Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Delayed Acyclovir and Outcomes of Children Hospitalized With Eczema Herpeticum

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology and outcomes of children hospitalized with eczema herpeticum and to determine the association with delayed acyclovir on outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study conducted between January 1, 2001, and March 31, 2010, of 1331 children aged 2 months to 17 years with eczema herpeticum from 42 tertiary care children's hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System database. Multivariable linear regression models determined the association between delayed acyclovir therapy and the main outcome measure: hospital length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: There were no deaths during the study period. Staphylococcus aureus infection was diagnosed in 30.3% of the patients; 3.9% of the patients had a bloodstream infection. Fifty-one patients (3.8%) required ICU admission. There were 893 patients (67.1%) who received acyclovir on the first day of admission. The median LOS increased with each day delay in acyclovir initiation. In multivariable analysis, delay of acyclovir initiation by 1 day was associated with an 11% increased LOS (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3%–20%; P = .008), and LOS increased by 41% when acyclovir was started on day 3 (95% CI: 19%–67%; P < .001) and by 98% when started on day 4 to 7 (95% CI: 60%–145%; P < .001). Use of topical corticosteroids on day 1 of hospitalization was not associated with LOS. CONCLUSIONS: Delay of acyclovir initiation is associated with increased LOS in hospitalized children with eczema herpeticum. Use of topical corticosteroids on admission is not associated with increased LOS. The mortality rate of hospitalized children with eczema herpeticum is low.
An empirical model of supplier relation and management for better quality

A company's quality performance is necessarily dependent on its internal quality control and improvement efforts, but also subject to reliable delivery of high quality materials and parts from suppliers. This study identifies four key practices in quality-focused supplier relation and management, and examines how these practices affect quality performance of manufacturing companies in China. It is found that supplier partnership is the foundation for effective supplier quality control and management. And, a company's efforts in applying supplier involvement, quality-oriented supplier selection, and supplier JIT delivery, in general, are positively related to the improvements in its product quality, process quality and inventory performance. The results of this study will provide a better understanding of how to develop an effective supplier quality management system in China.
Genetic algorithm approach to design covariates of binomial logit model for estimation of default probability

Credit risk management is one of the most important tasks of financial institutes. Default probability is the probability that a company will go into default, or be unable to fulfill an obligation, and it is a critical information for credit administration. Binomial logit model is widely used for default probability estimation. The formulas for computing covariates used in the model are designed by human experts in trial-and- error way, based on their experience. In this paper, we propose a method to design covariates. Integer-coded GA is employed and a representation of the chromosome is proposed for the purpose of optimizing the covariate. The method optimizes the covariates using the GA and estimates the coefficient of binomial logit model using Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno method. The method is tested on an actual data provided for evaluation by a bank. The result of the experiment shows the method outperformed the human design.
Application of Ki Bank Database

KiBank is a database of inhibition constant (Ki) values with 3D structures of target proteins and chemicals. It is accessible at http://kibank.iis. u-tokyo.ac. jp/. The contents of target proteins were nuclear and membrane receptors, enzymes, and, now, newly include transporters, ion channels and ion pumps. The numbers of data were updated to 16,084 Ki values, 101 target proteins (310 subtypes), and 9,279 chemicals in April 2006. Target proteins and the numbers of Ki values for corresponding chemicals were listed. Examples are shown for applications of KiBank for drug development.
Domiciliary experience of the Target Inhalation Mode (TIM) breathing maneuver in patients with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND The time requirements for multiple daily nebulizer treatments are important impediments to the quality of life for most patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The I-neb Adaptive Aerosol Delivery (AAD) System can be used with a new mode of breathing during inhalation of aerosol, the Target Inhalation Mode (TIM). As a function of the TIM algorithm, the patient is guided to a slow and deep inhalation, which can result in shorter treatment times. METHODS This study was conducted as a 3-month patient handling study of the I-neb AAD System in 42 patients with CF aged 12-57 years. The I-neb AAD System was supplied in both the standard Tidal Breathing Mode (TBM), and in TIM. Patients were trained to use the I-neb AAD System in TIM for the delivery of all their inhaled medications, but if they were not comfortable with the TIM maneuver they could change to the TBM maneuver. The primary variables were compliance with the correct use of the I-neb AAD System, and treatment times. The secondary variables were based on study questionnaires at the end of the study and covered ease of use, patient confidence, and patient satisfaction with the I-neb AAD System. RESULTS There were a total of 10,240 complete treatments and of these, 8979 (88%) were in TIM. Compliance with the correct use of the I-neb AAD System was 97.6%. The mean treatment time for complete treatments in TIM was 4.20 min, compared with 6.83 min when using the I-neb AAD System in TBM. The responses to the questionnaires indicated that over 77% of the patients found the I-neb AAD System in TIM to be either: very easy, easy, or acceptable to use. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrated that by using the I-neb AAD System in TIM, a 40-50% reduction of nebulizer treatment times, and a high level of compliance could be achieved. The results also showed that the patients found the I-neb AAD System easy to use.
Second-Order Sliding-Mode Controller Design and Its Implementation for Buck Converters

A second-order sliding-mode (SOSM) control method is developed for the regulation problem of a dc–dc buck converter. By taking into account the model uncertainties and external disturbances in the mathematical model, a sliding variable with relative of degree 2 is first constructed. Then, a new SOSM controller is developed such that the output voltage will well track the desired reference voltage. Theoretical analysis shows that the resulting closed-loop system is globally finite-time stable, while similar SOSM control results only give the proof for finite-time convergence. The way on how to implement the proposed SOSM algorithm is also presented. The theoretical findings are verified by extensive simulations and experiments.
Dimensions and Values for Reasoning with Legal Cases

In this paper we build on two recent attempts to formalise reasoning with dimensions. Both of these approaches effectively map dimensions into factors, which enables propositional reasoning, but we show that sometimes a balance between dimensions needs to be struck. To permit trade offs we need to keep the magnitudes and reason more geometrically. We also revisit the link between dimensions and values, showing that values play a number of distinct roles, not only explaining preferences between factors, but also ensuring that all the purposes of the underlying law are considered.
Internationalization of Small High-Tech Firms : The Role of Information Technology

SUMMARY This paper aims to address die relationship between two current phenomena in modern economy, namely the significant advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the increasing number of small international firms. Previous research on small international firms has identified recent advances in ICT as a trend that presumably facilitates the process of introducing products to international markets. However, little empirical work has been conducted to establish the dynamics behind this relationship. Pulling from a sample of 310 small Norwegian exporting manufacturers, this study investigates the role of ICT in small firm internationalization aiming to see whether ICT indeed plays a facilitating role in the internationalization process. We investigate three direct relationships between ICT and factors related to the international behavior of small firms (international expansion, competitive advantages, and managerial orientation). In order to understand the underlying dynamics, we als.
Tuning characteristics of the top-down attentional setting

Previous studies of top-down attentional guidance have focused generally on the attentional prioritization of a single target feature. The present study focused on how the attentional system would be configured when the target possesses several unique features. These features were perfectly correlated, which meant that monitoring just one of them would be an adequate strategy. The experiments addressed the following questions: (a) If the target is a singleton, would the attentional system be set to monitor the target’s unique features, or would the search strategy default to singleton detection? (b) Can the target’s static and dynamic features be prioritized simultaneously? (c) Are all of the target’s features prioritized, or only those features that are diagnostic of targethood? The results revealed an attentional system that can be flexibly tuned to multiple target features across static and dynamic dimensions. This system can simultaneously be narrowly tuned to monitor a specific target feature and broadly tuned to detect singletons. Finally, the attentional system monitors only those features that are diagnostic of targethood.
The Impact of Federal Spending on House Election Outcomes

While it is widely believed by academics, politicians, and the popular press that incumbent members of Congress are rewarded by the electorate for bringing federal dollars to their district, the empirical evidence supporting that claim is extremely weak. One explanation for the failure to uncover the expected relationship between federal spending and election outcomes is that incumbents who expect to have difficulty being reelected are likely to exert greater effort in obtaining federal outlays. Since it is generally impossible to adequately measure this effort, the estimated impact of spending is biased downward because of an omitted variable bias. We address this estimation problem using instrumental variables. For each House district, we use spending outside the district but inside the state containing the district as an instrument for spending in the district. Federal spending is affected by a large number of actors (e.g., governors, senators, mayors, and other House members in the state delegation), leading to positive correlations in federal spending across the House districts within states. However, federal spending outside of a district is unlikely to be strongly correlated with the strength of that district's electoral challenge. In contrast to previous studies, we find strong evidence that federal spending benefits congressional incumbents: an additional $100 per capita in spending is worth as much as 2 percent of the popular vote. The only category of federal spending that does not appear to yield electoral rewards is direct transfers to individuals.
Application of environmental scanning electron microscopy to determine biological surface structure

The use of environmental scanning electron microscopy in biology is growing as more becomes understood about the advantages and limitations of the technique. These are discussed and we include new evidence about the effect of environmental scanning electron microscopy imaging on the viability of mammalian cells. We show that although specimen preparation for high‐vacuum scanning electron microscopy introduces some artefacts, there are also challenges in the use of environmental scanning electron microscopy, particularly at higher resolutions. This suggests the two technologies are best used in combination. We have used human monocyte‐derived macrophages as a test sample, imaging their complicated and delicate membrane ruffles and protrusions. We have also explored the possibility of using environmental scanning electron microscopy for dynamic experiments, finding that mammalian cells cannot be imaged and kept alive in the environmental scanning electron microscopy. The dehydration step in which the cell surface is exposed causes irreversible damage, probably via loss of membrane integrity during liquid removal in the specimen chamber. Therefore, mammalian cells should be imaged after fixation where possible to protect against damage as a result of chamber conditions.
Instability of the G-protein beta5 subunit in detergent.

Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins are important mediators in signal transduction and function by transmitting information from membrane-bound receptors to effectors. Because these proteins are membrane bound and contain covalent lipid modifications, detergents are required for solubilization and purification. It was discovered that the interaction between the beta5 subunit and the gamma2 subunit was disrupted in two detergents, cholate and Chaps (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propansulfonate). A beta5gamma2 column was constructed in which recombinant betagamma dimers were immobilized on a FLAG antibody column via a hexahistidine-FLAG-tagged gamma2 subunit, gamma2HF. Greater than 95% of the beta5 subunit was specifically eluted from the immobilized gamma2HF subunit using a cholate gradient from 0.05 to 1.0% and greater than 40% of the beta5 subunit was eluted using a Chaps gradient from 0.05 to 1.0%. In contrast, the beta1, beta2, and beta3 subunits remained bound to the gamma2HF subunit in all concentrations of Chaps and cholate. Genapol C-100, Triton X-100, and polyoxyethylene-10-lauryl ether did not interfere with any of the four beta subunits' ability to interact with the gamma2 subunit. These data suggest that the beta5 subunit is not stable in bile acid or Chaps-type detergents (i.e., Chapso, glycocholate, deoxycholate). Therefore, alternative detergents should be used to extract dimers containing the beta5 subunit.
The antecedents of donor commitment to voluntary organizations

The past decade has seen a rapid growth in the number of regular or so-called committed giving schemes. Charities have been increasingly eager to solicit donors onto a low-value monthly donation, collected automatically from their bank account or credit card. Although the initial costs of donor acquisition are higher than for cash donations, charities find that committed givers are less likely to lapse and therefore offer substantially higher lifetime values over time. In this article, we examine to what extent these individuals are truly committed, that is, whether they are more committed than occasional cash givers and the factors that might drive that commitment. The results of a series of ten focus groups conducted on behalf of five large national charities are reported and a model of the antecedents of commitment hypothesized. Implications for fundraising strategy are explored. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mothers and Sons: Preference Formation and Female Labor Force Dynamics

This paper argues that the growing presence of a new type of man—one brought up in a family in which the mother worked—has been a significant factor in the increase in female labor force participation over time. We present cross-sectional evidence showing that the wives of men whose mothers worked are themselves significantly more likely to work. We use variation in the importance of World War II as a shock to women's labor force participation—as proxied by variation in the male draft rate across U. S. states—to provide evidence in support of the intergenerational consequences of our propagation mechanism.
Application of Synthetic Straddles for Equity Risk Management

A model of building and using synthetic straddles has been developed; it enables an investor to significantly reduce its individual equity risk related to its own basic assets, i.e. shares. The Black-Scholes model, which is regarded as a classical model, cannot be used for this purpose for the reason that a synthetic straddle provides for investor's combining a share under review and a risk-free bond in its portfolio, whereas the Black-Scholes model contains a risk-free interest rate only, but no risk-free bond. Therefore, to build a synthetic straddle, a binomial model is used. Such model takes account of straddle price variance according to regression forecast model.
Duration and the Measurement of Basis Risk

Forty years ago Macaulay proposed the measure of "duration" to represent the " . essence of the time element of a loan (1938, p. 44). 1 Hicks independently derived the equivalent "average period" measuring the " . [bond price] elasticity with respect to a discount ratio [i.e., factor or discount rate plus unity]" (1939, p. 186). The elasticity properties of duration have been successfully employed by several authors in problems involving the reduction of basis risk.2 The use of duration as an alternative time measure has not been as fruitful.3 In fact, an examination of Macaulay's book shows that even he is primarily concerned with the risk-proxying properties of his measure despite the assigned name "duration. " In this paper we examine the traditional measure of duration and the conditions under which it is valid to use it in risk comparisons. We then propose an alternate measure of This note criticizes the traditional measures of duration and their role in the measurement of basis risk. A theoretically superior measure of basis risk, which is measured in units of time, like duration, is proposed in its place. The properties of the new measure are discussed and compared to those of the traditional measures.
Modernisation, authoritarianism, and the environment: the politics of China’s South–North Water Transfer Project

China presents a paradox for scholars of environmental politics. Environmental politics and policymaking in China now includes elements critical to environmental protection in the West, including non-governmental participation and stringent environmental legislation. Yet the country’s authoritarian system constrains popular participation, and environmental outcomes are generally poor. China’s South–North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) embodies this puzzle: despite the pluralisation and development of environmental politics and policymaking, the SNWTP is a technocratic mega-project that imposes high social, economic, and environmental costs. What explains this puzzle, and what are the implications for understanding environmental politics in other authoritarian developing countries? I evaluate two current theories – Ecological Modernisation and Authoritarian Environmentalism – against the SNWTP case, and argue that it illustrates the ability of governments to co-opt environmental politics to pursue other strategic objectives, in turn necessitating greater attention to the mix of persuasive and coercive strategies in environmental politics.
Recommendation with k-Anonymized Ratings

Recommender systems are widely used to predict personalized preferences of goods or services using users' past activities, such as item ratings or purchase histories. If collections of such personal activities were made publicly available, they could be used to personalize a diverse range of services, including targeted advertisement or recommendations. However, there would be an accompanying risk of privacy violations. The pioneering work of Narayanan et al.\ demonstrated that even if the identifiers are eliminated, the public release of user ratings can allow for the identification of users by those who have only a small amount of data on the users' past ratings. In this paper, we assume the following setting. A collector collects user ratings, then anonymizes and distributes them. A recommender constructs a recommender system based on the anonymized ratings provided by the collector. Based on this setting, we exhaustively list the models of recommender systems that use anonymized ratings. For each model, we then present an item-based collaborative filtering algorithm for making recommendations based on anonymized ratings. Our experimental results show that an item-based collaborative filtering based on anonymized ratings can perform better than collaborative filterings based on 5--10 non-anonymized ratings. This surprising result indicates that, in some settings, privacy protection does not necessarily reduce the usefulness of recommendations. From the experimental analysis of this counterintuitive result, we observed that the sparsity of the ratings can be reduced by anonymization and the variance of the prediction can be reduced if $k$, the anonymization parameter, is appropriately tuned. In this way, the predictive performance of recommendations based on anonymized ratings can be improved in some settings.
Walking pattern acquisition for quadruped robot by using modular reinforcement learning

We apply the reinforcement learning to acquire a gait pattern of a quadruped locomotion robot. The advantage of the reinforcement learning for such a problem is that no exact robot model is needed for calculating the prescribed teaching signals, but one simply needs to evaluate the results of trials and generates the reinforcement signals. As a result, the robot can acquire by itself a walking pattern suitable to its structure, dynamics and environments. We use here a tightly coupled modular actor-critic structure with stochastic gradient ascent. The computer simulations show that it could generate various stable walking pattern suitable to the environment and dynamics of the robot. We also apply the proposed method to an experimental real robot and deal with the learning process for getting the walking pattern.
Co-operative business practices in the competitive leisure destination: lessons from the wine tourism industry in New Zealand

The generic management literature on ‘clustering’ among small businesses is centred around the co-operative efforts of firms within single product industries that have a progressively linear production model; there has been comparatively little attention paid to the role of clusters in developing a region, as opposed to the individual firms that conduct business in that region. This paper uses a case study of the wine tourism industry in New Zealand to examine some of the ways in which small firms may co-operate in establishing a regional image and branding, while remaining competitive in terms of their individual product lines. The main conclusion is that the clustering concept offers significant advantages to participating firms but that co-ordinated leadership is an essential component of long-term success.