Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Causes of Cost Reduction in Photovoltaic Modules

Photovoltaic (PV) module costs have declined rapidly over forty years but the reasons remain elusive. Here we advance a conceptual framework and quantitative method for quantifying the causes of cost changes in a technology, and apply it to PV modules. Our method begins with a cost model that breaks down cost into variables that changed over time. Cost change equations are then derived to quantify each variable's contribution. We distinguish between changes observed in variables of the cost model – which we term low-level mechanisms of cost reduction – and research and development, learning-by-doing, and scale economies, which we refer to as high-level mechanisms. We find that increased module efficiency was the leading low-level cause of cost reduction in 1980–2012, contributing almost 25% of the decline. Government-funded and private R&D was the most important high-level mechanism over this period. After 2001, however, scale economies became a more significant cause of cost reduction, approaching R&D in importance. Policies that stimulate market growth have played a key role in enabling PV's cost reduction, through privately-funded R&D and scale economies, and to a lesser extent learning-by-doing. The method presented here can be adapted to retrospectively or prospectively study many technologies, and performance metrics besides cost.
Acute effects of the novel antidepressant venlafaxine on cognitive event‐related potentials (P300), eye blink rate and mood in young healthy subjects

Venlafaxine is a novel non-tricyclic antidepressant, which preclinically has demonstrated serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine reuptake inhibiting effects. In this study acute effects of single oral doses of placebo, 12.5 mg, 25 mg, and 50 mg venlafaxine on event-related potentials (ERPs), eye blink rate and mood were studied in 16 healthy subjects. ERPs were investigated in an auditory odd-ball paradigm before as well as 3 h after each drug intake. In addition to 17 EEG leads, vertical and horizontal EOGs were recorded. After EOG minimization and visual artefact rejection the peak latencies of the spatial average were determined by an automatic procedure. The applied methods of data acquisition, artefact processing, objective component determination and statistical analysis were successful in describing acute effects of venlafaxine on ERPs in normals. NI and P2 latencies were not affected. An increase in P2 amplitude in the relevant central and frontal regions was seen, reflecting some effect on automatic information processing. Stimulus evaluation time was not affected, as P300 latency remained unchanged. P300 amplitude was not affected at the relevant central and parietal region. Blink rate was not changed. By means of the adjective checklist a dose-dependent decrease of “extroversion” and “high spirits” and an increase of “introversion” was observed. Our findings suggest that venlafaxine affects human information processing less than would be expected from the more centrally inhibiting classical antidepressants.
Currency Substitution And Stability Of Money Demand In Ghana

Monetary policymakers and economists in Ghana have become very disconcerted about the policy implications of the widespread demand for and gradual shift to the use of foreign currency in the economy in recent years. The question of whether the mounting trend of dollarization provides evidence of currency substitution has remained an empirical quest. The purpose is to empirically establish whether the data provides evidence of currency substitution. The method employed models a long-run money demand function within the portfolio balance framework, which distinguishes between capital mobility and currency substitution and also accounts for the pre and post inflation targeting monetary policy regime. The estimation technique follows the cointegration and error correction framework using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model for annual data from 1960–2013. The variables used are real money balances (defined in both narrow and broad terms) and real income, domestic interest rates, foreign interest rates, and exchange rates. The study reports that there is a stable long-run relationship between real money balances and the determinants. The results highlight that the income elasticity for narrow money is close to one but less than unity for broad money. The coefficient of the interest rate variable is negative for narrow money but positive for broad money pointing out differences in the definition of the two categories of money. Also, whereas the coefficient for returns on foreign bonds is negative for both narrow and broad monetary aggregates, the exchange rate variable remains positive throughout. The findings reveal that, although there is no empirical evidence to support currency substitution, exchange rates and foreign interest rates are significant factors in the domestic money demand dynamics. The validity of foreign interest rate and/or the expected depreciation of the domestic currency in the long-run money demand equation capture the existence of capital mobility. The implication is that domestic agents use foreign currencies together with the domestic currency, although the domestic currency remains the legal tender for domestic transactions. The results underscore the importance of developments in foreign interest rates and exchange rates for fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policies in Ghana. The policy implications of these findings have been deliberated to provide a guide for policy choices in the emerging economy.
Effects of Minocycline on the Ocular Flora of Patients with Acne Rosacea or Seborrheic Blepharitis

Purpose. To assess the effect of minocycline on the ocular flora in patients with acne rosacea or blepharitis. Methods. A total of ten patients were enrolled in this prospective study, with six patients diagnosed with acne rosacea with concomitant meibomianitis, two patients with acne rosacea without concomitant ocular involvement, and two patients with seborrheic blepharitis. The eyelids and conjunctiva of both eyes were cultured before the initiation of systemic minocycline therapy, after 3 months of active therapy, and 3 months after the discontinuation of therapy. Isolated bacteria were identified and quantified, and antibiotic susceptibility was determined. Results. The colony-forming units (CFU) isolated from the eyelids significantly decreased after a 3-month treatment with minocycline (P = 0.0013). The CFU significantly increased to approach that of the baseline with the discontinuation of minocycline (P = 0.0275). The most common isolated bacteria, including coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Propionibacterium acne (P. acne), except for corynebacterium, had a significant decrease in bacterial count with minocycline therapy compared with baseline (P < 0.05). There was a trend in the decrease of bacterial CFU isolated from the conjunctiva with minocycline therapy, although this was not statistically significant (P = 0.1955). Four of the ten patients carried tetracycline-resistant CNS strains, but none of the S. aureus or P. acne isolated at baseline was resistant to tetracycline. All six patients with acne rosacea and concomitant meibomianitis had marked clinical improvement. Conclusion. Minocycline effectively decreased eyelid bacterial flora in patients with acne rosacea or blepharitis. One of the mechanisms of newer generation tetracycline analogues may be a decrease or elimination of bacterial flora from the eyelids.
An Automated Algorithm to Preselect Patients to Be Assessed Individually in Point Prevalence Surveys for Hospital-Acquired Infections in Surgery

In this pilot study, we evaluate an algorithm that uses predictive clinical and laboratory parameters to differentiate between patients with hospital-acquired infection (HAI) and patients without HAI. Seventy-four percent of the studied population of surgical patients could be reliably (negative predictive value of 98%) excluded from detailed assessment by the infection control practitioner. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35(7):886-887
A Meta-Analysis on Data From 575 Patients With Multiple Myeloma Randomly Assigned to Either High-Dose Therapy or Conventional Therapy

Abstract: Long-term results of high-dose therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT-ASCT) as the first-line treatment for patients with myeloma are still poorly reported. To gain further insight in the long-term benefits of first-line HDT-ASCT compared with conventional therapy in myeloma, we performed a meta-analysis of individual patient data. We selected randomized trials evaluating HDT-ASCT in patients with previously untreated myeloma from 1990 to 1998, all with a median follow-up of 5 years or more. Individual data of the 3 selected trials were obtained from the study authors. Outcomes were survival, treatment-related mortality, and time without symptoms of disease or toxicity of treatment (TWiST). Five hundred seventy-five patients were analyzed, including 435 deaths (104 months of median follow-up). Compared with conventional therapy and adjusting for prognostic covariates, HDT-ASCT did not significantly prolong long-term survival (stratified hazard ratio, 0.887; 95% confidence interval, 0.735-1.072). This was not modified by accounting for heterogeneity in baseline risks, in treatment of relapse, or in outcomes across trials. There was no evidence of interaction between treatment effect on survival and presentation features. In contrast, a mean gain of 14.5 months (95% confidence interval, 9.9-19.1 mo) in TWiST was observed in the HDT-ASCT group compared with conventional therapy. In conclusion, we showed only a trend toward a long-term survival benefit of HDT-ASCT over conventional therapy for first-line treatment of myeloma. However, HDT-ASCT clearly delayed time to relapse, with a resulting 14.5 months benefit in mean TWiST. Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval, HDT-ASCT = high-dose therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation, HR = hazard ratio, IFM = Intergroupe Français du Myélome, MAG = Myélome Autogreffe Group, TRM = treatment-related mortality, TWiST = time without symptoms of disease or toxicity of treatment.
Measurements of bone mineral density and stiffness index in young Saudi females

Objective: To examine the ability to use Quantitative Ultrasonography (QUS) densitometer for screening of osteoporosis and osteopenia by comparing QUS values obtained at the calcaneus region to bone mineral density (BMD) values measured at the spine and the neck of the femur using Dual Energy X-ray Absorbemetry (DXA). Methods: QUS (in the calcaneus region) and DXA (the spine and the neck of femur respectively) measurements were performed in 101 females. Results: The precision of the QUS parameters varied from 1.77-1.78, whereas the reliability ranged from 92.2%-98.6%. For the QUS parameters variability between subjects was greater than that within subjects. Positive correlation were found between stiffness index (SI) and BMDspine and BMDN.femur (r= 0.29 & r=0.25 respectively, P < 0.05) and a strong positive correlation between T-scorecalcaneus and both T-scoreSpine and T-scoreN.femur (r= 0.5 & r=0.58 respectively, P < 0.01). Conclusions: QUS is a reliable technique to be used in combination with DXA for the investigation of osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Bi‐allelic silencing of the Fanconi anaemia gene FANCF in acute myeloid leukaemia

Summary. Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a chromosomal instability disorder associated with a high risk of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Previous work has shown that the AML cell line CHRF‐288, derived from a sporadic AML‐M7 patient, does not express FANCF protein and exhibits a cellular FA phenotype. We show that this phenotype is corrected by a FANCF‐expressing plasmid and that the absence of FANCF protein is explained by hypermethylation of the promoter region of the FANCF gene. As FANCF is localized in a hot‐spot region for somatic hypermethylation (11p15), FANCF silencing might be an early step in sporadic carcinogenesis, including leukaemogenesis.
A novel heterozygous missense mutation G316D of SIX3 gene in a Brazilian patient with holoprosencephaly-like phenotype and Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Here we report on a Brazilian female patient with the clinical manifestations of the holoprosencephaly-like phenotype who also presented with a retroocular granuloma diagnosed as Langerhans cell histiocytosis in early infancy. Mutation analysis showed a missense mutation (G316D) in the exon 2 of SIX3 gene, which was predicted as damaged by the PolyPhen program. We discuss the clinical and genetic aspects of this unusual case.
Understanding Success Of Black Female Counselor Educators In Terms Of Racial Identity

v LIST OF TABLES . ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 Background of the Study . 2 Statement of the Problem . 4 Racial Identity . 5 Purpose of the Study . 6 Specific Research Questions . 6 Conceptual Framework for Research Design . 6 Operational Terms . 7 Assumptions and Limitations . 8 Significance of the Study . 9 Knowledge Generation . 10 Professional Application . 10 Social Change . 10 Chapter Summary . 11
Dose of Proton Pump Inhibitors and the CYP2C19 Genotype

In the previous issue of this journal Hellström & Vitols (2004) reviewed and compared the properties of the proton pump inhibitors. They and Schaffalitzky de Muchadell (2004) agreed that the proton pump inhibitors are comparable with respect to inhibition of gastric acid secretion. The choice of proton pump inhibitors will primarily depend on the price of the recommended dose. Two years after the first proton pump inhibitor, omeprazole was registered, we demonstrated that this drug is metabolized by the polymorphic cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP2C19 (Andersson et al. 1990). The other proton pump inhibitors have subsequently been shown also to be metabolized by CYP2C19. In a MiniReview in this journal, Klotz et al. (2004) now discuss the importance of this polymorphic enzyme for the dosing of the 5 proton pump inhibitors prescribed today. They nicely review the pharmacodynamic effects of the proton pump inhibitors in the 3 genotypes of CYP2C19. In several studies, especially from Japan (Furuta et al. 2002 and other references in the review by Klotz et al., 2004), a higher cure rate in patients with zero (poor metabolizers) or one (heterozygous extensive metabolizers) compared to extensive metabolizers with two functional CYP2C19 genes. The latter genotype group needs a higher dose of the proton pump inhibitor to compensate for their more rapid drug metabolism. I also agree with Klotz et al (2004) claiming ‘‘initial genotyping for this enzyme and higher dosage in extensive metabolizers is likely to improve the clinical efficacy of proton pump inhibitors’’. Initially the proton pump inhibitors were used for short periods in time, a few weeks, but today they are used for long-term treatment especially to treat gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. We found in 72 patients treated for more than one year with 20 mg omeprazole per day, that heterozygous extensive metabolizers had 3 times higher serum gastrin than extensive metabolizers with two functional CYP2C19 alleles (PΩ 0.0001) (Sagar et al. 2000). Also concentrations of pepsinogen I and chromogranin A were significantly different in the two genotypic groups. In another long-term omeprazole study, we demonstrated that serum vitamin B12 levels decreased in heterozygous extensive metabolizers, but not in extensive metabolizers with two functional CYP2C19 genes (Sagar et al. 1999). These results further strengthen the utility of determination of the CYP2C19 genotype before treatment (especially long-term) with proton pump inhibitors to adjust the dose for the individual patient. This will aid to maintain a sufficient acid inhibition with a good response and to minimize the risk to develop enterochromaffin-like cell hyperplasia and atrophic gastritis.
Aerobic phosphorus release linked to acetate uptake in bio‐P sludge: Process modeling using oxygen uptake rate

The main processes involved in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) under anaerobic and subsequently aerobic conditions are widely described in the literature. Polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAO) are the organisms responsible for this process. However, the mechanisms of PAO are not fully established yet under conditions that differ from the classical anaerobic/aerobic conditions. In this work, we made a comparison between the behavior of PAO under classical EBPR conditions and its behavior when consuming substrate under only aerobic conditions. In addition, oxygen uptake rate (OUR) was measured in the set of experiments under aerobic conditions to improve the characterization of the process. A kinetic and stoichiometric model based on Activated Sludge Model No.2 (ASM2) and including glycogen economy (AnOx model), calibrated for classical anaerobic/aerobic conditions, was not able to describe the experimental data since it underestimated the acetate consumption, the PHB storage, and the OUR. Two different hypotheses for describing the experimental measurements were proposed and modeled. Both hypotheses considered that PAO, under aerobic conditions, uptake acetate coupled to PHB storage, glycogen degradation, and phosphorus release as in anaerobic conditions. Moreover, the first hypothesis (PAO‐hypothesis) considered that PAO were able to store acetate as PHB linked to oxygen consumption and the second one (OHO hypothesis) considered that this storage was due to ordinary heterotrophic organisms (OHO). Both hypotheses were evaluated by simulation extending the AnOx model with additional equations. The main differences observed were the predictions for PHB degradation during the famine phase and the OUR profile during both feast and famine phases. The OHO hypothesis described the experimental profiles more accurately than the PAO hypothesis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The relationship between level of training and accuracy of violence risk assessment.

OBJECTIVE Although clinical training programs aspire to develop competency in violence risk assessment, little research has examined whether level of training is associated with the accuracy of clinicians' evaluations of violence potential. This is the first study to compare the accuracy of risk assessments by experienced psychiatrists with those performed by psychiatric residents. It also examined the potential of a structured decision support tool to improve residents' risk assessments. METHODS The study used a retrospective case-control design. Medical records were reviewed for 151 patients who assaulted staff at a county hospital and 150 comparison patients. At admission, violence risk assessments had been completed by psychiatric residents (N=38) for 52 patients and by attending psychiatrists (N=41) for 249 patients. Trained research clinicians, who were blind to whether patients later became violent, coded information available at hospital admission by using a structured risk assessment tool-the Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20 clinical subscale (HCR-20-C). RESULTS Receiver operating characteristic analyses showed that clinical estimates of violence risk by attending psychiatrists had significantly higher predictive validity than those of psychiatric residents. Risk assessments by attending psychiatrists were moderately accurate (area under the curve [AUC]=.70), whereas assessments by residents were no better than chance (AUC=.52). Incremental validity analyses showed that addition of information from the HCR-20-C had the potential to improve the accuracy of risk assessments by residents to a level (AUC=.67) close to that of attending psychiatrists. CONCLUSIONS Having less training and experience was associated with inaccurate violence risk assessment. Structured methods hold promise for improving training in risk assessment for violence.
The effect of peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty on quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE intermittent claudication is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life. Treatment of claudicants aims to reduce mortality from cardio- and cerebro-vascular events and to improve quality of life. Quality of life assessment should be used to guide and evaluate treatment in this group of patients. Peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is now widely used in the treatment of intermittent claudication. The aim of this review is to examine the effect of PTA on quality of life (QOL) in patients with intermittent claudication. METHODS a review was conducted of prospective clinical trials assessing the effect of peripheral PTA on QOL. Publications were retrieved by searching Medline and PreMedline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Database of systematic reviews, AMED and CINAHL. The reference lists of the relevant publications were also searched. RESULTS seven prospective studies (10 publications) on the effect of PTA on QOL in claudicants were identified. Several different questionnaires were used to measure quality of life (Nottingham Health Profiile, SF-36, EuroQol) none of which were disease specific. All the studies showed some improvement in QOL after PTA at follow-up periods of between 6 weeks and 24 months, except for one which showed some improvement at 6 months but not at 24 months. CONCLUSIONS despite the fact that studies on the effect of PTA on QOL in claudicants have used generic QOL questionnaires which are relatively insensitive, the findings suggest that PTA may result in some improvement in QOL in these patients, although level I evidence to support this is lacking. The availability of disease-specific questionnaires should enable a more accurate assessment of PTA on QOL in these patients.