Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving treatment provision of Wet AMD with intravitreal ranibizumab

Abstract Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment using intravitreal ranibizumab needs to be started as soon as possible and treatment must be administered based on regular review to achieve the best results. In clinical practice this tight schedule is a challenge and methods of carrying out such timely treatment is the objective of this quality improvement work. A departmental audit was carried out on the service providing treatment for patients with wet AMD in 2009. This audit identified that the appointment system did not meet the ideal standards and subsequently wet AMD patients' visual outcome were poorer than the standard set in trials where the patients were seen and treated at predetermined intervals. In order to enhance the visual benefit of the administered therapy for our patients we thought it necessary to find ways to see and treat patients sooner as well as reduce time intervals between follow-up appointments. The quality improvement was carried out through redesigning the service in the macular treatment centre of Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. Three main strategies were implemented including: changes to the appointment system, expansion of the treatment facility and employment of additional staff. Following changes made, regular re-audits were used to analyse the effectiveness of the new strategies. The changes introduced have brought appointment standards to the level of Royal College of Ophthalmologists' recommendations. Consequently visual outcomes were approaching the standards set by landmark studies. The visual improvement of treated patients seen in the 2011 audit are comparable to other reports outside clinical trials in the UK. In order to enhance the efficacy of ranibizumab for wet AMD it is essential for treatment to be initiated as soon as possible and administered to patients at the recommended time intervals. The actions we have taken were effective in helping develop a service performing to higher standards.
Tumour necrosis factor‐α but not lipopolysaccharide enhances preference of murine dendritic cells for Th2 differentiation

Using murine spleen‐derived dendritic cells (DC) and DO11.10 T cells specific for ovalbumin (OVA), the influences of maturational condition and antigen dose on the capability of DC to induce helper T‐cell (Th) differentiation were analysed. Immature DC (iDC) with high‐ or low‐dose OVA323–339 predominantly induced Th1 or Th2 responses in DO11.10 T cells, respectively. DC matured by tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF/DC) induced a significantly higher Th2 response in the presence of low‐dose OVA323–339 than iDC and DC matured by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (LPS/DC). In the presence of high‐dose OVA323–339, LPS/DC induced significantly lower levels of Th1 response than iDC. Under these conditions no difference in the Th1 response was noted between TNF/DC and iDC. The enhanced capability of TNF/DC with a low‐dose antigen for Th2 polarization and the decreased preference of LPS/DC with a high‐dose antigen to Th1 polarization were not related to the amount of IL‐12 produced in these cultures. These results demonstrate for the first time that TNF/DC with a low‐dose antigen are potent inducers of Th2 differentiation.
Using Eye Gaze Data to Recognize Task-Relevant Source Code Better and More Fine-Grained

Models to assess a source code element's relevancy for a given change task are the basis of many software engineering tools, such as recommender systems, for code comprehension. To improve such relevancy models and to aid developers in finding relevant parts in the source code faster, we studied developer's fine-grained navigation patterns with eye tracking technology. By combining the captured eye gaze data with interaction data of 12 developers working on a change task, we were able to identify relevant methods with high accuracy and improve precision and recall compared to the widely used click frequency technique by 77% and 24% respectively. Furthermore, we were able to show that the captured gaze data enables to retrace which source code lines developers found relevant. Our results thus provide evidence that eye gaze data can be used to improve existing models in terms of accuracy and granularity.
Electromagnetic scattering by an inhomogeneous plasma anisotropic sphere of multilayers

Electromagnetic scattering by an inhomogeneous plasma anisotropic sphere is formulated and obtained, where the inhomogeneous plasma anisotropic sphere is divided into (s-1) homogeneous anisotropic spherical layers. The electromagnetic fields in the inner spherical multilayers and outer free space of the inhomogeneous plasma anisotropic spherical structure can be expanded in terms of the spherical vector wave functions in plasma anisotropic medium and in isotropic medium, respectively. By applying the continuous boundary conditions of electromagnetic fields on the spherical interfaces of the (s-1)-layered homogeneous anisotropic plasma medium, the unknown expansion coefficients of fields in the multilayered plasma spherical structure are obtained, and then the electromagnetic field distributions are calculated. Numerical results for the very general inhomogeneous plasma dielectric material sphere are given and the data in a special case are obtained using the present method and the method of moments accelerated with the conjugate-gradient fast-Fourier-transform approach and compared to each other to verify the correctness and applicability of the present analysis.
Small Towns and Welfare Reform: Iowa Case Studies and Families and Communities

This paper examines rural-urban differences in the implementation of welfare reform policies using Iowa as a case study. Information waas gathered at the state, community, and family levels to study community-level implications of the policy mandate to move families off the welfare rolls and into the workforce. State and community interviews with key informants were conducted using The Urban Institute's "Assessing the New Federalism" state and community case study protocols. Seven communities/counties, including one metropolictan city, were selected to form a rural-urban continuum. Within those communities, five recipient families were selected for intensive interviews every six months over a three-year period. Differences between the metropolitan area and the rural communities were related to differences in population density. Although the problems appear to be universal, solutions may be different for urban and rural communities. The most important differences that manifested themselves along the rural-urban continuum were related to accessibility and distance to jobs and support services. Rural welfare-recipient families moving from welfare to work encountered fewer services locally. When services were available locally, access was less frequent. This pattern was particularly notable with respect to accessibility of jobs, job training, and education, health care, child care, and emergency services.
Free Cash Flow, Shareholder Value, and the Undistributed Profits Tax of 1936 and 1937

In 1936, the federal government unexpectedly imposed a tax on undistributed corporate profits. Despite the direct costs of the tax, its announcement produced a positive revaluation of corporate equity, particularly among lower-payout firms. The authors interpret this as evidence of a divergence between managerial and shareholder preferences regarding dividend payout policies, consistent with the presence of agency costs. They also find that, despite the incentives created by the tax, the actual growth in dividends during 1936 was lower among firms judged more likely to be subject to higher agency costs after controlling for liquidity, debt, and the growth in earnings. Copyright 1994 by American Finance Association.
Bacteriological results and leprosy reactions among MB leprosy patients treated with uniform multidrug therapy in China.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the changes of bacteriological index and leprosy reactions among Multi-bacillary (MB) patients treated with uniform multi-drug therapy (UMDT). METHODS Newly diagnosed leprosy patients were recruited after taking informed consent in three districts in Guizhou Province and one district in Yunnan Province China during November 2003 to June 2005 and were treated with Uniform Multidrug Therapy. All patients were followed up once a year for 3 years after completion of treatment. All data on bacteriological index (BI) and the frequencies of leprosy reaction were collected and analysed. RESULTS A total of 166 patients were recruited for UMDT trial. Among them 114 patients had positive BI smear, and 83 patients had been followed up for 42 months. The mean BI of 83 patients decreased from 2.84 before treatment to 0.33 at the end of 42 months follow-up. At the end of this period, 61 patients (73.5%) had become BI negative. There were 13 (14.6%) patients who had a Type I reaction during 24 months of follow-up. One patient in the study group relapsed 13 months after stopping treatment of the UMDT. CONCLUSION There was a significant decrease in the mean BI and 73.5% of patients treated with UMDT became BI negative during 3 years' follow-up. The frequency of Type I reaction seemed a little higher among patients treated with UMDT, but the numbers of patients enrolled were too few to determine statistical significance. Future studies on U-MDT should also study Type I reactions in these patients.
Understanding the Heterogeneity of Generation Y's Preferences for Travelling: a Conjoint Analysis Approach

The unique motives of young travellers make this market segment very important to the key objectives of the global tourism plan. Accordingly, it is important to understand better the main drivers that affect their choice of a tourism offer. This paper introduces conjoint analysis as an appropriate tool for evaluating the preferences of travellers. The survey was conducted on a sample of 514 respondents. To isolate homogeneous young traveller segments, preference-based segmentation was performed on the conjoint data. Based on the study findings, a marketing strategy for each identified market segment is suggested. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Do Services Innovate (Differently)? Insights from the European Innobarometer Survey

Although advanced economies are increasingly dominated by services, relatively little is known about whether and how services innovate. Instead, our understanding of innovation and innovation processes has been very largely derived from studies of manufacturing, and the production of technologically advanced artefacts. As services do not generally produce technologically advanced artefacts, they are often considered to be non‐innovative, or “supplier‐dominated” recipients of technologies rather than “true innovators”. An alternative perspective is that services tend to innovate differently from manufacturers, or at least that innovation in services brings to the fore “softer” aspects of innovation based in skills and inter‐organisational cooperation practices which are pervasive across the economy but which do not tend to be prominent amongst manufacturers, and are therefore neglected. We examine these issues through an empirical analysis of a survey of European firms which was carried out in 2002.
The Opinions of Information Technology Students on Using Mobile Learning

The advances in information and communication technologies in present day are moving the education into a different dimension. Especially, it is not wrong to say that the mobile phones are taking a very important part of our everyday life. The interest in mobile phones is growing day by day and individuals from age 7 to 70 are interested in such devices. People not only follow the advances in mobile phone technology, but they purchase new phones and use their advanced features. As a result of this, we see that educational establishments are including mobile phones in their daily teaching activities. The acceleration of scientific studies in this area is increasing every day. Based on this point, this study has been carried out at the Near East University (by information technology students) in order to find out the opinions of students on mobile learning. A survey was carried out in order to find out the student opinions, and also a literature study was done such that it could perform the basis of this study. The survey consisted of questions and was prepared carefully with the aim to find out the opinions of students on the effects of mobile learning. The results of the survey were analyzed and tabulated using the SPSS packet program. Based on the results of this analysis, positive suggestions are made on the opinions and recommendations of students on the effective use of mobile learning tools. In addition, recommendations are made on how the students can follow the recent advances closely in information technology and also in the right time.
Rationale for the application of exposure and response prevention to the treatment of anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a life threatening and difficult to treat illness with a high relapse rate. Current treatments are inadequate and new approaches to treatment are needed. METHOD We review the data on anxiety in AN, the relationship between anxiety disorders and AN, and the use of Exposure and Response Prevention in treatment. RESULTS The overlap between AN and anxiety disorders suggest a model of AN in which baseline anxiety features yield eating related fears, avoidance behaviors, and ritualized safety behaviors that promote the underweight state and the perpetuation of the disorder. We propose an Exposure and Response Prevention treatment to prevent relapse in AN. DISCUSSION Overlap between AN and anxiety disorders suggests that Exposure and Response Prevention may be a new and beneficial approach to preventing relapse in individuals with AN.
How Robust is the Relationship between Financial Intermediation and Economic Growth

The question of whether financial intermediation has a first order effect on the development process has long been debated. There have also been questions about the ‘robustness’ of the empirical results that suggest financial development does indeed have a first order effect. This paper addresses the second issue within this debate by assessing the robustness of the link between financial development and economic growth to variations in the sample (countries included in the data set). Specifically, the procedure identifies the relative influence of ordered subsets in the data to determine whether or not these financial variables change sign or lose statistical significance after the removal a specific subset. The results of this exercise suggest that financial intermediation appears to have a first order effect, that is most of the variables are robust to variations in the sample, using a traditional cross-country growth regression framework and an instrumental variables framework (GMM).
Impacts of the 1996 Farm Bill Including Ad Hoc Additions

Abstract Whether the next farm bill is a slightly modified extension of the 1996 Farm Bill or is significantly different from the current bill will hinge on how the 1996 Farm Bill is perceived to have performed. With no supply management provisions in the 1996 Farm Bill, the crop markets have not shown a capacity to self-correct by reducing the quantity supplied and increasing the quantity demanded in response to relatively large declines in crop prices.
An Empirical Study

This paper investigates recruitment and mobil i ty patterns, and bui lds and tests a model that predicts voluntary turnover. The f indings include why current employees jo ined, their motivat ions and problems in seeking posi ­ t ions once in the public serv ice, and issues in transit ion management . The model found that promotion stress and commitment were pr imary causes for seeking new posit ions. However, this search favored remaining in the civil service. The model also suggested the importance of supervisory support in addressing a number of career issues. Impl icat ions are drawn for meet ing chal lenges including recruit ing and retaining the "new age" employee , and managing the more calculat ive relat ionship between employee and organizat ion.
A methodology to measure the value of services provided to customers in manufacturing firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a methodology which can be used: to establish clear customer needs/expectations, draw up a range of services in order to enhance customer satisfaction and to measure the real value of the services offered.Design/methodology/approach – The proposed methodology is based on the quality function deployment (QFD) procedure but it is much more simple to implement.Findings – The paper provides detailed information about how the proposed methodology works through an in‐depth case study discussion.Research limitations/implications – The proposed methodology has been tested in a limited number of cases and has proved successful. It remains to analyse its more wide applicability.Originality/value – Firms seeking to meet customer expectations and requirements with personalized, flexible and increasingly comprehensive solutions have to convert their product strategies into product and service strategies. The proposed methodology is a valuable tool to support this ap.
The Enterprising Tendency of Occupational Groups

With the development of interest in the provision for enterprise education in schools, vocational colleges and higher educational institutions in the United Kingdom, a concern arose with the definition and assessment of enterprise attributes. The University Grants Council agreed to finance research at the Durham University Business School, England, into the development of measures of enterprise attributes.
From Destination Image to Destination Loyalty: Evidence From Recreation Farms in Taiwan

With the rising popularity of recreation farms in Taiwan, understanding visitors' behavior is a critical issue. Therefore, this study attempts to establish a model that includes destination image, self-congruity, destination personality, and destination loyalty to clarify the mechanism from image to loyalty. Yilan Shangrila Recreation Farm was selected as the research setting and 326 usable responses were received. The results revealed that destination image shows positive impacts on self-congruity, destination personality, and destination loyalty. However, there was no significant relationship between self-congruity and destination loyalty. Further analysis showed the existence of significant differences between first-time and repeat visitors. The path from destination image to destination personality to destination loyalty can better explain how image leads to loyalty. The findings of this study provide meaningful academic and managerial implications.
The use of quadratic filter for the estimation of time-varying β

The beta parameter is used in finance to estimate systematic risk and usually it is assumed to be time invariant. The literature shows that there is now considerable evidence that beta risk is not constant over time. The aim of this paper is the estimation of time-varying Italian industry parameter betas using a new approach based on the Kalman filter technique and on polynomial estimates. This approach is applied to returns of the Italian market over the period 1991-2001.
Cipher Text Policy Attribute-Based Encryption Supporting Flexible Attributes

Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption (CP-ABE) has been a very active research area in recent years. Because of two properties traceability and the large universe, CP-ABE is enriching the commercial applications. But to achieve this it requires more computation overhead. In this paper, a novel approach for construction of efficient ciphertext-policy ABE supporting flexible attributes is proposed, which helps to reduce the computation overhead and improves security by providing privacy-preserving data access policies.
CGRP receptor antagonists: design and screening

Importance of the field: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists have recently come to attention with the development of olcegepant and telcagepant for the treatment of migraine. The availability of high-affinity, non-peptide antagonists opens the way for trials of these compounds in other conditions where CGRP antagonism might be useful, such as septic shock and inhibition of angiogenesis. Areas covered in this review: This review summarises knowledge about the structure and signalling properties of the CGRP receptor. The clinical ramifications of targeting the CGRP receptor, the profiles of existing antagonists and the requirements for screening new compounds will be discussed. What the reader will gain: Readers will gain an overview of how current non-peptide antagonists seem to bind similar epitopes contributed by both calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR) and receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (RAMP1), the main CGRP receptor subunits. We will discuss how current antagonists have low bioavailability, limiting their use. For selectivity at CGRP receptors, it will be necessary to target parts of the receptor influenced by both RAMP1 and CLR. Take home message: For the design of radically new antagonists, more structural information on the receptor is needed. Current screens are largely based on measuring CGRP-mediated changes in cAMP. CGRP receptors can influence other signalling pathways and pathway-selective allosteric antagonists may be useful, but more information is needed about the mechanism of action of CGRP to assess the value of this.
Size‐Corrected BMD Decreases During Peak Linear Growth: Implications for Fracture Incidence During Adolescence

Peak adolescent fracture incidence at the distal end of the radius coincides with a decline in size‐corrected BMD in both boys and girls. Peak gains in bone area preceded peak gains in BMC in a longitudinal sample of boys and girls, supporting the theory that the dissociation between skeletal expansion and skeletal mineralization results in a period of relative bone weakness.
Evidence of the Fisher Effect from U.K. Indexed Bonds

Newly available data from the U.K. market for indexed securities are used to test the Fisher hypothesis. For monthly observations of interest rates at 14 maturities, the hypothesis that the after-tax nominal interest rate is a constant plus anticipated inflation proves to be a reasonable approximation of reality. For longer maturities, the coefficients on the expected rate of inflation are approximately equal to one. The Mundell- Tobin effect is in evidence for shorter maturities. The inverted Fisher effect is in evidence for shorter maturities. The inverted Fisher effect is decisively rejected. The evidence suggests that past difficulties encountered in trying to prove the Fisher effect have been due to the lack of a direct measure of inflation expectations and real interest rates. Copyright 1992 by MIT Press.
An elderly fall detection using a wrist-worn accelerometer and barometer

As the world population is growing toward an aging society, elderly fall becomes a serious problem. Automatic fall detection and alert systems could shorten their waiting time after a fall and mitigate its physical and mental negative consequences. This work proposes a method that integrates a 3-axis accelerometer and a barometer on a wrist-worn device for the fall detection task. The method focuses on the use of noisy signals from a barometer in both pre-processing steps and feature extractions. A use of free falling events to address the lack of training data in a learning process is also explored. An evaluation using simulated falls and various activities shows a high classification performance except for a few false alarms occurring when sitting on the floor from a standing pose.