Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-run dynamics of renewable energy consumption on carbon emissions and economic growth in the European union

ABSTRACT This paper examines long-run and short-run dynamics of renewable energy consumption on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and economic growth in the European Union. This study employs cointegration tests, Granger causality tests and vector error correction estimates to examine the direction of Granger causality, the long-run dynamics of economic growth and energy variables on carbon emissions. This study analyses time series data from the World Development Indicators over the period from1961 to 2012. The results of this study support a link between renewable energy consumption, economic growth, industrialization, exports and CO2 emissions in the long-run and short-run. The results support that the sign of the long-run dynamics from the endogenous variables to the CO2 emissions variable is negative and significant, which implies that the energy and environmental policies of the European Union aimed at curbing CO2 emissions must have been effective in the long-term. Furthermore, renewable energy consumption and exports have significant negative impact on CO2 emissions in the short-run. However, industrialization and economic growth have positive impact on CO2 emissions in the short-run. The results suggest that both economic growth and industrialization must have been achieved at the cost of harming the environment. The finding suggests that the increasing consumption of renewable energy tends to play an important role in curbing carbon emissions in the region.
Phenylephrine Added to Prophylactic Ephedrine Infusion during Spinal Anesthesia for Elective Cesarean Section

BackgroundBecause ephedrine infusion (2 mg/min) does not adequately prevent spinal hypotension during cesarean delivery, the authors investigated whether adding phenylephrine would improve its efficacy. MethodsThirty-nine parturients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–II who were scheduled for cesarean delivery received a crystalloid preload of 15 ml/kg. Spinal anesthesia was performed using 11 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine, 2.5 &mgr;g sufentanil, and 0.1 mg morphine. Maternal heart rate and systolic blood pressure were measured at frequent intervals. A vasopressor infusion was started immediately after spinal injection of either 2 mg/min ephedrine plus 10 &mgr;g/min phenylephrine or 2 mg/min ephedrine alone. Treatments were assigned randomly in a double-blind fashion. The infusion rate was adjusted according to systolic blood pressure using a predefined algorithm. Hypotension, defined as systolic blood pressure less than 100 mmHg and less than 80% of baseline, was treated with 6 mg ephedrine bolus doses. ResultsHypotension occurred less frequently in the ephedrine–phenylephrine group than in the ephedrine-alone group: 37%versus 75% (P = 0.02). Ephedrine (36 ±16 mg, mean ± SD) plus 178 ±81 &mgr;g phenylephrine was infused in former group, whereas 54 ±18 mg ephedrine was infused in the latter. Median supplemental ephedrine requirements and nausea scores (0–3) were less in the ephedrine–phenylephrine group (0 vs. 12 mg, P = 0.02; and 0 vs. 1.5, P = 0.01, respectively). Umbilical artery p H values were significantly higher in the ephedrine–phenylephrine group than in the group that received ephedrine alone (7.24 vs. 7.19). Apgar scores were similarly good in both groups. ConclusionPhenylephrine added to an infusion of ephedrine halved the incidence of hypotension and increased umbilical cord p H.
Decrepit death as a discourse of death in older age: implications for policy.

Background. In Australia, care of the older person dying in residential aged care is contentious. This paper reports on selected results of a study of aged and palliative care policies, undertaken to elicit discourses of dying in aged care environments. Aims. To gain understanding of the relationship of policy to practice and to highlight commonalities and differences between aged and palliative care policies. Design and method. Utilizing discourse analysis, a range of palliative care and aged care documents were analysed, to explicate layers of complexity. Two divergent discourses emerged in the data organization. Results. The dominant palliative care discourse about dying decries an 'undeserved death'; the discourse about an older dying person is described as 'decrepit death'. These competing discourses provide a framework for examining emerging national policy work to improve care of the dying. Conclusions. Dying in residential aged care has been hidden and unacknowledged by the community. The challenge of providing more equitable care has recently received significant government policy attention. Relevance to clinical practice. Policy influences practice; both aged care and palliative care nurses, could benefit from understanding the place of policy in implementing changes on behalf of those in their care.
Firm-Level Political Risk: Measurement and Effects

We adapt simple tools from computational linguistics to construct a new measure of political risk faced by individual U.S. firms: the share of their quarterly earnings conference calls that they devote to political risks. We validate our measure by showing that it correctly identifies calls containing extensive conversations on risks that are political in nature, that it varies intuitively over time and across sectors, and that it correlates with the firm’s actions and stock market volatility in a manner that is highly indicative of political risk. Firms exposed to political risk retrench hiring and investment and actively lobby and donate to politicians. These results continue to hold after controlling for news about the mean (as opposed to the variance) of political shocks. Interestingly, the vast majority of the variation in our measure is at the firm level rather than at the aggregate or sector level, in the sense that it is captured neither by the interaction of sector and time fixed effects nor by heterogeneous exposure of individual firms to aggregate political risk. The dispersion of this firm-level political risk increases significantly at times with high aggregate political risk. Decomposing our measure of political risk by topic, we find that firms that devote more time to discussing risks associated with a given political topic tend to increase lobbying on that topic, but not on other topics, in the following quarter.
Outcomes when Switching from a pro re nata Regimen to a Treat and Extend Regimen Using Aflibercept in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: To investigate outcomes in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) switched from a pro re nata regimen (PRN) to a treat and extend regimen (TER) under aflibercept. Procedure: Thirty-two patients were observed over 2 years: the first year on PRN and the second year on TER. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) were evaluated. Intra- and subretinal fluid as well as the number of visits and injections were assessed. Results: Both regimens resulted in a stable BCVA. Patients in TER had a significant decrease of CRT after 1 year compared to 1 year of treatment on PRN (p < 0.0001). TER resulted in significantly less visits; however, significantly more injections were observed over the course of 1 year compared to PRN (10.25 vs. 7.5, p < 0.0001 and 5.97 vs. 7.5, p = 0.0002, respectively). Conclusion: A switch from PRN to TER in patients treated with aflibercept for AMD appears to be safe.
Students’ Social Media Use and its Perceived Impact on their Social Life: A Case Study of the University of Zambia

Social media has become ubiquitous and almost inescapable, revolutionizing the way students communicate, interact and socialize; and has become an integral part of their social and cultural fabric. Consequently, students are spending a substantial part of their time on social media. University students and youth are considered the largest users of these technologies. Despite a growing corpus of literature on the usage of social media around the world, there is a dearth of research in Zambia on how social media affects the students’ social life. This descriptive, exploratory study examined the types of social media platforms students commonly use, the amount of time students spend on social media, the purposes for which students use the social media and the impact of social media use on students’ social life. Two hundred and fortyfull time students in the School of Education, at the University of Zambia, completed self-administered questionnaires and their responses were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results indicated that the most commonly used social media platform was Whatsapp, most of the sampled students reported actively engaging in this social media application between 31 to 60 minutes on a daily basis.The study also found that more than half of the students found themselves saying “just a few more minutes” when using social media, checked their social media sites before doing something else,felt their academic productivity suffered because of social media, failed to to cut down on time spent on social media,recieved negative comments from others about their use of social media and felt stressed out due to social media use.Furthermore, 22.4% of the students felt addicted to social media.Students used social media more for social information than for academic purposes. Social interaction is enhanced by social media use among students. Thus, productive use of social media is recommended while minimizing its negative impact. Furthermore, it is hoped that this study will attract further research in this area with more divergent and larger samples of varying student demographic characteristics.
When temporary agency work is not so temporary

Theory and empirical research have provided mixed arguments and evidence for the effects of temporary agency work on workers’ well-being. One unresolved issue is how length of service in agency work affects workers’ well-being and behaviour. This study, based on Self-Determination Theory, explored this question by comparing the motives for temporary agency employment and the well-being of workers who have had this employment status for different periods of time. From a sample of 3300 Portuguese temporary agency workers, the study compared three groups who had been engaged in temporary agency work for (1) up to 6 months, (2) between 7 and 12 months and (3) between 13 and 24 months. Regression analyses, controlling for background variables and job insecurity perception, showed that longer periods of temporary agency working were associated with lower autonomous and voluntary motives for temporary employment, workplace well-being and well-being outside work. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Pelvic and lower extremity arterial imaging: diagnostic performance of three-dimensional contrast-enhanced MR angiography.

OBJECTIVE The diagnostic performance of a three-dimensional MR angiography-based strategy was assessed with regard to its ability to characterize the arterial vasculature from the aortic bifurcation to the lower extremity runoff vessels. A single-injection, two-station protocol in combination with a lower-extremity vascular coil was used. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Both conventional digital subtraction angiography and three-dimensional contrast-enhanced MR angiography with a dedicated peripheral vascular coil were performed in 61 patients with suspected peripheral vascular disease. In a prospective analysis, one reviewer evaluated the digital subtraction angiographic images and a second reviewer evaluated the MR angiographic images; both were unaware of the results of the other imaging technique. Each vascular segment (29 segments per patient) was evaluated for the presence of occlusive vessel disease. The following grading system was applied: 0, normal; 1, vessel irregularity with a luminal reduction of less than 10%; 2, mild stenosis (lumen reduction, 10-49%); 3, severe stenosis (lumen reduction, 50-99%); and 4, occlusion (lumen reduction, 100%). In 11 patients surgical graft patency was assessed. RESULTS MR angiography provided an image quality comparable with that of digital subtraction angiography. Overall sensitivity and specificity for MR angiography were 92% and 96.6%, respectively, for the detection of hemodynamically significant disease and 92.3% and 99.4%, respectively, for the detection of occlusions. CONCLUSION Two-station contrast-enhanced three-dimensional MR angiography with a dedicated lower-extremity vascular coil proved effective enough to consider it as a noninvasive alternative to digital subtraction angiography in the assessment of the pelvic and lower extremity arterial vasculature.
Etiology of extubation failure and the predictive value of the rapid shallow breathing index.

Failure of weaning from mechanical ventilation is thought to result from an imbalance between respiratory muscle capacity and respiratory demand. The ratio of respiratory rate to tidal volume (f/VT, rapid shallow breathing index) during spontaneous unsupported respiration increases when this imbalance exists, and may predict the success or failure of weaning from mechanical ventilation. Using f/VT, Yang and Tobin demonstrated a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.78 (f/VT < or = 105 and weaning success) (1). To define the etiology of the 20% false-positive rate (FPR, f/VT < or = 105 and weaning failure), 94 patients who had an f/VT determined prior to extubation were studied prospectively. Of 84 patients with an f/VT < 100, 14 required reintubation within 72 h of extubation (FPR = 0.17, PPV = 0.83). Extubation in 13 of these 14 cases failed because of congestive heart failure, upper airway obstruction, aspiration, encephalopathy, or the development of a new pulmonary process. Only one patient needed reintubation solely because of the original respiratory process. Of 10 patients extubated with an f/VT > or = 100, four required reintubation, all because of the underlying respiratory process. This study confirms the high PPV for an f/VT < 100. The FPR of approximately 0.20 is best explained by extubation failure caused by processes for which f/VT is physiologically or temporally unlikely to predict success or failure. The negative predictive value (f/VT > or = 100 but extubation success) for f/VT may be lower than previously reported.
The Use of the Diary as a Data Collection Technique

The initiation of a research project requires many decisions, not the least of which is the selection of a method for data collection. This decision is, in large measure, guided by the nature of the research question which generally prescribes the selection of a strategy for data collection from among an array of possible alternatives. This article addresses the use of a diary for data collection. Although diaries have traditionally been used in social science and health research, their use in nursing research is more recent. The article begins with a brief discussion of the rationale for using the diary to gather data in a study of personal and professional care giving. A brief review of the use of diaries in previous studies follows, along with a description of the use of a diary in the caregiving study and a discussion of the possible threats to high quality data as well as measures used to ensure the collection of high quality data The article concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the diary andmakes recommendations regarding its use in nursing research.
Sequential continual reassessment method for two‐dimensional dose finding

It is common to encounter two‐dimensional dose finding in phase I trials, for example, in trials combining multiple drugs, or in single‐agent trials that simultaneously search for the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and the optimal treatment schedule. In these cases, the traditional single‐agent dose‐finding methods are not directly applicable. We propose a simple and adaptive two‐dimensional dose‐finding design that can accommodate any type of single‐agent dose‐finding method. In particular, we convert the two‐dimensional dose‐finding trial to a series of one‐dimensional dose‐finding subtrials along shortened line search segments by fixing the dose level of one drug. We then conduct the subtrials sequentially. Based on the MTD obtained from the completed one‐dimensional trial, we eliminate the doses that lie outside of the search range based on the partial order, and thereby efficiently shrink the two‐dimensional dose‐finding space. The proposed design dramatically reduces the sample size and still maintains good performance. We illustrate the design through extensive simulation studies motivated by clinical trials evaluating multiple drugs or dose and schedule combinations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Coordination of carbon fixation and nitrogen metabolism in Salicornia europaea under salinity: Comparative proteomic analysis on chloroplast proteins

Halophyte, like Salicornia europaea, could make full use of marginal saline land for carbon fixation. How the photosynthesis of S. europaea is regulated under high salinity implicates a significant aspect to exploit this pioneer plant in future. Measurement of photosynthesis parameters demonstrated the reduction of photosynthesis for the 0 and 800 mM NaCl treated plants are more likely due to non‐stomatal limitation, which might be caused by changes in the enzymes associated with photosynthesis. Different salinity induced ultrastructure changes other than photosynthetic apparatus damage, suggesting the photosynthesis of S. europaea might be affected via biochemical regulation. Comparative proteomics analysis of chloroplast proteins by 2‐D gel electrophoresis reproducibly detected 90 differentially expressed proteins, among which 66 proteins were identified by nanoLC MS/MS. Further study of thylakoid membrane proteins by Blue‐Native PAGE proved the increase in abundance of light reaction proteins under salinity. Analysis of gene expression patterns of 12 selected proteins provides evidence for the correlations between transcription and proteomics data. Based on our results, a putative model of photosynthesis regulatory network figured out proper coordination of carbon fixation and nitrogen metabolism in chloroplast of S. europaea under salinity, which provided subcellular level insight into salt tolerance mechanism in S. europaea.
Exporting Firms and Retail Internationalization: Evidence from France

This paper questions the impact of the globalization of the retail sector on the export activity of origin country agri-food firms. In a previous paper (Cheptea et al., 2015), we showed that the overseas expansion of a country’s retailers fostered its exports to foreign markets. This effect can be explained by a reduction in trade costs for retailers’ supplying firms in the origin country, or to a change in consumer preferences in the host country that benefits all origin country firms. In this paper, we evaluate which of the two mechanisms dominates. For that, we use an original firm-level database of French agri-food exports, identifying the domestic suppliers of French retailers through certification with the private IFS standard. We find that IFS certified French firms are more likely to export and export larger volumes than noncertified firms to markets where French retailers established outlets. We also show that when French retailers close down their activities in a market, IFS firms face a drop in exports to this market in the subsequent years. The results are robust to the use of different sets of firm- and country-specific fixed effects, are unaffected by possible selection and endogeneity biases, and by the presence in export markets of other retailers. The difference in behavior for certified and non-certified exporting firms on markets where French retailers operate confirms the trade cost advantage of retailers’ suppliers, which is lost when French retailers exit from the destination country.
Implantable Collamer Lens Implantation and Limbal Relaxing Incisions for the Correction of Hyperopic Astigmatism After Laser In Situ Keratomileusis

Purpose: To report on a patient in whom hyperopic Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICL, STAAR Surgical, Nidau, Switzerland) and limbal relaxing incisions have been beneficial for the correction of hyperopic astigmatism after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Methods: The 48-year-old man had undergone LASIK to correct high myopia 5 years earlier. Preoperatively, the manifest refraction was +2.25, −1.00 × 160, with an uncorrected visual acuity of 0.15 and a best spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 1.5. Results: Postoperatively, the manifest refraction was +0.50, −0.5 × 165, with an uncorrected visual acuity of 1.0 and a best spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 1.2. No serious complications were observed during the 10-month observation period. Conclusion: Hyperopic Implantable Collamer Lenses implantation combined with limbal relaxing incisions may be an alternative for the treatment of hyperopic astigmatism after overcorrected myopic LASIK.
Deficiency of skeletal muscle succinate dehydrogenase and aconitase. Pathophysiology of exercise in a novel human muscle oxidative defect.

We evaluated a 22-yr-old Swedish man with lifelong exercise intolerance marked by premature exertional muscle fatigue, dyspnea, and cardiac palpitations with superimposed episodes lasting days to weeks of increased muscle fatigability and weakness associated with painful muscle swelling and pigmenturia. Cycle exercise testing revealed low maximal oxygen uptake (12 ml/min per kg; healthy sedentary men = 39 +/- 5) with exaggerated increases in venous lactate and pyruvate in relation to oxygen uptake (VO2) but low lactate/pyruvate ratios in maximal exercise. The severe oxidative limitation was characterized by impaired muscle oxygen extraction indicated by subnormal systemic arteriovenous oxygen difference (a-v O2 diff) in maximal exercise (patient = 4.0 ml/dl, normal men = 16.7 +/- 2.1) despite normal oxygen carrying capacity and Hgb-O2 P50. In contrast maximal oxygen delivery (cardiac output, Q) was high compared to sedentary healthy men (Qmax, patient = 303 ml/min per kg, normal men 238 +/- 36) and the slope of increase in Q relative to VO2 (i.e., delta Q/delta VO2) from rest to exercise was exaggerated (delta Q/delta VO2, patient = 29, normal men = 4.7 +/- 0.6) indicating uncoupling of the normal approximately 1:1 relationship between oxygen delivery and utilization in dynamic exercise. Studies of isolated skeletal muscle mitochondria in our patient revealed markedly impaired succinate oxidation with normal glutamate oxidation implying a metabolic defect at the level of complex II of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. A defect in Complex II in skeletal muscle was confirmed by the finding of deficiency of succinate dehydrogenase as determined histochemically and biochemically. Immunoblot analysis showed low amounts of the 30-kD (iron-sulfur) and 13.5-kD proteins with near normal levels of the 70-kD protein of complex II. Deficiency of succinate dehydrogenase was associated with decreased levels of mitochondrial aconitase assessed enzymatically and immunologically whereas activities of other tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes were increased compared to normal subjects. The exercise findings are consistent with the hypothesis that this defect impairs muscle oxidative metabolism by limiting the rate of NADH production by the tricarboxylic acid cycle.