Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vocal Cord Paralysis and its Etiologies: A Prospective Study

Introduction: Vocal cord paralysis is a common symptom of numerous diseases and it may be due to neurogenic or mechanical fixation of the cords. Paralysis of the vocal cords is just a symptom of underlying disease in some cases; so, clinical diagnosis of the underlying cause leading to paralysis of the vocal cords is important. This study evaluates the causes of vocal cord paralysis. Methods: In a prospective study, 45 patients with paralyzed vocal cord diagnosis were examined by tests such as examination of the pharynx, larynx, esophagus, thyroid, cervical, lung, and mediastinum, brain and heart by diagnostic imaging to investigate the cause vocal cord paralysis. The study was ended by diagnosing the reason of vocal cord paralysis at each stage of the examination and the clinical studies. Results: The mean duration of symptoms was 18.95±6.50 months. The reason for referral was phonation changes (97.8%) and aspiration (37.8%) in the subjects. There was bilateral paralysis in 6.82%, left paralysis in 56.82% and right in 63.36% of subjects. The type of vocal cord placement was midline in 52.8%, paramedian in 44.4% and lateral in 2.8% of the subjects. The causes of vocal cords paralysis were idiopathic paralysis (31.11%), tumors (31.11%), surgery (28.89%), trauma, brain problems, systemic disease and other causes (2.2%). Conclusion: An integrated diagnostic and treatment program is necessary for patients with vocal cord paralysis. Possibility of malignancy should be excluded before marking idiopathic reason to vocal cord paralysis.
On quasiperiodic and subharmonic Floquet wake instabilities

The physical characteristics of bifurcated states in systems with inherent symmetry are constrained in ways that those in systems with broken symmetry are not. Here we examine the issue of quasiperiodic versus subharmonic instability modes of time-periodic laminar wakes, and how the relationship between them is influenced by weak symmetry breaking. The examples used are the vortex street wake of a circular cylinder, where symmetry is broken by distorting the cylinder into a ring, and the wake of a square cylinder, where symmetry is broken by a small fixed rotation of the cylinder about its axis. In both cases the symmetric wakes exhibit a quasiperiodic instability mode, with a pair of complex-conjugate Floquet multipliers and which manifests as a traveling wave. As symmetry is broken these multipliers migrate continuously to the real axis, coalesce, and split into a pair of subharmonic multipliers that move apart along the negative real axis. This behavior resolves an apparent dichotomy between the previously established theoretical results and numerical predictions for the symmetric wake systems, and the predictions and experimental observations for systems with weakly broken symmetry. © 2010 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3368106
Strategic Framing in Contracts

We provide a hidden-action principal-agent model where the agent has referencedependent preferences. The loss-averse agent considers the base wage as reference point, and bonuses and/or penalties as gains and losses, respectively. When choosing optimal payments, the principal strategically sets the base wage, knowing that this determines the agent's reference point. We consider two variants of the model. In a first variant, the agent's reservation utility is not reference-dependent. We show that it is always optimal in this case for the principal to employ bonuses. In a second variant, the reservation utility is reference-dependent and the principal may use penalties.
MPTP‐ but Not Methamphetamine‐Induced Parkinsonism Extends to Catecholamine Neurons in the Gut

Methamphetamine (METH) produces nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) loss, partly resembling that which occurs in Parkinson's disease (PD). In PD there is also a marked alteration in the gut. Given the similarities between the central DA denervation produced by METH and PD, in the present study we evaluated the alterations in the gut following upon METH administration. To compare these effects with those occurring in PD, we also administered the parkinsonism‐inducing neurotoxin MPTP. METH and MPTP were administered to mice, and after 7 days we investigated the immunostaining for tyrosine hydroxylase in nervous plexuses. These data indicate that METH did not alter the catecholamine‐containing axons and autonomic neurons, while MPTP markedly reduced these components.
Biomarker Research in Occupational Health

Objectives: A variety of biomarkers have been used to study worker populations, and these studies have achieved different levels of success in the improvement of occupational health. Methods: Successful application of biomarker research is dependent upon several important factors: ability to identify hazardous substances from the exposure to a variety of substances, relevance to the development of disease, and usefulness for health risk assessment. Results: Besides the traditional biomarkers for exposure, biological effects, and health risk, new biomarkers for susceptibility and genome-wide responses are being used to improve our understanding of occupational health at a higher and, perhaps, more precise level. Conclusions: In addition, there is a continued need to develop and apply biomarkers that can be used to provide real-time detection of excessive exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace, especially from unexpected fugitive emissions. These topics are discussed in the review.
Validation of a FFQ to estimate the intake of PUFA using plasma phospholipid fatty acids and weighed foods records

Due to the growing knowledge about the role of specific fatty acids in health and disease, dietary intake measurements of individual fatty acids or classes of fatty acids are becoming increasingly important. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of the Nambour FFQ to estimate intakes of specific fatty acids, particularly PUFA. The study population was a sub-sample of adult participants in a randomised controlled trial of β-carotene and sunscreen in the prevention of skin cancer (n 43). Dietary intake was assessed by a self-administered FFQ and a weighed food record (WFR). Non-fasting blood samples were collected and analysed for plasma phospholipid fatty acids. Median intakes on the FFQ were generally higher than the WFR except for the n-3 PUFA groups, where the FFQ estimated higher intakes. Correlations between the FFQ and WFR were moderate (r 0·32–0·59) except for trans fatty acids (r 0·03). Correlations between each of the dietary assessment methods and the plasma phospholipids were poor for all fatty acids other than the PUFA. Using the methods of triads approach, the FFQ validity coefficients for total n-3 fatty acids, total long chain n-3 fatty acids, EPA, arachidonic acid, docosapentaenoic acid and DHA were 0·50, 0·63, 0·45 and 0·62 and 0·62, respectively. For most fatty acids, the FFQ adequately estimates group mean fatty acid intakes and can adequately rank individuals; however, the ability of this FFQ to estimate trans fatty acids was poor.
Food Shopping Behavior Among Ethnic and Non-Ethnic Communities in Britain

Abstract This study compares ethnic and non-ethnic grocery shoppers to establish if their brand preferences differ while shopping in British supermarkets. It is thus an investigation useful for grocery brand positioning. While this study found that grocery shoppers differ in terms of socio-economic status, personal characteristics and brand preference behavior, no significant differences were found in the preference of food brands because of cultural differences. In terms of brand name importance, the results suggests, that statistically, no significant cultural differences exist in the level of importance that consumer groups attached to a variety of food brand attributes. The results however found that, when purchasing fruit and vegetables, rice, meat and fish, non-ethnic consumers disliked “no-name” brands and attached greater importance to national brands than did the ethnic consumers. A substantial majority of both the ethnic and non-ethnic consumers perceived television and radio information sources as of very little importance. The majority of the ethnic consumers found ethnic-minority based newspapers to be an important source of food information. Implications for brand image, the buying preferences for ethnic and non-ethnic consumers, grocery retailing, limitations and future research directions are discussed.
Urinary tract infection in clinical renal transplantation.

The histories of 72 recipients of renal transplants who had been followed three months to seven years or until death, were reviewed to determine the incidence of urinary tract infection. This review was made to evaluate the role of primary diagnosis, donor source, technique of urinary drainage, urologic complications, and duration of catheter drainage in the occurrence and persistence of urinary tract infection. Definitions A urinary tract infection was defined as a quantitative determination on urine culture of greater than 100,000 pathogenic organisms per milliliter from a voided urine or catheter specimen. Repeated counts of less than 100,000 per milliliter of the same pathogen were interpreted as significant and are included as positive. Random urinary cultures of 100,000 per milliliter or less of nonpathogenic organisms such as diphtheroids, micrococcus, or Doderlein's bacillus, combined with several negative reports in the same patient, were interpreted as insignificant. Recipients of renal grafts with
Housing in Port Harcourt, Nigeria: The Modified Building Approval Process

Housing is a process which makes the act of dwelling possible. In effect, the term, housing includes the house itself and the total surrounding environment with its ancillary facilities and services. One of the processes in building a house is the Building Approval phase before a house is started. This particular phase is marked by many challenges in Nigeria and particularly in Port Harcourt in the productivity of housing. The Rivers State Government in 2009 introduced the Rivers State Geographic Information System (RIVGIS) to handle land registration issues. Also in 2012, the “One -Stop -Shop” for building plan approval was introduced. The results have been rewarding; the various processes are more transparent, the period of waiting to get building approval and Certificate of Occupancy(C of O) has been reduced, the number of structures built without permits and collapse of buildings are reduced, the practice of using quacks in the building profession is under check. Generally this has resulted in improved safety of life and property. However, challenges remain that require specific regulations and enforcement of such.
Consumer responses to ecolabels

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and apply a framework for understanding consumer responses to ecolabelling.Design/methodology/approach – From a consumer perspective, ecolabels are tools for supporting decision making with regard to environmentally significant products. The paper proposes an adoption of innovation framework for understanding consumer responses. The framework is applied in a mall‐intercept survey of the early adoption of a new ecolabel, the MSC label for sustainable fishery, in Denmark.Findings – Early adopters of a new ecolabel mostly employ a high effort adoption process. Starting the adoption process depends on both motivation (intention to buy sustainable fish products) and ability (issue‐relevant knowledge). Whether and how quickly the consumer completes the adoption depends on his or her motivation, past experience with using ecolabels, and trust in the endorsing organisation.Research limitations/implications – Environmental and product‐related factors did not differ.
Reassessing Adolescent Male Sexual and Reproductive Health in the United States: Research and Recommendations

Adolescent males are practicing safer sexual behaviors and experiencing healthier outcomes than their predecessors. In recent years, adolescent males have tended to start having sex later in life, have fewer sexual partners, use condoms and other contraceptive methods more often, and father fewer children. Yet sexual activity during adolescence remains the norm, and thus adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) remains an important concern. Moreover, large disparities remain in risk and outcomes according to race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, social connectivity, and where men live. Policy and program advances have been limited. Adolescent males are less likely than they were a decade ago to be receiving broad-based SRH information in school, and their access to clinical services has increased only marginally. Most new funding has been provided for ineffective abstinence-only education programs. Prerequisites for continued progress include research to fill in gaps in our knowledge, arriving at societal consensus around key controversies, and new tactics and allies in the political arena.
Exploring the Links between Party and Appointment: Canadian Federal Judicial Appointments from 1989 to 2003

Abstract. Studies of federal judicial appointments made before 1988 discovered significant partisan ties between judicial appointees and the governments appointing them. In 1988, in response to criticism of these “patronage appointments,” the Mulroney government introduced screening committees to the process. This article explores the impact of these committees. Using information gained from surveys of legal elites, we trace the minor and major political connections of federal judicial appointees from 1989 to 2003 in order to determine whether patronage has continued despite the reform to the process. We discover that political connections continued to play an important role in who was selected for a judicial appointment. However, these connections were not quite as common as those found before 1988, and the new process does appear to have prevented the politically motivated appointment of completely unqualified candidates. Interestingly, our findings also suggest that the impact of patronage varies by region and interacts with other, newer influences, in particular, concerns for group representation on the bench. The paper concludes by briefly discussing these results in the context of the relationship between judicial selection and politics with a comparative perspective. Résumé. Les études sur les nominations judiciaires fédérales réalisées avant 1988 ont découvert des liens partisans étroits entre les juges nommés à la cour et les gouvernements les nommant. En 1988, en réponse aux critiques sur le favoritisme entourant les nominations, le gouvernement Mulroney a introduit des comités d'évaluation dans le processus. Cet article explore l'impact de ces comités. En utilisant de l'information recueillie lors de sondages menés auprès de la communauté légale, nous retraçons les connexions politiques mineures et majeures des attributaires judiciaires fédéraux de 1989 à 2003 en vue de déterminer si le favoritisme a persisté malgré la réforme du système. Nous découvrons que les connexions politiques continuent à jouer un rôle important dans la sélection des juges. Toutefois, ces connexions ne sont pas aussi importantes que celles qu'on a identifiées avant 1988 et le nouveau processus semble avoir réussi à prévenir les nominations partisanes de candidats entièrement non qualifiés. Les résultats de notre recherche suggèrent également que l'effet du favoritisme varie par région et dépend aussi d'autres facteurs plus nouveaux, en particulier le souci de représentation de certains groupes au sein de la magistrature. L'article conclut en discutant brièvement ces résultats dans le contexte de la relation entre la sélection judiciaire et la politique dans une perspective comparative.
Localization of putative GABAergic neurons in the larval tiger salamander retina by immunocytochemical and autoradiographic methods

Putative GABAergic neurons in the larval tiger salamander retina were localized by a comparative analysis of glutamate decarboxylase immunoreactivity (GAD‐IR), GABA‐like immunoreactivity (GABA‐IR), and high‐affinity 3H‐GABA uptake at the light microscopical level. Preliminary data showed that all GAD‐IR neurons were double labeled for GABA‐IR. However, because the weak somatic labeling with GAD‐IR, we could not determine if the converse were true. Neurons commonly labeled with GABA‐IR and 3H‐GABA uptake include horizontal cells, type I (outer) and type II (inner) bipolar cells, type I (inner) and type II (outer) amacrine cells, and cell bodies in the ganglion cell layer (GCL). In addition, interplexiform cells were identified with GABA‐IR. The presence of GABA‐IR ganglion cells was indicated by GABA‐IR fibers in the optic fiber layer and optic nerve as well as by a GABA‐IR cell in the GCL that included a labeled axon. The percentage of labeled somas in the inner nuclear layer (INL) compared to all cells in each layer was similar for the two methods: 30% in INL 1 (outer layer of somas), 15% in INL 2 (middle layer), 43–52% in INL 3 (inner layer), and about 21–26% in the GCL. Labeled processes were found in three bands in the inner plexiform layer, with the densest band located in the most proximal part. Postembedding labeling of 1‐μm Durcupan resin sections for GABA‐IR showed the same general pattern as obtained with 10‐μm cryostat sections, with additional staining, however, of type II (inner) bipolar cell Landolt's clubs. Extensive colocalization of labeling was indicated, and we conclude that GABA‐IR can serve as a valid and reliable marker for GABA‐containing neurons in this retina and suggest that GABA serves as a transmitter for horizontal cells, several types of amacrine cell, a type of interplexiform cell, and perhaps a small percentage of type I and type II bipolar cells and ganglion cells.
Development of a Real‐Time PCR for Escherichia coli based on gadE, an acid response regulatory gene

Increasingly, molecular methods have become important in identification and confirmation of bacteria at the species level. Rapid molecular methods provide sensitivity and specificity while reducing cost and resources. The primary goal of this study was to develop a real‐time PCR assay for identification of Escherichia coli from an agar plate. GadE (gadE) directly regulates the glutamate‐dependent acid response system (GDAR) in E. coli and is responsible for survival of at pH 2. Based on gene sequence data, a real‐time PCR assay targeting gadE was developed for this purpose. Seventy bacterial isolates recovered from ground beef enrichments and 714 isolates from caecal contents were identified biochemically and tested with the real‐time PCR assay developed in this study. The PCR assay and the biochemical identification had 100% agreement on the tested isolates. The gadE real‐time PCR assay was demonstrated in this study to be an inexpensive, reliable method for confirming E. coli colonies within 1·5 h from an agar plate, thereby saving on final identification time.
Freedom to Cooperate: Gaining Clarity Into Knowledge Integration in Information Systems Development Teams

The specialized knowledge that exists among information systems development (ISD) teams must be shared and integrated to successfully develop systems solutions. Unfortunately, knowledge sharing and integration continues to be problematic. In this study, we seek out those antecedent characteristics that ISD teams should possess to facilitate the collaboration and knowledge integration necessary for enhanced performance. We propose cooperative learning theory as a lens to understand knowledge integration activities in ISD projects. We suggest that knowledge integration behaviors are discretionary, and that ISD professionals must feel autonomy in deciding to engage in them. We investigate whether the effects of autonomy on cooperative learning and of cooperative learning on work outcomes vary depending on the types of autonomy present in ISD teams. A research model is proposed, and it is empirically tested through a study of 206 ISD professionals from 38 ISD teams. Our findings suggest that autonomous teams engage more frequently in cooperative learning behaviors, and consequently perform more effectively and are more satisfied. We also find that relationships exist between the type of autonomy present in teams and the resultant elements of cooperative learning and work outcomes.
Effects of conditioning peripheral repetitive magnetic stimulation in patients with complex regional pain syndrome

Abstract Objectives: We tested whether repetitive magnetic stimulation (rMS) induces an afferent input to the spinocerebral tract in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Methods: Cortical and spinal motor evoked potentials (cMEP and sMEP), as well as the contra- and ipsilateral silent period (cCSP and iCSP), were recorded in patients with CRPS type I before and after conditioning rMS, applied at cervical nerve roots innervating affected muscles. Patients were compared with a group of healthy subjects. Results: In the group of patients we found that cMEP amplitudes were always significantly smaller for both hemispheres. In the group of healthy subjects we found a significant prolongation of the cCSP and iCSP after rMS. This was absent in patients. SMEP were always unchanged in both groups. Discussion: This led us to the explanation that the afferent input to the motor cortical system in CRPS patients is less effective than in healthy subjects.
Corporate Governance in the GCC: An Analysis of Selected Listed Companies in the UAE

This paper investigates compliance of corporate governance principles by firms listed on the securities exchange in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Even though many companies have appreciated the importance of corporate governance globally, there is limited examination of the UAE in the literature. Data for the paper has been collected from the companies listed in the securities exchange of the UAE. Other sources of data have been used to complement primary data, including websites and annual reports of these companies. The results show that there is limited compliance to Corporate Governance by a few firms in the UAE. Overall, compliance in UAE is ensured more by the banks and the financial sector. This can be attributed to regulations by the Central Bank.