Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Necrotising Enterocolitis Following the Use of Mydriatics: A Case Report of Two Triplets

Cyclopentolate-phenylephrine eye drops are commonly used to achieve mydriasis during routine screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm infants. Two cases of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) following ROP screening in two premature Chinese triplets were reported. Literature studying and reporting the side effects of mydriatrics and the ROP examination were reviewed. Also, safety measures concerning ROP screening were discussed. In our institution two more years after adopting these safety measures, no more feeding difficulties or NEC were noted following ROP screening. We concluded that both the mydriatics and ROP examination may lead to systemic and gastrointestinal side effects in preterm babies and may be associated with NEC in high risk patients. This association warrants further study and the safety measures should be observed.
Emergence of the vowel space in very young children with Down syndrome: An exploratory case study

The current study presents the preliminary results of an investigation into the development of the vowel space in one female child with Down syndrome (DS). Vowel productions at five points in time, ranging from 1;0 to 3;8 years of age, have been analysed to produce age-specific F1-F2 vowel plots and to calculate metrics quantifying changes in their size and dimensions. The results show that changes in DS vowel space area and shape are non-systematic, lacking the definite developmental trajectories present in the productions of typically developing children. An explanation of outcomes using the DIVA model of speech acquisition is proposed.
Comparison of outcomes after endovascular and open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms in low‐risk patients

In randomized trials endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) has been shown to have superior perioperative outcomes compared with open aneurysm repair (OAR). However, outcomes in patients at low risk of complications are unclear and many surgeons still prefer OAR in this cohort. The objective was to analyse perioperative and longer‐term outcomes of OAR and EVAR in this low‐risk group of patients.
Impact of Androgens, Growth Hormone, and IGF‐I on Bone and Muscle in Male Mice During Puberty

The interaction between androgens and GH/IGF‐I was studied in male GHR gene disrupted or GHRKO and WT mice during puberty. Androgens stimulate trabecular and cortical bone modeling and increase muscle mass even in the absence of a functional GHR. GHR activation seems to be the main determinant of radial bone expansion, although GH and androgens are both necessary for optimal stimulation of periosteal growth during puberty.
Are Mobile Phones and Handheld Computers Being Used to Enhance Delivery of Psychiatric Treatment?: A Systematic Review

The rapid diffusion of communication technology has provided opportunities to enhance the delivery of mental health care. We used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to conduct a qualitative review of randomized controlled trials that reported on the efficacy of mobile phones or handheld computers used to enhance the treatment of psychiatric disorders. We identified eight randomized controlled trials. Five studies used mobile phones to target smoking cessation. Those receiving the smoking cessation intervention were significantly more likely to achieve abstinence compared with those under the control condition. Three studies used non-personal digital assistant (PDA) handheld computers targeting anxiety. Compared with those in the control condition, those who received the non-PDA handheld computer intervention had significant improvement in anxiety outcomes in only one of the three studies. The limited number of rigorous evaluations of mobile phone, PDA, or smartphone interventions for mental health problems underscores the opportunities to enhance our interventions using the available tools of contemporary technology.
Local health rules and building regulations: a survey on local hygiene and building regulations in Italian municipalities.

INTRODUCTION WHO has highlighted the need to strengthen the relationship between health and built environment factors, such as inappropriate housing conditions. Local Health Rules (LHRs) and Building Regulations (BRs) are tools which provide safety and building hygiene in construction practices. Currently the Italian Government is considering to establish a National Building Regulation and, related to the following purpose, this paper presents a survey on the status of adoption and updating of LHRs and BRs in Italian municipalities. METHODOLOGY The current Italian state of LHRs, BRs and Municipal Development Plans (MDPs) have been examined by a survey considering a sample of about 550 cities, with different demo graphic and geographic features, starting from the previous research work by Signorelli et al. (1999). RESULTS The analysis underlines a serious shortage of updated LHRs, especially in small and medium-sized municipalities whereas BRs and MDPs are widespread. Only 30% of them are previously approved and validated by Local Health Authorities. CONCLUSION Starting from a survey, the present scenario of Building Regulations requires the introduction of further performance guidelines instead of normative ones and, therefore, the current actions to give rise to a National Building Regulation could be integrated by building hygiene contents of LHRs.
Psoriasis in African-Americans: a caregivers' survey.

BACKGROUND Psoriasis is a common skin disease in Caucasians but less common in African-Americans. AIMS Our aim is to evaluate caregiver opinions regarding the clinical presentations and treatment of psoriasis in African-Americans compared to Caucasians. PATIENTS/METHODS A survey was sent to 29 dermatologists who are opinion leaders in the field of psoriasis. The survey included a number of questions regarding the characteristics of the patients seen in their practice. RESULTS A total of 29 surveys were completed and returned. All of the dermatologists use the extent of disease as a criterion to determine the severity of the disease. Other criteria include scale, thickness, erythema, associated general symptoms, and dyspigmentation. About 66% of the respondents reported the different manifestations of disease, such as more dyspigmentation, thicker plaques, and less erythema in African-Americans. The most common first-line treatments for mild to moderate disease were highpotency topical steroids (68%) followed by topical vitamin D analogues (41%). For moderate to severe disease, the most commonly used first-line treatments were high-potency topical steroids (54%) and phototherapy (46%). CONCLUSIONS The clinical manifestations of psoriasis in African-Americans are not exactly the same as in Caucasians. Physicians should be aware of the difference in clinical manifestations in African-Americans. Further research and large-scale studies are necessary to elucidate the differences in the clinical presentation, natural course of the disease, and the criteria used for the evaluation of severity among ethnic groups.
Corporate Governance and Firm Liquidity: Evidence from the Chinese Stock Market

This paper examines the cross-sectional relation between corporate governance and firm liquidity in the Chinese stock market. We construct a measure of overall quality of governance based on publicly available information for each firm listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHSE) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) for each year over the 1999-2004 interval. After accounting for other liquidity-related factors, we present strong evidence that the level of corporate governance is positively related to firm liquidity. An increase of 1 percent in corporate governance index (total 100 percent) is on average associated with a 1.2 percent increase in a firm's annual turnover ratio over the subsequent year. Results from examinations of subindices of corporate governance provide further support for the positive governance-liquidity relation. These findings have important implications for academics to investigate the value of enhancing corporate governance, and for regulators to promote corporate governance reform.
Treatment of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine-induced pancreatic cancer in Syrian golden hamsters with D-Trp-6-LH-RH and somatostatin analogue RC-160 microcapsules.

Antitumoral effects of the agonist of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (D-Trp-6-LH-RH) and the somatostatin analog RC-160 (D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Lys-Val-Cys-Trp-NH2) on chemically induced ductal pancreatic adenocarcinomas were studied. The tumors were induced in female Syrian golden hamsters by weekly s.c. injections of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine at a dose of 10 mg/kg b.w. for 6 weeks. 18 weeks after the last injection, the peptides in controlled-release microcapsule formulations were administered s.c. The animals received the following therapies: Group 1 (N = 15), vehicle only; Group 2 (N = 13), D-Trp-6-LH-RH microcapsules releasing 25 micrograms/day injected s.c. once a month; Group 3 (N = 14), RC-160 microcapsules, liberating 25 micrograms/day administered s.c. every 15 days; Group 4 (N = 14), the combination of D-Trp-6-LH-RH plus RC-160 microcapsules. The experiment was terminated on the 80th day when all hamsters in the control group were dead, but in the treated Groups 2, 3, and 4, we observed 71, 77, and 86% of survival rate, respectively. In addition to the prolongation of survival, the combination treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the tumorous pancreatic weight, increase in the body weight of the animals, reduction in ascites from 100 to 8.3% and regressive histological changes in 67% of the specimens. Our findings suggest that somatostatin analogues and D-Trp-6-LH-RH could be considered for the development of hormonal therapy for pancreatic cancer.
Structural validation of the abridged Autism Spectrum Quotient–Short Form in a clinical sample of people with autism spectrum disorders

The primary aim of this article was to provide a structural validation of the 28-item Autism Spectrum Quotient–Short Form questionnaire in a sample of adults with clinically diagnosed autism spectrum disorders (n = 148). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the proposed structure, comprising a second-order Social Skills factor subsuming first-order factors of Social Skills, Routine, Switching and Imagination, and a Numbers/Patterns factor showed good acceptable fit to the data (χ2 = 464.27(345), p < . 05; comparative fit index = . 91; Tucker Lewis index = . 90; root mean squared error of approximation = . 048; weighted root mean square residual = 0.98). Summed mean scores for the total sample, and males and females separately, showed no significant differences to previously reported means, with the exception of Numbers/Patterns, for which the current sample reported significantly lower means in both males (t = 3.37, p < 0.001) and females (t = 2.33, p < 0.05). The results provide support for both the proposed structure of the AQ-S and the stability of total and subscale mean scores in different samples of participants with autism spectrum disorder diagnoses.
Longitudinal Control of a Platoon of Vehicles

This paper presents a systematic analysis of a longitudinal control law for a platoon of non-identical vehicles using a non-linear model to represent the vehicle dynamics of each vehicle within the platoon. The basic idea is to take full advantage of recent advances in communication and measurement and using these advances in longitudinal control of a platoon of vehicles: in particular, we assume that for i = 1,2,. vehicle i knows at all times vl and al (the velocity and acceleration of the lead vehicle) in addition to the distance between vehicle i and the preceding vehicle, i - 1.
The Sixth Answer Set Programming Competition

Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a well-known paradigm of declarative programming with roots in logic programming and non-monotonic reasoning. Similar to other closely related problemsolving technologies, such as SAT/SMT, QBF, Planning and Scheduling, advancements in ASP solving are assessed in competition events. In this paper, we report about the design and results of the Sixth ASP Competition, which was jointly organized by the University of Calabria (Italy), Aalto University (Finland), and the University of Genoa (Italy), in affiliation with the 13th International Conference on Logic Programming and Non-Monotonic Reasoning. This edition maintained some of the design decisions introduced in 2014, e.g., the conception of sub-tracks, the scoring scheme, and the adherence to a fixed modeling language in order to push the adoption of the ASP-Core-2 standard. On the other hand, it featured also some novelties, like a benchmark selection stage classifying instances according to their empirical hardness, and a “Marathon” track where the topperforming systems are given more time for solving hard benchmarks.
Exploring Agility in Distributed Information Systems Development Teams: An Interpretive Study in an Offshoring Context

Agility is increasingly being seen as an essential element underlying the effectiveness of globally distributed information systems development (ISD) teams today. However, for a variety of reasons, such teams are often unable develop and enact agility in dealing with changing situations. This paper seeks to provide a deeper understanding of agility through an intensive study of the distributed ISD experience in TECHCOM, an organization widely recognized for its excellence in IT development and use. The study reveals that agility should be viewed as a multifaceted concept having three dimensions: resource, process, and linkage. Resource agility is based on the distributed development team's access to necessary human and technological resources. Process agility pertains to the agility that originates in the team's systems development method guiding the project, its environmental scanning, and sense-making routines to anticipate possible crises, and its work practices enabling collaboration across time zones. Linkage agility arises from the nature of interactional relationships within the distributed team and with relevant project stakeholders, and is composed of cultural and communicative elements. The paper highlights some of the difficulties in developing agility in distributed ISD settings, provides actionable tactics, and suggests contingencies wherein different facets of agility may become more (or less) critical.
Chronic Illness Management as an Innovative Pathway for Enhancing Long‐Term Survival in Transplantation

ThearticlebyLodhietal.highlightedalimitedimprovementin the long-term outcomes of solid organ transplantation(1). Yet, consistent with previous publications, it providesfurtherevidencethattheimprovementsobservedoverthepast decades are primarily driven by improved short-termsurvival (2), and underscores the necessity for effectivepathways to improve long-term outcomes. An alternativepathway to improve long-term patient and graft survivalafter transplantation might be the implementation of theprinciples of chronic illness management (3) in patients’follow-up care.Indeed,transplantrecipientsneedtoberegardedashavinga chronic condition, since transplantation requires life-longmedical follow-up, not only for transplant-related aspects,butalsotomanagemultiplerisk-factorsandco-morbidities,either preexisting or emerging posttransplant. Moreover,transplantation requires that patients need to be preparedtoengagewithmedicalmanagement,tomaintainliferolesand to manage negative emotions. This is called patientself-management.There is convincing evidence that behavioral (e.g. med-ication nonadherence, smoking, physical inactivity, un-protected sun exposure) and psychosocial factors (e.g.depression) can also negatively impact long-term post-transplant outcomes (4), besides those biomedical factorsthat have long been the primary focus of transplant man-agement. The hegemony of the biomedical model seemsto still hold sway for the most part, currently. Promotinga model of care that is more conducive to the needs ofthe chronically ill, including the need for self-managementsupport, might be an important pathway to improve out-comes.Chronic illness management implies re-engineering acute-care, biomedically driven clinical practice towards an ap-proach that combines all of the following components: (1)ensuring access to and continuity of care; (2) increasingopportunities for patients to participate in the care pro-cess; (3) coordinating care between care settings and(4) providing continuous self-management support (3). Optimizing transplant recipient self-management requiresensuringpatients’knowledgeandunderstandingabouttheunderlying condition and its treatment, as well as foster-ing positive attitudes, including self-efﬁcacy, and undertak-ing appropriate care of the transplant within in one’s day-to-day life. The goals of patient self-management are toreduce psychosocial and behavioral risk factors, diseaseprogression, acute complications and improving clinicaloutcomes, including transplant patient’s quality of life.There is substantial evidence from other chronically ill pop-ulations(e.g.diabetes,cardiovasculardiseaseandasthma)that chronic illness management results in better clinicaloutcomes (3,5). There is a strong impetus to enhance long-term out-comes in view of improving half-life and reducing long-term graft attrition rates in transplantation. Implementa-tion of chronic illness management approaches might bethe most promising pathway to enhance these long-termposttransplant outcomes.
Hierarchically hyperbolic spaces II: Combination theorems and the distance formula

We introduce a number of tools for finding and studying \emph{hierarchically hyperbolic spaces (HHS)}, a rich class of spaces including mapping class groups of surfaces, Teichmuller space with either the Teichmuller or Weil-Petersson metrics, right-angled Artin groups, and the universal cover of any compact special cube complex. We begin by introducing a streamlined set of axioms defining an HHS. We prove that all HHSs satisfy a Masur-Minsky-style distance formula, thereby obtaining a new proof of the distance formula in the mapping class group without relying on the Masur-Minsky hierarchy machinery. We then study examples of HHSs; for instance, we prove that when $M$ is a closed irreducible $3$--manifold then $\pi_1M$ is an HHS if and only if it is neither $Nil$ nor $Sol$. We establish this by proving a general combination theorem for trees of HHSs (and graphs of HH groups). We also introduce a notion of "hierarchical quasiconvexity", which in the study of HHS is analogous to the role played by quasiconvexity in the study of Gromov-hyperbolic spaces.
Correlation of the -3826A >G polymorphism in the promoter of the uncoupling protein 1 gene with obesity and metabolic disorders in obese families from southern Poland.

The aim of the study was to examine the allelic frequency of the -3826A > G mutation of UPC1 in patients with familiar obesity and to investigate putative association of this polymorphism with metabolic disorders. One hundred and eighteen overweight /obese patients participated in the study. The UCP1 polymorphism was determined by RFLP. Glucose, lipid, insulin and leptin levels were measured both during OGTT and OLTT. The majority of patients had a homozygous A/A genotype (51,38%), while 14,68% had a G/G genotype. We found no significant association of the G allele with either BMI or glucose tolerance. Patients with the homozygous G/G genotype had significantly higher fasting levels of TG (p < 0.04) and decreased levels of HDL-cholesterol (p = 0,004). They also had an increased concentration of FFA and the rise of TG levels during the OLTT compared to controls was significant (p = 0,058). In addition, the carriers of the G/G genotype had the lowest insulin levels both during OGTT and OLTT. In our study we have demonstrated that the -3826A > G polymorphism of UCP1 does not play a major role in the development of obesity and/or disturbances of glucose metabolism. However, the increased levels of TG and FFA and decreased levels of HDL observed in carriers of the G allele suggest FFA-induced impairment of the HDL turnover and disturbance of the beta-cell function, both of which are risk factors for endothelial injury.
Partially functional linear regression in high dimensions

In modern experiments, functional and nonfunctional data are often encountered simultaneously when observations are sampled from random processes and high-dimensional scalar covariates. It is difficult to apply existing methods for model selection and estimation. We propose a new class of partially functional linear models to characterize the regression between a scalar response and covariates of both functional and scalar types. The new approach provides a unified and flexible framework that simultaneously takes into account multiple functional and ultrahigh-dimensional scalar predictors, enables us to identify important features, and offers improved interpretability of the estimators. The underlying processes of the functional predictors are considered to be infinite-dimensional, and one of our contributions is to characterize the effects of regularization on the resulting estimators. We establish the consistency and oracle properties of the proposed method under mild conditions, demonstrate its performance with simulation studies, and illustrate its application using air pollution data.
Two Hundred Three Cases of Equine Lymphoma Classified According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification Criteria

Lymphoma is the most common malignant neoplasm in the horse. Single case reports and small retrospective studies of equine lymphomas are reported infrequently in the literature. A wide range of clinical presentations, tumor subtypes, and outcomes have been described, and the diversity of the results demonstrates the need to better define lymphomas in horses. As part of an initiative of the Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group, 203 cases of equine lymphoma have been gathered from 8 institutions. Hematoxylin and eosin slides from each case were reviewed and 187 cases were immunophenotyped and categorized according to the World Health Organization classification system. Data regarding signalment, clinical presentation, and tumor topography were also examined. Ages ranged from 2 months to 31 years (mean, 10.7 years). Twenty-four breeds were represented; Quarterhorses were the most common breed (n = 55), followed by Thoroughbreds (n = 33) and Standardbreds (n = 30). Lymphomas were categorized into 13 anatomic sites. Multicentric lymphomas were common (n = 83), as were skin (n = 38) and gastrointestinal tract (n = 24). A total of 14 lymphoma subtypes were identified. T-cell–rich large B-cell lymphomas were the most common subtype, diagnosed in 87 horses. Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (n = 45) and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (n = 26) were also frequently diagnosed.
Hysterectomy for abnormal cervical cytology following treatment for cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia

Introduction Cervical stenosis with inability to visualise the squamocolumnar junction is a recognised complication in women following treatment for cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN), particularly in postmenopausal women (Suh-Burghmann et al., 2000). This frequently results in unsatisfactory (inadequate) smears, requiring referral for colposcopy with all the anxiety that produces (Jones et al., 1996). Even where smears are adequate, colposcopic assessment may not be possible and in this situation hysterectomy is sometimes offered as treatment for cervical dyskaryosis. We sought to identify the characteristics of women who underwent this treatment.