Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macroeconomic effects of ownership structure in OECD countries

The paper investigates the impact of ownership concentration on GDP growth, for a sample of 18 OECD countries over the period 1980 to 2004. The econometric analysis shows that more concentrated ownership can speed up growth, for countries approaching the technological frontier, provided that labour market regulation is sufficiently tight. In the absence of employment regulation, the logic of financial markets discipline applies and dispersed ownership appears as more favorable for growth. Based on econometric results, impact coefficients are calculated allowing to evaluate the growth points gained/lost following a given change in ownership concentration. This exercise reveals that a reform in the domain of ownership structure can yield sizeable effects in terms of growth. Importantly, these effects are unequally distributed across countries: Anglo-Saxon countries would take more advantage of deregulation (i.e. increased dispersion of ownership in a context of deregulated labour markets) while continental European countries would benefit more from increased concentration of ownership in a context of reinforced labour regulation.
Hypoglycemia Patients and Transport by EMS in Alameda County, 2013–15

Abstract Objective: To estimate the rate, characteristics, and dispositions of hypoglycemia events among persons who received care from Alameda County, California, Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Methods: This study was based on data for 601,077 Alameda County EMS encounters during 2013–15. Subjects were defined as having hypoglycemia if EMS personnel recorded a primary impression of hypoglycemia or low blood glucose (<60 mg/dl or “unspecified low”). The outcome of interest was patient transport or non-transport to an emergency department or other care setting; we excluded 33,177 (6%) encounters which lacked clear disposition outcomes. Results: Among 567,900 eligible encounters, 8,332 (1.47%) were attributed to hypoglycemia, of which 1,125 (13.5%) were not transported. Non-transport was more likely among males, adult patients age <60, initial blood glucose >60 mg/dl or EMS arrival time 18:00–6:00. Conclusions: Without an understanding of EMS encounters and non-transport rates, surveillance based solely on emergency department and hospital data will significantly underestimate rates of severe hypoglycemia. Additionally, given that hypoglycemia is often safely and effectively treated by non-physicians, EMS protocols should provide guidance for non-transport of hypoglycemic patients whose blood glucose levels have normalized.
Adenosine A2A Receptors Modulate &agr;‐Synuclein Aggregation and Toxicity

Abstract Abnormal accumulation of aggregated &agr;‐synuclein (aSyn) is a hallmark of sporadic and familial Parkinson's disease (PD) and related synucleinopathies. Recent studies suggest a neuroprotective role of adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) antagonists in PD. Nevertheless, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying this neuroprotection remain unclear. We assessed the impact of A2AR blockade or genetic deletion (A2AR KO) on synaptic plasticity and neuronal cell death induced by aSyn oligomers. We found that impairment of LTP associated with aSyn exposure was rescued in A2AR KO mice or upon A2AR blockade, through an NMDA receptor‐dependent mechanism. The mechanisms underlying these effects were evaluated in SH‐SY5Y cells overexpressing aSyn and rat primary neuronal cultures exposed to aSyn. Cell death in both conditions was prevented by selective A2AR antagonists. Interestingly, blockade of these receptors did not interfere with aSyn oligomerization but, instead, reduced the percentage of cells displaying aSyn inclusions. Altogether, our data raise the possibility that the well‐documented effects of A2AR antagonists involve the control of the latter stages of aSyn aggregation, thereby preventing the associated neurotoxicity. These findings suggest that A2AR represent an important target for the development of effective drugs for the treatment of PD and related synucleinopathies.
Perceptual ratings of subgroups of ataxic dysarthria.

BACKGROUND The speech characteristics of ataxic dysarthria are known to be quite diverse. The varied presentation of this dysarthria challenges researchers and clinicians alike, and brings into question whether it is a single entity. While the possibility of subtypes of ataxic dysarthria has been suggested, the nature of these putative groups remains unclear. AIMS The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if perceptual speech characteristics would align with a pattern of unusual variability or unusual consistency across speech subsystems and speaking tasks. METHODS & PROCEDURES A framework of speech characteristics was created from the existing literature that clustered speech attributes according to notions of instability (unusual variability) or inflexibility (unusual consistency). These speech features were used to develop a perceptual rating form. Ten experienced speech-language pathologists listened to pre-recorded, exemplary samples of 10 speakers with ataxic dysarthria and rated the perceptual speech features. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Results suggested that five speakers fit the pattern of instability, one speaker aligned with inflexibility and four speakers had a mixed presentation. Intra-rater reliability was satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS This study adds to the sparse, yet growing, literature to support the existence of subgroups in ataxic dysarthria. The more frequent occurrence of the instability profile is consistent with primary disruption to the timing function of the cerebellar circuit. Identification of subgroups has important clinical and research implications and further research is warranted.
Effects of Drought, Pest Pressure and Light Availability on Seedling Establishment and Growth: Their Role for Distribution of Tree Species across a Tropical Rainfall Gradient

Tree species distributions associated with rainfall are among the most prominent patterns in tropical forests. Understanding the mechanisms shaping these patterns is important to project impacts of global climate change on tree distributions and diversity in the tropics. Beside direct effects of water availability, additional factors co-varying with rainfall have been hypothesized to play an important role, including pest pressure and light availability. While low water availability is expected to exclude drought-intolerant wet forest species from drier forests (physiological tolerance hypothesis), high pest pressure or low light availability are hypothesized to exclude dry forest species from wetter forests (pest pressure gradient and light availability hypothesis, respectively). To test these hypotheses at the seed-to-seedling transition, the potentially most critical stage for species discrimination, we conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment combined with a pest exclosure treatment at a wet and a dry forest site in Panama with seeds of 26 species with contrasting origin. Establishment success after one year did not reflect species distribution patterns. However, in the wet forest, wet origin species had a home advantage over dry forest species through higher growth rates. At the same time, drought limited survival of wet origin species in the dry forest, supporting the physiological tolerance hypothesis. Together these processes sort species over longer time frames, and exclude species outside their respective home range. Although we found pronounced effects of pests and some effects of light availability on the seedlings, they did not corroborate the pest pressure nor light availability hypotheses at the seed-to-seedling transition. Our results underline that changes in water availability due to climate change will have direct consequences on tree regeneration and distributions along tropical rainfall gradients, while indirect effects of light and pests are less important.
Dropout as a Low-Rank Regularizer for Matrix Factorization

Regularization for matrix factorization (MF) and approximation problems has been carried out in many different ways. Due to its popularity in deep learning, dropout has been applied also for this class of problems. Despite its solid empirical performance, the theoretical properties of dropout as a regularizer remain quite elusive for this class of problems. In this paper, we present a theoretical analysis of dropout for MF, where Bernoulli random variables are used to drop columns of the factors. We demonstrate the equivalence between dropout and a fully deterministic model for MF in which the factors are regularized by the sum of the product of squared Euclidean norms of the columns. Additionally, we inspect the case of a variable sized factorization and we prove that dropout achieves the global minimum of a convex approximation problem with (squared) nuclear norm regularization. As a result, we conclude that dropout can be used as a low-rank regularizer with data dependent singular-value thresholding.
Depression and all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients on haemodialysis: a multinational cohort study

Background: Depression and early death are both common in adults with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Studies have shown an association between depression and total mortality, but the association between depression and cardiovascular death is less certain. Methods: We conducted a prospective multinational cohort study involving adults who were treated with long‐term haemodialysis within a single dialysis network between April and November 2010. Depression was considered present when patients reported a Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) II score ≥14 at baseline. Sensitivity analyses considered a BDI II score ≥20 to identify moderate depression. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess adjusted hazards for all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality at 12 months. Results: Three thousand and eighty‐six participants in the network received the BDI II questionnaire, and 2278 (73%) provided complete responses to the survey questions. Among these, 1047 (46%) reported depression. During a mean follow‐up of 11 (standard deviation: 2.5) months (2096 person‐years), we recorded 175 deaths, of which 66 were attributable to cardiovascular causes. Depression (BDI score ≥14) was not associated with all‐cause mortality [adjusted hazard ratio: 1.26 (95% confidence interval: 0.93‐1.71)] or cardiovascular mortality [0.82 (0.50‐1.34)]. When a higher BDI score (BDI score ≥20) was used to identify moderate depression, depression was associated with total mortality [1.40 (1.02‐1.93)] but not cardiovascular mortality [1.05 (0.63‐1.77)]. Conclusions: The association between depression and cardiovascular mortality in adults with kidney failure treated with haemodialysis is uncertain. Depression is a heterogeneous disorder and may only be a risk factor for premature death when at least of moderate severity.
DESIGN OF COMPOSITE BEAMS WITH FORMED METAL DECK

THE AISC SPECIFICATION FOR BUILDINGS DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR COMPOSITE BEAMS WITH A FORMED METAL DECK BETWEEN THE STEEL AND CONCRETE SLAB. WHEN THE METAL DECK CORRUGATIONS ARE PARALLEL TO THE BEAM, THEY DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE STEEL-CONCRETE INTERACTION AND THE CONDITION IS SIMILAR TO A HAUNCHED SLAB FOR WHICH THE SPECIFICATION PROVISIONS ARE APPLICABLE. HOWEVER, WHEN THE METAL DECK IS PLACED PERPENDICULAR TO THE STEEL BEAMS AND SHEAR CONNECTORS ARE PLACED IN THE RIBS OF THE CORRUGATIONS, THE BEHAVIOR OF THE COMPOSITE SYSTEM MAY DIFFER SUBSTANTIALLY FROM THE EXPECTED BEHAVIOR. STUDIES INDICATE THAT ALL CORRUGATIONS HAVE LITTLE OR NO INFLUENCE ON BEAM BEHAVIOR AND THAT BEAMS COULD BE DESIGNED AS THOUGH THE SLABS WERE SOLID. TESTS ON COMPOSITE BEAMS WITH RIBS UP TO 1 AND 1/2 INCH, ARE SUMMARIZED IN THE FIGURE. WITH INCREASING RIB HEIGHT, THE FLEXURAL CAPACITY OF THE BEAMS WAS DECREASED AS A RESULT OF THE REDUCTION IN SHEAR CONNECTION STRENGTH. THE REDUCTION IN FLEXURAL CAPACITY IS ANALOGOUS TO THE REDUCTION OBSERVED IN CONVENTIONAL COMPOSITE BEAMS WHEN PARTIAL SHEAR CONNECTION IS AVAILABLE. THIS REDUCED FLEXURAL CAPACITY CAN BE DETERMINED WHEN THE STRENGTH OF THE SHEAR CONNECTION IS KNOWN. THE SLAB WIDTH AND CONNECTOR SIZE AFFECT THE CONNECTORS STRENGTH. THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SHEAR CONNECTOR HAS SOME EFFECT ON THE BEHAVIOR OF THE RIB AND ITS ABILITY TO RESIST SHEAR. TENTATIVE DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PRESENTED FOR COMPOSITE BEAMS WITH FORMED METAL DECK UP TO 3 IN. HIGH.
A Novel Compound ARN-3236 Inhibits Salt-Inducible Kinase 2 and Sensitizes Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines and Xenografts to Paclitaxel

Purpose: Salt-inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) is a centrosome kinase required for mitotic spindle formation and a potential target for ovarian cancer therapy. Here, we examine the effects of a novel small-molecule SIK2 inhibitor, ARN-3236, on sensitivity to paclitaxel in ovarian cancer. Experimental Design: SIK2 expression was determined in ovarian cancer tissue samples and cell lines. ARN-3236 was tested for its efficiency to inhibit growth and enhance paclitaxel sensitivity in cultures and xenografts of ovarian cancer cell lines. SIK2 siRNA and ARN-3236 were compared for their ability to produce nuclear–centrosome dissociation, inhibit centrosome splitting, block mitotic progression, induce tetraploidy, trigger apoptotic cell death, and reduce AKT/survivin signaling. Results: SIK2 is overexpressed in approximately 30% of high-grade serous ovarian cancers. ARN-3236 inhibited the growth of 10 ovarian cancer cell lines at an IC50 of 0.8 to 2.6 μmol/L, where the IC50 of ARN-3236 was inversely correlated with endogenous SIK2 expression (Pearson r = −0.642, P = 0.03). ARN-3236 enhanced sensitivity to paclitaxel in 8 of 10 cell lines, as well as in SKOv3ip (P = 0.028) and OVCAR8 xenografts. In at least three cell lines, a synergistic interaction was observed. ARN-3236 uncoupled the centrosome from the nucleus in interphase, blocked centrosome separation in mitosis, caused prometaphase arrest, and induced apoptotic cell death and tetraploidy. ARN-3236 also inhibited AKT phosphorylation and attenuated survivin expression. Conclusions: ARN-3236 is the first orally available inhibitor of SIK2 to be evaluated against ovarian cancer in preclinical models and shows promise in inhibiting ovarian cancer growth and enhancing paclitaxel chemosensitivity. Clin Cancer Res; 23(8); 1945–54. ©2016 AACR.
Landscape consequences of aggregation rules for functional equivalence in compensatory mitigation programs

Mitigation and offset programs designed to compensate for ecosystem function losses due to development must balance losses from affected ecosystems with gains in restored ecosystems. Aggregation rules applied to ecosystem functions to assess site equivalence are based on implicit assumptions about the substitutability of functions among sites and can profoundly influence the distribution of restored ecosystem functions on the landscape. We investigated the consequences of rules applied to the aggregation of ecosystem functions for wetland offsets in the Beaverhill watershed in Alberta, Canada. We considered the fate of 3 ecosystem functions: hydrology, water purification, and biodiversity. We set up an affect‐and‐offset algorithm to simulate the effect of aggregation rules on ecosystem function for wetland offsets. Cobenefits and trade‐offs among functions and the constraints posed by the quantity and quality of restorable sites resulted in a redistribution of functions between affected and offset wetlands. Hydrology and water purification functions were positively correlated with one another and negatively correlated with biodiversity function. Weighted‐average rules did not replace functions in proportion to their weights. Rules prioritizing biodiversity function led to more monofunctional wetlands and landscapes. The minimum rule, for which the wetland score was equal to the worst performing function, promoted multifunctional wetlands and landscapes. The maximum rule, for which the wetland score was equal to the best performing function, promoted monofunctional wetlands and multifunctional landscapes. Because of implicit trade‐offs among ecosystem functions, no‐net‐loss objectives for multiple functions should be constructed within a landscape context. Based on our results, we suggest criteria for the design of aggregation rules for no net loss of ecosystem functions within a landscape context include the concepts of substitutability, cobenefits and trade‐offs, landscape constraints, heterogeneity, and the precautionary principle.
Mechanical properties of nylon 6-clay hybrid

Various nylon 6-clay hybrids, such as molecular composites of nylon 6 and silicate layers of montmorillonite and saponite, NCH’s and NCHP’s, respectively, have been synthesized. To estimate the mechanical properties of these hybrids, tensile, flexural, impact, and heat distortion tests were carried out. NCH was found superior in strength and modulus and comparable in impact strength to nylon 6. The heat distortion temperature (HDT) of NCH (montmorillonite: 4.7 wt. %) was 152 °C, which was 87 °C higher than that of nylon 6. In NCHP, saponite had a smaller effect on the increase of these mechanical properties. The modulus and HDT of NCH and NCHP increased with an increase in the amount of clay minerals. It was found that these properties were well described by the contribution of the constrained region calculated from the storage and loss modulus at the glass transition temperature. According to the mixing law on elastic modulus, the following expression was obtained between the modulus E at 120 °C and the fraction of the constrained region C, E ^n = E_c ^n = C , where the values of n and E _c (modulus of the constrained region) were 0.685 and 1.02 GPa, respectively.
Performance of Cast-in-Place Self-Consolidating Concrete Made with Various Types of Viscosity-Enhancing Admixtures

This article will discuss viscosity-enhancing admixtures (VEAs) which are water-soluble polymers that increase viscosity and cohesion of cement-based materials. Such enhancement is essential in highly flowable concrete—including self-consolidating concrete (SCC)—to control the risk of segregation. For a given mixture composition, the performance of SCC can widely vary with the type and dosage rate of the VEA in use. The main objective of this investigation is to compare the performance of five VEA systems in SCC. More specifically, the investigation seeks to determine the effect of VEA type on key workability and engineering properties of SCC designated for cast-in-place building applications. The concrete is designed with a characteristic compressive strength of 35 MPa (5076 psi) at 28 days. In total, five VEAs incorporated with two compatible high-range water-reducing admixtures (HRWRAs) are investigated. A finely ground limestone filler that can be used as a stabilizer in flowable concrete is also included in the study.
Kinematics of ram filter feeding and beat–glide swimming in the northern anchovy Engraulis mordax

ABSTRACT In the dense aquatic environment, the most adept swimmers are streamlined to reduce drag and increase the efficiency of locomotion. However, because they open their mouth to wide gape angles to deploy their filtering apparatus, ram filter feeders apparently switch between diametrically opposite swimming modes: highly efficient, streamlined ‘beat–glide’ swimming, and ram filter feeding, which has been hypothesized to be a high-cost feeding mode because of presumed increased drag. Ram filter-feeding forage fish are thought to play an important role in the flux of nutrients and energy in upwelling ecosystems; however, the biomechanics and energetics of this feeding mechanism remain poorly understood. We quantified the kinematics of an iconic forage fish, the northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax, during ram filter feeding and non-feeding, mouth-closed beat–glide swimming. Although many kinematic parameters between the two swimming modes were similar, we found that swimming speeds and tailbeat frequencies were significantly lower during ram feeding. Rather than maintain speed with the school, a speed which closely matches theoretical optimum filter-feeding speeds was consistently observed. Beat–glide swimming was characterized by high variability in all kinematic parameters, but variance in kinematic parameters was much lower during ram filter feeding. Under this mode, body kinematics are substantially modified, and E. mordax swims more slowly and with decreased lateral movement along the entire body, but most noticeably in the anterior. Our results suggest that hydrodynamic effects that come with deployment of the filtering anatomy may limit behavioral options during foraging and result in slower swimming speeds during ram filtration. Summary: The anchovy Engraulis mordax shows substantial modifications to swimming kinematics from routine behavior when ram filter feeding.
Chapter 4 Surgical Treatment of Brachial Plexus Injury

In recent years, brachial plexus injury has been attracting increasing attention, partly because of an increasing incidence arising out of higher survival rates for patients after polytrauma. Brachial plexus injury is one of the hardest and most mutilating injuries. Owing to advances in microsurgical techniques, we can achieve success in restoring motor function for these patients. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader with various microsurgical techniques, including nerve fascicle transfers and end-to-side neurorrhaphy (ETSN), which can be used for brachial plexus reconstruction based on personal experience with 1130 nerve reconstructions performed by the first author (PH) between 1993 and 2017. Another goal of brachial plexus surgery is the resolution of severe intractable pain which can develop in up to 20% of cases. Dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) thermocoagulation is a very effective method for treatment of severe neuropathic pain.
Left Ventricular Geometry and Blood Pressure as Predictors of Adverse Progression of Fabry Cardiomyopathy

Background In spite of several research studies help to describe the heart in Fabry disease (FD), the cardiomyopathy is not entirely understood. In addition, the impact of blood pressure and alterations in geometry have not been systematically evaluated. Methods In 74 FD patients (mean age 36±12 years; 45 females) the extent of myocardial fibrosis and its progression were quantified using cardiac magnetic-resonance-imaging with late enhancement technique (LE). Results were compared to standard echocardiography complemented by 2D-speckle-tracking, 3D-sphericity-index (SI) and standardized blood pressure measurement. At baseline, no patient received enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). After 51±24 months, a follow-up examination was performed. Results Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was higher in patients with vs. without LE: 123±17 mmHg vs. 115±13 mmHg; P = 0.04. A positive correlation was found between SI and the amount of LE-positive myocardium (r = 0.51; P<0.001) indicating an association of higher SI in more advanced stages of the cardiomyopathy. SI at baseline was positively associated with the increase of LE-positive myocardium during follow-up. The highest SBP (125±19 mmHg) and also the highest SI (0.32±0.05) was found in the subgroup with a rapidly increasing LE (ie, ≥0.2% per year; n = 16; P = 0.04). Multivariate logistic regression analysis including SI, SBP, EF, left ventricular volumes, wall thickness and NT-proBNP adjusted for age and sex showed SI as the most powerful parameter to detect rapid progression of LE (AUC = 0.785; P<0.05). Conclusions LV geometry as assessed by the sphericity index is altered in relation to the stage of the Fabry cardiomyopathy. Although patients with FD are not hypertensive, the SBP has a clear impact on the progression of the cardiomyopathy.