Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic evaluation of patients presenting with bleeding per rectum by colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND Rectal bleeding is a manifestation of lower gastrointestinal bleed, which means bleeding from a site distal to ligament of Treitz. Annual incidence of this problem has been estimated to be 20% and mortality as 11%. Patients complaining of haematochezia are suspected of having lower GI bleeding and proctosigmoidoscopy followed by colonoscopy is the examination of choice for diagnosis and treatment. Previous evidence suggested that in our country, frequencies of different aetiologies of lower GI bleed are different from the West. This study validated the previous findings. The Objective of this study was to determine the causes of rectal bleeding in adult patients at Military Hospital, Rawalpindi. METHODS One hundred and five adult patients with visible rectal bleed, irrespective of their gender were selected by non-probability convenient sampling from general medical OPD and general medical wards. Patients with suspected upper GI source of bleeding; haemorrhoidal bleed and acute infectious diarrhoea were excluded from the study. All patients were subjected to fibre-optic colonoscopy after necessary preparation and findings were recorded. Biopsies taken from suspected lesions were clinically indicated. Diagnosis was based on colonoscopic and histopathologic findings. RESULTS A total of 105 patients (77 male and 28 female) with mean age 41.04 yrs were part of the study. Colonoscopy showed abnormal findings in 85 (84%) patients. The commonest diagnosis was ulcerative colitis, which was found in 48 (46%) patients. It was followed by colorectal carcinoma, 11 (10%) patients, and non-specific colitis, 9 (8%) patients. Other less frequent findings were colonic diverticuli, 7 (6%) patients, solitary rectal ulcer, 5 (4%) patients, colonic polyps in 3 (2.5%) patients and one case each of telangiectasia and Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION Colonoscopy has very high diagnostic yield and would be recommended in the workup of patients presenting with bleeding per rectum. Ulcerative colitis was the leading cause of bleeding per rectum in this study; while infrequent findings of Crohn's disease, polyps and diverticuli indicate that these are uncommon in this region.
Polymorphism in the Innate Immune Receptor SIRPα Controls CD47 Binding and Autoimmunity in the Nonobese Diabetic Mouse

The signal regulatory protein (SIRP) locus encodes a family of paired receptors that mediate both activating and inhibitory signals and is associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D) risk. The NOD mouse model recapitulates multiple features of human T1D and enables mechanistic analysis of the impact of genetic variations on disease. In this study, we identify Sirpa encoding an inhibitory receptor on myeloid cells as a gene in the insulin-dependent diabetes locus 13.2 (Idd13.2) that drives islet inflammation and T1D. Compared to T1D-resistant strains, the NOD variant of SIRPα displayed greater binding to its ligand CD47, as well as enhanced T cell proliferation and diabetogenic potency. Myeloid cell–restricted expression of a Sirpa transgene accelerated disease in a dose-dependent manner and displayed genetic and functional interaction with the Idd5 locus to potentiate insulitis progression. Our study demonstrates that variations in both SIRPα sequence and expression level modulate T1D immunopathogenesis. Thus, we identify Sirpa as a T1D risk gene and provide insight into the complex mechanisms by which disease-associated variants act in concert to drive defined stages in disease progression.
Kenya’s 2013 Elections: Technology Is Not Democracy

Abstract: The 2013 elections were Kenya’s fifth since the country returned to multiparty politics and the direct election of its president in 1992. Three of the preceding four elections were marked by violence. But in only one—the 2007 presidential contest—was the violence triggered by deep dissatisfaction with the electoral process and the electoral commission that administered the balloting. In an effort to avoid repeating the 2007 electoral debacle, Kenya’s election commission turned to technology, but its high-tech voter-registration and vote-count processes fell short. Its experience has important lessons both for emerging democracies and for international donors.
A positivity approach to robust controllers analysis and synthesis versus mixed LTI/LTV uncertainties

The notion of semi-positive realness for complex-valued systems is first defined and characterized through a generalized version of the positive real lemma. This result is then exploited to compute robustness margins versus mixed LTI/LTV real/complex uncertainties. Extensions to fixed-order robust synthesis are also highlighted and a practical algorithm is proposed for the combined design of robust feedback and feedforward controllers. A fighter aircraft example finally illustrates the efficiency and the low conservatism of the scheme
A 3-Dimensional Ultrasound Study of Local Anesthetic Spread During Lateral Popliteal Nerve Block: What Is the Ideal End Point for Needle Tip Position?

Background and Objectives Recent clinical trials suggest that subfascial (sometimes termed subepineural) injections result in faster block onset and success compared with conventional techniques. This prospective, randomized, observer-blinded study measured and compared the 3-dimensional spread pattern and volume of perineural local anesthetic (LA) in contact with the sciatic nerve after subfascial versus extrafascial lateral popliteal injections. Methods Sixty patients were randomly assigned to either the subfascial or the extrafascial injection group. All patients received a single-injection, US-guided lateral popliteal sciatic nerve block for postoperative pain. Depending on group assignment, the needle tip was placed outside or beneath the sciatic fascial sheath for a single injection of 30 mL of ropivacaine 0.5%. Using 3-dimensional ultrasound imaging, postblock scans were acquired to quantify the volume and spread pattern of perineural LA around the sciatic nerve in each group. Results The mean LA perineural volume for the extrafascial group was 1.48 (SD, 0.50) mL versus a mean of 5.57 (SD, 1.68) mL for the subfascial group, P < 0.05. The mean distance of longitudinal perineural LA spread (along the length of the nerve) for the subfascial group was 66% greater than that observed using the conventional technique (9.3 vs 5.6 cm, P < 0.01). Complete sensory block to pinprick for the extrafascial group was 63% versus 90% (P < 0.05) for the subfascial group. Conclusions Placement of the needle tip beneath the complex fascial sheath of the sciatic nerve resulted in significantly greater perineural local anesthetic volume following a single-injection lateral popliteal approach at the nerve bifurcation and was associated with greater sensory blockade and a characteristic laminar LA spread pattern.
The Behavior of the Exchange Rate in the Genetic Algorithm and Experimental Economies

This paper studies the behavior of the exchange rate in the Kareken-Wallace overlapping generations economy with two currencies in which decision rules are updated using the genetic algorithm. The analysis shows that a stationary monetary equilibrium of the Kareken-Wallace model is not stable under the genetic algorithm dynamics. The fluctuations in the genetic algorithm exchange rate are driven by fluctuations in the portfolio fractions, which change over time in response to the inequality between the rates of return on two currencies. Further, both the genetic algorithm simulations and the experiments with human subjects were characterized by continuing fluctuations of the exchange rate, with first-period consumption values close to a stationary value.
Impact of Amyloid β25-35 on Membrane Stability, Energy Metabolism, and Antioxidant Enzymes in Erythrocytes

Amyloid β25-35 (Aβ25-35) represents a neurotoxic fragment of Aβ1 - 40 or Aβ1 - 42, and is implicated in the progressive neurodegeneration in cases of the Alzheimer disease (AD). Amyloid β25-35 was shown to lyse rat erythrocytes (RBCs) of all ages, and the extent of the RBC toxicity is directly correlated with Aβ25-35 concentration and cell age. Activities of glycolytic, antioxidant, and Na+/K+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) enzymes, in vivo, are significantly decreased in older RBCs as compared to the young RBCs. In vitro, Aβ25-35 reduced activities of hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione transferase and increased Na+/K+-ATPase activity; these effects are significantly greater in aged RBCs as compared to those of the younger cells. The diminution in activity of certain enzymes may determine the life span of the RBCs in vivo and may be relevant to the human AD; higher sensitivity of older RBCs to Aβ25-35 toxicity may contribute to the ultimate death of the RBCs in patients with AD.
The Information Content of Earnings on Stock Prices: The Kuwait Stock Exchange

This paper investigates the incremental information content of earnings and other macroeconomic variables for share prices within the ‘prices leading earnings’ framework. We find evidence supporting the phenomenon of ‘prices leading earnings’ for the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) after controlling for basic macroeconomic indicators. That is, the estimated earnings response coefficient is found to be sensitive (and significant) to the leading periods and it increased when more leading periods were included. The results suggest that prices anticipate earnings and hence provide useful information to KSE investors
An organisational legitimacy perspective of corporate use of the GRI Guidelines

The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the role of the GRI Guidelines in corporate environmental disclosure practice. The study employs a theoretical framework, based on organisational legitimacy theory that investigates corporate use of the Guidelines. Three aspects of corporate use are examined: 1) managerial motivation for use of the GRI Guidelines, 2) stakeholder accountability practices of companies using the Guidelines and 3) the extent of international harmonisation of environmental disclosures/governance and management structures among companies using the Guidelines. The framework uses different perspectives of organisational legitimacy theory to gain an understanding of these three aspects of corporate use. The institutional perspective of legitimacy theory is used to investigate the managerial motivation aspect. The stakeholder management perspective is used to examine the stakeholder accountability aspect. The international variation perspective is used to examine the international harmonisation aspect. Three hypotheses were developed to test the legitimacy theory framework. These hypotheses were tested by means of a mail questionnaire. A total of 240 questionnaires were distributed to senior company managers of selected companies in France and the UK in November 2005. French and UK companies were chosen as GRI Guideline usage is most widespread in Western Europe and these countries constitute large economies within this region. A useable response rate of 23.3% was achieved. However, the relatively low number of responses made definitive statistical testing difficult. The findings of the study are therefore best viewed as indicative. On the most part, the findings from hypothesis testing do not furnish support for the legitimacy theory framework of the study. The findings indicate that the institutional perspective of the framework cannot account for the managerial motivation aspect of corporate use. Similarly the findings suggested that the international variation perspective cannot be used to interpret the international harmonisation aspect of corporate use. However, the findings indicate that the stakeholder management perspective can account for the stakeholder accountability aspect of corporate use. Notwithstanding these results, the study is significant for using perspectives of legitimacy theory heretofore seldom used in the environmental disclosure literature. It is also significant as empirical studies on the GRI Guidelines are rare in the literature.
The Role of Nebulized Therapy in the Management of COPD: Evidence and Recommendations

Abstract Current guidelines recommend inhalation therapy as the preferred route of drug administration for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Previous systematic reviews in COPD patients found similar clinical outcomes for drugs delivered by handheld inhalers - pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), dry powder inhalers (DPIs) - and nebulizers, provided the devices were used correctly. However, in routine clinical practice critical errors in using handheld inhalers are highly prevalent and frequently result in inadequate symptom relief. In comparison with pMDIs and DPIs, effective drug delivery with conventional pneumatic nebulizers requires less intensive patient training. Moreover, by design, newer nebulizers are more portable and more efficient than traditional jet nebulizers. The current body of evidence regarding nebulizer use for maintenance therapy in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, including use during exacerbations, suggests that the efficacy of long-term nebulizer therapy is similar, and in some respects superior, to that with pMDI/DPIs. Therefore, despite several known drawbacks associated with nebulized therapy, we recommend that maintenance therapy with nebulizers should be employed in elderly patients, those with severe disease and frequent exacerbations, and those with physical and/or cognitive limitations. Likewise, financial concerns and individual preferences that lead to better compliance may favor nebulized therapy over other inhalers. For some patients, using both nebulizers and pMDI/DPI may provide the best combination of efficacy and convenience. The impact of maintenance nebulizer treatment on other relevant clinical outcomes in patients with COPD, especially the progressive decline in lung function and frequency of exacerbations, needs further investigation.
Enzyme Activities of the Livers of Mice Infected with Salmonella typhimurium

The activities of the mouse liver enzymes tryptophan oxygenase, tyrosine aminotransferase, and pyruvate kinase were measured after infection with three dose levels of Salmonella typhimurium strain SR-11. Infection occurred in all groups as evidenced by an increase in bacterial numbers and by death of the animals. The activities of the enzymes increased in all groups during the course of the infection. The results obtained during infection are compared with those obtained after endotoxin injection.
A Syndrome of Hemimaxillary Enlargement, Asymmetry of the Face, Tooth Abnormalities, and Skin Findings (HATS)

Abstract: Hemimaxillofacial dysplasia and segmental odontomaxillary dysplasia appear to be the same syndrome, having the common features of unilateral abnormalities of bone, teeth, gums, and skin. Oral manifestations are the hallmark of this condition. Those affected are generally recognized in childhood and may have partial anodontia, abnormal spacing of the teeth, delayed eruption, and gingival thickening of the affected segment. Reported cutaneous manifestations include facial asymmetry, Becker's nevus, “hairy nevus,” lip hypopigmentation, discontinuity of the vermilion border, depression of the cheek, and erythema. The oral lesions do not appear to be progressive. We describe a child with features consistent with hemimaxillofacial dysplasia/segmental odontomaxillary dysplasia. Findings of a biopsy specimen from the cheek confirmed the presence of a Becker's nevus. Cutaneous findings reported in the previous 31 cases are reviewed and summarized. The acronym HATS (hemimaxillary enlargement, asymmetry of the face, tooth abnormalities, and skin findings) is introduced to reflect the spectrum of abnormalities in bone, teeth, and skin that may be seen in this developmental disorder.
Type II Policy and Mandated Benefits in Economic Development

Economic development policy in the United States is dominated by public subsidy and incentive programs designed to induce private sector investment. The market-generated benefits of increased private investment are assumed to justify the public expense of such programs. The author argues that a second type of development policy exists, called Type llpolicy, that is based on a conflicting set of assumptions and that mandates public benefits by requiring private developers to provide direct economic and social goods. An analysis of policy in 281 localities shows that Type II programs are widespread, are strongly associated with higher levels of community-based activity in the economic development arena, and are not restricted to prosperous locations.
Transgenes Sustain Epigeal Insect Biodiversity in Diversified Vegetable Farm Systems

Abstract Many ecological studies have focused on the effects of transgenes in field crops, but few have considered multiple transgenes in diversified vegetable systems. We compared the epigeal, or soil surface-dwelling, communities of Coleoptera and Formicidae between transgenic and isoline vegetable systems consisting of sweet corn, potato, and acorn squash, with transgenic cultivars expressing Cry1(A)b, Cry3, or viral coat proteins. Vegetables were grown in replicated split plots over 2 yr with integrated pest management (IPM) standards defining insecticide use patterns. More than 77.6% of 11,925 insects from 1,512 pitfall traps were identified to species, and activity density was used to compare dominance distribution, species richness, and community composition. Measures of epigeal biodiversity were always equal in transgenic vegetables, which required fewer insecticide applications than their near isolines. There were no differences in species richness between transgenic and isoline treatments at the farm system and individual crop level. Dominance distributions were also similar between transgenic and isoline farming systems. Crop type, and not genotype, had a significant influence on Carabidae and Staphylinidae community composition in the first year, but there were no treatment effects in the second year, possibly because of homogenizing effects of crop rotations. Communities were more influenced by crop type, and possibly crop rotation, than by genotype. The heterogeneity of crops and rotations in diversified vegetable farms seems to aid in preserving epigeal biodiversity, which may be supplemented by reductions in insecticide use associated with transgenic cultivars.
The Italian economists in parliament from 1860 to 1922: a quantitative analysis*

In the political background that prevailed in Italy after the unification of the country in 1860, many economists were attracted by the prospect of playing an active role in politics. In particular, thirty academic economists became MPs between 1860 and 1923. Many of them became ministers and three of them were appointed prime ministers. The quantitative analysis attempted in this paper reveals the professional and social characteristics of this group of economists and the importance of their political commitment. Many of them sat in parliament for more than twenty years. In both houses, they often played a technical role, concentrating their efforts in the discussion of the economic issues on the agenda. But they did not refrain from becoming involved with questions of a more direct political nature. The high number of economists who were elected deputies even after the Reform Bills of 1882 and 1911 – which gradually extended the suffrage – implies that they took part in open political contests and built up a network of patronage in their local constituencies. In particular, some indicators – like their presence in the ministries and councils of education and the role they played in the creation of institutions of research – show that they exerted their political influence to facilitate the institutionalization and professionalization of economics. Last, some interesting generational differences are highlighted in this paper. In the period between 1861 and 1922, the relationship between political and scientific/academic reputation was inverted. Whereas the economists of the Risorgimento generation employed their political role as a means to obtain tenure in universities, those of the younger generation trained after 1876, who had received a more specialized education in economics, profited by their reputation as scientists and professors in order to foster their political ambitions.
First‐Mover Strategy, Resource Capacity Alignment, and New Product Performance: A Framework for Mediation and Moderation Effects

Based on the competence‐based perspective and contingency perspective, this study attempts to examine the relationships among first‐mover strategy, a firm's core capacity, resource allocation, and new product performance. Our findings indicate that (1) firms achieve a better new product performance when adopting first‐mover strategy and having an excellent core capacity, and (2) firms achieve a better new product performance if their core capacity (technical and managerial) fits the resource allocation they implement. Managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.
A Test of Stulz's Overinvestment Hypothesis

In a world with agency costs and asymmetric information, managers will have difficulty raising external funds since they have incentives to overinvest. Stulz argues that this leads to an optimal level of debt since this is one way to bond cash flows and reduce managerial discretion. However, unexpected cash flows cannot be so easily bonded. Thus, an implication of the Stulz hypothesis is that investment will be affected more by unexpected cash flows. Additionally, Stulz's hypothesis is most compelling for firms with low "q" ratios. Support is found for Stulz's hypothesis, and the support is strongest for low "q" firms. Copyright 1995 by MIT Press.
The Rapid Rise of Cross‐Regional Agricultural Mechanization Services in China

Although Adam Smith (1776) and Alfred Marshall (1920) emphasized the gains from specialization that arise from the division of labor,their focus was on the manufacturing sector. Both saw farming as being on too small a scale and bereft of economies of scale, with a market that was too small and local, with too sharp a seasonality, and too quick a succession of tasks to support either the development of a division of labor over the tasks of a cropping season or of mechanization. Smith and Marshall’s vision of farming— and its implications for division of labor and mechanization—was manifest again in the 1950s to the present in Asia. Ruttan (2001) puts forward nearly the same ideas and terms as Smith and Marshall, but for contemporary small rice farms in Asia. He emphasizes that the use of machines for the series of short tasks performed on tiny farms would imply costly investment in specialized machines that small farmers would be loath to make. And even if these farmers mechanized, Ruttan posited that it would not induce a segmented and specialized farm labor market as,again,the critical mass of demand for each segment would not be present. Otsuka (2012) goes further along these lines to note that only on larger farms would the mechanization investment,
Organization of striatopallidal, striatonigral, and nigrostriatal projections in the macaque

The topographic organization of neostriatal connections was investigated by axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase, tritiated amino acids, or mixtures of both injected into the neostriatum of macaque monkeys. Striatal projections to pallidum and substantia nigra and the origin of projections to striatum from cerebral cortex and substantia nigra were examined. All striatal injections gave rise to projections to external and internal pallidum and to substantia nigra. Injections in caudate nucleus and in putamen both gave rise to substantial projections to pallidum and to substantia nigra, and the ratio of pallidal and nigral projections was generally similar.