Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Body Composition Analysis Techniques in Adult and Pediatric Patients: How Reliable are They? How Useful are they Clinically?

Complex abnormalities of body composition occur in peritoneal dialysis (PD). These abnormalities reflect changes in hydration, nutrition, and body fat, and they are of major clinical significance. Clinical assessment of these body compartments is insensitive and inaccurate. Frequently, simultaneous changes of hydration, wasting, and body fat content can occur, confounding clinical assessment of each component. Body composition can be described by models of varying complexity that use one or more measurement techniques. “Gold standard” methods provide accurate and precise data, but are not practical for routine clinical use. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry allows for measurement of regional as well as whole-body composition, which can provide further information of clinical relevance. Simpler techniques such as anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis are suited to routine use in clinic or at the bedside, but may be less accurate. Body composition methodology sometimes makes assumptions regarding relationships between components, particularly in regard to hydration, which may be invalid in pathologic states. Uncritical application of these methods to the PD patient may result in erroneous interpretation of results. Understanding the foundations and limitations of body composition techniques allows for optimal application in clinical practice.
Nivolumab Monotherapy for First-Line Treatment of Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE Nivolumab, a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor antibody, has demonstrated improved survival over docetaxel in previously treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). First-line monotherapy with nivolumab for advanced NSCLC was evaluated in the phase I, multicohort, Checkmate 012 trial. METHODS Fifty-two patients received nivolumab 3 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks until progression or unacceptable toxicity; postprogression treatment was permitted per protocol. The primary objective was to assess safety; secondary objectives included objective response rate (ORR) and 24-week progression-free survival (PFS) rate; overall survival (OS) was an exploratory end point. RESULTS Any-grade treatment-related adverse events (AEs) occurred in 71% of patients, most commonly: fatigue (29%), rash (19%), nausea (14%), diarrhea (12%), pruritus (12%), and arthralgia (10%). Ten patients (19%) reported grade 3 to 4 treatment-related AEs; grade 3 rash was the only grade 3 to 4 event occurring in more than one patient (n = 2; 4%). Six patients (12%) discontinued because of a treatment-related AE. The confirmed ORR was 23% (12 of 52), including four ongoing complete responses. Nine of 12 responses (75%) occurred by first tumor assessment (week 11); eight (67%) were ongoing (range, 5.3+ to 25.8+ months) at the time of data lock. ORR was 28% (nine of 32) in patients with any degree of tumor PD-ligand 1 expression and 14% (two of 14) in patients with no PD-ligand 1 expression. Median PFS was 3.6 months, and the 24-week PFS rate was 41% (95% CI, 27 to 54). Median OS was 19.4 months, and the 1-year and 18-month OS rates were 73% (95% CI, 59 to 83) and 57% (95% CI, 42 to 70), respectively. CONCLUSION First-line nivolumab monotherapy demonstrated a tolerable safety profile and durable responses in first-line advanced NSCLC.
Schools and the Prevention of Interpersonal Violence: Mobilizing and Coordinating Community Resources.

Students are engaging in violent behaviors in schools at an alarming rate. Consequently, many students no longer view the school as a secure environment. This article includes a review of known and potential risk factors related to violence, followed by examination of several prevention programs developed to address the problem. These programs typically do not address specific risk factors, are of short duration, and do not contain an evaluation component. In addition, they usually are not coordinated with broader community efforts necessary to address the problem. It is proposed that comprehensive violence prevention programs be developed that involve education, health care, religious, recreation, criminal justice, and social service agencies. Although coordination of Lhese efforts poses a major challenge to their overall success, schools may be the most effective institutions to ensure collaboration among these groups.
Innovation in the structuring of Islamic sukuk securities

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of different Design/methodology/approach - Flow charts are used to illustrate the financial transfers and the rights and obligations of Findings - The paper finds that special purpose vehicles are a prerequisite for the successful issuance and management of Research limitations/implications - The data analysis was restricted to two countries, but this could be extended. Alternative pricing benchmarks were suggested for sovereign Practical implications - Ministries of Finance and Central Banks of Muslim countries should review their debt financing policies and explore the potential of sovereign Originality/value - Little has been written previously on the use of
Channel Modeling of Miniaturized Battery-Powered Capacitive Human Body Communication Systems

Objective: The purpose of this contribution is to estimate the path loss of capacitive human body communication (HBC) systems under practical conditions. Methods: Most prior work utilizes large grounded instruments to perform path loss measurements, resulting in overly optimistic path loss estimates for wearable HBC devices. In this paper, small battery-powered transmitter and receiver devices are implemented to measure path loss under realistic assumptions. A hybrid electrostatic finite element method simulation model is presented that validates measurements and enables rapid and accurate characterization of future capacitive HBC systems. Results: Measurements from form-factor-accurate prototypes reveal path loss results between 31.7 and 42.2 dB from 20 to 150 MHz. Simulation results matched measurements within 2.5 dB. Comeasurements using large grounded benchtop vector network analyzer (VNA) and large battery-powered spectrum analyzer (SA) underestimate path loss by up to 33.6 and 8.2 dB, respectively. Measurements utilizing a VNA with baluns, or large battery-powered SAs with baluns still underestimate path loss by up to 24.3 and 6.7 dB, respectively. Conclusion: Measurements of path loss in capacitive HBC systems strongly depend on instrumentation configurations. It is thus imperative to simulate or measure path loss in capacitive HBC systems utilizing realistic geometries and grounding configurations. Significance: HBC has a great potential for many emerging wearable devices and applications; accurate path loss estimation will improve system-level design leading to viable products.
Entrepreneurial orientation and performance in young firms: The role of human resource management

This article examines the effects of managerial practice and philosophy variables – high-performance work systems (HPWS) and partnership philosophy – on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and sales growth. The results from a sample of 119 young high-technology firms indicate a non-significant relationship between EO and firm growth. However, firms combining HPWS or partnership philosophy with EO realized significantly higher levels of growth. Specifically, the results suggest that the promise of EO as a means of enhancing the growth trajectories of young firms depends on the extent to which these organizations embrace and establish certain human resource practices and philosophies.
Combining Lab Experiments and Industry Data in Transaction Cost Analysis: The Case of Competition as a Safeguard

Extant empirical work in TCA relies almost exclusively on cross-sectional survey data on firm behavior to test predictions about vertical integration, long-run contracts, alliances and the like. Such designs shed useful light on the causal mechanisms supposedly responsible for the effects, but do not develop the details. Many of these designs also offer scarce insight into the profit implications inherent in the theory. Cognizant of these gaps, we combine a laboratory experiment and cross-sectional industry practice data to offer the first empirical evidence of "invited" competition as a safeguard for buyers' specific investments. Specifically, our lab data offers direct evidence of the suppression of opportunism. As per the theory, competition from a license holds down price hikes that exploit locked-in buyers in follow-on time periods. The lab data also show competing with a licensee is more attractive to the original monopolist as potential buyers need to make larger supplier-specific expenditures. The reverse is true when the focal product provides buyers with larger economic value. Interestingly, these effects show some systematic deviation from the sub-game perfect predictions of the game-theoretic models. Our industry data show that firms behave according to the prediction that products requiring greater levels of supplier-specific investments are more likely to be licensed. We close with a discussion of the economics of safeguards and the methodological implications of the studies.
Influence of Relative Humidity and Clouds on the Global Mean Surface Temperature

The explanation for climate change is still searching for an experimental proof and the most important question is whether climate change is anthropogenic. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC global warming is mostly man made due to the increasing CO2 concentration. In this work we study the contributions of humidity and clouds to the surface temperature. We will show that changes of relative humidity or low cloud cover explain the major changes in the global mean temperature. We will present the evidence of this argument using the observed relative humidity between years 1970 and 2011 and the observed low cloud cover between years 1983 and 2008. One percent increase in relative humidity or in low cloud cover decreases the temperature by 0.15 °C and 0.11 °C, respectively. In the time periods mentioned before the contribution of the CO2 increase was less than 10% to the total temperature change.
The effect of individual HR domains on financial performance: evidence from Belgian small businesses

The contribution of this study, which assesses the influence of HRM on financial performance, is fourfold. (1) We assess the relative contribution of different HR domains to organizational performance. By controlling for the overall HRM intensity in all analyses we try to meet one of the most striking shortcomings of ‘single HR practice research’, namely the neglect of the potential simultaneity that might exist with other HR practices. (2) By studying small Belgian companies, we focus on the importance of HRM for small business management. (3) Relying on bankruptcy prediction models, we optimize the conceptualization of financial performance. (4) Using structural equation modelling, we try to capture the mediating effect of operational performance on the relationship between HRM and financial performance. The analyses indicate mixed results for different HR domains with regard to their impact on operational and financial performance.
The optimal value-at-risk hedging strategy under bivariate regime switching ARCH framework

Unlike the majority of other hedging literatures in which variance is taken as the risk indicator, this article uses the Value-at-Risk (VaR) as the risk management tool of the hedged portfolio. This article adopts a bivariate Markov regime Switching Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (SWARCH) model to formulate the optimal VaR hedging strategy and then compares it with the other dynamic futures hedging strategies mentioned in the literature in hedging performance. Using Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index (TAIEX) futures data, the in-sample and out-of-sample results shows that when VaR is used as the criterion to measure the futures hedging effectiveness, the performance of the dynamic hedging strategy is superior to that of the static hedging strategy, and the performance of the optimal VaR hedging strategy is better than that of the minimum variance and mean-variance hedging strategies. Besides, from the standpoint that the volatility of hedge ratio and hedged portfolio variance decline, no matter what kind of hedging strategy is adopted, the regime switching model is better in in-sample and out-of-sample hedging effectiveness than the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) model.
The development of hippocampal interneurons in rodents

Interneurons are GABAergic neurons responsible for inhibitory activity in the adult hippocampus, thereby controlling the activity of principal excitatory cells through the activation of postsynaptic GABAA receptors. Subgroups of GABAergic neurons innervate specific parts of excitatory neurons. This specificity indicates that particular interneuron subgroups are able to recognize molecules segregated on the membrane of the pyramidal neuron. Once these specific connections are established, a quantitative regulation of their strength must be performed to achieve the proper balance of excitation and inhibition. We will review when and where interneurons are generated. We will then detail their migration toward and within the hippocampus, and the maturation of their morphological and neurochemical characteristics. We will finally review potential mechanisms underlying the development of GABAergic interneurons. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Information, Trade, and Derivative Securities

Hellwig's (1980) model is used to analyze the value of improving trading opportunities by more frequent trading in the underlying asset, or by trading in a derivative asset. With multiple trading sessions, uninformed investors behave as rational trend followers, while more informed investors follow a contrarian strategy. As trading becomes continuous, Pareto efficiency is achieved. With trading in an appropriate derivative security, Pareto efficiency may be achieved in only a single round of trading. All derivative claims are then priced on Black and Scholes (1973) principles and, in the absence of further supply shocks, no trading will take place in subsequent trading rounds. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Credit, Housing Collateral, and Consumption: Evidence from Japan, the U.K., and the U.S.

The consumption behavior of U.K., U.S., and Japanese households is examined and compared using a modern Ando-Modigliani style consumption function. The models incorporate income growth expectations, income uncertainty, housing collateral, and other credit effects. These models therefore capture important parts of the financial accelerator. The evidence is that credit availability for U.K. and U.S., but not Japanese, households has undergone large shifts since 1980. The average consumption-to-income ratio rose in the U.K. and U.S. as mortgage down-payment constraints eased and as the collateral role of housing wealth was enhanced by financial innovations, such as home equity loans. The estimated housing collateral effect is similar in the U.S. and U.K. In Japan, land prices (which proxy house prices) continue to negatively impact consumer spending. There are negative real interest rate effects on consumption in the U.K. and U.S. and positive effects in Japan. Overall, this implies important differences in the transmission of monetary and credit shocks in Japan versus the U.S., U.K., and other credit-liberalized economies.
Anatomical and Molecular Analyses of XY Ovaries from the African Pygmy Mouse Mus minutoides

The African pygmy mouse Mus minutoides is characterized by the presence of a high proportion of fertile XY females in natural populations. This species displays 2 morphologically different X chromosomes: the ancestral X and a shorter one designated as X*, feminizing the X*Y individuals. This strongly suggests that in the presence of an X* chromosome, the male differentiation program is not activated despite a functional Y chromosome. In this study, we compared the histology of the adult ovaries of the 3 female genotypes (XX, XX* and X*Y) and investigated the expression of some of the main genes involved in male and female differentiation. We found that X*Y gonads display a typical ovarian structure without any testicular organization. Moreover, the ovarian somatic marker FOXL2 is detected in X*Y follicle cells and exhibits the same pattern as in XX and XX* ovaries, whereas SOX9 and DMRT1 are absent at all stages of follicular differentiation. However, surprisingly, X*Y ovaries display a higher level of Sry transcripts compared to testes. Our findings confirm the complete sex reversal in X*Y individuals with no apparent sign of masculinization, providing an attractive model to unravel new gene interactions involved in the mammalian sex determination system.
Methotrexate Drug Interactions in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review

Objective. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often have comorbidities that require multiple medications. Several of these medications may alter the efficacy or increase the toxicity of methotrexate (MTX). The purpose of our study was to determine which drugs used in combination with MTX (excluding disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, folic and folinic acid, corticosteroids, and biologic agents) enhance side effects or toxicity of MTX or lower its efficacy. Methods. A systematic literature search was performed with Medline, Embase, Cochrane Register and Database, and abstracts from the 2006/2007 annual congresses of the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism. A manual search of the citation lists of retrieved publications was performed. Results. Of the 1172 articles identified, 67 were included: 21 pharmacokinetics studies, 5 observational studies, and 78 case reports. Most medications do not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics profile of MTX. Among the clinical studies, cytopenia and elevation of liver enzymes were the main reported toxicities. The use of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) was mentioned as a risk factor for developing cytopenia in one observational study and in 17 case reports. Thirty case reports of cytopenia were attributed to the use of concomitant nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, including acetylsalicylic acid. Two studies described mild abnormalities of liver enzymes with the use of isoniazid, and one study with the use of high-dose ASA. Conclusion. Based on the published literature, MTX has limited drug interactions, with the exception of TMP-SMX and high-dose ASA, which can exacerbate toxicity of MTX. The clinical significance of these interactions has not been substantiated by extensive clinical observations.
Metformin Decreases the High Plasminogen Activator Inhibition Capacity, Plasma Insulin and Triglyceride Levels in Non-Diabetic Obese Subjects

Summary We have previously observed a positive correlation between Plasminogen Activator Inhibition capacity (PA Inhibition), Body Mass Index (BMI) and plasma insulin levels in a population of non diabetic subjects. The anti diabetic biguanide Metformin which decreases insulin resistance has been reported to increase the blood fibrinolytic activity. Therefore we have studied the effect of Metformin on PA Inhibition levels in obese subjects with normal glucose tolerance. Eighteen obese women (O) (BMI: 31.4 ± 1.13, m ± S.E.M.) were compared to age matched controls (C) (BMI: 20.2 ± 0.8) and randomized to a 15 days treatment by Metformin (M) (1.7 g/day) or placebo (P) in a double blind study while on a weight maintaining diet. O compared to C had higher levels (m ± S.E.M.) of PA Inhibition (9 ± 1.8 IU/ml, versus 2.88 ± 0.29 p <0.01), lower euglobulin fibrinolytic activity (EFA) (4.95 ±1.17 mm versus 9 ± 0.29 p <0.05), higher plasma insulin (24.1 ±2.1. uU/ml), versus 12 ± 1 p <0.01) and triglyceride (1.32 ± 0.16 mmol/1, versus 0.8 ± 0.08 p <0.05). After 15 days of treatment, in group M a significant decrease in PA Inhibition (5.51 ± 1.4, versus 9.48 ±2.1 p <0.05) in plasma insulin (18.5 ±0.1, versus 24.5 ± 3.5, p <0.05) and plasma triglyceride (1.08 ± 0.1, versus 1.47 ± 0.3 p <0.05) and an increase in EFA (6.50 ± 0.28, versus 5.25 ± 0.35 p <0.05) were observed. No significant variation was observed in group P.
Association of Financial Strain With Symptom Burden and Quality of Life for Patients With Lung or Colorectal Cancer.

PURPOSE To measure the association between patient financial strain and symptom burden and quality of life (QOL) for patients with new diagnoses of lung or colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients participating in the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance study were interviewed about their financial reserves, QOL, and symptom burden at 4 months of diagnosis and, for survivors, at 12 months of diagnosis. We assessed the association of patient-reported financial reserves with patient-reported outcomes including the Brief Pain Inventory, symptom burden on the basis of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30, and QOL on the basis of the EuroQoL-5 Dimension scale. Multivariable linear regression models were fit for each outcome and cancer type, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, insurance, stage at diagnosis, and comorbidity. RESULTS Among patients with lung and colorectal cancer, 40% and 33%, respectively, reported limited financial reserves (≤ 2 months). Relative to patients with more than 12 months of financial reserves, those with limited financial reserves reported significantly increased pain (adjusted mean difference, 5.03 [95% CI, 3.29 to 7.22] and 3.45 [95% CI, 1.25 to 5.66], respectively, for lung and colorectal), greater symptom burden (5.25 [95% CI, 3.29 to .22] and 5.31 [95% CI, 3.58 to 7.04]), and poorer QOL (4.70 [95% CI, 2.82 to 6.58] and 5.22 [95% CI, 3.61 to 6.82]). With decreasing financial reserves, a clear dose-response relationship was present across all measures of well-being. These associations were also manifest for survivors reporting outcomes again at 1 year and persisted after adjustment for stage, comorbidity, insurance, and other clinical attributes. CONCLUSION Patients with cancer and limited financial reserves are more likely to have higher symptom burden and decreased QOL. Assessment of financial reserves may help identify patients who need intensive support.