nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
The Link between Public Debt and Government Expenditure Pattern: The Nigeria Experience

This study empirically examines the relationship between public debt and government expenditure in Nigeria from 1980 to 2013. The data which is purely secondary data was sourced through the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin for various years. The study estimated a model with public debt as the dependent variable while the capital expenditure and recurrent expenditure are the independent variables. Using the ordinary least square regression technique, the t test statistic results at 5% level of significance, revealed that there is a significant relationship between public debt and government expenditure in Nigeria. It then recommends that the government of Nigeria should make haste to reduce its recurrent expenditure and embark more on capital expenditure so as to meet the Vision 20:2020. Again, the economy of Nigeria should be diversified to reduce the over dependence on crude oil revenue. If the diversification programme is embarked upon, it will definitely reduce the tendency of the government accumulating public debt.
Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles as the Delivery Carrier for Drug.
Venue: Current drug delivery

Drug research and development has entered into the new epoch of innovation formulation, and the drug delivery system has been in the forefront of pharmaceutical innovation. Nanotechnology is widely used in fiber and textiles, electronics, space, agriculture, forensic science and medical therapeutics. It increasingly plays a significant role in drug delivery system. Compared with traditional delivery system, the nanoparticle drug delivery system has lots of merits, such as the high drug loading ability, the excellent biocompatibility, low toxicity, controlled and targeted drug release.  We undertook a structured research of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles used as delivery carrier for drug using a focused review question and inclusion/exclusion criteria. We have searched the bibliographic databases for peerreviewed research literature. The outstanding characteristics of the screened papers were described respectively, and a systematic content analysis methodology was used to analysis the findings.  Seventy three papers were included in the review, the majority defined leadership and governance approaches that had impacted upon the polymeric nanoparticles as the delivery carrier for drug in therapeutic applications and developments. Seven papers outlined the superiority characteristics of polymeric nanoparticles that applied in the field of vaccine. Forty seven papers overviewed the application prospects of polymeric nanoparticles used as drug delivery carrier for cancer. These included current advances in research and clinical applications of polymeric nanoparticles. The review identified the drug delivery carrier of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles, and we described the synthesis methods, applications and challenges of polymeric nanoparticles.  The findings of this review identified that the biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles were used as delivery carrier for drug currently. It also indicates that the biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles play an important role in the drug delivery.
High Q factor InP photonic crystal nanobeam cavities on silicon wire waveguides.
Venue: Optics letters

High quality (Q) factor indium phosphide (InP) based 1D photonic crystal nanobeam cavities are fabricated on silicon on insulator waveguides. Through the optimization of the fabrication process, the intrinsic Q factor of these fully encapsulated nanocavities is demonstrated to attain values higher than 100,000. Experimental and numerical investigations are carried out on the impact, on the Q factor, of the strength of the evanescent wave coupling between the cavity and the waveguide. We reveal that this coupling can result in a modification of the electromagnetic field distribution in the resonant mode, which gives rise up to a factor 4 reduction in the intrinsic Q factor for the structures under study.
Design of ultrahigh quality factor photonic crystal nanocylinder cavities

We propose and theoretically investigate a novel one dimensional photonic crystal nanocylinder cavity (PCNC) that can support the second order transverse electric like (TE2 mode. Three dimensional finite difference time domain simulations show that the TE2 mode of the PCNC possesses an ultrahigh quality factor of 1.22 x 108 and a small mode volume of when the PCNC is made of high index material of silicon. For the PCNCs which are made of low index materials, the corresponding quality factors of TE2 modes reach the highest values relative to previously demonstrated PhC nanobeam cavities with the same low index materials to the best of our knowledge. We believe the PCNC will be a highly promising candidate for low threshold high speed nanoscale lasers and cavity optomechanics.
Flow based sorting of neonatal lymphocyte populations for transcriptomics analysis.
Venue: Journal of immunological methods

Emerging data suggest an important role for T lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of chronic lung disease in preterm infants. Comprehensive assessment of the lymphocyte transcriptome may identify biomarkers and mechanisms of disease.  Small volume peripheral blood samples were collected from premature infants enrolled with consent in the Prematurity and Respiratory Outcomes Program (PROP) at the time of discharge from the hospital. Blood samples were collected at two sites and shipped to a central laboratory for processing. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by Ficoll Hypaque gradient centrifugation and separated into individual lymphocyte cell types by fluorescence activated cell sorting. Gating strategies were optimized to ensure reproducible recovery of highly purified lymphocyte populations over a multi year recruitment period. RNA was isolated from sorted cells and characterized by high throughput sequencing (RNASeq)  Blood volumes averaged 2.5ml, and sufficient PBMCs were collected from 165 of the 246 samples obtained (67% from the 277 recruited subjects to complete sorting and RNASeq analysis on the resulting sorted cells. The number of total lymphocytes per ml of blood in the neonatal subjects was approximately 4 million/ml. Total lymphocyte frequencies recovered following sort varied widely among subjects, as did the frequency of individual lymphocyte and NK cell sub populations. RNA yield from sorted cells varied according to cell type, but RNA of sufficient quantity and quality was recovered to enable RNASeq.  Our results describe a validated procedure for the generation of genome wide expression data from isolated lymphocyte sub populations obtained from newborn blood.
The characterization of an intestine like genomic signature maintained during Barrett's associated adenocarcinogenesis reveals an NR5A2 mediated promotion of cancer cell survival
Venue: Scientific reports

Barrett's oesophagus (BO) an intestinal type metaplasia (IM) typically arising in conjunction with gastro oesophageal reflux disease, is a prominent risk factor for the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) The molecular similarities between IM and normal intestinal tissues are ill defined. Consequently, the contribution of intestine enriched factors expressed within BO to oncogenesis is unclear. Herein, using transcriptomics we define the intestine enriched genes expressed in meta profiles of BO and OAC. Interestingly, 77% of the genes differentially expressed in a meta profile of BO were similarly expressed in intestinal tissues. Furthermore, 85% of this intestine like signature was maintained upon transition to OAC. Gene networking analysis of transcription factors within this signature revealed a network centred upon NR5A2, GATA6 and FOXA2, whose over expression was determined in a cohort of BO and OAC patients. Simulated acid reflux was observed to induce the expression of both NR5A2 and GATA6. Using siRNA mediated silencing and an NR5A2 antagonist we demonstrate that NR5A2 mediated cancer cell survival is facilitated through augmentation of GATA6 and anti apoptotic factor BCL XL levels. Abrogation of NR5A2 GATA6 expression in conjunction with BCL XL co silencing resulted in synergistically increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutics and photo dynamic therapeutics. These findings characterize the intestine like signature associated with IM which may have important consequences to adenocarcinogenesis.
Practical High Dynamic Range Imaging of Everyday Scenes: Photographing the world as we see it with our own eyes
Venue: IEEE Signal Processing Magazine

High dynamic range (HDR) imaging enables the capture of an extremely wide range of the illumination present in a scene and so produces images that more closely resemble what we see with our own eyes. In this article, we explain the problem of limited dynamic range in the standard imaging pipeline and then present a survey of state of the art research in HDR imaging, including the technology's history, specialized cameras that capture HDR images directly, and algorithms for capturing HDR images using sequential stacks of differently exposed images. Because this last is among the most common methods for capturing HDR images using conventional digital cameras, we also discuss algorithms to address artifacts that occur when using with this method for dynamic scenes. Finally, we consider systems for the capture of HDR video and conclude by reviewing open problems and challenges in HDR imaging.
A mixed methods systematic review protocol to examine the use of physical restraint with critically ill adults and strategies for minimizing their use
Venue: Systematic Reviews

BackgroundCritically ill patients frequently experience severe agitation placing them at risk of harm. Physical restraint is common in intensive care units (ICUs) for clinician concerns about safety. However, physical restraint may not prevent medical device removal and has been associated with negative physical and psychological consequences. While professional society guidelines, legislation, and accreditation standards recommend physical restraint minimization, guidelines for critically ill patients are over a decade old, with recommendations that are non specific. Our systematic review will synthesize evidence on physical restraint in critically ill adults with the primary objective of identifying effective minimization strategies.MethodsTwo authors will independently search from inception to July 2016 the following: Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PROSPERO, Joanna Briggs Institute, grey literature, professional society websites, and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. We will include quantitative and qualitative study designs, clinical practice guidelines, policy documents, and professional society recommendations relevant to physical restraint of critically ill adults. Authors will independently perform data extraction in duplicate and complete risk of bias and quality assessment using recommended tools. We will assess evidence quality for quantitative studies using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach and for qualitative studies using the Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (CERQual) guidelines. Outcomes of interest include (1) efficacy/effectiveness of physical restraint minimization strategies; (2) adverse events (unintentional device removal, psychological impact, physical injury) and associated benefits including harm prevention; (3) ICU outcomes (ventilation duration, length of stay, and mortality) (4) prevalence, incidence, patterns of use including patient and treatment characteristics and chemical restraint; (5) barriers and facilitators to minimization; (6) patient, family, and healthcare professional perspectives; (7) professional society endorsed recommendations; and (8) evidence gaps and research priorities.DiscussionWe will use our systematic review findings to produce updated guidelines on physical restraint use for critically ill adults and to develop a professional society endorsed position statement. This will foster patient and clinician safety by providing clinicians, administrators, and policy makers with a tool to promote minimal and safe use of physical restraint for critically ill adults.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42015027860
Pharmacological interventions for agitation in patients with traumatic brain injury: protocol for a systematic review and meta analysis
Venue: Systematic Reviews

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a worldwide leading cause of mortality and disability. Among TBI complications, agitation is a frequent behavioural problem. Agitation causes potential harm to patients and caregivers, interferes with treatments, leads to unnecessary chemical and physical restraints, increases hospital length of stay, delays rehabilitation, and impedes functional independence. Pharmacological treatments are often considered for agitation management following TBI. Several types of agents have been proposed for the treatment of agitation. However, the benefit and safety of these agents in TBI patients as well as their differential effects and interactions are uncertain. In addition, animal studies and observational studies have suggested impaired cognitive function with the use of certain antipsychotics and benzodiazepines. Hence, a safe and effective treatment for agitation, which does not interfere with neurological recovery, remains to be identified. the help of Health Sciences librarian, we will design a search strategy in the following databases: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE(r) EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Directory of Open Access Journals, LILACS, Web of Science, and Prospero. A grey literature search will be performed using the resources suggested in CADTH's Grey Matters. We will include all randomized controlled, quasi experimental, and observational studies with control groups. The population of interest is all patients, including children and adults, who have suffered a TBI. We will include studies in which agitation, not further defined, was the presenting symptom or one of the presenting symptoms. We will also include studies where agitation was not the presenting symptom but was measured as an outcome variable and studies assessing the safety of these pharmacological interventions in TBI patients. We will include studies evaluating all pharmacological interventions including beta adrenergic blockers, typical and atypical antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, dopamine agonists, psychostimulants, antidepressants, alpha 2 adrenergic agonists, hypnotics, and anxiolytics.DiscussionAlthough agitation is frequent following TBI and pharmacological agents that are often used, there is no consensus on the most efficacious and safest strategy to treat these complications. There is a need for an updated systematic review to summarize the evidence in order to inform practice and future research.
Safe and sound: Exploring the safety of young people in residential care

Since 2012, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (the Royal Commission) has uncovered evidence of significant rates of child sexual abuse within Australian residential care facilities. Although much of this evidence is historical and relates to residential facilities that were run quite differently to the ways that residential care is provided in contemporary times, child sexual abuse remains a risk for many young people in care. In addition to child sexual abuse perpetrated by adults within residential care settings, greater attention has recently focused on problematic sexual behaviour amongst young people, and the exploitation of young people by adults outside the residential care setting (Hallett, 2015; Timmerman Schreuder, 2014) In 2014, the Royal Commission commissioned the Institute of Child Protection Studies at the Australian Catholic University, with partners from Griffith University and Queensland University of Technology, to develop an understanding of how children perceive safety and consider it within institutional contexts. Specifically, this study explores the following research questions: 1. What does safety to mean to children and young people in the context of residential care? a. How do children and young people perceive safety within residential care and what do they need to feel and be safe? b. What are the safety concerns of children and young people in residential care? c. What do children and young people consider is being done to prevent harm (by staff, other adults and peers) in residential care? d. What do children and young people consider should be done to respond to safety issues in residential care? This report provides an overview of the major themes emerging from interviews with 27 children and young people with lived experience of residential care in Australia
The Role of Health Literacy in the Treatment of Osteoporosis
Venue: Journal of bone and mineral research the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

SM Hosking, R Buchbinder, JA Pasco, LJ Williams, and SL Brennan Olsen School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Institute, Malvern, Australia Melbourne Medical School Western Campus, University of Melbourne, St Albans, Australia Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science, University of Melbourne, St Albans, Australia Institute of Health and Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne,
discovRE: Efficient Cross Architecture Identification of Bugs in Binary Code
Venue: NDSS

The identification of security critical vulnerabilities is a key for protecting computer systems. Being able to perform this process at the binary level is very important given that many software projects are closed source. Even if the source code is available, compilation may create a mismatch between the source code and the binary code that is executed by the processor, causing analyses that are performed on source code to fail at detecting certain bugs and thus potential vulnerabilities. Existing approaches to find bugs in binary code 1) use dynamic analysis, which is difficult for firmware; 2) handle only a single architecture; or 3) use semantic similarity, which is very slow when analyzing large code bases. In this paper, we present a new approach to efficiently search for similar functions in binary code. We use this method to identify known bugs in binaries as follows: starting with a vulnerable binary function, we identify similar functions in other binaries across different compilers, optimization levels, operating systems, and CPU architectures. The main idea is to compute similarity between functions based on the structure of the corresponding control flow graphs. To minimize this costly computation, we employ an efficient pre filter based on numeric features to quickly identify a small set of candidate functions. This allows us to efficiently search for similar functions in large code bases. We have designed and implemented a prototype of our approach, called discovRE, that supports four instruction set architectures (x86, x64, ARM, MIPS) We show that discovRE is four orders of magnitude faster than the state of the art academic approach for cross architecture bug search in binaries. We also show that we can identify Heartbleed and POODLE vulnerabilities in an Android system image that contains over 130,000 native ARM functions in about 80 milliseconds.
Are subjective business performance measures justified

The purpose of this paper is to operationalize the subjective measures of business performance and assessing their justification for use in place of objective measures of business performance.  The study is based on a sample survey of 171 companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange, India. A cross sectional descriptive research design has been used. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure and dimensionality of objective and subjective measures of business performance. The psychometric properties of these measures and their interrelationship have been assessed through confirmatory factor analysis.  The study finds a strong positive correlation between subjective business performance and objective business performance. The study finds it justified to use the subjective measures of business performance.  Response bias may have crept in because of self reported measure used for the study. Future resea.
IMPROVING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE THROUGH BRAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

The aims of this study are to determine which variables are common as brand management practices, how these variables affect a company's business performance, and whether there are statistically significant differences between companies in the sample in terms of individual elements of the Brand Management Practice (BMP) model. The research took place in Serbia, and comprised 118 managers and specialists involved in marketing and brand management. After validating the proposed BMP model, we found a link between certain variables of the model and companies' business performance. There are statistically significant differences between companies in terms of individual elements of brand management practice, and we identify three clusters: brand guided companies, emerging brand companies, and brand agnostic companies. They differ from each other in terms of: brand oriented approach, innovativeness, brand support activities, unique marketing offers, marketing channel relationships, brand performance measurement, brand barriers, company size, and specific business area of a key brand. They also differ according to estimated and actual business and financial performance. The results are valuable for explaining the main drivers of good brand management practice and their effects on business performance in different industry sectors. The implications for managers of domestic companies are also discussed.
Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide (OATP)2B1 Contributes to Gastrointestinal Toxicity of Anticancer Drug SN 38, Active Metabolite of Irinotecan Hydrochloride
Venue: Drug Metabolism and Disposition

Gastrointestinal toxicity, such as late onset diarrhea, is a significant concern in irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT 11) containing regimens. Prophylaxis of late onset diarrhea has been reported with use of Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine containing baicalin and with the antibiotic cefixime, and this has been explained in terms of inhibition of bacterial deconjugation of SN 38 glucuronide since unconjugated SN 38 (active metabolite of CPT 11) is responsible for the gastrointestinal toxicity. It is also prerequisite for SN 38 to be accumulated in intestinal tissues to exert toxicity. Based on the fact that liver specific organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP)1B1, a member of the same family as OATP2B1, is known to be involved in hepatic transport of SN 38, we hypothesized that intestinal transporter OATP2B1 contributes to the accumulation of SN 38 in gastrointestinal tissues, and its inhibition would help prevent associated toxicity. We found that uptake of SN 38 by OATP2B1 expressing Xenopus oocytes was significantly higher than that by control oocytes. OATP2B1 mediated uptake of SN 38 was saturable, pH dependent, and decreased in the presence of baicalin, cefixime, or fruit juices such as apple juice. In vivo gastrointestinal toxicity of SN 38 in mice caused by oral administration for consecutive 5 days was prevented by coingestion of apple juice. Thus, OATP2B1 contributes to the uptake of SN 38 by intestinal tissues, triggering gastrointestinal toxicity. So, in addition to the reported inhibition of bacterial b glucuronidase by cefixime or baicalin, inhibition of OATP2B1 may also contribute to prevention of gastrointestinal toxicity. Apple juice may be helpful for prophylaxis of late onset diarrhea observed in CPT 11 therapy without disturbance of the intestinal microflora.