Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Airbnb Properties Affect House Prices

The growth of peer-to-peer markets has provided a mechanism through which private individuals can enter a market as small scale, often temporary, suppliers of a good or service. Companies that facilitate this type of supply have attracted controversy in cities around the world, with concerns regarding Uber and Airbnb in particular. Both companies have been subject to criticism for failing to pay taxes to local authorities and for avoiding regulatory oversight that constrains more traditional suppliers of these services. It is not surprising that these companies have been criticized by more traditional suppliers of short term accommodation or transportation as presenting unfair competition, and attempts have been made to ban provision of these services in several cities around the world. A central complaint concerning Airbnb focuses on the impact of short-term rental properties on the value of residential property. A report prepared by the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York lists these impacts among a number of concerns: do Airbnb rentals provide a black market in unsafe hotels? Do short-term rentals make New York City less affordable? Is the influx of out-of-town visitors upsetting the quiet of longstanding residential neighborhoods? These concerns pose difficulties because they imply different impacts on the values of residential properties. If short-term rentals provided via Airbnb create a concentration of what are effectively unsafe hotels, upsetting quiet residential neighborhoods, they would generate a local concentration of externalities that might be expected to depress property values rather than make housing less affordable. Alternatively, if these externality effects are modest relative to the impacts of space diverted from providing housing for residents to providing short-term accommodation for visitors, then local concentration of Airbnb properties may increase house prices. Perhaps because of this confusion, it is possible to find divergent viewpoints expressed about the impacts of Airbnb in the popular press and in consultant reports, but (to our knowledge) no careful study that estimates the direct impact of Airbnb rental availability on house prices. This paper presents such a study in the context of New York City.
The Nature and Extent of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in a Non-Clinical Sample of Young Adults

This study aimed to examine the nature, extent and correlates of non-suicidal self injury (NSSI) in a non-clinical sample of young adults. Two hundred and eleven participants (18–30 years) completed self-report questionnaires assessing history of NSSI, emotional regulation, coping strategies, symptoms of psychopathology, and alcohol use. Of the sample, 43.6% reported engaging in NSSI; approximately 10% engaged in moderate/severe NSSI. Those that reported NSSI reported greater psychopathology, avoidant coping and alcohol use than those who did not self-injure. The extent of these differences was magnified as the severity of NSSI increased. These findings highlight the need to consider any form of NSSI, no matter how mild, as an indication of distress and ineffective coping.
Outcomes of Systematic Nutritional Assessment and Medical Nutrition Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer

Objectives We investigated the nutritional and survival outcomes of medical nutrition therapy by a registered dietitian, along with support from a dedicated nutrition and metabolic support team in pancreatic cancer patients requiring enteral or parenteral nutrition. Methods Subjective global assessment (SGA) was used to assess nutritional status in 304 pancreatic cancer patients. Using baseline and last SGA, patients were categorized into 3 groups: improved SGA, deteriorated SGA, and unchanged SGA. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were used to calculate survival after controlling for relevant confounders. Results One-hundred twenty-five (41.1%) patients had their SGA unchanged, 87 (28.6%) patients had “improved SGA,” whereas 92 (30.3%) patients had “deteriorated SGA. ” On univariate survival analysis, the median survival was 7.8, 11.2, and 12.6 months for deteriorated, unchanged, and improved SGA groups, respectively. On multivariate analysis, change in SGA was independently predictive of survival. Patients with deteriorated SGA had 1.5 times (95% confidence interval, 1.1–2.1) greater risk of mortality compared to those with improved SGA. Conclusions The majority of pancreatic cancer patients (70%) in our study either maintained or improved their nutritional status during cancer treatment. Improvement in SGA correlated with a significantly decreased risk of mortality independent of sex, previous treatment history, and evidence of biological anticancer activity.
Pathogenesis of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)-conclusions derived from a European Union Biomed 2 Concerted Action project 'Importance of Oxygen Supply in Intrauterine Growth Restricted Pregnancies'-a workshop report.

C. P. Sibley, G. Pardi, I. Cetin, T. Todros, E. Piccoli, P. Kaufmann, B. Huppertz, G. Bulfamante, F. M. Cribiu, P. Ayuk, J. Glazier and T. Radaelli a Academic Unit of Child Health, University of Manchester, St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, UK, b Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Facolta di Medicina e Chirurgia, Milano, Italy, c Dipartimento di Discipline Ginecologiche e Ostetriche, Universita Di Torino, Torino, Italy, d Department of Anatomy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany, e Department of Human Pathology, San Paolo Hospital Medical School, University of Milan, Milano, Italy and f Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Infection of macaques with a molecular clone, SHIVSF33A2, provides evidence for tissue specific variants

Abstract: Infection of rhesus macaques with chimeric simian‐human immunodeficiency viruses (SHIV) is an established model to study acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pathogenesis. Such a controlled system allows for detailed analysis of the molecular determinants of viral pathogenesis in addition to studying host‐specific immune responses that modulate disease progression. Furthermore, the use of a pathogenic molecular clone affords the opportunity to study both viral evolution within a host and to examine the generation of tissue specific variants. In this report we describe viral diversification within tissues of two rhesus macaques infected intravenously with the CXCR4‐specific molecular clone SHIVSF33A2. Heteroduplex tracking analysis (HTA) was used to determine the complexity of viral DNA within distinct lymphoid tissues. Not surprising, heterogeneity of the proviral quasispecies in tissues obtained during the acute infection was limited. However, tissues obtained at necropsy harbored a more diverse and often different population of env variants. As the inoculating virus is a molecular clone, the variants generated are likely due to the presence of tissue specific selective forces rather than a founder's effect.
Secure end-to-end transport over SCTP: a new security extension for SCTP

In 2000, the Signaling Transport (SIGTRAN) working group of the IETF defined the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) as a new transport protocol. SCTP is a new multi-purpose reliable transport protocol. Due to its various features and easy extensibility it is a valid option not only for already standardised applications but also in many new application scenarios. SCTP has several advantages over TCP and UDP. The analysis of already standardised as well as potential SCTP application scenarios clearly indicates that secure end-to-end transport is one of the crucial requirements for SCTP in the future. Up to now there exist two standardised SCTP security solutions which are called TLS over SCTP [37] and SCTP over IPSec [12]. The goal of this thesis was to evaluate existing SCTP security solutions and find an optimised and efficient security solution. Several drawbacks of the standardised SCTP security solutions identified during the analysis are mainly related to features distinguishing SCTP from TCP and UDP. To avoid these drawbacks a new security solution for SCTP, called Secure SCTP (S-SCTP), is proposed which integrates the cryptographic functions into SCTP. One main requirement was that S-SCTP should be fully compatible with standard SCTP while additionally providing strong security i.e. data confidentiality, integrity and authentication. This also means that all features, options and extensions available for standard SCTP have to be supported. Furthermore, S-SCTP should have advantages with respect to performance over all parameter ranges of SCTP and be user-friendly. To specify the S-SCTP protocol extension several new control messages and new message parameters have been defined. Furthermore, procedures for initialisation, rekeying, and termination of secure sessions have been specified and modelled in SDL. Based on an SCTP implementation available in our group and an open source implementation of TLS, TLS over SCTP and S-SCTP have been implemented. These implementations as well as an SCTP over IPSec configuration were used to do comparative performance studies in a lab testbed. These experiments show that the S-SCTP concept achieves its design goals. It supports all features and current extensions of SCTP. Furthermore, it avoids the inefficiencies of the other solutions over a wide range of application scenarios and protocol parameter settings.
Dynamic retinoscopy and accommodation

The added positive lens power required for low and high neutrals at a distance of 1/3 m is determined as a function of age for a sample of 221 clinically normal subjects, aged between 10 and 80 years. These dynamic retinoscopy results are compared with corresponding laser optometer measurements of the levels of accommodation under each condition. Dark focus (tonic accommodation) measurements are carried out on a further sample of 58 subjects. Although the mean results of dynamic retinoscopy agree with those found by earlier authors, on the basis of our sample it is concluded that the considerable scatter in neutral values found in normal subjects at any age limits the usefulness of the technique as an indication of abnormality in near responses. Much of this scatter in pre‐presbyopic subjects appears to be related to individual variation in the level of tonic accommodation, although near phoria may also play some role.
Multiple sclerosis–associated retrovirus and MS prognosis: An observational study

Abstract—MS-associated retrovirus (MSRV) in the CSF may have gliotoxic properties and could be associated with a more disabling MS. The authors tested this hypothesis in 15 untreated patients with MS: 6 MSRV− and 9 MSRV+ at the time of CSF withdrawal. After a 3-year mean follow-up, MSRV− patients showed a stable MS course, whereas MSRV+ patients had a progressive course (p = 0.01).
Regulatory haplotypes in ARG1 are associated with altered bronchodilator response.

RATIONALE β₂-agonists, the most common treatment for asthma, have a wide interindividual variability in response, which is partially attributed to genetic factors. We previously identified single nucleotide polymorphisms in the arginase 1 (ARG1) gene, which are associated with β₂-agonist bronchodilator response (BDR). OBJECTIVES To identify cis-acting haplotypes in the ARG1 locus that are associated with BDR in patients with asthma and regulate gene expression in vitro. METHODS We resequenced ARG1 in 96 individuals and identified three common, 5' haplotypes (denoted 1, 2, and 3). A haplotype-based association analysis of BDR was performed in three independent, adult asthma drug trial populations. Next, each haplotype was cloned into vectors containing a luciferase reporter gene and transfected into human airway epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) to ascertain its effect on gene expression. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS BDR varied by haplotype in each of the three populations with asthma. Individuals with haplotype 1 were more likely to have higher BDR, compared to those with haplotypes 2 and 3, which is supported by odds ratios of 1.25 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.71) and 2.18 (95% confidence interval, 1.34-2.52), respectively. Luciferase expression was 50% greater in cells transfected with haplotype 1 compared to haplotypes 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS The identified ARG1 haplotypes seem to alter BDR and differentially regulate gene expression with a concordance of decreased BDR and reporter activity from haplotypes 2 and 3. These findings may facilitate pharmacogenetic tests to predict individuals who may benefit from other therapeutic agents in addition to β(2)-agonists for optimal asthma management. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials. gov (NCT00156819, NCT00046644, and NCT00073840).
What Do We Really Know About Changes in Wage Inequality

This paper provides a set of basic facts about changes in wage inequality and the wage structure using May-ORG and March CPS data. An important goal of the paper is show these facts as simply as possible while correcting for changes in the experience and education composition of the workforce. The paper also studies the robustness of the main findings to a number of measurement issues, including i) the nature of the adjustment for top-coding, ii) the treatment of allocated wage observations, and iii) the choice of the March vs. the May-ORG supplement of the CPS, and discusses some implications of the results.
Peripheral Blood Monocyte Synthesis of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2 in Response to Native and Modified LDL

Summary Fibrin deposition is a characteristic feature of the atherosclerotic plaque. The balance of fibrinolytic activity is modulated by plasminogen activators (PAs) and plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAIs). We examined expression of components of the fibrinolytic system by peripheral blood monocytes following stimulation by native LDL and LDL modified by acetylation, copper oxidation or minimal modification. Monocytes responded to LDL stimulation by increased production of PAI-2, with no corresponding increase in u-PA. PAI-1 was detected but did not change relative to untreated control; u-PA was undetectable in all samples. Native LDL consistently upregulated PAI-2; this stimulation was not inhibited by inclusion of antioxidants. Acetylated, copper oxidized and minimally modified LDLs increased production of PAI-2, but the ability to stimulate PAI-2 synthesis varied between preparations of modified LDL. Increased levels of PAI-2 in a local environment such as the artery wall may promote fibrin persistence.
Evaluating the Impact of National Educational Policy to Reduce Retention and Increase Achievement in Compulsory Education

Despite the accumulated evidence that retention is an ineffective and potentially harmful remedial strategy, several countries struggle with high levels of retention in compulsory schooling. This article provides evidence of the impact of the Portuguese national educational policy “Programa Mais Sucesso Escolar” (PMSE) using class size, class composition, and differentiated instruction to reduce student retention and increase achievement. We found that PMSE significantly reduced retention, but had mixed effects on educational achievement, pointing to evidence of grade inflation on teacher-determined measures of achievement. In the discussion, we analyze the implications of these results for policy, practice, and program evaluation research.
Single‐Dose and Multiple‐Dose Pharmacokinetics of Vaniprevir in Healthy Men

Vaniprevir is an inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease. The aim of these double‐blind, placebo‐controlled phase I studies was to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of vaniprevir in healthy male volunteers. The primary objective for both studies was the safety and tolerability of vaniprevir. Single‐dose and steady‐state pharmacokinetics were also assessed. In both studies, there was no apparent relationship between the frequency or intensity of adverse events and vaniprevir dose. At single doses >20 mg, the plasma area under the curve (AUC)0–∞ and maximum concentration (Cmax) increased in a greater‐than‐dose‐proportional manner. The geometric mean ratios (GMRs; fed/fasted) were 1.22 and 0.79 for AUC0–∞ and Cmax, respectively. Following multiple doses, GMR accumulations for AUC0–12h and Cmax (day 14/day 1) ranged from 1.53 to 1.90 and from 1.41 to 1.92, respectively. These data support the use of vaniprevir with peginterferon and ribavirin in patients with HCV infection.
Acoustical properties of selected tissue phantom materials for ultrasound imaging

This note summarizes the characterization of the acoustic properties of four materials intended for the development of tissue, and especially breast tissue, phantoms for the use in photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging. The materials are agar, silicone, polyvinyl alcohol gel (PVA) and polyacrylamide gel (PAA). The acoustical properties, i.e., the speed of sound, impedance and acoustic attenuation, are determined by transmission measurements of sound waves at room temperature under controlled conditions. Although the materials are tested for application such as photoacoustic phantoms, we focus here on the acoustic properties, while the optical properties will be discussed elsewhere. To obtain the acoustic attenuation in a frequency range from 4 MHz to 14 MHz, two ultrasound sources of 5 MHz and 10 MHz core frequencies are used. For preparation, each sample is cast into blocks of three different thicknesses. Agar, PVA and PAA show similar acoustic properties as water. Within silicone polymer, a significantly lower speed of sound and higher acoustical attenuation than in water and human tissue were found. All materials can be cast into arbitrary shapes and are suitable for tissue-mimicking phantoms. Due to its lower speed of sound, silicone is generally less suitable than the other presented materials.
Gastric juice epidermal growth factor concentration and Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer

The level of epidermal growth factor (EGF) was measured in the basal and maximally stimulated gastric juice of 20 control subjects and 20 patients each with duodenal ulcer and non‐ulcer dyspepsia. Basal gastric juice was analysed for ammonia and urea concentrations, and the [ammonia]3/[urea] ratio was used to show Helicobacter pylori status, as was the [13C]urea breath test in nine controls. There was complete concordance in the nine controls between the two methods for determining H. pylori status. Twenty‐five subjects were H. pylori positive (seven with duodenal ulcer, nine with non‐ulcer dyspepsia, nine controls) and 35 H. pylori negative (13, 11 and 11 respectively). In H. pylori‐positive subjects, the median EGF concentrations in the stimulated secretion of patients with duodenal ulcer and without (non‐ulcer dyspepsia and controls combined) were 46.7 and 18.0 ng/ml (P < 0.001), and in H. pylori‐negative subjects were 40.0 and 26.5 ng/ml respectively (P < 0.01). There was no difference in EGF concentration between controls and subjects with non‐ulcer dyspepsia irrespective of H. pylori status. Lack of EGF is unlikely to be a cause of duodenal ulcer. The increased EGF concentration in patients with ulcer bore no relationship to the H. pylori status of the individual. If this bacterium causes duodenal ulcer, it is not via a reduction in EGF concentration.
Fluconazole prophylaxis against fungal colonization and infection in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND Invasive fungal infection is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. We evaluated the efficacy of prophylactic fluconazole in preventing fungal colonization and invasive infection in extremely-low-birth-weight infants. METHODS We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial over a 30-month period in 100 preterm infants with birth weights of less than 1000 g. The infants were randomly assigned during the first five days of life to receive either intravenous fluconazole or placebo for six weeks. We obtained weekly surveillance cultures from all patients. RESULTS The 50 infants randomly assigned to fluconazole and the 50 control infants were similar in terms of birth weight, gestational age at birth, and base-line risk factors for fungal infection. During the six-week treatment period, fungal colonization was documented in 30 infants in the placebo group (60 percent) and 11 infants in the fluconazole group (22 percent; difference in risk, 0.38; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.18 to 0.56; P=0.002). Invasive fungal infection with positive growth of fungal isolates from the blood, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid developed in 10 infants in the placebo group (20 percent) and none of the infants in the fluconazole group (difference in risk, 0.20; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.36; P=0.008). The sensitivities of the fungal isolates to fluconazole did not change during the study, and no adverse effects of the fluconazole therapy were documented. CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic administration of fluconazole during the first six weeks of life is effective in preventing fungal colonization and invasive fungal infection in infants with birth weights of less than 1000 g.
Assessing Behavioral Health Using OASIS: Part 1 Depression and Suicidality

This article is the first of a two-part series on assessing behavioral health in adult and elderly patients using OASIS. Direct questioning about emotional and behavioral symptoms in addition to observation, reports from family members, and input from other team members are used. This approach improves assessment information and increases nurse confidence and accuracy when making referrals for further psychiatric evaluation and treatment.
Oxidative stress and redox signalling in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure

Substantial evidence suggests the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure and its antecedent conditions such as cardiac hypertrophy and adverse remodelling after MI. Oxidative stress describes an imbalance between antioxidant defences and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which at high levels cause cell damage but at lower levels induce subtle changes in intracellular signalling pathways (termed redox signalling). ROS are derived from many sources including mitochondria, xanthine oxidase, uncoupled nitric oxide synthases and NADPH oxidases. The latter enzymes are especially important in redox signalling, being implicated in the pathophysiology of hypertension and atherosclerosis, and activated by diverse pathologically relevant stimuli. We review the contribution of ROS to heart failure pathophysiology and discuss potential therapies that may specifically target detrimental redox signalling. Indeed, drugs such as ACE inhibitors and statins may act in part through such mechanisms. A better understanding of redox signalling mechanisms may enable the development of new targeted therapeutic strategies rather than the non-specific antioxidant approaches that have to date been disappointing in clinical trials.