Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fatigue and health-related quality of life in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis treated by oral Corticosteroids.

BACKGROUND It is not clear how well sarcoidosis-associated fatigue improves with definitive therapy. OBJECTIVE To evaluate improvement in fatigue in patients of sarcoidosis receiving oral corticosteroid therapy, and correlate it with clinical recovery and change in health-related quality of life (HRQL). METHODS We studied 51 newly diagnosed adult patients of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis Health questionnaire (SHQ) was used to assess HRQL. Fatigue was evaluated using Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS). All patients received six month treatment with oral prednisolone, and SHQ and FAS were administered before initiation and after completion of treatment. Baseline and post-treatment scores were compared and a 4-point change in FAS scores considered clinically significant. RESULTS All patients improved clinically and radiologically with therapy. Body aches, however, persisted in 12 of 28 (42.9%) patients having this symptom at baseline. 33 patients (64.7%) had pre-treatment fatigue (FAS >=22), of which seven (13.7%) were severely fatigued (FAS score >=35). Of them 21 (63.6%) and 4 (12.1%) patients respectively showed improvement and deterioration in FAS score by >4 points. Only five of 18 patients with baseline FAS score <22 also showed >4 point score increment after treatment, and four of them developed fatigue during therapy. All patients with baseline severe fatigue improved. Overall, FAS scores, and all SHQ domain scores, significantly improved with treatment. CONCLUSIONS Both fatigue as well as HRQL improved significantly, and largely parallelly, with treatment for sarcoidosis. Persistence of fatigue, or new onset fatigue, may be encountered during treatment, possibly as an adverse effect of corticosteroid therapy.
Comparison of the LMA Supreme vs the i‐gel™ in paralysed patients undergoing gynaecological laparoscopic surgery with controlled ventilation *

We compared the efficacy of the inflatable cuff of the LMA Supreme™ against the non‐inflatable i‐gel™ cuff in providing an adequate seal for laparoscopic surgery in the Trendelenburg position in 100 female patients. There was no difference in our primary outcome, oropharyngeal leak pressure, between the LMA Supreme and the i‐gel (mean (SD) 26.4 (5.1) vs 25.0 (5.7) cmH2O, respectively; p = 0.18). Forty‐seven (94%) LMA Supremes and 48 (96%) i‐gels were successfully inserted on the first attempt, with similar ease, and comparable times to the first capnograph trace (mean (SD) 14.3 (4.7) s for the LMA Supreme vs 15.4 (8.2) s for the i‐gel; p = 0.4). Gastric tube insertion was easier and achieved more quickly with the LMA Supreme vs the i‐gel (9.0 (2.5) s vs 15.1 (7.3) s, respectively; p < 0.001). After creation of the pneumoperitoneum, there was a smaller difference between expired and inspired tidal volumes with the LMA Supreme (21.5 (15.2) ml) than with the i‐gel (31.2 (23.5) ml; p = 0.009). There was blood on removal of two LMA Supremes and one i‐gel. Four patients in the LMA Supreme group and one patient in the i‐gel group experienced mild postoperative sore throat.
Women on Boards of Malaysian Firms: Impact on Market and Accounting Performance

We seek to offer some reconciliation for the conflicting theoretical arguments and empirical findings regarding the impact of women’s participation in boards on firms’ performance. We suggest that this impact differs in relation to market- and accounting-performance, and it is firm-specific, and varies by firms’ ownership type and the composition of their boards. These arguments find theoretical underpinnings in agency and resource-dependency theories, combined with behavioral and discrimination theories that articulate women behavior in the workplace and market perception of gender equality. The empirical analysis is based on a dataset of 841 publicly-listed firms in Malaysia. The results show positive impact of women’s participation on accounting-performance and negative impact on market-performance, suggesting that women directors create economic value, which is undervalued by the market. We interpret the findings with reference to the perception of women’s role in society and business in Malaysia, and the nature of corporate governance and ownership types prevalent among Malaysian firms. We suggest that the relationships might be context-specific, and hence the desired level of women’s participation varies across countries. We discuss the normative implications of the findings for government authorities considering legislation of gender-quota on boards, and for firms.
Numeracy, Financial Literacy and Participation in Asset Markets

We measure levels of numeracy and financial literacy in the Swedish population and link these to participation in two key asset markets: stocks and housing. Many adults have low levels of both numeracy and financial literacy, with large differences between demographic groups. Numeracy is positively correlated with participation in both markets, also when controlling for other individual characteristics, whereas financial literacy is correlated with stock ownership but not with homeownership. Our results corroborate the view that non-participation is a common response to deficiencies in numeracy and financial literacy, and also point to important differences between the stock and housing markets.
Low-Energy Charged Particle Environment at Jupiter: A First Look

The low-energy charged particle instrument on Voyager was designed to measure the hot plasma (electron and ion energies ≳ 15 and ≳ 30 kiloelectron volts, respectively) component of the Jovian magnetosphere. Protons, heavier ions, and electrons at these energies were detected nearly a third of an astronomical unit before encounter with the planet. The hot plasma near the magnetosphere boundary is predominantly composed of protons, oxygen, and sulfur in comparable proportions and a nonthermal power-law tail; its temperature is about 3 x 108 K, density about 5 x 10–3 per cubic centimeter, and energy density comparable to that of the magnetic field. The plasma appears to be corotating throughout the magnetosphere; no hot plasma outflow, as suggested by planetary wind theories, is observed. The main constituents of the energetic particle population (≳200 kiloelectron volts per nucleon) are protons, helium, oxygen, sulfur, and some sodium observed throughout the outer magnetosphere; it is probable that the sulfur, sodium, and possibly oxygen originate at 1o. Fluxes in the outbound trajectory appear to be enhancedfrom ∼90� to ∼130� longitude (System III). Consistent low-energy particle flux periodicities were not observed on the inbound trajectory; both 5-and 10-hour periodicities were observed on the outbound trajectory. Partial absorption of > 10 million electron volts electrons is observed in the vicinity of the Io flux tube.
The Impact of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme on the Polish Economy:Interviews with Four Companies in Poland

This paper reports the results of interviews with four Polish companies. The results of the interviews shows that Polish companies tend to evaluate the effects of the introduction of EU ETS in 2005 positively: it provided an alternative view that they need considering environment in their business, and that they had much useful information for the improvement of energy losses by measuring it to verify the amount of emissions. However, there are also several negative claims to the EU ETS: auction adopted in the EU ETS from 2013 not only requires purchasing allowances, but also increases production cost due to the rise in the electricity price. Moreover, some of them are concerned that the competitiveness of Poland might be weakened, since it deeply depends on coal.
Swine Interferon-Inducible Transmembrane Proteins Potently Inhibit Influenza A Virus Replication

ABSTRACT Human interferon-inducible transmembrane proteins (IFITMs) were identified as restriction factors of influenza A virus (IAV). Given the important role of pigs in the zoonotic cycle of IAV, we cloned swine IFITMs (swIFITMs) and found two IFITM1-like proteins, one homologue of IFITM2, and a homologue of IFITM3. We show that swIFITM2 and swIFITM3 localize to endosomes and display potent antiviral activities. Knockdown of swIFITMs strongly reduced virus inhibition by interferon, establishing the swIFITMs as potent restriction factors in porcine cells.
The Changing status of the Sandton Business District, 1969 - 2003

In popular belief urban decay in central Johannesburg drove business northwards into the suburbs and particularly into Sandton Business District, mainly during the late 1980s and 1990s. Evidence collected suggests that active decentralization began much earlier and for a host of reasons. In this respect, the emergence of Sandton Business District fits the pattern associated with polynucleate cities globally. Charles Colby’s notion of centrifugal and centripetal forces has been found useful in explaining the changing status of Sandton Business District vis-a-vis downtown Johannesburg, despite the fact that suburbanization was hardly a feature of cities in Colby’s time. It has been found that the emergence of Sandton Business District is explicable in terms of existing academic thinking and literature. The main frameworks employed in the analysis include the shifting dynamics suggested by Colby’s notional centrifugal and centripetal forces. The importance of an amenity locational orientation, especially with regard to higher-income and mobile communities like those in Sandton; and both the organic and more recently policy-driven push towards the recognition of agglomerative economies in the metropolitan economy, are stressed. The Sandton Business District’s competitive edge was established in the 1970s, with Sandton City providing a high-profile focal point along with then forward-thinking town planning. During the 1980s Sandton Business District emerged as the premier decentralized office address in Johannesburg. The so-called ‘crime and grime’ phenomenon in central Johannesburg only reared up during the 1990s, which is when the major exodus of business commenced and was accelerated by political changes, municipal capacity constraints, and a dearth of applied planning policy. The demand for space in Sandton Business District was exacerbated in the early 1990s when major corporates left the Johannesburg CBD and relocated to Sandton propelled by the escalating centrifugal forces. The reputation of Sandton Business District as the country’s prime financial district was crowned with the relocation of the JSE Securities Exchange to Sandton in 2000. When institutional frameworks and the policy environment for the uni-city of Johannesburg were tightened up in the 2000s, the relationship between Sandton Business District and downtown Johannesburg became clearer. At the same time Sandton Business District was facing severe infrastructural capacity constraints coincidental with a recession in the commercial property market. As the new century progressed, Sandton Business District started to take on the shape of an edge city, something that Garreau has described as a city on the periphery of an existing, established urban area. The possibility that Sandton Business District has the form of en edge city has also been explored. ii University of Pretoria etd – Larsen, P N (2005)
Friends with Close Ties: Asset or Liability? Evidence from the Investment Decisions of Mutual Funds in China

When fund managers have close ties to their investees, it can facilitate information sharing but also increase the possibility of favoritism. Using the investment choices of mutual funds in China, we test whether funds with close ties to their investees make timelier investment decisions. We find that having close ties to an investee leads to more timely investments only when the funds are closely monitored. For poorly monitored funds, we find that having close ties can lead to less timely investments. Further examination shows that the reduced timeliness of connected funds is driven by the fund manager’s reluctance to withdraw holdings in times when the investee’s performance is weak. We interpret this as agency conflicts from delegated portfolio management reducing the information sharing role of close ties and leading to collusion when the counter party is in need. The findings suggest that close ties lead to timely investment decisions only when the agency conflicts are mitigated.
CBR-based Load Estimation for Distribution Networks

Load estimation is very important for management and control of complex distribution networks. A novel method based on case-based-reasoning (CBR) is proposed for distribution network nodal load estimation. Principle of the method is analyzed, a hybrid learning algorithm is presented, and its application is discussed. The CBR-based load estimation method can build nodes and connections for a fuzzy neural network dynamically by a rapid and incremental learning procedure and can withstand the effect of bad data effectively through network self-organizing. The method is a key component of an integrated load and state estimation framework. The proposed method is tested on a 33-node system whose nodal load data come from a practical system, and test results show that it can provide high quality nodal load estimates
Characterization of Metric Regularity of Subdifferentials

We study regularity properties of the subdifferential of proper lower semicontinuous convex functions in Hilbert spaces. More precisely, we investigate the metric regularity and subregularity, the strong regularity and subregularity of such a subdifferential. We characterize each of these properties in terms of a growth condition involving the function.
Do conscientious individuals live longer? A quantitative review.

OBJECTIVE Following up on growing evidence that higher levels of conscientiousness are associated with greater health protection, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of the association between conscientiousness-related traits and longevity. DESIGN Using a random-effects analysis model, the authors statistically combined 20 independent samples. In addition, the authors used fixed-effects analyses to examine specific facets of conscientiousness and study characteristics as potential moderators of this relationship. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Effect sizes were computed for each individual sample as the correlation coefficient r, based on the relationship between conscientiousness and mortality risk (all-cause mortality risk, longevity, or length of survival). RESULTS Higher levels of conscientiousness were significantly and positively related to longevity (r = .11, 95% confidence interval = .05-.17). Associations were strongest for the achievement (persistent, industrious) and order (organized, disciplined) facets of conscientiousness. CONCLUSION Results strongly support the importance of conscientiousness-related traits to health across the life span. Future research and interventions should consider how individual differences in conscientiousness may cause and be shaped by health-relevant biopsychosocial events across many years.
What counts as effective input for word learning?*

ABSTRACT The talk children hear from their primary caregivers predicts the size of their vocabularies. But children who spend time with multiple individuals also hear talk that others direct to them, as well as talk not directed to them at all. We investigated the effect of linguistic input on vocabulary acquisition in children who routinely spent time with one vs. multiple individuals. For all children, the number of words primary caregivers directed to them at age 2 ; 6 predicted vocabulary size at age 3 ; 6. For children who spent time with multiple individuals, child-directed words from all household members also predicted later vocabulary and accounted for more variance in vocabulary than words from primary caregivers alone. Interestingly, overheard words added no predictive value to the model. These findings suggest that speech directed to children is important for early word learning, even in households where a sizable proportion of input comes from overheard speech.
A Collaborative Study on the Measurement of Protein S Antigen in Plasma

Summary A collaborative study on the measurement of protein S (PS) antigen (total and free) in a freeze-dried ampouled test plasma by assay against local house standard plasmas was carried out in eleven laboratories. Potency estimates of total PS showed good agreement between laboratories with a geometric coefficient of variation (gcv) of 5.9% and an overall combined potency of 0.84 units per ml. Potency estimates of free PS antigen in the test sample were associated with increased variability between laboratories resulting from the polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation step which is used to separate free PS from PS bound to the C4b binding protein. Free PS in the test could be expressed relative to either total PS in the house standards (e. g. 0.28 units per ml) or relative to free PS in the house standards following PEG precipitation (e. g. 0.71 units free PS per ml).
Kyste dermoïde géant de la paroi abdominale: une observation rare

Les kystes dermoïdes sont des lésions bénignes fréquentes. Ils peuvent être volumineux et entrainer une destruction des tissus avoisinants surtout au niveau du crâne. Ces kystes dermoïdes sont le plus souvent de localisation ovarienne ou testiculaire mais d'autres localisations, principalement axiales, sont décrites. Le kyste dermoïde de la paroi abdominale est rare. Quant aux volumineux kystes, ils sont encore plus rares. La possibilité de leur dégénérescence impose une exérèse chirurgicale. Nous rapportons un cas rare de kyste dermoïde géant de la paroi abdominale antérolatérale, qui peut poser un problème de diagnostic différentiel avec le un kyste hydatique, surtout dans un pays endémique comme le Maroc.
Financial Crises after Financial Liberalization: Exceptional Circumstances or Structural Weakness?

Recent studies have conjectured that there may be a link between financial liberalization and financial instability in emerging economies. Most of these studies, however, do not investigate whether emerging economies are becoming structurally more vulnerable to currency and banking crises. In this paper, we argue that emerging economies are systematically becoming more susceptible to both currency and banking crises after FL. Using data for 27 emerging economies from 1973 to the present, univariate and multivariate analyses indicate that the likelihood of currency crises and banking crises increase after FL. In particular, liberalization allows more liquidity to enter an emerging economy, which finds its way into productive and speculative projects. What is common to both types of crises is a significant increase in speculative financing, thereby increasing the chance for borrower default. Thus, the outflow of international capital becomes more likely, and we find that the chance of either type of crisis grows faster in response to changes in short-term loans after FL than before. Similarly, the reactions to overvalued currencies are at least similar in terms of increasing probabilities of crises in the case of banking crises, or greater in the case of currency crises after FL as compared to before FL. Further, our results show that after FL the chance of a currency crisis declines over time, while the chance of a banking crisis increases.
Influence of milk quality and production protocol on proteolysis and lipolysis in Monti Dauni Meridionali Caciocavallo cheese

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of milk source and of cheese production protocol on proteolytic and lipolytic pattern of cheese during ripening. The study involved six dairy factories located in Monti Dauni Meridionali area of Southern Italy; three dairy factories processed the milk produced by their own cow herds, while the other three dairy factories processed the milk collected in other dairy farms located in the neighbouring area. Cow milk processed to cheese had different nutritional parameters and hygienic quality. Caciocavallo cheese showed differences in the evolution of proteolysis during ripening and in the intensity of the lipolytic process detected at the end of ripening. The main factors influencing Caciocavallo cheese features were the quality of the starting milk, differences in technological steps such as milk heating, type of starter cultures and coagulant used.
Comparative genomic hybridization detects novel amplifications in fibroadenomas of the breast

Comparative genomic hybridization analysis was performed for identification of chromosomal imbalances in 23 samples of fibroadenomas of the breast. Chromosomal gains rather than losses were a feature of these lesions. Only two cases with a familial and/or previous history of breast lesions had gain of 1q or 16q as the sole abnormality. The most frequently overrepresented segments were 5p14 (10/23 cases), 5q34–qter (6/23 cases), 13q32–qter (6/23 cases), 10q25–qter (5/23 cases), and 18q22 (4/23 cases). Some of these regions have previously been associated with breast carcinoma, but this study indicates that gain of these regions can also occur in benign breast lesions. Our findings may provide a basis for conducting further investigations to locate and identify genes associated with proliferation that may be involved in the early steps of tumorigenesis of the breast. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Directional selection for duration of copulation in Drosophila melanogaster.

quantitative trait having some genetic basis should respond to selection, since A b , selecting extreme phenotypes, extreme genotypes will be selected. Initially, the magniLude of the response to selection will depend on the heritability of the trait and its selection differential, which is itself dependent on the proportion of the population selected and the standard deviation of the trait. In time, the rate of response to selection may be expected to diminish as genetic variability is lost (FALCONER 1960). However, rapid or “accelerated” responses to selection may occur after some generations at a plateau, and these may be due to recombination producing extreme gametes, and hence genotypes leading to extreme phenotypic expression of the trait under selection (BODMER and PARSONS 1962). Artificial directional selection has been successful for several behavioral traits, for example defecation scores in rats (BROADHURST 1960), geotaxis (HIRSCH 1962; DOBZHANSKY and SPASSKY 1962) and mating speed in Drosophila (MANNING 1961,1963). Further discussions of these and other traits appear in PARSONS (1967). In this paper the results of a directional selection experiment for duration of copulation in D. melanogaster will be discussed. Evidence for the genetic control of this trait in D. melanogaster has been given by MERRELL ( 1949) and HILDRETH (1962) who found differences between strains, and by HOSGOOD and PARSONS (1965) who found differences between strains derived from single inseminated females taken from natural populations. A recent experiment based on inbred strains and their hybrids gave a heritability in the region of 0.15 to 0.20 (MACBEAN and PARSONS 1966). In D. pseudmbscura differences for duration of copulation, mainly controlled by the male, have been found between various karyotypes (KAUL and PARSONS 1965). Thus there is quite an amount of evidence for its genetic control, even though the heritability quoted is quke low. It was therefore decided to carry out directional selection for the trait in an attempt to assess its genetic basis more fully.