Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approaching Dyspepsia in the Primary Care Setting

Dyspepsia is an imprecise term for a complex set of symptoms representing 1 of the most common complaints in medicine. The term, derived from the Greek dys (bad) and pepsis (digestion), was defined by consensus conference in Rome in 1991 as “recurrent pain or discomfort centered in the upper abdomen” [1]. Importantly, this definition does not require correlation with food ingestion. It excludes lower abdominal symptoms in an effort to distinguish dyspepsia from symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, although there is a significant degree of overlap between the 2 conditions. In addition, it excludes patients with heartburn or acid regurgitation, classic symptoms of gastroesophageal acid reflux disease (GERD). Defined this way, dyspepsia is a very common syndrome. Estimations of its prevalence range from 14% to 40% of healthy adults [2]. It accounts for 2% to 5% of visits to primary care physicians even though only a minority of patients with dyspepsia seek medical care [3]. In recent years, our approach to dyspepsia has been evolving due to several factors: (1) the identification in 1984 of Helicobacter pylori, which is responsible for 15% to 20% of all cases of dyspepsia; (2) the development of effective proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which have challenged the less potent but less expensive histamine2 (H2)-receptor antagonists as means of gastric acid suppression; (3) the increase in use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents (NSAIDs) with frequent gastrointestinal (GI) side effects, especially among the elderly; and (4) the new emphasis on health care costs, leading to an effort to define the approach that best limits unproven expensive interventions. These developments have rendered the guidelines for the management of dyspepsia published by the American College of Physicians in 1985 obsolete [4]. In this case study, we discuss our suggested approach to dyspepsia in primary care practice.
Comparing Changes in Plasma and Skin Autofluorescence in Low-Flux versus High-Flux Hemodialysis

Background Tissue advanced glycation end products (AGE) are increased in hemodialysis (HD) patients, especially those with cardiovascular complications. Skin autofluorescence (skin-AF) can noninvasively estimate the accumulation of AGE in tissue. The aim was to clarify whether HD using a high-flux (HF) dialyzer favors plasma- or skin-AF removal compared to low-flux (LF) dialysis. Material and methods 28 patients were treated with either an HF-HD or LF-HD but otherwise unchanged conditions in a cross-over design. A glucose containing dialysate was used. Skin-AF was measured noninvasively with an AGE reader before and after HD. Fluorescence (370 nm/465 nm) of plasma (p-AF) was determined as total and nonprotein-bound fractions. Correction for hemoconcentrations were made using the change in serum albumin. Paired and nonpaired statistical analyses were used. Results Skin-AF was unchanged after LF- and HF-dialysis. Total, free, and protein- bound p-AF was reduced after a single LF-HD by 21%, 28%, and 17%, respectively (P<.001). After HF HD total and free p-AF was reduced by 5% and 15%, respectively (P<.001), while protein bound values were unchanged. The LF-HD resulted in a more pronounced reduction of p-AF than did HF HD (P<.001). Serum albumin correlated inversely with p-AF in HF-HD. Conclusions In the dialysis settings used there was no significant change in skin AF after dialysis, with LF or with HF dialysis. Although only limited reduction in plasma fluorescence was observed, this was more pronounced when performing LF dialysis. These data are not in overwhelming support of the use of HF dialysis in the setting used in this study.
Tourism industry responses to the rise of sustainable tourism and related environmental policy initiatives: the case of Hue City, Vietnam

iv TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES x LIST OF APPENDICES xi ABBREVIATIONS xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Rationale 1 1.2 The Research Setting 5 1.3 Research Objectives 8 1.4 Thesis Structure 10 CHAPTER TWO: THE TOURISM INDUSTRY:ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY 12 2.1 Sustainable Development: Evolving Development Paradigms 12 2.2 Sustainable Tourism Development 16 2.2.1 Principles of Sustainable Tourism Development 16 2.2.2. Implementing Sustainable Tourism 23 2.3 Planning for Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Management 28 2.4 Tourism and Sustainable Development: from Awareness to Practice 38 2.5 Economic Instruments and Sustainable Tourism Development 45 2.6 Sustainable Tourism Indicators: Monitoring and Evaluating 55 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES 62 3.1 Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Approaches 62 3.2 Data Collection 69 3.2.1 Documentary Method 70 3.2.2 Semi-Structured Interviews 72 3.2.3 Questionnaire Survey 77 3.3 Data Analysis 81 CHAPTER FOUR: CASE AND CONTEXT 85 4.1 Vietnam: Geographical Perspectives 85 4.2 Vietnam: Socio-Cultural Perspectives 87 4.3 Vietnam: Political and Economic Evolution 88 4.4 Vietnam Tourism: Growth and Development 98 4.5 Tourism Planning and Regulatory Structures in Vietnam 109
Impact of Natural Compounds on DNA Methylation Levels of the Tumor Suppressor Gene RASSF1A in Cancer

Epigenetic inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (TSG) is a fundamental event in the pathogenesis of human cancer. This silencing is accomplished by aberrant chromatin modifications including DNA hypermethylation of the gene promoter. One of the most frequently hypermethylated TSG in human cancer is the Ras Association Domain Family 1A (RASSF1A) gene. Aberrant methylation of RASSF1A has been reported in melanoma, sarcoma and carcinoma of different tissues. RASSF1A hypermethylation has been correlated with tumor progression and poor prognosis. Reactivation of epigenetically silenced TSG has been suggested as a therapy in cancer treatment. In particular, natural compounds isolated from herbal extracts have been tested for their capacity to induce RASSF1A in cancer cells, through demethylation. Here, we review the treatment of cancer cells with natural supplements (e.g., methyl donors, vitamins and polyphenols) that have been utilized to revert or prevent the epigenetic silencing of RASSF1A. Moreover, we specify pathways that were involved in RASSF1A reactivation. Several of these compounds (e.g., reseveratol and curcumin) act by inhibiting the activity or expression of DNA methyltransferases and reactive RASSF1A in cancer. Thus natural compounds could serve as important agents in tumor prevention or cancer therapy. However, the exact epigenetic reactivation mechanism is still under investigation.
Stimulation of pituitary prolactin and TSH release in lactating and proestrous rats.

Plasma prolactin and TSH concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in lactating rats after exposure to ether fumes, suckling, treatment with nicotine or injection of synthetic TRH. Both 100 ng and 100 μg of TRH caused a significant elevation in plasma prolactin within 2 min after injection. Prolactin remained elevated for 30 min after administration of 100 μg. The response seen after injection of 100 ng of TRH was similar to the rise in plasma prolactin seen after treatment with nicotine or exposure toether. However, neither nicotine nor ether fumes caused an increase in plasma TSH. Suckling caused a marked increase in circulating levels of both prolactin and TSH but the rise in plasma prolactin preceded the rise in plasma TSH by more than 5 min. In contrast, TRH caused a rapid (within 2 min) in crease in circulating prolactin and TSH. Neither nicotine nor ether altered TSH release in response to TRH and nicotine did not block the rise in plasma prolactin after TRH. In cycling rats, plasma prolacti.
Perceived obstacles to doing business: worldwide survey results

This paper addresses the question: which obstacles to doing business are considered to be the most serious by private sector managers in particular countries? The answers might help to identify policy domains (macroeconomic, institutional) most relevant in each country and levels of national authority (central, local) most appropriate to reduce obstacles to doing business. Managers were asked to judge on a six points scale how problematic various obstacles are for doing business. The six points range from no obstacle and moderate obstacles, to strong and very strong obstacles. The areas listed are: Regulations for starting business/new operations; Price controls; Foreign trade regulations (exports, imports); Financing; Labor regulations; Foreign currency regulations; Tax regulations and/or high taxes.
PQ401, an IGF-1R inhibitor, induces apoptosis and inhibits growth, proliferation and migration of glioma cells

Growth factor signalling pathways transduce extra-cellular physiological cues to guide cells to maintain critical cellular functions, including cell proliferation, survival and metabolism. Dysregulation of certain growth factor signalling pathways has been shown as a major route to promote tumourigenesis. Glioma is a type of aggressive malignant tumour with no effective systematic therapy so far. Overexpression or hyperactivation of IGF-1R has been observed to be tightly associated with glioma progression and poor prognosis. Here, we examined the biological effects of a specific IGF-1R inhibitor, PQ401, on suppressing U87MG glioma cell growth and migration. Specifically, we observed that PQ401 not only induced cellular apoptosis in U87MG cells and subsequently reduced cell viability and proliferation but also attenuated cell mobility in vitro. More importantly, through a mouse xenograft model, we observed that administration of PQ401 on mice led to suppression of glioma tumour growth in vivo. In summary, our study suggests that PQ401 may serve as a promising leading drug for treating glioma patients with elevated IGF-1R signalling.
Behavior-like Strategies for Games without Perfect Recall

We seek sets of mixed strategies for a player in an extensive form game such that 1. the set has the same power as the set of all mixed strategies, 2. the set is described by a small number of variables, 3. the probability that the player will follow a particular path in the game tree is a linear function of the variables, 4. there is a simple method of randomly picking a pure strategy as specified by a mixed strategy from the set. It is known how to do this for players with perfect recall using behavior strategies [2] and path probabilities [3, 4, 5, 7]. We generalize these techniques to apply to players without perfect recall. The number of variables depends on the closeness of the players to perfect recall or to the amount of corelation needed. We give techniques whereby our more general realization plans can be derived from the game tree.
Designing Groupware that Fosters Social Capital Creation: Can Facebook Support Global Virtual Team?

Prior research on groupware tends to focus on understanding the task processes and how technology can be deployed to facilitate the task completion. However, the socio-emotional processes among Global Virtual Team (GVT) members who use the groupware have not been given due consideration. In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework explaining how the various social capital dimensions of social interaction tie, trust, reciprocity, identification and shared language can enhance the socio-emotional processes leading to improved GVT performance and satisfaction. The antecedent factors leading to the creation of the social capital are groupware features that facilitate social awareness, social presence, social identity and mutual knowledge. We then make a case for the viability of using Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as Facebook as groupware and identify specific Facebook features that fit into our conceptual framework. A methodology is also proposed for future research to validate the conceptual framework.
A review of culture and implementation strategy among SMES in Zimbabwe

The importance of SMEs development in the economic activities in Zimbabwe cannot be overemphasized. It has been acknowledged that organisational culture and strategy implementation are important to both the survival and growth of SMEs, and their continued contribution to economic growth. Despite this realisation, SMEs performance in Zimbabwe has continued to be marginal, hence the need to review the organisational culture and implementation linkage. This was a qualitative study using the multiple case study approach involving 8 organisations. In depth interviews and non-participant observations were used to collect data from owner/managers. There is evidence that SMEs undertake strategic planning and implantation, but there were no clear cultural changes to support both. The findings indicate that many SMEs owners are aware of the importance of culture in operations and strategy implementation but they tend to model organisations around a church and family framework with the hope that it will bring about better cohesion. However, these cultures tended to make the organisations perform at a suboptimal level as the owners’ role will not be challenges under whatever circumstances.
Panning and Zooming High-Resolution Panoramas in Virtual Reality Devices

Two recent innovations in immersive media include the ability to capture very high resolution panoramic imagery, and the rise of consumer level heads-up displays for virtual reality. Unfortunately, zooming to examine the high resolution in VR breaks the basic contract with the user, that the FOV of the visual field matches the FOV of the imagery. In this paper, we study methods to overcome this restriction to allow high resolution panoramic imagery to be able to be explored in VR. We introduce and test new interface modalities for exploring high resolution panoramic imagery in VR. In particular, we demonstrate that limiting the visual FOV of the zoomed in imagery to the central portion of the visual field, and modulating the transparency or zoom level of the imagery during rapid panning, reduce simulator sickness and help with targeting tasks.
A Novel Cytoplasmic Adaptor for Retinoic Acid Receptor (RAR) and Thyroid Receptor Functions as a Derepressor of RAR in the Absence of Retinoic Acid*

In most mammalian cells, the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) is nuclear rather than cytoplasmic, regardless of its cognate ligand, retinoic acid (RA). In testis Sertoli cells, however, RAR is retained in the cytoplasm and moves to the nucleus only when RA is supplied. This led us to identify a protein that regulates the translocation of RAR. From yeast two-hybrid screening, we identified a novel RAR-interacting protein called CART1 (cytoplasmic adaptor for RAR and TR). Systematic interaction assays using deletion mutants showed that the C-terminal CoRNR box of CART1 was responsible for the interaction with the NCoR binding region of RAR and TR. Such interaction was impaired in the presence of ligand RA, as further determined by GST pulldown assays in vitro and immunoprecipitation assays in vivo. Fluorescence microscopy showed that unliganded RAR was captured by CART1 in the cytoplasm, whereas liganded RAR was liberated and moved to the nucleus. Overexpression of CART1 blocked the transcriptional repressing activity of unliganded apoRAR, mediated by corepressor NCoR in the nucleus. CART1 siRNA treatment in a mouse Sertoli cell line, TM4, allowed RAR to move to the nucleus and blocked the derepressing function of CART1, suggesting that CART1 might be a cytoplasmic, testis-specific derepressor of RAR.
Identification of a Domain Containing B-Cell Epitopes in Hepatitis C Virus E2 Glycoprotein by Using Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies

ABSTRACT Evidence from clinical and experimental studies of human and chimpanzees suggests that hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope glycoprotein E2 is a key antigen for developing a vaccine against HCV infection. To identify B-cell epitopes in HCV E2, six murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), CET-1 to -6, specific for HCV E2 protein were generated by using recombinant proteins containing E2t (a C-terminally truncated domain of HCV E2 [amino acids 386 to 693] fused to human growth hormone and glycoprotein D). We tested whether HCV-infected sera were able to inhibit the binding of CET MAbs to the former fusion protein. Inhibitory activity was observed in most sera tested, which indicated that CET-1 to -6 were similar to anti-E2 antibodies in human sera with respect to the epitope specificity. The spacial relationship of epitopes on E2 recognized by CET MAbs was determined by surface plasmon resonance analysis and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The data indicated that three overlapping epitopes were recognized by CET-1 to -6. For mapping the epitopes recognized by CET MAbs, we analyzed the reactivities of CET MAbs to six truncated forms and two chimeric forms of recombinant E2 proteins. The data suggest that the epitopes recognized by CET-1 to -6 are located in a small domain of E2 spanning amino acid residues 528 to 546.
Region‐specific upregulation of parvalbumin‐, but not calretinin‐positive cells in the ventral hippocampus during adolescence

Animal studies have highlighted the role of the ventral hippocampus‐prefrontal cortex pathway in the acquisition of mature cortical function through refinement of GABAergic circuits during adolescence. Inhibitory GABAergic responses are mediated by highly specialized interneurons, which have distinct functional properties and are characterized by the expression of calcium binding proteins. Among these, we recently found that parvalbumin (PV)‐ and calretinin (CR)‐positive interneurons in the prefrontal cortex follow opposite developmental trajectories during the periadolescent transition period. In the present study, we asked whether interneurons expressing PV and CR in the ventral hippocampus follow similar periadolescent trajectories as seen in the prefrontal cortex. By measuring the relative abundance of these interneurons in three age groups (postnatal days (PD) 25–40, 45–55, and 60–85), we found that regions within the dorso‐ventral axis of the ventral hippocampus undergo distinct developmental trajectories in PV expression during the periadolescent transition. Specifically, the ventral subiculum displayed a dramatic increase in PV‐positive interneurons from PD25–40 to PD45–55 with an increasing rostro‐caudal gradient, whereas negligible changes were found in the dorsal and middle regions. In contrast, the number of CR‐positive interneurons in the ventral hippocampus remained unchanged across the three age groups studied. Together, these results describe for the first time that GABAergic circuits in the ventral hippocampus undergo protracted development during adolescence, in particular the PV‐positive cell population circumscribed to the ventral region of the ventral hippocampus. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Airport car parking strategy : lessons from the non-airport sector

Despite September 11th 2001, many international airports are operating close to capacity, a problem that is likely to become more acute given the projected long-term growth in air traffic. This growth is likely to have major implications on runway, terminal and surface access capacity, infrastructure which is already experiencing constraints. The area of surface access is as much, if not more an issue in terms of employees accessing the airport as it is for passengers. Typically, one third of access traffic can be attributed to employees. Employees represent a particular problem for airports in terms of surface access due to the frequent, peak hour nature of trips made and their higher usage rates of the car compared to passengers. A range of initiatives exist to encourage the use of modes other than the private car by employees but overall these measures tend to be ‘soft’ in nature and one generally has to look to the non-airport sector to see examples of more innovative ‘harder’ initiatives such as financial incentive and disincentive car parking measures direct to employees. This thesis utilises a series of carefully selected interviews and focus groups at Heathrow Airport and three best practice non-airport organisations, underpinned by a process grounded in the concept and methodology of best practice benchmarking, to suggest areas where BAA, and potentially airport authorities around the world, could learn from other organisations in the area of employee surface access and specifically car parking . It is concluded that there are four key areas airports should focus on to explore the issues surrounding the implementation of a car parking charge or car parking cash out direct to employees, namely: the use of a package approach; a requirement for top management support; gaining acceptance from employees, and; the issues surrounding the process of implementation. The thesis contributes to knowledge in a number of areas, predominantly the use of benchmarking in the area of car parking and the airport sector, an industry which has thus far not adopted the technique to any great extent.
Gendered perceptions of experiential value in using web-based retail channels

Purpose – This paper compares the experiential consumption values that motivate consumer choice to purchase online for both male and female purchasers and non-purchasers. Design/methodology/approach – Using the theory of consumption value the study examines gendered perceptions of the functional, social and conditional value of using a virtual consumption setting for purchasing. Data was collected through an online survey and analysed using multiple discriminant analysis to determine meaningful differences between male and female purchasers and non-purchasers. Findings – The findings show that male online purchasers are discriminated from female purchasers by social value and from male non-purchasers by conditional value. Female purchasers are discriminated from male purchasers by functional value and from female non-purchasers by social value. Female non-purchasers are discriminated from female purchasers by conditional value. Male non-purchasers are discriminated from male purchasers by functional and social value. Research limitations/implications – Limitations include using an Internet survey and an Australian sample which may impact the generalisability of the findings to a wider population of Internet users. Future research should involve replication of the study in a country more or less developed in terms of gender composition of internet users to extend the generalisability of the findings. Additionally, researchers should examine whether other dimensions of consumption value,such as social influence through on- and off-line communication networks, may influence consumer choice to purchase online. Practical implications – The study provides practical implications for marketers to leverage consumption values that influence male and female consumers’ choice to purchase online and then drive their behaviour online through integrated marketing campaigns that involve both on- and offline strategies. Originality/value – The research makes an original contribution to the consumer behaviour literature as to date, no research has been found that undertakes such a comprehensive gender-based comparison of the perceived value of using a virtual consumption setting for purchasing.
The global financial crisis and indian banks: survival of the fittest?

The Indian banking system was initially thought to be insulated from the global financial crisis owing to heavy public ownership and cautious management. It was thus a surprise when some banks experienced a deposit flight, as depositors shifted their money toward government-owned banks and specifically toward the State Bank of India, the largest public bank. While there was some tendency for depositors to favour healthier banks and the banks with more stable funding, the reallocation of deposits toward the State Bank of India in particular cannot be explained by these factors alone. Nor can it be explained by the impact of explicit capital injections by the government into some public-sector banks. Rather it appears that the implicit guarantee of the liabilities of the country's largest public bank dominated other considerations.