Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wireless Capsule Endoscopy in Children: A Study to Assess Diagnostic Yield in Small Bowel Disease in Paediatric Patients

Background and Aim:Small bowel disease in the paediatric population is varied and to date has relied on indirect l modalities such as small bowel follow-through with attendant radiation exposure. Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) has the potential to provide a safer and more effective means of investigating the paediatric small bowel. The aim of our study was to prospectively assess the diagnostic yield of WCE compared with standard investigation in children with suspected small bowel disease. Methods:Twenty-eight consecutive patients, median age 12.5 y (range, 9.4–15.9) with suspected small bowel disease were investigated with WCE. This included 16 patients with suspected small bowel Crohn disease (CD) (10 newly diagnosed; 6 known cases), 6 with obscure or occult gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), 3 with Peutz-Jegher polyposis (PJP), 2 with protein-losing enteropathy and 1 with recurrent abdominal pain. All of the patients had preceding upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (OGD) and ileocolonoscopy, and 24 had a barium meal and follow-through (BMFT). Images were downloaded and analysed and results compared with the endoscopic and radiological findings. Results:Three patients were unable to swallow the capsule (1 CD, 1 PJP and 1 GIB). Two of these patients (1 GIB, 1 PJP) had the capsule placed in the stomach endoscopically and completed the WCE uneventfully thereafter. In 3 patients (CD group) the capsule remained in the stomach and/or proximal duodenum and no small bowel images were obtained. Hence, 24 patients had successful completion of the WCE through the small bowel, 23 of whom had clinically relevant findings identified. In all patients with CD who had successful WCE studies (12/16), small bowel disease was identified (11/12 active disease, 1/12 chronic disease). A possible small bowel bleeding source was identified in all 6 patients with GIB. Two patients with GIB also underwent push enteroscopy and 1 of these had a bleeding source identified. The 2 patients with protein-losing enteropathy had extensive patchy lymphangiectasia of the jejunum and ileum, not detected at OGD. The patient with abdominal pain had an intussusception of the upper jejunum. The 2 PJP patients had small bowel polyps identified, which were not detected at BMFT. WCE was more sensitive for small bowel pathology than both BMFT (19 vs 5; 26% sensitivity compared with WCE) and endoscopic investigations (23 vs 10; 43.4% sensitivity compared with WCE). Two patients with CD had delayed capsule transit. Conclusions:WCE led to a positive alteration in management in 18/24 (75%) of patients whose small bowel was examined by WCE and in 18/28 (64.3%) who were admitted to the study. WCE was safe, well tolerated, and more sensitive than radiological and standard endoscopic modalities in the detection of small bowel CD distribution, GIB source, and presence of polyps in children.
The Impact of Tobacco Policy Reforms on Smallholder Prices in Malawi

Two key questions are addressed in this article. (i) Have Malawi's tobacco‐policy reforms led to improvements in the absolute prices that smallholders get? (ii) How do the prices that smallholders receive compare with what the rich estate owners get? Empirical results indicate that the reforms have led to some improvements in both absolute and relative prices that smallholder farmers receive. Major positive changes in the tobacco price‐structure have occurred after removing monopsony and liberalising the market. However, farmers, especially smallholders, are still faced with high transaction and logistics costs that need to be addressed.
The Interactions Between R&D Investment Decisions and Compensation Policy

We use a system of equations to investigate the endogenous relation between R&D investment and CEO compensation. Growth opportunity is positively related to the use of stock options. Stock options positively affect R&D while restricted stock has a negative influence. These results suggest that CEO compensation should balance incentive alignment and efficient risk sharing with risk-averse managers. Stock options are also found to be negatively related to leverage, but positively related to convertible debt. Additionally, this analysis suggests that institutional ownership directly influences R&D investment by providing managerial oversight and indirectly by influencing the compensation policy.
Peer-group and price influence students drinking along with planned behaviour.

AIMS To examine the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), as a framework for explaining binge drinking among young adults. METHODS One hundred and seventy-eight students in a cross-sectional design study completed self-report questionnaires examining attitudes to drinking, intention to drink and drinking behaviour in university. Binge drinking was defined for females (and males) as consuming 'four (males-five) or more pints of beer/glasses of wine/measures of spirits' in a single session. RESULTS Drinking alcohol was common; 39.6% of males and 35.9% of females reported binge drinking. The TPB explained 7% of the variance in intention to drink. Overall, 43% of the variance in intention, 83% of the variance in total weekly consumption and 44% of the variance in binge drinking was explained. The frequency of drinking and the drinking behaviour of friends significantly predicted intention to drink and binge drinking, respectively. Binge drinkers were influenced by peers and social-situational factors. Pressure to drink was greater for males; undergraduates were influenced by the size of the drinking group, 'special offer' prices, and the availability of alcohol. CONCLUSIONS The TPB appeared to be a weak predictor of student drinking but this may be a result of how constructs were measured. With friends' drinking behaviour emerging as a significant predictor of alcohol consumption, interventions seeking to reduce excessive drinking should target the role of peers and the university environment in which drinking occurs.
Differentially expressed miRNA‐210 during follicular‐luteal transition regulates pre‐ovulatory granulosa cell function targeting HRas and EFNA3

Ovarian folliculogenesis, ovulation, and luteinization are an important prerequisite for fertility performance in mammals. Spatial and temporal key factors and proteins for their regulation are well known. Recent advancement in the field of molecular biology led to the discovery of another class of gene regulators, microRNA (miRNA). Previous studies on profiling of miRNA in buffalo ovaries revealed that miRNA‐210 (miR‐210) is differently expressed in follicular‐luteal transition. Therefore, the present study was planned to ascertain the role of miR‐210 in buffalo granulosa cells. Cultured granulosa cells were transfected with miR‐210 mimic. Effect of overexpression of miR‐210 was analyzed on granulosa cell marker genes (CYP19A1 and PCNA) which were significantly downregulated (P < 0.05). Further, target genes of miR‐210 were screened using Target Scan software v7.1 and a list of 37 genes with cumulative weight context score (CWCS) > 0.5 was sorted followed by their functional annotation and network analyses using PANTHER and STRING software. Bioinformatics analyses identified HRas gene as a potential hub gene of miR‐210 targeted genes. HRas has been shown to be involved in diverse biological pathways regulating ovarian functions. An expression analysis of HRas was further validated both in vitro and in vivo. EFNA3 (EFHRIN‐A3), another identified target of miR‐210 known to be involved in angiogenesis, was also downregulated in miR‐210 transfected granulosa cells. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that miR‐210 can regulate granulosa cell function at preovulatory stage through HRas and EFNA3. Further studies are needed to find the mechanism how miR‐210 regulates the granulosa cells function through these targets.
Antitumor effects of dammarane-type saponins from steamed Notoginseng

Six dammarane-type saponins were extracted from steamed Panax notoginseng. Their chemical structures were identified spectroscopically as ginsenosides Rh1 (1), Rg1 (2), 20 (S)-Rg3 (3), 20 (R)-Rg3 (4), Rb3 (5), and Rb1 (6). Compounds (0.1-10 μM) were tested for inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF)-induced nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) luciferase reporter activity using a human kidney 293T cell-based assay. Ginsenoside Rb3 (5) showed the most significant activity with an IC50 of 8.2 μM. This compound also inhibited the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) messenger Ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in a dose-dependent manner after HepG2 cells had been treated with TNF-α (10 ng/mL).
Credit Rating Changes and Leverage Adjustments: Concurrent or Continual?

Prior research has shown that credit downgrades affect firm's capital structure decision. However, after adjusting for biases associated with the use of market debt ratio and after controlling for simultaneity between credit ratings and leverage, we find that rating upgrades also play a role in firms' leverage. Contrary to previously reported findings, our evidence also indicates that the effect of rating downgrades on capital structure lasts for more than just one year.
Treating addiction, tackling crime: the impact of probation-led residential treatment on offender substance misuse, recidivism and attitudes towards the criminal justice system.

Summary: Given the well-documented relationship between substance misuse and offending behaviour, increases in alcohol and drug consumption in Ireland are a cause for concern for criminal justice agencies. In one attempt to address this problem, the Probation Service established a residential treatment facility for men who come before the courts on alcohol/drug-related offences and for male probation clients who are at risk of reoffending due to an addiction problem. This study, part of a larger evaluation, examined whether the programme impacted on future propensity to reoffend in a group of male substance-abusing offenders (n=14). The impact of the treatment programme on two dynamic criminogenic needs ‐ substance misuse and attitudes towards the criminal justice system ‐ was explored, as was the relationship of these dynamic criminogenic needs to future offending behaviour. Although 64% of clients relapsed after completing the programme, the majority (64%) had not reoffended. The offences of those who did reoffend were all alcoholrelated. No significant relationship was observed between propensity to reoffend and attitudes towards the criminal justice system. There were no significant changes in client attitudes over the treatment programme.
Stochastic Geometric Modeling and Analysis of Non-Uniform Two-Tier Networks: A Stienen’s Model-Based Approach

While stochastic geometric models based on Poisson point processes (PPPs) provide a tractable approach for the analysis of uniform two-tier network deployments, the performance evaluation of a non-uniform deployment remains an open issue, which we address in this paper. This is due to the fact that smaller cells can be more efficiently deployed in areas where the QoS of traditional macro base stations is poor. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce Stienen’s model, which allows us to analyse such non-uniform deployment. In contrast to traditional PPP-based analysis, performance characterization under the Stienen model is more challenging due to location and density dependencies. However, we demonstrate that the performance can be approximated in a tractable manner. The developed statistical framework is employed to characterize the gains in terms of energy efficiency (EE) for non-uniform deployments. Results show an achievable 19% to 124% improvement in the macrocell coverage as compared to a uniform deployment, while the femtocell coverage and system EE are of the same order of magnitude for both deployments. These results are complemented with the fact that OPEX and CAPEX are reduced due to a lesser number of FAPs deployed.
Not tokens: reaching a “critical mass” of senior women managers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the findings of a research project involving five Australian universities with over 30 per cent of their senior management positions filled by women. It explores the factors that enabled this to happen and also discusses the responses of the universities to the report.Design/methodology/approach – The research was essentially qualitative, based on 81 interviews, 50 with senior women and 31 with senior men. All those interviewed were in senior positions, from Vice‐Chancellor down to Dean, Director or equivalent. 46 (24 men and 22 women) were academics; 35 (28 women and seven men) were in administrative, support or general staff positions.Findings – Interviewees identified as crucial for the appointment of women having a critical mass of other women in senior positions, opportunities to network, encouragement and support from organisational leaders, friendly and collegial environments and strong organisational commitment to values.Practical implications – Th.
Stock Price Volatility, Negative Autocorrelation and the Consumption–Wealth Ratio: The Case of Constant Fundamentals

Based on infinite horizon models, previous theoretical works show that the empirical stock price movement is not justified by the changes in dividends. The present paper provides a simple overlapping generations model with constant fundamentals in which the stock price displays volatility and negative autocorrelation even without changes in dividend. The horizon of the agents matters. In addition, as in recent empirical works, the aggregate consumption–wealth ratio ‘predicts’ the asset return. Thus, this framework may be useful in understanding different stylized facts in asset pricing. Directions for future research are also discussed.
The acute effects of nasal positive pressure ventilation in patients with advanced cystic fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the acute effects of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in patients with stable chronic respiratory failure secondary to cystic fibrosis. PATIENTS Eight patients (29+/-5 years of age) with severe airflow limitation (mean FEV1, 24+/-3% predicted) and chronic respiratory failure (PaO2=67+/-15 mm Hg and PaCO2=50+/-4 mm Hg) were evaluated. METHODS Tidal volume, respiratory rate, minute ventilation, oxygen saturation, and transcutaneous CO2 (TcCO2) measurements were made over a 20-min period before and after the application of NPPV (inspiratory pressure of 10 to 12 cm H2O and expiratory pressure of 4 to 6 cm H2O). RESULTS NPPV increased saturation from 88+/-2% to 90+/-1% (p<0.05) and decreased TcCO2 from 51+/-3 mm Hg to 50+/-2 mm Hg (p<0.05). Tidal volume increased from 219+/-20 mL to 256+/-37 mL (p=not significant [NS]) and respiratory rate decreased from 24+/-2 to 18+/-1 (p<0.01). Minute ventilation decreased from 5.3+/-0.8 L/min to 4.6+/-0.6 L/min (p=0.08). There was no change in duty cycle (32+/-5% to 34+/-5%, p=NS). In two patients, esophageal pressure measurements were also recorded. There was a decrease in pressure from -21+/-1 cm H2O to -11+/-2 cm H2O and -14+/-1 cm H2O to -7+/-1 cm H2O. CONCLUSIONS In patients with stable, severe cystic fibrosis, NPPV (1) acutely improves gas exchange, (2) decreases minute ventilation, suggesting either a reduction in CO2 production or an increase in alveolar ventilation, and (3) reduces work of breathing.
Gift tax compliance in Ghana: Evidence from Kumasi Metropolis

The study examined the awareness and level of compliance of gift tax among taxpayers in Kumasi Metropolis in Ghana. Two hundred and fifty-two respondents were sampled for the study using the purposive sampling method. Questionnaire and interview guides were used to solicit data and information from the respondents. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of excel package. The results of the study revealed that the level of compliance with the gift tax is very low. The key reason identified by the study for the low level of compliance with gift tax among Ghanaian taxpayers is unawareness of gift tax obligations. Hence, the low level of education offered by the Ghana Revenue Authority on the gift tax and non-enforcement of the law has contributed to the low level of compliance. The study therefore recommends that the Ghana Revenue Authority step up education on the gift tax law to improve revenue from gift tax. Key words: Gift tax, tax compliance, Kumasi Metropolis, tax payers, Ghana.
Does Mortgage Deregulation Increase Foreclosures?: Evidence from Cleveland

This paper examines how relaxing a local anti-predatory lending law for mortgages affects foreclosures. The empirical evidence is drawn from a quasi experiment in Cleveland, Ohio, where the State Supreme Court repealed an ordinance that imposed lending restrictions on home mortgages of high annual percentage rates (APRs). Empirical evidence shows that observable loan and borrower characteristics were not affected by the repeal, nor did the overall originations appear to increase; yet the APRs were 20% more likely to exceed the regulatory thresholds that were nullified. Moreover, the foreclosure rate increased by six percentage points to 20%.
Perioperative Management for Microsurgical Free Tissue Transfer: Survey of Current Practices with a Comparison to the Literature

Abstract Background Free tissue transfer is an important technique in reconstructive surgery. Due to a lack of evidence-based guidelines, a variety of practices are currently implemented by microsurgeons. This motivated the authors to define current practices and identify key areas where these practices can be optimized. Methods An anonymous online survey consisting of 40 questions regarding perioperative management for free tissue transfer was generated via an online survey platform. Questions covered topics including patient selection, anesthesia, patient temperature, fluid management, vasoactive agents, and analgesia. Approval was received from the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery and the survey was distributed to its members via two emails, in May and June 2013. Results Survey responses were received from 82/706 microsurgeons (12% response rate): 36% of respondents believed that complications of these cases are “sometimes” or “often” related to anesthesia; 55% of respondents stated they do not use specific goals and protocols to guide fluid management for these cases; 38% of respondents stated that they have no target range for hemoglobin and hematocrit for these procedures; and 70% of respondents stated that they do not permit the use of a vasopressor in nonemergent situations. Conclusion Current practices remain exceedingly diverse and at times differ from best practices, which may be identified from the available literature. Key areas where patient care can be standardized and optimized include anesthesia, patient temperature, fluid management, the use of vasoactive agents, and analgesic medications. Standardized, evidence-based guidelines have the potential to further improve patient care and free flap outcomes.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific immune responses of long-term injection drug users frequently exposed to HCV.

BACKGROUND Injection drug users (IDUs) who successfully clear hepatitis C virus (HCV) have a reduced risk of developing chronic reinfection, despite their continuing exposure to the virus. To identify immunological correlates for this apparent protection, we studied HCV-specific immune responses in long-term IDUs (duration, >10 years). METHODS HCV-specific T cell responses were assessed in proliferation, enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT), interferon (IFN)-gamma secretion, and cytotoxicity assays, whereas HCV-specific antibodies were assessed in enzyme immunoassays (EIAs), chemiluminescent assays, and in vitro neutralization assays. RESULTS HCV-specific T cell proliferation and IFN-gamma production were more common in nonviremic EIA-positive IDUs (16 [94%] of 17 IDUs) than in viremic EIA-positive IDUs (9 [45%] of 20 IDUs) (P= .003). They were also noted in 16 (62%) of 26 nonviremic EIA-negative IDUs. In contrast, 19 (90%) of 21 viremic IDUs displayed neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), compared with 9 (56%) of 16 nonviremic EIA-positive IDUs (P= .04) and 0 of 24 nonviremic EIA-negative IDUs. Nonviremic IDUs with nAbs were older (P= .0115) than those without nAbs, but these groups did not differ in terms of either injection drug use duration or HCV-specific T cell responses. CONCLUSION The reduced risk of HCV persistence in IDUs previously recovered from HCV infection correlated with T cell responses, and prolonged antigenic stimulation appears to be required to maintain humoral responses.
Collective Labor Supply and Welfare

The paper develops a general, "collective" model of household labor supply in which agents are characterized by their own (possibly altruistic) preferences, and household decisions are only assumed to be Pareto efficient. An alternative interpretation is that there are two stages in the internal decision process: agents first share nonlabor income, according to some given sharing rule; then each one optimally chooses his or her own labor supply and consumption. This setting is shown to generate testable restrictions on labor supplies. Moreover, the observation of labor supply behavior is sufficient for recovering individual preferences and the sharing rule (up to a constant). Finally, the traditional tools of welfare analysis can be adapted to the new setting.
Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje and the Foundations of Dutch Islamic Policy in Indonesia

E VER since the arrival of the Dutch East India Company in Southeast Asia at the turn of the seventeenth century, the Dutch had encountered Muslim hostility in Indonesia. Time and again, the consolidation of their expanding power was threatened by local outbreaks of Islamic-inspired resistance, led either by Indonesian rulers converted to the faith of the Prophet or, at the village level, by fanatical ulama, the independent teachers and scribes of Islam. In spite of the ultimate subjugation of the greater part of the archipelago to Dutch control, Islam not only continued to spread among ever greater numbers of Indonesians, but from the eighteenth century on received fresh impetus from increasing contact with the centers of Islamic orthodoxy in the Near East. Every year thousands of Indonesian MIuslims embarked on the Mecca pilgrimage, some of them remaining there for long periods of study and returning home as bearers of orthodox teachings which were gradually displacing the mysticism and syncretism formerly prevalent in Indonesian Islam. ' As a consequence, by the late eighteenth century Indonesian Islam was showing growing signs of restiveness w-hich in the course of the nineteenth century exploded in a series of major upheavals. Thus in 1825, Prince Diponezoro rose in revolt against "infidel" colonial rule.2 Though the so-called Java War was easily suppressed by the Dutch, village unrest, fanned by Muslin scribes, continued to plague the colonial government on Java, the center of Dutch power. The third quarter of the century witnessed the beginnings of an even more serious uprising, in Acheh in Northern Sumatra, that soon grew into full-scale military operations fought under the banners of an Islamic "Holy War. "3 This increasing militancy of Indonesian Islam caused growing concern among administrators ill prepared to cope with it. Traditionally, Dutch attitudes toward Indonesian Islam had been shaped by a contradictory combination of exaggerated fears and hopes-both born of a lack of adequate knowledge, if not of almost total ignorance, of matters Islamic. Dutch apprehensions and misconceptions of Islam, especially of Muslim fanatics-the "priests" and "popes" of the early Dutch literature concerning the subject-reached back to the first contacts between Dutch and Indonesians in the seventeenth century.4 Islam was