects

There are numerous forecast models of software development costs, however, various problems become apparent in context to practical application. Standardized methods, such as COCOMO II have to be calibrated at an individual operational level on the basis of the underlying database. This paper presents a new activity based approach that is based on business specific cost data that can be easily integrated into existing management accounting systems. This approach can be applied to software development projects based on the unified process in which activity driven budgeting promises several advantages compared to common tools in use. It supports enterprise specific cost forecasting and control and can be easily linked with risk analysis. In addition to the presentation of a conceptual design model, the authors present a framework for activity driven budgeting and cost management of software development projects combined with concrete implementation examples.
Distribution of neuropeptide Y Y1 receptors in rodent peripheral tissues

Using a sensitive immunohistochemical technique, the localization of neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y1‐receptor (Y1R)‐like immunoreactivity (LI) was studied in various peripheral tissues of rat. Wild‐type (WT) and Y1R‐knockout (KO) mice were also analyzed. Y1R‐LI was found in small arteries and arterioles in many tissues, with particularly high levels in the thyroid and parathyroid glands. In the thyroid gland, Y1R‐LI was seen in blood vessel walls lacking α‐smooth muscle actin, i.e., perhaps in endothelial cells of capillaries. Larger arteries lacked detectable Y1R‐LI. A distinct Y1R‐immunoreactive (IR) reticulum was seen in the WT mouse spleen, but not in Y1R‐KO mouse or rat. In the gastrointestinal tract, Y1R‐positive neurons were observed in the myenteric plexus, and a few enteroendocrine cells were Y1R‐IR. Some cells in islets of Langerhans in the pancreas were Y1R‐positive, and double immunostaining showed coexistence with somatostatin in D‐cells. In the urogenital tract, Y1R‐LI was observed in the collecting tubule cells of the renal papillae and in some epithelial cells of the seminal vesicle. Some chromaffin cells of adrenal medulla were positive for Y1R. The problem of the specificity of the Y1R‐LI is evaluated using adsorption tests as well as comparisons among rat, WT mouse, and mouse with deleted Y1R. Our findings support many earlier studies based on other methodologies, showing that Y1Rs on smooth muscle cells of blood vessels mediate NPY‐induced vasoconstriction in various organs. In addition, Y1Rs in other cells in parenchymal tissues of several organs suggest nonvascular effects of NPY via the Y1R. J. Comp. Neurol. 449:390–404, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Magnesium Deficiency: A Cause of Heterogenous Disease in Humans

MAGNESIUM IS THE most prevalent intracellular divalent cation and the second most prevalent cation in the body. The normal adult body content is ;25 g and its distribution is approximately equally divided between the skeleton and soft tissues. A large proportion (about onethird) of skeletal magnesium (Mg) resides on the surface of bone. Because this fraction is surface exchangeable and because the skeletal Mg level falls during Mg depletion, it is hypothesized that this component serves as a reservoir to maintain the extracellular Mg concentration. Extracellular Mg accounts for only 1% of total body Mg. In the plasma, 55% of Mg is ionized, or free, 15% is complexed to anions, and the rest (;30%) is bound to protein (chiefly albumin). Mg is contained within all intracellular compartments. It is principally bound to ATP (80–90%) and other negatively charged molecules. Total cellular Mg ranges from 5–20 mM; the greater the metabolic activity of a cell, the greater the Mg content. Intracellular free Mg accounts for about 1–5% of total cellular Mg (0.2–1.0 mM). Mg is actively transported into and out of cells and is influenced by various hormonal and pharmacological factors which perhaps regulate the intracellular Mg concentration and hence activity of Mg-sensitive enzymes. For example, insulin has been shown to increase intracellular Mg in a number of tissues including skeletal and cardiac muscle, uterine smooth muscle, red blood cells, platelets, and lymphocytes (for review see Refs. 9 and 10). The physiological role of Mg is principally related to enzyme activity (Table 1); over 300 enzyme systems are dependent on the presence of this cation. All enzyme utilizing ATP requires Mg for substrate formation. Intracellular free Mg also acts as an allosteric activator of enzyme action including critical enzyme systems such as adenylate cyclase, phospholipase C, and Na/K-ATPase. Transport of other ions such as potassium and calcium across the plasma membrane may also require the presence of Mg. Mg has been termed “nature’s physiologic calcium channel blocker. ” During Mg depletion, intracellular potassium decreases while calcium and sodium increase. Mg is therefore critical for a number of cellular functions, including oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, DNA transcription, and protein synthesis. The clinical complications of Mg depletion no doubt are, at least in part, due to perturbation of Mg-requiring enzyme systems.
Learning-centred Teaching

SUMMARY Distinctions are drawn between different kinds of learning (such as ‘understanding’, ‘factual knowledge’ and ‘skills’) and between different kinds of learners (such as ‘holist’ versus ‘serialist’ learners, and between ‘visualizers’, ‘verbalizers’ and ‘oers’) so that teaching methods can be matched to them. Learning-centred teaching therefore involves adopting teaching methods, such as ‘student-centred learning’, ‘active learning’, ‘didactive teaching’, ‘problem-based learning’, etc., where they are appropriate, but not where they are inappropriate.
Effect of the Deletion of qmoABC and the Promoter-Distal Gene Encoding a Hypothetical Protein on Sulfate Reduction in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough

ABSTRACT The pathway of electrons required for the reduction of sulfate in sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is not yet fully characterized. In order to determine the role of a transmembrane protein complex suggested to be involved in this process, a deletion in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough was created by marker exchange mutagenesis that eliminated four genes putatively encoding the QmoABC complex and a hypothetical protein (DVU0851). The Qmo (quinone-interacting membrane-bound oxidoreductase) complex is proposed to be responsible for transporting electrons to the dissimilatory adenosine-5′-phosphosulfate reductase in SRB. In support of the predicted role of this complex, the deletion mutant was unable to grow using sulfate as its sole electron acceptor with a range of electron donors. To explore a possible role for the hypothetical protein in sulfate reduction, a second mutant was constructed that had lost only the gene that codes for the DVU0851 protein. The second constructed mutant grew with sulfate as the sole electron acceptor; however, there was a lag that was not present with the wild-type or complemented strain. Neither deletion strain was significantly impaired for growth with sulfite or thiosulfate as the terminal electron acceptor. Complementation of the Δ(qmoABC-DVU0851) mutant with all four genes or only the qmoABC genes restored its ability to grow by sulfate respiration. These results confirmed the prediction that the Qmo complex is in the electron pathway for sulfate reduction and revealed that no other transmembrane complex could compensate when Qmo was lacking.
Neural coding of naturalistic motion stimuli

We study a wide-field motion-sensitive neuron in the visual system of the blowfly Calliphora vicina. By rotating the fly on a stepper motor outside in a wooded area, and along an angular motion trajectory representative of natural flight, we stimulate the fly's visual system with input that approaches the natural situation. The neural response is analysed in the framework of information theory, using methods that are free from assumptions. We demonstrate that information about the motion trajectory increases as the light level increases over a natural range. This indicates that the fly's brain utilizes the increase in photon flux to extract more information from the photoreceptor array, suggesting that imprecision in neural signals is dominated by photon shot noise in the physical input, rather than by noise generated within the nervous system itself.
Dissolution enhancement of chlorzoxazone using cogrinding technique

Purpose: The aim of the present work was to improve rate of dissolution and processing parameters of BCS class II drug, chlorzoxazone using cogrinding technique in the presence of different excipients as a carrier. Materials and Methods: The drug was coground with various carriers like polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) E50LV, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)K30, Kaolin and Neusilin US2 using ball mill, where only PEG 4000 improved dissolution rate of drug by bringing amorphization in 1:3 ratio. The coground mixture after 3 and 6 h was evaluated for various analytical, physicochemical and mechanical parameters. Results: The analysis showed conversion of Chlorzoxazone from its crystalline to amorphization form upon grinding with PEG 4000. Coground mixture as well as its directly compressed tablet showed 2.5-fold increment in the dissolution rate compared with pure drug. Directly compressible tablets prepared from pure drug required a large quantity of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) during compression. The coground mixture and formulation was found stable in nature even after storage (40°C/75% relative humidity). Conclusions: Cogrinding can be successfully utilized to improve the rate of dissolution of poorly water soluble drugs and hence bioavailability.
XCraft: boosting the performance of active XML materialization

An active XML (AXML) document contains tags representing calls to Web services. Therefore, retrieving its contents consists in materializing its data elements by invoking the embedded service calls in a P2P network. In this process, the result of some service calls can be used as input of other calls. Also, usually several peers provide each requested Web service, and peers can collaborate to invoke these services. This often implies a huge search space of many equivalent materialization alternatives, each with different performance. In this paper, we model AXML documents from a workflow perspective and propose a dynamic cost-based optimization strategy to efficiently materialize them, considering the volatility of a typical P2P scenario. Our strategy enables the optimizer, called XCraft, to get more up-to-date information on the status of the peers, and to deliver partial results earlier. Based on a service-oriented algebra of plan operators, we exploit P2P collaboration to delegate both execution and optimization control. Our tests with an XCraft prototype show important performance gains w.r. t. a centralized approach, whilst the optimizer also achieved to drastically reduce the size of the search space.
The effect of treatment on serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecules and tumour necrosis factor‐receptor 1 in psoriasis

Sir, Bowenoid papulosis is a disease presenting with fleshy, usually pigmented papules involving the genitalia of both sexes. In vulvar lesions, the term vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN3) is also used to describe the same condition. Histological examination reveals a picture consistent with carcinoma in situ, although the course of the disease appears to be benign. Association with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV 16, 18, 33) has been demonstrated. In the past, excisional surgery, electrocoagulation, cryotherapy and 5-fluorouracil have been used in the treatment of the condition with varying degrees of success. A 38-year-old woman was referred to our clinic with a 4-year history of pruritic skin lesions on her labia majora. She had previously been treated with podophyllin without any benefit. The molecular biological examination of the vaginal mucosa had been negative in terms of HPV typing (groups 6/11, 16/18, 31/33). However, HPV 31/33 was detected in the cervical smear (Hybrid Capture II test). Previous treatment with erbium laser, KTP 532 mm laser and podophyllin had been unsuccessful. On examination, erythema and numerous small papules were detectable on the labia minora and majora as well as in the clitoral and perianal area, each papule 1±3 mm in diameter (Fig. 1). The dermatohistopathological examination of several biopsies taken from these sites showed a uniform pattern with bowenoid epithelial changes, thus supporting the clinical diagnosis of bowenoid papulosis (Fig. 2). Treatment with imiquimod was initiated with a regimen different from that recommended for the treatment of genital warts. Imiquimod cream 5% was applied to affected areas on alternate days for 10 days until the skin became visibly irritated. The cream was now applied once daily for another 10 days, but washed off after 2 h each time. This treatment led towards complete clinical resolution within 8 weeks (Fig. 3). Histology performed 1 month, 6 months and 18 months after treatment demonstrated the absence of any precancerous epidermal changes (Fig. 4). The lympho histiocytic dermal infiltrate observed 1 month after treatment decreased in density in the control biopsies taken 6 and 18 months after treatment. Colposcopy performed 10 months after treatment showed minor acetic-white areas around the portio. No low-risk or high-risk HPV material was detected on the cervix (Hybrid Capture II test). More than 18 months after treatment the patient continues to be clinically clear. Imiquimod is a topical immune response modifier so far registered for the treatment of condylomata acuminata. Imiquimod directly induces antiviral and immunomodulating cytokines such as interferon-a, tumour necrosis factor-a and different interleukins from monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells. Its effect on the innate immune response and the activation of Th1-immunity are responsible for its acute
Advected river textures

We present a new method for the realistic real‐time simulation of rivers. Our solution includes a 2D fluid solver that simulates the flow of a river's surface, an efficient method for adaptively computing 3D flow information and an animated 3D procedural wave texture that is advected through the fluid via advection particles in order to mimic the highly detailed fluid surfaces that are characteristic of rivers. Our technique that couples animated texture advection with a pseudo‐3D fluid simulation produces stable results that are representative of large‐scale real‐world rivers and suitable for use in real‐time applications. Our system surpasses prior work on real‐time river rendering both with regards to efficiency and visual quality, which we establish through the rendering of rivers tens of kilometers long. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inactivation of calcium channel current in the calf cardiac Purkinje fiber. Evidence for voltage- and calcium-mediated mechanisms

We have studied the influence of divalent cations on Ca channel current in the calf cardiac Purkinje fiber to determine whether this current inactivates by voltage- or Ca-mediated mechanisms, or by a combination of the two. We measured the reversal (or zero current) potential of the current when Ba, Sr, or Ca were the permeant divalent cations and determined that depletion of charge carrier does not account for time- dependent relaxation of Ca channel current in these preparations. Inactivation of Ca channel current persists when Ba or Sr replaces Ca as the permeant divalent cation, but the voltage dependence of the rate of inactivation is markedly changed. This effect cannot be explained by changes in external surface charge. Instead, we interpret the results as evidence that inactivation is both voltage and Ca dependent. Inactivation of Sr or Ba currents reflects a voltage-dependent process. When Ca is the divalent charge carrier, an additional effect is observed: the rate of inactivation is increased as Ca enters during depolarizing pulses, perhaps because of an additional Ca-dependent mechanism.