LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Osseointegration Into a Deeply Porous Titanium Scaffold: A Biomechanical Comparison With PEEK and Allograft.

STUDY DESIGN
This was a biomechanical push-out testing study using a porcine model.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose was to evaluate the strength of implant-bone interface of a porous titanium scaffold by comparing it to polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and allograft.


SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
Osseointegration is important for achieving maximal stability of spinal fusion implants and it is desirable to achieve as quickly as possible. Common PEEK interbody fusion implants appear to have limited osseointegration potential because of the formation of fibrous tissue along the implant-bone interface. Porous, three-dimensional titanium materials may be an option to enhance osseointegration.


METHODS
Using the skulls of two swine, in the region of the os frontale, 16 identical holes (4 mm diameter) were drilled to 10 mm depth in each skull. Porous titanium, PEEK, and allograft pins were press fit into the holes. After 5 weeks, animals were euthanized and the skull sections with the implants were cut into sections with each pin centered within a section. Push-out testing was performed using an MTS machine with a push rate of 6 mm/min. Load-deformation curves were used to compute the extrinsic material properties of the bone samples. Maximum force (N) and shear strength (MPa) were extracted from the output to record the bonding strength between the implant and surrounding bone. When calculating shear strength, maximum force was normalized by the actual implant surface area in contact with surrounding bone.


RESULTS
Mean push-out shear strength was significantly greater in the porous titanium scaffold group than in the PEEK or allograft groups (10.2 vs. 1.5 vs. 3.1 MPa, respectively; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSION
The push-out strength was significantly greater for the implants with porous titanium coating compared with the PEEK or allograft. These results suggest that the material has promise for facilitating osseointegration for implants, including interbody devices for spinal fusion.


LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
N/A.
ow does hotel pricing influence guest satisfaction by the moderating nfluence of room occupancy ? hiang

Whether the product price increases customer satisfaction or rather decreases it has been actively debated for some time. A non-linear correlation between the hotel price and guest satisfaction, explored empirically in this paper, implies that the two phenomena are actually not inconsistent with one another At the low price level, room price and food and beverage (F&B) price leads to an increase in guest satisfaction whereas the high price level could have just the opposite effect The results suggests an inverse U shaped otel pricing oom product &B product uest satisfaction relationship between price level and guest satisfaction On the other hand, the room price guest satisfaction link could be affected by the moderating influence of room occupancy to be a U shaped function This paper reports results from a study on the influence of hotel pricing on guest satisfaction in the context of room products and F&B products in Taiwanese international tourist satisfaction It is found that the hotel pricing has a quadratic effect on guest satisfaction © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effect of temperature and light on the growth of algae species: A review

Algae are fast growing biomass and can be converted to Biodiesel fuel. The demand of biodiesel is growing worldwide. Microalgae need a light:dark regime for productive photosynthesis. Light conditions and Temperature affect directly the growth rate of microalgae (duration and intensity).Literature review of some Green algae species Chlorella, Spirogyra, Chlamydomonas, Botryococcus, Scenedesmus, Neochloris, Haematococcus, Nannochloropsis, Ulva species and few species of brown algae, red algae, blue green algae were chosen to study the effect of temperature and light intensity on their growth. Optimum temperature range 20 1C to30 1C was observed for growth of different algae species. Light irradiance varies between 33 mmol m 2 s 1 to 400 mmol m 2 s . Maximum growth rate was found 1.73 d 1 for Selenastrum minutum at 35 1C and 420 mmol m 2 s 1 irradiance. Minimum growth rate (0.10 d ) was reported for Botryococcus braunii KMITL 2 strain at temperature 25 1C, photoperiod 24:0 and 200 mmol m 2 s 1 irradiance. & 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
DNA copy number alterations and expression of relevant genes in triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined by a lack of expression of estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors, and genetically most of them fall into the basal subgroup of breast cancer. The important issue of TNBC is poorer clinical outcome and absence of effective targeted therapy. In this study, we sought to identify DNA copy number alterations and expression of relevant genes characteristic of TNBC to discover potential therapeutic targets. Frozen tissues from 114 breast cancers were analyzed using high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization. The classification into subtype was determined by estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, and by the presence or absence of gain on the ERBB2 containing clone. The ACE algorithm was used for calling gain and loss of clones. Twenty-eight cases (25%) were classified as TNBC. Recurrent gains (> or =25%) unique to TNBC were 9p24-p21, 10p15-p13, 12p13, 13q31-q34, 18q12, 18q21-q23, and 21q22. Two published gene expression array data sets comparing basal subtype versus other subtype breast cancers were used for searching candidate genes. Of the genes upregulated in the basal subtype, 45 of 686 genes in one data set and 59 of 1,428 in the second data set were found to be located in the gained regions. Of these candidate genes, gain of NFIB (9p24.1) was specific for TNBC in a validation set by real-time PCR. In conclusion, we have identified recurrently gained regions characteristic of TNBC, and found that NFIB copy number and expression is increased in TNBC across the data sets. This article contains Supplementary Material available at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/1045-2257/suppmat.
Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners ? Determinants of Innovation in Micro , Small , and Medium Enterprises *

Innovative Firms or Innovative Owners? Determinants of Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Innovation is key to technology adoption and creation, and to explaining the vast differences in productivity across and within countries. Despite the central role of the entrepreneur in the innovation process, data limitations have restricted standard analysis of the determinants of innovation to consideration of the role of firm characteristics. We develop a model of innovation which incorporates the role of both owner and firm characteristics, and use this to determine how product, process, marketing and organizational innovations should vary with firm size and competition. We then use a new large representative survey from Sri Lanka to test this model and to examine whether and how owner characteristics matter for innovation. The survey also allows analysis of the incidence of innovation in micro and small firms, which have traditionally been overlooked in the study of innovation, despite these firms comprising the majority of firms in developing countries. More than one quarter of microenterprises are found to be engaging in innovation, with marketing innovations the most common. As predicted by our model, firm size is found to have a stronger positive effect, and competition a stronger negative effect, on process and organizational innovations than on product innovations. Owner ability, personality traits, and ethnicity are found to have a significant and substantial impact on the likelihood of a firm innovating, confirming the importance of the entrepreneur in the innovation process. JEL Classification: O31, 033, L26
Intravenous continuous infusion of lidocaine for treatment of equine ileus.

OBJECTIVE
To determine if intravenous lidocaine is useful and safe as a treatment for equine ileus.


STUDY DESIGN
Prospective double-blinded placebo-controlled trial.


STUDY POPULATION
Horses (n = 32) with a diagnosis of postoperative ileus (POI) or enteritis and that had refluxed >20 L or had been refluxing for >24 hours.


METHODS
Refluxing horses were administered lidocaine (1.3 mg/kg intravenously [IV] as a bolus followed by a 0.05 mg/kg/min infusion) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution placebo for 24 hours. Variables evaluated included volume and duration of reflux, time to 1st fecal passage, signs of pain, analgesic use, heart rate and arrhythmias, respiratory rate, temperature, days of hospitalization, outcome (survival to discharge), and complications.


RESULTS
Of the lidocaine-treated horses, 65% (11/17) stopped refluxing within 30 hours (mean+/-SD, 15.2+/-2.4 hours) whereas 27% (4/15) of the saline-treated horses stopped within 30 hours. Fecal passage was significantly correlated with response to treatment; horses that responded to lidocaine passed feces within 16 hours of starting the infusion. Compared with placebo treatment, lidocaine treatment resulted in shorter hospitalization time for survivors, equivalent survival to discharge, no clinically significant changes in physical or laboratory variables, and no difference in the rate of incisional infections, jugular thrombosis, laminitis, or diarrhea. Muscle fasciculations occurred in 3 lidocaine-treated horses (18%).


CONCLUSION
IV lidocaine significantly improved the clinical course in refluxing horses with minimal side effects.


CLINICAL RELEVANCE
At the infusion rate studied, IV lidocaine is safe and should be considered for the treatment of equine ileus.
Real-time Semi-Global Matching on the CPU

Among the top-performing stereo algorithms on the Middlebury Stereo Database, Semi-Global Matching (SGM) is commonly regarded as the most efficient algorithm. Consequently, real-time implementations of the algorithm for graphics hardware (GPU) and reconfigurable hardware (FPGA) exist. However, the computation time on general purpose PCs is still more than a second.
Cardiac calcification at transthoracic echocardiography predicts stress echo results: a multicentre study.

echo results: A multicentre study☆ Nicola Gaibazzi ⁎, Rosa Sicari , Eustachio Agricola , Giovanni Cioffi , Carmine Mazzone , Lisa Albertini , Giacomo Faden , Sabrina Molinaro , Damiano Regazzoli , Andrea Di Lenarda , Pompilio Faggiano f a Cardiology Department, Parma University Hospital, Parma, Italy b CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy c Division of noninvasive Cardiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano d Echocardiography Laboratory, Villa Bianca Hospital, Trento, Italy e Cardiovascular Centre, ASS 1, Trieste, Italy f Cardiology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
R 16 Time Of Flight Image Sensors in 0 . 18 μ m CMOS Technology : a Comparative Overview of Different Approaches

INTRODUCTION Time of Flight (TOF) range cameras, besides being used in industrial metrology applications, have also a potential interest in consumer application such as ambient assisted living and gaming. In these fields, the information offered by the sensor can be used to efficiently track the position of objects and people in the camera field of view, thus overcoming many of the problems, which are present when analyzing conventional intensity images. The need of lowering the overall system cost and power consumption, while increasing the sensor resolution, has triggered the exploration of more advanced CMOS technologies to make sensors suitable for these applications. However, migration to new technologies is not straightforward, since the most mature commercial 3D sensors employ dedicated CCD-CMOS technologies, which cannot be translated to new processes without any process modification. In this contribution a comparative overview of three different pixel architectures aimed at TOF 3D imaging, and implemented in the same 0.18-μm CMOS technology, is given and the main advantages and drawbacks of each solution are analyzed.
A novel Dirofilaria species causing human and canine infections in Hong Kong.

Dirofilariasis is globally the commonest manifestation of zoonotic filariasis. We report the detection of a novel canine species causing human and canine dirofilariasis in Hong Kong. Three human cases occurring over 10 months were identified, one presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy, one with an abdominal subcutaneous mass, and one with a subconjunctival nodule. Transected worms recovered from the resected abdominal subcutaneous mass were morphologically compatible with Dirofilaria. The cox1 gene sequences of the three human isolates were identical; however, they were only 96.2% and 89.3% identical to the cox1 gene of Dirofilaria repens and Dirofilaria immitis, respectively. Sequencing of the 18S-ITS1-5.8S gene cluster was successful in the intact worm, and the nucleotide sequences were 94.0% and 94.9% identical to those of D. repens and D. immitis, respectively. Screening of the blood samples from 200 dogs and 100 cats showed the presence of the novel Dirofilaria species in 3% (6/200) of the dogs' but none of the cats' blood samples. Nucleotide sequences of the cox1 gene and 18S-ITS1-5.8S gene clusters of the dogs' samples were identical to those in the human samples. The sera of canines infected by this novel Dirofilaria species were negative when tested with the SNAP 4Dx D. immitis detection kit, except in the case of dogs with a mixed infection with D. immitis as detected by PCR. The results from this study suggest that this novel Dirofilaria species is a cause of filarial infection in humans and dogs in Hong Kong. We propose to name this Dirofilaria species "Candidatus Dirofilaria hongkongensis."
Adherence to physical exercise recommendations in people over 65--the SNAC-Kungsholmen study.

BACKGROUND
There is limited knowledge regarding to what extent the older population meet the recommendations of physical exercise, especially fitness-enhancing exercise. This study assessed participation in health- and fitness-enhancing exercises in people aged >65, and explored to what extent the possible differences in meeting current recommendations differs by age, gender and education.


METHODS
The study population was derived from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care, and consisted of a random sample of 2593 subjects, aged 65+ years. Participation in health- and fitness-enhancing exercise according to the WHO and the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendations in relation to age, gender and education was evaluated using multinomial logistic regression adjusted for health indicators and physical performance.


RESULTS
According to the recommendations, 46% of the participants fulfilled the criteria for health-enhancing and 16% for fitness-enhancing exercises. Independent of health indicators and physical performance, women <80 years of age were less likely than men to participate in fitness-enhancing exercise, but they participated more in health-enhancing exercise. In the advanced age group (80+ years), women were less likely to participate both in fitness- and health-enhancing exercise. Advanced age and low education were negatively related to participation in both health- and fitness-enhancing exercise independent of health indicators, but the association was not observed among people with fast walking speed.


CONCLUSION
Promoting physical exercise and encouraging participation among older adults with lower education, especially among those with initial functional decline, may help to reduce adverse health outcomes.
On the 'Divergence Problem' in Northern Forests: A review of the tree-ring evidence and possible causes

An anomalous reduction in forest growth indices and temperature sensitivity has been detected in tree-ring width and density records from many circumpolar northern latitude sites since around the middle 20th century. This phenomenon, also known as the “divergence problem”, is expressed as an offset between warmer instrumental temperatures and their underestimation in reconstruction models based on tree rings. The divergence problem has potentially significant implications for large-scale patterns of forest growth, the development of paleoclimatic reconstructions based on tree-ring records from northern forests, and the global carbon cycle. Herein we review the current literature published on the divergence problem to date, and assess its possible causes and implications. The causes, however, are not well understood and are difficult to test due to the existence of a number of covarying environmental factors that may potentially impact recent tree growth. These possible causes include temperature-induced drought stress, nonlinear thresholds or time-dependent responses to recent warming, delayed snowmelt and related changes in seasonality, and differential growth/climate relationships inferred for maximum, minimum and mean temperatures. Another possible cause of the divergence described briefly herein is ‘global dimming’, a phenomenon that has appeared, in recent decades, to decrease the amount of solar radiation available for photosynthesis and plant growth on a large scale. It is theorized that the dimming phenomenon should have a relatively greater impact on tree growth at higher northern latitudes, consistent with what has been observed from the tree-ring record. Additional potential causes include “end effects” and other methodological issues that can emerge in standardization and chronology development, and biases in instrumental target data and its modeling. Although limited evidence suggests that the divergence may be anthropogenic in nature and restricted to the recent decades of the 20th century, more research is needed to confirm these observations. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Governance, Social Organisation and Reform in Rural China

Introduction 1. Land Reform and its Implications 2. Collectivisation and Village Reconstruction 3. Village Reform and its Aftermath 4. Cooperation, Industrialisation and Power Relations 5. Village Spatial Order and its Implications for Cooperation Conclusion
On the asymptotic properties of a nonparametric L/sub 1/-test statistic of homogeneity

We present two simple and explicit procedures for testing homogeneity of two independent multivariate samples of size n. The nonparametric tests are based on the statistic T/sub n/, which is the L/sub 1/ distance between the two empirical distributions restricted to a finite partition. Both tests reject the null hypothesis of homogeneity if T/sub n/ becomes large, i.e., if T/sub n/ exceeds a threshold. We first discuss Chernoff-type large deviation properties of T/sub n/. This results in a distribution-free strong consistent test of homogeneity. Then the asymptotic null distribution of the test statistic is obtained, leading to an asymptotically /spl alpha/-level test procedure.
Motivational interviewing with hazardous drinkers.

PURPOSES
To test the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in a population of hazardous drinkers utilizing community health care centers in rural southeastern Idaho.


DATA SOURCES
This study targeted rural people at risk for alcohol dependence utilizing low-income community health care centers in rural southeastern Idaho. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to screen interested clients' alcohol use. Clients achieving an AUDIT score indicating hazardous alcohol use were recruited into the study and randomized into a control or treatment group. Twenty-six hazardous drinkers attending five low-income community health centers participated in the study. The experimental group participated in one motivational interviewing session with the investigator, a family nurse practitioner (NP). The comparison group received no treatment. Alcohol use was tracked for 6 weeks after successful recruitment into the program.


CONCLUSIONS
Participants in the study significantly decreased their average number of drinks per day. At time 1 (pretreatment), the control group drank 4.37 drinks per day and the treatment group drank 4.65 drinks per day. At time 2 (posttest), the control group drank 3.77 drinks per day and the treatment group drank 1.95 drinks per day. The effects of the motivational interviewing treatment on hazardous drinking also were measured by serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), a liver function test. There was also a significant decrease in the GGT from pretest to posttest in the treatment group.


IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
The results of this investigation found that motivational interviewing shows promise as an effective intervention for hazardous drinkers attending low-income community clinics. Although other possible explanations could be postulated for the positive changes in sample participants, the data indicate that the motivational interviewing approach was responsible for a significant portion of the positive changes within the current sample. The information collected from the study adds to the literature on hazardous drinking, research, and treatment of this significant problem. Negotiating change in behavior is part of the practice of NPs. People struggling with alcohol use are more likely to encounter NPs, family doctors, or social workers than counselors specializing in alcohol treatment. Motivational interviewing is specifically designed for preparing people for change. Because most people resist being told what to do, that is, "you have to stop drinking," use of motivational interviewing principles can decrease resistance and optimize change. Additionally, identifying and intervening with hazardous drinking in a primary care setting can reduce healthcare costs and reduce the stigma of specialist care. Adding this valuable communication skill to the competencies of NPs is important to both clients and NPs.
Cloud Forensics

Cloud computing may well become one of the most transformative technologies in the history of computing. Cloud service providers and customers have yet to establish adequate forensic capabilities that could support investigations of criminal activities in the cloud. This paper discusses the emerging area of cloud forensics, and highlights its challenges and opportunities.
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH'S CRUST BY GEOPHYSICAL DATA (STROENIE ZEMNOI KORY PO GEOFIZICHESKIM DANNYM),

Abstract : The goal of the present work is the finding of general regularities of the crustal structure by means of comparisons of seismic data with gravity anomalies and contour intervals. The comparison of the gravimetric and seismic data was performed by two methods; graphic method and by the analysis of velocity columns of the earth's crust. There is a chapter in this work devoted to these two methods. Seismic investigations of the crustal structure in sea and ocean regions were carried out by the methods of refracted and reflected waves. Only the general features of these investigations is taken into consideration. The earth's crust is subdivided into continental and oceanic. A chapter is devoted to the study of the structural differences. All the results obtained during this investigation are the summary of the first and most general phase of works for the study of the abyssal crustal structure and the connection of deepseated and surface structures. In further study of this problem, it will be important to include a more detailed comparison of geophysical data with tectonic data and their multiple interpretation in order to find out necessary conditions of the crustal structural development. (Author)