Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting stone free rate of primary percutaneous nephrolithotomy on staghorn calculi: a single center experience of 15 years

Objectives: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy on staghorn calculi is challenging for urologists because it is difficult to remove all of the stones. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associated factors of stone-free rate after primary percutaneous nephrolithotomy on staghorn calculi in a large series of patients at a single, tertiary referral, endourologic stone center. Methods: We collected data from medical record between January 2000 and December 2015. A total of 345 primary percutaneous nephrolithotomy procedures were performed for patients with staghorn calculi. This study included both and made no distinction between partial and complete staghorn calculi. Stone-free is defined as the absence of residual stones after undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy for the first time. Significant factors from univariate analysis that correlated with stone-free rate after primary percutaneous nephrolithotomy of staghorn stone were further analyzed using multivariate regression analysis. Results: The mean patient age was 52.23±10.38 years. The stone-free rate of percutaneous nephrolithotomy monotherapy was 62.6%. The mean operating time was 79.55±34.46 minutes. The mean length of stay in hospital was 4.29±3.00 days. Using the chi-square test, history of ipsilateral open renal stone surgery ( p = 0.01), stone burden ( p = < 0.001), and type of anesthesia ( p = 0.04) had a significant impact on the stone-free. From multivariate analysis, the history of ipsilateral open renal stone surgery [OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.28-0.81; p 0.01] and the stone burden [OR 0.28; 95% CI 0.18-0.45; p 0.00] were significant independent risk factors for stone-free.
KARYOTYPE CHARACTERIZATION OF EIGHT MEXICAN SPECIES OF ELEOCHARIS (CYPERACEAE)

4 Autor para correspondencia: jorge@tena-fl ores.com Abstract: Karyotypes of 49 populations belonging to eight species of Mexican Eleocharis (Cyperaceae) are described. Chromosome numbers for Eleocharis densa, E. reznicekii, and E. rostellata are reported for the fi rst time and new numbers are reported for E. macrostachya, E. xyridiformis, and the E. montevidensis complex. Numbers ranged from 2n = 10 to 2n = 60. Dysploidy was the most common mechanism of karyotype variation, which has been detected in four species (E. densa, E. macrostachya, E. rez- nicekii, and E. xyridiformis). Two species are diploid (Eleocharis parishii and E. cf. montevidensis) and three are polyploid (E. acicularis, E. montevidensis, and E. rostellata). Except for specimens of E. montevidensis complex, no intraspecifi c variation in chromosome number was found. However, differences in the chromosome sizes were found among populations of that complex and in E. rostellata. Mean lengths of diploid set ranged from 12.96 μm in E. montevidensis to 178.25 μm in E. rostellata and the average of chromosomes sizes varied from 0.97 μm in E. montevidensis to 6.01 μm in E. xyridiformis. These two taxa presented an extreme interchromosomal asymmetry A 2 : 0.12 and 0.43. Absence of primary constrictions was confi rmed. Taxonomical impli- cations of the karyological data are discussed.
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

1. The spatial distribution of the most important subtidal habitats (coral reefs, coral carpets, seagrass meadows, sand with corals, macroids, mud, hardgrounds) and mangroves was mapped in northern Safaga Bay, Red Sea, Egypt. Coral communities were analysed separately for their ecological and spatial patterns. This, coupled with information about major current patterns in the bay, provides a framework on which to base impact predictions for planned developments or for those already underway. 2. Because the entire shoreline of northern Safaga Bay is earmarked for tourism development, the following impacts have already been observed and can be expected to worsen: dredging, coastal infilling, marina construction, alteration of inshore current patterns as a result of breakwater construction and eutrophication. 3. The maps of habitats could be used by management authorities to either license or forbid these activities in specific areas, thus avoiding damage to sensitive environments. Properly used, resource mapping is a powerful proactive management tool that allows resource managers to anticipate and avoid impacts at an early stage in the process. Copyright (! ;;) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conditional Systemic Risk with Penalized Copula 31 st July 2015

Financial contagion and systemic risk measures are commonly derived from conditional quantiles by using imposed model assumptions such as a linear parametrization. In this paper, we provide model free measures for contagion and systemic risk which are independent of the specification of conditional quantiles and simple to interpret. The proposed systemic risk measure relies on the contagion measure, whose tail behavior is theoretically studied. To emphasize contagion from extreme events, conditional quantiles are specified via hierarchical Archimedean copula. The parameters and structure of this copula are simultaneously estimated by imposing a non-concave penalty on the structure. Asymptotic properties of this sparse estimator are derived and small sample properties illustrated using simulations. We apply the proposed framework to investigate the interconnectedness between American, European and Australasian stock market indices, providing new and interesting insights into the relationship between systemic risk and contagion. In particular, our findings suggest that the systemic risk contribution from contagion in tail areas is typically lower during times of financial turmoil, while it can be significantly higher during periods of low volatility. JEL classification: C40, C46, C51, G1, G2
Do children adopted from British foster care show difficulties in executive functioning and social communication?

Early life experiences leave a mark on a child’s emotional, social and cognitive development. It is well established that children adopted from psychosocially depriving institutions have difficulties in executive functioning and social communication ability, but this type of research has not been replicated in children adopted from foster care. In this study, 30 primary school aged UK adoptees without a history of institutionalisation completed an assessment of their intellectual, executive functioning and social communication abilities. Compared to children of a similar age in the general population, the adopted group showed elevated emotional and behavioural difficulties on a parental report measure (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ). They performed statistically poorer on two of three computerised executive functioning tests (CANTAB Intra-Extra Dimensional Shift and Spatial Working Memory) and elevated scores were observed on a parental report measure of executive functioning (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning, BRIEF). A strong negative correlation was found between age of adoption and BRIEF scores controlling for ADHD symptoms; no other pre- or post-adoption variables strongly correlated with executive functioning. Although all participants scored below cut-off on an autism screening measure (Social Communication Questionnaire, SCQ), a moderate positive correlation was observed with age of adoption. The identified elevation in emotional, behavioural and executive functioning difficulties is in line with previous research examining children adopted from institutions; however, the observed negative correlation between BRIEF scores and age of adoption is contrary to previous evidence. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
Response to Reviewer # 3 : Title : Development of a participatory Bayesian network model for integrating ecosystem services into catchment-scale water resources management

This paper proposes an ecosystem services–based integrated water resource management (IWRM) framework within which a participatory Bayesian network (BN) model that 15 assists with the integration of IWRM is developed. The framework is divided three steps: (1) identifying water-related services of ecosystems; (2) analysis of the tradeoffs and synergy among users of water; and (3) ecosystem services–based IWRM implementation using the BN model. We present the development, evaluation and application of a participatory BN model with the involvement of four participant groups (stakeholders, water manager, water management experts, 20 and research team) in Qira oasis area, Northwest China. As a typical catchment-scale region, the Qira oasis area is facing severe water competition between the demands of human activities and natural ecosystems. We demonstrate that the BN model developed provides effective integration of ecosystem services into a quantitative IWMR framework via public negotiation and feedback. The network results, sensitivity evaluation, and management scenarios are broadly accepted by the 25 participant groups. The intervention scenarios from the model conclude that any water management measure remains unable to sustain the ecosystem health in water-related ecosystem services. Greater cooperation among the stakeholders is highly necessary for dealing with such water conflicts. In particular, a proportion of the agricultural water saved through improving water-use efficiency should be transferred to natural ecosystems via water trade. The BN model 30 developed is appropriate for areas throughout the world in which there is intense competition for water between human activities and ecosystems – particularly in arid regions.
Can social enterprise stand for persons with disabilities? The case of South Korean social enterprises, 2007–2008

This article explores whether social enterprise can be an alternative for work integration of the disabled. Although persons with disabilities have undergone more severe exclusion than have other socially disadvantaged groups in the labour market, social enterprises selected the disabled as one of their main target groups, helping enact disability-centered public policy. However, unlike the high expectation social enterprise gained during its formation, less attention has been paid to the actual content and goal of social enterprise. This analysis of 154 Korean social enterprises shows that the disabled are the most represented among socially disadvantaged groups in social enterprises. At the same time, disability-centered social enterprises focus considerably on creating jobs for the disabled rather than on providing social services for them. The findings are discussed in relation to some policy implications and issues facing social enterprises.
The Early Cretaceous Crocodylomorpl Hylaeochampsa vectiana from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight

Hylaeochampsa vectiana is the oldest known crocodylomorph with a eusuchian-type palate. We have had the holotype prepared further, clarifying an enigmatic feature but revealing several peculiarities. An opening in the palate previously considered to be either the suborbital fenestra or a foramen of unknown function actually comprises confluent alveoli for enlarged maxillary teeth. Although the incompletely preserved rostrum is constricted immediately anterior to the orbits, as in some longirostrine crocodylians, the missing portion was probably not elongate. The possession of a choana bordered anteriorly by the pterygoid indicates that Hylaeochampsa vectiana is a eusuchian, but other diagnostic eusuchian features are not evident on the holotype. Three features may indicate Hylaeochampsa vectiana lies outside of the crocodylian crown group, but the conditions in the outgroups are unclear. Enlarged posterior crushing teeth may be a primitive feature of eusuchian crocodylomorphs, so that the presence of this feature in many alligatorids and in the extant Osteolaemus tetraspis appears to be plesiomorphic. The phylogeny ofadvanced neosuchians suggests that, during the course oftheir evolution, the movement of the choana posteriorly to a position within the pterygoids in Eusuchia was preceded by a posterior shift of the food-handling position in the mouth. I Frick Research Fellow, Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History. 2Assistant Curator, Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History (to whom correspondence should be addressed). Copyright © American Museum of Natural History 1992 ISSN 0003-0082 / Price $2.20
Studies on Some Enzymes of Alginic Acid Biosynthesis in Azotobacter vinelandii Grown in Continuous Culture

Summary: When a mutant of Azotobacter vinelandii was grown in continuous culture the amount of exocellular polysaccharide produced was dependent on both the dissolved oxygen tension (d.o.t.) and the carbon source: sucrose supported alginate synthesis in phosphate-limited medium whereas sorbitol did not. Changes in the specific activities of two of the key enzymes of alginate biosynthesis (phosphomannose isomerase and GDPmannose pyrophosphorylase), measured in extracts of cells grown with sucrose under a range of d.o. t. values, were reflected by the observed changes in alginate production; the activity of GDPmannose dehydrogenase was unchanged. A similar correlation between the specific activities of these enzymes and the rate of alginate production was observed during a transition from sorbitol to sucrose as the sole carbon ource, but in this experiment the activity of GDPmannose dehydrogenase also increased with increasing alginate production. After prolonged continuous cultivation on sucrose the mutant gradually lost the ability to produce alginate. The key enzymes of alginate biosynthesis could not be detected in extracts of this non-alginate-producing strain, which had also lost the ability to encyst. These results support the suggestions that alginate formation is controlled by derepression of key biosynthetic enzymes and that alginate plays an important role in encystment.
EX VITRO ROOTING OF OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) PLANTLETS DERIVED FROM TISSUE CULTURE

Plantlets of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) derived from so-matic embryos sometimes do not form well developed-roots. Root formation of unrooted-plantlets can be induced with aux-in during ex vitro acclimatization period to simplify the proce-dure and to reduce seedling production cost. Experiments were conducted using a completely randomized design to determine the effect of different types of auxin, i.e. indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and 1-naphthalene-acetic acid (NAA) at different concentrations, i.e. 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 mM on root development of oil palm plantlets. The plantlets used were derived from somatic embryos of MK 649 oil palm clone. The basal end of the shoots was dipped in auxin solution for 10 minutes before the shoot was cultured in a small plastic pot containing a mixed growing medium. The cultures were then placed inside a closed transparent plastic tunnel (240 cm x 100 cm x 95 cm) for 12 weeks. The results showed that without auxin treatment only 15% of the shoots formed roots. Dipping in auxin solution increased significantly root frequen-cy to more than 50%. The best root formation was found on the shoots treated with 2 mM NAA by which rooting frequency was 80%. Auxin treatments also increased root quality as indi-cated by more number of primary and secondary roots. IAA, IBA, and NAA treatments at all concentrations tested increased significantly shoot height on average by 42% and shoot diame-ter by 30% compared to control treatment, but did not influ-ence root length. The best treatment for inducing roots of oil palm plantlets ex vitro was by dipping the basal end of the plant-lets in 2 mM NAA solution. The result showed that rooting of oil palm plantlets could be successfully conducted ex vitro that would eliminate sterile rooting stage thus simplify the protocol and reduce seedling production time and cost.
Is cork oak (Quercus suber L.) woodland loss driven by eucalyptus plantation? A case-study in southwestern Portugal

Abstract: Mediterranean landscapes with open cork oak (Quercus suber L.) woodlands have recently experienced drastic changes in southwestern Portugal. Changes in agricultural activities, the traditional driver of the economy in this region, led to new land uses, such as long-term set aside (shrublands) and eucalyptus plantations. A study was conducted on the oak woodland landscape dynamics over a 50-year period (from 1958 to 2007) in order to assess the effect of different biophysical conditions on landscape spatial changes, and to identify the resilience of lanscape composition to different disturbances (e.g., socio-economic changes and wildfires). Land use changes over two consecutive periods (1958-1995 and 1995-2007) were inferred by spatial analysis of land cover data (aerial photographs) and related to landscape physical attributes (slope and soil type). A transition matrix of four vegetation land-cover classes was obtained, allowing the assessment of the landscape composition changes bewteen the two above periods. Results showed that lansdcape in 1958 was largely occupied by open farmland, with large patches of open oak woodlands on steep slopes surrounding watercourses. Open farmland and shrubland drastically declined from 1958 to 1995, while eucalyptus plantation exhibited a dramatic expansion. Although large areas of cork oak forest turned into eucalyptus plantation, the net loss of oak forest was low and counterbalanced by its increment on former open farmland. The occurrence of a wildfire in 2003 promoted a dramatic decrease in cork oak woodlands, which mostly turned into shrubland. However, shrubland may be considered “safe sites” for ecological succession, ensuring natural cork oak regeneration and the colonisation of neighboring areas.
A Weakly Over-Penalized Non-Symmetric Interior Penalty Method

A weakly over-penalized nonsymmetric interior penalty method for second order elliptic boundary value problems is considered in this paper. This method is consistent, stable for any choice of the penalty parameter and satisfies quasi-optimal error estimates in both the energy norm and the L2 norm. Furthermore, there exists a simple block diagonal preconditioner that keeps the condition number of the discrete problem at the order of O(h 2 ). Both theoretical and numerical results are presented. c 2007 European Society of Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering
Potato dietary fibre-preliminary characterization of the properties and nutritional effects - a review.

A potential source of potato dietary fibre (PDF) is potato pulp, a waste product of the starch industry. The refined potato pulp (PDF preparation) contains 50-60% of DF, 10-20% of starch and 6% of protein (on dry matter basis). PDF consists of about 55% of insoluble (mainly cellulose) and 45% of soluble (mainly pectins) fraction; has low viscosity and relatively high water-holding capacity but lower fecal bulking properties than cellulose. It is intensively fermented in the large intestine, yielding a high amount of acetate and butyrate. Feeding PDF does not affect greatly morphology and morphometry of the intestinal tract. It delays the rate of passage of digesta (as compared with cellulose), reduces fat and protein digestibility in the whole digestive tract and does not affect ileal protein digestibility (as compared with cellulose and pectin). It seems to improve mineral absorption. Few experimental results do not allow to conclude whether PDF decreases blood concentration of triglycerides, total cholesterol or LDL fraction. Data on the effects of PDF on glucose and insulin levels are also scarce and insufficient.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) A different ( ial ) perspective : How social context influences the media violence-aggression relationship among early adolescents

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Using beached bird monitoring data for seabird damage assessment: the importance of search interval

SUMMARY FORD, R.G. 2006. Using beached bird monitoring data for seabird damage assessment: the importance of search interval. Marine Ornithology 34: 91–98. An important rationale for beached bird monitoring programs is that they provide data that are useful in assessing oil spill injuries to seabirds. A common application of these data has been to help measure the extent to which background carcass deposition rates are elevated by an oil spill incident. Ideally, monitoring data can be used to establish a baseline of carcass deposition which, when subtracted from the deposition rate observed during a spill response, provides an estimate of the number of bird recoveries attributable to the oil spill. However, beach monitoring surveys are generally much less frequent than oil spill response surveys, resulting in much higher estimates of the deposition rate per survey. The usefulness of beach monitoring data in oil spill damage assessment could be increased by making the search protocols of monitoring programs and oil spill response agencies more directly comparable. Such standardization would entail conducting some searches at closely spaced intervals. More frequent visits to the same beach would also make possible the estimation of carcass persistence rates and searcher efficiency rates, which would be useful for both oil spill damage assessment and interpretation of beached bird monitoring data.
FEEDBACK FROM CENTRAL BLACK HOLES IN ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES. III. MODELS WITH BOTH RADIATIVE AND MECHANICAL FEEDBACK

We find, from high-resolution hydro simulations, that winds from active galactic nuclei effectively heat the inner parts (≈100 pc) of elliptical galaxies, reducing infall to the central black hole; and radiative (photoionization and X-ray) heating reduces cooling flows at the kpc scale. Including both types of feedback with (peak) efficiencies of 3 × 10−4 ≲ ϵw ≲ 10−3 and of ϵEM ≃ 10−1.3 respectively, produces systems having duty cycles, central black hole masses, X-ray luminosities, optical light profiles, and E+A spectra in accord with the broad suite of modern observations of massive elliptical systems. Our main conclusion is that mechanical feedback (including energy, momentum, and mass) is necessary but the efficiency, based on several independent arguments, must be a factor of 10 lower than is commonly assumed. Bursts are frequent at z > 1 and decline in frequency toward the present epoch as energy and metal-rich gas are expelled from the galaxies into the surrounding medium. For a representative galaxy of final stellar mass ≃3 × 1011 M☉, roughly 3 × 1010 M☉ of recycled gas has been added to the interstellar medium (ISM) since z ≃ 2 and, of that, roughly 63% has been expelled from the galaxy, 19% has been converted into new metal-rich stars in the central few hundred parsecs, and 2% has been added to the central supermassive black hole (SMBH), with the remaining 16% in the form of hot X-ray emitting ISM. The bursts occupy a total time of ≃170 Myr, which is roughly 1.4% of the available time. Of this time, the central supermassive black hole would be seen as a UV or optical source for ≃45% and ≃71% of the time, respectively. Restricting to the last 8.5 Gyr, the bursts occupy ≃44 Myr, corresponding to a fiducial duty cycle of ≃5 × 10−3.