Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of private for-profit with private community-governed not-for-profit primary care services in New Zealand

Objective To compare the characteristics of patients, their disease patterns, and the investigation and referral patterns in private community-governed not-for-profit and private for-profit primary care practices in New Zealand. Methods Observational study using a representative survey of visits to general practitioners in New Zealand. Practices were categorised according to their ownership: private for-profit or private community-governed not-for-profit. Patient socio-demographic characteristics, treated prevalence and other characteristics of presenting problems, morbidity burden, numbers of investigations and referral patterns were compared. Results Compared with for-profit practices, community-governed not-for-profit practices served a younger, largely non-European population, nearly three-quarters of whom had a means-tested benefit card (community services card), 10.5% of whom were not fluent in English, and the majority of whom lived in the 20% of areas ranked as the most deprived (by the NZDep2001 index of socio-economic deprivation). Patients visiting not-for-profit practices were diagnosed with more problems, including higher rates of asthma, diabetes and skin infections, but lower rates of chest infections. The duration of visits was also significantly longer. No differences were observed in the average number of laboratory tests ordered. The odds of specialist referral were higher in for-profit patients when confounding variables were controlled for. Conclusions Community-governed not-for-profit practices in New Zealand serve a poor, largely non-European population who present with somewhat different rates of various problems compared with patients at for-profit practices. The study highlights for communities, policy-makers and purchasers the importance of community-governed not-for-profit practices in meeting the needs of low-income and minority population groups.
Pluripotency of cultured rabbit inner cell mass cells detected by isozyme analysis and eye pigmentation of fetuses following injection into blastocysts or morulae

Pluripotency of isolated rabbit inner cell masses (ICMs) and cultured (3 days) inner cell mass (ICM) cells was tested by injecting these donor cells into day 3.5 blastocysts (experiment 1) or day 3 morulae (experiment 2) to produce chimeric embryos. Injected (n = 107) and noninjected (n = 103) embryos were transferred to the opposite uterine horns of the same recipient females. Chimerism was determined by adenosine deaminase (ADA) isozyme analysis on fetal tissue and by eye pigmentation at midgestation. In experiment 1, 53% and 64%, respectively, of blastocysts injected with ICMs or cultured ICM cells developed to midgestation, compared with 52% and 48% for controls. Of these fetuses, four (31%) and one (6%), respectively, had ADA chimerism. In experiment 2,38% and 62%, respectively, of the morulae injected with ICMs or cultured ICM cells developed to midgestation, compared with 46% and 56% for control morulae. Six (43%) chimeric fetuses from morulae injected with ICMs were detected by ADA analysis, but 12 (86%) chimeric fetuses were detected by eye pigmentation, indicating that eye pigmentation was a more sensitive marker for chimerism than our ADA assay. None of the 14 fetuses recovered after injecting morulae with cultured ICM cells were chimeric with either marker. No chimeras developed from control embryos. These studies demonstrate (1) that pregnancy rates are not compromised by injection of blastocysts or morulae with ICMs or cultured ICM cells, (2) that chimeric rabbit fetuses can be produced by injecting ICMs into either blastocysts or morulae, and (3) that cultured ICM cells can contribute to embryonic development when injected into blastocysts. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Genomic characterization of a local epidemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa reveals specific features of the widespread clone ST395

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen with several clones being frequently associated with outbreaks in hospital settings. ST395 is among these so-called ‘international’ clones. We aimed here to define the biological features that could have helped the implantation and spread of the clone ST395 in hospital settings. The complete genome of a multidrug resistant index isolate (DHS01) of a large hospital outbreak was analysed. We identified DHS01-specific genetic elements, among which were identified those shared with a panel of six independent ST395 isolates responsible for outbreaks in other hospitals. DHS01 has the fifth largest chromosome of the species (7.1 Mbp), with most of its 1555 accessory genes borne by either genomic islands (GIs, n=48) or integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs, n=5). DHS01 is multidrug resistant mostly due to chromosomal mutations. It displayed signatures of adaptation to chronic infection in part due to the loss of a 131 kbp chromosomal fragment. Four GIs were specific to the clone ST395 and contained genes involved in metabolism (GI-4), in virulence (GI-6) and in resistance to copper (GI-7). GI-7 harboured an array of six copper transporters and was shared with non-pathogenic Pseudomonas sp. retrieved from copper-contaminated environments. Copper resistance was confirmed phenotypically in all other ST395 isolates and possibly accounted for the spreading capability of the clone in hospital outbreaks, where water networks have been incriminated. This suggests that genes transferred from copper-polluted environments may have favoured the implantation and spread of the international clone P. aeruginosa ST395 in hospital settings.
Coaggregation occurs amongst bacteria within and between biofilms in domestic showerheads

Showerheads support the development of multi-species biofilms that can be unsightly, produce malodor, and may harbor pathogens. The outer-surface spray-plates of many showerheads support visible biofilms that likely contain a mixture of bacteria from freshwater and potentially from human users. Coaggregation, a mechanism by which genetically distinct bacteria specifically recognize one another, may contribute to the retention and enrichment of different species within these biofilms. The aim of this work was to describe the bacterial composition of outer spray-plate biofilms of three domestic showerheads and to determine the intra- and inter-biofilm coaggregation ability of each culturable isolate. The bacterial composition of the three biofilms was determined by using bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP) and by culturing on R2A medium. An average of 31 genera per biofilm were identified using bTEFAP and a total of 30 isolates were cultured. Even though the microbial diversity of each showerhead biofilm differed, every cultured isolate was able to coaggregate with at least one other isolate from the same or different showerhead biofilm. Promiscuous coaggregating isolates belonged to the genera Brevundimonas, Micrococcus, and Lysobacter. This work suggests that coaggregation may be a common feature of showerhead biofilms. Characterization of the mechanisms mediating coaggregation, and the inter-species interactions they facilitate, may allow for novel strategies to inhibit biofilm development.
Natural Products from the Genus Tephrosia

The genus Tephrosia, belonging to the Leguminosae family, is a large pantropical genus of more than 350 species, many of which have important traditional uses in agriculture. This review not only outlines the source, chemistry and biological evaluations of natural products from the genus Tephrosia worldwide that have appeared in literature from 1910 to December 2013, but also covers work related to proposed biosynthetic pathways and synthesis of some natural products from the genus Tephrosia, with 105 citations and 168 new compounds.
An Evaluation of Business Start-Up Support for Young People

The article describes some evaluation findings from a longitudinal study of young people receiving business start-up assistance, through the Prince's Trust (with financial support from the Government). Unusually for evaluations of self-employment schemes, it focuses not solely on issues of deadweight and business survival, but also looks at the impact of programme participation on the subsequent labour market outcomes of participants. It uses a matched comparison group methodology to model programme impact, and finds no statistical evidence that supported entry to self-employment has an impact on participants' subsequent ‘employability’. After controlling for other factors, those who leave the programme are no more likely than those in the comparison group to be in employment, and if in employment their earnings are no higher than those in the comparison group.
The future of the Internet in healthcare: a five-year forecast.

Institute for the Future T he Institute for the Future is a nonprofit research and consulting firm founded in 1968 and dedicated to understanding technological, environmental, and societal changes and their long-range consequences. We help public and private organizations think systematically about the future by evaluating long-term trends and their implications, identifying potential markets, and analyzing policy options. Our clients include Fortune 500 companies, public and private foundations, multinational corporations, and government offices and agencies. California HealthCare Foundation T he California HealthCare Foundation is a private independent philanthropy established in May 1996, as a result of the conversion of Blue Cross of California from a nonprofit health plan to WellPoint Health Networks , a for-profit corporation. The Foundation focuses on critical issues confronting a changing health care marketplace: managed care, the uninsured, California health policy and regulation, health care quality, and public health. Grants focus on areas where the Foundation's resources can initiate meaningful policy recommendations, innovative research and the development of model programs. Acknowledgments We'd like to acknowledge several individuals whose expertise was invaluable to the creation of this forcast: Executive Summary H ealth care has discovered the Internet and the Internet has discovered health care! A rapidly growing number of Internet sites are dedicated to helping consumers find the information they need to make decisions about their health and health care. Patients are creating online communities that provide peer support, information on the latest research, and personal stories about their experiences. Health care professionals are using the Internet for research, to get access to the latest information in their field, to consult with their colleagues, and to keep in touch with their patients. Almost every health care business – from insurer to hospital to pharmaceutical company – has a Web site. Why is the use of the Internet in health care growing so quickly? How sustainable is that growth? What kinds of health-related applications will develop over the next five years? How will the Internet affect health care delivery, financing, and health outcomes? In all the excitement about the Internet, there inevitably will be unrealistic expectations about its impact on the health care industry. This forecast sorts through the current hype to give a realistic assessment of the pace and direction of change for the next five years. The major driving forces that are pushing the Internet into health and health care are strong and unstoppable; they ensure …
Sublinear-Time Optimization for High-Dimensional Learning

Across domains, the scale of data and complexity of machine learning models have both been increasing greatly in recent years. For many such large scale models of interest, tractable estimation without access to extensive computational infrastructure is still an open problem. In this thesis, we approach the tractability of large-scale estimation problems through the lens of leveraging sparse structure inherent in the learning objective, which allows us to develop algorithms sublinear in the size of domain by greedily searching for atoms comprising the optimal structure. We address the following three questions for each model of interest: (a) how to formulate model estimation as a high-dimensional optimization problem with tractable sparse structure, (b) how to efficiently i.e. in sublinear time, search for the optimal structure, (c) how to guarantee fast convergence of our optimization algorithm? By answering these questions, we develop state-of-the-art learning algorithms for varied domains as extreme classification, structured prediction with large output domains, and design new estimators for latent-variable models that enjoy polynomial computational and sample complexities without restrictive assumptions.
Family‐based association study of schizophrenia with 444 markers and analysis of a new susceptibility locus mapped to 11q13.3

Family‐based linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping has been suggested as a powerful and practical alternative to linkage analysis. We have performed a genome‐wide LD survey of susceptibility loci for schizophrenia in a Japanese population. We first typed 119 schizophrenic pedigrees (357 individuals) using 444 microsatellite markers, and analyzed the data using the pedigree disequilibrium test. This analysis revealed 14 markers demonstrating significant transmission distortion. To corroborate these findings, the statistical methods were changed to the extended transmission disequilibrium test (ETDT), using 80 independent complete trios (schizophrenic proband and both parents), with 68 derived from initial pedigrees and 12 newly recruited trios. ETDT supported two markers for continued association, D11S987 on 11q13.3 (P = 0.00009) and D16S423 on 16p13.3 (P = 0.002). We scrutinized the most significant genomic locus on 11q11‐13 by adding 26 new markers for analysis. Results of three‐marker haplotype analysis in the region showed evidence of association with schizophrenia (most significant haplotype P = 0.0005, global P = 0.022). Although the present study may have missed other potential genomic intervals because of the sparse mapping density, we hope that it has identified promising anchor points for further studies to identify risk‐conferring genes for schizophrenia in the Japanese population. In addition, we provide useful information on genomic LD structures in Japanese populations, which can be used for LD mapping of complex diseases. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
“Your Mall with it All:” Luxury Development in a Globalizing African City

Abstract In this article I examine the impact of luxury development on an African city through a case study of the Accra Mall, in Accra, Ghana. Completed in 2008, the mall is the first self-contained shopping and leisure destination in the country and has been celebrated for propelling Ghana into the modern era. Situating the Accra Mall within the globalization of Accra, I contrast the private consumption-oriented development of twenty-first century Accra with the public architecture of the 1950s and 1960s, arguing that contemporary development in Accra responds to the demands of elite urban consumers while marginalizing the needs of the majority of urban residents. I then explore how elite development is contributing to shifting notions of urban citizenship, whereby citizenship is being defined in increasingly neoliberal and consumerist terms.
Business Cycle in China Since the Lehman Crisis: Interaction Among Macroeconomic Policy, Economic Growth and Inflation

The major objectives of China's macroeconomic policy are to stabilize economic growth and inflation, which, in turn, are important factors determining key prices, such as the policy interest rate, the renminbi exchange rate and stock prices. In a framework that distinguishes different phases of the business cycle based on whether the current period's economic growth rate and inflation rate are above or below their “normal” values, this paper analyzes the interaction among macroeconomic policy, economic growth and inflation in China since the Lehman crisis, and the implications for these key prices. The path of China's economy indicates that stimulus measures taken by the government during the recession phase and tightening measures implemented during the overheating phase have helped minimize the fluctuation over the business cycle. Our analysis shows that Chinese authorities tend to rely more on adjusting the exchange rate than the interest rate to stabilize the economy. Comparing with conditions at the time of the post-Lehman recession, the current slow pace of economic growth in China may reflect not only weakening demand, but also a lower potential growth rate associated with the arrival of the Lewis turning point.
Corporate Governance and the Audit Process

There has been growing recognition in recent years of the importance of corporate governance in ensuring sound financial reporting and deterring fraud. The audit serves as a monitoring device and is thus part of the corporate governance mosaic. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of various corporate governance factors, such as the board of directors and the audit committee, on the audit process. Importantly, there is little professional guidance on how auditors should consider such factors when formulating an appropriate audit strategy, and there has been only one prior study on this issue (Cohen and Hanno 2000). Because there are no current specific auditing standards that relate to the effect of corporate governance on the audit process, we conducted a semiâ€ structured interview with 36 auditors on current audit practices in considering corporate governance in the audit process. Reflecting on client experiences, auditors indicate a range of views with regard to the elements included in the rubric of â€œcorporate governanceâ€ . Most significantly, auditors view management as the primary driver of corporate governance. The inclusion of top management in the â€œcorporate governance mosaicâ€ is inconsistent with agency theory's prescription of the board and other mechanisms serving as a means to independently oversee management's actions to protect stakeholders. Auditors consider corporate governance factors to be especially important in the client acceptance phase and in an international context. Further, despite the attention placed on the audit committee in the academic literature, in the business community, and by regulators in different countries (e.g., Canada, United States, Australia), several respondents indicated that their experiences with their clients suggest that audit committees are typically ineffective and lack sufficient power to be a strong governance mechanism. Implications for research and practice are presented.
One hundred years of money, welfare and death: mortality, economic growth and the development of the welfare state in 17 OECD countries 1900–2000

Kangas O. One hundred years of money, welfare and death: mortality, economic growth and the development of the welfare state in 17 OECD countries 1900–2000 Int J Soc Welfare 2010: ••: ••–••© 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare. The article focuses on the role played by the welfare state vis-a-vis GDP in the increase of life expectancy in 17 OECD countries 1900–2000. The article shows that money matters, war kills and the welfare state is good for health. There is a curvilinear relationship between prosperity and longevity: after a certain level, the marginal utility of an extra dollar levels off. In the longer run, growth is a necessary but not sufficient condition. The welfare state plays its role, too. Bigger is better, be it with regard to social spending or the generosity or coverage of social protection. For the life expectancy of a population to increase, it is better to have broader coverage or universal access to care than to have more generous benefits, which are channelled to a limited circle of citizens. It is better to give adequately to all than lavishly to too few.
CD14+CD34low Cells With Stem Cell Phenotypic and Functional Features Are the Major Source of Circulating Endothelial Progenitors

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) seem to be a promising tool for cell therapy of acute myocardial infarction, but their nature is still unclear. We show here that EPCs obtainable from peripheral blood (PB) derive from the adhesion-related selection in culture of a subset of CD14+ cells, which, when assessed by the highly-sensitive antibody-conjugated magnetofluorescent liposomes (ACMFL) technique, were found to express CD34. These CD14+CD34low cells represented a variable proportion at individual level of CD14+ cells, ranging from 0.6% to 8.5% of all peripheral-blood leukocytes, and constituted the dominant population among circulating KDR+ cells. By using the ACMFL technique, virtually all CD14+ cells present in the bone marrow were found to be CD14+CD34low double-positive cells. EPCs, as well as purified circulating CD14+CD34low cells, exhibited high expression of embryonic stem cell (SC) markers Nanog and Oct-4, which were downregulated in a STAT3-independent manner when they differentiated into endothelial cells (ECs). Moreover, circulating CD14+CD34low cells, but not CD14+CD34− cells, proliferated in response to SC growth factors, and exhibited clonogenicity and multipotency, as shown by their ability to differentiate not only into ECs, but also into osteoblasts, adipocytes, or neural cells. The results of this study may reconcile apparently contradictory data of the literature, showing the generation of PB-derived EPCs from either CD34+ or CD14+ cells. We suggest that the use of this previously unrecognized population of circulating CD14+CD34low cells, which exhibit both phenotypic and functional features of SCs, may be useful in improving cell-based therapies of vascular and tissue damage.
Transnational Education: Issues and Trends in Offshore Higher Education

While the international mobility of students is a well-established feature of higher education, the international mobility of institutions and courses on a large scale is a more novel phenomenon. Transnational education is at the leading edge of the most fundamental changes taking place in higher education today. Topics discussed in this new volume include: - the extent and form of offshore activity; - the pedagogical and cultural controversies that have plagued transnational education; - the challenges it presents to governments, educators and HE managers; - how governments are developing forms of regulation to integrate cross-border programs and branch-campuses into their strategic planning for the sector; - the new opportunities for students and institutions. 'Transnational Education' presents a global perspective on the development of international online education, partner-supported transnational programs and international branch campuses. It provides a comprehensive and analytical account of the active role some universities are playing on the international stage and valuable guidance on future trends in the sector.
A framework of common spatial patterns based on support vector decomposition machine

In the study of brain-computer interfaces (BCI), the techniques of feature extraction and classification play an important role, especially in classifying single-trial electroencephalogram (EEG). In previous research, many researchers have solved these problems in two separate phases: firstly use techniques such as singular value decomposition and common spatial pattern to extract features; then design classification such as linear discriminant analysis or support vector machine. In this paper, we show a framework that combines common spatial patterns (CSP) and support vector machine (SVM) to analyze single-trial EEG/ECoG dataset. We demonstrated experimental results in the data set I of ldquoBCI Competition 2005rdquo analysis with this method which gets a high level of classification accuracy on the test set.