Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Foreign direct investment of India: an analysis based on ‘dynamic or developmental approach’

Abstract This study draws on a ‘dynamic or developmental approach’ to international production as its analytical framework. The analysis is based on multivariate time-series data for the time period of 1980–2014. Its purpose is to investigate the dynamic relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) position of India and home-country macroeconomic factors both in the short-run and long-run, employing vector error correction modelling (VECM). The study finds that the macroeconomic variables have a long-run impact on FDI position of India (captured by net OFDI), although no causality has been witnessed in the short-run. Dynamic analyses such as Impulse Response Function (IRF) and Forecast Error Variance Decomposition (FEVD) are also used to examine the long-run time path and endogenous structure of the variables, respectively.
Use of complex adaptive systems metaphor to achieve professional and organizational change.

AIM This paper uses the experiences of a programme designed to bring about change in performance of public health nurses (health visitors and school nurses) in an inner city primary care trust, to explore the issues of professional and organizational change in health care organizations. BACKGROUND The United Kingdom government has given increasing emphasis to programmes of modernization within the National Health Service. A central facet of this policy shift has been an expectation of behaviour and practice change by health care professionals. METHODS Change was brought about through use of a Complex Adaptive Systems approach. This enabled change to be seen as an inclusive, evolving and unpredictable process rather one which is linear and mechanistic. The paper examines in detail how the use of concepts and metaphors associated with Complex Adaptive Systems influenced the development of the programme, its implementation and outcomes. FINDINGS The programme resulted in extensive change in professional behaviour, service delivery and transformational change in the organizational structures and processes of the employing organization. This gave greater opportunities for experimentation and innovation, leading to new developments in service delivery, but also meant higher levels of uncertainty, responsibility, decision-making and risk management for practitioners. CONCLUSION Using a Complex Adaptive Systems approach was helpful for developing alternative views of change and for understanding why and how some aspects of change were more successful than others. Its use encouraged the confrontation of some long-standing assumptions about change and service delivery patterns in the National Health Service, and the process exposed challenging tensions within the Service. The consequent destabilising of organizational and professional norms resulted in considerable emotional impacts for practitioners, an area which was found to be underplayed within the Complex Adaptive Systems literature. A Complex Adaptive Systems approach can support change, in particular a recognition and understanding of the emergence of unexpected structures, patterns and processes. The approach can support nurses to change their behaviour and innovate, but requires high levels of accountability, individual and professional creativity.
Systematic Review of the Clinical Effectiveness of Wound-edge Protection Devices in Reducing Surgical Site Infection in Patients Undergoing Open Abdominal Surgery

Objective:Assess the existing evidence on the clinical effectiveness of wound-edge protection devices (WEPDs) in reducing the surgical site infection (SSI) rate in patients undergoing open abdominal surgery. Background:Surgical site infections are a common postoperative complication associated with considerable morbidity, extended hospital stay, increased health care costs, and reduced quality of life. Wound-edge protection devices have been used in surgery to reduce SSI rates for more than 40 years; however, they are yet to be cited in major clinical guidelines addressing SSI management. Methods:A review protocol was prespecified. A variety of sources were searched in November 2010 for studies containing primary data on the use of WEPDs in reducing SSI compared with standard care in patients undergoing open abdominal surgery. The outcome of interest was a well-specified, clinically based definition of an SSI. No language or time restrictions were applied. The quality assessment of the studies and the quantitative analyses were performed in line with the principles of the Cochrane Collaboration. Results:Twelve studies reporting primary data from 1933 patients were included in the review. The quality assessment found all of them to be at considerable risk of bias. An exploratory meta-analysis was performed to provide a quantitative indication on the effect of WEPDs. The pooled risk ratio under a random effects model was 0.60 (95% confidence interval, 0.41–0.86), indicating a potentially significant benefit from the use of WEPDs. No indications of significant between-study heterogeneity or publication bias, respectively, were identified. Conclusions:Evidence to date suggests that WEPDs may be efficient in reducing SSI rates in patients undergoing open abdominal surgery. However, the poor quality of the existing studies and their small sample sizes raise the need for a large, good quality randomized controlled trial to validate this indication.
Contrast-enhanced spiral CT of the liver: effect of injection time on time to peak hepatic enhancement.

PURPOSE On contrast-enhanced hepatic CT, maximum tumor detection of liver metastases from colorectal cancer is achieved at peak hepatic enhancement. We investigated the relationship between injection time of contrast medium and time to peak hepatic enhancement (TPHE) after the end of injection. METHOD One hundred nineteen patients without a cardiovascular disorder were enrolled in this study. Before the spiral CT was performed, a small amount of contrast medium was injected and a single level dynamic CT was performed to evaluate aortic enhancement and to determine the scan start time of the spiral examination. Patients were divided into three groups; contrast medium was injected over 30 s in 40 patients (Group A), 45 s in 39 patients (Group B), and 60 s in 40 patients (Group C). The TPHE after the end of injection was measured, and the difference among the groups was compared using one-way analysis of variance. A p value of <0.05 was considered a statistically significant difference. RESULTS The TPHEs of the groups were 25.3 +/- 4.6 s (Group A), 27.0 +/- 5.8 s (Group B), and 24.4 +/- 4.6 s (Group C) and were similar in value. No statistically significant difference was observed (p = 0.067). CONCLUSION Hepatic enhancement reaches its peak at approximately 25 s after the end of contrast medium injection irrespective of injection time.
Anthropometric dimensions of male powerlifters of varying body mass

Abstract In this study, we examined the anthropometric dimensions of powerlifters across various body mass (competitive bodyweight) categories. Fifty-four male Oceania competitive powerlifters (9 lightweight, 30 middleweight, and 15 heavyweight) were recruited from one international and two national powerlifting competitions held in New Zealand. Powerlifters were assessed for 37 anthropometric dimensions by ISAK (International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry) level II and III accredited anthropometrists. The powerlifters were highly mesomorphic and had large girths and bony breadths, both in absolute units and when expressed as Zp-scores compared through the Phantom (Ross & Wilson, 1974). These anthropometric characteristics were more pronounced in heavyweights, who were significantly heavier, had greater muscle and fat mass, were more endo-mesomorphic, and had larger girths and bony breadths than the lighter lifters. Although middleweight and heavyweight lifters typically had longer segment lengths than the lightweights, all three groups had similar Zp-scores for the segment lengths, indicating similar segment length proportions. While population comparisons would be required to identify any connection between specific anthropometric dimensions that confer a competitive advantage to the expression of maximal strength, anthropometric profiling may prove useful for talent identification and for the assessment of training progression in powerlifting.
The occurrence of Mesocestoides sp. in British wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes crucigera)

Abstract Infection with the cyclophyllidean tapeworm Mesocestoides sp.is recorded in British wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes crucigera) from Scotland and South East England. Previously, the occurrence of this parasite in Great Britain has been rarely reported, but the results of the present study indicate that vulpine infection may be common.
Synaptic modulation by dopamine of calcium currents in rat pars intermedia

Melanotrophs of the rat pars intermedia are innervated by dopaminergic fibers traveling through the pituitary stalk which inhibit secretion via an action on D-2 receptors. As secretion from the melanotroph has been shown to be calcium (Ca2+) dependent, it is possible that dopamine may have an action to inhibit Ca2+ currents in these cells. This possibility was tested by examining the effects of exogenously applied dopaminergic agonists or synaptically released dopamine upon Ca2+ currents recorded under single electrode voltage clamp in intact rat pars intermedia in vitro. Following blockade of sodium and potassium currents in melanotrophs, Ca2+ spikes were elicited with intracellular injection of depolarizing currents; electrical stimulation of the pituitary stalk caused an inhibition of the Ca2(+)-based action potentials which lasted for several seconds. Using single-electrode voltage-clamp techniques, we recorded inward Ca2+ currents corresponding to the T, N, and L types (see Williams et al., 1990). Stimulation of the pituitary stalk inhibited both the low- and high- threshold peak inward Ca2+ currents elicited from a holding potential of -90 mV. In contrast, when noninactivating Ca2+ currents were elicited from a holding potential of -30 mV, the currents were not altered by stalk stimulation. This pattern of inhibition of the Ca2+ currents was consistent with the preferential inhibition, by stalk stimulation, of the N and T Ca2+ currents, while sparing the L current. We observed that inhibition of Ca2+ currents due to stalk stimulation was completely reversed by bath perfusion of domperidone (1 microM), an antagonist of dopamine at the D-2 receptor. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Unit-Related Factors That Affect Nursing Time with Patients: Spatial Analysis of the Time and Motion Study

Objective: The primary goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that nurses adopt distinct movement strategies based on features of unit topology and nurse assignments. The secondary goal was to identify aspects of unit layout or organization that influence the amount of time nurses spend in the patient room. Background: Previous research has demonstrated a link between nursing hours and patient outcomes. Unit layout may affect direct patient care time by determining aspects of nurse behavior, such as the amount of time nurses spend walking. The recent nurses' Time and Motion study employed multiple technologies to track the movements and activities of 767 medical-surgical nurses. With regard to unit layout, initial analysis of the data set did not detect differences between types of units and time spent in the patient room. The analysis reported here applies novel techniques to this data set to examine the relationship between unit layout and nurse behavior. Methods: Techniques of spatial analysis, borrowed from the architectural theory of spatial syntax, were applied to the Time and Motion data set. Motion data from radio-frequency identification tracking of nurses was combined with architectural drawings of the study units and clinical information such as nurse-patient assignment. Spatial analytic techniques were used to determine the average integration or centrality of nurse assignments for each shift. Results: Nurse assignments with greater average centrality to all assigned rooms were associated with a higher number of entries to patient rooms, as well as to the nurse station. Number of entries to patient rooms was negatively correlated with average time per visit, but positively correlated with total time spent in patient rooms. The data describe two overall strategies of nurse mobility patterns: fewer, longer visits versus more frequent, shorter visits. Conclusions: Results suggest that the spatial qualities of nurse assignments and unit layout affect nurse strategies for moving through units and affect how frequently nurses enter patient rooms and the nurse station.
Does predialysis nephrology care influence patient survival after initiation of dialysis?

BACKGROUND Early nephrology referral of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been suggested to reduce mortality after initiation of dialysis. This retrospective cohort study of incident dialysis patients between 1995 and 1998 was performed to address the association between frequency of nephrology care during the 24 months before initiation of dialysis and first-year mortality after initiation of dialysis. METHODS Patient data were obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Patients who started dialysis between 1995 and 1998, and were Medicare-eligible for at least 24 months before initiation of dialysis, were included. One or more nephrology visits during a month was considered a month of nephrology care (MNC). RESULTS Of the total 109,321 patients, only 50% had received nephrology care during the 24 months before initiation of dialysis. Overall, first-year mortality after initiation of dialysis was 36%. Cardiac disease was the major cause of mortality (46%). After adjusting for comorbidity, higher mortality was associated with increasing age (HR, 1.04 per year increase; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.04) and more frequent visits to generalists (HR, 1.009 per visit increase; 95% CI, 1.003 to 1.014) and specialists (HR, 1.012 per visit increase; 95% CI, 1.011 to 1.013). Compared to patients with >/=3 MNC in the six months before initiation of dialysis, higher mortality was observed among those with no MNC during the 24 months before initiation of dialysis (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.45 to 1.58), no MNC during the six months before initiation of dialysis (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.36), and one or two MNC during the six months before initiation of dialysis (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.29). CONCLUSION Nephrology care before dialysis is important, and consistency of care in the immediate six months before dialysis is a predictor of mortality. Consistent nephrology care may be more important than previously thought, particularly because the frequency and severity of CKD complications increase as patients approach dialysis.
Hepatic colorectal cancer metastases: imaging initial steps of formation in mice.

PURPOSE To prospectively use optical imaging to study the cell-specific mechanisms of entrapment and subsequent growth of two human colon cancer cell lines differing in their propensity to form hepatic metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this Animal Care Committee-approved study, intravital optical imaging was performed in exteriorized livers of three groups of mice after intrasplenic inoculation of human colon cancer cells. Group 1 mice (control group; n=12) received a cell-maintaining solution only. Groups 2 and 3 (n=12 in each) were administered poorly (MIP-101 colon cancer cells) or highly (CX-1 colon cancer cells) metastatic cells. Imaging was performed on postinoculation days 0, 1, 3, and 6 to document sites and mechanisms of tumor cell entrapment and presence and sites of endothelial cell activation and of tumor cell interactions with systemic macrophages and Kupffer cells. Fluorescence intensity of Kupffer cells was compared by using the Mann-Whitney test. Immunohistochemistry served as the reference standard for all in vivo observations. RESULTS Whereas both MIP-101 and CX-1 colon cancer cells adhered to periportal Kupffer cells, the CX-1 cells resulted in Kupffer cell activation, evidenced in vivo by increased visible peroxidase activity (P<.05). Only CX-1 cells were associated with subsequent downstream endothelial cell activation, evidenced by in vivo expression of E-selectin. By day 6, regression of periportal MIP-101 tumor growth correlated with ingrowth of systemic macrophages, while CX-1 tumor growth, originating in the outflow venous regions, correlated with translobular migration and ingrowth of activated Kupffer cells. CONCLUSION Formation of hepatic colon cancer metastases is cancer cell-type specific, with cell lines differing in their mechanisms and intrahepatic locations of initial entrapment and Kupffer cell activation and subsequent growth.
Incidence and outcome of TCF3-PBX1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Austrian children

Lessons from the analysis of children with TCF3-PBX1 ALL could help to identify treatment components essential for this leukemia subtype. Of 859 children with ALL who were treated in ALL-BFM trials in Austria, 31 (3.6%) had a TCF3-PBX1 ALL. The 5-year event-free survival rate for these 31 patients was 90%±5%. Patients with TCF3-PBX1 ALL treated on the ALL-BFM 86 trial had a poorer outcome than patients with TCF3-PBX1 ALL treated on later trials. These data document that contemporary ALL-BFM treatment is highly effective in children with TCF3-PBX1 ALL. Implementation of early dose-intensified remission induction may be an essential treatment component.
"This is serious": enacting authority during managerial conversations

This research aims at understanding how executives and managers interactively accomplish authority relationships through their communicative practices and how these processes give rise to power relationships in conversations. We analyze in depth three conversations in which executives of the French car manufacturer Renault accused three managers of having sold proprietary data to a foreign company. The conversations were recorded by Renault and later were leaked to the press. Following Discursive Psychology, we identify the pattern of discursive devices on which the executives and the managers relied to co-construct authority. Our findings show that the enactment of authority relationships relies on the combination and adaptation of various discursive devices, through which: 1) the executives speak, give information and/or orders, interrogate and/or accuse in the name of the organization; and, 2) the managers react—frequently denying they committed an offense— but never contest the executives' rights to behave like they do. Four main contributions are outlined. First, the study shows how the enactment of authority actually relies on the power struggles that unfold during the conversation. Second, the authority accomplished during the interactions may mean different configurations of rights going from speaking in the name of the organization to interrogating, accusing and even sentencing the subordinates. Third, the enactment of authority does not necessarily fall in the compliance/resistance alternative, but can exhibit more or less alignment between the superior and its subordinate. Finally, the accomplishment of authority relies on a palette of discursive devices, the effects of which cannot be interpreted without taking into account the actual reactions of the participants.
Immunological Characterization of Circulating Osteoprotegerin/Osteoclastogenesis Inhibitory Factor: Increased Serum Concentrations in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis

Osteoprotegerin (OPG)/osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF) is a soluble member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family of proteins and plays an important role in the negative regulation of osteoclastic bone resorption. Whether OPG/OCIF circulates in human blood and how its level changes under pathological conditions is not known. To address these issues, a panel of monoclonal antibodies was generated against recombinant OPG/OCIF and screened for reactivity with solid‐phase monomeric and homodimeric forms of the recombinant protein. Antibodies that showed high affinity for both forms of OPG/OCIF and those that selectively recognized the homodimer were identified, enabling development of two types of sensitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): one that detects both forms of OPG/OCIF equally and one specific for the homodimer. Characterization of circulating OPG/OCIF with these ELISAs revealed that the protein exists in human serum mainly in the monomeric form. The serum concentration of OPG/OCIF increased with age in both healthy Japanese men and women, and was significantly higher in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis than in age‐matched controls. Within the osteoporotic group, serum OPG/OCIF concentrations were higher in patients with low bone mass. Serum OPG/OCIF concentrations were also significantly increased in those postmenopausal women with a high rate of bone turnover, as determined by increased serum bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase and urinary excretion of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline. The results suggested that circulating OPG/OCIF levels are regulated by an age‐related factor(s) and that the increased serum concentration may reflect a compensative response to enhanced osteoclastic bone resorption and the resultant bone loss rather than a cause of osteoporosis.
Impact of chronic gastrointestinal symptoms in diabetes mellitus on health-related quality of life

OBJECTIVES:Morbidity from GI symptoms in diabetes is considered to be high, but no studies have quantified the impact of GI symptoms in diabetes on health-related quality of life. We hypothesized that diabetics reporting increased GI symptoms would experience more impaired quality of life.METHODS:Subjects from the community with diabetes (n = 892) and outpatients with diabetes (n = 209) were recruited for this study. Subjects were divided into type 1 (diabetes diagnosed at age <30 yr and requiring insulin) and type 2. A validated questionnaire measuring GI symptoms and diabetes status and the Short Form-36 were completed. The results were compared with Australian normal data. GI symptom groups measured were frequent abdominal pain, bowel-related abdominal pain, reflux, dyspepsia, constipation, diarrhea, and fecal incontinence.RESULTS:There was a clinically significant decrease in quality-of-life scores in diabetics compared with population norms across all subscales. The impact on quality of life in diabetes was predominantly observed in type 2 diabetics. The quality-of-life scores in all subscales decreased markedly with increasing numbers of distinct GI symptom groups, and this was similar in community and outpatient diabetics. For all the Short Form-36 subscales, GI symptom groups were significantly (all p < 0.0001) associated with poorer quality of life in diabetes, independent of age, gender, smoking, alcohol use, and type of diabetes.CONCLUSIONS:GI symptoms impact negatively on health-related quality of life in diabetes mellitus.