Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Democracy In Dispute? Ballot Initiatives, Education Policy, and Equal Educational Opportunity

This dissertation explores the increasingly common use of citizen-initiated ballot initiatives as an education policy-making tool. The initiative process has grown in frequency and influence in recent years. It has become a means for citizens to mandate education policies, enact legislation, and amend state constitutions without the legislature and largely separate from representative democracy. Within education, these policies sometimes fall outside of researchbased understandings of best practice. In this study, I investigate the impact of the ballot initiative phenomenon on American education policy, with particular emphasis on the extent to which ballot initiatives disproportionately affect disadvantaged students. I address the following central question: What is the relationship between education ballot initiatives, education policy, and equal opportunity, particularly for minority students? In addressing this central question, I explore (a) the specific characteristics of ballot initiatives and various state-level factors (e.g., partisanship, educational attainment, and poverty rates) associated with the passage of education ballot initiatives in the United States. I then examine how education policies that result from the ballot initiative process affect underrepresented students in particular and ultimately consider the implications of education ballot initiatives for democracy and equal educational opportunity. Findings suggest that throughout the history of ballot initiatives in the United States, education initiatives have been used 282 times to address a variety of substantive issues, including those related to (a) school funding, (b) governance, (c) higher education, (d) K-12
Understanding Employment Participation of Older Workers: The Canadian Perspective

La population canadienne est appelée à vieillir rapidement au cours des prochaines décennies, ce qui a amené plusieurs observateurs à remettre en question la pérennité des systémes publics de retraite. Toutefois, les conséquences négatives du vieillissement démographique peuvent être réduites grâce à l’allongement de la vie active. Cet article présente les résultats d’une recension critique des connaissances canadiennes concernant les déterminants de l’âge à la retraite et de la participation des travailleurs âgés au marché du travail. Les résultats sont regroupés en dix grands « domaines » couvrant les niveaux d’analyse micro, méso et macro: le marché du travail, la législation, les facteurs financiers, la position sociale, la sphére domestique, la gestion des ressources humaines, les facteurs liés au travail, la santé, la capacité de travail et la motivation.
Induction of various autoantibodies by mutant gene lpr in several strains of mice.

The effect of the autosomal mutant gene lpr (lymphoproliferation) on the development of various autoantibodies and immune complex (IC) glomerulonephritis was investigated in four genetically distinct strains of mice: MRL/ MpJ , C3H/HeJ, C57BL/6J, and AKR/J. The presence of the lpr gene not only enhanced the production of autoantibodies in the autoimmune MRL/ MpJ strain, but also induced the formation of various kinds of autoantibodies in the three other strains of mice without any apparent predisposition to autoimmune disease. Autoantibodies induced by the lpr gene included anti-double-stranded DNA, anti-single-stranded DNA, anti-IgG, anti-thymocyte, and anti-serum glycoprotein gp70. This indicates that the action of the lpr gene on the development of autoantibody response does not require the particular abnormalities of the MRL genome. The differences in amounts and types of autoantibodies among the lpr strains reflect the difference in the background genome of each strain, suggesting the participation of other genes or factors determining the quantity and/or specificity of autoantibodies. In addition to the development of autoantibodies, the three nonautoimmune strains of mice produced high levels of unidentified IC in the presence of the lpr gene, detectable by the C1q and the conglutinin binding tests. Their glomerular lesions, however, were relatively limited when compared with MRL/ MpJ -lpr/lpr mice, which developed severe glomerulonephritis early in their life. These results suggest that the lpr gene is able to induce the formation of various autoantibodies and IC at significant concentrations in nonautoimmune mice, but for the full manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus there may be a requirement for supplemental genetic abnormalities or factors.
Annual Report Readability, Tone Ambiguity, and the Cost of Borrowing

This paper investigates the impact of a firm’s annual report readability and ambiguous tone on its borrowing costs. We find that firms with larger 10-K file sizes and a higher proportion of uncertain and weak modal words in 10-Ks have stricter loan contract terms and greater future stock price crash risk. Our results suggest that the readability and tone ambiguity of a firm’s financial disclosures are related to managerial information hoarding. Shareholders of firms with less readable and more ambiguous annual reports not only suffer from less transparent information disclosure but also bear the increased cost of external financing.
Optimal error estimates for discontinuous Galerkin methods based on upwind-biased fluxes for linear hyperbolic equations

We analyze discontinuous Galerkin methods using upwind-biased numerical ﬂuxes for time-dependent linear conservation laws. In one dimen-sion, optimal a priori error estimates of order k +1 are obtained for the semidis-crete scheme when piecewise polynomials of degree at most k ( k ≥ 0) are used. Our analysis is valid for arbitrary nonuniform regular meshes and for both periodic boundary conditions and for initial-boundary value problems. We extend the analysis to the multidimensional case on Cartesian meshes when piecewise tensor product polynomials are used, and to the fully discrete scheme with explicit Runge–Kutta time discretization. Numerical experiments are shown to demonstrate the theoretical results.
Influence of chronic Helicobacter pylori infection on ischemic cerebral stroke risk factors.

BACKGROUND Infection by Helicobacter pylori (Hp) has been linked to extradigestive pathologies including ischemic cerebral disease. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between chronic Hp infection and ischemic stroke risk factors. MATERIAL/METHODS 80 patients (pts) aged 60-75 years with ischemic stroke confirmed by CT scans (group I) and 80 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (group II) were included into trial. Atherosclerotic plaques from 20 Hp positive pts were obtained at carotid endarterectomy for Hp DNA assessment by PCR. In all groups following parameters were determined; 1) the prevalence of Hp infection using (13)C-Urea Breath Test (UBT), 2) plasma anti-Hp and anti-CagA IgG and interleukin-8 (IL-8), and 3) plasma lipids and fibrinogen. Hp positive pts and controls received one-week anti-Hp therapy and after six months total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, fibrinogen and IL-8 levels were re-examined. RESULTS Hp infection was detected by UBT in 83.75% of stroke pts but only in 65% of controls. CagA seropositivity was also significantly higher in stroke pts (57.5%) than in controls (33.75%). Plasma levels of cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and fibrinogen as well as IL-8 were significantly higher in Hp positive subjects, especially in pts with ischemic stroke. Six months following successful anti-Hp therapy, the plasma levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, fibrinogen and IL-8 were significantly lower than those in Hp positive stroke pts and controls. CONCLUSIONS Hp infection represents risk factor of ischemic stoke via an interaction of Hp cytotoxins or cytokines with atherosclerotic plaques in carotic arteries.
Dextran and Its Use in Colloidal Infusion Solutions

This medium-sized textbook, now in its twelfth edition, is remarkably successful, and is excellent value at its very moderate price. The whole has been revised, much has been rewritten, and students and general practitioners will find here succinct and readable descriptions which cover the wide field of medicine. The index is not up to this high standard. Whenever a student hears, on a ward round or in a lecture, an unfamiliar phrase, e.g. promin dressings (page 101), anchovy sauce sputum (page 144), axonotmesis (page 696), he ought to be able, on coming home, to look it up in the index of his textbook and so learn more about it. This index is not only incomplete; it is inaccurate, e.g. Queckenstedt's test is not mentioned on page 693, and the sedimentation rate is not mentioned on page 271. It is to be hoped that before the next edition the index will be expanded and most carefully correlated with the text. Incidentally, the authors might look again at the alleged hexameter on page 611. Try as he will your reviewer is quite unable to scan it.
Impact of Physician Follow-Up Care on Psychiatric Readmission Rates in a Population-Based Sample of Patients With Schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE The study evaluated the association between physician follow-up within 30 days after hospital discharge and psychiatric readmission within the subsequent 180 days. METHODS Among inpatients with schizophrenia who were discharged between 2007 and 2012 in Ontario (N=19,132), those who had a 30-day follow-up visit with a primary care physician (PCP) only, a psychiatrist only, or both were compared with a no-follow-up group. The primary outcome was psychiatric readmission in the subsequent 180 days. Secondary analyses stratified the sample on the basis of readmission risk at discharge. RESULTS About 65% of patients had follow-up care within 30 days postdischarge. Psychiatric readmission rates were similar among patients with any physician follow-up and significantly lower than among those with no follow-up (26%): PCP only: 22%; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]=. 88, 95% confidence interval [CI]=. 81-. 96; psychiatrist only, 22%; aHR=. 84, CI=. 77-. 90; both, 21%, aHR=. 82, CI=. 75-. 90). In stratified analyses, 66% of patients were in the category at highest risk of psychiatric readmission, and the effect of follow-up with any physician was significant for these patients, compared with high-readmission risk patients with no follow-up, who had a 29% readmission rate (PCP only, 20% readmission rate, aHR=.85, CI=.77-.94; psychiatrist only, 29%, aHR=.84, CI=.77-.92; both, 17%, aHR=.81, CI=.73-.90). DISCUSSION Timely physician follow-up was associated with reduced risk of psychiatric readmissions, with the greatest reduction among patients at high risk of readmission. Because more than one-third of patients had no physician visit within 30 days postdischarge, improving physician follow-up may help reduce psychiatric readmission rates.
Medical Decompression of Vertebral Hydatidosis

Study Design. A case report from one of the longest follow‐up studies of survivors with spinal hydatid disease. This patient was treated with a combination of albendazole and praziquantel chemotherapy; the results of this form of treatment are reported. Objectives. To demonstrate the efficacy of combination albendazole and praziquantel drug treatment for spinal hydatidosis. Summary of Background Data. Although echinococcal infestation in humans is a world‐wide problem, it is rarely seen in the United Kingdom. Between 1% and 2% of all cases involve bone, and 50% of these involve the spine. The condition has a reported mortality rate of more than 50%. The average length of survival of patients with echinococcal infestation in Britain after the onset of symptoms is 5 years, and the average age at death is 41 years. Methods. The patient in this report had undergone multiple spinal debridement operations alongside internal fixation and presented with increasing paraparesis from recurrent disease. Surgery for disease recurrence carries a high risk of mortality. The patient was treated with a preoperative combination of albendazole and praziquantel drug therapy, a novel combination for this condition. Results. Response to treatment was monitored clinically, biochemically, and with serial computed tomography. No serious side effects were observed. Results were very encouraging. After 2 months of treatment she had improved and was able to walk with the aid of a walking frame; therefore, surgery was deferred. Conclusion. The combination of albendazole and praziquantel drug therapy appears to be effective in the conservative treatment of patients with inoperable spinal hydatidosis.
Estimación empírica de elasticidades de oferta y demanda* Empirical estimation of elasticity of supply and demand

The elasticity of supply and demand is an indicator of the behavior of producers and buyers to changes in commodity prices. It helps entrepreneurs and government officials to evaluate their pricing policies. In Mexico, this indicator is not commonly used, due to the belief that the elasticity can only be calculated using sophisticated econometric techniques. This study aimed to prove that through a simple method reliable elasticity can be obtained. The process began by determining the models that represent supply and demand in a simplified form. To each of these was calculated their parameters through multiple regression for which was used linear, double logarithmic or semi- log functions according to the case. From each equation the coefficient of the price (β) was taken to calculate the respective elasticity. These were compared with those obtained by sophisticated methods. It was concluded that i) price elasticity of supply calculated by regression, differs in value from those calculated with system of equations; and ii) the use of multiple regression is an option to calculate price elasticity of supply and demand as long as the model includes variables that markedly affect the supply or demand.
Amino acid sequence of the a subunit of human factor XIII.

Factor XIII is a plasma protein that plays an important role in the final stages of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. The complete amino acid sequence of the a subunit of human factor XIII was determined by a combination of cDNA cloning and amino acid sequence analysis. A lambda gtll cDNA library prepared from human placenta mRNA was screened with an affinity-purified antibody against the a subunit of human factor XIII and then with a synthetic oligonucleotide probe that coded for a portion of the amino acid sequence present in the activation peptide of the a subunit. Six positive clones were identified and shown to code for the a subunit of factor XIII by DNA sequence analysis. A total of 3831 base pairs was determined by sequencing six overlapping cDNA clones. This DNA sequence contains a 5' noncoding region or a region coding for a portion of a pro-piece or leader sequence, the mature protein (731 amino acids), a stop codon (TGA), a 3' noncoding region (1535 nucleotides), and a poly(A) tail (10 nucleotides). When the a subunit of human factor XIII was digested with cyanogen bromide, 11 peptides were isolated by gel filtration and reverse-phase HPLC. Amino acid sequence analyses of these peptides were performed with an automated sequenator, and 363 amino acid residues were identified. These amino acid sequences were in complete agreement with those predicted from the cDNA. The a subunit of factor XIII contained the active site sequence of Tyr-Gly-Gln-Cys-Trp, which is identical with that of tissue transglutaminase. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Contrast‐dependent Dissociation of Visual Recognition and Detection Fields

Seeing an object‘as something’is different from simply seeing it (see Watanabe, S., 1985, Pattern Recognition: Human and Mechanical, John Wiley). This distinction between recognition and detection often goes unnoticed in physiology and clinical practice, where visual performance is characterized in terms of acuity, visual field and contrast sensitivity. The corresponding functions of stimulus detection are consistent with the neural projection properties from the retina to the striate cortex, i.e. the‘cortical magnification theory’. Yet recognition performance for characters (Strasburger, H. et al., 1994, Eur. J. Neurosci., 6, 1583‐1588) and grey‐level patterns (Jüttner, M. and Reutschler, I., 1996, Vision Res., 36, 1007–1022) does not fit into this scheme. Here we show that this discrepancy results in the dissociation of visual recognition and detection fields, which is dramatic at low pattern contrast. Form proper can be appreciated exclusively within the much narrower field of recognition, the window of visual intelligence. Its function is, at low contrast, probably mediated by the magnocellular pathway and at all contrasts is determined by the processing characteristics of higher stages of the ventral visual pathway.
Cellular therapy following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the most effective approach for many patients with hematologic malignancies. Unfortunately, relapse remains the most common cause of death after allogeneic HSCT, and the prognosis of relapsed disease is poor for most patients. Induction of a graft-versus-leukemia (GVL), or graft-versus-tumor, effect through the use of donor leukocyte infusion (DLI), or donor lymphocyte infusion, has been remarkably successful for relapsed chronic myelogenous leukemia. Unfortunately, response to DLI in other hematologic malignancies is much less common and depends on many factors including histology, pace and extent of relapse, and time from HSCT to relapse. Furthermore, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is common after DLI and often limits successful immunotherapy. Ultimately, manipulations to minimize GVHD while preserving or enhancing GVL are necessary to improve outcomes for relapse after allogeneic HSCT.
Detection of left ventricular enlargement and impaired systolic function with plasma N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide concentrations.

BACKGROUND Brain- and N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) have been identified as promising markers for heart failure. However, previous studies have revealed that they may hold insufficient diagnostic power for implementation into clinical practice because of a significant overlap in the range of plasma levels between healthy subjects and subjects with heart failure. We hypothesized that imprecision of the reference method (ie, the echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular [LV] function) may have affected results from those earlier studies. We therefore wanted to investigate the diagnostic potential of NT-proBNP with magnetic resonance imaging as the reference method for the cardiac measurements. METHODS Forty-eight patients with stable symptomatic heart failure in New York Heart Association functional classifications II to IV were examined once with blood samples and magnetic resonance imaging along with 20 age-matched and gender-matched healthy control subjects. RESULTS NT-proBNP was associated with LV end-diastolic (r = 0.69; P <.0001) and end-systolic (r = 0.73; P <.0001) volume indices, LV mass index (r = 0.69; P <.0001), and LV ejection fraction (r = -0.75; P <.0001). Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated for the ability of NT-proBNP to detect LV end-diastolic volume index (>105 mL. m(-2)[cut-off]; sensitivity/specificity, 82%/87%), LV end-systolic volume index (>35 mL. m(-2); sensitivity/specificity, 86%/86%), LV mass index (>152 g. m(-2); sensitivity/specificity, 85%/86%), and LV ejection fraction (<58%; sensitivity/specificity, 84%/85%) deviating more than 2 standard deviations from control values. CONCLUSION NT-proBNP is a powerful marker for LV dimensions and systolic function in patients with heart failure and discriminates well between healthy subjects and subjects with impaired LV systolic function or increased LV dimensions.
Cerebral Hemodynamics in Hypertensive Patients Compared With Normotensive Volunteers: A Transcranial Doppler Study

Background and Purpose The present study was designed to examine cerebral hemodynamics in early and chronic stages of hypertension using transcranial Doppler sonography. Methods Our study population consisted of 16 chronic hypertensive patients with chronic and small deep brain infarction, 10 young early‐stage hypertensive subjects, and 16 young normotensive healthy volunteers. Using three‐dimensional mapping techniques, we identified the M1 portion of the middle cerebral arteries and measured mean blood flow velocity, and we calculated the Gosling pulsatility index (PI), Fourier PI of the first harmonic (Fourier PI1), and cerebrovascular resistance. Results Mean blood flow velocity in the young hypertensive group was statistically higher (71.7±11.7 cm/s [mean±SD]) than among chronic hypertensive subjects (56.9±21.4 cm/s, P<.01) and normotensive subjects (63.2±11.8 cm/s, P<.05). Gosling PI presented a mirror image of mean blood flow velocity in both hypertensive and normotensive subjects. Chronic hypertensive subjects showed significantly higher Fourier PI1 (0.32±0.05) and cerebrovascular resistance (2.08±0.82 mm Hg/cm per second) than normotensive subjects (0.25±0.03 and 1.31±0.23 mm Hg/cm per second [P<.005], respectively) or early‐stage hypertensive subjects (0.25±0.04 and 1.44±0.26 mm Hg/cm per second [P<.02], respectively). Conclusions Early‐stage hypertensive subjects demonstrated higher velocity, normal Fourier PI1, and near normal vascular resistance, whereas chronic hypertensive subjects showed near normal velocity, higher Fourier PI1, and greater vascular resistance. Results may indicate different degrees of cerebral arteriopathy and arteriolopathy between early and late stages of hypertension. (Stroke. 1994;25:1384‐1389.)
The effect of peptide surface density on mineralization of a matrix deposited by osteogenic cells.

The density of Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptides covalently grafted to solid materials has been shown to affect adhesion, spreading, and focal contact formation. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of ligand density on mineralization of the extracellular matrix deposited by osteoblasts. In particular, RGD-modified quartz surfaces with ligand densities varying over two orders (0.01-3.6 pmol/cm(2)) of magnitude were prepared to assess the long-term function of osteoblasts on peptide-derivatized surfaces. After 3 weeks in culture, surfaces modified with a 15 amino acid peptide (Ac-Cys-Gly-Gly-Asn-Gly-Glu-Pro-Arg-Gly-Asp-Thr-Tyr-Arg-Ala-Tyr-NH(2) ) at a density > or =0.62 pmol/cm(2) significantly (p<0.05) enhanced mineralization compared with a RGD surface density of 0.01 pmol/cm(2), RGE surfaces, or clean surfaces adsorbed with serum proteins. These results suggest that regulation of the surface density of adhesive ligands on biomaterial surfaces is a critical determinant in a strategy to alter the degree of extracellular matrix maturation in contact with solid surfaces (e.g., implants). Further studies are required to elucidate the intracellular signal transduction pathways that mediate long-term matrix mineralization through the initial engagement of these adhesive ligands.