Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information Systems -- Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference, CreativeSME 2009, Guimaraes, ... in Information and Communication Technology

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the IFIP WG 8.2 International Conference on the Role of Information Systems in Leveraging the Intelligence and Creativity of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, CreativeSME 2009, held in Guimares, Portugal, in June 2009. The 19 refereed papers presented were carefully selected from numerous submissions. The contributions feature design, managerial, behavioral, and organizational challenges and issues for knowledge management and innovation processes, initiatives and systems. They are grouped in topical sections on creativity and innovation challenges, challenges in ensuring effective governance, challenges in managing knowledge, and organizational challenges, power and politics.
Factors Influencing the Development of a Hepatitis C Exercise Protocol: A Literature Review

Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) varies greatly in its course and outcomes. Reports of fatigue and other symptoms are common during treatment and when patients are not receiving treatment. Exercise as a form of treatment for HCV-related fatigue has had little attention in research studies, yet data from studies in closely related chronic conditions consistently report the value of exercise for maintaining and improving health and reducing risk factors. This article examines the factors influencing the development of an exercise protocol as an adjunct to health promotion in patents with HCV. A review of the current literature summarizes findings from the areas of exercise in chronic illness states, exercise measures, and exercise prescription as treatment for chronic illnesses, with a focus on HCV. Nurses should consider these factors when developing an exercise protocol as an alternative treatment for side effects and symptoms related to hepatitis C and other chronic conditions. More research on specific exercise prescriptions should be undertaken and reported in the literature.
Performance Improvement of Shunt Active Power Filter With Dual Parallel Topology

This paper describes the control and parallel operation of two active power filters (APFs). Possible parallel operation situations of two APFs are investigated, and then the proposed topology is analyzed. The filters are coupled in a combined topology in which one filter is connected in a feedback loop and the other is in a feedforward loop for harmonic compensation. Thus, both active power filters bring their own characteristic advantages, i.e., the feedback filter improves the steady-state performance of the harmonic mitigation and the feedforward filter improves the dynamic response. Another characteristic of the proposed topology is the possibility of joint operation of both filters either as frequency-sharing or load-sharing, with or without redundancy. The frequency-sharing operation is possible due to the control algorithm, which is based on selective harmonic compensation using equivalent harmonic integrators. Implementation details and a discussion on the efficiency improvement for various switching frequencies are provided. The evaluation of the proposed topology concludes that this approach is very practical for achieving both low and high order harmonic compensation and stable grid operation. This is supported by extensive measurement results on a 15-kVA laboratory setup, indicating a reduction in total harmonic current distortion from the existing 30% to less than 2% for a typical adjustable speed drive application
Intratumoral Dendritic Cell Vaccination Elicits Potent Tumoricidal Immunity Against Malignant Glioma in Rats

Dendritic cells (DC) are attractive candidates for innovative cancer immunotherapy by virtue of their ability to function as powerful antigen presenting cells and elicit potent antitumor cytotoxic immune responses. With the aim of generating antitumor immunity, the authors sought to enhance in vivo tumor antigen presentation by using an intratumoral DC vaccination strategy in the setting of partially irradiated intracranial brain tumors. Fisher rats, implanted with 9L gliomas in the right corpus striatum, were treated with freshly cultured, unpulsed syngeneic DC inoculated directly into the tumor bed. Intracranially inoculated DCs were found to drain to ipsilateral deep cervical lymph nodes. This was associated with increased local and systemic antitumor cytoxicity, as evidenced by robust infiltration of treated tumors with CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as well as by increased IFN-&ggr; protein and message levels in in vitro restimulated splenic lymphocytes. DC therapy resulted in prolonged survival and immunity to subsequent intracranial tumor re-challenge. These results demonstrate the viability of intratumoral DC vaccination as an effective therapeutic strategy for intracranial glioma.
Using sonography to screen women with mammographically dense breasts.

OBJECTIVE Mammographically dense breast tissue has been reported both as a cause of false-negative findings on mammography and as an indicator of increased breast cancer risk. We conducted this study to evaluate the role of breast sonography as a second-line screening test in women with mammographically dense breast tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between January 2000 and January 2002, 1517 asymptomatic women with dense breasts and normal mammography and physical examination findings underwent physician-performed breast sonography as an adjunct screening test. Within the study group, 318 women had a first-degree family history or personal history of breast cancer. The high-risk subgroup comprised these women. The detection rate of breast cancer in this subgroup was compared with the detection rate in the remaining study population with baseline risk. RESULTS Of 1517 women examined, seven breast cancers were diagnosed (cancer-detection rate, 0.46%). Four carcinomas were detected in high-risk women and three in women with baseline risk. The cancer-detection rate in the subgroup of high-risk women was 1.3%, significantly higher (p < 0.04) than the cancer-detection rate of 0.25% in the baseline risk subgroup. All cancers were T1 (range, 4-12 mm; mean, 9.6 mm). Sentinel lymph nodes were negative for cancer in six of seven carcinomas. CONCLUSION Screening breast sonography in the population of women with dense breast tissue is useful in detecting small breast cancers that are not detected on mammography or clinical breast examination. The use of sonography as an adjunct to screening mammography in women with increased risk of breast cancer and dense breasts may be especially beneficial.
In Vivo Protein Binding and Functional Analysis ofcis-Acting Elements in the U3 Region of the Bovine Leukemia Virus Long Terminal Repeat

ABSTRACT Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is a member of the human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV)/BLV group of retroviruses. These viruses regulate their own transcription by producing Tax, a protein which activates the virus promoter region, the long terminal repeat (LTR). To explore the molecular mechanisms involved in the transactivation, we identified protein binding elements by in vivo footprinting and analyzed their function by site- directed mutagenesis. We used in vivo dimethyl sulfate footprinting by ligation-mediated PCR to detect constitutive in vivo protein-DNA interactions in a BLV-producing cell line, Bat2Cl6. The U3 region and part of the R region of the LTR were footprinted. In addition to the cis-acting elements (three cyclic AMP-responsive elements [CREs] and two AP4 sites) reported by others to be important for Tax-mediated activation of the BLV LTR, we found footprints in regions flanking these elements and in the core promoter region. The importance of these sites for transcriptional activation was studied by site-directed mutagenesis followed by promoter function analysis of the mutants with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter system. Our data corroborate those of others showing that the CREs are necessary for transactivation of the LTR, and they identify two new functional sites not previously reported by others. We show that the middle region of the BLV U3 contains multiple dual-functioning cis-acting elements which act as either positive or negative regulatory elements depending on the cell type tested. This is the first report of a functional mapping of the cis-acting elements of a virus of the HTLV/BLV group.
Association Between Colonic Screening, Subject Characteristics, and Stage of Colorectal Cancer

OBJECTIVES:Colorectal cancer remains a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in North America. Colorectal cancer survival is highly dependent on stage at diagnosis, therefore it is important to identify factors related to stage. This study evaluated the association between subject factors (e.g., colonic screening, family history) and stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis.METHODS:Population-based colorectal cancer cases recruited by the Ontario Familial Colon Cancer Registry between 1997 and 1999 were staged according to the tumor–nodal–metastasis (TNM) staging system and classified as early (TNM I/II) or late (TNM III/IV) stage. Epidemiologic information and stage was available for 768 cases. Multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (OR) estimates.RESULTS:Having had screening endoscopy reduced the risk of late stage diagnosis (OR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.22–0.98). Being older (>45 yr) was associated with a reduced risk of late stage cancer (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.18–0.74), as was having a first degree relative with colorectal cancer (OR =0.66, 95% CI 0.46–0.95). Rural residence (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.01–2.17) and non-white ethnicity (OR = 3.34, 95% CI 1.20–9.36) were associated with an increased risk of late stage cancer.CONCLUSIONS:Several factors are independently associated with late stage colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer screening awareness and education programs need to consider targeting persons most likely to present with late stage colorectal cancer.
Drinking, Thirst and Water Intoxication

Drinking is an activity determined partly by oropharyngeal stimulation and gastrointestinal sensations as well as biochemical changes, and thirst need not be involved. It is sometimes disturbed in mania or depression. Overdrinking (polydipsia) is common in long-stay in-patients, but only gives rise to water intoxication when there is a variable functional renal abnormality such as SIADH causing water retention. In contrast, in affective disorders, disturbance of sodium retention may be seen, possibly representing failure of nervous vascular control as part of the mental illness.
A Civic Health Dialogue and Deliberation: Engaging Business, Nonprofit and Public Leaders

Improving our understanding of the state of civic health in our nation and our communities is a critical first step to building civic and political connectedness. Recent efforts, including those of the State of Indiana, have focused on taking the pulse of our civic activity. These efforts highlight the importance of building civic knowledge and skills for citizens, including young upcoming civic actors. However, another important group of civic actors has largely gone unexamined in this effort to advance our civic health – public, private, and nonprofit sector leaders at both the regional and state levels.
Expression of Rhizobial Nitrogenase: Influence of Plant Cell-Conditioned Medium

Conditioned medium was obtained from suspension cultures of soybean (Glycine max L. Merrit) cells after incubating them for 4 to 8 days with rhizobia which were separated from the soybean cells by two dialysis bags, one within another. This conditioned medium from the plant cell side (PCM) of the two membranes was used to elicit and influence nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) in rhizobia. When conditions for obtaining PCM from the soybean cell suspension cultures were varied, it could be shown that freshly grown rhizobia were able to induce active compounds in the PCM. These compounds caused acetylene reduction activity in test rhizobia under conditions where control rhizobia, containing various substrates, showed little or no acetylene reduction activity. Rhizobia that were already capable of acetylene reduction could not induce such compounds in the PCM when this was included with test rhizobia. The PCM from soybean cultures was also found to aid the expression of nitrogenase activity in suspension cultures of rhizobia normally associated with either peas, lupins, broad beans, or clovers. This is the first communication indicating nitrogenase activity in freeliving cultures for various species of rhizobia.
Species diversity and antimicrobial resistance of Shigella spp. isolated between 2001 and 2004 from hospitalized children with diarrhoea in Kolkata (Calcutta), India

The incidence, phenotypic characteristics and antimicrobial resistance patterns of 193 Shigella strains isolated from 2489 hospitalized children with acute diarrhoea were studied during January 2001 to August 2004. S. flexneri (60%) was the most prevalent serogroup, followed by S. sonnei (23·8%), S. dysenteriae (9·8%) and S. boydii (5·7%). Since 2002, S. flexneri 2a was the most dominant serotype. Almost all S. flexneri strains exhibited resistance to ampicillin, co-trimoxazole, tetracycline, nalidixic acid and fluoroquinolones. After a lapse of almost 14 years, S. dysenteriae type 1 strains reemerged for the first time during 2002 and these strains were resistant to more than two antibiotics (multidrug resistance), including fluoroquinolones. An upsurge of similar resistance patterns was also noted among S. flexneri type 2a since December 2003. Resistance to fluoroquinolone increased year on year among S. dysenteriae type 1 and S. flexneri, but not in S. boydii or S. sonnei. Monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility through a surveillance programme is recommended to select appropriate antibiotics for the effective treatment of shigellosis in this region.
Decomposing differences in health and inequality using quasi-objective health indices

ABSTRACT People in Canada and the United States often make claims regarding whose country has a better health system. Several researchers have attempted to address this question by analysing subjective health measures in the two countries, thus assuming a common definition of ‘good’ health. Using data from the Joint Canada/US Survey of Health, which provides rich and comparable health information for the two countries, I generate two quasi-objective health indices and show that Canadians and Americans define ‘good’ health differently. After controlling for cross-country reporting heterogeneity, health differences between Americans and Canadians are eliminated for intermediate health statuses, while health differences at the tails of the health distribution lead to slightly better average population health in Canada. With respect to health inequality, my results show that income and education gradients increase steeply with poor health in both countries. Hence, considering differences along the health distribution is crucial when assessing population health or health inequality.
Genetic Susceptibility: Radiation Effects Relevant to Space Travel

AbstractGenetic variation in the capacity to repair radiation damage is an important factor influencing both cellular and tissue radiosensitivity variation among individuals as well as dose rate effects associated with such damage. This paper consists of two parts. The first part reviews some of the available data relating to genetic components governing such variability among individuals in susceptibility to radiation damage relevant for radiation protection and discusses the possibility and extent to which these may also apply for space radiations. The second part focuses on the importance of dose rate effects and genetic-based variations that influence them. Very few dose rate effect studies have been carried out for the kinds of radiations encountered in space. The authors present here new data on the production of chromosomal aberrations in noncycling low passage human ATM+/+ or ATM+/− cells following irradiations with protons (50 MeV or 1 GeV), 1 GeV n−1 iron ions and gamma rays, where doses were delivered at a high dose rate of 700 mGy min−1, or a lower dose rate of 5 mGy min−1. Dose responses were essentially linear over the dose ranges tested and not significantly different for the two cell strains. Values of the dose rate effectiveness factor (DREF) were expressed as the ratio of the slopes of the dose-response curves for the high versus the lower (5 mGy min−1) dose rate exposures. The authors refer to this as the DREF5. For the gamma ray standard, DREF5 values of approximately two were observed. Similar dose rate effects were seen for both energies of protons (DREF5 ∼ 2.2 in both cases). For 1 GeV n−1 iron ions [linear energy transfer (LET) ∼ 150 keV &mgr;−1], the DREF5 was not 1 as might have been expected on the basis of LET alone but was approximately 1.3. From these results and conditions, the authors estimate that the relative biological effectiveness for 1 GeV n−1 iron ions for high and low dose rates, respectively, were about 10 and 15 rather than around 20 for low dose rates, as has been assumed by most recommendations from radiation protection organizations for charged particles of this LET. The authors suggest that similar studies using appropriate animal models of carcinogenesis would be valuable.
Identification and Evaluation of Pharmacists' Commonly Used Drug Information Sources

Background: Given the rate at which new medications are introduced to the market, as well as the diversity of existing drugs, pharmacists frequently need to consult drug information (Dl) sources. Currently, there is a lack of information about pharmacists' needs for and sources of DI in Singapore. Objective: To examine where practicing pharmacists in Singapore usually obtain DI and how useful and satisfactory the source is to pharmacists and to determine the kind of drug-related questions pharmacists usually receive. Methods: An online survey was sent to registered hospital and community pharmacists who were members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore. The survey consisted of questions about the pharmacists' demographics, what DI source they used most often, their satisfaction with that DI source, and how frequently they received various DI questions. Results: A total of 156 pharmacists responded to the survey, for a response rate of 27.4%. The majority (82.7%) of the respondents chose reference texts as their most commonly used DI source; of these, 38.0% used the Drug Information Handbook. Reference texts were mostly rated very comprehensive (34.1%) or somewhat comprehensive (54.3%), whereas Web sites or search engines were mostly rated somewhat comprehensive (69.6%) or brief (21.7%). Most pharmacists believed that the information from reference texts could usually (51.2%) or always (48.8%) be trusted. Community pharmacists received questions on over-the-counter drugs and comparisons of drug efficacy more frequently than did hospital pharmacists (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively), whereas hospital pharmacists more frequently received questions on pharmacokinetics (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Most pharmacists in Singapore use reference texts when searching for general DI, and they find these texts more comprehensive and trustworthy than other available sources. The results also show that pharmacists in different settings receive different types of DI questions and have adequate resources to answer general DI questions.
Integration of tuberculosis and HIV services: Exploring the perspectives of co-infected patients in Ghana

ABSTRACT Scaling up of integrated tuberculosis (TB)–human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services remains sub-optimal in many resource-limited countries, including Ghana, where the two conditions take a heavy toll on the financial resources of health systems as well as infected persons. Previous studies have documented several implementation challenges towards TB–HIV service integration, but views of patients on integrated service delivery have not received commensurate research attention. This paper explored the experiences of 40 TB–HIV co-infected patients at different stages of treatment in Ghana. Using Normalisation Process Theory as a framework, data were coded using inter-rater coding technique and analysed inductively and deductively with the help of QSR NVivo 10. For several participants, either of the diseases was diagnosed ‘accidentally’, leading to inconsistencies in co-therapy administration, constraints regarding separate clinic appointment dates for TB and HIV and prolonged TB treatment due to treatment failure. Put differently, there were widespread negative experiences among TB–HIV co-infected patients with regard to treatment and care, especially among patients who were accessing care in separate facilities or separate units in the same facility. Co-infected patients unanimously support full-service integration. However, they felt powerless to request for reforms on a mode of service delivery.
Explaining disparities in HIV infection among black and white men who have sex with men: a meta-analysis of HIV risk behaviors

Objective:To identify factors that contribute to the racial disparity in HIV prevalence between black and white men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. Methods:A comprehensive literature search of electronic databases, online bibliographies, and publication reference lists yielded 53 quantitative studies of MSM published between 1980 and 2006 that stratified HIV risk behaviors by race. Meta-analyses were performed to compare HIV risks between black and white MSM across studies. Results:Compared with white MSM, black MSM reported less overall substance use [odds ratio (OR), 0.71; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.53–0.97], fewer sex partners (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.45–0.92), less gay identity (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.17–0.48), and less disclosure of same sex behavior (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.30–0.60). HIV-positive black MSM were less likely than HIV-positive white MSM to report taking antiretroviral medications (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.30–0.61). Sexually transmitted diseases were significantly greater among black MSM than white MSM (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.07–2.53). There were no statistically significant differences by race in reported unprotected anal intercourse, commercial sex work, sex with a known HIV-positive partner, or HIV testing history. Conclusions:Behavioral risk factors for HIV infection do not explain elevated HIV rates among black MSM. Continued emphasis on risk behaviors will have only limited impact on the disproportionate rates of HIV infection among black MSM. Future research should focus on the contribution of other factors, such as social networks, to explain racial disparities in HIV infection rates.
Growth and Characterisation of InAs/GaAs Quantum Dots Grown by MOCVD

InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown by low pressure metal-organic chemical vapour deposition in the Stranski-Krastanow growth mode. We describe the influence of growth parameters such as coverage, the V/III ratio, growth temperature and growth interrupts on the QD nucleation and the importance of avoiding formation of larger islands which are particularly susceptible to dislocations. After an extensive study of these growth parameters we are now able to achieve device quality InAs/GaAs QDs with a density of 3times1010 cm-2. Three layers of these QDs have been incorporated into a thin p-clad laser structure which lases from an excited state due to high absorption loss and insufficient ground state gain