Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ipsilateral distortion product otoacoustic emission (2f1-f2) suppression in children with sensorineural hearing loss.

Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) ipsilateral suppression has been applied to study cochlear function and maturation in laboratory animals and humans. Although DPOAE suppression appears to be sensitive to regions of specialized cochlear function and to cochlear immaturity, it is not known whether it reflects permanent cochlear damage, i.e., sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), in a reliable and systematic manner in humans. Eight school-aged children with mild-moderate SNHL and 20 normal-hearing children served as subjects in this study. DPOAE (2f1-f2) suppression data were collected at four f2 frequencies (1500, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz) using moderate-level primary tones. Features of the DPOAE iso-suppression tuning curves and suppression growth were analyzed for both subject groups. Results show that DPOAE suppression tuning curves from hearing-impaired subjects can be reliably recorded. DPOAE suppression tuning curves were generally normal in appearance and shape for six out of eight hearing-impaired subjects but showed subtle abnormalities in at least one feature. There was not one single trend or pattern of abnormality that characterized all hearing-impaired subjects. The most prominent patterns of abnormality included: broadened tuning, elevated tip, and downward shift of tip frequency. The unique patterns of atypical DPOAE suppression in subjects with similar audiograms may suggest different patterns of underlying sensory cell damage. This speculation warrants further investigation.
The vicissitudes of stock markets and business cycles: focusing on the OIC region

The tremendous growth of emerging and developing markets brings forth new arenas of research. One untouched region is the study of business cycle comovements with stock market volatility within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries. The OIC comprises of several rapidly growing industries attracting several Foreign Direct Investments. The emerging nature of the markets and the rapid influx of Foreign Direct Investment bring about the question of how business cycles in the OIC member countries react to variations in the stock market. Taking 11 OIC member countries, we first derive their business cycle using the Christiano–Fitzgerald filter and then compare this to the decomposed (using wavelet) stock market volatility (using exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (EGARCH)) representing two timescales, short-term and long-term, to see the impact of business cycle phases on short-term and long-term traders. We find for several of our countries that stock markets remain volatile during economic growth and increase in volatility during recession periods.
Correction: Lombard effect onset times reveal the speed of vocal plasticity in a songbird

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The revised version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED--R): first evidence for its reliability and validity in a clinical sample.

OBJECTIVES The Revised version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED-R) is a 66-item self-report questionnaire that intends to measure the entire spectrum of DSM-defined anxiety disorder symptoms in children. The current study was a first attempt to examine the reliability and validity of the SCARED-R in a clinical setting. METHODS Forty-eight children (25 children with anxiety disorders and 23 children with disruptive disorders) aged between 8 and 17 years completed the SCARED-R and the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children at their first visit to an outpatient treatment centre. RESULTS Results showed that in this sample of clinically referred children, the SCARED-R was reliable in terms of internal consistency, correlated significantly with an alternative measure of childhood anxiety (the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised), and discriminated well between children with anxiety disorders and children with disruptive disorders. CONCLUSIONS It can be concluded that the SCARED-R is a valuable addition to the arsenal of self-report instruments that are used for the assessment of childhood anxiety.
ANTIBODIES AGAINST HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE 1 SUBUNIT ANTIGENS IN PATIENTS WITH TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA AND CONTROLS

Serum IgG antibody levels against herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 subunit (capsid, envelope, and excreted) antigens detected with radio‐immunoassay were compared in 25 patients with trigeminal neuralgia and their age‐ and sex‐matched controls. No significant differences were found between the patients and controls, either in the distribution of the antibody titers or in the mean titers against any of the subunit antigens tested. In 6 patients HSV antibody titers were tested before and after trigeminal root section; no significant changes were observed.
Defasagem idade-série a partir de distintas perspectivas teóricas

Age-grade gap from different theoretical perspectives. The purpose of this article is to analyze the determinants of the age-grade gap based on the human capital theory and some education sociology approaches. The article also shows the range and limitations of the Family Scholarship Transfer Programme (programa Bolsa Familia) in this age-grade gap reduction process. From the investigated theoretical aspects it can be concluded that this Programme would only show long-term effectiveness in the poverty reduction process if supported by at least a combination of programs and actions aimed at improving this educational indicator.
Normal backwardation is normal

Traditionally, constant expected return asset pricing models are used to assess the presence of a futures risk premium and the validity of the normal backwardation theory. In the light of recent evidence regarding the presence of time variation in expected futures returns, such an approach may lead to incorrect inferences on the applicability of the Keynesian hypothesis. This article therefore allows for variation through time in expected futures returns and offers some strong evidence in favor of the normal backwardation and contango theories. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 20:803–821, 2000
GIANT VACUOLES ARISING DURING ADH‐INDUCED TRANSCELLULAR BULK WATER FLOW ACROSS THE EPITHELIUM OF THE FROG URINARY BLADDER

Structural changes of the cytoplasm of urinary bladder granular cells after an antidiuretic hormone (ADH) stimulation of water transport were studied using standard and cryogenic methods of electron microscopy. Numerous changes occurred in these cells, the cytoplasm of the granular cells becoming swollen, and the intercellular spaces enlarged. Most granules become fused with the apical membrane. Under maximal ADH action, giant vacuoles appear in the cytoplasm of granular cells, in association with microfilaments and microtubules. Analysis of ultrastructure of the granular cells has established the origin of giant vacuoles from the cis ‐cisterna of the Golgi complex. A hypothesis based on the morphofunctional homology of giant vacuoles in granular cells with the contractile vacuoles of Protozoa is proposed in which the giant vacuoles (‘contractile‐like’ vacuoles) are seen as operating a osmoregulatory role in these cells. It is also proposed that microtubules and microfilaments participate in giant vacuole migration through the cytoplasm.
Compress-and-forward strategy for the relay broadcast channel with confidential messages

In this paper, we re-visit the relay broadcast channel with confidential messages (RBC-CM) by considering a compress-and-forward (CF) inner bound on the capacity-equivocation region of the RBC-CM. This CF inner bound is further explained via a degraded Gaussian example, and we show that in some particular cases, the CF strategy performs better than the decode-and-forward (DF) and noise-and-forward (NF) strategies.
Inhibition of the matrix metalloproteinase system in a rat model of chronic cyclosporine nephropathy.

BACKGROUND Chronic cyclosporine A (CsA)-induced nephropathy is histologically characterized by tubular lesions, the interstitial recruitment of inflammatory cells, arteriolopathy and focal interstitial fibrosis. Recent studies show that the intrarenal inhibition of matrix degradation and recruitment of monocytes/ macrophages into the kidney plays a critical role in the development of renal interstitial fibrosis. METHODS We examined the expression of components of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) system and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) in kidneys from rats injected daily s.c. during three weeks with CsA (10, 15 or 20 mg CsA/kg body wt) or vehicle solution. RESULTS In all CsA-treated rats, serum creatinine levels were significantly elevated compared to control levels. The extent of CsA-induced atrophy was not influenced by the dosage during a three-week CsA treatment. The administration of CsA did not significantly increase total cortical interstitial collagen deposition, whereas alpha-smooth muscle actin expression was significantly increased in all CsA-treated rats. Analysis of the different subpopulations of inflammatory cells recruited into the chronically injured kidney revealed a marked influx of macrophages into fibrotic cortical foci of CsA-treated rats. The number of cortical macrophages was highest in the group receiving the highest CsA dose. PAI-1 antigen, present in proximal tubular lysosomes in kidneys from all experimental groups, stained very intensely in atrophic tubules in CsA-treated rats. Both stromelysin and interstitial collagenase mRNA were expressed in the kidneys of control rats, but their message transcription remained unaltered after CsA treatment. In contrast, the expression of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase type 1 (TIMP-1) was significantly increased after CsA treatment. TIMP-1 mRNA was undetectable in renal sections from sodium-depleted vehicle-treated animals using the in situ hybridization (ISH) technique. ISH of selected renal sections of CsA-treated rats identified the cells responsible for the increased TIMP-1 message transcription after CsA administration, mainly as interstitial cells and also as visceral and parietal epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the locally increased expression of TIMP-1 rather than a decrease of matrix metalloprotease expression, contributes to the development of CsA-induced focal interstitial fibrosis in the rat.
Influenza A Virus Alters Pneumococcal Nasal Colonization and Middle Ear Infection Independently of Phase Variation

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is both a widespread nasal colonizer and a leading cause of otitis media, one of the most common diseases of childhood. Pneumococcal phase variation influences both colonization and disease and thus has been linked to the bacteria's transition from colonizer to otopathogen. Further contributing to this transition, coinfection with influenza A virus has been strongly associated epidemiologically with the dissemination of pneumococci from the nasopharynx to the middle ear. Using a mouse infection model, we demonstrated that coinfection with influenza virus and pneumococci enhanced both colonization and inflammatory responses within the nasopharynx and middle ear chamber. Coinfection studies were also performed using pneumococcal populations enriched for opaque or transparent phase variants. As shown previously, opaque variants were less able to colonize the nasopharynx. In vitro, this phase also demonstrated diminished biofilm viability and epithelial adherence. However, coinfection with influenza virus ameliorated this colonization defect in vivo. Further, viral coinfection ultimately induced a similar magnitude of middle ear infection by both phase variants. These data indicate that despite inherent differences in colonization, the influenza A virus exacerbation of experimental middle ear infection is independent of the pneumococcal phase. These findings provide new insights into the synergistic link between pneumococcus and influenza virus in the context of otitis media.
Efektywność inwestycyjna OFE w świetle teorii portfela

1. WPROWADZENIE Otwarte Fundusze Emerytalne s ą podmiotami, ktorym oszcz edzający na swe emerytury powierzają swoje pieni ądze, by te byy inwestowane i w dugim terminie przynosiy zysk powiekszający przysze, oczekiwane świadczenia eme- rytalne. Jako podmioty inwestuj ące OFE powinny wiec wykazywa c si e odpo- wiednią efektywno ścią - osi ąganiem zyskow, ktore zwyczajowo mierzy sie sto- pą zwrotu. Przyszy emeryt mo Ŝe wybra c OFE, do ktorego chce nale Ŝec, a efek- tywno śc jest podstawowym kryterium, ktore przy takim wyborze nale Ŝy bra c pod uwag e. OFE wyceniają warto śc swych aktywow na ka Ŝdy dzie n, dzi eki czemu mo Ŝliwe jest wyznaczanie dowolnych stop zwrotu przez nie osiąganych i porownywanie ich - miedzy sob ą czy te Ŝ ze stopami zwrotu z innych rodzajow inwestycji. Stopy te s ą publikowane przez same OFE, jak rownie Ŝ przez wiele wydawnictw prasowych i chyba wszystkie portale internetowe o tematyce finan- sowej, dzieki czemu - wydawaoby sie - potencjalny kandydat na emeryta ma bardzo szerokie mo Ŝliwo ści oceny dziaalno ści OFE, jak i wyboru tego, ktory uzna za najlepszy. U Ŝyty zwrot "wydawaoby sie" nawiązuje do celu niniejszego artykuu - przedstawia on przykady na to, jak niewystarczaj ące, a nawet mylące mo Ŝe by c kierowanie si e w ocenianiu efektywno ści OFE powszechnie publiko- wanymi stopami zwrotu oraz propozycje alternatywnych narz edzi, jakie warto byoby do tego celu stosowa c.
Estimating Interest Rate Setting Behavior in Brazil: A LSTR Model Approach

Given limited research on monetary policy rules in emerging markets, this paper challenges the applicability of a nonlinear Taylor rule in characterizing the monetary policy behavior of the Brazilian Central Bank. It also investigates whether and how the process of setting interest rates has been developed in response to contingencies and special events. We extend the linear Taylor rule to a regime-switching framework, where the transition from one regime to another occurs in a smooth way, using a Logistic Smooth Transition Regression (LSTR) approach. In this sense, we empirically analyze the movement of the nominal short term interest rate of the Brazilian Central Bank using quarterly data, covering the period 1994.Q4–2012.Q2. We find that the nonlinear Taylor rule provides a better description of the Brazilian interest rate setting and is consistent with historical macroeconomic events. In particular, our results show that adopting a nonlinear specification, instead of the linear, leads to a costs reduction in terms of ﬁt: 190 basis points in 1995 and 140 basis points in the mid-2002 presidential election campaign in Brazil. Moreover, the Brazilian monetary policy exhibits nonlinear patterns that better captures special events and may contain relevant information rendering it applicable to unusual conditions, i.e . , a financial crisis, which require disconnection from the automatic pilot rule and use of judgement to make decision.
The impact of international designers on firm innovation capability and consumer interest

Purpose – The increasing importance that customers give to the aesthetic, symbolic and emotional value of products leads companies to approach the product design as a means to create a competitive advantage. Considering that competing through design involves the development of new product languages and signs, the ability to develop products that convey innovative meanings and values to users becomes a critical factor of success. Each product has a particular language and meaning on which companies can innovate. This kind of innovation requires access to dispersed and tacit knowledge about socio‐cultural trends and emerging phenomena in society, which lends itself to a discourse on design. Designers can support companies by accessing, interpreting and exploiting the knowledge about emerging socio‐cultural models and latent market needs. The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse the characteristics of designer portfolios developed by innovative and successful companies.Design/methodology/approach .
Characterization of AtALMT1 Expression in Aluminum-Inducible Malate Release and Its Role for Rhizotoxic Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis1[W][OA]

Malate transporters play a critical role in aluminum (Al) tolerance responses for some plant species, such as Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we further characterize AtALMT1, an Arabidopsis aluminum-activated malate transporter, to clarify its specific role in malate release and Al stress responses. Malate excretion from the roots of accession Columbia was sharply induced by Al, which is concomitant with the induction of AtALMT1 gene expression. The malate release was specific for Al among rhizotoxic stressors, namely cadmium, copper, erbium, lanthanum, sodium, and low pH, which accounts for the specific sensitivity of a null mutant to Al stress. Al-specific malate excretion can be explained by a combined regulation of AtALMT1 expression and activation of AtALMT1 protein, which is specific for Al. Although low pH treatment slightly induced gene expression, other treatments did not. In addition, malate excretion in Al-activated seedlings was rapidly stopped by removing Al from the solution. Other rhizotoxic stressors were not effective in maintaining malate release. Protein kinase and phosphatase inhibitor studies indicated that reversible phosphorylation was important for the transcriptional and posttranslational regulation of AtALMT1. AtALMT1 promoter-β-glucuronidase fusion lines revealed that AtALMT1 has restricted expression within the root, such that unnecessary carbon loss is likely minimized. Lastly, a natural nonsense mutation allele of AtALMT1 was identified from the Al-hypersensitive natural accession Warschau-1.
NEMA NU 2-2001 performance measurements of an LYSO-based PET/CT system in 2D and 3D acquisition modes.

UNLABELLED The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 2-2001 performance measurements were conducted on the Discovery RX, a whole-body PET/CT system under development by GE Healthcare. The PET scanner uses 4.2 x 6.3 x 30 mm lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) crystals grouped in 9 x 6 blocks. There are 24 rings with 630 crystals per ring and the ring diameter is 88.6 cm. The transaxial and axial fields of view are 70.0 and 15.7 cm, respectively. The scanner has retractable septa and can operate in both 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) modes. 2D acquisitions use ring differences of +/-4 for direct and +/-5 for cross slices; 3D acquisitions use a ring difference of 23. The coincident window width is 6.5 ns and the energy window is 425-650 keV. Other than the detectors, the system uses the same hardware and software as a Discovery ST. The CT scanner is a 16-slice LightSpeed; the performance characteristics of the CT component are not included herein. METHODS Performance measurements of sensitivity, spatial resolution, image quality, scatter fraction and counting rate performance, and image quality were obtained using NEMA methodology. RESULTS The system sensitivity in 2D and 3D was measured as 1.7 cps/kBq and 7.3 cps/kBq, respectively. The transaxial resolution for 2D (3D) was 5.1 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) (5.0 mm) at 1 cm from gantry center and the radial and tangential resolutions were 5.9 mm (5.9 mm) and 5.1 mm (5.2 mm) at 10 cm, respectively. The axial resolution for 2D (3D) was 4.8 mm FWHM (5.8 mm) and 6.3 mm (6.5 mm) at 1 cm and 10 cm from gantry center, respectively. The scatter fraction was 13.1% and 31.8% in 2D and 3D. The peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) was 155 kcps at 92.1 kBq/mL in 2D and 117.7 kcps at 21.7 kBq/mL in 3D for a noise-free estimation of randoms. The contrast of the 22, 17, 13, and 10 mm hot spheres in the image quality phantom in 2D (3D) were 74.6% (72.4%), 56.7% (59.5%), 46.2% (44.6%), and 17.9% (18.0%), respectively. CONCLUSION The Discovery RX is a scanner that possesses high NECR, low scatter fraction, and good spatial resolution characteristics.
Road-mapping the business potential of sustainability within the European manufacturing industry

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the required changes, outline business potential and envisage the key steps that a networked manufacturing industry needs to take to reach more sustainably performing manufacturing in the future. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilises a visionary road-mapping approach to study the required changes and the business potential related to sustainable development in the manufacturing industry. Findings – The results were summarised in three sub-roadmaps empowerment of stakeholders, increase efficiency and creation of new performance criteria. On the basis of the summary of the sub-roadmaps, the framework was configured to describe the opportunities and challenges of sustainable business development in the European manufacturing industry. Research limitations/implications – A clear implication of this study is that a more system-oriented approach, new models for collaboration between network actors and transparently shared network-level KPIs are requir.
Serum enterolactone and prognosis of postmenopausal breast cancer.

PURPOSE Lignans--plant-derived compounds with estrogen-dependent and -independent anticarcinogenic properties--have been associated with postmenopausal breast cancer risk, but data are limited regarding their effect on survival. Dietary lignans are metabolized to enterolignans, which are subsequently absorbed and become bioavailable. PATIENTS AND METHODS We assessed the prognosis of 1,140 postmenopausal patients with breast cancer age 50 to 74 years who were diagnosed between 2002 and 2005. Vital status through the end of 2009 was ascertained via local population registries, and deaths were verified by death certificates. Information on recurrences and secondary tumors was verified by clinical records and attending physicians. Associations of postdiagnostic serum enterolactone (a biomarker for dietary lignans) with overall survival and distant disease-free survival were assessed by using Cox proportional hazards models stratified by age at diagnosis and adjusted for prognostic factors. RESULTS Median enterolactone levels for deceased patients and those still alive were 17.0 and 21.4 nmol/L, respectively. During a median of 6.1 years of follow-up after diagnosis, 162 deaths were confirmed. Higher serum enterolactone levels were associated with significantly reduced hazard ratios (HRs) for death (HR per 10 nmol/L increment, 0.94; P = .04; HR for the highest quartile, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.99). For distant disease, HR was 0.94 per 10 nmol/L increment (P = .08) and 0.62 (95% CI, 0.35 to 1.09) for the highest quartile. The highest quartile of serum enterolactone was associated with a significantly reduced risk of death only for estrogen receptor-negative tumors (HR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.87) but not for estrogen receptor-positive tumors (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.45 to 1.84: P for heterogeneity = .09). CONCLUSION Postmenopausal patients with breast cancer who have high serum enterolactone levels may have better survival.