Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aspects of Language in Children With ADHD

This article reports some outcomes from an exploratory study that compares children diagnosed with ADHD and without language impairment with typically developing children for aspects of language use. Discourse analysis based on a systemic functional linguistics approach is applied to spoken and written samples from three different text types that are supplied by 11 children diagnosed with ADHD and 11 typically developing children. Comparisons of multiple variables most often show differences in use between the groups. Closer examination of these differences shows that relative to the controls, the ADHD group uses fewer strategies of textual organization and more avoidance, tangential, and unrelated meanings and more abandoned utterances and spelling and punctuation errors. Clinical implications suggest that careful linguistic analysis of spoken and written language of children with ADHD cannot only identify the linguistic resources they use within everyday contexts but may also indicate areas where intervention may be beneficial.
Abnormalities in lipoprotein metabolism in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Patients on chronic hemodialysis treatment are at elevated atherogenic risk, and dyslipidemia appears to be one of the major risk factors. However, most of these patients exhibit elevated serum triglycerides, whereas serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels are in the normal range. This study was therefore designed to examine the influence of hypertriglyceridemia under the condition of hemodialysis and diabetes mellitus on LDL metabolism. METHODS LDL was isolated from healthy controls, hypertriglyceridemic diabetic patients, and nondiabetic hemodialysis patients (N = 30, 10 in each group), which were separated into six subfractions by density gradient ultracentrifugation and were characterized concerning lipid/protein composition, degree of glycation, and oxidation. Uptake of 125I-labeled LDL was examined via LDL receptors of HepG2 cells and scavenger receptors of mouse peritoneal macrophages. RESULTS In hemodialysis patients, serum triglycerides were significantly elevated, whereas cholesterol levels were within the normal range. Triglyceride enrichment occurred in the very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) class and LDL class, and an accumulation of a highly atherogenic small dense LDL subfraction could be detected predominantly in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. LDL of hemodialysis patients also contained elevated levels of lipid peroxidation products, which were even higher in diabetic patients. Alterations in composition, size, and configuration of LDL from diabetic and nondiabetic patients on hemodialysis impaired LDL receptor-mediated degradation and enhanced the uptake of these modified LDL particles via nonsaturable scavenger receptors. CONCLUSION Diminished LDL receptor-mediated uptake of modified, triglyceride-rich, small dense LDL most likely leads to accumulation of these lipoproteins in vivo, favoring the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Future clinical studies must demonstrate whether patients will benefit from reducing these atherogenic particles by lipid-lowering intervention.
Linked Data in Government

Government data is powerful, plentiful, and relevant to citizens' concerns. Making it open supports transparency, crowdsourcing data enhancement, and innovative service development. The authors review the state of linked open government data, in the context of the potential for the publishing organizations and the Linked Data Web itself, as well as the administrative and political issues raised.
Nurse practitioner's and certified nurse midwives' knowledge, opinions and practice behaviors regarding periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, opinions and practice behaviors of nurse practitioners (NP) and certified nurse midwives (CNM) regarding periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. METHODS A 45 item survey was developed, approved, pretested, revised and mailed to 404 North Carolina NPs and CNMs who provide prenatal care. Data was entered into an excel database and transferred to SPSS for Windows for complete analysis. Linear regression modeling was used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS A total of 219 NPs and CNMs responded to the mailed survey, achieving a response rate of 54%. NPs and CNMs reported having limited knowledge regarding oral health. The majority felt they should collaborate with oral health care professionals to screen patients for periodontal disease. Most agreed they needed more information about periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSION NPs and CNMs who frequently examine women could serve an important role in screening for oral health problems and making appropriate dental health referrals. Increased basic and continuing education could prepare these professionals for collaborative care with oral health care professionals. This study suggests that collaboration between NPs and CNMs with dental professionals could lead to improved oral health care for pregnant patients.
Developmental changes in isoform expression of Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II δ‐subunit in rat heart

In the heart, Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II is critically involved in the regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis. Previously the predominant expression of a subclass of Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II δ‐subunit, containing a second variable domain, was demonstrated in cardiac tissue. Here we report on the expression pattern of the non‐neuronal members of this δ‐subunit subclass, δ2, δ3, δ4, and δ9 in the developing heart of the rat. By semiquantitative RT‐PCR isoform δ3 was shown to be typically expressed in the heart, whereas δ4 was expressed in skeletal muscle of adult rat. From embryonic day 14 up to the adult state of rat ventricular muscle, amounts of δ9 transcripts remained unchanged, transcript levels of isoforms δ2 and δ3 were significantly increased, whereas level of δ4 transcript was significantly decreased. Immunoblotting, using an antibody recognizing specifically those δ‐isoforms containing the second variable domain, revealed three separated protein signals at about 59 kDa, 58 kDa, and 56 kDa. The immunoreaction at about 59 kDa, corresponding to the predicted molecular mass of δ4, was dramatically diminished, whereas a significant increase in the signal at about 58 kDa was assumed to represent an increase in isoform δ3. The protein signal at about 56 kDa, close to the predicted molecular mass of isoform δ2, was high in the embryonic heart and significantly decreased after birth. Our data suggest the predominant expression of isoform δ2 in the embryonic heart, establish δ3 to be the typical isoform in the adult heart and define the skeletal muscle form δ4 to be characteristic for fetal and neonatal stages of the heart. J. Cell. Biochem. 74:202–210, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
From Followers to Leaders: Managing Technology and Innovation

Innovation is at the heart of growth. To innovate, firms in newly industrializing countries cannot hope to match the R&R spending of the world's leaders. This book argues that they do not have to. By learning from the best, and focusing innovation effort on design and cultural change, firms from the unlikeliest places can catch up and then move ahead of world leaders.
Private versus Public Corporate Ownership: Implications for Future Long-Term Changes in Profitability

The advantages and disadvantages of public versus private corporate ownership have long been debated; however, little empirical research has provided insight into the issue. We investigate the consequences of public versus private ownership on future profitability by examining a large cross-section of public and private firms as well as a propensity-matched sample of public and private firms. We find robust evidence that public firms are associated with significantly lower operating profitability three and five years into the future when compared with private firms after controlling for firm size, current profitability, growth, and components of profitability. We also find that the differential future profitability of public versus private firms is driven primarily by future profit margins and the association between the lower future profitability of public firms is more pronounced for firms in short-term focused and highly competitive industries. Finally, we find that public firms are associated with smoother future earnings than private firms. The results provide insight into the differential future profitability of public versus private firms and the factors that influence the differential profitability.
The closed-end investment company premium puzzle : model development and empirical tests on Swedish and British data

For decades, business press and researchers have observed and investigated the premiums/discounts on closed end investment companies. Proposed explanations for the phenomenon have been poor performance, high expenses (due to agency relationships), inefficient internal capital markets and excess volatility in the returns of the shares of the closed-end investment companies. Some, but not conclusive, empirical evidence support these theories. Most empirical evidence is based on American data. This study uses British and Swedish data on closed end investment companies. Some, but not conclusive, empirical evidence support these theories. Most empirical evidence is based on American data. This study uses British and Swedish data on closed end investment companies from 1972 – 2004 to investigate the premiums/discounts. Three areas of explanations are examined: performance, agency costs and diversification. In contrast to previous studies this study uses detailed data on quoted and unquoted securities respectively to investigate the relationship between performance and premiums/discounts. Evidence is found for a relationship between the performance on unquoted securities and premiums/discounts, but not for quoted securities. Indications that measurement biases in unquoted securities are properly priced are also found. The agency problem is analyzed in two ways, formal and controlling power, to investigate if actions taken by the company substantiating agency behavior have additional effects on prices. Such actions are measured as large investments in other portfolio companies (controlling power). The empirical evidence suggests that the existence of formal power creates additional discounts. The marginal effect on discounts is even deeper when proposed agency actions are identified. Diversification is argued to decrease the value of a portfolio of securities when heterogeneous beliefs are present. This study provides evidence that portfolio diversification deepens discounts.
Cost of Equity and Property Insurance:Evidence from China

This thesis addresses the question of whether corporate risk management adds value to a firm by examining the linkage between the cost of equity capital and property insurance in China. Over the last decade or so, several studies have examined the direct impact of risk management (derivatives or insurance use) on firm value. Utilizing an agency theory framework, the present study adds to the extant literature by investigating the corporate risk management-value relation from a more focused and novel perspective using a panel data set of 395 publicly listed Chinese companies (PLCs) for the period 2003-2007. The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and modified price earnings growth (MPEG) models are employed to estimate the cost of equity. The results of the study suggest that Chinese PLCs purchasing property insurance tend to have lower costs of equity. Also a non-linear U-shape relation between the cost of equity and the extent of property insurance use is found. Given the inflection point occurs above the 90th percentile of the sample of firms, property insurance appears to be beneficial to most Chinese PLCs. The present study also shows that property insurance reduces the cost of equity by mitigating agency problems such as the managerial risk aversion incentive. Indeed, this is the first study that finds evidence that agency theory-based arguments appear to be appropriate in explaining the relation between property insurance use and the cost of equity. The empirical results are further robust to within-firm and cross-firm variations and unlikely to be driven by endogeneity problem. Therefore, the present study contributes new and important insights on the role of insurance - a pure risk hedging (indemnity) contract - in contributing to improvements in the market value of firms. This aspect of the research is particularly important in major emerging markets, such as China, that are attracting increasing attention from domestic and foreign investors but still suffer from severe market imperfections (e.g., information asymmetry) and an undeveloped financial and legal infrastructure compared with Western countries. Therefore, it is concluded that the results of this study could have potentially important commercial and/or public policy implications for corporate stakeholders with an interest in the Chinese corporate sector.
Applications of Population Genetics to Animal Breeding, from Wright, Fisher and Lush to Genomic Prediction

Although animal breeding was practiced long before the science of genetics and the relevant disciplines of population and quantitative genetics were known, breeding programs have mainly relied on simply selecting and mating the best individuals on their own or relatives’ performance. This is based on sound quantitative genetic principles, developed and expounded by Lush, who attributed much of his understanding to Wright, and formalized in Fisher’s infinitesimal model. Analysis at the level of individual loci and gene frequency distributions has had relatively little impact. Now with access to genomic data, a revolution in which molecular information is being used to enhance response with “genomic selection” is occurring. The predictions of breeding value still utilize multiple loci throughout the genome and, indeed, are largely compatible with additive and specifically infinitesimal model assumptions. I discuss some of the history and genetic issues as applied to the science of livestock improvement, which has had and continues to have major spin-offs into ideas and applications in other areas.
Emergency Department Conditions Associated With the Number of Patients Who Leave a Pediatric Emergency Department Before Physician Assessment

Objectives As emergency department (ED) waiting times and volumes increase, substantial numbers of patients leave without being seen (LWBS) by a physician. The objective of this study was to identify ED conditions reflecting patient input, throughput, and output associated with the number of patients who LWBS in a pediatric setting. Methods This study was a retrospective, descriptive study using data from 1 urban, tertiary care pediatric ED. The study population consisted of all patient visits to the ED from April 2005 to March 2007. Multivariate Poisson regression analyses were used to examine the impact of the timing of patient arrival and ED conditions including patient acuity, volume, and waiting times on the number of patients who LWBS. Results During the study period, there were 138,361 patient visits corresponding to 2190 consecutive shifts; 11,055 patients (8%) left without being seen by a physician. In the multivariate analysis, the throughput variables, time from triage to physician assessment (rate ratio, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 2.01–2.21), and time from registration to triage (rate ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.25–1.90) had the largest association with the number of patients who LWBS. Conclusions In the study ED, throughput variables played a more important role than input or output variables on the number of patients who LWBS. This finding, which contrasts with a work done previously in an ED serving primarily adults, highlights the importance of pediatric specific research on the impacts of increasing ED waiting times and volumes.
CLC in AMG solvers for saddle‐point problems

An algebraic multigrid (AMG) solution method for saddle‐point problems is described. The indefinite nature of the saddle‐point matrix makes it unsuitable for the simple smoothing methods normally used in AMG. Moreover, even if presented in a stabilised form, as is done here, poorly conditioned matrices will be generated when constructing the coarse‐grid approximation. This is because, with each successive coarsening step, the off‐diagonal matrix blocks (of interfield coupling) reduce in size more slowly than the diagonal blocks (of intrafield coupling). Stabilised smoothing operators are therefore considered. The first is based on an incomplete decomposition of the complete system matrix into the product of lower‐triangular (L) and upper‐triangular (U) matrices, an ILU factorisation. The second is based on an exact block decomposition of an incomplete (simplified) system matrix into lower and upper block‐triangular matrices, a BILU factorisation. However, the degree of stabilisation thus established in the smoothing operators does not guarantee an efficient smoothing at all grid levels. There can still be inefficiency on the least‐stable coarser grids. The breakdown in efficiency begins at a grid level where the ratio of the inter‐ to intrafield coupling strengths exceeds a critical ratio. Provision is thus made for a further conditioning of coarse‐grid operators, a coarse‐level conditioning (CLC). This is another block‐LU factorisation that is only applied at and beyond the critical grid level. It is not applied directly to the operator for any chosen level but to its fine‐grid progenitor. Thus, while ILU and BILU use postcoarsening‐step factorisations, CLC uses precoarsening‐step factorisations. With CLC so deployed, ILU and BILU become efficient at all grid levels, resulting in an AMG convergence that is independent of the total number of grids.
The prevalence of the 65-kilodalton isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies by glucose tolerance status in elderly patients from the cardiovascular health study.

CONTEXT Autoantibodies (AA) to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), a determinant of risk for autoimmune diabetes, have been found in up to 10% of patients with type 2 diabetes. In older adults, this marker may also serve as a determinant of risk for autoimmune diabetes and enhance diabetes classification. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between GAD65AA and glucose tolerance status, current diabetes treatment, and clinical measures in older adults. DESIGN GAD65AA were measured at baseline in 3318 participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a cohort study of 5888 individuals 65 or older. SETTING The population-based cohort was recruited from four U.S. sites. PATIENTS Patients included all Cardiovascular Health Study participants with known diabetes, newly diagnosed diabetes, impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and a sample of normal glucose-tolerant participants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES GAD65AA, body mass index, fasting glucose and insulin levels, blood pressure, lipid levels, and diabetes treatment at baseline were measured. RESULTS The prevalence of GAD65AA increased with decreasing glucose tolerance in both Blacks (n = 560) and Whites (n = 2730), being more pronounced in known diabetic individuals. GAD65AA were found in 2.3, 5.8, 7.8, and 8.3% of diabetic participants, reporting use of no diabetes medication, oral hypoglycemic agents, insulin only, and both oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin, respectively (P = 0.02, linear trend). Among diabetic participants, GAD65AA positivity was associated with diabetes treatment, higher fasting glucose, and lower body mass index. CONCLUSIONS Even among older individuals with diabetes, GAD65AA may be a useful marker in identifying a subgroup of autoimmune diabetes, serve as a marker of insulin requirement, and remain stable over years.
The informational content of dividend announcements and earnings forecasts in Canada

Foltz, David A. , M.Sc., University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, August, 1998, The Informational Content of Dividend Announcements and Earnings Forecasts in Canada. Supervisor: Dr. Said Elfakhani Corporate dividends have been the subject of a great deal of research. Most of the past work on dividends has focused on the effect of the dividend policies in American markets with Canadian markets receiving little attention. Regardless of the outcome of past research, one thing that is certain is that dividends are considered costly to both firms and shareholders. Firms may have to forego positive net present value projects in order to pay dividends. At the same time, shareholders are required to pay taxes upon receiving them. Thus, several theories have been developed to explain why dividends are paid. In addition, empirical studies have been conducted to determine the effects that dividends have on share prices around dividend announcements as well as their link to taxes around the ex-dividend date. One theory that explains why dividends are paid and is the subject of much interest is dividend signaling. Signaling is defined as an attempt by management to reveal valuable information to the markets in order to reduce the prevailing information asymmetry. The postulation is that dividend signals assist the market in resolving some of the uncertainty regarding the future profitability of the firm. Early dividend signaling theory focused on dividends as a single event that signals future investment opportunities to market participants. In recent years, dividend
Cellobiose-6-Phosphate Hydrolase (CelF) ofEscherichia coli: Characterization and Assignment to the Unusual Family 4 of Glycosylhydrolases

ABSTRACT The gene celF of the cryptic cel operon ofEscherichia coli has been cloned, and the encoded 6-phospho-β-glucosidase (cellobiose-6-phosphate [6P] hydrolase; CelF [EC 3.2.1.86 ]) has been expressed and purified in a catalytically active state. Among phospho-β-glycosidases, CelF exhibits unique requirements for a divalent metal ion and NAD+ for activity and, by sequence alignment, is assigned to family 4 of the glycosylhydrolase superfamily. CelF hydrolyzed a variety of P-β-glucosides, including cellobiose-6P, salicin-6P, arbutin-6P, gentiobiose-6P, methyl-β-glucoside-6P, and the chromogenic analog,p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside-6P. In the absence of a metal ion and NAD+, purified CelF was rapidly and irreversibly inactivated. The functional roles of the cofactors have not been established, but NAD+ appears not to be a reactant and there is no evidence for reduction of the nucleotide during substrate cleavage. In solution, native CelF exists as a homotetramer (Mw, ∼200,000) composed of noncovalently linked subunits, and this oligomeric structure is maintained independently of the presence or absence of a metal ion. The molecular weight of the CelF monomer (Mr, ∼50,000), estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, is in agreement with that calculated from the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide (450 residues;Mr = 50,512). Comparative sequence alignments provide tentative identification of the NAD+-binding domain (residues 7 to 40) and catalytically important glutamyl residues (Glu112 and Glu356) of CelF.