Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tenolysis in the hand and wrist. A clinical evaluation of two hundred and twenty flexor and extensor tenolyses.

One hundred and thirty-four patients, who had 163 operations resulting in 220 flexor and extensor tenolyses of the hand and wrist at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary from the years 1944 through 1964, have been reviewed. The indications and the conditions which should be satisfied before tenolysis is p
Environmental Initiatives in Bed and Breakfast Establishments in Canada: Scope and Major Challenges with Implementation

The objective of this paper is to investigate the implementation of environmental practices in small firms in the hospitality industry, namely bed and breakfast establishments. The issues addressed include motivations, scope of environmental initiatives and challenges faced during their implementation. The study is based on interviews with eight bed and breakfast owners in the Niagara Region in Canada. The research indicated a limited scope of environmental initiatives at bed and breakfast establishments. The majority of the initiatives had a cost savings nature and include different actions aimed at energy conservation, water conservation and waste management. Further analysis indicated three major types of barriers to adoption of environmental practices by tourism micro businesses: budgetary constraints, lack of knowledge and conflict with customer attitudes and expectations. The study specifically highlights significant lack of understanding of the sustainability terminology and very low awareness of t.
Stability and decline in gross motor function among children and youth with cerebral palsy aged 2 to 21 years

This paper reports the construction of gross motor development curves for children and youth with cerebral palsy (CP) in order to assess whether function is lost during adolescence. We followed children previously enrolled in a prospective longitudinal cohort study for an additional 4 years, as they entered adolescence and young adulthood. The resulting longitudinal dataset comprised 3455 observations of 657 children with CP (369 males, 288 females), assessed up to 10 times, at ages ranging from 16 months to 21 years. Motor function was assessed using the 66‐item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM‐66). Participants were classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). We assessed the loss of function in adolescence by contrasting a model of function that assumes no loss with a model that allows for a peak and subsequent decline. We found no evidence of functional decline, on average, for children in GMFCS Levels I and II. However, in Levels III, IV, and V, average GMFM‐66 was estimated to peak at ages 7 years 11 months, 6 years 11 months, and 6 years 11 months respectively, before declining by 4.7, 7.8, and 6.4 GMFM‐66 points, in Levels III, IV, and V respectively, as these adolescents became young adults. We show that these declines are clinically significant.
The Effect of Public Capital in State-Level Production Functions Reconsidered

Using a panel data set for the forty-eight contiguous states from 1970 to 1983, several estimates are provided of a Cobb-Douglas production function with three types of public capital as inputs. Various specification tests are systematically applied to test for both random and fixed state effects, nonstationarity, endogeneity of the private inputs, and measurement error. In the preferred specification, which is first differences with fixed state effects, the public capital variables are not significant, while the fixed state effects and private input variables are significant. Copyright 1996 by MIT Press.
Intestinal Obstruction in Early Neonatal Period: A 3-Year Review Of Admitted Cases from a Tertiary Hospital in Ethiopia

Background Failure to pass meconium by a full-term neonate within the first 24 hours should raise a suspicion of bowel obstruction. The objective of this study was to determine pattern of presentation, diagnosis and outcome of management of intestinal obstruction in the early neonatal period in the Neonatal Care Unit of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Methods Retrospective chart review of admitted cases from January 2011 to December 2013 was done. Data were entered into SPSS software version 20. Descriptive analysis of data were done at first; then cross tabulation of variables with chi-square tests were done Results Fifty-one (41 males and 10 females) cases of neonatal intestinal obstructions were described. ARM was the most common type of intestinal obstruction followed by intestinal atresia and Hirschsprung's disease. Delayed diagnosis of cases was observed in 72%. Associated congenital anomalies were documented in 13 % of the cases. Death occurred in 20% of the cases. One or another form of infection accounted for 90% of the deaths. Neonatal sepsis and being unfit for anesthesia were determinants of mortality with p-value <0.02 and < 0.0007 respectively. Conclusion Anorectal malformation is the commonest cause of early neonatal obstruction followed by small intestinal atresia and Hirschsprung's disease. Low number of associated anomalies has been reported. High rate of death due to preventable causes such as sepsis is observed. Delayed diagnosis of cases were also prevalent.
Choroid Plexus Cysts in the Fetal Brain

Summary: Choroid plexus cysts may be detected in the fetal choroid plexus on routine second trimester ultrasound scanning. The presence of these cysts is associated with trisomy 18 (Edward syndrome) in 3.47% of cases and with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) in 0.46% of cases. The cysts themselves almost always disappear by 23 weeks and are thought to be a normal developmental variant. The world literature experience would indicate that the size of the choroid plexus cyst and the presence of bilateral cysts has no bearing on the magnitude of risk of chromosomal abnormality; 76% of babies with trisomy 18 also have other dysmorphic features which may be detectable by ultrasound. It is strongly advised that genetic counselling be undertaken and amniocentesis be considered when choroid plexus cysts are identified in the fetus.
Hydrostatin-SN1, a Sea Snake-Derived Bioactive Peptide, Reduces Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Acute Lung Injury

Snake venom has been used for centuries as a traditional Chinese medicine. Hydrostatin-SN1 (H-SN1), a bioactive peptide extracted from the Hydrophis cyanocinctus venom gland T7 phage display library, was reported to have the ability to reduce inflammation in a dextran sulfate sodium-induced murine colitis model. In this study, we sought to investigate the inhibitory potential of H-SN1 on inflammation in a murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI), and elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In vivo, C57BL/6 male mice were intratracheally instilled with LPS or physiological saline with concurrent intraperitoneal injection of H-SN1 or saline alone. Lung histopathologic changes, lung wet-to-dry weight ratio, and myeloperoxidase activity in lung tissues were assessed. Total cell number, the protein concentration, and cytokine levels were determined in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid. In vitro, RAW 264.7 cells were treated with various concentrations of H-SN1 for 2 h followed by incubation with or without 1 μg/ml LPS for 0.5 or 24 h. The mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines was determined via RT-PCR and protein levels in the supernatants were measured via ELISA. Extracellular-signal related kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathways were analyzed via western blot. H-SN1 improved pulmonary edema status, decreased vascular permeability, suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and lessened lung morphological injury. H-SN1 also dose-dependently inhibited the mRNA expression and release of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, H-SN1 inhibited the LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. Our results suggest that H-SN1 could attenuate LPS-induced ALI in mice, which is associated with the anti-inflammatory effect of H-SN1. The mechanism might involve inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines by, at least in part, interfering with the ERK1/2 and NF-κB signaling pathways.
Electronic Cigarettes-Attitudes and Use in Germany.

INTRODUCTION Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease. Previous studies on electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use have reported reduction and cessation of conventional cigarette smoking; however, health effects are still a matter of discussion. This cross-sectional study investigated the attitudes of adults in Germany towards using e-cigarettes instead of or in addition to cigarettes. Furthermore, it examined the extent to which e-cigarettes are used as a smoking cessation tool. METHODS In 2012, we recruited a sample of 319 participants comprising e-cigarette users (vapers, 33%), cigarette smokers (smokers, 37%) and smokers of both cigarette types (dual users, 30%). The Integrated Model for Change (I-Change Model) was used as a theoretical framework and a modified Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence was used to assess nicotine dependence. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and smoking status was substantiated by measuring exhaled carbon monoxide. RESULTS The vapers were more often men, were less addicted to nicotine and had a higher motivation to stop smoking than the smokers. In addition, vapers reported better health and had a lower carbon monoxide concentration than smokers. Furthermore, vapers had a more positive attitude towards e-cigarettes and higher self-efficacy in terms of abstaining from cigarettes in certain situations. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to report on the use of e-cigarettes in Germany. Our results support those of previous studies in other populations. Further research is still needed on the potential health effects of e-cigarettes and their efficacy as a smoking cessation aid. IMPLICATIONS The study is the first description of attitudes and use of e-cigarettes in Germany.
New Immunoassay in Stool Provides an Accurate Noninvasive Diagnostic Method for Helicobacter pylori Screening in Children

Objective. The noninvasive13C-urea breath test (UBT) is a reliable diagnostic method for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in children, and it avoids invasive gastrointestinal endoscopy. In this study, we compared a noninvasive, newly developed fecal H pylori antigen test with the UBT. Methodology. One hundred sixty-two children (76 girls and 86 boys) were tested for H pylori infection using the UBT and a new antigen test in stool samples. The H pylori stool test is based on a sandwich enzyme immunoassay with antigen detection. Results. Twenty-four of the children (14.8%) with dyspepsia tested positive for H pylori according to the breath test results. In 22 of the 24 patients, H pyloriantigen could be detected in the stool (sensitivity: 91.6%). Of 138 patients with negative UBT results, 136 were H pylori-negative in the stool test (specificity: 98.6%). Conclusions. The new, noninvasive, low-cost H pylori antigen test in stool can replace the UBT for detection of H pylori infection in children with comparable reliability and accuracy.
Education, Local Government and the Scottish Parliament

Education will be one of the main areas of policy for the Scottish parliament. The paper discusses some of the implications of this for comprehensive secondary education and for citizenship, and assesses the role of local government in education in the context of the new parliament. It argues, on the one hand, that the principles of comprehensive education are no longer being fully met by the structure of secondary schools which Scotland has inherited from the 1960s, and so that radical renewal is required. On the other hand, it argues that fulfilling the comprehensive ideal requires now that attention be given to developing active citizenship through education. Local government is the best agency to lead these renovations, essentially because of its rootedness in local culture, but it itself will have to acquire new capacities of policy development and of redistribution if it is to able to fulfil that potential.
Towards best practices for micro finance institutional engagement in African rural areas: Selected cases and agenda for action

Micro‐finance institutions are critical to Africa's quest for solutions to the continent's development challenge. The area of their greatest potential impact, rural Africa, is not only home to the bulk of the continent's population, but also the vast majority of Africa's poor. This paper not only defines MFIs with examples from Zambia, South Africa, Mali and Zimbabwe, it also establishes a clear link between MFIs and both poverty eradication and the empowerment and equality of women, two of the major Millennium Development Goals. The paper concludes with some policy recommendations and a set of “best practices” for the future success of MFIs on the continent, including the need to ensure flexibility and careful government regulation and supervision of MFIs.
Developing Financial Accountability in British Acute Hospitals

This paper explains the process of defining, measuring and costing health service outputs (Health Resource Groups – HRGs). It identifies why the introduction of HRGs became necessary and how they were rolled out and became mandatory. The steps followed to achieve national uniformity are explained. Evidence is provided on the extent to which HRGs have been adopted and on the wider roles they may fulfil, such as benchmarking. The possible implications for resource allocation and the power of clinicians are discussed. Finally, attention is turned to the possible consequences of costed HRGs, as a means of achieving detailed financial accountability at operational level and to alternative means of control.
Household demand analysis for fresh meat in the Philippines.

This study was conducted to estimate the demand elasticities for fresh pork, chicken and beef in the Philippines. Specifically, it analyzed the relationship between and among these three commodities based on the computed elasticities with price and income as the primary considerations. The Nonlinear Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (NQAIDS) approach was used in estimating the demand systems for fresh meat in the Philippines using seemingly unrelated regression (SUR). The computed elasticities were used to project the demand for fresh meat using varying income levels. Results showed that there is a clear difference in the patterns of fresh meat consumption among households belonging to different income groups based on the price and income elasticities. Among the different income groups, the low-income group had the highest elasticity in terms of magnitude and the lowest budget shares in all fresh meat, suggesting that the low-income group would bear more of the burden in the increase in prices of fresh meat. These findings suggest that policies such as price-reduction or incomeaugmentation which intend to increase fresh meat consumption should be formulated in a way that income diversity would be recognized. However, these should not only focus on one specific fresh meat but also consider the other kinds of fresh meat since it has a strong simultaneous effect based on the cross-price elasticities. Keywords: demand analysis, expenditure elasticity, fresh meat, NQAIDS, price elasticity
Attracting Generation Y applicants: organisational attributes, likelihood to apply and sex differences

Building on person-organisation fit and gender self-schema theories, we examine UK university final year students’ perception of the importance of organisational attributes and their presence in three major graduate employers. The three organisations, a management consultancy, a media corporation and an investment bank, regularly seek applicants for management trainee positions. Thirty-two repertory grid interviews identify twenty organisational attributes which are used in a survey of 862 undergraduates in their final year at 22 UK universities. The Generation Y respondents rate the organisational attributes in terms of importance and then evaluate three employers for perceived presence of these attributes and likelihood of submitting an application. Means and regression analyses reveal sex differences in both the importance of organisational attributes and the perceived extent of their presence in three organisations. In describing the ideal employer, women rate eight attributes as significantly more important than men (all related to the nature of their work and the organisational culture) and men rate only one attribute as significantly more important than women (salary). There are significant differences between the graduate mean ratings of the three organisations on nearly all of the attributes. We identify a positive correlation between the graduates’ assessments of the total attractiveness score (across the twenty attributes) and likelihood to apply in all three organisational cases. We offer implications for practice and further research.
Effects of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Quality Cues and Perceived Risk on Visitors’ Satisfaction and Loyalty

This empirical study was conducted to explore the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic quality cues on different causal relationships of risk on visitors’ satisfaction and loyalty at the tourism destination level. In total, 602 samples were collected from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh using the six-point Likert Scale. The data were then analyzed using a partial least squares (PLS) based structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The result strongly supports that quality cues have direct influence on satisfaction and satisfaction has a direct influence on loyalty. The theoretical and managerial implications are presented based on the study findings. Recommendations and future research directions are also proposed.
The "Best" Tax Depreciation Method-1964

IN THE October, 1961, issue of this Journal we outlined a capital budgeting technique for choosing the "best" method of tax depreciation. ' In this note the analysis will be updated to reflect recent changes in the tax laws. The specific changes to be considered are the liberalization of the method of dealing with salvage values2 and the shortening of the service lives of many asset categories in the Guidelines.3 The basic elements of the choice problem have not changed. There are still two effective methods of accelerated depreciation, sum of the years-digits (hereinafter cited as "SYD") and double declining balance (hereinafter cited as "DDB"). The firm is free to elect whichever method it prefers for each separate asset category; thus it may choose SYD for some assets and DDB for others. The "best" tax depreciation policy may still be defined as that method which provides the greatest present value for the tax deduction stream. The implementation of this decision criterion still requires considering three parameters: the asset's service life, its estimated salvage value, and the firm's cost of capital. And, finally, a convenient means for reducing the complexity of this three-parameter decision problem may still be offered by viewing one of the parameters, cost of capital, as the critical variable. The cost of capital may be treated as a variable by finding that discount rate which has the property of equating the present values of the SYD and DDB depreciation streams. This rate is equivalent to Irving Fisher's rate of return over cost.5 It represents the point of indifference between the two available accelerated depreciation methods. Because DDB always produces a greater depreciation charge in the first year of service life, it is clear that the DDB method will be preferable if the firm's cost of capital is greater than the indifference rate and that the SYD method is preferable at rates below the indifference point. This conclusion will be illustrated numerically later and a table will be presented summarizing the indifference rates for various combinations of service lives and salvage values. Under the new provisions for salvage value, the taxpayer is allowed to ignore salvage up to 10 per cent of the asset's original cost. Consider, for example, an asset costing $10,000, with a nine-year *Arthur Young Professor of Accounting and director of the Institute of Professional Accounting, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago.
Regulation by cyanate of the genes involved in carbon and nitrogen assimilation in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942

A mutant (M45) of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942, which is defective in active transport of nitrate, was used for the studies of the nitrogen regulation of the genes involved in nitrate and CO2 assimilation. In a medium containing 30 mM nitrate as the nitrogen source, M45 grew under constant stress of nitrogen deficiency and accumulated a five-times-larger amount of the transcript of nirA, the gene for nitrite reductase, compared with nitrate-grown wild-type cells. By contrast, the level of the transcript of rbcL, the gene for the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, was 40% of the wild-type level. Addition of ammonium to the culture of M45 abolished the accumulation of the nirA transcript and stimulated the accumulation of the rbcL transcript, showing that ammonium repressed and activated the transcription of nirA and rbcL, respectively. Glutamine, the initial product of ammonium fixation, also showed negative and positive effects on nirA and rbcL, respectively. One of the metabolites of glutamine, carbamoylphosphate, and its decomposition product, cyanate, were found to repress nirA and also to markedly activate rbcL. Cyanate negatively regulated another ammonium-repressible gene, glnA, but had no effect on the psbAI and rps1 genes. The effects of cyanate were not ascribable to the ammonium and CO, resulting from its decomposition. These findings suggested that cyanate may act as a regulator of the ammonium-responsive genes involved in carbon and nitrogen assimilation in the cyanobacterium.