Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current Therapies in Bronchiolitis

Viral bronchiolitis is the most common cause of hospitalization among infants. Despite its prevalence, no consistently effective therapy has been found to date, providing the driving force behind much of the ongoing research into this illness. In this review, we present a summary of the most recent published trials of interventions for bronchiolitis. Included are studies evaluating bronchodilators, corticosteroids, positive pressure ventilation, as well as 3 newer therapies for bronchiolitis: heliox, mucolytics, and leukotriene receptor antagonists.
Controlling the standard-setting agenda: the role of FRS 3

The consensus‐based approach to setting accounting standards, which incorporates a formal consultation process, leads to questions about the lobbying process with regard to the nature of the argument, the characteristics of lobbying groups and the responsiveness of the standard setters. FRS 3, as the first standard initiated by the UK Accounting Standards Board (ASB), provides the context for considering these questions in relation to the nature of responses and respondents to the prior exposure draft, and the extent of comment integration, leading to a conclusion that the relative lack of change between the exposure draft and the standard is not explained by the pluralist concept of the standard‐setter in bilateral interactions with the independent respondents. It may, however, be rationalised in terms of a community of business interests collectively permitting the ASB to demonstrate its effectiveness through the apparent legitimisation afforded by an overt position of accommodating users as a special interest group and a market force. The formal consultation process served the purpose of a symbolic ritual to establish the acceptance and acceptability of a newly‐established regulatory agency.
Impact of tax reduction policies on consumer purchase of new automobiles: An analytical investigation with real data‐based experiments

We investigate and compare the impact of the tax reduction policies implemented in the United States and China to stimulate consumer purchase of new automobiles and improve manufacturers' profits. The U.S. policy provides each qualifying consumer with a federal income tax deduction on state and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase price (up to a cutoff level), whereas the Chinese policy reduces the vehicle sales tax rate for consumers. We observe that these policy designs are consistent with the tax management system and the economic environment in the respective country. We analytically determine the effects of the two tax reduction policies on the automobile sales and the manufacturer's and the retailer's profits. Numerical examples are then used to provide insights on the importance of certain factors that influence the effects of the two policies. Finally, a numerical experiment with sensitivity analysis based on real data is conducted to compare the merits and characteristics of the two policies under comparable conditions. We find that the U.S. policy is better than the Chinese policy in stimulating the sales of high‐end automobiles, whereas the Chinese policy is better than the U.S. policy in improving the sales of low‐end automobiles. The U.S. policy is slightly more effective in increasing the profitability of the automobile supply chain; but, in general, the Chinese policy is more cost effective. The methodology developed herein can be used to evaluate other tax reduction policies such as those related to the purchase of energy‐saving vehicles and to serve as a decision model to guide the choice of alternative tax reduction policies. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 61: 577–598, 2014
Anti–miR-21 Suppresses Hepatocellular Carcinoma Growth via Broad Transcriptional Network Deregulation

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a significant clinical challenge with few therapeutic options available to cancer patients. MicroRNA 21-5p (miR-21) has been shown to be upregulated in HCC, but the contribution of this oncomiR to the maintenance of tumorigenic phenotype in liver cancer remains poorly understood. We have developed potent and specific single-stranded oligonucleotide inhibitors of miR-21 (anti-miRNAs) and used them to interrogate dependency on miR-21 in a panel of liver cancer cell lines. Treatment with anti–miR-21, but not with a mismatch control anti-miRNA, resulted in significant derepression of direct targets of miR-21 and led to loss of viability in the majority of HCC cell lines tested. Robust induction of caspase activity, apoptosis, and necrosis was noted in anti–miR-21-treated HCC cells. Furthermore, ablation of miR-21 activity resulted in inhibition of HCC cell migration and suppression of clonogenic growth. To better understand the consequences of miR-21 suppression, global gene expression profiling was performed on anti–miR-21-treated liver cancer cells, which revealed striking enrichment in miR-21 target genes and deregulation of multiple growth-promoting pathways. Finally, in vivo dependency on miR-21 was observed in two separate HCC tumor xenograft models. In summary, these data establish a clear role for miR-21 in the maintenance of tumorigenic phenotype in HCC in vitro and in vivo. Implications: miR-21 is important for the maintenance of the tumorigenic phenotype of HCC and represents a target for pharmacologic intervention. Mol Cancer Res; 13(6); 1009–21. ©2015 AACR.
STRUCTURES, ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN PUBLIC HEALTH’S RESPONSE TO THE 2009-2010 H1N1 OUTBREAK: THE TIES THAT BIND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS AND EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION EFFORTS

OF DISSERTATION Kathleen G. Vidoloff The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2011 STRUCTURES, ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN PUBLIC HEALTH’S RESPONSE TO THE 2009-2010 H1N1 OUTBREAK: THE TIES THAT BIND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS AND EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION EFFORTS __________________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION __________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Communications and Information Studies at the University of Kentucky By Kathleen G. Vidoloff Lexington, Kentucky Co-Directors: Dr. Timothy L. Sellnow, Professor of Communication and Dr. Derek R. Lane, Professor of Communication Lexington, Kentucky
Design challenges of low-power and high-speed memory interface in advanced CMOS technology

Design requirements for low-power and high-speed memory interfaces in mobile systems are discussed within the context of CMOS process scaling. Key challenges include process variations, low Vdd/Vth ratio, interconnect parasitics, and model accuracy of key process parameters. It is shown that careful system architecture along with appropriate circuit techniques allow mobile memory interface to meet aggressive performance and power targets with conventional technology.
Poverty and Place in Britain, 1968–99

To date, analyses of long-term trends in the spatial distribution of poverty in Britain have been frustrated by a lack of consistency in definitions, data sources and measures, as well as by changes over time in census and administrative geographies. This paper draws upon a series of national poverty surveys in order to derive methodologically consistent estimates of breadline and core poverty. These models are then applied to census data in order to describe the changing geography of poverty in Britain over the 1968–99 period. The primary concern is to reveal the changing spatial distribution of poverty that lies behind the headline figures. These analyses suggest that not only has poverty become increasingly prevalent amongst British households, it also became increasingly spatially concentrated between 1968 and 1999.
Teacher Location Choice and the Distribution of Quality: Evidence from New York City

This article studies the distribution of teacher quality measures across the New York City school system. Because teachers are paid along a fixed salary schedule and they have the option to transfer schools, this analysis measures the degree to which environmental factors affect teacher location choice. Both school-based and neighborhood-based effects are measured, and both types are significant. Furthermore, this article finds that the location of the school in relation to the suburban borders is an important determinant of teacher location choice. (JEL "I29", "J24", "J61") Copyright 2005 Western Economic Association International.
Self-Reported Childhood Physical Abuse and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence

Although considerable evidence links childhood physical abuse with later perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV), research to identify moderators of this relationship will increase scholars’ understanding of which victims of childhood abuse are at risk for later IPV. This study examined dimensions of psychopathy as moderators of the relationship between physical abuse in childhood and perpetration of IPV in a sample of 75 males participating in a pretrial supervision program subsequent to receiving criminal charges. Results indicated that, among individuals with higher levels of impulsive-irresponsible (i.e., Lifestyle) traits of psychopathy, childhood physical abuse was associated with later perpetration of IPV. Findings have implications for the propensity toward IPV perpetration among individuals who have experienced childhood physical abuse.
Dropout behavior in R&D races with learning

We examine a game-theoretic model of a two-firm R&D race in which expenditures on R&D and the concomitant increase in experience/learning enable the firms to increase their probability of discovering an invention. The learning process is stochastic. It generates a unique subgame-perfect equilibrium for identical firms with the characteristic that the leader never drops out, but the follower drops out if the leader gains a significant lead. The leader can find it optimal to drop out if the firms value the invention differently or have different R&D efficiencies. Thus, our analysis generates results between vigorous competition and natural monopoly.
Understanding the role of equity in leveraging privacy concerns of consumers in ecommerce

Since ecommerce requires individuals to disclose their personal information, an issue of information privacy becomes an impediment towards its adoption. However, a paradox exists whereby individuals claim privacy concerns, yet act contrarily by using ecommerce. Our research aims to investigate the reasoning behind individuals use of ecommerce, despite claiming concerns for their information privacy. Based on previous findings, we argue that consumers undergo a calculation of equal benefits in conducting business with online firms, where they agree to firms utilizing their personal information as long as they retain control over its usage. This paper is a research-in-progress, and as such, our future work would be to validate our argument by collecting and empirically analyzing individuals responses with regards to ecommerce use. We expect that our paper would contribute by better understanding the conditions in which individuals disclose or withhold personal information.
Urban Agriculture: Research Questions and Zambian Evidence

The cultivation of food crops within the overall boundaries of towns and cities is not new, but has been forgotten or ignored in the last 20 years, while urbanisation has, it is thought, absorbed a disproportionate share of national resources. Can, however, an alternative form of urban development, less greedy of financial and natural assets, capable of satisfying the basic needs of the population and of reducing the vulnerability of the poorest, be envisaged, and is the food and energy system an appropriate starting point? 1 The first stage in studying any neglected area is to review existing evidence and policy, in order to reveal gaps and suggest avenues for future enquiry, policy formulation, and experiment.2 In this article, the evidence presented will be from Zambia, and it will be the task of further research to assess the relevance of these findings to other towns and cities in the region.
Consumers' Ratings of Quick Service Restaurant Meals in the 21st Century

ABSTRACT Developments in the area of the nutritional value of Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) meals since 1990 are discussed in this paper, including the impact of the NLEA Act, the obesity issue, and changes in QSR menu items. Previous studies of the ratings of Quick Service Restaurant meals are reviewed. A replication of the Baikie, Konell and Totten (1994) study is discussed. Respondents with high nutrition knowledge found the meals to be more fattening than did those with low nutrition knowledge (p < .10). No significant differences between socioeconomic groups were found. The authors then compared the findings to previous studies of Quick Service Restaurant meal ratings.
Radiation From a Hertzian Dipole Embedded in a Wire-Medium Slab

The radiated field expression for a short vertical electric dipole embedded in a wire-medium slab is derived using an effective medium approach. The dispersion characteristic equation of wave modes is presented, and the propagation and attenuation constants of each propagating mode are determined. Both a surface wave and a leaky wave are shown to propagate in the wire-medium slab. Near- and far-field distributions of the wave modes are computed and compared to full-wave simulation results.
The effects of the Indian ocean tsunami on peace in Sri Lanka and Aceh

The 26 December 2004 tsunami was far reaching in its effects but the two areas most devastated by the tidal wave were the Indonesian province of Aceh and the country of Sri Lanka. These areas have much more than the impact of the tsunami disaster in common. They have both also been sites of decades-long violent conflicts that have compounded many of the problems caused by the tsunami. One result of the tsunami was an influx of NGOs into these two areas. NGOs, as promoters of development, have increasingly been associated with activities deemed necessary to the creation of peace. This stems from an understanding in the fields of development and peace and conflict resolution that not only does war undermine development, but that the cause of internal wars can be linked to failures of development. Therefore, the role of NGOs is important when examining efforts at peace creation in Sri Lanka and Aceh since the occurrence of the tsunami. In this thesis I have focused on Oxfam International and CARE International which are two of the largest international NGOs acting in both Sri Lanka and Aceh. In undertaking this assessment I aim to consider the ways in which NGOs may have impacted the resumption or resolution of conflict in Sri Lanka and Aceh, and whether or not NGOs have played a role in the differing outcomes of the wars in these areas. To undertake this investigation I first present an overview of the conflicts in Sri Lanka and Aceh. This includes an inspection of the historical, economic, and political elements that have been contributed to the origination of each conflict. This is followed by an exploration of development theories and theories of peace and conflict resolution, focusing on the ways in which the situations of Sri Lanka and Aceh support or contradict arguments from these fields. I then examine the literature concerned with NGOs in order to present a thorough consideration of the pros and cons associated with
Analysis of CFSE time-series data using division-, age- and label-structured population models

MOTIVATION In vitro and in vivo cell proliferation is often studied using the dye carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE). The CFSE time-series data provide information about the proliferation history of populations of cells. While the experimental procedures are well established and widely used, the analysis of CFSE time-series data is still challenging. Many available analysis tools do not account for cell age and employ optimization methods that are inefficient (or even unreliable). RESULTS We present a new model-based analysis method for CFSE time-series data. This method uses a flexible description of proliferating cell populations, namely, a division-, age- and label-structured population model. Efficient maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimation algorithms are introduced to infer the model parameters and their uncertainties. These methods exploit the forward sensitivity equations of the underlying partial differential equation model for efficient and accurate gradient calculation, thereby improving computational efficiency and reliability compared with alternative approaches and accelerating uncertainty analysis. The performance of the method is assessed by studying a dataset for immune cell proliferation. This revealed the importance of different factors on the proliferation rates of individual cells. Among others, the predominate effect of cell age on the division rate is found, which was not revealed by available computational methods. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The MATLAB source code implementing the models and algorithms is available from http://janhasenauer.github. io/ShAPE-DALSP/Contact: jan.hasenauer@helmholtz-muenchen.de SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Standardized full-field electroretinography. Normal values and their variation with age.

Full-field electroretinograms were obtained in 269 normal subjects with the International Standardization Protocol endorsed by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision and the National Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation Inc. Log rod and cone amplitudes decreased exponentially with age in adults; amplitudes declined to one half those in the young adult level (ages 15 to 24 years) by ages 69 and 70 years for rod and cone responses, respectively. B-wave implicit times increased with age for all responses. Lower limits of normal peak-to-peak amplitude and upper limits of normal b-wave implicit time (P < .05) were determined for each decade from birth to age 79 years. Naka-Rushton functions relating rod peak-to-peak amplitude to retinal illuminance were determined in 50 normal subjects. A significant decline in the log maximum asymptotic amplitude with age accounted for most of the amplitude decline in the standard protocol rod response. The average value of log k, the semisaturation constant, was only 0.1 log unit higher at age 70 years than at age 20 years, consistent with previous studies showing little decrease in photopigment optical density with age.
Hearing loss in a memory disorders clinic. A specially vulnerable population.

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence and characteristics of hearing loss in patients undergoing examination because of a memory disorder, to determine whether currently used screening tools were adequate for use in this specific population, and to determine if patients with Alzheimer disease reliably report hearing problems. DESIGN Case-control study. PATIENTS A consecutive sample of 52 patients: 30 patients who met the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for probable Alzheimer disease (group 1) and 22 patients with other forms of cognitive impairment (group 2). METHODS Patients underwent a hearing screening that included a case history, a visual inspection of the external ear canal and tympanic membrane, and pure tone audiometry. Patients and their caregivers completed a questionnaire intended to assess hearing impairment and perceived disability. OUTCOME MEASURES Pass or fail on pure tone audiometry and pass or fail on a hearing impairment questionnaire. RESULTS Of the 52 patients, 49 had significant hearing loss. No difference was found in the failure rate between patients in groups 1 and 2. In group 1, a significant discrepancy was found between the patient's self-report and that of their caregivers, whereas in group 2, the self-report was reliable. The prevalence of hearing loss in this population greatly exceeds the prevalence in healthy aged controls. CONCLUSION The extraordinarily high prevalence of hearing loss in this selected population suggests that a hearing evaluation should be part of any assessment of cognitive function.
Protective effect of aspirin against mitomycin C-induced carcinogenicity, assessed by the test for detection of epithelial tumor clones (warts) in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract The present study assessed the protective effect of aspirin against carcinogenicity induced by mitomycin C (MMC) by the test for detection of warts/epithelial tumor clones in Drosophila melanogaster. Larvae were treated with different concentrations of aspirin alone (10, 20 or 40 mg/mL) or aspirin in association with MMC. MMC and ultrapure water were employed as the positive and negative control, respectively. Antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH method. For performing cytotoxicity assay on HeLa cells, the aspirin concentrations used ranged from 200 mmol/L to 3,125 mmol/L. For assessment of apoptosis and necrosis, cells were incubated for 24 h with complete medium in the absence (control group) or presence of aspirin (12.5 mmol/L and 25 mmol/L). The results obtained in the assessment of the possible carcinogenic effects of aspirin at the three concentrations tested indicate no statistically significant increase in tumor frequency compared to the negative control. The anticarcinogenic activity assessment, where the larvae of D. melanogaster were previously induced to tumor formation by MMC and later treated with aspirin, showed a statistically significant reduction in the number of tumors compared to the positive control. Antioxidant activity across the three aspirin concentrations (10, 20 or 40 mg/mL) ranged from 20.81% to 26.5%. It was observed that aspirin reduced growth viability of HeLa cells in a concentration-dependent manner in comparison with the control. These results indicate that aspirin did not induce tumors in Drosophila and reduced MMC-induced carcinogenicity. The antioxidant activity and apoptosis induction appear to be the main mechanisms involved in reducing the frequency of tumors.
Enforcing Passivity for Admittance Matrices Approximated by Rational Functions

A linear power system component can be included in a transient simulation as a terminal equivalent by approximating its admittance matrix Y by rational functions in the frequency domain. Physical behavior of the resulting model entails that it should absorb active power for any set of applied voltages, at any frequency. This requires the real part of Y to be positive definite (PD). We calculate a correction to the rational approximation of Y that enforces the PD criterion to be satisfied. The correction is minimal with respect to the fitting error. The method is based on linearization and constrained minimization by quadratic programming. Examples show that models not satisfying the PD criterion can lead to an unstable simulation, even though the rational approximation has stable poles only. Enforcement of the PD criterion is demonstrated to give a stable result.
A study on the cutoff transaction size to the information value applying to the newsboy model

This investigation adopts the perspective of the retailer and incorporates information flow between a retailer and customers. Two models are considered which differ in terms of information completeness. The first model involves the retailer having incomplete information regarding the state of customers demand, namely extending the model of Dekker et al. [9] by considering the expected total inventory profit. The second model involves the retailer having full information on the state of customers demand. In addition, this work establishes a new algorithm based one the Golden Section Search Technique of Haftka et al. [11] to improve the inefficient algorithm of Dekker et al. [9] and integral solutions. Precise expressions are derived for the expected total profit of these two newsboy models with a cutoff transaction size and compound Poisson demand distribution through a number of numerical experiments. And the effects of parameters are also studied.