Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Effect of Preoperative Nutrition on Upper Body Function in Elderly Patients Undergoing Elective Abdominal Surgery

BACKGROUND Malnutrition among elderly surgical patients has been associated with poor postoperative outcomes and reduced functional status. Although previous studies have shown that nutrition contributes to patient outcomes, its long-term impact on functional status requires better characterization. This study examines the effect of nutrition on postoperative upper body function over time in elderly patients undergoing elective surgery. METHODS This is a 2-year prospective study of elderly patients (≥70 years) undergoing elective abdominal surgery. Preoperative nutrition status was determined with the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). The primary outcome was handgrip strength (HGS) at 1, 4, 12, and 24 weeks postsurgery. Repeated measures analysis was used to determine whether SGA status affects the trajectory of postoperative HGS. RESULTS The cohort included 144 patients with a mean age of 77.8 ± 5.0 years and a mean body mass index of 27.7 ± 5.1 kg/m2 . The median (interquartile range) Charlson Comorbidity Index was 3 (2-6). Participants were categorized as well-nourished (86%) and mildly to moderately malnourished (14%), with mean preoperative HGS of 25.8 ± 9.2 kg and 19.6 ± 7.0 kg, respectively. At 24 weeks, 64% of well-nourished patients had recovered to baseline HGS, compared with 44% of mildly to moderately malnourished patients. Controlling for relevant covariates, SGA did not significantly affect the trajectory of postoperative HGS. CONCLUSION While HGS values over the 24 weeks were consistently higher in the well-nourished SGA group than the mildly to moderately malnourished SGA group, no difference in the trajectories of HGS was detected between the groups.
Studies on Intertemporal Preferences with Applications to Health Economics

textabstractEconomic benefits are often received at different points in time. There are numerous examples of economic applications where the outcomes occur at multiple points in time. Among these are the savings decisions of households, the environmental policies of countries, investment decisions of firms, health-related decisions of individuals, and educational activities of students. In the majority of these cases, future outcomes are valued lower than similar present outcomes, i.e. there is positive time preference. There are several reasons for this behavior. One reason is that the future is almost always surrounded by uncertainty, whilst outcomes received immediately or in the nearer future are more certain. This translates into the discounting of future outcomes. Second, utility is often concave in outcomes (diminishing marginal utility). This means that more units of a particular outcome give less additional utility the more one already possesses of that outcome or the more one has already consumed of it. A second cup of coffee, for example, often gives less utility than the first one. Because wealth is increasing over time due to economic growth, people have more possibilities to consume in the future than in the present. The utility of this extra consumption does, however, not increase proportionally with the increase of consumption, so that future outcomes give less utility than similar present outcomes.
Maternal Body Mass Index and Regional Anaesthesia Use at Term: Prevalence and Complications

BACKGROUND There is an evidence gap regarding the use of regional anaesthesia (epidural, spinal, or combined epidural/spinal anaesthesia) and associated complications by maternal body mass index (BMI). We examine associations between regional anaesthesia, mode of delivery, and regional anaesthesia complications by pre-pregnancy BMI categories among term deliveries. METHODS Retrospective cohort study of births in California, 2007-2010, utilizing linked birth certificate data and patient discharge data. Outcomes were mode of delivery (among laboured deliveries) and select regional anaesthesia complications. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to adjust for maternal characteristics. RESULTS In women undergoing labour (i.e. laboured delivery), women with higher BMI categories were more likely to receive regional analgesia in a dose-response fashion (adjusted risk ratio [RR] 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10, 1.11 for primiparous women with category I obesity), and in those receiving regional anaesthesia, were less likely to deliver vaginally (e.g. RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.84, 0.85 for the same category of women). Regional anaesthesia complications displayed a complex relationship with maternal BMI, with women in intermediate obesity categories having decreased odds as compared to normal-weight women, and women in the highest BMI category having a twofold increased risk of complications (RR 2.34, 95% CI 1.37, 4.02 for primiparous women). CONCLUSION Labouring women in higher BMI categories were more likely to receive regional anaesthesia and more likely to deliver via caesarean compared to normal weight women and women without regional anaesthesia. Rates of anaesthesia complications were highest among women in the highest BMI category.
Business excellence of industrial groups in Oman

The manufacturing industry sector is one of the dynamic and important productive sectors of the economy. Hence, efforts have been made in the literature to assess the performance of this sector in many countries. In this paper, the business excellence of 19 industrial groups in the manufacturing industrial sector of the Sultanate of Oman is evaluated using data envelopment analysis. Using data for the year 2001, three of the 19 industrial groups, namely refined petro‐products (ISIC code 23), office, accounting/computer machinery (ISIC code 30) and medical precision/optical instruments (ISIC code 33), have been assessed to be operating at the highest level of business excellence. Patterns of efficiency changes in these industrial groups over the time period 1997‐2001 are studied using the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) approach. The average MPI over this period has declined for the entire manufacturing industry, and technology change contributed significantly to this decline in spite of a slight improvement in the technical efficiency change. The industrial group chemicals/chemical products (ISIC code 24) have shown poor performance in terms of technical efficiency and technology change during this period. Hence, it is important to study the technology management practices of this industrial group further, and if necessary to provide further investment to improve technologies.
School choice, social class and distinction: the realization of social advantage in education

Parental choice is one of the keystones of current education policy in the UK. A combination of open enrolment, per‐capita funding and deregulated admission procedures is encouraging competition between schools for student enrolments (at least in areas where there are surplus places). Parents are encouraged to see themselves as consumers of education, and ‘good parenting’ is defined, at least in part, in relation to the ‘responsibilities’ of choice (The Parents Charter, Department of Education 1992). Within education policy choice is taken to be both neutral and individualistic. In this paper, we attempt to challenge that neutrality and to argue that choice in education is systematically related to social class differences and the reproduction of class inequalities.
The Relationship Between Neuropsychological Functioning and Psychopathology in Temporal Lobe Epileptic Patients

Summary: With the use of Goldberg's method of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) analysis, evidence has been recently provided of a positive relationship between psychopathology and deficits in neuropsychological functioning in epileptic patients. The present study attempted to replicate this finding using more precise and appropriate criteria for grouping patients according to severity of neuropsychological impairment. Application of Goldberg's MMPI Rules to 34 temporal lobe epileptic patients grouped according to their neuropsychological status (nonimpaired or impaired) failed to support these findings. Possible reasons for the discrepant results, including differing methodologies and seizure patient characteristics across studies, are discussed.
THE INTRODUCTION OF DERIVATIVES REPORTING IN THE UK: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF FRS 13 DISCLOSURES

The aim of the paper is to examine the impact of FRS 13 on the financial statements of UK quoted companies. In particular, a content analysis survey is used to investigate: (i) UK companies' disclosures about derivatives in their annual reports prior to the introduction of FRS 13; and (ii) changes in UK companies' reporting practices for derivative instruments since the introduction of the standard. The results indicate that the implementation of FRS 13 was associated with an increase in derivatives related information available in corporate annual reports. This association appears to hold irrespective of whether the actual number of pages of FRS 13 related information disclosed, or the relative measure of the percentage of the annual report containing FRS 13 information is used. Not surprisingly, the largest disclosers are FTSE 100 listed companies. The industry grouping with the largest average disclosure comprises companies from the Non-Cyclical Services sector. Thus, the implementation of FRS 13 has had a significant impact on the content of annual reports. This additional disclosure may have provided stakeholders with useful information about these companies.
Valuing new random genetically modified (GM) traits with real options: The case of drought-tolerant wheat

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical model to value traits at different developmental phases and to determine the value of drought tolerance (DT) in wheat using GM technology. Design/methodology/approach - – A stochastic binomial real-options model of GM traits was developed to estimate the value of a DT wheat trait. Findings - – The results indicate that the value of DT wheat using GM technology is in-the-money at each development phase. The greatest value would accrue for the Prairie Gateway and Northern Great Plains regions in the USA. Research limitations/implications - – The approach is useful for valuing high-cost risky investments in technology and results provide guidance for development strategies. Originality/value - – The model is original and its applications to wheat are unique.
The Relationship Between Team Diversity and New Product Performance: The Moderating Role of Organizational Slack

The relationship between team diversity and new product performance is often assumed to be linear. This assumption has been challenged conceptually and empirically, but results to date have been inconsistent. This study examines this issue based on behavioral theory and social identity theory. The empirical results generally supported our expectations of the inverse U-shaped relationship between team diversity and new product performance. We also hypothesized and found that organizational slack moderated the curvilinear relationship between team diversity and new product performance. A questionnaire survey on 118 new product development projects in Taiwanese firms is collected to test the hypotheses. We conclude by discussing the managerial implications of these findings for the use of team composition to the new product projects in personnel selection.
Lifestyle‐ and diet‐related factors in late‐life depression—a 5‐year follow‐up of elderly European men: the FINE study

Late‐life depression is one of the main health problems among elderly populations and a key element of healthy ageing. Causal relationships of lifestyle‐ and diet‐related factors in late‐life depression are unclear. This study investigates prospective associations of lifestyle‐ and diet‐related factors with development of categorically defined late‐life depression in a well‐documented population of elderly European men.
Induction of Nuclear Translocation of Constitutive Androstane Receptor by Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor α Synthetic Ligands in Mouse Liver*

Peroxisome proliferators activate nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and enhance the transcription of several genes in liver. We report here that synthetic PPARα ligands Wy-14,643, ciprofibrate, clofibrate, and others induce the nuclear translocation of constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) in mouse liver cells in vivo. Adenoviral-enhanced green fluorescent protein-CAR expression demonstrated that PPARα synthetic ligands drive CAR into the hepatocyte nucleus in a PPARα- and PPARβ-independent manner. This translocation is dependent on the transcription coactivator PPAR-binding protein but independent of coactivators PRIP and SRC-1. PPARα ligand-induced nuclear translocation of CAR is not associated with induction of Cyp2b10 mRNA in mouse liver. PPARα ligands interfered with coactivator recruitment to the CAR ligand binding domain and reduced the constitutive transactivation of CAR. Both Wy-14,643 and ciprofibrate occupied the ligand binding pocket of CAR and adapted a binding mode similar to that of the CAR inverse agonist androstenol. These observations, therefore, provide information for the first time to indicate that PPARα ligands not only serve as PPARα agonists but possibly act as CAR antagonists.
Re-imagining Child Protection: Towards Humane Social Work with Families

Introduction Re-imagining child protection in the context of re-imagining welfare We need to talk about ethics Developing research mindedness in learning cultures Towards a Just Culture: Designing Humane Social Work Organisations Getting on and getting by: living with poverty Thinking afresh about relationships: Men, women, parents and services Tainted love: how dangerous families became troubled Conclusion References.
Hierarchical Organization in Auditory Cortex of the Cat Using High-Field Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

ii Dedication . iii List of Tables . x List of Figures . xi List of Abbreviations . xiii 1 Chapter 1 – Introduction . 1 1.1 Defining Cortical Areas . 1 1.1.1 Structural . 2 1.1.2 Functional . 4 1.2 Auditory Cortex . 7 1.2.1 Human and Monkey Auditory Cortex . 7 1.2.2 Cat Auditory Cortex . 11 1.2. 3 Hierarchical Organization . 13 1.3 fMRI and Audition . 14 1.4 Current Investigation . 17 1.4. 1 Chapter 2: There’s more than one way to scan a cat: Imaging cat auditory cortex with high-field fMRI using continuous or sparse sampling. 17 1.4. 2 Chapter 3: High-field fMRI reveals tonotopically organized and core auditory cortex in the cat. 18 1.4. 3 Chapter 4: The cat’s meow: A high-field fMRI assessment of cortical activity in response to vocalizations and complex auditory stimuli. 19 1.5 References . 19 2 Chapter 2 – There’s More Than One Way to Scan a Cat: Imaging Cat Auditory Cortex with High-Field fMRI using Continuous or Sparse Sampling . 32 2.1 Abstract . 32 2.2 Introduction . 33
Nber Macroeconomics Annual

This 20th edition of the NBER Macroeconomics Annual treats many questions at the cutting edge of macroeconomics that are central to current policy debates. The papers and discussions include an analysis of the differential between American and European unemployment rates, with the authors of the paper taking issue with Edward Prescott's view that higher European tax rates are responsible; a provocative account of the relationship between fluctuations in the hiring rate of new workers and the U.S. unemployment rate; an analysis of the 20-year decline in aggregate volatility (and the rise in firm volatility); a model that compares the effectiveness of monetary policy that targets inflation rates to one that targets simple wage inflation; a roadmap to using Bayesian approaches in solving empirical puzzles; and a microeconomic model that shows the desirability of maintaining a stable inflation rate even in isolated situations that would seem to call for a more flexible policy toward inflation.
A step test to assess exercise-related oxygen desaturation in interstitial lung disease

A 6-min step test (6MST) may constitute a practical method for routinely assessing effort tolerance and exercise-related oxyhaemoglobin desaturation (ERD) in the primary care of patients with interstitial lung disease. In total, 31 patients (19 males) with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n = 25) and chronic hypersensitivity pneumonia were submitted, on different days, to two 6MSTs. Physiological responses were compared with those found on maximal and submaximal cycle ergometer tests at the same oxygen uptake (V′O2). Chronic breathlessness was also determined, as measured by the baseline dyspnoea index (BDI). Responses to 6MST were highly reproducible: 1.3±2.0 steps·min-1, ±5 beats·min-1 (cardiac frequency), ±50 mL·min-1 (V′O2), ±7 L·min-1 (minute ventilation) and ±2% (arterial oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry (Sp,O2)). The number of steps climbed in 6 min was correlated to peak V′O2 and the BDI. There were significant associations among the tests in relation to presence (change in Sp,O2 between rest and exercise ≥4%) and severity (Sp,O2 <88%) of ERD. Four patients, however, presented ERD only in response to 6MST. Resting diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide and alveolar–arterial oxygen tension difference were the independent predictors of the number of steps climbed. A single-stage, self-paced 6-min step test provided reliable and reproducible estimates of exercise capacity and exercise-related oxyhaemoglobin desaturation in interstitial lung disease patients.
A Cross-Sectional Study of Quality of Life among Subjects with Epilepsy Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital.

INTRODUCTION Epilepsy is a chronic disorder associated with profound physical and psychological consequences leading to impaired quality of life (QoL). Evaluation of the QoL among epileptics would throw light on various factors that impair or affect the QoL in such a population. AIM To study the QoL among epileptic patients attending outpatient departments of a tertiary care hospital and to identify various factors that affect the QoL in such a population. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional observational questionnaire based study, including patients with epilepsy, who were on antiepileptic drugs, on follow-up for minimum one year, aged more than 18years, both sexes and who were seizure free in the previous 24hours. The World Health Organisation Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was administered to those included in the study. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and statistical tests like t-test for independent variables and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the QoL scores. RESULTS Of the 98 subjects 61.2% were males, majority were educated upto high school level and most of them were employed in unskilled labour. The mean total QOL score was 53.9 (15.8). There was a significant lower mean total QOL score among people with low educational status and poor seizure control. CONCLUSION Epilepsy is a syndrome associated with chronic drug use and regular long term follow-ups to hospitals. These treatment and disease associated problems affects the QOL of the subjects significantly in various squares of life. We found that a lower education and having seizure in the recent past affected the QOL scores.
Ionizing Irradiation Quarantine Treatment Against Plum Curculio (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract Plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst), is a quarantine pest of many temperate fruits, such as pomes, Malus spp. ; stone fruits, Prunus spp. ; and blueberries, Vaccinium spp. ; in North America east of the Rocky Mountains and a small area in Utah. There are two strains, a northern univoltine one that undergoes obligate diapause as an adult and a southern multivoltine strain that usually has facultative diapause. Current quarantine treatments for shipment to areas that do not have the pest include methyl bromide fumigation and cold storage for several weeks. The cold storage treatment may not be effective against northern strain adults in diapause. The objective of this research was to develop an irradiation quarantine treatment against plum curculio. The estimated dose to kill southern strain plum curculio adults in one day is ≈4 kGy. Diapausing northern strain plum curculios were prevented from reproducing with 40 Gy. Reproduction of southern strain plum curculios was prevented with a target dose of 80 Gy, and the dose recommended as a quarantine treatment, that would prevent adults from reproducing, is 92 Gy, the maximum absorbed dose measured when a target dose of 80 Gy was sought. At that dose, oviposition may still occur for up to 1 wk and some of the eggs may hatch, but there is no development beyond the first instar. Hosts of the plum curculio would tolerate that dose well. Immature plum curculios were prevented from reproducing with lower doses.
A Model-Based Approach for Planning and Developing a Family of Technology-Based Products

In this paper, we address the product-family design problem of a firm in a market in which customers choose products based on some measure of product performance. By developing products as a family, the firm can reduce the cost of developing individual product variants due to the reuse of a common product platform. Such a platform, designed in an aggregate-planning phase that precedes the development of individual product variants, is itself expensive to develop. Hence, its costs must be weighted against the benefits of its reuse in a family. We offer a model for capturing costs of product development when the family consists of variants based on a common platform. It is shown that the model can be converted into a network-optimization problem, and the optimal product-family can be identified under fairly general conditions by determining the shortest path of its network formulation. We also analytically examine the effect of alternative product designs on product-family composition, and discuss the implications of investing in new-product technology. Finally, we illustrate our model and managerial insights with an application from the electronics industry.
[Descriptive study of animal attacks and bites in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1996-1998].

The present study described the frequency of animal bites and attacks in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico between the fiscal years 1996 through 1998. A total of 275 cases were reported to the San Juan Local Office of Environmental Health. The distribution of cases by gender was equal, and persons aged 18 years or older had the highest frequency of animal bites and attacks (52.9%). The animal species reported to be involved in the majority of animal bites was the dog (81.1%). Upper extremities were involved in 43% of these injuries. Animal bites caused by dogs were more often reported among male victims (87.4%) (p = 0.031). Approximately 41% of dog bites and attacks and 75% of bites and attacks caused by other animal species were documented as provoked (p = 0.002). More than 75% of the injuries in the head, face or neck involved children < 13 years whereas 65.9% of the injuries in the upper extremities involved adults (> 18 years) (p = 0.001). Animal bites and attacks in the upper extremities were more prominent among injuries caused by an animal species different to the dog (71%) (p < 0.001). We conclude that animal bites and attacks is a public health concern in light of the increasing pet population. Therefore, educational strategies towards the general population must stress careful supervision of the human-animal interaction as well as the general procedures to follow in case of an injury.