Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of Oxazyme on oxalate degradation: results and implications of in vitro experiments.

UNLABELLED Abstract Background and Purpose: Urinary oxalate excretion influences the development of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Urinary oxalate is derived from dietary sources and endogenous synthesis. Oxalate decarboxylase metabolizes oxalate and, if consumed, could theoretically accomplish this in the gastrointestinal tract. This study aimed to determine whether a commercially produced form of oxalate decarboxylase (Oxazyme(®)) could degrade oxalate in simulated gastric and intestinal environments. MATERIALS AND METHODS One buffer (pH 3.6) simulated the gastric environment, while another (pH 6.5), approximated the proximal intestine. Potassium oxalate (soluble form of oxalate) and whole and homogenized spinach (a high oxalate containing food) were incubated in the different buffered solutions, with or without Oxazyme. Oxalate content, after incubation, was measured using established ion chromatographic techniques. RESULTS Oxazyme resulted in complete degradation of oxalate derived from potassium oxalate in the intestinal buffer; meanwhile, oxalate derived from potassium oxalate in the gastric buffer was profoundly digested by Oxazyme. Adding Oxazyme also substantially reduced the oxalate content of both whole and homogenized spinach preparations, in either buffer. CONCLUSIONS These in vitro findings demonstrate that Oxazyme can metabolize oxalate in both simulated gastric and small intestinal environments.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Autoionization of triply-excited Rydberg series

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Poly(Acrylamide-Co-Acrylic Acid)-Zinc Acetate Polymer Electrolytes: Studies Based on Structural and Morphology and Electrical Spectroscopy

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) of polyacrylamide-co-acrylic acid (PAA) as the polymer host and zinc acetate (ZnA) as an ionic dopant were prepared using a single solvent by the solution casting technique. The amorphous and crystalline structures of film were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface morphology of samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composition and complex formation of films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The conductivity of the PAA-ZnA films was determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. According to the XRD and FTIR analyses, all electrolyte films were in amorphous state and the existence of interaction between Zn2+ cations and the PAA structure confirms that the film was successfully prepared. The SEM observations reveal that the electrolyte films appeared to be rough and flat with irregularly shaped surfaces. The highest ionic conductivity (σ) of 1.82 × 10-5 Scm-1 was achieved at room temperature (303 K) for the sample containing 10 wt % ZnA.
An exploration of urban and rural differences in lung cancer survival among medicare beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVES We tested the relationship between urban or rural residence as defined by rural-urban commuting area codes and risk of mortality in a sample of Medicare beneficiaries with lung cancer. METHODS We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data linked with Medicare claims to build proportional hazards models. The models tested hypothesized relationships between individual and community characteristics and overall survival for a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older who were diagnosed with lung cancer between 1995 and 1999 (N=26073). RESULTS We found no evidence that lung cancer patients in rural areas have poorer survival than those in urban areas. Rather, individual (Medicaid coverage) and regional (lower census tract-level median income) socioeconomic factors and a smaller supply of subspecialists per 10000 individuals 65 years and older were positively associated with a higher risk of mortality. CONCLUSIONS Although urban versus rural residence did not directly influence survival, rural residents were more likely to live in poorer areas with a smaller supply of health care providers. Therefore, we still need to be aware of rural beneficiaries' potential disadvantage when it comes to receiving needed care in a timely fashion.
Regulation of social relationships in later adulthood.

Individuals are seen as coproducers of their social environments who actively manage the social resources that contribute to their positive aging. The regulation of social relationships reflects adaptive mechanisms of deliberate acquisition, maintenance, transformation, or discontinuation of relationships within the individual's personal network. Mechanisms of relationship regulation in later life are illustrated on the individual level with recent empirical findings on social motivation. Close emotional ties are relatively stable until late in life, whereas peripheral (i.e., not close) social relationships are preferably discontinued. Such patterns of change and continuity were found to reflect individual differences in goal priorities and in future time perspectives (i.e., subjective nearness to death). Proactively molding the social world in accordance with one's age-specific needs also contributes to subjective well-being. The regulation of social relationships is proposed as a promising venue for further research in this field that may also reflect key issues in social, emotional, and cognitive aging.
Building Brand Relationships Through Value for Money- An Indian Perspective

Consumers tend to develop a relationship with the brands by offering their trust and loyalty. Equity of a brand can also be defined in terms of this relationship. The feelings evoked by brands can be studied at the cognitive level as a function of brand attributes and value for money, at the affective level in terms of brand affect and brand trust and further at the cognitive level, as behavioural intention leading to action loyalty. In the Indian context, value for money is an important construct determining the relationship of the consumer with the brand. The study outlines an empirical model of brand relationships that provides diagnostic data to support the management of brand relationships in the fast-moving consumer products category-toiletries.
A Study on Assessment Criteria of Policy Competition to Attract Foreign Direct Investment in Taiwan High-Tech Industries

Capital accumulation is a major factor of economic growth, and economic growth depends on investment. Foreign Direct Investment not only quickly ladles out the flow of domestic capital, but also has a significant effect on domestic economic growth, introducing new products and new technologies which results in so-called technology spillover effect. The main purpose of this study, for the various competition policy tools, aims to identify the target, to make the assessment criteria, and to set significance. And these steps establish a hierarchical structure to attract foreign direct investment in Taiwan high-tech industries, hoping to find the most competitive policy tool. First of all, expert interviews and Fuzzy Delphi Method to extract 3 sectors, 5 dimensions and 20 criteria. Second, Analytic Hierarchy Process is used to design expert questionnaire, to measure the dimensions and significance of each criteria. The result of analysis reveals that the following five dimensions are listed according to their importance: fiscal incentives, financial incentives, subsidized services, privileges, regulatory incentives. And the first five criteria of the importance principle are investment grants, export-based incentives, capital-investment-based incentives, profit-based incentives, and credit guarantees
Thoracic paravertebral analgesia

Thoracic paravertebral nerve blockade, although once widely practised, has now only a few centres which contribute to the literature. Data production has, however, continued and this review correlates this new information with existing knowledge. Its history, taxonomy, anatomy, indications, techniques, mechanisms of analgesia, efficacy, contraindications, toxicity, side effects and complications are reviewed. Thoracic paravertebral analgesia is advocated for surgical procedures of the thorax and abdomen, especially wherever the afferent input is predominantly unilateral eg. thoracotomy, cholecystectomy and nephrectomy. It is also of benefit in the prevention and management of chronic pain. It is a simple undertaking with impressive efficacy. Plasma local anaesthetic levels are acceptable and its side effect and complication rates are low. No mortality has been reported. For unilateral surgery of the chest or trunk, thoracic paravertebral analgesia should be considered as the afferent block of choice. For bilateral surgery, its efficacy may be limited by the doses of local anaesthetic which could safely be used and further study in this area in particular is required. This form of afferent blockade deserves greater consideration and investigation.
Methods for Precise Submesh Allocation

In this article we describe and compare several recently proposed algorithms for precise submesh allocation in a two-dimensional mesh connected system. The methods surveyed include various frame sliding strategies, the maximum boundary value heuristic, and interval set scan techniques. In addition, a new enhancement to the interval set scan method is described. This enhancement results in an algorithm that has better allocation and run-time performance under a FCFS scheduling policy than any of the other proposed methods. We present results drawn from an extensive simulation study to illustrate the relative efficiency of the various methods.
Trends in official union membership : 1983- 1985

This article examines union membership statistics for the period of voluntary unionism in 1984-85. It shows that large unions. lost proportionally more members than small unions that female-intensive unions did not lose a dispoprotionately high number of members and that employer deduction of union fees was a key factor in membership retention.
Student Loans and Their Effect on Parental Views of Education Financing

Using the 2012 wave National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, this study examines the effect that parents' student debt have on their decision to use tax advantage education vehicles to save for their children's college. We also examine parental decisions on obtaining student loans on behalf of their children. The results show that parents who report having student loans are 61% less likely than those that report no student loan debt to use tax-advantaged education saving vehicles. However, we find no difference in the effect of having student loans on the decision to obtain debt to fund their children's college education.
The Corridor's Width as a Monetary Policy Tool

Credit institutions borrow liquidity from the central bank’s lending facility and deposit (excess) reserves at its deposit facility. The central bank directly controls the corridor: the non-market interest rates of its lending and deposit facilities. Modifying the corridor changes the conditions on the interbank market and allows the central bank to set the short-term interest rate in the economy. This paper assesses the use of the corridor’s width as an additional tool for monetary policy. Results indicate that a symmetric widening of the corridor boosts output and welfare while addressing the central bank’s concerns over higher risk-taking in the economy.
Food for Thought : The Cognitive Effects of Childhood Malnutrition in the United States

The U.S. faces two types of childhood malnutrition – the prevalence of overweight children has increased dramatically over the past two decades and the degree of underweight has been unacceptably high. Both forms of malnutrition create public health problems. Less is known about how childhood overor underweight affects a child’s cognitive functioning. We use data from the children of the NLSY79 to investigate the cognitive consequences of child malnutrition. We use several estimation methods to control for various forms of endogeneity. Our results suggest that malnourished children tend have lower cognitive abilities when compared to well-nourished children.
Do government brochures affect physical activity cognition? A pilot study of Canada's physical activity guide to healthy active living

Health Canada has published national physical activity (PA) guidelines, which are included in their 26-page Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living (CPAG). To date, the use of CPAG as a motivational instrument for PA promotion has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether reading CPAG 1) increased motivational antecedents to engage in regular PA, and 2) increased regular PA intention and behaviour over 1 month. Participants included 130 randomly sampled Canadian adults (18 years or older) who were randomly mailed pack ages consisting of either 1) a questionnaire and a copy of CPAG, or 2) a questionnaire. Questionnaire items pertained to participants' sociodemographics, previous PA behaviours (Godin Leisure-Time Questionnaire) and PA motivation (theory of planned behaviour). Participants were then sent a follow-up questionnaire pertaining to their PA behaviours throughout the previous month. Results revealed significant interactions between the guide condition and previous activity status on instrumental behavioural beliefs about strength activities and subjective norms about endurance activities (p < 0.05), but all other factors were not significantly different. It was concluded that among previously inactive people, receiving this guide may change some informational/motivational constructs, but key motivational antecedents (affective attitude, perceived behavioural control) and outcomes (intention, behaviour) seem unaffected.
Europe in transition: Dietary fat is not the villain

EDITOR—Zatonski and Willett claim that a decrease of saturated fat and an increase of polyunsaturated fat consumption explain the decrease of coronary heart disease in Poland.1 However, ecological data are prone to bias because they are rarely, if ever, adjusted for confounders. In this case they are even contradicted by similar studies in the past. In a review including 103 …
High‐resolution T1 and T2 mapping of the brain in a clinically acceptable time with DESPOT1 and DESPOT2

Variations in the intrinsic T1 and T2 relaxation times have been implicated in numerous neurologic conditions. Unfortunately, the low resolution and long imaging time associated with conventional methods have prevented T1 and T2 mapping from becoming part of routine clinical evaluation. In this study, the clinical applicability of the DESPOT1 and DESPOT2 imaging methods for high‐resolution, whole‐brain, T1 and T2 mapping was investigated. In vivo, 1‐mm3 isotropic whole‐brain T1 and T2 maps of six healthy volunteers were acquired at 1.5 T with an imaging time of <17 min each. Isotropic maps (0.34 mm3) of one volunteer were also acquired (time <21 min). Average signal‐to‐noise within the 1‐mm3 T1 and T2 maps was ∼20 and ∼14, respectively, with average repeatability standard deviations of 46.7 ms and 6.7 ms. These results demonstrate the clinical feasibility of the methods in the study of neurologic disease. Magn Reson Med 53:237–241, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neuronal NOS‐mediated nitration and inactivation of manganese superoxide dismutase in brain after experimental and human brain injury

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) provides the first line of defense against superoxide generated in mitochondria. SOD competes with nitric oxide for reaction with superoxide and prevents generation of peroxynitrite, a potent oxidant that can modify proteins to form 3‐nitrotyrosine. Thus, sufficient amounts of catalytically competent MnSOD are required to prevent mitochondrial damage. Increased nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity has been reported after traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, the specific protein targets containing modified tyrosine residues and functional consequence of this modification have not been identified. In this study, we show that MnSOD is a target of tyrosine nitration that is associated with a decrease in its enzymatic activity after TBI in mice. Similar findings were obtained in temporal lobe cortical samples obtained from TBI cases versus control patients who died of causes not related to CNS trauma. Increased nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity was detected at 2 h and 24 h versus 72 h after experimental TBI and co‐localized with the neuronal marker NeuN. Inhibition and/or genetic deficiency of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) but not endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) attenuated MnSOD nitration after TBI. At 24 h after TBI, there was predominantly polymorphonuclear leukocytes accumulation in mouse brain whereas macrophages were the predominant inflammatory cell type at 72 h after injury. However, a selective inhibitor or genetic deficiency of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) failed to affect MnSOD nitration. Nitration of MnSOD is a likely consequence of peroxynitrite within the intracellular milieu of neurons after TBI. Nitration and inactivation of MnSOD could lead to self‐amplification of oxidative stress in the brain progressively enhancing peroxynitrite production and secondary damage.
The negotiation scorecard: a planning tool in business and industrial marketing

Purpose Given the ever-increasing complexity of business-to-business exchange, success is contingent on being able to adapt to any given situation. However, there is little in the way of guidance for how to adapt when it comes to negotiations. This paper aims to help business and industrial marketing professionals “get it right” by introducing a new tool which can be used to determine the appropriateness of using a distributive or an integrative approach for a given negotiation interaction. Design/methodology/approach To develop this tool, the authors identify key situational factors in the negotiating context that serve as indicators of the appropriate orientation (integrative or distributive) that should be applied based on the extant negotiation literature. From this, they develop a framework to guide negotiators in their selection of an orientation for a particular interaction to achieve the best possible outcome. Findings The tool developed from the literature review and termed the “Negotiation Scorecard” enables business-to-business marketers to better gauge the negotiation context and develop an interaction style consistent with that situation. This can lead to better deals and/or enhanced long-term relationships within business and industrial marketing channels. Originality/value This tool is the first of its kind to provide negotiators with a structured and quantifiable metric to guide their planning for future negotiation interactions and offers proscriptive guidance as to the types of strategies and tactics they should plan to use and that they should expect to encounter.
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI KEMUNGKINAN PERUSAHAAN MEMILIH METODE NILAI WAJAR UNTUK PROPERTI INVESTASI

This study aims to examine the factors that affect the likelihood companies choose the method of fair value for investment properties. Factors in this research consisted of debt levels, the size of the company, information asymmetry and companies in the property industry (control variables). The population of this research is company publicly traded listed on the Stock Exchange 2010-2015 period. The sample selectionusing purposive sampling, the type of data used is secondary data obtained from the official website of the Stock Exchange. The hypothesis was tested using a binomial logit regression models. The results of this study indicate that the level of debt significantly influence the possibility of the selection method for the fair value of investment property. This suggests that the high or low levels of debt may affect the selection of the fair value method. While the size of the company, information asymmetry and companies in the property industry did not significantly affect the possibility of the selection method for the fair value of investment property. This suggests that the high or low of company size, and enterprise information asymmetry entry in the property industry has no impact on the possibility of the selection method for the fair value of investment property. Keywords: fair value method, the level of debt, company size, information asymmetries, companies in the industrial property , and investment properties.
Accuracy of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Identification of Clinical Pathogenic Fungi: a Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT Fungal infections in the clinic have become increasingly serious. In many cases, the identification of clinically relevant fungi remains time-consuming and may also be unreliable. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF MS) is a newly developed diagnostic tool that is increasingly being employed to rapidly and accurately identify clinical pathogenic microorganisms. The present meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the accuracy of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of clinical pathogenic fungi. After a rigorous selection process, 33 articles, involving 38 trials and a total of 9,977 fungal isolates, were included in the meta-analysis. The random-effects pooled identification accuracy of MALDI-TOF MS increased from 0.955 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.939 to 0.969) at the species level to 0.977 (95% CI, 0.955 to 0.993) at the genus level (P < 0.001; χ2 = 15.452). Subgroup analyses were performed at the species level for several categories, including strain, source of strain, system, system database, and modified outcomes, to calculate the accuracy and to investigate heterogeneity. These analyses revealed significant differences between the overall meta-analysis and some of the subanalyses. In parallel, significant differences in heterogeneity among different systems and among different methods for calculating the identification ratios were found by multivariate metaregression, but none of the factors, except for the moderator of outcome, was significantly associated with heterogeneity by univariate metaregression. In summary, the MALDI-TOF MS method is highly accurate for the identification of clinically pathogenic fungi; future studies should analyze the comprehensive capability of this technology for clinical diagnostic microbiology.
Fatigue effects on the electromechanical delay components during the relaxation phase after isometric contraction

By a combined electromyographic (EMG), mechanomyographic (MMG) and force (F) analysis, the electromechanical delay during muscle relaxation (R‐DelayTOT) was partitioned into electrochemical and mechanical components. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of fatigue on R‐DelayTOT components and to assess their intersession and interday reliability Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).