Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virulent Salmonella typhimurium-induced lymphocyte depletion and immunosuppression in chickens

The effect of experimental Salmonella infection on chicken lymphoid organs, immune responses, and fecal shedding of salmonellae were assessed following oral inoculation of 1-day-old chicks or intra-air-sac infection of 4-week-old chickens with virulent S. typhimurium wild-type chi 3761 or avirulent S. typhimurium delta cya delta crp vaccine strain chi 3985. Some 4-week-old chickens infected intra-air-sac with chi 3761 or chi 3985 were challenged with Bordetella avium to determine the effect of Salmonella infection on secondary infection by B. avium. S. typhimurium chi 3761 caused lymphocyte depletion, atrophy of lymphoid organs, and immunosuppression 2 days after infection in 1-day-old chicks and 4-week-old chickens. The observed lymphocyte depletion or atrophy of lymphoid organs was transient and dose dependent. Lymphocyte depletion and immunosuppression were associated with prolonged fecal shedding of S. typhimurium chi 3761. No lymphocyte depletion, immunosuppression, or prolonged Salmonella shedding was observed in groups of chickens infected orally or intra-air-sac with chi 3985. Infection of chickens with salmonellae before challenge with B. avium did not suppress the specific antibody response to B. avium. However, B. avium isolation was higher in visceral organs of chickens infected with chi 3761 and challenged with B. avium than in chickens infected with B. avium only. Infection of chickens with chi 3985 reduced B. avium colonization. We report a new factor in Salmonella pathogenesis and reveal a phenomenon which may play a critical role in the development of Salmonella carrier status in chickens. We also showed that 10(8) CFU of chi 3985, which is our established oral vaccination dose for chickens, did not cause immunosuppression or enhance the development of Salmonella carrier status in chickens.
Psychometric qualities of a tetrad WAIS-III short form for use in individuals with mild to borderline intellectual disability

Abstract Objective: To investigate the reliability and validity of a Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-based Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – third edition (WAIS-III) short form (SF) in a sample of individuals with mild to borderline intellectual disability (MBID) (N = 117; MIQ = 71.34; SDIQ = 8.00, range: 52–85). Methods: A full WAIS-III was administered as a standard procedure in the diagnostic process. Results: The results indicate an excellent reliability (r = 0.96) and a strong, positive correlation with the full WAIS-III (r = 0.89). The SF correctly identified ID in general and the correct IQ category more specifically in the majority of cases (97.4% and 86.3% of cases, respectively). In addition, 82.1% of the full scale IQ (FSIQ) estimates fell within the 95% confidence interval of the original score. Conclusions: We conclude that the SF is a reliable and valid measure to estimate FSIQ. It can be used in clinical and research settings when global estimates of intelligence are sufficient.
A shirt containing multistage phase change material and active cooling components was associated with increased exercise capacity in a hot, humid environment

Abstract Recent advances in clothing design include the incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) and other active cooling components (ACC) to provide better body heat dissipation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of wearing a shirt containing multistage PCM/ACC on exercise capacity at low (5.0), moderate–high (7.5) and extreme (9.0) levels of the physiological strain index (PSI). Fourteen individuals tested two shirts (control vs. cooling) during 45-min of interval running in a hot, humid (35 ± 1 °C; 55 ± 6% RH) environment. The cooling shirt resulted in an 8% improvement in exercise capacity at a PSI of 7.5 (p < 0.05). The observed increase in exercise capacity would likely translate to a significant improvement in exercise performance. More research is needed to determine a best practice approach for the use of cooling clothing as a counter to exercise-induced heat exposure. Practitioner Summary: In this report, we demonstrate that when forced to exercise in a hot, humid environment, an individual’s exercise capacity may increase by as much as 8% when wearing a shirt composed of multistage phase change material and active cooling components.
Retail planning policies in Western Europe

Retail planning policies are changing rapidly in virtually all of the countries in Western Europe. This edited collection provides an account of the nature of retail planning policies in each country of Western Europe. Contributors look at how policies are changing, what issues they are addressing and what effects they will have on the retail development process as the new millenium approaches.
PRC2 preserves intestinal progenitors and restricts secretory lineage commitment

Chromatin modifications shape cell heterogeneity by activating and repressing defined sets of genes involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and development. Polycomb‐repressive complexes (PRCs) act synergistically during development and differentiation by maintaining transcriptional repression of common genes. PRC2 exerts this activity by catalysing H3K27 trimethylation. Here, we show that in the intestinal epithelium PRC2 is required to sustain progenitor cell proliferation and the correct balance between secretory and absorptive lineage differentiation programs. Using genetic models, we show that PRC2 activity is largely dispensable for intestinal stem cell maintenance but is strictly required for radiation‐induced regeneration by preventing Cdkn2a transcription. Combining these models with genomewide molecular analysis, we further demonstrate that preferential accumulation of secretory cells does not result from impaired proliferation of progenitor cells induced by Cdkn2a activation but rather from direct regulation of transcription factors responsible for secretory lineage commitment. Overall, our data uncover a dual role of PRC2 in intestinal homeostasis highlighting the importance of this repressive layer in controlling cell plasticity and lineage choices in adult tissues.
Customer Satisfaction, Quality in Cruise Industry

Record numbers of passengers are sailing on board cruise ships, with the industry claiming high levels of customer satisfaction. Conversely, little is known about the specific factors which make up customer satisfaction with the cruise experience. The authors examine customer satisfaction data from nearly 15,000 guests of a large U.S. cruise line to determine which aspects of the cruise experience have the greatest impact on overall satisfaction and perceptions of quality.
Air-Sea Interactions in Tropical Cyclones

Significant progress has been made in the area of upper ocean responses and air-sea interactions during the passage of tropical cyclones (TC) since the first edition published in 1992. In terms of the upper ocean impacts on intensity, considerable attention has focused on the three-dimensional cold wake structure and the negative feedback due to ocean mixed layer cooling by shear-induced vertical mixing in quiescent oceans. By contrast, in the western parts of the oceanic basins where the ocean state is not at rest, strong currents (e.g., Kuroshio, Gulf Stream) transport warm water poleward as part of the gyre circulation. In these regimes, the upper ocean current shears do not necessarily develop as in regions with shallow ocean mixed layers where significant sea surface cooling often occurs. Transports by these energetic western boundary currents tend to be resistive to shear-induced ocean mixing events since the mixed layer is already deep and the thermal response (or sea surface temperature cooling) tends to be minimized. The implication is since the oceanic mixed layers do not significantly cool during TC passage, there is a more sustained heat flux to the atmospheric boundary layer, thus representing an important mechanism for observed deepening of recently observed severe TCs. In terms of the air-sea interactions, surface waves and sea spray impact the surface drag coefficient. Recent studies have shown the surface drag coefficient to level off between 28 to 33m s−1 at values from 2.5 to 3.5 × 10−3. While the measurement uncertainties increase for higher wind speeds, it is clear that the surface drag cannot continue to increase with wind speeds. Moreover, for intense TCs, the ratio of the enthalpy and surface drag coefficient exceeds unity (typically 1.2 to 1.5). When this ratio is less than unity, theoretical studies suggest that TCs cannot reach their maximum potential intensity.
Pay for the Right Performance

In December 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued new rules that require enhanced disclosure on how firms tie CEO compensation to performance. We use this new available data to study the terms of performance-based awards in CEO compensation contracts in S&P 500 firms. We observe large variations in the choice of performance measures and horizons. Our evidence is consistent with predictions from optimal contracting theories: firms rely on performance measures that are more informative of CEO actions. Furthermore, our results do not support the argument that entrenched CEOs rig the contractual terms toward performance measures that are easier to manipulate.
Personality affects aspects of health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease via psychological coping strategies.

BACKGROUND Personality traits influence health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Parkinson's disease (PD). Further, an individual's personality traits can influence the strategies they use to cope with a particular stressful situation. However, in PD, the interplay between personality traits, choice of coping strategy, and their subsequent effect on HRQoL remains unclear. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine whether personality (neuroticism and extraversion) indirectly affects HRQoL through the use of specific psychological coping strategies. METHODS One hundred and forty-six patients with PD completed questionnaires on personality (Big Five Aspects Scale; BFAS), coping (Ways of Coping Questionnaire; WCQ), and mood-specific (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale; DASS-21) and disease-specific HRQoL (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire; PDQ-39). RESULTS After controlling for gender, age at diagnosis, and age at testing, the emotion-focused coping strategy of escape-avoidance was significantly correlated with neuroticism and certain aspects of HRQoL (cognitive impairment and social support). This suggests that neurotic personality traits may negatively impact on some aspects of HRQoL due to an increased use of escape-avoidance coping strategies. By contrast, planned problem-solving and escape-avoidance coping strategies were both significantly linked to extraversion and interpersonal and mood-related domains of HRQoL. This suggests that extraversion may positively impact on some aspects of HRQoL due to patients adopting greater planned, problem-solving coping strategies, and using fewer escape-avoidance coping mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS Psychological interventions aimed at targeting maladaptive coping strategies, such as the use of escape-avoidance coping, may be effective in minimising the negative impact of neuroticism on HRQoL in PD.
Developing women: why technology can help

The paper introduces a concept of household production technology that shows why Internet and communication technology (ICT) have the potential to increase the equity and efficiency of female participation in the labor force. Since inputs of female labor are required at short intervals in the production of the household good, female labor supply and earnings in the production of external goods fall below those of males. Household consumption at a point in time is maximized, but loss of potential learning-by-doing leads to dynamic inefficiencies, which power relations, bargaining, perceptions and self-perceived limitations reinforce. ICT helps restore flexibility in female external labor supply since it facilitates distance work, flexi-time and location activity, making it easier to match skills to jobs and to maintain and upgrade skills. But social structures and perceptions require intervention to become supportive. ICT has the potential to contribute to overall development for poorer women in less-developed regions of the world with appropriate policy. Cathy Urquhart is the accepting Associate Editor for this article.
Subcutaneous Tramadol Infiltration at the Wound Site Versus Intravenous Administration after Pyelolithotomy

Background: Recently, the peripheral anesthetic effect of tramadol has been the theme of many studies. The postoperative analgesic effects of subcutaneous wound infiltration with tramadol have not been extensively studied and compared with those of intravenous administration. Objective: To compare the therapeutic effects and complications of intravenous versus local wound infiltration of using tramadol following pyelolithotomy. Methods: This double-blind study was carried out on 60 patients (age 18–60 y) of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–II who were awaiting pyelolithotomy in Sina Hospital, Tehran, Iran, during 2006 and 2007. They were randomly assigned to receive intravenous or subcutaneous wound infiltration with tramadol. Vital signs, the intensity of pain (visual analog scale), and the level of consciousness (Ramsey Sedation Scale [RSS]), as well as the frequency of nausea and vomiting were recorded during 30 minutes to 1 hour after the patient entered the recovery room. Vital signs were also recorded every hour until 6 hours postoperatively and then on the day after the patient was transferred to the ward. Results: The RSS was lower in patients who had received subcutaneous infiltration of tramadol (p < 0.001). A significant difference was noted in the severity of pain between the groups; it was higher in the group that received intravenous tramadol. The average time for the first meperidine requirement was 45.2 ±8.4 min (mean ± SD) in the subcutaneous group and 21.6 ± 12.4 min in the intravenous group. Total meperidine consumption was lower in patients who had received subcutaneous wound infiltration with tramadol compared with those who had received intravenous tramadol (p < 0.001). Nausea and vomiting were more frequent during the first hour of recovery; the complication, however, was less frequent in the subcutaneous group. Conclusions: Subcutaneous wound infiltration with tramadol reduces postoperative opioid consumption and produces less nausea and vomiting than does intravenous administration.
Liquidity Constraints and Entrepreneurial Performance

If entrepreneurs are liquidity constrained and cannot borrow to operate on an efficient scale, those with more personal wealth should do better than those with less wealth. We investigate this hypothesis using a unique datset from Norway. Consistent with liquidity constraints being present, we find a strong positive relationship between founder prior wealth and start-up size. The relationship between prior wealth and start-up performance, as measured by profitability on assets, increases for the main bulk of the wealth distribution and decreases sharply at the top. We estimate that profitability on assets increases by about 8 percentage points from the 10th to the 75th percentile of the wealth distribution. This suggests an entrepreneurial production function with a region of increasing returns. Liquidity constraints may then stop entrepreneurs from being able to exploit a "hump" in marginal productivity. From the 75th to the 99th percentile returns drops by about 10 percentage points. This suggests that an abundance of liquidity may to do more harm than good.
Electronic medical records and diabetes care improvement: are we waiting for Godot?

We have been waiting for electronic medical records (EMRs) to improve chronic disease care for a long time (1). Availability of sophisticated EMR systems has enticed an increasing number of health plans and medical groups to invest resources in such systems. Many EMR systems are able to improve documentation of care, communication of clinical information across sites, and measurement of productivity and variation in care (2). Inpatient EMR systems have led to improvements in care in some clinical domains (3). However, the potential impact of outpatient EMR use on quality of chronic disease care has not been fully realized. In this issue of Diabetes Care , Meigs et al. (4) report on a randomized trial designed to assess the impact of a web-based EMR system on quality of diabetes care at an outpatient teaching practice. Physicians using the EMR ordered significantly more A1C and LDL cholesterol tests in patients with diabetes. However, increased test frequency did not translate into better A1C or LDL levels in the patients of physicians with access to the EMRs compared with patients of physicians without access to the EMRs. The authors conclude that EMR use leads to better quality of diabetes care, because more A1C and LDL tests were ordered. While it is encouraging that EMR use led to increased frequency of testing, it is disappointing that key care outcomes such as A1C …
Threat of Entry and Debt Maturity: Evidence from Airlines

I explore the effect of the threat posed by low-cost competitors on debt structure in the airline industry. I use the route network expansion of low-cost airlines to identify routes where the probability of future entry increases dramatically. I find that when strategic routes are threatened, incumbents significantly increase debt maturity before entry occurs. Overall, the main findings suggest that airlines respond to entry threats trading off financial flexibility for lower rollover risk. The results are consistent with models in which firms set their optimal debt structure in the presence of costly rollover failure.
Cefepime therapy and all-cause mortality.

The findings of increased all-cause mortality associated with cefepime therapy reported in a 2007 meta-analysis by Yahav and colleagues in The Lancet Infectious Disease prompted an early communication by the Food Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA stated that it would review more safety data to further evaluate the risk of death to patients treated with cefepime.The meta-analysis' conclusion and the FDA early communication have stirred up debates in many institutions about how to properly adjust their antibiotic practice. Our review of the method of the meta-analyis (e.g., the method of data collection)raises questions about its conclusion; we call for additional review of the clinical data before any effort is made to limit or eliminate cefepime from the current practice guidelines. We make a number of recommendations on the appropriate use of cefepime therapy while awaiting further FDA advice.
Integration of functional neuroimaging in CyberKnife radiosurgery: feasibility and dosimetric results.

OBJECT The integration of state-of-the-art neuroimaging into treatment planning may increase the therapeutic potential of stereotactic radiosurgery. Functional neuroimaging, including functional MRI, navigated brain stimulation, and diffusion tensor imaging-based tractography, may guide the orientation of radiation beams to decrease the dose to critical cortical and subcortical areas. The authors describe their method of integrating functional neuroimaging technology into radiosurgical treatment planning using the CyberKnife radiosurgery system. METHODS The records of all patients who had undergone radiosurgery for brain lesions at the CyberKnife Center of the University of Messina, Italy, between July 2010 and July 2012 were analyzed. Among patients with brain lesions in critical areas, treatment planning with the integration of functional neuroimaging was performed in 25 patients. Morphological and functional imaging data sets were coregistered using the Multiplan dedicated treatment planning system. Treatment planning was initially based on morphological data; radiation dose distribution was then corrected in relation to the functionally relevant cortical and subcortical areas. The change in radiation dose distribution was then calculated. RESULTS The data sets could be easily and reliably integrated into the Cyberknife treatment planning. Using an inverse planning algorithm, the authors achieved an average 17% reduction in the radiation dose to functional areas. Further gain in terms of dose sparing compromised other important treatment parameters, including target coverage, conformality index, and number of monitor units. No neurological deficit due to radiation was recorded at the short-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Radiosurgery treatments rely on the quality of neuroimaging. The integration of functional data allows a reduction in radiation doses to functional organs at risk, including critical cortical areas, subcortical tracts, and vascular structures. The relative simplicity of integrating functional neuroimaging into radiosurgery warrants further research to implement, standardize, and identify the limits of this procedure.
The Heartbeat of the Oligocene Climate System

A 13-million-year continuous record of Oligocene climate from the equatorial Pacific reveals a pronounced “heartbeat” in the global carbon cycle and periodicity of glaciations. This heartbeat consists of 405,000-, 127,000-, and 96,000-year eccentricity cycles and 1.2-million-year obliquity cycles in periodically recurring glacial and carbon cycle events. That climate system response to intricate orbital variations suggests a fundamental interaction of the carbon cycle, solar forcing, and glacial events. Box modeling shows that the interaction of the carbon cycle and solar forcing modulates deep ocean acidity as well as the production and burial of global biomass. The pronounced 405,000-year eccentricity cycle is amplified by the long residence time of carbon in the oceans.
Ownership Characteristics, Real Exchange Rate Movements and Labor Market Adjustment in China

This paper uses a firm level multi-industry data set covering 456 Chinese manufacturing sectors to assess the implications of Renminbi (RMB) real exchange rate appreciation for adjustments in employment and wage rates. We stress differences in both industry and firm characteristics within sectors. Our empirical results show that modest (and also larger) RMB real exchange rate appreciation would likely have pronounced effects on both net employment and wage rates. A 10% RMB appreciation would likely cause a net employment decline in Chinese manufacturing industries of between 4.1% and 5.3%, and a wage rate drop of 4% after controlling for other factors. Real exchange rate change effects by industry on net employment and wage rates vary significantly with the ownership characteristics of firms within industries. Employment and wage rates for private enterprises are less responsive to RMB real exchange rate fluctuations than is true for state owned enterprises (SOEs) and foreign invested enterprises (FIEs). This finding is opposite to the widely held belief that the labor market behavior of Chinese SOEs shows stronger labor market rigidities than for private firms. Impacts of exchange rate movements emerge as systematically related to export openness, overall import penetration and profit margins of individual manufacturing industries.
The Impact of Regulation on Growth and Informality Cross-Country Evidence

The authors study the effects of regulation on economic growth and the relative size of the informal sector in a large sample of industrial and developing countries. Along with firm dynamics, informality is an important channel through which regulation affects macroeconomic performance and economic growth in particular. The authors conclude that a heavier regulatory burden-particularly in product and labor markets-reduces growth and induces informality. These effects are, however, mitigated as the overall institutional framework improves.