Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Minimally invasive versus open surgery for cervical and lumbar discectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION Minimally invasive surgery for discectomy may accelerate recovery and reduce pain, but it also requires technical expertise and is associated with increased risks. We performed a meta-analysis to determine the effects of minimally invasive versus open surgery on functional outcomes, pain, complications and reoperations among patients undergoing cervical or lumbar discectomy. METHODS We searched MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library for reports of relevant randomized controlled trials published to Jan. 12, 2014. Two reviewers assessed the eligibility of potential reports and the risk of bias of included trials. We analyzed functional outcomes and pain using standardized mean differences (SMDs) that were weighted and pooled using a random-effects model. RESULTS We included 4 trials in the cervical discectomy group (n = 431) and 10 in the lumbar discectomy group (n = 1159). Evidence overall was of low to moderate quality. We found that minimally invasive surgery did not improve long-term function (cervical: SMD 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.09 to 0.31; lumbar: SMD 0.04, 95% CI -0.11 to 0.20) or reduce long-term extremity pain (cervical: SMD -0.21, 95% CI -0.52 to 0.10; lumbar: SMD 0.08, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.32) compared with open surgery. The evidence suggested overall higher rates of nerve-root injury (risk ratio [RR] 1.62, 95% CI 0.45 to 5.84), incidental durotomy (RR 1.56, 95% CI 0.80 to 3.05) and reoperation (RR 1.48, 95% CI 0.97 to 2.26) with minimally invasive surgery than with open surgery. Infections were more common with open surgery than with minimally invasive surgery (RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.04 to 1.38), although the difference was not statistically significant. INTERPRETATION Current evidence does not support the routine use of minimally invasive surgery for cervical or lumbar discectomy. Well-designed trials are needed given the lack of high-quality evidence.
Leadership in Local Government: ‘No Girls Allowed’

This article explores the under-representation of women at the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) levels of Western Australian (WA) local government. It draws on data collected from 21 second tier senior women managers about their perceptions and experiences of leadership within the sector, as well as their aspirations for CEO appointment. By applying critical gender analysis to the data, gender and specifically masculinity emerges as a significant and valued leadership attribute. While this analysis is not unique to local government, what sets the sector apart is its apparent disinterest in examining the reasons for, or the impacts of this continued leadership stereotype when at the same time Australian public and private institutions are challenging these traditional leadership models. This article points to fundamental weaknesses in the formal power structures and processes of local government that support deeply embedded biases about leadership. Perhaps the most significant contributor to these outcomes that emerged from the study is the apparent unencumbered power of Mayors and elected members over all aspects of CEO employment, especially recruitment.
Comparison of postanesthetic complaints after general and spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing lower limb surgery.

BACKGROUND The choice of anesthesia is one of the most important decisions made by anesthesiologists after preoperative visits with orthopedic patients. No published study has yet quantified the incidence of postanesthetic complaints for either technique. The present study was designed to compare the incidences of postanesthetic complaints after the application of the standardized techniques of spinal anesthesia, using a 27 - gauge needle, and two forms of general anesthesia in patients undergoing lower limb surgery. MATERIAL AND METHOD In a prospective, randomized, observer blind trial, 260 orthopedic patients who underwent lower limb surgery were randomized into 3 groups; 1) spinal anesthesia (SA), 2) general anesthesia via facemask (GA-M), 3) general anesthesia via endotracheal intubation (GA-T). On postoperative days 1 and 3, patients were interviewed specifically about postanesthetic complaints. RESULTS The present study indicated that the incidence of backache was significantly higher in SA (p = 0.01), while nausea/vomiting (p = 0.00) and headache (p = 0.02) were more frequent in GA-M and GA-T on the first postoperative day. In the 3-day period of observation in the ward, the incidence of postoperative complaints did not significantly differ among the three groups. CONCLUSION Spinal anesthesia using a 27-gauge Quincke needle is associated with a lower incidence of postanesthetic complaints compared with general anesthesia. This technique may be recommended for patients undergoing lower limb surgery.
Democracy, Government Spending and Economic Growth: The Case of Ghana, 1960–2008

Economic theory predicts a growth enhancing activities of various core functions of government. Nonetheless, government spending in non-democratic countries often goes beyond these core functions, namely into rent-seeking and non-productive activities. This paper employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds testing approach to cointegration to investigate the extent to which democracy and government spending have had an impact on economic growth in Ghana over the period 1960–2008. The empirical results obtained are encouraging, revealing support for the high effi ciency of government spending in democracies’ hypothesis. The paper demonstrates that democracy and government spending go hand in hand to have a positive impact on economic growth in Ghana in both the long and short run. The fi ndings and policy recommendations of the paper provide vital information relevant for developing countries involved in the democratisation process. JEL Classification: C22, H50, O40
Predicting stock returns using financial statement information

We examine the profitability of the Ou and Penman (1989a) "Pr" trading strategy and the Holthausen and Larcker (1992) "Prob" trading strategy over the period 1980-1992 in the UK. This is a test of whether an investor can earn abnormal returns by exploiting fundamental accounting data. We employ alternative abnormal return metrics and research designs to control for risk. Using a UK dataset offers an independent test because the UK differs from the US in its formal and informal financial reporting environment, its structure of share ownership, and the behaviour of its economy over the study period. We find consistent evidence that an investor could have used a summary measure of financial statement information to predict future abnormal returns by indirectly predicting one-year-ahead earnings changes, but only weak and inconsistent evidence that an investor could have used a summary measure of financial statement information to predict one-year-ahead stock returns directly. We offer some thoughts on the reasons for these different results. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1998.
Age-Dependent Effects of Secreted Semaphorins 3A, 3F, and 3E on Developing Hippocampal Axons: In Vitro Effects and Phenotype of Semaphorin 3A (−/−) Mice

We studied the role of Semaphorins in the formation of hippocampal connections at embryonic and early postnatal stages. We show that the embryonic entorhinal cortex has a repulsive effect on embryonic hippocampal axons that disappears gradually at postnatal stages. Such chemorepulsion is blocked by Neuropilin-1 and -2 blocking antibodies. However, at perinatal stages, the inner layers of the entorhinal cortex attract CA1 axons. At these stages, Sema3A and Sema3F bind commissural and entorhinal axons. Sema3A and Sema3F repel hippocampal axons at E14-P2, but not at E13. A similar spatiotemporal pattern of chemorepulsion is observed for Sema3A on entorhinal axons, in contrast to Sema3F, which repels these axons only at postnatal ages. Sema3E also repels hippocampal axons but exclusively at E14. We show that Sema3A and Sema3F can induce the collapse of hippocampal growth cones and that membrane-bound Sema3A and Sema3F can guide hippocampal axons in the stripe assay. In sema3A (-/-) mice, the entorhinohippocampal projection is largely normal although single axons innervate aberrantly the stratum radiatum and the hilus. Thus, the chemorepulsion evoked by Sema3A, Sema3E, and Sema3F is dynamically regulated in the developing hippocampal formation.
Understanding the Relationship between Health PACs and Health Lobbying in the American States

We examine how health PAC activity in the states is connected to lobbying. Is the political money that health interest organizations bring to the policy process a powerful, independent means of influence or is it better understood narrowly as a tactic used to support lobbying? We examine the relationship between campaign contributions and lobby activity and the limited work that has been conducted on them and raise a number of questions about the process by which they are connected. We utilize 1998 data on state lobbying and PAC activity, allowing us to answer causal research questions generated from existing studies at the national level. We conclude that PAC activity is best viewed as an adjunct of lobbying rather than an independent form of political activity.
Outstanding Debt and the Household Portfolio

This article examines the effect of household debt on investment decisions. We alter a simple portfolio choice model to allow households to retire outstanding debt and realize a risk-free rate of return equal to the interest rate on that debt. Using the Survey of Consumer Finances, we find that households with mortgage debt are 10% less likely to own stocks and 37% less likely to own bonds compared to similar households with no mortgage debt. We calculate the costs of nonoptimal investment in the presence of various forms of household debt. We find that 26% of households should forgo equity market participation on account of the high interest rates they pay on their debt. The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org. , Oxford University Press.
Children with developmental language delay at 24 months of age: results of a diagnostic work‐up

The aim of this study was to evaluate if a diagnostic work‐up should be recommended for 2‐year‐old children with developmental language delay (LD), or if the widely chosen ‘wait and see’ strategy is adequate. Children with LD were identified in paediatric practices during routine developmental check‐ups using a German parent‐report screening questionnaire (adapted from the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories). A standardized German instrument and the Netherlands version of Bayley Scales of Infant Development (2nd edn) were used to assess language ability and nonverbal cognitive development respectively in 100 children with LD (65 males, 35 females; mean age 24.7mo [SD 0.9]) and a control group of 53 children with normal language development (33 males, 20 females; mean age 24.6mo [SD 0.8]). Neurological and audiometric testing were also performed. Sixty‐one per cent of the LD group had specific expressive LD and 17% specific receptive‐expressive LD. In 22%, LD was associated with other neurodevelopmental problems, 6% showed significant deficits in nonverbal cognitive abilities, and in 12%, nonverbal cognitive abilities were borderline. Four per cent fulfilled the criteria of childhood autism. LD at 2 years proved to represent a sensitive marker for different developmental problems. Adequate early intervention requires a clear distinction between specific expressive or receptive‐expressive LD and LD associated with other neurodevelopmental problems. Though catch‐up development is to be expected in a substantial proportion of ‘late talkers’, our data demonstrate that a general ‘wait and see’ approach is not justified in young children with LD. A proposal for a rational diagnostic work‐up is presented.
Social Exclusion and Opportunity Structures in European Cities and Neighbourhoods

The increased research and policy interest in social exclusion has included a focus on the concentration of disadvantage within cities. The role of neighbourhoods in the dynamics of social exclusion is consequently receiving greater attention. This paper reports the results of a major European research programme designed to explore the neighbourhood dimension of social exclusion. The results raise important issues related to the differential opportunities associated with neighbourhoods and the conceptualisation of neighbourhood effects as well as issues for policy. Understanding the role of neighbourhood in social exclusion involves attention to different levels of analysis and different fault lines and to the resources that are produced within neighbourhoods.
Bacteribilia with resistant microorganisms after preoperative biliary drainage – the influence of bacteria on postoperative outcome

Abstract Background. In pancreatic surgery, preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) leads to bacteribilia. Whether positive bile duct cultures are associated with a higher postoperative morbidity might be related to the resistance of the species isolated from bile. Study. Intraoperative bile duct cultures were collected from all patients who underwent pancreatic surgery. Postoperative morbidity was analyzed according to the species and the resistance found on bile duct cultures. Results. Fifty-five percent (166/301) of patients had PBD, while 45% (135/301) underwent primary operation. PBD was associated with a positive bile duct culture in 87% (144/166) versus 21% (28/135) in patients without PBD (p = 0.001) and polymicrobial infections in 53% (88/166) versus 6% (8/135) (p = 0.001). Postoperative morbidity was 40% (121/301); mortality was 3% (9/301). PBD was not associated with morbidity and mortality, but resistant species on bile duct cultures lead to significantly more postoperative complications, 54% (25/46) versus 38% (96/255) (p = 0.033), with significantly more antibiotic therapies. Conclusion. PBD is associated with polymicrobial infections with resistant microorganisms, resulting in more postoperative complications. Since PBD cannot always be avoided, surgeons and gastroenterologists must be aware of their institutional surveillance data to identify patients at risk for postoperative complications.
Channels through Which Human Capital Inequality Influences Economic Growth

This paper empirically investigates the theoretical predictions of some of the channels through which human capital inequality may discourage investment and growth. In a cross section of countries over the period 1960–2000, findings reveal that, all other things being equal, a greater degree of human capital inequality increases fertility rates and reduces life expectancy, which in turn hampers the accumulation rates of human capital. This effect is reinforced in the countries where individuals find it difficult to access credit. Extensive sensitivity analyses show that the results are robust across specifications and are not driven by atypical observations, endogenous regressors, or unobservable heterogeneity.
CD8 cytotoxic T cells in cutaneous leishmaniasis

CD8 T cells are essential in the defence against viruses, yet little is known of their participation in the host defence against parasites, such as Leishmania, which can cause a variety of clinical diseases, such as localized cutaneous, diffuse cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Murine models of leishmaniasis suggest that CD8 T cells participate through IFN‐γ production, yet their cytotoxic capacity also plays an important role, as has been found in patients infected with various Leishmania strains, where CD8 T cell cytotoxicity and apoptosis of autologous Leishmania‐infected macrophages correlate with cure. Yet the mechanisms underlying the CD8 T activation in patients with leishmaniasis remain an enigma. It is possible that dendritic cells activate CD8 T cells through mechanisms that include antigen cross‐presentation. Here we summarize the recent findings of CD8 T cells in cutaneous leishmaniasis and discuss their significance in the control of the disease. Further knowledge in this field will undoubtedly improve the design of therapeutic and vaccine strategies.
Monopoly rights: a barrier to riches

Our thesis is that poor countries are poor because they employee arrangements for which the equilibrium outcomes are characterized by inferior technologies being used, and being used inefficiently. In this paper, we analyze the consequences of one such arrangement. In each industry, the arrangement enables a coalition of factor suppliers to be the monopoly seller of its input services to all firms using a particular production process. We find that the inefficiencies associated with this monopoly arrangement can be large. Whereas other studies have found that inefficiencies induced by monopoly are at most a few percent of output, we find that eliminating this monopoly arrangement could well increase output by roughly a factor of 3 without any increase in inputs.
The Effect of Chloroquine on Renal Function and Vasopressin Secretion: A Nitric Oxide-Dependent Effect

We have previously reported that chloroquine administration increases plasma vasopressin concentration and urinary sodium excretion in Sprague-Dawley rats. Because chloroquine has also been shown to stimulate nitric oxide production, the aim of this study was to determine whether nitric oxide mediates chloroquine-induced changes in renal function and secretion of vasopressin. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 6–8/group) were infused with 2.5% dextrose under Intraval anesthesia (100 mg kg−1 i.p.). After 3-h equilibration and a control hour, animals received either vehicle, chloroquine (0.04 mg h−1),N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) (nitric-oxide synthase inhibitor, 60 μg kg−1 h−1), or combined chloroquine andl-NAME over the next hour. l-NAME or vehicle infusion continued for a further recovery hour. Plasma was collected from a parallel group of animals for vasopressin radioimmunoassay. Chloroquine stimulated a significant increase (p < 0.05) in urine flow rate, glomerular filtration rate, and sodium excretion over the hour of infusion, in comparison with vehicle-infused rats. These effects continued after cessation of chloroquine, reaching maxima in the following recovery hour. Coadministration ofl-NAME abolished these effects, returning all parameters to levels comparable with those in vehicle-infused animals. Chloroquine administration was accompanied by a significant increase (p < 0.05) in plasma vasopressin, which was also reversed by l-NAME. The effects of chloroquine on renal function and vasopressin secretion seem to be mediated by pathways involving nitric oxide. These data suggest that chloroquine may stimulate nitric-oxide synthase both centrally, stimulating vasopressin secretion, and within the kidney, where it modulates glomerular hemodynamics and tubular function.
The Dynamics of Ireland's Net External Position ∗

Ireland's net external liability position expanded in dramatic fashion during 2008-2010, despite relatively small net financial flows during this period. Understanding the the source and persistence of this negative shock is critically important in assessing the future path for the Irish economy. However, data analysis is made difficult by the confounding impact of Ireland's major role as an international financial centre, such that the "core" international balance sheet remains obscure. However, there is considerable indirect evidence to believe that a substantial component of this decline is genuine and relates to the internationally-leveraged structure of the financial portfolios of domestic Irish residents.
Applying Kansei Engineering, the Kano model and QFD to services

This paper aims to present an integrative framework of Kansei Engineering (KE), the Kano model and quality function deployment (QFD) applied to services. An empirical study involving Indonesian and Singaporean tourists was conducted to showcase the framework's applicability. The study utilises a sample of 100 Indonesian and 125 Singaporean tourists who stayed in luxury hotels and covers only services in luxury hotels. Interviews and face-to-face questionnaire surveys were carried out. Using stepwise linear regression analysis, this research models the effect of perceived hotel service performance on customer emotional needs (Kansei). House of quality (HOQ) is then used to formulate managerial strategies. We present the fruitfulness of integrating the Kano model, KE and QFD. Perceived attractive qualities have a direct significant impact on Kansei response. There is no analysis of the impact of cultural differences on Kansei. We provide insight on which service attributes deserve more attention with regard to their significant impact on customer emotions. It may guide service managers to provide and implement improvement strategies in satisfying customer emotional needs. The study proposes a unique methodology of integrative three concepts commonly used in manufacturing and service quality research to measure and model customer emotional needs.
The Contemporary Presidency: Who Wants Presidential Supremacy? Findings from the Institutions of American Democracy Project

The George W. Bush administration has aggressively advanced claims of presidential supremacy in American government. We use data from surveys to explore the reactions to these claims on the part of three groups of governmental elites and the general public. Responses are shaped by partisanship and ideology, which overwhelm institutional loyalties. Democrats are generally unified in opposing practices that expand presidential power beyond established political or constitutional limits. Republicans are more divided. Some entirely reject those practices. Yet about three quarters of Republicans in all samples endorse presidential supremacy, partially or fully. We consider the implications of the findings for possible longer-term outcomes with respect to these issues.
Intra-firm Trade

The study analyzes intra-firm trade, that is the estimated one-third of world trade which is transacted between affiliated parties. As firms realize the increasing potential for integrating their operations throughout the world, they are contributing to significant shifts in the patterns of international trade and industrial development. As emphasized here, international trace is inextricably linked to the growing and substantial share of transactions between affiliated parties conveyed through multinational enterprises. Copyright 1989 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd
Explaining Ethical IT Behavior, Judgment and Awareness Using a Domain Theory Context

Unethical information technology (IT) behavior can lead to severe consequences in the workplace. Inappropriate and unethical use of IT is a prominent concern for managers governing their employee’s workplace behavior, having significant impacts for organizations beyond a decrease in productivity. However, moral values and norms of employees may not be consistent with organizational policies and ethical codes. The study investigates the context dependence of ethical IT behaviors and how people organization ethical IT dilemmas affect people’s behaviors. A survey method is used to investigate this phenomenon, using ethical dilemma scenarios