Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information, communication technology, and business in the nineteenth century: The case of a Finnish merchant house

Abstract Historically, access to recent and reliable information has been a central problem in business. The present paper is concerned with the role of information and communication technology in international trade in the nineteenth century. The world's first modern instrument of information technology, the telegraph, had a wide-ranging impact on business, though to refer to it as a revolution is an exaggeration. For centuries, prices and other data were obtained by postal correspondence, and this method remained unchanged after the introduction of the telegraph, As the path dependence theorem would suggest, the adoption of the telegraph was not a straight-forward process. In the nineteenth century the availability of business information was improved because of the progress in information technology and also because of the extension of the merchants' personal business networks. This reduced the information costs by improving the quality of information, in particular the speed, reliability and the intervals— how frequently it was possible to receive messages from the market.
Quantifying the effect of IV contrast media on integrated PET/CT: clinical evaluation.

OBJECTIVES The use of IV contrast media in PET/CT can result in an overestimation of PET attenuation factors that potentially can affect interpretation. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of IV contrast media in PET/CT and assess its impact on patients with intrathoracic malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine patients had CTs performed with and without IV contrast media followed by (18)F-FDG PET. PET images were reconstructed using contrast-enhanced and unenhanced CT. To quantify the effect of contrast media on standardized uptake values (SUV), similar regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on the subclavian vein, heart, liver, spleen, and site of malignancy on both CT and corresponding reconstructed PET images, and the mean and maximum values were compared. In addition, two physicians blinded to the imaging parameters that were used evaluated the reconstructed PET images to assess whether IV contrast media had an effect on clinical interpretation. RESULTS For all patient studies, the subclavian vein region on the ipsilateral side of contrast media administration had the highest increase in CT numbers with a corresponding average SUV(max) increase of 27.1%. Similarly, ROIs of the heart and at the site of malignancy showed an increase in the maximum attenuation value with a corresponding average SUV(max) increase of 16.7% and 8.4%, respectively. Other locations had relatively small attenuation value differences with a correspondingly negligible SUV variation. CONCLUSION Although there is a significant increase in SUV in regions of high-contrast concentration when contrast-enhanced CT is used for attenuation correction, this increase is clinically insignificant. Accordingly, in PET/CT, IV contrast-enhanced CT can be used in combination with the PET to evaluate patients with cancer.
Prevalence and outcomes of diaphragmatic dysfunction assessed by ultrasound technology during acute exacerbation of COPD: A pilot study

The prevalence and clinical consequences of diaphragmatic dysfunction (DD) during acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) remain unknown. The aim of this study was (i) to evaluate the prevalence of DD as assessed by ultrasonography (US) and (ii) to report the impact of DD on non‐invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) failure, length of hospital stay and mortality in severe AECOPD admitted to respiratory intensive care unit (RICU).
How do employment relationships enhance firm innovation? The role of human and social capital

Abstract Aiming to explore the effect of human resource management on innovation, this study examined how employment relationships (ER), human capital and social capital work together in influencing innovation in a sample of Spanish firms. We defined an indirect effects model in which both human and social capital mediate between ERs and innovation. We also expected that social capital would enhance human capital. Tests on a sample of 160 innovative Spanish firms confirmed that ERs are not directly associated with innovation. Nevertheless, there is an indirect effect of the mutual investment employment model on innovation through human and social capital. Finally, we observed a positive effect of social capital on human capital.
Molecular and clinical consequences of novel mutations in the arylsulfatase A gene

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), a severe neurodegenerative metabolic disorder, is caused by deficient activity of arylsulfatase A (ARSA; EC 3.1.6.8), which leads to a progressive demyelinating process in central and peripheral nervous systems. In this study, a DNA sequence analysis was performed on six Polish patients with different types of MLD. Six novel mutations were identified: one nonsense (p.R114X), three missense (p.G122C, p.G293C, p.C493F) and two frameshift mutations (g.445_446dupG and g.2590_2591dupC). Substitutions p.G293C and p.C493F and duplication g. 445_446dupG caused a severe reduction of enzyme activity in transient transfection experiments on mammalian cells (less than 1% of wild‐type (WT) ARSA activity). Duplication 2590_2591dupC preserved low‐residual ARSA activity (10% of WT ARSA). In summary, the novel MLD‐causing mutations in the exons 2, 5 and even in 8 of the ARSA gene described here can be classified as severe type 0, leading in homozygosity to the late infantile form MLD. Growth retardation, delayed motor development, gait disturbances, tonic–clonic seizures and non‐epileptic muscle spasms were the first onset symptoms in patients with late infantile form of MLD. In individual with juvenile type MLD gait disturbances evidenced the onset of the disease, while in a patient with late juvenile MLD, difficulties at school were displayed.
Involvement of sensory neuropeptides in the development of plasma extravasation in rat dorsal skin following thermal injury

1 The involvement of the neuropeptides, substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) in plasma extravasation following thermal injury of rat dorsal skin was investigated. 2 Heat applied to the dorsal skin of anaesthetized rats by a temperature‐controlled skin heater (1 cm diameter) for 5 min induced temperature‐dependent plasma protein extravasation at 46°C to 50°C measured over the 20 min following initiation of heat. 3 The NK1‐receptor antagonist, SR140333, at doses above 36 nmol kg−1, significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited plasma extravasation by up to 79 ± 3% (120 nmol kg−1) after heat application at 48°C and by up to 53 ± 10% (120 nmol kg−1) after heat application at 50°C. 4 The CGRP1‐receptor antagonist, CGRP8–37, at doses of 200 and 400 nmol kg−1, significantly inhibited (P < 0.01) plasma extravasation by 55 ± 9 and 60 ± 12%, respectively, after heat application at 48°C. At a dose of 200 nmol kg−1 CGRP8–37 inhibited plasma extravasation by 41 ± 8% after heat application at 50°C. 5 SR140333, 120 nmol kg−1, and CGRP8–37, 200 nmol kg−1 together significantly (P < 0.01) inhibited plasma extravasation by 84 ± 15% after heating at 48°C for 5 min. 6 In experiments where the response was measured for 0–5, 5–10, 10–15 or 15–20 min, SR140333, 120 nmol kg−1, significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited plasma extravasation which had accumulated during all the time periods measured. In comparison, CGRP8–37, 200 nmol kg−1, was significantly (P < 0.05) effective at time‐points up to 15 min after initiation of injury. 7 In longer term experiments plasma protein extravasation continued for at least 95 min after initiation of thermal injury. SR140333, at a dose of 120 nmol kg−1, significantly inhibited plasma extravasation for up to 65 min after initiation of injury. 8 In conclusion, the data from the present study demonstrate that both SP and CGRP are likely to have a role in the acute plasma extravasation after thermal injury. In addition, evidence suggests SP may have a role in plasma extravasation for up to 65 min.
Blocking probability analysis for packet circuit emulation services

Standardization of pseudo-wire and circuit emulation services on IP packet networks is underway. The ability to quickly find circuits in networks supporting circuit emulation is directly computed using blocking probability analysis. When all of the sequenced flows have the same maximum packet size, i.e., they are homogeneous, blocking probabilities are computed using Erlang's B formula. This paper describes analysis tools for the heterogeneous case and introduces the concept of steady-state fragmentation blocking probability, which controls the size of state transition diagrams used in the analysis. Simulation results using these tools are presented.
Isolation of Ehrlichia chaffeensis from wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) confirms their role as natural reservoir hosts

Field and experimental studies have implicated white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) as probable reservoir hosts for Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, but natural infection in deer has not been confirmed through isolation of E. chaffeensis. Thirty-five white-tailed deer collected from three Amblyomma americanum-infested populations in Georgia were examined for evidence of E. chaffeensis infection by serologic, molecular, cell culture, and xenodiagnostic methods. Twenty-seven deer (77%) had E. chaffeensis-reactive indirect fluorescent-antibody assay titers of > or = 1:64; and the blood, spleens, or lymph nodes of seven (20%) deer were positive in a nested PCR assay with E. chaffeensis-specific primers. E. chaffeensis was isolated in DH82 cell cultures from the blood of five (14%) deer, including two deer that were PCR negative. Combination of culture and PCR results indicated that six (17%) deer were probably rickettsemic and that nine (26%) were probably infected. Restriction digestion of PCR products amplified from deer tissues and cell culture isolates resulted in a banding pattern consistent with the E. chaffeensis 16S rRNA gene sequence. The sequences of all PCR products from deer tissues or cell culture isolates were identical to the sequence of the Arkansas type strain of E. chaffeensis. Xenodiagnosis with C3H mice inoculated intraperitoneally with deer blood, spleen, or lymph node suspensions was unsuccessful. When viewed in the context of previous studies, these findings provide strong evidence that E. chaffeensis is maintained in nature primarily by a tick vector-vertebrate reservoir system consisting of lone star ticks and white-tailed deer.
GI24 enhances tumor invasiveness by regulating cell surface membrane‐type 1 matrix metalloproteinase

GI24, an immunoglobulin superfamily member, has been cloned from a placenta cDNA library as a gene product that promoted activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐2 mediated by membrane type (MT) 1–MMP. Co‐expression of GI24 with MT1‐MMP in HEK293T cells increased the cell‐surface level of MT1‐MMP concomitant with the cleavage of the GI24 at the juxtamembrane site to shed the extracellular domain. HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells stably transfected with the GI24 gene expressed a higher level of MT1‐MMP and showed more invasive ability in collagen gel than the control cells. GI24 was cleaved in HT1080 cells, which was blocked by the administration of MMP inhibitor BB94 or transfection of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting MT1‐MMP. GI24 expression is relatively high in some squamous carcinoma and hepatocarcinoma cell lines. Transfection of siRNA for GI24 into oral squamous carcinoma‐derived HSC‐4 cells, which express GI24 and MT1‐MMP genes reduced the expression of not only GI24 but also MT1‐MMP, and attenuated invasive growth in the collagen matrix. These results suggest that GI24 contributes to tumor‐invasive growth in the collagen matrix by augmenting cell surface MT1‐MMP. (Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 2368–2374)
Provisioning of dental health in public hospitals: A case study of District Jalandhar, Punjab

Background: The Government of India is increasingly emphasizing the provisioning of dental services in public hospitals, but the rural and deprived sections are struggling to get basic dental procedures done in public hospitals. Aim: To study variations within and across public hospitals for provisioning of dental health settings in Jalandhar district of Punjab. Settings and Design: The study area consisted of four Community Health Centers (CHCs) and District Hospital situated in Jalandhar, Punjab, India. Materials and Methods: The dental infrastructure and dental procedures performed in the public hospital were checked with the help of a checklist as listed in the Indian Public Health Standards 2012 for CHCs and district hospital, and then, the variations within and across these public hospitals were compared. Statistical Analysis: Percentages were used to make comparisons within and across the public health institutions. Results and Conclusions: The results showed that out of total outpatient department (OPD) of the public hospitals, dental OPD formed 5%–10% in public hospitals and extraction was the most frequently performed procedure. There is no availability of prosthodontic and orthodontic procedures in the public hospitals. There were no dental auxiliaries in the CHCs, and there was lack of proper dental materials needed in the dental clinics.
Differential regenerative response and expression of growth factors following hepatectomy of variable extent in rats.

AIMS/BACKGROUND Liver regeneration is a physiological mechanism which leads to restoration of the hepatic parenchyma following hepatectomy or toxic injury. This process is mediated by a wide variety of cytokines and growth factors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of hepatectomy extent on the levels of intrahepatic mRNAs for cell-cycle markers and growth factors in rats submitted to a 30%, two-third or 80% hepatectomy. METHODS Cyclins, thymidine kinase and growth factors mRNA levels were quantitatively assessed by RT-PCR at different time points post-hepatectomy (2h, 6h, 12h, days 1, 2, 6). RESULTS As compared with a two-third hepatectomy, cyclins and thymidine kinase mRNA levels were increased but with a delayed peak at day 2 in the 80% hepatectomy group and showed a progressive increase until day 6 in the 30% hepatectomy group; mRNA levels for HGF or TGFalpha were increased with a delayed peak at 12 h or day 2 in the 80% hepatectomy group, respectively and this delay was more pronounced in the 30% hepatectomy group with a peak at day 1 or day 6. CONCLUSION A regenerative response occurs whatever the extent of hepatectomy but the course of regeneration and expression of growth factors differs according to the volume of resected liver. A better knowledge of these events could improve the clinical results of hepatic resection for primary or metastatic liver disease.
Empirical Analyses of Company Patenting Behavior - Essays on the Role of Strategic Patenting, Standardization, Technology Exchange and Product Piracy

We study the effect of strategic patenting motives on the characteristics of a company’s patent portfolios. First, we analyze the frequency of change requests (“amendments”) to the originally filed claims. We theorize that firms that patent for technology exchange have an incentive to shift the exact scope of a patent application to fit potential demand in the market for technology. Furthermore, a higher number of amendments proxies an above average effort in the application process and could therefore also be relevant for companies using the patent system for its original protection purpose. Subsequently, we address the relationship of amendments and forward citations. As amendments allow the applicant to incorporate knowledge gained after the original filing into the claims, amendments can result in patents of higher quality. We rely on survey data from 441 German companies and matched data on their respective patent portfolio including new EPO information on the application process. Using multivariate tobit models as well as two-staged least squares models, we find that, first, the technology exchange motive is related to a higher number of amendments, implying a strategic use of this instrument. Second, amendments are also associated with higher levels of citations, which suggests that they might be an instrument to raise patent quality or value. Since amendments are also partly responsible for the uncertainty in the patent system, the resulting trade-off “patent quality versus technological” certainty needs to be taken into account. Part I: Strategic Patenting, Technical Standards and Technology Exchange 14
Rabies elimination research: juxtaposing optimism, pragmatism and realism

More than 100 years of research has now been conducted into the prevention, control and elimination of rabies with safe and highly efficacious vaccines developed for use in human and animal populations. Domestic dogs are a major reservoir for rabies, and although considerable advances have been made towards the elimination and control of canine rabies in many parts of the world, the disease continues to kill tens of thousands of people every year in Africa and Asia. Policy efforts are now being directed towards a global target of zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030 and the global elimination of canine rabies. Here we demonstrate how research provides a cause for optimism as to the feasibility of these goals through strategies based around mass dog vaccination. We summarize some of the pragmatic insights generated from rabies epidemiology and dog ecology research that can improve the design of dog vaccination strategies in low- and middle-income countries and which should encourage implementation without further delay. We also highlight the need for realism in reaching the feasible, although technically more difficult and longer-term goal of global elimination of canine rabies. Finally, we discuss how research on rabies has broader relevance to the control and elimination of a suite of diseases of current concern to human and animal health, providing an exemplar of the value of a ‘One Health’ approach.
A score test for comparing cross-sectional survival data with a fraction of non-susceptible patients and its application in clinical immunology

Objectives In cross-sectional studies of time-to-event data collected by patient examinations at a single random point in time, a fraction of them will not experience the event regardless of the length of the follow-up time. This is the case in clinical immunology studies that include a mixed population, with both immune-reactive and immune-tolerant (or non-susceptible) patients. In these cases, classical tests of current status data may perform poorly. New methods for testing these data are needed. Methods In the two-sample comparison setting, we propose a score test for testing the null hypothesis that survival does not differ in either the non-susceptible fraction or the time-to-event distribution among the susceptible fraction. Results In a wide range of scenarios, simulation results show interesting improvements in power for the proposed score test compared to the logrank-type test in most of the configurations we investigated. In a cross-sectional study of drug immunogenicity among treated multiple sclerosis patients, the proposed score test reveals that gender is associated with the immunogenicity of interferon.
Promoting Volunteer Capacity in Hospice Palliative Care

Hospice volunteers play an essential role in the primary care network for end of life. The purpose of this review was to examine the evidence on hospice volunteers published between 2002 and July 2012. An electronic search of PubMed, CINAHL and PsychINFO using controlled vocabulary, and a reference scan, yielded 54 studies focusing on hospice volunteers. Studies were primarily descriptive using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. Findings from studies were grouped thematically into descriptions of the work of hospice volunteers; recruitment, preparation and retention of hospice volunteers; and perspectives and outcomes of the volunteer role. A substantial body of evidence exists describing the roles, stresses and rewards of hospice volunteering. Less is known about how to adequately recruit, prepare and retain volunteers. A small but intriguing body of evidence exists around volunteers' contributions to family satisfaction and patient longevity. Although the evidence around hospice volunteers continues to grow, there is an urgent need for further research. Findings indicate that volunteers make important contributions to high quality end of life care. However, more focused research attention is required to better understand how to maximize this contribution while providing better support for volunteers.
Secretory antibodies in breast milk promote long-term intestinal homeostasis by regulating the gut microbiota and host gene expression

Significance An experimental system was developed in mice to study the long-term benefits of early exposure to secretory antibodies of the IgA class (SIgA) in breast milk. We found that breast milk-derived SIgA promoted intestinal epithelial barrier function in suckling neonates, preventing systemic infection by potential pathogens. Long-term benefits of early exposure to SIgA included maintenance of a healthy gut microbiota and regulation of gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells. These findings suggest that maternal antibodies provide benefits to the intestinal immune system of the breast-fed infant, which persist into adulthood. Maintenance of intestinal homeostasis requires a healthy relationship between the commensal gut microbiota and the host immune system. Breast milk supplies the first source of antigen-specific immune protection in the gastrointestinal tract of suckling mammals, in the form of secretory IgA (SIgA). SIgA is transported across glandular and mucosal epithelial cells into external secretions by the polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR). Here, a breeding scheme with polymeric Ig receptor-sufficient and -deficient mice was used to study the effects of breast milk-derived SIgA on development of the gut microbiota and host intestinal immunity. Early exposure to maternal SIgA prevented the translocation of aerobic bacteria from the neonatal gut into draining lymph nodes, including the opportunistic pathogen Ochrobactrum anthropi. By the age of weaning, mice that received maternal SIgA in breast milk had a significantly different gut microbiota from mice that did not receive SIgA, and these differences were magnified when the mice reached adulthood. Early exposure to SIgA in breast milk resulted in a pattern of intestinal epithelial cell gene expression in adult mice that differed from that of mice that were not exposed to passive SIgA, including genes associated with intestinal inflammatory diseases in humans. Maternal SIgA was also found to ameliorate colonic damage caused by the epithelial-disrupting agent dextran sulfate sodium. These findings reveal unique mechanisms through which SIgA in breast milk may promote lifelong intestinal homeostasis, and provide additional evidence for the benefits of breastfeeding.
Putting people back in the picture: a social research agenda for a social-ecological approach to conservation planning

i List of figures . vi List of tables . vii Attestation of authorship . viii Co-authored works . ix Publications and conference presentations associated with this thesis . xi Other publications and conference presentations generated during candidature . xiv Acknowledgements . xv Ethical approval . xvii Chapter 1 . 1 1.1 Background . 2 1.2 Thesis aim and objectives . 4 1.3 Originality of thesis . 5 1.4 Rationale for research design . 6 1.5 Thesis organisation . 7 Chapter 2 . 9 2.1 Overview . 10 2.2 Conservation planning . 10 2.3 Social factors for effective conservation . 17 2.4 Towards a social-ecological approach to conservation . 23 2.5 Case study: Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, New Zealand . 26 2.6 Summary . 32 Chapter 3 . 33 3.1 Abstract . 35