Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alcohol-attributable injuries in admissions to a swiss emergency room--an analysis of the link between volume of drinking, drinking patterns, and preattendance drinking.

BACKGROUND An association between alcohol consumption and injury is clearly established from volume of drinking, heavy episodic drinking (HED), and consumption before injury. Little is known, however, about how their interaction raises risk of injury and what combination of factors carries the highest risk. This study explores which of 11 specified groups of drinkers (a) are at high risk and (b) contribute most to alcohol-attributable injuries. METHODS In all, 8,736 patients, of whom 5,077 were injured, admitted to the surgical ward of the emergency department of Lausanne University Hospital between January 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, were screened for alcohol use. Eleven groups were constructed on the basis of usual patterns of intake and preattendance drinking. Odds ratios (ORs) comparing injured and noninjured were derived, and alcohol-attributable fractions of injuries were calculated from ORs and prevalence of exposure groups. RESULTS Risk of injury increased with volume of drinking, HED, and preattendance drinking. For both sexes, the highest risk was associated with low intake, HED, and 4 (women), 5 (men), or more drinks before injury. At the same level of preattendance drinking, high-volume drinkers were at lower risk than low-volume drinkers. In women, the group of low-risk non-HED drinkers taking fewer than 4 drinks suffered 47.5% of the alcohol-attributable injuries in contrast to only 20.4% for men. Low-volume male drinkers with HED had more alcohol-attributable injuries than that of low-volume female drinkers with HED (46.9% vs 23.2%). CONCLUSIONS Although all groups of drinkers are at increased risk of alcohol-related injury, those who usually drink little but on occasion heavily are at particular risk. The lower risk of chronic heavy drinkers may be due to higher tolerance of alcohol. Prevention should thus target heavy-drinking occasions. Low-volume drinking women without HED and with only little preattendance drinking experienced a high proportion of injuries; such women would be well advised to drink very little or to take other special precautions in risky circumstances.
Continuous Fetal Tissue pH Measurement in Labor

Fifty-one women in labor had continuous monitoring of fetal scalp tissue pH, fetal heart rate by ECG, and uterine contractions. A miniature pH electrode secured by a double spiral fetal ECG electrode was used for measurement of fetal pH every 15 seconds. The results were correlated with fetal scalp blood pH values obtained simultaneously. Fetal scalp sampling is intermittent, requires repeated scalp incisions, is subject to errors due to air mixing and coagulation of the blood sample, and is uncomfortable for the parturient. Placement of the tissue pH electrode allows continuous data recording with the minimum discomfort to the patient and the least number of fetal scalp incisions. Clinical use of the tissue pH electrode might be a practical alternative to fetal scalp samples, if the data obtained accurately reflect fetal status.
Herd Behaviour and Trading Among Dutch Pension Funds

In this paper we provide evidence that repudiates the popular belief that Dutch pension funds are long-term passive institutional traders; rather like active traders they trade about eight and half percent of their portfolio on monthly basis. Using a unique data sample, our results affirm significant feedback trading strategies, both momentum and contrarian, and robust herding behaviour in investments of Dutch PFs. Our findings contradict with some previous evidence and advance the suggestions that both the institutional lagged demand for a stock and performance triggers contrarian investments in Dutch PFs; and their trading behaviour substantially varies across asset classes. Furthermore, the recent financial turmoil has a positive impact on both turnover and herding while it negatively affects the feedback trading.
Recurrent invasive basal cell carcinoma after radiation and imiquimod: a case report.

Imiquimod is an immune response modifier that acts to stimulate a localized cell meditated immune response through the activation of toll-like receptor 7 on the surface of antigen-presenting cells. The binding of imiquimod to toll-like receptor 7 activates an intracellular cascade that ends with increased transcription of genes that code for various cytokines. These cytokines will be released into the extracellular environment where they will act to generate a localized cell-mediated immune response. The localized immune response will help the body fight off either infectious agents such as human papillomavirus or tumors such as basal cell carcinoma.
Cellulose hydrolysis in evolving substrate morphologies III: Time‐scale analysis

We present a time‐scale analysis for the enzymatic hydrolysis of solid cellulosic substrates, based on our recently developed kinetic model (Zhou et al., 2009a, Biotechnol Bioeng 104:261–274; Zhou et al., 2009b, Biotechnol Bioeng 104:275–289) which incorporates both enzymatic chain fragmentation and hydrolytic time evolution of the solid substrate morphology. Analytical order‐of‐magnitude estimates of the relevant single‐layer chain depolymerization times are first discussed. These time‐scale estimates for pure and mixed enzyme systems can be employed to calculate the degree of synergy between endo‐ and exo‐acting enzymes in a mixed enzyme system. By the way of a quasi‐steady‐state approximation which allows for a greatly simplified analytical solution of the model, we also explain the origin and give order‐of‐magnitude estimates of the two characteristic hydrolysis time scales which arise in this model when the solid substrate morphology is taken into account. These analytically derived time‐scale relations explain how the embedding of cellulose chains in a solid substrate acts as a crucial rate‐limiting factor and results in a substantial slowing down of the hydrolytic conversion process, compared to a hypothetical substrate of immediately enzyme‐accessible, isolated chains. The analytical time‐scale results are verified by numerical simulations and compared to experimental observations. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 224–234. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Financial Institutions and Markets Across Countries and Over Time - Data and Analysis

This paper introduces the updated and expanded version of the Financial Development and Structure Database and presents recent trends in structure and development of financial institutions and markets across countries. The authors add indicators on banking structure and financial globalization. They find a deepening of both financial markets and institutions, a trend concentrated in high-income countries and more pronounced for markets than for banks. Similarly, the recent increase in cross-border lending and debt issues has been concentrated in high-income countries, while low and lower-middle income countries have experienced an increase in remittance flows. Low net interest margins, rising profitability and declining stability in high-income countries banking sectors characterize the recent financial sector boom in high income countries leading up to the global financial crisis of 2007.
Genetic Diversity of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Encoding HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Persists in Macaques despite Antiretroviral Therapy

ABSTRACT The impact of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the genetics of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) populations has been incompletely characterized. We analyzed SIV genetic variation before, during, and after ART in a macaque model. Six pigtail macaques were infected with an SIV/HIV chimeric virus, RT-SHIVmne, in which SIV reverse transcriptase (RT) was replaced by HIV-1 RT. Three animals received a short course of efavirenz (EFV) monotherapy before combination ART was started. All macaques received 20 weeks of tenofovir, emtricitabine, and EFV. Plasma virus populations were analyzed by single-genome sequencing. Population diversity was measured by average pairwise difference, and changes in viral genetics were assessed by phylogenetic and panmixia analyses. After 20 weeks of ART, viral diversity was not different from pretherapy viral diversity despite more than 10,000-fold declines in viremia, indicating that, within this range, there is no relationship between diversity and plasma viremia. In two animals with consistent SIV RNA suppression to <15 copies/ml during ART, there was no evidence of viral evolution. In contrast, in the four macaques with viremias >15 copies/ml during therapy, there was divergence between pre- and during-ART virus populations. Drug resistance mutations emerged in two of these four animals, resulting in virologic failure in the animal with the highest level of pretherapy viremia. Taken together, these findings indicate that viral diversity does not decrease with suppressive ART, that ongoing replication occurs with viremias >15 copies/ml, and that in this macaque model of ART drug resistance likely emerges as a result of incomplete suppression and preexisting drug resistance mutations.
Frequency of platelet‐specific antigens PlA1, Baka, Yuka, Yukb, and Bra in South American (Mapuches) Indians

One hundred twelve unrelated Mapuches Indians from the area of Temuco, Chile were studied for the prevalence of five platelet‐specific antigens. The prevalences found were: PlA1 (Zwa), > 99 percent; Baka, 89.3 percent; Yuka (Penb), 0.9 percent; Yukb (Pena), > 99 percent; and Bra, 4.9 percent.
Research notes and communications management objectives in mergers and acquisitions

A taxonomy of managerial goals in mergers and acquisitions is developed through a cluster analysis of data from interviews with merger and acquisition practitioners. These clusters of objectives overlap with some objectives cited for mergers and acquisitions in the academic literature, but the correspondence is not complete. Further analysis shows that different types of mergers and acquisitions are characterized by different managerial objectives. The implications of this research for the development of a contingency model of the relationship between managerial objectives and mergers and acquisitions are discussed.
Visit versus Purchase: Comparing Internet Shopper Clusters

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not differences occurred in how individuals visited and purchased products from the Internet. The study utilized data administered through an online survey to 441 individuals in the United States. The survey included items regarding general Internet use, website visit and purchase behavior, preferred website attributes, innovativeness, trust, presence, and demographics. Two cluster solutions were identified from the sample by clustering individuals based on website product categories visited and purchased separately. A new technique known as PermuCluster 1.0 was employed to enhance the stability of the cluster solutions. Results revealed that the visit and purchase cluster solutions contained different patterns, indicating that there is a distinction between the way individuals visit and purchase products online. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that an individual’s online search behavior reflects patterns in their online purchases. However, the cluster solutions did contain some similarities. The attribute dimension of ‘Reliable, Quick, Cheap, and Easy Websites’, as well as innovativeness, differentiated clusters in both the visit and purchase solutions. Implications of this research include the ability for practitioners to increase website sales by identifying which type of individuals to target in their website development and marketing.
Means-End Theory: Getting the Service Customers's Attention

ABSTRACT In today's technically sophisticated, information-rich environment, consumers are bombarded with information. Consequently colleges and universities must develop ways to get the prospective student to give their promotional material more than a cursory glance. Pre-purchase service evaluation has received little attention beyond the nature of cues used by consumers to categorize service alternatives. The studies presented in this paper examine the usefulness of Means-End Theory in developing effective recruitment brochures. Empirical evidence is presented that demonstrates college brochures that emphasize attributes (e.g., cost, location) over consequences (e.g., getting a job) or values (e.g., security) will generate greater interest in an educational institution.
A Study of the Diffusion of Alternative Fuel Vehicles: An Agent‐Based Modeling Approach*

This paper demonstrates the use of an agent-based model (ABM) to investigate factors that can speed the diffusion of eco-innovations, namely alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). The ABM provides the opportunity to consider the interdependencies inherent between key participants in the automotive industry: manufacturers, consumers, and governmental agencies. Agent-based models allow for tackling these interdependencies in a very elegant way. Because ABMs allow convenient modeling of the interactions between multiple agents, each with unique optimization goals, it provides a method for understanding consumer and manufacturer response to diverse environmental changes. Grounding the agent-based model on empirical data further improves the validity of the model results. We use choice-based conjoint data of more than 7,000 respondents to elicit heterogeneous consumer preferences. Further, information about manufacturers' cost structure is available from an established vehicle design tool, AVCEM. In three experiments, mechanisms are considered for speeding the adoption of AFVs: technology push, market pull, and regulatory push. Simulation results support the idea that technology push can be an important mechanism for speeding the diffusion of AFVs. Market pull, that is, word of mouth, also has a positive impact on the diffusion of AFVs and increases the social good by decreasing the preference for fuel-inefficient vehicles. Furthermore, word of mouth leads to a higher willingness to pay for AFVs, which indicates that the perceived value of AFVs increases with word of mouth. In contrast, a governmental push that focuses on the manufacturers (fuel economy mandates) leads to a decrease in the social good (air pollution improvement) because market share for fuel-inefficient vehicles increases. This article provides insights into how to set up an ABM to evaluate factors that influence the diffusion of alternative fuel vehicles. These insights can be applied to other types of eco-innovations.
Prophylactic Antibiotics in Cystic Fibrosis: A Conviction without Evidence?

Pulmonary infection with Staphylococcus aureus occurs in young children with cystic fibrosis, and may contribute to the cycle of infection, inflammation, and destruction of lung tissue which leads to bronchiectasis. Practice guidelines in North America and the UK differ greatly with regard to the advice given on prescribing prophylactic antistaphylococcal antibiotics to young children with cystic fibrosis. This article reviews the evidence behind these guidelines, and suggests a pragmatic approach to clinical practice. The implications for research are also discussed, and suggestions are made for clinical trials to inform future guidelines. Pediatr Pulmonol. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Influence of Sport Sponsorship Communication on Sport Fans’ Rating of Retail Service Quality

Sport sponsorship has grown tremendously as the development of sport media, and popular companies such as Coca-Cola, Nike, Toyota, and Samsung have used sport sponsorship as one of their marketing communication channels. In addition, retailers (e.g., Home Depot, Target, Lotte Department Store) have become involved in sponsorship to achieve their marketing communication goals. Although many retail companies have invested in sponsorship, no retailer-specific sponsorship study has been suggested. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to propose a new sponsorship-effect measure using retail service quality (R-SERVQUAL). This study hypothesized that brand recall and team identification would influence R-SERVQUAL. The 2-way ANOVA revealed that the mean scores of R-SERVQUAL were high when sport fans’ brand recall (F = 12.58, p < .001) and team identification (F = 65.88, p < .001) were high, and R-SERVQUAL is suggested as a tool to evaluate the effects of sponsorship communication on the retail industry.
Patriotism, organizational commitment and nurses’ intention to report for work in emergencies

AIM To examine the influence of nurses' patriotism and organizational commitment on their intention to report for work in a national emergency, in Israel. BACKGROUND Healthcare systems need to forecast the number of staff likely to report for work in emergencies and mass casualty events. INTRODUCTION Patriotism and nurses' commitment to work are factors that prompt nurses to leave their families and report for duty, even knowing that they are putting themselves in danger. However, patriotism as a variable that might affect nurses' intention to report for work in emergencies has not been investigated. METHODS A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was used with a convenience sample of 152 registered nurses. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and t-tests were used to analyse the data. To examine the unique contribution of the independent variables to the explanation of the dependent variable - intention to report to work in emergency - multiple regression analysis was performed. RESULTS Significant positive correlations were found between age, seniority and research variables (organizational commitment, patriotism and intention to report for emergency work). Patriotism differed by gender, ethnicity and religion. Patriotism and gender explained 23% of the variance regarding intention to report for emergency duty, with patriotism playing a major role. DISCUSSION Patriotism has religious and cultural dimensions. Cultural differences explain the discrepancy in organizational commitment between Israeli-born nurses and immigrants. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY Emergency training drills for nurses should feature discussions on universal ethical principles in emergency planning, preparedness and responses. The willingness of ethnic/religious minorities and immigrants to report for work in a national emergency should be taken into consideration in healthcare system disaster planning, so as to lessen the impact of disparate patriotism.
Filtering in asset pricing

In the first chapter of this thesis, I propose a nonlinear filtering method to estimate latent processes based on the Taylor series approximations. The filter extends conventional methods such as the extended Kalman filter or the unscented Kalman filter and provides a tractable way to estimate filters of any order. I apply the filter to different models and demonstrate that this method is a good approach for the estimation of unobservable states as well as for parameter inference. I also find that filters with Taylor approximations can be as accurate as conventional Monte Carlo filters and computationally more efficient. Through this chapter I show that filters with Taylor approximations are a good approach for a number of problems in finance and economics that involve nonlinear dynamic modeling. In the second chapter, I investigate the recently documented, large time-series variation in the empirical market Sharpe ratio. I revisit the empirical evidence and ask whether estimates of Sharpe ratio volatility may be biased due to the limitations of the standard ordinary least squares (OLS) methods used in estimation. Based on simulated data from a standard calibration of the long-run risks model, I find that OLS methods used in prior literature produce Sharpe ratio volatility five times larger than its true variability. The difference arises due to measurement error. To address this issue, I propose the use of filtering techniques that account for the Sharpe ratio’s time variation. I find that these techniques produce Sharpe ratio volatility estimates of less than 15% on a quarterly basis, which match more closely the predictions of standard asset pricing models.
Flexibility in the Receptor-Binding Domain of the Enzymatic Colicin E9 Is Required for Toxicity against Escherichia coli Cells

ABSTRACT The events that occur after the binding of the enzymatic E colicins to Escherichia coli BtuB receptors that lead to translocation of the cytotoxic domain into the periplasmic space and, ultimately, cell killing are poorly understood. It has been suggested that unfolding of the coiled-coil BtuB receptor binding domain of the E colicins may be an essential step that leads to the loss of immunity protein from the colicin and immunity protein complex and then triggers the events of translocation. We introduced pairs of cysteine mutations into the receptor binding domain of colicin E9 (ColE9) that resulted in the formation of a disulfide bond located near the middle or the top of the R domain. After dithiothreitol reduction, the ColE9 protein with the mutations L359C and F412C (ColE9 L359C-F412C) and the ColE9 protein with the mutations Y324C and L447C (ColE9 Y324C-L447C) were slightly less active than equivalent concentrations of ColE9. On oxidation with diamide, no significant biological activity was seen with the ColE9 L359C-F412C and the ColE9 Y324C-L447C mutant proteins; however diamide had no effect on the activity of ColE9. The presence of a disulfide bond was confirmed in both of the oxidized, mutant proteins by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. The loss of biological activity of the disulfide-containing mutant proteins was not due to an indirect effect on the properties of the translocation or DNase domains of the mutant colicins. The data are consistent with a requirement for the flexibility of the coiled-coil R domain after binding to BtuB.
Pressure to ban "sexual cleansing" in Zambia.

Women's groups are campaigning in Zambia to criminalize sexual cleansing, a practice in which a widow (usually) or widower must have sexual relations with a relative of the dead spouse in order to be rid of the spouse's ghost. It is believed that future sexual partners of the surviving spouse will go mad or die if this is not done. The National Women's Lobby Group is asking for parliamentary legislation banning the practice. The Family Life Movement is unsupportive of the practice, but believes legislation will not stop this ingrained part of the culture. The Society for Women Against AIDS in Zambia (SWAAZ) agrees that legislation will do nothing; however, education that changes people's attitudes might. Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Kalumba, believes legislation would protect vulnerable groups, but would not make people change their lifestyles. To promote such a change, the Ministry has begun a community project that includes workshops and seminars aimed at traditional leaders, healers, and ordinary people. The YWCA has convinced people to conduct nonsexual cleansing. In this era of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sexual cleansing can be deadly.