Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Impact of Trade Agreements on Trade

One of the key issues facing the UK in the wake of the advisory referendum result to leave the European Union is the precise nature of its relationship with the European Union. At one extreme would be continued membership in the European Economic Area, including membership in the single market. Other options would be either no free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU at all or a less comprehensive FTA which stops short of single market membership. This paper compares the ability of EEA membership and less comprehensive FTAs to generate trade in goods and services. We investigate this question using empirical gravity model methodology and the most recent available data from 42 countries. We use recently developed econometric methods to deal with observations of zero trade flows and issues connected with endogeneity. The main finding is that while EEA membership is associated with substantial and statistically significant increases in bilateral services trade flows, membership in less comprehensive FTAs is not associated with any significant increase in bilateral services trade. For goods, EEA membership is associated with larger bilateral trade flows than are less comprehensive FTAs. These results suggest that it might be difficult to replace, on an exit from a European Union, lost trade flows with the EU by means of shallower FTAs with the EU or with third countries.
Adaptation and construct validation of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS 11) to Brazilian Portuguese for use in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE Impulsivity is associated with different psychiatric disorders. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 is one of the scales mostly used to measure impulsivity and it does not have a validated version for Brazilian Portuguese. The objective of this study is to adapt and conduct the construct validation of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 for adolescents. METHOD The scale was translated and adapted into Portuguese and then back-translated into English. The psychometric proprieties, factor analysis and construct validity were evaluated in two samples: 18 bilingual undergraduate medical students and 464 male adolescents between 15 and 20 years old from a well-delimited geographical area in the city of Canoas, southern Brazil. RESULTS The adolescent sample had a mean age of 17.3 +/- 1.7 years. Intra-class correlation coefficient achieved a value of 0.90, and internal consistency had a of 0.62. Factor analysis did not identify the 3 factors of the original scale. Impulsivity scores from the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 had a correlation with scores for attention deficit/hyperactive disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and with number of symptoms of conduct disorder, suggesting an appropriate construct validity of the scale. CONCLUSION Even considering some limitations in the Portuguese version, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 can be used in male adolescents and should be tested in other populations.
Geographers versus Managers: Expert Influence on the Construction of Values Underlying Flood Insurance in the United States

A democratic premise is that expert influence should not extend into the political domain of environmental policymaking. This article analyses the relationship between experts and policymakers in the historical development of the National Flood Insurance Program as a flood governance strategy in the United States. The article draws three conclusions. First, while experts asserted great influence on the development of this policy program, underlying values were evaluated and judged by policymakers. Second, as socio-political values changed, new types of experts were involved in the policymaking process. Third, these different types of experts had different implications for how value conflicts were addressed.
Repetitive behavior and repetition avoidance: the role of the right hemisphere.

Based on clinical observations of patients suffering from brain damage, a recent model assumes a right hemisphere dominance for the suppression of repetitive behavior. This study set out to test whether or not the well-known effect of repetition avoidance in sequential response production is likewise mediated by the right hemisphere. It was found that, in 40 healthy subjects, avoidance of repetitions in a random number-generation task correlated positively with a relative superiority for design as compared to letter fluency. Since design fluency is predominantly mediated by the right frontal lobe and letter fluency by the left, this finding supports the notion of a right hemisphere dominance for the avoidance of repetitive responses. This study illustrates the usefulness of a neurobehavioral approach to repetition behavior in the randomization of response. In particular, it demonstrates that the phenomenon of repetition avoidance may be better accounted for in terms of a control mechanism preventing perservation than by referring to human subjects' "generally biased concept of randomness. "
The representation of stimulus azimuth by high best-frequency azimuth-selective neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of the cat.

The responses to changes in stimulus azimuth of 220 high best-frequency (BF) (greater than 3 kHz) units in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of the anesthetized cat were studied with BF tones (220 units) and noise stimuli (84 units). By this means we hoped to gain some insights into the way the azimuthal locations of high BF stimuli were represented in the inferior colliculus. For each unit the discharge rate was determined for stimuli located along a plane tilted at 20 degrees above the horizontal. This plane was chosen to optimize pinna directionality. Locations in the frontal field were sampled in 10-20 degree steps around a 170 degree arc. These measurements were repeated at a number of different stimulus intensities until the directional properties of the unit became clear. Units for which the functions relating discharge rate to azimuth for a given stimulus showed a clear feature (peak or border), the azimuthal location of which varied little with intensities between 20 and 40 dB above threshold, were defined as being azimuth selective for that stimulus. Only 13% of units were azimuth selective for BF tones, whereas 44% were selective for noise. Many azimuth functions for selective units were of the plateau-shaped type for which relatively high discharge rates occurring at most contralateral azimuths declined steeply to near zero and remained low for most ipsilateral azimuths. These plateau-shaped functions were most common for tonal stimuli. Other functions showed a fixed azimuth of maximum firing (best azimuth); these were more common for noise than for tonal stimuli. Detailed azimuth functions for both tone and noise stimuli were measured for 63 units. Some exhibited the same kind of azimuth function to both stimuli. However, 18 units were azimuth selective to noise but not to tones. The borders of plateau-shaped functions obtained using both noise and tonal stimuli were concentrated within 20 degrees of the median plane. Very few units had borders that spanned peripheral ipsilateral or contralateral azimuths. Although the best azimuths of some noise azimuth functions were observed to lie at these peripheral azimuths, the majority occurred around 20 degrees contralateral to the median plane. The recording sites for units were related to a three-by-three matrix of rostrocaudal and mediolateral locations across the central nucleus. Units that were azimuth selective to noise were distributed fairly evenly throughout the central nucleus, whereas units azimuth selective to tones formed highest proportions rostrally. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Serotonergic control of the hippocampus via local inhibitory interneurons.

Information flow and processing in hippocampal neuronal networks is determined by a wide range of inhibitory mechanisms [e.g., feedforward or feedback, gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) A or B receptor-mediated, perisomatic shunting, or distal dendritic inhibition], each subserving specialized functions. These forms of local inhibition are mediated by morphologically and neurochemically well-defined, mostly GABA-containing, interneurons, which control large populations of principal cells through their extensive axonal arborizations. These neurons can serve as ideal targets for subcortical pathways, such as those originating in the septum or raphe, which exercise a global control over hippocampal activity. This intriguing possibility prompted us to study whether the profound effect of the serotonergic raphe-hippocampal pathway is mediated by inhibitory interneurons or whether a direct diffuse action on the principal cells is dominant. We demonstrate that axons of this pathway form multiple synaptic contacts with hippocampal GABAergic interneurons. Interestingly, the serotonergic afferents selectively innervate the somata and dendritic trees of GABAergic neurons that contain the 28-kDa calcium-binding protein calbindin D28K, but never those that contain another calcium-binding protein, parvalbumin. These results show that the mechanism by which the serotonergic pathway may exert a powerful influence on hippocampal function involves the modulation of local inhibitory circuits. Furthermore, the selectivity in the choice of target GABAergic interneurons suggests a strong functional specialization among inhibitory circuits, as well as among the subcortical input pathways originating in the septum and raphe.
Atrial Mechanical Function Before and After Electrical or Amiodarone Cardioversion in Atrial Fibrillation

In some patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), it has been suggested that left atrial mechanical dysfunction can develop after successful electrical cardioversion, justifying postcardioversion anticoagulant treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in left atrial appendage peak flow velocities and the incidence of left atrial spontaneous echo contrast in patients with AF before and after electrical cardioversion or intravenous amiodarone, studied using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and pulsed Doppler. We performed a control TEE in 7 patients in the electrical group and 6 in the amiodarone group, with no significant clinical differences between both groups. A second TEE was performed immediately in the 7 patients with successful electrical cardioversion. The peak flow velocities in the appendage before and after the procedure were: filling 43.3 ± 22 vs 27.7 ± 28 cm/sec (P = 0.01) and emptying 35.5 ± 22 vs 23.6 ± 17 cm/sec (P = 0.01), respectively. The spontaneous echo contrast increased in 4 of the 7 patients. In 4 patients of the amiodarone group, the peak flow velocities in the appendage during AF and within the first 24 hours after restoration of sinus rhythm were: filling 37.4 ± 12 vs 37.8 ± 18 cm/sec and emptying 36.4 ± 18 vs 35.9 ± 18 cm/sec, respectively (P = NS). There was no change in spontaneous echo contrast. In conclusion, patients with AF reverted to sinus rhythm using amiodarone did not show changes in left atrial mechanical function; however, patients with electrical cardioversion showed mechanical dysfunction. Further investigations on the effects of amiodarone and other drugs on the mechanical function of the atria are needed to determine if patients reverted pharmacologically require antico‐agulation post reversion.
Improving ground penetrating radar signal analysis through FFT superimposition

The paper deals with the signal analysis problem encountered with ground penetrating radar (GPR) applications that use the fast Fourier transform (FFT). A technique for improved signal analysis based on superimposing multiple FFT analyses from the same data is presented. Results from applying the technique are seen to reduce the side lobes with minimal increase in main lobe width.
Smoking-related genomic signatures in non-small cell lung cancer.

RATIONALE Tobacco smoking is responsible for 85% of all lung cancers. To further our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of lung cancer, we determined whether smoking history leads to the emergence of specific genomic alterations found in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). OBJECTIVES To identify gene copy number alterations in NSCLCs associated with smoking history or DNA repair capacity. METHODS Seventy-five NSCLCs were selected for this study from patients with current, none, or past smoking history, including pack year information. Tissue sections were microdissected, and DNA was extracted, purified, and labeled by random priming before hybridization onto bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) arrays. Normalized ratios were correlated with smoking history and DNA repair capacity was measured by an in vitro lymphocyte assay in the same patients. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We identified smoking-related genomic signatures in NSCLCs that could be predicted with an overall 74% accuracy. Lung tumors arising from current-smokers had the greatest number of copy number alterations. The genomic regions most significantly associated with smoking were located within 60 regions and were functionally associated with genes controlling the M phase of the cell cycle, the segregation of chromosomes, and the methylation of DNA. Verification of the data is provided from data in the public domain and by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The associations between genomic abnormalities and DNA repair capacity did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that smoking history leaves a specific genomic signature in the DNA of lung tumors and suggest that these alterations may reflect new molecular pathways to cancer development.
In vitro study of guide wire entrapment in currently available inferior vena cava filters.

PURPOSE Guide wire entrapment by some older inferior vena cava (IVC) filters is known to occur, particularly with J-tipped wires. Three new IVC filters have recently been approved for use in the United States. An in vitro study was performed to compare the risk of engaging and entrapping guide wires in eight of the IVC filters currently available in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS Titanium Greenfield, over-the-wire stainless-steel Greenfield, Simon nitinol, Bird's Nest, Vena Tech LGM, Vena Tech LP, TrapEase, and Günther Tulip IVC filters were deployed separately in an in vitro IVC flow model. Four different wires (15-mm, 3-mm, and 1.5-mm J-tipped, and straight) were passed 100 times each through the filters (50 from a jugular approach and 50 from a femoral approach). The frequency and specific patterns of engagement of the wires by the filters were recorded. Engagement was defined as a filter/wire interaction that caused either the filter or the wire to be deformed. The second part of the experiment measured the force (in pounds) that was required to release wires that became engaged in the filters with use of an electromechanical test stand with a specially designed low-capacity load cell of 20 pounds. Entrapment was defined as inability to separate an engaged wire from the filter without damage to either the wire or filter. RESULTS Guide wire engagement occurred in all filters tested with the 15-mm, 3-mm, and 1.5-mm J-tipped wires. The straight wire did not engage any of the filters. The wires engaged the TrapEase filter with the greatest frequency overall (72.8%; 291 of 400). The 15-mm J wire engaged the filters more often than the other wires (98.5%; 788 of 800), but never became entrapped in a filter. The Vena Tech LP and Günther Tulip filters did not entrap any of the wires. The TrapEase filter, the stainless-steel Greenfield filter, and the Vena Tech LGM filter entrapped the 3-mm and 1.5-mm J wires. The force required to disengage the wires from these filters exceeded 4 pounds and resulted in structural damage to the wire and/or filter. CONCLUSIONS Among the IVC filters recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the TrapEase filter entrapped 3-mm and 1.5-mm J-tipped guide wires, whereas the Vena Tech LP and Günther Tulip filters did not. This study corroborates previously described wire entrapment by the stainless-steel Greenfield and Vena Tech LGM devices.
Latin America at a Crossroads: Controversies on Growth, Income Distribution and Structural Change

This paper discusses the connections established in recent non–neoclassical literature between growth, structural change and income distribution in large developing econo-mies. We argue that though many analyses have the merit of reintroducing income distribution as a factor in economic growth, they rely almost exclusively on macroeconomic theory, and thus ignore the structural changes that have taken place in recent decades and the ways in which structural aspects of an economy (such as resource availability, market size and geopolitical factors) affect policy options and growth. We argue that Latin American countries today face the same challenge that has constrained their development trajectory historically: to diversify their economic structure through new technological capabilities and greater equality and social progress.
The Ponderal Index as a measure of the nutritional Status at birth and its relation to some aspects of neonatal morbidity

xl Introduction * Intrauterine malnutrition is generally defined by low birthweight for a gestational age calculated from the last normal period and corroborated by clinical assessment of the infant at birth [16]. However, not all infants affected by in trauterine malnutrition will be included in such a definition äs an unknown percentage of newborns whose birthweight does not fall below the normal for gestational age, have not achieved their füll growth potential [3]. Clinically these infants will be recognized by manifest soft tissue loss, usually called 'wasting'. To facilitate the diagnosis of intrauterine malnutrition at birth it is useful to incorporate body length in the assessment and to calculate ROHRER's ponderal index (100 X W/L) which assesses whether an infant appears relatively fat' or 'thin' by quantification of the dissociation of weight and length [3, 12]. Wasted infants will show a relatively small ponderal index irrespective of their distribution on the percentile lines of birthweight for gestational age. LUBCHENCO et al. [9] and MILLER and HASSANEIN [11] provided Standard curves of the ponderal index (P. L) for gestational age. Since GRUENWALD [3] widely explained its benefits several authors have used the P.I. äs criterion to define the state of nutrition of their study groups. These studies have demonstrated that the P.I. at birth is correlated with skinfold thickness [11], skeletal retardation [13,17], postnatal growth [l, 17] and behavior problems and neurological dysfunction at pre-school age [18]. It is known that small-for-gestational age (S.G.A.) infants (whose birthweight is below the lOth percentile for gestational age) have a higher incidence of asphyxia, hypogjycemia [10], hypothermia [14], and hyperviscosity [4, 19] in the neonatal period. Unlike birthweight the relation between the P. L (äs a quantitative measure of the nutritional Status at birth) and neonatal morbidity has not yet been properly evaluated. For that purpose the incidence of 6 common neonatal Problems (asphyxia, acidosis, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, hyperviscosity, and hyperbilirubinemia) was examined in a group of 'unselected' term infants in relation to birthweight and to P.I. distribution.
A longitudinal study of stressful life events assessed at interview with an epidemiological sample of adult twins: the basis of individual variation in event exposure

Synopsis This study investigates the basis of individual variation in exposure to stressful life events (SLEs). A population based sample of 547 MZ and 390 DZ female–female twin pairs, aged between 17 and 55 years, were surveyed by two structured interviews, separated by at least 1 year, that enquired about SLEs experienced during the preceding 12 months. Data were analysed with a model that resolves occasion specific (‘random’) versus enduring (‘stable’) influences on SLEs. The latter is partitioned into that due to genetic, familial environmental and unique environmental factors. We demonstrate that both random factors and stable individual differences underlie variation in self-reported exposure to SLEs. For most network events this stable variance makes a relatively small contribution to the total variance in SLEs exposure and is almost entirely due to genetic or familial environmental effects. Stable individual differences are more important determinants of personal SLEs, and these reflect both familial factors as well as previous experiences unshared by relatives.
Managing Austerity: Emotional Containment in a Residential Children’s Home Under Threat

The aim of the study was to explore the process and practice of leading change in residential child care and assess the efficacy of ‘emotional containment’ in this context. Residential child care in Ireland is experiencing significant change. Change is an emotional experience for staff and leadership is named as pivotal in organisational change. However, there is gap in the literature because leadership and organisational change theory does not fully fit with the relational nature of residential child care. The study is responding to this gap in literature and employs a qualitative case study to explore the impact of organisational change on residential child care, strategies used by leaders to manage the emotional impact of change and identify what practices support emotional containment. Central to the study was a nine-month observation of a child care organisation (Liffey View). Funding reductions in response to austerity emerged as the change event having the greatest impact, strategies to manage funding cuts (team restructuring, reductions in salary) evoked emotions of loss, despair and anger towards external funding bodies. In fact, austerity challenged the very survival of Liffey View Children’s home. The findings highlight how emotional containment supported the organisation to manage the impact of austerity. Containment is linked to the capacity of residential leaders to hold and work with emotion, providing structures (e.g. team meetings) that allow teams to make sense of emotion and finding ways to influence relationships with funding agencies. However, containment on its own is not sufficient to lead change, learning gained through containment needs to be linked to action and the theory of emotional containment is enhanced by integrating thinking from leadership and strategy. A framework integrating thinking from emotional containment and wider management theory is offered as a tool for leading change and for leadership development in residential child care.