Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of vapocoolant spray on pain due to intravenous cannulation in children: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Established noninvasive pharmacologic means of alleviating pain and anxiety in children undergoing intravenous cannulation are time-consuming, and thus impractical for routine use in the emergency department. Vapocoolant sprays provide transient skin anesthesia within seconds of application. We compared the effect of a new vapocoolant spray to placebo on pain due to intravenous cannulation in children. Methods: In this double-blind randomized controlled trial, which we conducted between June 1 and Sept. 12, 2006, 80 children aged 6–12 years received either vapocoolant spray or placebo before cannulation. Children rated their pain using a 100-mm colour visual analogue scale. Secondary outcomes included success rate on first attempt at cannulation and pain ratings by the children's parents, nurses and child life specialists. Results: We found a modest but significant reduction in pain with the use of vapocoolant spray (mean difference 19 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6–32 mm; p < 0.01). Cannulation on first attempt was more often successful with the use of vapocoolant spray (85.0%) than with placebo (62.5%) (mean difference 22.5%, 95% CI 3.2%–39.9%; p = 0.03). The number needed to treat to prevent 1 cannulation failure was 5 (95% CI 3–32). Parents (p = 0.04), nurses (p = 0.01) and child life specialists (p < 0.01) considered the children's pain to be reduced with the use of vapocoolant spray. Interpretation: The vapocoolant spray in our study quickly and effectively reduced pain due to intravenous cannulation in children and improved the success rate of cannulation. It is an important option to reduce childhood procedural pain in emergency situations, especially when time precludes traditional interventions. (http://ClinicalTrials.gov trial register no. NCT00130650.)
An exploratory study investigating the perception that ICT capital projects are different: Evidence from the Czech Republic

Purpose – The purpose of this study/paper is evidence to suggest that information communication technology (ICT) capital projects are different from non-ICT projects and that as a result the appraisal of such projects is more difficult. This may suggest that organisations would use dissimilar financial and risk assessment models or place different importance levels on such models between the two types of investment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this issue and present the results of research into the practices of organisations in Czech Republic that have recently undertaken an appraisal of both ICT and non-ICT capital projects. Design/methodology/approach – A factual and attitudinal survey was developed and conducted during the end of 2011, addressed to organisations based in the Czech Republic. The object of the survey was the identification of current practices in respect of the appraisal of both ICT and non-ICT projects and the opinions of senior executives on a number of important issues.
Identification of neurocircuitry controlling cardiovascular function in humans using functional neurosurgery: implications for exercise control

The neurocircuitry underlying human cardiovascular control during exercise has yet to be fully elucidated. Functional imaging studies and animal studies have so far identified potential circuits that might be involved in the cardiovascular response to exercise, so‐called ‘central command’. This brief review highlights neurocircuits that may have functional significance as judged from direct recordings of electrical activity during exercise in patients with implanted deep brain stimulating electrodes. Of particular interest is the periaqueductal grey area (PAG), where electrodes are implanted in humans to treat chronic pain. This area is known to be important in the exercise pressor reflex in animals. Our studies have shown that changes occur in this region during anticipation of exercise, indicating a possible role in the central command of cardiovascular variables before and during exercise. This leads us to suggest that the PAG may be an ‘integrating area’ between the feedback signals from muscle and the feedforward signals from higher centres. The role of the PAG in cardiovascular control in humans, with reference to electrical stimulation experiments, is also described.
The Investment Development Path and FDI From Developing Countries: The Role of Pro-Market Reforms and Institutional Voids

ABSTRACT We study the applicability of the investment development path to multinationals from developing countries and illustrate these arguments by analyzing the evolution of Brazilian outward foreign direct investment. This model argues that as countries develop, their firms will develop sophisticated capabilities and eventually become multinational firms. In the case of emerging countries, two additional factors accelerate this process. One is the push of pro-market reforms, whereby firms upgrade their capabilities to compete in the home country, thus becoming multinationals earlier than expected. The second is the push of institutional voids, whereby firms avoid excessive and misguided regulations of the local institutional environment.
A comparison of regression trees, logistic regression, generalized additive models, and multivariate adaptive regression splines for predicting AMI mortality

Clinicians and health service researchers are frequently interested in predicting patient‐specific probabilities of adverse events (e.g. death, disease recurrence, post‐operative complications, hospital readmission). There is an increasing interest in the use of classification and regression trees (CART) for predicting outcomes in clinical studies. We compared the predictive accuracy of logistic regression with that of regression trees for predicting mortality after hospitalization with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We also examined the predictive ability of two other types of data‐driven models: generalized additive models (GAMs) and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS). We used data on 9484 patients admitted to hospital with an AMI in Ontario. We used repeated split‐sample validation: the data were randomly divided into derivation and validation samples. Predictive models were estimated using the derivation sample and the predictive accuracy of the resultant model was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in the validation sample. This process was repeated 1000 times—the initial data set was randomly divided into derivation and validation samples 1000 times, and the predictive accuracy of each method was assessed each time. The mean ROC curve area for the regression tree models in the 1000 derivation samples was 0.762, while the mean ROC curve area of a simple logistic regression model was 0.845. The mean ROC curve areas for the other methods ranged from a low of 0.831 to a high of 0.851. Our study shows that regression trees do not perform as well as logistic regression for predicting mortality following AMI. However, the logistic regression model had performance comparable to that of more flexible, data‐driven models such as GAMs and MARS. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Forced Use on Arm Function in the Subacute Phase After Stroke: A Randomized, Clinical Pilot Study

Background and Objective: Following stroke, it is common to exhibit motor impairments and decreased use of the upper limb. The objective of the present study was to evaluate forced use on arm function during the subacute phase after stroke. Design: A comparison of standard rehabilitation only and standard rehabilitation together with a restraining sling was made through a randomized, nonblinded, clinical pilot trial with assessments before intervention, after intervention, and at 1- and 3-month follow-ups. Setting: The present study took place at the departments of rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, and neurology at a university hospital. Participants: A convenience sample of 30 people 1 to 6 months (mean, 2.4 mo) after stroke was randomized into 2 groups (forced-use group and standard training group) of 15 people each. Twenty-six participants completed the 3-month follow-up. Intervention: All participants received their standard rehabilitation program with training 5 days per week for 2 weeks as inpatients or outpatients. The forced-use group also wore a restraining sling on the nonparetic arm with a target of 6 hours per day. Measurements: The Fugl-Meyer (FM) test, the Action Research Arm Test, the Motor Assessment Scale (MAS) (sum of scores for the upper limb), a 16-hole peg test (16HPT), a grip strength ratio (paretic hand to nonparetic hand), and the Modified Ashworth Scale were used to obtain measurements. Results: The changes in the forced-use group did not differ from the changes in the standard training group for any of the outcome measures. Both groups improved over time, with statistically significant changes in the FM test (mean score changed from 52 to 57), MAS (mean score changed from 10.1 to 12.4), 16HPT (mean time changed from >92 seconds to 60 seconds), and grip strength ratio (mean changed from 0.40 to 0.55). Limitations: The limitations of this pilot study include an extended study time, a nonblinded assessor, a lack of control of treatment content, and a small sample size. Conclusions: The results of the present pilot study did not support forced use as a reinforcement of standard rehabilitation in the subacute phase after stroke. Forced use did not generate greater improvements with regard to motor impairment and capacity than standard rehabilitation alone. The findings of this effectiveness study will be used to help design future clinical trials with the aim of revealing a definitive conclusion regarding the clinical implementation of forced use for upper-limb rehabilitation.
Evaluating q as an Alternative to the Rate of Return in Measuring Profitability

The ratio of a firm's market value to its replace ment cost, q, is often used to measure firms' profitability. The use of q is increasin g in large part because of the growing realization that errors in evaluating firms' capital assets may cause errors in estimates of the accounting rate of return, r. The same objection, however, applies t o q. This paper reports the results of Monte Carlo experiments designed to determine whether q is superior to r. Errors in both q and r are large and potentially serious, but do not render either measure useless. Copyright 1988 by MIT Press.
Effect of dietary protein on lean body wasting in dogs: correlation between loss of lean mass and markers of proteasome-dependent proteolysis.

To determine the effect of dietary protein intake on lean body wasting in adult canines a study was undertaken to investigate the Ubiquitin Proteasome (UP) pathway and concurrent changes in lean and fat body mass of canines fed variable sources and concentrations of dietary protein. Purpose-bred, intact female canines (56) between the ages of 2 and 3 years were fed either 12 or 28% protein diet for 10 weeks. Each diet contained variable amounts of corn gluten meal and chicken protein sources in ratios of 100 : 0, 67 : 33, 33 : 67 and 0 : 100 per cent (w/w), respectively. All diets were isocaloric with calories coming from protein : fat : carbohydrate at the respective ratios of 12 : 40 : 48% for the 12% diets, and 28 : 40 : 32% for the 28% diets. Standard dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was performed to assess total body lean and fat mass at weeks 0 and 10 of the dietary trial. Muscle biopsies were also taken and processed for protein determination and standard gel electrophoresis with subsequent Western blotting for 20S proteasome and PA700 regulatory cap subunit p31. Statistical analysis revealed a moderate degree of correlation between increasing quantities of corn gluten, which is low in essential amino acids (i.e. lysine, tryptophan), and increasing loss of lean body mass over the 10-week study (R = 0.56). Furthermore, a moderate degree of correlation was observed between increasing concentrations of corn gluten protein and decreased expression of the p31 subunit of the 26S proteasome (R = 0.49). Additionally, the dogs consuming the 12% protein diets had a significant increase in fat mass regardless of the protein source. These findings suggest that lean body wasting in adult canines can be associated with the consumption of low protein diets consisting of predominantly corn gluten, which is likely due to imbalances or subclinical deficiencies of specific essential amino acids, and that low protein diets may augment accumulation of adipose tissue. Although the mechanisms remain unclear, alteration of molecular targets of skeletal muscle proteolysis, specifically involving the UP pathway occur.
Venous thromboembolism prevention with fondaparinux 1.5 mg in renally impaired patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery

Summary Despite the need for effective and safe thromboprophylactic drugs for patients with renal impairment, clinical trial data on anticoagulant agents are limited in this population. The study aim was to assess in the real-world setting the use of the once-daily 1.5 mg reduced dosage regimen of fondaparinux available for this context. In this prospective cohort study, patients with a creatinine clearance (CrCl) of 20–50 ml/ minute, undergoing total hip (THR) or knee (TKR) replacement or hip fracture surgery (HFS) received fondaparinux thromboprophylaxis. Main clinical outcomes were bleeding (major/clinically relevant nonmajor), symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) and death. Overall, 442 patients (353 women; median age: 82 years; 39.4% in ASA class ≥3; mean ± SD CrCl: 39.0 ± 8.0 ml/minute; 78% with additional risk factors for bleeding), undergoing THR (43.7%), TKR (27.6%), or HFS (28.7%) received fondaparinux 1.5 mg for a mean ± SD duration of 16.0 ± 12.5 days. At postoperative day 10, the rates (95% confidence interval) of major bleeding, clinically relevant bleeding and symptomatic VTE were 4.5% (2.8–6.9), 0.5% (0.1–1.6) and 0.5% (0.05–1.62), respectively; no fatal bleeding, bleeding into a critical organ, pulmonary embolism or proximal deep-vein thrombosis occurred. Corresponding rates at one month were 5.2%, 0.7% and 0.7%. One-month mortality was 2.3% (0.9–3.6). This large clinical prospective study provides for the first time, under conditions reflecting “real-world” routine clinical practice, data on the bleeding and VTE risks of thromboprophylaxis with fondaparinux 1.5 mg after major orthopaedic surgery in renally impaired patients. It shows that these patients constitute a very elderly and fragile population. ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00555438
Absolute abundances and affinity states of dopamine receptors in mammalian brain: A review

The abundances of dopamine (DA) D1 and D2 receptors have been assayed with radioligands in membrane preparations and by autoradiography in vitro, and also in living brain using positron emission tomography (PET). This review compares the saturation binding parameters (Bmax and KD) obtained in striatum by these several methods, and in different species. Some uncertainty in quantitation is derived from the incomplete specificities of commonly used ligands, especially Sch 23,390 for D1 sites and spiperone for D2‐like sites. In striatal membrane preparations, the D1 Bmax ranges from 10 to 139 pmol g−1 tissue, whereas the D2 Bmax ranges from 8 to 42 pmol g−1 tissue. Receptor concentrations in human material, despite the more extended post mortem interval, are roughly similar to those reported in rodent and nonhuman primate. Estimates of Bmax by quantitative autoradiography are generally five times higher than corresponding results for similar ligands in membrane preparations. The saturation binding parameters in living striatum have been estimated by serial PET studies with ligands over a range of specific activities. The few PET estimates of D1 Bmax, (40–80 pmol g−1) and numerous PET estimates of D2 Bmax (20–40 pmol g−1) are in general agreement with membrane estimates, but fall far short of the mean of autoradiographic results in vitro. Apparent affinities for D1 and D2 ligands in vivo are typically 10 times lower than for corresponding in vitro studies, presumably because the unbound ligand concentration is not corrected for the free fraction in living brain tissue. The disparate Bmax results by method suggest the presence of a large reservoir or reserve of D1 and D2 receptors in intact brain sections, which are unavailable to PET ligands in vivo, and which may be lost during the preparation of washed membranes. A subset of receptors existing in a high affinity state for agonists is detected in washed membrane preparations, in which the coupling to intracellular G‐proteins may have become artificially limiting. However, in most PET and autoradiographic studies in vitro, agonist and antagonist ligands have similar Bmax. Discrepancies in the literature highlight the need for a better understanding of affinity states in vivo and trafficking of G‐protein coupled receptors between plasma membrane and intracellular compartments. Synapse, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Depressed mood, cognitive impairment, and survival in older people admitted to care homes in England.

OBJECTIVE To investigate psychiatric morbidity, cognitive impairment, dependency, and survival in residents newly admitted to care homes. METHODS A total of 308 older people were assessed using measures of cognitive impairment and depressive symptomatology, and interviewable residents completed a quality-of-life interview. Dependency levels were assessed by interviews with staff and medication data were collected from home records. Follow-up assessments were carried out at five and nine months. A telephone follow-up approximately 12 months later augmented the survival data. RESULTS Of residents whose outcomes were known, 73% survived throughout the nine-month study period. Residents who died before the five-month follow-up had higher scores on the depression measure than those surviving longer. Reduced survival was predicted by greater dependency at baseline. Of 188 surviving residents, 63 (38%) were classified as depressed at baseline. Twenty-seven (43%) of the latter were still classed as depressed at five and nine months. Just 19% of residents rated as depressed at baseline were prescribed antidepressant medication, increasing to 26% at each follow-up. There was significant coexistence of cognitive impairment and depressive symptomatology. CONCLUSION High levels of mortality, psychiatric morbidity, and chronicity of depressed mood among residents requires care homes to improve access to specialist resources such as geriatric consultation, old-age psychiatry, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy. Findings suggest that future care standards should include external factors, such as the extent of access to relevant specialist services for vulnerable older people.
Improving Inter-organizational Cooperation in Counterterrorism: Based on a quantitative SWOT assessment

Inter-organizational cooperation within national counterterrorism communities has improved since 9/11, yet some disturbing difficulties have also been reported. This article explores the strengths and weaknesses of inter-organizational cooperation, the potential opportunities for improvement and the threats in the case of weak cooperation using a sample of 100 counterterrorism experts. The results of a quantitative SWOT analysis reflect a deep division between the strengths and weaknesses of inter-organizational cooperation that strongly affects the extent to which emerging opportunities to improve it are being undertaken. The paper proposes a three-dimensional strategy to improve cooperation that focuses on interactive, procedural and analytical measures.
The Takeover Market, Corporate Board Composition, and Ownership Structure: The Case of Banking

HE incentive conflict arising from the separation of the management and ownership of corporate resources has been extensively researched. ' Recently, interest has focused on the interaction between external devices that control managerial behavior (for example, the market for takeovers) and internal mechanisms for control (for example, boards of directors). In particular, Eugene F. Fama, Eugene F. Fama and Michael C. Jensen, and Oliver E. Williamson have hypothesized that the composition of the board of directors will reflect the hazards facing residual claimants.2 The hazard of managerial departure from value maximization, they contend, will depend on the nature of the production process, the internal
The Rise and Demise of the Dutch Extreme Right: Discursive Opportunities and Support for the Center Democrats in the 1990s

This article seeks to explain why the Dutch extreme-right party, Center Democrats (CD), never succeeded in breaking out of its marginal position. It argues that, in addition to analyzing fluctuations in electoral support, scholars should also examine the degree to which extreme-right parties are able to express their views in the mass media. Supply-side explanations are extended by showing that discursive political opportunities need to be openly acknowledged and debated publicly to become relevant. Relying on longitudinal data derived from political claims analysis and opinion polls, this article demonstrates that negative public reactions significantly eroded the electoral attractiveness of the extreme-right party. In contrast, when one's goal is to achieve mass media access, the results reveal that any publicity is favorable publicity. Public criticism enhanced the CD's access to the public debate. Also, rising support in opinion polls led to more public claim making. Remarkably, however, the extreme r.
Oxidant stress in asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract of unknown aetiology. In severe asthma airway diathesis is profound, and thus apparent. Recently, however, evidence has indicated that specific inflammatory abnormalities exist even in the airways of subjects with mild disease. As inflammation is often associated with an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the biochemical environment in the asthmatic airways is favourable for free radical mediated reactions, it is rational to surmise that an oxidant stress could be mechanistically important in asthma. The inflammatory cells recruited to the asthmatic airways have an exceptional capability for producing ROS. Activated eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages can generate superoxide (O2 –) via the membrane associated NADPH-dependent complex. Subsequently, dismutation of O2 – gives hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). O2 – and H2O2 per se are moderate oxidants; however, both species are critical for the formation of potent cytotoxic radicals in biological systems through their interaction with other molecules. For example, hydroxyl radical (•OH), a powerful and indiscriminate oxidant, can be produced from O2 – and hypohalous acids (HOCl or HOBr). The latter component can be formed from H2O2 and a halide (Cl– or Br–) in a reaction catalysed by myeloperoxidase (MPO) provided by neutrophils and monocytes,1 or eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) from eosinophils.2 MPO preferably utilises Cl– as a halide, whereas EPO uniquely prefers Br–. Moreover, a recent study has shown that MPO and EPO can use nitrite (a major end product of nitric oxide (•NO) metabolism) and H2O2 as substrates to promote formation of reactive nitrating intermediates.3 The oxidative injury caused by eosinophils can be substantial because the cells possess several times greater capacity to …