Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute and chronic inflammation in pediatric patients receiving hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVES To assess chronic and acute inflammation in children receiving maintenance hemodialysis. STUDY DESIGN To assess markers of acute inflammation, serum levels (ELISA) of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-10, and IL-6, 3 to 5 mL of serum was obtained from 13 pediatric patients (mean patient weight, 37.0+/-15.2 kg; mean age, 14.6+/-4.6 years) before and 30 minutes and 24 hours after a routine midweek hemodialysis treatment session. Chronic inflammation was assessed by serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. RESULTS Early-response cytokines TNF-alpha at 30 minutes (5.84+/-0.94 to 9.67+/-0.92 pg/mL; P=.002) and 24 hours (5.84+/-0.94 to 9.54+/-1.05 pg/mL; P=.008) and IL-1beta at 30 minutes (17.19+/-2.00 to 26.17+/-1.12 pg/mL; P=.001) and 24 hours (17.19+/-2.00 to 23.01+/-1.13 pg/mL; P=.02) increased significantly after hemodialysis. Later-response cytokines IL-10 and IL-6 activation was not significant. CRP levels were elevated in 10 of 13 patients (mean, 14.7+/-9.5mg/L; range, 7.2-38.8 mg/L) and correlated with dialysis vintage. Baseline IL-6 and IL-10 levels correlated with dialysis vintage and correlated negatively with eqKt/V. CONCLUSIONS We observed a chronic inflammatory state in pediatric hemodialysis patients not related to the hemodialysis treatment but rather dialysis vintage and hemodialysis adequacy. We suggest that either more frequent dialysis or enhanced cytokine clearance may ameliorate the chronic inflammatory state observed in pediatric patients receiving hemodialysis.
The Real Exchange Rate and External Competitiveness in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia

Abstract Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia face challenges competing on the global markets, as shown by their relatively low and stagnant export shares. The limited export competitiveness has hampered external demand, growth and employment. Applying, for the first time to North Africa, the stock-flow approach to the real equilibrium exchange rate, this paper evaluates the countries’ real exchange rate misalignments in the past three decades. While Egypt experienced periods of substantial misalignment, the exchange rates in Morocco and Tunisia have broadly reflected the underlying fundamentals. In all three countries, structural factors are key to boosting exports, alongside avoiding sizeable future misalignments. Intra-regional trade – with both North Africa and the rest of the continent – together with greater orientation to fast growing emerging markets could also raise countries’ external competitiveness.
The Theoretical Basis for Addressing Poverty Through Mixed-Income Development

This article examines the theoretical foundations upon which the rationale for mixed-income development as a strategy to confront urban poverty is built. The authors focus on four propositions that draw from theories on social networks, social control, culture and behavior, and the political economy of place. They assess available evidence about the relative importance of the four theoretical propositions. They conclude that the most compelling propositions are those that suggest that some low-income residents may benefit from a higher quality of life through greater informal social control and access to higher quality services. They find less evidence that socioeconomic outcomes for low-income residents may be improved through social interaction, network building, and role modeling.
Blood pressure and complications in individuals with type 2 diabetes and no previous cardiovascular disease: national population based cohort study

Objectives To compare the risk associated with systolic blood pressure that meets current recommendations (that is, below 140 mm Hg) with the risk associated with lower levels in patients who have type 2 diabetes and no previous cardiovascular disease. Design Population based cohort study with nationwide clinical registries, 2006-12. The mean follow-up was 5.0 years. Setting 861 Swedish primary care units and hospital outpatient clinics. Participants 187 106 patients registered in the Swedish national diabetes register who had had type 2 diabetes for at least a year, age 75 or younger, and with no previous cardiovascular or other major disease. Main outcome measures Clinical events were obtained from the hospital discharge and death registers with respect to acute myocardial infarction, stroke, a composite of acute myocardial infarction and stroke (cardiovascular disease), coronary heart disease, heart failure, and total mortality. Hazard ratios were estimated for different levels of baseline systolic blood pressure with clinical characteristics and drug prescription data as covariates. Results The group with the lowest systolic blood pressure (110-119 mm Hg) had a significantly lower risk of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.64 to 0.91; P=0.003), total acute myocardial infarction (0.85, 0.72 to 0.99; P=0.04), non-fatal cardiovascular disease (0.82, 0.72 to 0.93; P=0.002), total cardiovascular disease (0.88, 0.79 to 0.99; P=0.04), and non-fatal coronary heart disease (0.88, 0.78 to 0.99; P=0.03) compared with the reference group (130-139 mm Hg). There was no indication of a J shaped relation between systolic blood pressure and the endpoints, with the exception of heart failure and total mortality. Conclusions Lower systolic blood pressure than currently recommended is associated with significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. The association between low blood pressure and increased mortality could be due to concomitant disease rather than antihypertensive treatment.
Tests of the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire as It Applies to Alcohol Dependence

Objectives:Although many major theories tie the addictions to specific pathways and neurochemical systems evolutionarily implicated in food and social behavioral systems, there is a paucity of instruments from the psychological level that can measure these important attachment, social, and emotional counterparts. Two studies were designed to examine whether the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ) could help fill this limitation in psychological measurement. Methods:In study 1, the ACIQ was given to patients in a substance abuse unit and control participants funneled to match from a larger population. To address the issue of their hypothesized tendency to blame everything on past experiences, study 2 tested whether the above results would be replicated with high school students predicted to develop alcohol dependence. Results:In study 1, on the patient population, significant differences were found on the attachment and clinical scales in predicted directions. In study 2, on the high school students, the central predictions were again confirmed with this different and larger population, but with interesting developmental differences. Conclusions:The 2 studies using different populations and definitions of alcohol dependence converged on similar results. The ACIQ was found to be a robust battery for measuring attachment and clinical issues displayed by both patient populations and high school students only predicted to develop alcohol dependence. The results were further discussed in terms of how they move us toward Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approaches to diagnosis and treatment, paying attention to important individual differences in attachments, and clinical issues.
Prospective Molecular Epidemiological Study on Transmission of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Migration (MuT Study)

Summary Introduction: In Western Europe prevalence and incidence of tuberculosis in the indigenous population is declining and TB in migrants from high prevalence countries is becoming a major issue of TB control. Resulting changes in transmission patterns need to be investigated to adapt control strategies. The MuT (Migration and Tuberculosis) study a co-operation among federal and local public health services (ÖDG), the National Surveillance Center (RKI) and the University has been established in Baden-Wuerttemberg to address these issues. Objectives: The goal of this ongoing study is to determine the transmission dynamics of TB in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Here, we present the first set of data on TB cases and their contacts and discuss strategies to overcome arising difficulties. Methods: Prospective data collection of culture positive pulmonary tuberculosis cases and their contacts. Analysis of (1) routine data, (2) spatial data, (3) social interaction data, (4) molecular typing data, and (5) observational data of the implementation phase. Results: The study demonstrates the capability of the study consortium to identify clusters. It provides valuable insights into current case detection and case management procedures and shows ways to improve. A set of factors has been identified that (a) facilitate and (b) discourage study participation. Conclusion: Collaboration among federal and local public health services (ÖGD), National Surveillance Center (RKI) and the University is a promising approach to investigate and improve TB control. This model has potentials for other infectious disease control.
Parental Preferences for Nutrition of Boys and Girls: Evidence from Africa

This article models the determinants of pre-school age malnutrition in Africa using the Demographic Health Surveys. By examining the differences in the impact of mother's and father's education on the nutrition of boys and girls, we draw inferences from our reduced-form equations regarding the existence of non-unified preferences. In a bargaining framework, women with more schooling are able to earn more, which improves their fallback position. Thus, we test whether mother's schooling has a larger impact on daughter's than son's nutrition, and whether father's education favors son's nutrition. Using classical testing criteria, we generally find that preferences of fathers and mother differ in regard to the health of boys and girls.
Performance of State Medical Boards: Implications For Hospitals and Health Systems

Abstract The accountabilities and operations of state medical boards can have significant implications for hospitals and health systems in terms of their efforts to ensure quality care and patient safety. This study examined the performance of state medical boards and the reasons for variability in board performance by identifying factors impacting the performance of state medical boards in terms of physician discipline and those variables most critical to medical board performance. The findings suggested that increasing staff support and appointing lay board members would lessen the degree of variability in the performance of state boards although there remained a significant amount of variance to be explained.
Electric Current Induced Liquid Al Deposition, Reaction and Flow on Cu Rails at Rail-Armature Contacts in Railguns

When a railgun is fired, the aluminum armature typically undergoes melting at the rail-armature contacts and deposits liquid metal on the rails. Rail-life is affected by these deposits. Localized aluminum armature melting has been attributed to current crowding and localized Joule heating. This paper reports on (1) characterization of debris on fired rails and their role in rail damage, and (2) experiments to elucidate the role of electric current in the transport of liquefied armature material along the rail surfaces. A miniature static railgun model was constructed by wrapping an Al foil around a quartz core, and placing the Al foil in contact with two thin film Cu stripes deposited on Si substrates. In this arrangement, the Cu thin films simulated the surface skins on the two rails, whereas the Al foil represented the skin of the armature. The circuit was subjected to a constant current under high vacuum and various ambient temperatures. The part of the Al foil in contact with Cu melts quickly due to Joule heating, and the liquefied Al starts flowing down the negative rail. In all instances, the direction of liquid flow was from the positive to the negative terminal. The kinetics of Al migration was measured, and it was found that the activation energy for Al migration is close to that for self-diffusion in liquid Al. The observed liquid transport is attributable to liquid electromigration under the influence of the applied current.
American Business and Finance After the War

Efforts to predict the economic future have usually been unsuccessful, since they require a knowledge of too many factors to permit of accurate forecasts. Few persons could have anticipated even the chief results of the present European conflict, either from the financial, the industrial, or the commercial standpoint. It is not likely that the later history and after-effects of the struggle will be easier to describe with accuracy than the events which have marked the progress of the war thus far. Nevertheless, it is true that definite consequences have already been produced, and that new conditions have been brought into existence since the conflict opened. The working out of these conditions must proceed along fixed lines. It is practicable at least to indicate certain alternatives of the future with a degree of certainty. The consequences of the changes already produced in American business and finance must be developed in directions which are already clearly defined; and although they may diverge from one another in ways which cannot now be foreseen, it is probably feasible to indicate why, and under what conditions such divergence will occur, if at all. Subject to these limitations, we may reasonably attempt to show some of the principal consequences likely to follow from the war, and some of the problems likely to be presented for solution at its close.
The correlation structure of FX option markets before and since the financial crisis

The liquidity crunch and the ensuing financial crisis have unambiguously affected all national economies and global currency exchange rates. In this article we ask whether the cross-currency correlation structure has changed since 2007. Using an extensive set of volatility surfaces implied from over-the-counter options on 11 different exchange rates, as well as recent advances in static and dynamic factor models, we are able to show that the number of factors that innovate the correlation structure has not changed in the last two and a half years. It is the volatility, the persistence and the significance of global systematic factors, vis-à-vis regional or economy-specific ones, that appear to have changed dramatically. The implications for the risk management of currency exposures and for the predictability of exchange rate volatility are also outlined.
A study of the reasons for shortcomings in establishment of internet financial reporting in Iran

Internet Financial Reporting (IFR) is a new technology which has been introduced in the area of financial reporting. This kind of reporting implies the application of corporate websites in order for dissemination of all information relating to the financial performances of the relevant companies. In the case of utilization by such companies of IFR they would put a “comprehensive collection of financial statements” (including explanatory notes accompanying the financial statements and auditors' reports) on their websites. However, the popularity of the internet to be applied in the financial reporting may be affected by many factors like social, cultural, institutional, and legal factors. The statistical society of this research is made up of the financial managers of the studied companies in Iran during 2008. In order to collect the required data the financial managers of the listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) were questioned. In this study, two hypotheses were developed. The findings shows that the financial managers' balk at disclosing the timely financial date is one of the causes of presence of weakness in setting up of internet financial reporting system, while this is not the cases as regards the financial expenditures incurred as a result of such as system. Key words: Internet financial reporting, financial expenditures, portable document formats, and hypertext markup language.
Avatar motion adaptation for AR based 3D tele-conference

With the advent of inexpensive depth sensors and more viable methods for human tracking, traditional 2D tele-conference systems are evolving into one that is AR and 3D teleportation based. Compared to the traditional tele-conference systems which offer only flat 2D upper body imageries and mostly a fixed view point (and inconsistent gaze directions), an AR tele-conference with 3D teleported avatars would be more natural and realistic, and can give an enhanced and immersive communication experience. This paper presents an AR based 3D tele-conference prototype with a method to adapt the motion of the teleported avatar to the physical configuration of the other site. The adaptation is needed due to the differences in the physical environments between two sites where the human controller is interacting at one (e.g. sitting on a low chair) and the avatar is being displayed at the other (e.g. augmented on a high chair). The adaptation technique is based on preserving a particular spatial property among the avatar and its interaction objects between the two sites. The spatial relationship is pre-established between the important joint positions of the user/avatar and carefully selected points on the environment interaction objects. The motions of the user transmitted to the other site are then modified in real time considering the “changed” environment object and by preserving the spatial relationship as much as possible. We have developed a test prototype to demonstrate our approach using the Kinect-based human tracking and a video see-through head-mounted display.
Integrated Full-Bridge-Forward DC–DC Converter for a Residential Microgrid Application

This paper proposes a novel integrated converter topology for interfacing between the energy storage system and the dc bus for a residential microgrid application. The proposed integrated full-bridge-forward dc–dc converter presents the following features: low number of active devices compared to the converters usually applied to similar applications, low input and output current ripple, high voltage ratio, bidirectional power flow, and galvanic isolation. A double-ended forward converter with particularities such as no extra transformer demagnetizing circuit is originated from the integration process. This converter is approached in detail in this paper, including three different clamping circuits which are analyzed and compared. The structure, principle of operation, analysis, transformer design methodology, comparison with the dual active bridge converter, and experimental results of the proposed topology are presented.
Population incidence of Guillain−Barré syndrome in parts of China: three large populations in Jiangsu province, 2008–2010

It is important to have an estimate of the incidence of Guillain−Barré syndrome (GBS) because of the expansion of vaccination programs and the associated risks of vaccine‐related GBS. Incidence information in Asia, especially in China, is scarce. This study attempts to describe GBS incidence in large Chinese populations located in three geographically different and moderately distant areas of the same province.
The World Wide Web and its potential for corporate environmental communication : a study into present practices in the Australian minerals industry

This study considers the use of the web for corporate environmental communication, which involves engagement with stakeholders in addition to environmental disclosure. It is highlighted that the web provides numerous benefits for communication of environmental information. These benefits have been conceptualised through Media Richness Theory and operationalised through a study into the web based environmental communication practice of companies in an environmentally sensitive industry, the Australian Minerals Industry. The findings of this research indicate that currently, the potential of the web is not extensively utilised by companies for environmental communication.
On Linear Representations of ([alpha], [beta])-Geometries

Abstract In [11] P. J. Cameron introduced partial quadrangles and raised the question of finding a characterization of partial quadrangles which have linear representations. An almost complete answer was given in [9]: the proof was a number-theoretic one. In this paper we discuss the question for a more general class of geometries, namely the (α, β)-geometries. We shall specialize to the case of (0,1)-geometries, and we shall give a geometric characterization of the partial quadrangle T*2 ( O ).
Seasonality, Cointegration, and Forecasting UK Residential Energy Demand

Much of the short-run movement in energy demand in the United Kingdom is seasonal, and the contribution of long- run factors to short-run forecasts is slight. Nevertheless, using a variety of techniques, including a recently developed estimation procedure that is applicable irrespective of the orders of integration of the data, the authors obtain a long-run income elasticity of demand of about one third, and they are unable to reject a zero price elasticity. An econometric model is shown to provide superior short-run forecasts to well-known seasonal time series models ex post, but is inferior to Box-Jenkins SARMA models when the determinants themselves have to be forecast. However, the relatively short data sample and small number of forecasts suggest caution in generalizing these results. Copyright 1999 by Scottish Economic Society.
Visceral Kaposi's Sarcoma Remission After Intestinal Transplant. First Case Report and Systematic Literature Review

Background. Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is an infrequent vascular neoplasm commonly diagnosed as an isolated cutaneous lesion that can involve other organs. So far, there are no data in the literature about the development of KS after intestinal transplant. Methods. In this study, the authors describe a case of “visceral KS” with pulmonary and intestinal involvement and perform a systematic literature review of case reports and single-center series identified in MEDLINE. Results. This case was a 42-year-old man, diagnosed with visceral KS 9 months after receiving an isolated intestinal transplant. He was successfully treated with a combination of sirolimus and liposomal doxorubicin and achieved an 18-month disease-free survival. A total of 54 cases from 27 manuscripts and the present case were analyzed in this study. The mean time from transplant to diagnosis was 17.2 months. Lungs and gastrointestinal tract were the main organs involved. Immunosuppressants were discontinued in two of the three (66.7%) cases, and sirolimus was added in eight cases. Doxorubicin was used in 12 cases. In a univariate analysis, the use of Tacrolimus, type of transplant, and presence of cutaneous KS seem to be the significant predictors of response to therapy and survival; the addition of doxorubicin showed a reduction in graft loss. Conclusions. Treatment of KS in posttransplant patients should be designed aiming to obtain a complete response, irrespective of the organ affected. Only recipients who are able to achieve a sustained response would be able to obtain long-term disease-free survival.