Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduction in Cardiovascular Risk Factors With Intensive Diabetes Treatment in Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

We measured plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels at baseline and at 6-mo intervals in 47 normolipidemic patients with classic insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus treated either with a conventional (n = 21) or intensive (n = 26) diabetes-treatment program. Patients were followed for a mean of 3 yr (range 1–4 yr). Intensive diabetes treatment resulted in a significant improvement in glycemic control that caused sustained changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels that were not evident with the conventional- treatment program. These changes, which persisted for periods averaging 3 yr, can potentially reduce predicted risk for the development of premature atherosclerosis. Thus, long-term near normoglycemia may have a role in the prevention of atherosclerosis in insulin-dependent diabetic patients.
INTRAMYOCARDIAL STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION IN CARDIAC SURGERY: FROM PRECLINICAL BACKGROUNDS TO THE PERFECT TRIAL

After initial reports of successful stem cell delivery to the injured heart, the clinical feasibility and safety of this new therapeutic strategy has been established, thereby focusing on the treatment of ischemic heart disease. Over 3000 patients with either recent myocardial infarction or chronic ischemic heart failure have been treated so far by means of interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery. Prospective clinical studies could prove the safety of both interventional intracoronary stem cell injection as well as surgical intramyocardial cell injection (4, 5).
In vitro study of platelet function confirms the contribution of the ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation in the lesions observed in riboflavin/UVB‐treated platelet concentrates

Platelet inactivation technologies (PITs) have been shown to increase platelet storage lesions (PSLs). This study investigates amotosalen/ultraviolet (UV)A‐ and riboflavin/UVB‐induced platelet (PLT) lesions in vitro. Particular attention is given to the effect of UVB alone on PLTs.
The influence of Corporate Governance on Corporate Performance Among Manufacturing Firms in Kenya: A Theoretical Model

This study discusses on the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and corporate performance of manufacturing firms in Kenya. It argues stagnation of manufacturing sector in Kenya has come about largely as a result of corporate governance challenges in the industry which leads to poor corporate performance. The paper examines the influence of corporate governance mechanisms such as board diversity, board duality, government ownership and management ownership on corporate performance. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating the significance of manufacturing sector in Kenya in achievement of Vision 2030 . In addition, the study demonstrate how corporate governance influences corporate performance in order to address stagnation of manufacturing sector in Kenya
Renal artery aneurysm: diagnosis and surveillance with multidetector-row computed tomography

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of renal artery aneurysms, and to assess the value of multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in diagnosing renal artery aneurysms. Material and Methods: Altogether, 862 patients underwent arterial-phase contrast-enhanced CT scan of the abdomen in the period November 2003 to October 2005. A search for renal artery aneurysms was performed in our reporting system and revealed six patients with renal artery aneurysm (RAA). Results: The incidence of RAA was 0.7%. All renal artery aneurysms were solitary, located in the main trunk or the first branch of the renal artery, with sizes from 1.5 cm to 3.4 cm. Five aneurysms were saccular, one fusiform. No underlying thrombosis was seen. Extensive calcification was found in one aneurysm. Three aneurysms were diagnosed using axial images, while three aneurysms were only displayed by volume rendering and maximum-intensity projection images. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a 0.7% incidence of renal artery aneurysms in a total of 862 patients. MDCT has an important role in detecting and assessing renal artery aneurysms. Some aneurysms can only be displayed by post-processing techniques such as volume rendering and maximum-intensity projection.
Information Intensity: A Paradigm for Understanding Web Site Design

Information intensity (cf., McFarlan 1984; Porter and Millar 1985), regarding an organization’s products and value chain, is suggested as a paradigm that can be used to understand the marketing activities of organizations on the World Wide Web. An organization’s infonnation intensity of product offering and value chain may detennine their Web site design. Web site design characteristics, such as media richness, promotional activities, online sales, etc., may be more effective when matched with the infonnation intensity aspects of the firm.
Other People's Judgments: A Comparison of Users' and Others' Judgments of Document Relevance, Topicality, and Utility

The emerging user-centric model of relevance proposes that the only valid measure of relevance of a document to a user's information need is the one made by that user. If we accept this proposition, it raises an interesting question: how well do other people, especially those involved in information work who make such judgments as part of their training and work, perform as judges of documents for information needs they did not originate? This question was empirically tested, using three groups of subjects: incoming students to a school of information/library science, continuing students in that school, and academic librarians (holders of the MLS degree). These subjects made judgments of either “relevance,” “utility,” or “topicality” of two document sets to the original users' stated information need. These judgments were then compared to those of the users to see what patterns emerged, and to see what can be learned not only about secondary judgments in general, but also the ways in which information and library professionals make such judgments. These results are interesting in their own right (subject's judgments compared reasonably well to those of users, looked more like users' after more training and experience in library work, and fall into interesting patterns), but they also lead to some provocative questions about the nature of judgment and evaluation of information items. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Electronic Outlook Report from the Economic Research Service

Japan’s policies in the vegetable sector support producers’ incomes while keeping market prices stable. If market prices for vegetables fall below a historical average price, farmers receive compensation for most of the price decline. In return, farmers are expected not to exceed target planting areas. Government subsidies are available for farmers to divert land out of rice production and into vegetables, and farmers raising vegetables in greenhouses benefit from subsidized insurance premiums. Border measures and quality differences make Japan’s vegetable prices high by international standards. At the border, the most important factor has been Japan’s phytosanitary rules, which block imports of some important fresh vegetables and require fumigation in some other cases. Tariffs on vegetables are under 13 percent, except on imports of dried beans outside a tariff-rate quota. Growing imports led to a temporary safeguard action against two vegetables in 2001.
Nedley Depression Hit Hypothesis

Depression is often diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria. We propose how certain lifestyle choices and non-modifiable factors can predict the development of depression. We identified 10 cause categories (hits or “blows” to the brain) and theorize that four or more active hits could trigger a depression episode. Methods. A sample of 4271 participants from our community-based program (70% female; ages 17-94 years) was assessed at baseline and at the eighth week of the program using a custom test. Ten cause categories were examined as predictors of depression are (1) Genetic, (2)Developmental, (3)Lifestyle, (4)Circadian Rhythm, (5)Addiction, (6)Nutrition, (7)Toxic, (8)Social/Complicated Grief, (9)Medical Condition, and (10)Frontal Lobe. Results. The relationship between the DSM-5 score and a person having four hits categories in the first program week showed a sensitivity of 89.98 % (95% CI: 89.20 % - 90.73%), specificity 48.84% (CI 45.94-51.75) and Matthew Correlation Coefficient (MCC) . 41 . For the eight-week test, the results showed a sensitivity 83.6% (CI 81.9-85.5), specificity 53.7% (CI 51.7-55.6) and MCC . 38. Overall, the hits that improved the most from baseline after the eighth week were: Nutrition (47%), Frontal lobe (36%), Addiction (24%), Circadian rhythm (24%), Lifestyle (20%), Social (12%) and Medical (10%). Conclusions. The Nedley four-hit hypothesis seems to predict a depressive episode and correlates well with the DSM-5 criteria with good sensitivity and MCC but less specificity. Identifying these factors and applying lifestyle therapies could play an important role in the treatment of depressed individuals.
Genetic characterization of ESBL producing strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Tehran hospitals.

INTRODUCTION This study was conducted to determine the genetic characterization of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from Iranian patients in hospitals in Tehran. METHODOLOGY Antibiotic susceptibility of 104 isolates was determined using the disk diffusion test. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of imipenem and meropenem were determined for isolates showing reduced susceptibility to carbapenems. The phenotypic confirmatory test (PCT) was used to screen the isolates for ESBL production. PCR was used to detect blaSHV, blaTEM and blaCTX-M and the amplicons from selected clones were sequenced. Isolates producing ESBLs were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). RESULTS One isolate showed resistance to imipenem (MIC = 16 µg/ml). Resistance to amikacin and ciprofloxacin was 44.2% and 25.0%, respectively. ESBL production was detected in 72.1% (n = 75) of isolates. The prevalence of blaSHV, blaTEM and blaCTX-M genes among the isolates was 55.7% (n = 58), 30.7% (n = 32) and 45.2% (n = 47), respectively. The sequencing revealed the amplicons corresponding to bla (TEM-1, TEM-79, SHV-1, SHV-12, SHV-31, CTX-M-15) genes. While the blaCTX-M-15 is the dominant gene among the Iranian isolates, we detected the blaSHV-31 and blaTEM-79 genes for the first time in the country. PFGE differentiated the 71 ESBL-producing isolates into 62 different genotypes. Clonal dissemination of ESBLs was found in the neonatal intensive care unit and intensive care unit of one hospital. CONCLUSION The findings are evidence of the spread of multi-resistant clones of ESBL producers in Tehran hospitals.
Particle Swarm Optimization for Power Dispatch with Pumped Hydro

Recently, a new evolutionary computation technique, known as particle swarm optimization (PSO), has become a candidate for many optimization applications due to its high-performance and flexibility. The PSO technique was developed based on the social behavior of flocking birds and schooling fish when searching for food (Kennedy & Eberhart, 1995). The PSO technique simulates the behavior of individuals in a group to maximize the species survival. Each particle “flies” in a direction that is based on its experience and that of the whole group. Individual particles move stochastically toward the position affected by the present velocity, previous best performance, and the best previous performance of the group. The PSO approach is simple in concept and easily implemented with few coding lines, meaning that many can take advantage of it. Compared with other evolutionary algorithms, the main advantages of PSO are its robustness in controlling parameters and its high computational efficiency (Kennedy & Eberhart, 2001). The PSO technique has been successfully applied in areas such as distribution state estimation (Naka et al., 2003), reactive power dispatch (Zhao et al., 2005), and electromagnetic devices design (Ho et al., 2006). In the previous effort, a PSO approach was developed to solve the capacitor allocation and dispatching problem (Kuo et al., 2005). This chapter introduces a PSO approach for solving the power dispatch with pumped hydro (PDWPH) problem. The PDWPH has been reckoned as a difficult task within the operation planning of a power system. It aims to minimize total fuel costs for a power system while satisfying hydro and thermal constraints (Wood & Wollenberg, 1996). The optimal solution to a PDWPH problem can be obtained via exhaustive enumeration of all pumped hydro and thermal unit combinations at each time period. However, due to the computational burden, the exhaustive enumeration approach is infeasible in real applications. Conventional methods (El-Hawary & Ravindranath, 1992; Jeng et al., 1996; Allan & Roman, 1991; AlAgtash, 2001) for solving such a non-linear, mix-integer, combinatorial optimization problem are generally based on decomposition methods that involve a hydro and a thermal sub-problem. These two sub-problems are usually coordinated by LaGrange multipliers. The optimal generation schedules for pumped hydro and thermal units are then sequentially obtained via repetitive hydro-thermal iterations. A well-recognized difficulty is that solutions to these two sub-problems can oscillate between maximum and minimum generations with slight changes of multipliers (Guan et al., 1994; Chen, 1989). Consequently,
15-Hydroxyprostaglandin Dehydrogenase Protein Expression in Human Fetal Membranes With and Without Subclinical Inflammation

Prostaglandins play a central role in the stimulation and maintenance of both term and preterm labor. 15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (PGDH), localized primarily to chorion trophoblasts, is the key enzyme responsible for the metabolism of prostaglandins. In preterm chorion, levels of PGDH protein and activity were lower when compared to term and were further reduced with the presence of infection, but effects of subclinical inflammation and membrane rupture on PGDH expression are not known. Our objectives were (1) to determine the relative expression of PGDH in amnion and chorion and (2) to determine the effect of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and (3) subclinical inflammation on PGDH protein expression in preterm fetal membranes. Fetal membranes were collected from women with idiopathic preterm labor. Patients were divided into preterm birth (1) <32 weeks with PPROM (n = 6), (2) <32 weeks with intact membranes (n = 11), (3) ≥32 and <37 weeks with PPROM (n = 10), and (4) ≥32 and <37 weeks with intact membranes (n = 10). Different antibodies were used to detect protein expression and localization of PGDH in amnion and chorion from these patients using both Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Antibody T (AbT) localized PGDH to chorion trophoblasts, whereas antibody C (AbC) detected immunoreactive (ir) PGDH predominantly in the amnion mesenchyme. By Western blot, AbT showed a stronger 29-kDa ir-PGDH band whereas with AbC, a stronger 55-kDa ir-PGDH signal was detected. 55-kDa ir-PGDH was significantly higher in PPROM amnion, specifically in the <32 weeks group (P < .05) and with PPROM >24 hours (P < .05). No change was detected in the 29-kDa ir-PGDH in either amnion or chorion with gestational age or the presence and absence of PPROM. In addition, neither form of ir-PGDH was altered significantly with or without subclinical inflammation. ir-PGDH is detectable in both chorion trophoblasts and amnion, especially in the mesenchyme; however, the predominant form of the enzyme differs in the 2 tissues. PPROM and subclinical inflammation do not appear to affect the levels of 29-kDa ir-PGDH protein in the fetal membranes. The differential expression of 55-kDa ir-PGDH in preterm amnion with and without PPROM supports the need for a better understanding of the different forms of PGDH.
Revisiting Competencies for Hospitality Management: Contemporary Views of the Stakeholders

The portfolio of the hotel management competencies that graduates are required to posses seems to be central to the success of hospitality management education. In the past, a large number of researchers have examined the issue of hospitality management competencies and its implications for hospitality education. The present paper is aimed at investigating the management competencies required by graduate trainees in the hotel industry according to the views of the general managers of top Greek hotels and recent graduates of hospitality management courses. The survey outcomes are compared with those of three other similar studies that took place in three different countries. “Soft skills” were found to be among the most important competencies required by employers and recent graduates
Retinoic acid given at late embryonic stage depresses sonic hedgehog and Hoxd‐4 expression in the pharyngeal area and induces skeletal malformation in flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) embryos

During the development of pharyngeal cartilages, signal molecules, including sonic hedgehog (shh) and various growth factors, as well as Hox genes are expressed in the pharyngeal area. To elucidate whether shh and Hoxd‐4 function in pharyngeal cartilage formation in teleost jaw and gill primordia, spatial and temporal patterns of shh expression in flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) embryonic pharynx were examined. The effects of retinoic acid (RA) on shh and Hoxd‐4 expression and the patterning of pharyngeal cartilages were analyzed. At the prim‐5 stage, when cartilage precursor cells aggregate in the pharyngeal primordia, pharyngeal endoderm expressed shh in two domains, in portions of the mandibular and hyoid primordia and in the gill primordia. After a further 40 h, shh domains expanded at the posterior edge of the endoderm of each mandibular, hyoid and gill primordium, concurrent with the growth of the primordia. A new shh expression domain appeared at the endodermal border of the mouth. Retinoic acid treatment depressed shh and Hoxd‐4 expression, and also reduced the amount of expansion of the shh expression domains. Pharyngeal cartilages that formed in these embryos were malformed; their growth direction was shifted posteriorly and size was reduced. This provides the possibility that shh and Hoxd‐4 regulate the growth and direction of pharyngeal cartilage precursor cells and that RA disturbs their expression, causing skeletal malformation.
Polymyositis, dermatomyositis and inclusion-body myositis.

THE polymyositis and dermatomyositis complex encompasses a heterogeneous group of acquired muscle diseases called inflammatory myopathies because muscle weakness and inflammatory infiltrates within the skeletal muscles are the principal clinical and histologic findings.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Traditionally, polymyositis and dermatomyositis have been viewed as pathogenetically similar and part of the spectrum of "idiopathic" inflammatory myopathies,9 , 10 , 13 , 14 despite the variability in their clinical and laboratory characteristics, prognosis, and response to therapy. With the evolution over the past 10 years of rather well defined clinical, demographic, histologic, and immunopathological criteria and the identification of inclusion-body myositis as a distinct type of polymyositis,15 the inflammatory myopathies now .
Should we delight the customer?

Critics have suggested that delighting the customer “raises the bar” of customer expectations, making it more difficult to satisfy the customer in the next purchase cycle and hurting the firm in the long run. The authors explore this issue by using a mathematical model of delight, based on assumptions gathered from the customer satisfaction literature. Although delighting the customer heightens repurchase expectations and makes satisfying the customer more difficult in the future, and the delighting firm is injured by raised customer expectations, the (nondelighting) competition is hurt worse through customer attrition to the delighting firm. If customers forget delighting incidents to some degree from occasion to occasion, the delighting firm suffers if it is in a position to take customers from the competition. If taking customers from the competition is difficult, the delighting firm actually benefits from customer forgetting, because the same delighting experience can be repeated again, with the same effect.
The extreme C‐terminus of GluRδ2 is essential for induction of long‐term depression in cerebellar slices

Long‐term depression (LTD) of parallel fibre (PF)–Purkinje cell synapses in the cerebellum is recognized as a cellular substrate of motor learning. Although the δ2 glutamate receptor (GluRδ2) has been shown to be crucial for LTD, the mechanisms by which GluRδ2 functions remain elusive. In this study, we developed a virus vector‐based gene transfer approach to rescue impaired LTD in GluRδ2‐null Purkinje cells in cerebellar slice preparations. We demonstrated that LTD was restored in GluRδ2‐null Purkinje cells transduced with wild‐type but not with mutant GluRδ2, which lacked the PDZ‐ligand domain in the C‐terminus. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed no difference in expression levels or spine localization patterns between virally introduced wild‐type and mutant GluRδ2 proteins. Similarly, LTD was abrogated in Purkinje cells that had been acutely perfused with peptides, hampering the interaction of GluRδ2 with PDZ proteins such as PSD‐93, PTPMEG and S‐SCAM but not with delphilin. Together, these results indicate that PDZ proteins that bind to the C‐terminus of GluRδ2 are not essential for localizing GluRδ2 at synapses but are crucial for conveying signals necessary for the induction of LTD.
Evidence for the role of endothelium-derived relaxing factor in acetylcholine-induced vasodilatation in the intact lung.

The vascular effects of acetylcholine were evaluated in blood-free lungs of rabbits perfused in situ at a constant flow rate of 15 ml/min with Kreb's-bicarbonate solution containing 3% dextran. Infusion of 1 microM acetylcholine normally elicited vasoconstriction. However, acetylcholine (3.0 nM-1.0 microM) produced concentration-dependent vasodilatation when administered to lungs in which pulmonary artery pressure (i.e., perfusion pressure) was elevated and cyclooxygenase activity was blocked, respectively, by infusing the endoperoxide analog U46619 (2.0-10.0 nM) and 30.0 microM indomethacin. Three additional groups of lungs treated with indomethacin and preconstricted with U46619 were challenged twice with 1.0 microM acetylcholine. Two of the groups were equilibrated with an infusion of either 20.0 microM quinacrine or 10.0 microM ferrous hemoglobin before and during their second challenges with acetylcholine and a control group received no treatment between trials. Neither quinacrine nor hemoglobin altered base-line pulmonary artery pressure, but both agents reversed the effect of acetylcholine from vasodilatation to vasoconstriction. This study agrees with previous reports of a pulmonary vasoconstrictor action of acetylcholine dependent on an intact cyclooxygenase pathway, but also provides new evidence for a vasodilator action of acetylcholine in the intact lungs of rabbits. Quinacrine and hemoglobin are known to antagonize the endothelium-dependent relaxation of vascular smooth muscle elicited by acetylcholine; therefore, this study provides indirect evidence supporting a role for the endothelium-derived relaxing factor in the regulation of pulmonary vascular tone.