Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparisons of original laboratory results and retrospective analysis by real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR of virological samples collected from confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK in 2001

There were 2030 designated cases of foot-and-mouth disease (fmd) during the course of the epidemic in the uk in 2001 (including four from Northern Ireland). Samples from 1720 of the infected premises (ips) were received in the laboratory and examined for either the presence of fmd virus (virological samples from 1421 ips) or both fmd virus and antibody (virological and serological samples from 255 ips) or antibody alone (from 44 ips). The time taken to issue final diagnostic results ranged from a few hours in cases in which positive results were obtained by elisa on epithelia containing sufficient virus to be detected, to several days for samples containing small amounts of virus requiring amplification through cell culture, negative samples or samples tested for antibody. Two subsets of samples were analysed retrospectively by real-time reverse transcriptase-pcr (rt-pcr); first, epithelia that were negative by both elisa and virus isolation (vi) in cell culture, and secondly, samples that were negative by elisa on epithelial suspension but positive by vi. There was broad agreement between the rt-pcr and vi/elisa combined, except that the rt-pcr procedure did not detect a group of related virus isolates from Wales. These viruses had evidently evolved during the epidemic and had a nucleotide substitution in the rt-pcr probe site, which prevented them from being detected by the routine diagnostic probe. No evidence of fmd virus, antibody or nucleic acid was found in approximately 23 per cent (390 of 1730) of ips from which samples were received, suggesting that the incidence of fmd during the outbreak may have been over-reported.
A Comparative Study of Collagen Dressing versus Petrolatum Gauze Dressing in reducing Pain at the Donor Area

Background: Skin graft is one of the commonly done procedures by plastic surgeons, dermato surgeons and general surgeons. Pain at the donor area is a common complaint by the patient. The skin graft donor site area is usually covered with petrolatum dressing dermatosurgeons. Aim: This study was done to compare collagen dressing with petroleum gauze dressing in control of post-operative pain on skin graft donor area. Materials and Methods: The study was done on forty patients, twenty as study group who received collagen dressing and twenty as control group who received petroleum gauze dressing. The procedure was randomly selected by permutated block size of four. The post-operative pain was assessed with numerical pain rating scale 0 to 10. Nursing staff did the recording of pain scale. The nursing staff was not aware whether patient had collagen or petroleum gauze dressing. Statistics: Statistical analysis used was independent 't'-test (two-sample test) and Levene's test. Results: Statistics proved that study group (collagen dressing) had lesser pain than control group (petroleum gauze dressing). Conclusion: The collagen sheet dressing on skin graft donor area reduces pain in post-operative period.
Association between deep vein thrombosis and transient inflammatory signs and symptoms: a case–control study

Chest 2008; 133: 454S–545S. 11 Cook DJ, Douketis J, Arnold D, Crowther MA. Bleeding and venous thromboembolism in the critically ill with emphasis on patients with renal insufficiency. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2009; 15: 455–62. 12 Nathens AB, McMurray MK, Cuschieri J, Durr EA, Moore EE, Bankey PE, Freeman B, Harbrecht BG, Johnson JL, Minei JP, McKinley BA, Moore FA, Shapiro MB, West MA, Tompkins RG, Maier RV. The practice of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in the major trauma patient. J Trauma 2007; 62: 557–63.
α-synuclein antibodies recognize a protein present at lower levels in the CSF of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies

ABSTRACT Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) accounts for 15–20% of the millions of people worldwide with dementia. Accurate diagnosis is essential to avoid harm and optimize clinical management. There is therefore an urgent need to identify reliable biomarkers. Methods: Mass spectrometry was used to determine the specificity of antibody α-synuclein (211) for α-synuclein. Using gel electrophoresis we measured protein levels detected by α-synuclein specific antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of DLB patients and compared them to age matched controls. Results: A 24 kDa band was detected using α-synuclein specific antibodies which was significantly reduced in the CSF of DLB patients compared to age matched controls (p < 0.05). Further analysis confirmed that even DLB patients with mild dementia showed significant reductions in this protein in comparison to controls. Conclusions: The current study emphasizes the necessity for further studies of CSF α-synuclein as a biomarker of DLB and extends our previous knowledge by establishing a potential relationship between α-synuclein and the severity of cognitive impairment. The identification of this 24 kDa protein is the next important step in these studies.
A Financial Market Model for the Netherlands

The Commission Parameters (Langejan et al. (2014)) advises to use the KNW-capital market model to generate a uniform scenario set which enables comparable feasibility tests of pension funds. CPB’s task is to estimate the model on Dutch data and to calibrate some parameters to make it consistent with the expectations of the Commission Parameters.The model describes the stock and bond market (the latter by way of a term structure of interest rates). Both the nominal bonds as well as the development of the stock returns depend on the inflation process which is modelled, too. Net benefits of pensions can be considered as a derivative of bonds and equity, because both the benefits and premiums depend on the investment results. This capital market model is appropriate to evaluate derivative products. The model is developed by Koijen et al. (2010) and estimated by them on US data.This paper describes estimates based on data relevant for the Netherlands, estimated over a longer period than before (Draper (2012)). It provides a technical documentation of this capital market model and details on the derivations, the estimation and calibration. The estimation results are compared with earlier results.The Koijen et al. (2010) model is related to Brennan and Xia (2002), Campbell and Viceira (2001) and Sangvinatsos andWachter (2005). More details of the model can be found in Koijen et al. (2005) and Koijen et al. (2006). A survey of all risks that pension funds are facing, can be found in Broer (2010). Section 2 presents the model without giving details: its assumptions, parameter restrictions, the link between nominal and inflation linked bonds and the term structure are discussed. Section 3 details on the term structure and on bond funds implementing constant duration. The model is formulated in continuous time, but for simulation and estimation purposes a discretized version is necessary. This discretization and estimation procedure is discussed in section 4. To determine the value of derivative products, as for instance the liabilities of pension funds, risk-neutral simulation is used which is discussed in section 5. The data are presented in section 6. Section 7 gives the estimation results. Section 8 discusses the necessary parameter changes which results in consistency between the model outcomes and the expectations of the Commission Parameters. Section 10 concludes.
Restructuring and Workplace Unionism at Manchester Airport

This paper provides evidence from empirical case-study research into the impact of compulsory competitive tendering on workplace union organization among the baggage-handling workforce at Manchester Airport. It documents the main processes of development within an historical context, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of workplace unionism during the 1980s, the recent challenge posed by managerial restructuring in the early 1990s, and the wider implications for debates about the ‘state’ of workplace unionism in Britain today. Compared with the union resilience displayed by the baggage handlers during the 1980s, the nature of shop-stewards' organization appears to have changed drastically to managemenťs advantage during the last few years. However, continuing underlying tensions in worker-management relations suggest that this situation may not necessarily amount to a fundamental and irreversible transformation in the nature of workplace unionism in the manner in which those who use the vocabulary of the ‘New Industrial Relations’ would suggest.
On One Model of Complex Technical Queuing System with Unreliable Devices and with Time Redundancy

The given article deals with the development of analytical model of request service process by multichannel technical system with unreliable, repaired and reconfigured service facilities. It is assumed that the system is functioning in service mode of random length random request flows. The system considers the existence of time redundancy for afterservice of calls, the service of which is interrupted with refusal, non-depreciating the performed part of the task. Special probability functions are introduced which on the basis of probability reasoning allow to make the systems of integral equations describing the dynamics of request service process.
Asset Returns, Discount Rate Changes and Market Efficiency

The primary purpose of this paper is to reconcile the previous findings of discount rate endogeneity with the presence of discount rate announcement effects in securities markets. The crux of this reconciliation is the dictinction between "technicral" discount rate changes that are endogenous and "non-technical" changes which contain some informative policy implications. In essence, we attempt to separate expected discount rate changes from unexpected changes, or equivalently, the expected component of discount rate changes from the unexpected component. If markets are efficient, the former should have no announcement effects while the latter may be associated with an announcement effect. Accordingly, the focus of the empirical analysis is on the interaction between discount rate exogeneity, the specific monetary policy regime, and announcement effects. In addition, we examine whether the behaviorof these markets in the post-announcement period is consistent with the rapid price adjustment implied by market efficiency.
Institutional Arrangements and Political Mobilization in the New Italian Regionalism: The Role of Spatial Policies in the Piedmont Region

The paper focuses on the resurgence of the regions as protagonists of the process of the state rescaling in many European countries. In the EU countries this process can be seen as a result of a mix of economic and institutional factors, which have been producing an increasing competition between the central governments and the regional authorities. The rise of the multi-level governance and of the so-called Euroregionalism has reinforced the role of the regional scale in the territorial development: on one hand, with new actors like agencies and organizations engaged in the economic development (FDI attraction, place marketing, innovation and learning), on the other hand by the resurgence of “old” actors, such as the regions, in many cases empowered by processes of institutional devolution. The literature has investigated this re-composition of the political space with regard to the “hollowing out” and the “rescaling” of the state. On the base of these theoretical underpinnings, we discuss some empirical evidence from the Italian experience, in order to show whether and how the regional structures are not only “spaces for policies”, but also “spaces for politics”. Over the last decade, the changes in legal framework, the external inputs from supranational levels of government—the European Commission—and the re-territorialization processes have introduced many elements of innovation in the role of the regions. By illustrating the case of the Piedmont Region, we try to demonstrate that the transition towards the region as an active space of politics can be mediated by the sphere of the policies, especially the spatial ones.
Corporate diversification and earnings management

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to find out whether corporate diversification provides a favourable environment for earnings management (agency conflicts hypothesis) or whether it mitigates this phenomenon (earnings volatility hypothesis). Design/methodology/approach - Based on a sample of US firms and making an explicit distinction between industrial and geographic diversification, univariate and multivariate analyses are used to test whether firm diversification has an impact on earnings management. Findings - Results show that the average diversified firm in the sample has somewhat more earnings management problems than a similarly constructed portfolio of stand-alone firms chosen to approximate the segments of the conglomerate. Consistent with the agency conflicts hypothesis, the authors find that geographic diversification increases earnings management whereas industrial diversification decreases it, consistent with earnings volatility hypothesis. Moreover, industrial and geographic diversification combined reinforce this phenomenon. These findings are consistent with the view that the costs of geographic diversification outweigh the benefits. Originality/value - The paper makes an important contribution to the accounting literature by providing new and significantly different evidence on the relative roles of corporate diversification in the earnings management. By linking two streams of research, earnings management and corporate diversification, one is taken into the unexplored area of the sources of the difference in earnings management between diversified and focussed firms. More specifically, this study provides evidence that earnings management is more intensively practiced in geographically diversified firms and even more so in firms that are both industrially and geographically diversified.
Certifying Small-Scale Private Forests in Eastern Canada: What Does It Take to Make It Happen?

Certification is increasingly important in Canada as a tool for promoting, monitoring, and rewarding sustainable forest management. However, success in certifying large public or industry-owned forests has not been matched by small-scale private forests, which nevertheless provide an important range of social, economic, and environmental benefits. In this exploratory research, we examine the presence and absence of certification systems in three adjoining regions of New Brunswick and Quebec, Canada, reviewing documents and interviewing woodlot owners and representatives of their organizations and the timber industry to identify factors contributing to the success or absence of certification. Industry demand, the role of organizations, and owner interest were highlighted as key factors in certification. However, there is also uncertainty around both the effectiveness of certification in achieving its goals and instability in the woodlot sector. We conclude with a series of questions to guide further research in this field.
The action of fibrinogen on certain pathogenic cocci.

Summary: The properties of the material responsible for the clumping reaction given by suspensions of coagulase-positive staphylococci when shaken in the presence of fibrinogen were examined and a possible mechanism is suggested for the reaction. Of other bacteria examined only streptococci of groups A, C and G absorbed fibrinogen, and of these relatively few gave clumping, though the cell material responsible for absorption was similar to that found in staphylococci. In staphylococci it is believed that a single substance is responsible for both absorption and clumping, and its properties suggest a peptide complex. The possible usefulness of coagulase-positive cocci in the detection of minute amounts of fibrinogen is indicated.
A configuration-based approach to integrating dynamic capabilities and market transformation in small and medium-sized enterprises to achieve firm performance

This article develops and tests a model integrating dynamic organisational capabilities, market transformation arrangements and firm performance. This model addresses weaknesses in previous empirical research by integrating accumulation and path dependency in measures of dynamic capabilities. Using a sample of 444 small and medium-sized Australian manufacturing firms, the study finds that performance is driven by the successful deployment of dynamic capabilities; such performance is mediated by purposeful market transformation strategies.
Business performance in the UK hotel sector - does it pay to be market oriented?

This article reports the findings ofa postal survey of 200 of the UK's largest hotel groups. The results clearly indicate that many organisations have yet to achieve a market orientation and that a focus on competitors is frequently absent. Thirty five per cent of hotels remain sales oriented, although no adverse effects on performance would yet appear to be evident. This study found no link between the degree o f market orientation attained and the performance o f the business as measured by profitability and turnover.
HCV antibody quantitative levels in liver transplant patients: do they have any relevance in clinical practice?

OBJECTIVES Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is not directly cytopathic to the hepatocytes; however, host immune response against the virus does cause hepatic injury. Production of the HCV antibody is a host immune response to a viral antigen. The currently used HCV antibody assay is a qualitative, not quantitative, assessment. In this study, we sought to quantitatively estimate HCV antibody levels in patients who had undergone liver transplantations at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, and correlate these levels with HCV RNA viral load, genotype, severity of recurrence, and anti-HCV treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS From 39 liver transplantation patients, we obtained 141 blood samples for quantitative HCV RNA to measure HCV antibody levels quantitatively. RESULTS Most antibody levels were within a narrow range with a mean of 32.9+/-5.1. Samples with undetectable RNA had a mean antibody level of 31.4+/-8.0, and samples with a positive RNA had mean level of 33.0+/-4.6. The mean antibody levels were significantly higher for patients with genotype 1 (n=33) compared with those with genotype 2 (n=5) (33.2 vs 29.1; P=.007). No correlation was found between antibody levels and severity of hepatic injury with regard to hepatitis activity index or fibrosis score. Six patients with no response to anti-HCV treatment had no change in their mean antibody levels (33.7 vs 34.5). Ten patients who responded to anti-HCV therapy had lower mean levels after therapy, but the changes were not significant (34.2 vs 30.4). CONCLUSIONS Antibody levels in this study did not correlate with viral load or hepatic injury. However, genotype-2 patients had significantly lower levels compared with genotype-1 patients, and patients who responded to anti-HCV therapy demonstrated decreased antibody levels.
An Integer L-Shaped Algorithm for the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Stochastic Demands

The classical Vehicle Routing Problem consists ofdetermining optimal routes form identical vehicles, starting and leaving at the depot, such that every customer is visited exactly once. In the capacitated version (CVRP) the total demand collected along a route cannot exceed the vehicle capacity. This article considers the situation where some ofthe demands are stochastic. This implies that the level of demand at each customer is not known before arriving at the customer. In some cases, the vehicle may thus be unable to load the customer's demand, even ifthe expected demand along the route does not exceed the vehicle capacity. Such a situation is referred to as a failure. The capacitated vehicle routing problem with stochastic demands (SVRP) then consists ofminimizing the total cost ofthe planned routes and of expected failures. Here, penalties for failures correspond to return trips to the depot. The vehicle first returns to the depot to unload, then resumes its trip as originally planned. This article studies an implementation of the IntegerL-shaped method for the exact solution of the SVRP. It develops new lower bounds on the expected penalty for failures. In addition, it provides variants of the optimality cuts for the SVRP that also hold at fractional solutions. Numerical experiments indicate that some instances involving up to 100 customers and few vehicles can be solved to optimality within a relatively short computing time.
Identification of Mammalian Proline Transporter SIT1 (SLC6A20) with Characteristics of Classical System Imino*

Amino acid homeostasis depends on specific amino acid transport systems, many of which have been characterized at the molecular level. However, the classical System IMINO, defined as the Na+-dependent proline transport activity that escapes inhibition by alanine, had not been identified at the molecular level. We report here the functional characteristics and tissue distribution of Sodium/Imino-acid Transporter 1 (SIT1), which exhibits the properties of classical System IMINO. SIT1, the product of the slc6a20 gene, is a member of the SLC6 Na+- and Cl–-dependent neurotransmitter transporter family whose function has remained unknown. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, rat SIT1 mediated the uptake of imino acids such as proline (K0.5 ∼ 0.2 mm) and pipecolate, as well as N-methylated amino acids (e.g. MeAIB, sarcosine). SIT1-mediated proline transport was pH-independent and insensitive to inhibition by alanine or lysine. Proline transport was Na+-dependent, Cl–-stimulated, and voltage-dependent. Li+, but not H+, could substitute for Na+. Human SIT1 also functioned as a Na+-dependent proline transporter. Rat SIT1 mRNA was expressed in epithelial cells of duodenum, jejunum, ileum, stomach, cecum, colon, and kidney proximal tubule S 3 segments. SIT1 mRNA was also expressed in the choroid plexus, microglia, and meninges of the brain and in the ovary. Previous reports have documented the marked urinary hyperexcretion of proline in newborn rodents and man. We found that SIT1 was dramatically up-regulated in the kidneys of 3-day-old mice, accounting for the maturation of proline reabsorption in the mouse. The human slc6a20 gene coding SIT1 is an appropriate target for investigation of hereditary forms of iminoaciduria in man.
Barriers to Entry in the Airline Industry: A Multi-Dimensional Regression-Discontinuity Analysis of AIR-21

We investigate the success of legislation aimed at increasing competition at highly concentrated U.S. airports, mainly by forcing these airports to increase the availability of scarce facilities. We use a multidimensional regression-discontinuity approach to exploit a sharp discontinuity in the law’s implementation and identify its effects. We find that fares decrease by 13.4% (20.2%) in markets with one (both) end point(s) covered. Approximately half of the decline is driven by the entry of low-cost carriers. We find little evidence that the fare declines were accompanied by a diminished quality of service, and passenger volumes increased, which suggests the legislation improved consumer welfare.