Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Persons with chronic hip joint pain exhibit reduced hip muscle strength.

STUDY DESIGN Controlled laboratory cross-sectional study. Objectives To assess strength differences of the hip rotator and abductor muscle groups in young adults with chronic hip joint pain (CHJP) and asymptomatic controls. A secondary objective was to determine if strength in the uninvolved hip of those with unilateral CHJP differs from that in asymptomatic controls. BACKGROUND Little is known about the relationship between hip muscle strength and CHJP in young adults. METHODS Thirty-five participants with CHJP and 35 matched controls (18 to 40 years of age) participated. Using handheld dynamometry, strength of the hip external rotators and internal rotators was assessed with the hip flexed to 90° and 0°. To assess external rotator and internal rotator strength, the hip was placed at the end range of external rotation and internal rotation, respectively. Strength of the hip abductors was assessed in sidelying, with the hip in 15° of abduction. Break tests were performed to determine maximum muscle force, and the average torque was calculated using the corresponding moment arm. Independent-sample t tests were used to compare strength values between (1) the involved limb in participants with CHJP and the corresponding limb in the matched controls, and (2) the uninvolved limb in participants with unilateral CHJP and the corresponding limb in the matched controls. RESULTS Compared to controls, participants with CHJP demonstrated weakness of 16% to 28% (P<.01) in all muscle groups tested in the involved hip. The uninvolved hip of 22 subjects with unilateral CHJP demonstrated weakness of 18% and 16% (P<.05) in the external rotators (0°) and abductors, respectively, when compared to the corresponding limb of the matched controls. CONCLUSION The results of the present study demonstrate that persons with CHJP have weakness in the hip rotator and hip abductor muscles. Weakness also was found in the uninvolved hip of persons with CHJP.
Strategic development processes during economic and financial crisis

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the strategy development process followed by firms during the current economic and financial crisis through the relationship between changes in performance measures and strategic success factors.Design/methodology/approach – A survey to executives of global firms asking the importance of widely accepted performance indicators and strategic success factors has been performed obtaining 53 usable surveys. Test has been performed to identify respondent bias. Empirical results from the survey are presented and t‐tests have been performed to validate the statistical significance of the change in importance of performance indicators and strategic success factors.Findings – The findings suggest that firms followed a reactive strategic development process since they adjusted their strategic direction to the short‐term problems in their performance affected by the economic crisis. While firms may focus their attention to similar set of performance measures during the crisis, the.
Immediate placement and restoration of implants in the aesthetic zone with a trimodal approach: soft tissue alterations and its relation to gingival biotype.

PURPOSE The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the soft tissue changes around implants in the aesthetic zone, placed under a trimodal approach (immediate post-extraction placement, flapless, and immediate provisional restoration) and its relationship to gingival/periodontal biotype of the patient. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sample consisted of 14 patients from two private practices that were in need of a tooth extraction in the anterior maxillary region (cuspid to cuspid) and were candidates to a replacement with a dental implant. An initial measurement (baseline) of the position or the mesial and distal papillae and gingival zenith was made at this time, with a rigid dental-supported stent and an electronic precision caliper, able to the second tenth of a millimeter; after careful tooth extraction, the periodontal thickness, at a point 5 mm apical to de gingival buccal margin, with an analogical thickness gauge, able to one tenth of a millimeter. Once the implant was inserted an immediate provisional restoration was delivered. To evaluate the soft tissue changes measurements were repeated at 3, 6, and 12 months. A statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the changes in the gingival margin around the implant restorations and to identify a possible correlation to patient's periodontal thickness. RESULTS All 14 patients received Straumann (®) implants (9 Tissue Level [TL] Regular Neck [RN], 2 TL Narrow Neck [NN], 2 Bone Level [BL] Narrow Crossfit [NC], and 1 BL Regular Crossfit [RC]). All implants integrated and none had any biological complications. Three provisional restorations presented screw loosening and retightened once and one loss retention and was recemented once. In one patient, with a severe bruxing habit, the final restoration suffered screw loosening and was retightened. Of the final restorations, 12 were screw-retained and 2 cemented on custom-made Zirconia abutments. A mean recession of the buccal margin of 0.45 mm was recorded at 12 months ( ± 0.25 mm). An acceptable papilla level was present in all cases at 1 year, with mean changes of 0.38 mm ( ± 0.60) for the mesial and 0.80 mm ( ± 0.90) of the distal papilla, respectively. No correlation could be established between the soft tissue changes and the periodontal biotype of the patient. CONCLUSIONS Within the limitations of this study, the good aesthetic outcome and minimal complications seem to validate the trimodal approach protocol as a reliable and simple protocol to place and restore immediate implants in the aesthetic zone. No correlation between the patient's gingival biotype and the soft tissue alterations could be established. Additional studies are needed to verify long-term aesthetic results with this approach and to better define and quantify biotypes.
Are Parents' and Children's Thinking Styles Related?

This study extends the investigation of the validity of Sternberg's theory of mental self-government to mainland Chinese secondary school students and their parents. The assumption of a ‘socialization effect’ underlying the theory was subjected to broader investigation. 232 students and their parents responded to a range of demographic questions and to the Thinking Styles Inventory which is based on Sternberg's theory. The two major findings are that (1) Sternberg's theory is valid with both samples, and (2) students' thinking styles are related not only to their personal factors, e.g., sex, grade, and self-rated abilities, but also to their parents' thinking styles. These findings have implications for school teachers and counselors as well as for parents.
The changing nature of work: A global survey and case study of atypical work in the media industry

In June 2006, the International Labour Conference in Geneva adopted the Employment Relationship Recommendation, 2006 (no. 198). Leading up to that Conference, the Sectoral Activities Department and the Bureau for Workers Activities commissioned the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to undertake research into the changing nature of work in the media industry. An important question to be answered was the impact of the changing nature of work on press freedom, workers’ rights and professional journalism. The research consists of: a global survey on atypical work relationships in the media industry; and a detailed case study on atypical work in the media industry in Australia.
From theory into practice? Restructuring and dynamism in transition economies

This paper draws on microeconomic, industry-level, and macroeconomic evidence to investigate the mecha nisms of enterprise restructuring in transition economies, its outcomes in terms of industry-level export perform ance, and its interaction with macroeconomic policy and constraints. The aim is to throw light on the process by which catch-up is taking place in the leading transition economies. We begin at the micro level and find that institutional changes have produced improvements in performance more or less in line with theoretical predic tions. Variation in the extent ofpolicy changes helps to account for cross-country differences in restructuring behaviour. In the leading transition countries where growth has been under way for a number of years, many features of the enterprise sector differentiate it from that of an advanced market economy. To measure the extent of catch-up associated with the reforms, use is made of detailed information about the quality of goods traded on the EU market. In the final section, the inclusion of macroeconomic constraints allows distinctive transition paths to catching up in the Visegrad countries to be identified.
Does Wall Street Truly Understand Valuation of Publicly Traded Lodging Stocks?

Lodging stock undervaluation has been a long-standing issue in the industry. The proponents of lodging stock undervaluation attribute the phenomenon to Wall Street's lack of understanding of the lodging business. The opponents dismiss this claim by stating that it is unlikely that Wall Street has extensive knowledge of all industries except lodging. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate whether lodging stocks are, in fact, undervalued. The results support the notion that lodging stocks are undervalued compared to nonlodging stocks during the sample period of the 1990s. The undervaluation phenomenon may create opportunity for existing and potential lodging industry investors to take advantage of investing in a substantially undervalued portfolio. To accomplish this main goal empirically, an equity valuation model is used.
Pathogen burden in degenerative aortic valves is associated with inflammatory and immune reactions.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY The presence of five pathogens was assessed, together with a possible correlation of the total pathogen burden on inflammation and (auto)immunity in aortic stenosis (AS) and degenerative aortic valve bioprosthesis (BP). METHODS Diseased valve specimens from a total of 68 patients (52 with AS, 16 with BP) were studied. The presence and localization was assessed of Chlamydia pneumoniae (cHSP60), Helicobacter pylori (HP), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV), as well as of macrophages (CD68), C-reactive protein (CRP) and human heat shock protein 60 (hHSP60), by using immunohistochemical and morphometric analyses. RESULTS In the majority of degenerative aortic valves, specific pathogens, inflammation and immunity were localized predominantly in the fibrosa of AS patients, and in superficial regions of the BP. The categorization of valves as having four or more pathogens (n = 37) or fewer pathogens (n = 31) demonstrated an increased signaling of CD68 (p = 0.03) and CRP (p = 0.02). Specifically, cHSP60, HP and hHSP60 levels were increased in valves where one or two bacteria were identified (n = 59) compared to those without bacterial presence (n = 9) (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION The pathogen burden may contribute to valvular degeneration by promoting further deleterious inflammatory and (auto)immune processes at the level of the valvular fibrosa.
Chemoembolization endpoints: effect on survival among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between angiographic embolic endpoints of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was a retrospective assessment of the cases of 105 patients with surgically unresectable HCC who underwent TACE. The cases were classified according to a previously established subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint scale. Only one patient had endpoint level I embolization and was excluded from all subsequent analysis. Survival was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier analysis. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine independent prognostic risk factors of survival. RESULTS The overall median survival period was 21.1 months (95% CI, 15.9-26.4 months). Patients with embolization to subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint levels II and III were aggregated and had a significantly longer median survival period (25.6 months; 95% CI, 16.2-35.0 months) than patients with embolization to level IV (17.1 months; 95% CI, 13.3-20.9 months) (p = 0.035). The results of multivariate analysis indicated that all of the following factors were independent negative prognostic indicators of survival: subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint level IV (hazard ratio [HR], 2.49; 95% CI, 1.41-4.42; p = 0.002), European Cooperative Oncology Group performance status greater than 0 (HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.15-3.37; p = 0.013), American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III or IV (HR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.27-4.60; p = 0.007), and Child-Pugh class B (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.09-3.46; p = 0.025). CONCLUSION Embolization to an intermediate, substasis endpoint (subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint levels II and III) during TACE improves survival compared with embolization to a higher, stasis endpoint (level IV). Interventional oncologists should consider aiming for these intermediate, substasis angiographic endpoints during TACE.
Further investigation of the uncertain trend in US GDP

The presence of deterministic or stochastic trend in US GDP has been a continuing debate in the literature of macroeconomics. Ben-David and Papell (1995) found evidence in favour of trend stationarity using the secular sample of Maddison (1991). More recently, Murray and Nelson (2000) correctly criticized this finding arguing that the Maddision data are plagued with additive outliers (AO), which bias inference towards stationarity. Hence, they propose to set the secular sample aside and conduct inference using a more homogeneous but shorter time-span post-WWII sample. In this article we re-visit the Maddison data by employing a test that is robust against AO's. Our results suggest the US GDP can be modelled as trend stationary process
Firm Diversification and the Value of Corporate Cash Holdings

This paper studies the effect of firm diversification on the value of corporate cash holdings. We develop two hypotheses based on efficient internal capital market and agency problems. We find that the value of cash is lower in diversified firms than in single-segment firms, and that firm diversification is associated with a lower value of cash in both financially unconstrained and constrained firms. We find that firm diversification has a negative (zero) impact on the value of cash among firms with a lower (higher) level of corporate governance. These findings are consistent with the interpretation that firm diversification reduces the value of corporate cash holdings through agency problems.
An Empirical Investigation of U.S. Firms in Reorganization

The purpose of this paper is to understand the institutional features of Chapter 11 from an empirical examination of thirty firms that have emerged from reorganization. We find the recontracting framework of Chapter 11 to be complex, lengthy, and costly. Violations of absolute priority in favor of stockholders are frequently encountered. These deviations may result from the bargaining process of Chapter 11 or from a recontracting process between creditors and stockholders which recognizes the ability of stockholder‐oriented management to preserve firm value. An example of such recontracting addresses Myers' underinvestment problem. An investigation of the effects of Chapter 11 on the pricing of risky debt is also provided.
The State of the Practice of Value for Money Analysis in Comparing Public Private Partnerships to Traditional Procurements

Literary sources regarding public—private partnerships (PPPs) often mention the importance of conducting a value for money (VfM) analysis to determine the value of pursuing a project through a PPP versus a traditional procurement; however, few sources detail how agencies actually use this analysis in practice. This article provides a state-of-the-practice review of VfM analysis using examples from Australia, Canada, Europe, Africa, and Asia, focusing particularly on the VfM model used by agencies such as Partnerships Victoria, The United Kingdom's Her Majesty Treasury Department, and Partnerships British Columbia. Despite its growing applications in PPP projects from all different sectors, VfM has faced significant criticisms from academics and practitioners. This article evaluates reviews of VfM, noting the weaknesses and strengths of the methodology. Using the information derived from the evaluation, this article provides a guided reference for public agencies looking to adopt this VfM methodology in their current PPP decision-making framework.
Spatial orienting in complex audiovisual environments

Previous studies on crossmodal spatial orienting typically used simple and stereotyped stimuli in the absence of any meaningful context. This study combined computational models, behavioural measures and functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate audiovisual spatial interactions in naturalistic settings. We created short videos portraying everyday life situations that included a lateralised visual event and a co‐occurring sound, either on the same or on the opposite side of space. Subjects viewed the videos with or without eye‐movements allowed (overt or covert orienting). For each video, visual and auditory saliency maps were used to index the strength of stimulus‐driven signals, and eye‐movements were used as a measure of the efficacy of the audiovisual events for spatial orienting. Results showed that visual salience modulated activity in higher‐order visual areas, whereas auditory salience modulated activity in the superior temporal cortex. Auditory salience modulated activity also in the posterior parietal cortex, but only when audiovisual stimuli occurred on the same side of space (multisensory spatial congruence). Orienting efficacy affected activity in the visual cortex, within the same regions modulated by visual salience. These patterns of activation were comparable in overt and covert orienting conditions. Our results demonstrate that, during viewing of complex multisensory stimuli, activity in sensory areas reflects both stimulus‐driven signals and their efficacy for spatial orienting; and that the posterior parietal cortex combines spatial information about the visual and the auditory modality. Hum Brain Mapp 35:1597–1614, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Willingness to consume and produce transgenic bananas in Costa Rica

An exploratory study of the willingness to produce and consume transgenic bananas was carried out in Costa Rica. Transgenic crops are plants with novel genes incorporated into their genome through the use of genetic engineering techniques. Farm managers’ opinions were gathered using faxed questionnaires while final consumers’ opinions were obtained through personal intercept interviews. Consumers expressed a lack of knowledge about transgenic crops and had received non-favour but also non-negative information through the media about their adoption. The results of a probit regression model show that, other things being equal, younger, wealthier consumers, with higher levels of education, with smaller households are more likely to consume transgenic bananas. All producers included in the study consider they would adopt a new transgenic variety. Producers’ willingness to pay for such a variety would depend on its capacity to reduce pest management costs and is estimated to range between $500 and $999 per hectare. This study stresses the potential for development and adoption of a new transgenic variety that would alleviate the current issues faced by banana farmers. On the other hand, final consumers should be better informed on the nature of such products, their benefits and risks.
The Importance of Song Context in Music Playlists

Music recommender systems oen operate in sequential mode by suggesting a collection of songs that constitute a listening session. is task is usually called automated music playlist generation and it has been previously studied in the literature with dierent successful approaches based on, e.g., variations of collaborative ltering or content-based similarity. Some of the proposed playlist models take into consideration the current song and a number of previous songs, i.e., the song context, in order to predict the next song. However, it is not yet clear to what extent knowing this song context improves next-song predictions. To shed light on this question, we conduct a numerical experiment on two datasets of hand-curated music playlists, where we compare playlist models that account for different song context lengths. Our results indicate that knowing the song context seems, at rst, uninformative. However, we explain this eect by a strong bias in the data towards very popular songs and observe that, in fact, songs in the long tail are more accurately predicted when the song context is considered. CCS CONCEPTS •Information systems→Datamining; Recommender systems;
Electoral Reform in Europe since 1945

This article surveys and analyses democratic electoral reform in Europe since 1945 in order to pursue three issues. First, it seeks understanding of the processes through which electoral systems change. Second, it asks how the incidence of these processes varies over context and time. Third, it investigates whether there are relationships between the nature of the processes through which electoral system change occurs and the electoral reforms that are thereby adopted. The analysis suggests, most importantly, that electoral system changes occur via multiple contrasting processes, that there is a tendency towards increasing impact of mass opinion upon these changes, and that this is beginning to generate a trend towards greater personalisation in the electoral systems adopted. These findings are, however, preliminary; the article is intended to encourage further discussion and research.