Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbiology of cerebral abscess at the neurosurgical unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVES To determine the microbial pathogens responsible for cerebral abscess, ascertain the most suitable antibiotic for treatment and to determine the predisposing causes of cerebral abscess. DESIGN Prospective study with microbiological investigation of pus aspirated from cerebral abscesses. SETTING Neurosurgical Unit, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. STUDY GROUP 41 patients with cerebral abscess. PERIOD OF STUDY 18 months (May 1997 to December 1998) RESULTS: Of the 41 samples of pus 26 (63.1%) gave a positive microbial culture. The Gram stain of the direct smear was positive in 77% of the 26 positive cultures. The most frequently occurring species were Streptococcus milleri group (35%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (10%). Anaerobes accounted for 23% of positive cultures. All Streptococcus milleri isolates were penicillin and cefotaxime, and all anaerobic isolates except one were susceptible to sensitive to metronidazole. 75% of Gram negative bacilli isolated were sensitive to cefotaxime. All Staphylococcus aureus isolates were methicillin resistant, but sensitive to vancomycin and chloramphenicol. Common predisposing conditions were congenital heart disease (30%), trauma (25%), middle ear disease (7%), and meningitis (7%). CONCLUSIONS Organisms of the Streptococcus milleri group were most frequently found in cerebral abscesses. The present empirical therapeutic regime adopted in the unit which consisted of cefotaxime 1 g intravenously three times daily and metronidazole 500 mg intravenously three times daily was found to be satisfactory as a majority of the organisms isolated were sensitive to these antimicrobials. In the case of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), it is recommended that chloramphenicol be added to the current regime in management until the antibiotic sensitivity pattern is available.
Service offshoring and wages: worker-level evidence from Italy

We study the effects of service offshoring on the wages of Italian workers. To this purpose, we build up a novel data set combining information from two different sources: (1) matched employer-employee data based on administrative records from the Italian National Social Security Institute; and (2) industry-level indicators of service offshoring based on Import Matrices released by the Italian Statistical Office. We estimate worker-level wage regressions controlling for a number of employee, firm and industry characteristics. In line with previous studies, we find that service offshoring does not cause significant reductions in workers’ wages. We also find, however, that service offshoring contributes to widening the wage gap between more and less skilled employees. Finally, we document heterogeneity in the effects of service offshoring depending on the type of activities relocated abroad. Specifically, our results show that offshoring of business services exerts moderately negative effects on workers’ wages, whereas offshoring of other services has virtually no impact on individual earnings.
An Audit of Neonatal Respiratory Morbidity following Elective Caesarean Section at Term

Studies have suggested that a reduction in neonatal respiratory morbidity may be achieved by delaying elective caesarean section until 39 weeks gestation. In 1997 staff at the Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital were concerned at the level of neonatal respiratory morbidity following elective caesarean section. Aims: To determine the extent of neonatal respiratory morbidity following elective caesarean section at term. Then to present the findings, make recommendations and perform a repeat analysis. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all elective caesarean sections at term between October 1996 and October 1997 was performed. Labour ward, operating theatre and SCBU records were examined, followed by maternal and infant case note review. The gestational age at the time of caesarean section and any neonatal respiratory morbidity was recorded. The results were subsequently presented at a perinatal morbidity meeting and a recommendation made to delay elective sections until 39 weeks gestation. The audit was repeated between June 1999 and June 2000. Results: The first cycle of the audit showed significantly lower rates of neonatal admissions with advancing gestation (p < 0.001). There was also a reduction in the number of infants requiring oxygen (p = 0.001), the number of infants requiring intensive care admission (p = 0.001) and ventilation (p = 0.003) with advancing gestation. In the second cycle of the audit there was a significant decrease in the number of elective caesarean sections performed prior to 39 weeks gestation (51% vs. 26%) (p < 0.0001). There were fewer neonatal admissions with respiratory morbidity between the two phases of the audit (26/292 vs. 18/327) (RR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.34–1.1). There was also a reduction in the number of infants requiring oxygen (RR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.23–1.06) the number of infants requiring intensive care admission (RR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.15–1.29) and the number of infants requiring ventilation (RR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.1–1.47). Conclusion: A reduction in neonatal respiratory morbidity can be achieved by delaying elective caesarean section until 39 weeks gestation.
Treatment of Pediatric Femur Fractures With the Pavlik Harness: Multiyear Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes

Background: Femur fractures account for 1.4% to 1.7% of all pediatric fractures. The use of the Pavlik harness has been described for infants; however, previous reports have included only short-term follow-up. This study describes the multiyear clinical and radiographic results from patients younger than 6 months of age treated with a Pavlik harness. Methods: The clinical and radiographic records were reviewed for all children under the age of 6 months who were treated with a Pavlik harness for an isolated femoral shaft fracture at a level 1 pediatric trauma center. Radiographs were obtained at final follow-up, as well as a standing full-length anteroposterior scanogram. Clinical examination was completed and inquiry regarding patient activity limitations, complications of treatment, and overall parent/provider satisfaction was made. Results: Ten patients with 10 fractures met inclusion criteria. The average age of the patients at the time of injury was 2.2 months. The average duration of Pavlik harness treatment was 43 days (range, 31 to 54 d). The average age at final follow-up was 5.2 years (range, 2.6 to 7.3 y). At final follow-up, average angulation was 3 degrees valgus (range, 0 to 8 degrees) and 5 degrees procurvatum (range, 0 to 24 degrees). Only 1 patient had a measurable leg-length discrepancy of 7 mm at final follow-up. There were no complications noted. Conclusions: It is felt that pediatric patients have a significant potential for bone remodeling and that any angulation at the time of fracture union will remodel. Our study supports this notion as the final angulation at follow-up averaged 3 degrees valgus and 5 degrees procurvatum. In the patient group presenting with >20 degrees of angulation at the time of injury, final angulation averaged 5 degrees valgus and 11 degrees procurvatum. Treatment with the Pavlik harness provides for excellent clinical outcomes with a minimal complication rate. However, some patients, especially those presenting with a high degree of angulation, may have some degree of persistent radiographic angulation. Level of Evidence: Level IV (case series).
Impact of the invasive parasitic copepod Mytilicola orientalis on native blue mussels Mytilus edulis in the western European Wadden Sea

ABSTRACT Invasive species can indirectly affect native species by modifying parasite–host dynamics and disease occurrence. This scenario applies to European coastal waters where the invasive Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) co-introduced the parasitic copepod Mytilicola orientalis that spills over to native blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and other native bivalves. In this study, we investigated the impact of M. orientalis infections on blue mussels by conducting laboratory experiments using controlled infections with larval stages of the parasitic copepod. As the impact of infections is likely to depend on the mussels’ food availability, we also tested whether potential adverse effects of infection on mussels intensify under low food conditions. Blue mussels that were experimentally infected with juvenile M. orientalis had a significantly lower body condition (11–13%) compared with uninfected mussels after nine weeks of infection. However, naturally infected mussels from a mixed mussel and oyster bed did not significantly differ in body condition compared with uninfected mussels. Contrary to effects on mussel condition, we did not find an effect of experimental infections on clearance rates, shell growth or survival of blue mussels and no clear sign of exacerbating effects of food limitation. Our study illustrates that invasive species can indirectly affect native species via parasite co-introductions and parasite spillover. The results of this study call for the integration of such parasite-mediated indirect effects of invasions in impact assessments of invasive species.
Comparison of high definition oscillometric and Doppler ultrasound devices with invasive blood pressure in anaesthetized dogs.

OBJECTIVE To use the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) validation criteria to evaluate the performance of high definition oscillometric (HDO) and Doppler blood pressure measurement techniques against invasive blood pressure measurements in anaesthetized dogs. STUDY DESIGN Prospective clinical study. ANIMALS Twenty client-owned dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Invasive blood pressure was measured using a catheter inserted into a pedal artery and an electronic transducer. The sites of cuff placement for the HDO measurements were the mid antebrachium or the proximal tail and, for the Doppler technique, the distal tibia. Agreement between invasive and non-invasive blood pressure measurements was estimated by the Bland-Altman method. RESULTS Only 10% and 34% of Doppler measurements were within 10 and 20 mmHg of invasive blood pressure values, respectively. The Doppler device failed to meet the ACVIM validation criteria for blood pressure measurement devices. The best agreement between HDO and invasive blood pressure measurement technique was observed for mean arterial blood pressure (MAP); 67% and 95% of readings were within 10 and 20 mmHg of invasive blood pressure values respectively. In addition, 52% and 87% of diastolic arterial blood pressure (DAP) measurements were within 10 and 20 mmHg of invasive readings. High definition oscillometric readings did not meet ACVIM recommended limits for SAP. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The Doppler technique overestimated and the HDO device showed limited agreement with invasive blood pressure measurement in anaesthetized dogs. High definition oscillometry met most of the ACVIM requirements for MAP and DAP while the Doppler technique did not.
Corporate Governance and Idiosyncratic Skewness

This paper analyzes the relation between corporate governance and idiosyncratic skewness of stock returns for a large sample of U.S. firms. Since firm-level skewness is determined by information flow and companies with good corporate governance are more informative and transparent than their less shareholder protective counterparts, we argue that differences in the quality of corporate governance matter to idiosyncratic skewness. Our results validate the hypothesis and reveal a significant relation between the level of shareholder protection and idiosyncratic skewness. Firms with stronger shareholder rights are associated with more positively skewed stock returns. Our findings are robust to the inclusion of various control variables used in the literature as well as to the use of different methodologies and governance measures. Supported by the Fonds National de la Recherche, Luxembourg. Luxembourg School of Finance, University of Luxembourg. Email: Gudrun.Rolle@uni.lu. Luxembourg School of Finance, University of Luxembourg. Email: Thorsten.Lehnert@uni.lu.
Hammondia isolated from dogs and foxes are genetically distinct

Hammondia heydorni is regarded as a protozoan parasite that uses canids, e.g. dogs and foxes, as definitive hosts, but clinical signs of infection are rare. This study therefore took advantage of the opportunity to study an oocyst population from the faeces of a dog suffering from intermittent bouts of diarrhoea. Oocysts from the naturally infected dog were shown to be H. heydorni by using the polymerase chain reaction combined with DNA sequencing as a diagnostic tool.The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper are available from GenBank under the following Accession numbers DQ183058, DQ183059 and DQ022687. A comparison of the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) sequence of ribosomal DNA obtained with those from other dog and fox oocysts, previously regarded as H. heydorni, showed these oocysts contained identical ITS1 sequences. However, the oocyst DNA from the fox and dog differed by the presence/absence of a 9 bp insertion/deletion within intron 1 of the alpha tubulin gene, and this difference was conserved across a number of different oocyst populations from the 2 species of host. A PCR assay was established that takes advantage of this insertion/deletion and is able to differentiate between the 2 oocyst populations. This study therefore provides evidence that H. heydorni oocysts from dogs and foxes represent 2 distinct genetic lineages that can be differentiated using a PCR, which targets the alpha tubulin locus.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: The New Bottom Line?

Each year, thousands of not-for-profit; social services; educational; health care; and environmental organizations make pitches to corporate entities to help partially or fully fund projects they deem are for the common good. And thousands are funded with the promise of some benefit in return to the funding corporation in question; usually having bottom line metrics. And those companies, who give their money and other resources, probably deem themselves as being socially responsible; but what about beyond the bottom line? What about sustainability? Corporate social responsibility (CSR), also called corporate conscience, corporate citizenship, social performance, or sustainable responsible business is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms. The goal of CSR is to embrace responsibility for the company’s actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. For ages, corporations measured success primarily on profits; but do profits guarantee that the corporation will still be around in the future? The thinking a little more than a decade ago, according to J. Ivancevich, P. Lorenzi, S. Skinner, and P. Crosby (1997), was that there was no specific standard that a firm followed since managers thought quite differently about what constituted social responsible behavior. Some managers viewed social responsibility as an obligation; others viewed it as a reactive situation; still others considered proactive behavior to be the proper position.
Acceptance and Continuance Intention of Web‐based Learning Technologies (WLT) Use among University Students in a Baltic Country

This paper presents the acceptance and “continuance intention” of use for Web‐based learning tools among University students in a Baltic country, namely Estonia. In this paper, we used the technology acceptance model (TAM), which was extended to include two external constructs: the technology and user characteristics. These two constructs were modeled to influence the perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness constructs in the TAM. Further, another construct – continuance intention – in the information systems (IS) post‐adoption literature was linked to the TAM. We used a sample of 72 students from four local higher educational institutions that have experience with a specific Web‐based learning tool; i.e. WebCT. Our results indicate that both the characteristics of the technology and user affect perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. In addition, perceived ease of use significantly affects usage, whilst perceived usefulness did not show any meaningful influence. Our data, in the context of Web‐based learning technologies, also indicates that both usage and perceived usefulness influence continuance intention, whilst perceived ease of use does not. To conclude, the implications for both practice and theory are discussed.
Neonatal factors in infants with Autistic Disorder and typically developing infants

The prenatal and neonatal factors of 225 children diagnosed with Autistic Disorder were compared with those of 1580 typically developing children. Each of the neonatal factors was compared between the Autistic Disorder and control groups, and between males and females. The results showed that males in the ‘Autistic Disorder’ group had a significantly longer gestational age and a heavier birth weight than the male controls. No significant differences in these factors were observed between females in the two groups. Both male and female children with Autistic Disorder showed a significantly higher incidence of neonatal complications than their respective controls. In the Autistic Disorder group, males had a heavier mean birth weight, and there were more post-term infants among females.
Promoting customer contact people: a key difference in service and product advertising

Employs content analysis of advertisements for both products and services in 13 major newspapers. Seeks to understand how advertising information on service providers is integrated into service advertising strategy. Suggests that service advertising is far more likely than product advertising to contain information about contact people. Offers ways of improving the advertising strategy of service marketers.
Validity and Reliability of Asbestos Knowledge and Awareness Questionnaire for Environmental Asbestos Exposure in Rural Areas

1Department of Public Health, Lung and Pleural Cancers Research and Clinical Center, Eskişehir Osmangazi University School of Medicine, Eskişehir, Turkey 2Department of Chest Diseases, Lung and Pleural Cancers Research and Clinical Center, Eskişehir Osmangazi University School of Medicine, Eskişehir, Turkey 3Lung and Pleural Cancers Research and Clinical Center Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Turkey
The effect of corporate governance mechanisms on earnings management: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the compliance of Saudi shareholding companies with the requirements of corporate governance issued by the Board of Capital Market Authority in the Kingdom and their impact on earnings management. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was used to collect data about the compliance of the Saudi shareholding companies with corporate governance requirements and discretionary accruals (DAs) were calculated from the financial statements of these companies using the modified Jones model, then multiple regression was used to test the relationship between the variables. Findings – The results of the study revealed that there was no statistically significant linear dependence of the mean of DAs on corporate governance. Additionally, no statistically significant effect for internal audit, audit committee and board of directors on earnings management was detected. However, the results revealed that there was a slight negative effect for internal audit scop.
Interlocking Directorates: A Strategy for Reducing Environmental Uncertainty

Interlocking directorates among corporations are common, despite statutory attempts to limit interlocking. Through interlocking, companies may gain any of four benefits that reduce environmental uncertainty: horizontal coordination linking competitors; vertical coordination linking an organization with suppliers of inputs or receivers of outputs; expertise; enhanced reputation. Antitrust legislation implies that the maintenance of uncertainty in the marketplace through competition is a social good, but reducing uncertainty through interlocking may be a profit-maximizing strategy of benefit to business firms and their shareholders.
Seasonal Changes in Jump Performance and Body Composition in Women Volleyball Players

González-Ravé, JM, Arija, A, and Clemente-Suarez, V. Seasonal changes in jump performance and body composition in women volleyball players. J Strength Cond Res 25(6): 1492-1501, 2011—The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of different resistance training programs on jump performance and body composition of female volleyball players of the highest Spanish division league over 24 weeks of training. Ten female volleyball players (27.41 ± 4.94 years; 72.2 ± 8.5 kg; 179.7 ± 6.4 cm) completed 24 weeks of training and testing using a linear periodization, progressing from general conditioning (weeks 1-4), to hypertrophy (weeks 5-8), then to maximum strength and power (weeks 9-16) and concluding with a specific strength training (weeks 17-24). Body composition was measured using bioelectrical-impedance analysis, and neuromuscular capacity was estimated by squat jump, countermovement jump, Abalakov jump, and 2 repetition maxima (2RM). After initial evaluation (PRE), the players were tested on 3 different occasions (POST: fourth week, POST 1: eighth week and POST 2: 24th week) of the training cycle. Muscle mass increased on (4.5%, p < 0.05) and fat-free mass (4.38%, p < 0.05), whereas fat percent decreased (13.90%, p < 0.05). All neuromuscular performance tests were increased from PRE to POST 2 (ranging from 17.64 to 20.89%, p < 0.01) and from POST 1 to POST 2 (ranging from 4.62 to 7.56% p < 0.01). The results suggest that the volleyball players studied continued improving power and strength capacity together with body composition during the course of the study. Finally, as major application, these data provide normative and performance standards for female volleyball players.
Logistics in Denmark: A Survey of the Industry

During the Summer of 1999, the authors sent a survey to 665 Danish logistics service providers. These firms included air, rail and truck transportation providers, warehousing companies, freight forwarders and multi-function third-party logistics providers. Survey results suggest that Danish logistics providers tend to be "niche firms", focusing on the domestic market and limited sets of customers by industry (e.g. food and beverage). There is also considerable use of functional subcontracting in the logistics industry, particularly with respect to the transportation function. While Danish logistics firms overall offer a wide range of services, little is offered in the areas of information systems and supply chain design This paper presents full details and results of the survey, along with a discussion of issues for further research.