Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two-year follow-up of the patients included in the WHO International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia

Synopsis Over 90% of the 1202 patients investigated in the 9 centres collaborating in the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia were traced 2 years after the initial examination and on the average over 75% of them were re-examined, using standardized instruments and methods. Results indicate that patients diagnosed as schizophrenic on the basis of standardized assessments and clearly specified diagnostic criteria demonstrated very marked variations of course and outcome over a 2-year period. Schizophrenic patients in the centres in developing countries had considerably better course and outcome than schizophrenic patients in the centres in developed countries.
Impact of Working Capital on Corporate Performance : A Case Study from Cement , Chemical and Engineering Sectors of Pakistan

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of working capital on the corporate Performance in the cement, chemical and engineering sectors of Pakistan. The data is obtained from the annual reports issued by the companies during 2007-2011. To verify the relationship between the measures of working capital and profitability regression models are used. The results show that average collection period and operating cycle are positively whereas average age of inventory is negatively related to the return on equity. Firm size is positively whereas leverage is negatively related to the return on equity. Average payment period is negatively whereas cash conversion cycle is positively and significantly related with return on equity. The results indicate that working capital management influences the firms’ profitability.
Possible influence of the mutant CCR5 allele on vertical transmission of HIV‐1

A possible correlation between the rate of vertical transmission of HIV‐1 and the presence of the defective HIV co‐receptor gene Δ32ccr5 in the chromosomes of infants born to HIV‐positive mothers was assessed. The prevalence and genotypic distribution of the Δ32ccr5 gene were studied in 451 uninfected and 225 HIV‐1‐infected adults and 79 children born to HIV‐1‐positive mothers in Austria (45 uninfected and 34 infected by vertical transmission). As expected in a Caucasian population, the Δ32ccr5 allele was found in uninfected Austrians at a frequency of 10% (17.3% heterozygotes and 1.3% Δ32ccr5/Δ32ccr5 homozygotes, consistent with the expected Hardy‐Weinberg distribution). The mutant allele frequency was 11.1% in uninfected children (17.8% heterozygotes, 2.2% homozygotes) and 9.6% in HIV‐positive adults (19.1% heterozygotes but no Δ32ccr5/Δ32ccr5 homozygotes). Among the group of 34 vertically infected children, however, there were only two heterozygotes and no Δ32ccr5/Δ32ccr5 homozygotes, corresponding to a significantly reduced mutant allele frequency of 2.9% (P = 0.05 compared to HIV‐negative children). These results suggest that CCR5/Δ32ccr5 heterozygous children are less susceptible to vertical transmission of HIV‐1. The data also support the hypothesis that Δ32ccr5 homozygous individuals are resistant to HIV‐1 infection. J. Med. Virol. 55:51–55, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Knockdown of PSD-95/SAP90 delays the development of neuropathic pain in rats

Our previous work has shown that PSD-95/SAP90 is required for NMDA receptor-mediated thermal hyperalgesia. To address the role of PSD-95/SAP90 in chronic pain, the present study investigated the effect of the deficiency of PSD-95/SAP90 on nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain. Following unilateral L5 spinal nerve injury, mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia developed within 3 days and persisted for 9 days or longer on the injured side. The intrathecal administration of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide specifically against PSD-95/SAP90, but not sense or missense oligodeoxynucleotide, dose-dependently delayed the onset of tactile allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. These results suggest that PSD-95/SAP90 might be involved in the central mechanisms of the development of chronic neuropathic pain.
Real-Time Hand Gesture Recognition using Motion Tracking

This paper proposes a real-time recognition system for hand gestures, which serves as an alternative of human computer interface. We focus on hand gestures performed by hand motions, and 10 hand signed digits are recognized. Gesturing hand in each video frame is firstly extracted by skin-subtraction approach. The track of hand motion with maximal stand deviation is selected for gesture. And we use the histogram models to recognize the gesture tracks. The system achieves a recognition rate of 97.33%.
Revision Surgery for Residual or Recurrent Vestibular Schwannoma

Objective: Assess the requirement for and describe the complication rates of revision surgery for vestibular schwannoma. Study Design: Retrospective case review. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: Patients undergoing surgery for vestibular schwannoma by the Manchester Neurotology Service between 1978 and 2004. Intervention: Surgery. Main Outcome Measure(s): The presence of recurrent or residual tumor; necessity for further treatment; complications from revision surgery. Results: Primary surgery was undertaken on 1,037 tumors, with 866 total (19 recurred), 128 near-total, and 43 subtotal removals. Further treatment was performed for 4 recurrent, 2 near-total, and 11 subtotal excised tumors. Thirty-five revision operations resulted in 14 total (1 recurred), 8 near-total, and 13 subtotal removals. Further treatment was required for 3 near-total and 6 subtotal excisions. Poor preoperative facial function (House-Brackmann Grades 4-6) was present in 9 of the 35 patients. A further 10 deteriorated by at least 3 grades by 1 year postoperatively. Other complications of revision surgery included 3 patients with cerebrospinal fluid leaks, a postoperative hematoma requiring evacuation, 2 cerebrovascular accidents, and 2 patients with new cranial nerve deficits. Conclusion: Most residual tumors after primary surgery are successfully managed with watch and rescan. Tumor fragment size is the greatest determinant of revision treatment. After revision surgery, tumor regrowth is much less predictable. Revision surgery is usually considerably more difficult than primary surgery, with a higher complication rate, particularly with regard to the facial nerve. Changing the approach for revision surgery may confer an advantage to facial nerve function.
Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients With Depression Have Low Blood Cell Membrane Omega-3 Fatty Acid Levels

Objective: To determine the extent to which levels of membrane eicosapentaenoic (EPA)+docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) (the omega-3 index) were associated with depression in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Depression is associated with worse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in patients with ACS. Reduced levels of blood cell membrane omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FAs), an emerging risk factor for both CV disease and depression, may help to explain the link between depression and adverse CV outcomes. Methods: We measured membrane FA composition in 759 patients with confirmed ACS. The analysis included not only EPA and DHA but also the n-6 FAs linoleic and arachidonic acids (LA and AA). Depressive symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ). Multivariable linear regression was used to adjust for demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: There was a significant inverse relationship between the n-3 index and depressive symptoms (PHQ) in the fully adjusted model (p = .034). For every 4.54% point rise in the n-3 index, there was a 1-point decline in depressive symptoms. In contrast to the n-3 FAs, membrane levels of the n-6 FAs LA and AA were not different between depressed and nondepressed ACS patients. Conclusion: We found an inverse relationship between the n-3 index and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with ACS. Therefore, this study supports the hypothesis that reduced n-3 FA tissue levels are a common and potentially modifiable link between depression and adverse CV outcomes. AA = arachidonic acid; ACS = acute coronary syndrome; BMI = body mass index; CAD = coronary artery disease; CV = cardiovascular; DHA = docosahexaenoic acid; EPA = eicosapentanenoic acid; FA = fatty acids; GC = gas chromatography; MI = myocardial infarction; n-3 = omega-3; n-6 = omega-6; PHQ = Patient Health Questionnaire-9; UA = unstable angina.
Imaging the Spatial Evolution of Degradation in Perovskite/Si Tandem Solar Cells After Exposure to Humid Air

Monolithically integrated two-terminal perovskite/Si tandem solar cells promise to achieve high power conversion efficiency. However, there is a concern that the stability of the perovskite top cell will limit the long-term performance of tandem devices. To investigate the impact of perovskite cell degradation on the photocurrent generation and collection in the individual subcells, we employed light beam induced current mapping to spatially resolve the photocurrent under controlled humidity conditions. The evolution of the device behavior is consistent with the formation of an optically transparent hydrated perovskite phase that allows the bottom Si cell to continue to generate photocurrent at the probing wavelength (532 nm). Additional measurements were performed on perovskite thin films on glass substrates to verify the interpretation.
Electric Breakdown Model for Super-Thin Polyester Foil

Polyester has been more and more widely applied to the field of electrical insulation because of their excellent electrical and mechanical properties. One of the commonest concerns in industry is the reliability of materials. Therefore, the study of breakdown of solid dielectrics is extremely important in industrial applications. The increasing demanding for polyester films requires that the dielectric strength of polyester with various film thicknesses should be measured accurately. Lack of accurate data on dielectric strength could lead to design shortcomings: excessive insulation could lead to more expensive equipments, while inadequate insulation could lead to premature failure. The data of breakdown strength for polyester from several hundred microns to several millimeters can be directly obtained from the handbook of dielectric materials. However, there are few data of breakdown strength in micro-meter regime.
Diffuse hepatocyte ballooning in liver biopsies from orthotopic liver transplant patients

Mild to moderate liver injury to the orthotopically transplanted liver may result from acute rejection, mild ischaemia, or viral hepatitis. Because these conditions are often clinically indistinguishable, liver biopsy is frequently helpful. We previously characterized and reported the morphological spectrum of mild‐to‐moderate ischaemic injury from 170 liver biopsies (51 liver transplant patients). During this review, we found eight patients with a diffuse hepatocyte ballooning pattern. This pattern had some similarity to ‘preservation injury’ described by others, and in fact seven of the eight patients had these changes within the first 2 weeks post‐transplant. However, two of the seven patients also displayed these changes up to 6 months post‐transplant and the eighth patient developed these histological patterns only after the early post‐transplant period. Follow‐up data on patients with diffuse hepatocyte ballooning showed that some reverted to normal histology, some transformed to well‐delineated perivenular ballooning, and some progressed to perivenular necrosis and/or infarction. Only when superimposed perivenular necrosis became apparent did the Injury become irreversible, necessitating allograft removal or resulting in death. The pathogenesis of diffuse hepatocyte ballooning is unclear. However, the association of some of the cases with ‘preservation injury’ pattern in the early post‐transplant period and the progression of others to necrosis and infarction, suggest an ischaemic basis for this lesion.
An investigation of customer attitude towards online stores

Developments in information and communication technologies have transformed the way retailing is conducted today, enabling the opening of stores online. This study aims at examining customers’ post-purchase attitude towards online stores. Data was collected from 201 online customers from Gauteng, South Africa, using a structured questionnaire. The findings show that most customers had positive attitudes towards the online stores they had bought from. Store offerings, navigation aids, security features, and fulfilment reliability were found to have significant influence on customers’ attitude towards online stores, while customer community did not. The findings also show that post-purchase attitude towards an online store has significant influence on behavioural intentions to repurchase from a store. With online retailing being a new phenomenon in Africa in general, not much research has been done to help understand customers’ perceptions and attitudes as well as factors that influence these. This study addresses the gap and shows factors that managers can focus on in order to influence positively their customers’ attitude towards their stores.
Discrete-time cross-term forwarding design of robust controllers for HCCI engines

This paper presents a model-based nonlinear feedback controller designed to regulate the crank angle at 50% fuel burned (θCA50) for a gasoline homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine with high dilution during load transitions and charge temperature variations. Discrete-time version of cross-term forwarding, which has not been presented in the literature to the best of the authors' knowledge, is developed in this example based on a positive definite Lyapunov function with set-point for the temperature at intake valve closing (IVC). The nonlinear feedback controller depends on measurement of the combustion timing θCA50 and estimation of the temperature at IVC. Closed-loop simulation of the full order engine model shows that the nonlinear feedback controller, along with a nonlinear observer, is able to regulate the combustion timing θCA50 by stabilizing the temperature dynamics during load transitions and intake temperature variations despite the existence of model uncertainties and measurement noise.
Surgical outcome and patterns of recurrence for retroperitoneal sarcoma at a single centre.

INTRODUCTION Retroperitoneal sarcoma is a surgically managed condition that can recur locally following macroscopically complete resection. Owing to the low incidence of the condition, advances in treatment are reported infrequently but complete compartmental resection and adjuvant or neoadjuvant radiotherapy are areas under investigation. Given the practical difficulty of randomised trials, observational data can highlight advantages from progressive treatment approaches. METHODS A retrospective database of consecutive retroperitoneal sarcoma resections performed at a single referral centre between March 1997 and March 2013 was interrogated. Histological, radiological and clinical data were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses for disease free and overall survival were performed to establish independent predictors of disease recurrence and patient survival. RESULTS A total of 79 patients underwent 90 resections (63 primary). The mean five-year overall and disease free survival rates were 55.3% and 24.8% respectively. Higher patient age, high tumour grade, presence of extraretroperitoneal disease and invasive tumour phenotype were found to significantly predict survival following multivariate analysis. Half (50%) of the tumours displayed invasive behaviour on histopathology and 42% of locoregional recurrence was intraperitoneal. CONCLUSIONS Retroperitoneal sarcoma is commonly an infiltrative tumour and often recurs outside of the retroperitoneum. These features limit the therapeutic impact of interventions that focus on gaining local control such as complete compartmental resection and radiotherapy. It seems likely that future advances in the management of this cancer will involve new systemic agents to treat this frequently systemic disease.
The soluble receptor ST2 is positively associated with occupational exposure to radiation

Abstract Purpose Radiation exposure, besides the risk of cancer, may also increase the risk of non-cancer diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study investigates whether the soluble form of the ST2 receptor (sST2), an emerging prognostic marker in patients with CVD, can be used to monitor the CVD risk in individuals occupationally exposed to radiation. Materials and methods sST2 in blood plasma from 69 individuals, 45 workers from the nuclear industry and 24 controls, was analyzed using enzyme-linked assay (ELISA). Total antioxidant status (TAS) of blood plasma and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in lymphocytes were determined by colorimetric and fluorescence assays. Results The data suggest a 5-fold increase in the number of subjects with sST2 levels above the clinical threshold and a 10-fold increase in the number of subjects with TAS levels outside the reference range in the exposed group when compared to the group of non-exposed individuals. The strongest up-regulation of TAS was measured in the group of younger workers with cumulative doses not exceeding 50 mSv. Conclusion The present study may represent an initial step towards the establishment of sST2 as a biomarker for CVD risk estimation in the context of radiation exposure.
Ethnic variations in prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviors among Asian and Pacific Islander adolescents in Hawaii.

OBJECTIVES We examined ethnic variations in high-risk sexual behaviors among Asian and Pacific Islander (API) adolescents in comparison with White adolescents. METHODS We obtained data from the 2003 Hawaii Youth Risk Behavior Survey on 4953 students in grades 9 through 12. We conducted chi(2) and logistic regression analyses on these data to examine the prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviors among Japanese, Filipino, Native Hawaiian, and White adolescents. RESULTS We found significant ethnic variation in prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviors among API adolescents. Relative to White adolescents, Native Hawaiian adolescents were most likely to engage in lifetime sexual intercourse, recent sexual intercourse, and sexual initiation before age 13 years; Japanese adolescents were least likely to engage in these behaviors. Filipino adolescents were least likely to use substances before last sexual intercourse and condoms during last sexual intercourse. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest divergent patterns of risk among API ethnic groups, underscoring the heterogeneity of API subgroups and emphasizing the need for health disparities research on disaggregated API ethnic groups. The findings of such research should be used to design ethnically relevant interventions aimed at mitigating the negative health consequences of high-risk sexual behaviors.
Sirenomelia and VACTERL association in the offspring of a woman with diabetes

Sirenomelia and VACTERL association are defects of blastogenesis of unknown cause. Although they appear clinically distinct, some epidemiological and experimental studies suggest a common pathogenetic mechanism. We report on the reproductive history of a 28‐year‐old obese, diabetic mother who had three pregnancies. The first resulted in the birth of a sirenomelic child, the second in a miscarriage, while the third was terminated for fetal malformations, diagnosed post‐mortem as VACTERL association. This observation supports the relationship between sirenomelia and VACTERL, which probably represent the two ends of the same phenotypic spectrum. Their occurrence in the same sibship also indicates a possible common cause. The coexistence with maternal diabetes seems more than a chance occurrence and the constellation of malformations observed in the present family may be explained as the pleiotropic effect of the same teratogenic agent interacting with genetic predisposition to diabetes and/or obesity. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Powerful CEOs and Stock Price Crash Risk

We find that powerful chief executive officers (CEOs) are associated with higher crash risk. The positive association between CEO power and crash risk holds when controlling for earnings management, tax avoidance, chief executive officer's option incentives, and CEO overconfidence. Firms with powerful CEOs have higher probability of financial restatements, lower proportion of negative to positive earnings guidance, and lower ratio of negative to positive words in their financial statements. The association between powerful CEOs and higher crash risk is mostly evident among firms with higher sensitivity of CEO wealth to stock prices and when CEOs have lower general skills. External monitoring mechanisms weaken but do not eliminate the association between powerful founder CEOs and higher crash risk.
Optical Coherence Tomography in Papilledema: What Am I Missing?

Background: Grading of papilledema severity is subjective and based on monocular fundus features of the optic nerve. Interobserver agreement on grading the severity of papilledema is poor among expert observers, even using well-defined criteria such as the Frisen scale, which is a non-continuous ordinal scale of grading. Furthermore, non-expert clinicians often find it difficult to properly view and interpret features of the optic nerve using ophthalmoscopy, which can lead to failure to diagnose papilledema in non-ophthalmologic care settings. This may delay treatment, which can result in vision loss. Distinguishing papilledema from pseudopapilledema can also be difficult when surface drusen are not easily identified. Once papilledema is diagnosed, it is often difficult to determine whether a reduction in optic nerve edema is due solely to improvement in the status of the nerve or whether this represents concomitant loss of axons and viable retinal ganglion cells, leading to a poor visual outcome. Timely advancement of treatment would occur if loss of neurons could be diagnosed at an earlier stage of evaluation while optic disc edema is still present. This review will critically assess the role of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in solving these problems by providing an advanced imaging approach for diagnosis of papilledema and evaluating its severity on a continuous scale and evaluating the causes of visual loss in the setting of a swollen nerve. Methods Acquisition: The published literature (PubMed) was reviewed from 2000 to 2014 on the use of OCT for diagnosing papilledema, differentiating it from pseudopapilledema, providing a continuous scale of its severity and in evaluating causes of visual loss. Results: Recent evidence shows that OCT analysis of the retinal nerve fiber layer and retinal ganglion cell layer in papilledema can be associated with misleading artifacts due to layer segmentation failures. Newer 3D algorithms using neighboring locations help to overcome these problems. Disc volume appears to be a promising continuous measure of papilledema that is robust and has less associated artifacts. Buried optic disc drusen can be identified using enhanced depth OCT imaging, but recent studies have shown poor ability to differentiate papilledema from pseudopapilledema using OCT when the degree of disc evaluation is similar. Analysis of the retinal ganglion cell layer shows promise of early detection of vision loss due to neuronal injury. Subretinal fluid is easily identified with OCT and can help to identify a potentially reversible component of vision loss. Newer OCT imaging methods will allow the definition of capillaries and flow within them in and around the optic nerve head. Conclusions: Currently, the most useful OCT derived features relevant to papilledema are disc volume, subretinal fluid, buried disc drusen, and thickness of the retinal ganglion cell layer.