Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adolescent callous-unemotional traits and conduct disorder in adoptees exposed to severe early deprivation.

BACKGROUND There is a debate over whether disruptive behaviour should be regarded as a central component of, or rather as an epiphenomenon with little diagnostic value for, psychopathy. AIMS To test whether callous-unemotional traits and conduct disorder can be dissociated in the English and Romanian Adoptee Study, a prospective longitudinal study of adopted individuals with a history of severe early institutional deprivation. METHOD The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment was used to establish DSM-IV diagnoses for conduct disorder (and also oppositional defiant disorder) at the 15-year follow-up stage. The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits questionnaire was administered to assess psychopathy traits. RESULTS There was no significant association between callous-unemotional traits and conduct disorder, both according to parent and youth self-report assessed categorically and dimensionally after controlling for confounds. CONCLUSIONS The majority of individuals with high callous-unemotional traits did not show conduct disorder in this special sample of children. This supports the view that, while common, an overlap between these aspects of psychopathology is not inevitable and so provides evidence for the dissociation of these two concepts. In terms of classification, we argue for a diagnostic scheme where psychopathy can be diagnosed independently of conduct disorder.
Neutropenia in dogs and cats: a retrospective study of 261 cases.

Case records of 232 dogs and 29 cats with neutropenia were reviewed to examine the spectrum of underlying etiologies causing the neutropenia. Six etiological categories included nonbacterial infectious disease; increased demand due to marked inflammation, bacterial sepsis, or endotoxemia; drug-associated neutropenia; primary bone-marrow disease; immune-mediated neutropenia; and diseases of unclear etiology. The largest single category associated with the development of neutropenia was nonbacterial infectious disease (e.g., feline leukemia virus [FeLV], feline immunodeficiency virus [FIV], histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and parvovirus), with parvovirus infection accounting for 47.1% of all cases. The least common (0.38%) cause was naturally occurring immune-mediated neutropenia.
Fingerprinting Keywords in Search Queries over Tor

Abstract Search engine queries contain a great deal of private and potentially compromising information about users. One technique to prevent search engines from identifying the source of a query, and Internet service providers (ISPs) from identifying the contents of queries is to query the search engine over an anonymous network such as Tor. In this paper, we study the extent to which Website Fingerprinting can be extended to fingerprint individual queries or keywords to web applications, a task we call Keyword Fingerprinting (KF). We show that by augmenting traffic analysis using a two-stage approach with new task-specific feature sets, a passive network adversary can in many cases defeat the use of Tor to protect search engine queries. We explore three popular search engines, Google, Bing, and Duckduckgo, and several machine learning techniques with various experimental scenarios. Our experimental results show that KF can identify Google queries containing one of 300 targeted keywords with recall of 80% and precision of 91%, while identifying the specific monitored keyword among 300 search keywords with accuracy 48%. We also further investigate the factors that contribute to keyword fingerprintability to understand how search engines and users might protect against KF.
Epitope mapping of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa major outer membrane porin protein OprF

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa major outer membrane protein OprF has been proposed for use as a vaccine and as a target for immunotherapeutic and diagnostic monoclonal antibodies. The well-conserved epitopes for 10 surface-reactive, OprF-specific monoclonal antibodies were localized by both overlapping peptide analysis and immunodetection of OprF peptides generated by cyanogen bromide and the protease papain. Three of the monoclonal antibodies bound to specific overlapping octapeptides, which had been synthesized on 160 pins to cover the entire 326 amino acids of OprF. The highest reactivities were as follows: MA7-1 to the pin with attached peptide GTYETGNK (amino acids 55 to 62), MA7-2 to NLADFMKQ (amino acids 237 to 244), and MA5-8 to TAEGRAIN (amino acids 307 to 314). The other monoclonal antibodies showed no reactivity, indicating that they do not recognize linear epitopes. Two polyclonal sera were also tested and demonstrated weak reactivity with discrete regions of OprF, suggesting that the majority of antibodies produced might recognize conformational epitopes. Utilizing defined peptides generated with cyanogen bromide and papain, the conformational epitopes recognized by the seven monoclonal antibodies were localized to regions that were 42 to 90 amino acids long. These regions were located on two adjacent loops in the middle of an amended structural model of OprF.
Efficacy and Safety of Imatinib Mesylate for Patients in the First Chronic Phase of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Results of a Japanese Phase II Clinical Study

Imatinib mesylate is a relatively new drug that targets the BCR-ABL chimeric protein, the molecular basis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). A phase II clinical trial in 39 Japanese patients in the first chronic phase of CML was conducted with imatinib mesylate at a dose of 400 mg/day. Hematologic complete response was obtained in 92.3% of the patients, complete cytogenetic response (CR) was obtained in 43.6%, and major partial CR was obtained in 20.5% of the patients. Although 29 of 39 patients required an adjustment of dosing because of grade 3 or 4 adverse events, most of the events were reversible, and 25 of the 29 patients were able to resume therapy. Between day 15 and day 35, grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and/or leukocytopenia occurred in 13 patients, and grade 3 thrombocytopenia occurred in 5 patients. Overall, nonhematologic grade 3 adverse events occurred in 28.2% of the patients.These data support the use of imatinib mesylate as the treatment of choice for chronic-phase CML patients.
Customer Satisfaction in the Metropolitan Ambulance Service

The field of customer satisfaction is complex and lacks clarity. Any technique that can bring order and predicability to the field is keenly sought. The partial least square methodology (PLSM) is a new means of modelling and predicting future outcomes. This research uses the partial least square modelling methodology to investigate and model the satisfaction of users of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service, Melbourne (MAS). The theories of Customer Satisfaction were reviewed then a definition of the concept established. The current state of the MAS was briefly discussed and the PLSM methodology was defined. Data collected from the MAS customer population was analysed by the PLSM method and by traditional statistical methods for comparative purposes. The results of the research demonstrated that the PLS methodology can be successfully applied to the field of satisfaction measurement of the ambulance service customer. Whilst uniquely modelling the determinants of customer satisfaction, it agreed with work by earlier researchers that particular aspects of staff behaviour were very important for high levels of customer satisfaction in the service industries. The model predicted that changes in the satisfaction rating of the staff variable would have a significant effect on overall satisfaction and critical consequential outcomes such as reuse and re-subscription. It also predicted that the overall model of customer satisfaction of MAS users was insensitive to changes with image, cost or equipment. An unexpected finding was that perceived medical ability was strongly linked to the paramedic's professional appearance. Implications of the finding are that MAS should pay close attention in the design and maintenance of the paramedic uniform. The relationship between a paramedic's professional appearance and their medical ability as perceived by a patient should be emphasised during training and professional development days. The very high importance of staff issues such as competence, friendliness, calmness and trustworthiness in regard to customer satisfaction reaffirms MAS attention and awareness of the matter. The research needs to been repeated within MAS to give a trend over time and a measure of the effectiveness of changes. To show that the methodology is widely applicable the research should be repeated using another ambulance service.
Closing the cultural distance gap: managing value-based knowledge in MNC by using MEP

Today more than ever, generating and managing knowledge is an essential source of competitive advantage for every organization, and particularly for Multinational corporations (MNC). However, despite the undisputed agreement about the importance of creating and managing knowledge, there are still a large number of corporations that act unethically or illegally. Clearly, there is a lack of attention in gaining more knowledge about the management of ethical knowledge in organizations. This paper refers to value-based knowledge, as the process of recognise and manage those values that stand at the heart of decision-making and action in organizations. In order to support MNCs in implementing value-based knowledge process, the managerial ethical profile (MEP) has been presented as a valuable tool to facilitate knowledge management process at both the intra-organizational network level and at the inter-organizational network level.
Debt in the Capital Structure of Service Enterprises Listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange from 2000-2007.

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the main factors of the country and firm, as well as to determine their mathematical relationship to include debt in the capital structure of companies that belong to the services sector. In the analysis, financial information from the Mexican Stock Exchange from the period 2000-2007 was used. The long-term debt was the dependent variable and using the technique of panel data the mathematical relationship exercising independent factors was estimated.
New rabies virus variant found during an epizootic in white-nosed coatis from the Yucatan Peninsula

SUMMARY In February 2008, three white-nosed coatis (Nasua narica) were found dead in a recreational park in Cancun, Mexico. The diagnosis of rabies virus (RABV) infection was confirmed by direct immunofluorescence test. The phylogenetic analysis performed with the complete RABV nucleoprotein gene positioned this isolate close to a sequence of a human rabies case reported during 2008 from Oaxaca, Mexico, sharing 93% similarity. In turn, these two variants are related to another variant found in rabid Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana bats across North America. Anti-RABV neutralizing activity (1·3 IU/ml) was found in the serum of one white-nosed coati captured with another five that cohabited with the dead animals. Enhanced rabies surveillance and pathogenesis studies should be conducted in coatis and insectivorous bats of the region to clarify the role of these species as potential emergent or long-term unidentified RABV reservoirs.
COMPARISON OF THE MECHANISM OF GLYCEROL OXIDATION IN AEROBICALLY AND ANAEROBICALLY GROWN STREPTOCOCCUS FAECALIS

Oxygen is a requirement for glycerol dissimilation by the majority of the lactic acid bacteria (Gunsalus and Sherman, 1943). However, quite unique are certain strains of enterococci which are capable of growth either aerobically or anaerobically on glycerol. Glycerol utilization by these latter strains, although highly significant from a taxonomic standpoint, has not been thoroughly elucidated. Gunsalus and Umbreit (1945) studied the mechanism of glycerol oxidation by Streptococcus faecalis (faecium) strain F24, a strain which requires aerobic conditions for growth on glycerol, and found that glycerol is initially phosphorylated to a-glycerophosphate. This phosphate is then oxidized to yield hydrogen peroxide (H202) and lactic acid. Working with a strain of S. faecalis (strain lOCI) capable of anaerobic growth on glycerol, Gunsalus (1947) observed that the presence of an external hydrogen acceptor, e. g. , fumaric acid, is required in the medium for the growth of this organism -on glycerol in the absence of oxygen. Studies in our laboratory of respiratory pathways in S. faecalis (strain lOCI) have indicated marked differences in the enzyme patterns of anaerobically and aerobically grown cells. Among these differences is an increase in the level of flavin enzymes, including a nonhemin peroxidase (Seeley and VanDemark, 1951; Seeley and Del Rio Estrada, 1951). The studies of Seeley and Del Rio Estrada (unpublished data) also gave evidence of differences in glycerol metabolism of cells grown anaerobically and aerobically on glucose. They observed that anaerobically grown cells of this organism reduce methylene blue with glycerol as the hydrogen donor at a markedly faster rate than cells grown in the presence of oxygen.
Is Idiosyncratic Risk Priced? The International Evidence

We examine the relation between expected returns and idiosyncratic risk across 44 countries from 1980 to 2007. Theory suggests that expected returns are unrelated to idiosyncratic risk if investors hold fully-diversified portfolios, and positively related if investors hold under-diversified portfolios. The empirical evidence to date has been decidedly mixed. In this study, we apply Fu’s (2009) EGARCH model to an international setting and provide supportive evidence for a positive and significant relation between expected returns and idiosyncratic risk – suggesting that the typical investor holds an under-diversified portfolio. Our international dataset also allows us to examine the relation between country-level determinants of investor under diversification and idiosyncratic risk premiums. We find that such risk premiums are larger in markets with lower investor wealth and higher investor risk tolerance. We also find that investor characteristics are more important determinants of the size of the idiosyncratic risk premium than are information and transaction costs. Our study makes two primary contributions. First, we verify the existence of a positive risk premium for idiosyncratic volatility using over seven million observations from 58,000 stocks across 44 markets. Second, and perhaps more important, we show that idiosyncratic risk premiums are directly attributable to investor under-diversification.
How do standardised environmental management systems affect environmental performance and business

In Hackefors Industrial District in Sweden, 26 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have formed an environmental network and implemented a joint environmental management system (EMS) according to ISO 14001. Based on interviews with the environmental co-ordinators at these enterprises, the effects on business and environmental efforts and impacts are analysed.It can be concluded that the joint EMS has resulted in better relations with important stakeholders, such as existing and potential customers. For example, three-fifths said that their EMS had made it easier to receive a contract for the sale of products and services. Several environmental improvements have been observed and are presented in the paper, many of which are considered as consequences of the EMSs. Moreover, based on observations during the study, this paper discusses how boundaries and screening affect the connection between EMSs and environmental performance.
Normalised Diffusion Cosine Similarity and Its Use for Image Segmentation

In many image-segmentation algorithms, measuring the distances is a key problem since the distance is often used to decide whether two image points belong to a single or, respectively, to two different image segments. The usual Euclidean distance need not be the best choice. Measuring the distances along the surface that is defined by the image function seems to be more relevant in more complicated images. Geodesic distance, i.e. the shortest path in the corresponding graph, or the k shortest paths can be regarded as the simplest methods. It might seem that the diffusion distance should provide the properties that are better since all the paths (not only their limited number) are taken into account. In this paper, we firstly show that the diffusion distance has the properties that make it difficult to use it image segmentation, which extends the recent observations of some other authors. Afterwards, we propose a new measure called normalised diffusion cosine similarity that is more suitable. We present the corresponding theory as well as the experimental results.
Shell Games: Have U.S. Capital Markets been harmed by Chinese companies entering via Reverse Mergers?

We examine the health and performance of reverse mergers (RMs) that became active on U.S. stock markets between 2001 and 2010, particularly those from China (around 85% of all foreign RMs). As a group, RMs are small, early-stage companies that typically trade over-the-counter. Chinese RMs (CRMs), however, tend to be more mature than either their U.S. counterparts or a group of exchange-industry-size matched firms. As an asset class, CRMs outperformed their matched peers from inception through the end of 2011. Despite negative publicity (some from short sellers), we find little evidence that U.S. capital markets have been harmed by the admission of CRMs.
Racial variation in the use of do-not-resuscitate orders

OBJECTIVE: To compare the use of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders in African-American and white patients using a large, multisite, community-based sample.MEASUREMENTS: Our sample included 90,821 consecutive admissions to 30 hospitals in a large metropolitan region with six nonsurgical conditions from 1993 through 1995. Demographic and clinical data were abstracted from medical records. Admission severity of illness was measured using multivariate risk-adjustment models with excellent discrimination (receiver-operating characteristic curve areas, 0.82–0.88). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent association between race and use of DNR orders, adjusting for age, admission severity, and other covariates.MAIN RESULTS: In all patients, the rate of DNR orders was lower in African Americans than whites (9% vs 18%; p<.001). Rates of orders were also lower (p<.001) among African Americans in analyses stratified by age, gender, diagnosis, severity of illness, and in-hospital death. After adjusting for severity and other important covariates, the odds of a DNR order remained lower (p<.001) for African-Americans relative to whites for all diagnoses, ranging from 0.38 for obstructive airway disease to 0.71 for gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Results were similar in analyses limited to orders written by the first, second, or seventh hospital day. Finally, among patients with DNR orders, African Americans were less likely to have orders written on the first hospital day and more likely to have orders written on subsequent days.CONCLUSIONS: The use of DNR orders was substantially lower in African Americans than in whites, even after adjusting for severity of illness and other covariates. Identification of factors underlying such differences will improve our understanding of the degree to which expectations for care differ in African American and white patients.
Optimizing perioperative management of geriatric patients with head and neck cancer

Given emerging demographic trends, many more elderly patients are being diagnosed with head and neck cancers. The surgical care paradigm for this cohort of patients must take into account specific challenges inherent to geriatric perioperative management. This article attempts to summarize the existing body of literature relevant to the geriatric head and neck cancer population, and to extrapolate relevant data from geriatric perioperative medicine in order to better understand and guide management decisions. The involvement of geriatricians and of patients' primary care providers may be invaluable in assisting in complex perioperative decision‐making and in participating in longitudinal management. Preoperative risk stratification and assessment of medical, social, and functional variables are critical for appropriate decision‐making in this challenging patient population. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: 743–749, 2014
Real Determinants of Corporate Leverage

The U.S. corporate tax distorts the behavior of both real and financial decisions. With respect to the former, the variation in depreciation allowances and investment tax credit provisions across types of investments leads to widely vazying effective tax rates, especially since 1981. Financial policy is distorted by the differential treatment of debt and equity. The purpose of this paper is to examine, using firm-level panel data, the relationship between real and financial decisions by corporations, in part to determine the extent to which these biases off set or reinforce each other.Our results are tentative and suggest that patterns of real and financial behavior are only partially consistent with predictions of various capital structure models (e.g. bankruptcy/agency cost, limited taxshield)and that there is no obvious offset on the financial side to the tax bias against investment in structures.
Surfactant therapy in full-term neonates with severe respiratory failure.

OBJECTIVE In light of the paucity of published data on the use of surfactant in full-term infants with respiratory failure due to meconium aspiration syndrome and respiratory distress syndrome, we report our experience with this therapy. Our goal was to explore possible justification for randomized controlled trials of surfactant treatment in similar patients at an earlier, less severe stage of the disease. METHODS Retrospective consecutive case series of 20 infants with severe meconium aspiration syndrome and 29 infants with severe respiratory distress syndrome who received bovine surfactant between March 1990 and December 1992 in three neonatal intensive care units in a regionalized setting. Outcome of treatment was assessed by comparing changes in several respiratory indices including the oxygenation index, between 4 and 6 hours and 1 and 3 hours before and after the first dose of surfactant. Differences were analyzed using analysis of variance for repeated measures, with treatment and time as co-variates. RESULTS In the meconium aspiration group the mean oxygenation index decreased from 36 +/- 12 at 1 to 3 hours presurfactant to 24 +/- 14 at 1 to 3 hours postsurfactant (P < .001). In the patients with respiratory distress syndrome the mean oxygenation index fell from 30 +/- 17 at 1 to 3 hours presurfactant to 12 +/- 6 at 1 to 3 hours postsurfactant (P = .0001). Three of 20 patients with meconium aspiration syndrome and 3 of 29 patients with respiratory distress syndrome received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. CONCLUSIONS Surfactant therapy in full-term infants with respiratory failure due to the meconium aspiration and respiratory distress syndromes is often effective in improving gas exchange. A randomized controlled trial of surfactant therapy at an earlier stage in the course of the illness should be performed.
Innovations in Electrophysiology

O VER THE LAST FEW YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN many advances in the field of non-invasive and invasive electrophysiology. Those publishing in this field have addressed a number of topics pertinent to children and young adults with congenital and acquired cardiac disease. In addition, there have been tremendous advances in our understanding of genetic testing in children with channelopathies at risk for sudden cardiac death. In this review, I discuss various aspects of these extensive reports.