Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multimorbidity research challenges: where to go from here?

The last decade has seen an increase in research focusing on patients with multiple chronic conditions. A recent review reported only two published studies on multimorbidity between 1990 and 2000, increasing to 39 between 2001 and 2010 [1]. This research has been largely driven by two factors: the increasing demographics of the older population worldwide [2], coupled with a growing awareness of the high prevalence of patients with multiple chronic conditions [1,3]. Through this research, there has been an increasing appreciation and understanding of the complexities associated with the management and care of these patients both from a health practitioner and a patient perspective [4,5]. However, there is still much work to be done if we are to improve health outcomes, quality of care, and develop the necessary healthcare systems required to provide integrated and coordinated care for this growing population. In order to move this research agenda forward, it is important to reflect on what we currently know, to facilitate the identification of potential gaps in our knowledge base. Journal of Comorbidity 2011;1(1):8–10
A wideband 5 GHz digital PLL using a low-power two-step time-to-digital converter

This paper presents the design of a wideband, low-jitter 5 GHz digital phase-locked loop (DPLL) in 65 nm CMOS. The DPLL uses a high-resolution, low-power two-step time-to-digital converter (TDC) to achieve a wide loop bandwidth (BW) with low jitter. The DPLL is designed with a loop BW of 4 MHz using a 100 MHz reference and achieves a root mean square (RMS) jitter and a peak-to-peak (PP) jitter of 1.59 ps and 20.69 ps respectively at 5 GHz operation. The DPLL occupies an area of 0.026 mm2 and consumes 4.5 mA from a 1.2 V supply.
Twin‐reversed arterial perfusion sequence associated with decreased fetal cerebral vascular impedance

Twin‐reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence affects 1% of monochorionic twin pregnancies and is caused by abnormal vascular connections between a pump twin and an acardiac mass. The effects of abnormal vascular connections on cerebral vasculature in the pump twin are unknown. We hypothesize that abnormal cerebral vascular impedance, as assessed by the pulsatility index (PI), is present in pump twins and that fetal intervention alters cerebral impedance.
The Sale of Assets to Manage Earnings in Japan

In this article we investigate Japanese managers’ use of income from the sale of fixed assets and marketable securities to manage earnings. The earnings management target examined is Japanese managers’ forecasts of current–year earnings. We find a negative relation between income from asset sales and management forecast error. When current reported operating income is below (above) management's forecast of operating income, firms increase (decrease) earnings through the sale of fixed assets and marketable securities. The results hold after controlling for expected future performance, debt–to–equity ratio, size, growth, and last year's income from asset sales.
Working Conditions and Early Retirement

This article investigates the impact of working conditions on individual retirement for 270 occupations. It combines survey data for estimates of job strains, census data for occupations, and income and social insurance/security data, for the transition from work to retirement for 19,114 Norwegian employees between the ages of 60 and 67. Retirement was identified by a drop in work-related income and studied both jointly and separately for disability and nondisability retirement, including four types of disability. Data were analyzed using logistic regression (competing risk) “duration” models. Findings indicate that disability retirement is related to physical job strains. Among men, both pathways of early retirement are related to low autonomy in job tasks. Furthermore, psychological job stress may reduce nondisability retirement. The findings are discussed in relation to (1) the prospect of reducing early retirement by changing working conditions and (2) who will gain from certain changes in pension systems.
INBREEDING AVOIDANCE AND THE EVOLUTION OF GENDER DIMORPHISM IN WURMBEA BIGLANDULOSA (COLCHICACEAE)

Abstract How females establish in populations of cosexuals is central to understanding the evolution of gender dimorphism in angiosperms. Inbreeding avoidance hypotheses propose that females can establish and be maintained if cosexual fitness is reduced because they self-fertilize, and their progeny express inbreeding depression. Here we assess the role of inbreeding avoidance in maintaining sexual system variation in Wurmbea biglandulosa. We estimated costs of self-pollination, mating patterns, and inbreeding depression in gender monomorphic (cosexuals only) and dimorphic (males and females) populations. Costs of selfing, estimated from seed set of experimentally self- and cross-pollinated flowers, were severe in both males and cosexuals (inbreeding depression, δ = 0.86). In a field experiment, intact males that could self produced fewer seeds than both emasculated males and females, whereas seed set of intact and emasculated cosexuals did not differ. Thus, pollinator-mediated selfing reduces fitness of males but not cosexuals under natural conditions. Outcrossing rates of males revealed substantial selfing (t = 0.68), whereas females and cosexuals were outcrossed (0.92 and 0.97). For males, progeny inbreeding coefficients exceeded parental coefficients (0.220 vs. 0.009), whereas for females and cosexuals these coefficients did not differ and approached zero. Differences in coefficients between males and their progeny indicate that selfed progeny express severe inbreeding depression (δ = 0.93). Combined with inbreeding depression for seed set, cumulative δ = 0.99, indicating that most or all selfed zygotes fail to reach reproductive maturity. We propose that present sexual system variation in W. biglandulosa is maintained by high inbreeding depression coupled with differences in selfing rates among monomorphic and dimorphic populations.
Multi-objective portfolio optimization of mutual funds under downside risk measure using fuzzy theory

Article history: Received 6 April 2012 Received in revised format 26 April 2012 Accepted May 24 2012 Available online 30 May 2012 Mutual fund is one of the most popular techniques for many people to invest their funds where a professional fund manager invests people's funds based on some special predefined objectives; therefore, performance evaluation of mutual funds is an important problem. This paper proposes a multi-objective portfolio optimization to offer asset allocation. The proposed model clusters mutual funds with two methods based on six characteristics including rate of return, variance, semivariance, turnover rate, Treynor index and Sharpe index. Semivariance is used as a downside risk measure. The proposed model of this paper uses fuzzy variables for return rate and semivariance. A multi-objective fuzzy mean-semivariance portfolio optimization model is implemented and fuzzy programming technique is adopted to solve the resulted problem. The proposed model of this paper has gathered the information of mutual fund traded on NASDAQ from 2007 to 2009 and Pareto optimal solutions are obtained considering different weights for objective functions. The results of asset allocation, rate of return and risk of each cluster are also determined and they are compared with the results of two clustering methods. © 2012 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved
PRICES IN EMISSIONS PERMIT MARKETS: THE ROLE OF INVESTOR FORESIGHT AND CAPITAL DURABILITY

Of the many regulatory responses to climate change, cap-and-trade is the only one currently endorsed by large segments of the scientific, economic and political establishments. Under this type of system, regulators set the overall path of carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions, allocate or auction the appropriate number of emissions allowances to regulated entities and - through trading - allow the market to converge upon the least expensive set of abatement opportunities. As a result, the trading price of allowances is not set by the regulator as it would be under a tax system, but instead evolves over time to reflect the underlying supply and demand for allowances. In this paper, I develop a simple theory that relates the initial clearing price of CO2 allowances to the marginal cost premium of carbon-free technology, the maximum rate of energy capital replacement and the market interest rate. This theory suggests that the initial clearing price may be lower than the canonical range of CO2 prices found in static technology assessments. Consequently, these results have broad implications for the design of a comprehensive regulatory solution to the climate problem, providing, for example, some intuition about the proper value of a possible CO2 price trigger in a future cap-and-trade system.
Nutrition of the weaned holstein calf. II. Effect of dietary protein level on nitrogen balance, digestibility and feed intake.

Four cracked corn-based diets supplemented with 0, 5, 10 and 15% soybean meal (SBM) were fed to weaned male Holstein calves to study effects of protein level on digestibility and nitrogen balance, in one trial, and on feed intake, in another. Twelve calves were used in each trial in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square design. Calves were 9 to 12 weeks of age at the start of the experiment and diets ranged from 9.9 to 16.2% crude protein (CP). In trial 1; feed intake was restricted to 80 g dry matter (DM) per kilogram metabolic body weight (W-75). There was a linear change (P less than .01) in apparent DM digestibility, increasing from 71.1% with the low protein diet to 75.1% with the high protein diet. Similar significant trends were observed in digestibility of organic matter (71.2 to 75.3%), nitrogen (61.6 to 72.2%), acid detergent fiber (36.2 to 44.8%) and starch (86.3 to 89.7%). Fecal starch decreased, from 28.4 to 22.1% of DM, and fecal pH increased, from 5.21 to 5.52, as SBM was substituted for corn; both of these trends were significant (P less than .01), linear component); they were also correlated (r = .55, P less than .01). Nitrogen (N) retention increased with dietary protein level (P less than .01, linear component), from 9.0 to 10.9 to 11.9 to 13.2 g N/kg digestible organic matter intake for diets 1 through 4, respectively. The same percentage of nitrogen intake was retained on all diets, but the amount of absorbed nitrogen that was retained decreased with dietary protein level (P less than .01, linear component) from 63.0% with 9.9% CP to 51.4% with 16.2% CP. In trial 2, voluntary feed intake averaged 98.2, 110.1, 106.3 and 106.5 g DM/W-75 for diets 1 to 4, respectively, (P less than .05, quadratic component). Live weight gain increased in a linear manner (P less than .01) with increasing CP, from . 77kg/day with diet 1 to 1.22 kg/day with diet 4.
Influence of Bodily Injuries on Symptom Reporting Following Uncomplicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in US Military Service Members

Objective:To examine the relations among bodily injuries, traumatic stress, and postconcussion symptoms in a sample of combat-injured US service members who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury. Participants:One hundred and thirty-seven service members evaluated and treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center following medical evacuation from the combat theater of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. All had sustained an uncomplicated mild traumatic brain injury and concurrent bodily injuries. Procedure:Participants completed 2 symptom checklists within 3 months of injury. Severity of bodily injuries was quantified with a modified version of the Injury Severity Score that excluded intracranial injuries (ISSmod). Participants were classified into 4 ISSmod groups: minor (n = 17), moderate (n = 48), serious (n = 40), severe/critical (n = 32). Main outcome measures:Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NBSI) and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian version (PCLC). Results:There was a significant negative association between ISSmod scores and the NBSI and PCLC total scores. There were significant main effects across the 4 groups for the NBSI and PCLC total scores. The highest NBSI and PCLC scores were consistently found in the ISSmod minor group, followed by the moderate, serious, and severe/critical groups. Conclusions:While it might be expected that greater comorbid physical injuries would be associated with greater symptom burden, in this study as the severity of bodily injuries increased, symptom burden decreased. Hypothesized explanations include: underreporting of symptoms; increased peer support; disruption of fear conditioning due to acute morphine use; or delayed expression of symptoms.
Midodrine in neurally mediated syncope: A double‐blind, randomized, crossover study

Neurally mediated syncope is the most frequent cause of syncope in patients without structural heart disease. Its most common trigger is a reduction in venous return to the heart due to excessive venous pooling in the legs. We conducted a double‐blind, randomized, crossover trial to investigate the efficacy of midodrine, a selective α‐1 adrenergic agonist that decreases venous capacitance, in preventing neurally mediated syncope triggered by passive head‐up tilt. Twelve patients with history of recurrent neurally mediated syncope, which was reproduced during head‐up tilt, were randomized to receive a nonpressor dose of midodrine (5mg) or placebo on day 1 and the opposite on day 3. One hour after drug or placebo administration, patients underwent 60‐degree head‐up tilt lasting 40 minutes (unless hypotension or bradycardia developed first). In the supine position, midodrine produced no significant change in blood pressure or heart rate. The responses to head‐up tilt were significantly different on the midodrine and the placebo day: on the placebo day, 67% (8/12) of the subjects suffered neurally mediated syncope, whereas only 17% (2/12) of the subjects developed neurally mediated syncope on the midodrine day (p < 0.02). These results indicate that midodrine significantly improves orthostatic tolerance during head‐up tilt in patients with recurrent neurally mediated syncope.
Role of the Otx1 gene in cell differentiation of mammalian cortex

This study analyses by immunohistochemical methods the effects of the deletion of the Otx1 gene on 12 areas of the cerebral cortex and on neurons expressing Ca‐binding proteins (CaBP), such as parvalbumin (Pv) and calbindin‐D28K (Cb). We found that the deletion of the Otx1 gene modified differently the various cortical areas. The decrease in cortical thickness ranged from 29.35 to 9.85% and the reduction in cellular population from 35.90 to 3.65% in the different cortical areas. The influence of the Otx1 gene concerns all cortical layers with variable effects on different cortical areas. The cellular population of cerebral cortex considered as a whole was reduced by 20.67%, Pv‐positive (Pv+) cells by 58.01% and Cb‐positive (Cb+) cells by 51.54%. The quantitative distribution of Pv+ and Cb+ cells varied independently in the different cortical areas. Topographic analysis of CaBP cells in Otx1‐null mice (Otx1−/−) showed that Pv+ cells were principally distributed in layers IV and V and Cb+ cells in layers V and VI. Given that in the development of wild‐type mice both cell types first appear in deep layers and later spread to superficial ones, the segregation of CaBP neurons in inner layers of Otx1−/− animals is an index of the immaturity of the cerebral cortex of these animals. This study showed that the Otx1 gene has a more complex role than previously reported, as it is involved in the maturation and differentiation of various cerebral cortices, and, specifically, in the development of CaBP cells.
Airline Fleet Assignment with Enhanced Revenue Modeling

The airline fleet assignment problem addresses the question of how to best assign aircraft fleet types to scheduled flight legs. This paper presents the subnetwork fleet assignment model: a model that employs composite decision variables representing the simultaneous assignment of fleet types to subnetworks of one or more flight legs. The formulation is motivated by the need to better model the revenue side of the objective function. We present a solution method designed to balance revenue approximation and model tractability. Computational results suggest that the approach yields profit improvements over comparable models and that it is computationally tractable for problems of practical size.
Input–Output Analysis, Labour Scarcity and Relative Price Endogeneity: Aggregate Demand Disturbances in a ‘Flex-price’ Leontief System

In this paper, we introduce scarcity into a conventional demand-driven input–output system to produce a ‘flex-price’ Leontief model. We retain the fixed technical coefficients but allow changes in relative prices to reflect variations in the real wage. Because the consumption coefficients increase with the real wage, the aggregate labour demand curve is found to be upward sloping. This produces conventional results, as long as the labour supply curve is perfectly elastic (horizontal). However, once we introduce labour scarcity, in the form of an upward sloping labour supply function, we derive the seemingly paradoxical result that the output and employment effects of a demand expansion are greater here than in conventional input–output. Through simulation, this result is found to be strongly dependent on the assumption of export exogeneity.
Auditory Screening in Neonates by Means of Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions: A Report of 2,842 Recordings

The principal goal of an early identification program is to identify hearing impairment present at birth, in order to effect appropriate intervention as early as possible. Although recent research provides some evidence for the value of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) in neonate hearing screening, data are needed from large-scale clinical evaluations about the value of using TEOAEs for screening not only high-risk but also healthy neonates. A cohort of 1,421 neonates (2,842 ears) from the well-baby nursery was screened with TEOAEs in a 2-stage process. Neonates were referred from the first test prior to being discharged from the hospital. Those who failed were rescreened before the end of the first month. Those who did not pass the second-stage TEOAE screening were referred for diagnostic audiological evaluation for confirmation of hearing loss. Neonates transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit were not included in this study. Two neonates with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss of >40 dB hearing level were identified from this cohort. This study demonstrates the feasibility and the limitations of using TEOAEs as a universal hearing screening tool for all neonates. It confirms that the prevalence of hearing impairment in neonates has to be taken into account, even in a group of children without high-risk criteria. In France, a prevalence of 1.4 per 1,000 would represent 1,000 deaf children born every year, with reference to about 700,000 births per year. This study suggests that such universal screening programs would substantially increase the rate of early-identified infants with significant hearing impairment.
Integration of M-learning and LMS: A sustainability approach

Mobile phones are widely used in both rich and poor countries, unlike what happens with other ICTs. The expansion of mobile telephony in poor countries presents an opportunity to fight against digital divide. In the latter countries, mobile phones are used to get information and services about agriculture, health, and education among other areas. Specifically in the area of education there are many who think that mobile phones are a useful tool to help achieve universal primary education, one of the Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. There are many educational experiences with mobile phones for development. But most of these experiences have serious limitations that affect their long-term sustainability. In this line, the current paper provides a set of guidelines to define more sustainable and long-term viable mobile-learning projects and presents its applications to a m-learning project: the Moodbile project.
Italy: Red, Black, and Blue

Back in the pre-history of the early Cold War, Italy’s politics used to be bitterly divided along ideological lines. On the one side, there were the Christian Democrats, strong from the support of the Catholic Church, and its centrist allies. On the other side, there were the Communists. When the Cold War ended, the party system collapsed, but the hope was raised that Italy might become a “normal country. ” A decade on, the country is once again torn by ideological conflict. A host of divisive issues keeps the political pot constantly bubbling. Some of these issues have deep roots in Italian history and society; some of them are quite new. Yet taken together, they have the potential to cause upheaval in Italian democracy. This is not alarmism. The foreign minister, the Left Democrat Massimo D’Alema, warned in May that Italy was running the risk of another revolt against the political class similar to the antiparty revolt of the early 1990s. D’Alema is universally regarded as arrogant and Machiavellian, but nobody disputes that he is an acute observer of the political scene. If he says it, it is because it is so. But what neither he nor anybody else in politics seems able to find is a way to turn down the gas under the pot and to keep political passions simmering at an acceptable temperature.
Identification of Two Distinct Types of Flagellar Cap Proteins, FliD, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT Binding of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAK to mucin has been shown to be mediated by the flagellar cap protein, product of the fliD gene. Since the flagellar cap is very likely an exposed structure, the FliD polypeptide should be recognized by the host immune system, analogous to the recognition of dominant epitopes located in the exposed parts of the flagellin polypeptide within the assembled flagellum. In P. aeruginosa, a number of distinct flagellin variants are made, and these variable sequences presumably allow the newly infected P. aeruginosa to escape recognition by the antibody induced during a previous infection. Since similar mechanisms may direct the selection of FliD variants, we examined the extent of sequence heterogeneity among various FliD sequences among a selected group of P. aeruginosa. The results of PCR and nucleotide sequencing of the fliD region of eight different P. aeruginosa strains (laboratory strains PAK, PAO1, and PA103; clinical strains 1244, CS2, and CS32; cystic fibrosis strains CS29 and MDR) suggested that there were two distinct types of FliD in P. aeruginosa, which we named A type and B type. The results of Western blotting using the polyclonal antibodies raised against the purified FliD of A type (PAK) or B type (PAO1) further confirmed the existence of two distinct antigenic types of FliD proteins, with no cross-reactivity between the two serotypes. Further Western immunoblot analysis of the same strains using polyclonal FliC antibody showed that the strains with A-type FliD possessed a-type FliC and those with B-type FliD had b-type FliC. Similar Western blot analyses of 50 more P. aeruginosastrains obtained from varied sources revealed that all strains contained either A-type or B-type FliD, suggesting the existence of only two types of FliD in P. aeruginosa and indicating thatfliC and fliD were coinherited. This limited diversity of FliC and FliD serotypes seems to be a unique feature of flagellar proteins. A chromosomal mutant having an insertion in thefliD gene of P. aeruginosa PAO1 was constructed. The motility defect of this mutant and a previously constructed PAK fliD mutant was better complemented with the fliD gene of the homologous types.