Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact and clinical significance of a preventive intervention for disruptive boys

Background Many intervention programmes have attempted to reduce disruptive behaviour problems during early childhood to prevent maladjustment during adolescence and adulthood. Aims To assess the long-term impact and clinical significance of a 2-year multicomponent preventive intervention on criminal behaviour and academic achievement, using intention-to-treat analyses. Method Targeted disruptive–aggressive boys considered to be at risk of later criminality and low school achievement (n=250), identified from a community sample (n=895), were randomly allocated to an intervention or a control group. The rest of the sample (n=645) served as the low-risk group. The intervention was multimodal and aimed at boys, parents and teachers. Official data measured both outcomes. Results Significantly more boys in the intervention group (13%; P<0.05) completed high-school graduation and generally fewer (11%; P=0.06) had a criminal record compared with those allocated to the control group. Conclusions The results suggest that early preventive intervention for those at high risk of antisocial behaviour is likely to benefit both the individuals concerned and society.
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation and Blood Component Therapy

DISSEMINATED i n t r a v a s c u l a r c o a g u l a t i o n ( D I C ) is now a well-recognized clinical entity and several recent reviews have served to e m p h a s i z e c u r r e n t c o n c e p t s o f e t iology, p a t h o p h y s i o l o g y , d i a g n o s i s , a n d t h e r apy. ’. 2*’2-’9 Pr imary therapy o f this disorder consists of removing t h e inciting event and control of t h e clotting process with heparin anticoagulation.2. L2 In certain instances blood component therapy may also be of b e n e f i t in c o n t r o l l i n g t h e h e m o r r h a g e associated with DIC. However, this modality should never b e considered until a f te r t h e intravascular clotting process h a s first been controlled with heparin or o t h e r appropr ia te measures . This l a t t e r concept is derived f rom theoretical considerations since it appears logical t h a t a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of blood or p lasma components in t h e presence of act ive D I C is “adding fuel t o t h e fire. ” Although few would disagree with this concept, supportive clinical d a t a is lacking. During t h e course o f clinical trials3 designed to evaluate t h e efficacy o f prothrombin complex concent ra te ( P C C ) to control b l e e d i n g a s s o c i a t e d w i t h c h r o n i c l i v e r disease, this mater ia l w a s given to a pat ient with undiagnosed, uncontrolled D I C . T h e resu l tan t clinical course a n d coagulation findings provide clinical d a t a suggesting blood or p l a s m a c o m p o n e n t s s h o u l d n o t be administered t o pat ients with active D I C until t h e clotting process h a s first been controlled with heparin or o t h e r appropriate measures .
The influence of visual packaging design on perceived food product quality, value, and brand preference

Purpose – Although the increase in point-of-purchase decisions heightens the communication potential of food product packaging, empirical research on understanding how visual packaging affects consumers' subsequent product and brand evaluations and perceptions is scant. This study seeks to develop a theoretical model to show the effects of consumer attitudes toward visual food packaging on perceived product quality, product value, and brand preference. Design/methodology/approach – A self-administered questionnaire developed from the literature was conducted, and 315 undergraduate students participated in the study. Findings – The empirical results show that attitudes toward visual packaging directly influence consumer-perceived food product quality and brand preference. Perceived food product quality also directly and indirectly (through product value) affects brand preference. Originality/value – This paper offers directions for understanding the effects of visual packaging on positive consumer product .
The coxsackievirus A9 RGD motif is not essential for virus viability

An RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid) motif in coxsackievirus A9 has been implicated in internalization through an interaction with the integrin alpha v beta 3. We have produced a number of virus mutants, lacking the motif, which have a small-plaque phenotype in LLC-Mk2 and A-Vero cells and are phenotypically normal in RD cells. Substitution of flanking amino acids also affected plaque size. The results suggest that interaction between the RGD motif and alpha v beta 3 is not critical for virus viability in the cell lines tested and therefore that alternative regions of the CAV-9 capsid are involved in internalization.
Prevalence of gallbladder disease in American Indian populations: Findings from the Strong Heart Study

American Indians are believed to be at high risk of gallbladder disease (GBD), but there has been no systematic evaluation of its prevalence among diverse groups of American Indians. Therefore, we determined the prevalence of GBD and associated risk factors among specified American Indian populations using ultrasonography of the gallbladder and standardized diagnostic criteria. Enrolled members, aged 47 years and older, of 13 American Indian tribes or communities in Arizona, Oklahoma, and South and North Dakota who participated in the Strong Heart Study were analyzed. GBD was the sum of gallstones (determined by ultrasound examination) and cholecystectomy (determined by ultrasound and self‐report). The proportion of American Indian heritage was based on the heritage of the grandparents of participants. GBD prevalence was determined among 3,296 participants at the 3 sites. Among women, 17.8% had gallstones, and 46.3% had evidence of a cholecystectomy, for a total of 64.1% with GBD. Among men, 17.4% had gallstones, and 12.1% had evidence of a cholecystectomy, for a total of 29.5% with GBD. When figures were adjusted for age and Indian heritage, there was no significant difference in GBD prevalence across the 3 geographical areas. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, age, American Indian heritage, and waist circumference were associated with GBD among men, and age, American Indian heritage, diabetes, and parity were associated with GBD among women. Body mass index was not independently associated with GBD in either sex. In conclusion, GBD was found in epidemic proportions in diverse American Indian populations.
Wireless Network Coding for MIMO Two-Way Relaying

The design of modulation schemes for the physical layer network-coded two-way MIMO relaying scenario is considered, with the denoise-and-forward protocol which employs two phases: Multiple Access phase and Broadcast phase. It is shown that for MIMO two-way relaying, the minimum distance of the effective constellation at the relay becomes zero when all the rows of the channel fade coefficient matrix belong to a finite number of vector subspaces referred to as the singular fade subspaces. The singular fade subspaces can be classified into two kinds based on whether their harmful effects can be removed or not: (i) the removable and (ii) the non-removable singular fade subspaces. It is shown that network coding maps obtained by the completion of appropriate partially filled Latin Rectangles can remove the harmful effects of all the removable singular fade subspaces. For 2λ-PSK signal set, the removable and non-removable singular fade subspaces are characterized and, it is shown that the number of non-removable singular fade subspaces is a small fraction of the total number of singular fade subspaces and this fraction tends to zero as the constellation size tends to infinity. The Latin Rectangles for the case when the end nodes use different number of antennas are shown to be obtainable from the Latin Squares for the case when they use the same number of antennas. Also, the network coding maps which remove all the removable singular singular fade subspaces are shown to be obtainable from a small set of Latin Squares. The removal of all the singular fade subspaces by properly choosing the network coding map, provides a gain of 5.5 dB over the conventional Exclusive-OR network coding, in a Rayleigh fading scenario with 2 antennas at the end nodes and one antenna at the relay node, for 4-PSK signal set.
BANK DIVIDEND POLICY: EXPLANATORY FACTORS

This study identifies factors that explain bank dividend policy by adapting the Barclay, Smith, and Watts (1995) model. Our model uses investment opportunities, capital adequacy, size, signaling, ownership, dividend history, and risk to explain dividend payments. Empirical analysis suggests a negative relationship between dividend payments and investment opportunities, signaling, ownership, and risk and a positive relationship to size and dividend history. Our results lead to five guidelines for making dividend payout decisions.
Intracochlear application of steroids: an experimental study in guinea pigs

Steroids might be an efficacious medication for preservation of remaining cochlear function during and after cochlear implantation. As systemic application of steroids often produces side effects, and because of the blood–labyrinth barrier, the efficacy of systemic inner-ear drug delivery remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the effects of local application of steroid on acoustic hearing in guinea pigs.
The symptomatology of periodic limb movement disorder.

Dr. Mendleson's recent article "Are Periodic Leg Movements Associated with Clinical Sleep Disturbance? " (1) raises some interesting questions regarding the symptomatology of periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), Dr. Mendleson found no significant correlation between the PLM arousal index and three measures of sleepiness (MSLT mean sleep latency, subjective daytime sleepiness, and subjectively arising refreshed). This is surprising given the extensive literature on experimental sleep fragmentation in normal subjects which shows "orderly increasing loss of daytime function" when the frequency of partial arousals is increased from 3/hour to 60/hour (2). We agree with Dr. Mendleson that the relation of PLMs to a subjective complaint of sleep disturbance is neither obvious nor simple and would like to suggest some alternative explanations for his results, Sleep deprivation experiments typically look at sleep quantity and sleep quality (fragmentation) as important variables in the effects on daytime function, Dr, Mendleson's subjects had a mean total sleep time (TST) of 4,9 hours and a mean sleep efficiency of 53.1 % on PSG, indicating that sleep quantity was also an issue. The results might have been different if individual TST and PLM arousal indices were analyzed. Sleep fragmentation experiments typically introduce the fragmentary stimulus (such as a loud tone) after sleep onset on PSG and not during any part of MSLT testing. PLMs can occur during wakefulness and are well described to predominate during stages 1 and 2 of sleep (3), leading to the common observation of disrupted sleep onset on PSG. MSLT technique does not usually include leg leads to look for this effect (4). Thus, PLMs may prevent the full expression of an individual's sleep debt by the symptom of sleepiness, using objective (MSLT) or subjective measures. If restless legs syndrome (RLS) occurs with PLMD, then the limb dysesthesias and associated motor restlessness are additional disruptors of sleep onset and reinitiation (3). Although he excluded subjects with a history of RLS from the PLM analysis, it is surprising that only four of Mendleson's 1,171 consecutive patients had a diagnosis of RLS. A recent prevalence study found positive responses to RLS-related questions by 10 to 15% of adult Canadians (5), If PLMs do not lead to significant daytime sleepiness, then should they be considered insignificant or coincidental? We think that conclusion would be premature, until some of the many other significant manifestations of insufficient sleep (5) are examined in PLM subjects. Mendleson's subjects reported frequent memory difficulties (32.8%) and a past history of depression symptoms (29,8%), both potential consequences of inadequate sleep, This paradox of severely disrupted sleep on PSG without a lot of sleepiness may be unique to PLMD and requires further study,
Inter‐organizational logistics systems in flexible production networks

Discusses the growth of inter‐firm logistics networks. Inter‐firm network denotes a complex arrangement of reciprocal, cooperative rather than competitive, relationships between legally independent but economically interdependent firms. Asserts that the organisation of the inter‐firm logistics network is influenced by the organisation of the network itself. Analyses the respective requirements of the inter‐organisational logistics system. Focuses on the question of which specific logistics‐related capabilities firms operating in production networks have to develop depending on the respective network type. Presents a qualitative study of a production network of a German car manufacturer to identify organisational capabilities and describe possible systemic development.
cyclops encodes a nodal-related factor involved in midline signaling.

Ventral structures in the central nervous system are patterned by signals emanating from the underlying mesoderm as well as originating within the neuroectoderm. Mutations in the zebrafish, Danio rerio, are proving instrumental in dissecting these midline signals. The cyclops mutation leads to a loss of medial floor plate and to severe deficits in ventral forebrain development, leading to cyclopia. Here, we report that the cyclops locus encodes the nodal-related protein Ndr2, a member of the transforming growth factor type beta superfamily of factors. The evidence includes identification of a missense mutation in the initiation codon and rescue of the cyclops phenotype by expression of ndr2 RNA, here renamed "cyclops. " Thus, in interaction with other molecules implicated in these processes such as sonic hedgehog and one-eyed-pinhead, cyclops is required for ventral midline patterning of the embryonic central nervous system.
Cell death in normal and abnormal development

ABSTRACT Research over the past 50 years has consistently documented that cell death is an integral part of both normal development and the etiology of birth defects; however, the significance of this cell death has been, until recently, unclear. Research published during the past 15 years has now shown that programmed cell death (PCD) and teratogen‐induced cell death are genetically controlled processes (apoptosis) that play important roles in both normal and abnormal development. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to highlight what is known about PCD and teratogen‐induced cell death and their relationships to the mechanisms of apoptosis and abnormal development.
Utility of Intralesional Sclerotherapy with 3% Sodium Tetradecyl Sulphate in Cutaneous Vascular Malformations

BACKGROUND Vascular malformations have devastating cosmetic effects in addition to being associated with pain and bleeding. Sclerotherapy has been successfully used in treating complicated hemangiomas and vascular malformations. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of sclerotherapy with 3% sodium tetradecyl sulphate (STS) in venous and lymphatic malformations. MATERIALS AND METHOD We performed sclerotherapy with 3% STS in 13 patients with venous malformations and microcystic lymphatic malformation, all low‐flow malformations and with extent predominantly to the subcutis, confirmed using Doppler ultrasound. Lesions were located on the face, lower lip, flanks, buttocks, and extremities. Patients presented for cosmetic reasons, pain, or bleeding. Sclerotherapy was undertaken as an office procedure without any radiological guidance and therapy repeated every 3 weeks. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed subjectively clinically and photographically. RESULTS The lesions regressed by 90% to 100% in 11 cases after a mean of four injections, with no improvement in two cases (one each of venous malformation and lymphatic malformation). Complications included cutaneous blister formation, erosions, and crusting at injection site in seven cases and atrophic scarring in four patients. CONCLUSIONS Sclerotherapy with 3% STS is a simple, safe, and effective modality for venous malformations and can be undertaken as an office procedure in lesions limited to the subcutis. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.
Threonine-Rich Repeats Increase Fibronectin Binding in the Candida albicans Adhesin Als5p

ABSTRACT Commensal and pathogenic states of Candida albicans depend on cell surface-expressed adhesins, including those of the Als family. Mature Als proteins consist of a 300-residue N-terminal region predicted to have an immunoglobulin (Ig)-like fold, a 104-residue conserved Thr-rich region (T), a central domain of a variable number of tandem repeats (TR) of a 36-residue Thr-rich sequence, and a heavily glycosylated C-terminal Ser/Thr-rich stalk region, also of variable length (N. K. Gaur and S. A. Klotz, Infect. Immun. 65: 5289-5294, 1997). Domain deletions in ALS5 were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to excrete soluble protein and for surface display. Far UV circular dichroism indicated that soluble Ig-T showed a single negative peak at 212 nm, consistent with previous data indicating that this region has high β-sheet content with very little α-helix. A truncation of Als5p with six tandem repeats (Ig-T-TR6) gave spectra with additional negative ellipticity at 200 nm and, at 227 to 240 nm, spectra characteristic of a structure with a similar fraction ofβ -sheet but with additional structural elements as well. Soluble Als5p Ig-T and Ig-T-TR6 fragments bound to fibronectin in vitro, but the inclusion of the TR region substantially increased affinity. Cellular adhesion assays with S. cerevisiae showed that the Ig-T domain mediated adherence to fibronectin and that TR repeats greatly increased cell-to-cell aggregation. Thus, the TR region of Als5p modulated the structure of the Ig-T region, augmented cell adhesion activity through increased binding to mammalian ligands, and simultaneously promoted fungal cell-cell interactions.
In-House Marketing of Analytical Information Systems: Development of a Procedure Model

Albeit a given extensive availability of analytical information systems (AIS), acceptance and usage of these systems can be estimated as rather low. In order to increase the awareness level of AIS within corporations, to expand the user base, and to establish AIS as a central, enterprise-wide foundation for decision support, the responsible departments need to address the marketing of their services. This includes e.g. the definition and communication of their service portfolio and the identification and analysis of user groups. In this paper, we develop a procedure model for the in-house marketing of AIS. Theoretically well-grounded in service marketing and relationship marketing and practically substantiated through expert workshop and an empirical investigation, the procedure model offers a structured foundation for in-house marketing initiatives in the context of AIS. The procedure model consists of the four phases (analysis, planing, execution, and control) and twelve particular activities, which allow corrective returns in between the single activities.
Prevalence of early childhood caries in 3- to 5-year-old children in Philadelphia district, Mpumalanga Province.

INTRODUCTION Early Childhood Caries (ECC) can be defined as dental caries in preschool children. There is a lack of data on the prevalence of ECC at a global, national, regional and district level. Hence the severity and extent of the disease is unknown. OBJECTIVES The purpose of the study was to establish the prevalence of ECC among 3- to 5-year-old children from the Philadelphia district in Mpumalanga. METHODS A cross sectional study was conducted on 269 children aged between 3 and 5 years. The caries status was determined using the decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) index as described by WHO 1997. RESULTS The percentage caries free individuals were 74.6%, 44.2% and 46.6% and the dmft values were 0.93, 2.69 and 2.18 for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds respectively. The mean mt and ft values for 3- and 4-year-olds was zero. Among the 5-year-olds, the mean mt and ft values was 0.01 and 0.02 respectively. CONCLUSION For a rural community the prevalence of ECC is high. Virtually all caries in preschool children from this community is left untreated. There is a need for a properly planned preventive strategy for this community.
HBT device robustness against process variations in millimeter-wave BiCMOS technology

Device electrical parameters and performance after optimization are often presented in literature. However, publications rarely address device stability versus process dispersion. Such a study was performed on the high-speed Si/SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HS HBT) from a millimeter-wave BiCMOS technology. The process parameters were intentionally de-centered during the fabrication to monitor device electrical response and evaluate potential weaknesses or instability. This paper presents the results of this work and demonstrates the device robustness.
Cloudpress 2.0: a new-age news retrieval system on the cloud

In this era of the internet, a huge amount of news articles are added every minute of everyday. As a result of this evergrowing amount of news articles, news retrieval systems are required to process the news articles frequently and intensively. The news retrieval systems that are in use today barely cope up with these data-intensive computations. Cloudpress 2.0 presented here, is designed and implemented to be scalable, robust and fault tolerant. It is designed in such a way that all the processes involved in news retrieval, such as fetching, text processing, image processing, indexing, storing and summarising, exploit MapReduce paradigm and use the power of the cloud computing. It uses novel approaches for parallel processing, for storing the news articles in a distributed database and for visualising them as a 3D visual. It uses Lucene-based indexing for efficient and faster retrieval. It also includes a novel query expansion feature for searching the news articles. Cloudpress 2.0 also allows on-the-fly, extractive summarisation of news articles based on the input query.
The new shares market: regulatory intervention, forecast errors and challenges

A new issue is defined under Malaysian laws as the sale of unissued ordinary shares out of a previously closely held firm's authorised number of shares. Offers of existing issued shares are defined as sale of shares. Private placements, which are direct sale of unissued shares to designated investors, are permitted in limited cases and account for 5 to 10percent of funds per year in the market. Therefore, the phrase 'new issues' has a restricted meaning in this country, and is consistent with the meaning of initial public offerings (or IPOs) of private companies and government-linked enterprises.