Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
KEYNES, MILL, AND SAY’S LAW: THE LEGITIMATE CASE KEYNES DIDN’T MAKE AGAINST J. S. MILL

Having in the General Theory quoted a passage from John Stuart Mill’s Principles as representative of ancient confusion, John Maynard Keynes has been accused of misinterpreting that passage and thus mistakenly identifying Mill as an upholder of the “classical” proposition that “supply creates its own demand. ” Certain critics, seizing on Keynes’s misunderstanding, draw the conclusion that little was actually wrong with Mill’s analysis and that Keynes’s attack on Mill was therefore without justification. Our contention, however, is that, despite his error with respect, so to say, to the “letter” of Mill’s exposition, Keynes was right about the essential “substance” of Mill’s thesis. Mill’s thinking, we suggest, was deeply in thrall to the ideas of his father and Jean-Baptiste Say. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that Mill did indeed stand for a “classical” position, albeit qualified, but nevertheless vulnerable to Keynes’s critique as developed in the General Theory.
Numerical model for radio-frequency ablation of the endocardium and its experimental validation

A theoretical model for the study of the radiofrequency (RF) ablation technique is presented. The model relies on a finite-element time-domain calculation of the temperature distribution in a block of tissue, resulting from the flow of RF (<1 MHz) electrical current. A thermal damage function is used to calculate the extent of the lesion on the basis of the temperature elevation and the duration of exposure. This work extends the model proposed by D.E. Haines and D.D. Watson (PACE, vol.12, p.962-76, 1989) by including a more realistic and variable geometry, the cooling effect of the blood flow and a transient analysis. Furthermore, the nonlinearity caused by the temperature dependence of the tissue properties is also considered. The complexity of the model being appreciable, an experiment demonstrating its validity is also described. While remaining workable, the experiment is sophisticated enough to lead to convincing conclusions. It consists in measuring the temperature distribution and the time-dependent electrode resistance during "ablation" of a tissue-equivalent material. Various electrode configurations and electrical excitations are investigated. In all cases, the experimental results agree reasonably well with the numerical calculations. This confirms that the model is accurate for the investigation of RF ablation. <<ETX>>
Radiological technologists’ performance for the detection of malignant microcalcifications in digital mammograms without and with a computer-aided detection system

Abstract. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of radiological technologists (RTs) in the detection of malignant microcalcifications and to evaluate how much computer-aided detection (CADe) improved their performances compared with those by expert breast radiologists (BRs). Six board-certified breast RTs and four board-certified BRs participated in a free-response receiver operating characteristic observer study. The dataset consisted of 75 cases (25 malignant, 25 benign, and 25 normal cases) of digital mammograms, selected from the digital database for screening mammography provided by the University of South Florida. Average figure of merit (FOM) of the RTs’ performances was statistically analyzed using jack-knife free-response receiver operating characteristic and compared with that of expert BRs. The detection performance of RTs was significantly improved by using CADe; average sensitivity was increased from 46.7% to 56.7%, with a decrease in the average number of false positives per case from 0.19 to 0.13. Detection accuracy of an average FOM was improved from 0.680 to 0.816 (p=0.001) and the difference in FOMs between RTs and radiologists failed to reach statistical significance. RTs’ performances for the identification of malignant microcalcifications on digital mammography were sufficiently high and comparable to those of radiologists by using CADe.
Surgical strategies in the management of hilar cholangiocarcinoma

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Avian genomics in the 21st century

The chicken has long been an important model organism for developmental biology, as well as a major source of protein with billions of birds used in meat and egg production each year. Chicken genomics has been transformed in recent years, with the characterisation of large EST collections and most recently with the assembly of the chicken genome sequence. As the first livestock genome to be fully sequenced it leads the way for others to follow – with zebra finch later this year. The genome sequence and the availability of three million genetic polymorphisms are expected to aid the identification of genes that control traits of importance in poultry. As the first bird genome to be sequenced it is a model for the remaining 9,600 species thought to exist today. Many of the features of avian biology and organisation of the chicken genome make it an ideal model organism for phylogenetics and embryology, along with applications in agriculture and medicine. The availability of new tools such as whole-genome gene expression arrays and SNP panels, coupled with information resources on the genes and proteins are likely to enhance this position.
Globally Dangerous Diseases: Bad News for Main Street, Good News for Wall Street?

This paper examines whether investor mood, driven by World Health Organization (WHO) alerts and media institutional news on globally dangerous diseases, is priced in pharmaceutical companies' stocks in the United States. We concentrate on irrational investors who buy and sell pharmaceutical companies' stocks guided by beliefs as opposed to rational expectations. We argue that disease-related news (DRNs) should not trigger rational trading. We find that DRNs have a positive and significant sentiment effect among investors (in Wall Street). The effect is stronger (weaker) for small (large) companies, who are less (more) likely to engage in the development of new vaccines in the wake of DRNs. A potential negative mood (in Main Street) - induced by disease related fear - does not alter the positive sentiment effect. Our findings give rise to profitable trading strategies leading to significantly positive performances. Overall, this unparalleled research shows that large events of devastating nature to the economy can be considered as good news to some groups of interest, such as stock market traders.
Cross-layer rate adaptation for video communications over LTE networks

Rate control and adaptation is an important issue for video communications over cellular networks. In this paper, we propose a quality-aware feedback-free rate control and adaptation scheme for downlink real-time video communications over Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. In our scheme, the send bit rate is adapted automatically according to the estimated packet loss due to the expiration of packet delay deadline based on queueing analysis by taking into account both packet queueing delay and transmission delay. This differs from existing rate adaptation methods which adapt send bit rate according to either packet loss or delay information explicitly feedback from the user side. The proposed scheme can maximize the system capacity in terms of the number of supportable users while providing satisfying user experience in terms of the received video quality and playback smoothness. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
The Calibration Issue: Theoretical Comments on Suantak, Bolger, and Ferrell (1996).

In this comment on a recent article in this journal on calibration of subjective probabilities by Suantak, Bolger, and Ferrell (1996) we point to methodological problems with the data presented in the article, with computer simulations we demonstrate that the results claimed by the authors to refute the ecological models (Gigerenzer, Hoffrage, & Kleinbölting, 1991; Juslin, 1994) are actually predicted by them, and we respond to the criticisms of the notion of "ecological cue validity. " It is further argued that contrary to the claims by the authors: The decision variable partition model advocated by the authors fails to account for the results reported in the article, but there is one error model-the combined error model (Juslin, Olsson, & Björkman, 1997)-that predicts the observed symmetric hard-easy effect with crossover at proportion correct . 75. Finally, an analysis of 44 cognitive and 21 sensory tasks demonstrates that there is a difference in calibration for sensory and cognitive tasks. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.
Human papillomavirus infection and invasive cervical neoplasia: a study of prevalence and morphology

The prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA sequences in 45 cervical cancer biopsies was examined with the hot‐start polymerase chain reaction (PCR), employing HPV consensus primers from the L1 region. The cases comprised 38 squamous cell carcinomas, three adenosquamous carcinomas, and four adenocarcinomas. PCR products were typed with single‐strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and the HPV types detected were correlated with tumour type. Forty‐three biopsies were HPV‐positive, HPV16 being the most prevalent type. HPV18/33/45/58 were also detected, but no low‐risk or multiple types. Keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma was invariably associated with HPV16 and adenosquamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma with HPVs 18/45. Non‐keratinizing squamous cell carcinomas harboured all five detected types. Our data corroborate the view that malignant cervical tumours are almost invariably associated with high‐risk HPV and that certain malignant cervical tumour phenotypes correlate with specific HPV types. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pharmacological Evidence for Calcium Channel Inhibition by Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) on Rat Isolated Femoral Artery

This study investigated the relaxant actions of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and its lipid-soluble- and water-soluble-fractions on endothelium-denuded rat isolated femoral artery rings. Danshen, its water-soluble fraction and its lipid-soluble fraction produced relaxation of the phenylephrine-precontracted artery rings with IC50 values of 149 ± 20 μg/mL, 160 ± 25 μg/mL, and 23 ± 6 μg/mL, respectively. Pretreatment of the artery rings with a non-selective potassium channel inhibitor tetraethylammonium (TEA, 10 mM) produced a significant two-fold rightward shift of the concentration-response curve to Danshen and a four-fold shift to its water-soluble fraction, but had no effect on the lipid-soluble fraction. A 3.3-fold shift was produced on the concentration-response curve of Danshen when the artery rings were pretreated with a mixture of 10 mM TEA, 1 mM 4-aminopyridine (KV blocker), 1 μM glibenclamide (KATP blocker), 100 nM iberiotoxin (BKCa blocker), and 100 μM barium chloride (KIR blocker). Involvement of Ca2+ channels was investigated in endothelium-denuded artery rings incubated with Ca2+-free buffer and primed with 1 μM phenylephrine or 60 mM KCl for 5 minutes prior to adding CaCl2 to elicit contraction. In artery rings primed with phenylephrine, pretreatment with 1 mg/mL Danshen, 1 mg/mL water-soluble fraction of Danshen, 0.1 mg/mL lipid-soluble fraction of Danshen, and 100 nM nifedipine abrogated the CaCl2-induced contraction. On the other hand, in artery rings primed with KCl, these agents produced 40%, 25%, 53%, and 92% inhibition on the maximum contraction induced by CaCl2, respectively. Increasing the concentrations of Danshen and its water-soluble fraction to 3 mg/mL, and the lipid-soluble fraction to 0.3 mg/mL further reduced the maximum contraction to 92%, 93%, and 83%, respectively. Taken together, these findings suggested the vasorelaxant actions of Danshen and its fractions were produced primarily by inhibition of Ca2+ influx in the vascular smooth muscle cells and a small component was mediated by the opening of K+ channels.
Effective Modification of Particle Surface Properties Using Ultrasonic Water Mist

The goal of the present study was to design a new technique to modify particle surface properties and, through that, to improve flowability of poorly flowing drug thiamine hydrochloride and pharmaceutical sugar lactose monohydrate of two different grades. The powdered particles were supplied by a vibratory feeder and exposed to an instantaneous effect of water mist generated from an ultrasound nebulizer. The processed and original powders were evaluated with respect to morphology (scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and spatial filtering technique), flow, and solid state properties. It was found that rapid exposition of pharmaceutical materials by water mist resulted in the improvement of powder technical properties. The evident changes in flowability of coarser lactose were obviously due to smoothing of particle surface and decreasing in the level of fines with very slight increment in particle size. The changes in thiamine powder flow were mainly due to narrowing in particle size distribution where the tendency for better flow of finer lactose was related to surface and size modifications. The aqueous mist application did not cause any alteration of the crystal structures of the studied materials. The proposed water mist treatment technique appears to be a robust, rapid, and promising tool for the improvement of the technological properties of pharmaceutical powders.
Methylprednisolone for the Treatment of Patients with Acute Spinal Cord Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction Previous meta-analyses of methylprednisolone for patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs) have not addressed confidence in pooled effect estimates and new primary studies have been recently published. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether methylprednisolone improves motor recovery and is associated with increased risks for adverse events. Material and Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled observational studies. Two reviewers independently screened articles, extracted data, and evaluated risk of bias. We pooled outcomes from RCTs and controlled observational studies separately using random effects models. We quantified heterogeneity using the chi-squared test and the I-squared statistic, and we pre-specified subgroup hypotheses to explain potential high heterogeneity. We used the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to evaluate confidence. Results We included four RCTs and 17 observational studies. Methylprednisolone did not increase long-term motor score recovery (two RCTs: 335 participants, mean difference [MD] -1.11, 95% CI -4.75 to 2.53, p = 0.55, low certainty; two observational studies: 528 participants, MD 1.37, 95% CI -3.08 to 5.83, p = 0.55, very low certainty) or improvement by at least one motor grade (three observational studies: 383 participants, risk ratio [RR] 0.84, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.33, p = 0.46, very low certainty). Evidence from two RCTs demonstrated superior short-term motor score improvement if methylprednisolone was administered within eight hours of injury (two RCTs: 250 participants; MD 4.46, 95% CI 0.97 to 7.94, p = 0.01; low certainty), but risk of bias and imprecision limit confidence in these findings. Observational studies demonstrated a significantly increased risk for gastrointestinal bleeding (eight studies: 2727 participants, RR 2.53; 95% CI 1.48 to 4.32; p < 0.01, very low certainty), but RCTs did not. Risks for other adverse events were not significantly increased. Conclusion Methylprednisolone does not provide significant long-term benefit to patients with acute TSCIs and may be associated with increased gastrointestinal bleeding. These findings support current guidelines against routine use, but strong recommendations are not warranted because confidence in the effect estimates is limited. This meta-analysis advances current understanding because it includes recent studies not pooled previously and it is the first to consider confidence in the pooled effect estimates. Further research could increase confidence and clarify the influence of potential confounders or effect modifiers.
Self‐organization of vertebrate mesoderm based on simple boundary conditions

Embryonic development requires cell movements whose coordination is robust and reproducible. A dramatic example is the primary body axis of vertebrates: despite perturbation, cells in prospective axial tissue coordinate their movements to make an elongated body axis. The spatial cues coordinating these movements are not known. We show here that cells deprived of preexisting spatial cues by physical dissociation and reaggregation nonetheless organize themselves into an axis. Activin‐induced cells that are reaggregated into a flat disc initially round up into a ball before elongating perpendicular to the disc. Manipulations of the geometry of the disc and immunofluorescence micrography reveal that the edge of the disc provides a circumferential alignment zone. This finding indicates that physical boundaries provide alignment cues and that circumferential “hoop stress” drives the axial extrusion in a manner resembling late‐involuting mesoderm of Xenopus and archenteron elongation in other deuterostome species such as sea urchins. Thus, a population of cells finds its own midline based on the form of the population's boundaries using an edge‐aligning mechanism. This process provides a remarkably simple organizing principle that contributes to the reliability of embryonic development as a whole. Developmental Dynamics 231:576–581, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mutations in the gerP Locus ofBacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus Affect Access of Germinants to Their Targets in Spores

ABSTRACT The gerP1 transposon insertion mutation ofBacillus cereus is responsible for a defect in the germination response of spores to both l-alanine and inosine. The mutant is blocked at an early stage, before loss of heat resistance or release of dipicolinate, and the efficiency of colony formation on nutrient agar from spores is reduced fivefold. The protein profiles of alkaline-extracted spore coats and the spore cortex composition are unchanged in the mutant. Permeabilization ofgerP mutant spores by coat extraction procedures removes the block in early stages of germination, although a consequence of the permeabilization procedure in both wild type and mutant is that late germination events are not complete. The complete hexacistronic operon that includes the site of insertion has been cloned and sequenced. Four small proteins encoded by the operon (GerPA, GerPD, GerPB, and GerPF) are related in sequence. A homologous operon (yisH-yisC) can be found in the Bacillus subtilis genome sequence; null mutations in yisD and yisF, constructed by integrational inactivation, result in a mutant phenotype similar to that seen in B. cereus, though somewhat less extreme and equally repairable by spore permeabilization. Normal rates of germination, as estimated by loss of heat resistance, are also restored to a gerP mutant by the introduction of a cotEmutation, which renders the spore coats permeable to lysozyme. TheB. subtilis operon is expressed solely during sporulation, and is sigma K-inducible. We hypothesize that the GerP proteins are important as morphogenetic or structural components of theBacillus spore, with a role in the establishment of normal spore coat structure and/or permeability, and that failure to synthesize these proteins during spore formation limits the opportunity for small hydrophilic organic molecules, like alanine or inosine, to gain access to their normal target, the germination receptor, in the spore.
Households' perceived causes of poverty in southwest Nigeria.

The Southwest geo-political zone of Nigeria is a blend of both educational advancement and abundant natural resource endowment. The region is rich in petroleum, bitumen, agricultural and forest resources. Despite the revenues from oil and other resources, poverty is very common among the citizens. The study was conducted to evaluate households’ perception of the causes of poverty in southwest Nigeria. The study made use of a multi-stage sampling technique to select two hundred and forty (240) respondents, who were household heads across two (2) southwest States of Ekiti and Ondo. Data for the study were collected with the aid of well-structured questionnaires administered on the household heads. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The analysis of households’ perception of the causes of poverty in southwest Nigeria indicated that corruption, weak institutions and poor governance was perceived “very high” cause of poverty in the study area with 51% of responses.
Social support, anxiety and depression after chemotherapy for ovarian cancer: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES We aimed to describe the levels of anxiety and depression in patients during the 3 month period following the end of chemotherapy treatment and to identify factors that predict psychological morbidity. METHOD We performed a prospective study in women with ovarian cancer to determine the changes in psychological status in the 3 months following completion of chemotherapy. Sixty-three consecutive patients were assessed at the completion of chemotherapy (Time 1) and 57 at 3 months follow-up (Time 2). Relevant disease and patient characteristics were recorded and patients were assessed at Time 1 for anxiety, depression and their perception of emotional support, an index of their psychosocial environment. Anxiety and depression were re-assessed at Time 2. RESULTS The results indicate significant initial psychological morbidity, with clinical caseness for anxiety (38%) and depression (33%) being common. Follow-up at Time 2 shows that patients undergo a significant reduction in cases (19%) and symptoms of depression but an increase in cases of anxiety (47%). The principal factors associated with symptoms of anxiety at Time 2 were poor perceived social support, increased intrusive thoughts and, to a lesser extent, younger age. Medical parameters, such as the stage of disease, response of the cancer to treatment, Ca125 (a tumour glycoprotein) and Karnofsky Performance status (a measure of how well the patients is) were not associated with worse psychological outcome. CONCLUSION These data show for the first time that social support and intrusive thoughts, rather than physical parameters, are the principal determinants of psychological morbidity in patients with ovarian cancer.
Student funding, student retention and student experiences: perspectives from Bristol

Our paper summarises a suite of research projects based around the general themes of student funding, retention/withdrawals and student experiences which have been undertaken by the University of Bristol since 2013/14. Some are completed, some ongoing and some are in the planning stage. They focus both on students who have withdrawn and on continuing students. We contextualise the work against national higher education sector trends in funding and in other related research, particularly that from the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) on the lack of any relationship between student funding and withdrawals, and draw inferences from this. Our evidence so far from the Bristol perspective suggests otherwise: the University's financial support may both encourage student retention and add positively to the student experience of its recipients.