Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Socio Economic Characteristics of Self Help Group Tribal Women in Nilgiris District, India

Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu was purposively selected because it is one of the districts where the percentage of tribal population is higher and the tribal SHGs are actively functioning. Kotagiri and Gudalur blocks were selected based on the presence of NGOs specifically working for the tribes. Among these NGOs, NAWA (Nilgiris International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 11 (2017) pp. 3988-3991 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
The Structure and Functional Zonation of the Human Adrenal Cortex

adult pattern is established. If in the adult the pituitary is removed the 17-oxosteroid response to ACTH returns to that characteristic of the prepubertal child. In women with hirsutism which is not due to a tumour of the adrenal or ovary the 1 7-oxosteroid response to ACTH is usually greater than normal. The same applies to some men who have lost their Leydig cell function. The reverse is true in patients with delayed puberty and women with testosterone-secreting tumours. These facts suggest that the adrenal precursors of urinary 1 7-oxosteroids are controlled by a hormone other than ACTH and that there is integration in the overall production of some precursors from both adrenal and gonad. There is suggestive evidence that the human pituitary contains a factor which potentiates adrenal 17-oxosteroid synthesis.
Phase- and density-dependent population dynamics in Norwegian lemmings: interaction between deterministic and stochastic processes

We analysed two 26–year long (1970 to 1995) time–series on annual population growth rates of Norwegian lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) from Finse, south Norway, using a threshold autoregressive (TAR) approach. We demonstrate that the population dynamics is both phase– and density–dependent. The phase–dependence accounts for the observed nonlinearity. We used the deduced stochastic model structure as a basis for evaluating the dynamic properties of this system. The dynamics is characterized either by limit cycles or chaos (the latter with a strong semi–periodic component). Stochasticity is seen to play an important role in the determination of the periodicity. The ecological implications of these statistical and mathematical results are discussed.
Hepatoprotection in bile duct ligated mice mediated by darbepoetin-α is not caused by changes in hepatobiliary transporter expression.

AIMS Darbepoetin-α (DPO), a long-acting erythropoietin analog, has been shown to protect the liver against cholestatic injury, to exert an antifibrotic effect, and to increase the survival time in a model of common bile duct ligation. Here we evaluate whether these tissue-protective effects are caused by DPO induced regulation of hepatobiliary transporters. MAIN METHODS C57BL/6J mice underwent common bile duct ligation and were treated with either DPO or physiological saline. Time dependent (2, 5, 14, 28 days after bile duct ligation) protein expression of different hepatobiliary transporters which have been established to play an important role in hepatocellular (i) bile acid uptake, (ii) bile acid excretion, and (iii) retrograde bile acid efflux were assessed. mRNA and protein expression of Lhx2, an important negative regulator of hepatic stellate cell activation, was determined. KEY FINDINGS Saline treated cholestatic mice impress with increased mRNA expression of Lhx2 as a defense mechanism, while there is less need for such an upregulation in mice treated with DPO. Whereas Ntcp (slc10a1) protein expression is suppressed as early as 2 days after bile duct ligation to 40% in untreated animals, DPO treated mice exhibit decreased protein level not before day 5. Similarly, the steady decline of Mrp4 (abcc4) protein level during extrahepatic cholestasis in control treated animals does not occur upon DPO application. SIGNIFICANCE The collected data show that DPO affects expression of hepatobilliary transporters during obstructive cholestasis but do not provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate a direct correlation between this regulation and hepatoprotection by DPO.
Spectrum of Mutations in Long-QT Syndrome Genes: KVLQT1, HERG, SCN5A, KCNE1, and KCNE2

BackgroundLong-QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiovascular disorder characterized by prolongation of the QT interval on ECG and presence of syncope, seizures, and sudden death. Five genes have been implicated in Romano-Ward syndrome, the autosomal dominant form of LQTS:KVLQT1, HERG, SCN5A, KCNE1, and KCNE2. Mutations in KVLQT1 and KCNE1 also cause the Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome, a form of LQTS associated with deafness, a phenotypic abnormality inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. Methods and ResultsWe used mutational analyses to screen a pool of 262 unrelated individuals with LQTS for mutations in the 5 defined genes. We identified 134 mutations in addition to the 43 that we previously reported. Eighty of the mutations were novel. The total number of mutations in this population is now 177 (68% of individuals). ConclusionsKVLQT1 (42%) and HERG (45%) accounted for 87% of identified mutations, and SCN5A (8%), KCNE1 (3%), and KCNE2 (2%) accounted for the other 13%. Missense mutations were most common (72%), followed by frameshift mutations (10%), in-frame deletions, and nonsense and splice-site mutations (5% to 7% each). Most mutations resided in intracellular (52%) and transmembrane (30%) domains; 12% were found in pore and 6% in extracellular segments. In most cases (78%), a mutation was found in a single family or an individual.
Coercive pressures on occupational health and safety disclosures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors explaining voluntary occupational health and safety disclosures (OHSDs). Design/methodology/approach Annual report disclosures of 223 Indonesia Stock Exchange listed companies for the year ending 2007 are analyzed. The OHSD components of the 2006 Global Reporting Initiative guidelines are used as the disclosure index checklist. Findings The results show that approximately 30 percent of Indonesian listed companies provide OHSD. The most disclosed item is health and safety programs. Logistical regression analysis reveals that industry type and international operations significantly influence the propensity to provide OHSD. These findings suggest that coercive isomorphism partially explains OHSD practices in Indonesia. Research limitations/implications The main implications of the findings are that Indonesian listed companies generally have poor health and safety information disclosure sets and largely ignore the potential roles of their workers in any health and safety committees. Originality/value This paper provides insights into the disclosure practices of occupational health and safety issues, a vital subset of corporate social responsibility disclosure which is still under-researched. The paper also empirically investigates the key determinants of OHSD, an empirical test which is largely ignored in past OHSD-related studies.
Mobile Terminal Location for MIMO Communication Systems

We propose a novel approach in the context of multiple-input multiple-output communication systems to determine the position of mobile terminals based on estimated multipath signal parameters such as angle-of-arrival, angle-of-departure and delay-of-arrival using only one base station. This approach minimizes the errors occurring from the estimation of multipath parameters and gives the position of the mobile terminal by simultaneously resolving a set of algebraic location equations. The root-mean-square (RMS) errors are measured and compared with the Cramer-Rao lower bound to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.
ASSESSMENT OF ICT APPLICATION BY SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES IN THE KENYAN PROFESSIONAL SERVICE INDUSTRY: A CASE OF SMES LOCATED ALONG MPAKA ROAD (WESTLANDS)

Purpose: The study was an assessment of ICT application by small and medium sized enterprises in the Kenyan professional service industry, a case of SMEs located along Mpaka road (Westlands). Methodology: A descriptive survey design was used as it was appropriate for reporting the way things are. A population of 124 SMEs gave rise to a sample of 25 SMES (20% of population) which were selected on a stratified non random sampling technique. The data collection instrument was a self-report questionnaire and the data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. It was then presented using graphs and charts Results: Findings in this study indicated that though majority of SMES used various forms of ICT, they did not have faxes and internet connection. In addition, the SMEs did not use a website as an advertising tool since they did not have one and also didn’t use faxes for transmitting documents such as quotations and invoices. The challenges facing ICT use by SMEs were financial in nature, infrastructural in nature and capacity (training in nature). Benefits accruing to SMEs were as delineated in literature review though regional expansion was not applicable to SMEs in the study. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended that there should be facilitation of training through workshops and courses on ICT, bridging the financial gap for SMEs, improvement in infrastructure and the internet backbone and a policy frame work on SMEs. Areas of further studies included a relationship analysis between the use of ICT and the financial performance, customer satisfaction, and staff morale in the context of SMEs.
Clinical relevance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, PD-L1 expression and correlation with HPV/p16 in head and neck cancer treated with bio- or chemo-radiotherapy

ABSTRACT To investigate the prognostic value of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs: CD8+ and FoxP3+), and PD-L1 expression in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with radiotherapy combined with cisplatin (CRT) or cetuximab (BRT). Immunohistochemistry for CD8, FoxP3 was performed on pretreatment tissue samples of 77 HNSCC patients. PD-L1 results were evaluable in 38 patients. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the correlations of these biomarkers expression with clinicopathological characteristics and treatment outcomes. High CD8+ TILs level was identified in multivariate analysis (MVA) as an independent prognostic factor for improved progression-free survival with a non-significant trend for better overall survival (OS). High FoxP3+ TILs and PD-L1+ correlated with a favorable OS in the uni-variate analysis, respectively, but not in the MVA. In subgroup analysis, CD8+TILs appear to play a pivotal role, p16+/high CD8+TILs patients had superior 5-year OS compared with p16+/low CD8+TILs, p16-/ high CD8+TILs, and p16-/ low CD8+TILs patients. p16+/PD-L1+ patients had improved 3-year OS compared with p16+/PD-L1-, p16-/ PD-L1+, and p16-/ PD-L1- patients. In low CD8+ TILs tumors, 5-year loco-regional control of patients treated with CRT was improved vs. those with BRT (p = 0.01) while no significant difference in high CD8+ TILs was observed. CD8+ TILs correlated with an improved clinical outcome in HNSCC patients independent of Human papillomavirus status. The immunobiomarkers may provide information for selecting suitable patients for cisplatin or cetuximab treatment. Additionally, the impact of TILs and PD-L1 of deciphering among the p16+ population a very favorable outcome population could be of interest for patients tailored approaches.
The Strain Magnitude and Contact Guidance Determine Orientation Response of Fibroblasts to Cyclic Substrate Strains

When grown in a substrate subjected to cyclic stretching, most types of cells change orientations. This cell orientation response (COR) has been shown to be driven by axial substrate strain (the strain beneath and along a cell's long axis). However, it remains unclear whether COR depends on the strain direction (tension vs compression). Furthermore, in vitro COR is paradoxical, since in vivo fibroblasts align along collagen fibers and hence the stretch direction. We hypothesized that COR does not depend on the surface strain direction, and that contact guidance provided by microgrooves can maintain cell alignment in the presence of cyclic stretching. Human skin fibroblasts were cultured on compliant smooth and micro-grooved surfaces in silicone dishes. Cyclic uniaxial tensile and compressive strains (4%, 8% and 12%) were applied on the dishes at 1 Hz for 24 h. Cell orientation distributions were determined and compared using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Significant differences were found between each of cell orientation distributions with the applied strains and that without strains (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, no significant differences were found between two cell orientation distributions for each pair of opposite strains applied (for 4%, p = 0.33; for 8%, p = 0.18; and for 12%, p = 0.32). Moreover, fibroblasts grown in microgrooves aligned in the groove direction and remained so after 8% cyclic stretch. Thus, this study showed that COR is the cells' avoidance to substrate deformation (i.e., strain-direction independent). It also suggested that the failure of fibroblasts to change orientations in vivo may result from the contact guidance provided by collagen fibers.
Challenges and opportunities of silent commerce - applying Radio Frequency Identification technology

This research paper investigates applications of Radio Frequency Technology (RFID) as an application of ubiquitous commerce. RFID has a wide application in the supply chain but still is very limited for customer support. This study introduces the concept of the Silent CRM (s-CRM) which is an application of RFID to proactively support customer needs. Challenges of RFID application within companies, outside of companies and about the technology itself are discussed as well.
Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and quantitative trait analyses across a major phylogeographical break in the Mediterranean ragwort Senecio gallicus Vill. (Asteraceae)

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and quantitative trait variation of the widespread and ephemeral Senecio gallicus were surveyed in 11 populations sampled from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. The aim of the study was to compare population relationships and levels of geographical differentiation with chloroplast (cp) DNA and allozyme variation assessed previously in the same populations. Employing multivariate statistics, a moderate level of intraspecific differentiation was observed among populations from Iberian coastal and inland regions for both RAPDs and quantitative traits. However, RAPDs provided greater resolution in identifying additional population structure within the hypothesized, Pleistocene refugial source area of the species in coastal Iberia. A major part of the geographical subdivision in RAPD and quantitative traits was concordant with the coastal vs. inland divergence as previously inferred from cpDNA haplotype frequencies, but strongly contrasted with the geographical uniformity of the species for allozymes. This concordance across various nuclear and cytoplasmic markers (RAPDs/quantitative traits, cpDNA) suggests that geographical uniformity for allozymes is more attributable to low rates of evolution and/or small genome sampling rather than high rates of pollen dispersal, slow rates of nuclear lineage sorting, or indirect balancing selection. The present study underscores the value of using additional classes of nuclear markers for narrowing the numbers of competing causal hypotheses about intraspecific cpDNA–allozyme discrepancies and their underlying evolutionary processes.
Considerations on Gastronomic Tourism as a Component of Sustainable Local Development

Tourism is a multi-faced activity that links the economic, social and environmental components of sustainability. Firstly, this research analyses residents’ perceptions of the impact of tourism development and examines the factors that influence the support for sustainable tourism development. Secondly, the research discusses Community Based Tourism (CBT) and its positive impact of tourism development; CBT is connected to community’s capacity to protect itself from outside threats by negotiating the quality of tourism development. Thirdly, Gastronomic Tourism development is depicted as an interaction between outside developers and local residents that ultimately builds a sustainable dialogue for growth of tourism. Usually, the partnerships established between local community residents and outside tourism developers began with initial resistance from residents and led to the following sequence of behaviour: town meetings, formal organization of residents, petitioning, public demonstration, and legal action. By examining collective action narratives in the study communities, a framework for sustainable rural tourism development is built to understand relationships between tourism impacts, sustainable development and community identity. Findings indicate that residents see tourism as a development factor. The natural, economic, and social-cultural environment as well as infrastructure, age, gender and education are factors that influence the sustainable development of tourism and gastronomic tourism.
A Bi-Level Genetic Model for Competitive Capacitated Facility Location

Competitive optimization includes a wide class of optimization problems which is associated with games theory. However, the focus of researchers is given on the facility location problem with respect to competitive conditions. In this paper, capacitated facilities location problem for two competitors (Leader and Follower) which seek to attract customers and maximize their own benefit in a competitive environment is modeled. Limited capacity for the facilities accords with real-world situations, and since it is possible not to provide some of the customer’s demand, the problem gets complicated. Therefore, in proposed bi-level model, in addition to consideration of customer rejection by the facility, the attractiveness of facilities for the customers is taken into account based on proximity. Finally, a bi-level genetic algorithm is designed for this model and its effectiveness is examined by analyzing the results of the common problems in literature.
Analysis of Cell Types Identifiable In Air‐Dried Cell Preparations of Human Testis

Abstract. The mixed cell population of the testicular epithelium has been studied in air‐dried cell preparations obtained from a testicular biopsy. Observed cell types are defined, quantified and assigned to cell stages of the spermatogenic cycle. Studies with tritiated thymidine helped to categorize the spermatogonial cell types. Variation in cell size within cell categories, variation in frequency of cells in different categories within individuals, and variation in frequency of cells within categories between individuals were subjected to quantitative analysis.
Why and how do journals retract articles? An analysis of Medline retractions 1988–2008

Background Journal editors are responsible for what they publish and therefore have a duty to correct the record if published work is found to be unreliable. One method for such correction is retraction of an article. Anecdotal evidence suggested a lack of consistency in journal policies and practices regarding retraction. In order to develop guidelines, we reviewed retractions in Medline to discover how and why articles were retracted. Methods We retrieved all available Medline retractions from 2005 to 2008 and a one-in-three random selection of those from 1988 to 2004. This yielded 312 retractions (from a total of 870). Details of the retraction including the reason for retraction were recorded by two investigators. Results Medline retractions have increased sharply since 1980 and currently represent 0.02% of included articles. Retractions were issued by authors (63%), editors (21%), journals (6%), publishers (2%) and institutions (1%). Reasons for retraction included honest error or non-replicable findings (40%), research misconduct (28%), redundant publication (17%) and unstated/unclear (5%). Some of the stated reasons might have been addressed by corrections. Conclusions Journals' retraction practices are not uniform. Some retractions fail to state the reason, and therefore fail to distinguish error from misconduct. We have used our findings to inform guidelines on retractions.
Web-Based System for Software Requirements Quality Analysis Using Case-Based Reasoning and Neural Network

The overall success of a software project depends on the quality of its software requirements specifications (SRS). Hence, it is very important to get the requirements correct from the onset of the project. This research paper proposes a web-based system to perform SRS quality analysis using Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). CBR is an AI technique that learns and deduces solutions based on past cases or experiences that are stored in a case base. However, when the case base becomes very large, the “Retrieve” phase of CBR becomes very tedious. So, in this research, we use ANN to improve the retrieval phase within the CBR. ANN measures the similarity of the new case against all existing cases in the case base. This results in a more efficient method of performing quality analysis for a given SRS document.
Corporate Entrepreneurship and Firm Boundaries: a Case Study

Corporate entrepreneurship is basically one of the most important ways to achieve higher growth and continued successes for contemporary enterprises in the ever-competing environment. Penrose (1960) argued that available resources limit expansion; unused resources stimulate and largely determine the direction of expansion. However, the data of our case study show that firms expand upwardly to prevent the lack of materials and extend to other industries by means of the production techniques of the materials. We also find that firm boundaries are decided not only by available resources of firms, but also by corporate entrepreneurship.
Incidence of contrast nephropathy in patients receiving comprehensive intravenous and oral hydration.

BACKGROUND Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) remains a major complication of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and a common cause of acute renal failure. The most effective preventive strategy is unknown. OBJECTIVES This study sought to estimate the incidence of CIN in patients receiving comprehensive intravenous and oral volume supplementation for PCI during which iopromide (Ultravist 370, Schering, Berlin, Germany) was used. METHODS We prospectively studied the development of CIN in 425 consecutive patients undergoing PCI, applying comprehensive intravenous and oral hydration in all patients. Baseline renal function was assessed by calculating the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) with the use of the abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study equation. CIN was defined as an increase in serum creatinine of at least 0.5 mg/dl (44 mmol/l) within 48 hours. RESULTS Mean patients' age (mean +/- SD) was 64 +/- 10 years. A total of 133/425 patients (31%) were 70 years or older, 107 (25%) were women, 70 (16%) were diabetics, 218 (51%) had prior myocardial infarction, and 43 (10%) underwent PCI for an acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Mean GFR was 89 ml/min/1.73 m2. Glomerular filtration rate was below 60 ml/min/ 1.73 m2 in 43 patients (10%). During PCI 226 +/- 80 ml of iopromide were used. With the comprehensive hydration strategy used, CIN developed in only 6 of 425 (1.4%; 95% confidence interval 0.5-3.1%) patients. No patient required dialysis. CONCLUSIONS Applying the combination of intravenous and oral volume supplementation results in a very low incidence of CIN following PCI. Hydration remains the cornerstone for the prevention of CIN.