Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A review of supply network configuration literature and decision support tools

Supply chain literature highlights the increasing importance of effective supply network configuration decisions that take in to account such realities as market turbulence and demand volatility, as well as ever expanding global production networks. Supply network configurations decisions that account for these contingencies are expected to meet the evolving needs of customers while delivering better outcomes for all parties involved. This paper presents the findings of a structured review of supply network configuration literature which is synthesized under the two categories, drivers of supply network configuration decisions and the key parameters considered in developing decision support tools. This review also included an evaluation of the tools used for supporting supply network configuration decisions. The paper identifies the areas for future research, as well as the decision support tools required for building supply network capacity to meet the challenges brought about by the changing business environment.
Use of 7.5F flexible pediatric cystoscope in the staging and management of urethral stricture disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In the evaluation and treatment of patients with urethral strictures, assessment of the stricture is of paramount importance. To date, urologists have relied on retrograde or antegrade urethrography or both to define stricture length and associated characteristics. Antegrade urethrography typically requires suprapubic access to the bladder, adding to the morbidity of stricture treatment. Herein, we describe the feasibility of using a new method for diagnosing, staging, and managing urethral stricture disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-four men with urethral strictures underwent urethroscopy with a 7.5F, 26-cm "pediatric" flexible cystoscope to stage and manage their disease. Comparison of urethroscopy with retrograde urethrography was made with respect to characterizing the stricture. RESULTS In all cases, the urethral strictures could be navigated with the 7.5F cystoscope. Documentation of the stricture length and the density of scar tissue and identification and characterization of additional pathology (urethral calculi proximal to the stricture in two patients) were possible in all cases, including four patients with recurrent stricture after complex urethroplasty. CONCLUSION The 7.5F, 26-cm pediatric flexible cystoscope represents a useful tool in the diagnosis and management of urethral stricture disease. Further studies will be necessary to determine the cost-effectiveness, patient morbidity, and ability to tailor therapy appropriately in comparison with standard retrograde urethrography or voiding cystourethrography.
A Psychological Approach to Human Voluntary Movements , " and Response of the Author

F. Mechsner (2004) bases his argument for ihe primacy of perception on a simplitled interpretation of phase transition findings. The authors show that attention to the details of phase transition analysis, as well as consideration of findings from steady-state experiments and the tools of symmetry theory, necessitate a theory of bimanual coordination that includes both perceptual and motor processes.
Fasting and Post-Calcium Load Serum Calcium, Parathyroid Hormone, Calcitonin, in Male Idiopathic Calcium Urolithiasis - Evidence for a Basic Disturbance in Calcium Metabolism

In male healthy controls (n = 12), male renal calcium stone patients with either normocalciuria (NC; n = 12) or idiopathic hypercalciuria (I-HC; n = 12), all ideally matched for age and body weight, the response of variables of mineral metabolism to a calcium-rich oral test meal was evaluated. In all groups the postprandial urinary cyclic AMP is decreased as compared with fasting urine, indicating that the parathyroid glands are suppressible by oral calcium. However, in I-HC serum total calcium was significantly higher than in controls both basally and in the postprandial period; the associated mid-regional (bioinactive) serum parathyroid hormone was also elevated, but serum parathyroid hormone recognizing the amino terminal (bioactive) region of the molecule was significantly decreased. Also in I-HC, serum alkaline phosphatase is elevated, whereas urinary hydroxyproline in both fasting and postprandial urine is unchanged. The NC group holds an intermediate position between I-HC and controls. It can be concluded that I-HC subjects may suffer from a more basic disturbance of calcium metabolism which may help explain the nature of their hypercalciuria.
Caregiver Burden among Caregivers of Koreans with Dementia

Background: Most studies on caregiver burden have been conducted in Western countries, while few studies on the correlates of caregiver burden have been performed in Korea. Objective: To suggest better policies for the care of dementia patients by using a nationwide database to identify factors that affect caregiver burden in Korea. Methods: The database of the Korean National Health Insurance (KNHI) and National Medical Aid (NMA) programs, which covers all Koreans, was used. A sample of 609 dementia patients and their caregivers was selected from a total of 85,281 dementia patients in 2004 and interviewed to evaluate the total cost of care and caregiver burden. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was then performed to identify significant independent predictors of caregiver burden. Results: Among caregiver-related factors, caregiver burden was higher in those who were female, had a history of home care during the previous year, and had less education. Among patient-related factors, poor ADL/IADL function was significant. The most interesting result was that subjective sense of socioeconomic status (good/fair/poor) was a stronger predictor of caregiver outcome than actual economic costs. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that interventions to assist patients with dementia should focus on female caregivers, especially those considered likely to be suffering from an economic burden. Interventions should also aim to improve the ADL and IADL capacities of patients.
Detection of GBV-C/HGV RNA in cervico-vaginal smears from healthy individuals

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the sexual transmission of GBV-C/HGV, through RNA detection in cervicovaginal smears. Therefore the GBV-C/HGV RNA in cervicovaginal smears from apparently healthy women was investigated using routine proceedings for prophylactic screening to cervical cancer. GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected by reverse transcriptase and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Only one woman presented co-infection with human papilloma virus (HPV). The GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected in 13/73 (17.57%) healthy women and it's prevalence in participating women between 28-43 years old was 53.85%. No association was found with GBV-C/HGV for the age of first sexual intercourse and number of pregnancies. In GBV-C/HGV RNA positive women, 69.23% were married. In conclusion, the present findings show that cervical and vaginal specimens could contain the GBV-C/HGV RNA.
Suction tip: a potential source of infection in clean orthopaedic procedures

Clinical history taking is a fundamental building block in the diagnostic process. While structured formats exist for many of the common clinical specialties, bariatric surgery is a relatively new concept. As such, it can be unclear to both surgeons and trainees exposed to these patients how such a history should be approached. This is important, as subtleties within the history can direct the surgeon towards choosing a specific operative procedure. In many bariatric units worldwide, patients are required to complete a questionnaire prior to clinic attendance assessing their eating habits, weight loss attempts and exercise routine, in addition to their pre-existing co-morbidity. This often includes an assessment of their psychosocial background to identify additional risk factors such as eating disorders, smoking, and alcohol or drug misuse. There are currently no clear guidelines regarding which surgical procedure patients should receive and thus it is largely guided by individual surgeons’ experience or preferences. Despite this, a clearly structured clinical history, incorporating the points previously raised, remains a key component in decisionmaking. We have found the following ‘ABC DEEP’ model to be a useful mnemonic to not only ensure that key points in the clinical history are recorded, but also to provide a framework for letter dictation. A series of selective questions within each category is required to provide a complete clinical assessment. A Age of patient B Body mass index C Co-morbidities D Drug history E Eating habits E Exercise habits P Psychosocial history
IHF is the limiting host factor in transposition of Pseudomonas putida transposon Tn4652 in stationary phase

Transpositional activity of mobile elements is not constant. Conditional regulation of host factors involved in transposition may severely change the activity of mobile elements. We have demonstrated previously that transposition of Tn4652 in Pseudomonas putida is a stationary phase‐specific event, which requires functional sigma S (Ilves et al., 2001, J Bacteriol 183: 5445–5448). We hypothesized that integration host factor (IHF), the concentration of which is increased in starving P. putida, might contribute to the transposition of Tn4652 as well. Here, we demonstrate that transposition of Tn4652 in stationary phase P. putida is essentially limited by the amount of IHF. No transposition of Tn4652 occurs in a P. putida ihfA‐defective strain. Moreover, overexpression of IHF results in significant enhancement of transposition compared with the wild‐type strain. This indicates that the amount of IHF is a bottleneck in Tn4652 transposition. Gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting studies revealed that IHF is necessary for the binding of transposase to both transposon ends. In vitro, transposase can bind to inverted repeats of transposon only after the binding of IHF. The results obtained in this study indicate that, besides sigma S, IHF is another host factor that is implicated in the elevation of transposition in stationary phase.
Clinical burden of liver disease from hemochromatosis at an academic medical center

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) can cause cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the frequency of these complications is controversial. To address this question, we reviewed the experience with HH at an academic medical center that is the sole liver transplantation center in a state with a population that is >90% Caucasian. The records of all subjects with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, code 275, “disorders of iron metabolism” seen at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2014 were reviewed, and HFE C282Y homozygotes and C282Y/H63D compound heterozygotes were identified. Clinical, pathologic, and laboratory data from these subjects were examined in detail. We identified 118 C282Y homozygotes and 44 compound heterozygotes; 22 of the former and 3 of the latter had advanced hepatic fibrosis (bridging or cirrhosis). Male patients predominated in both groups. Most of the C282Y homozygotes and all compound heterozygotes had causes of chronic liver disease in addition to iron overload. Together, these accounted for 0.42% of cases of cirrhosis seen at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics during this period. Two male patients with cirrhosis attributable solely to iron overload presented with cardiac dysfunction and atrial fibrillation; this classical presentation was rare, representing approximately one per 3,000 cases of cirrhosis. Eight homozygotes were diagnosed with HCC, representing 1.8% of patients with HCC. Conclusion: Despite the expected high prevalence of HH mutations in our state and the referral bias inherent in our study, serious hepatic manifestations of HH were uncommon. These data support claims that the penetrance of frank clinical hemochromatosis is low. (Hepatology Communications 2017;1:453–459)
Acute oral toxicity of the ethyl acetate fraction of Orostachys japonicus in mice

Abstract Context: Orostachys japonicus (Crassulaceae) is referred to as Wa-song in Korea. It is used as an anti-inflammatory, antifebrile, hemostatic, and anti cancer agent, and as an antidote. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity of the ethyl acetate fraction of O. japonicus (OJE) after the oral administration in Balb/c mice of both sexes. Materials and methods: Mice were oral administered a single doses of 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg of body weight and were monitored for 14 d. Biochemical parameters [aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), globulin (GB), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (CR)] and histopathological examination of liver were performed. Results and conclusion: No animals died and no toxic changes were observed in clinical signs, body weight, and organ weight. The LD50 of orally administered OJE was higher than 2000 mg/kg/d in both sexes. No toxicological findings were found in biochemical parameters. In histophathological examination, neutrophilic infiltration was observed at a dose of 2000 mg/kg group in both sexes. These finding suggest that oral administration of OJE does not produce acute toxicity. Therefore, these results could provide satisfactory preclinical evidence of safety to launch clinical trials on standardized formulation of OJE to be a biohealth product.
An Interdisciplinary Perspective on IT Services Management and Service Science

The increasing importance of information technology (IT) services in the global economy prompts researchers in the field of information systems (IS) to give special attention to the foundations of managerial and technical knowledge in this emerging arena of knowledge. Already we have seen the computer science discipline embrace the challenges of finding new directions in design science toward making services-oriented computing approaches more effective, setting the stage for the development of a new science—service science, management, and engineering (SSME). This paper addresses the issues from the point of view of service science as a fundamental area for IS research. We propose a robust framework for evaluating the research on service science, and the likely outcomes and new directions that we expect to see in the coming decade. We emphasize the multiple roles of producers and consumers of services-oriented technology innovations, as well as value-adding seller intermediaries and systems integrators, and standards organizations, user groups, and regulators as monitors. The analysis is cast in multidisciplinary terms, including computer science and IS, economics and finance, marketing, and operations and supply chain management. Evaluating the accomplishments and opportunities for research related to the SSME perspective through a robust framework enables in-depth assessment in the present, as well as an ongoing evaluation of new knowledge in this area, and the advancement of the related management practice capabilities to improve IT services in organizations.
Regulation of photoreceptor Per1 and Per2 by light, dopamine and a circadian clock

In the Xenopus laevis retina, a principal model for retinal circadian organization, photoreceptors have all the properties of circadian oscillators. However, rhythmic oscillations of Per1 gene expression in the inner retina (but not photoreceptors) have been reported in mice with the suggestion that mice and frogs have a different retinal circadian organization. Although it is known that two period genes (xPer1 and xPer2) exhibit different temporal patterns of expression in the Xenopus retina, and that one (xPer2) is directly responsive to light and dopamine, it is not known whether this reflects the properties of period genes within photoreceptor oscillators or among distinct retinal cell populations. We addressed this by determining the cellular site of light and dopamine regulated xPer2 expression, and the diurnal expression of both xPer1 and xPer2 using in situ hybridization. Our data show that both xPer1 and xPer2 are expressed in most cell types in the retina, including inner nuclear neurons and ganglion cells. However, light and quinpirole, a dopamine agonist, increase xPer2 levels specifically in photoreceptors, and the effect of quinpirole, but not light, is blocked by pCPT‐cAMP. Furthermore, antiphasic diurnal expression of xPer1 and xPer2 also occurs in photoreceptors. Our analysis does not provide insight into the near constitutive expression of period genes in the inner retina, but supports a model in which light‐ and dopamine regulated‐xPer2 and rhythmic xPer1 play critical roles in entrainment and circadian oscillations within photoreceptors.
Nonpeptide endothelin receptor antagonists. VIII: attentuation of acute hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in the dog.

It has been proposed that endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent endogenous vasoactive peptide, may play an important role in the regulation of pulmonary blood flow. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the effects of ET-1 and a nonpeptide mixed ET(A) and ET(B) receptor antagonist, SB 209670, in isolated segments of the canine pulmonary artery and to examine the effects of SB 209670 in a canine model of acute hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. In isolated segments of the pulmonary artery, SB 209670 (3-300 nM) produced a concentration-dependent antagonism of contraction elicited by ET-1 (pA2 = 8.9; slope = 0.9) and had no effect on phenylephrine responses. In addition, SB 209670 antagonized the small, endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by sarafotoxin 6c in phenylephrine (10 microM)-precontracted vessels (pKB = 8.6). In anesthetized dogs, the driving pressure across the pulmonary circulation increased approximately 100% during the hypoxic period (area under the curve [AUC] = 267.1 +/- 25.3 mm Hg x min). SB 209670 treatment (3 and 30 microg/kg/min i.v.) reduced pulmonary vascular resistance and produced a profound dose-related inhibition of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (AUC = 158.3 +/- 22.7 mm Hg x min and 50.1 +/- 4.9 mm Hg x min, respectively). None of the other hemodynamic or arterial blood gas parameters differed significantly in the vehicle and treatment groups. In addition, SB 209670 produced a significant reversal of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (AUC = 267.1 +/- 25.3 mm Hg x min vs. 167.8 +/- 23.4 mm Hg x min) when administered at the plateau of the hypoxic response. It was found that SB 209670 administration significantly elevated plasma levels of ET-1-LI (> or = 25-fold). These results suggest that ET-1 is an important mediator of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in the dog and that SB 209670, a potent and selective mixed ET(A) and ET(B)receptor antagonist in the pulmonary circulation, may represent an important therapeutic approach to the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.
Filtering of multichannel SAR images

An explicit form of the linear multichannel synthetic aperture radar (SAR) intensity filter, which preserves radiometry while optimally reducing speckle is derived, together with a compact expression for the theoretical gain in equivalent numbers of looks (ENLs). The filter can be applied to mixed data types, which is demonstrated using a combination of ERS and JERS satellite data, and confirms the filter performance predicted by the theory. Tests indicate that a simplified form of the filter, which neglects correlation between images, gives an ENL only slightly less than optimal, while being much easier to implement. Exact analysis of the effect of estimating filter weights shows that the linear increase in ENL with the number of images predicted for the ideal filter does not occur. In practice, the ENL is affected by the window size used to estimate the weights and saturates as the number of images increases. An efficient recursive form of the filter is described, which is most naturally applied to multitemporal data for the practically important case where the current image is uncorrelated with previous images in a data sequence.
Effect of alterations in muscle fiber length on diaphragm blood flow.

A variety of studies have examined the response of diaphragmatic blood flow (Qdi) to rhythmic pleiometric (i.e., shortening) and isometric contractions. The effect of changes in diaphragm fiber length on Qdi are, however, unknown. The present study examined the effect of changes in diaphragm fiber length on Qdi and the effect of alterations in length on the response of Qdi to increases in diaphragm contractile activity. Studies were performed on 21 anesthetized mechanically ventilated dogs in which a strip of costal diaphragm was developed in situ. The strip was immobilized in a rigid metal frame that permitted precise adjustment of muscle length. Strip blood flow was assessed with a drop counter attached to a catheter in the branch of the phrenic vein draining the strip. Strips were electrically stimulated via intramuscular electrodes, and the isometric tension developed was measured with a force transducer. Fiber length was expressed as a percentage of the length at which active isometric tension was maximum (Lo). With the diaphragm at rest, steady-state blood flow fell by 59 +/- 6% (SE) (P less than 0.001) as fiber length was increased from 92 to 107% Lo. Blood flow also varied as a function of length when muscles contracted rhythmically (15 contractions/min, duty cycle 50%) to generate isometric tensions equal to 20 and 80% of maximum. As fiber length increased from 92 to 106% Lo, Qdi fell by 36 +/- 6% (SE) when tension was 80% of maximum (P less than 0.01) and by 38 +/- 6% (SE) when tension was 20% of maximum (P less than 0.05). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The PilZ Domain Is a Receptor for the Second Messenger c-di-GMP

The ubiquitous bacterial second messenger c-di-GMP controls exopolysaccharide synthesis, flagella- and pili-based motility, gene expression, and interactions of bacteria with eukaryotic hosts. With the exception of bacterial cellulose synthases, the identities of c-di-GMP receptors and end targets have remained unknown. Recently, Amikam and Galperin (Amikam, D., and Galperin, M. (2006) Bioinformatics 22, 3–6) hypothesized that the PilZ domains present in the BcsA subunits of bacterial cellulose synthases function in c-di-GMP binding. This hypothesis has been tested here using the Escherichia coli PilZ domain protein YcgR, its individual PilZ domain and the PilZ domain from Gluconacetobacter xylinus BcsA. YcgR was purified and found to bind c-di-GMP tightly and specifically, Kd 0.84 μm. Individual PilZ domains from YcgR and BcsA also bound c-di-GMP, albeit with lesser affinity, indicating that PilZ is sufficient for binding. The site-directed mutagenesis performed on YcgR implicated the most conserved residues in the PilZ domain directly in c-di-GMP binding. It is suggested that c-di-GMP binding to PilZ brings about conformational changes in the protein that stabilize the bound ligand and initiate the downstream signal transduction cascade. While the identity of the downstream partner(s) of YcgR remains unknown, it is shown that YcgR regulates flagellum-based motility in a c-di-GMP-dependent manner. The inactivation of ycgR improves swimming and swarming motility of the poorly motile yhjH mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium UMR1. Therefore, biochemical and genetic evidence presented here establishes PilZ as a long sought after c-di-GMP-binding domain and YcgR as a c-di-GMP receptor affecting motility in enterobacteria.