Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Residential Treatment for Youngsters with Difficult-to-Manage Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

A descriptive outcome study of 52 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) admitted to a residential treatment program over 6 years. Criteria for admission included repeated hospitalizations for diabetes-related problems, excessive school absences, and/or familial disruption. Residential treatment included individual, group, and family psychotherapy, diabetes education, and close medical supervision. The design included collection of data before, during and after treatment. Children admitted to the residential unit were compared to a population of pediatric IDDM outpatients from the same geographical area. Treatment was associated with a reduction in diabetes-related hospitalizations, improved school attendance, decreased glycosylated hemoglobin levels, weight gain, individualized insulin changes, improved knowledge about diabetes, and a normalization of attitudes towards this disease.
Procedural Modelling of Auspicious Cloud

Auspicious cloud is one of the most Chinese-style auspicious patterns with a long history in China. However, most of previous research works focus on realistic cloud animation, little effort has been paid to model auspicious cloud in traditional Chinese style. In this paper a procedural modelling method is presented. First, we construct the cloud skeleton curve by use of eclipses, we then arrange a series of primitive circles with different radiuses along with points in the curve and obtain cloud silhouette by union of these circles; We take a dynamic silhouette point as start position and draw a spiral curve along the centre of cloud. Experimental results show that the proposed method is able to generate a wide variety of auspicious clouds in traditional Chinese style.
Human immune response to various doses of group Y and W135 meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines

A divalent vaccine containing equal weights of Neisseria meningitidis group Y and group W135 capsular polysaccharides was inoculated subcutaneously into groups of 32 military recruit volunteers at doses of 10, 25, 50, and 100 micrograms in 10-microliter/microgram volumes. At 4 weeks, the two higher doses induced significantly greater binding antibody responses than did the two lower doses. Differences in response were not found between the two higher doses or between the two lower doses. An additional 32 volunteers received a dose of 25 micrograms in a 20-microliter/microgram volume. Binding antibody response to this vaccine did not differ from the response to doses of 10 and 25 microgram in 10-microliter/microgram volumes. In contrast, bactericidal antibody responses did not differ among doses. Bactericidal antibody was induced in 100% of individuals with low (greater than 4 log2) preexisting serum bactericidal activity, regardless of dose. Bactericidal antibody nonresponse was restricted to individuals with high preexisting serum bactericidal titers. The discrepant dose response between binding and bactericidal antibody resulted from the induction of nonlytic antibody by the higher doses. We conclude that there are no advantages to doses in excess of 5 micrograms of these two chemically similar polysaccharides for the target population of young adult military recruits.
Executive Compensation and Risk Taking in the Property and Liability Insurance Industry

Agency theory suggests that granting stock‐based compensation to execu‐tives incentivize risk‐taking by aligning managerial interests with those of the share‐holders. This study examines the relationship between executives’ stock‐basedcompensation and managerial risk‐taking behavior in the property liability insuranceindustry. We calculate the sensitivity of the value of executives’ stock holdings andoption holdings to stock price movement and hypothesize that the more sensitiveexecutives’ pay is to share price movement, the greater the incentive it provides toinduce risk‐taking that may result in equity volatility. Using data from 2006 to 2010,we find that firms whose executive compensation is more sensitive to stock pricemovement are associated with greater unsystematic risks. Additionally, consistentwith risk averse theory, our results show that the positive relationship between stock‐based compensation and firm risks is weakened when stock‐based compensationaccounts for a greater percentage of executives’ total compensation. Our main resultsremain consistent and robust when we use different model specifications and riskmeasures. We also find that stock holdings and option holdings create different effectson firm risks when executives receive a significant amount of such compensation. Thefindings suggest that stock granting and option granting should be treated separatelyin designing and evaluating the executive compensation package, and more researchis in call for finding the optimal weight of each in the package.
SportsMedUpdate

Methodology: Subjects: 1660/1980 (84%) of registered athletes (various disciplines) participating in the 11th IAAF World Athletics Championships Experimental procedure: Previously validated injury report forms (n=333) were completed by team physicians and physiotherapists of 49 teams during the event. 192 injuries (defi ned as “all musculoskeletal injuries newly occurred during competition or training regardless of the consequences with respect to absence from competition or training”) were reported. All injuries and time-loss injuries were reported Measures of outcome: Incidence of injury (per 1000 athletes), anatomical location, type, injuries in different disciplines
A Grid-Based Approximation Algorithm for the Minimum Weight Triangulation Problem

Given a set of n points on a plane, in the Minimum Weight Triangulation problem, we wish to find a triangulation that minimizes the sum of Euclidean length of its edges. This incredibly challenging problem has been studied for more than four decades and has been only recently shown to be NP-Hard. In this paper we present a novel polynomial-time algorithm that computes an expected 14-approximation of the minimum weight triangulation---a constant that is significantly smaller than what has been previously known. For every integer q ≥ 1, we also show that our triangulation is simultaneously a 14-approximation of a triangulation that minimizes the q-norm of its edge costs, i.e., the sum of qth powers of all its edges. In our algorithm, we use grids to partition the edges into levels where shorter edges appear at smaller levels and edges with similar lengths appear at the same level. We then triangulate the point set incrementally by introducing edges in increasing order of their levels. We introduce the edges of any level i + 1 in two steps. In the first step, we partition the boundary of any non-triangulated face into reflex chains and add edges between successive chains using a variant of the well-known ring heuristic to generate a partial triangulation [Equation]. In the second step, we greedily add non-intersecting level i + 1 edges to [Equation] in increasing order of their length and obtain a partial triangulation Ai+1. The ring heuristic is known to yield only an O(log n)-approximation even for a convex polygon and the greedy heuristic achieves only a [Equation]-approximation. Therefore, it is surprising that their combination leads to an improved approximation ratio of 14. For the proof, we identify several useful properties of [Equation] and combine it with a new Euler characteristic based technique to show that [Equation] has more edges than [Equation] here [Equation] is the partial triangulation consisting of level ≤ i edges of some minimum weight triangulation. We then use a simple greedy stays ahead proof strategy to bound the approximation ratio.
Polycentrism and the International Joint Commission

Courts are called upon everyday to resolve disputes. Does that mean that they are the most appropriate forum for settling all types of cases? This article posits that they are not. It argues that courts are not suited to settling polycentric issues. Polycentric disputes are said to have numerous complicated, multifaceted, and unpredictable social and economic repercussions. In most cases, the settlement of polycentric issues requires significant expertise. They are therefore regarded as “unsuitable for judicial resolution”. Hence, adjudication is best appropriate for bilateral disputes over private claims of rights. It is least well-suited to disputes that implicate polycentric issues, which require a weighing of interests and the capacity to seek out and evaluate complex data. This is particularly true in environmental and natural resource cases. This article is part of a Wayne Law Review symposium volume commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, between Canada and the United States. It examines the International Joint Commission (“IJC”), created by the Treaty, as a dispute settlement body and how it has resolved over 100 environmental disputes in since it was established in 1912. I posit here that non-court or non-adversarial dispute settlement bodies, such as the IJC, are better suited to resolving environmental and natural resource disputes than are courts. This because they offer the parties and the members of the “tribunal” the time and opportunity to delve into the issues, to employ technical expertise and to work towards a win-win outcome as opposed to the winner take all outcomes that are the necessary result in courts. In many respects these types of tribunals act like Masters that are appointed by United States federal courts pursuant to Fed.R. Civ.Pro. 53.
Evolutionary inferences of novel simian T lymphotropic virus type 1 from wild-caught chacma (Papio ursinus) and olive baboons (Papio anubis).

A serological survey of 22 wild-caught South African (Transvaal) chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) and eight olive baboons (Papio anubis) from Kenya indicates that 13 P. ursinus and one P. anubis have antibodies reacting with human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-1) antigens, whereas three P. ursinus had a indeterminate reactivity on Western blot analysis. With six primer sets specific to either HTLV-1-Simian T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (STLV-1) or HTLV-2 and encompassing long terminal repeat (LTR), gag, pol, env, and tax sequences, polymerase chain reaction was performed on genomic DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 18 animals, and the presence of HTLV-1-STLV-1-related viruses was determined in 13 seropositive and three seroindeterminate animals but not in the two HTLV seronegative individuals. Proviral DNA sequences from env (522 bp), pol (120 bp), and complete (755 bp) or partial (514 bp) LTR were determined for three STLV-1-infected P. ursinus and one P. anubis. Comparative and phylogenetic analyses revealed that P. anubis (Pan-486) sequence clusters with one (Pan-1621) of two previously described P. anubis STLV-1. Likewise, P. ursinus viruses (Pur-529, Pur-539, and Pur-543) form a distinct group, different from all known HTLV-1 but closely affiliated with two STLV-1 strains from South African vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops pygerythrus). This study, reporting the first STLV-1 sequences from wild-caught P. ursinus and P. anubis, corroborates the hypothesis of cross-species transmissions of STLV-1 in the wild. Further, phylogenetic analyses indicate that the known HTLV-1 strains do not share a common origin with nonhuman primates STLV in South Africa.
Essays in financial econometrics: GMM and conditional heteroscedasticity

MIKE AGUILAR: Essays in Financial Econometrics: GMM and Conditional Heteroscedasticity. (Under the direction of Eric Renault.) This dissertation consists of three papers in the field of financial econometrics. In the first paper, I use a factor structure to model a system of conditionally heteroscedastic asset returns. In the second paper, I illustrate how standard asymptotic results for GMM estimators may be maintained even in the face of moment conditions with infinite variance. In the third paper, I describe a test to distinguish GARCH from Stochastic Volatility models.
Musculoskeletal complaints among a group of Turkish nurses

The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence and distribution of symptoms of musculoskeletal complaints among Turkish nurses who are practicing general nursing. The study population consisted of 120 nursing staff from four large general hospitals in Erzurum, Turkey. In every hospital six departments (surgery, medical, obstetric and gynecology, psychiatry, pediatric, and neurology) were selected. A Nordic standardized questionnaire described by Kuorinka et al. (1987) about complaints of the musculoskeletal system and a self-administered questionnaire involved information on the respondent's job and employment history, individual characteristics, physical and psychosocial risk factors at work, and general health status, were used by the researchers. Test data were analyzed for the difference between two population proportion and percentage. In the total population, 90% of all nurses reported at least one musculoskeletal complaint, 60% reported at least two, and 36% reported spells of three complaints in the past 6 months. Low back complaints were the most prevalent of musculoskeletal complaints, reported by 69% of the nurses. Neck complaints were less prevalent than shoulder (46% and 54%, respectively). Nurses with back complaint more often reported neck (28%) and shoulder (34%) complaints. Chronic low back, neck, and shoulder complaints were experienced by 41%, 25%, and 33% nurses, respectively. On the other hand, chronic complaints showed a correlation with working departments. The nurses working in surgery and obstetric and gynecology departments have more chronic complaints than the nurses working in other department (p <. 05). The article's findings do not differ from those of other countries. Despite its limitations, this study points to the importance of perceived worked-related physical demands in relation to reported neck, shoulder, and back musculoskeletal complaints in Turkish nurses. But, further inquiries are needed to identify other physical exposures that may be related to musculoskeletal complaints.
The Impact of Involvement in Educational Politics on New Jersey Teachers' Job Satisfaction, Self-Efficacy, and Work Locus of Control: A Survey Research Study

v List of Figures ix List of Tables x Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Educational Policy & Teachers in the United States 2 Teaching in the United States 6 Novice Teachers 8 Jos Satisfaction and Self-Efficacy 8 Education in New Jersey 10 Teacher Unions 12 Problem Statement 14 Purpose Statement 16 Definition of Terms 17 Theoretical Framework 18 Significance of Study 19 Practice 19 Policy 19 Research 20 Limitations 20 Overview of Dissertation 21 Chapter 2: Literature Review 23 Teacher Attrition 23 Teacher Job Satisfaction 26 Intrinsic Factors 27 vii Table of
The learning curve for laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Preliminary results from a prospective analysis of 1194 laparoscopic-assisted colectomies.

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy is an emerging technology for patients with cancer, polyps, inflammation, and other types of pathologic conditions. While previous studies have shown better outcomes for laparoscopic cholecystectomies when surgeons perform more procedures, there is no information on the relationship between surgeon volume and outcomes for laparoscopic-assisted colectomy. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether better clinical outcomes are found for surgeons who perform higher numbers of laparoscopic-assisted colectomies and whether such a relationship, if it exists, applies to both intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. DESIGN Analysis of a data set of 1194 patients, operated on by 114 surgeons, from a prospective registry sponsored by the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, from May 1991 to October 1994. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Completion rate, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS In 75% of cases, surgery was completed laparoscopically, with no difference between high-volume surgeons (> or = 40 cases) and low-volume surgeons. Length of stay (average, 6 days) did not vary according to surgeon volume. Postoperative complications occurred in 15% of cases, with a significantly lower rate for high-volume surgeons (10% vs 19%; P < .001). Intraoperative complications occurred in 5% of cases, with a nonsignificant trend toward a lower rate for high-volume surgeons (3.7% vs 6.3%). A multivariate regression analysis, adjusting for type of disease (cancer vs inflammation vs polyps) and for level of difficulty of the procedure (high vs low) showed that for high-volume surgeons there is a lower probability of both intraoperative complications (adjusted odds ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-0.97; P = .04) and postoperative complications (adjusted odds ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.68; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS There is a learning curve for laparoscopic-assisted colectomy with respect to intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. As with other laparoscopic procedures, surgeons who perform higher volumes of laparoscopic-assisted colectomy have lower rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications.
What Schools Can Do to Increase Racial Acceptance?

Although several articles of progress exist that indicate various levels of improvement in race relations in America—perhaps the most notable being the election of the country’s first African American president--racism is far from over. News reports have highlighted the resurfacing of hate groups, and some even suggest that the political dissension that exists on Capitol Hill is directly correlated to the color of the President’s skin. This article looks at schools as one possible source of this problem and as a possible place for solutions. It includes a study done in three public schools in southeast Michigan that evaluated acceptance levels of African American teachers and White teachers of one another. The study showed that in their most personal and intimate actions or dating, sharing confidences and sexual relations, neither group is accepting of each other. The article also gives some suggested approaches to improve relations between African American and White teachers.
Ploughing a different furrow: faith, farming and the market

Abstract There has been considerable debate in recent years about the future of agriculture and food production in Britain. The challenges of foot and mouth disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, tuberculosis and genetically modified crops, and the changes to the Common Agricultural Policy have all contributed to these discussions. Some look to an extension of intensive specialised farming, some to a re-discovery of organic production, and others to farm diversification or environmental conservation as the likely solutions to the uncertainties of a global market. Rural churches and officers have also been involved in addressing such questions, attempting to make connections between our faith traditions and the realities of a competitive, economic world.
Effect of dosing time of angiotensin II receptor blockade titrated by self-measured blood pressure recordings on cardiorenal protection in hypertensives: the Japan Morning Surge-Target Organ Protection (J-TOP) study

Objectives To study the impact of the dosing time of an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) titrated by self-measured home blood pressure (HBP) on cardiorenal damage in hypertensives. Methods We conducted an open-label multicenter trial, the J-TOP study, that enrolled 450 hypertensives with self-measured systolic HBP more than 135 mmHg. The study patients were stratified into three groups according to the difference between their morning and evening SBPs difference: a morning hypertension group (morning and evening difference at least 15 mmHg; n = 170), a morning and evening hypertension group (0 mmHg ≤ morning and evening difference <15 mmHg; n = 198), and an evening hypertension group (morning and evening difference <0 mmHg; n = 82). Individuals were then randomly allocated to receive bedtime dosing or awakening dosing of candesartan (± diuretic as needed) titrated to achieve a target systolic HBP less than 135 mmHg. The 6-month change in the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) was assessed. Results In total patients, the UACR was more markedly reduced in the bedtime-dosing group than in the awakening-dosing group (−45.7 vs. −34.5%, P = 0.02), whereas there were no differences in the reduction of any of the HBPs including the sleep blood pressures (BPs) between the two groups. Among the three subgroups stratified by the morning and evening difference, the difference in the UACR reduction between the bedtime-dosing and awakening-dosing groups was only significant in the morning hypertension group (−50.6 vs. −31.3%, P = 0.02). Conclusion In HBP-guided antihypertensive treatment in hypertensives, bedtime dosing of an ARB may be superior to awakening dosing for reducing microalbuminuria.
Effect of Cellular Elements on Pressure-Velocity Relationship in Mice

The effect of cellular elements in the blood on peripheral vascular function in mice was evaluated using the pressure-velocity relationships in the iliac arteries of 5 wild type (WT) and 3 polycythemic (MH) mice. Pressure was obtained using a fluid filled catheter in the left iliac artery and blood velocity was measured in the right iliac artery using a 20 MHz pulsed Doppler probe. The proximal aorta was then occluded for one minute to allow flow velocity to decay to zero. The pressure-velocity relationship in the diastolic phase was determined before and after aortic occlusion. In both groups the pressure-velocity relationship was almost linear and the slopes were similar. However, the extrapolated zero-velocity intercept was significantly higher for the MH than WT mice before (55.4 ± 4.0 vs. 36.2 ± 4.1 mmHg, p<0.01) and after occlusion (50.7 ± 5.5 vs. 23.8 ± 3.1 mmHg, p<0.01). Hematocrits were 41%±3 in WT and 59%±3 in MH mice. These data show that cellular elements in the blood alter the pressure-velocity relationships in peripheral vessels of mice.
A dual system of intercellular calcium signaling in glial nets associated with lanceolate sensory endings in rat vibrissae

The lanceolate sensory endings that form palisades around the hair follicle associate with networks of branched Schwann cells. To define the properties of these glial networks as possible conduits of Ca2+ signals, lanceolate endings isolated from rat vibrissae were observed by confocal microscopy while the signaling was locally activated by mechanical stimulation. Intercellular coupling by gap junctions was also assessed by a technique employing fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results showed that the glial Ca2+ signals can spread among the arrays of lanceolates in two forms: rapid signals that originate in individual Schwann processes covering the lanceolate axon terminals around the locus of mechanical stimulation, and delayed ones that travel from the stimulation locus through cytoplasmic arborization of the primarily activated cell to the adjacent cell processes. The former signaling was suppressed by the antipurinergic agents suramin and apyrase, whereas the latter was sensitive to the gap junction blocker carbenoxolon. FRAP experiments and TEM observations corroborated the presence of gap junction communications between the Schwann processes of different cell origins. These findings show that, in the Schwann networks, purinergically induced Ca2+ signals and those dependent on gap junctions are propagated in their own spatiotemporal patterns to constitute two distinct forms of communication among the mechanoreceptor palisades. J. Comp. Neurol. 510:68–78, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.