Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Profile and Risk Factors for Keratoplasty and Development of Hydrops in North Indian Patients With Keratoconus

Purpose: To review the profile of Indian patients with keratoconus and evaluate risk factors for keratoplasty and development of hydrops. Methods: In this prospective observational study, 120 consecutive patients with bilateral or unilateral keratoconus presenting to the cornea services of a large, tertiary care ophthalmic center were evaluated. A detailed history including information about the age at onset of symptoms, nature of ocular complaints, and so on was taken. Investigations included visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, keratometry, pachymetry, and videokeratography. Results: There were 76 males and 44 females (mean age at presentation was 20.07 ± 6.4 years). Five percent families revealed a positive family history. Earlier age at onset (P = 0.002) and eye rubbing (P = 0.02) were found significantly associated with increased risk for surgery. Eyes undergoing surgery had steeper corneas, lower best-corrected visual acuity, corneal scarring, and vernal keratoconjunctivitis were significant risk factors (P values: 0.001, 0.0001, and 0.04, respectively). Hydrops represents a significant independent risk factor for surgery (P = 0.0001). Patients with younger age at onset (P value 0.01), history of eye rubbing (P value 0.02), and atopy (P value 0.01) had higher risk for developing corneal hydrops. Conclusion: This knowledge of risk factors should enable clinicians and patients to make more informed decisions regarding the management of keratoconus.
Assessing progress of Parkinson's disease using acoustic analysis of phonation

This paper deals with a complex acoustic analysis of phonation in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with a special focus on estimation of disease progress that is described by 7 different clinical scales (e. g. Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale or Beck depression inventory). The analysis is based on parametrization of 5 Czech vowels pronounced by 84 PD patients. Using classification and regression trees we estimated all clinical scores with maximal error lower or equal to 13 %. Best estimation was observed in the case of Mini-mental state examination (MAE = 0.77, estimation error 5.50 %). Finally, we proposed a binary classification based on random forests that is able to identify Parkinson's disease with sensitivity SEN = 92.86% (SPE = 85.71 %). The parametrization process was based on extraction of 107 speech features quantifying different clinical signs of hypokinetic dysarthria present in PD.
A review of fatigue in fishermen: a complicated and underprioritised area of research.

BACKGROUND Fatigue in fishing has been a highly underprioritised area of research, even though fatigue has been found to be the largest single contributing factor in accidents. AIM The aim of this article/paper is to provide an overview of the research conducted on fatigue in fishermen up to date, in order to establish a starting point for further research in this area. MATERIALS AND METHODS The review is mainly based on journal articles from PubMed, Google Scholar, International Maritime Health, Science Direct and some relevant articles links were also followed. RESULTS The research revealed that only 5 articles have been published concerning fatigue in fishermen.The articles all confirmed that fatigue is a serious health and safety issue among fishermen, and that further research therefore is warranted. CONCLUSIONS Only 2 of the 5 studies of fishermen's fatigue used objective measures and in one of these, the sample size was small (n = 19), effectively limiting the statistical analysis and its application. Further research using larger samples is needed, preferably with a mix of objective and subjective measures, where of some of the questions should be scenario based and some should be from standardised questionnaires. Greater understanding is also needed to assess how much of the variance in fatigue is attributable to e.g. length of trip, hours of work without rest, and type of job and specific tasks. A greater understanding of the similarities and differences between acute and long-term fatigue is also needed.
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF AN AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER IN MALAYSIA

This preliminary study examines the supply chain management (SCM) practices implemented at an automobile manufacturing firm operating in Malaysia. The case companys performance measurement system and the accountants role in the SCM processes are also examined. The case findings indicate that supply chain planning, long term partnership with suppliers, communication and trust form the basis of effective SCM practices in the selected case company. Contrary to the literature, efforts dedicated to measure and monitor supply chain performance holistically within the case company is still scarce. The findings also suggest that despite the wide use of management accounting tools and practices in SCM processes, accountantsrole in the SCM processes is limited. This initial findings offer some insights on the SCM practices in an automotive manufacturing industry. A next step from this exploratory research could be the development of a framework exploring the impact of SCM practices on organizational performance.
Seleção de Casos de Teste para Agentes Racionais

Agentes racionais consistem em uma tecnologia da computacao promissora para o desenvolvimento de sistemas distribuidos complexos. Apesar dos referenciais disponiveis para orientar o projetista desses agentes, existem poucas tecnicas de testes propostas para validar esses sistemas. Sabe-se que essa validacao depende dos casos de teste selecionados os quais devem providenciar informacoes a respeito dos componentes na estrutura do agente que estao com desempenho insatisfatorio. Este trabalho apresenta uma formulacao para o problema de selecao de casos de teste de agentes racionais atraves de uma abordagem solucao fundamentada em um agente orientado por utilidade para selecionar casos de teste atraves de metaheuristicas baseadas em populacao para testar o desempenho dos agentes racionais. Para cada caso de teste sao realizadas as interacoes entre Agente e Ambiente para obter a avaliacao de desempenho correspondente. Como resultado, obtem-se um conjunto de casos de teste nos quais o agente nao foi bem avaliado, com a respectiva avaliacao. A partir desse resultado, a abordagem identifica os objetivos que nao estao sendo satisfeitos e as falhas apresentadas pelo agente e repassa ao projetista.
Conditional preference nets for user and item cold start problems in music recommendation

A great amount of data is usually needed for a recommender system to learn the associations between users and items. However, in practical applications, new users and new items emerge everyday, and the system has to react to them promptly. The ability to recommend proper items to new users affects the users' first impression and accordingly the retention rate, whereas recommending new items to proper users contributes to the freshness of the recommendation. In this paper, we propose a deep learning model called the conditional preference nets (CPN) to deal with both new users and items under the same model framework. CPN employs an introductory user survey to learn about new users, and content features automatically extracted from items for the item side. Through a new idea called the preference vectors and an existing content embedding technique, the same model can capitalize the observed associations between known (i.e. old) users and items, thereby benefiting from the cumulative knowledge of user behavior gained over time. We validate the superiority of CPN over prior arts using the Million Song Dataset. We also demonstrate how CPN allows a user to pick either genres, artists, or the combination of them in the introductory survey.
Expression of microRNA-146 in rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue.

OBJECTIVE Several microRNA, which are approximately 22-nucleotide noncoding RNAs, exhibit tissue-specific or developmental stage-specific expression patterns and are associated with human diseases. The objective of this study was to identify the expression pattern of microRNA-146 (miR-146) in synovial tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The expression of miR-146 in synovial tissue from 5 patients with RA, 5 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and 1 normal subject was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry of tissue sections. Induction of miR-146 following stimulation with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) of cultures of human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs) was examined by quantitative PCR and RT-PCR. RESULTS Mature miR-146a and primary miR-146a/b were highly expressed in RA synovial tissue, which also expressed TNFalpha, but the 2 microRNA were less highly expressed in OA and normal synovial tissue. In situ hybridization showed primary miR-146a expression in cells of the superficial and sublining layers in synovial tissue from RA patients. Cells positive for miR-146a were primarily CD68+ macrophages, but included several CD3+ T cell subsets and CD79a+ B cells. Expression of miR-146a/b was markedly up-regulated in RASFs after stimulation with TNFalpha and IL-1beta. CONCLUSION This study shows that miR-146 is expressed in RA synovial tissue and that its expression is induced by stimulation with TNFalpha and IL-1beta. Further studies are required to elucidate the function of miR-146 in these tissues.
Graph lsomorphism Is in the Low Hierarchy

The problem of determining whether two given finite graphs are isomorphic is easily seen to belong to the class NP. But up to now, no polynomial time algorithm is known. On the other hand, no NP-completeness proof is known either. That is, GRAPH ISOMORPHISM is one of the few “open problems” in NP according to Garey and Johnson’s terminology [9]. Note that GRAPH ISOMORPHISM is already mentioned in Karp’s seminal paper [15]. Any attempt to prove NP-completeness of GRAPH ISOMORPHISM was frustrated by the apparently much more constrained nature of this problem as compared with the usual NP-complete problems. This led on the one hand to the conjecture that GRAPH ISOMORPHISM is not NP-complete (possibly in P); on the other hand that it might be NP-complete w.r. t. some weaker kind of reducibility (like y-reducibility, see open problem 1 in [ 1 I). Since Ladner’s work [ 181 we know that there exist problems in NP neither being NP-complete nor being in P, assuming P # NP. Hence, GRAPH ISOMORPHISM might very well be one of these “intermediate” problems. It seems that there is more evidence that GRAPH ISOMORPHISM is in P (or at least “close” to P) than for NP-completeness. Indeed, some (nontrivial) special cases of the graph isomorphism problem have been shown to be in P and also some in NP n co-NP (cf. [ 141). Further, unlike the known NP-complete problems, the corresponding counting problem (given two graphs, compute the number of different isomorphisms between them) has been shown to be of the same “degree” of complexity as the mere decision problem [22, see also 141. Note that the counting versions of many NP-complete problems are # P-complete, but # P is not even known to be included in the polynomial hierarchy [Z]. Very recently, it has been observed that graph (non-) isomorphism can be 312 0022~0000/88 53.00
Why should they believe us? Determinism, non-determinism and evidence

Summary form only given. In software engineering, as in computing science, the topics that we teach to our students can be considered as falling into two broad categories: the deterministic, and the non-deterministic. Deterministic topics are those where a specific scenario or operation leads to outcomes that can be assessed in terms of true/false values, and so this classification encompasses large elements of computer architecture, databases, metrics and testing. However, much of the software engineering body of knowledge is really concerned with much more non-deterministic processes such as requirements elicitation, design, construction, maintenance etc. These are activities in which humans play a central role, making value judgements that result in outcomes that are more appropriately assessed by using some form of better/worse ranking than through a true/false categorisation. How much we recognise the existence of this distinction in our teaching is a moot point. Many of our students, educated in the classical science paradigm, will be familiar with the type of reasoning that leads to the outcomes for the deterministic elements. In my presentation, I examine some of the reasons why this experience may not be adequate when they encounter the non-deterministic elements of our subject, and hence why we may need to inculcate some degree of understanding of the evidence-based paradigm in order to support both our teaching and also their learning. I will discuss the nature of this paradigm, present some experiences of how it may be adapted for use in Software Engineering, and review some of the questions that it raises.
Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein Decreases Macrophage Expression of Scavenger Receptor B-I*

Scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) has recently been identified as a high density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor that mediates bidirectional flux of cholesterol across the plasma membrane. We have previously demonstrated that oxidized low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) will increase expression of another class B scavenger receptor, CD36 (Han, J., Hajjar, D. P., Febbraio, M., and Nicholson, A. C. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 21654–21659). In studies reported herein, we evaluated the effects of OxLDL on expression of SR-BI in macrophages to determine how exposure to this modified lipoprotein could alter SR-BI expression and cellular lipid flux. OxLDL decreased SR-BI expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Incubation with OxLDL had no effect on the membrane distribution of SB-BI, and it decreased expression of both cytosolic and membrane protein. Consistent with its effect on SR-BI protein expression, OxLDL decreased SR-BI mRNA in a dose-dependent manner. The ability of OxLDL to decrease SR-BI expression was dependent on the degree of LDL oxidation. OxLDL decreased both [14C]cholesteryl oleate/HDL uptake and efflux of [14C]cholesterol to HDL in a time-dependent manner. Incubation of macrophages with 7-ketocholesterol, but not free cholesterol, also inhibited expression of SR-BI. Finally, we demonstrate that the effect of OxLDL on SR-BI is dependent on the differentiation state of the monocyte/macrophage. These results imply that in addition to its effect in inducing foam cell formation in macrophages through increased uptake of oxidized lipids, OxLDL may also enhance foam cell formation by altering SR-BI-mediated lipid flux across the cell membrane.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHARED LEADERSHIP IN MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILY FIRMS

The purpose of this exploratory study is to better understand the development of shared leadership in multigenerational family firms. Shared leadership involves multiple family members in top management and ownership of family firms. We examine four qualities of family firms that enhance shared leadership strategic planning, long-term orientation, close communication and shared understanding, and higher decision quality and four qualities that inhibit shared leadership in multigenerational family firms – failure to release control, resistance to change, reporting relationship confusion, and increased decision time. We employ a case study approach, using in-depth interviews of the top managers of four family businesses.
Permanently Hypoxic Cell Culture Yields Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Cells with Higher Therapeutic Potential in the Treatment of Chronic Myocardial Infarction

Background: The mismatch between traditional in vitro cell culture conditions and targeted chronic hypoxic myocardial tissue could potentially hamper the therapeutic effects of implanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). This study sought to address (i) the extent of change to BMSC biological characteristics in different in vitro culture conditions and (ii) the effectiveness of permanent hypoxic culture for cell therapy in treating chronic myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. Methods: rat BMSCs were harvested and cultured in normoxic (21% O2, n=27) or hypoxic conditions (5% O2, n=27) until Passage 4 (P4). Cell growth tests, flow cytometry, and Bio-Plex assays were conducted to explore variations in the cell proliferation, phenotype, and cytokine expression, respectively. In the in vivo set-up, P3-BMSCs cultured in normoxia (n=6) or hypoxia (n=6) were intramyocardially injected into rat hearts that had previously experienced 1-month-old MI. The impact of cell therapy on cardiac segmental viability and hemodynamic performance was assessed 1 month later by 2-Deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and pressure-volume catheter, respectively. Additional histomorphological examinations were conducted to evaluate inflammation, fibrosis, and neovascularization. Results: Hypoxic preconditioning significantly enhanced rat BMSC clonogenic potential and proliferation without altering the multipotency. Different profiles of inflammatory, fibrotic, and angiogenic cytokine secretion were also documented, with a marked correlation observed between in vitro and in vivo proangiogenic cytokine expression and tissue neovessels. Hypoxic-preconditioned cells presented a beneficial effect on the myocardial viability of infarct segments and intrinsic contractility. Conclusion: Hypoxic-preconditioned BMSCs were able to benefit myocardial perfusion and contractility, probably by modulating the inflammation and promoting angiogenesis.
FLE adaptability in high contact and high customisable services: theoretical underpinnings and conceptual model

The customisation strategies are growing in popularity. As a strategy it aims at providing customers with individually tailored products and services. In high contact services the responsibility for customisation, frequently falls on the shoulders of frontline employees (FLEs). This research in high contact and customisable services, integrates existing streams of literature in marketing, human resource management, organisational behaviour and psychology to propose a conceptual framework that highlights the FLE adaptability. This research delineates antecedents of FLE adaptability, as individual level, team related, customer related and organisational related factors. While the job performance and job satisfaction is considered consequents of FLE adaptability. A major contribution of this study is a new conceptualisation, of FLE adaptability within a framework of high contact and customisable services. Practical implications to help align human resource management with higher level organisational factors are also discussed.
Neurotensin and EGF induce synergistic stimulation of DNA synthesis by increasing the duration of ERK signaling in ductal pancreatic cancer cells

Neurotensin (NT) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) induced rapid extracellular‐regulated protein kinase (ERK) activation through different signaling pathways in the K‐Ras mutated human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines PANC‐1 and MIA PaCa‐2. NT stimulated ERK activation via a protein kinase C (PKC)‐dependent (but EGF receptor‐independent) pathway in PANC‐1 and MIA PaCa‐2 cells, whereas EGF promoted ERK activation through a PKC‐independent pathway in these cells. Concomitant stimulation of these cells with NT and EGF induced a striking increase in the duration of ERK pathway activation as compared with that obtained in cells treated with each agonist alone. Stimulation with NT + EGF promoted synergistic stimulation of DNA synthesis and anchorage‐independent growth. Addition of the MEK inhibitor U0126, either prior to stimulation with NT + EGF or 2 h after stimulation with NT + EGF prevented the synergistic increase in DNA synthesis and suppressed the sustained phase of ERK activation. Furthermore, treatment with the selective PKC inhibitor GF‐1 converted the sustained ERK activation in response to NT and EGF into a transient signal and also abrogated the synergistic increase in DNA synthesis. Collectively, our results suggest that the sustained phase of ERK signaling mediates the synergistic effects of NT and EGF on DNA synthesis in pancreatic cancer cells. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tourists Perceptions of Finland and Selected European Countries As Travel Destinations

Discusses the importance of tourism on a country's overall economy. Highlights Finland as a particular example, where, due to tourism, the balance of trade soared from a $33.1 million deficit in 1963 to a $34 million surplus in 1970. Analyzes various studies into the tourism industry and examines their findings. Uses a sample of 681 foreign tourists visiting Finland as a survey to gauge tourists' perceptions of 12 European tourist destinations. Reveals findings, inter alia, that: Spain is perceived as the best value for money; Holland has strong accessibility; Ireland is ranked last in offering a cultural experience to tourists. Uses data obtained by survey to concentrate on people's perceptions of Finland. Reveals findings, inter alia, that: Finland is most unlike Germany, Spain, Holland and France; Finland is most like Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Concludes that public and private tourism organisations throughout the world need a focused marketing approach to identify the travelling public's needs.
Tuscan lifestyles: Assessing customer lifetime value

It was late one afternoon in February and Joan Beckman was finishing her first month as marketing director for the Tuscan Lifestyles catalog. In a market environment increasingly cluttered with catalogs, one of her top priorities is to begin to use the database of customer information. She is certain that the accumulated purchase history of the catalog’s customers can be used to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of future marketing expenditures. The Tuscan Lifestyles catalog markets cookware, tableware, linens, and decorative home accessories—all in a style reflective of the Tuscany region in Italy. The catalog has been in business for nearly 9 years and has gradually increased its customer base. Tuscan Lifestyles marketing approach has been primarily productfocused with the goal of building a solid base of popular, “staple” items which are complemented by a changing assortment of both seasonal and trendier items. Like other catalogs, and retail businesses in general, Tuscan Lifestyles seeks cost-effective ways to find and retain a loyal customer base. Many of the items in the catalog are exclusive and the
The Allocation of Family Guanxi-Oriented Control Rights —Evidence from Family Listed Companies of Zhejiang China

Different from the market-oriented control mechanism in British and American, the guanxi-oriented control mechanism is a significant feature in Chinese family business. This paper proposes the concept of family guanxi-oriented control rights allocation for the first time. Based on the analysis about the influencing factors of the family guanxi-oriented control rights allocation, we use the sample companies coming from Zhejiang province of China to do further discussion. We find that 1) the actual controllers of Zhejiang family listed companies mainly have blood relationship; 2) parts of companies allocate the control rights between the family members who have more than three kinds of guanxi; 3) the controlling families prefer to control the board of the listed companies; 4) the intergenerational succession of control rights in Zhejiang family listed companies has been highlighted.