Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality-of-life assessment: recent trends in surgery.

A literature review conducted for a 1989 article on assessing the quality of life in surgical studies revealed that quality of life was more often mentioned than measured. Few authors reported the use of known, standardized scales. The objective of this study was to determine if and to what extent this situation has changed. A MEDLINE search of surgical studies published between 1989 and 1995 produced over 277 abstracts of surgical studies containing the words "quality of life. " The abstracts were studied in three time periods: 1989-1990, 1991-1992 and 1993-1995. Findings indicated that the use of the term "quality of life" increased markedly over the study period, and studies using standardized measures escalated from 27.4% in 1989-1990 to 48.3% in 1993-1995. Those abstracts not stating how quality of life was assessed decreased from 48.4% in the early period to 21.7% in the last period. Of the abstracts reporting studies that used quality of life measures, 33% came from cancer studies, 21.7% from cardiovascular or respiratory studies, 14.8% from gastroenterology studies, 13.4% from nephrology studies and 6.1% from orthopedic studies. Surgical investigators selected a variety of global measures of quality of life as well as disease-specific instruments. The abstracts also revealed that surgeons are using quality-of-life assessment to monitor patients over time, to help select patients for surgery, to determine the effect of surgical treatment and for making policy decisions. Notwithstanding the limitations of this project, there is evidence in the literature that surgeons are increasingly willing to assess the impact of the surgical interventions by quality-of-life measures and are becoming more familiar with the diverse measures used to assess quality of life.
What Do We Know About the Impact of Intellectual Property Rights on the Foreign Direct Investment Location (Country) Choice? A Review and Research Agenda

Despite a longstanding debate, at both a theoretical and empirical level, research on the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and intellectual property rights (IPRs) remains scant and ambiguous. As a result, the link between IPR strength and multinational enterprises&#8217; (MNEs) propensity to invest is unproven and seemingly dependent on a number of factors. We critically review the theory and evidence of the influence of IPRs on FDI and MNEs&#8217; investment location (country) decisions both to &#8216;take stock&#8217; of existing knowledge of this relationship and, by identifying gaps in, and shortcomings of prior work, develop a fruitful research agenda. We find that existing empirical work on the IPR&#8211;FDI nexus, though skewed in favour of a positive relationship between IPR protection and FDI, is fragmented, inconclusive and unable to square the conflicting theoretical predictions on how the strength of IPRs can affect MNEs&#8217; FDI location decisions. Several issues and challenges are highlighted to explain the difficulties of the collective body of past empirical work to provide a definite answer to the question of the impact of IPRs on FDI, from which valuable recommendations are proposed to guide future applied research.
Exploring vessel-price dynamics: the case of the dry bulk market

ABSTRACT We investigate second-hand vessel price heterogeneity. Based on a sample of 5,591 purchase and sale transactions in the dry bulk sector over the period 1998–2016, we deploy a nonparametric regression technique to assess the determinants of vessel price and vessel price variability. Next, we use quantile regression to estimate the effect of regressors (sources of heterogeneity) at different parts of the vessel price distribution. We find evidence that main sources of vessel price heterogeneity are the age of the ship (the older the vessel the higher its maintenance cost), the 3-month LIBOR (reflecting the cost of financing) and the annual charter rate (revenues from operation). Their influence is stronger at all higher quantiles (periods of expansion) and the median of the vessel price distribution.
Maf1 is a negative regulator of transcription in Trypanosoma brucei

RNA polymerase III (Pol III) produces small RNA molecules that play essential roles in mRNA processing and translation. Maf1, originally described as a negative regulator of Pol III transcription, has been studied from yeast to human. Here we characterized Maf1 in the parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma brucei (TbMaf1), representing the first report to analyse Maf1 in an early‐diverged eukaryote. While Maf1 is generally encoded by a single‐copy gene, the T. brucei genome contains two almost identical TbMaf1 genes. The TbMaf1 protein has the three conserved sequences and is predicted to fold into a globular structure. Unlike in yeast, TbMaf1 localizes to the nucleus in procyclic forms of T. brucei under normal growth conditions. Cell lines that either downregulate or overexpress TbMaf1 were generated, and growth curve analysis with them suggested that TbMaf1 participates in the regulation of cell growth of T. brucei. Nuclear run‐on and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses demonstrated that TbMaf1 represses Pol III transcription of tRNA and U2 snRNA genes by associating with their promoters. Interestingly, 5S rRNA levels do not change after TbMaf1 ablation or overexpression. Notably, our data also revealed that TbMaf1 regulates Pol I transcription of procyclin gene and Pol II transcription of SL RNA genes.
Suppression of Conditioned Fear by Administration of CCKB Receptor Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotide into the Lateral Ventricle

We investigated the role of CCK in the development of anxiety by determining whether CCKB receptor antisense suppressed intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in vitro or suppressed conditioned fear stress in vivo. First, for the in vitro studies, we used rat pituitary tumor GH3 cells since these cells have CCKB receptors. GH3 cells were stimulated by 10 microM CCK-4; intracellular Ca(2+) concentration was measured. The CCKB receptor antisense at 1 or 10 microM reduced the subsequent response to 10 microM CCK-4 in a time-dependent manner. Second, for the in vivo studies, the CCKB receptor antisense, sense, random sense, or saline was infused at a constant rate for 6 days into rat lateral ventricles via mini-osmotic pumps. Individual rats were then subjected to 30 min of inescapable electric footshock in a chamber with a grid floor. Twenty-four hours later, the rat was again placed in the chamber and observed for 5 min without shocks. This study showed that CCKB receptor antisense significantly suppressed intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in GH3 cells and significantly reduced freezing behavior in rats, indicating that the CCKB receptor plays an important role in anxiety.
Genetic diversity and emergence of norovirus GII/4-2006b in Japan during 2006-2007.

BACKGROUND Noroviruses (NoV) are important causes of acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children. This study investigated the prevalence of NoV infections in infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Japan from July 2006 to June 2007. METHODS A total of 628 fecal specimens were collected from infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in five different places (Maizuru, Tokyo, Sapporo, Saga and Osaka), Japan during the period of July 2006 to June 2007. All fecal specimens were examined for NoV by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Molecular analysis of NoV was carried out by sequencing methods. RESULTS From 628 fecal specimens tested, 15.6% (99 of 628) were positive for NoV. Of these, NoV GII most predominant, with a prevalence of 15.5% (97 of 99). Analysis of nucleotide and amino acid sequences revealed that NoVGII strains comprised GII/4 (89%), GII/3 (6.4%), GII/7 (2.3%), and GII/2 (2.3%) genotypes. Among NoVGII/4 strains, all of them belonged to genotype GII/4 2006b variants. Our results clearly indicated that NoV infections were most commonly observed in winter seasons in Japan. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, this study shows the predominance of NoVGII/4 2006b variants and NoV is still burden of disease among Japanese pediatric population.
Elevated thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and antioxidant enzyme activity in the brain in Alzheimer's disease

We determined levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), a measure of lipid peroxidation, and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GSSG-R), and catalase (CAT) in the amygdala, hippocampus, pyriform cortex, superior and middle temporal gyri, inferior parietal lobule, middle frontal gyrus, occipital pole, and cerebellum of 13 Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 10 control brains. Levels of TBARS were elevated in all AD brain regions except the middle frontal gyrus, and elevation levels reached statistical significance in the hippocampus and pyriform cortex and marginal significance in the amygdala of AD subjects compared with age-matched controls. Significant elevation of GSH-Px activity was present in AD hippocampus compared with control. Moderate but statistically insignificant elevations of GSH-Px activity also were present in the amygdala and pyriform cortex in AD. GSSG-R activity was significantly elevated in the amygdala and hippocampus in AD subjects compared with controls. CAT activity was significantly elevated in AD hippocampus and superior and middle temporal gyri. SOD levels were elevated in all brain regions in AD patients compared with controls, although none of these elevations reached statistical significance. Antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly elevated where lipid peroxidation was most pronounced, suggesting a compensatory rise in antioxidant activity in response to increased free radical formation. This study supports the concept that the brain in AD is under increased oxidative stress and demonstrates that the oxidative changes are most pronounced in the medial temporal lobe, where histopathologic alterations are most severe. NEUROLOGY 1995;45: 1594-1601
Simulation techniques for EMC compliant design of automotive IC chips and modules

Automotive electronic units need to comply fully with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulations. This paper proposes a comprehensive simulation methodology and techniques for analyzing EMC performance of integrated circuits (ICs) in chip-package-system (CPS) board integration. Extended chip power models (ECPMs) model automotive ICs for noise emission (EMI) and also for noise susceptibility (EMS), and provide a suite of EMC models that facilitate joint design of EMC compliant systems by semiconductor chip vendors and electronic module integrators. Automotive local interconnect network (LIN)-bus transceivers in a 0.13 μm Bipolar/CMOS/DMOS (BiCD) chip were analyzed under the direct power injection (DPI) method for EMS testing standardized in IEC62132-4. The ECPM derived for the complete LIN integrated circuit by a high-capacity mesh solver provides a passive network that models not only power delivery networks, but also isolation structures in the circuit's silicon substrate. These isolation structures include junction diodes and trench insulators surrounding BiCD devices coupled to the substrate. The chip/package/system simulation including the ECPM of the whole LIN circuit predicts the coupling of noise sinusoids induced by high-power EMS tests and explains the root cause of the susceptibility of LIN circuits, as verified by on-chip measurements in test chips.
Opioids and Unemployment

There has been a ton of research in economics about the effects of drugs on the employment status of individuals. These papers have looked at the effects mainly pertaining to Marijuana and Cocaine, however this paper will be examining the effects of the opioid Heroin. As a first of its kind paper I will examine the relationship between employment and heroin use. To test this connection I have compiled data from the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health. Through the use of two econometric models: OLS and Two Stage Least Squares models I will uncover the connection we can expect to see during the opioid crisis.
Diffusion-weighted MRI differentiates the Parkinson variant of multiple system atrophy from PD

Objective and BackgroundRoutine MRI as well as MR volumetry and MRS have been shown to contribute to the differential diagnosis of the Parkinson variant of multiple system atrophy (MSA-P) and PD. However, it is currently unknown whether diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) discriminates these disorders. MethodsTen patients with MSA-P (mean age, 64 years) were studied, 11 with PD (mean age, 64 years), and seven healthy volunteers (mean age, 59 years) matched for age and disease duration. Regional apparent diffusion coefficients (rADC) were determined in different brain regions including basal ganglia, gray matter, white matter, substantia nigra, and pons. ResultsPatients with MSA-P had higher putaminal rADC (median 0.791 × 103/mm2/s) than both patients with PD (median 0.698 × 103/mm2/s, p < 0.001) and healthy volunteers (median 0.727 × 103/mm2/s, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in putaminal rADC between patients with PD and healthy volunteers. Moreover, none of the putaminal rADC values in the PD and control group surpassed the lowest value in the MSA-P group. There were no significant group differences in the rADC values in other brain regions such as pons, substantia nigra, globus pallidus, caudate nucleus, thalamus, or gray and white matter. Putaminal rADC values correlated significantly with Unified PD Rating Scale OFF scores in patients with MSA as measured by the Spearman rank test. ConclusionDWI, even if measured in the slice direction only, is able to discriminate MSA-P and both patients with PD and healthy volunteers on the basis of putaminal rADC values. The increased putaminal rADC values in Parkinson variant of multiple system atrophy are likely to reflect ongoing striatal degeneration, whereas most neuropathologic studies reveal intact striatum in PD. Diffusion-weighted imaging may represent a useful diagnostic tool that can provide additional support for a diagnosis of Parkinson variant of multiple system atrophy.
Face recognition is similarly affected by viewpoint in school-aged children and adults

There is an ongoing debate on the question when face processing abilities mature. One aspect that has been part of this debate is the ability to recognize faces in and across different viewpoints. Here, we tested 128 participants consisting of school-age children (ages, 5–10 years) and adults (ages, 19–37 years) in two experiments to investigate the effects of different viewpoints (including front, three-quarter, profile view) on face recognition during development. Furthermore, we compared recognition performance for faces to that of another object category (cars). In the first experiment (n = 88) we tested if the pattern of performance for faces presented in different viewpoints is similar in school-aged children and adults. Participants completed a two-alternative-forced-choice (2AFC) memory task comprising images of both faces and cars in front, three-quarter and profile view, which were presented in the same viewpoint during learning and testing. In the second experiment (n = 40) we tested if face recognition is similarly affected by viewpoint changes in children and adults. In this experiment the 2AFC memory task included a change of viewpoint between learning and testing. While in both experiments we found higher recognition performance for faces with increasing age, the overall pattern of both viewpoint and viewpoint-change-effects and also the difference between view-change- and no-change-conditions was similar across age groups. In contrast to faces, no viewpoint effects were observed in cars (experiment 1), viewpoint change effects, however, were similar for cars and faces (experiment 2). In sum, our results suggest early maturity of the ability to recognize faces in and across different viewpoints.
Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI for prediction of breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy: initial results.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to establish changes in contrast-enhanced MRI of breast cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy that are indicative of pathology outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 54 patients with breast cancer, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI was performed before chemotherapy and after two chemotherapy cycles. Imaging was correlated with final histopathology. Multivariate analysis with cross-validation was performed on MRI features describing kinetics and morphology of contrast uptake in the early and late phases of enhancement. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to develop a guideline that switches patients at high risk for incomplete remission to a different chemotherapy regimen while maintaining first-line therapy in 95% of patients who are not at risk (i.e., high specificity). RESULTS Change in largest diameter of late enhancement during chemotherapy was the single most predictive MRI characteristic for tumor response in multivariate analysis (A(z) [area under the ROC curve] = 0.73, p < 0.00001). Insufficient (< 25%) decrease in largest diameter of late enhancement during chemotherapy was most indicative of residual tumor at final pathology. Using this criterion, the fraction of unfavorable responders indicated by MRI was 41% (22/54). Approximately half (44%, 14/32) of the patients who showed favorable response at MRI achieved complete remission at pathology. Conversely, 95% (21/22) of patients who showed unfavorable response at MRI had residual tumor at pathology. CONCLUSION Reduction of less than 25% in largest diameter of late enhancement during neoadjuvant chemotherapy shows the potential to predict residual tumor after therapy with high specificity.
Debt covenant violation, competition and cost of new debt

This article empirically shows that the cost of new debt is higher for firms that commit covenant violations. Using a proxy for product market competition to capture exogenous changes to a firm’s competitive environment, I find that the cost is systematically higher for firms that operate in competitive markets. Moreover, I identify channels through which violations can increase the cost of new debt, namely, the incidence, timing and frequency effects, and I document these effects to be more acute for competitive markets. Overall, the study finds that the market prices financial contracts by taking into account the information content of the violation and the risk arising from market competition. JEL Classification: G12, G30
The Trouble with Markets: Saving Capitalism from Itself

In the spirit of John Kenneth Galbraith and Paul Krugman, Roger Bootle challenges readers to look at the deep causes of the current financial crisis in his trenchant, topical and thought-provoking exploration of both our economic future and the future of the market system itself. The Trouble with Markets sets the crisis in an historical context, with fascinating material on the Great Depression and other periods of economic downturn. Although fiercely critical of bankers and regulators for their roles, Bootle blames the crisis not on them, but on the idea that financial markets can be left alone. Written in his distinctive, highly readable style, the book examines a host of critical questions, including what investors should do with their money in turbulent times, and calls for a contraction of the overfed financial services sector. Provocative, radical and thoroughly international in scope, The Trouble with Markets is sure to appeal to financial types and general readers alike.
China's energy transition: performance possibilities and pathways

This research analyses China’s energy transition in terms of its performance, possible energy mix and transition pathways. The research investigates the relationship between energy transition and economic growth; examines the extent to which modern energy can substitute for traditional energy, and identifies the drivers of energy transition. The findings suggest that China’s transition to cleaner energy is accelerating. This is due to growth raising the capital intensity of the Chinese economy which increases substitutability between fuels and reduces the prices of modern fuels.
Comparison of two regulators for phtovoltaic Systems: The PID regulator and sliding mode control

The production of electricity by a photovoltaic source depends and varies according to the climate changes; which perturbs and affects the optimal use of a photovoltaic system. This paper will set a comparison between a PID controller and a Sliding Mode Control. Both controllers are applied to an optimal algorithm in order to extract a maximum power from the photovoltaic generator. This study aims to convoy the improvement of the global performance of the photovoltaic system. Thanks to the Sliding Mode Control which confirms the efficiency and the robustness of the command, the obtained results under various conditions are promising to resolve the problems of rapid response, stability and precision of the photovoltaic system.
Everyday memory errors in older adults

ABSTRACT Despite concern about cognitive decline in old age, few studies document the types and frequency of memory errors older adults make in everyday life. In the present study, 105 healthy older adults completed the Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ; Sunderland, Harris, & Baddeley, 1983, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 22, 341), indicating what memory errors they had experienced in the last 24 hours, the Memory Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (MSEQ; West, Thorn, & Bagwell, 2003, Psychology and Aging, 18, 111), and other neuropsychological and cognitive tasks. EMQ and MSEQ scores were unrelated and made separate contributions to variance on the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE; Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975, Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189), suggesting separate constructs. Tip-of-the-tongue errors were the most commonly reported, and the EMQ Faces/Places and New Things subscales were most strongly related to MMSE. These findings may help training programs target memory errors commonly experienced by older adults, and suggest which types of memory errors could indicate cognitive declines of clinical concern.
Conflicting views on opposition to LULUs: distributive justice in three Japanese cases of waste disposal facility siting

ABSTRACT Local residents often oppose some types of facilities because of their negative side effects, even though they are claimed to be necessary for the public good. These facilities are known as locally unwanted-land-uses, and local opposition to them is often referred to as not-in-my-backyard, usually with a pejorative connotation. However, some studies have challenged this conventional view of local opposition. Given these conflicting views, the present article explores how local mobilisation should be evaluated, focusing particularly on distributive justice. First, the study illuminates how different interpretations of distributive justice lead to difference in views on local opposition. Then, by comparing three waste disposal facility cases in Japan, a distinction between cost sharing and cost overlapping cases is illuminated. The study further develops discussions by pointing out the limits of using this distinction to evaluate local opposition movements and provides insights that can contribute to a fuller understanding of siting conflicts.