Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inclusive environmental disclosure practices and firm performance: The role of green supply chain management

Little empirical work has been done on the effects of inclusive environmental disclosure and green supply chain management (GSCM) on firm outcomes. The literature on environmental disclosure suggests that it is a useful practice to improve a firm’s reputation and its financial performance and also to establish a dialogue with stakeholders improving environmental performance. Recent conceptual contributions in the supply chain management literature state that stakeholder expectations and informational needs increasingly concern firm supply chains. Thus, the authors propose that positive effects of inclusive environmental disclosure practices are enhanced in presence of GSCM practices. The paper aims to discuss these issues. ,To test these relationships a combination of primary data on environmental disclosure practices, GSCM practices and environmental performance, and secondary data on financial performance was used. A series of hierarchical regression models were performed to test the disclosure-outcome relationships and the moderation of GSCM practices. ,Results provide empirical support for the impact of inclusive environmental disclosure practices on financial performance but no support for the impact on environmental performance. Specifically, the more inclusive the environmental disclosure practices the greater and positive is the impact on financial performance in presence of GSCM practices. ,This study provides empirical evidence of the joint effects of inclusive environmental disclosure and GSCM practices on environmental and financial performance. Doing so, it reinforces the recent conceptual foundation that firms should align and leverage on supply chain management for disclosure practice effectiveness.
A magnetic resonance imaging voxel-based morphometry study of regional gray matter atrophy in patients with benign multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND Evidence is accumulating that indicates that a selected assessment of gray matter (GM) damage is able to provide strong paraclinical correlates of multiple sclerosis (MS) severity. OBJECTIVE To investigate the pattern of regional GM atrophy in patients with benign MS (BMS) vs those with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) to better elucidate the factors associated with a favorable status in patients with MS. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey from January 2006 to August 2007. SETTING Referral, hospital-based MS clinics. Patients Sixty patients with BMS, 35 patients with SPMS, and 21 healthy volunteers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Neuropsychological tests exploring memory, attention, and frontal lobe cognitive domains were administered to BMS patients. A voxel-based morphometry analysis of GM concentration was performed using statistical parametric mapping and a threshold of 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons. RESULTS Twelve BMS patients (20%) had an abnormal performance on 3 or more neuropsychological tests. Compared with healthy individuals, BMS patients had a reduced GM volume in the subcortical and frontoparietal regions. Compared with BMS patients, those with SPMS had a significant GM loss in the cerebellum. No differences between BMS and SPMS patients were found when only BMS patients with cognitive impairment or those with shorter disease duration (15-19 years) and higher Expanded Disability Status Scale scores (>2.0) were considered. CONCLUSIONS Cerebellar GM atrophy seems to be a major determinant of irreversible locomotor disability in MS. The absence of cognitive impairment and a longer disease duration or lower Expanded Disability Status Scale score may identify those BMS patients with the potential for a favorable disease evolution.
Sunlight, Disease, and Institutions

Higher exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV‐R) is associated with greater prevalence of eye disease such as cataracts. We hypothesize that the variation in the intensity of UV‐R can help explain the differences in institutional quality observed across countries. The long‐term incentive and ability to improve the quality of institutions decline when the probability of blindness increases. Our reduced‐form cross‐country results support this hypothesis. We then propose that the mechanism works from the impact of UV‐R on the prevalence of eye disease, which in turn shapes institutions. Our empirical evidence lends considerable support to this hypothesis.
Root canals in one-rooted maxillary second molars.

The Royal Dental College, Copenhagen, houses an extensive collection of human teeth extracted in Denmark. The collection currently contains 104 one-rooted, permanent maxillary second molars. The root complex on these teeth was sectioned at the junction between the coronal and the apical halves, i.e. mid-root, and at the junction between the middle and the apical thirds, i.e. apically. Using a stereomicroscope we then registered, mid-root and apically, the following variables: canal number, canal position, and canal cross-section. Mid-root there was 1 centrally located root canal in 25.96% of the teeth examined; 2 canals were observed either mesially and distofacially, mesiofacially and distally, or facially and lingually in 34.62%; 3 canals positioned mesiofacially, distofacially, and lingually were found in 39.42%. At the same level 63.51% of the canal cross-sections were non-circular, whereas 36.49% of the canals had a circular cross-section image. The non-circular canal cross-sections could more specifically be characterized as C-shaped, Y-shaped, hourglass-shaped or the root canal had a greater faciolingual than mesiodistal extension or, respectively, a greater mesiodistal than faciolingual extension. Apically there was 1 centrally located root canal in 35.58%; 2 canals were observed with a position either mesially and distofacially, mesiofacially and distally, or facially and lingually in 37.49%; 3 canals located mesiofacially, distofacially, and lingually were found in 26.92%. At the apical level, 64.32% of the root canal cross-sections were non-circular, whereas 35.68% of the canals showed a circular cross-section. The results presented here are aimed at: clinical dentists, endodontists, and dental morphologists.
Computed Tomography Angiography of Situs Inversus, Portosystemic Shunt and Multiple Vena Cava Anomalies in a Dog

ABSTRACT A 5-year-old Shih Tzu was presented with intermittent vomiting and anorexia. Microhepatica and reversed position of the abdominal organs were observed on radiography. Ultrasonographically, portosystemic shunt (PSS) was tentatively diagnosed. Computed tomography (CT) revealed that the distended portal vein drained into the left hepatic vein. The caudal vena cava (CdVC) split postrenally and converged at the renal level. Cranial to this, the azygos continuation of the CdVC was confirmed. In the thorax, a persistent left cranial vena cava (CrVC) was found along with right CrVC. This is the first report of a dog with persistent left CrVC and multiple abdominal malformations. CT angiography was useful in evaluating the characteristics of each vascular anomaly and determining the required surgical correction in this complex case.
Whole organ decellularization - a tool for bioscaffold fabrication and organ bioengineering

The use of synthetic and naturally-derived scaffolds for bioengineering of solid organs has been limited due to a lack of an integrated vascular network. Here, we describe fabrication of a bioscaffold system with intact vascular tree. Animal-donor organs and tissues, ranging in size up-to thirty centimeters, were perfused with decellularization solution to selectively remove the cellular component of the tissue and leave an intact extracellular matrix and vascular network. The vascular tree demonstrated sequential fluid flow through a central inlet vessel that branched into an extensive capillary bed and coalesced back into a single outlet vessel. In one example, the liver, we used central inlet vessels to perfuse human and animal liver cells through the bioscaffold to create a functional liver tissue construct in vitro. These results demonstrate a novel yet simple and scalable method to obtain whole organ vascularized bioscaffolds with potential for liver, kidney, pancreas, intestine and other organs’ bioengineering. These bioscaffolds can further provide a tool to study cells in their natural three-dimensional environment, which is superior for drug discovery platform compared with cells cultured in two-dimensional petri dishes.
Benefits of sensory garden and horticultural activities in dementia care: a modified scoping review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To provide a review on the benefits associated with the use of sensory gardens and horticultural activities in dementia care. BACKGROUND Maintaining quality of life is important in dementia care. Sensory gardens and horticultural activities are increasingly used in dementia care, yet their benefits are uncertain. DESIGN A modified scoping review with descriptive analysis of selected empirical studies. METHODS Systematic searches in Amed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Embase and Scopus were used. Search terms were the free-text concepts 'healing garden', 'horticultural therapy', 'restorative garden' and 'wander garden' which were combined with dementia and Alzheimer. RESULTS Sixteen studies were included with included participants ranging from eight to 129 participants. Research designs were case studies (n = 2), survey (n = 1), intervention studies with pretest/post-test design (n = 11) and randomised controlled studies (n = 2). Of these 16 studies, eight examined the benefits of sensory gardens, seven examined horticultural therapy or therapeutic horticulture and one examined the use of plants indoors. This study offers a review of the research addressing benefits of sensory gardens, therapeutic horticulture, horticultural therapy and other purposeful use of plants in dementia care. The reported findings are mainly on issues related to behaviour, affect and well-being. The findings are in general mutually supportive, however, with some contradictory findings. In addition, sleep pattern, well-being and functional level seem to improve. CONCLUSIONS These types of nonpharmacological interventions may improve well-being and affect and reduce the occurrence of disruptive behaviour. Additionally, the use of psychotropic drugs, incidents of serious falls, sleep and sleep pattern also seem to improve. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE To further improve the use of the existing or planned gardens, an educational programme for staff that also includes skill training is recommended.
Is the Fama French Three-Factor Model Relevant? Evidence from Islamic Unit Trust Funds

The study tests the Fama and French three-factor model by using the newly created Islamic equity style indices. Based on a dataset from May 2006 to April 2011, the three-factor model is tested based on returns of Islamic unit trust funds using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) methodology. The sample period is also divided between periods before and after the Global Financial Crisis in August 2008 to test for robustness, and the Bai and Perron (2003) multiple structural break test was used to determine the structural break in the series. The analysis shows that the Fama and French model is valid for Islamic unit trust funds before and after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The result further indicates the reversal of size effect. As for trading strategies, value funds outperform growth funds by annualized 3.13 percent for the full period. During pre-crisis period, value funds perform better than growth funds while in post-crisis, size factor yields better return than other strategies. As policy suggestion, fund managers need to be aware of the reversal of size effect, and they need to ensure a more transparent stock selection process so that investors can make an informed decision in their asset allocation.
Predicting death or major neurodevelopmental disability in extremely preterm infants born in Australia

Background The aim of this study was to determine if the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) calculator, designed to predict mortality or neurosensory disability in infants 22–25 weeks’ gestation, was valid for contemporary Australian infants. Method Outcome data at 2 years of age for 114 infants who were liveborn in Victoria, Australia, in 2005, between 22 and 25 completed weeks’ gestation, weighing 401–1000 g at birth, and free of lethal anomalies, were entered into the NICHD online calculator. Predicted outcomes were then compared with the actual outcomes. Results Of the 114 infants, 99 (87%) were inborn and 15 (13%) were outborn. The overall prediction of death for inborn infants was 47.1% compared with the actual death rate to 2 years of age of 49.5%. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.803 (95% CI 0.718 to 0.888; p<0.001) for mortality, comparable with the AUC for the NICHD study (AUC: 0.753; 95% CI 0.737 to 0.769; p<0.001). The accuracy for predicting death was not as precise for outborn infants (AUC: 0.643; 95% CI 0.337 to 0.949; p=0.36). The calculator overestimated the combined outcome of death or survival with major disability at 72.0%, compared with an actual rate of 60.5%. Conclusions The NICHD outcome estimator was helpful in predicting mortality for inborn infants, 22–25 weeks’ gestation, but was less precise for outborn infants. It overestimated the combined outcome of death or major disability in infants born in Victoria, Australia, in 2005.
Characteristics of print in books for preschool children

Children begin to learn about the characteristics of print well before formal literacy instruction begins. Reading to children can expose them to print and help them learn about its characteristics. This may be especially true if the print is visually salient, for studies suggest that prereaders pay more attention to such print than to print that is visually less salient. To shed light on the characteristics of the print that US children see in books, especially those characteristics that may contribute to visual salience, we report a quantitative analysis of 73 books that were chosen to be representative of those seen by preschoolers. We found that print that is visually salient due to colour, variation and other features tends to be more common on the covers of books than in the interiors. It also tends to be more common in recently published books than in older books. Even in recent books, however, the print is much less visually salient than the accompanying pictures. Many studies have examined the behaviour of adults and children during shared reading, but little research has examined the characteristics of books themselves. Our results provide quantitative information about this topic for one set of characteristics in books for young US children.
Anti-osteoporotic activity of methanolic extract of an Indian herbal formula NR/CAL/06 in ovariectomized rats.

OBJECTIVE The present study was aimed to evaluate the anti-osteoporotic activity of methanolic extract of NR/CAL/06 in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. METHODS Bilateral ovariectomy was performed in female Sprague-Dawley rats under aseptic conditions and the rats were divided into five groups (n=10). Two different doses of methanolic extract of NR/CAL/06 (200 and 400 mg/kg, per oral (p.o.)) were evaluated for anti-osteoporotic activity and raloxifene (5.4 mg/kg, p.o.) was used as a reference standard. Treatment was given for 90 d. Anti-osteoporotic potential of NR/CAL/06 was evaluated based on various parameters, namely, body weight, organ weight, bone weight, bone mineral content, bone strength, calcium and phosphorus in serum and urine, and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP). External diameter, length and thickness of the femur bone were measured by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS The bilateral ovariectomy in rats resulted in decreased bone strength, bone mineral content and bone weight. The SEM images showed porous, perforated and disintegrated femur bone architecture and decreases in bone length and thickness in OVX rats. These changes were associated with elevated serum levels of calcium, phosphorus and ALP. Increases in body weight and adipose weight and a decrease in uterine weight were also observed and the changes were highly significant when compared with the sham-control group. Treatment with methanolic extract of NR/CAL/06 (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) for 90 d dose-dependently restored the ovariectomy-induced alterations in bone weight, bone mineral content, bone strength, serum calcium, phosphorus and ALP, body weight and adipose weight nearly to normal levels. Furthermore, the SEM images of the femur bones of NR/CAL/06 (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.)-treated rats showed reduced pore formation and improved bone compactness compared with the OVX-control group. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the methanolic extract of NR/CAL/06 possesses significant anti-osteoporotic activity and may be useful in the treatment of osteoporosis.
Persistent diarrhea in Northeast Brazil: etiologies and interactions with malnutrition

With the improved control of acute diarrheal illness mortality with oral rehydration therapy, persistent diarrhea is now emerging as a major cause of childhood mortality in tropical developing areas like the impoverished populations in Brazil's Northeast. “Graveyard surveillance” in the rural community of Guaiuba in northeastern Brazil revealed fully half of the 70% diarrhea mortality was due to persistent diarrheal illnesses. Furthermore, 11% of 14 or more diarrheal illnesses per child per year in an urban slum in Fortaleza persisted beyond 14 days, a definition that clearly identified the high risk children for heavy diarrhea burdens. Not only did heavy diarrhea burdens ablate the key “catch‐up” growth seen in severely malnourished children and in children following previous diarrheal illnesses, but malnutrition significantly predisposed children to a greater incidence and duration of diarrhea as well as a greater incidence of persistent diarrhea. Etiologic studies of 37 children presenting with persistent diarrhea to Hospital das Clinicas in Fortaleza revealed that Cryptosporidium (in 13%) and enteroadherent E. coli (36% with aggregative, 29% with diffuse and 13% with localized adherence to HEp‐2 cells) were the predominant potential pathogens found in the stool or upper small bowel. These findings suggest that persistent diarrhea is emerging as an important health problem in Brazil's Northeast, that it identifies a high risk child for heavy diarrhea burdens, that important interactions occur with malnutrition and that Cryptosporidium and enteroadherent E. coli warrant further study as potential etiologies of this major cause of morbidity and mortality.
The PREVAIL trial of enzalutamide in men with chemotherapy-naïve, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: Post hoc analysis of Korean patients

Purpose This post hoc analysis evaluated treatment effects, safety, and pharmacokinetics of enzalutamide in Korean patients in the phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled PREVAIL trial. Materials and Methods Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic chemotherapy-naive men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer that progressed on androgen deprivation therapy received 160 mg/d oral enzalutamide or placebo (1:1) until death or discontinuation due to radiographic progression or skeletal-related event and initiation of subsequent therapy. Coprimary end points were centrally assessed radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) and overall survival (OS). Secondary end points included investigator-assessed rPFS, time to initiation of chemotherapy, time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression, PSA response (≥50% decline), and time to skeletal-related event. Results Of 1,717 total patients, 78 patients were enrolled in Korea (enzalutamide, n=40; placebo, n=38). Hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for enzalutamide versus placebo were 0.23 (0.02–2.24) for centrally assessed rPFS, 0.77 (0.28–2.15) for OS, 0.21 (0.08–0.51) for time to chemotherapy, and 0.31 (0.17–0.56) for time to PSA progression. A PSA response was observed in 70.0% of enzalutamide-treated and 10.5% of placebo-treated Korean patients. Adverse events of grade ≥3 occurred in 33% of enzalutamide-treated and 11% of placebo-treated Korean patients, with median treatment durations of 13.0 and 5.1 months, respectively. At 13 weeks, the plasma concentration of enzalutamide plus N-desmethyl enzalutamide was similar in Korean and non-Korean patients (geometric mean ratio, 1.04; 90% confidence interval, 0.97–1.10). Conclusions In Korean patients, treatment effects and safety of enzalutamide were consistent with those observed in the overall PREVAIL study population (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01212991).
Diagnosis of Onchocerciasis Using Highly Specific and Sensitive Native Proteins

We describe a highly immunogenic low molecular weight fraction of proteins obtained from Onchocerca volvulus. It is comprised of a mixture of native proteins ranging in molecular weight from 10 to 40 kDa and is collectively designated PakF. Unlike other Onchocerca (and other filarial) antigens previously described, IgG4 antibody responses to this protein mixture were absent or low. In a simple, IgG-based dot blot assay, this mixture of native proteins showed high sensitivity, comparable to or better than that of other previously described recombinant proteins, when used to detect infected individuals in endemic areas of Ghana and Guatemala. The specificity was also high when evaluated using sera from patients with other filarial infections. Arguments are put forward to suggest that such a native fraction could present an interesting alternative to the use of well-defined molecules, which are expensive, labile or prone to denaturation, in endemic areas.
Efavirenz versus boosted atazanavir or zidovudine and abacavir in antiretroviral treatment-naive, HIV-infected subjects: week 48 data from the Altair study.

BACKGROUND Antiretroviral therapy is complicated by drug interactions and contraindications. Novel regimens are needed. METHODS This open label study randomly assigned treatment-naive, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects to receive tenofovir-emtricitabine with efavirenz (Arm I), with ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (Arm II), or with zidovudine/abacavir (Arm III). Pair-wise comparisons of differences in time-weighted mean change from baseline plasma HIV-RNA to week 48 formed the primary analysis. Treatment arms were noninferior if the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval (CI) was <0.5 log(10) copies/mL. Secondary objectives included virologic, immunologic and safety end points. RESULTS The intention-to-treat population comprised 322 patients (Arm I, n = 114; Arm II, n = 105; and Arm III, n = 103). Noninferiority for the primary end point was established. Analysis for superiority showed that Arm III was significantly less potent than Arm I (-0.20 log(10) copies/mL; 95% CI, -0.39 to -0.01 log(10) copies/mL; P = . 038). The proportions of patients on each of Arm I (95%) and Arm II (96%) with <200 copies/mL were not different (P = .75), but the percentage of patients in Arm III with <200 copies/mL (82%) was significantly lower (P = .005). CD4+ cell counts did not differ. Serious adverse events were more frequent in Arm III (n = 30) than in Arm I or Arm II (n = 15 for each; P = .062). CONCLUSIONS A novel quadruple nucleo(t)side combination demonstrated significantly less suppression of HIV replication, compared with the suppression demonstrated by standard antiretroviral therapy regimens, although it did meet the predetermined formal definition of noninferiority. Secondary analyses indicated statistically inferior virologic and safety performance. Efavirenz and ritonavir-boosted atazanavir arms were equivalent in viral suppression and safety.