Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TITLE DETERMINANTS OF EARLY COMPLICATIONS OF ADENOTONSILLECTOMY

Background: Adenotonsillectomy (ASTS) is the commonest surgical procedure undertaken in children by otolaryngologists the world over. This operation is associated with various complications the commonest of which include haemorrhage, infection, vomiting and odynophagia. I carried out a prospective study aimed at determining the rate, timing and factors associated with early complications after ASTS at Kenyatta National hospital (KNH), Nairobi, Kenya. Methodology: The patients’ demographic data, socio-economic status, history of disease, physical examination findings, experience of the surgeon and anaesthetist doing the operation were entered into a proforma. All the patients were operated using the same surgical technique. Complications arising intraoperatively and two weeks post operatively were recorded. The data obtained was analyzed and conclusions and recommendations drawn from the results. Results: The study was carried out between November 2006 and May 2007 and involved 148 patients ( 96 males and 56 females). Their age range was 1 to 17.5 years with a mean age of 4.73 years (56.76 months). The complications encountered in the early post operative period included haemorrhage, odynophagia, dehydration and fever. The overall complication rate was 33.8% (50 patients). Post tonsillectomy haemorrhage (PTH) occurred in only one patient (0.7%). Most complications in the immediate post operative period occurred in the first eight hours post operatively. Odynophagia was found to be significantly associated with gender and age. Odynopahgia was also significantly associated with weight loss within the first two weeks post operatively. Conclusions: Adenotonsillectomy is a common operation in the under 6 years at KNH. Most complications in the immediate postoperative period occur in the first 8 hours post operatively. The rate of serious complications post adenotonsillectomy is low and thus ASTS can safely be done as day cases at KNH with at least an 8 hour post operative observation period. Female gender and age less than 6 years are important risk factors in the development of prolonged odynophagia post ASTS.
Metropolitan Growth, Inequality, and Neighborhood Segregation by Income

This paper investigates the relationship between metropolitan area growth, inequality, and segregation by income across neighborhoods. I propose a simple model based on the notion that rising income inequality creates housing market pressure leading to residential segregation by income. However, because different income groups live in different types of houses, the housing stock must change if income resorting across neighborhoods is to take place. In rapidly growing areas, housing markets easily accommodate changing preferences induced by changes in the income distribution. Rising inequality translates into homogenous housing and residential segregation. On the other hand, because housing is durable, slow growth areas experience changes in segregation only if market pressure is sufficient to overcome retrofitting or construction costs. Several implications of the model are supported empirically. First, higher levels of income inequality are associated with higher levels of residential segregation by income. Second, inequality (though only at the top of the distribution) has a bigger effect on segregation in rapidly growing areas than in slowly growing areas. Third, large increases in segregation are coupled with higher than expected housing construction in distressed areas, but not rapid-growth areas. Finally, income segregation levels are persistent, and the persistence is more pronounced in cities with older housing stocks. The model helps to explain the U-shaped relationship between residential segregation by income and metropolitan area growth. __________ *Williams College. The author is grateful to participants in the Williams College Economics department research seminar and participants in the Brookings-Wharton Conference on Urban Affairs for their insights, especially Gary Burtless, Jerry Carlino, Ingrid Gould Ellen, and Janet Rothenberg Pack. The author is also indebted to Larry Katz, Cliff Winston, and many others for helpful suggestions on earlier related work. Metropolitan Growth, Inequality, and Neighborhood Segregation by Income
Welfare and Employment in a United Europe: A Study for the Fondazione Rdolofo Debenedetti

Over the last twenty years, fifteen Western European nations have removed most barriers to trade and migration, as well as most forms of national discrimination in economic and social exchange. Some have also given up their national currency and their ability to conduct independent monetary and fiscal policy. Opinion on the future of structural reform in the European Union tends to fall into two camps. One side argues that the single market and monetary union will make it more difficult to carry out badly needed structural reforms. The other side contends that, as monetary policy is decided elsewhere, countries will have more resources to concentrate on structural concerns. Welfare and Employment in a United Europe takes a nuanced approach to the issues. Unusual for an edited volume, it consists of two long studies--each written by a group of economists working in four different countries of the European Union--followed by commentary. The first study suggests that social reform can be achieved without strengthening European Union institutions and should entail limited international redistribution. The second suggests that, although liberalization of product and labor markets offers substantial benefits, there is no guarantee that the European Monetary Union will result in fewer product market restrictions or less employment protection.
Discount rates inferred from decisions: an experimental study

Two hundred and four students of economics and finance participated in an intertemporal choice experiment which manipulated three dimensions in a 4 \times 4 \times 4 factorial design: scenario (postponing a receipt, postponing a payment, expediting a receipt, expediting a payment), time delay (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 years), and size of cashflow ($40, $200, $1000, and $5000). Individual discount rates were inferred from the responses, and then used to test competitively four hypotheses regarding the behavior of discount rates. The classical hypothesis asserting that the discount rate is uniform across scenarios, time delays, and sums of cashflow was flatly rejected. A market segmentation approach was found lacking. The results support an implicit risk hypothesis according to which delayed consequences are associated with an implicit risk value, and an added compensation hypothesis which asserts that individuals require compensation for a change in their financial position.
Explicit, Implicit and Total Taxes in the Corporate Sector: Evidence for the Netherlands

This paper provides empirical evidence on the existence of implicit taxes in the corporate sector. With this finding, it provides support for the offsetting nature of explicit versus implicit taxes. Governments continuously provide tax preferences (tax incentives) to firms to induce these firms to alter their investment, production and financing decisions to reallocate resources towards outcomes that the government prefers. Tax preferences lead to lower explicit tax rates for firms that make use of these preferences. However (see Scholes and Wolfson (1992) and Wilkie (1992)), economic theory suggests that in equilibrium all firms must earn the same after-tax return (e.g. ROE). Hence high (low) implicit taxes (tax preference induced adjustments of pre-tax returns) can be expected for firms with low (high) explicit taxes. This paper uses financial statements of 123 listed firms for six years (1991-1996) to provide empirical evidence on the existence of implicit taxes in the corporate sector in the Netherlands. The paper finds that the inverse relation between implicit and explicit taxes exists, but is not a strong as expected, suggesting market frictions that prevent the equalisation of after-tax returns.
Foreign Direct Investment in the UK 1985–1994: The Impact on Domestic Management Practice

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK has grown considerably in recent years. US, French, German and Japanese companies have generally accounted for the largest share of this FDI. In addition to greenfield and expansion investment, a major vehicle for inward FDI has been the acquisition of UKcompanies. This paper examines whether nationally distinct approaches to management were introduced, following acquisition, among a sample of 201 UK subsidiaries of French, German, Japanese,US and UK companies. It provides data on the extent of changes and the post-acquisition influence of the new parent, comparing changes between the four foreign nationalities and a UK control group. The study indicates that the process of being acquired and controlled by a foreign parent company was often followed by significant changes in management practice. Some changes were common to all acquisitions, including those by UK companies. A shift towards performance-related rewards and a stronger quality emphasis in operations are two examples. In addition, there was also evidence of effects which differed between nationalities. These conformed to accepted characterizations of national management practice in the case of Japanese and US acquirers, but less so in the case of French and German acquisitions. The findings suggest that present views of French and German management practice require further investigation.
Intravenous valproate for seizures in 137 Taiwanese children - valproate naive and non-naive.

PURPOSE Valproate has been widely used in controlling various kinds of seizures. Intravenous forms of valproate control seizures in a more rapid and efficacious pattern than oral forms. We evaluated the effectiveness and adverse effects of intravenous valproate for controlling seizures in Taiwanese children under 18 years old. METHODS Retrospective chart reviews were performed on 137 pediatric patients receiving valproate infusion from January 2003 to December 2006. Patients were divided into 4 groups as follows: (1) previous use of other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) (n=59), (2) previous use of oral valproate (n=8), (3) previous use of other AEDs and valproate (n=32), (4) first time use of valproate (n=38). The indications for using intravenous valproate include status epilepticus, repetitive seizures, prophylactic use for brain operations or in cases where oral administration was not feasible due to medical problems. RESULTS The mean age was 8±6.22 years old and the average dose was 31.2±26.45 mg/kg/day. The mean duration of usage was 7.8±6.99 days. Eight patients failed to respond to intravenous valproate and the AED was shifted to other drugs. Thirty-two patients achieved successful seizure control after adding other AEDs following intravenous valproate. The seizure control rate in our study was 71%, and six patients died of complications associated with an underlying disorder. An allergic reaction (skin rash) was found in 1 patient, while no serious adverse effects were noted in our patients. CONCLUSION Intravenous valproate is effective and safe in controlling seizures in children who are either valproate naive or not.
The association between killer‐cell immunoglobulin‐like receptor (KIR) and KIR ligand genotypes and the likelihood of BK virus replication after kidney transplantation

BK virus is a common opportunistic post‐transplantation viral infection. Although some risk factors have been studied in this context, the contribution of NK cells has not been assessed in detail. In a group of kidney transplant recipients, we studied the association between (i) the likelihood of BK virus replication during the two‐year period after kidney transplantation and (ii) the genotypes of the killer cell immunoglobulin‐like receptor (KIR) repertoire and their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands. Other clinical factors (such as defective organ recovery and immunosuppressive treatment) were also assessed. BK virus replication was observed in 43 of the 103 recipients (41%). Patients with BK virus replication in the plasma were more likely to display defective organ recovery in the first seven days post‐transplantation. BK virus replication was not associated with Missing KIR ligands. However, BK virus replication was more frequent in patients with responsive NK cells (i.e. when a ligand for activating KIRs was not homozygous in the recipient and present in the donor). Our results suggest that defective organ recovery and the recipient's activating KIR repertoire may be related (depending on HLA ligands present in the couple recipient / donor) to the reactivation of BK virus replication after kidney transplantation.
Upper and Lower Face and Ideomotor Apraxia in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Introduction: Apraxia of face movement in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been rarely investigated. This study aimed at investigating the frequency of lower (mouth, tongue and throat) and upper (eyes and eyebrows) face apraxia, in AD and its relationship with limb apraxia and severity of dementia. Methods: Fifty seven patients with AD were tested with a new standardised test of face apraxia including upper and lower face movements, which uses an item-difficulty weigthed scoring procedure, the IMA test, a test of ideomotor apraxia and the M.O. D.A. , a means to assess dementia severity. Results: Thirteen (23%) and 19 (33%) participants were below cut-off respectively on the upper and lower face apraxia test. Both sections of the Face Apraxia Test correlated significantly with the Ideomotor Apraxia Test. However, double dissociations between different types of apraxia were observed. Both the upper and lower face apraxia tests correlated significantly with the measure of dementia severity. Conclusions: The finding show that a proportion of AD patients fails face apraxia tests. Their face apraxia is interlinked with ideomotor limb apraxia, although dissociations are possible. Severity of dementia deterioration accounts for a good proportion of the variability of AD patients’ performance on face apraxia tests.
Idea Competitions Under Scrutiny: Acquisition, Intelligence or Public Relations Mechanism?

Idea Competitions (ICs) are becoming a popular mechanism chosen by firms to perform Open Innovation. They are a way to engage with external sources of knowledge such as individual entrepreneurs and small firms who are asked to submit ideas and compete for a prize. However, little is known about the success of ICs as acquisition mechanisms. The researchers conducted interviews in five multinational companies to evaluate the effects of using ICs as an acquisition mechanism. Although still preliminary, the results of this study show that the success of ICs as an acquisition mechanism remains uncertain because their output (i.e. the number of ideas acquired) is often low compared to the input (i.e. the number of ideas submitted) and effort required to run them (e.g. to vet ideas). Across the cases observed, ICs appear to be more successful at identifying and acquiring early-stage ideas, particularly those outside the current business focus. The study shows that ICs deliver other functional benefits such as improved intelligence and public relations and that these need to be considered as part of the evaluation of the IC's success. The paper concludes by discussing the conditions in which ICs are implemented and the implications for Open Innovation theory.
Frugal Innovation in Emerging Markets

OVERVIEW: The quality and number of innovations developed by multinational companies from emerging countries is increasing dramatically. In particular, frugal innovations—“good-enough,” affordable products that meet the needs of resource-constrained consumers—have created tremendous demand in emerging markets. While the development of such products has largely been the domain of local corporations in emerging countries, Western corporations have recently started to engage in frugal innovation as well. This is a difficult task for Western firms, however, because their business models and organizational structures are traditionally designed for the development of advanced products for the affluent few at the top of the economic pyramid. Using Swiss weighing-instrument manufacturer Mettler Toledo as a case example, this article suggests that frugal innovations are largely developed by local R&D subsidiaries of Western firms in emerging countries. A substantial degree of autonomy for those local R&D subsidiaries, including product-portfolio responsibilities, can facilitate the development of frugal innovation.
Adaptation on rugged landscapes

A simple model is developed to explore the interrelationship between processes of organizational level change and population selection forces. A critical property of the model is that the effect on organizational fitness of the various attributes that constitute an organization's form is interactive. As a result of these interaction effects, the fitness landscape is "rugged. " An organization's form at founding has a persistent effect on its future form when there are multiple peaks in the fitness landscape, since the particular peak that an organization discovers is influenced by its starting position in the space of alternative organizational forms. Selection pressures influence the distribution of the organizational forms that emerge from the process of local adaptation. The ability of established organizations to respond to changing environments is importantly conditioned by the extent to which elements of organizational form interact in their effect on organizational fitness. Tightly coupled organizations are subject to high rates of failure in changing environments. Furthermore, successful "reorientations" are strongly associated with survival for tightly coupled organizations, but not for more loosely coupled organizations that are able to engage in effective local adaptation.
Prevalence and causes of severe visual impairment and blindness in children in Mongolia

background Reliable epidemiological data on the prevalence and causes of visual loss in children are difficult to obtain, but are essential for planning. No such data are available from Mongolia. aim To determine the prevalence and causes of severe visual impairment and blindness (SVI/BL) in children from a defined area of Mongolia, using several methods of identification. methods Children with presenting visual acuities of <6/60 in the better eye who lived in 10 of the 18 provinces (Aimaks) were identified 1) by family doctors 2) in the school for the blind 3) by visiting eye departments in the capital. All eligible children were examined (or data extracted from hospital records) and the cause of visual loss determined using the WHO classification system. results Sixty-four children with SVI/BL before refraction were identified who lived in the 10 study Aimaks. They were recruited by family doctors (52); by home visits (3); from hospital records (4); or from the school for the blind (5). The prevalence of SVI/BL before refraction was 0.19/1,000 children (95% CI 0.16–0.22), decreasing to 0.16/1,000 after refraction (95% CI 0.13–0.19) but there was considerable variation from Aimak to Aimak. The major causes of SVI/BL were lesions of the lens (34%), central nervous system disorders (19%), lesions of the whole globe (e.g. microphthalmos) (14%), and retinal conditions (12.5%). Hereditary factors were responsible for 27% of causes, and 17% of children were blind following acquired conditions of childhood. The underlying cause could not be determined in 48%. The causes of SVI/BL was analysed in a further 16 children who lived outside the study Aimaks to compare the causes in children in special education with those not in schooling, and by age. conclusion The prevalence estimate obtained was lower than anticipated, and possible reasons are discussed. The pattern of causes of SVI/BL is similar to that in children in schools for the blind in China, but is very different from other Asian countries. Meningococcal meningitis was the most common preventable cause of SVI/BL, and immunisation is being considered. Other preventable causes were rare, and the majority of children needing surgical intervention had already been identified and referred for treatment. The control of blindness in children could possibly be improved by better management of conditions requiring surgery, and by the provision of low vision devices.
Twin-to-twin transfusion: update on management options and outcomes

Purpose of review The diagnosis and treatment of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome has progressed to a staging system to allow directed therapy with the addition of laser to traditional serial amnioreduction. The management options and outcomes are reviewed here. Recent findings In three observational and one randomized controlled trial, laser photocoagulation of chorionic plate vessels at the intertwin membrane improved perinatal survival of at least one fetus and reduced neurological morbidity. Cerebral palsy continues to be a major contributor to adverse outcome with rates of around 20% for survivors. Summary Treatment strategies for this condition have remained controversial, but two main approaches have been commonly used. Serial, aggressive amnioreduction and fetoscopic laser photocoagulation of the chorionic plate vascular anastomoses at the intertwin membrane. Using the former technique, survival rates of between 18 and 83% have been described. However, 5–58% neurological morbidity has been demonstrated in the surviving infants treated by serial amnioreduction alone. Laser photocoagulation has been advocated in a few specialist centres. Such treatment has been associated with survival rates of between 55 and 69% and potentially reduced neurological morbidity of between 5 and 11% in surviving infants.
Do We Really Need Another Typology? Clusters of Local Economic Development Strategies

This research note provides a typology of cities based on profiles of their economic development strategies. Using cluster analysis, a nuanced typology of policy practice is created by classifying cities by the complex of policies used. This leads to a more parsimonious typology that suggests three primary approaches to development: one that combines infrastructure investment and financial incentives, a second that uses all possible techniques, and one where little is done. The large number of almost completely passive cities raises questions about prevailing assumptions regarding the primacy of economic development for local governments.
In-network online data analytics with FPGAs

The growth of sensor technology, communication systems and computation have led to vast quantities of data being available for relevant parties to utilise. Applications such as the monitoring and analysis of industrial equipment, smart surveillance, and fraud detection rely on the ‘real-time’ analysis of time sensitive data gathered from distributed sources. A variety of processing tasks, such as filtering, aggregation, machine learning algorithms, or other transformations to be carried out on this data in order to extract value from it. Centralised computation strategies are often deployed in these scenarios, with the majority of the data being forwarded though the network to a datacenter environment, typically due to the lack of required computational or storage resources at the leaves of the network, and data from other sources or historical data being required. This approach has also traditionally been viewed as more scalable, as resources can be augmented through the addition of extra compute hardware and cloud services.