Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EVOLUTION OF BRASSICA RAPA L. (CRUCIFERAE) POPULATIONS IN INTRA‐ AND INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION

Populations of Brassica rapa were grown for three generations in each of two environments: intraspecific competition, with four surrounding Brassica rapa neighbors per pot, and interspecific competition, with two Raphanus sativus neighbors per pot. In each environment, the largest (by flower number) 10% of the plants were outcrossed and provided seeds for the next generation. As a control, a randomly chosen 10% of the plants in each environment were outcrossed to produce seed for the next generation. Each of these four treatments, the selected lines in intra‐ and interspecific competition and the corresponding control lines, was maintained for three generations. After a single generation of growth in a common, no‐competition environment, replicate plants from each treatment were grown with no competition and with intra‐ and interspecific competition for determination of growth responses.
[The effect of tobacco prices on consumption: a time series data analysis for Mexico].

OBJECTIVE To estimate the price elasticity of the demand for cigarettes in Mexico based on data sources and a methodology different from the ones used in previous studies on the topic. MATERIAL AND METHODS Quarterly time series of consumption, income and price for the time period 1994 to 2005 were used. A long-run demand model was estimated using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and the existence of a cointegration relationship was investigated. Also, a model using Dinamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) was estimated to correct for potential endogeneity of independent variables and autocorrelation of the residuals. RESULTS DOLS estimates showed that a 10% increase in cigarette prices could reduce consumption in 2.5% (p<0.05) and increase government revenue in 16.11%. CONCLUSIONS The results confirmed the effectiveness of taxes as an instrument for tobacco control in Mexico. An increase in taxes can be used to increase cigarette prices and therefore to reduce consumption and increase government revenue.
Quality and Safety of Bovine Raw Milk: Present Challenges and Technological Solutions

The dairy, as an essential agricultural activity, plays a vital role in global food production systems. Irrespective of the regions or countries, milk producers are confronted with several and sometimes contradictory challenges: achieving food security, reaching economic profitability while responding to sustainable development goals. The quality and safety of raw milk are essential for the manufacture of dairy products. For the preservation of raw milk, two options are proposed by the FAO: cold storage or the activated lactoperoxidase system. Worldwide, mostly farmers attempt to “produce” raw milk for which the bacterial content does not exceed 100,000 (10) cfu/ml: due to the particularities of milk production and handling and numerous contamination risks, it is difficult to always reach this goal. Our group has evaluated an N2 gas flushing-based technology, as a supplementary or alternative hurdle to prevent bacterial development, such as to preserve the quality and safety of raw milk during its storage and transportation from farms to processing sites. We discuss here its potential compared to other options.
Hypospadias in sons of women exposed to diethylstilbestrol in utero

Ho et al., 2000; Elçioglu and Hall, 2002). The peculiar aspect of this case of SRPS is our observation of congenital high airway obstruction and bilateral pyelectasia on second-trimester ultrasound. Congenital high airway obstruction due to laryngeal and tracheal atresia may present with fluid-filled bronchi and trachea and distended lungs. In the present case, the distended lungs were not visualized because of a narrow thorax caused by a skeletal dysplasia. Knapp et al. (1990) and Chen and Tzen (2001) described epiglottic hypoplasia as a laryngeal abnormality associated with SRPS. Montemarano et al. (1995) reported prenatal diagnosis of glomerulocystic kidney disease in SRPS type II. Chen and Tzen (2001) described renal cystic dysplasia and pyelectasia at autopsy in a 36-gestationalweek infant affected by SRPS type III. The present case demonstrates that a fluid-filled airway and dilated renal pelves can be early ultrasound findings associated with SRPS. Recently, Viora et al. (2002) suggested that three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound is a useful adjunct to two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound in the prenatal evaluation of SRPS by its powerful surface rendering system that may identify some phenotypic features of skeletal dysplasias. As shown in this case, the applications of both 2D and 3D ultrasound are very helpful in the prenatal diagnosis of recurrent SRPS and associated structural abnormalities.
Infrastructure for a learning health care system: CaBIG.

from the Publisher. All rights reserved. including photocopying or by information storage or retrieval systems, without prior written permission may be reproduced, displayed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, Health Affairs Foundation. As provided by United States copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code), no part of by Project HOPE The People-to-People Health 2009 Bethesda, MD 20814-6133. Copyright © is published monthly by Project HOPE at 7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 600, Health Affairs
Could platelet activating factor play a role in developmental dyslexia?

Post-mortem studies by Galaburda and colleagues on the brains of developmental dyslexics found characteristic neuronal abnormalities: ectopias, microgyria, and fewer large-soma cells in sensory thalamus. An association between dyslexia and immune dysfunction has also been proposed. We describe a mechanism which may explain these observations. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a pro-inflammatory lipid implicated in neurological disorders. We propose that PAF may also be involved in dyslexia.
Interactions between nitric oxide and superoxide on the neural regulation of proximal fluid reabsorption in hypertensive rats

This study investigated the role of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anions in modulating the renal nerve‐dependent increases in proximal tubular fluid reabsorption (Jva). Renal nerve stimulation at 0.75 and 1.0 Hz (15 V, 0.2 ms) in anaesthetized Wistar rats had no effect on glomerular filtration rate but decreased urine flow and sodium excretion in a frequency‐related manner, reaching 39 and 49% at 1.0 Hz, respectively (P < 0.01) and increased Jva by 11 and 31% (P < 0.01). In the stroke prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP), basal mean blood pressure was higher (123 ± 2 versus 99 ± 2 mmHg, P < 0.001), glomerular filtration rate, urine flow, sodium excretion and proximal tubular fluid reabsorption (Jva) were lower (all P < 0.001) than in the Wistar rats. Renal nerve stimulation in the SHRSP did not change glomerular filtration rate but decreased urine flow, and sodium excretion by 18 and 34% (P < 0.05) at 1.0 Hz which was less (P < 0.05) than that in the Wistar rats. Under these conditions, Jva was increased at 0.75 Hz by 27%, and to a comparable extent at 1.0 Hz, which was a pattern very different from the frequency related rises reported in the Wistar rats. In the SHRSP, intratubular Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME) had no effect on baseline Jva or the pattern of response to renal nerve stimulation which contrasted with earlier reports in the Wistar rat. Intraluminal superoxide dismutase (SOD) had no effect on basal Jva in the Wistar rats but increased it in the SHRSP (P < 0.05) while the pattern of change in Jva during nerve stimulation was unaltered in both rat strains. By contrast, in the SHRSP, intraluminal sodium nitroprusside (SNP) resulted in a frequency related increase in Jva comparable to that obtained in the vehicle treated Wistar rats. These data suggest that in the hypertensive rats, superoxide anion production is raised which depresses Jva and interacts with NO preventing a normal Jva response to renal nerve stimulation.
Assessment of drowsiness based on ocular parameters detected by infrared reflectance oculography.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Numerous ocular parameters have been proposed as reliable physiological markers of drowsiness. A device that measures many of these parameters and then combines them into a single metric (the Johns Drowsiness Scale [JDS]) is being used commercially to assess drowsiness in professional drivers. Here, we examine how these parameters reflect changes in drowsiness, and how they relate to objective and subjective indices of the drowsy state in a controlled laboratory setting. DESIGN A within subject prospective study. PARTICIPANTS 29 healthy adults (18 males; mean age 23.3 ± 4.6 years; range 18-34 years). INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Over the course of a 30-h extended wake vigil under constant routine (CR) conditions, participants were monitored using infrared reflectance oculography (Optalert) and completed bi-hourly neurobehavioral tests, including the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT). Ocular-defined increases in drowsiness were evident with extended time awake and during the biological night for all ocular parameters; JDS being the most sensitive marker of drowsiness induced by sleep regulatory processes (p < 0.0001). In addition, the associations between JDS in the preceding 10-min period and subsequent PVT lapses and KSS were stronger (AUC 0.74/0.80, respectively) than any other ocular metric, such that PVT lapses, mean response time (RT), and KSS increased in a dose-response manner as a function of prior JDS score (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Ocular parameters captured by infrared reflectance oculography detected fluctuations in drowsiness due to time awake and during the biological night. The JDS outcome was the strongest predictor of drowsiness among those tested, and showed a clear association to objective and subjective measures of drowsiness. Our findings indicate this real-time objective drowsiness monitoring system is an effective tool for monitoring changes in alertness and performance along the alert-drowsy continuum in a controlled laboratory setting.
Introduction: The burden of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unquestionably the most serious and dreaded complication of chronic liver disease. Despite this fact, interest and concern regarding HCC has only recently begun to emerge in the United States. The development of HCC is generally the terminal event of long-standing, typically asymptomatic chronic liver disease that originated decades earlier. Regardless of the etiology, the process begins with a frequently unrecognized acute or subacute liver insult that advances slowly through ever-increasing hepatic fibrosis over decades to culminate in the development of cirrhosis, a potentially preneoplastic condition. Less commonly, HCC arises directly without antecedent cirrhosis. The average life expectancy after diagnosis of clinically apparent HCC is less than 12 months. Although the prognosis of HCC has long been known to be grim, relatively little attention has been paid to the problem in the United States because HCC is considered to be an uncommon cancer and because therapeutic options are limited. Previously, HCC had been regarded as largely a complication of alcoholic cirrhosis, 1 hemochromatosis, 2 or cirrhosis of unknown etiology. Although an apparently infrequent problem in the United States, epidemiologic surveys showed that HCC is, in fact, one of the world’s most frequent malignancies, since it is found commonly in China and other parts of South East Asia, the most populous countries in the world, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa. 3 The basis for this phenomenon emerged with the discovery of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the evidence that the viral infection was endemic to these same parts of the world. Clinical studies identified that transmission of HBV in these countries occurs predominantly at the time of birth from a carrier mother to her newborn child, that almost all of these infants become infected, and that the vast majority remain infected, opening the way to the development of subclinical chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and ultimately, HCC. 4 In the United States, on the other hand, the frequency of HBV infection is far lower, occurring predominantly among immigrants from areas of the world where HBV is endemic, as well as among children born to immigrant mothers. Hepatitis B also occurs in adults in the United States independent of maternal-infant transmission by routes that are different from Asian and African populations. Indeed, differences in timing and mode of transmission of HBV probably account for the lower frequency of development of HBV-related HCC. Infection with HBV in the United States and other western countries occurs mainly during adolescence and early adulthood, largely as a result of sexual transmission or injection drug use. 5 Unlike neonatal or early childhood infection, the majority of immunocompetent persons infected at this later age (95%) recover spontaneously from the acute infection, thus significantly reducing the burden of HBV-related chronic hepatitis
Design of distributed controllers realizable over arbitrary directed networks

We consider the problem of designing stabilizing distributed output-feedback controllers that achieve H2 and H∞ performance objectives for a group of sub-systems dynamically interconnected via an arbitrary directed communication network. For a particular class of discrete-time linear time-invariant interconnected systems that are characterized by a structural property of their state-space matrices, we design stabilizing distributed controllers which can use the available network along with the sub-systems of the interconnected system. This is achieved by means of a parameterization for the output-feedback linear controllers that linearizes the closed-loop H2 and H∞ norm conditions and provide equivalent linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Using these LMIs, we formulate the minimization of H2 and H∞ norms as semi-definite programs (SDPs) that can be efficiently solved using well-established techniques and tools. The solutions of these SDPs allow us to synthesize the corresponding controllers that are realizable over the given network. Even though we provide only sufficiency conditions for the design of stabilizing distributed controllers, simulations show that the synthesized controllers we obtain provide good performance in spite of being suboptimal compared to the centralized controller. In essence, we gain the advantage of designing realizable distributed controllers at the expense of slight performance degradation compared to the centralized solutions.
Top management team's green entrepreneurial attitude and its influence on green ebusiness adoption: empirical evidence from tour operators in Tanzania

ABSTRACT This study assessed the influence of top management team’s green entrepreneurial attitudes on green e-business adoption. A multiple regression analysis was run to a sample of 148 tour operators, from Arusha, Kilimanajaro, Dar es Salaam and Unguja-Zanzibar. Interview responses were analysed using content analysis. The study revealed a positive and significant influence of managerial green entrepreneurial attitude (in terms of green affection, green cognition and green conation) on green eBusiness adoption. While some top management members were very positive towards green eBusiness adoption, several could not attach any value with their competitiveness. Prevalence of green washing was revealed, as an attempt for companies to overcome emerging green market pressures. The study highlights ecological practical business implications, which are in line with the SMEs generic characteristics in order to cultivate a positive green attitude that favours a triple bottom line of economical, social and environmental sustainable development.
Sizing and estimating the coding and unit testing effort for GUI systems

This study derives and validates an empirical effort estimation model for graphical user interface (GUI) systems. It investigates the relationship between the effort to code and unit test GUI systems and the numbers of different types of widgets (e.g., text boxes, check boxes, list boxes) designed in those systems. The study focuses on systems implemented using Visual Basic, a popular Microsoft Windows programming language. The GUI effort estimation model was empirically derived from an agent diary system implemented in an international bank. The model exhibited a strong relationship (R/sup 2/=0.863, p<0.001) between estimated effort and the numbers of different types of widgets. In an exploratory test of robustness, the GUI effort estimation model was applied without calibration to a different development environment. As expected there was a high error level, confirming the need for calibration when applying effort estimation models to foreign settings.
Supporting Results and Methods for “ The Multidrug-resistant PMEN 1 Pneumococcus : A Paradigm for Genetic Success ”

Pneumococcus: A Paradigm for Genetic Success” MLST and pbp diversity 232 unique STs and 163 CCs were represented by isolates in this study. (Note that after repeated attempts using multiple primer sets, the ddl sequence for isolate SA82 (1989, CC124) could not be determined, presumably due to sequence divergence within the primer-binding region. ) Among the 389 isolates selected for pbp sequencing plus the 16 genomes, 401, 389 and 404 pbp2x, pbp1a and pbp2b sequences, respectively, were obtained (a full complement of sequences could not be obtained for all isolates due to PCR and/or sequencing difficulties most likely also arising from sequence divergence in the primer binding regions). Among these sequences 141, 104 and 127 unique pbp2x, pbp1a and pbp2b alleles were identified, respectively, and of these 64 (45.4%), 33 (31.7%) and 59 (46.5%) were altered (i.e. >1% divergent from the penicillin-susceptible R6 reference strain dated 1964). There was no evidence of PNSP or altered pbps prior to 1967. 18/64 pbp2x, 5/33 pbp1a and 17/59 pbp2b altered alleles contained regions which spanned ≥1 active site coding region and were identical or highly similar (≤2 nucleotide substitutions) to those of the PMEN1 reference strain [see Additional file 1]. There were other regions of pbp sequence that were shared among different alleles, which was expected given the wellrecognised mosaic nature of pneumococcal pbps; however, we could find no example of pbp alleles (or parts of pbp alleles) that were more frequent than those of PMEN1, in fact, none were even close to being as frequent.
Sistemas híbridos para el reconocimiento de patrones

El Procesamiento Digital de Im¶agenes (PDI) es un ¶ area de permanente importancia tecnol¶ogica. Su objetivos van desde procesar datos adquiridos satelitalmente para mejorar la percepci¶ on, detecci¶on o interpretaci¶on de alg¶ un patr¶on espec¶3 co [5, 6], o aplicar ltrados a im¶ agenes fotogr¶ a cas para reconstruir o retocar sus caracter¶3sticas visuales [3, 4], o comprimir informaci¶on gr¶ a ca para facilitar su transporte por las redes de comunicaciones [7, 2]. Entre las ¶ areas de mayor importancia tecnol¶ogica del PDI podemos mencionar el reconocimiento de patrones y la visi¶on rob¶ otica, en las cuales se requiere el uso combinado de t¶ecnicas de todo tipo, desde las puramente num¶ericas hasta las m¶ as cercanas a la inteligencia arti cial. Actualmente la mayor parte de las t¶ecnicas avanzadas utilizadas en el reconocimiento de patrones se basa en un procesamiento num¶erico, donde mediante un tratamiento heur¶3stico se busca conjugar los resultados de ciertos estimadores con valores espec¶3 cos de una distribuci¶on [8, 10]. La t¶ecnicas asociadas est¶an adaptadas para cada problema en particular con lo que se logran excelentes rendimientos en tareas espec¶3 cas, pero su posibilidad de aplicaci¶on satisfactoria en otras ¶ areas es muy reducido En tal sentido el procesamiento simb¶olico, en donde se busca reconocer la presencia de determinados patrones para disparar luego un proceso de interpretaci¶on, se presenta como una alternativa posible. Es indudable que ambos tipos de procesamiento son indispensables en aplicaciones tecnol¶ ogicas como las mencionadas. En un sistema de visi¶ on rob¶ otica, por ejemplo, la mayor parte del procesamiento debe realizarse en forma num¶erica para acomodar las im¶ agenes de entrada de manera de poder facilitar la ejecuci¶on de los algoritmos de alto nivel que puedan requerirse (reconocimiento de patrones, identi caci¶on, etc.). Sin embargo, no tiene sentido pr¶ actico implementar estos ¶ ultimos desde el bajo nivel, as¶3 como tampoco parece adecuado implementar los algoritmos fuertemente num¶ericos de bajo nivel en un lenguaje de alto nivel. Por lo tanto, la soluci¶on tecnol¶ ogica parece ser la de construir una arquitectura de software que integre simult¶aneamente en una misma aplicaci¶on el procesamiento num¶erico de bajo nivel en una plataforma adecuada (C++, Delphi), con la implementaci¶ on de algoritmos de inteligencia arti cial implementados en los lenguajes espec¶3 camente desarrollados (Lisp, Workshop de Investigadores en Ciencias de la Computacion WICC 2002
Kompenzacije menadžera kao jedan od uzroka suvremene financijske krize

Ovaj rad istražuje uzroke i posljedice prve financijske krize 21. stoljeca s posebnim osvrtom na kompenzacije menadžera. Zapocela je 2007. godine u SAD-u, uzrokujuci propast mnogih financijskih i nefinancijskih institucija, kao sto je primjerice Lehman Brothers, a njene posljedice se osjecaju ne samo u SAD-u nego i, zahvaljujuci globalizaciji, u ostatku svijeta. Kao jedan od glavnih razloga nastanka ovakve financijske krize navode se bankarski bonusi, odnosno izvrsne kompenzacije, koje su poticale menadžere na ulaganje u poslove s visokim rizicima sto je u konacnici rezultiralo financijskim krahom kakav se posljednji put dogodio 30-ih godina 20. stoljeca. Cesto se postavljaju pitanja ucinkovitosti visokih nagrada, kao i pitanja eticnosti i morala u davanju tako velikih kompenzacija, odnosno nagrađivanja menadžera koji su prouzrocili ovu krizu. Iako smanjenje placa i bonusa nece promijeniti stanje u kakvom se svijet danas nalazi, potrebno je regulirati njihovu visinu kako se izvrsni menadžeri, i to prvenstveno bankari, ne bi nepotrebno izlagali visokim rizicima, buduci da su oni ti koji imaju znacajnog utjecaja i na financijski i na poslovni sektor pa se njihovo neodgovorno ponasanje, uzrokovano prevelikim bonusima, danas odražava na cijeli svijet. Posljedice ove krize ce se jos dugo osjecati pa je potrebno poduzeti preventivne mjere kako bi se sprijecilo njezino ponavljanje u buducnosti.
Outcome of frail elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma prospectively identified by Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: results from a study of the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi

Abstract In 2003 the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL) started a clinical research program for investigating initial treatment of frail elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) identified by Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). From 2003 to 2006, 334 elderly patients underwent CGA assessment, and 99 patients were classified as frail. Frail patients had a median age of 78 years, stage III–IV disease in 62% and age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (aaIPI) of 2–3 in 53%. Treatment consisted of several different regimens according to physician discretion. After a median follow-up of 36 months, 5-year overall survival (OS) was 28%. In multivariate analysis, aaIPI 2–3 (p = 0.005) and the presence of respiratory comorbidity (p = 0.044) were the only factors that showed independent correlation with OS. Frail patients had a poorer outcome compared with fit patients also if they were treated with rituximab-containing combination chemotherapy (hazard ratio 2.37, 95% confidence interval 1.48–3.78; p < 0.001). CGA is a valid tool to prospectively identify frail subjects among elderly patients with DLBCL.