Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parent advisory groups in pediatric practices: parents' and professionals' perceptions.

OBJECTIVE To describe the benefits perceived by parents and professionals from their participation in parent advisory groups (PAGs). DESIGN Retrospective telephone survey. SETTING Parent advisory groups were established in 4 community-based pediatric practices. Each group included parents of children with chronic health conditions, health care providers, and a Department of Public Health staff member. PARTICIPANTS The mothers and fathers of children with chronic health conditions completed a telephone survey. These parents also were enrolled in a broader intervention aimed at providing primary care for children with chronic conditions. INTERVENTION Groups met regularly in the pediatric office setting. Logistical arrangements and activities varied among the 4 groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Parents and professionals rated their perceptions of the PAGs based on a structured list of potential benefits. RESULTS Mothers viewed the PAGs as most beneficial in diminishing their isolation, helping them to understand family concerns, increasing their influence on the pediatric care provided to their children, and improving their knowledge of community resources. Professionals believed that the PAGs enhanced their awareness of common family needs, increased their skills at collaborating with families, and helped them to feel more effective. All professionals and most parents were interested in continuing their involvement in a PAG. CONCLUSIONS Parent advisory groups may benefit families and professionals who care for them by (1) fostering collaborative relationships and communication, (2) increasing a sense of social support among families, (3) increasing families' knowledge of community-based resources, and (4) increasing the families' sense of efficacy and involvement in the care of their own and others' children.
Transnitrosation of thiols from aliphatic N-nitrosamines: S-nitrosation and indirect generation of nitric oxide.

S-Nitrosothiols and heme nitrosyl species are nitric oxide (NO)-derived metabolites that provide an endogenous reservoir of NO and also play roles in protein S-nitrosation, that is, transnitrosation of thiols (or thiolates) in proteins, thereby regulating protein functions and signal transduction pathways. Intriguingly, endogenous N-nitrosamines are present in similar abundance to S-nitrosothiols, and though they are thought to play similar physiological roles to S-nitrosothiols, their transnitrosation reactivities and their contribution to biological events are little understood. Herein we report aliphatic N-nitroso derivatives of 7-azabicyclo[2.2. 1]heptanes, which do not act as NO donors themselves, but can transnitrosate thiols. On the basis of the calculated activation energies of transnitrosation and the aorta smooth-muscle relaxation activities of these N-nitrosamines, we present a possible scenario of S-transnitrosation from aliphatic N-nitrosamines, leading to indirect generation of NO.
Embedded Influence Patterns in Organizational Buying Systems

The organizational buying system concept is introduced as an organizing framework for exploring the patterned, repeated interactions that characterize ongoing purchasing processes. Applying a structural perspective to the study of influence, the authors assert that organizational actors derive influence from the position they occupy within the buying system. An analysis of a 171-member organizational network demonstrates that individual influence in organizational buying is derived from properties of both the formal and the informal structures.
A Note On Market Competition, Advanced Manufacturing Technology And Management Accounting And Control Sys- tems Change

Changes in competitive and manufacturing environments have important implications for designing appropriate management accounting and control systems (MACS) in organizations. This paper examines the effect of market competition and advanced manufacturing technology on management accounting and control systems change. Using a sample of 110 Malaysian manufacturing firms, this study investigated the roles of perceived market competition, advanced manufacturing technology adoption and employee attitude toward change in predicting MACS change. Hypotheses were tested using both quantitative and qualitative data collected by a questionnaire survey and post-survey interviews. It was hypothesized that changes in perceived market competition and changes in advanced manufacturing technology adoption directly affect changes in MACS. Since attitude toward change reflects managers’ perceptions on change, it was conjectured that attitude toward change also influences MACS change. The results indicate that changes in competition and advanced technology adoption significantly affect MACS change but attitude towards change has no effect on MACS change. The findings of the study have implications for design of MACS for organizations in operating rapidly changing and dynamic business environment.
Hypoxia Does neither Stimulate Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cell Proliferation in Mice and Rats with Pulmonary Hypertension and Vascular Remodeling nor in Human Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells

Background: Hypoxia results in pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling due to induction of pulmonary artery cell proliferation. Besides pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) are also involved in the development of pulmonary hypertension, but the effect of hypoxia on PAEC proliferation has not been completely understood. Methods: We investigated PAEC proliferation in mice and rats with hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling as well as in human PAECs under hypoxia. Results and Conclusion: We did not find significant PAEC proliferation in chronically hypoxic rats or mice. There was a slight decrease in proliferation in mice and rats with pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling. We also did not find significant human PAEC proliferation and cell cycle progression under different levels of oxygen (1, 2, 3, 5 and 10%) for one day, although the same conditions of hypoxia induced significant proliferation and cell cycle progression in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and pulmonary artery fibroblasts. Exposure to hypoxia for 7 days also did not increase PAEC proliferation. These results demonstrated that hypoxia alone is not a stimulus to PAEC proliferation in vivo and in vitro. The present study provides a novel role for PAECs in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling.
A Comparative Trial of the GlideScope® Video Laryngoscope to Direct Laryngoscope in Children with Difficult Direct Laryngoscopy and an Evaluation of the Effect of Blade Size

BACKGROUND:GlideScope® video laryngoscope (GVL) has been proposed to be useful for airway management, but its efficacy for difficult airways has not been confirmed in pediatric patients. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of the GVL for improving the laryngoscopic view in patients whose Cormack and Lehane grade (C&L grade) was ≥3 under direct laryngoscopy. We also assessed the effect of GVL blade size on the laryngoscopic view. METHODS:This randomized open trial was conducted in a tertiary pediatric center. Patients whose previous C&L grade was ≥3, or who were anticipated to have a difficult airway, were enrolled. The initial modified C&L grade was scored using a direct laryngoscope (DL). If the patient’s C&L grade was ≥3, the laryngoscopic view was scored again using GVLw (selected based on weight) and GVLs (1 size smaller than GVLw) in random order by a single experienced anesthesiologist. All laryngoscopic views were graded both with and without the backward, upward, and right lateral displacement of the thyroid cartilage (BURP) maneuver. The primary outcome was the difference in the C&L grade between DL and GVLw, and the secondary outcome was that between GVLw and GVLs. For statistical analysis, the modified C&L grade was converted to an ordinal scale. RESULTS:Data from 23 pediatric patients were analyzed. When compared with DL, improvement of laryngoscopic view with the GVLw wa not obvious (98.3% confidence interval [CI] for differences of ordinal scale, 0–1 without BURP, P = 0.15 and 0–1 with BURP, P = 0.11). However, GVLs improved the laryngoscopic view in comparison with both DL (98.3% CI for differences, 3.5–5.0 without BURP, P = 0.00007 and 3.5–4.5 with BURP, P = 0.0001) and GVLw (98.3% CI for differences, 3.0–4.5 without BURP, P = 0.00007 and 2.5–4.0 with BURP, P = 0.0001). There was no adverse outcome during this study. CONCLUSIONS:In patients with C&L grade ≥3 under direct laryngoscopy, GVLs significantly improved the laryngoscopic view when compared with DL or GVLw. The GVLs is recommended for improving the laryngoscopic view in patients with a difficult airway.
Do IPOs Reduce Firms’ Cost of Bank Loans?

Using a sample of 4757 bilateral bank loans to Chinese enterprises, we analyze the effect of firms’ initial public offerings (IPOs) on interest rate savings. Our evidence shows that following successful equity IPOs, firms are granted with a significant discount in their credit cost. This indicates the interest rate saving effect of IPOs does exist in China, despite huge institutional differences between emerging and developed markets. Importantly, such effect is related to institutional factors. Firms benefit from larger IPO interest rate savings if they are state-owned firms (SOEs), if their credit has been offered by non-five big banks, and if their bank loan takes place in the period with interest rate ceilings and bottoms on loans. Our study extends the findings of Pagano et al. (1998, JF), Hale and Santos (2009, JFE) and Schenone (2010, RFS) by providing an institutional interpretation to the variance in interest rate saving effect.
Performance analysis of a novel OWDM-IDMA approach for wireless communication system

Efficiency and adaptivity play a major role in the design of fourth-generation wireless systems (4G). These systems should be efficient in terms of bandwidth and power allocation and will satisfy the users requirement on low power consumption, little interferences with other systems, and high rate transmission. Moreover, low complexity transceivers are expected. This paper will propose a novel multiple access technique called OWDM-IDMA (Orthogonal Wavelength-Division Multiplexing-Interleave Division Multiple Access) as the combination of the OWDM (Orthogonal Wavelength-Division Multiplexing) and IDMA (Interleave Division Multiple Access) schemes. The IDMA and OWDM principles are also outlined. The comparison between the conventional OFDM-IDMA and the proposed OWDM-IDMA is performed in term of Power to Average Power Ratio PAPR, as well as evaluating the performance of our presented technique over Additive White Gaussian Noise AWGN multipath channels by estimating the BER (Binary Error Rate).
An Exploratory Investigation of the Self Serving Biases of Interface Agent Users

This research presents a preliminary investigation of the self-serving biases of interface agent users. For that, an experiment of current and potential users of Microsoft interface agents was conducted. The analysis demonstrates that interface agent users do not always attribute the successful outcomes of human-agent interaction to themselves and negative results to interface agents. In fact, people’s attributions of credits and responsibilities depend on the category of support provided by an agent. This finding contradicts attribution theory. In addition, the study discovers the positive relationship between the degree of an agent’s autonomy and the presence of self-serving biases. Overall, the research attempts to outline the factors that lead to the self-serving biases of interface agent users and suggests several theoretical and practical contributions for agent designers.
Sensorless dead-time exploration for digitally controlled switching converters

This paper proposes a sensorless dead-time exploration algorithm for a synchronous switching converter. An exploration algorithm using delay-line circuits instead of high frequency circuits is used to accelerate optimal dead-time searching and provide high quantization resolution with the dead-time step. The dead-time controller utilizes the relationship between the duty-cycle command and power loss to find the optimal dead-time without sensing any power-stage signals. This approach is well suited for digital integrated circuit implementation. Experimental results show that the converter, fabricated in the 0.18-μm CMOS process, can quickly find the optimal dead-time and improve efficiency.
Public-Private Partnerships for E-Government Services: Lessons from Malaysia

Implementation of e-government is seen as a tool to improve government service delivery to citizens, businesses and within government agencies. The benefits could be more transparency, greater convenience, less corruption, revenue growth and cost reduction. However, lack of financial resources, and low levels of skills and limited capacity of governments are some of the main obstacles faced in pursuance of e-government nationwide. The introduction of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) is seen as a solution to overcome many of the obstacles and challenges faced by governments in realizing the objectives of e-government projects. PPP model is expected to increase opportunities for both the public and private sectors to serve their customers more effectively and efficiently. The main aim of this paper is to explore the need for PPP in e-government service delivery. This is done by discussing some success stories and looking at lessons learned by the Malaysian government to serve the stakeholders better in line with its vision and mission.
Understanding the Rise and Decline of the Japanese Main Bank System: The Real Effects of the Equity Market Boom During the Financial Deregulation

While a close firm-bank relationship mitigates market imperfections, recent research has suggested that insider banks often impose 'holdup' costs. This paper presents a model of how main bank rent extraction affects corporate decisions about investment and financing, and how the high-flying equity market during financial deregulation breeds trouble for the main bank system mainly through unfavourable investment risk profile but not necessarily through overinvestment. Our model predicts that main bank control tends to produce overinvestment by the client firm. This overinvestment, however, is contained by the shortage of bank capital, even when new equity is available to the firm. Abundant bank capital aggravates overinvestment to the detriment of firm profitability. The shift of control rights back to the firm thanks to the financial deregulation undercuts main banks only to erode banks' investment quality. The ex-ante rational bank is left financing projects with less upward potential but higher downside risk. The high-flying equity market aggravates the situation, making the bank's assets more sensitive to shocks. The model is able to show how changes in corporate governance affect investment efficiency and risk profiles especially related to ways of financing, shedding light on why Japan's main bank system was beneficial in the postwar (capital constrained) period, but became harmful during the (capital abundant and bubble-laden) 1980s, and why the adverse shocks of the post-deregulation 1990s had such severe effects on the banking system.
Implications of Pension and Other Post Retirement Benefit (OPRB) Recognition Biases on Leverage Ratio Components

Leverage ratios, the ratio of a firm’s debt to equity or assets, is a frequently used measure of firm risk, utilized by firms, analysts, and investors. However, pension and other post-retirement benefits (OPRB) are largely ignored in determining a firm’s total liabilities. Similarly, pension and OPRB assets are not accurately incorporated into a firm’s total assets listed on the balance sheets. This is largely due to intricacies in pension fund accounting under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 87 that can cause the true pension and OPRB liabilities and assets to be masked from the financial statements. I propose two new, innovative methods to correct for this bias by adjusting “Total Assets” and “Total Liabilities” to properly incorporate pension and OPRB data. As a result, I find that the measurement error between leverage ratios ignoring these elements and those including them is significant. I then apply the corrected values for total assets and total liabilities after incorporating pensions and OPRB to a bankruptcy prediction model, modeled after the Altman Z-score and ZetaTM models (1968, 1977, 2000). I find that, contrary to my original hypothesis, the modified variables do not increase the models’ explanatory power in predicting corporate distress over the original, unadjusted models.
QR Code Steganography

QR codes, also known as matrix codes, are basically two dimensional barcodes embedded with data that can be decoded quickly for information. In this work, we present a novel use of QR codes. We show that QR codes can be used for covert communication using steganography. We also show in complete detail how to build QR code symbols with a hidden payload and how to extract this hidden information in two ways: with and without a shared secret key. An interesting feature of our research is that we present a technique to convert innocuous QR codes into carriers for malicious messages and malware using simple, everyday tools and software. Communicating secret messages in plain sight creates a credible threat to our national security. We hope that our work brings this issue to light and enhances counterterrorism education.
Factors Stimulating Export Business: An Empirical Investigation

The article reports the findings of an empirical investigation into the export stimulation behavior of Cypriot manufacturers. The study revealed that the thrust of the motivation originated from internal and proactive forces, in contrast to the findings of earlier research. Export stimuli were categorized into eight conceptually meaningful groups using factor analysis, with managerial and enterprise competence being the most significant stimulus. Overall, both organizational and internationalization parameters had a weak discriminating effect on the emerging stimulating factors; however, some of these parameters exhibited a significant differentiating role in relation to certain export stimuli. Several conclusions are extracted from the findings, and directions for future research are indicated.
Regulatory role of collagen V in establishing mechanical properties of tendons and ligaments is tissue dependent

Patients with classic (type I) Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS), characterized by heterozygous mutations in the Col5a1 and Col5a2 genes, exhibit connective tissue hyperelasticity and recurrent joint dislocations, indicating a potential regulatory role for collagen V in joint stabilizing soft tissues. This study asked whether the contribution of collagen V to the establishment of mechanical properties is tissue dependent. We mechanically tested four different tissues from wild type and targeted collagen V‐null mice: the flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendon, Achilles tendon (ACH), the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and the supraspinatus tendon (SST). Area was significantly reduced in the Col5a1ΔTen/ΔTen group in the FDL, ACH, and SST. Maximum load and stiffness were reduced in the Col5a1ΔTen/ΔTen group for all tissues. However, insertion site and midsubstance modulus were reduced only for the ACL and SST. This study provides evidence that the regulatory role of collagen V in extracellular matrix assembly is tissue dependent and that joint instability in classic EDS may be caused in part by insufficient mechanical properties of the tendons and ligaments surrounding each joint. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 33:882–888, 2015.
Using Reader Preferences to Optimize News Content: A Method and a Case Study

This article introduces the use of choice-based conjoint analysis to measure the content preferences of newspaper readers. Its importance lies in its role as part of an economic theory of newspaper finance that connects various measures of news quality to circulation and to circulation revenue. In addition, choice-based conjoint provides another way to operationalize “quality” in terms of how much readers like various kinds of content and the relative amounts of that liking. Content preferences were obtained from a large sample of readers of a newspaper of about 100,000 in circulation from the Southeastern United States using the proposed methodology and subsequently, the results were used by the newspaper to modify its content accordingly. Four months after the content changes were made, the publisher of the newspaper reported a significant maintenance of circulation even as print price was increased by 75%. The findings are consistent with the economic model of newspaper demand, and suggests that preferences measured using choice-based conjoint provide impetus for making key management decisions.
Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Contributes to the Immune Escape of Ovarian Cancer by Down-Regulating NKG2D1

The proinflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) stimulates tumor cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis; promotes tumor angiogenesis; suppresses p53-mediated apoptosis; and inhibits antitumor immunity by largely unknown mechanisms. We here describe an overexpression of MIF in ovarian cancer that correlates with malignancy and the presence of ascites. Functionally, we find that MIF may contribute to the immune escape of ovarian carcinoma by transcriptionally down-regulating NKG2D in vitro and in vivo which impairs NK cell cytotoxicity toward tumor cells. Together with the additional tumorigenic properties of MIF, this finding provides a rationale for novel small-molecule inhibitors of MIF to be used for the treatment of MIF-secreting cancers.
The Use of Indocyanine Green Videoangiography to Optimize the Dural Opening for Intracranial Parasagittal Lesions

BACKGROUND: We describe our clinical experience with the use of indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography to delineate the locations of the cortical draining veins before dural opening in 3 cases of parasagittal lesions. With this technique, the veins are marked through the dura, and then the dura can be opened precisely to avoid cortical venous injury. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate in a clinical series the adjunct use of intraoperative ICG angiography to optimize the dural opening for parasagittal lesions. METHODS: We describe 3 cases of parasagittal lesions, 2 meningiomas, and 1 arteriovenous malformation treated using the described technique. RESULTS: Once the dura had been exposed, ICG at a dose of 0.25 mg/kg was injected into the patient's peripheral vein as a bolus. When the dye reached the illuminated field of interest, ICG fluorescence was induced by the use of a light source with a wave-length ICG absorption band. Thereafter, the dural cortical veins were marked through the dura and precisely opened, avoiding cortical venous injury. CONCLUSION: Indocyanine green video angiography is a safe, fast, inexpensive, and accurate investigation that allows the surgeon to strategically plan and protect important parasagittal dural venous drainage during craniotomy.