Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Intravitreal Injections of Antivascular Endothelial Growth Factor Agents in a Rat Model of Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy.

PURPOSE We investigated the efficacy of intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF agents in a rat model of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. METHODS We applied laser-induced photoactivation on the optic nerve head after intravenously administered rose bengal (RB). The rats immediately received an intravitreal injection of either ranibizumab or PBS. The density of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) was calculated using retrograde FluoroGold labeling. Visual function was assessed by flash visual-evoked potentials (FVEP). We investigated TUNEL assays of the retinal sections and ED1 staining of the optic nerve. RESULTS After treatment, the RGC densities in the anti-VEGF-treated rats were not statistically significant different from those of the PBS-treated rats (57.0% vs. 40.0% in the central retinas; 39.8% vs. 33.6% in midperipheral retinas, both P > 0.05). Measurements of FVEP showed no statistically significant differences in preserved latency or amplitude of the P1 wave between anti-VEGF and PBS groups (latency 131 ± 15 ms versus 142 ± 14 ms, P = 0.157; amplitude 34 ± 12 μv versus 41 ± 13 μv, P = 0.423). Assays of TUNEL showed that there was no statistical difference in the number of apoptotic cells in the RGC layers between anti-VEGF and PBS groups (7.0 ± 0.8 cells/high-power field [HPF] versus 7.8 ± 1.3 cells/HPF; P = 0.275). In the optic nerves, we did not observe statistically significant differences in ED1-positive cells/HPF between anti-VEGF and PBS groups (P = 0.675). CONCLUSIONS Intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF did not have a protective effect in the rat model of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
Residential Amenities, Firm Location and Economic Development

Amenities are regarded as increasingly important to the location decisions of certain types of firm. Yet they are often ignored in economic development research because of the assumption that they attract only workers, and that this workforce, in turn, attracts firms. This paper argues for a reduced form model of the impact of amenities on corporate location. When testing such a model at the intra-metropolitan scale, it will be necessary to measure amenities not only at the potential worksite, but also where employees are likely to live. This paper tests such a firm location model using a sample of municipalities in northern New Jersey. Results support the hypothesis that firms evaluate certain amenities with respect to the likely residential locations of their employees.
Consanguineous Marriage and its Relevance to Obstetric Practice

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, consanguineous marriage is practiced widely in many parts of the world. More than 2 billion people, of various religious and ethnic backgrounds, live in countries where a large proportion of marriages are contracted between blood relatives. The practice is seen as promoting family stability and having significant social and economic advantages. Consanguineous marriage is important genetically—the children of consanguineous unions are more often homozygous for particular alleles than are the offspring of unrelated parents, and therefore, autosomal recessive disorders, which may be lethal or debilitating, are more common in such children. Health-care providers working with communities where consanguineous marriage is common, in particular obstetricians, family physicians, and pediatricians, need to be aware of the possible impact of such marriages on pregnancy outcomes, so the best possible genetic and antenatal care can be provided, sympathetically and nonjudgmentally, and the best possible results obtained. Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this article, the reader will be able to define the terminology used to define consanguineous marriages, to outline the reasons for consanguineous marriage, and to describe the genetic implications of consanguineous marriage.
When competition eclipses cooperation: an event history analysis of joint venture failure

Why do so many joint ventures fail? Despite the fact that their success is the exception rather than the rule, the literature on why joint venture performance has been so poor remains fragmentary. We address this issue, adopting a transaction-cost economics perspective and modeling joint ventures as governance structures that blend the advantages and drawbacks of both markets and hierarchies. Using a data base on electronics industry ventures and event history analysis, we identify several predictors of joint venture failure and test for their influences. A key finding is that the presence of competition between joint venture partners outside of the agreement significantly impairs chances for the operation's chance of survival. We also find clear evidence that the failure rate of joint ventures is nonmonotonic, rising to a peak in the middle term and then declining. Finally, we compare and contrast predictors of terminations due to failure to those due to acquisition of the joint venture by one of its partners. Our overall conclusions highlight implications for strategic choice theory-building and the management of joint ventures.
Organizational structure and corporate performance: insights from 6,065 listed corporations

Purpose – Due to the great distinctions for the legal environments, institutions and taxations, the restrictive external financing and costly financing cost, and great influence of macroeconomy or regulations on single industry, firms may change or adjust their organization structure to adapt to rapidly changing environment. Flat structure can decentralize the powers to subsidiary managers and can internalize the managerial market to promote competition among subsidiary managers and create an internal capital market within firms to alleviate external financing constrains, and it is matched with the diversification strategy to lower the operation risk and regulation risk for firms in changing environment. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The data of 6,065 listed corporations in China securities market since 2001-2006 are used to empirically test the hypotheses. Findings – The paper examines the efficiency of flat structure within the firm, investigating its influence on.
Two novel germline DDX41 mutations in a family with inherited myelodysplasia/acute myeloid leukemia

Though rare, inherited forms of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are being recognized with increasing frequency. Germline mutations in well-characterized genes such as RUNX1, CEBPA, GATA2 and ETV6 have been found to predispose to MDS/AML. [1][1]–[4][2] Families with
Nodular Glomerulosclerosis in Cystic Fibrosis Mimics Diabetic Nephropathy

Background/Aims: Despite the cystic fibrosis gene product, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, being widely expressed throughout the kidney, there is no clearly defined renal phenotype in patients with cystic fibrosis. As patients with cystic fibrosis survive longer progressive pancreatic destruction may lead to abnormal glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus, which in the kidney may be associated with the characteristic changes of nodular glomerulosclerosis. Methods: The adult cystic fibrosis service at the Alfred hospital consists of a cohort of 200 patients. We describe 3 cystic fibrosis patients with impaired renal function who had renal biopsies performed as part of their diagnostic work-up. All patients had fasting plasma glucose levels, oral glucose tolerance tests and measurements of HbA1c performed to assess for the presence of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes mellitus. Results: The renal biopsies of all 3 patients showed histological changes characteristic of diabetic nephropathy. In all cases described characteristic Kimmelstiel-Wilson nodules were present. However, in all 3 patients the presence of impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus was excluded using standard biochemical diagnostic criteria. Conclusion: We describe 3 adult CF patients, who on renal biopsy had histological evidence of nodular glomerulosclerosis in the absence of abnormal glucose metabolism. We speculate that the pro-inflammatory cytokine profile, typical of cystic fibrosis, predisposes to the lesions described.
A Fast Initialization Method for Edge-based Registration Using an Inclination Constraint

We propose a hybrid camera pose estimation method using an inclination sensor value and correspondence-free line segments. In this method, possible azimuths of the camera pose are hypothesized by a voting method under an inclination constraint. Then some camera positions for each possible azimuth are calculated based on the detected line segments that affirmatively voted for the azimuth. Finally, the most consistent one is selected as the camera pose out of the multiple sets of the camera positions and azimuths. Unlike many other tracking methods, our method does not use past information but rather estimates the camera pose using only present information. This feature is useful for an initialization measure of registration in augmented reality (AR) systems. This paper describes the details of the method and shows its effectiveness with experiments in which the method is actually used in an AR application.
Control-enabled observability in visual-inertial odometry

Visual-inertial odometry (VIO) is a nonlinear estimation problem where control inputs, such as acceleration and angular velocity, play a significant role in the estimation performance. In this paper, we examine effects of controls on the VIO problem. We first analyze the effects of acceleration and angular velocity inputs on state observability of the VIO problem. Representing the vehicle dynamics and the measurement equation in the line of sight coordinates, we prove observability properties for several VIO scenarios, including constant acceleration with no rotation and biased acceleration measurements. We next consider how the acceleration magnitude impacts the estimation performance. Using a planar example and Monte- Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that the estimation accuracy improves as the acceleration magnitude increases. We also show an interesting fact that deceleration along the velocity direction yields better performance than acceleration with the same magnitude for the same amount of time.
Sensitivity and specificity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using the recombinant DNA-derived Treponema pallidum protein TmpA for serodiagnosis of syphilis and the potential use of TmpA for assessing the effect of antibiotic therapy

The recombinant DNA-derived Treponema pallidum membrane protein TmpA, purified from Escherichia coli K-12, was used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to evaluate its suitability in a screening test for syphilis and to monitor the effect of antibiotic treatment. The sensitivity of the TmpA ELISA was 76% for primary syphilis, 100% for secondary syphilis, and 98% for early latent syphilis. All except 1 of 15 serum samples positive for yaws were positive in this test. A specificity of 99.6% was found by testing more than 938 donor samples. The sensitivity and specificity of the TmpA ELISA are comparable to that of the T. pallidum hemagglutination assay, and therefore the test may be useful for the diagnosis of untreated syphilis. After antibiotic treatment, the level of anti-TmpA antibodies in sera of syphilis patients dropped sharply within 1 year. Thus, TmpA might be a useful antigen for monitoring successful treatment of syphilis.
Model-Driven Development challenges and solutions: Experiences with domain-specific modelling in industry

Model-Driven Development is reported to succeed the best when modelling is based on domain-specific languages. Despite significant benefits MDD has not been applied as widely as expected. Costly definition of languages and related generators with tooling, their maintenance when the domain is not stable, challenges in scalability, and collaboration are some reasons that several studies mention. We believe these statements are justifiable but only when applying traditional programming tooling for modelling. Instead we show with data from practice that many of the challenges reported can be solved when using tools built for modelling in the first place.
Current recommended parenteral protein intakes do not support protein synthesis in critically ill septic, insulin-resistant adolescents with tight glucose control

Objective:To investigate the effects of insulin infusion and increased parenteral amino acid intakes on whole body protein balance, glucose kinetics, and lipolysis in critically ill, insulin-resistant, septic adolescents. Design:A single-center, randomized, crossover study. Setting:A medicosurgical intensive care unit in a tertiary university hospital. Patients:Nine critically ill, septic adolescents (age 15.0 ± 1.2 yrs, body mass index 20 ± 4 kg m−2) receiving total parenteral nutrition. Interventions:Patients received total parenteral nutrition with standard (1.5 g·kg−1·day−1) and high (3.0 g·kg−1·day−1) amino acid intakes in a 2-day crossover setting, randomized to the order in which they received it. On both study days, we conducted a primed, constant, 7-hr stable isotope tracer infusion with [1-13C]leucine, [6,6-2H2]glucose, and [1,1,2,3,3-2H5]glycerol, in combination with a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp during the last 3 hrs. Measurements and Main Results:Insulin decreased protein synthesis at standard amino acid and high amino acid intakes (p < .01), while protein breakdown decreased with insulin at standard amino acid intake (p < .05) but not with the high amino acid intake. High amino acid intake improved protein balance (p < .05), but insulin did not have an additive effect. There was significant insulin resistance with an M value of ∼3 (mg·kg−1·min−1)/(mU·mL−1) which was 30% of reported normal values. At high amino acid intake, endogenous glucose production was not suppressed by insulin and lipolysis rates increased. Conclusion:The current recommended parenteral amino acid intakes are insufficient to maintain protein balance in insulin-resistant patients during tight glucose control. During sepsis, insulin decreases protein synthesis and breakdown, and while high amino acid intake improves protein balance, its beneficial effects may be offset by enhanced endogenous glucose production and lipolysis, raising concerns that insulin resistance may have been exacerbated and that gluconeogenesis may have been favored by high amino acid intakes. Dose-response studies on the effect of the level of amino acid intakes (protein) on energy metabolism are needed.
When Diamonds Go Bust: Contextualising Livelihood Changes In Rural Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, diamond mining has a long and dynamic history. The sector has brought both prosperity and problems to the country, its ever-changing status giving rise to dynamic situations. Recently, the artisanal diamond mining sector has been heavily affected by the turbulent period that the financial world experienced over the past couple of years. Its stagnation has forced many artisanal diggers to secure their livelihoods in other economic sectors, such as gold mining and commercial (cocoa and coffee) farming. Taking this diamond crisis as its perspective, this article analyses some of the changes Sierra Leone's miners consciously make with regard to their livelihood provisioning. More precisely, the dynamics and social construction within and between the different opportunities they choose from are examined. This article focuses on gold and diamond mining, thereby taking gender differences and the way money is labelled and its value constructed as its central argument. The notion of co-habitation will be used as a theoretical tool to emphasise that places are not single and bounded spaces, but rather areas of intertwining actors and activities, not only at one specific moment, but also over time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessing Tourists’ Satisfaction with Shopping in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China

Tourism contributes significantly to Hong Kong’s economy. Tourists spend about 50% of their money on shopping. This study aims to identify the satisfaction attributes of shopping and assess their relative importance in affecting the satisfaction levels of tourists. Two hundred tourists were interviewed. The results indicate that of the 15 attributes identified, tourists were most satisfied with “lighting and physical setting of shops,” followed by “window display of shops” and “opening hours of shops,” and were least satisfied with “product reliability. ” Using factor analysis, four shopping dimensions were identified from the 15 shopping attributes: Tangibles Quality, Staff Service Quality, Product Value, and Product Reliability. Results of multiple regression analysis reveal that Staff Service Quality has the most important effect on tourists’ levels of satisfaction with shopping in Hong Kong, followed by Product Value and Product Reliability.
Analyst Forecast Revisions and Noise in Stock Prices

Using a measure of price elasticity that we construct for individual stocks, we present evidence that for stocks with lower price elasticity: i) return-revision synchronicity is lower, suggesting that analysts understand the noise in returns, ii) a trading strategy that uses forecast revisions delivers higher abnormal returns, and iii) analysts with high return-revision synchronicity make less accurate forecasts relative to analysts with high return-revision synchronicity for stocks with higher price elasticity.
Genetic locus (nmp-1) affecting the principal outer membrane protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

An increase in the apparent molecular weight of the principal outer membrane protein (POMP) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is associated with introduction of the penB2 genetic marker, which results in low-level, relatively nonspecific antibiotic resistance. Limited proteolysis of the two forms of POMP showed that they had few if any peptides in common. The nonspecific antibiotic resistance of penB2 was separated from the change in POMP by genetic transformation and by isolation of spontaneous penB mutants that showed no change in POMP. The genetic locus involved in the change from one POMP to another, which we have designated nmp-1, is closely linked to, but not identical with, penB2.
REIT idiosyncratic risk

Investors are told to hold a well‐diversified portfolio; when everyone does so, idiosyncratic risk is diversified away and does not enter the pricing equation in equilibrium. This study finds that the idiosyncratic risk of real estate investment trusts (REITs) appears to have an upward time trend during the vintage REIT era (1980–1992) and appears to trend downward during the new REIT era (1993–2006). This study also finds that this pattern appears to coincide with a reversion in the relation between REIT idiosyncratic risk and the excess returns of REITs. Specifically, during the vintage REIT era, the excess return of REITs is positively related to REIT idiosyncratic risk. After 1993, the excess return of REITs is negatively related to REIT idiosyncratic risk.
A New State-Level Panel of Annual Inequality Measures Over The Period 1916-2005

This paper introduces a new panel of annual state-level income inequalitymeasures over the ninety year period 1916-2005. Among many of the states inequalityfollowed a U-shaped pattern over the past century, peaking both before the GreatDepression and again at the time of the new millennium. The new panel revealssignificant state-level variations, both before the year 1945, and regionally. WhileNortheastern states are strongly correlated with aggregate U.S. trends, we find manyof the Western states have little overall correlation over the past century. The availabilityof this new panel may prove useful to empirical researchers interested in allaspects of income inequality, particularly given the panel’s unusually large numberof both time-series and cross-sectional observations.
Asset Pricing Models: Further Tests

The capital asset pricing model specifies that relative risk is a sufficient descriptor of security risk. This result holds under both the Sharpe-Lintner version, and the more general Black version of the model, where = expected rate of return on asset i, Rf = riskless rate of interest, = expected return on the market portfolio, = expected return on any “zero-beta” asset or portfolio of such assests, and = relative risk of asset i in the market portfolio of assests.
A Structural Model of Crime and Inequality in Colombia

Economic theory suggests that inequality should influence crime positively. Yet, the evidence in favor of that hypothesis is weak. Pure cross-sectional analyses show significant positive effects but cannot control for fixed effects. Time series and panel data point to a variety of results, but few turn out being significant. The hypothesis maintained in this paper is that it is a specific part of the distribution, rather than the overall distribution as summarized by conventional inequality measures, that is most likely to influence the rate of (property) crime in a given society. Using a simple theoretical model and panel data in seven Colombian cities over a fifteen-year period, a structural model is proposed that permits identifying the precise segment of the population whose relative income best explains time changes in crime. (JEL: K42, D63, O15) Copyright (c) 2003 The European Economic Association.
Nonhemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes Isolates That Lack Large Regions of the sag Operon Mediating Streptolysin S Production

ABSTRACT Among nonhemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) strains (n = 9) isolated from patients with pharyngitis or acute otitis media, we identified three deletions in the region from the epf gene, encoding the extracellular matrix binding protein, to the sag operon, mediating streptolysin S production.
How Persistent are Monetary Policy Effects at the Zero Lower Bound?

Event studies show that Fed unconventional announcements of forward guidance and large scale asset purchases had large and desired effects on asset prices but do not tell us how long such effects last. Wright (2012) used a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) to argue that unconventional policies have very transient effects on asset prices, with half-lives of 3 months. This would suggest that unconventional policies can have only marginal effects on macroeconomic variables. The present paper shows, however, that the SVAR is unstable, forecasts very poorly and therefore delivers spurious inference about the duration of the unconventional monetary shocks. In addition, implied in-sample return predictability from the SVAR greatly exceeds that which is consistent with rational asset pricing and reasonable risk aversion. Restricted models that respect plausible predictability in asset returns are more stable and imply that the unconventional monetary policy shocks were fairly persistent but that our uncertainty about their effects increases with forecast horizon. Estimates of the dynamic effects of shocks should respect the limited predictability in asset prices.