Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk of incarceration of inguinal hernia among infants and young children awaiting elective surgery

Background: We determined the rate of incarceration of inguinal hernia among infants and young children waiting for elective surgery and examined the relation to wait times. We also explored the relation between wait times and the use of emergency department services before surgery. Methods: We used linked data from administrative databases to identify infants and children less than 2 years of age who underwent surgical repair of an inguinal hernia between Apr. 1, 2002, and Mr. 31, 2004. We determined the rate of hernia incarceration during the wait for surgery and stratified the risk by patient age and sex. We used logistic regression analysis to examine factors associated with hernia incarceration and wait times. Results: A total of 1065 infants and children less than 2 years old underwent surgical repair of an inguinal hernia during the study period. The median wait time was 35 days (interquartile range 17–77 days). Within 30 days after diagnosis, 126 (11.8%) of the patients had at least 1 emergency department visit; 23.8% of them presented with hernia incarceration. The overall rate of hernia incarceration was 11.9%. The rate was 5.2% with a wait time of up to 14 days (median time from diagnosis to first emergency department visit), as compared with 10.1% with a wait time of up to 35 days (median wait time to surgery) (p < 0.001). Factors associated with an increased risk of incarcerated hernia were age less than 1 year (odds ratio [OR] 2.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32–3.23), female sex (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.04–2.93) and emergency department visits (1 visit, OR 2.73, 95% 1.65–4.50; ≥ 2 visits, OR 3.77, 95% CI 1.89–7.43). Children less than 1 year old who waited longer than 14 days had a significant 2-fold risk of incarcerated hernia (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.11–3.32). Interpretation: A wait time for surgery of more than 14 days was associated with a doubling of the risk of hernia incarceration among infants and young children with inguinal hernia. Our data support a recommendation that inguinal hernias in this patient population be repaired within 14 days after diagnosis.
Detection of MLV-related virus gene sequences in blood of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and healthy blood donors

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a serious systemic illness of unknown cause. A recent study identified DNA from a xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 68 of 101 patients (67%) by nested PCR, as compared with 8 of 218 (3.7%) healthy controls. However, four subsequent reports failed to detect any murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus gene sequences in blood of CFS patients. We examined 41 PBMC-derived DNA samples from 37 patients meeting accepted diagnostic criteria for CFS and found MLV-like virus gag gene sequences in 32 of 37 (86.5%) compared with only 3 of 44 (6.8%) healthy volunteer blood donors. No evidence of mouse DNA contamination was detected in the PCR assay system or the clinical samples. Seven of 8 gag-positive patients tested again positive in a sample obtained nearly 15 y later. In contrast to the reported findings of near-genetic identity of all XMRVs, we identified a genetically diverse group of MLV-related viruses. The gag and env sequences from CFS patients were more closely related to those of polytropic mouse endogenous retroviruses than to those of XMRVs and were even less closely related to those of ecotropic MLVs. Further studies are needed to determine whether the same strong association with MLV-related viruses is found in other groups of patients with CFS, whether these viruses play a causative role in the development of CFS, and whether they represent a threat to the blood supply.
When Did The Smart Money in Enron Lose Its' Smirk?

The Enron Corporation went from a $65 billion dollar market capitalization to bankruptcy in just 16 months. Using statistical techniques for extracting the implied probability distributions built into option prices, I examine the market's expectation of Enron's risk of collapse. I find that the "smart money" remained far too optimistic about the stock until just weeks before their bankruptcy filing.
Characterization of degQ and degS, Escherichia coli genes encoding homologs of the DegP protease

The degQ and degS genes of Escherichia coli encode proteins of 455 and 355 residues, respectively, which are homologs of the DegP protease. The purified DegQ protein has the properties of a serine endoprotease and is processed by the removal of a 27-residue amino-terminal signal sequence. A plasmid expressing degQ rescues the temperature-sensitive phenotype of a strain bearing the degP41 deletion, implying that DegQ, like DegP, functions as a periplasmic protease in vivo. Deletions in the degQ gene cause no obvious growth defect, while those in the degS gene result in a small-colony phenotype. The latter phenotype is rescued by a plasmid expressing the degS gene but not by plasmids expressing the degQ or degP genes. This result and the inability of a plasmid expressing degS to rescue the temperature-sensitive degP41 phenotype indicate that the DegS protein is functionally different from the DegQ and DegP proteins.
Extending the Technology Acceptance Model: a Field Study of Broker Workstations

This paper presents a field study of the Technology Acceptance Model. We extended thismodel to predict the acceptance of a multifinctional, broker workstation with a windowedinterface. Brokers and sales assistants in the private client group of a major investmentbank use this workstation as an integral part of their jobs. The extended model explains asignificant percentage of the variance in usage, but the variables that are most salient in themodel differ between brokers and sales assistants. There is evidence that low performingbrokers use the workstation more than higher performing brokers; the results also suggestthat more training may be needed for sophisticated workstations for professionals than forclerical personnel learning to use transactions processing systems. We believe it isimportant to predict and understand the acceptance of technology like the workstation inthis study if firms are to obtain a return from investing in information technology.
Self-direction and Technology Use Among New Workforce Entrants

With the knowledge age evolving, colleges and universities should be ever vigilant to assure that the pedagogies practiced are adequately preparing future workers with skills required to keep pace (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006). Business managers have identified self-direction and technology use as increasingly important in the 21 st century (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2006), yet a gap in research of pedagogies that advance self-directedness and promote technology use has been found. To help identify new pedagogies, the purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between self-directed learning (SDL) and technology use of people entering the workplace. A sample of 572 recent university graduates represented the new workforce entrants. Based on the Personal Responsibility Orientation (PRO)-Model of SDL (Brockett & Hiemstra, 1991), factors of self-direction were identified and measured by the Personal Responsibility Orientation -Self Directed Learning Scale (PRO-SDLS) (Stockdale, 2003). Attitudinal factors of technology use were measured by the Computer Technology Use Scale (CTUS) (Conrad & Munro, 2008). Results of this study indicated that while significant relationships between SDL and technology use were found, the effect size of the model tested is low (less than .03). Hierarchical regression indicated the factors of SDL as predictors of computer selfefficacy, attitudes toward technology use and computer anxiety are significant in some cases but account for less than 7% of the variance for any one factor. Additionally, both instruments used in this study are relatively new. While reliability for the PRO-SDLS
Summary and Concluding Observations

The papers that have been assembled in this issue fall into three related categories: (1) an assessment of worldwide experiences in targeting nutrition interventions with suggestions for future programme design [1], (2) a review and evaluation of nutrition policies and programming in Brazil and Chile [2; 3], (3) in-depth evaluations of specific nutrition interventions, including a complementary feeding programme for mothers and small children in Chile [4], a school-lunch and a food-stamp programme in Brazil [5; 6], and fair-price retail shops in Brazil and India [7; 8]. None of the papers deal with general food-price subsidies, although in expenditure terms these are more significant than the food and nutrition programmes discussed here. For example, in Brazil in 1987, general price subsidies for wheat and rice amounted to US$3.39 billion [9], while expenditures in all the food and nutrition programmes amounted to US$818 million. ’ General subsidy programmes tend to be expensive and are not considered cost-effective in fighting malnutrition. Therefore, they are not good models to propose for the developing world when countries are struggling with the need to cut public deficits and find more cost-effective ways of providing basic services to their low-income populations. In the following pages the programmes reviewed in the preceding papers will be characterized, their main findings will be summarized and the relevant issues identified, conclusions will be drawn, and recommendations for future evaluations of nutrition interventions will be offered.
Adoption of Mobile Commerce in Malaysia- A Generation Y Perception

The usage of mobile commerce in Malaysia is still low compared to other nations. This research aims to identify the factors that influence the behavioural intention to adopt mobile commerce among the Generation Y in Malaysia. In this research, relationship between independent variables (Trust, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Enjoyment, Social Influence, Perceived Ease of Use, and Compatibility) and dependent variable (Behaviour Intention to adopt mobile commerce) have been analysed.
Epidemiology of pancreatic cancer and the role of family history

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease for which only a small number of risk factors have been identified. In addition to older age, male gender, and black race, risk factors include smoking, obesity, long‐standing diabetes and pancreatitis, and heavy alcohol use; allergies such as hay fever are related to lowered risk. Several genetic syndromes increase risk of pancreatic cancer. Work on more common genetic variants promises to reveal more potentially important genetic associations. J. Surg. Oncol. 2013;107:1–7. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Arginase‐2, a miR‐1299 target, enhances pigmentation in melasma by reducing melanosome degradation via senescence‐induced autophagy inhibition

Expression profiles revealed miR‐1299 downregulation concomitant with arginase‐2 (ARG2) upregulation in hyperpigmented skin of melasma patients. Opposite regulation of tyrosinase and PMEL17 by miR‐1299 and inverse relationship between miR‐1299 and ARG2 expression denoted a role of miR‐1299 in pigmentation with ARG2 as a miR‐1299 target. ARG2 overexpression or knock‐down in keratinocytes, the main source of ARG2 in epidermis, positively regulated tyrosinase and PMEL17 protein levels, but not mRNA levels or melanosome transfer. ARG2 overexpression in keratinocytes reduced autophagy equivalent to 3‐MA, an autophagy inhibitor which also increased tyrosinase and PMEL17 protein levels, whereas ARG2 knock‐down induced opposite results. Autophagy inducer rapamycin reduced ARG2‐increased tyrosinase and PMEL17 protein levels. Also, autophagy was reduced in late passage‐induced senescent keratinocytes showing ARG2 upregulation. ARG2, but not 3‐MA, stimulated keratinocyte senescence. These results suggest that ARG2 reduces autophagy in keratinocytes by stimulating cellular senescence, resulting in skin pigmentation by reducing degradation of transferred melanosomes.
Application of Neural Networks to Recognize Satisfied Customers for Car after Sales Services Marketing

The purpose of the research was the development of a neural networks model to recognize satisfied customers for car maintenance service marketing. Data set was built up from survey of ten car maintenance service provider in Iran. Multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural networks with hyperbolic tangent function trained by feed forward training algorithm were utilized to build the recognition model. The result reveals that the recognition accuracy of the test on the model is greater than that expected by chance. Meanwhile, a set of contribution weights representing the general importance of each independent variable was produced and their marketing implications were illustrated. This research confirms that the neural network model is useful in recognizing existing patterns of customer’s data. The advantages of using the model are highlighted and marketing implications are demonstrated. Authors believe that the model is useful and suitable as an analyzing tool for car maintenance service on market strategy planning.
Takeovers, restructuring, and corporate governance = 接管、重组与公司治理

I. TAKEOVERS AND MERGERS IN PRACTICE. 1. The Takeover Process. 2. The Legal and Regulatory Framework. Appendix A: Legal Due Diligence Preliminary Information Request. 3. Accounting for M&As. 4. Deal Structuring (Methods of Payment, Taxes, Collars, Contingent Payouts.) II. M&As IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. 5. Strategic Processes. 6. Theories of Mergers and Tender Offers. Appendix A: Measurement of Abnormal Returns. Appendix B: Chemical Industry Case Study. 7. The Timing of Merger Activity. 8. Empirical Tests of M&A Performance. Appendix A: Analysis of a Recent M&A Sample. III. VALUATION-THE STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE. 9. Alternative Approaches to Valuation. Appendix A: Derivation of Revenue Growth Valuation Formulas. 10. Increasing the Value of the Organization. Appendix A: Calculating Growth Rates. IV. RESTRUCTURING. 11. Restructuring and Divestitures. Appendix A: Restructuring in the Diversified Natural Gas Industry in the 1990s. 12. Empirical Tests of Corporate Restructuring and Divestitures. Appendix A: Analysis of a Sample of Recent Divestitures. 13. Financial Restructuring. V. M&A STRATEGIES. 14. Alliances and Joint Ventures. 15. ESOPs and MLPs. 16. Going Private and Leveraged Buyouts. Appendix A: Relation between WACC and CCF Models. Appendix B: Relation between CCF and APV Models. 17. International Takeovers and Restructuring. VI. STRATEGIES FOR CREATING VALUE. 18. Share Repurchases. 19. Takeover Defenses. 20. Corporate Governance and Performance. 21. Merger Arbitrage. 22. Implementation and Management Guides for M&As.
Portuguese Sealing and Whaling Activities as Contributions to Understand Early Northeast Atlantic Environmental History of Marine Mammals

© 2012 Brito, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Portuguese Sealing and Whaling Activities as Contributions to Understand Early Northeast Atlantic Environmental History of Marine Mammals
Multiprocessor On-Line Scheduling of Hard-Real-Time Tasks

The problems of hard-real-time task scheduling in a multiprocessor environment are discussed in terms of a scheduling game representation of the problem. It is shown that optimal scheduling without a priori knowledge is impossible in the multiprocessor case even if there is no restriction on preemption owing to precedence or mutual exclusion constraints. Sufficient conditions that permit a set of tasks to be optimally scheduled at run time are derived. >
Improving health-related information systems to monitor equity in health: lessons from Thailand

In 2001, Thailand achieved universal coverage in access to health care. This led to a more equitable health care system, and a significant impact on the reduction in household out-of-pocket payments for health care. Empirical evidence from health information systems shows that there is now more equitable health care use across economic strata, the pro-poor nature of health care subsidies, especially for district health services provided by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), and a further reduction in the incidence of catastrophic and poverty impacts of health care expenditure. This is in line with the results of opinion surveys of public health administrators nationwide. The country-initiated National Health Accounts (NHA) compiled since 1994, are the backbone of resource tracking according to health care functions. In addition to the time-series NHA, monitoring and evaluation of equity in health care financial contributions is possible because of the long-standing, nationally representative household surveys conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO), namely the Socio-Economic Survey (SES) and Health and Welfare Survey (HWS). Based on trust and mutual recognition and interests, a genuine partnership to improve the policy utility and equity monitoring capability of these two national databases has been fostered between the main user (MOPH) and data producer (NSO). Other large-scale regular surveys, conducted by health research institutes and various departments in the MOPH, contain quantitative data on health service use, payments for health care services, illnesses and health conditions and general and specific health behaviour. Other major data sources include disease surveillance and registry systems, and information on health care use in administrative data and routine reports, which all suffer from a lack of data on the social determinants of health. The time-series NSO national datasets have ample parameters for monitoring health equity and are a real national asset in Thailand for evidence-based, equity-related policy formulation and evaluation.
Implementing Innovative Teaching Across the Faculty via the WWW

From the mass media to the scholarly press, a common theme in the last several years has been that educational practice must change. Learning must become more learner-centered; educational offerings must be more flexible, more individualized; teachers must move from being “sages on the stage” to “guides on the side” with new roles such as “learning facilitators and knowledge brokers” (Tuckett, Jones, & Thomas, 1997). In addition, higher education in particular must become more responsive to the needs of lifelong learning, but probably within the constraints of less funding. And just, changes in teaching and instructional practice are notoriously difficult. Various reasons for the as-yet limited impact of ICT on educational change in higher education are well known: research, not instructional innovation, is what is valued in terms of quantifiable indicators of scientific productivity; output financing discourages risk-taking in instructional practices; the relative autonomy of instructors, of departments, of faculties, and of universities with respect to educational practice means economies of scale and critical masses of experience do not develop; the time and effort investment required of the instructor who wishes to implement ICT into his instructor practice are not only high, but frequently lead to negative experiences. Student course-evaluation forms, for example, rarely present choices relating to qualities such as “effort spent by the instructor to innovate” or “willingness of the instructor to use ICT to change his instructional approach”. Instead, the instructor is rewarded for qualities such as being “well prepared” and “clear”, qualities which are easier to convey when teaching in a traditional way with well-used materials than when grappling with the frustrations of unfamiliar ICT use.
Perirhinal cortex lesions in rats disrupt performance in a spatial DNMS task

Rats with bilateral electrolytic lesions of the perirhinal cortex and sham operated control rats were tested in a spatially guided, delayed non match to sample task. Although perirhinal lesioned animals showed no deficit in acquisition of the task, a performance deficit was observed across longer delay intervals. These results indicate that the perirhinal cortex is a critical component of the network subserving working or declarative memory in the rat.
Hip Joint Pain Caused by Electromagnetic Waves Following an Operation for a Complex Humerus Fracture

This case report illustrates hip joint pain caused by electromagnetic waves following an operation for a complex humerus fracture. The subject was a 22-year-old woman. The patient complained of pain in her left hip joint and discomfort, particularly while walking. The subject suffered a fracture in her left upper arm in a traffic accident approximately 3 months previously. She underwent an operation wherein seven titanium bolts were used to fix the humerus. The operation was deemed successful and the prognosis of the operation was also good; however, approximately 3 months after the operation, she developed pain and discomfort in her left hip joint, particularly while walking. Symptoms were improved by covering the surgical field with aluminum foil, blocking electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves attracted by the titanium bolts may have induced pain.
Fragile X syndrome carrier screening in the prenatal genetic counseling setting

Purpose: To document our experience with fragile X carrier screening.Methods: In this study, 29,103 women with no known or suspected family history of fragile X syndrome were offered fragile X carrier screening during their prenatal genetic counseling visit. Screening acceptance was analyzed by referral indication, carrier frequencies documented, and prenatal outcome data presented.Results: Overall, 7.9% accepted carrier screening. The premutation frequency was 1 in 382, and the intermediate allele frequency was 1 in 143.Conclusions: Fragile X screening is a desirable option for some women seeking prenatal genetic counseling and should be made available to this population.
Analisis Faktor-faktor yang Mempengaruhi Penggunaan Informasi Akuntansi Pada Usaha Kecil dan Menengah (UKM) di Yogyakarta

ABSTRACT Incapability in accounting in one of the main factors resulting in difficulty and failure for the small and medium enterprises to expand their business. The researcher conducted a study of factors influenching on accounting information at the small dan medium enterprise, manager/owner’s educational background, business size, the manager/owner’s length of time in managing, business size and training on accounting that manager/owner’s has experiented to the utilization of accounting information on mediumn enterprise. The objective of this study was to provide empirical evidence of the application of accounting information at small and medium enterprise in Yogyakarta. The population this research is small and medium enterprise in Yoyakarta. Sampling method on this study uses a Simple Random Sampling method targeted to 80 leaders or owners of medium enterprise in Kabupaten Bantul Yogyakarta with error level of 5%. Data were collected through questionnaires targeted to leaders and owners of medium enterprise in Kasongan Kabupaten Bantul Yogyakarta. Validity and reliability of the data's were analyzed before. Data analysis techniques used in the study are doubled linear regression analysis. This study concludes that manager/owner’s educational background, business size effect on utilization of accounting information, the manager/owner’s length of time in managing, business size and training on accounting that manager/owner’s has experiented are not effect on utilization of accounting information on mediumn enterprise in Yogyakarta Keyword: the small dan medium enterprises, the accounting information, manager/owner’s educational background, business scale, the manager/owner’s length of time in managing, business size and training on accounting that manager/owner’s has experiented