Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Mini Review of Clinical and Research Applications of the Retinal Function Imager

ABSTRACT Purpose: To review the clinical applications and diagnostic value of the retinal function imager (RFI), briefly compare RFI to other optical imaging devices, and to describe recent developments. Methods: The search words “Retinal Functional Imager,” “optical imaging,” “retina angiography,” “avascular zone,” “foveal avascular zone,” and other closely related terms were used in PubMed to review current literature involving the RFI. Results: The functions of the RFI were utilized in over 44 microvascular studies, which reported that the microvasculature may alter in velocity, morphology, and oximetry when affected by a number of ocular, neurological, or systemic diseases. Recently developed automatic algorithms for noninvasive angiography of large retinal regions, segmenting vessels, measuring blood flow, blood velocity, vessel diameter, and oximetry may enhance the clinical applications of the RFI. Conclusion: The RFI has been used to characterize the retinal microvasculature under various conditions of all prevalent retinal diseases in addition to some central nerve system (CNS) and systemic diseases. Applying the RFI in research and clinical settings should help earlier diagnosis, support disease prevention, and improve treatment management.
Genetic influences on eating attitudes in a normal female twin population

Synopsis The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) were administered to a female volunteer twin population aged 18 to 45 years. Both members of 147 monozygotic (MZ) and 99 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs completed the questionnaires. Thirty-five subjects scored over the cut-off point of the EAT-26. Interviews of these high-scoring twins and their co-twins identified three subjects with a past history of anorexia nervosa, and three others with a history of a partial syndrome. A heritability value of 41% was obtained for the overall EAT scores, while factor analysis produced a ‘dieting’ factor with a heritability of 42%. The ‘body dissatisfaction’ and ‘drive for thinness’ subscales of the EDI had heritability values of 52 and 44% respectively. The genetic contribution to the variance in body mass index in the twin sample was estimated at 64%. For all the above phenotypes, an environmental model of transmission with heritability constrained to be zero, could be rejected. Conversely, we were unable to reject a purely additive genetic model with shared environmental variance constrained at zero, suggesting that family environment has little or no effect on the transmission of many of these traits.
Fatty acid composition including trans-fatty acids in edible oils and fats: probable intake in Indian population.

UNLABELLED The susceptibility of trans-fat to the human health risk prompted the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to prepare regulations or compulsory claims for trans-fatty acids (TFA) in edible oils and fats. In this study, analysis of fatty acid composition and TFA content in edible oils and fats along with the possible intake of trans-fat in Indian population was carried out. The analysis was carried out as per the Assn. of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) methodology and the results were statistically analyzed. The average TFA content in nonrefined mustard and refined soybean oils exceeded by 1.16- to 1.64-fold as compared to the Denmark limit of 2% TFA in fats and oils destined for human consumption. In branded/nonbranded butter and butter oil samples, average TFA limit exceeded by 4.2- to 9.5-fold whereas hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) samples exceeded the limit by 9.8-fold, when compared to Denmark standards. The probable TFA intake per day through different oils in Indian population were found to be less than WHO recommendation. However Punjab having highest consumption of HVO (-15 g/d) showed 1.09-fold higher TFA intake than the WHO recommendation, which is alarming and may be one of the factors for high cardiovascular disease mortality rate that needs further elucidation. Thus there is a need to prescribe TFA limit for edible oil, butter, and butter oil in India and to reduce the already proposed TFA levels in HVO to safeguard the health of consumers. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The probable daily intake of trans-fatty acid (TFA) especially through hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) was assessed. In absence of any specification for TFA and fatty acid composition for edible oils, butter, and butter samples, a pressing need was felt to prescribe TFA limit in India. The study indicates that TFA intake through HVO consumption is higher in States like Punjab than the recommended daily intake prescribed by WHO. Hence, strategies should be adopted to either decrease the consumption of HVO or to modify the industrial processing method of HVO with less content of TFA to safeguard the health of consumers.
The Role of Family Members In Entrepreneurial Networks: Beyond the Boundaries of the Family Firm

Research has traditionally concentrated on formal kin involvement in the family business. This study investigates if, to what extent, and how entrepreneurs capitalized on resources embedded in the family, but beyond the formal traditionally defined boundaries of the family firm. Employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the study finds that about one-quarter of our sample's entrepreneurial network ties were kin, and that most of these worked outside the formal family firm. These ties provided a range of very important resources, both professional and affective in nature. Such beneficial ties extend the family firm without incurring the typical hazards of external linkages.
Detecting Feigned ADHD in Later Adolescence: An Examination of Three PAI–A Negative Distortion Indicators

The validity of various indicators of response distortion on the Personality Assessment Inventory–Adolescent (PAI–A; Morey, 2007a) and its potential usefulness to detect malingering were evaluated by having 17- and 18-year-old students complete the PAI–A attempting to simulate Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) under coached or noncoached conditions. Scores for these respondents on the Negative Impression and Positive Impression scales, the Malingering Index, and the Rogers Discriminant Function (RDF) were compared to those of 17- and 18-year-old patients receiving clinical diagnoses of ADHD. Simulating respondents also completed the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS) to determine if they could successfully simulate self-reported symptoms of ADHD. A total of 45% of simulating participants obtained CAARS scores reflecting clinically significant symptoms of ADHD. All indicators demonstrated the ability to distinguish between actual patients and feigned responses of successful simulators, with the RDF demonstrating the greatest accuracy in distinguishing these groups.
Effects of Acquisition Characteristics on the Post‐acquisition Performance of Malaysian Companies

This study focused on analysing the effect of acquisition characteristics on post‐acquisition operating performance for 83 bids consisting of 83 public listed bidders acquiring 80 private, 2 public listed and 1 non‐public listed targets in Malaysia during the period 1988–1992. The specific bid characteristics analysed are business relatedness, management turnover, the relative size of targets to bidders, the method of payment offered and board of directors' ownership structure. Since the specific feature of the current sample is that it consists mainly of privately owned targets, the characteristics of disciplinary bids found in acquisitions of public listed targets were not expected in agreed bids between the bidders and targets in this study. The results indicate that the target directors' turnover and the directors' share ownership do not have a significant effect on the post‐acquisition performance. Rather it appears that, if anything, retention of existing management is more likely to lead to performance improvement. Further analysis shows that replacement of target management has no impact on post‐acquisition performance regardless of the relatedness line of business. The latter findings reinforce the unique characteristics of the data set used in the current analysis of acquisitions of privately owned Malaysian companies in which unique skills of previous directors may often be retained post‐acquisition regardless of the business relatedness. The study also provides evidence that acquisitions of highly related business between target and acquiring firm, large relative size of target to bidders and payment for the acquisition by shares have a significant positive impact on post‐acquisition control‐adjusted performance. However, highly related business between target and bidder and payment by shares are the only significant acquisition characteristics that have a significant positive impact on the post‐acquisition control‐adjusted performance when multiple regression is used.
Rapid Visual Detection of Highly Pathogenic Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 Isolates by Use of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

ABSTRACT Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2) is an important zoonotic pathogen that causes considerable economic losses to the pig industry and significantly threatens public health worldwide. The highly pathogenic S. suis 2, which contains the 89K pathogenicity island (PAI), has caused large-scale outbreaks of infections in humans, resulting in high mortality rates. In this study, we established two loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based assays that can rapidly detect S. suis 2 and the 89K PAI and can be performed simultaneously under the same conditions. Further, based on the findings of these two LAMP assays and using the same set of serially diluted DNA samples, we compared the sensitivities of different LAMP product detection methods, including SYBR green detection, gel electrophoresis, turbidimetry, calcein assays, and hydroxynaphthol blue detection. The results suggest that target genes can be amplified and detected within 48 min under 63°C isothermal conditions. The sensitivity of tests for S. suis 2 detection varies between detection methods and reaction systems, indicating that for each LAMP reaction system, multiple detection methods should be performed to select the optimal one. The sensitivities of the optimized methods (7.16 copies/reaction) in the present study were identical to those of the real-time PCR assay, and the test results for reference strains and clinical samples showed that these LAMP systems have high specificities. Thus, since the LAMP systems established in this study are simple, fast, and sensitive, they may have good clinical potential for detecting the highly pathogenic S. suis 2.
Strategic Responses to Parallel Trade

Abstract High prices for patented pharmaceuticals have prompted many governments to consider allowing competition from parallel imports, or products first sold at lower prices in other countries. This paper examines how pharmaceutical firms have responded to changes in intellectual property rights and trade barriers that legalized parallel imports within the European Union (EU). The threat of arbitrage by parallel traders reduces the ability of firms to price discriminate across countries. Due to regulations on price and antitrust law on rationing supply, pharmaceutical firms may rely on non-price responses. Such responses include differentiation of products across countries and selective culling of product lines to reduce arbitrage opportunities, as well as raising arbitrageurs costs through choice of packaging. Using a dataset of drug prices and sales from 1993-2004 covering 30 countries, I find evidence that the behavior of pharmaceutical firms in the EU with respect to their product portfolios is consistent with attempts to reduce parallel trade. This may at least partially explain why parallel trade has not yet resulted in significant price convergence across EU countries. Accounting for non-price strategic responses may therefore be important in assessing the welfare effects of competition from parallel imports.
Literacy Environment Quality in Preschool and Children's Attitudes toward Reading and Writing.

This study examines young children’s attitudes toward reading and writing as it relates to the literacy environment in which they had been enrolled. Children (N = 201) attending magnet schools (schools established to address desegregation mandates) in a large urban, midwestern school district were given a reading and writing attitude survey the first week of school. The survey results were compared to the children’s literacy development measures as well as quality ratings of the literacy environment in which they had participated. Results indicate attitudes toward reading and writing varied significantly depending on the quality of the classroom literacy environment. Children’s attitudes became more positive as the quality of the literacy environment improved. In addition, children’s literacy development and attitudes toward reading and writing were strongly related. Variables such as race and gender were not related to children’s attitudes; however, economically at-risk children had more negative attitudes toward reading and writing than children from more-advantaged families. The data further reveal that attitudes toward writing were more negative than attitudes toward reading. pages 1 – Literacy Teaching and Learning
Targeted temperature management in critical care: A report and recommendations from five professional societies*

Objective:Representatives of five international critical care societies convened topic specialists and a nonexpert jury to review, assess, and report on studies of targeted temperature management and to provide clinical recommendations. Data Sources:Questions were allocated to experts who reviewed their areas, made formal presentations, and responded to questions. Jurors also performed independent searches. Sources used for consensus derived exclusively from peer-reviewed reports of human and animal studies. Study Selection:Question-specific studies were selected from literature searches; jurors independently determined the relevance of each study included in the synthesis. Conclusions and Recommendations:1) The jury opines that the term “targeted temperature management” replace “therapeutic hypothermia. ” 2) The jury opines that descriptors (e.g., “mild”) be replaced with explicit targeted temperature management profiles. 3) The jury opines that each report of a targeted temperature management trial enumerate the physiologic effects anticipated by the investigators and actually observed and/or measured in subjects in each arm of the trial as a strategy for increasing knowledge of the dose/duration/response characteristics of temperature management. This enumeration should be kept separate from the body of the report, be organized by body systems, and be made without assertions about the impact of any specific effect on the clinical outcome. 4) The jury STRONGLY RECOMMENDS targeted temperature management to a target of 32°C–34°C as the preferred treatment (vs. unstructured temperature management) of out-of-hospital adult cardiac arrest victims with a first registered electrocardiography rhythm of ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia and still unconscious after restoration of spontaneous circulation (strong recommendation, moderate quality of evidence). 5) The jury WEAKLY RECOMMENDS the use of targeted temperature management to 33°C–35.5°C (vs. less structured management) in the treatment of term newborns who sustained asphyxia and exhibit acidosis and/or encephalopathy (weak recommendation, moderate quality of evidence).
Does the Baseball Labor Market Contradict the Human Capital Model of Investment

This paper examines whether experienced players in Major League Baseball are paid more than their contribution to team revenue. The author shows that wages increase with experience independently of productivity gains. The results, therefore, contradict the human capital model of investment. The evidence is in fact consistent with implicit contract models because most older players are relatively overpaid. Copyright 1992 by MIT Press.
Can Nuclear Power Save the Kyoto Protocol?

Global warming is primarily caused by carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels, especially coal. However, nuclear power is carbon free. We develop a dynamic model of the world energy economy that includes fossil fuels and nuclear power. If global warming is to be controlled, nuclear power becomes economical, but a surprising result is that currently known stocks of uranium may only last for a very limited time. We find the scarcity rent of uranium to be large. Since only four countries possess most of the world's uranium, this could lead to an OPEC-like uranium cartel. We model advanced nuclear technology, prototypes of which are already operational, that can reuse a significant portion of nuclear waste. We find that this technology can supply energy for an indefinite period. If global energy demand were to stagnate along with population late in this century, the imputed price of carbon today may be much lower than previously thought.
Budgetary Consolidation in Europe: Quality, Economic Conditions, and Persistence

Abstract In this article we study the importance of the quality of fiscal adjustments and macroeconomic conditions for the persistence of budgetary consolidations. In contrast to previous work in this area, we do not arbitrarily predefine a measure of persistence to evaluate consolidation “success. ” By employing duration analysis techniques, the length of a consolidation spell is rather determined endogenously. Our results based on a sample of industrialised OECD countries show that “consolidation fatigue” and the quality of fiscal consolidations are indeed important determinants of their longevity. Moreover, high debt–GDP ratio and fiscal tightening in other OECD countries raise the likelihood of consolidations to persist. Applying our results to European countries in the 1990s provides only weak evidence suggesting that the Maastricht process contributed much to the fiscal consolidations observed in Europe during the 1990s. J. Japan. Int. Econ. , December 2002, 16 (4), pp. 512–535. ZEI, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana; and CEPR; Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland; and CEPR; and ECB, Kaiserstrasse 29, D-60311 Frankfurt a.M., Germany; and ZEI. © 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: E61, E62, E65.
Gender and Techno-Phobia Among Library Staff in Some Selected Polytechnic Libraries in South-South Region of Nigeria

This study aims to ascertain gender and techno-phobia among library staff in some selected polytechnic libraries in the southsouth region of Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey method and questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The population of the study consisted of a focus group made up of the total number of one hundred and forty-eight (148) library staff. It was revealed from the study that female library staff are more prone to techno-phobia than their male counterparts, a majority of both sexes agreed that lack of training, lack of computer knowledge, fear and anxiety, network problem and leaning unwanted new skills are the major causes of techno-phobia, poor performance, low productivity, lack of commitment and Job dissatisfaction are the major effect of techno-phobia in the libraries as agreed upon by the both the males and females library staff. The study revealed a significant difference in the level of techno-phobia experienced by male and female library staff. The study concludes that techno-phobia in polytechnic libraries, if not properly manage could bring about poor performance, low productivity, lack of commitment and job dissatisfaction. The study recommends that the polytechnic management and library administrators should deem it necessary to always organize training and retraining programs for all the staff in the library in order to expose them to new and advanced technologies and their usage.
Targeted CDX2 expression inhibits aggressive phenotypes of colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Loss of caudal type homeobox 2 (CDX2) is associated with the development of human colorectal cancer, while human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) frequently occurs in variety of human cancers. We investigated the effects of restoration of CDX2 expression using a hypoxia-inducible hTERT promoter-driven vector (pLVX-5HRE-hTERTp-CDX2-3FLAG) on colon cancer cell viability, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, colony formation, invasion ability and xenograft tumor growth in nude mice. CDX2 overexpression significantly inhibited viability, colony formation, and the invasion and migration ability of LoVo cells, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro, especially under hypoxic culture conditions. Overexpression of CDX2 under normoxic conditions significantly suppressed the expression of TGF-β, cyclin D1, uPA, MMP-9, MMP-2, and Bcl-2, and stimulated the expression of collagen IV, laminin-1, and Bax. Overexpression of CDX2 reduced colon cancer xenograft tumor formation in nude mice which was associated with downregulation of Ki-67. In conclusion, overexpression of CDX2 using a hypoxia-inducible hTERT promoter-driven vector suppressed malignant progression of colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that pLVX-5HRE-hTERTp-CDX2-3FLAG gene therapy may be a promising novel approach to treat colon cancer.
World Bank Lending And Other Financial Flows: Is There a Connection?

At a time when there is a serious debate about reforming the international financial architecture, it is important to understand how existing multilateral agencies affect financial flows to emerging and less-developed countries. This paper extends past research - which has focused on the International Monetary Fund - by examining the various mechanisms through which the World Bank may be associated with other financial flows, and by presenting new empirical evidence based on regression analysis. Little support is found for a positive connection. The implications of this finding for effective reform of the Bank and its various activities are then discussed.
ACTIVATING POLICY NETWORKS

The contention posed by Rod Rhodes that policy is made and delivered by autonomous and self-organising policy networks is at the heart of many contemporary debates about the nature of policy and politics. However, while the concept has commanded considerable attention from policy theorists, case studies of how policy networks operate on the ground remain relatively rare. Further still, much of the empirical work has centred on testing relatively abstract claims about the nature of networks rather than thinking through their practical implications for governance. Here, we contrast the approaches taken by two English local authorities in seeking more participatory approaches to environmental policy-making. Building on the work of Kickert et al., we argue that – far from being self-organising – the form of policy networks can be strongly directed by the state through network activation strategies and, indeed, that strong state management of networks is required if policy-making is to proceed in a more inclusive manner. Indeed, we argue that when policy-making is viewed from a network governance perspective the most effective routes to participatory policy-making may rely heavily on manipulation strategies despite the fact that these are frequently described as weaker (or lower) forms of participation. This apparent compromise of participatory objectives may be required to ensure effective policy development.