Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Irregular Astigmatism and Keratoconus with the VISX C-CAP Method

Irregular astigmatism is a very difficult and challenging problem for both patient and eye care physician due to the extremely debilitating symptoms it produces, including among others poor visual acuity not correctable with spectacle use; glare; halos; double or multiple vision; and reduced contrast sensitivity. This condition requires the use of rigid contact lenses in order to obtain improvement in quality of vision. However, a proportion of patients develop contact lens intolerance and they are left with only two options: limited vision with eye glasses or a corneal graft. Unfortunately, keratoplasty is not always the final answer for this disease. Frequently, an anatomically successful keratoplasty induces optical problems, such as residual spherical and cylindrical aberrations or irregular astigmatism, which may require the use of rigid contact lenses again. Also, a keratoplasty may have the risk of immune rejection or primary graft failure, situations that may hamper an optimal biological and visual result, with no more surgical options ahead. Bearing these facts in mind, we have developed a surgical technique intended to correct irregular astigmatism and keratoconus through a corneal topography assisted excimer laser ablation. This treatment has been performed as a customized ablation using the C-CAP (custom-contoured ablation pattern) method in the VISX Star S2 and S3 excimer laser systems. Herein we present the properties of the C-CAP program and the surgical technique to treat irregular astigmatism.
Erythromycin resistance mutations in ribosomal proteins L22 and L4 perturb the higher order structure of 23 S ribosomal RNA.

We have used chemical modification to examine the conformation of 23 S rRNA in Escherichia coli ribosomes bearing erythromycin resistance mutations in ribosomal proteins L22 and L4. Changes in reactivity to chemical probes were observed at several nucleotide positions scattered throughout 23 S rRNA. The L4 mutation affects the reactivity of G799 and U1255 in domain II and that of A2572 in domain V. The L22 mutation influences modification in domain II at positions m5U747, G748, and A1268, as well as at A1614 in domain III and G2351 in domain V. The reactivity of A789 is weakly enhanced by both the L22 and L4 mutations. None of these nucleotide positions has previously been associated with macrolide antibiotic resistance. Interestingly, neither of the ribosomal protein mutations produces any detectable effects at or within the vicinity of A2058 in domain V, the site most frequently shown to confer macrolide resistance when altered by methylation or mutation. Thus, while L22 and L4 bind primarily to domain I of 23 S rRNA, erythromycin resistance mutations in these ribosomal proteins perturb the conformation of residues in domains II, III and V and affect the action of antibiotics known to interact with nucleotide residues in the peptidyl transferase center of domain V. These results support the hypothesis that ribosomal proteins interact with rRNA at multiple sites to establish its functionally active three-dimensional structure, and suggest that these antibiotic resistance mutations act by perturbing the conformation of rRNA.
Defending the Price of Oil

Potential surpluses of oil have been around for a very long time; as a consequence, the defense of prices has always required continually renewed vigilance. It is true that there have been short periods of temporary scarcity and, from time to time, fears of an imminent long-run scarcity, as in the 1920s in the United States and again today. But for at least 60 years, the oil industry seems to have been more concerned with maintaining prices against the pressure of surpluses. "Competition" was always the scapegoat, for in spite of the strong monopolistic elements in the organization of the industry, gluts were the direct result of the behavior of oil companies as they competed to discover and control crude oil production and markets.
Distributions of soft-decision symbols using channel-estimation based equalizers

For communications, the estimated symbols (the output of a channel equalizer) is sometimes referred to as soft-estimate of the (transmitted) symbols. The mean squared Euclidian distribution between the soft symbol and true symbols yields the mean squared symbol estimation error, sometimes referred to as the soft-decision error. The soft symbol distribution is a key measure of the equalizer performance and is used for calculating the probability of bit errors. In this paper, we apply a channel estimation (CE) based decision feedback equalizer (DFE) to at sea data. For CE-DFE, we assume channel estimation in the training mode to avoid the error feedback problem that often occurs in real data processing. The reason is to study the relationship between equalizer performance and channel estimation performance without the error feedback problem. Specifically, we investigate the relation between the soft-decision error and signal prediction error; the latter is used as a measure for the channel estimation error. For channel estimation, we used various algorithms based on signal subspace tracking as well as conventional full space tracking. For each channel estimation algorithm, we estimate the symbol distribution. We find the distributions of the soft-estimate symbols are well fitted by a Gaussian normal distribution, with a variance predictable by the signal prediction error.
Migration, Remittances, and the Family

Remittances by migrants along with migration itself are elements in a migrant familys intertemporal contractual arrangement. The reasons why the migrant and his family voluntarily enter into a mutually beneficial contractual arrangement with each other rather than with a 3rd party--are discussed and the conditions under which the contractual arrangement is self-enforcing are identified. Both parties can usually benefit from a number of Pareto-efficient mutual contractual arrangements. This gives rise to an indeterminacy problem solved through a bargaining process between the parties who consequently converge to a contractual arrangement implying a specific flow of migrant-to-family remittances. The chosen contractual arrangement reflects the relative bargaining powers of the parties and variables impinging upon these powers thus bear upon remittances. In the light of these arguments tests are conducted on observed remittance behavior across individual migrants in Botswana. (authors)
House dust mite‐specific IgA2 is associated with protection against eczema in allergic patients

Upon inhalation, house dust mite (HDM) allergens are deposited at the nasal and oral mucosa, where IgA is produced abundantly. IgA subclasses have been linked to protection against respiratory allergy previously. It is currently not known whether and how the human IgA subclasses IgA1 and IgA2 contribute to the clinical status of house dust mite‐allergic patients. Saliva and serum samples were collected, and HDM‐specific, IgE, IgG4, IgA1 and IgA2 levels were determined. HDM‐specific levels of IgA in serum were similar to levels measured in nonallergic controls, but HDM‐specific levels of IgA2 in saliva were decreased in allergic subjects. HDM‐allergic patients who suffered from rhinitis and eczema showed a significant decrease in IgA2‐levels compared to patients who suffered from rhinitis only. Taken together, our findings indicate that HDM‐specific IgA2, but not IgA1, levels in serum and saliva are reduced in HDM‐allergic patients suffering from eczema.
Behavior Change Techniques in Popular Alcohol Reduction Apps: Content Analysis

Background Mobile phone apps have the potential to reduce excessive alcohol consumption cost-effectively. Although hundreds of alcohol-related apps are available, there is little information about the behavior change techniques (BCTs) they contain, or the extent to which they are based on evidence or theory and how this relates to their popularity and user ratings. Objective Our aim was to assess the proportion of popular alcohol-related apps available in the United Kingdom that focus on alcohol reduction, identify the BCTs they contain, and explore whether BCTs or the mention of theory or evidence is associated with app popularity and user ratings. Methods We searched the iTunes and Google Play stores with the terms “alcohol” and “drink”, and the first 800 results were classified into alcohol reduction, entertainment, or blood alcohol content measurement. Of those classified as alcohol reduction, all free apps and the top 10 paid apps were coded for BCTs and for reference to evidence or theory. Measures of popularity and user ratings were extracted. Results Of the 800 apps identified, 662 were unique. Of these, 13.7% (91/662) were classified as alcohol reduction (95% CI 11.3-16.6), 53.9% (357/662) entertainment (95% CI 50.1-57.7), 18.9% (125/662) blood alcohol content measurement (95% CI 16.1-22.0) and 13.4% (89/662) other (95% CI 11.1-16.3). The 51 free alcohol reduction apps and the top 10 paid apps contained a mean of 3.6 BCTs (SD 3.4), with approximately 12% (7/61) not including any BCTs. The BCTs used most often were “facilitate self-recording” (54%, 33/61), “provide information on consequences of excessive alcohol use and drinking cessation” (43%, 26/61), “provide feedback on performance” (41%, 25/61), “give options for additional and later support” (25%, 15/61) and “offer/direct towards appropriate written materials” (23%, 14/61). These apps also rarely included any of the 22 BCTs frequently used in other health behavior change interventions (mean 2.46, SD 2.06). Evidence was mentioned by 16.4% of apps, and theory was not mentioned by any app. Multivariable regression showed that apps including advice on environmental restructuring were associated with lower user ratings (Β=-46.61, P=.04, 95% CI -91.77 to -1.45) and that both the techniques of “advise on/facilitate the use of social support” (Β=2549.21, P=.04, 95% CI 96.75-5001.67) and the mention of evidence (Β=1376.74, P=.02, 95%, CI 208.62-2544.86) were associated with the popularity of the app. Conclusions Only a minority of alcohol-related apps promoted health while the majority implicitly or explicitly promoted the use of alcohol. Alcohol-related apps that promoted health contained few BCTs and none referred to theory. The mention of evidence was associated with more popular apps, but popularity and user ratings were only weakly associated with the BCT content.
Informed choice and deaf children: underpinning concepts and enduring challenges.

This article concerns the first stage of a research and development project that aimed to produce both parent and professional guidelines on the promotion and provision of informed choice for families with deaf children. It begins with a theoretical discussion of the problems associated with the concept of informed choice and deaf child services and then focuses specifically on why a metastudy approach was employed to address both the overcontextualized debate about informed choice when applied to deaf children and the problems associated with its investigation in practice with families and professionals. It presents a detailed analysis of the conceptual relevance of a range of identified studies "outside" the field of deafness. These are ordered according to 2 main conceptual categories and 7 subcategories-(a) the nature of information: "information that is evaluative, not just descriptive"; "the difficulties of information for a purpose"; "the origins and status of information"; and "informed choice and knowledge, not informed choice and information" and (b) parameters and definitions of choice: "informed choice as absolute and relative concept", "preferences and presumptions of rationality", and "informed choice for whom? " Relevant deaf child literature is integrated into the discussion of each conceptual debate in order both to expand and challenge current usage of informed choice as applied to deaf children and families and to delineate possible directions in the planning of the next stage of the main project aimed at producing parent/professional guidelines.
Credit Risk Assessment in the Microfinance Industry

This paper discusses credit risk assessment through conventional and specialized credit evaluation metrics. I find that low credit risk is a direct consequence of sound implementation of good governance practices and sustainable financial performance through sound qualitative and quantitative risk management tools. Furthermore, I find that the depth and breadth of outreach and write‐off are by some margin the two most important determinant indicators of a microfinance institutions’ (MFI’s) credit risk control. In addition, I demonstrate that there is no significant statistical difference in terms of risk management among the different types of MFIs. Results also suggest that constructive regulation to promote MFIs has a non‐negligible impact on the risk assessment of MFIs.
Strategy and Structural Change:The Lessons from the Department of Homeland Security

Organizational change is one of the enduring issues in the study of public administration. There are four types of organizational change: Products and services, strategy and structure, culture, and technology. Strategy and structure changes are related to the administrative field in an existing or new organization. Changing in organization structure, policies, mission, and vision as well as re-organizing, restructuring, downsizing, and privatization can be considered as changes. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the United States is an example of this change.
Endoplasmic reticulum is a major target of cadmium toxicity in yeast

Cadmium (Cd2+) is a very toxic metal that causes DNA damage, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Despite many studies, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying its high toxicity are not clearly understood. We show here that very low doses of Cd2+ cause ER stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as evidenced by the induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and the splicing of HAC1 mRNA. Furthermore, mutant strains (Δire1 and Δhac1) unable to induce the UPR are hypersensitive to Cd2+, but not to arsenite and mercury. The full functionality of the pathways involved in ER stress response is required for Cd2+ tolerance. The data also suggest that Cd2+‐induced ER stress and Cd2+ toxicity are a direct consequence of Cd2+ accumulation in the ER. Cd2+ does not inhibit disulfide bond formation but perturbs calcium metabolism. In particular, Cd2+ activates the calcium channel Cch1/Mid1, which also contributes to Cd2+ entry into the cell. The results reinforce the interest of using yeast as a cellular model to study toxicity mechanisms in eukaryotic cells.
An Improved Task Scheduling Algorithmbased on Max-min for Cloud Computing

In this paper a unique modification to the Improved Max-min algorithm is proposed. In Improved Maxmin algorithm largest job is selected and assigned to the resource which gives minimum completion time. Here two algorithms are proposed on Improved Max-min where instead of selecting the largest task , a task just greater than average execution time is selected and assigned to the resource which gives minimum completion time. The experimental results shows the new algorithms schedules jobs with lower makespan .
Permanent and Transitory Shocks among Pacific Island Economies - Prospects for a Pacific Islands Currency Union

This paper re-kindles the debate on the feasibility of a Pacific Islands currency union in view of the recent expansion and consolidation of regional strategies and agreements such as the OPacific PlanO and the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus. These initiatives, including past efforts, have given limited consideration to the subject for a Pacific Islands currency union. This study exploits the optimal currency area theoretical framework and employs the Gonzalo and Ng (2001) decomposition method. This is the first time this method is used in the analysis relating to currency or monetary unions. Newly-constructed quarterly time series data are also applied. This paper investigates the dynamic effects of permanent and transitory shocks on key macroeconomic variables among Pacific Island countries (PICs). Evidence shows that the proposed union of six PICs (Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tonga) do not meet most of the preconditions for a union. However, further investigation shows evidence for the Melanesian countries (Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu) to possibly form a monetary union, preferably with the Australian dollar as the anchor currency. Nonetheless, further costs in terms of the alignment of policies by Melanesian countries are required.
Promotion, prediction and prevention of progression of nephropathy in Type 1 diabetes mellitus

The scope of the present review is to discuss the prognosis of diabetic renal disease, putative progression promoters and the possibilities for treatment and prediction of treatment efficacy. The recent changes in the incidence of diabetic nephropathy in Type 1 diabetes mellitus are discussed. Promoters of progression in diabetic nephropathy are evaluated, in particular arterial blood pressure, glycaemic control, albuminuria and cholesterol levels. Potential treatment modalities are discussed, with special focus on antihypertensive therapy, including a discussion of a specific renoprotective action of certain antihypertensive agents. Furthermore putative predictors of treatment efficacy are evaluated, demonstrating that the ability to lower the urinary albumin excretion rate after onset of treatment heralds a slow progression of the renal disease. The prognosis in diabetic renal disease has improved with an increase in median survival after onset of nephropathy from 6 to 15 years. This has exposed the importance of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The identification and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors has become essential. Although the prognosis has improved remarkably, the primary goal should be prevention of diabetic nephropathy, as it is unlikely that the increased risks associated with this complication can be eliminated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of monetary versus nonmonetary endowment on WTP in BDM auctions

We evaluate the effects of monetary and nonmonetary endowments on willingness to pay (WTP) bids in Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) experimental auctions. Results indicate that subjects provided with a monetary endowment bid more than those that received a nonmonetary endowment.
Hedonic and GMM Estimates of the Relationship between House Prices and Rents in Taiwan

Empirical results in this study demonstrate that house prices have limited influence over rents in Taiwan. In fact, the impact of house prices on rents is not as apparent as of other factors like the floor (high or low), area, and the interaction of multiple factors such as house attributes like traffic accessibility. This means that the correlation between house prices and rents is not as direct and close as theories or experience would suggest. The findings also imply that a direct causal relationship does not exist between rents and house prices. Apart from reflecting the phenomenon of the price disconnect, the difference between owner-occupied dwellings market and rental market could have also resulted from various factors such as affordability, relevant government policies, and the traditional association of land ownership with wealth. As a result, demographics of house renters have been separated from those of house owners, meaning that households make their tenure choices differently; those who remain in the rental market over the long run are usually the disadvantaged minorities, who can resolve their needs for shelter only through house rentals.
Comparison of sampling methods for urine cultures.

PURPOSE To compare efficacy and cost of conventional and alternative sampling methods concerning urine cultures. DESIGN AND METHODS An experimental study with two replications was carried out in a 900-bed university hospital in Ankara, Turkey. The sample was 160 hospitalized female patients, who were asked to give urine specimens, September 10,2000 and September 1,2001. They were patients on urology and obstetrics and gynaecology wards. The authors informed the patients about the study first and then obtained two samples from each patient under their observation. The number of specimens was 320. Statistical methods were descriptive. FINDINGS The rates of contamination and significant growth, respectively, were 4.4% and 7.5% for the conventional method and 5.6% and 10% for the alternative method. The cost per culture was 2.588. 257 TL (2.10 USD) for the conventional method and 57.021 TL (0.05 USD) for the alternative method. The cost difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS The two methods yielded similar results but the alternative method was less expensive.
Bacterial ribosomal RNA in pieces

The exact knowledge on the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) structure is an important prerequisite for work with rRNA sequences in bioinformatic analyses and in experimental research. Most available rRNA sequences of bacteria are based on gene sequences and on similarity analyses using Escherichia coli rRNA as a standard. Therefore, it is often overlooked that many bacteria harbour mature rRNA ‘in pieces’. In some cases, the processing steps during the fragmentation lead to the removal of rRNA segments that are usually found in the ribosome. In this review, the current knowledge on the mechanisms of rRNA fragmentation and on the occurrence of fragmented rRNA in bacteria is summarized, and the physiological implications of this phenomenon are discussed.
Desarrollo y decadencia hidroeléctrica en los pequeños ríos del litoral me¬diterráneo catalán. El caso de las cuencas del Fluviá y de la Muga

La difusion inicial de la electricidad en amplias zonas del territorio espanol fue posible, en parte, gracias a la creacion de una pleyade de reducidas companias electricas y del establecimiento de innumerables minicentrales en las margenes de rios modestos. Es este un hecho que, a menudo, ha pasado desapercibido ante las ingentes infraestructuras realizadas por las principales empresas hidroelectricas. Partiendo de esta constatacion, el articulo toma como ejemplo lo acontecido en dos pequenas cuencas fluviales mediterraneas del nordeste de Catalunya, las de los rios Muga y Fluvia. En el se abordan sus vicisitudes en el desarrollo y decadencia hidroelectrica a lo largo del siglo XX, de quienes fueron sus promotores y sus logros. Complementariamente se fijara una vision comparada entre ambas cuencas y del hecho que, mientras en una se ha superpuesto una gran infraestructura hidraulica, la otra ha quedado al margen de ellas. Ello incidira en la evolucion contrapuesta de las instalaciones hidroelectricas propiciando, respectivamente, su cierre o su mantenimiento. PALABRAS cLAvE: Fluvia, Muga, Aprovechamiento hidroelectrico, Cuenca fluvial.