Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angiographically occult vascular malformations: a correlative study of features on magnetic resonance imaging and histological examination.

With reference to vascular malformations, the term cavernous has architectural as well as histologic connotations. It refers to a compact pattern of growth wherein no intervening brain parenchyma is evident, as well as to the histological nature of the vessels, which are hyaline and collagenous in appearance, lacking the microscopic features of arteries or veins. Historically, cavernous angioma has been defined as exhibiting both features. Twenty-five patients with neurological symptoms and neuroimaging abnormalities who underwent surgery for cerebral vascular malformations between 1987 and 1990 satisfied the following study criteria: their lesions were angiographically occult and both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological sections were available for review. The patients' ages ranged from 4 to 49 years (mean, 30 years), the male to female ratio being 1:2. Two thirds of the lesions were supratentorial in location and all were intraparenchymal. All patients had clinical improvement after resection. In 24 of the 25 lesions, the vascular channels were histologically cavernous in nature; one inadequate specimen precluded classification. Three demonstrated a purely compact or cavernous pattern, 20 a mixed cavernous and racemose pattern, and one a purely racemose pattern. The authors conclude that 1) histologically cavernous lesions are the commonest form of occult vascular malformation; 2) a purely compact or cavernous architectural pattern is uncommon, most lesions showing a partially racemose architecture; 3) some histologically cavernous malformations possess a capillary component; 4) clinical growth of cavernous malformations may have its basis in intraluminal thrombosis and subsequent recanalization; 5) the T2-weighted MRI pattern of cavernous malformations varies, the most common being a multifocal hyperintense center surrounded by a hypointense ring; 6) the MRI pattern reflects the histological appearance; 7) since no thrombosed arteriovenous malformations were encountered, such lesions must be rare; 8) in that the pathophysiological hallmark of a cavernous lesion is recurrent thrombosis and hemorrhage, a resolving hematoma cannot always be distinguished from a cavernous lesion; 9) MRI is the examination of choice in evaluating occult vascular malformations; and 10) microsurgical excision is a satisfactory method of treatment. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Revisiting Creeping Competences in the EU: The Case of Security R&D Policy

Abstract The literature on European integration has documented several cases of creeping competences in the EU. None of these studies, however, has fully clarified the conditions under which this phenomenon takes place, nor provided any testable hypotheses on its empirical dynamics. This paper studies one case where secondary legislation was employed to extend a formal treaty-based competence (civilian research and technology policy) to an area that, for historical and strategic reasons, has always been a policy monopoly of national governments: research and technology development policy for security and defence. Through the analysis of a large pool of documentary data, I elaborate a set of linked hypotheses about the empirical dynamics of creeping competences, and show how the theory of incomplete contracting is best suited to explain this phenomenon.
Attitudes to organ donation among South Asians in an English high street

In the UK, people of South Asian origin are at more than twice the risk of end-stage renal failure encountered in the Caucasian population but are under-represented among organ donors. Difficulties with matching mean that few donated kidneys are suitable for transplantation to South Asian recipients. A survey of attitudes in 100 South Asian adults was conducted in the main street of Southall, Middlesex. 90 of those questioned were aware of organ transplantation and 69 had heard about donor cards. However, the 16% who carried a donor card was lower than the 28% reported in the general population. The main reason for the low organ donation rate by South Asians seemed to be lack of knowledge, and this could be remedied by more targeting of information in the Asian media.
Performance Evaluation of Polish Mutual Fund Managers

This study aims at evaluating the performance of mutual fund managers in one of the fastest growing financial markets in emerging Europe. We use well-known performance evaluation measures to investigate whether private investors in Poland have benefited from investing in mutual funds. Our analysis focuses on returns over the period 2000-2007 for three categories of mutual funds: (1) equity, (2), bond, and (3) balanced mutual funds. Our results indicate that mutual funds in each of these three categories have positive, but insignificant selectivity skill, indicating that a private investor would not have been worse of by investing in mutual funds. We do not find any evidence of equity or bond market timing skill by Polish mutual funds. This conclusion does not depend on our choice of evaluation model taking into account the direction and/or the magnitude of the market return.
Premonitory Urges in Patients with Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome: An Italian Translation and a 7-Year Follow-up.

OBJECTIVE Premonitory sensations or urges (PUs) are described as characteristic sensory phenomena preceding tics, which are often described as unpleasant. They occur in 90% of patients affected by Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (GTS). They may be localized (around the area of tic) or generalized (covering a wide area of the body). The PUs can be measured by the Premonitory Urge for Tics Scale (PUTS). In this study we translated the PUTS scale into Italian and then assessed children and adolescents/young people (CYP) with GTS using the scale. METHODS GTS patients were assessed at the initial interview and after 7 years to evaluate the PUs, and the correlations of the PUTS scores with tic severity, severity of comorbid disorders (obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD], attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]), and a variety of coexisting psychopathologies. RESULTS A total of 95 patients were studied. We successfully translated the PUTS into Italian, and our results indicated that our translated version had good psychometric properties. Results demonstrated that the CYP had PUs at both interviews, but that older CYP were more consistent in reporting PUs than younger CYP (i.e., PUTS scores increased with age). We found no correlations between PUTS score and tic severity at either interview. We found a statistical significant correlation between PUTS score and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) at both interviews; Moreover both the PUTS and Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) scores increased significantly, whereas the Yale Global Tic Severity Rating Scale (YGTSS) score decreased significantly. We found no relationships between PUTS scores and anxiety, depression, ADHD, and externalizing/internalizing behavioral scores. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest the the Italian translation of the PUTS has good psychometric properties. Although both younger (<10 years of age) and older CYP (≤ 10 years of age) reported PUs, the scores at the initial interview were statistically significantly lower than at follow-up. Moreover, in CYP >10 years of age, the PUs correlated with obsessions and compulsions (CY-BOCS scores).
Serum Butyrylcholinesterase Activity: A Biomarker for Parkinson's Disease and Related Dementia

Objective This study aim to determine changes of serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity in PD patients and related dementia. Patients and Methods Consecutive PD patients and healthy controls were included and clinical data were collected. Fast serum BChE activity was determined and compared between healthy controls and PD patients. Independent risk factors were performed for BChE activity, PD, and related dementia. The relationship between BChE activity and disease severity was also evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained to explore serum BChE activity in distinguishing PD patients and related dementia. Results Serum BChE activity mainly independently correlated with gender, albumin, triglyceride, body mass index, and PD. Serum BChE activity decreased in PD patients compared with healthy controls. Based on the ROC curve, the optimal cut-off point was 6864.08 IU/L for distinguishing PD patients, and the sensitivity and specificity values were 61.8% and 72.1%. It inversely correlated with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score. BChE activity decreased in PD-related dementia compared with those without dementia. The sensitivity and specificity values were 70.6% and 76.3%, respectively, with an optimal cut-off point of 6550.00 IU/L. Conclusions Serum BChE activity can be regarded as a biomarker for PD and related dementia.
Productive physical investment and growth: testing the validity of the AK model from a panel perspective

In this article, we analyse the relationship between productive physical investment and economic growth from a panel perspective for a sample of 61 countries spanning the period 1950 to 1992. The analysis can be thought of as two-fold. First, we test the empirical validity of AK models following the logic by Jones (1995). For that purpose, we determine the degree of persistence of physical investment rates and growth by employing recently developed panel unit-root tests that enable us to make more reliable inferences about the existence of stochastic trends in the series. Second, we estimate the long-run effect of physical investment on growth by using panel data techniques rather than cross-section regressions. Overall, our findings cast doubts on the rejection of the empirical validity of the AK model, as suggested by Jones’ analysis.
Accounting and the credibility of management forecasts

This paper develops and analyzes a signaling model in which a firm discloses privately held information to investors via a forecast. The forecast is constrained by the extent to which the accounting system reflects the private information, and the extent to which estimates regarding the private information are available from other sources, such as financial analysts. The market assesses the credibility of the forecast in setting the price of the firm's stock. A partially separating equilibrium is presented. The implications of the equilibrium are consistent with empirical regularities concerning the market's reaction to management forecasts. In particular, a majority of management forecasts contain good news, forecasts containing bad news are more credible than forecasts containing good news, and stock price reactions are stronger for firms that are not followed by financial analysts. Analysis of investor returns suggests that although a more effective accounting system reduces the variance of returns, it also skews them to the left. Thus, the largest losses are from investments in firms with the most effective accounting systems. Resume. L'auteur elabore et analyse un modele indicateur dans lequel une entreprise communique aux investisseurs, par le truchement d'une prevision, l'information qu'elle detient a titre privilegiee. La prevision est sous contrainte dans la mesure ou le systeme comptable reflete l'information privilegiee et les estimations relatives a l'information privilegiee peuvent etre obtenues aupres d'autres sources, comme celle des analystes financiers. Le marche evalue la credibilite de la prevision en fixant le cours de l'action de l'entreprise. L'auteur presente un equilibre partiellement intercalaire. Les consequences de cet equilibre sont conformes a celles regulierement observees dans les etudes empiriques relatives a la reaction du marche aux previsions de la direction. On note en particulier que la majorite des previsions de la direction renferment de l'information positive, que les previsions qui renferment de l'information negative sont plus credibles que les previsions contenant de l'information positive et que les reactions touchant le cours de l'action sont plus fortes pour les entreprises qui ne sont pas suivies par des analystes financiers. L'analyse des rendements obtenus par les investisseurs laisse croire que meme si un systeme comptable plus efficace reduit la variance des rendements, il les rend asymetriques vers la gauche. Les pertes les plus importantes sont donc liees aux investissements dans des entreprises ayant les systemes comptables les plus efficaces.
Coauthorship linkages between universities and industry in Japan

This study looks at the state of collaboration in scientific research between universities and industries in Japan by measuring the level of coauthorship of academic publications. The analysis is based on data retrieved from the databases of the National Citation Report for Japan, which was produced by Thomson Scientific (ISI) and included papers published from 1981 to 2003, and the Citation Database for Japanese Papers, which was produced by the National Institute of Informatics, Japan, and included papers published from 1995 to 2004. It is revealed that there is a large ‘perception gap’ between industries and universities concerning their collaborations. The situation, trends and characteristics of industry-university collaborations are investigated and discussed from international and national perspectives. The disciplinary and regional differences in such collaborations are also discussed. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Business Model Innovation: Propositions on the Appropriateness of Different Learning Approaches

Firms are often faced with market and technological uncertainty when trying to renew their business model. The literature suggests that under uncertainty, firms can either develop new business models through commitment, incremental experimentation, or radical experimentation. Experience effects, complexity, and ambiguity influence the appropriateness of these learning approaches. However, no overarching view exists on whether and how these factors interact. Based on a simulation model, we develop propositions regarding the combined influences of complexity, ambiguity, and experience effects on the performance of these learning approaches. We also find that the firm's time perspective matters. The results allow us to refine existing theoretical logic and to delineate the specific conditions under which certain learning approaches outperform others. Furthermore, they provide an explanation as to why investors generally prefer committed businesses. We propose, however, that such commitment is not optimal in the long run and that, in general, firms should consider changing their learning approach over time in order to successfully renew their business model.
Expressive communication of children with autism: the use of challenging behaviour.

BACKGROUND There is a lack of empirical research investigating challenging behaviour in children with autism with severe speech impairments in naturalistic settings. The aim of the present study was to investigate challenging behaviour among Australian and Taiwanese children with autism who are non-verbal or have limited speech (i.e. less than five functional words) in school settings and to address the following questions: (1) What are the communicative characteristics (e.g. communicative functions, partners, activities and partner's responses) of challenging behaviour? (2) Do sample characteristics (e.g. age, severity of autism, adaptive behaviour level, the use of graphic symbols, the use of non-symbolic acts, the use of speech) associate with the amount of challenging behaviour? (3) Do cultural differences exist in communicative variables of challenging behaviour? METHOD Naturalistic observations were used to investigate challenging behaviour in children with autism. A total of 32 (17 Australian and 15 Taiwanese) children with autism who were non-verbal or had limited speech participated in the current study and each participant was videotaped for 2 h during his/her everyday school routines. RESULTS Sixteen out of 32 children had challenging behaviour. Challenging behaviour was used for requesting and rejecting communicative functions. A paired-samples t-test revealed that no significant differences existed in the frequency of occurrence between request and reject. Challenging behaviour was directed to adults and peers. A paired-samples t-test revealed that challenging behaviour was directed to adults significantly more frequently than to peers. Communicative partners showed different responses (e.g. deny, no response, delivered, removed, acknowledge) to challenging behaviour. A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a main effect for partner response. Deny was the most common response. Challenging behaviour occurred across a variety of classroom activities (e.g. academic activities, morning circle, morning tea, lunch, free time). A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a main effect for activity. Challenging behaviour occurred most often during academic activities. A set of correlation analyses indicated a significant correlation existed between the use of graphic symbols and the amount of challenging behaviour. A series of Mann-Whitney U-tests revealed significant differences between Australian and Taiwanese children on the amount of challenging behaviour, communicative functions and partners. A Chi-squared test revealed that there were significantly more Australian children with autism who displayed challenging behaviour than Taiwanese children. CONCLUSIONS The current study shows that a high proportion of children with autism with severe speech impairments used challenging behaviour as a form of expressive communication in their school environments. The findings from the present study may have implications for practitioners who work with children with autism.
A Nonsequential R & D Search Model

Managers of research and development (RD otherwise R&D search continues. One interesting property of RTL is that it is strictly less than the highest possible technology level. Thus the economic limit of R&D (RTL) differs from the technological limit of R&D. Ex ante, an R&D program manager should not press for the technological limit of R&D once the current technology level exceeds or equals RTL. However, ex post, one may end up with a technology level greater than RTL. Moreover, R&D search may be resumed in an abandoned R&D area if (i) interest rate declines, (ii) R&D quasi-fixed cost reduces, or (iii) basic research provides a favorable shape-preserving shift of the distribution of technological opportunities.
Improving Timeliness for Short-Term Economic Statistics

Effective business cycle analysis, and indeed the monitoring of a countries economic performance from a policy perspective, requires access to timely high quality short-term economic statistics (STES). Consequently in recent years there has been a lot of pressure on national statistics organisations (NSOs) to better serve their users by improving the timeliness of release for their short-term economic indicators. In response to this demand, NSOs have focused on improving the efficiency and methodology of their statistical production processes. So this begs the question: where would one look to find comprehensive documentation on good practices used by NSOs to improve the timeliness of their short-term economic statistics? The answer is the STES Timeliness Framework, a structured collection of documentation on a range of good practices currently used by NSOs for improving timeliness, reducing costs or improving accuracy for short-term economic statistics. This resource is freely available in the form of an intuitive, user friendly website developed by the OECD Short-Term Economic Statistics Expert Group at www.oecd. org/std/research/timeliness. This report outlines the principles behind the development of this framework, explains its structure and reviews its current usage by statisticians.
Is the Electronic Open Limit Order Book Inevitable

Under fairly general conditions, this article derives the equilibrium price schedule determined by the bids and offers in an open limit order book. The analysis shows that the order book has a small-trade positive bid-ask spread, and limit orders profit from small trades; the electronic exchange provides as much liquidity as possible in extreme situations; the limit order book does not invite competition from third market dealers, while other trading institutions do; and, if an entering exchange earns nonnegative trading profits, the consolidated price schedule matches the limit order book price schedule. Copyright 1994 by American Finance Association.
A Theory of Activity Scheduling Behavior

Recognizing that travel is a demand derived from individuals' desires to undertake out-of-home activities, researchers in the area of travel demand have become increasingly interested in analyzing and predicting individuals' decisions about activity participation. This paper formulates a theory of activity scheduling for urban workers. In this theory, each worker chooses whether or not to participate in an out-of-home, nonwork activity in each of five blocks of time defined around their obligatory trip to work. In addition, conditional on the decision to participate in any particular time block, the chosen duration of participation is analyzed. The econometric problems of operationalizing the theory are resolved, and the resulting model is applied to analyze the scheduling behavior of a sample of workers in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area. This case study suggests some significant directions for further research on activity analysis.
Persistent multifocal conduction block in vasculitic neuropathy with IgM anti‐gangliosides

A 30‐year‐old man with essential cryoglobulinemia presented with an axonal neuropathy and was found to have vasculitis at nerve biopsy. After 44 months, in accord with clinical deterioration, motor conduction studies showed excessive temporal dispersion multifocally, with partial conduction block persisting for 3 years. Antibody testing showed the presence of IgM anti‐GM1, anti‐GD1a, and anti‐GM2 antibodies. Transitory conduction block has been reported occasionally in patients with vasculitis. The persistent multifocal conduction abnormalities found in this patient were more likely due to a superimposed immunomediated demyelination rather than to chronic nerve ischemia secondary to vasculitis. Muscle Nerve, 2007
Newcomer Socialization: Critical Incidents in Hospitality Organizations

Upon entry into an organization, newcomers are plunged into a "strange new world. " Uncertain and anxious, newcomers undergo the process of organizational socialization, seeking information to understand and accept the requirements of their new organizational role in terms of values, beliefs, abilities, and expected behaviors. Much of the research in organizational socialization has focused on investigating the intentional socialization tactics used by organizations to orient newcomers, such as training and orientation programs. Such a focus, however, assumes the information organizations purposefully produce for newcomers is the only information newcom ers use to comprehend their surroundings. By employing the use of critical incidents, evidence is provided that such assumptions may be short-sighted. The organiza tional newcomers surveyed indicated that, of all the types of information they attend to, critical incidents involving training and orientation were not the most important. Such evidence lends support to the notion that newcomers look everywhere forclues - not just in orientation and training programs.