Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Duke Activity Status Index in patients with chronic kidney disease: a reliability study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Exercise capacity is impaired at a younger age in CKD patients than in the general population. This study examined the reliability of the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) questionnaire as a measure of exercise capacity in medically stable adults with stage 3-4 CKD (estimated GFR [eGFR], 15-59 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Peak oxygen uptake (VO(2)peak), estimated from DASI responses and cardiopulmonary exercise test measurements, was obtained at baseline and 6 months in a derivation sample (n=23) and once in a validation sample (n=20). Bland-Altman analysis and linear mixed models were used to estimate bias, concordance correlation coefficients, and intraclass correlation coefficients as the proportion of the variance due to participant (intertest reliability) and method (test-retest reliability). RESULTS The two samples were homogeneous with respect to age (mean 60 ± 14 years), eGFR (35.5 ± 15 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)), male sex (53%), and diabetes (56%). Mean measured VO(2)peak was 16.5 ± 4 ml/kg per min. The DASI questionnaire overestimated VO(2)peak by 4.3 ml/kg per min. Intertest reliability was 53% when eGFR was ≥35 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (median) and 60% when eGFR was <35 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (P<0.01). Test-retest reliability was 81% when eGFR was <35 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) and 71% when eGFR was ≥35 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The DASI questionnaire may be a reliable measure of exercise capacity in CKD patients, especially when eGFR is <35 ml/min per 1.73 m(2). Larger prospective studies are needed to determine its prognostic value.
The Endogenous Sub-type of Depression: A Study of its Internal Construct Validity

The internal construct validity of the endogenous sub-type of major depression was investigated by statistically modelling the RDC endogenous and DSM-III melancholia diagnostic criteria. Data consisted of symptom ratings on 788 patients with major depression from NIMH Collaborative Depression Study. Results indicated that the symptoms in the criteria do not specify a dichotomous classification, melancholic-non-melancholic or endogenous-nonendogenous. Results did support the existence of two sub-typings, one related to anhedonia, and one related to vegetative symptoms. The vegetative sub-type rarely occurred in non-anhedonic patients. Previous studies may have found support for a simple endogenous sub-type because of this hierarchical relationship and as a result of methodological differences.
Estimating the National Cost of Treating People With HIV Disease: Patient, Payer, and Provider Data

Objective: Existing estimates of the national cost of treating all people with HIV disease use data from a sample of people with HIV disease to extrapolate the cost of treating all people with HIV disease (patient‐based approach). This study derives estimates using two novel approaches (i.e., payer‐based and provider‐based) and compares these with existing estimates. Data Sources: These include the Health Insurance Association of American and the American Council of Life Insurance 1996 HIV survey, the 1996 State Inpatient Databases (SID) maintained by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the IMS America Ltd. survey of independent and chain drugstores. Principal Findings: The cost of treating all people with HIV disease in 1996 was between $6.7 and $7.8 billion U.S., and the average annual cost of treating a person with HIV disease was between $20,000 and $24,700 U.S. Conclusions: Analysts should derive estimates of the cost of treating people with HIV disease using several different approaches.
Convergence patterns in financial development: evidence from club convergence

This article analyzes the degree of convergence of financial development for a panel of 50 countries. We apply the methodology of Phillips and Sul (Econometrica 75:1771–1855, 2007) to various indicators of financial development to assess the existence of convergence clubs. We consider ten alternative indicators of financial development that various researchers use to proxy for the degree of financial development in countries. Overall, the results do not support the hypothesis that all countries converge to a single equilibrium state in financial development. Nevertheless, strong evidence exists of club convergence. Countries demonstrate a high degree of convergence in the sense that in the majority of financial indexes they form only two or three convergence clubs, depending on the measure of financial development used. We also apply the Phillips and Sul method to two real variables, per capita output and fixed capital investment to GDP, and find strong evidence of five and four distinct convergence clubs, respectively. Finally, we compare the various convergence clubs associated with financial development indicators to those clubs for per capita output and fixed capital investment to GDP. We conclude that strong evidence supports the correspondence between the convergence clubs for financial development and those two real variables.
Revenge of the Managers

Institutional changes associated with the rise of shareholder value capitalism have had seemingly contradictory effects on managers and managerialism in the United States economy. Financial critiques of inefficient corporate bureaucracies and the resulting wave of downsizing, mergers, and computerization subjected managers to unprecedented layoffs during the 1980s and 1990s as firms sought to become lean and mean. Yet the proportion of managers and their average compensation continued to increase during this period. How did the rise of anti-managerial investor ideologies and strategies oriented toward reducing companies’ labor costs coincide with increasing numbers of ever more highly paid managerial employees? This article examines the paradoxical relationship between shareholder value and managerialism by analyzing the effects of shareholder value strategies on the growth of managerial employment and managerial earnings in 59 major industries in the U.S. private sector from 1984 to 2001. Results from industry-level dynamic panel models show that layoffs, mergers, computerization, deunionization, and the increasing predominance of publicly traded firms all contributed to broad-based increases in the number of managerial positions and the valuation of managerial labor. Results are generally consistent with David Gordon’s (1996) fat and mean thesis.
Launching research: experiences with and achievements of a research mentoring platform for academic women

Due to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Wollongong tested a mentoring platform for female researchers. This article reviews the first eight months of the platform’s lifetime and analyses experiences, achievements and failures in both a qualitative and quantitative manner. The quantitative analysis is based on a benchmark survey at the first research platform meeting and a second follow-up survey after the eight-month test period. The majority of female researchers participating in the Women in Commerce Research Platform (WICRP) were already interested in the research component of their job and had some research output. The platform failed to attract those women who are under pressure to produce research output but struggle to make their first steps into this direction. The results demonstrated that women face specific challenges in academia, in particular being confronted with assumptions/stereotypes, having to balance children and work and the lack senior female mentors. The evaluations of the research conditions in the workplace generally did not differ between senior and junior female researchers, although the more experienced female researchers felt that they had no female role models and that they had more access to inter-faculty collaborations across the university. The follow up survey identified time, gender, network and mentoring and support issues as specific issues for female academics. These results are put in the contest of prior work investigating the challenges female academics face and recommendations are made for other institutions who might be interested to establish a mentoring platform for female researchers.
The Not So Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Over Twelve Years of PPP in Ireland

Public–private partnerships have been adopted extensively in Ireland for over 12 years. This article analyses the practice of PPP procurement at the level of local government. It adopts economic and governance perspectives on PPP which highlight challenges with procurement under PPP such as complexity, uncertainty, hold-up, transparency and accountability. These perspectives provide a basis for an analysis of three cases of PPP procurement. Two cases from the water services sector illuminate problems arising from the complexity of value for money assessment at the ex ante contracting stage. These cases were also characterised by governance problems stemming from central government's role as policy advocate and steward of public funds. The case of PPP to deliver social housing also demonstrated the challenges of procurement under conditions of economic uncertainty and difficulties with achieving appropriate levels of risk transfer. All three cases demonstrate the value of stakeholder consultation in terms of meeting the governance challenges faced when adopting PPP.
InGaAsP solar cells grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy

Hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) has recently reemerged as a low-cost, high-throughput alternative to metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for the growth of high-efficiency III-V solar cells. Quaternary InGaAsP solar cells in the bandgap range of ∼1.7–1.8 eV are promising top-cell candidates for integration in Ill-V/Si tandem cells with projected one-sun efficiencies exceeding 30%. In this work, we report on the development of lattice-matched InGaAsP solar cells grown on GaAs substrates via HVPE at very high growth rates of ∼0.7 μm/min. We demonstrate prototype 1.7 eV InGaAsP solar cells with an open-circuit voltage of 1.11 V. The short-circuit current is limited by the lack of a window layer in these early stage devices. The photo response of 1.7 InGaAsP solar cell with ∼1.1 μm thick base layer is found to be nearly insensitive to variation in p-type base doping concentration in the range from N<inf>a</inf>–4×10<sup>16</sup> to −1×10<sup>17</sup> cm<sup>−3</sup>, indicating an effective carrier collection length on the order of − 1.1 μm or higher in our devices. These initial InGaAsP cell results are encouraging and highlight the viability of HVPE to produce mixed arsenide-phosphide solar cells grown lattice-matched on GaAs.
Effective removal of copper by plasma exchange in fulminant Wilson's disease

BACKGROUND: Patients who present with fulminant hepatic failure due to Wilson's disease may develop hemolytic anemia and renal insufficiency. In this entity, acute hepatocellular necrosis triggers the release of copper ions into the circulation, which leads to toxic effects on red cell metabolic pathways and hemolysis.
Financial dollarization in Russia: causes and consequences

We review some aspects of financial dollarization in Russia, applying the main relevant theories to analyse the dynamics of several dollarization indicators. An econometric model of the short-run dynamics of deposit and loan dollarization is estimated for the last decade. We find that ruble appreciation was the main driver of the de-dollarization that occurred then and of the later episode of renewed dollarization. We estimate the overall (and sectoral) currency mismatches of the Russian economy. Evidence is presented for the significant currency risk vulnerability of the non-banking private sector.
Self-Grading as an Assessment Method.

dents must think and work as a group, articulate their views, meet other people, research, exercise creativity. An added incentive in the composition group projects is grading by the class as well as by the instructor. After each group presents or performs, its members stand with backs to their audience, who then vote for the letter grades deserved by the group. It's good for a hardworking group to know that their peers, as well as their teacher, think highly of their efforts. A barrage of questions and approving comments from the class is inevitable after a well-done presentation. That's food for the spirit, too. "A project" is an amorphous thing. It can be almost any activity outside the realm of the usual. Not only can individuals and small groups do projects, the entire class can also. What else but "a project" is publication of a class magazine or newspaper? Another class project might involve an investigative series of interviews with college officials on school issues, or with town or state officials on current problems. The same work, project, describes the activities of a composition class whose members formu late questions about issues which they spend the semester answering through research and interviews, alone and in interest groups. Project work can synthesize class en deavor. Handled carefully, it can motivate more effectively than anything else. Best of all, it can stimulate the most hard-to-teach student and satisfy the most hard-to-please teacher.
Metabolic Efficacy and Safety of Once-Daily Pioglitazone Monotherapy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Pioglitazone is a novel oral anti-diabetic agent belonging to the thiazolidinedione class. Pioglitazone has been shown to be effective and well tolerated in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes, as it reduces insulin resistance and improves glycaemic control and abnormal lipid profiles. This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study was conducted for further evaluation of the efficacy and tolerability of once-daily administration of pioglitazone monotherapy alongside dietary measures in patients with type 2 diabetes. Following a 10-week washout period, 251 patients received one of three treatment regimens for 26 weeks: placebo + diet (n = 84), pioglitazone 15 mg once-daily + diet (n = 89), or pioglitazone 30 mg once-daily + diet (n = 78). Pioglitazone, both 15 and 30 mg/day, in addition to dietary control, was associated with significant reductions (vs. placebo) in mean levels of both glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA 1C ) and fasting blood glucose (FBG). HbA 1C was reduced by 0.92 % and 1.05 %, respectively, and FBG was reduced by 34.3 and 36.0 mg/dl, respectively, compared with the control group. Pioglitazone at 15 and 30 mg/day significantly reduced postprandial blood glucose levels at all visits (- 163 and - 165 mg/dl/hour, respectively) compared with an increase of 47.7 mg/dl/hour on placebo. The profile and frequency of adverse events were similar in all treatment groups. These results indicate that pioglitazone monotherapy together with dietary control is both effective and safe in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Description of an as Yet Unclassified DNA Virus from Diseased Cyprinus carpio Species

ABSTRACT Numerous deaths of koi and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were observed on many farms throughout Israel, resulting in severe financial losses. The lethal viral disease observed is highly contagious and extremely virulent, but morbidity and mortality are restricted to koi and common carp populations. Diseased fish exhibit fatigue and gasping movements in shallow water. Infected fish had interstitial nephritis and gill necrosis as well as petechial hemorrhages in the liver and other symptoms that were not consistent with viral disease, suggesting a secondary infection. Here we report the isolation of carp nephritis and gill necrosis virus (CNGV), which is the etiologic agent of this disease. The virus propagates and induces severe cytopathic effects by 5 days postinfection in fresh koi or carp fin cell cultures (KFC and CFC, respectively), but not in epithelioma papillosum cyprini cells. The virus harvested from KFC cultures induced the same clinical signs, with a mortality of 75 to 95%, upon inoculation into naive koi and common carp. Using PCR, we provide final proof that the isolated virus is indeed the etiologic agent of food and ornamental carp mortalities in fish husbandry. Electron microscopy revealed viral cores with icosahedral morphology of 100 to 110 nm that resembled herpesviruses. Electron micrographs of purified pelleted CNGV sections, together with viral sensitivities to ether and Triton X-100, suggested that it is an enveloped virus. However, the genome of the isolated virus is a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecule of 270 to 290 kbp, which is larger than known herpesviruses. The viral DNA seems highly divergent and bears only small fragments (16 to 45 bp) that are similar to the genomes of several DNA viruses. Nevertheless, amino acid sequences encoded by CNGV DNA fragments bear similarities primarily to members of the Poxviridae and Herpesviridae and to other large dsDNA viruses. We suggest, therefore, that the etiologic agent of this disease may represent an as yet unclassified virus species that is endemic in C. carpio (carp).
Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Postmenopausal Hormone Use by Type, Recency, and Duration in Cancer Prevention Study II

The Women's Health Initiative randomized trials showed a reduction in colorectal cancer risk with the use of estrogen plus progesterone (E + P), but not with estrogen alone (E-only), after intervention periods <7 years. Using data from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, we examined associations of colorectal cancer risk with E-only and E + P, including analyses by recency and duration of hormone use. During 13.2 years of follow-up, 776 cases of invasive colorectal cancer occurred among 67,412 postmenopausal women participants. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate multivariate-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of colorectal cancer for current and former hormone users according to hormone type and duration of use. Relative to women who never used postmenopausal hormones, current, but not former, use of E-only was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer (RR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.59-0.97). Among current E-only users, duration of use was inversely and linearly associated with risk (Ptrend = 0.01). Use of E-only for <5 years was not associated with reduced risk, whereas use for ≥20 years was associated with a 45% reduction in risk (RR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.36-0.86). There were no statistically significant associations between E + P and colorectal cancer risk. Our results suggest a strong inverse association of long-term use of E-only with colorectal cancer risk, underscoring the importance of collecting data on duration of hormone use in epidemiologic studies of postmenopausal hormones and risk of disease. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(11):2835–41)
Analysis of competency differences among frontline employees from various service typologies: integrating the perspectives of the organisation and customers

This article classifies service into six typologies based on perceived risks and degree of customisation. From the literature, appropriate industries are selected for carrying out two studies. In the first study, interviews and observations were used to collect organisational perspective data needed for sorting out competency differences between frontline employees belonging to various service typologies. The second study, done from the perspectives of customers, adopts the use of questionnaires derived from Study 1. Of the 2060 questionnaires retrieved, 1120 valid questionnaires were obtained. Data were subjected to data triangulation, followed by a discussion and the proposal of managerial implications.
BER per scale performance of a Wavelet OFDM transmission through time and frequency selective channels

BER performance across various transmission scales of a Wavelet OFDM system is investigated in this paper. The channel is selective in time and frequency. It is shown that the BER performance significantly varies across the transmission scales. This is a joint result of the multi-scale nature of the Wavelet OFDM scheme and of the simulated channel's response.
Three decades of money demand studies: differences and similarities

By analysing almost 1000 money demand estimations this paper attempts to summarize the diverse findings of the literature on this topic. Using both descriptive statistics and meta-regressions, several stylized facts are derived about the two most prominent determinants of money demand income and interest rate elasticities. In particular, it is shown we show that the size and signs of average elasticities are systematically related to the choice of included variables (e.g. M1 or M3, short-run or long-run interest rates), the country grouping (e.g. USA versus Germany) and the empirical specification (e.g. the inclusion of one or two interest rates).
A comparison of data mining techniques for credit scoring in banking: A managerial perspective

Credit scoring is a very important task for lenders to evaluate the loan applications they receive from consumers as well as for insurance companies, which use scoring systems today to evaluate new policyholders and the risks these prospective customers might present to the insurer. Credit scoring systems are used to model the potential risk of loan applications, which have the advantage of being able to handle a large volume of credit applications quickly with minimal labour, thus reducing operating costs, and they may be an effective substitute for the use of judgment among inexperienced loan officers, thus helping to control bad debt losses. This study explores the performance of credit scoring models using traditional and artificial intelligence approaches: discriminant analysis, logistic regression, neural networks and classification and regression trees. Experimental studies using real world data sets have demonstrated that the classification and regression trees and neural networks outperform the traditional credit scoring models in terms of predictive accuracy and type II errors.
Auditory Cortex Characteristics in Schizophrenia: Associations With Auditory Hallucinations

Background: Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated associations between smaller auditory cortex volume and auditory hallucinations (AH) in schizophrenia. Reduced cortical volume can result from a reduction of either cortical thickness or cortical surface area, which may reflect different neuropathology. We investigate for the first time how thickness and surface area of the auditory cortex relate to AH in a large sample of schizophrenia spectrum patients. Methods: Schizophrenia spectrum (n = 194) patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Mean cortical thickness and surface area in auditory cortex regions (Heschl’s gyrus [HG], planum temporale [PT], and superior temporal gyrus [STG]) were compared between patients with (AH+, n = 145) and without (AH−, n = 49) a lifetime history of AH and 279 healthy controls. Results: AH+ patients showed significantly thinner cortex in the left HG compared to AH− patients (d = 0.43, P = .0096). There were no significant differences between AH+ and AH− patients in cortical thickness in the PT or STG, or in auditory cortex surface area in any of the regions investigated. Group differences in cortical thickness in the left HG was not affected by duration of illness or current antipsychotic medication. Conclusions: AH in schizophrenia patients were related to thinner cortex, but not smaller surface area of the left HG, a region which includes the primary auditory cortex. The results support that structural abnormalities of the auditory cortex underlie AH in schizophrenia.