Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound measurement of sole horn thickness in trimmed claws of dairy cows.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether ultrasound could be used to measure sole horn thickness in dairy cattle after claw trimming with an adaptation of the Dutch method. DESIGN Case series. ANIMALS 24 adult Holstein dairy cows. PROCEDURE Cows were restrained in a standing position, and claws were trimmed with an adaptation of the Dutch trimming method. B-mode ultrasonography was then performed. The transducer was placed on the sole just caudal to the apex of the toe and immediately medial and parallel to the abaxial white zone. The inner margin of the sole was identified as a thin hyperechoic line. Soles were considered to be too thin if sole horn thickness, determined by use of ultrasonography, was < 5 mm. RESULTS Sole horn, underlying soft tissues, and the distal surface of the third phalanx were imaged in 151 claws. The inner margin of the sole could not be identified in 4 claws, and 37 claws could not be imaged because cows collapsed in the restraining chute. Mean +/- SD sole thickness for all claws was 71 +/- 1.3 mm. Only 1 sole was < 5 mm thick. The lateral front claws were significantly thicker than the medial hind claws. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggest that ultrasound imaging can be used to determine sole thickness in dairy cattle after routine claw trimming.
Do internationally cross-listed non-US firms obtain more favorable terms for syndicated loans?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of cross-listing and cross-listing location on the terms of the private debt of firms not located in the USA. Specifically, the paper examines the empirical relationship between three syndicated loan terms (pricing, maturity and amount) at loan initiation and the cross-listed status of the borrower (cross-listed in the USA, UK, through depository receipts or not at all), while (not) differentiating between the stage of economic development of the borrower's home country. Design/methodology/approach - The three loan terms are modeled as a simultaneous system of equations and are estimated on a very extensive sample of 3,883 observations. The impact of endogeneity biases due to the sequential choices to and where to cross-list are examined using the inverse Mill's ratios from a bivariate probit model. Findings - All else held equal, foreign borrowers that are cross-listed directly in the UK obtain loans with higher spreads, longer maturities and larger loan amounts if they are from economically developed countries. Borrowers from emerging economies pay lower spreads but receive shorter maturities on syndicated loans if cross-listed in the UK. Cross-listings in the USA are not associated with any significant differential impacts on the three loan terms. Originality/value - This paper makes an important contribution to the cross-listing and capital structure literatures by providing evidence that the net benefit from being cross-listed for one debt component of the cost of capital (i.e. syndicated loans) depends on the listing destination and upon whether or not the borrower is from an emerging economy. The paper provides practical guidance to corporate financial officers on the benefits of international cross-listing and the choice of cross-listing venues on the terms of private debt issues.
Self‐terminating idiopathic ventricular fibrillation presenting as syncope: a 40‐year follow‐up report

Abstract. Out‐of‐hospital ventricular tachyarrhythmia has a high mortality. Most patients sustaining this type of arrhythmia have an organic heart disease. In this case report we present a patient with recurrent ventricular fibrillation with the clinical appearance of syncope, where no relevant organic heart disease could be found at autopsy performed 40 years later.
An estuarine mudsnail in situ toxicity assay based on postexposure feeding

In situ assays provide more realistic exposure scenarios than laboratory assays, which is particularly pertinent for estuaries because exposure conditions are difficult to simulate. Traditionally, sublethal toxicity testing endpoints, such as growth, emergence, and reproduction, imply time‐delayed extrapolations from individuals to populations, communities, and ecosystems. Sublethal responses mechanistically linked to ecosystem functions have been largely neglected. Feeding is an unequivocal ecologically meaningful response because its impairment has direct and immediate effects on ecosystems, by hampering key functions such as organic matter decomposition, long before its effects at the individual level have consequences at successively higher levels of biological organization. The ultimate goal of the present study was to widen the range of ecosystem functions for estuarine quality assessments. Specifically, a short‐term in situ assay based on the postexposure feeding of the mudsnail Hydrobia ulvae is presented. Methodologies to quantify precisely postexposure egestion as a surrogate of feeding were achieved. A multiple regression model from laboratory experiments was successfully applied to an in situ assay at reference (Mira River) and contaminated Portuguese estuaries (Sado River) for predicting reference results and allowing unraveling confounding factors during exposure (temperature, salinity, sediment grain size). Sensitivity comparisons of postexposure feeding with survival and growth, after Cu exposure, were carried out and used for a first preliminary appraisal of the relative consequences of ecosystem‐level immediate effects. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:1935–1942. © 2011 SETAC
Demand for home modifications: a household production function approach

Coping with activity limitations that occur in old age is an important issue in the context of increasing life expectancy and the, still, inevitable onset of chronic conditions in old age. Elderly households can be viewed as coping with activity limitations by producing functionality with the use of direct inputs that include home modifications. A model of the household production of functionality is developed within the general framework of household production function models of health. Hypotheses generated from this model are tested using a logit model for data from the Survey of Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD). The main findings of the empirical analysis are that the demand for home modifications is fairly income-inelastic, home modifications and personal care are substitutes to some degree, the demand for home modifications increases with years of schooling, and that particular health conditions and the use of other assistive devices are important determinants of the demand for modifications.
European S1 guideline for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa

Hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory, recurrent, debilitating skin disease of the hair follicle that usually presents after puberty with painful, deep‐seated, inflamed lesions in the apocrine gland‐bearing areas of the body, most commonly the axillae, inguinal and anogenital regions. A mean disease incidence of 6.0 per 100 000 person‐years and an average prevalence of 1% has been reported in Europe. HS has the highest impact on patients' quality of life among all assessed dermatological diseases. HS is associated with a variety of concomitant and secondary diseases, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, e.g. Crohn's disease, spondyloarthropathy, follicular occlusion syndrome and other hyperergic diseases. The central pathogenic event in HS is believed to be the occlusion of the upper part of the hair follicle leading to a perifollicular lympho‐histiocytic inflammation. A highly significant association between the prevalence of HS and current smoking (Odds ratio 12.55) and overweight (Odds ratio 1.1 for each body mass index unit) has been documented. The European S1 HS guideline suggests that the disease should be treated based on its individual subjective impact and objective severity. Locally recurring lesions can be treated by classical surgery or LASER techniques, whereas medical treatment either as monotherapy or in combination with radical surgery is more appropriate for widely spread lesions. Medical therapy may include antibiotics (clindamycin plus rifampicine, tetracyclines), acitretin and biologics (adalimumab, infliximab). A Hurley severity grade‐relevant treatment of HS is recommended by the expert group following a treatment algorithm. Adjuvant measurements, such as pain management, treatment of superinfections, weight loss and tobacco abstinence have to be considered.
Value Creation and Trade in 21st Century Manufacturing

type="main"> The factors responsible for the spatial reorganization of contemporary manufacturing are presented here and the predictive power of long-standing notions of comparative advantage revisited. While a growing number of commercial tasks and technologies are in principle mobile internationally, giving rise to the perception of evermore footloose manufacturing firms and greater job insecurity, there is much in the modern organization of manufacturing that is both viscid and involves location-specific competitive advantages. This calls for a more nuanced assessment of the impact of an open world trading system on the spatial division of labor and on living standards.
The Core Executive, Modernization and the Creation of PESC, 1960-64

The period between 1957 and 1964 was one of immense yet underestimated political and administrative change. It culminated in what many have seen as a golden age in Whitehall. This is reflected by the wealth of records now available for the study of government and policy networks. The period is thus an ideal one for collaboration between historians and political scientists. The decisional case study examined in this article focuses on the early years of the Public Expenditure Survey Committee, as viewed from the perspective of welfare policy. The drive to ‘modernize’ government started with attempts to ‘roll back the state’ and to hive off the implementation of policy to executive agencies, very similar to those pursued in the 1980s by Mrs Thatcher and Next Steps. The reasoned rejection of such a policy was symbolized by the creation of PESC, a centralized attempt to allocate resources rationally. PESC itself, however, was initially a failure. External circumstances, such as the breakdown of political and administrative networks within the core executive, and internal tensions, including the Treasury’s covert attempt to impose its own departmental interest, led the Cabinet Secretary to conclude that the prioritization and strict control of forward expenditure commitments was ‘not possible’. This case study demonstrates how future studies of the core executive might be broadened and deepened.
Predicted earnings and the propensity for self-employment: Evidence from Sweden

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the predicted earnings differential between self-employment and wage-employment on self-employment propensities in Sweden using a large data set from the year 2003. Design/methodology/approach - The analysis in the paper is based on the presumption that the individual chooses to work in either the self-employed or the wage-employed sector. The separate earnings functions for the self-employed and the wage-employed are estimated in order to predict an individual's earnings in each sector. In order to overcome selectivity problems a Heckman approach is used at this stage. Finally, a structural probit model, where the difference in predicted earnings from the two sectors is included as an independent variable, is estimated. Findings - The main result is that the predicted differential between self-employment and wage-employment earnings plays an important role for the self-employment decision and that an increase in this earnings differential will lead to a higher self-employment rate and to an increase in total employment in Sweden. Originality/value - The policy relevance of this question is evident since previous research has shown that self-employed individuals do not only create jobs for themselves but also for others. Thus, an increase in the earnings from self-employment relative to the earnings from wage-employment will increase the self-employment rate as well as total employment.
Limits of Conditionality in Poverty Reduction Programs

When donors and recipients have different preferences over budgetary allocations, conditionality helps the implementation of donor-financed poverty reduction programs. If donors cannot perfectly monitor all recipients' actions, however, conditionality entails an inefficient allocation of resources. Under such conditions, the optimal amount of conditionality varies (often not monotonically) with the recipients' degree of social commitment. Finally, if recipients' preferences are not observable, conditionality can be used to prevent recipients with a weak commitment to poverty reduction from obtaining aid funds. This may, however, lead to further distortions in terms of resource allocation and to phenomena of "aid rationing. "
Immunization of Cats against Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) Infection by Using Minimalistic Immunogenic Defined Gene Expression Vector Vaccines Expressing FIV gp140 Alone or with Feline Interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-16, or a CpG Motif

ABSTRACT Four groups of cats, each containing four animals, were immunized at 0, 3, and 6 weeks with minimalistic immunogenic defined gene expression vector (MIDGE) vaccines containing the gene(s) for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) gp140, FIV gp140 and feline interleukin-12 (IL-12), FIV gp140 and feline IL-16, or FIV gp140 and a CpG motif. MIDGEs were coated onto gold beads and injected intradermally with a gene gun. A fifth group of four cats were immunized in an identical manner but with blank gold beads. All cats were challenge exposed to virulent FIV 4 weeks following the final immunization, and the course of infection was monitored. The two groups of cats immunized with the FIV gp140 gene alone or with blank gold particles became highly viremic and seroconverted as early as 4 weeks after infection. In contrast, three of four cats immunized with FIV gp140 in combination with feline IL-12 failed to become viremic or seropositive, as has been shown elsewhere (F. S. Boretti, C. M. Leutenegger, C. Mislin, et al., AIDS 14:1749–1757, 2000). Here we show the effect of IL-12 when used as an adjuvant on the viral RNA and DNA load and on the cytokine profile. In addition, the two groups of cats immunized either with gp140 and IL-16 or with gp140 and the CpG had greatly reduced viremia. Protection correlated weakly with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity and increased cytokine transcription of IL-12, gamma interferon, and IL-10 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the postchallenge period. This study extends the data on IL-12 and provides new results on CpG motifs and IL-16 used as adjuvants in the FIV cat model.
Specification and power of cross-sectional abnormal working capital accruals models in the Spanish context

Following previous research (e.g. Dechow et al., 1995; Peasnell et al., 2000), we use a simulation procedure to evaluate the specification and power of different working capital abnormal accruals models in the Spanish context. Specifically, we assess the Jones Standard model, the Modified Jones model, the Kang and Sivaramakrishnan model, the Margin model, the Jones Cash Flow model, and the Accounting Process model. Consistent with previous research, our results suggest that all the models analysed are well specified in a random sample of firms. Regarding the models' ability to detect artificially induced earnings management, the Jones Cash Flow and the Accounting Process models produce the most powerful tests in all three types of manipulation studied. In line with Peasnell et al. (2000), we find that the Margin model is more powerful than the Jones Standard and the Modified Jones models at detecting non-bad debt expense manipulation, while these two models perform better than the Margin model for revenue and bad debt manipulation. Our results also support the finding by Dechow et al. (1995) that their modified version of the Jones model is more powerful than its standard version at detecting revenue-based manipulation.
The Use of Repertory Grid Analysis to Elicit Salient Short-Break Holiday Destination Attributes in New Zealand

Repertory grid analysis was developed almost 50 years ago, but its application in destination image research has been rare. The technique was used to identify 17 attributes deemed salient to New Zealanders, when differentiating domestic short-break holiday destinations. These were then compared to those attributes used in 84 previous destination studies, as well as with results from personal interviews with tourism practitioners. A number of differences between the repertory grid findings and practitioner opinion confirmed the value of seeking consumer input when developing attribute lists for use in structured surveys. While both the repertory grid findings and practitioner opinion showed a general consistency with the range of 100+ attributes used in the literature, key differences highlighted the importance of the New Zealand domestic travel context. The article attempts to demonstrate the efficacy of repertory grid, an economical technique that has been underused by tourism market researchers.
Expression of bovine myf5 induces ectopic skeletal muscle formation in transgenic mice

myf5 is one of a family of four myogenic determination genes that control skeletal muscle differentiation. To study the role of myf5 in vivo, we generated transgenic mice harboring the bovine homolog, bmyf, under control of the murine sarcoma virus promoter. Ectopic expression of the full-length bmyf transgene was detected in brain and heart tissue samples of F1 progeny from transgenic founder mice. Ectopic bmyf expression activated endogenous skeletal myogenic determination genes in the hearts and brains of transgenic animals. Incomplete skeletal myogenesis in most hearts gave rise to cardiomegaly and focal areas of cardiomyopathy. In brains in which ectopic expression led to a more complete myogenesis, focal areas of multinucleated, striated myotubes containing actin, desmin, and myosin were observed. These unexpected results show that myf5 can initiate myogenic differentiation in vivo, supporting the hypothesis that myf5 is responsible for determination of cells to the myogenic lineage in normal embryogenesis.
Medicare prescription drug coverage: Consumer information and preferences

We investigate prescription drug use, and information and enrollment intentions for the new Medicare Part D drug insurance program, using a sample of Medicare-eligible subjects surveyed before open enrollment began for this program. We find that, despite the complexity of competing plans offered by private insurers under Part D, a majority of the Medicare population had information on this program and a substantial majority planned to enroll. We find that virtually all elderly, even those with no current prescription drug use, can expect to benefit from enrollment in a Part D Standard plan at the low premiums available in the current market. However, there is a significant risk that many eligible seniors, particularly low-income elderly with poor health or cognitive impairment, will make poor enrollment and plan choices.
Inflammatory markers are elevated in overweight Mexican-American children.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of body weight on blood lipid profile, insulin resistance and inflammatory biomarkers in Mexican-American children. METHODS Children (13.3+/-0.1 year) were recruited from a local school and assigned to one of three groups as a volunteer sample: healthy weight (HW) (> or =10th and <85th BMI percentile; n=42), at risk of overweight (RO) (> or =85th and <95th; n =25) or overweight (OW) (> or =95th; n=42). Plasma concentrations of hsCRP, sCD14, sIL-6R, sTNF-alphaR1, sTNF-alphaR2, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were determined by ELISA. RESULTS OW children had significantly greater plasma concentrations of hsCRP (P =0.003), sCD14 (P =0.013), sIL-6R (P =0.010), sTNF-alphaR1 (P<0.001), sTNF-alphaR2 (P=0.005), insulin (P=0.001), TC:HDL ratio (P<0.001) and triglycerides (P <0.001) than HW children. Also plasma concentrations of hsCRP, sIL-6R and sTNF-alphaR1 were significantly greater in OW compared with RO children. CONCLUSION Overweight Mexican-American children had a higher concentration of inflammatory biomarkers than healthy weight children. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report that sCD14 is elevated in overweight compared with healthy weight Mexican-American children.
Microsurgery for Previously Coiled Aneurysms: Experience With 81 Patients

BACKGROUND:Residual and recurrent intracranial aneurysms after endovascular treatment with Guglielmi detachable coils may necessitate a microsurgical occlusion. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the microsurgical technique and describe how the location, morphology, and appearance of the coiled aneurysm affect the technique. METHODS:We retrospectively analyzed 81 patients with 82 previously coiled aneurysms treated microsurgically at 2 Finnish neurosurgical university hospitals in Helsinki and Kuopio between July 1995 and August 2009. Seven videos were selected to demonstrate the microsurgical strategy in various locations. RESULTS:Fifty-eight aneurysms (71%) were located at anterior circulation and 24 (29%) at posterior circulation. Fifteen patients were operated on within the first month (early surgery) after coiling, whereas 66 were treated later (late surgery). Complete or partial removal of coils during surgery may facilitate clipping, but is significantly (P < .001) more difficult to accomplish in late surgery. Removal of coils may also increase the chance of poor outcome. Chance of poor outcome also increased with intraoperative aneurysm rupture, size of the aneurysm, and posterior circulation location. Good clinical outcome (same or better clinical condition 3 months after surgery) was achieved in 71 patients (88%). After microsurgery, 4 patients were severely disabled and 6 patients died, 3 of them because of poor clinical condition. CONCLUSION:Complete microsurgical occlusion of the residual aneurysm is possible. However, in large or giant aneurysms direct microsurgery is a challenging high-risk procedure, and we recommend that these patients be referred to a dedicated neurovascular center to minimize surgical complications. Even in experienced hands, use of different bypass procedures may be the best option for demanding growing lesions, especially those in the posterior circulation.