Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethnic differences in the growth of low-birthweight infants.

Differences in growth were investigated among ethnic groups in low-birthweight babies (< 2500 g or < 32 weeks gestation) at birth and at 2-3 years. This prospective study was based on data for all 3091 low-birthweight live births in the South East Thames Region, UK, over a 1-year period, surviving to discharge from hospital. Weights were recorded at birth and at 2-3 years for 998 babies, and head circumferences for 859. These were compared with the UK 1990 reference standards. Ethnic differences were adjusted for parity, multiple birth, smoking and alcohol during pregnancy, mother's height, weight and age, marital status, partner's support and social class. At 2-3 years, there was substantial average catch-up growth only for the weight of infants of > or = 32 weeks' gestation. Babies < 32 weeks gestation had fallen behind. Head circumferences had failed to keep up or had fallen behind for both groups. The ethnic groups had similar birthweight standard deviation scores (SDS). At 2-3 years, Black babies of < 32 weeks' gestation had gained in weight and head circumference compared with White babies (adjusted difference in weight SDS: 0.71, [95% CI 0.28, 1.13]). Asian babies of at least 32 weeks' gestation had smaller heads than White, a difference that increased with time. It was concluded that ethnic differences in the growth of low-birthweight infants are related to gestational age. Although most of the babies born at < 28 weeks' gestation were close to their birthweight reference standards, only the Black infants had maintained their position at 2-3 years. Black infants, particularly when born preterm, tend to put on more weight than White.
Foreign Direct Investment and the Poverty Reduction Nexus in Tanzania *

In this study, the causality between poverty reduction and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Tanzania using time-series data from 1980 to 2014 is investigated. The study attempts to answer one question. Does FDI drive poverty reduction in Tanzania? To answer this question, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)-bounds testing approach to cointegration and error correction model (ECM)-based causality model within a trivariate setting was used. The study employs three poverty reduction measures to ensure robustness, namely, household consumption expenditure (pov1), infant mortality rate (pov2), and life expectancy (pov3). The results show that there is a distinct unidirectional causality from poverty reduction to FDI in the short run and in the long run when poverty reduction is measured by household consumption expenditure and life expectancy. A unidirectional causality is confirmed from FDI to poverty reduction in the short run, and no causality is recorded in the long run when infant mortality rate is used as a poverty reduction proxy. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the causal relationship between FDI and poverty reduction in Tanzania is sensitive to the proxy used to measure the level of poverty and to the time span considered.
The Distinction of Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Female Genital Tract, Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, and Translocation-Associated Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Immunohistochemical Study Using Tissue Microarray

Clear cell carcinoma of the female genital tract (CCCa) shares many histologic features with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) and translocation-associated renal cell carcinoma (TA-RCC), the latter in particular. When CCRCC or TA-RCC metastasizes to the female genital tract, or when patients have a history of both CCCa- and RCC-developed metastatic lesions, it is critical to distinguish the 3 lesions. Such a distinction is not always possible based on the morphology alone and often requires immunostains. We therefore investigated the utility of a panel of routinely used immunohistochemical markers including cytokeratin (CK) 7 and 20, CD10, &agr;-methylacyl-CoA racemase, carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX), TFE3, and WT-1 in the distinction of the 3 lesions on a tissue microarray of 12 CCCa, 5 TA-RCC, and 23 CCRCC cases. CK7 was positive in all CCCa cases, but only in 20% of TA-RCCs and 4.3% of CCRCCs. In contrast, CD10 was positive in all TA-RCCs and 91.3% of CCRCCs, but in only 7.5% of CCCa cases. TFE3 was positive in all TA-RCCs, but negative in all CCCa and CCRCC cases. CA IX was positive in 87% of CCRCCs, but in only 20% of TA-RCCs, and was negative in all CCCa cases. CK20, &agr;-methylacyl-CoA racemase, and WT-1 were not contributory to the distinction. Although morphologically similar, CCCa can be reliably distinguished from TA-RCC and CCRCC. CCCa is mostly CK7+/CD10−/CA IX−/TFE3−, TA-RCC is usually CK7−/CD10+/CA IX−/TFE3+, whereas CCRCC is mostly CK7−/CD10+/CA IX+/TFE3−. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to directly compare the immunophenotypes of these 3 lesions.
Listening in the Moment: How Bilingualism Interacts With Task Demands to Shape Active Listening

While there is evidence for bilingual enhancements of inhibitory control and auditory processing, two processes that are fundamental to daily communication, it is not known how bilinguals utilize these cognitive and sensory enhancements during real-world listening. To test our hypothesis that bilinguals engage their enhanced cognitive and sensory processing in real-world listening situations, bilinguals and monolinguals performed a selective attention task involving competing talkers, a common demand of everyday listening, and then later passively listened to the same competing sentences. During the active and passive listening periods, evoked responses to the competing talkers were collected to understand how online auditory processing facilitates active listening and if this processing differs between bilinguals and monolinguals. Additionally, participants were tested on a separate measure of inhibitory control to see if inhibitory control abilities related with performance on the selective attention task. We found that although monolinguals and bilinguals performed similarly on the selective attention task, the groups differed in the neural and cognitive processes engaged to perform this task, compared to when they were passively listening to the talkers. Specifically, during active listening monolinguals had enhanced cortical phase consistency while bilinguals demonstrated enhanced subcortical phase consistency in the response to the pitch contours of the sentences, particularly during passive listening. Moreover, bilinguals’ performance on the inhibitory control test related with performance on the selective attention test, a relationship that was not seen for monolinguals. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that bilinguals utilize inhibitory control and enhanced subcortical auditory processing in everyday listening situations to engage with sound in ways that are different than monolinguals.
Panic Disorder

We compared three groups of patients with panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and major depressive episode with a control group. Methods of comparison included a clinical profile of the patients, assessed by the Arabic version of the Present State Examination (PSE), a psychological battery of tests measuring personality traits and depressive and anxiety states, and the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) as a biological marker. Our data showed that psychological assessment and DST did not significantly differentiate between the three disorders. Despite a symptom overlap between the disorders, however, some symptoms were associated significantly more often with one disorder than another. Patients with panic disorder differed from patients with major depressive episode in showing more situational, avoidance and free floating anxiety, and more anxious foreboding. They showed less self-negligence, ideas of guilt, early awakening and social withdrawal. Compared with patients with generalised anxiety disorder, patients with panic disorder showed more loss of interest and muscle tension and less anxious foreboding, restlessness, inefficient thinking, social withdrawal and delayed sleep. Our conclusion is that the clinical course and the symptom profile of panic disorder justifies its existence as an independent diagnostic category.
Relationship between Aortic Compliance and Impact of Cerebral Blood Flow Fluctuation to Dynamic Orthostatic Challenge in Endurance Athletes

Aorta effectively buffers cardiac pulsatile fluctuation generated from the left ventricular (LV) which could be a mechanical force to high blood flow and low-resistance end-organs such as the brain. A dynamic orthostatic challenge may evoke substantial cardiac pulsatile fluctuation via the transient increases in venous return and stroke volume (SV). Particularly, this response may be greater in endurance-trained athletes (ET) who exhibit LV eccentric remodeling. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of aortic compliance to the response of cerebral blood flow fluctuation to dynamic orthostatic challenge in ET and age-matched sedentary (SED) young healthy men. ET (n = 10) and SED (n = 10) underwent lower body negative pressure (LBNP) (−30 mmHg for 4 min) stimulation and release the pressure that initiates a rapid regain of limited venous return and consequent increase in SV. The recovery responses of central and middle cerebral arterial (MCA) hemodynamics from the release of LBNP (~15 s) were evaluated. SV (via Modeflow method) and pulsatile and systolic MCA (via transcranial Doppler) normalized by mean MCA velocity (MCAv) significantly increased after the cessation of LBNP in both groups. ET exhibited the higher ratio of SV to aortic pulse pressure (SV/AoPP), an index of aortic compliance, at the baseline compared with SED (P < 0.01). Following the LBNP release, SV was significantly increased in SED by 14 ± 7% (mean ± SD) and more in ET by 30 ± 15%; nevertheless, normalized pulsatile, systolic, and diastolic MCAv remained constant in both groups. These results might be attributed to the concomitant with the increase in aortic compliance assessed by SV/AoPP. Importantly, the increase in SV/AoPP following the LBNP release was greater in ET than in SED (P < 0.01), and significantly correlated with the baseline SV/AoPP (r = 0.636, P < 0.01). These results suggest that the aortic compliance in the endurance athletes is able to accommodate the additional SV and buffer the potential increase in pulsatility at end-organs such as the brain.
Bacterial cell division: regulating Z‐ring formation

The earliest stage of cell division in bacteria is the formation of a Z ring, composed of a polymer of the FtsZ protein, at the division site. Z rings appear to be synthesized in a bi‐directional manner from a nucleation site (NS) located on the inside of the cytoplasmic membrane. It is the utilization of a NS specifically at the site of septum formation that determines where and when division will occur. However, a Z ring can be made to form at positions other than at the division site. How does a cell regulate utilization of a NS at the correct location and at the right time? In rod‐shaped bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, two factors involved in this regulation are the Min system and nucleoid occlusion. It is suggested that in B. subtilis, the main role of the Min proteins is to inhibit division at the nucleoid‐free cell poles. In E. coli it is currently not clear whether the Min system can direct a Z ring to the division site at mid‐cell or whether its main role is to ensure that division inhibition occurs away from mid‐cell, a role analogous to that in B. subtilis. While the nucleoid negatively influences Z‐ring formation in its vicinity in these rod‐shaped organisms, the exact relationship between nucleoid occlusion and the ability to form a mid‐cell Z ring is unresolved. Recent evidence suggests that in B. subtilis and Caulobacter crescentus, utilization of the NS at the division site is intimately linked to the progress of a round of chromosome replication and this may form the basis of achieving co‐ordination between chromosome replication and cell division.
A1/A2 polymorphism of the glycoprotein IIIa gene and diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes

Background: A PlA1/A2 polymorphism of glycoprotein IIIa is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of arterial thrombosis, myocardial infarction, stroke and type 2 diabetes, but there is no evidence of association with diabetic retinopathy. The aim of this study was to examine the role of the PlA1/A2 polymorphism of the glycoprotein IIIa gene in the development of diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes.
Scrutinising the European Semester in national parliaments: what are the drivers of parliamentary involvement?

Abstract How exactly are national parliaments involved in the European Semester? The stronger coordination of fiscal and economic policies in the European Union (EU) in reaction to the sovereign debt crisis has forced national parliaments to adapt their procedures. This article examines how the European Semester is scrutinised and what factors have driven parliamentary activities in the French National Assembly, the German Bundestag, the Irish Dáil and the Portuguese Assembleia between 2012 and 2017. Particularly noteworthy is that legal provisions for a parliamentary debate on the Stability Programme can be ignored in France, that the German Bundestag is much less active in the European Semester than in EU affairs or in the budget process and that the weakness of Ireland’s parliament in the annual budget procedure affects its role in the European Semester. This article therefore suggests defining minimum standards for parliamentary involvement and strengthening interparliamentary cooperation.
Development of subtype-specific and heterosubtypic antibodies to the influenza A virus hemagglutinin after primary infection in children

Children undergoing primary infection with an H1N1 or H3N2 influenza A virus developed subtype-specific hemagglutination inhibition antibodies and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay antibodies to purified hemagglutinin (HA) of the infecting virus subtype. They also developed lower titered ELISA antibodies to the noninfecting H1 or H3 HA and to H8 (an avian strain) HA. Thus, after primary infection with an influenza A virus, children develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, but not hemagglutination inhibition, antibodies reactive with heterosubtypic HAs. These heterosubtypic antibodies could influence the response to infection with other wild-type or attenuated vaccine strains of influenza A virus.
Management of late-stage parapneumonic empyema.

PURPOSE Despite the reported value of early video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for empyema, many children are still referred to the surgeon late in the disease process. The authors wished to determine the optimal management strategy for this group of children. METHODS Medical records of all children (n = 70) from 1990 to 2000 with late-presenting empyema (stage II or III) were reviewed. Patients were grouped as (G1) successful management with chest tube (CT), (G2) surgery after initial CT, (G3) thoracentesis followed by surgery, and (G4) surgery alone. RESULTS There were no significant differences with respect to age, gender, pleural cultures or fluid analysis. Fifty-one (73%) patients required surgical intervention. Treatment using CT (G1, G2) or thoracentesis (G3) was associated with prolonged length of stay (LOS) when compared with surgery alone (G4; 12 v 8 days). For G2, G3, and G4, rapid clinical improvement and early discharge (6 days) was seen after surgery. For all surgery groups (G2, G3, G4), video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (n = 19) was associated with a longer postoperative fever (4 v 2 days; P <.05), but a shorter total LOS (12 v 15 days; P <.05) when compared with open decortication (n = 32). CONCLUSIONS Over 70% of children with late presenting empyema required surgery, including more than half of the children who received initial chest tube drainage. Delay in surgery was associated with more procedures, more radiographs, and an increased LOS. Despite later intervention, patients undergoing surgery as an initial approach had the shortest length of stay. Early surgical intervention is indicated for most children referred with established empyema.
A Randomised Trial of Strategies to Improve Patient Compliance with Anticonvulsant Therapy

Summary: Fifty‐three hospital outpatients with epilepsy were randomly allocated to either a control or an intervention group. Patients in the intervention group were subjected to a combination of compliance‐improving strategies: patient counselling, a special medication container, self‐recording of medication intake and seizures, and mailed reminders to collect prescription refills and attend clinic appointments. Compliance with anticonvulsant therapy (as measured by plasma anticonvulsant levels and prescription refill frequencies), and seizure frequency, were evaluated in each patient prior to intervention and 6 months afterwards. Patient compliance and clinical control improved significantly in the intervention group patients. Seizure frequency was, on average, halved following intervention. Compliance and seizure frequency were unaltered in the control group. Intervention failed to improve clinic appointment keeping. Poor compliance with drug therapy commonly confounds the treatment of epilepsy. This study shows that compliance can be improved and seizure frequency lessened by strategies that are easily incorporated into the routine management of epileptic patients.
Grassroots entrepreneurs and social change at the bottom of the pyramid: the role of bricolage

Abstract This study explores how entrepreneurs living and working at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ overcome acute resource constraints to create something from nothing. In a departure from most previous studies that consider those at the bottom either as potential consumers or as recipients of aid, we look at grassroots entrepreneurs. Despite extremely challenging conditions, they are able to assemble resources and to combine and align principles of business strategy and social value creation to effect important economic and social change. Using a resource based view lens, we redirect the spotlight onto the individual entrepreneur in social entrepreneurship and extend the study of bricolage to that field. We rely on inductive methodology applied to eight cases to unpack the resource assembly process of such entrepreneurs, revealing distinctive features of bricolage such as the setting aside of cultural norms, the rejigging of domain-specific skills, and the use of spare time.
Association Between Epilepsy and Leigh Syndrome With MT-ND3 Mutation, Particularly the m.10191T>C Point Mutation

Background and Purpose: Recent advances in molecular genetic testing have led to a rapid increase in the understanding of the genetics of Leigh syndrome. Several studies have suggested that Leigh syndrome with MT-ND3 mutation is strongly associated with epilepsy. This study focused on the epilepsy-related characteristics of Leigh syndrome with MT-ND3 mutation identified in a single tertiary hospital in South Korea. Methods: We selected 31 patients with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations who were genetically diagnosed with mtDNA-associated Leigh syndrome. Among them, seven patients with MT-ND3 mutations were detected. We reviewed various clinical findings such as laboratory findings, brain images, electroencephalography data, seizure types, seizure frequency, antiepileptic drug use history, and current seizure status. Results: The nucleotide changes in the seven patients with the Leigh syndrome with MT-ND3 mutation were divided into two groups: m.10191T>C and m.10158T>C. Six of the seven patients were found to have the m.10191T>C mutations. The median value of the mutant load was 82.5%, ranging from 57.9 to 93.6%. No particular tendency was observed for the first symptom or seizure onset or mutant load. The six patients with the m.10191T>C mutation were diagnosed with epilepsy. Three of these patients were diagnosed with Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS). Conclusion: We reported a very strong association between epilepsy and MT-ND3 mutation in Leigh syndrome, particularly the m.10191T>C mutation. The possibility of an association between the epilepsy phenotype of the m.10191T>C mutation and LGS was noted.
Mating-Induced Increase in Germline Stem Cells via the Neuroendocrine System in Female Drosophila

Mating and gametogenesis are two essential components of animal reproduction. Gametogenesis must be modulated by the need for gametes, yet little is known of how mating, a process that utilizes gametes, may modulate the process of gametogenesis. Here, we report that mating stimulates female germline stem cell (GSC) proliferation in Drosophila melanogaster. Mating-induced increase in GSC number is not simply owing to the indirect effect of emission of stored eggs, but rather is stimulated by a male-derived Sex Peptide (SP) and its receptor SPR, the components of a canonical neuronal pathway that induces a post-mating behavioral switch in females. We show that ecdysteroid, the major insect steroid hormone, regulates mating-induced GSC proliferation independently of insulin signaling. Ovarian ecdysteroid level increases after mating and transmits its signal directly through the ecdysone receptor expressed in the ovarian niche to increase the number of GSCs. Impairment of ovarian ecdysteroid biosynthesis disrupts mating-induced increase in GSCs as well as egg production. Importantly, feeding of ecdysteroid rescues the decrease in GSC number caused by impairment of neuronal SP signaling. Our study illustrates how female GSC activity is coordinately regulated by the neuroendocrine system to sustain reproductive success in response to mating.
Advanced Dependency Modeling in Credit Risk - Lessons for Loss Given Default, Lifetime Expected Loss and Bank Capital Requirements

This cumulative thesis contributes to the literature on credit risk modeling and focuses on comovements of risk parameters that intensify losses during recessions. The models provide more precise estimates of credit risk and a better understanding of systematic risk. This can improve risk-based capital reserves and can help to avoid a severe underestimation of risk and capital shortfalls in economic downturn periods. Furthermore, the discussion of regulatory requirements and the supervision of internal risk models can benefit from empirical results. The first study extends the scope of loss given default (LGD) modeling by proposing the quantile regression to separately regress each quantile of the distribution. This approach enables a new look on covariate and particularly downturn effects that vary over quantiles. The second study analyzes the length of workout processes by a Cox proportional hazards model. Systematic effects are examined by the inclusion of time-varying frailties. The third study presents a copula model for the lifetime expected loss that combines accelerated failure time models for the default time with a beta regression of the LGD. The use of copulas provide continuous-time LGD forecasts and flexible dependence structures between default risk and loss severity. The fourth study combines a Probit model for the probability of default and a fractional response model for the LGD to demonstrate the impact of revised loan loss provisioning on bank capital requirements. In addition, goodness-of-fit measures enable to validate these approaches. Simulation studies and analyses of representative portfolios provide implications and demonstrate the significance of empirical results.