Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FGF23 and Klotho in chronic kidney disease

Purpose of reviewThe wealth of data regarding fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) and Klotho in chronic kidney disease (CKD) has risen exponentially over the past decade. This review is an attempt to summarize pivotal aspects of previous research, provide an update of recent findings and define important areas for future investigation. Recent findingsThe phosphaturic hormone FGF23 increases dramatically as renal function declines. Identification of contributing stimuli to the rise in FGF23 is fundamental and recent evidence suggest a multifactorial cause which entails perturbed osteocyte function and renal mechanisms such as Klotho deficiency and, somewhat paradoxically, systemic Klotho excess. Circulating FGF23 predicts adverse outcomes, particularly cardiovascular disease, in CKD as well as in the general population. The concept of FGF23 merely as a biomarker and regulator of mineral metabolism is currently challenged by data linking FGF23 to pathological processes such as cardiac hypertrophy. Conversely, tissue level of the FGF23 coreceptor Klotho declines in early CKD and this deficiency is linked to accelerated ageing, cellular senescence, vascular calcification, oxidative stress and renal fibrosis. At present, methodological difficulties limit the utility of soluble Klotho measurements. Animal proof-of-concept studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of Klotho delivery in CKD, whereas anti-FGF23 therapy using neutralizing antibodies improved biochemical and bone parameters at the expense of increased vascular calcification and mortality. SummaryPathological alterations of FGF23–Klotho in CKD are implicated as clinical biomarkers and may provide novel therapeutic strategies to alleviate the cardiovascular risk and slow CKD progression.
Predicting who applies to study medicine: Implication for diversity in UK medical schools

Aims: Widening access to medical school is a priority in medical selection. If disadvantaged students do not apply, interventions cannot be effective. To date, no studies have examined factors that predict who chooses to apply to medicine and if socio-demographics influence the profile of those who apply to study medicine. Methods: A large database provided by the UK University and Colleges Admissions Service on all 1,225,156 applicants to UK universities over a 3-year period (2002-2004) was analysed. The relationship between demographics, preference to study medicine and academic performance prior to entry (A level score) were explored using logistic and linear regression and path modelling. Results: Those applying to study medicine were more likely to be female, non-white, of higher socio-economic status and from fee-paying schools. Applying to study medicine was associated with increased academic entrance performance over and above socio-demographic factors. Importantly, in those applying to study medicine socio-demographic inequalities in entrance exam performance was either reduced (for ethnicity and SES) or abolished (for sex and schooling). Conclusions: It is argued that early interventions are needed to increase applications for certain groups to help to reduce socio-demographic inequalities in entrance exam performance and hence medical school admissions.
Wavelength-routed optical-networks: linear formulation, resource budgeting tradeoffs, and a reconfiguration study

We consider a wavelength-routed optical network operated as a lightpath-based virtual topology. We present an exact linear programming formulation for the complete virtual topology design, including choice of constituent lightpaths, routes for these lightpaths, and intensity of packet flows through these lightpaths. By making a shift in the objective function to minimal hop distance and by relaxing the wavelength-continuity constraints (i.e., assuming wavelength converters at all nodes), we demonstrate that the entire optical network design problem can be linearized and hence solved optimally. The linear formulation can be used to design a balanced network, such that the utilizations of both transceivers and wavelengths are high, i.e., neither of these expensive resources are under-utilized. We also use the linear formulation to provide a reconfiguration methodology in order to adapt the virtual topology to changing traffic conditions.
TWITTER DATA MINING FOR SENTIMENT ANALYSIS ON PEOPLES FEEDBACK AGAINST GOVERNMENT PUBLIC POLICY

Government policies often get positive or negative response from the public. The response from the community feedback can be conveyed through print and electronic media. With the rise of social media today, people have a tendency to convey such feedback through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Path and other social media. Thus, to determine the public response to this policy that has been implemented, the government needs to know how your feedback from people who come from social media. But because of the feedback, it is difficult to detect how many positive or negative response from the public. Therefore, in this study will develop a system to obtain data in the form of feedback coming from one of the social media that is often used by the public, namely Twitter. Tweet or post on the community will be collected based on the time and place specified. Having obtained a collection tweet, would do next text preprocessing stage. Tweet text already passed the stage of preprocessing, for further processing in sentiment analysis, to determine the positive and negative responses from the public against government policies that have been applied. Article DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.20319/mijst.2017. 31.110122 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.
[Experimental study of low molecular weight heparin drug delivery system for prevention of posterior capsular opacification in rabbit eyes].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the safety and efficacy of low-molecular-weight heparin drug delivery system (LMWH DDS) for prevention of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) in rabbit eyes. METHODS (1) To prepare the LMWH DDS by freeze-drying way with Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) as the carrier, and evaluate its release properties in vitro. (2) Fifty New Zealand albino rabbits (50 eyes) undergoing phacoemulsification were equally divided into five groups: receiving normal saline eye drops (group A), 3 different dose (1 mg, 0.5 mg and 0.25 mg) of LMWH DDS respectively implanted into the posterior chamber (group B, C and D), and a carrier DDS implanted into the posterior chamber (group E). All the 50 eyes were examined by slit-lamp microscopy. The low-molecular-weight heparin levels in aqueous humor were measured, and the wet posterior capsules were weighed. RESULTS The LMWH DDS prepared with a freeze-dried way has high encapsulation efficiency, and the equation of 49-day release curve fitting in vitro were were similar to zero order. The fibrin exudation in group B, C and D were lower than in Group A and E during the first postoperative day. There were 10, 2, 3, 9 and 10 eyes that developing PCO in the group A, B, C, D and E, respectively. The mean wet-weight of the posterior capsule were (114.59 +/- 14.58) mg, (24.14 +/- 6.08) mg, (39.23 +/- 17.13) mg, (99.35 +/- 29.37) mg, (115.29 +/- 19.87) mg respectively in 5 trial groups. There were stable and high concentration of low molecular weight heparin in aqueous of group B and C during the 4 weeks (> 20 mg/L), while a instable and lower concentrations in group D. The result of optical microscopy and electron microscopy examination indicated that fibroblast proliferation was quite active in groups A, D and E, but inactive in group B and C. Neither infiltration of inflammatory cells at the cornea, iris, trabecular meshwork and ciliary body nor retinal degeneration or necrosis was found in any group at 12 weeks. There was no intraocular bleeding in all the five groups in the following 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS The LMWH DDS prepared by freeze-drying way with PLGA as the carrier has good slow-release and biological tolerance. Implantation of LMWH DDS into the posterior chamber of experimental animals can significantly reduce postoperative fibrin exudation, and can safe and effective prevent the occurrence of PCO, and also there were some dose-effect relationship.
MIGRATORY SUCCESS OF JUVENILES: A POTENTIAL CONSTRAINT ON CONNECTIVITY FOR POND‐BREEDING AMPHIBIANS

The persistence of pond-breeding amphibians in highly fragmented landscapes may be constrained by the need for connectivity between aquatic breeding sites and suitable terrestrial habitat, an example of landscape complementation. Although migratory ability determines the spatial scale at which landscape complementation operates, the factors influencing migratory success of amphibians, especially of juveniles, are poorly understood. This study is the first to investigate whether juvenile amphibians possess any innate, long-distance orientation mechanisms that might improve their chances of locating suitable terrestrial habitat. I conducted experimental releases of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and American toads (Bufo americanus) from 18 artificial pools in replicate pastures at distances of 5–50 m from the nearest forest edges. Using circular drift fences with pitfall traps, I captured, individually marked, and released metamorphosed salamanders (n = 323) and toads (n = 203) leaving each pool.
Are All Collections Equal? The Case of Medical Debt

Bills for unreimbursed medical care may be reported to national credit reporting agencies by third-party debt collectors. The use of this information in credit scoring models, which have not traditionally distinguished collection accounts for medical bills from other collection accounts, has been controversial because of the unique characteristics of medical debt. This paper explores the predictive value of medical collections in the context of a credit scoring model. We find that medical collections are less predictive of future credit performance than nonmedical collections. We also find that medical collections that have been paid in full are less predictive than those that remain unpaid. These results suggest that the practice of treating all collections the same over-penalizes the credit scores of consumers with medical collections and reduces the predictiveness of credit scoring models.
The impact of the Securities Markets Programme

With the escalation of the financial crisis in the euro area, the ECB started to purchase government bonds in the secondary market, with the goal of restoring appropriate levels of liquidity and protecting the monetary transmission mechanism. The fact that SMP interventions were typically carried out on days of sustained market pressure creates major econometric challenges for assessing the impact of the programme. The papers reviewed in this article adopt different perspectives, data and methodologies to solve the identification problem. They find that the SMP contributed to reducing liquidity risk and bond yield volatility. JEL Classification: E5, E4
Are P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU) and % inhibition index equivalent for the expression of P2Y12 inhibition by the VerifyNow® assay? Role of haematocrit and haemoglobin levels

Summary The results of the whole blood VerifyNow® P2Y12 assay can be expressed as platelet reaction units (PRU) or % inhibition index (%inh), but an optimal cut-off for the assessment of high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HPR) predictive of clinical events has been validated only for PRU. The aim of the study was to study the influence of haematological variables, such as platelet and leukocyte counts or haematocrit / haemoglobin, within the limits indicated by the manufacturer for assay validity, on the results of the test. We performed a comparison of PRU and %inh in a series 186 samples obtained from a clinical trial on patients under dual antiplatelet therapy. The results show that PRU significantly decreases with increasing haematocrit / haemoglobin, whereas %inh does not, due to a parallel change in PRU and iso-TRAP baseline value. PRU and % inhibition index are not equivalent for the definition of HPR, because of their different sensitivities to haematocrit / haemoglobin.
New public management and information communication technology : organisational influences on frontline child protection practice

In this paper the authors examine the new public management (NPM) philosophy influencing the organisational environment in which child protection social workers are located. NPM prioritises outputs through policies, such as results based accountability (RBA) predicated on the expectation that responsibility to achieve designated programme outcomes is sheeted to the agency and its workers. Ongoing funding depends on programme results. NPM ideology assumes that workers and managers in agencies tasked with delivering care and protection services are able to control the variables influencing outputs which contribute to outcomes. The authors will analyse four key aspects of NPM thinking (RBA, outputs, outcomes and key performance indicators) and explore their organisational consequences. The influence on social work practice of information and communications technology (ICT), on which NPM depends, is also considered. The paper is not an ideologically based rejection of NPM, but rather an assessment of its consequences for care and protection practice. The authors call for a return to the centrality of relationally based social work processes embodied in common factors (CF) practice, such as the therapeutic alliance. We argue that CF approaches offer a contrasting and more appropriate practice philosophy than NPM thinking while still enabling achievable, multifaceted organisational benefits.
Radioprotective effects of Silymarin, a natural medical herb, in modulation and prevention of radiation induced damages

Radiotherapy is the most common cancer treatment modality applying ionizing radiation. In majority of the cases, RT necessarily affects on normal tissues around the tumor. Silymarin is one of the most important chemical ingredients of the milk thistle. Silymarin composed of six flavonolignans that Silibinin, with 40-50%, is the most one. In view of the innumerable beneficial effects of silymarin in the management of ROS-mediated diseases, it was felt that silymarin could act as a promising radiation countermeasure agent. In this review paper we introduce Silymarin as herbal radioprotectors.
Moderating Effect of Firm Size on the Relationship between Functional Integration and Firm Performance

The study aimed to determine the effect of functional integration on the performance of manufacturing firms in a developing country context. The study used descriptive survey approach. A structured and semi structured questionnaire was administered to 176 manufacturing firms in Nairobi and surrounding areas. A response rate of 63% was achieved. While, correlation and multiple regression analysis, was used to explain the direction and nature of relationship between the variables respectively. F-statistic was also used to decide the validity of the model while R-squared was used to help determine the model goodness-of-fit. The findings revealed that performance of manufacturing firms was significantly related to the extent of emphasis on the functional integration dimension of strategic planning in the firms. The study, concluded that functional integration dimension in strategic planning had significant effect on manufacturing firm performance indicators of the firms. The study also concluded that, firm size is not moderator in the relationship between functional integration and firm performance. This implies that, irrespective of firm size, functional integration as a strategic capability is available to both small, medium and large manufacturing firms in Kenya. It also suggests that there may be other moderators not dealt with in the study.
Plasmid-mediated dissemination of the metallo-beta-lactamase gene blaIMP among clinically isolated strains of Serratia marcescens

The distribution of strains producing metallo-beta-lactamase among 105 strains of Serratia marcescens was investigated. All of these strains were isolated in seven general hospitals located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from April to May 1993. Southern hybridization analysis suggested that four S. marcescens strains, AK9373, AK9374, AK9385, and AK9391, had a metallo-beta-lactamase genes similar to the blaIMP gene found by our laboratory (E. Osano, Y. Arakawa, R. Wacharotayankun, M. Ohta, T. Horii, H. Ito, F. Yoshimura, and N. Kato, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 38:71-78, 1994), and these four strains showed resistance to carbapenems as well as to the other broad-spectrum beta-lactams. In particular, strains AK9373, AK9374, and AK9391 showed an extraordinarily high-level resistance to imipenem (MICs, > or = 64 micrograms/ml), whereas strain AK9385 demonstrated moderate imipenem resistance (MIC, 8 micrograms/ml). The imipenem resistance of AK9373 was transferred to Escherichia coli CSH2 by conjugation with a frequency of 10(-5). The DNA probe of the blaIMP gene hybridized to a large plasmid (approximately 120 kb) transferred into the E. coli transconjugant as well as to the large plasmids harbored by AK9373. On the other hand, although we failed in the conjugational transfer of imipenem resistance from strains AK9374, AK9385, and AK9391 to E. coli CSH2, imipenem resistance was transferred from these strains to E. coli HB101 by transformation. A plasmid (approximately 25 kb) was observed in each transformant which acquired imipenem resistance. The amino acid sequence at the N terminus of the enzyme purified from strain AK9373 was identical to that of the metallo-beta-lactamase IMP-1. In contrast, strains ES9348, AK9386, and AK93101, which were moderately resistant to imipenem (MICs, > or = 4 to < or = 8 micrograms/ml), had no detectable blaIMP gene. As a conclusion, 19% of clinically isolated S. marcescens strains in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, in 1993 were resistant to imipenem (MICs, > or = 2 micrograms/ml), and strains which showed high-level imipenem resistance because of acquisition of a plasmid-mediated blaIMP-like metallo-beta-lactamase gene had already proliferated as nosocomial infections, at least in a general hospital.
THE E-GOVERNMENT REVOLUTION IN TAX AGENCIES: A CASE STUDY OF CRITICAL IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

Tax agencies in the U.S. are under pressure to maximize their operations with their constrained budgets. While taxpayers welcome the benefits of electronic government (e-government) services, the true motivation may lie in improving the efficiency of providing government services. Tax agencies transitioning from traditional brick-andmortar operations to e-government services and systems need to reengineer their business processes, redefine individual roles within the agency and relationship with taxpayers, and redesign organization structures around the new electronic technologies implemented. This paper presents and discusses six critical issues involved with this transition based on a case study of a state tax agency. They include managing expectations, articulating strategy, reengineering business processes and organization structure, managing the technology infrastructure and resources, training, and recruiting.
Understanding fatherhood and father involvement in South Africa: insights from surveys and population cohorts

Calls for research on men’s roles in families in sub-Saharan Africa, especially as fathers, and for greater efforts to engage men in family-based interventions and policy requires detailed data on family functioning, parenting and parenthood. However, in resource poor countries within the region few family or birth cohort studies have been conducted and household and population-based studies continue to be the main sources of empirical data about families. In this brief report, we review the data on fathers and father involvement collected in South Africa (e.g., national household surveys, household panel surveys, demographic surveillance systems, birth cohort) and suggest ways to improve ongoing empirical data collection efforts.
AS DIFERENTES PERSPECTIVAS DE TOMADA DE DECISÃO NO PROCESSO DE FORMAÇÃO DA ESTRATÉGIA E O PAPEL DA MÉDIA GERÊNCIA DECISION MAKING PROCESS DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IN THE STRATEGY FORMATION PROCESS AND THE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT ROLE

The main goal of this study is to analyze the subjects related to the different perspectives of the decision making process in the organization: top-down, bottom-up and middle-up-down, as well as the role of the middle management in that process. To reach this goal we define the derived concepts of seminal empiric and theoretical studies, crossing different thought lines, seeking to form a conceptual theoretical mark around the integrative perspective in the strategy formation process. The applied methodology consists on a bibliographical revision of seminal articles in scientific journals and books in the administration area related to the study topic. After the revision comes the consideration that the middle manager is like a pivot in the integrative strategy formation process, acting as integrative agent between top and bottom levels, even being able to intervene and change rigid orientation, inserting organizational practical perspectives, and that an integrative strategy formation process is more efficient when it adopts the middle-up-down perspective of decision making process.
Microparticles in sickle cell anaemia: promise and pitfalls

Blood from patients with sickle cell disease contains microparticles (MP) derived from multiple cell sources, including red cells, platelets, monocytes and endothelial cells. MPs are of great interest because of their disease associations, their status as promising biomarkers, and the intercellular communications they mediate. To illustrate the likelihood of their relevance in sickle cell disease, we discuss the nature of MP, their profiling in sickle disease, some caveats relevant to their detection, their roles in supporting coagulation and the disparate influences they may exert upon the pathobiology of sickle cell disease.
Identification of human orbital lymphatics.

PURPOSE To identify lymphatic vessels in the human orbit. METHODS Lymphatic and blood capillaries were distinguished histochemically by light microscopy using a 5'-nucleotidase (5'-Nase) and alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) double staining method. Identification of lymphatic vessels was based on strict morphologic criteria combined with specific 5'-Nase staining. RESULTS The presence of conjunctival lymphatics was confirmed and used as a control tissue. Lymphatic vessels were identified in the lacrimal gland and in the dura mater of the optic nerve. Structures demonstrating positive 5'-Nase staining at the orbital apex were highly suggestive of lymphatics but did not meet the morphologic criteria established. Lymphatic vessels were not identified in the extraocular muscles or orbital fat. CONCLUSION To the authors' knowledge, this study presents the first evidence for lymphatic capillaries in the dura mater of the human optic nerve and lacrimal gland.