Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does ICT Generate Economic Growth? A Meta‐Regression Analysis

Despite phenomenal technological progress and exponential growth in computing power, economic growth remains comparative sluggish. In this paper, we investigate two core issues: (1) is there really no connection between ICT and national economic growth? and (2) what factors moderate the ICTâ€“growth relationship? We apply metaâ€ regression analysis to 466 estimates drawn from 59 econometric studies that explore the Solow or Productivity Paradox that there is little impact of ICT on economic growth and productivity. We explore the differential impact of ICT on developed and developing countries and the differential impact of different types of ICT: landlines, cell phones, computer technology and Internet access. After accommodating potential econometric misspecification bias and publication selection bias, we detect evidence that ICT has indeed contributed positively to economic growth, at least on average. Both developed and developing countries benefit from landline and cell technologies, with cell technologiesâ€™ growth effect approximately twice as strong as landlines. However, developed countries gain significantly more from computing than do developing countries. In contrast, we find little evidence that the Internet has had a positive impact on growth.
Anterior chamber parameters measured by the Pentacam CES after uneventful phacoemulsification in normotensive eyes

Purpose: We set out to quantify changes in the anterior chamber volume (ACV), anterior chamber depth (ACD) and anterior chamber angle (ACA) measurements obtained by the Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug camera following uneventful phacoemulsification surgery in normotensive eyes with open iridocorneal angles.
Gastric cancers in Finnish patients after cure of Helicobacter pylori infection: A cohort study

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with gastric cancer. A total of 97% of the infected subjects have elevated levels of H. pylori antibodies. The antibody titers have been shown to decline rapidly (40–60% within 4–12 months) only after successful eradication therapy. We allocated 26,700 consecutive patients tested during 1986–1998 for H. pylori antibodies to 3 subcohorts: seropositive patients with rapidly falling antibody titers (Hp+CURED, n = 3,650), seropositive patients where no serological information indicating cure was obtained (Hp+NoInfo, n = 11,638) and seronegative patients (Hp–, n = 11,422). In the subcohorts, the standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were defined for subsequent cancers of stomach, pancreas, colon, rectum, breast and prostate separately and for all cancers except stomach combined. The mean follow‐up time was 10.1 years and the number of gastric cancers was 72. For the Hp+CURED, the SIR for gastric cancers for the first 5 follow‐up years was 1.62 but decreased from the sixth follow‐up year thereon to 0.14 (CI: 0.00–0.75). Likewise, the risk ratio, defined in a Poisson regression analysis using the Hp+NoInfo group as the reference, decreased from 1.60 to 0.13 (CI: 0.02–1.00, p = 0.049). The SIR for Hp– was not significantly higher than that for Hp+NoInfo for any of the cancers analysed. To conclude, cured H. pylori infection led to a significantly decreased incidence of gastric cancers from the sixth follow‐up year. Advanced atrophic gastritis would be a plausible contributor to the elevated SIR in elderly Hp– patients.
Role of capsule endoscopy in small bowel management

The small bowel is difficult to reach and to examine endoscopically. Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) using a wireless imaging technology was introduced 2000. VCE is an ingestible capsule camera that takes photographs during its passage throughout the gastrointestinal tract. The diagnosis of small bowel Crohn's disease is among the prime indications for VCE, as one third of patients with Crohn's disease have only small bowel involvement.The aim of this thesis is to increase the knowledge and critically evaluate the use of VCE and its capability to diagnose small bowel Crohn's disease and to explore the most concerning complication of VCE - capsule retention. Specific aims were to explore the risk of capsule retention, to evaluate the clinical impact and thevalue of the patency capsule test on the risk of capsule retention, to describe the clinical impact of VCE in patients with established Crohn's disease and to examine the impact and safety of VCE performed in children.The usefulness and risk of VCE was evaluated in different clinical situations. The studies were performed using three different models of small bowel capsule endoscopes. Patency capsule examinations were performed usinga first or a second generation patency capsule.The studies demonstrate that capsule retention is a rare complication of VCE. Moreover, a majority of patients with capsule retention can be safely and effectively managed with endoscopic intervention instead of surgery.The results suggest that routine nonselective administration of the patency capsule before VCE in patients with established Crohn's disease is not likely to reduce the risk of video capsule retention. VCE provides meaningfulresults leading to therapeutic changes in more than 50% of patients with established Crohn's disease. VCE is a safe method and often leads to a definitive diagnosis and has a significant impact on the clinical management ofpediatric patients with Crohn's disease. Taken together, VCE has a high capability to diagnose small bowel Crohn's disease and is a very safe method to investigate the small bowel mucosa. The few cases with capsule retention can be mostly managed with endoscopic intervention. (Less)
Do CEO's Long-Term Performance Incentives Induce IT Investments? Theory, Evidence, and Industry Contingencies

Understanding the antecedents of IT investment decisions is a significant line of enquiry in the IT business value literature. Although previous research has shown a positive link between long-term performance plans and corporate decision making, the association between the use of long-term performance plans and IT investment is understudied in the extant literature. Drawing on agency theory, we posit that the existence of a long-term performance plan and a greater percentage of compensation based on long-term measures are associated with a greater percentage of IT investments to sales. We further propose that these relationships are contingent upon the nature of the industry and the IT role within the industry. Specifically, we assert that high-tech industries witness stronger associations between long-term performance plans and IT investments, while industries where IT plays a transformative role witness weaker relationships. Our empirical analysis of 173 firms in the Unites States supports our theoretical propositions.
Basis set and method dependence in atoms in molecules calculations.

The influence of various basis sets used in HF and DFT/B3LYP calculations to the values of atoms in molecules (AIM) parameters derived from the electron density distibution for weak hydrogen-bonded systems is investigated. Using three model complexes, F(3)CH.NH(3), F(3)CH.NCH, and FCCH.NH(3), we show that values of the most important AIM parameters calculated in the bond critical point of the H.N hydrogen bond are almost independent of both the method and the basis set. Only the smallest Dunning-type cc-pVDZ or aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets may lead to poor results, whereas even medium-sized Pople-type basis sets can give reasonable results converting to those obtained from the use of large Dunning-type basis sets.
Transparent scan: a new approach to test generation and test compaction for scan circuits that incorporates limited scan operations

We describe a new approach to test generation and test compaction for scan circuits that eliminates the distinction between scan operations and application of primary input vectors. Under this approach, the scan-in, scan-select, and scan-out lines are treated as conventional primary inputs or primary outputs of the circuit. As a result, limited scan operations, where scan chains are shifted a number of times smaller than their lengths, are incorporated naturally into the test sequences generated by this approach. This leads to very aggressive compaction, resulting in test sequences with the lowest known test application times for benchmark circuits. The resulting test sequences can be applied using conventional test application schemes that support limited scan operations.
“Anger Detracts From Beauty”: Gender Differences in Adolescents’ Narratives About Anger

In a mixed-design narrative study, we explore how adolescent boys and girls represent experiences of anger and how their narrations are linked to self-esteem and anxiety. Polish teens from three nonurban public schools (N = 101, 55% female, Mage = 15.5) wrote narrative accounts of their typical anger experience. We use a thematic analysis framework to analyze the patterns in these narratives. Boys and girls told stories within school, family, and relationship contexts. However, boys provided more stories that focused on the theme of everyday incidental instances of anger, whereas girls provided more stories focused on the theme of negative inner experiences. In-depth analysis resulted in the emergence of two complex narrative patterns: Anger as Outburst and Anger as Burden. Anger as Outburst described heated anger related to difficulties in self-control and aggression and was more characteristic of boys. Anger as Burden contained stories of prolonged anger related to negative self-evaluation and was more characteristic of girls. Anger as Burden was also related to higher anxiety and lower self-esteem. We conclude that in the given cultural context, adolescents lack positive narratives to frame their anger adaptively.
Platelet-activating factor in brain regions after transient ischemia in gerbils.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Platelet-activating factor (PAF) has been reported to be an active mediator in ischemic brain damage on the basis of indirect pharmacological data from PAF antagonists. The direct measurement of PAF in neuronal tissues has not been reported previously in analogous animal models. We have examined regional brain PAF concentration changes during the reperfusion period after ischemia in gerbils to obtain direct evidence for the involvement of PAF with ischemic brain damage and reported gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) methods of PAF quantitative analysis in brain tissues. METHODS After transient (10 minutes) ischemia followed by controlled periods (0 to 96 hours) of reperfusion and recovery, regional PAF concentrations were determined in gerbil brain tissue. Quantitative analysis of PAF in brain regions is performed using an electron-capture negative chemical ionization GC/MS method, modified for brain tissue. RESULTS The level of PAF was increased significantly and maximally in hippocampus (211%), cortex (168%), and thalamus (169%) after 1 hour of reperfusion. In contrast, there were no significant changes of PAF in any brain region from 6 hours to 96 hours after reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS PAF is increased in gerbil brain in response to ischemia at early stages of reperfusion. PAF increases could contribute to the onset and progress of ischemic neuropathology.
Interventional MRA and intravascular imaging

Several attributes make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) attractive for guidance of intravascular therapeutic procedures, including high soft tissue contrast, imaging in arbitrary oblique planes, lack of ionizing radiation, and the ability to provide functional information, such as flow velocity or flow volume per unit time, in conjunction with morphologic information. For MR guidance of vascular interventions to be safe, the interventionalist must be able to visualize catheters and guidewires relative to the vascular system and surrounding tissues. A number of approaches for rendering instruments visible in an MR environment have been developed, including both passive and active techniques. Passive techniques depend on contrast agents or susceptibility artifacts that enhance the appearance of the catheter in the image itself, whereas active techniques rely on supplemental hardware built into the catheter, such as a radiofrequency (RF) coil. Additionally, the ability to introduce an RF coil mounted on a catheter presents the opportunity to obtain high‐resolution images of the vessel wall. These images can provide the capability to distinguish and identify various plaque components. The additional capabilities of MRI could potentially open up new applications within the purview of vascular interventions beyond those currently performed under X‐ray fluoroscopic guidance. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2000;12:534–546. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reciprocal Interaction of the Circadian Clock with the Iron Homeostasis Network in Arabidopsis1[W][OA]

Summary: Description of a novel feedback loop between the circadian clock and the iron homeostasis network in which the circadian clock regulates the transcription of multiple iron homeostasis genes and iron nutritional status feeds back on the clock to modulate circadian period. In plants, iron (Fe) uptake and homeostasis are critical for survival, and these processes are tightly regulated at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Circadian clocks are endogenous oscillating mechanisms that allow an organism to anticipate environmental changes to coordinate biological processes both with one another and with the environmental day/night cycle. The plant circadian clock controls many physiological processes through rhythmic expression of transcripts. In this study, we examined the expression of three Fe homeostasis genes (IRON REGULATED TRANSPORTER1 [IRT1], BASIC HELIX LOOP HELIX39, and FERRITIN1) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) using promoter:LUCIFERASE transgenic lines. Each of these promoters showed circadian regulation of transcription. The circadian clock monitors a number of clock outputs and uses these outputs as inputs to modulate clock function. We show that this is also true for Fe status. Fe deficiency results in a lengthened circadian period. We interrogated mutants impaired in the Fe homeostasis response, including irt1-1, which lacks the major high-affinity Fe transporter, and fit-2, which lacks Fe deficiency-induced TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor necessary for induction of the Fe deficiency response. Both mutants exhibit symptoms of Fe deficiency, including lengthened circadian period. To determine which components are involved in this cross talk between the circadian and Fe homeostasis networks, we tested clock- or Fe homeostasis-related mutants. Mutants defective in specific clock gene components were resistant to the change in period length under different Fe conditions observed in the wild type, suggesting that these mutants are impaired in cross talk between Fe homeostasis and the circadian clock.
Comparison of 3 different analytic approaches for determining risk-related active and sedentary behavioral patterns in adolescents.

BACKGROUND Much of the research conducted to date implies overweight youth exhibit uniform active and sedentary behavioral patterns. This approach negates the possibility that multiple co-occurring, and seemingly contrasting, behaviors may manifest within the same individual. We present a substantive dialogue on alternative analytical approaches to identifying risk-related active/sedentary behavioral patterns associated with overweight in adolescents. METHODS Comparisons were made among latent profile analysis (LPA), cluster analysis (CA), and multinomial logistic regression (MLR). A cross sectional sample of youth (N = 6603; 12-18 yrs) completed a questionnaire assessing: physical activity (PA); competing activities (COMP); and sedentary activities (SED). Demographics associated with PA (age, sex, BMI) were used as covariates/predictors. RESULTS Comparisons among methods revealed that LPA and CA detected subgroupings of behavioral patterns associated with overweight, each unique in regards to behaviors and demographic characteristics, whereas MLR results followed established associations of low PA and high SED without subgroup separation. CONCLUSIONS Use of LPA and CA provides a rich understanding of behavioral patterns and the related demographic characteristics. Decisions guiding the selection of analytical techniques are discussed.
Breast conserving surgery in multicentric breast cancer, preliminary data of our experience.

INTRODUCTION It is widely supported that multicentric disease of the breast (MCDB) is a contraindication of breast conservative surgery (BCS). MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a multicentric study (two breast cancer units from Greece, one from France) involving patients with at least two primary tumors in separate quadrants of the breast and no diffuse suspicious microcalcifications on mammography. Sixty-one patients were included in the study, but 49 were followed up to the end. Patients were randomly assigned in total mastectomy (TM) and BCS groups. End point of the study was disease-free survival rates three and five years after initial operation. RESULTS Three years after BCS, local recurrence (LR) was observed in two patients (7%) and one after five years (total recurrence rate: 11%). A TM was performed in these patients, and in two there was no LR or distant metastasis (DM) five years after. The third patient was disease free two-years later. Three years after TM, eight patients (36.4%) had DM and 14 (63.6%) did not (p = 0.004). Five years after TM, eight patients (36.4%) had DM and 14 patients (63.6%) di not (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION The results showed that conservative surgery was an alternative surgical option in multicentric breast cancer with good results regarding disease-free survival and recurrence.
Detection of glycopeptide resistance genotypes and identification to the species level of clinically relevant enterococci by PCR

A PCR assay that allows simultaneous detection of glycopeptide resistance genotypes and identification to the species level of clinically relevant enterococci (Enterococcus faecium, E. faecalis, E. gallinarum, and E. casseliflavus) was developed. This assay was based on specific amplification of internal fragments of genes encoding D-alanine:D-alanine ligases and related glycopeptide resistance proteins. The specificity of the assay was tested on 5 well-characterized glycopeptide-resistant strains and on 15 susceptible enterococcal type strains. Clinical isolates of enterococci that could not be identified to the species level by conventional methods were identified by the PCR test. This assay offers a specific and rapid alternative to antibiotic susceptibility tests, in particular for detection of low-level vancomycin resistance.
Minimum distance clustering algorithm based on an improved differential evolution

The goals of wireless sensor networks WSNs are to sense and collect data and to transmit the information to a sink. Because the sensor nodes are typically battery powered, the main challenges in WSNs are to optimise the energy consumption and to prolong the network lifetime. This paper proposes a centralised clustering algorithm termed the minimum distance clustering algorithm that is based on an improved differential evolution MD-IDE. The new algorithm combines the advantages of simulated annealing and differential evolution to determine the cluster heads CHs for minimising the communication distance of the WSN. Many simulation results demonstrate that the performance of MD-IDE outperforms other well-known protocols, including the low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy LEACH and LEACH-C algorithms, in the aspects of reducing the communication distance of the WSN for reducing energy consumption.
Exchange Rate Volatility and Money Demand: An Empirical Analysis of Pakistan

The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of foreign exchange rate volatility on money demand in Pakistan. For this purpose disaggregate expenditure approach use to construct money demand function. For empirical estimation Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach is employed to investigate the co-integration among the money demand, exchange rate volatility, investment expenditure, consumption expenditure, government expenditure and inflation. The long run results show that householdâ€™s consumption expenditures, investment expenditure and inflation has positive and significant relationship with money demand in case of Pakistan. On the other hand, the long run results relating to government expenditures and exchange rate volatility show negative and significant impact on money demand.
Insufficient sleep: Enhanced risk‐seeking relates to low local sleep intensity

Chronic sleep restriction is highly prevalent in modern society and is, in its clinical form, insufficient sleep syndrome, one of the most prevalent diagnoses in clinical sleep laboratories, with substantial negative impact on health and community burden. It reflects every‐day sleep loss better than acute sleep deprivation, but its effects and particularly the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown for a variety of critical cognitive domains, as, for example, risky decision making.
Determination of Deltamethrin Residue in Imported Sugar Beet to the Isfahan Sugar Factory

Communities are concerned with the role of durable pesticides and their carry over effect in food chains. Accordingly, the recognition and measurement of chemical compounds in food, environment and living bodies is necessary. In this study, which dated from October 2010 to March 2011, deltamethrin toxin residues in sugar beets were investigated in the cities of Isfahan province including: Isfahan, Borkhar, Semirom, Golpayegan and Fereidan using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Maximum amount of deltamethrin belonged to Borkhar region and the minimum amount was attributed to two regions of Isfahan and Golpayegan. The toxin residues in sugar beets in all investigated areas were higher than the maximum allowable residues of any pesticide MRL (0.01 mg in kg sugar).
Planning Approaches for the Strategic Placement of Passive Harmonic Filters in Radial Distribution Networks

This paper presents an approach to determine strategic buses for harmonic filter placement by correlating the sensitivity index based on the inherent structure theory network (ISTN) and harmonic current injection at buses of the distribution network/feeder. The strategic buses for the harmonic filter are characterized as either the bus with maximum total harmonic voltage distortion (THDV) in a distribution feeder, or the bus where the placement of the harmonic filter would result in maximum reduction in the overall average THDV in the distribution feeder. The advantage of using this approach is that it provides insight into the interaction of the network structure with harmonic current sources in the distribution network in regards to the performance of harmonic filters. The assessment of the performance of a strategically placed passive harmonic filter based on the proposed approach is evaluated for peak and offpeak load scenarios on a radial distribution network. The results indicate that passive harmonic filters that are placed based on harmonic current emission levels perform better than harmonic filters placed based on ISTN alone. The strategically placed passive harmonic filters are highly effective in controlling harmonic propagation in distribution networks