Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outcome of Paradoxical Low‐flow Low‐gradient Severe AS Following TAVI: Paradoxical vs. Parallel to Outcome of High Gradient AS

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is already a proven choice of treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). There is few data of the real world regarding the echocardiographic and clinical outcome of patients with paradoxical low‐flow low‐gradient aortic stenosis (PLFLG) after TAVI procedure. Objectives: In this study we aimed to compare the echocardiographic and clinical outcome in a group of patients with PLFLGAS after TAVI with a group of high‐gradient aortic stenosis (HGAS), both groups with preserved left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF). Methods: We studied the baseline echocardiographic parameters and clinical data of 178 patients with severe AS and preserved LVEF before TAVI and after one year of follow up. All data were obtained from the clinical file and the workstation in the echo‐lab of our hospital. Patients with low ejection fraction and incomplete data were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups as following: Group I PLFLGAS n=32 (18%); Group II: HGAS n=146 (82%). Results: Baseline characteristics in both groups were similar. Mean age was group I: 82±5.4 and II: 83±5.9yrs. LVEF I: 61±6.8% and II: 64±8.2%. Mean gradient I: 29±5.2mmHg and II53±12.8mmHg (p=<0.001). Global longitudinal strain (GLS) I: ‐15.1±2.5% and II: ‐16.3±4.1%. Valvulo‐arterial impedance (Zva) I: 5.7±0.9 and II 5.3±13 (p= 0.07). At one year no statistically significant differences were found between groups. LVEF I: 64±8.3% and II: 65±7.9%. Mean gradient I: 7.2±3.7mmHg and II: 8.3±3.9mmHg. GLS: ‐17.85%±3.8% and II: ‐17.5±5.5%. NYHA class: Group I: 2 and II: 1 (p=0.037). Regarding NYHA class there were no significant differences at baseline and at follow up, patients in‐group I showed better NYHA class I. Conclusion: In this real world sample, the clinical and echocardiographic outcome of patients with PLFLGAS is similar to that of patients with HGAS. There is lack of information regarding the specific cause of low flow‐low gradient in these patients, but apparently and at least in this series has no impact on the outcome.
The Political Economy of International Financial Regulation

Unlike many areas of international cooperation, international financial regulation (IFR) relies on informal networks of regulators and “soft law” standards. The conventional wisdom is that this system provides effective cooperation while preserving the benefits of speed, flexibility and expertise in regulating global financial markets. In light of the crisis, however, skepticism has grown, with some commentators calling for a formal international organization to regulate finance. An elementary difficulty in this debate is the lack of a convincing account of the objectives of IFR. Why is unilateral regulation by states suboptimal, what are the potential gains from cooperation, and are those gains in fact achieved? This article identifies five such objectives. The current system has been largely successful at two of them: facilitating basic cross-border supervision and enforcement assistance among regulators, and removing barriers to international finance by harmonizing some national rules. In three important areas, however, IFR has performed poorly. First, it has encountered numerous setbacks in its attempts to raise regulatory standards in states where powerful domestic constituencies resist reforms. Second, it has struggled to secure durable collective action among major jurisdictions to raise prudential standards, like capital adequacy rules. Finally, it has failed to create credible mechanisms to address situations where unilateral action is counterproductive, like cross-border bank resolution.Given such limited success, why do soft law and networks dominate IFR? This article argues that the current system is not a product of efficient design but of historical path dependence and political economy. The postwar monetary system contemplated strict limitations on capital mobility and no need for regulation of international finance. After it collapsed, national regulators had to face financial globalization with the limited tools at their disposal. In turn, the growth of informal IFR empowered political actors — the regulators themselves, financial firms, and great powers — whose interests now largely determine outcomes across areas of IFR. Despite some post-crisis reforms, this pattern persists and raises doubt that IFR can effectively address the challenges of systemic risk and moral hazard.
An unusual Lower Cambrian trilobite fauna from Nevada

A fauna of at least 12 species of trilobites, from lower Cambrian rocks in Esmeralda County, Nev. , constitutes the largest single assemblage of trilobites yet described from Lower Cambrian beds in North America. Well-preserved specimens of the Olenellidae, Oryctocephalidae, Ogygopsidae, Dorypygidae, Zacanthoididae, and Ptychopariidae are present. New taxa include Paedeumias granulatm n. sp. ; GoWfieldia pacifica n. gen., n. sp. ; Bonn/Id caperata n. sp. ; Zacanthopsig contractus n. sp. ; ZacantJiopsina eperephes n. gen., n. sp. ; and Stephenaspist a/vitus n. sp.
Distal upper limb disorders and ergonomics of VDU work: a review of the epidemiological evidence

A review is presented of epidemiological peer-reviewed publications that relate the mechanical exposure of the arm in work with visual display units (VDU) to musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb. The twenty included studies were divided into those with (1-7) and without (8-21) use of physical examination in the definition of cases. The main conclusion of this review is the documentation of evidence for the VDU work per se, none or insufficient lower arm support and non-neutral positions of the wrist as predictors of distal upper limb disorders (DULDs). These findings are based solely on studies that use physical examination or objective signs to define the DULDs, and the conclusions are not changed after inclusion of studies based only on self-reported symptoms. When the last category of studies is included as documentation in the review, the amount of VDU work (and an exposuredose/ effect relationship) will also be documented as predictors. The referred studies indicated that not only the VDU work per se, but also (and in particular) VDU work for more than 20 hours per week combined with limited opportunity for rest breaks and without lower arm support is a predictor of DULDs. Another conclusion is that critical reviews may benefit from use of both strict criteria and less strict criteria for inclusion of studies, to optimize the conclusions drawn from existing documentation.
Leveraging sex change in parrotfish to manage fished populations

Healthy parrotfish (family Scaridae) communities fulfill the essential ecosystem process of herbivory in coral reefs, but artisanal fisheries that target parrotfish have degraded their populations. Outright bans and gear restrictions that do not allow parrotfish capture can effectively protect and restore parrotfish populations. As these management actions would be unfeasible in many places, options that allow some fishing but still encourage population rebuilding need to be considered. The life history of parrotfish complicates management decisions because they transition from a mostly female “initial phase” to an all-male “terminal phase. ” Size-selective fishing on the largest fish can lead to unnaturally low proportions of males in a population, potentially leading to losses in reproduction. At the same time, these visually distinct life phases could present an opportunity to employ a type of catch restriction that would be easy to understand and monitor. We built an agent-based model of the stoplight parrotfish, Sparisoma viride, which included three possible mechanisms of life-phase transitioning, to predict how this species and others like it might react to catch restrictions based on life phase. We found that restricting catch to only terminal-phase (male) fish typically led to populations of greater abundance and biomass and less-disturbed life-phase ratio, compared to a similar fishing mortality applied to the whole population. This model result highlights a potentially important lesson for all exploited protogynous hermaphrodites: a robust population of initial-phase fish may be key to maximizing reproductive potential when the size at life-phase transition compensates for changes in population structure.
Is fiscal decentralization good for your health? Evidence from a panel of OECD countries

In this study I use improved data of fiscal decentralization to re-examine the hypothesis that shifts towards more fiscal decentralization would be accompanied by improvements in population health on a panel of 19 OECD countries. The advantage of the new measure of decentralization is that it reflects better than previous measures the existence of autonomy in the decision making authority of lower tiers of government, a crucial issue in the decentralization process. The results based on panel data estimation techniques robust to heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation show that fiscal decentralization has a substantial and positive effect on health outcomes over the period studied. However, I find that conventional measures of decentralization tend to over-estimate the magnitude of the effect.
Pedagogically aware academics’ conceptions of change agency in the fields of science and technology

Pedagogical transformations in universities are typically explored as ‘top down’ attempts or in the context of training programs targeted towards educating more pedagogically aware individuals. In this study, promoting pedagogical development is explored on a community level as change agency: acting as a broker between the discipline-specific and pedagogical communities of practice in order to establish mutually shared new concepts and practices of teaching and learning. Thirteen pedagogically aware academics from the fields of science and technology participated in thematic interviews in which they were asked to describe change agency. The descriptions were explored utilizing a social theory of learning and categorized with content analysis. The findings reveal practical means of promoting pedagogical development between academic communities and point out various identities related to acting as a change agent. The study provides a theoretical model and further advances the understanding of pedagogical change agency in the fields of science and technology.
The Nature and Role of User Beliefs Regarding a Website's Design Quality

Researchers and practitioners have long been interested in identifying the criteria that users consider important in assessing whether a system is worth using. However, past research in this domain has not taken into account the characteristics of a system's design and their quality in a systematic and comprehensive manner, which is likely to have limited the development of actionable design guidelines. The article addresses this issue by suggesting a research model that links user beliefs—which have traditionally been used in IT acceptance and success research (i.e., information quality, system quality, usefulness, and ease of use)—to their beliefs regarding the quality of three categories of a system's design (i.e., visual quality, page layout quality, and navigation quality) and testing it in the context of organizational intranets. The analysis of data collected from 159 intranet website users in three organizations supported the model, suggesting that the three categories of design quality beliefs significantly influenced users' assessment of their system's information quality and system quality.
Hate at First Sight? Dynamic Aspects of the Electoral Impact of Migrations: The Case of the UK and Brexit

Recent studies provide evidence that immigration has a significant positive effect on the vote for parties with anti-immigration agendas. However, this result does not emerge if we apply the same empirical analysis to the UK, whether in the case of Brexit, or if we consider support for Ukip or the political intentions expressed in the BES survey. To account for this and other fragmented evidence in the literature on personal attitudes towards immigration, we formulate the hypothesis that the increase in anti-immigration views resulting from an increased number of immigrants in a neighbourhood is a temporary effect. Different underlying mechanisms may be at the root of such negative short-run effects, such as material concerns about the adjustment cost of new migration flows, or prejudicial attitudes, both denoting a “hate at first sight” effect. We build an econometric strategy to test for the existence of such a short-run effect in the case of Brexit and then assess the robustness of our result using a panel of the vote for Ukip and individual data from the BES survey. The evidence robustly supports our hypothesis and provides a basis for further analysis.
Global linear stability of the non-parallel Batchelor vortex

Linear stability of the non-parallel Batchelor vortex is studied using global modes. This family of swirling wakes and jets has been extensively studied under the parallel-flow approximation, and in this paper we extend to more realistic non-parallel base flows. Our base flow is obtained as an exact steady solution of the Navier–Stokes equations by direct numerical simulation (with imposed axisymmetry to damp all instabilities). Global stability modes are computed by numerical simulation of the linearized equations, using the implicitly restarted Arnoldi method, and we discuss fully the numerical and convergence issues encountered. Emphasis is placed on exploring the general structure of the global spectrum, and in particular the correspondence between global modes and local absolute modes which is anticipated by weakly non-parallel asymptotic theory. We believe that our computed global modes for a weakly non-parallel vortex are the first to display this correspondence with local absolute modes. Superpositions of global modes are also studied, allowing an investigation of the amplifier dynamics of this unstable flow. For an illustrative case we find global non-modal transient growth via a convective mechanism. Generally amplifier dynamics, via convective growth, are prevalent over short time intervals, and resonator dynamics, via global mode growth, become prevalent at later times.
Did Board Configuration Matter? The Case of US Subprime Lenders

Research Question/Issue: The origins of the global financial crisis have been attributed to the combination of a housing price bubble, innovative financial instruments as well as the lack of restraint by corporate executives and boards to engage in excessive risk-taking. The rise in subprime lending between 1997 and 2005 played a crucial role in inflating the housing price bubble. We take a unique dataset of US financial institutions heavily engaged in subprime lending and ask the following research question: Did board configuration play a role in determining whether a financial institution specialized in subprime lending? Research Findings/Insights: We use a matched-pair sample of firms in the financial industry from 1997-2005 with half of the sample specializing in subprime lending and conduct panel data logistic regression analysis. We find that the board configurations of those financial institutions that engaged in subprime lending were significantly different from those that did not. Specifically, subprime lenders had boards that were busier, had less tenure and were less diverse with respect to gender. Theoretical/Academic Implications: This study uses the group decision making perspective in the context of subprime lending to examine board of director configuration and its influence on decision making processes around the issue of risky subprime lending. Findings show that how boards were configured did influence the decision to specialize in subprime lending. We find robust support for predictions based on the group decision making perspective. Practitioner/Policy Implications: The deterioration of mortgage lending requirements that gave rise to the defaults of so many subprime loans, in retrospect, appears to be something that should have been entirely preventable. By demonstrating that subprime specialists had significant differences in board configuration which impacted group decision making, this study offers guidance to policymakers considering additional regulation and for corporate officers examining corporate governance issues.
The Determinants for Labour Contract Length. A French Micro-Econometric Study

Two types of analyses are conducted to explain the determinants of labour contracts length. The first analysis emphasizes on the contracting costs and the level of uncertainty. The second analysis focuses on the incentive and selection effect of the contract length. This paper test the determinants for contract duration by means of econometric duration models. The estimates are carried out from French data (TDE). An econometric treatment of the endogeneity of the labour contract status and unobservable heterogeneity is carried out. Our results show that wages positively affect employment duration. This confirms the positive effect of contracting costs reported.
Disposition of Lump-Sum Pension Distributions: Evidence from Tax Returns

About one-third of the disbursements from pension plans are in the form of lump-sum distributions. In this paper, we use tax-return data to study the incidence and disposition of lump-sum distributions. We find that most lump-sum distributions are small, and the probability of rolling a lump sum over is positively correlated with the size of the distribution. Also, although lower-income families are less likely to roll over any givensized distribution, these families are less likely to receive significant lump sums in the first place so that nonrolled lump sums (leakage from the pension system) are not significant relative to income.
Functional Polymorphisms in hOGG1 Gene and Neuroblastoma Risk in Chinese Children

Neuroblastoma is a lethal tumor of the sympathetic nervous system. 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanine (8-OH-dG) formation is a common seen type of oxidative DNA damage, which could be repaired by human oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1). To explore the contributing role of hOGG1 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in neuroblastoma risk, we performed a case-control study by genotyping three SNPs (rs1052133 G>C, rs159153 T>C, rs293795 A>G) in hOGG1 gene. A total of 512 neuroblastoma cases and 1076 cancer-free controls were enrolled from three medical centers in China. The hOGG1 gene polymorphisms were determined using TaqMan real-time PCR. The results showed that only the rs1052133 G>C polymorphism was associated with neuroblastoma risk [GC vs. GG: adjusted odds ratio (OR)=0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.51-0.81, P=0.0002; dominant model: adjusted OR=0.71, 95% CI=0.57-0.88, P=0.002]. Moreover, subjects carrying 1, 2, or 1-3 protective genotypes have less opportunity to develop neuroblastoma, in comparison to those without protective genotypes. Stratified analysis revealed that rs1052133 GC/CC carriers were less likely to develop neuroblastoma in subgroups of age >18 months, males, tumor that develops from retroperitoneal, mediastinum and clinical stage I+II+4s. Our results indicate that hOGG1 rs1052133 G>C polymorphism is associated with decreased risk of neuroblastoma. However, the exact biological mechanism awaits further research.
Biochemical responses of the earthworm Allolobophora caliginosa exposed to cadmium contaminated soil in the Northeast of Algeria.

Les réponses de vers de terre Allolobophora caliginosa aux expositions sub-létales de cadmium (Cd) (25, 50, 100, 150 mg/500g d.w), ont été examinées dans cette étude. L'Enquête a été faite sur le taux de protéines totales, le stress oxydatif et la réponse antioxydante à travers un ensemble de biomarqueurs enzymatiques ((catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase (GST) et malondialdehyde (MDA)), qui ont été choisie pour évaluer les réponses des vers de terre dans une période jusqu'à deux semaines. Les vers de terre exposés au cadmium ont démontré différentes réponses des biomarqueurs enzymatiques. Le cadmium a augmenté le taux de protéines totales. De plus, la surveillance des biomarqueurs de stress oxydatif a montré un épuisement significatif au niveau du glutathione (GSH) accompagné d'une forte augmentation de glutathione S-transferase (GST) et de la stimulation de l'activité catalase (CAT) et malondialdehyde (MDA). Nos résultats indiquent les effets toxiques du cadmium sur les vers de terre Allolobophora caliginosa.
Modeling and Direct Adaptive Control of a Flexible-Joint Manipulator

DOI: 10.2514/1.54083 This paper addresses the problem of adaptive trajectory control of space manipulators that exhibit elastic vibrations in their joints and that are subject to parametric uncertainties and modeling errors. First, it presents a comprehensive study of rigid and linear flexible-joint stiffness models, to propose a dynamic formulation that includes nonlinear effects such as soft-windup and time-varying joint stiffness. Second, it develops an adaptive composite control scheme for tracking the end effector of a two-link flexible-joint manipulator. The control scheme consists of a direct model reference adaptive system designed to stabilize the rigid dynamics and a linear correction termtoimprovedampingofvibrationsatthejoints.Numericalsimulationscomparetheperformanceoftheadaptive controllerwithitsnonadaptiveversioninthecontextofa12:6 12:6 msquaretrajectorytracking.Resultsobtained withtheadaptivecontrolstrategyshowanincreasedrobustnesstomodelingerrorsanduncertaintiesinjointstiffness coefficients, and greatly improved tracking performance, compared with the nonadaptive strategy.
Antimicrobial activity of the Nisin Z producer Lactococcus lactis subsp . lactis Lc 08 against Listeria monocytogenes in skim milk

The presented study aimed to verify the effect of different pH values, enzyme solutions and heat treatments on the antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocinogenic strain Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis Lc08 and to test their antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes in reconstituted skim milk at refrigeration temperatures. This strain was previously described as a nisin Z producer and capable of inhibiting L. monocytogenes growth in in vitro tests. The antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin cell-free supernatant of Lc08 was sensitive to enzyme treatments (except papain). The pH values and heating (65°C for 30min, 75°C for 15s) had no apparent effect on the antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin produced by Lc08. Only treatment at autoclave conditions result in loss of their antimicrobial activity. Lc08 presented antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes in the milk system after 12h at 25°C. No effect was found at 7°C. The results show the application viability of the Lc08 in food systems as a biopreservative against L. monocytogenes.
Energy recovery from New York City solid wastes

The principal means for integrated management of municipal solid wastes (MSW) are recovery of materials (recycling), recovery of energy, bioconversion to fuel and compost, and landfilling of the remaining residues. This study examined the recovery of energy by pre-processing the combustible components of MSW and using them as a fuel in a properly designed combustion reactor and thermoelectric plant to generate electricity and process steam. Despite the heterogeneity of materials in MSW, the mean hydrocarbon structure can be approximated by the organic compound C6H10O4. A formula is derived that allows the prediction of the heating value of MSW as a function of moisture and glass/metal content and compares well with experimentally derived values. The performance of a leading Waste-to-Energy plant in the U.S. that processes about 0.9 million tons of MSW per year and produces a net 620 kWh/ton is examined. The results of this study indicate that energy recovery from MSW can reduce considerably the amount of land consigned annually to landfilling and also decrease to a small extent dependence on fossil fuels.