Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluations of bone tissue integration to pure and alloyed titanium implants.

PURPOSE This study was performed for comparisons of tissue integration to commercially pure (CP) and titanium-6-aluminum-4 vanadium (Ti-6-Al-4V) implants using various existing three-dimensional biomechanical and two-dimensional histomorphometrical techniques, and to monitor the loosening torque during in vivo removal torque (RTQ) test with a novel unit not used before in a pilot study in rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS The implants were topographically characterized and inserted in femurs and tibiae of five rabbits (in total 40 implants, 20 per group). After 16 weeks, the implant integration was biomechanically evaluated by: (1) resonance frequency test, and (2) peak RTQ test and the graph from the monitoring curve. Biopsies of the implants in situ were processed to undecalcified cut and ground sections followed by light microscopical quantifications. Shear strength calculations were performed. RESULTS Significantly higher mean value of RTQ (p = .01) and shear strength tests (p = .03) were observed for the CP titanium implants compared to Ti-6-Al-4V implants. The monitoring curve from the RTQ test demonstrated no differences in the shape or form that could provide further information about the differences in the implant-to-bone attachment. CONCLUSIONS The CP titanium implants showed increased RTQ and shear strength values compared to the Ti-6-Al-4V implants. The new tool of monitoring the RTQ curve could not demonstrate differences between the two materials. The exact influence of the implant materials on the surrounding tissues needs to be further investigated.
Implications of time to water source on water use in the arid and semi-arid land counties of Kenya

Distance to water sources has major implications on per capita water use for Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). About 4,872 household (HH) heads in six ASAL counties of Kenya were identified using probability and non-probability sampling techniques, and pretested structured questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussions administered to them. There are at least seven different water sources, with 49.42 ± 0.36 minutes being the mean walk time for a round trip of water, limiting water access to 17.02 ± 0.17 litres per capita per day (lcd). These statistics have had a result that only 33% of HHs in Kenya’s ASALS have attained the millennium development goal number 7c (MDG7c) on improved water, rendering its achievement by 2015 a myth. As a result, household water use and time taken on a trip for water shows a negative but significant relationship.
Oil Prices and Real Exchange Rates in Oil-Exporting Countries: A Bounds Testing Approach

We test the validity of the Dutch disease hypothesis by examining the relationship between real oil prices and real exchange rates in a sample of fourteen oil exporting countries. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds tests of cointegration support the existence of a stable relationship between real exchange rates and real oil prices in all countries, suggesting a strong support for the Dutch disease hypothesis. As for short-run, there are evidence of causality from oil prices to exchange rates in four countries; from exchange rates to oil prices in two countries; and bidirectional relations in another four countries. There is no evidence of causality in the remaining four countries.
A discrete time single-server queue with balking: economic applications

This article studies a discrete time single-server queue with finite and infinite buffer where the users have the option to leave the queue upon arrival (balking). We consider two variants of the model in accordance with the balking policies. Firstly, all the arriving customers balk with a constant probability. Secondly, arriving customers increase their balking probabilities as more customers join the system. Specifically, we find the ergodicity condition and closed-form expressions for the stationary distribution of the system size, of the waiting/spending time in the FCFS system and of the unfinished work. The mathematical model is applied in order to resolve several real-life problems in the economic field; in this sense, practical applications in the secondary and tertiary sector are shown. We also develop a cost model to determine the buffer capacity that minimizes certain cost function and give some numerical examples.
TOURISM IN PORTUGAL: DIVERSITY, DIFFUSION, AND REGIONAL AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

Social and economic transformations, linked to changes in value systems, have led to a relative shift from mass tourism to new forms of holiday-taking, including rural vacations. These trends are illustrated by a case study of Portugal, which experienced a massive growth of tourism, especially in coastal areas, from the 1960s. To some degree, this supplemented an older tourism tradition, based on inland spas. The growth of ‘green’ tourism in recent decades, facilitated by social and economic changes, has led to the revival of many such spa towns, as well as the emergence of new forms of rural tourism such as farm tourism, turismo da habitacâo and hunting activity holidays. The overall impact of these new forms of tourism on rural development is, however, limited, and it should be considered as one strategy, among many others, for economic diversification.
Deterministic Dynamics and Cointegration of Higher Orders

We offer a new method to characterized cointegration properties of higher orders. This method relies on a very simple device. We first examine the question in a deterministic framework, where cointegration porperties pertains to rate of growth. We relate these properties to the structure of the Jordan matrice associated with the model. We then show how they transpose to a stochastic framework and we recover properties derived by Johansen and others.
A Model for Assessing Consumer Perceptions of Quality

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for linking the dimensions of quality and how customers create their perceptions of quality in the products and services that they purchase. This provides a holistic framework for a better understanding of the various dimensions of product and service quality and their impact on consumer perceptions.Design/methodology/approach – A holistic framework for the understanding of the various dimensions of product and service quality and their impact on the creation of consumer perceptions is presented. In addition research questions for future investigations are proposed.Findings – Consumer satisfaction is directly related to how well their expectations for a product or service are met. These expectations are developed from the customers perceptions about the product or service. If the firm wishes to develop new products and services that can create competitive advantage, they must understand how the various product characteristics, or service attributes, effect the creation of consumer perceptions.
Comparison of different primer sets for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis by the polymerase chain reaction.

The sensitivity and specificity of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was studied in vitro with HeLa cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2. Three different primer sets were studied; they were derived from the endogenous plasmid, the nonvariable part of the MOMP gene and the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. The plasmid primers were the most sensitive in the PCR method and detected at least 0.1 infectious unit of C. trachomatis in the presence of a superfluous amount of human DNA. Application of this plasmid PCR to 13 C. trachomatis culture-positive cervical smears containing < 10- > 200 inclusion-forming units showed that it was the most sensitive of the three methods and detected C. trachomatis in all samples. This correlates with the observation that the plasmid PCR method could detect C. trachomatis in cervical smears of four symptomatic patients for up to 3 weeks after the start of treatment with doxycycline. In contrast, the MOMP gene- and rRNA gene-directed PCR, as well as culture and direct immunofluorescence, gave negative results within 1 week. Therefore, we conclude that the plasmid primers are the best candidates for use in the PCR method in C. trachomatis screening programmes and clinical follow-up studies.
Os programas de transferência de renda do governo impactam a pobreza no Brasil

The widespread view that income transfers help to reduce the incidence of poverty has been asserted by many policymakers and citizens who support income transfer programs in Brazil. Nevertheless, a number of analysts contend that such programs are in fact ineffective in reducing poverty, because only a small share of the income that is transferred actually reaches the poor, or because such programs create a poverty trap. This article peruses this issue investigating the relationship between poverty and government income transfer in Brazil, over the period 2000-2008, controlling for other relevant variables that may affect poverty such as economic growth, inequality, education, unemployment and the number of female-headed families. Results from dynamic panel data models, proposed by Arellano e Bond (1991) and Blundell e Bond (1998), indicate that poverty is not affected by government income transfers, which support the critic view that income transfer programs in Brazil do not have the expect effect on poverty. Among other findings, education and inequality play an important role in the recent poverty dynamics in Brazil.
An Examination of the Relationships between Leadership Style, Quality, and Employee Satisfaction in R&D versus Administrative Environments

Academics and executives argue that effective leadership is a key predictor of R&D success as well as quality management. Recent research highlights transformational leadership as a highly effective style shown to predict performance in organizations. However, no study examined the role of transformational and transactional leadership in building quality climate in R&D versus non-R&D settings. We examined the relationship between leadership style and the establishment of a quality environment in an R&D setting based on an empirical study of 511 research engineers and scientists. It is found that both transformational leadership and transactional contingent-reward leadership are related to the establishment of a quality environment in the R&D part of a telecommunications firm. However, the impact of transactional contingent-reward leadership ceases to be significant once both leadership styles are considered simultaneously using structural equations. A transformational leadership style was also found to be related to employee satisfaction.
Women's collective action and sustainable water management: case of SEWA's water campaign in Gujarat, India

"This paper discusses the case of the Self Employed Women's Association's (SEWA) Women, Water and Work Campaign which began in 1995 in the semi-arid regions of Gujarat. SEWA's women's groups, which are initiated through collective action, have been active in sustaining local water management through water harvesting, watershed management, handpump repair, pipeline maintenance and revival of traditional sources of water. Some of the significant factors that have sustained collective action of women are the presence of strong grassroots institution (pani samiti), the establishment of a technical cadre of women (barefoot technicians), the ability of women's groups to transcend social barriers and continuous dialoguing with the state. The impact of collective action is far reaching both for SEWA as well as the women it serves. SEWA's membership has increased manifold due to the success of the water campaign. Women have benefited in terms of increased income, reduced drudgery, improvements in the livelihoods of their families, reduced migration of both women and men and increased participation in SEWA's other programs. The most important impact observed is the strengthening of women's collective agency and women's confidence to independently negotiate in the public domain in the water management sector, which was earlier occupied by men. Women's collective agency has catalyzed some gender-equitable change processes, although perceptible changes in gender relations at the household level are not as significant. Some policy implications are discussed in terms of involving women at all levels of water management programs – planning, designing, implementing as well as monitoring Author's Abstract
One-Year-Olds Think Creatively, Just Like Their Parents.

Creativity is an essential human ability, allowing adaptation and survival. Twenty-nine 1-year-olds and their parents were tested on divergent thinking (DT), a measure of creative potential counting how many ideas one can generate. Toddlers' and parents' DT was moderately to highly correlated. Toddlers showed a wide range of DT scores, which were reliable on retesting. This is the first study to show children think divergently as early as 1 year. This research also suggests 1-year-olds' DT is related to parents', opening up future research into whether this relationship is due to genetics and/or social learning at its emergence. Understanding DT at its emergence could allow for interventions while neurological development is most plastic, which could improve DT across the life span.
Portfolio Speculation and Commodity Price Volatility in a Stochastic Storage Model

Simulated prices from a stochastic storage model are used to examine the price impacts of speculation by rational investors who diversify their financial portfolios by holding agricultural commodity futures. The main result is that rather than destabilizing commodity prices, as is commonly believed, portfolio speculation actually reduces price volatility. Portfolio speculation can potentially destabilize a commodity's price because the additional demand for long futures by speculators is expected to drive up the cash price during both periods of low net demand, when the cash price is below average, and periods of high net demand, when the cash price is above average. Our theoretical analysis demonstrates that the higher level of inventory that is associated with portfolio speculation results in a larger release of stocks during periods of high net demand. The price simulations reveal that this stock adjustment effect is strong since overall price volatility is smaller rather than larger with portfolio speculation.
Report on workshop I: How can sport activities contribute to sustainable tourism growth?

Within tourism, the role of sport is taking an increasingly greater role. Professional sports require travelling of athletes and their accompanying teams for competition and training. Similarly recreational sports are carried out in many tourism destinations by visitors. Competitive sports is formal, rational, goal directed and provides or allows little opportunity for fantasy. On the other hand, recreational sport may be amusement and recreation, a pleasant time to play and enjoy (Kurtzman, 2001: 100). Many destinations develop specifically for sport recreational tourism as evidenced by the numerous ski resorts one finds in alpine areas, for example. At the same time they may also offer an infrastructure and base for professional athletic training. In some cases, sports activity (e.g hiking, tennis) may not be the main motive for visiting a destination, but is offered and consumed as additional supply in order to provide more of a the total tourism product and increase tourist spending in the destination.
Twin Peaks: Distribution Dynamics of Economic Growth across Indian States

This paper documents the convergence of incomes across Indian states over the period 1965 to 1998. It departs from traditional analyses of convergence by tracking the evolution of the entire income distribution, instead of standard regression and time series analyses – known as the distribution dynamics approach in the growth literature. The findings reveal twin-peaks dynamics – the existence of two income convergence clubs, one at 50 per cent, another at 12 per cent of the national average income. Income disparities seem to have declined over the sixties, only to increase over the following three decades. The observed polarisation is strongly explained by the disparate distribution of infrastructure and to an extent by a number of macroeconomic indicators; that of capital expenditure and fiscal deficits.
Nighttime sleep characteristics of hospitalized school-age children with cancer.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to describe group and individual characteristics of nighttime sleep-wake patterns among school-age children with cancer receiving inpatient chemotherapy. DESIGN AND METHODS This multiple-case study used wrist actigraphs and sleep diaries to measure sleep for three nights in 15 children with cancer. RESULTS Nighttime sleep was less than that required for healthy school-age children and was marked by frequent awakenings. Individual variation in sleep characteristics was evident. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Interventions to promote nighttime sleep in the hospital include system-based and individualized efforts to minimize disruptions and support children's home sleep routines.
Multi-Level Party Politics in Western Europe

case (transport policy) is selected with the aim to modify theory. On the independent variable side, the authors pick four cases—Switzerland (federal-decentralized), Austria (federal-centralized), Denmark (unitary-decentralized) and Ireland (unitary-centralized)—which allows for a systematic exploration of the impact of the two dimensions of the territorial organization of the state on policy performance. The detailed descriptions of the policy-making processes show the huge variety in the ways in which subnational and central governments can exert influence. It is therefore not surprising that the authors conclude that “there is nothing deterministic in the impact of federalism or decentralization on policy performance. What can be expected from the patterns we have found can be offset under specific circumstances” (p.169). Another reason for this ambiguous conclusion may lie in the conceptualization and measurement of policy performance. The authors adopt a ‘public good’ conception of policy performance, which deems policy provision efficient when it reaps benefits of scale and internalizes externalities while at the same it also meets locally based preferences. Policy performance is assessed by country experts who are confronted with the same set of interview questions. What is less clear is whether the experts interpreted the concept of efficiency in similar ways, whether their assessment was based on over time change in performance or based on a between country comparison, or whether the experts made an assessment of overall performance or just mentioned particular inefficiencies which could be improved. In addition, efficiency gains arising out of adapting policies to particular local preferences is discussed very sparsely. The most important contribution of Policy Making in Multilevel Systems is that we lack theory on the causal mechanisms between the territorial organization of the state and policy performance. This book is an important first step because it shows the analytical leverage that can be gained by making a conceptual distinction between whether a tier of government has the right to decide (policy formulation) or has the right to act (policy implementation). Furthermore, the authors provide a very rich account of subnational government involvement in decision-making and implementation of policies, which may serve as a valuable information source for future research.
Serving 'Europe' - Political Orientations of Senior Commission Officials

Most European integration theories have perceived the Commission as a unitary actor with a pro-integration agenda.Yet, empirical studies have shown that Commission actors harbor contending views about European governance. These findings raise a theoretical problem for European integration models, and an analytical puzzle for elite studies. European integration theories claiming an independent impact of the Commission on European decision making, need to disaggregate Commission motivations, which is the central purpose of this article. Consistent with recent elite studies, I employ an institutionalist lens to analyze how rules may impact orientations, but I refine the lens to assess institutional socialization and choice in multi-layered institutional settings. I formulate six hypotheses about the interplay between three settings relevant to top Commission officials: Commission, multi-level governance, European public space. Analytically, Commission officials appear reasoned individuals capable of selecting incentives rather than passive subjects of socialization. Evidence comes from 130 interviews and 80 questionnaires, collected in 1995/6 from A1-2 officials, analyzed through interpretative and quantitative analysis. I find that Commission officials constitute a special microcosm of the European public space: less nationalist than most citizens, but divided on the mix of intergovernmental and supranational architectural principles; center-left of the average political actor, but disagreeing on the desirable mix of market and state, opportunity and equity.
Wortmannin and Li+ specifically inhibit clathrin-independent endocytic internalization of bulk fluid.

Incubation of a human fibrosarcoma cell line HT-1080 in Li(+)-containing medium inhibited internalization of a fluid marker, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), by more than 80%. The ion inhibited the activity enhanced by Ca2+ or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. We also found that wortmannin (WT), a potent inhibitor of phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase (PI 3-k), inhibited the non-stimulated and the two stimulated types of endocytosis to the same extent as Li+. In contrast, neither WT nor Li+ influenced the early internalization of transferrin (Tfn), EGF or platelet-derived growth factor. Neither targeting to early endosomes nor recycling of the once-internalized Tfn was influenced. When the cytoplasmic pH was lowered by chasing cells that had been preincubated with 25 mM NH4Cl in an amiloride-containing Na(+)-free medium, more than 90% of internalization of Tfn in HT-1080 cells was inhibited, while that of HRP was reduced by only 35%. In contrast, WT reduced the uptake of HRP by KB cells by 34%, while 60% of the activity was inhibited by the treatment for cytoplasmic acidification. Comparison of other cells i.e., A-549 and a human diploid cell line Miyajima, indicated that cells showing higher sensitivity to WT were less sensitive to low cytoplasmic pH. These results suggest that, in all the cells studied, bulk fluid is internalized either via a clathrin-independent/PI 3-k-dependent route or via a clathrin-dependent/PI 3-k-independent one, though the ratio varied among them. We also found that internalization of a mAb directed toward the 116 (100)-kDa subunit of vacuolar ATPase [OSW2; Sato and Toyama (1994) J. Cell Biol. 127, 39-53] in the fluid phase was inhibited by WT, but the antibody was still internalized in a surface-bound form. Regardless of the treatment with WT, most of the antibody was transported to endosomes that were associated with Tfn receptor. These results suggest that both internalization routes are targeted to the same early endosomal compartments.