Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stringency of environmental regulations vs. global competitiveness: Empirical analysis

DOI: 10.14254/2071789X.2019/12-4/17 ABSTRACT. The article focuses on assessing the global competitiveness of countries in the context of their environmental regulatory stringency. The article analyzes the views of scientists on the need to slow down economic growth and transition to stable economy, the relationship between economic growth and environmental changes in the form of environmental Kuznets curve, as well as environmental policy instruments along with the degree of their stringency. The authors put forward and confirm the hypothesis that the quality of institutions and the value assessment of environmental goods directly affect the competitiveness of national economies, regardless of environmental stringency. A comprehensive statistical analysis of the perennial indices of global competitiveness, environmental performance and stringency of environmental regulations on a large sample of countries confirms the hypothesis that significant stringency of environmental regulations in welfare states can be internalized and that their global competitiveness remains high against the background of high-quality environmental goods.
Comparative evaluation of microleakage using three variables of glass-ionomer cement in primary and permanent teeth: An in vitro study

Background and Objective: Since their invention in 1970, glass-ionomer cements (GICs) have been widely used in pediatric dentistry. They have undergone many modifications in composition till the recent nano cement which claims to have superior properties compared to their primal versions. One of the important requisites of restorative material is adhesion to the tooth structure, failure of which leads to microleakage. Hence, the main objective of this study was to compare the microleakage of three variables (Ketac Molar, Ketac Silver, Ketac N100) of GIC in primary and permanent posterior teeth. Materials and Methods: Class I occlusal cavities were prepared on 60 extracted, noncarious primary molars and premolars. Each set of dentition (primary and permanent teeth) was divided into three groups of 10 specimens each to restore with the selected restorative material - Group A (Ketac Molar), Group B (Ketac Silver), and Group C (Ketac N100). These teeth were subjected to thermocycling, dye immersion, sectioning, and examination was done under a stereomicroscope to assess the degree of microleakage. The scoring was done according to the scoring criteria put forward by Khera and Chan, which were further tabulated and statistically analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in microleakage between primary and permanent teeth in all the three groups. In both primary and permanent teeth, Group B showed significantly higher dye penetration scores followed by Groups A and C. Conclusion: The nano-filled resin-modified GIC (Ketac N100) proved to be the better restorative material than the other cements used in the study. Clinical Relevance To Interdisciplinary Dentistry Microleakage is the most common cause of failure for all restorative materials, since it is a major contributing factor to secondary caries and early pulpal involvement. Consequently, an interest arises in finding a restorative material which has better bonding with the dental tissues thereby minimizing the chances of microleakage. Nano-filled RMGIC is found to be a good restorative material in maintaining the longevity of the restoration both in primary and permanent dentition.
A Computer-Aided Detection System for the Detection of Lung Nodules Based on 3D-ResNet

In recent years, the research into automatic aided detection systems for pulmonary nodules has been extremely active. Most of the existing studies are based on 2D convolution neural networks, which cannot make full use of computed tomography’s (CT) 3D spatial information. To address this problem, a computer-aided detection (CAD) system for lung nodules based on a 3D residual network (3D-ResNet) inspired by cognitive science is proposed in this paper. In this system, we feed the slice information extracted from three different axis planes into the U-NET network set, and make the joint decision to generate a candidate nodule set, which is the input of the proposed 3D residual network after extraction. We extracted 3D samples with 40, 44, 48, 52, and 56 mm sides from each candidate nodule in the candidate set and feed them into the trained residual network to get the probability of positive nodule after re-sampling the 3D sample to 48 × 48 × 48 mm 3 . Finally, a joint judgment is made based on the probabilities of five 3D samples of different sizes to obtain the final result. Random rotation and translation and data amplification technology are used to prevent overfitting during network training. The detection intensity on the largest public data set (i.e., the Lung Image Database Consortium and Image Database Resource Initiative—LIDC-IDRI) reached 86.5% and 92.3% at 1 frame per second (FPs) and 4 FPs respectively using our algorithm, which is better than most CAD systems using 2D convolutional neural networks. In addition, a 3D residual network and a multi-section 2D convolution neural network were tested on the unrelated Tianchi dataset. The results indicate that 3D-ResNet has better feature extraction ability than multi-section 2D-ConvNet and is more suitable for reduction of false positive nodules.
Building trust in public sector networks: The role of rhetoric and persuasion

This study investigates how rhetoric is used to generate trust in public sector inter-organisational networks. Drawing on evidence from a Local Safeguarding Children Board in England, where formal control systems were recognised to be insufficient to deal with the uncertainty inherent in the particular policy area, we explore how trustworthiness is negotiated amongst network partners through network leaders’ use of persuasive rhetoric. The main contribution that we bring to the existing literature is providing a description of the processes through which trust is generated in a public sector multi-partner setting. Our findings suggest that these are established within a feedforward control framework within the given network setting.
Sauna effect on blood oxygen transport and prooxidant-antio xidant balance in athletes

Introduction. Study of sauna effects on the athletes’ organism is an important problem, but the data on sauna impact on the blood O2 transport and lipid peroxidation processes in the athletes’ body in the literature is lacking. The purpose of study was to evaluate the state of blood oxygen transport and prooxidant-antioxidant balance in athletes after a single sauna exposure as well as after a sauna course. Material and Methods. The effect of sauna (temperature 85-90°С, relative humidity 10-15%) on blood oxygen transport and prooxidant-antioxidant balance in qualified male athleteswrestlers (age=18-25; n=16) was investigated. Results. A single sauna procedure caused respiratory alkalosis (increased blood pH by 0.8% (p<0.001)), elevation of O2 concentration in venous blood by 53.3% (р<0.001), increase P50 ( at which hemoglobin is 50% saturated) by 10.99% (р<0.001), thus reflecting the right shift of oxyhemoglobin-dissociation curve, development of oxidative stress. After a sauna course (1 procedure every week for five months), there was a similar pattern of blood oxygen transport parameters change and normalization of prooxidant-antioxidant balance. The growth of nitric oxide (NO) production, according to increased plasma nitrate/nitrite concentration after the first procedure by 26.2%, after a final sauna by 25.5%, reflected its contribution to the oxygen-dependent processes under thermal exposure. Conclusion. The sauna provides adaptations of oxygen-binding blood properties and mechanisms of antioxidant protection via NO-dependent processes, which can increase the athletes body's resistance to various stressinducing factors.
Quality of life (QoL) and overall survival (OS) in patients (pts) with advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (aRCC) treated with nivolumab (NIVI) vs. everolimus (EVE) in the phase III CheckMate 025 study.

4549Background: In the CheckMate 025 study (NCT01668784), pts treated with nivo had an OS benefit vs eve (hazard ratio=0.73; 98.5% CI, 0.57 to 0.93), and median scores on the Functional Assessment .
Frequent CD7 Antigen Loss in Aggressive Natural Killer-Cell Leukemia Can Be a Useful Diagnostic Marker.

Aggressive natural killer-cell leukemia (ANKL) is a rare neoplasm characterized by systemic proliferation of NK cells with rapidly progressive clinical course and fatal outcome. Because of the aggressive clinical course, rapid and accurate diagnosis of ANKL is critical. However, the differential diagnosis of NK cell lymphoproliferative disorders including hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is still challenging in the absence of a distinct diagnostic hallmark. Furthermore, cases with a low burden of malignant cell polpuation makes it more difficult. To find any diagnostic markers in ANKL, we analyzed clinical data and laboratory findings from bone marrow studies in Korean patients with bone marrow involvement of ANKL. From January 2000 to July 2007, a total of 20 cases were diagnosed with ANKL based on morphologic and immunophenotypic findings from bone marrow studies. The leukemic cells were surface CD3–CD16/56+ large granular lymphocytes with pale or lightly basophilic cytoplasm containing azurophilic granules. We retrospectively analyzed clinical features and laboratory findings including complete blood count (CBC), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, immunophenotype, and cytogenetic results from medical records. There were 6 (30%) women and 14 (70%) men with a median age of 44 years (range, 2–70 years). Hepatomegaly (70%), splenomegaly (60%), and lymphadenopathy (30%) were frequently observed. Peripheral blood counts were variable; anemia (hemoglobin
Major trauma in Northern Finland

Trauma patients are a significant patient group for emergency medical services (EMS). Not only are injuries a significant cause of death, they also have a significant long-term impact on functionality and quality of life. Previous studies have shown that the injury-related mortality rate is higher in sparsely populated areas and that the majority of patients die before the arrival of EMS. Intensive care mortality is significant, and half of seriously injured patients develop multiple organ dysfunction. Airway management is one of the most important procedures that EMS provide for a critically injured patient, but making high-quality care available in a sparsely populated area is challenging. Seriously injured patients also appear to benefit from being transported directly to a trauma centre. In recent years particular attention has been given to the level and availability of EMS. Hospitals’ readiness to provide acute surgery is also being reorganised. More information is needed about the frequency, circumstances, outcome and acute care of serious and fatal injuries so that health care resources can be allotted appropriately and requirements for prevention can be identified. The purpose of this research was to investigate the frequency and circumstances of injuryrelated deaths in Northern Finland and the prognosis of trauma patients encountered by the Finnish helicopter emergency services (FinnHEMS). A particular objective was to examine differences between rural and urban areas. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) severity score’s ability to predict 30-day mortality was also examined. The fourth part of the study aimed to investigate the pre-hospital airway management performed by non-physicians in Northern Finland. The study material was comprised of trauma deaths that occurred in Northern Finland in 2007–2011, trauma patients encountered by FinnHEMS units in Northern Finland in 2012–2013, patients encountered by HEMS in Northern Norway in 1999–2009 and a questionnaire regarding pre-hospital airway management to non-physicians. The study concluded that the rate of trauma deaths is high in Northern Finland, and the influence of alcohol was found in nearly half of pre-hospital trauma death cases. A larger portion of pre-hospital deaths also took place in rural areas. Trauma patients encountered by FinnHEMS units in urban areas who survived to hospital, appeared to have higher 30-day mortality than patients injured in rural areas. The most probable explanation for this difference is that patients injured in urban areas survive to hospital, while trauma patients in rural areas die pre-hospital. The NACA score was found to reliably predict 30-day mortality. Due to its simplicity, the NACA score can be used to compare patient material from different HEMS bases. It was found that non-physicians seldom performed airway management. On average, the frequency of performing airway management was low, and there is a need to improve maintenance of skills.
Recent Research Progress in Surface Ligand Exchange of PbS Quantum Dots for Solar Cell Application

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are considered as next-generation semiconductors owing to their tunable optical and electrical properties depending on their particle size and shape. The characteristics of CQDs are mainly governed by their surface chemistry, and the ligand exchange process plays a crucial role in determining their surface states. Worldwide studies toward the realization of high-quality quantum dots have led to advances in ligand exchange methods, and these procedures are usually carried out in either solid-state or solution-phase. In this article, we review recent advances in solid-state and solution-phase ligand exchange processes that enhance the performance and stability of lead sulfide (PbS) CQD solar cells, including infrared (IR) CQD photovoltaics.
Predictores de la Calidad de Vida Subjetiva en Adultos Mayores de Zonas Urbanas y Rurales de la Provincia del Guayas, Ecuador

The main objective of this study was to provide new evidence on predictors of subjective quality of life of Ecuadorian senior citizens and evaluate variations between residents of urban and rural areas. A survey was conducted in rural and urban areas in the different cantons of the province of Guayas where there is a greater population concentration, to a number of 384 participants over 60 years of age. The technique of generalized linear models (GLM) with a Poisson distribution was used for the multivariate analysis. First, the combination of food-related perceived resources proved to be an important predictor of subjective well-being indicators. Secondly, it was corroborated that the satisfaction with the economic situation, family importance, perception of health and the sum of food-related perceived resources influence the satisfaction with the quality of life of the elderly. Finally, results revealed that older adults in urban areas were more sensitive to a poor perception of health, while the quality of life of older adults in rural areas is more affected when facing an unfavorable economic situation.
Stepping Stone or Road Block: An Evaluation of Community Colleges in the Midwest to Improve Attrition and Graduate Percentages of African American Students

2 Dedication . 3 Acknowledgements . 4 Appendix D: Statement of Original Work.123 . 5 List of Tables . 8 List of Figures . 9 Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Background, Context, History, and Conceptual Framework for the Problem . 2 Statement of the Problem . 6 Purpose of the Study . 7 Research Questions . 7 Definitions of Terms . 10 Assumptions, Delimitations, and Limitations . 12 Summary . 14 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 15 Title Searches and Resources. 15 Historical Context of 2-Year-Colleges . 16 Conceptual Framework . 19 Review of Research Literature and Methodological Literature . 27 Review of Methodological Issues . 31
Cities, selective admission, and economic sorting

In the last few decades, residency in some of the world’s desired destination cities has become a privilege, as housing supply has not kept pace with population growth. This has led to a significant rise in housing prices and consequently to the exclusion of middle- and low-income populations on a large scale. These developments have received only scant attention in political theory despite their prominence in local policymaking and their contribution to processes of redrawing the boundaries of inclusion into local political communities. My focus in this article is on the question ‘is it morally permissible for cities to sort members by economic means, and grant the better-off privileged access to residency? ’ I explore this question by examining the main arguments used to support the city’s right to selectively admit would-be members. This allows me to delineate the limitations of the city’s general duty to be accessible to all segments of society and to present particular cases where the city has special obligations to incorporate nonmembers.
Anti-inflammatory, Antipyretic and Analgesic Activities of Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) Leaves in Animal Model

Diospyros kaki L. (Ebenaceae) fruit and leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of hypertension and angina, as well as for their antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities of Diospyros kaki L. (Ebenaceae) in order to scientifically validate its pharmacological importance. In the current study, the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities of ethyl acetate (Per-1), n-butanol (Per-2) and aqueous (Per-3) fractions of a methanol extract of Persimmon leaves were tested. Wistar rats weighing 190–210 g (for the anti-inflammatory assay) and male albino mice (Swiss) weighing 18–24 g (for the antipyretic and analgesic assays) were utilized as the experimental animals. The rats were separated into eight groups (for anti-inflammatory) and seven group (for antipyretic), each consisting of six rats. Each sample was treated orally and two doses: 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight were used in these experiments. The Per-3 sample at a dose of 200 mg/kg produced the highest inflammation inhibition at 59.28%. The same sample at a dose of 200 mg/kg lowered body temperature from 38°C of hyperthermia mice back to 36.65 ± 0.12°C after 120 min, close to the normal temperature (35.21 ± 0.29°C). In the tail flick model, sample Per-3 showed 67.74% highest nociception inhibition. Similar results were obtained with Acetic acid and hot-plate assay. These results confirm that the n-butanol and aqueous fractions of persimmon are active and may be used for further pharmacological screening.
Lymphoma-Associated Macrophage (LAM) Content Is an Independent Predictor of Survival in Patients with Follicular Lymphoma (FL).

Background: FL displays a diverse spectrum of clinical behavior as evidenced by marked variability in patient survival. Biological prognostic markers predictive of overall survival (OS) are mostly lacking. Recent work by the Leukemia Lymphoma Molecular Profiling Project (LLMPP) demonstrated that non-neoplastic cells in FL biopsy samples were important for determining outcome in FL and were integral to the design of a molecular gene expression survival predictor (Dave et al, Blood 102; #11: A617, ASH 2003, in press). We examined the role of immune cells as prognostic markers in FL. Methods: Between 1987 and 1993, the BC Cancer Agency enrolled 126 patients with FL on a phase II study of BP-VACOP and involved region radiotherapy. All patients were treatment naive, Results: 99/105 cases were successfully arrayed and comprise the study group. The median follow-up of the 55 living patients was 12.5 y. The median OS was 16.5 y. Histologic FL grade (WHO): grade1 (n=77), grade 2 (n=15) and grade 3A (n=7). 15 patients had marginal zone differentiation. In univariate analysis the IPI was predictive of OS (p = 0.003). Of the 99 evaluable FL cases, 87 had 15 macrophages/hpf (median 20 [range 16–25]) with median OS being 16.3 y vs 5.0 y, respectively (p = 0.0003). None of the pathology variables were predictive of OS in univariate analysis with the exception of the CD68 score, equivalent to LAM. There was no relationship between proliferation and the LAM score. In accordance, the CD68+ cells did not appear to be predominantly phagocytic. The macrophages were both within and between neoplastic follicles. A Cox multivariate model showed that IPI and CD68/LAM score were independent variables (p = 0.009 and p = 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The LAM score is an important independent prognostic factor in advanced-stage FL patients treated uniformly with an aggressive treatment regimen that included multi-agent chemotherapy and radiation. Numbers and distribution of T cell subsets and patterns of follicular dendritic cells were not predictive in this cohort. CD68+ macrophages/LAM may be a surrogate for an important component of the “immune response-2” gene expression signature, previously associated with inferior OS by the LLMPP consortium. LAM may allow improved stratification of FL for treatment purposes and importantly, understanding the role of macrophages in FL may provide insights into new targets for immune-based or other novel therapies.
Etude sur le rôle du NO exhalé dans la prise en charge des patients asthmatiques Study of the role of exhaled NO in management of asthma patients

Methode. Etude des cas-temoignes des patients asthmatiques sont venus en consultation au Centre d’Allergo-Immunologie de l’hopital Bach Mai de juin 2011 a Septembre 2011. Resultats. La FeNO des patients avant le traitement est a 49,38 ± 28,10 ppb. Apres le traitement par CSI + BLA, la FeNO est diminuee: en moyenne a 18,71 ± 7,80 ppb apres 3 mois. Il y a une correlation entre la FeNO et le niveau de controle de l’asthme apres 3 mois de traitement. Conclusion. La mesure de la FeNO est un examen necessaire pour evaluer le degre de l’inflammation des voies aeriennes. Dans l’avenir, la mesure de la FeNO serait un des examen routin important a faire dans la prise en charge des patients asthmatiques.
Choroid plexus papilloma: case report

Choroid plexus papillomas (CPP) are a rare oncological condition. They affect mostly the pediatric population, and the diagnosis is associated with clinical findings, imaging and anatomopathological methods. We report the case of a 49-year-old woman who underwent neurosurgical evaluation for chronic headache and emotional stress. CPP is a rare central nervous system tumor in the adult population. We present, therefore, a case in an adult female, whose diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology methods. Surgical treatment is the gold standard, showing full resolution in almost all cases.
Task Analysis for Measuring Mobility and Recovery Following Right-Sided TKA: Toward Determining Driver Readiness

Summary: Following a right-sided total knee arthroplasty (TKA), standard clinical recommendations for patients is to refrain from driving for 6 weeks. Clinical assessments of recovery include mobility tests but do not specifically assess fitness to drive. As a first step in assessment of driver readiness, this study aimed to compare vehicle entry behaviors and mobility assessments between TKA patients and healthy controls. 18 participants (9 TKA participants) completed three in-laboratory visits where they completed mobility tests and entered a full-cab car. Videos of vehicle entry were reviewed and annotated for time—timed vehicle entry (TVE)—and to categorize entry mode. TVE was significantly slower for TKA participants before surgery and 3 weeks after the procedure ( p < 0.05) but not 6 weeks after ( p < 0.05). TVE was positively correlated with timed up and go (TUG, r = 0.65, p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with right knee range of motion (ROM, r = -0.5, p < 0.05). Range of motion was not significantly different across entry modes between TKA participants and controls. This study was not conclusive to the utility of TVE to replace ROM and TUG for driver readiness; however, this work demonstrated the use of a real-world task that is related to driving for providing patient recovery and behavioral information.