Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling the Revolving Revolution: The Role of IT Reconsidered

Credit card default losses increased dramatically in the 80s and 90s, from 3% to over 5% of outstanding debt. We explore whether technological progress in debt collection is behind this change by developing a new theory featuring costly state verification with signals. We motivate our approach by the predominance of informal bankruptcy in the credit card market, which necessitates the costly involvement of the lending industry to enforce repayment. We show that the presence of enforcement costs, when combined with the rate of technological progress suggested by the available evidence, rationalizes the observed shift in the risk composition of debt. JEL: E21, D91, G20
Surgical Management of Sacrococcygeal Region Giant Tumors by Use of Balloon Occlusion Abdominal Aorta.

AIM Sacrococcygeal region giant tumors are a challenge for neurosurgeons. The purpose of this paper was to retrospectively analyze the clinical records of sacrococcygeal region giant tumors treated surgically by balloon occlusion of the abdominal aorta. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 130 patients of sacral region tumors underwent surgery in our department from February 2009 to February 2013. Among these patients, 35 giant tumors were treated by balloon catheter occlusion of the abdominal aorta and electrophysiological monitoring. Thirty patients returned for follow-up evaluations and their clinical and imaging records were analyzed. RESULTS Thirty patients underwent surgery via a posterior approach; these cases included 21 chordomas, 5 schwannomas, and 4 giant cell tumors of bone. Wide resections were performed in 26 patients (86.7%) and margin resections were performed in 4 (13.3%) patients. Most patients' symptoms were relieved through surgery and only nine patients (30%) experienced recurrence of the tumors during follow-up. CONCLUSION Sacrococcygeal region giant tumors are still difficult to treat, especially for malignant tumors. Balloon catheter occlusions of the lower abdominal aorta can notably decreased intraoperative hemorrhage, shorten operation time, and decrease postoperative complications. This method is a good choice for neurosurgeons to manage these giant tumors in the sacral region.
Effects of Peer-Mediated Instruction on the Acquisition and Generalization of Written Capitalization Skills

This study investigated the effects of a peer teaching procedure, combined with student letter-writing activities, on the acquisition and generalization of capitalization skills. Three students, aged 9 years, obtained instruction from peer partners that included (a) an introduction and review of capitalization rules, (b) feedback on each participant's previous capitalization work, and (c) guided and independent practice on sentences that required capitalization. All three students demonstrated acquisition of the capitalization rules after participating in the teaching sessions with one or two peer partners. In addition, there were increases in capitalization accuracy in participants' letters to peers who did not serve as teaching partners, thus demonstrating a measure of across-peer (stimulus) generalization. Mixed results were obtained on a response generalization task (sentence writing). Finally, sentencing-writing activities also showed that two of the peer partners substantially improved their use of capitalization skills as a result of teaching the target students.
Lived experience of Indonesian nurses in Japan: A phenomenological study.

AIM The movement of Indonesian nurses via a bilateral agreement with Japan has led to a substantial number of migrants to work as nurses in that nation's healthcare system. The purpose of this research was to develop a deeper understanding of the meaningful experiences of Indonesian nurses while working in Japanese hospitals. METHODS In this phenomenological study, sampling was purposive and was based on information shared by five Indonesian nurses. The data were collected in interviews; the analysis was thematic. RESULTS Six key themes were identified: (i) seeking better than before; (ii) communication challenges; (iii) the nursing examination as a culmination; (iv) differences in nursing practice; (v) cultural differences; and (vi) the benefits of living in developed country. Among these challenges, communication as the basis of shared meaning and understanding was viewed as a complex issue, by both patients and coworkers. CONCLUSION The results of this study call for further intervention in supporting Indonesian nurses living in Japan in their struggle with the issue of communication. The emphasis on language acquisition for personal and professional objectives, and the bridging of cultural differences as well, should be considered in an international context.
Antipsychotic and mood stabilizer efficacy and tolerability in pediatric and adult patients with bipolar I mania: a comparative analysis of acute, randomized, placebo-controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE To compare antipsychotic and mood stabilizer (MS) efficacy and tolerability in youth and adults with bipolar mania. METHODS Medline/PubMed search for studies including: (i) youth (< 18 years) or adults (> or = 18 years); (ii) bipolar I disorder; (iii) double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (DB-RPCT); (iv) < or = 12 weeks of treatment; and (v) calculable effect sizes (ES) and/or numbers needed to treat/harm (NNT/NNH) +/- 95% confidence intervals (CI). Non-overlapping 95% CIs determined significant group differences. RESULTS We identified nine DB-RPCTs in youth (n = 1,609), 5 evaluating second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) (n = 1,140) and 4 evaluating MSs (n = 469). We also identified 23 DB-RPCTs in adults (n = 6,501), 14 including SGAs (n = 3,297), 5 using haloperidol as an active comparator (n = 580), and 11 including MSs (n = 2,581). Young Mania Rating Scale scores improved significantly more with SGAs than MSs in youth (ES = 0.65, CI: 0.53-0.78 versus 0.24, CI: 0.06-0.41) and adults (ES = 0.48, CI: 0.41-0.55 versus 0.24, CI: 0.17-0.31). After excluding topiramate studies, SGAs had larger ES than MSs only in youth (ES = 0.65, CI: 0.53-0.78 versus 0.20, CI: 0.02-0.39), but not adults (ES = 0.48, CI: 0.41-0.55 versus 0.46, CI: 0.37-0.55). However, in adults SGAs had significantly larger ES regarding Clinical Global Impressions scores than MSs, even without topiramate (ES = 0.75, CI: 0.68-0.82 versus 0.24, CI: 0.07-0.41). Rates of response, remission, and discontinuation due to any reason compared to placebo were similar between medication and age groups, except for more favorable NNTs for remission with SGAs than MSs in adults after excluding topiramate. SGAs caused more weight gain than MSs in youth (ES = 0.53, CI: 0.41-0.66 versus 0.10, CI: -0.12-0.33), but not in adults (ES = 0.13, CI: 0.05-0.22 versus 0.00, CI: -0.08-0.08). However, results were heterogeneous and not significant in either age group after excluding topiramate. Nevertheless, SGA-related weight gain was significantly greater in youth than adults. In youth, SGA-related somnolence was greater than with MSs (NNH = 4.7, CI: 3.9-6.0 versus 9.5, CI: 6.3-23.5), and more likely than in adults (NNH = 7.1, CI: 6.1-8.8). Conversely, youth experienced less akathisia with SGAs than adults (NNH = 20.4, CI: 14.1-36.5 versus 10.2, CI: 8.1-13.7), likely due to lower doses/slower titration. CONCLUSIONS In treating mania, potentially greater short-term efficacy compared to placebo with SGAs versus MS needs to be balanced against increased adverse events, especially in youth.
Small worlds: the dynamics of networks between order and randomness

When Duncan J. Watts proposed his new idea to his advisor, Professor Steve Strogatz, he was completely afraid of being laughed out of Steve's office. His idea was just something ambiguously worthwhile, spanning several different disciplines, most of which both of them knew very little about. With encouragement and advice from Steve, graphs that combine structure with randomness were studied. The results of their work were published in Nature and the Cornell Ph.D. thesis of Watts. This book essentially came from Duncan's thesis.
Reduced expression by SETBP1 haploinsufficiency causes developmental and expressive language delay indicating a phenotype distinct from Schinzel–Giedion syndrome

Background Mutations of the SET binding protein 1 gene (SETBP1) on 18q12.3 have recently been reported to cause Schinzel–Giedion syndrome (SGS). As rare 18q interstitial deletions affecting multiple genes including SETBP1 correlate with a milder phenotype, including minor physical anomalies and developmental and expressive speech delay, mutations in SETBP1 are thought to result in a gain-of-function or a dominant-negative effect. However, the consequence of the SETBP1 loss-of-function has not yet been well described. Methods Microarray-based comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) analyses were performed to identify genetic causes for developmental and expressive speech delay in two patients. SETBP1 expression in fibroblasts obtained from one of the patients was analysed by real-time RT-PCR and western blotting. A cohort study to identify nucleotide changes in SETBP1 was performed in 142 Japanese patients with developmental delay. Results aCGH analyses identified submicroscopic deletions of less than 1 Mb exclusively containing SETBP1. Both patients show global developmental, expressive language delay and minor facial anomalies. Decreased expression of SETBP1 was identified in the patient's skin fibroblasts. No pathogenic mutation of SETBP1 was identified in the cohort study. Conclusion SETBP1 expression was reduced in a patient with SETBP1 haploinsufficiency, indicating that the SETBP1 deletion phenotype is allele dose sensitive. In correlation with the exclusive deletion of SETBP1, this study delimits a milder phenotype distinct from SGS overlapping with the previously described phenotype of del(18)(q12.2q21.1) syndrome including global developmental, expressive language delay and distinctive facial features. These findings support the hypothesis that mutations in SETBP1 causing SGS may have a gain-of-function or a dominant-negative effect, whereas haploinsufficiency or loss-of-function mutations in SETBP1 cause a milder phenotype.
Sphingobacterium changzhouense sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from a rice field.

A Gram-stain-negative, yellow, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, designated N7(T), was isolated from a soil sample collected from a rice field in Jiangsu, China, and was characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain N7(T) grew optimally at 25-30 °C, pH 6.0-8.0, and in the presence of 1 % NaCl (w/v). 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain N7(T) was a member of the genus Sphingobacterium and was closely related to Sphingobacterium multivorum IAM14316(T) (97.49 %) and Sphingobacterium canadense CR11(T) (97.11 %), sharing less than 97 % sequence similarities with other species of the genus Sphingobacterium. The predominant respiratory quinone of strain N7(T) was MK-7 and major fatty acids were summed features 3 (C16 : 1ω6c and/or C16 : 1ω7c), iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The G+C content of the DNA was 40.9±0.5 mol%. The levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain N7(T) and the most closely related species S. multivorum IAM 14316(T) and S. canadense CR11(T) were 21 % and 15 %, respectively. Based on these results, strain N7(T) is proposed to represent a separate species within the genus Sphingobacterium. The name Sphingobacterium changzhouense sp. nov. is suggested and the type strain is N7(T) ( = CCTCC AB 2012100(T) = KACC 16854(T)).
Recovery from aplastic anemia after treatment with cyclophosphamide.

The prognosis for survival in severe aplastic anemia remains poor despite advances in management of patients with this condition over the past decade. Treatment with androgenic steroids has not been shown to be effective in pronounced bone-marrow aplasia.1 , 2 Bone-marrow transplantation is now a recognized form of therapy for patients with severe aplastic anemia. However, although increasing success is being reported as a result of transplantation with an HLA-compatible sibling's bone marrow, more than half the patients do not have compatible siblings.3 For some years, it has been speculated that immune processes may be involved in the pathogenesis of aplastic anemia .
The influence of peers and other significant persons on sexuality and condom-use among young adults in northern Tanzania

Sexual behaviour change remains a primary goal of HIV prevention efforts globally. It is a complex issue influenced by numerous unpredictable variables such as individual desires, social and cultural relationships, and environmental and economic dynamics. This study in northern Tanzania was conducted in June and July 2004 as part of a baseline survey carried out in 10 districts in eight regions of the country, Using a list of 65 villages in the northern zone, we randomly selected participants from four villages: one village each from three Area Development Programmes within World Vision Tanzania and one village from a high HIV transmission area (HTA). Five hundred and twenty-six respondents aged 15–24 years were selected from in-school and out-of-school groups. Of the total, 41.5% were sexually active. The age of sexual debut ranged from age 5–20 years for boys, and age 7–24 for girls. The mean age of sexual debut was 16 years old for males and 17 years old for females. The factors most strongly associated with sexual experience were: age greater than 16 years (p < 0.001); male gender (62.5% vs. 37.5%; OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.58–3.56; p < 0.001); living with both parents (47% vs. 27%; OR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.84–0.94; p < 0.001); being out-of-school (75.8% vs. 24.2%; OR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.73–0.94; p < 0.005); and, not using condoms during first sexual intercourse (OR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.07–1.97; p < 0.02). Low self-efficacy in sexual relationships also predicted being sexually experienced (p < 0.001). High self-efficacy in intention to use condoms did not influence condom-use among sexually experienced youths (p < 0.001; OR = 1.70; 95% CI = 1.43–2.02). The perceived high influence of parents towards youths' intention to use condoms was a predictor of sexual experience (OR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.05–1.45; p < 0.01). As a generalisation, the sexually experienced youths in the study population had experienced sex at a relatively early age and often had not used a condom at first sexual intercourse.
Altered intravenous pharmacokinetics of topotecan in rats with acute renal failure (ARF) induced by uranyl nitrate: Do adenosine A1 antagonists (selective/non-selective) normalize the altered topotecan kinetics in ARF?

A series of exploratory investigations with multiple agents was carried out in normal rats and in rats with uranyl nitrate-induced acute renal failure to understand the disposition characteristics of intravenous topotecan (TPT) used as a model substrate. The disposition of TPT was unaltered in normal rats when treated with methotrexate, whereas treatment with probenecid increased the systemic exposure of TPT. In case of uranyl nitrate-induced acute renal failure (UN-ARF) rats, the systemic exposure of TPT was increased when compared with normal rats, whereas in UN-ARF rats treated with probenecid a further reduction in renal clearance of TPT was noted as compared with that of UN-ARF induced rats. Thus, TPT may be involved in the tubular secretory pathway when a passive glomerular filtration pathway for elimination was not possible. The disposition of TPT did not normalize in UN-ARF rats when treated with caffeine, a non-selective adenosine A1 receptor antagonist, whereas the selective adenosine A1 receptor antagonist (1,3-dipropyl-8-phenylxanthine, DPPX) normalized TPT pharmacokinetic disposition by improving renal function. Renal excretion studies demonstrated that CLR improved by almost fivefold following DPPX treatment in ARF rats. In addition, the qualitative stability/metabolism pattern of TPT in liver microsomes prepared from various groups of rats (normal rats, UN-ARF rats, rats treated with DPPX, and UN-ARF rats treated with DPPX) was found to be similar. In summary, using a pharmacokinetic tool as a surrogate, it has been shown that the pharmacokinetic disposition of TPT improved considerably upon treatment with DPPX, a selective adenosine A1 antagonist.
Activity of guard cell anion channel SLAC1 is controlled by drought-stress signaling kinase-phosphatase pair

In response to drought stress the phytohormone ABA (abscisic acid) induces stomatal closure and, therein, activates guard cell anion channels in a calcium-dependent as well as-independent manner. Two key components of the ABA signaling pathway are the protein kinase OST1 (open stomata 1) and the protein phosphatase ABI1 (ABA insensitive 1). The recently identified guard cell anion channel SLAC1 appeared to be the key ion channel in this signaling pathway but remained electrically silent when expressed heterologously. Using split YFP assays, we identified OST1 as an interaction partner of SLAC1 and ABI1. Upon coexpression of SLAC1 with OST1 in Xenopus oocytes, SLAC1-related anion currents appeared similar to those observed in guard cells. Integration of ABI1 into the SLAC1/OST1 complex, however, prevented SLAC1 activation. Our studies demonstrate that SLAC1 represents the slow, deactivating, weak voltage-dependent anion channel of guard cells controlled by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation.
The histological fine structure of perineurium

Extraocular muscles of the rat possess numerous nerves suitable for the study of fine structure. In these muscles, small nerves made up of one to ten myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers are surrounded by two or three layers of perineurium. The perineurium is arranged in concentric sleeves, each one cell thick. Continuous boundary membranes separate the perineural sleeves from the epineural and endoneural tissue space, but the boundary membranes may be spotty or absent between individual sleeves. The presence of boundary membranes around perineural cells distinguishes them from nearby fibroblasts which lack similar membranous investment. Tight intercellular junctions join the cells comprising each sleeve so that the nerves are completely ensheathed in perineurium. The number of sleeves decreases as the nerve becomes smaller, either by the termination of the innermost sleeve or by the loss of a sleeve as the nerve branches. The last sleeve ends shortly before the termination of the nerve. The perineurium is thus open‐ended peripherally and, at these places, the epineurium and endoneurium are continuous. Continuities between the epineurium and endoneurium also exist at the entrance and exit of blood vessels supplying the nerve and at points where reticular fibers pierce the perineurium. These structural features correlate well with the action of the perineurium as a diffusion barrier and as a pathway in the transmission of infections.
Efficient algorithm for estimating the correlation dimension from a set of discrete points.

We present an algorithm which computes the standard Grassberger-Procaccia correlation dimension of a strange attractor from a finite sample of N points on the attractor. The usual algorithm involves measuring the distances between all pairs of points on the attractor, but then discarding those distances greater than some cutoff ${r}_{0}$. Our idea is to avoid computing those larger distances altogether. This is done with a spatial grid of boxes (each of size ${r}_{0}$) into which the points are organized. By computing distances between pairs of points only if those points are in the same or in adjacent boxes, we get all the distances less than ${r}_{0}$ and avoid computing many of the larger distances. The execution time for the algorithm depends on the choice of ${r}_{0}$, the smaller ${r}_{0}$, the fewer distances to calculate, and in general the shorter the run time. The minimum time scales as O(NlogN); this compares with the O(${N}^{2}$) time that is usually required. Using this algorithm, we have obtained speedup factors of up to a thousand over the usual method.
Differential amygdala responses to winning and losing: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in humans

The amygdala has been shown to respond to many distinct types of affective stimuli, including reward and punishment feedback in animals. In humans, winning and losing situations can be considered as reward and punishment experiences, respectively. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure regional brain activity when human subjects were given feedback on their performance during a simple response time task in a fictitious competitive tournament. Lexical stimuli were used to convey positive ‘win’ or negative ‘lose’ feedback. The frequency of positive and negative trials was parametrically varied by the experimenters independently from the subjects' actual performance and unbeknownst to them. The results showed that the parametric increase of winning was associated with left amygdala activation whereas the parametric increase of losing was associated with right amygdala activation. These findings provide functional evidence that the human amygdala differentially responds to changes in magnitude of positive or negative reinforcement conveyed by lexical stimuli.
Separable domains define target cell specificities of an RTX hemolysin from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

The leukotoxin (LktA) from Pasteurella haemolytica and the hemolysin (AppA) from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae are members of a highly conserved family of cytolytic proteins produced by gram-negative bacteria. Despite the extensive homology between these gene products, LktA is specific for ruminant leukocytes while AppA, like other hemolysins, lyses erythrocytes and a variety of nucleated cells, including ruminant leukocytes. Both proteins require activation facilitated by the product of an accessory repeat toxin (RTX) C gene for optimal biological activity. We have constructed six genes encoding hybrid toxins by recombining domains of ltkA and appA and have examined the target cell specificities of the resulting hybrid proteins. Our results indicate that the leukocytic potential of AppA, like that of LktA, maps to the C-terminal half of the protein and is physically separable from the region specifying erythrocyte lysis. As a consequence, we were able to construct an RTX toxin capable of lysing erythrocytes but not leukocytes. The specificity of one hybrid was found to be dependent upon the RTX C gene used for activation. With appC activation, this hybrid toxin lysed both erythrocytes and leukocytes, while lktC activation produced a toxin which could attack only leukocytes. This is the first demonstration that the specificity of an RTX toxin can be determined by the process of C-mediated activation.
Simple elbow dislocation

The elbow is the second most commonly dislocated major joint in adults. Good long-term outcomes have been reported after non-operative management; however, a small proportion (<10%) of patients have a poor outcome and some do require surgical intervention. A review of the anatomy, pathoanatomy, management and outcomes of simple elbow dislocations is presented. Emphasis is placed on emerging concepts regarding the soft tissue injury, the stabilising structures that are injured, the sequence and mechanism of injury and the relationship to elbow stability. The benefits of nonsurgical and surgical management are discussed and a treatment algorithm based on the pathoanatomy is proposed.