Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laryngeal cleft—case series from a surgical neonatal intensive care unit

Background: Laryngeal clefts are rare congenital anomalies of the upper aerodigestive tract with a persistent connection between the posterior laryngotracheal airway and the oesophagus. The purpose of this study was to review the clinical presentation, management and outcomes of a cohort of infants presenting with laryngeal clefts to a tertiary surgical neonatal intensive care unit in the newborn period. Methods: A single centre retrospective case review was conducted on infants with a diagnosis of types I to IV laryngeal cleft. Results: Eight infants with laryngeal clefts were identified. The median age at presentation was 1.5 days (1–118 days) and median age to diagnosis was 6.5 days. Seven out of eight neonates were male and five were born prematurely. Seven out of eight had a significant comorbidity and four infants died. Conclusions: Patients with laryngeal clefts in this study had a high morbidity and mortality despite various forms of surgical intervention.
III. ÎNMULŢIRE, VIROLOGIE ŞI CULTURI DE ŢESUTURI PROPAGATION, VIROLOGY AND TISSUE CULTURE ÎNMULŢIREA SOIURILOR NOI DE MUR PENTRU PRODUCEREA MATERIALULUI DE ÎNMULŢIRE CERTIFICAT PROPAGATION OF NEW BLACKBERRY CULTIVARS FOR PRODUCING CERTIFIED PROPAGATION MATERIAL

The purpose of this research was to study the behaviour of two new Romanian thorn blackberry cultivars DAR 24 and DAR 8 in process of micropropagation, compared with Darrow cultivar usually commercially micropropagated in our laboratory. Due to several drawbacks of the conventional propagation of Rubus, the efficiency of micropropagation was tested in order to obtain high quality planting material and to introduce rapidly these new cultivars in a certification program. Thorn blackberry cultivars DAR 8 and DAR 24 with resistance to winter colds was successfully micropropagated. Blackberry plants were found without virus infection after biological and ELISA tests. Axillary buds from the branches in full growth were used as the initial explants. After four weeks of growth, aseptic cultures was established on MS basal mineral salts, LS vitamins with 0.3 mg/l BAP, 0.1mg/l GA3 and 0.001mg/l NAA. The rate of successfully established cultures was on average 65.11%. Good proliferation of the regenerated shoots was obtained on the same medium composition used for initiation phase, whereas medium MS with mineral salts reduced to ½ and LS vitamins with 0.1 mg/l IBA and 0.1 mg/l GA3 was used in the rooting phase. Dar 24 and Dar 8 cultivars responded by good rates of micropropagation on medium culture B as compared to control Darrow cultivar, even if the obtained shoots length was lower than on medium A. The statistical analysis reveled that the highest MR (20.66 plantlets/explant) was obtained for Dar 24. In this case the length of shoots was 1.92 cm. The highest rooting percentages (over 85%) were obtained with shoots multiplied on medium B. High quality of rooted plants induced a high percentage of acclimatization of cultivar Dar 8, 86.36% under mist system in green house whereas the percentage of acclimatization of cultivar Dar 24 was lower, 51.85%.
Long term creep life prediction for Grade 22 (2·25Cr—1Mo) steels

Using new data analysis procedures, 100 000 h creep strengths are estimated by extrapolation of stress rupture values with creep lives <5000 h for Grade 22 tube as well as for annealed/tempered and quenched/tempered plates. In addition to allowing accurate prediction of long term strengths, the resulting property sets can be discussed sensibly in terms of the deformation and damage processes controlling creep and creep fracture.
Geodesic motion in equal angular momenta Myers-Perry-AdS spacetimes

nd that the ISCO dives below the ergosurface for black holes rotating close to extremality and merges with the event horizon exactly at extremality, in analogy with the fourdimensional Kerr case. For suciently massive black holes in AdS there exists a spin parameter range in which the background spacetime is stable against super-radiance and the ISCO lies inside the ergoregion. Our results for massless geodesics show that there are no stable circular null orbits outside the horizon, but there exist such orbits inside the horizon, as well as around overextremal spacetimes, i.e., naked singularities. We also discuss how these orbits deform from the static to the rotating case.
SERUM PARAOXONASE AND ARYLESTERASE ACTIVITY AND LIVER TISSUE OF RATS UNDER ACUTE HEPATOTOXICITY INDUCED BY ACETAMINOPHEN

If a significant relationship is proven between toxic dose of acetaminophen on liver tissue and paraoxonase and arylesterase activity of paraoxonase (PON1) and profiles of lipids and serum lipoproteins, this enzyme can be used as a diagnostic biomarker in acute liver injuries, including damage caused by toxic drugs such as acetaminophen. At the beginning of the experiment, the rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups taking acetaminophen (0, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 mg/kg); then, activities of paraoxonase, arylesterase, serum malondialdehyde, liver tissue, ALT level, liver index and HDL/LDL were measured. Paraoxonase and arylesterase activity was lower in serum of groups receiving acetaminophen than the control group. Similarly, activity of HDL/ LDL was lower in serum of groups receiving acetaminophen than the control group; however, MDA activity increased in serum of groups receiving acetaminophen compared to the control group. Moreover, activities of ALT and liver index increased in groups receiving acetaminophen compared to controls. The results showed that tissue MDA was higher in groups receiving acetaminophen than the control group and tissue paraoxonase and tissue arylesterase do not follow any particular trend. In this study, no significant relationship was found in toxic dose of acetaminophen between intervention groups and controls and liver tissue, paraoxonase and arylesterase activity of paraoxonase (PON1) and HDL/LDL. Thus, this enzyme cannot be used as a diagnostic biomarker in acute liver injuries.
Time series photometry of the nearby brown dwarf DENIS-P J0041353−562112

DENIS-P J0041353−562112 is a brown dwarf, with a spectral type of M7.5, which may be younger than 20 Myr. On the basis of its Hα emission-line asymmetry, it has been suggested that the object is accreting material. If it is accreting, it is expected to rotate slowly. This paper reports on several photometric monitoring runs in the RC and IC bands, designed to study variability – such as that due to rotational modulation – of the object. Although there do not seem to be irregular brightness fluctuations typical of accretion, there is cyclical variability which may be due to a bright accretion-related spot. The rotation period is 2.8 h, although a double-wave variation with a period of 5.6 h cannot be ruled out completely. If the shorter period is correct, it is unlikely that the brown dwarf is disc-locked. Substantial flaring activity in the RC band suggests a strong magnetic field.
Understanding co-operative R&D activity: evidence from four European countries

This paper investigates co-operative research activity by firms using data from the 3rd Community Innovation Survey for four countries, France, Germany, Spain and the UK. We build on the Cassiman and Veugelers (CV) (2002) study of Belgian manufacturing firms, by incorporating information on the service sector, and considering the role of public support in affecting firms' decisions to co-operate. Our results support those in CV, in that we find a positive relationship between the likelihood of undertaking co-operative R&D and both incoming knowledge spillovers and the extent to which firms find strategic methods important in appropriating the returns to innovative activity. We find that public support is positively related to the probability of undertaking co-operative agreements particularly with regard to the likelihood of co-operation with the research base. We find some evidence, in particular for Spain, that firms carry out co-operative R&D to overcome excessive perceived risks and financial constraints.
The frontiers of the debate on Payments for Ecosystem Services: a proposal for innovative future research

This paper offers a review and analysis of the key issues and different perspectives in the Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) debate. We discuss how the current debate has to a certain degree moved beyond ‘neoliberal’ vs. ‘non-neoliberal’ discussions, instead recognizing the variegated ways in which this policy tool plays out in the field. We argue, however, that despite this progress PES research remains weakly theorized in social and political terms, resulting in only superficial understanding of the role of culture, agency, social diversity and power relations in the shaping of PES institutions and their outcomes. Building on insights from other fields and disciplines in the social sciences –in particular critical institutionalism, social anthropology and political ecology-, we subject some of the common assumptions underlying mainstream and alternative conceptualizations of PES and identify the main issues that, we believe, deserve more attention in future research. More specifically, we explore three key challenges in current PES research related to the tendency (1) to assume that institutions can be designed in order to make them ‘fit’ specific human-nature problems; (2) to oversimplify culture and social diversity through the apolitical concept of ‘social capital’; and (3)to conceptualize human agency, collective action, and institutional change through either overly-rational or overlystructuralist models. We argue that an expanded actor-oriented, socially-informed and powersensitive conceptualization of PES can help generate novel insights in the power geographies underlying institutional logics, and thus the complex ways in which PES policies are shaped and experienced in the field.
Gold nanoparticle-graphene oxide nanocomposites that enhance the device performance of polymer solar cells

Metal nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxides are promising materials for use in various optoelectronic applications because of their unique plasmonic properties. In this paper, a simple, environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxide that can be used to improve the efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) is reported. Here, the amino acid glycine is employed as an environmentally friendly reducing reagent for the reduction of gold ions in the graphene oxide solutions. Transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy are used to characterize the material properties of the resulting nanomaterials. Furthermore, these nanocomposites are employed as the anode buffer layer in OPVs to trigger surface plasmonic resonance, which improved the efficiency of the OPVs. The results indicate that such nanomaterials appear to have great potential for application in OPVs.
LInear type traIt anaL ysIs In coLdbLood breeds: czech-MoravIan beLgIan horse and sILesIan norIker

The linear type description in 580 horses of Czech-Moravian Belgian horse (CMB) and in 282 horses of Silesian noriker (sn) was evaluated using a linear model with fixed effects: sex, year of birth, sire line and sire. Both breeds were evaluated separately. Basic traits of the linear type description such as the mean, variation coefficient and the number of utilized score were determined. In this work, an incomplete use of the variability scale has been ascertained for the linear type trait description of exterior in the genetic sources in CMB and SN horses. None of the monitored traits has used a complete scale of developmental stages (1-9). Statistical differences between the sexes have been found only for 4 traits in cMB horses and for 5 traits in sn horses. no statistically significant differences in age during the evaluation were found in most cases. Both effects (sex and age with evaluation) have not been significant for the majority of linear type traits in both files of statistical significance and were not significant in breeding and selection of cMB and sn on the basis of linear type trait analysis. on the contrary, statistically significant differences in the effect of the year of birth have been found for 14 traits in cMB and for 16 traits in sn. the year of birth shows statistically significant influence on the formation of morphology in both breeds. In fathers and paternal lines in cMB and sn, significant intra-population phenotype variability has been ascertained.
Robust Facility Location under Demand Location Uncertainty

Facility location models typically assume demand locations are known at the time of facility siting. However, in many practical problems, the locations of demand points may be subject to uncertainty. One setting in which demand location uncertainty is a major feature is in the deployment of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public locations, which are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest. Since the exact locations of future cardiac arrests cannot be known a priori, AEDs must be placed strategically in public locations to ensure their accessibility in the event of a cardiac arrest emergency. Motivated by the AED location problem, we propose a distributionally robust model for siting facilities in an environment where demand points are realized in continuous space according to a partially-known distribution. Our approach involves discretizing continuous space into a finite set of scenarios, with each scenario representing a possible location for the realization of the next demand point. We propose a solution technique based on row-and-column generation that scales extremely efficiently in the number of scenarios. We also provide bounds on the error induced by the discretization as a function of the granularity of discretization. Combined with the efficiency of the row-and-column generation algorithm, these bounds allow us to tractably and tightly approximate the underlying continuous problem. Lastly, we present numerical results from a case study that demonstrates that hedging against demand location uncertainty has the potential to improve survival outcomes by mitigating the risk of long response times.
A bibliometric study of the cultural models in international business research

Culture and the influence of national cultures and cultural differences have been widely studied in International Business (IB) research especially over the past three decades. To better understand what culture actually means and its implications on firms’ international operations, several cultural models and taxonomies have been put forward. In this paper we review the main cultural models in the extant IB research – Hofstede’s (1980), Hall’s (1976) and Troompenaars’ (1993) – and Kogut and Singh’s (1988) concept of cultural distance. In a bibliometric study of over 3,600 articles published in seven top ranked journals for IB research, we examine citations and co-citations to assess the relative use of the cultural models and the ties binding authors and theories studied. This study offers a wealth of information on the current state of IB-related research using culture that may be used to better understand the intellectual structure of the sub-field of cultural issues in IB studies but also to identify gaps for future inquiry. The results help setting a profile of the network of knowledge and permit us conclude that Hofstede’s (1980) taxonomy on cultural characteristics is the most cited cultural taxonomy and holds ties to many of the core streams of IB-related research. In fact, despite the well-known criticisms, there is an increasing use of Hofstede’s dimensions.
The spontaneous regeneration of myelin : an unexpected central role of the androgen receptor

Lost myelin can be replaced after injury or during demyelinating diseases in a regenerative process called remyelination. In the central nervous system (CNS), the myelin sheaths, which protect axons and allow the fast propagation of electrical impulses, are produced by oligodendrocytes. The abundance and widespread distribution of oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPs) within the adult CNS account for this remarkable regenerative potential. Here we report a key role for the male gonad, testosterone and the androgen receptor (AR) in CNS remyelination. After lysolecithin-induced demyelination of the male mouse ventral spinal cord white matter, the recruitment of glial fibrillary acidic protein-expressing astrocytes was compromised in the absence of testes and testosterone signaling via AR. Concomitantly, the differentiation of OPs into oligodendrocytes forming myelin basic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP) myelin was impaired. Instead, in the absence of astrocytes, axons were remyelinated by protein zero (P0) and peripheral myelin protein 22-kDa (PMP22) myelin, normally only produced by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Thus, testosterone favours astrocyte recruitment and spontaneous oligodendrocyte-mediated remyelination. This finding may have important implications for demyelinating diseases, psychiatric disorders and cognitive aging. The testosterone-dependency of CNS oligodendrocyte remyelination may have roots in the evolutionary history of the AR, as the receptor has evolved from an ancestral 3-ketosteroid receptor through gene duplication at the time when myelin appeared in jawed vertebrates.
EFFECT OF PERCEIVED STRESS ON ADJUSTMENT OF JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA (JNV) MIGRANTS IN RELATION TO GENDER

This study examined the effect of gender on perceived stress related to emotional, educational and social adjustment among Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) migrant students. Data were collected from 97 migrant students studying in ninth grade at various JNVs of Punjab state, India. Data analysis using MANOVA revealed that gender and perceived stress has significant effect on the three dimensions of adjustment (educational, social and emotional). However, combined effect of gender and perceived stress was not found to be significant. Implications for school administration, teachers, counsellors and wardens have also been discussed in the paper.
Digital Tools as a Means to Foster Inclusive, Data-informed Urban Planning

Rapid urbanization, climate change, resource depletion, the desire for more sustainable development and widespread use of the Internet and mobile phones are major challenges for urban planning. While the smart city model is seen as a means to cope with these challenges, it is often reduced to an amalgam of technologies. Citizens are usually seldom included in the planning process, though the knowledge they produce and can share on how they use and live in the city is extremely valuable. Digital technologies create an opportunity to reshape the planning process by improving interactions and information exchanges among urban planners and citizens, which are central in the move towards more sustainable, responsive planning. This research aims to answer the following two questions: (1) how is digital participation changing the role citizens play in urban planning and decision making processes? and, (2) what are the advantages and limitations of involving citizens in these processes through digital tools? This paper explores how digital tools can be harnessed to enhance citizen involvement in the planning process. We will give an overview of how these tools can inform urban planning by providing citizen-centric data to foster more inclusive and responsive planning. This paper identifies both the opportunities - particularly in terms of data production and exchange – and limitations of digital tools.
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Cervical Cancer Screening among Somali Women in an Urban Settlement in Kenya

Background: In Kenya, cervical cancer is ranked as the most frequent cancer among women with about 4,802 new cases being diagnosed and approximately 2,451 lives lost to it. Screening by Pap smear facilitates early detection, prompt treatment and consequently reduces mortality from cervical cancer. Though cervical screening services exist in Kenya, there is still high mortality rate due to cervical cancer. Objective: To determine prevalence and associated factors of cervical cancer screening among Somali women in Eastleigh, Nairobi, Kenya. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 104 women selected by multi-stage sampling approach. The data was collected using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test (p<0.05) and odds ratio with corresponding 95% confidence interval were used to determine the association between screening and independent variables. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine predictors of cervical cancer screening. Conclusion: Based on our findings special emphasis should be directed at increasing awareness and perception about cervical screening as well as susceptibility of cervical cancer at all primary health care points through a welldesigned health education programme.
The Evolutionary Model of Entrepreneurial Firms' Dependence on Networks: Going beyond the start-up stage

In this paper, we propose a dynamic model of entrepreneurial firms’ dependence on networks. First we argue that five characteristics of entrepreneurial firms result in their high dependence on networks; these five characteristics include entrepreneurial orientation, central role of the entrepreneur, resource constraints, pursuit of flexibility, and niche market focus. We then examine how entrepreneurial firms’ growth is accompanied by the evolution of these five characteristics leading to a shift in the mode through which entrepreneurial firms construct and deploy their networks. In particular, we examine the composition and the stability of entrepreneurial firms’ networks. This paper contributes to building a more integrative theory of entrepreneurship.
Improving student success using predictive models and data visualisations

The need to educate a competitive workforce is a global problem. In the US, for example, despite billions of dollars spent to improve the educational system, approximately 35% of students never finish high school. The drop rate among some demographic groups is as high as 50–60%. At the college level in the US only 30% of students graduate from 2-year colleges in 3 years or less and approximately 50% graduate from 4-year colleges in 5 years or less. A basic challenge in delivering global education, therefore, is improving student success. By student success we mean improving retention, completion and graduation rates. In this paper we describe a Student Success System (S3) that provides a holistic, analytical view of student academic progress.1 The core of S3 is a flexible predictive modelling engine that uses machine intelligence and statistical techniques to identify at-risk students pre-emptively. S3 also provides a set of advanced data visualisations for reaching diagnostic insights and a case management tool for managing interventions. S3's open modular architecture will also allow integration and plug-ins with both open and proprietary software. Powered by learning analytics, S3 is intended as an end-to-end solution for identifying at-risk students, understanding why they are at risk, designing interventions to mitigate that risk and finally closing the feedback look by tracking the efficacy of the applied intervention. Keywords: predictive models; data visualisation; student performance; risk analytics (Published: 30 August 2012) http://dx.doi. org/10.3402/rlt.v20i0. 19191