Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clipping the (tongue) tie

Ankyloglossia is an uncommon congenital oral anomaly that can cause difficulty with breast-feeding and speech articulation. For many years, the subject of ankyloglossia has been controversial with practitioners of many specialties having widely different views regarding its significance and management. This study is about a series of five cases of ankyloglossia subjected to surgical correction by frenectomy procedure. Three cases were treated with electrocautery, one case with diode laser and one case with conventional scalpel technique. 1 week and 1 month post-operative follow-ups were done and healing was compared with the available literature. Manipulation of tissues was better in laser and electrocautery techniques when compared with scalpel. Post-operative complication of swelling and pain was seen in scalpel technique whereas it was largely uneventful in other techniques. Though, there was no difference in healing at the end of first month clinically, scalpel technique has shown better results in organization of muscle fibers. This clinical study indicates that laser and electrocautery treatment used for frenectomy operations provides better patient perception in terms of postoperative pain and function than that obtained by the scalpel technique. Considering the above advantages, when used correctly, the laser and electrocautery offers a safe, effective, acceptable and impressive alternative for frenectomy operations.
Value Stream Management

Value Stream Management is a new strategic and operational approach to the data capture, analysis, planning and implementation of effective change within the core cross‐functional or cross‐company processes required to achieve a truly lean enterprise. This paper describes the method in detail including a summary of the previous Value Stream Mapping approach and its weaknesses. The new approach involves a strategic review of a business or supply chain's activities, the delimitation of key processes and the mapping of these processes. A description of how to analyze and synthesize these data is followed by a section on an approach to planning strategic and operational change together with a framework in which to do this. The benefits and limitations of the new approach are summarized.
Signalling theory and the evolution of religious cooperation

How does religion motivate cooperation? How do the factors (genetic and cultural) that cause these motivations variously evolve, and why are they conserved? Cooperative-signalling theories of religion answer these questions by generalising from well-supported principles and research in the life sciences. Cooperative-signalling theories are interesting because they explain existing puzzles in the data about religions, and lead to testable hypotheses. This article discusses how signalling theory has been applied to explain the evolution and conservation of religiously motivated cooperation at small and large social scales, and reviews evidence relevant to evaluating these applications.
Boundary Management in Projects: Antecedents, Activities and Performance

Despite increasing interest among practitioners and the recent scientific explo-rations on the dynamics of boundary management in project and team contexts, the existing studies seems to lack empirical understanding on the factors that explain the boundary management behavior of project managers. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the three antecedent factors - cross-functional participation, embeddedness and top management control - are related to four different types of boundary management activities practiced by project managers, namely coordinating, enabling, reporting and guarding. Based on the sample of 236 projects, the results show that embeddedness and top-management control have positive influence on boundary-management activities and cross-functional participation has both positive and negative contribution to boundary management activities. Furthermore, the results reveal that boundary management activities have both positive and negative influence on project performance. Contributions of the research are discussed, as well as practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research.
Development and psychometric evaluation of the reasons for living--older adults scale: a suicide risk assessment inventory.

PURPOSE The purposes of these studies were to develop and initially evaluate the psychometric properties of the Reasons for Living Scale-Older Adult version (RFL-OA), an older adults version of a measure designed to assess reasons for living among individuals at risk for suicide. DESIGN AND METHODS Two studies are reported. Study 1 involved instrument development with 106 community-dwelling older adults, and initial psychometric evaluation with a second sample of 119 community-dwelling older adults. Study 2 evaluated the psychometric properties of the RFL-OA in a clinical sample. One hundred eighty-one mental health patients 50 years or older completed the RFL-OA and measures of depression, suicide ideation at the current time and at the worst point in one's life, and current mental status and physical functioning. RESULTS Strong psychometric properties were demonstrated for the RFL-OA, with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient). Convergent validity was evidenced by negative associations among RFL-OA scores and measures of depression and suicide ideation. RFL-OA scores predicted current and worst-episode suicide ideation above and beyond current depression. Discriminant validity was evidenced with measures of current mental status and physical functioning. Criterion-related validity was also demonstrated with respect to lifetime history of suicidal behavior. IMPLICATIONS These findings provide preliminary support for the validity and reliability of the RFL-OA. The findings also support the potential value of attending to reasons for living during clinical treatment with depressed older adults and others at risk for suicide.
Market orientation profiles of Finnish companies

The performance implications of market orientation remain a key research topic. This study replicates Narver and Slater’s 1990 study in part to reflect on the performance links of different dimensions of marketing performance. First, factor analysis conducted on 1157 survey responses from top management in Finnish companies empirically verifies the three underlying dimensions to market orientation. Second, five distinct profiles of market orientation are identified by clustering respondents and characterized in comparison with both objective and subjective performance metrics and contextual factors. These profiles provide a platform for better understanding the state of market orientation from national and managerial perspectives.
Detection of patient risk by nurses: a theoretical framework.

AIM This paper is a description of a theoretical framework of how nurses detect and interpret patient risk signals in the context of organizational attitudes and procedures related to patient safety. BACKGROUND The ability to detect when patients are at increased risk for harm is a challenge faced by nurses worldwide. How nurses are able to discriminate patient risk warning signals from background noise is not well understood. Also, the impact of system-level factors on nurses' signal detection capabilities has not been investigated. DATA SOURCES Computerized database searches were used to identify nursing, organizational science, and cognitive psychology literature from 1964 to 2009 pertinent to the framework. DISCUSSION The patient risk detection theory synthesizes concepts of signal detection theory and high reliability theory. Signal detection theory explains the decision-making processes of nurses as they scan for signals of potential patient harm. High reliability theory explains how nurses' signal detection capacities are facilitated when healthcare settings operate as high reliability organizations making patient safety the top priority. CONCLUSION The patient risk detection theory facilitates understanding of both individual and organizational factors that influence nurses' ability to detect risk in complex healthcare settings. It can be used to guide research on interventions to enhance signal detection by nurses and increase patient safety in today's complex care environments. The theory can also be used to guide design of training programmes that permit nurses to develop practical skills in signal detection.
Development of a rational blood‐ordering policy for obstetrics and gynaecology

Summary. The relation between quantities of blood ordered to cover obstetrical and gynaecological diagnoses and quantities actually used was studied over a period of 3 months in one Scottish hospital. It appeared that the amount of blood ordered as‘cover’ for many operative procedures and for patients under observation was, in many instances, uneconomic. On the basis of this a‘maximum surgical blood‐ordering schedule’ has been proposed which would reduce the amount of blood cross‐matched as‘cover’ by 65 %. Review of the circumstances of all transfusions given over the study period suggested that adoption of the proposed schedule would not be detrimental to patient safety.
Predictability of Aggregate Earnings

In this study, I provide evidence that aggregate earnings are predictable based on the cointegration relation between earnings and cash flows implied by the accounting identity that earnings is the sum of the cash flows and the accruals. I first show that earnings and cash flows follow random walks with drifts while accruals is stationary with zero mean. I then show that earnings and cash flows are cointegrated and the cointegration error is the accruals. I finally show that earnings is the error correction term in this cointegration relation, hence predictable. My results which are robust to various financial statement frequencies, earnings measures, universes, and periods may help to answer some of the questions which were raised regarding to the contemporaneous relationship between aggregate earnings surprises and stock returns in the recent literature.
Optimization of maintenance, production and inspection strategies while considering preventative maintenance error

This investigation explores the influence of preventive maintenance error on production, inspection and cost. This study assumes that, given an imperfect production process, if preventive maintenance is performed after the inspection point is reached given a production process that is in an in-control state, correctness of maintenance performance will directly impact the inspection frequency, inspection interval, production quantity and cost benefit. In this study, numerical analysis is used to examine the influence of different levels of maintenance error with various non-conforming product rates on inspection frequency, inspection interval, production quantity and cost benefit, to optimize maintenance error values under different circumstances.
The role of patient restrictions in reducing the prevalence of early dislocation following total hip arthroplasty. A randomized, prospective study.

BACKGROUND It is currently unknown whether functional restrictions following total hip arthroplasty can reduce the prevalence of early postoperative dislocation. Our hypothesis was that dislocation was more likely to occur in patients who were not placed on these restrictions. METHODS We performed a prospective, randomized study to evaluate the role of postoperative functional restrictions on the prevalence of dislocation following uncemented total hip arthroplasty through an anterolateral approach. Of the 630 eligible consecutive patients, 265 patients (303 hips) consented to be randomized into one of two groups (the "restricted" group or the "unrestricted" group). The patients in both groups were asked to limit the range of motion of the hip to <90 degrees of flexion and 45 degrees of external and internal rotation and to avoid adduction for the first six weeks after the procedure. The patients in the restricted group were instructed to comply with additional hip precautions during the first six weeks postoperatively. Specifically, these patients were managed with the placement of an abduction pillow in the operating room before bed transfer and used pillows to maintain abduction while in bed; used elevated toilet seats and elevated chairs in the hospital, in the rehabilitation facility, and at home; and were prevented from sleeping on the side, from driving, and from being a passenger in an automobile. All patients were followed for a minimum of six months postoperatively. RESULTS There was one dislocation in the entire cohort (prevalence, 0.33%). This dislocation occurred in a patient in the restricted group during transfer from the operating table to a bed with an abduction pillow in place. Patients in the unrestricted group were found to return to side-sleeping sooner (p < 0.001), to ride in automobiles more often (p < 0.026), to drive automobiles more often (p < 0.001), to return to work sooner (p < 0.001), and to have a higher level of satisfaction with the pace of their recovery (p < 0.001) than those in the restricted group. There was an additional expenditure of approximately $655 per patient in the restricted group. CONCLUSIONS Total hip arthroplasty through an anterolateral approach is likely to be associated with a low dislocation rate. Removal of several restrictions did not increase the prevalence of dislocation following primary hip arthroplasty at our institution. However, it did promote substantially lower costs and was associated with a higher level of patient satisfaction as patients achieved a faster return to daily functions in the early postoperative period.
The structure of Boo/Diva reveals a divergent Bcl‐2 protein

Cells initiate apoptosis, a programmed cell suicide, in response to intracellular stress signals. Members of the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are critical to the regulation of the ‘‘intrinsic’’ or mitochondrial initiated cell death.1 This family comprises about 20 proteins in mammals and consists of members that either promote apoptosis the pro-apoptotic proteins or inhibit this action, the pro-survival proteins. Protein–protein interactions between the opposing factions mediate the life/death switch and it is thought the balance between the prosurvival and pro-apoptotic actions decides cell fate.2 Boo (Bcl-2 homolog of ovary, also known as Diva, Bcl-B, Bcl2L10, or Nrh) is a mouse Bcl-2 homolog, whose gene encodes a 191 residue 22 kDa protein that is highly expressed in the ovary,3 but only weakly in other tissues.4 Knockout of the boo gene does not give rise to an obvious phenotype suggesting a redundant function for this protein.4 There is little functional data available for Boo and initial reports on its function were contradictory, one indicating it had pro-survival activity,3 the other pro-apoptotic activity.5 Although the shared sequence identity between members of the Bcl-2 family is low, they harbor up to four regions of conserved sequence known as Bcl-2 homology (BH) domains, BH1–BH4.6 The pro-survival proteins bear 2–4 of these BH domains while the pro-apoptotic proteins are divided into those that bear a single BH domain, the BH3, and are known as the BH3-only proteins (members of this group include the proteins Bim, Bad, Bmf, Bid, Bik, Puma, Noxa and Hrk) and multidomain Bax-like proteins (Bax, Bak, and Bok) that share both sequence and structural homology to the pro-survival proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Bcl-w, Mcl-1, and A1.6 The presence of a BH3 domain is the minimal requirement for cell killing activity.7 The BH3-only proteins act as cellular sentinels that are activated in response to an apoptotic stimulus and bind in a hydrophobic groove located on the surface of the pro-survival proteins, neutralizing their action. This interaction frees the pro-apoptotic Baxlike proteins, which effect apoptosis by destroying the integrity of the mitochondrial outer membrane. Factors such as cytochrome c are consequently released from the mitochondrial intermembrane space, a process that results in the activation of caspases, cysteine aspartyl proteases, which execute a proteolytic cascade destroying the cell from within.1 The BH3 domain is a 13 residue sequence motif, F1sxxF2xxF3sDzF4B that contains a conserved leucine at position F2 and aspartic acid residue at position D.8 This short motif interacts with a hydrophobic groove on pro-survival proteins through the hydrophobic face of an amphipathic helix formed by the four hydrophobic residues, F1–F4. The other positions are: x is any residue,
Student Evaluations and Consumer Orientation of Universities

ABSTRACT In response to a more competitive marketplace for students, universities have attempted to become more responsive to one group of consumers, the students. Student evaluations of instructors have become an increasingly important aspect of faculty evaluation. This paper examines student evaluations of instructors to determine how increased responsiveness to one set of consumers may affect the “product” delivered to other consumers.
"THE STRUCTURE OF INTRA-GROUP TIES: INNOVATION IN TAIWANESE BUSINESS GROUPS"

Business groups are a network form of multi-business firm that play central economic and technological roles in many emerging economies. We draw from the technology studies literature, complemented by concepts from studies of organizational networks, to investigate how equity, director, and operating ties between firms within groups shape their innovation opportunities. Technology studies suggest that such ties create both opportunities and constraints that influence innovative activity by affiliates and, in aggregate, by a group as a whole - opportunities that arise from access to information, people, money, and other resources, but also constraints that arise from entrenched relationships among different actors. The network literature, in turn, suggests that centrality and density of ties between firms within a group will shape the benefits and constraints. We find that the overall density and individual centrality of the three types of ties affects affiliate and group innovativeness among about 2,000 firms within 263 business groups in Taiwan between 1982 and 2000. Groups that offer affiliates focused access to financial resources and operating knowledge, coupled with autonomy from intra-group competition and strategic interference, often generate fertile opportunities for innovative activity by some of their members. The results also offer implications for multi-business firm innovativeness.
Service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in the service factory

Purpose – This study seeks to investigate, through the development of an operationalized service quality construct in the context of a service factory, whether the typology to which a service belongs may explain the nature of the service quality (SQ) construct and its relationship to customer satisfaction (SAT) and behavioral intentions (BI). Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory factor analysis used a sample from undergraduate student respondents. Then, a more representative sample of hotel guests was used, in a second‐order confirmatory factor analysis.Findings – The dominant dimensions of SQ construct in the service factory were found to be: Tangibles, Recovery, Responsiveness, and Knowledge. Further results indicate that, although the direct effect of SQ on BI is significant, the indirect effect (with SAT playing a mediating role) is a stronger driver for BI in the context of the service factory.Research limitations/implications – A notable limitation is that the present study focuses only on th.
Getting the assumptions right : private sector participation transaction design and the poor in southwest Sri Lanka

The need for reform in urban water and sanitation service delivery is urgent. Countries are making moves to achieve reforms, bringing in changes to the way they manage utilities, charge for water, and regulate the sector. This paper investigates how a set of basic assumptions on service coverage, service levels, tariffs, and subsidies in the proposed transactions in southwest Sri Lanka held up against consumer preferences. This paper provides the background information and describes the main features of the survey data. The paper then discusses a set of features that were used in the initial transaction design. This is followed by information on the impact of the different household preferences on these transaction features, and what this means in term of redesigning these features to ensure that the transaction would be more pro-poor. Conclusions and policy recommendations follow in the final section of this report.
Diagnosis and management of medical problems in adults with Williams–Beuren syndrome

Williams–Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a multi‐system disorder that requires ongoing management by a primary care physician familiar with the natural history and common medical problems associated with the condition. Some abnormalities are unique to WBS, such as the elastin arteriopathy that often manifests as supravalvar aortic stenosis and hypertension. Still other features, such as diverticulosis, are seen in the general population but tend to present earlier in WBS. Life long monitoring of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems is essential to the clinical management of individuals with Williams–Beuren syndrome. Constipation should be aggressively managed, and symptoms of abdominal pain should prompt an evaluation for diverticulosis/diverticulitis. While the mean IQ of WBS is in the mild mental retardation range, difficulties with attention and anxiety are more likely to negatively impact independent functioning in the adult with WBS. There is no evidence for decline in cognitive ability over time, but adaptive functioning may be improved with treatment of anxiety by both behavior and medical modalities. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of Muscarinic Receptor Subtypes That Mediate Antinociception in the Rat Spinal Cord

Spinal cholinergic receptors are involved in mediating antinociceptive effects.To characterize the receptor subtypes modulating nociceptive transmission, we first determined the antinociceptive effects of intrathecally administered muscarinic agonists (McN-A-343 and carbachol) and a cholinesterase inhibitor (neostigmine) in rats. The antagonist potencies of muscarinic antagonists with different preferences for muscarinic receptors [atropine, pirenzepine (M1), methoctramine (M2), and 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (4-DAMP; M3)] were then examined for McN-A-343, carbachol, and neostigmine. After determining the time of peak effect for each antagonist, the just maximally effective (JME) dose of each agonist was given in conjunction with one of the several doses of the antagonists. The three agents produced a dose-dependent increase in paw withdrawal latency, with the following 50% effective dose and the following JME doses: neostigmine 6 and 14 nmol, carbachol 29 and 110 nmol, and McN-A-343 354 and 630 nmol. The rank of order of potency (and median infective dose in nanomoles) for the antagonists was: neostigmine = (atropine 14 > 4-DAMP 44 >> methoctramine >137, and pirenzepine >236); carbachol = (pirenzepine 0.5 = atropine 0.6 > 4-DAMP 5 >> methoctramine >137); McN-A-343 = (pirenzepine 0.5 > atropine 3 > 4-DAMP 6 >> methoctramine >137). Our results suggest that the M1 and possibly the M3 muscarinic receptors mediate spinal antinociception in the rat. Implications: Spinal muscarinic agonists, such as carbachol and the cholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine, induce a potent analgesia in the rat. Using selective receptor antagonists, we have shown that these effects are likely mediated by spinal M1 and/or M3 receptor subtypes. (Anesth Analg 1997;85:847-53)