Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Febrile Seizures: Treatment and Prognosis

Summary: Recent epidemiologic data indicate that the vast majority of children with febrile seizures have a normal long‐term outcome. A precise knowledge of the short‐ and long‐term outcome with or without treatment, and short‐ and long‐term side effects is an important prerequisite for assessing the various treatment strategies. We focus on the impact of short‐term or prophylactic treatment on the short‐ and long‐term outcome of various types of febrile seizures. There is universal agreement that daily prophylaxis with antiepileptic agents should never be used routinely in simple febrile seizures, but only in highly selected cases, if at all. Intermittent diazepam (DZP) prophylaxis at times of fever may or may not reduce the recurrence rate, but it does not appear to improve the long‐term outcome as compared with short‐term seizure control. The treatment may be used to reduce the recurrence rate for a small arbitrarily defined group with multiple simple febrile seizures, complex febrile seizures, especially focal, prolonged or both, febrile status, and when parental anxiety is severe. However, there is no evidence that treatment of simple febrile seizures can prevent the rare cases of later epilepsy, and many children with complex febrile seizures have a benign long‐term outcome, even without treatment. Many prefer a “wait and see” policy. An attractive alternative is to treat new febrile seizures with rectal DZP in solution at seizure onset, given by the parents at home to prevent febrile status. Newer, less well documented short‐term strategies include nasal, oral, or rectal administration of other benzodiazepines. Short‐term seizure control of febrile status and careful parental counseling are the two most important targets of treatment.
A Hotelling Model of Fiscal Competition

This article examines a model in which two jurisdictions engage in fiscal competition. The jurisdictions’ strategic variables are labor tax rates and types of local public goods. Both are determined by majority voting. The article finds that in Nash equilibrium, labor tax rates will be efficiently chosen such that quantities of local public goods will achieve the first-best level. Furthermore, there are two symmetric Nash equilibria for the types of local public goods. These two equilibria, when they both exist, exhibit less public sector differentiation than if there were no mobility. However, a primary difference between them is that when the net gain of more population increases, in one equilibrium jurisdictions will raise the similarity of local public goods to attract population, but in the other equilibrium jurisdictions will differentiate themselves more to prevent harsh competition.
Ceramide Channels Increase the Permeability of the Mitochondrial Outer Membrane to Small Proteins*

Ceramides are known to play a major regulatory role in apoptosis by inducing cytochrome c release from mitochondria. We have previously reported that C2- and C16-ceramide, but not dihydroceramide, form large channels in planar membranes (Siskind, L. J., and Colombini, M. (2001)J. Biol. Chem. 275, 38640–38644). Here we show that ceramides do not trigger a cytochrome c secretion or release mechanism, but simply raise the permeability of the mitochondrial outer membrane, via ceramide channel formation, to include small proteins. Exogenously added reduced cytochromec was able to freely permeate the mitochondrial outer membrane with entry to and exit from the intermembrane space facilitated by ceramides in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The permeability pathways were eliminated upon removal of C2-ceramide by bovine serum albumin, thus ruling out a detergent-like effect of C2-ceramide on membranes. Ceramide channels were not specific to cytochrome c, as ceramides induced release of adenylate kinase, but not fumerase from isolated mitochondria, showing some specificity of these channels for the outer mitochondrial membrane. SDS-PAGE results show that ceramides allow release of intermembrane space proteins with a molecular weight cut-off of about 60,000. These results indicate that the ceramide-induced membrane permeability increases in isolated mitochondria are via ceramide channel formation and not a release mechanism, as the channels that allow cytochrome c to freely permeate are reversible, and are not specific to cytochromec.
History of the Innovation of Damage Control for Management of Trauma Patients: 1902–2016

Objective: To review the history of the innovation of damage control (DC) for management of trauma patients. Background: DC is an important development in trauma care that provides a valuable case study in surgical innovation. Methods: We searched bibliographic databases (1950–2015), conference abstracts (2009–2013), Web sites, textbooks, and bibliographies for articles relating to trauma DC. The innovation of DC was then classified according to the Innovation, Development, Exploration, Assessment, and Long-term study model of surgical innovation. Results: The “innovation” of DC originated from the use of therapeutic liver packing, a practice that had previously been abandoned after World War II because of adverse events. It then “developed” into abbreviated laparotomy using “rapid conservative operative techniques. ” Subsequent “exploration” resulted in the application of DC to increasingly complex abdominal injuries and thoracic, peripheral vascular, and orthopedic injuries. Increasing use of DC laparotomy was followed by growing reports of postinjury abdominal compartment syndrome and prophylactic use of the open abdomen to prevent intra-abdominal hypertension after DC laparotomy. By the year 2000, DC surgery had been widely adopted and was recommended for use in surgical journals, textbooks, and teaching courses (“assessment” stage of innovation). “Long-term study” of DC is raising questions about whether the procedure should be used more selectively in the context of improving resuscitation practices. Conclusions: The history of the innovation of DC illustrates how a previously abandoned surgical technique was adapted and readopted in response to an increased understanding of trauma patient physiology and changing injury patterns and trauma resuscitation practices.
Enhanced surface warming and accelerated snow melt in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau induced by absorbing aerosols

Numerical experiments with the NASA finite-volume general circulation model show that heating of the atmosphere by dust and black carbon can lead to widespread enhanced warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and accelerated snow melt in the western TP and Himalayas. During the boreal spring, a thick aerosol layer, composed mainly of dust transported from adjacent deserts and black carbon from local emissions, builds up over the Indo-Gangetic Plain, against the foothills of the Himalaya and the TP. The aerosol layer, which extends from the surface to high elevation (∼5 km), heats the mid-troposphere by absorbing solar radiation. The heating produces an atmospheric dynamical feedback—the so-called elevated-heat-pump (EHP) effect, which increases moisture, cloudiness, and deep convection over northern India, as well as enhancing the rate of snow melt in the Himalayas and TP. The accelerated melting of snow is mostly confined to the western TP, first slowly in early April and then rapidly from early to mid-May. The snow cover remains reduced from mid-May through early June. The accelerated snow melt is accompanied by similar phases of enhanced warming of the atmosphere–land system of the TP, with the atmospheric warming leading the surface warming by several days. Surface energy balance analysis shows that the short-wave and long-wave surface radiative fluxes strongly offset each other, and are largely regulated by the changes in cloudiness and moisture over the TP. The slow melting phase in April is initiated by an effective transfer of sensible heat from a warmer atmosphere to land. The rapid melting phase in May is due to an evaporation–snow–land feedback coupled to an increase in atmospheric moisture over the TP induced by the EHP effect.
The contribution of native species to sense of place

The approach of promoting a destination through native resources is intriguing. This research attempted to assess the role of native species in contributing to the success of a destination through their contribution to sense of place. It illustrated the mechanisms and preconditions through which native species can contribute to the distinctiveness of a destination. This research has uncovered a number of factors explaining the potential of a native species to become a viable contributor to a destination's sense of place. In a nutshell, a prospective native species can potentially become a viable option with which a destination can build its sense of place and overall identity if that particular species has a strong biological foundation in the natural environment; if it has been embraced or endeared by residents through social and historical processes; and if there are ample opportunities for tourists to experience and interact with it, through which endearment among tourists and a strong sense of place can be built. The Provençal cicada was used as an illustrative case. The adoption of the cicada by Bouches-du-Rhône tourism as a regional symbol and for use in its communications reinforces the cicada's contribution to the destination's identity and sense of place.
The Optimal Depletion and Exploration of a Nonrenewable Resource

IN SPITE OF ITS IMPORTANCE, the exploration process has not received much attention in the economics of nonrenewable resources. Among the researchers who investigated this problem, we might mention Arrow and Chang (1982), Deshmukh and Pliska (1980), Pindyck (1978, 1980), and Gilbert (1979, 1981). For earlier work on this subject, we might also mention Gaffney (1967) and Herfindahl (1974). Basically, an exploration program is a search for potential deposits whose sizes and locations are both uncertain. Furthermore, exploration technology exhibits a high degree of scale economies. Our paper represents an attempt to deal with these rather neglected aspects of the exploration process in a model of simultaneous extraction and exploration.
United States Steel's Acquisition of the Great Northern Ore Properties: Vertical Foreclosure or Efficient Contractual Governance?

This paper examines United States Steel's acquisition by long-term lease of the iron ore properties of the Great Northern Railway. This 1906 transaction, which significantly increased U.S. Steel's already substantial ore holdings, has been characterized by contemporary observers and modern economists as an example of vertical foreclosure. We present quantitative and qualitative evidence to support an alternative view that the lease generated a net efficiency gain, resulting in lower steel prices, as it promoted relationship-specific investment in the exploitation of the ore properties. Quantitatively, we examine the stock market reactions of U.S. Steel, the Great Northern Railway, steel industry rivals, and the railroads, a major steel customer, to the announcement of the lease signing. Strikingly, the railroads had a significant positive excess return. Qualitatively, we examine the terms of the lease and the performance of the parties to document the role of the lease in encouraging relationship-specific investment.
Comparison of quantitative and semiquantitative culture techniques for burn biopsy

Accurate evaluation of bacterial colonization as a predictive index for wound sepsis has relied on a quantitative culture technique that provides exact colony counts per gram of tissue by culture of five serial dilutions of biopsy tissue homogenate. The method, while useful to the physician, is both labor intensive and expensive. In this study 78 eschar biopsies were cultured by a semiquantitative technique that involved the use of 0.1- and 0.01-ml samples of inocula and by the serial dilution method. Exact colony counts from the semiquantitative culture method were available only from cultures containing 10(4) to 10(6) CFU/g of tissue. Other colony counts were reported as less than 10(4) or greater than 10(6) CFU/g. Agreement by category of colony counts between the two methods was 96%. For prediction of wound sepsis, the semiquantitative procedure had a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 93.7%. This method also resulted in an approximately 30% reduction of work units (as defined by the College of American Pathologists) and a 60% reduction in the amount of media for specimen processing. Therefore, this semiquantitative culture technique provides accurate information to the physician while saving both time and materials.
Do guarantee banks mitigate credit restrictions for SMEs

German guarantee banks facilitate the access to bank finance of SMEs with no or not enough valuable collateral by underwriting a certain share of the overall risk of the loan amount. Based on conceptual studies about credit guarantee schemes a unique research approach has been developed to evaluate whether guarantee banks also help to overcome problems of asymmetric information and support the creation of lending relationships. Research findings to date have confirmed the positive impact of guarantee banks on SME lending. By facilitating the granting of loans to SMEs by commercial banks, guarantee banks indeed contribute to a reduction of information asymmetries which is often referred to as a main reason for credit constraints and help to intensify the relationship between banks and borrowers. The findings also provided some indications for a sustainable mitigation of credit constraints for SMEs seeking to borrow funds.
Short-Term Return Reversal: The Long and the Short of It

Stock returns unexplained by “fundamentals”, such as cash flow news, are more likely to reverse in the short run than those linked to fundamental news. Making novel use of analyst forecast revisions to measure cash flow news, a simple enhanced reversal strategy generates a risk-adjusted return four times the size of the standard reversal strategy. Importantly, isolating the component of past returns not driven by fundamentals provides a cleaner setting for testing existing theories of short-term reversals. Using this approach, we find that both liquidity shocks and investor sentiment contribute to the observed short term reversal, but in different ways: Specifically, the reversal profit is attributable to liquidity shocks on the long side as fire sales more likely demand liquidity; and it is attributable to investor sentiment on the short side as short-sale constraints prevent the immediate elimination of overvaluation.
Antioxidant properties of different extracts of black mulberry (Morus nigra L.)

In vitro antioxidant properties of 3 different extracts of black mulberry (Morus nigra L.) were investigated. Acidified methanol, acidified water, and non-acidified methanol/water solutions were used to prepare extracts. Different solvents caused different protonation on black mulberry anthocyanin structures, which were predicted according to their UV-VIS spectrum. Extracts indicated 2 main peaks at about ~280 and ~520 nm with different peak areas in their UV-VIS spectrum. The rank of extracts' total phenolic content and reducing power values were both found to be in correlation with their absorbance at ~280 nm. Meanwhile the same relationship was observed between DPPH scavenging activity and absorbance values at ~520 nm. Acidified extract of black mulberry was higher in b-carotene prevention and DPPH radical scavenging activity than non-acidified extract. However, non-acidified extract represented a higher reducing power and metal chelating activity, and a higher content of total phenolics.
The Influence of Culture on Accountants' Application of Financial Reporting Rules

The objective of this study is to examine the influence of national culture on accountants’ application of accounting rules. Based on a refinement of Gray's (1988) framework, this study hypothesizes Greek accountants will be more likely (less likely) to recognize contingent liabilities (assets) than U.S. accountants (H1). It also hypothesizes that Greek accountants will be less likely to disclose the existence of both contingent assets and liabilities than U.S. accountants (H2). The results do not support H1. No significant differences are found between Greek and U.S. accountants’ recognition decisions involving both contingent assets and liabilities. However, supplemental analyses show that U.S. accountants consistently exhibited more conservatism than Greek accountants. In line with expectations, Greek accountants are less likely to disclose information (i.e., were more secretive) than U.S. accountants, providing strong support for H2. Implications for both research and practice also are discussed.
Demand for Domestic and Imported Table Wine in British Columbia: A Source-differentiated Almost Ideal Demand System Approach

The premium quality wine market in British Columbia has grown substantively over the past decade. However, few empirical studies exist to quantify how consumers have responded to these wines. This paper employs a source-differentiated almost ideal demand system (AIDS) model with time-varying parameters to estimate the demand for premium quality wines using scanner sales data from the British Columbia wine market. The empirical findings reveal that consumers' response to foreign-produced wines differs from that for wine produced locally. It is evident that the expenditure elasticities for British Columbia, European and Rest-of-the-World white wines are larger than those for red wines. The high expenditure elasticities associated with British Columbia white wines may suggest that these wines are associated with higher quality. We reject the hypotheses of block separability and product aggregation. There is no evidence of structural change from the tests employed in this paper. Le marche du vin de qualite superieure a considerablement pris de l'expansion en Colombie-Britannique ces dix dernieres annees. Les auteurs utilisent un modele a demande quasi ideale avec differenciation de la source et parametres variant dans le temps pour estimer la demande de vin de qualite superieure a partir des chiffres de vente sur le marche provincial. Les resultats empiriques indiquent que les consommateurs ne reagissent pas aux vins etrangers de la meme facon qu'aux vins du cru. Les elasticites des depenses sont manifestement plus nombreuses pour les vins blancs de la Colombie-Britannique, d'Europe et d'autres regions que pour les vins rouges. Les fortes elasticites liees aux vins blancs du cru laissent croire que ces derniers sont d'une grande qualite. Les auteurs rejettent l'hypothese d'une separabilite par bloc et de l'agregation des produits. Les tests employes dans le cadre de cette recherche ne revelent aucun changement structural.
The Viability of Alternative Call Center Production Models

Excerpt] The central question of this paper is whether a mass customization strategy coupled with high involvement work practices is an economically viable model for service and sales call centers. If so, under what conditions and why? To answer these questions, in the next section, we describe alternative models of call center management. In section III, we present a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between management practices, workers reactions to those practices, and performance outcomes. We then review empirical evidence on these relationships, focusing primarily on studies of call centers or related service workplaces. In section IV, we draw on evidence from two recent quantitative studies of call centers to examine the performance outcomes of high involvement practices in this context. We close with a discussion and critique of existing evidence and suggestions for future research.
An evaluation of Chinese economic forecasts

This paper analyses the real GDP growth and inflation forecasts prepared by the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the private forecasters between 1999 and 2010. The empirical results show that the long-term growth forecasts were inferior to a naïve model and were biased. The average of a number of short-term private forecasts dominated those made by the international organisations.
Semisupervised Dual-Geometric Subspace Projection for Dimensionality Reduction of Hyperspectral Image Data

Exploring the geometric prior in the dimensionality reduction (DR) of hyperspectral image data (HID) is an important issue because it can overcome the possible overclassification of spectrally homogeneous areas in the HID classification. In this paper, the local geometric similarity of hyperspectral vectors is explored in both the manifold domain and image domain, and a semisupervised dual-geometric subspace projection (DGSP) approach is proposed for the DR of HID, by utilizing both labeled and unlabeled samples. First, the geometric information in the manifold domain is captured by a sparse coding-based geometric graph, and then, a local-consistency-constrained geometric matrix is defined to reveal the geometric structure in the image domain. Second, unlabeled samples are used to refine the geometric structure by defining a pairwise similarity matrix. Third, three scatter matrices are then derived from these similarity matrices to find the optimal subspace projection that captures the most important properties of the subspaces with respect to classification. Some experiments are taken on the airborne visible infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS) HID to prove the efficiency of the proposed method.
Antihypertensive properties of tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) frame and skin enzymatic protein hydrolysates

ABSTRACT Proteins from tilapia frame and skin can potentially be precursors of antihypertensive peptides according to the result of BIOPEP analyses. The aim was to generate peptides with inhibitory effects against angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and renin from tilapia frame and skin protein isolates (FPI and SPI). The most active hydrolysate was then tested for blood pressure-lowering ability in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Tilapia frame and skin protein hydrolysates (FPHs and SPHs) were respectively produced from FPI and SPI hydrolysis using pepsin, papain, or bromelain. The ACE-inhibitory activities of tilapia protein hydrolysates with varying degree of hydrolysis (DH) were evaluated. In order to enhance the activity, the hydrolysate was fractionated into four fractions (<1 kDa, 1–3 kDa, 3–5 kDa, and 5–10 kDa) and the one with the greatest ability to inhibit in vitro ACE and renin activities was subjected to oral administration (100 mg/kg body weight) to SHRs. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rates (HR) were subsequently measured within 24 h. The pepsin-hydrolyzed FPH (FPHPe) with the highest DH (23%) possessed the strongest ACE-inhibitory activity (IC50: 0.57 mg/mL). Its <1 kDa ultrafiltration fraction (FPHPe1) suppressed both ACE (IC50: 0.41 mg/mL) and renin activities more effectively than larger peptides. In addition, FPHPe1 significantly (p < 0.05) reduced SBP (maximum −33 mmHg), DBP (maximum −24 mmHg), MAP (maximum −28 mmHg), and HR (maximum −58 beats) in SHRs. FPHPe1 showed both in vitro and in vivo antihypertensive effects, which suggest tilapia processing coproducts may be valuable protein raw materials for producing antihypertensive peptides.