Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of risedronate in osteoporotic postmenopausal women with inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective, parallel, open-label, two-year extension study

Objective:To evaluate long-term efficacy of risedronate in osteoporotic postmenopausal patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Design:A prospective, parallel, open-label, 2-year extension study of a randomized, double-blind, 1-year clinical trial. Eighty-one osteoporotic postmenopausal women with IBD were treated with risedronate (n = 40) or placebo (n = 41). Bone mineral density (BMD), biochemical bone turnover markers, and vertebral and nonvertebral fractures were assessed throughout the study. Data were analyzed using the intent-to-treat principle. Results:Significant (P < 0.05) differences were observed between risedronate and placebo groups at 1-, 2-, and 3-year follow-up visits in bone turnover markers and in lumbar spine, trochanter, and femoral neck BMD. In partcipants treated with risedronate, the percentage of changes from baseline in bone turnover markers and in lumbar spine, trochanter, and femoral neck BMD were significantly (P < 0.05) higher at 2- and 3-year follow-up in comparison with baseline and 1-year follow-up, with a significant (P < 0.05) difference between the 2- and 3-year follow-up visits. At the end of the study, the cumulative risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the risedronate group than in the placebo group. The relative risk for new vertebral fractures was 0.456 (95% CI: 0.134-1.559, P = 0.211) and 0.296 (95% CI: 0.121-0.721, P = 0.007) and was 0.209 (95% CI: 0.023-1.867, P = 0.161) and 0.137 (95% CI: 0.030-0.620, P = 0.010), respectively, for new nonvertebral fractures after 2 and 3 years of risedronate treatment. Conclusions:In postmenopausal osteoporotic women with IBD, long-term treatment with risedronate is effective in increasing BMD and reducing vertebral and nonvertebral fracture risk.
Two year performance evaluation of different grid connected photovoltaic systems

The performance and energy produced by photovoltaic (PV) systems installed at any location depends to a great extent on the environmental conditions they are exposed to and their technology. This paper presents the two year evaluation of thirteen (13) different types of PV systems which have been evaluated under real conditions in Nicosia, Cyprus and Stuttgart, Germany. The fixed flat plate systems under test have shown an average annual energy yield (ac) of 1580 kWh/kWp with a solar irradiation at the plane of array (POA) of 1997 kWh/m2 for the first year of operation in Nicosia, whereas in Stuttgart the respective average energy yield (ac) was recorded to be 1194 kWh/kWp and the solar irradiation at the POA was 1460 kWh/m2. During the second year of operation, the fixed mounted average energy yield (ac) was 1609 kWh/kWp (+1.8%) and 1066 kWh/kWp (-10.7%) for the systems in Nicosia and Stuttgart respectively. The solar irradiation at the POA in Nicosia was 2050 kWh/m2, an increase of 2.6% from the first year and in Stuttgart, 1306 kWh/m2 showing a decrease of 10.5%. Accordingly the performance ratio (PR) on the ac side for the systems in Nicosia, was between 73% - 85% in the first year whereas in the second year between 70% - 84%. In Stuttgart the systems have shown higher ac PR than in Nicosia, in the range of 76.2% - 88.5% in the first year and 72.3% - 88.5% in the second year of operation.
Pelvic floor dysfunction and radical hysterectomy

Although the survival outcome for treated, early-stage, node-negative cervical cancer is excellent, the operation of radical hysterectomy conveys major morbidity, particularly with respect to bladder and bowel function. There may be some degree of spontaneous recovery, but a significant proportion of postoperative women will have to live with the disabling effects of surgery for decades, and few seek help for their distress. As such, quality of life issues have become highly relevant in the management of this disease, and attention has turned to reducing morbidity, especially to the pelvic viscera. This review presents an overview of the surgical mechanisms presumed to be responsible for pelvic floor denervation and describes subsequent bladder and bowel dysfunction, together with future possibilities for minimizing morbidity, including less radical, more individual surgery, and nerve-sparing techniques.
Trp replacements for tightly interacting Gly–Gly pairs in LacY stabilize an outward-facing conformation

Trp replacements for conserved Gly–Gly pairs between the N- and C-terminal six-helix bundles on the periplasmic side of lactose permease (LacY) cause complete loss of transport activity with little or no effect on sugar binding. Moreover, the detergent-solubilized mutants exhibit much greater thermal stability than WT LacY. A Cys replacement for Asn245, which is inaccessible/unreactive in WT LacY, alkylates readily in the Gly→Trp mutants, indicating that the periplasmic cavity is patent. Stopped-flow kinetic measurements of sugar binding with the Gly→Trp mutants in detergent reveal linear dependence of binding rates on sugar concentration, as observed with WT or the C154G mutant of LacY, and are compatible with free access to the sugar-binding site in the middle of the molecule. Remarkably, after reconstitution of the Gly→Trp mutants into proteoliposomes, the concentration dependence of sugar-binding rates increases sharply with even faster rates than measured in detergent. Such behavior is strikingly different from that observed for reconstituted WT LacY, in which sugar-binding rates are independent of sugar concentration because opening of the periplasmic cavity is limiting for sugar binding. The observations clearly indicate that Gly→Trp replacements, which introduce bulky residues into tight Gly–Gly interdomain interactions on the periplasmic side of LacY, prevent closure of the periplasmic cavity and, as a result, shift the distribution of LacY toward an outward-open conformation.
UNBUNDLING FINANCIAL IMPERFECTIONS: LENDING FRICTIONS VS. TRADING FRICTIONS

Two essential imperfections determine the degree of the financial sector development in an economy: lending frictions, which constrain the ability to extend loans to borrowers; and, trading frictions, which constrain the trading of these loans in secondary markets. I develop a dynamic general equilibrium model where long-term investment is the engine of growth to study macroeconomic consequences of financial development. In the model, long-term loans are extended to entrepreneurs in a primary market and then traded in a secondary market among financiers. In competitive equilibria, reductions in either lending or trading frictions enlarge the financial sector. Although financial deepening through low-cost lending is always welfare improving, financial deepening stimulated by low-cost trading could be detrimental to the society. I illustrate that a model qualitatively consistent with the U.S. financial development episode of the last 30 years should exhibit disproportionately large reductions in trading frictions relative to lending frictions.
Direct Grid Current Control of LCL-Filtered Grid-Connected Inverter Mitigating Grid Voltage Disturbance

A direct grid current control strategy for LCL-filtered grid-connected inverters is proposed in this paper. The conventional current control strategies are analyzed and compared, and then the necessity of direct grid current control is presented to mitigate the grid voltage disturbance. In the proposed control strategy, the virtual resistance based on the capacitance current is used to realize active damping, zero compensation is brought in to enhance the stability, and the proportional resonant (PR) controller under two-phase static coordinate is designed to track the ac reference current as well as to avoid the strong coupling brought by the coordinate transformation. Under the distortion grid voltage, the PR plus harmonic compensator (PR+HC) structure is adopted to restrain the distortion of the grid current. Finally, the proposed control strategy is verified by the experimental results.
Applying Computer Techniques in Maxillofacial Reconstruction Using a Fibula Flap: A Messenger and an Evaluation Method

While the application of computer-assisted maxillofacial surgery becomes increasingly popular, the translation from virtual models and surgical plans to actual bedside maneuvers and the evaluation of the repeatability of virtual planning remain to be major challenges. The objective of this study was to experiment the technique of using a resin template as a messenger in maxillofacial reconstruction involving a fibula flap. Another aim was to find a quantitative and objective method to evaluate the repeatability of preoperative planning. Seven patients who underwent maxillary or mandibular reconstruction were included in this study. The mean age was 25 years, and the mean follow-up period was 18.7 months. Virtual planning was carried out before surgery. A resin template was made according to the virtual design of bone graft through rapid prototyping technique and served as a guide when surgeons shaped the fibula flap during surgery. The repeatability of the virtual plan was evaluated based on the matching percentage between the actual postoperative model and the computer-generated outcome. All patients demonstrated satisfactory clinical outcomes. The mean repeatability was 87.5% within 1 mm and 96.5% within 2 mm in isolated bone graft. It was 71.4% within 1 mm and 89.9% within 2 mm in reconstructed mandible or maxilla. These results demonstrated that a resin template based on virtual plan and rapid prototyping technique is a reliable messenger to translate from computer modeling to bedside surgical procedures. The repeatability of a virtual plan can be easily and quantitatively evaluated through our three-dimensional differential analysis method.
The effect of training load on neuromuscular performance, muscle soreness and wellness during an in-season non-competitive week in elite rugby athletes.

BACKGROUND In the elite rugby setting, it is critical to understand the effects of training load on the levels of fatigue, soreness and readiness of the athletes. METHODS The training load, wellness, neuromuscular markers of fatigue and various perceptual measures of soreness of 16 elite rugby athletes were monitored during a training week. Training load was obtained for field training sessions, extra conditioning and gym-based sessions. Perceptual fatigue was obtained every morning from a 5-item wellness questionnaire and a questionnaire on the muscle soreness of 9 different muscle sites from each side of the body. Neuromuscular performance was obtained from a countermovement jump. RESULTS Although the training performed on day 4 had a significantly (P<0.05) greater load in comparison to training days 1 and 2, muscle soreness and neuromuscular performance were more adversely effected after the cumulative workloads of days 1 and 2. Moreover, the effect of training load on muscle soreness was only evident in the lower body muscles. Data from the present study also suggest that two days off training are adequate for complete recovery from a high load training week in elite rugby athletes. There were no significant differences in soreness ratings between left and right sides for any of the 9 muscles sites. CONCLUSIONS There was a clear effect of training load on soreness and neuromuscular fatigue, with greater fatigue following two training days in a row when compared to a single training day. Monitoring soreness from different lower body muscle sites may provide important information that relates to the fatigue levels of rugby athletes and therefore it is recommended to be included as part of the training load monitoring protocol.
The determinants of gasoline demand in some Latin American countries

This paper analyses the sensitivity of gasoline demand in a series of Latin American countries. Pricing policies and in particular transport fuel taxes are important instruments to come to grips with environmental threats, both at the local level of urban air pollution and for such international issues as global warming. In order to design policy instruments such as gasoline taxes, road pricing schemes or other measures, we need to know more about the determinants of gasoline demand elasticities. This paper provides some estimates of the price and income elasticities, in Latin America. It is an interesting issue in itself to see if these elasticities, which are a measure of economic flexibility, are different from their corresponding values in the OECD. The study estimates several traditional models using time series, crosssection and pooled methods, on the same data set, to analyse yearly gasoline consumption in the Latin American countries. One of the conclusions is that gasoline demand is quite sensitive to price, especially in the long run and that gasoline taxes should therefore be of considerable interest as a tool for environmental policy.
Functional food for pregnant, lactating women and in perinatal nutrition: a role for dietary fibres?

Purpose of reviewIf the benefits of dietary fibre in healthy adults have extensively been studied, little information is available on the specific needs of pregnant, lactating women or foetus. As far as infants are concerned, milk oligosaccharides are supposed to be the optimal ‘dietary fibre’. The supplementation of infant formula with prebiotic oligosaccharides is still discussed. However, recent studies provide a large amount of information, allowing a new discussion on this topic. Recent findingsMost recent findings are linked to the involvement of dietary fibre in occurrence or prevention of obesity. The multiple mechanisms appear more clearly than earlier. This finding will soon allow appropriate counselling for young mothers at risk of obesity and/or postpartum retention weight, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. Another area which benefits from recent research is the use of prebiotics in formula. SummaryPregnancy is a critical period during which many physiologic changes occurred and is associated with several gut disorders and metabolic diseases. Dietary fibre may be helpful in the prevention and management of these diseases. Lactation and pregnancy are two phases during which food consumption of the mother can interact with the physiology of the baby. Moreover, the use of formula supplemented in oligosaccharides is able to compensate for the lack of some of the complex molecules naturally present in human milk.
A systematic approach to analyse the harmonic distortion in industry

This paper presents a systematic approach to harmonic distortion analysis in industrial power networks based on remote acquisition systems with local sensor networks. The use of low-cost synchronous-acquisition remote units with Ethernet communication and computational analysis programs is proposed, providing the capability of remotely study the propagation of harmonic disturbances in industrial installations, including the quantification of the voltage and current waveforms harmonic content, based on recent harmonics analysis techniques. This concept is implemented in an industrial plant and their results are analyzed. The active filtering technique is addressed, including the sizing and implementation of an active filter and the estimation of the respective return on investment, which is compared to the use of a conventional capacitor-based power factor compensation system.
Advanced CMOS technology portfolio for RF IC applications

A high quality 90-nm CMOS-based technology portfolio suitable for various RF IC applications is presented. The portfolio is built up by a wide selection of active and passive components and a user-friendly process design kit (PDK). Layout-optimized RF components are studied in details including state-of-the-art 90 nm RFMOS devices with 120-160 GHz f/sub T/ and very low noise figures, varactors with tradeoff between quality factor and tuning ratio, precision capacitors with metal-insulator-metal and metal-over-metal schemes, and a variety of inductor structures suitable for different RF designs. The effectiveness for isolating substrate RF noise is also compared among several layout schemes. Finally the guidelines and requirements for constructing a useful PDK are addressed.
Inhaled iloprost is a potent acute pulmonary vasodilator in HIV‐related severe pulmonary hypertension

As antiretroviral therapy has improved life expectancy in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the life-limiting complication of HIV‐related pulmonary hypertension has come into focus. Inhalation of the stable prostacyclin analogue iloprost is an effective treatment for various forms of precapillary pulmonary hypertension. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of inhaled iloprost in HIV‐related pulmonary hypertension. In eight patients with severe pulmonary hypertension related to HIV infection, right heart and femoral artery catheterisation were performed. The acute effect of oxygen, inhaled nitric oxide and aerosolised iloprost was investigated. Four patients underwent long-term treatment with inhaled iloprost. The rank order of pulmonary vasodilatory potency was iloprost>NO>O2, with a maximum reduction (mean±sem) in pulmonary vascular resistance of 30.6±3.1% (p<0.001), 5.9±3.9% and −0.6±3.9%, respectively. Concomitantly, inhaled iloprost significantly increased the cardiac index and central venous oxygen saturation. Chronic treatment with inhaled iloprost tended to improve the 6 min walking distance and decreased pulmonary vascular resistance in all patients (although not significantly). No serious adverse events and no major interactions with the ongoing antiretroviral therapy were noted. In conclusion, inhaled iloprost is a potent pulmonary vasodilator in human immune deficiency virus-related pulmonary hypertension. Future studies are warranted to confirm the encouraging long-term beneficial results observed in the present limited number of patients.
Free Will and the Brain Disease Model of Addiction: The Not So Seductive Allure of Neuroscience and Its Modest Impact on the Attribution of Free Will to People with an Addiction

Free will has been the object of debate in the context of addiction given that addiction could compromise an individual's ability to choose freely between alternative courses of action. Proponents of the brain-disease model of addiction have argued that a neuroscience perspective on addiction reduces the attribution of free will because it relocates the cause of the disorder to the brain rather than to the person, thereby diminishing the blame attributed to the person with an addiction. Others have worried that such displacement of free will attribution would make the person with a drug addiction less responsible. Using the paradigmatic literature on the seductive allure of neuroscience explanations, we tested whether neuroscience information diminishes attributions of free will in the context of addiction and whether respondent characteristics influence these attributions and modulate the effect of neuroscience information. We performed a large-scale, web-based experiment with 2,378 German participants to explore how attributions of free will in the context of addiction to either alcohol or cocaine are affected by: (1) a text with a neurobiological explanation of addiction, (2) a neuroimage showing effects of addiction on the brain, and (3) a combination of a text and a neuroimage, in comparison to a control group that received no information. Belief in free will was measured using the FAD-Plus scale and was, subsequent to factor analysis, separated into two factors: responsibility and volition. The investigated respondent characteristics included gender, age, education, self-reported knowledge of neuroscience, substance-use disorder (SUD), and having a friend with SUD. We found that attributions of volition (in the cocaine-subsample) were reduced in the text and neuroimage-treatment compared to the control group. However, respondent characteristics such as education and self-reported knowledge of neuroscience were associated with lower attributions of responsibility for both substances, and education was associated with lower attribution of volition for the alcohol sub-sample. Interaction analyses showed that knowledge of neuroscience was found to generally decrease attribution of responsibility. Further research on attribution of free will should consider the effects of context and respondent characteristics, which appeared surprisingly larger than those induced by experimental treatments.
Cloud Computing and Green Management

Global warming, climate change, damage of ecological resources, and environmental pollution have seriously influenced and threatened human life quality as well as health. Therefore, it is very important for all business and industry to fully carry out the 6R principles including research, reduce, reuse, recycle, rescue, and revive and then the warming condition can become better. In order to control the principles of green management 6R, we research, reduce, reuse, recycle, rescue and revive contains regenerate, refresh or recovery for administrative organization and administrative environment. Cloud computing has been regarded as the most potential solution of information technology (IT). It not only reduces the consumption of paper but advances the IT level too. Based on these advantages, cloud computing has stridden into green management industry with energy-saving and high efficiency from the booming IT field.
Evaluation of heart rate recovery in relation to playing position in professional soccer players.

AIM The aim of the study was the evaluation of the autonomic cardiac function in professional soccer players by heart rate recovery (HRR) measurement after 1' or 2' of active recovery (HRR1 or HRR2, respectively) from an exercise stress test. METHODS Ninety-two adult professional soccer players (aged 25.27 ± 4.06 years). The exercise test was performed using a cycle ergometer with a ramp protocol. The subjects began with a load of 25W that was increased by 3W every 6 seconds, followed by an active recovery phase. We assessed the heart rate at rest (HRr), the PR interval, the QT and QTc intervals, the QRS axis, the QRS duration, the maximal heart rate, and the heart rate and heart rate recovery after 1 or 2 minutes from suspension of the load. RESULTS The HRR1 was significantly slower (20.53 SD 6.67) among goalkeepers in comparison with other roles (HRR1 30.7 SD 6.62; P<0.01). There were also significant differences among the HRR1 values of forwards (27.11 SD 4.04), midfielders (HRR1 31.31 SD 7.43), and defenders (HRR1 32.10 SD 9.55). Goalkeepers had a significantly higher heart rate at rest (HRr, 65.69 SD 10.90) than other players (HRr 57.24 SD 6.21; P<0.01). CONCLUSION These data show better autonomic function in roles with alternate aerobic-anaerobic activity compared to other roles. The results agree with the data in other literature about the positive action of intense aerobic-anaerobic physical activity on cardiovascular autonomic system adjustment.
Discussion of The Determinants of Firm-Specific Corporate Governance Arrangements, IFRS Adoption, and the Informativeness of Accounting Reports: Evidence from Brazil

ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is to present a discussion of the article “The Determinants of Firm-Specific Corporate Governance Arrangements, IFRS Adoption, and the Informativeness of Accounting Reports: Evidence from Brazil,” which was presented in the Third International Conference of the Journal of International Accounting Research (JIAR). This discussion considers the paper's research questions, hypotheses, and design, as well as the setting in which the study was conducted. In my opinion, the paper's main contribution is to present evidence of a “National Bonding Hypothesis,” where companies with significant growth opportunities located in emerging economies voluntarily subject themselves to higher standards of corporate governance, which in turn impact the quality of their financial reports.