Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occlusion devices and approaches in canine patent ductus arteriosus: comparison of outcomes.

BACKGROUND A comparison of transvascular occlusion methods for closing patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in dogs has not been done. OBJECTIVES To determine if clinically important differences exist between the approaches and devices currently used. ANIMALS A total of 112 client-owned dogs with left-to-right shunting PDA. METHODS Retrospective study. Records from dogs that underwent attempted transvascular PDA occlusion from January 2006 to December 2009 were examined. Dogs were placed into 4 groups: Group 1: Amplatz Canine Duct Occluder (ACDO) (transarterial) - 36 dogs; Group 2: Gianturco or MReye Flipper Detachable Embolization (Flipper) coil (transarterial) - 38 dogs; Group 3: Amplatzer Vascular Plug (AVP) (transarterial) - 23 dogs; Group 4: Flipper coil (transvenous) - 15 dogs. RESULTS The overall success rate of the procedures was high (92%) with comparable success rates among groups (87-97%). There were significantly fewer complications (P < .0001) in dogs receiving an ACDO than in the remaining groups (3% for ACDO versus 26-33% for the other groups). Fluoroscopy time for the transvenous method was significantly longer (median, 13 minutes) than for the other groups (median, 6 minutes) (P < .0001). Severity of residual flow 24 hours postprocedure was significantly less in the ACDO group than in the remaining groups (P = .0001-.05). CONCLUSIONS The ACDO appears superior in ease of use, complication rate, and completeness of occlusion. The remaining limiting factor with this device is patient size. Until a smaller ACDO device is marketed, coils remain the only choice for interventional closure in very small dogs.
Efficiency and productivity comparisons between outsourcers and non-outsourcers: Evidence from a metafrontier production function with endogenous switching

This paper aims to compare productivity and technical efficiency (TE) between outsourcers and non-outsourcers with an empirical methodology that accounts for both heterogeneous production technologies and non-random sample separation. Using plant-level data on six two-digit manufacturing industries in Taiwan over the period 2002–2005, the endogenous switching regression and the stochastic metafrontier methodology enable us to generate TE scores that are comparable across production units that operate under different technologies without the standard assumption in the literature that the outsourcing status is out of the control of the plant and that outsourcers and non-outsourcers use the same technology. We find that outsourcers are, on average, more technically efficient and technologically advanced than non-outsourcers. Productivity differences account for the lion's share of the outsourcer–non-outsourcer output gap.
Effect of Neonatal Handling and Sex on Basal and Chronic Stress-Induced Corticosterone and Leptin Secretion

Neonatal handling is an experimental paradigm for early experiences. It affects the programming of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, known to be sexually dimorphic. Recently leptin, a hormone related to energy balance and secreted mainly by adipocytes, has been implicated in the stress response. We thus determined the effect of neonatal handling on plasma concentrations of corticosterone and leptin of male and female rats under basal conditions and after two consecutive chronic stressors: chronic forced swimming stress and chronic restraint. Handling resulted in lower basal corticosterone levels in both males and females and in a more efficient HPA response, with a large corticosterone surge following the first chronic stressor and a return to basal levels following the second. Handling also resulted in decreased plasma leptin concentrations in males, thus abolishing the sex difference in leptin levels. Furthermore, handling increased body weight while it decreased food intake under basal conditions. Food intake and body weight gain during chronic forced swimming was lower in handled than in non-handled males, while in females these parameters were not influenced by handling. In both males and females, handling resulted in decreased food intake and increased body weight loss during chronic restraint stress. Body weight loss during chronic restraint stress, which is considered an index of maladaptation and ‘depression’, was particularly pronounced in the handled females. Our results also showed that non-handled females had higher corticosterone and lower leptin levels than males under basal conditions and following each of the two chronic stressors. The present work suggests that early experiences, such as the mother–infant relationship, interact with endogenous factors, such as gonadal hormones, to determine the organism’s response to stressful stimuli during adulthood.
Evaluation of a Simple Method of Sampling the Lung for Quantitative Histological Analysis

In a previous paper (Dunnill, 1962), various quantitative methods were described for use in studying the pathological anatomy of the lung. These methods were developed from those used in the normal lung by E. R. Weibel, and their theoretical basis has been described fully by him (Weibel, 1963). An essential preliminary procedure was the selection of blocks of lung tissue to be sectioned for histological analysis, and a method of stratified random sampling was described. It is the purpose of this paper to assess the efficiency of this method in a series of samples from a normal and an emphysematous subject.
Mixed genotypes infection with hepatitis D virus

Heterogeneity of hepatitis C viral (HCV) genomes results in escape from immune clearance. Super‐infection or mixed infection of different genotypes of HCV are seen commonly in humans. Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is classified into 3 genotypes. This study was planned to investigate if mixed genotypes infection of HDV occurs in humans. HDV genotyping based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to screen 60–99 HDV clones from each case of 7 prostitutes and 11 patients. Mixed infections were diagnosed by the finding of two or more different RFLP patterns in a case and were confirmed by sequencing. Five prostitutes had mixed infections of genotypes IIa and IIb HDV, while only 2 patients had mixed infections of genotypes I and II HDV (P < 0.05). The heterogeneity in nucleotide sequence was generally below 2% among HDV quasi‐species from the same subject, while the heterogeneity was 27.7% between genotypes I and II HDV, and 22.8% between genotypes IIa and IIb HDV from a subject with mixed infection. Multiple HDV clones from the spouses of the 2 index cases were also analyzed. One spouse had mixed infection and the other did not, corresponding to the index cases. In cases with mixed genotypes infections, the prevalence of the minor strain was less than 10% of the total colony population analyzed. J. Med. Virol. 57:64–67, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stock Transactions Volume and the 1978 Capital Gains Tax Reduction

The purpose of the research reported here was to see whether the accumu-lated evidence since 1979 is consistent with the hypothesis that the capital gains tax cuts in the Revenue Act of 1978 caused an increased volume of stock transactions. Transactions volume on the New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, and over-the-counter markets has risen substantially since the beginning of 1979. Average daily volumefor the first five months of 1981 on all markets was more than three times higher than it was from 1972 through 1977. A substantial amount of this increased volume can be associated with the capital gains tax cut. It is difficult to disentangle any possible effect of the stock price level on volume from the effect of the tax reduction. When both factors are introduced as explanatory variables, the association between the tax cut and increased transactions volume remains strongfor the New York Stock Exchange, but is not supported for the American Stock Exchange. For over-the-counter transactions, the evidence is consistent with a gradually increasing volume of transactions associated with the tax reduction, but not a constant increase.
Impacts of Climate Change on Winter Tourism in the Swiss Alps

This paper examines the impacts of three consecutive snow-deficient winters at the end of the 1980s on the winter tourism industry in Switzerland. It is shown that ski areas in lower areas suffered severe consequences. Ski areas at higher altitudes (in particular glacier ski resorts) on the other hand increased their transport figures and therefore profited from the lack of snow in lower areas. The snow-reliability of all Swiss ski fields under current climate conditions and under a 2"C warming are investigated. Under current climate conditions 85% of all Swiss ski areas are snow-reliable. This number would drop to 63% if temperatures were to rise by 2"C. This is likely to threaten the regionally balanced economic growth which winter tourism has provided. Possible strategies for the winter tourism industry to adopt if climate change occurs are presented.
To Make or Buy: An Allocation of Attention

This paper presents a novel explanation of the decision by a firm to make an input within the firm rather than to out-source the production to another firm. Due to the limited attention of the manager/entrepreneur, time spent overseeing production in-house has an opportunity cost: the neglect of potential new products/markets. Outsourcing production economizes on attention, but writing and negotiating contracts also has an opportunity cost: the neglect of current operations. This paper derives the endogenous transaction costs of writing a contract with another party and shows that positive transaction costs are not sufficient for the optimal internalization of transactions. However, positive net transaction costs results in the optimal decision to produce the input internally. In addition, although there are larger firm sizes of higher value than obtainable under the optimal policy, the optimal policy maximizes the social value of each individual transaction.
Prevalence and characterıstıcs of supernumerary teeth in a child population from Central Anatolıa - Turkey.

AIMS This article aimed to characterize the incidence of supernumerary teeth in Turkish children according to sex, location, number and morphology and to explore possible correlations between these variables. METHODS The study population comprised 7,551 non-syndromic patients aged 3-16 years who applied for routine check-ups at the Ankara University Department of Pediatric Dentistry between January 2009 and January 2010. The population included children in deciduous, mixed and permanent dentition. Both clinical and radiographic examinations were conducted. Demographic variables (age, sex) as well as number, location (maxilla or mandible), position, type and morphology of supernumeraries were recorded for all patients with supernumerary teeth. Supernumerary teeth with odontomes were also noted. RESULTS Of the 7,551 patients examined, supernumerary teeth were detected in 74 patients (0.98%). Of these, 48 were male and 26 were female (male-to-female ratio: 1.84:1). A total of 84 supernumerary teeth were detected, 80 (95.2%) of which were permanent teeth and 4 (4.8%) of which were deciduous teeth (n=4). Most supernumerary teeth (n=59, 70.2%) were located in the maxillary arch. The most common supernumerary teeth were mesiodens (36.9%), followed by supernumerary teeth located in the maxillary incisor region (33.3%), the mandibular premolar region (17.9%), the mandibular molar region (5.9%), the mandibular incisor region (4.8%) and the mandibular canine region (1.2%). CONCLUSION The prevalence of supernumerary teeth was found to be 0.98% and mesiodens was the most frequent type.
Social Studies of Domestic Information and Communication Technologies

© 2006 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. In the twentieth century, new information technology has the potential to influence the lives of ordinary citizens as much as it has influenced business, education, and government. The majority of individuals and households are using personal computers, the Internet, and mobile telephones. This book is about the potential effect of these new technologies, as they enter our homes and our daily lives, to change the range of activities we pursue, the way we perform old activities, our relationships with other people, and our personal and economic welfare. This chapter introduces the main themes of the book, describing the social impact of the new technologies, personal welfare outcomes, and the theoretical framework for understanding the social impact of technology.
Breathing during sleep in patients with interstitial lung disease.

Patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) have a rapid shallow breathing pattern while awake that is thought to be due to activation of lung reflexes. We wondered whether sleep would result in changes in respiratory control and thus cause hypoxemia and poor sleep quality. Eleven patients with ILD (5 men and 6 women) and 11 age- and sex-matched control subjects were studied during sleep. Sleep quality was worse in patients with ILD, with more time in Stage 1 (33.7% of total sleep time (TST) versus 13.5%) and less time in REM sleep (11.8 versus 19.9% TST) than found in control subjects, and more fragmentation of sleep (13.7 +/- 3.1 arousals/h and 24.3 +/- 6.0 sleep stage changes/h versus 6.9 +/- 1.0 and 12.7 +/- 1.4, respectively). Patients with ILD with awake SaO2 less than 90% had greater abnormalities in sleep structure than did those with SaO2 greater than 90%. The incidence of apneas and hypopnea periods in patients with ILD was low (apnea plus hypoventilation index of 1.3 +/- 0.45 versus 2.9 +/- 0.82 in control subjects, p = NS). Oxygen saturation dropped during REM sleep in patients, especially in those with more severe awake hypoxemia. Expiratory time (Te), inspiratory time (Ti), and their sum (Ttot) were shorter in the patients, whereas Ti/Ttot was the same as in control subjects. No systematic changes during sleep were seen in these variables. The variability of inspiratory volume index, Ti, Te, and Ti/Ttot was similar to that in control subjects, and was lowest during NREM sleep. The incidence of snoring was comparable in patients and control subjects. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Rho‐dependent phase‐variable transcription terminator controls expression of the FimE recombinase in Escherichia coli

The fim switch is a 314 bp segment of invertible chromosomal DNA that is responsible for phase‐variable expression of type 1 fimbriae in Escherichia coli. The switch harbours the promoter of the fimA gene. This codes for the type 1 fimbrial subunit protein and, when the promoter is directed towards fimA (phase ON), the bacteria are fimbriate and, when it is directed away, the cells are afimbriate. The switch lies immediately downstream from the fimE gene, coding for a tyrosine site‐specific recombinase that catalyses inversion of the switch from the ON to the OFF phase. It has been suggested previously that, because the fim switch lies immediately downstream from the fimE gene, expression of FimE could be subject to control by antisense RNA in phase OFF bacteria in which the promoter harboured within the fim switch is oriented against the direction of transcription of the fimE gene. In this study, no effect of inducible fimE antisense RNA, expressed in cis or in trans, on FimE expression was detected. In phase ON cells, fimE mRNA extends across the switch into fimA, whereas in phase OFF cells, it terminates within the switch. This termination is Rho dependent and is abolished in a rho mutant. The extended fimE found in phase ON cells is more stable and results in an approximately fivefold increase in FimE protein compared with phase OFF bacteria. In the absence of Rho factor, fimE mRNA is equally stable in phase ON and phase OFF cells, and the levels of FimE recombinase are also equal.
Diversity Trumps Quantity: Types of Foreign Aid, Donor Fragmentation and Democratization

This paper investigates the effects of donor fragmentation on democratization. The presence of a large number of donors has been shown to impact negatively on bureaucracy quality and economic growth in the recipient country. But does donor fragmentation also affect democratization? I argue that the effect differs depending on the type of aid: Fragmented general aid has a negative impact on democratization, because it erodes some of the prerequisites of democracy. Fragmented democracy aid, however, has a positive impact on democratization, because diversity on the donor side provides choice to the multitude of local actors involved in the process, increasing the viability of resulting institutions. A highly concentrated donor community would lead to the imposition of an institutional blueprint, designed in advance and not adapted to the needs of the recipient society. These propositions are tested with data for 135 countries over the period 1990 to 2008. The temporal dynamics are examined with an error correction model. The causal mechanism is traced using the case of Ghana. Empirical evidence suggests that fragmented general aid indeed has a negative impact on democracy. But the presence of a large number of donors providing democracy aid has, contrary to common wisdom, a positive impact. This impact is independent of the amount of aid spent: The diversity of democracy aid trumps the quantity of democracy aid.
Antibiotic‐mediated recombination: ciprofloxacin stimulates SOS‐independent recombination of divergent sequences in Escherichia coli

The widespread use and abuse of antibiotics as therapeutic agents has produced a major challenge for bacteria, leading to the selection and spread of antibiotic resistant variants. However, antibiotics do not seem to be mere selectors of these variants. Here we show that the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin, an inhibitor of type II DNA topoisomerases, stimulates intrachromosomal recombination of DNA sequences. The stimulation of recombination between divergent sequences occurs via either the RecBCD or RecFOR pathways and is, surprisingly, independent of SOS induction. Additionally, this stimulation also occurs in a hyperrecombinogenic mismatch repair mutS mutant. It is worth noting that ciprofloxacin also stimulates the conjugational recombination of an antibiotic resistance gene. Finally, we demonstrate that Escherichia coli is able to recover from treatments with recombination‐stimulating concentrations of the antibiotic. Thus, fluoroquinolones can increase genetic variation by the stimulation of the recombinogenic capability of treated bacteria (via an SOS‐independent mechanism) and consequently may favour the acquisition, evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance determinants.
The Financial Consequences of Unbalanced Betting on NFL Games

Previous research on point spread betting often assumed that bookmakers attract an equal volume of bets on either side of games in order to maximize profits. This paper examines the plausibility of this assumption. Financial simulations based on actual bet volumes on NFL games, point spreads, and game outcomes over the 2005-2008 NFL seasons indicate that unbalanced betting generated positive profits for book makers, including profits larger than would have been made if the betting volume was balanced on all games.
Organizational hierarchy and structural diversity of microvascular pericytes in adult mouse cortex

Smooth muscle cells and pericytes, together called mural cells, coordinate many distinct vascular functions. Canonically, smooth muscle cells are ring-shaped and cover arterioles with circumferential processes, whereas pericytes extend thin processes that run longitudinally along capillaries. In between these canonical mural cell types are cells with features of both smooth muscle cells and pericytes. Recent studies suggest that these transitional cells are critical for controlling blood flow to the capillary bed during health and disease, but there remains confusion on how to identify them and where they are located in the brain microvasculature. To address this issue, we measured the morphology, vascular territory, and α-smooth muscle actin content of structurally diverse mural cells in adult mouse cortex. We first imaged intact 3D vascular networks to establish the locations of major gradations in mural cell appearance as arterioles branched into capillaries. We then imaged individual mural cells occupying the regions within these gradations. This revealed two transitional cells that were often similar in appearance, but with sharply contrasting levels of α-smooth muscle actin. Our findings highlight the diversity of mural cell morphologies in brain microvasculature, and provide guidance for identification and categorization of mural cell types.
Does the Use of Intelligent Learning and Assessment Software Enhance the Acquisition of Financial Accounting Knowledge

ABSTRACT: This paper presents the findings of a study designed to examine the effectiveness of intelligent online learning and assessment software in the introduction to accounting course. The software was used in the course to help students master the fundamentals of financial accounting. Our findings reveal that students who used the software performed significantly better than those who had not on the exams that tested the underlying financial accounting material. Furthermore, implementation of the software resulted in better course management for the professor, who noted that students in the experimental group took far less office hour time for tutoring of financial accounting material. Importantly, we believe that the program provides a unique mechanism for educators teaching the introduction to accounting course to address functional competencies of financial accounting in both an efficient and effective manner. Data Availability: Data used in this study are available from the authors upon request.
Planar microstrip Yagi array antenna

The Yagi concept is introduced for the planar microstrip array. With parasitic director and reflector patches located on the same plane of the driven element, the beam peak, by the effect of mutual coupling, can be tilted toward the endfire direction. With this capability, the power divider and phase delay transmission lines in a conventional array are no longer needed, and hence the array efficiency is increased. Both linear and circular polarization microstrip Yagi arrays are described. <<ETX>>
Technological Profiles And Economic Performance In The Italian Manufacturing Sector

This paper applies multivariate analysis to a rich data set on technological innovation, in order to identify typical patterns of technological change. To single out the dominant forms of technological behaviour, twelve variables have been selected approximating firms' technological sources and innovation results. Multivariate analysis was applied to identify six main clusters or dominant technological profiles. Each cluster was then interpreted on the basis of a larger set of variables concerning firms' technological and economic performance. The results confirm recent emphasis placed by scholars of technical change on variety of bchaviour in technical change and industrial organization and, more specifically, Pavitt's seminal attempt at a classification of this variety. However, our clusters are somewhat more numerous than Pavitt's, thus showing a more complex combination of technological input and output. Moreover, representative industries of each cluster are less easily recognized as a less marked se.