Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intussusception in Children: A Clinical Review

Abstract Intussusception is the most common cause of small bowel obstruction in young infants. Therefore a high index of suspicion and thorough knowledge of this condition is of major importance to be able to diagnose and treat this potentially life threatening condition. In this review we describe epdidemiology, etiology and clinical symptoms of intussuception. Furthermore, we describe diagnostic modalties, especially ultrasonography as the primary choice for diagnosis. In addition, non-operative treatment with different types of enema reduction techniques, and operative treatment by laparotomy and laparoscopy, and outcomes have been reviewed.
Compulsory Licensing and Innovation - Historical Evidence from German Patents after WWI

Compulsory licensing allows governments to license patented inventions without the consent of patent owners. Intended to mitigate the potential welfare losses from enforcing foreign-owned patents, many developing countries use this policy to improve access to drugs that are covered by foreign-owned patents. The effects of compulsory licensing on access to new drugs, however, are theoretically ambiguous: Compulsory licensing may encourage innovation by increasing competition or discourage innovation by reducing expected returns to R&D. Empirical evidence is rare, primarily because contemporary settings offer little exogenous variation in compulsory licensing. We address this empirical challenge by exploiting an event of compulsory licensing as a result of World War I when the US Trading with the Enemy Act made all German-owned patents available for licensing to US firms. Firm-level data on German patents indicate that compulsory licensing was associated with a 30 percent increase in invention by German firms whose inventions were licensed.
Greenhouse gas emissions and urban form: Linking households’ socio-economic status with housing and transportation choices

The main purpose of this research is to provide new insights for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to transportation, furthering our knowledge on linkages between urban form and economic constraints, travel behaviour, and ability-to-pay of households based on residential choices and property ownership statuses. With Quebec City (Canada) as a case study, it combines an origin-destination (OD) survey, population census data and land use records for 2006 and rests on a series of structural equations models developed at the grid cell level (3,892 cells), which allows for testing for both direct and indirect effects of urban form, accessibility and socio-economic attributes on GHG emissions, households’ transportation and housing financial burdens and motorization rate. As expected, findings suggest that GHG emissions increase with higher incomes (and education), but mainly for homeowners. Tenants displaying a high expenditure-to-income ratio for housing tend to stay close to the city centre (and jobs), thereby minimizing their overall expenditures for transportation while lowering GHG emissions. Potential accessibility by car promotes urban sprawl, thereby contributing to increased GHG emissions. In contrast, increasing residential density and land use mix while providing a better walking access to jobs and local shops tends to favour active transportation, leading to a significant reduction in GHG emissions.
The effect of cuts in medicare reimbursement on hospital mortality.

OBJECTIVE To determine if patients treated at hospitals under different levels of financial strain from the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 had differential changes in 30-day mortality, and whether vulnerable patient populations such as the uninsured were disproportionately affected. DATA SOURCE Hospital discharge data from all general acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2001. STUDY DESIGN A multivariate regression analysis was performed retrospectively on 30-day mortality rates, using hospital discharge data, hospital financial data, and death certificate information from Pennsylvania. DATA COLLECTION We used 370,017 hospital episodes with one of four conditions identified by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as inpatient quality indicators were extracted. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The average magnitude of Medicare payment reduction on overall net revenues was estimated at 1.8 percent for hospitals with low BBA impact and 3.6 percent for hospitals with a high impact in 1998, worsening to 2 and 4.8 percent, respectively, by 2001. Operating margins decreased significantly over the time period for all hospitals (p<.05). While unadjusted mortality rates demonstrated a disproportionate rise in mortality for patients from high impact hospitals from 1997 to 2000, adjusted analyses show no consistent, significant difference in the rate of change in mortality between high-impact and low-impact hospitals (p=.04-.94). Similarly, uninsured patients did not experience greater increases in mortality in high-impact hospitals relative to low-impact hospitals. CONCLUSIONS An analysis of hospitalizations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did not find an adverse impact of increased financial strain from the BBA on patient mortality either among all patients or among the uninsured.
Eye Movements in Implicit Artificial Grammar Learning

Artificial grammar learning (AGL) has been probed with forced-choice behavioral tests (active tests). Recent attempts to probe the outcomes of learning (implicitly acquired knowledge) with eye-movement responses (passive tests) have shown null results. However, these latter studies have not tested for sensitivity effects, for example, increased eye movements on a printed violation. In this study, we tested for sensitivity effects in AGL tests with (Experiment 1) and without (Experiment 2) concurrent active tests (preference- and grammaticality classification) in an eye-tracking experiment. Eye movements discriminated between sequence types in passive tests and more so in active tests. The eye-movement profile did not differ between preference and grammaticality classification, and it resembled sensitivity effects commonly observed in natural syntax processing. Our findings show that the outcomes of implicit structured sequence learning can be characterized in eye tracking. More specifically, whole trial measures (dwell time, number of fixations) showed robust AGL effects, whereas first-pass measures (first-fixation duration) did not. Furthermore, our findings strengthen the link between artificial and natural syntax processing, and they shed light on the factors that determine performance differences in preference and grammaticality classification tests.
Assignment1 of the Bog gene (RBBP9) to syntenic regions of mouse chromosome 2G1–H1 and human chromosome 20p11.2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization

We have isolated a rat cDNA encoding a novel protein called Bog from a rat liver epithelial cell line. Bog is a retinoblastoma (pRb) binding protein which can bind all of the retinoblastoma family members. Overexpression of Bog can displace E2F-1 from pRb rendering the cell insensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of TGF-ß1. Further, overexpression of Bog can lead to and is associated with a transformed phenotype (Woitach et al., 1998). Since overexpression of Bog is associated with transformation, the Bog gene was mapped to mouse chromosome 2G1–H1 and to human chromosome 20p11.2 to gain insight into the possible relationship with the transformed phenotype in other cell types. These are syntenic in mouse and human genomes. In the human, the region of 20p11.2 has been reported to be a recurrent region of rearrangement, demonstrating both amplification in several cancers (Knuutila et al., 1998) and deletion in Wilm’s tumors (Altura et al., 1996).
Reducing the Attitude-Behavior Gap in Sustainable Consumption: A Theoretical Proposition and the American Electric Vehicle Market

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to re-evaluate the sustainable attitude-behavior gap by reconsidering the cognitive-rational aspects of consumer purchase behavior. We aim to show how companies can benefit from focusing on hedonic aspects of consumption in their marketing of sustainable products. We claim that consumer culture research needs to examine the link between hedonic, aesthetic, and cognitive-rational aspects of sustainable consumption. Methodology/approach We use the electric vehicle marketing strategy in the United States as an example of an approach to bridge the attitude-behavior gap. More specifically, we focus on the car manufacturer Tesla as an example of marketing a sustainable product. Findings We find that Tesla’s marketing strategy focuses on aesthetics and hedonics-ludic performance. Similarly to other luxury cars, Tesla markets itself with a full compliment of consumer benefits. Compared to economical electric vehicles, sustainability is not the primary focus of Tesla’s marketing communication strategy. Research limitations/implications Sustainable consumption theory benefits from examining the interlinking of hedonic, aesthetic and cognitive-rational aspects product purchasing and use. Future research in the development of sustainable consumption theory in additional complex product categories is needed. Practical implications Greater regard for consumer experience in sustainable consumption offers the potential for additional strategies to bridge the attitude-behavior gap and marketing of sustainable goods. Originality/value We move beyond the attitude-behavior gap by not only focusing on expressed attitudes of sustainability, but also focusing on the hedonic aspects at play in sustainable consumption.
Unravelling anisogamy: egg size and ejaculate size mediate selection on morphology in free-swimming sperm

Gamete dimorphism (anisogamy) defines the sexes in most multicellular organisms. Theoretical explanations for its maintenance usually emphasize the size-related selection pressures of sperm competition and zygote survival, assuming that fertilization of all eggs precludes selection for phenotypes that enhance fertility. In external fertilizers, however, fertilization is often incomplete due to sperm limitation, and the risk of polyspermy weakens the advantage of high sperm numbers that is predicted to limit sperm size, allowing alternative selection pressures to target free-swimming sperm. We asked whether egg size and ejaculate size mediate selection on the free-swimming sperm of Galeolaria caespitosa, a marine tubeworm with external fertilization, by comparing relationships between sperm morphology and male fertility across manipulations of egg size and sperm density. Our results suggest that selection pressures exerted by these factors may aid the maintenance of anisogamy in external fertilizers by limiting the adaptive value of larger sperm in the absence of competition. In doing so, our study offers a more complete explanation for the stability of anisogamy across the range of sperm environments typical of this mating system and identifies new potential for the sexes to coevolve via mutual selection pressures exerted by gametes at fertilization.
Gender recognition using fisherfaces and a fuzzy iterative self-organizing technique

This paper proposes a new gender recognition method by employing Fisherfaces and the fuzzy iterative self-organizing technique (ISODATA). The proposed method first uses Fisherfaces to extract suitable features from the reduced dimensional space. Then, the optimal fuzzy cluster centers can be calculated by applying the fuzzy ISODATA model to learn and cluster the gender features. Finally, the fuzzy nearest-neighbor is used for classification. The proposed method inherits the advantages of Fisherfaces and the fuzzy ISODATA method, which can extract suitable features for recognition and obtain the best clustering centers without the need for priori. Experimental results show the proposed method outperforms the mainstream methods in recognition rate and testing time.
Cognitive loss in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is emerging as a common cause of degenerative dementia. Some preliminary evidence exists that the pattern of cognitive impairment in DLB is different from that in Alzheimer disease (AD). OBJECTIVE To delineate features of cognitive impairment of DLB on standardized neuropsychological tests. METHODS We performed neuropsychological assessments of 26 patients with probable DLB (based on criteria of the consortium on DLB international workshop) and of 52 patients with probable AD (based on criteria of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke [now the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke])-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association) who were matched to the patients with DLB 2:1 by age, sex, education, and Mini-Mental State Examination score. RESULTS Compared with the group with probable AD, the group with probable DLB scored significantly lower on the picture arrangement, block design, object assembly, and digit symbol substitution subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised and on the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices test and significantly higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination locational orientation subtest and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale word recall subtest. A discriminant analysis revealed that the word recall score on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale and the block design score on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised were the best discriminant factors. CONCLUSIONS The disproportionately severe visuoperceptual, visuoconstructive, and visuospatial dysfunction and the disproportionately mild memory impairment in DLB compared with AD, which likely reflect the distribution of the pathologic changes in DLB, can help to differentiate DLB from AD.
Determining of Magnetic Resonance Forces on a MEMS Cantilever in a Fusarium Graminearum Spore Detector

Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy is used in a sensor to detect Fusarium Graminearum fungus. The sensor uses an array of MEMS cantilevers to detect the chemical composition of a sample. The sample is adhered by an antifungal antibody to the surface below the cantilever. Computer simulations are used to determine the force which acts on the cantilever given an RF pulse of a given frequency. The results from this work are used in the design of a cantilever of the target sensor and can be expanded on for detection of other spore types.
Identification and Prioritization of Barriers to Total Quality Management Implementation in Service Industry: An Analytic Hierarchy Process Approach

Purpose – Despite the potential benefits of total quality management (TQM) articulated by quality experts and practitioners, these benefits are not easy to achieve in practice. Many service industries have found difficult to implement TQM successfully. The present study investigates and categorizes the barriers to a successful implementation of TQM program in the service industry. The purpose of this paper is to understand TQM barriers and prioritize their relative importance by ranking them in the service industry.Design/methodology/approach – Based on previously published literature on TQM barriers in service industry and after discussions with quality experts, this study utilizes a set of 12 barriers to TQM as identified by the authors of TQM barriers to accomplish the objectives of the present study. The 12 barriers were divided into three categories. These barriers were prioritized and ranked using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach, a multi-criteria decision-making process.Findings – In this research, the category “managerial issues” was found to be the most important, followed by “people-oriented issues” and “organizational issues” based on their priority weights. The results have also highlighted that the barrier “lack of communication” was the most significant among all the other barriers. It was followed by “lack of top-management commitment,” “employee’s resistance to change,” and “lack of coordination between departments. ” The least significant barrier was “high turnover at management level. ”Practical implications – The study ranks the barriers, from the most important to the least important, which will allow managers and practitioners in the service industry to decide which barriers they need to pay attention to and work on for a successful implementation of TQM.Originality/value – The strength of this study is the development of a comprehensive model for the investigation and prioritization of barriers that the service industry experiences when implementing a TQM program. Presenting TQM barriers in the form of AHP-based model and categorizing barriers is a new effort in the area of TQM.
Secure and Reliable Remote Programming in Wireless Sensor Networks

Remote programming mechanisms are one of the most essential tools in managing a wireless sensor network (WSN). They allow to program the sensor nodes of a WSN with a new software over-the-air. This is necessary for example to remove bugs or security vulnerabilities from the software running on the sensor nodes. Remote programming mechanisms need to be properly designed and implemented for the use on sensor nodes. Firstly, sensor nodes are typically equipped with very limited hardware resources. The remote programming mechanism must share those limited resources with the code of the actual application. In particular, it must be ecient in terms of the code size. Otherwise, remote programming code does not t in the ash memory of the sensor nodes. Secondly, sensor nodes are often deployed in public and hostile environments. Hence, remote programming mechanisms must be secured against adversarial interferences. The authenticity, the integrity, and the condentiality of the software updates must be protected. Moreover, DoS attacks that aim to deplete the resources of the sensor nodes must be mitigated, too. Finally, several remote programming mechanisms use advanced encoding techniques such as Fountain Codes to ensure an ecient software dissemination in unreliable environments. Hence, the security mechanisms must be applicable to the remote programming protocols using advanced encoding techniques such as Fountain Codes. This thesis presents and analyzes security mechanisms for remote software updates in WSNs that have all required properties: they protect the authenticity, integrity, and condentiality of the software updates, they are DoS-resilient, and they have a small memory footprint
Selecting early onset MDD probands for genetic studies: results from a longitudinal high-risk study.

Recent studies have found high rates of familial aggregation of major depression (MDD) in relatives of depressed children coming for treatment, leading investigators to suggest that probands for genetic studies of MDD should be selected from samples of depressed children being brought for treatment. Implicit in this recommendation is the assumption that childhood and adult depression are similar disorders. This assumption in turn implies that children with prepubertal or adolescent onset depression are at high risk for having recurrent episodes of MDD that continue into adulthood. The data supporting this latter hypothesis, however, is limited and contradictory. In this article we report results from a high-risk longitudinal family study in which we explored the recurrence and continuity into adulthood of prepubertal or adolescent onset MDD in offspring who were at high or low risk for MDD, by virtue of their parental depression status. One hundred eighteen offspring from 55 families in which one or more parents had MDD and 50 offspring from 21 families in which neither parent had MDD were followed for more than 10 years (all offspring were 20 years or older at the end of follow-up time) and blindly reassessed using a semistructured diagnostic instrument. Offspring with childhood/adolescent onset MDD were at significantly greater risk for recurrence in adulthood (after age 25) as compared with offspring without an onset of childhood/adolescent MDD, if they had a history of parental MDD. In contrast, among offspring without a history of parental MDD, those with childhood/adolescent onset MDD were at no greater risk for continuing to have MDD in adulthood (after age 25) than those without childhood/adolescent onset MDD. Moreover, there was a trend for offspring with childhood/adolescent onset MDD to be at greater risk for recurrence after age 25 if they had a history of parental MDD, as compared with offspring without a history of parental MDD (60 vs. 18%). We conclude that childhood/adolescent onset MDD is a heterogeneous disorder, with family history of MDD appearing to define a subtype of childhood/adolescent onset MDD that is recurrent and continues into adulthood. Our findings suggest that caution should be exercised in selecting depressed children and adolescents brought for treatment as probands in genetic studies of early onset MDD. A conservative strategy would be to select only those depressed children and adolescents with a family history of MDD and reassess the treated sample as they mature, ensuring that they go on to have MDD in adulthood. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:93-101, 2000
Risk of dementia in patients with non-haemorrhagic stroke receiving acupuncture treatment: a nationwide matched cohort study from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database

Objective To investigate the risk of dementia in patients with stroke who did and did not receive acupuncture treatment. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting This study was based on Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database that included patients with stroke hospitalised between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2004. Participants We identified 11 220 patients aged 50 years and older with newly diagnosed stroke hospitalisation. Primary and secondary outcome measures We compared the incident dementia during the follow-up period until the end of 2009 in patients with stroke who did and did not receive acupuncture. The adjusted HRs and 95% CIs of dementia associated with acupuncture were calculated in multivariate Cox proportional hazard regressions. Results Acupuncture treatment was associated with a decreased risk of dementia with multivariate adjustment (HR, 0.73; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.80), and the association was significant in both sexes and every age group, as well as in groups with ischaemic stroke, with fewer medical conditions and those hospitalised after stroke. Patients with stroke received acupuncture treatment, and conventional rehabilitation was associated with a significantly reduced risk of poststroke dementia (HR, 0.64; 95% CI 0.56 to 0.74). Conclusions This study raises the possibility that patients with non-haemorrhagic stroke who received acupuncture had a reduced risk of dementia. The results suggest the need for prospective sham-controlled and randomised trials to establish the efficacy of acupuncture in preventing dementia.