Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smoking cessation rates in the United States: a comparison of young adult and older smokers.

OBJECTIVES We compared smoking quit rates by age in a nationally representative sample to determine differences in cessation rates among younger and older adults. METHODS We used data on recent dependent smokers aged 18 to 64 years from the 2003 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (n=31625). RESULTS Young adults (aged 18-24 years) were more likely than were older adults (aged 35-64 years) to report having seriously tried to quit (84% vs 66%, P<.01) and to have quit for 6 months or longer (8.5% vs 5.0%, P<.01). Among those who seriously tried to quit, a smoke-free home was associated with quitting for 6 months or longer (odds ratio [OR]=4.13; 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.25, 5.26). Compared with older smokers, young adults were more likely to have smoke-free homes (43% vs 30%, P<.01), were less likely to use pharmaceutical aids (9.8% vs 23.7%, P<.01), and smoked fewer cigarettes per day (13.2% vs 17.4%, P<.01). CONCLUSIONS Young adults were more likely than were older adults to quit smoking successfully. This could be explained partly by young adults, more widespread interest in quitting, higher prevalence of smoke-free homes, and lower levels of dependence. High cessation rates among young adults may also reflect changing social norms.
Patients’ Experience of a Regional Allergy Service

Background The principle reason for referral to specialist allergy clinics is to establish diagnoses and provide treatment plans to help patients manage their allergy. If patients do not accept, understand, or remember diagnoses or treatment, clinic visits may have been a waste of time. Few specialist allergy clinics follow up patients after diagnosis. Design and Methods This was a postal survey to assess patients’ i) perception of usefulness of specialist allergy clinic visits, ii) understanding of their allergy, iii) confidence in managing it, and iv) response to joining a regional online forum. Data for patients with confirmed allergy who attended the Peninsula Allergy Service (PAS) from 1998-2009 were extracted from consultant letters to general practitioners. Postal questionnaires were sent to 933 patients; 39% (336) responded. Results Two-thirds (63%) thought their clinic visit useful and resulted in them being more in control of their allergy; 9% thought it useful but they still had problems, 26% thought it had not been much use. One in six (16%, 55) respondents had major differences in their view of their allergy compared to that recorded by PAS. Over half (56%) had had further symptoms since their clinic visit and 120 patients, who were not confident in coping with their allergy, listed aspects of their lives that gave concern. Conclusions Specialist clinics need routine feedback from patients if they are to monitor their effectiveness and some better form of follow up for patients is needed to reinforce education and support patients. Public education is important. Significance for public health Although there is a great deal of information available about allergy on the Internet, in the media and via word of mouth from family and friends, unfortunately a fair proportion of this is misleading, inaccurate and even potentially dangerous. The main role of a specialist allergy service is the diagnosis and management of allergies and patient education during the consultation. This audit of patients diagnosed with type 1 allergy showed that a small but significant proportion may not have understood or accepted their diagnosis, others may not be confident in coping with their allergy, and over half had further symptoms after discharge from the clinic. The effectiveness of specialist allergy services will be diminished if there is no longer-term follow-up of patients. Public health education is also important so that patient expectations about the role of allergy services are realistic.
Concomitant loss of chromosome 3 and whole arm losses and gains of chromosome 1, 6, or 8 in metastasizing primary uveal melanoma.

PURPOSE To elucidate the genetic differences between metastasizing and nonmetastasizing primary tumors, uveal melanoma samples were screened for DNA copy number alterations by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). METHODS DNA copy number changes were studied on 14 primary uveal melanomas that had not metastasized, 15 primary uveal melanomas that had metastasized, and on 6 metastases that were available from 6 primary uveal melanomas. CGH is based on quantitation of the fluorescence intensity of differentially labeled DNAs. Tumor DNA labeled with FITC dCTP and dUTP and normal DNA labeled with Texas red dCTP and dUTP were hybridized to normal metaphase chromosomes. The hybridizations were analyzed using an Olympus fluorescence microscope and the ISIS digital image analysis system to identify gain or loss of genetic material. RESULTS Primary uveal melanomas that had metastasized and metastases had significantly more changes than primary uveal melanomas that had not metastasized. Comparison between primary nonmetastasizing tumors, metastasizing tumors, and metastases showed that the most common DNA copy number changes were -3 (21%, 73%, 67%, respectively), -6q (7%, 40%, 83%), -1p (0, 33%, 33%), -13q (14%, 13%, 50%), -8p (14%, 27%, 0), -18 (7%, 13%, 33%), +8q (14%, 53%, 100%), +6p (29%, 20%, 17%), +1q (0, 7%, 33%), and +16p (0, 7%, 33%). CONCLUSIONS Loss of chromosome 3, loss of 6q, and gain of 8q were significantly associated with poor overall survival. In addition, losses of 1p were only found in primary uveal melanomas that had metastasized and in metastases, which suggests that this region may harbor a tumor suppressor gene important in the tumor progression. Finally, loss of chromosome 3 may be associated with isochromosome formation of 1q, 6p, 8q, 16p, 20q, and 22q.
Direct Characterization of Methanogens in Two High-Rate Anaerobic Biological Reactors

The methanogenic flora from two types of turbulent, high-rate reactors was studied by immunologic methods as well as by phase-contrast, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy. The reactors were a fluidized sand-bed biofilm ANITRON reactor and an ultrafiltration membrane-associated suspended growth MARS reactor (both trademarks of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, Pa.). Conventional microscopic methods revealed complex mixtures of microbes of a range of sizes and shapes, among which morphotypes resembling Methanothrix spp. and Methanosarcina spp. were noticed. Precise identification of these and other methanogens was accomplished by antigenic fingerprinting with a comprehensive panel of calibrated antibody probes of predefined specificity spectra. The methanogens identified showed morphotypes and antigenic fingerprints indicating their close similarity with the following reference organisms: Methanobacterium formicicum MF and Methanosarcina barkeri W in the ANITRON reactor only; Methanosarcina barkeri R1M3, M. mazei S6, Methanogenium cariaci JR1, and Methanobrevibacter arboriphilus AZ in the MARS reactor only; and Methanobrevibacter smithii ALI and Methanothrix soehngenii Opfikon in both reactors. Species diversity and distribution appeared to be, at least in part, dependent on the degree of turbulence inside the reactor.
Reaction of Orthoesters with Alcohols in the Presence of Acidic Catalysts: A Study.

Allylic and benzylic alcohols are converted into corresponding unsymmetrical ethers when reacted with various orthoesters in the presence of montmorillonite KSF at ambient temperature. A detailed study has been undertakento examine the mechanism and generality of these reactions with regard to various acidic catalysts, which reveal interesting competitive reactions mainly O-acetylation, together with trace amount of dimerized product. The type of the side product and their relative quantity depends upon the nature of the catalyst employed. Furthermore, the low yields of the Claisen rearrangement product obtained from allylic alcohols under heating is rationalized due to the formation of some of these products.
Challenges of training tourism and hospitality workers in Papua New Guinea

I TABLE OF CONTENTS II LISTS OF FIGURES AND TABLES IV ABBREVIATIONS V ATTESTATION OF AUTHORSHIP VII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS VIII CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background and Rationale of the Study 1 1.2 Research Objectives 2 1.3 Dissertation Outline and Structure 3 CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW 5 2.1 Tourism and Human Resource Development – Training Practices in Developed Countries 5 2.1.1 Human Resource Development Challenges in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry 7 2.1.2 Training and Education 9 2.2 Tourism Training and Education in Less-Developed Countries 11 2.2.1 Human Resource Development 11 2.3 Tourism and Training in the Pacific Region 15 2.3.1 Human Resource Development and Its Importance 15 2.4 Summary 20 CHAPTER 3 : RESEARCH DESIGN 22 3.1 Methodological Approach 22 3.1.1 Research Stance 22 3.1.2 Data Collection 22 3.1.3 Data Analysis 23 3.1. 4 Personal Reflections 24 CHAPTER 4 : THE CASE STUDY OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA 26 4.1 Papua New Guinea Tourism Background 27 4.2 Challenges Facing the Papua New Guinea Tourism Industry 33
Central Bank Communication, Decision Making, and Governance: Issues, Challenges, and Case Studies

In recent years central bankers have placed new emphasis on communication with financial markets and the general public. They have done this not only through the traditional channel of monetary policy pronouncements but also by increasing the quantity of information they make public. Yet as central banks strive to provide more and clearer information about the outlook for the economy, they must balance their capacity to steer economic expectations with their natural caution about committing to future monetary policy paths. This volume offers a variety of perspectives on the economic implications of increased central bank communication. Contributors offer theoretical analyses of the effect of central bank communication on the general macroeconomic environment; consider a variety of novel empirical approaches to the issue; and analyze communication, decision making, and governance practices of the Greenspan-era U.S. Federal Reserve, the fledgling European Central Bank, and a variety of smaller central banks, including those of the Czech Republic, Sweden, England, and New Zealand.
Circulation Cardiovascular Case Series Still a Kid at Heart Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in the Elderly

76-year-old man with a history of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea presents with dyspnea on exertion. This symptom has progressed slowly over the past year, to the point that he now has dyspnea on climbing 1 flight of stairs. The patient denies orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, edema, chest discomfort, palpitations, lightheadedness, and syncope. His medications are metoprolol, verapamil, disopyramide, rosuvastatin, and omeprazole. He is a retired electrician, is married with 3 adult children, and lives in Florida and Massachusetts, each for half the year. He has a history of heavy tobacco use but quit smoking more than 30 years ago. His family history is notable only for diabetes mellitus and stroke in his father; there are no family members with heart failure, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), or sudden cardiac death (SCD). Dr Michael A. Fifer: This patient’s presenting complaint is progressive dyspnea on exertion, for which he has possibly contributory comorbidities, namely, obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension. The history of HCM is particularly relevant because dyspnea is a common initial manifestation of the disease. 1 Dyspnea may occur in HCM as a result of a variety of mechanisms, including diastolic heart failure due to myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, and associated mitral regurgitation (MR). Although the correlation between symptoms and the magnitude of the LVOT gradient is weak,2 dyspnea is usually relieved by septal reduction therapy. In this patient, any or all of these factors might contribute to progressive dyspnea on exertion. More information regarding how the diagnosis of HOCM was made and how the condition has been managed since it was diagnosed would help determine whether it is primarily responsible for the worsening dyspnea. The diagnosis of HOCM was made 10 years before the current presentation. He presented then with exertional chest pain and dyspnea. An echocardiogram showed asymmetrical septal hypertrophy and a resting LVOT gradient. The diagnosis was confirmed by left-sided heart catheterization, which revealed an LVOT gradient that increased to 90 mm Hg with the Valsalva maneuver. Holter monitoring did not demonstrate ventricular tachycardia. The patient had substantial improvement in symptoms after undergoing medical therapy, which consisted of sustained-release metoprolol titrated up to 200 mg daily and sustained-release verapamil 120 mg daily. With the reappearance of dyspnea 1 year before the current presentation, disopyramide was added to the medical regimen, again with an initially favorable response.
Sequences Just Upstream of the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Core Enhancer Allow Efficient Replication in the Absence of NF-κB and Sp1 Binding Elements

ABSTRACT Large deletions of the upstream U3 sequences in the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of human immunodeficiency virus and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) accumulate in vivo in the absence of an intact nef gene. In the SIV U3 region, about 65 bp just upstream of the single NF-κB binding site always remained intact, and some evidence for a novel enhancer element in this region exists. We analyzed the transcriptional and replicative capacities of SIVmac239 mutants containing deletions or mutations in these upstream U3 sequences and/or the NF-κB and Sp1 binding sites. Even in the absence of 400 bp of upstream U3 sequences, the NF-κB site and all four Sp1 binding sites, the SIV promoter maintained about 15% of the wild-type LTR activity and was fully responsive to Tat activation in transient reporter assays. The effects of these deletions on virus production after transfection of COS-1 cells with full-length proviral constructs were much greater. Deletion of the upstream U3 sequences had no significant influence on viral replication when either the single NF-κB site or the Sp1 binding sites were intact. In contrast, the 26 bp of sequence located immediately upstream of the NF-κB site was essential for efficient replication when all core enhancer elements were deleted. A purine-rich site in this region binds specifically to the transcription factor Elf-1, a member of the etsproto-oncogene-encoded family. Our results indicate a high degree of functional redundancy in the SIVmac U3 region. Furthermore, we defined a novel regulatory element located immediately upstream of the NF-κB binding site that allows efficient viral replication in the absence of the entire core enhancer region.
Status of Turkish food sector within global value chains

World agricultural and food markets have become rather complicated during recent years as a result of increasing importance of food safety stand-ards, information flow and coordination between firms and widespread use of improved information technology, transition from product controls to process controls, opportunities for distributing value creation processes to various parts of the world, concentration and asymmetric power relations within the supply chains. As a result, world food sector is under a structural transformation. Information flow between firms is replacing market signals. This new formation, called Global Value Chain by some researchers, is ex-pected to have some profound impacts on Turkish food sector. In this study, status of Turkish food sector within global value chains is analyzed based on similar experiences of some countries.
Sleep duration and mortality: a prospective study of 113 138 middle-aged and elderly Chinese men and women.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate associations of sleep duration with total mortality and disease-specific mortality in a Chinese population. DESIGN Prospective study conducted from 1996 (for women)/2002 (for men) to 2010. SETTING A population-based cohort study in Shanghai, China. INTERVENTION None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS A total of 113,138 participants (68,548 women and 44,590 men) of the Shanghai Women's and Men's Health Studies, aged 44-79 y and 40-75 y (women and men, respectively) at sleep duration assessment, were included in the study. In-person interviews were conducted to collect information on sleep duration, socioeconomic status, living conditions, history of chronic disease, participation in regular exercise, and family history of disease. The cohort has been followed using a combination of biannual in-person interviews and record linkages with Shanghai's population-based death registry. Survival status of participants on December 31, 2010 was included as the study outcome. Relative risks were calculated using a Cox proportional model stratified by sex and comorbidity score. There were 4,277 deaths (2,356 among women; 1,921 among men) during a median follow-up time of 7.12 y for women and 6.07 y for men. Among both women and men, sleep duration showed a J-shaped association with total mortality. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.15 (1.01-1.32), 1.06 (0.94-1.20), 1.17 (1.04-1.32), 1.36 (1.13-1.64), and 2.11 (1.77-2.52) for women and 1.06 (0.90-1.25), 1.07 (0.94-1.23), 1.13 (1.00-1.28), 1.34 (1.10-1.62), and 1.55 (1.29-1.86) for men who slept 4-5, 6, 8, 9, and ≥ 10 h per day, respectively, compared with those who slept 7 h per day. Associations for disease-specific mortality, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, also generally followed the same J-shaped pattern. The sleep duration-mortality association was more evident among participants with comorbidities, but varied little by sex. CONCLUSION In our study population of Chinese adults, shorter and longer sleep durations were independently associated with increased risk of mortality. But longer sleep duration had a higher mortality risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes than short sleep.
Toward Robust Segmentation Results Based on Fusion Methods for Very High Resolution Optical Image and LiDAR Data

Using very high resolution remote sensing images to extracting urban features from very high resolution remote sensing images is a very complex and difficult task. The improvement in geospatial technologies brought forward many solutions that can help in improving the process of urban feature extraction. Data collection using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and capturing very high resolution optical images concurrently is one of these solutions. This research proves that the fusion of high-resolution optical image with LiDAR data can improve image processing results. It is based on increasing urban features extraction success rate by reducing oversegmentation. The fusion process relies first on wavelet transform techniques, which are run several times with different parameters (rules). Then, an innovative technique is implemented to improve fusion process. The two techniques are compared, and both have reduced fragmented segments and created homogeneous urban features. However, the fused image with the innovative technique has improved the accuracy of the segmentation results. The average accuracy for building detection is 96% (maximum 100% and minimum 92%) using the innovative technique compared to 21% and 51% for no fusion and wavelet-fusion-based techniques. Furthermore, an index is used to measure the quality of the building details which are detected after using the innovative fusion technique. The result indicates that the quality index is greater or equal to 86%.
Inhibition of secondary anti‐hapten responses with the hapten conjugated to type 3 pneumococcal polysaccharide

An injection of 2, 4‐dinitrophenyl (DNP)‐lysine conjugated to type 3 pneumococcal polysaccharide (DNP‐lysine‐SIII) markedly reduced the secondary IgG anti‐DNP antibody response of irradiated mice injected with primed cells and the homologous dinitrophenylatcd foreign protein used for priming. Serum antibody titers against the foreign protein, hemocyanin, were not affected and the injection of DNP‐lysine‐SIII could be delayed until the 3rd day, but not the 4th day, after injection of the primed cells and homologous antigen. In mice in which anti‐DNP antibody production was reduced by DNP‐lysine‐SIII, antibody isoelectric spectral analysis of residual antibody suggested that clones of antibody‐producing cells were eliminated entirely or escaped unaltered. Purified SIII is a persisting antigen which readily induces macroglobulin responses in mice and does not seem to stimulate T cells. The results suggest that antigenic determinants on such antigens gain access to B cells and suppress IgC antibody production.
Intrastriatal dopamine D1 receptor agonist‐mediated motor behavior is reduced by local neurokinin 1 receptor antagonism

Recent evidence suggests that striatal neurokinin receptors modulate dopamine (DA)‐induced motor behaviors. To further examine this, we studied the effects of intrastriatal neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) antagonism on motor behaviors induced by direct infusion of the full DA D1 receptor agonist SKF 82958. Adult male Sprague‐Dawley rats received bilateral intrastriatal 0.8‐μl infusions of the NK1R receptor antagonist LY 306,740 (0, 27, or 54 nmol/side) followed by intrastriatal infusions of SKF 82958 (0 or 24 nmol/side) into the dorsal striatum. Following each infusion, rats were placed into automated activity monitors for the quantification of horizontal activity, total distance traveled, movement bouts, and stereotypy counts. As expected, SKF 82958 increased motor activity on all behavioral measures. More importantly, whereas 27 nmol was without effect, prior infusion of 54 nmol LY 306,740 significantly reduced most aspects of behavior. The results of this study suggest that functional NK1Rs within the striatum play a permissive role in the motor behaviors induced by D1R stimulation. Synapse 57:1–7, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mucinous cystic neoplasms of the pancreas: imaging features and diagnostic difficulties.

AIMS To review the imaging features of mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) of the pancreas and to highlight difficulties in differentiating these lesions from pancreatic pseudocysts. MATERIALS AND METHODS The imaging investigations, case notes and histopathology of 13 patients who underwent surgery for an MCN of the pancreas, were reviewed. RESULTS An erroneous diagnosis of a pancreatic pseudocyst had been made in five of the 13 cases and in two patients cystenterostomy had been performed. Only one patient had a documented history of acute pancreatitis although mildly elevated serum amylase levels were identified in a further five cases. CT and US correctly diagnosed a cystic pancreatic mass in all 13 patients, however cross-sectional imaging features of neoplasia, such as septae, cyst wall calcification, focal thickening of the cyst wall and papillary projections, were absent in five (38%) cases. Coexistent imaging features of chronic pancreatitis were present in five of the 13 patients and in six resected specimens. Cyst wall calcification occurred only in malignant lesions and there was no relationship between cyst size and the degree of malignancy. While ERCP, angiography, and percutaneous needle aspiration may provide additional information, the majority of these examinations were either unhelpful or even misleading. CONCLUSION MCNs of the pancreas are frequently diagnosed and mismanaged as pancreatic pseudocysts with an associated increase in patient morbidity and mortality. Diagnostic imaging can help to distinguish MCNs from pseudocysts when there are features of neoplasia present, however, no imaging investigation can reliably differentiate the two conditions in all cases. If clinical doubt remains, it is preferable to err on the side of safety and either employ a 'wait and watch' strategy or to resect a cystic pancreatic lesion rather than drain a potentially malignant MCN.