Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lived-through past, experienced present, anticipated future: Understanding “existential loss” in the context of life-limiting illness

ABSTRACT Objective: Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a rare, devastating neurodegenerative disease of middle/later life, usually presenting in the sixth and seventh decades (McDermot & Shaw, 2008). People have to wait many months to receive a diagnosis of MND (Donaghy et al., 2008), and during this period they have already experienced the degenerative nature that characterizes MND (Bolmsjö, 2001). However, information on the meaning of life with MND through time is limited. The aim of the present research was to answer the research question “What does it mean to be a person living through the illness trajectory of MND? ” and to research the phenomenon of existence when given a diagnosis of MND and in the context of receiving healthcare. Method: Hermeneutic phenomenology, inspired by the philosophers Heidegger and Gadamer, informed the methodological approach employed, which asked people to tell their story from when they first thought something untoward was happening to them. The hermeneutic analysis involved a five-stage process in order to understand (interpret) the lifeworld 1 of four people diagnosed with MND, and a lifeworld perspective helped to make sense of the meaning of existence when given a terminal diagnosis of MND. Results: The concept of “existential loss” identified in relation to MND was the loss of past ways of being-in-the-world, and the loss of embodiment, spatiality, and the future. Significance of results: The concept of existential loss requires closer attention by healthcare professionals from the time of diagnosis and on through the illness trajectory. The study findings are conceptualized into a framework, which when used as a clinical tool may prompt healthcare professionals to focus on their patients' existential loss and existential concerns. This research adds to the existing literature calling for a lifeworld approach to healthcare.
The Fine Structure of Equity-Index Option Dynamics

We analyze the high-frequency dynamics of S&P 500 equity-index option prices by constructing an assortment of implied volatility measures. This allows us to infer the underlying fine structure behind the innovations in the latent state variables driving the movements of the volatility surface. In particular, we focus attention on implied volatilities covering a wide range of moneyness (strike/underlying stock price), which load differentially on the different latent state variables. We conduct a similar analysis for high-frequency observations on the VIX volatility index as well as on futures written on it. We find that the innovations in the risk-neutral intensity of the negative jumps in the S&P 500 index over small time scales are best described via non-Gaussian shocks, i.e., jumps. On the other hand, the innovations over small time scales of the diffusive volatility are best modeled as Gaussian with occasional jumps.
A-Fiber Sprouting in Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn Is Attenuated by Proximal Nerve Stump Encapsulation

Peripheral nerve transection in the rat alters the spinal cord dorsal horn central projections from both small and large DRG neurons. Injured neurons with C-fibers exhibit transganglionic degeneration of their terminations within lamina II of the spinal cord dorsal horn, while peripheral nerve injury of medium to large neurons induces collateral sprouting of myelinated A-fibers from lamina I and III/IV into lamina II in rats, cats, and primates. To date, it is not known what sequelae are responsible for the collateral sprouting of A-fibers after peripheral nerve injury, although target-derived factors are thought to play an important role. To determine whether target-derived factors are necessary for changes in A-fiber laminar terminations in rat spinal cord dorsal horn, we unilaterally transected the sciatic nerve and ensheathed the proximal nerve stump in a silicone cap. Three days before sacrifice of rat, the injured sciatic nerve was injected with cholera toxin beta-subunit conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (betaHRP) that effectively labels both peripheral and central A-fiber axons. The effect of the ligature, axotomy, and silicone cap treatment was evaluated by analyzing the extent of betaHRP-, Substance P-(SP-), and isolectin B4- (IB4-) immunoreactive (ir) fibers in the somatotopically appropriate spinal cord dorsal horn regions. In all animals, 2-5 weeks after nerve transection (treated or otherwise), IB4- and SP-ir is absent from lamina II. Animals without nerve cap treatment exhibited robust fiber sprouting into lamina II at 2 weeks. In sharp contrast, animals treated with silicone caps did not exhibit betaHRP-ir fibers in lamina II at 2 weeks. This observation was extended up to 5 weeks postinjury. These results suggest that axotomy-induced expansion of betaHRP-ir primary afferent central terminations in the spinal cord dorsal horn is dependent on factors produced in the injury site milieu. While our understanding of local repair mechanisms of injured peripheral nerves is incomplete, it is clear that the time-dependent production of growth factors in the nerve injury microenvironment favor nerve fiber outgrowth, both peripherally and centrally.
Market Reaction Surrounding the Filing of Periodic SEC Reports

ABSTRACT: Using data from the EDGAR era, we find a significant market reaction surrounding quarterly periodic reports only when their filing coincides with the first public disclosure of earnings, although that for 10‐K reports is not subsumed by earnings releases. However, after eliminating incidence of concurrent earnings releases, the 10‐K market reaction is restricted to a quarter of the reports that are filed around calendar quarter‐ends. The calendar quarter‐end price and volume effects are unrelated to the filing of periodic reports and are not explained by self‐selection. However, while the quarter‐end volume reaction is indistinguishable between filers and non‐filers, we find an incremental price reaction to 10‐K filings at calendar quarter‐ends in recent times. We provide evidence that the calendar‐time effect is partially due to an intraindustry information transfer that is a function of the incidence of 10‐K reports at quarter‐ends. Finally, equity analyst reactions are muted around periodic f.
[The relationship between CD4(-) CD8(-) T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with pancreatic carcinoma and IL-4, IFN-gamma levels].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between CD4- CD8- T cells ratio and IL-4, IFN-gamma levels in the peripheral blood of patients with pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS Flow cytometer was used to analyze the CD4- CD8- T cells ratio in the peripheral blood of patients with pancreatic carcinoma and the IL-4, IFN-gamma levels were detected by ELISA. RESULTS The ratio of CD4- CD8- T cell in CD3+ T cell from 25 pancreatic carcinoma patients was (4.2 +/- 1.7)%, the ratio of CD4- CD8- T cell in CD3+ T cell from 45 healthy person was (6.3 +/- 2.6)%, there was significant deviation between the two groups (P < 0.01). The IL-4 level of 25 pancreatic carcinoma patients was (86.3 +/- 23.3) fg/L, the IL-4 level of 45 healthy person was (56.2 +/- 9.2) fg/L,there was significant deviation between the two groups (P < 0.01). The IFN-gamma level of 25 pancreatic carcinoma patients was (16.4 +/- 4.8) fg/L before operation, the IFN-gamma level of 45 healthy person was (27.4 +/- 3.8) fg/L, there was significant deviation between the two groups (P < 0.01). The ratio of CD4- CD8- T cell in pancreatic carcinoma patient after operation was higher than before operation. It could be found negative correlation between CD4- CD8- T cells ratio and IL-4 level in pancreatic carcinoma patient,it could also be found positive correlation between CD4- CD8- T cells ratio and IFN-gamma level in pancreatic carcinoma patient. In pancreatic carcinoma patient, the CD4- CD8- T cells ratio and IL-4 level was significant associated with clinical stage (P < 0.05), but no relationship with histological differentiation (P > 0.05), it could be found no relationship between IFN-gamma level and clinical stage, histological differentiation (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION The CD4- CD8- T cells ratio in the peripheral blood of patients is decreased,it may be participate in the carcinogenesis and development of pancreatic carcinoma by influence the IFN-gamma levels.
The persistence of the old regime : Europe to the Great War

In this classic work which analyzes the context in which thirty years of war and revolution wracked the European continent, the great historian Arno Mayer emphasizes the backwardness of the European economies and their political subjugation by aristocratic elites and their allies. Mayer turns upside down the vision of societies marked by modernization and forward-thrusting bourgeois and popular social classes, thereby transforming our understanding of the traumatic crises of the early twentieth century.
Household appropriation of electricity monitors

In the perspective of smart grids, 'smart' electricity metres are distributed in European households. When households possess an immediate feedback on their consumption, it is usually stated that they can save between 5 and 15% of their electricity. How households learn to reduce their consumption is hardly ever addressed. In order to know whether 15% saving is a limit or not, it is necessary to understand what people do and learn with the use of an electricity monitor. This question is related to the way the societal energy transition could be achieved. Electricity is invisible, but it is produced, transported and consumed through material devices. This paper explores the dimension of material culture in household energy consumption through the introduction of electricity monitors in different types of households. Through a social experiment, we investigate both how households appropriate an electricity monitor and what they learn when using it. The paper addresses the question of appropriation of such monitors and how it is related to different dimensions: comfort, values, knowledge, skills, material culture. On the basis of an original protocol that intends to interfere as little as possible with users, we installed different metres in 21 Belgian households (including low-income households) and collected data on energy consumption, material culture (appliances, heating system, etc.), different representations of energy, energy-using practices and the effects induced by the introduction of the monitor. We have observed that the metre can change electricity perception, but that only households already interested or involved in energy savings are willing to use and learn with the monitor. We suggest that these devices should accompany a deeper transformation of the 'culture of energy', but they have to become much 'smarter' if their aim is to support more sustainable energy consumption patterns. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
The policy challenges of peer review: managing bias, conflict of interests and interdisciplinary assessments

Characteristics and challenges of peer review are elucidated from three different perspectives: a social dynamics perspective defining peer review as an important control mechanism in the research community; an uncertainty perspective focusing on the inherent uncertainty in judging research quality: and an organisational perspective focusing on the effects of different ways of organising peer review. Findings from a broad set of empirical studies are used. Peer review often has some conservative and risk-minimising aspects, which may disfavour interdisciplinary and non-conventional research. When the aim is to actively promote interdisciplinary or other kinds of non-conventional research, the involved peer-review system consequently needs to be adjusted to a more risk-taking mode. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Managing customer channel usage in the Australian banking sector

Since deregulation in the mid‐1980s the banking industry in Australia has become increasingly competitive. Australia already has one of the least controlled banking systems in the world, and the implementation of the recommendations of the Financial Systems Inquiry (the Wallis Report) should contribute to a further increase in competition in the banking sector, with more non‐bank financial institutions and speciality companies entering the market. Increased competition, weakening interest rates, squeezed profit margins and the surge of mortgage originators into a traditional banking market have all prompted a search for new and innovative methods of improving internal efficiency, leading to the development of new banking products and the exploration of alternate delivery methods, or channels. Improvements in technology are facilitating this development and this paper examines the implications both for customers and for bank profitability.
Consumer and Corporate Debt: A Neo‐Kaleckian Synthesis

Models of the macrodynamic impact of private debt tend to emphasize the role of corporate debt. Corporate leverage affects macroeconomic outcomes and can contribute to financial fragility. We show that consumer debt is also important. We include consumer as well as corporate debt in a stock-flow consistent neo-Kaleckian growth model and explore the macrodynamic ramifications. We find that consumer credit conditions influence effective demand, the profit rate, and economic growth. The inclusion of consumer debt as well as corporate debt in our model substantially alters the model's dynamics. We compare our short-run, transition, and long-run results to models containing a single type of debt. Some of our results confirm the results of simpler models. For example, we find that a surge in animal spirits is good for steady-state growth. We show that consumer borrowing can also help to sustain aggregate demand, that looser consumer credit conditions have a steady-state growth effect, and that demand augmenting changes can enhance system stability. In this sense, looser consumer credit conditions are good for macroeconomic stability.
Brand Management in Small to Medium‐Sized Enterprises*

Although an impressive body of literature has emerged focusing on the critical activities involved in brand management for larger organizations with well‐established brands and substantial marketing budgets, no research has been undertaken to examine branding within small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The present study therefore seeks to assess the nature and scope of brand management within an SME context. Findings show significant differences between small and large organizations along 9 of the 10 brand management dimensions reported in Keller's brand report card. Moreover, different brand management practices are associated with business performance in SMEs. Implications of the study are highlighted, limitations noted, and directions for future research outlined.
A YIELD-FACTOR MODEL OF INTEREST RATES

This paper presents a consistent and arbitrage-free multifactor model of the term structure of interest rates in which yields at selected fixed maturities follow a parametric muitivariate Markov diffusion process with "stochastic volatility. " the yield of any zero-coupon bond is taken to be a maturity-dependent affine combination of the selected "basis" set of yields. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions on the stochastic model for this affine representation. We include numerical techniques for solving the model, as well as numerical techniques for calculating the prices of term-structure derivative prices. the case of jump diffusions is also considered. Copyright 1996 Blackwell Publishers.
The Microeconomics of Market Making

Abstract This paper examines the influence of risk aversion on the pricing policies of a market maker for securities. It is shown that a market maker's bid-ask spread can be decomposed into a portion for the known limit orders, a risk-neutral adjustment for expected market orders, and a risk adjustment for market order and inventory value uncertainty. It is demonstrated that a risk-averse market maker may set a smaller spread than a risk-neutral specialist. Finally, this paper demonstrates the pervasive role of inventory in affecting both the placement and size of the spread.
MR-guided transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation with use of a hybrid radiography/MR system.

PURPOSE To evaluate the performance of a combined hybrid radiography/magnetic resonance (MR) unit to guide portal vein (PV) puncture during human transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fourteen patients undergoing TIPS creation were studied during standard clinical applications. Patients were anesthetized and then positioned in an open MR unit containing a flat-panel radiographic fluoroscopic unit. With use of a combination of fluoroscopy and MR imaging, the PV was accessed and the TIPS procedure was performed. A noncovered nitinol stent or a covered stent-graft was placed in the TIPS tract. Number of punctures required, total procedure time, fluoroscopy time, procedural success rate, complications, and ultrasonographic and clinical follow-up were recorded. RESULTS Clinical success was obtained in 13 of 14 patients. In one patient, extrahepatic puncture of the PV occurred, resulting in hemorrhage and requiring placement of a covered stent to control the bleeding. The mean number of punctures required to access the PV was 2.6 +/- 1.7, and the total procedure time was 2.5 hours +/- 0.6. Mean fluoroscopy time was 22.3 minutes +/- 5.5. Results of clinical and ultrasonographic follow-up compare favorably to previously published reports. CONCLUSION TIPS creation with a combination hybrid radiography/MR unit is feasible and may reduce the number of needle passes required and radiation exposure, with similar overall outcomes compared with studies reported in the literature.
“Blindsight” and subjective awareness of fearful faces: Inversion reverses the deficits in fear perception associated with core psychopathic traits

Though emotional faces preferentially reach awareness, the present study utilised both objective and subjective indices of awareness to determine whether they enhance subjective awareness and “blindsight”. Under continuous flash suppression, participants localised a disgusted, fearful or neutral face (objective index), and rated their confidence (subjective index). Psychopathic traits were also measured to investigate their influence on emotion perception. As predicted, fear increased localisation accuracy, subjective awareness and “blindsight” of upright faces. Coldhearted traits were inversely related to subjective awareness, but not “blindsight”, of upright fearful faces. In a follow-up experiment using inverted faces, increased localisation accuracy and awareness, but not “blindsight”, were observed for fear. Surprisingly, awareness of inverted fearful faces was positively correlated with coldheartedness. These results suggest that emotion enhances both pre-conscious processing and the qualitative experience of awareness, but that pre-conscious and conscious processing of emotional faces rely on at least partially dissociable cognitive mechanisms.
Investigation of antimicrobial use and the impact of antimicrobial use guidelines in a small animal veterinary teaching hospital: 1995-2004.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate patterns of antimicrobial use and the impact of antimicrobial use guidelines at a small animal veterinary teaching hospital. DESIGN Retrospective study. SAMPLE POPULATION All antimicrobial prescriptions for dogs and cats admitted to the hospital in 1995 through 2004. PROCEDURE Pharmacy records were reviewed, and antimicrobial prescriptions for all dogs and cats admitted during the study period were recorded. Amounts of individual drugs dispensed directly to the intensive care and surgical units were determined. Changes in antimicrobial use during the study period were assessed; changes in antimicrobial use patterns in 2000 through 2004 were evaluated to assess the impact of implementation of antimicrobial use guidelines in 2001. RESULTS There was a significant decrease in prescriptions/1,000 admissions during the study period. From 1995 to 2004, the use of first-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, penicillins, and trimethoprim-sulfonamides decreased, whereas the use of metronidazole increased. The use of first-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and penicillins decreased from 2000 to 2004. First-line drugs accounted for 90.7% of prescriptions during the study period. The use of third-line drugs decreased from 2000 to 2004. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Characterization of antimicrobial use is an important step in defining and evaluating the prudent use of antimicrobials. Whereas the true effect of antimicrobial use guidelines is unclear, these results suggest that the guidelines may have had an effect on antimicrobial prescription patterns in this small animal veterinary teaching hospital. Analysis of objective data regarding antimicrobial use and changes in antimicrobial use patterns over time is important in veterinary practices.
Fast unilateral isometric knee extension torque development and bilateral jump height.

PURPOSE We hypothesized that the initial rate (first 40 ms) of unilateral knee extensor torque development during a maximally fast isometric contraction would depend on the subjects' ability for fast neural activation and that it would predict bilateral jumping performance. METHODS Nine males (21.8 +/- 0.9 yr, means +/- SD) performed unilateral fast isometric knee extensions (120 degrees knee angle) without countermovement on a dynamometer and bilateral squat jumps (SJ) and countermovement jumps (CMJ) starting from 90 and 120 degrees knee angles (full extension = 180 degrees ). The dynamometer contractions started either from full relaxation or from an isometric pre-tension (15% maximal isometric torque, Tmax). Torque time integral for the first 40 ms after torque onset (TTI-40, normalized to Tmax) and averaged normalized rectified knee extensor EMG for 40 ms before fast torque onset (EMG-40) were used to quantify initial torque rise and voluntary muscle activation. RESULTS TTI-40 without pre-tension (range: 0.02-0.19% Tmax per second) was significantly lower than TTI-40 with pre-tension, and both were significantly (r = 0.81 and 0.80) related to EMG-40. During jumping, similar significant positive relations were found between jump height and knee extensor EMG during the first 100 ms of the rise in ground reaction force. There also were significant positive linear relations between dynamometer TTI-40 and jump height (r = 0.75 (SJ 90), 0.84 (SJ 120), 0.76 (CMJ 90), and 0.86 (CMJ 120)) but not between dynamometer Tmax and jump height (-0.16 < r < 0.02). CONCLUSION One-legged TTI-40 to a large extent explained the variation in jump height. The ability to produce a high efferent neural drive before muscle contraction seemed to dominate performance in both the simple single-joint isometric task and the complex multijoint dynamic task.