Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Value of Leukocytosis, ESR and CRP in Patients with Suspected Acute Appendicitis

Article history: Received: 28 Apr 2012 Accepted: 2 Mar 2013 Available online: 20 May 2013 ZJRMS 2013; 15(7): 59-63 Background: This study aimed to determine the value of the ESR, CRP and Leukocyte count in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective (descriptive-analytic) study which was conducted from August 2007 until October 2008 in Zahedan. A sample of 426 available patients with suspected acute appendicitis –who had been admitted to Ali-ebneAbitalib and Khatam-al-Anbia hospitals– were recruited to participate in this study. Patients’ demographic data, their blood samples for ESR, CPR and Leukocyte count were collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis. SPSS-16 was used to analyze data. Results: A number of 426 patients were investigated. Nearly 59.9% were male and 81% of the patients had leukocytosis. 214 cases of inflamed papillae (50.4%), 102 cases of exudation (23.9%), 36 cases of gangrene (8.5%) and 25 cases of perforated appendicitis were observed during the operations. Seven cases had abscess or flegmon. Pathological reports of 84 patients (19.7) showed normal appendices. Sensitivity and specificity value of ESR and CRP tests were (71.9 & 39.0%) and (85.0% & 57.0%) respectively. Positive and negative predictive value (PPV and NPV) of both tests were 83, 25, 89, and 48% respectively. ESR and CRP and leukocytosis had significant statistical correlation with phonological results. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that in addition to physical examination, some basic laboratory findings such as ESR, CPR and leukocytosis can be helpful. Among these, the value of CPR in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis is higher. Copyright © 2013 Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
Expiration day effects of stock index derivatives in Germany

There is a significant increase in trading volume on quarterly futures expiration days in Germany. Delays in the opening for the majority of index stocks indicate that a large part of this extraordinary volume is indeed traded right at the opening of the market. An increase in trading activity is also observed over the ten minute settlement period for index options. Volatility remains unchanged around the expiration of a futures contract. An increase is found for the ten minute settlement period of DAX options. Return reversals as the measure for the economic costs of contract expirations are significantly higher when a futures contract expires at the open. When an option expires at the close no clear pattern for reversals can be found.
Examining the Intricacies of Promotion Standardization: Factors Influencing Advertising Message and Packaging

Standardization of promotional elements in an international context is an important issue faced by multinational managers and has been the subject of debate for several decades. However, to date, few empirical studies have examined the intricacies of this issue, and thus there is little guidance for academics or practitioners. This study empirically examines the influence of four factors—market similarity, process standardization, environmental similarity, and mode of entry—on two elements of promotion standardization: advertising message and packaging. The authors test the hypotheses with both quantitative and qualitative data from U.S. multinational corporations conducting business in the emerging market of India. Results indicate that the four antecedent factors have different effects on advertising message and packaging standardization. The authors present several academic and managerial implications.
Racial differences in the search for housing: Do whites and blacks use the same techniques to find housing?

Abstract Studies report that real estate brokers often provide less information to black clients than to whites and steer them to different neighborhoods. However, few studies have investigated racial differences in housing search procedures. If blacks believe they will receive less useful information from brokers, they may avoid them. Analyzing 1992 data from Detroit, this study finds that blacks were significantly less likely than whites to consult brokers. Blacks tended to rely more on methods such as talking with friends, checking newspaper ads, or driving through neighborhoods. Blacks were also more likely to believe that they missed housing opportunities because brokers discriminate. Differences in the socioeconomic characteristics of subjects account for some of the differences in the use of brokers. Eradicating discrimination by brokers will broaden housing opportunities only for blacks who use brokers. Policy actions that address the perception of discrimination by brokers may be a more powerful .
Competition and Content in the U.S. Video Market

Strategic differences between major and independent producers competing in the video market are examined by considering changes in the types of content produced by the firms and the shares of rental and sales markets they achieve over time. This study reveals that competition has increased in the video industry, as shown by reduced concentration ratios, and that independent producers have grown more successful. The content range of the material offered, however, has not been expanded. Consumer choice has not increased in terms of type of product available, and major and independent producers are pursuing strategies to compete for the same market niches.
Environmental Preservation, Uncertainty, and Irreversibility

A number of recent contributions by economists have provided a clear insight into the causes of the varied forms of environmental deterioration, and have also suggested, implicitly or explicitly, policies for more efficient management of environmental as well as other resources.1 Yet, as Allen Kneese has pointed out in a review of empirical studies of pollution damages, “a general shortcoming of [these studies] has been that they have treated a stochastic or probabilistic phenomenon as being deterministic. ”2 The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of uncertainty surrounding estimates of the environmental costs of some economic activities. It is shown in particular that the existence of uncertainty will, in certain important cases, lead to a reduction in net benefits from an activity with environmental costs. In such cases the implication for an efficient control policy will generally involve some restriction of the activity.
e-Business and Disintegration of the Semiconductor Industry Value Chain

This paper examines the influence of Internet-based e-Business applications on the vertical separation of design, manufacture, equipment production and process development in the global semiconductor industry. Vertical specialization has contributed to the rapid growth of semiconductor manufacturing capacity in Southeast Asia and the creation of new forms of international production networks linking design and manufacturing specialists. Although these trends began before the development of Internet-related e-Business applications, the Internet is facilitating these trends and their effects on the geographic distribution of manufacturing capacity. At the same time, however, many of the opportunities created by e-Business applications for vertically specialized firms should prove equally advantageous to integrated device manufacturers. Obstacles to e-Business applications in the global semiconductor industry include standardsrelated issues, data-security concerns, and the needs for far-reaching internal reorganization of business processes, especially by smaller firms. All of these obstacles suggest that the adoption of e-Business and the realization of its productivity benefits or cost efficiencies are likely to occur slowly.
Can Commutes Be Used to Test the Spatial Mismatch Hypothesis?

This paper uses a simple spatial model of urban employment to demonstrate that the relationship between spatial mismatch and commuting times is indeterminate if employment probabilities decline as the distance from job site to residence increases. Specifically, if employment probabilities decline faster (slower) than a threshold rate, then spatial mismatch will decrease (increase) the commuting times of central-city minorities. Thus, commuting-based tests of the spatial mismatch hypothesis are not just biased but mis-specified because spatial mismatch is theoretically consistent with both the null and alternative hypotheses. Evidence that this concern is empirically important is taken from the `contradictory' findings of recent studies that use commutes to test the spatial mismatch hypothesis.
Subsequent Skin Cancers in Kidney and Heart Transplant Recipients after the First Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background. The increased incidence of skin cancers in transplant patients is well documented; however, few data exist on the risk of subsequent skin tumors in a given patient after the first skin cancer. The aim of this study was to compare the individual rate of subsequent skin cancers in kidney (KTR) and heart transplant recipients (HTR) after the first squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and to assess risk factors for tumor multiplicity. Methods. In all, 188 patients (121 KTR/67 HTR) were studied for up to 5 years. The cumulative number of SCC, basal cell carcinomas, Bowen’s diseases, premalignant keratoses, and keratoacanthomas was recorded yearly after the first SCC. Results. Overall, 71% of patients developed 757 new skin tumors. At 5 years, 100% of HTR and 88% of KTR had presented new tumors. However, the mean number of all tumors was significantly higher in KTR (3.4 vs. 2.0, 4.8 vs. 2.6, 6.6 vs. 2.9, 8.5 vs. 3.5, and 9.7 vs. 4.6 at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, respectively). Transplantation before 1984, multiple tumors at first consultation, eye and hair color, and skin type were predictive of multiple tumors. Early minimization of immunosuppression and of sun exposure tended to be associated with a reduced rate of all tumors and of SCC, respectively. Conclusions. Although the proportion of HTR developing new tumors is greater as compared with KTR, the mean number of tumors per patient is higher in KTR. This could be due to a longer immunosuppression in patients younger at transplantation.
A Variational Calculus Approach to Optimal Checkpoint Placement

Checkpointing is an effective fault-tolerant technique for improving system availability and reliability. However, a blind checkpointing placement can result in either performance degradation or expensive recovery cost. By means of the calculus of variations, we derive an explicit formula that links the optimal checkpointing frequency with a general failure rate, with the objective of globally minimizing the total expected cost of checkpointing and recovery. Theoretical result shows that the optimal checkpointing frequency is proportional to the square root of the failure rate and can be uniquely determined by the failure rate (time-varying or constant) if the recovery function is strictly increasing and the failure rate is /spl lambda/(/spl infin/)>0. J.L. Bruno and E.G. Coffman (1997) suggest that optimal checkpointing by its nature is a function of system failure rate, i.e., the time-varying failure rate demands time-varying checkpointing in order to meet the criteria of certain optimality. The results obtained in this paper agree with their viewpoint.
Vibrio gastroenteritis in Louisiana: a prospective study among attendees of a scientific congress in New Orleans.

The incidence of diarrhea associated with infection by Vibrio species was investigated among attendees at the 1986 Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy held in New Orleans. Twelve percent of respondents reported diarrhea; the risk of diarrhea was significantly higher in those who ate raw or cooked oysters (relative risk = 1.5, P = .005). At least one Vibrio species was recovered from 51 (11%) of 479 persons submitting stool specimens; however, only 15 (29%) of those with a positive stool culture also reported diarrhea. Of the five Vibrio species identified, V. parahaemolyticus was most common and was most strongly associated with diarrhea. V. cholerae serogroup O1 was not isolated despite the occurrence of a cholera outbreak during the same time period in Louisiana. Cultures of raw and cooked seafood served in local restaurants yielded five different Vibrio species. Although asymptomatic passage of Vibrio organisms was common among persons eating seafood, the risk of Vibrio gastroenteritis was low.
Clinicopathological spectrum of 19 adenosarcomas of female genital tract, including uncommon clinical associations and immunohistochemical profile, reviewed at a single institution.

BACKGROUND Adenosarcomas of the female genital tract have been rarely documented as case series from our continent. MATERIALS AND METHODS Over a seven-year period, 19 adenosarcomas were critically reviewed. RESULTS Nineteen tumors occurred in the age range of 21-65 years (mean: 43), in the endometrium (8), endometrium and cervix (4), cervix (4), and ovary (3). Four cases displayed coexisting leiomyomas; two, adenomyosis; two on background endometriosis; and one in post-treated cervix carcinoma. Histopathologically, the tumors were low grade (10; 52.6%) and high grade (9; 47.3%), the latter with sarcomatous overgrowth (SO) (7/9 cases). Dedifferentiation (8, 42.1%) and conspicuous decidualization (2) were noted. Immunohistochemically, the tumors focally expressed CD10 (4/6), smooth muscle actin (SMA) (3/8), desmin (8/11); diffuse vimentin (7/7), and estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) (2/4). Ki-67 (6 cases) varied 5-20%. Seventeen patients underwent surgery and four received adjuvant treatment (3/4 high-grade tumors). Five tumors recurred (4 high-grade tumors with SO) and one metastasized. Among 11 patients, five were alive with disease (AWD) (mean: 29.4 months) and six, free of disease (FOD) (mean: 15 months), the latter mostly with low-grade type tumors (83.3% cases). CONCLUSIONS Diverse clinicopathological spectrum was noted within adenosarcomas. Low-grade tumors were less aggressive than high-grade ones, with SO. Immunohistochemically, lower CD10 and ER/PR positivity was noted in high-grade tumors. Surgery formed the mainstay of treatment. Adjuvant treatment was offered in high-grade subtypes, including in tumors with SO.
The Rise of Manufacturing Towns: Externally Driven Industrialization and Urban Development in the Pearl River Delta of China

This paper examines the forces that are shaping recent urban development in the economically most prosperous region of China - the Pearl River Delta. It shows that economic reform since 1978 has accelerated the pace of industrialization in the region and thereby led to the rise of a growing number of new urban centers. While public policies of the government continue to play a central role in defining the patterns of urbanization, they are increasingly localized and heavily influenced by the imperative of promoting externally-oriented economic growth. As a result, the prioritization of resource allocation for urban development is tilted toward the need of attracting and retaining foreign investment, and the formation of the emergent urban social space follows closely the interplay between the interests of dominant players in the increasingly marketized economic process. A major consequence of this is a segregation of urban life along the lines of international and domestic division of labor, where the benefits of urban development accrue differentially to various urban residents according to the relative scarcity of the economic factors that they possess. Copyright Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1997.
Inhibited hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in type I pseudohypoparathyroidism.

OBJECTIVE To assess the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in two patients with the diagnosis of type I pseudohypoparathyroidism established previously by characteristic clinical features and laboratory findings, including low serum Ca++, high parathyroid hormone concentration, and subnormal urinary cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) responses to exogenous administration of parathyroid hormone. METHODS We determined serum thyroxine, triiodothyronine (T(3)), T(3) resin uptake, and 24-hour thyroidal uptake of 123 I before and after subcutaneous administration of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), 10 U daily for 3 days. Serum TSH levels were determined before and again at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after intravenous administration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) (400 microg) after an overnight fast. Values noted in the two patients with type I pseudohypoparathyroidism were compared with those obtained in 10 normal volunteer control subjects. RESULTS Serum thyroxine (T(4)), triiodothyronine (T(3)), T(3) resin uptake, and 24-hour 123 I uptake values for both patients with type I pseudohypoparathyroidism were within the normal ranges (5.5 to 11.5 microg/dL for T(4), 90 to 190 ng/dL for T(3), 35 to 45% for T(3) resin uptake, and 10 to 35% for 24-hour 123I uptake). Their responses to administration of TSH, however, were all significantly lower in comparison with the mean values for the 10 healthy control subjects. Basal TSH was higher in both patients with type I pseudohypoparathyroidism than in normal subjects, but TSH responses after administration of TRH, although not significantly different from normal, were blunted in relationship to the basal concentrations, as expressed as a percentage increase in TSH as well as a cumulative TSH response. CONCLUSION The responses of pituitary thyrotrophs to TRH and the thyroid gland to TSH were both considerably inhibited in the patients with type I pseudohypoparathyroidism in comparison with normal control subjects. This finding may be yet another evidence of the lack of adequate generation of cAMP, an important second messenger needed for normal functioning of most polypeptide hormones, including TRH and TSH, in this syndrome.
Vertical versus Wise Pattern Breast Reduction: Patient Satisfaction, Revision Rates, and Complications

A prospective, randomized study was designed to compare the outcome of inferior pedicle/Wise pattern reduction (group I) with medial pedicle/vertical pattern reduction (group II) in moderate resections averaging 500 g per breast. There were 105 women in group I and 103 women in group II. All surgical procedures were performed by the same plastic surgeon. Patient information recorded included age, body mass index, type of surgery, weight of specimen, need for surgical revision, and complications. Six months postoperatively the patients were asked to complete a questionnaire, which rated their satisfaction with the surgical outcome. The questionnaire used a 10-point response format ranging from very disappointed (score of 1) to very pleased (score of 10). The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference between the groups in age (31 ± 12 versus 29 ± 13 years), body mass index (26 ± 4 versus 27 ± 5), and amount of tissue excised (553 ± 203 g versus 548 ± 205 g). Group I required no surgical revisions, but in group II revisions for dog-ears were required in 11 percent. The rate of other complications was similar in both groups. Patients’ evaluations of breast size, shape, symmetry, nipple sensation, symptom relief, ease of brassiere/clothing fitting, and overall satisfaction were not significantly different. The vertical mammaplasty was ranked significantly (p < 0.05) higher by patients in regard to scars (6 ± 2 versus 3 ± 3) and overall aesthetic results (8 ± 1 versus 6 ± 3). In the management of moderate macromastia, this study indicates that patients who have a vertical reduction are less disappointed with the scars but require a significantly higher rate of surgical revisions compared with patients who have a Wise pattern reduction.
Supervisor Heterogeneity: An Analysis of UK Microdata

We investigate the attributes of supervisors and the key correlates of the extent of their supervisory responsibilities. We find a strong correlation between wages, education, experience, firm size and the extent of supervision. One implication of this is that firms may be indifferent between employing a few, "high responsibility" or many "low responsibility" supervisors. Our findings, suggestive as they are of supervisory heterogeneity, should be taken into account in studies that proxy the intensity of monitoring primarily by the number of supervisors employed. Copyright 2002 by Scottish Economic Society.
Aesthetic Critiques Generation for Photos

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Thus, there are various ways to describe an image, especially in aesthetic quality analysis. Although aesthetic quality assessment has generated a great deal of interest in the last decade, most studies focus on providing a quality rating of good or bad for an image. In this work, we extend the task to produce captions related to photo aesthetics and/or photography skills. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that deals with aesthetics captioning instead of AQ scoring. In contrast to common image captioning tasks that depict the objects or their relations in a picture, our approach can select a particular aesthetics aspect and generate captions with respect to the aspect chosen. Meanwhile, the proposed aspect-fusion method further uses an attention mechanism to generate more abundant aesthetics captions. We also introduce a new dataset for aesthetics captioning called the Photo Critique Captioning Dataset (PCCD), which contains pair-wise image-comment data from professional photographers. The results of experiments on PCCD demonstrate that our approaches outperform existing methods for generating aesthetic-oriented captions for images.