Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
OP-1 Compared with Iliac Crest Autograft in Instrumented Posterolateral Fusion: A Randomized, Multicenter Non-Inferiority Trial.

BACKGROUND Spinal fusion with the use of autograft is a commonly performed procedure. However, harvesting of bone from the iliac crest is associated with complications. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are extensively used as alternatives, often without sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy. The purpose of this study was to investigate non-inferiority of osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1, also known as BMP-7) in comparison with iliac crest bone graft in posterolateral fusions. METHODS This study was a randomized, controlled multicenter trial. Patients who underwent a single-level instrumented posterolateral fusion of the lumbar spine for degenerative or isthmic spondylolisthesis with symptoms of neurological compression were randomized to receive OP-1 combined with local bone (OP-1 group) or autologous bone graft from the iliac crest combined with local bone (autograft group). The primary outcome was overall success, defined as a combination of clinical success and evidence of fusion on computed tomography (CT) scans, at one year postoperatively. RESULTS One hundred and nineteen patients were included in the study, and analysis of the overall outcome was performed for 113. Non-inferiority of OP-1 compared with iliac crest autograft was not found at one year, with a success rate of 40% in the OP-1 group versus 54% in the autograft group (risk difference = -13.3%, 90% confidence interval [CI] = -28.6% to +2.10%). This was due to the lower rate of fusion (the primary aim of OP-1 application) seen on the CT scans in the OP-1 group (54% versus 74% in the autograft group, p = 0.03). There were no adverse events that could be directly related to the use of OP-1. CONCLUSIONS OP-1 with a collagen carrier was not as effective as autologous iliac crest bone for achieving fusion and cannot be recommended in instrumented posterolateral lumbar fusion procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Effects of Leonotis leonurus aqueous extract on the isolated perfused rat heart

The use the aqueous decoction of Leonotis leonurus (L. leonurus) (Ll) R. Br. (Lamiaceae) in the treatment of hypertension (HPT) in traditional medicine is well documented. The effect of the aqueous extract of LI on the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) has been investigate d in normotensive rats. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Ll aqueous extract on the in isolated perfused rat heart (IPRH). Hearts were excised from male Wistar albino rats weighing 250-350g, aged less than 6 months. They were perfused at constant flow using the modified Langendorff perfused model of the heart. Effects of adrenaline on the left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end - diastolic pressure (LVEDP), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), heart rate (HR ), cardiac work (CW) and coro- nary perfusion pressure (CPP) were compared to that of Ll. Adrenaline (1µM) significantly (p<0.05) increased the LVSP by 40.6%, the LVDP by 43.9%, the HR by 22.5% and the CW by 89.4%. Ll (1.0 mg/ml and 2.0 mg/ml respectively and significantly (p<0.01) increased the LVSP by 25.36 and 14.91, the LVDP by 29.40 and 14.88. Ll (1.0 mg/ml and 2.0 mg/ml) significantly produced a negative chronotropic effect. Both adrenaline and Ll aqueous extract did not have any significant effect on t he LVEDP. Adrenaline resulted in positive inotropic and chronotropic effects. At low concentr a- tions Ll produced a positive inotropic and a negative chronotropic effect. At the concentration of 2.0mg/ml Ll decreased all parameters to zero. At higher concent rations higher than 2.0mg/ml, Ll seemed to have toxic effects on the heart.
Removal of Endotoxin during Purification of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) from Gram-Negative Bacteria

ABSTRACT Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was produced by cultivating several gram-negative bacteria, including Ralstonia eutropha,Alcaligenes latus, and recombinant Escherichia coli. PHB was recovered from these bacteria by two different methods, and the endotoxin levels were determined. When PHB was recovered by the chloroform extraction method, the endotoxin level was less than 10 endotoxin units (EU) per g of PHB irrespective of the bacterial strains employed and the PHB content in the cell. The NaOH digestion method, which was particularly effective for the recovery of PHB from recombinant E. coli, was also examined for endotoxin removal. The endotoxin level present in PHB recovered by 0.2 N NaOH digestion for 1 h at 30°C was higher than 104EU/g of PHB. Increasing the digestion time or NaOH concentration reduced the endotoxin level to less than 1 EU/g of PHB. It was concluded that PHB with a low endotoxin level, which can be used for various biomedical applications, could be produced by chloroform extraction. Furthermore, PHB with a much lower endotoxin level could be produced from recombinant E. coli by simple NaOH digestion.
Neuropsychological Language Tests in Dementia Diagnosis in English-Speaking Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Outpatients

Neuropsychological language tests have limitations (e.g., unrepresentative norms) when applied to “Hispanics” and clinicians are likely aware that these tests may lead to inaccurate dementia diagnoses. Therefore, it was hypothesized that language tests would be weaker diagnostic predictors in Hispanics versus “Non-Hispanic Whites. ” Participants included 436 English-speaking Hispanic and 436 Non-Hispanic White (randomly selected from 10,937) outpatients classified as having dementia or normal cognition at initial evaluation. When covarying for age, sex, education, and functional abilities, vegetable fluency significantly predicted diagnosis among Non-Hispanic Whites (odds ratio = 0.80, 95% confidence interval [0.69, 0.94], p < .01). Animal fluency and an abbreviated (30-item) Boston Naming Test (BNT) comparably predicted diagnosis across groups. Results remained similar when covarying for primary language among Hispanics. Findings suggest that vegetable fluency, but not animal fluency, was relatively unimportant in diagnosis for the English-speaking Hispanics in this study possibly because of cultural influences on the familiarity, salience, and relevance of this category’s items. Additionally, clinicians may have informally adjusted Hispanics’ 30-item BNT and animal fluency scores and discounted vegetable fluency to account for their limitations. Animal fluency and BNT may be preferable language tests when assessing dementia in English across groups, as they comparably predicted diagnosis in both groups.
Top barriers and drivers to SME internationalisation

This report presents the main findings of work undertaken in 2007-2008 by the OECD Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship in the framework of its activity on SME Internationalisation. Internationalisation and international entrepreneurship among SMEs is a topic of considerable relevance, principally owing to the observed growth effects of cross-border venturing, and the demonstrated capacity of SMEs to drive economic development at national, regional and global levels. A new report presents an in-depth analysis of the top barriers to SME internationalisation identified in previous OECD-APEC research, and offers deeper understanding of the measures aimed at addressing top barriers. It also reviews recent work on the factors that drive the internationalisation of SMEs.
The Ex-Day Pricing of Dividends for REITs

REIT dividends can be divided into three components based on how they are taxed to the recipient shareholders: ordinary income, long-term capital gains, and return of capital. This variation in tax characteristics enables us to examine the cross-sectional pricing of dividends on the ex-days. Since the ordinary income component of dividends is tax penalized, it should lead to positive ex-day returns while the other two components should have limited effects. We provide evidence consistent with this argument. In particular, abnormal returns and trading volume around REIT ex-days appear to be driven by the component taxed as ordinary income, but not the other components. Our results support a tax-based explanation for the ex-day pricing of dividends and investor trading behavior.
A will for survival : the leadership experiences of female executives in small nonprofit human service organizations

This study involves naturalistic inquiry with an interpretive focus and using qualitative methodology to bring to the fore the leadership experiences of eight female executives in small nonprofit human service organizations. These women as founders or rescuers of organizations were challenged to prove organizational effectiveness and tc build organizational legitimacy through delivery of services. Armed with more zeal than experience, these women willingly accepted the demands of executive leadership knowing at the outset they were underfunded, understaffed and under the accountability gun in the increasingly competitive and complex arena of the nonprofit sector. Six general research questions posed during in-depth semi-structured interviews produced findings about leadership strategies, executives' self-perceptions, motivation, the personal impact of their leadership, and their management of resources. Strength of will was introduced as the central concept around which the data revolved. Exercising strength of will empowered the female executives to make a way— as in ii overcoming obstacles and difficulties. Actions demonstrating strength of will were founding or rescuing an organization with scarce resources, sacrificing personal gain, risking financial stability, and operating on faith. The findings also indicated that the female executives instinctively applied feminine principles of leadership in distinctly non-feminist settings. In devising strategies, the women were more likely to rely on and combine previous experiences, new learning, common sense, intuition, emotions and spirituality rather than traditional, rational management practice. For a majority of the female executives, spirituality, a belief in God, was cited as an important factor in their leadership experience. Six of the eight female executives said that their spirituality gave them a strong sense of purpose, direction, and motivation for leadership. Implications for Social Work research, policy and education are given. The study includes two tables: Characteristics of Female Executives and Selected Organizational Characteristics.
Influence of Consumer Demographics on Attitude Towards Branded Products: An Exploratory Study on Consumer Durables in Rural Markets

India is emerging as an attractive market for consumer durables. But the vibrant environmental factors and fierce competition are making it imperative to understand the dynamics of consumer profiles. The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of consumer demographics in rural markets on brand management of consumer durables. A self-designed questionnaire containing 14 statements related to the brand/product features was administered face to face to 224 prospective buyers of consumer durables, randomly selected during the months of May and June 2011, while they were approaching retail outlets in Warangal district. The responses were analyzed through chi-square test and reliability analysis with the help of SPSS-19. The findings indicate that out of the five demographic factors tested, occupation and income emerged as the strongest determinants, followed by age and education, whereas gender did not yield a strong significance. Since this research has established empirical evidences in determining the attitude towards brands, consumer goods marketers may formulate their strategies accordingly.
The Spanish Business Bankruptcy Puzzle and the Crisis

Spain has the world’s lowest business bankruptcy rate (number of formal business bankruptcies divided by number of firms). We document this fact, analyze the Spanish institutional framework and compare it with those of other European countries. We argue that a way to organize the documented evidence is to keep into account both the ex-post and the ex-ante efficiency repercussions of the Spanish institutional framework. We propose a view that is based on the idea that the unattractiveness of bankruptcy procedures and the efficiency of mortgage collateral lead Spanish firms to reduce the risk of bankruptcy. We show that this view is compatible with stylized features of firms’ capital structures, asset structures, and profitability. We conclude with a description of recent developments in bankruptcies and bankruptcy legislation in Spain, and with a brief discussion of potential policy implications.
PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF THE PRECIPITATE OF VANCOMYCIN AND CEFTAZIDIME: Implications in the Management of Endophthalmitis

Objective: To study the physicochemical properties, bioavailability, and microbicidal activity of vancomycin and ceftazidime in the precipitate formed by the drugs in mixture. Methods: The precipitation of the drugs prepared in buffers in the pH range of 5.8 to 8.9, in normal saline, in balanced salt solution (BSS), and in Ringer lactate, was studied by light scatter analysis. Bioavailability and antibacterial activity of the precipitate and the supernatant were estimated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and microbiologic assay respectively. Results: The scatter analysis showed precipitation of vancomycin alone at pH 7.5 and in BSS. When mixed together precipitation was observed in the mixture of the two drugs within the pH range of 6.8 to 8.0 and in all solutions. HPLC of both supernatant and precipitate showed the presence of active drugs and the microbiologic assay confirmed its inhibitory activity against bacteria. The precipitate had greater activity against Gram-positive bacteria while the supernatant showed greater activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Conclusions: Vancomycin's pH dependent precipitation occurs regardless of the presence of ceftazidime. The precipitate as well as the supernatant retains significant antibacterial activity thus confirming the efficacy of combination therapy with vancomycin and ceftazidime in the management of bacterial endophthalmitis.
Consumer perceptions of internet retail service quality

Service quality is increasingly recognized as an important aspect of electronic commerce (e-commerce). Because the online comparison of the technical features of products is essentially costless, feasible and easier than comparisons of products through traditional channels, service quality is the key determinant for successful e-commerce.The purpose of this study is to explore consumers’ perceptions of Internet retail service quality.A number of dimensions have been described in the literatures, however six dimensions that are important to consumers in their assessment of the quality of Internet retailers were identified.These are reliability (how well an online retailer does in terms of meeting expectations regarding order fulfilment), access (Internet retailer’s ability to provide communication access and a variety of products from anywhere in the world), security (relating to perceptions of trust in the online retailer’s integrity regarding financial and privacy issues), efficiency (refers to the speed of search and downloading and prompt reply to enquiries), ease of use (how easy the Internet retailer’s website is for consumers to conduct, search and navigate) and information (quantity and credibility of information provider by the online retailer). Other objective is to highlight how online retailers can use the information from this study to enhance their service quality.Findings from the study could be used as the basis for the development of e-service quality for Internet retailing.
Firms with foreign participation and their influence on export activity in Russia. Firm-level panel evidence

The paper aims to study the impact of export operations of firms with foreign participation on the export activities of domestic enterprises. Analysis of panel data covers firm-level exports as well as firm export performance on the level of individual commodity. Our research tests for the presence of industrial, regional and commodity-specific spillover effects. The results of the analysis show that spillover effects from foreign affiliate and joint venture exporters on the industry level are negative. On the regional level results are ambiguous. Higher education in a region amplifies any positive effects. Strong support is also found for the existence of positive commodity-specific spillover effects.
VPAC1 Receptors for Imaging Breast Cancer: A Feasibility Study

VPAC1 encodes G-protein–coupled receptors expressed on all breast cancer (BC) cells at the onset of the disease, but not on benign lesions. Our extensive preclinical studies have shown that 64Cu-TP3805 has a high affinity for VPAC1, is stable in vivo, and has the ability to distinguish spontaneously grown malignant BC masses from benign lesions. Our long-term goal is to develop 64Cu-TP3805 as an agent to perform in vivo histology, to distinguish malignant lesions from benign masses noninvasively and thereby avoid patient morbidity and the excess economic costs of benign biopsies. Methods: 18F-FDG obtained commercially served as a control. 64Cu-TP3805 was prepared using a sterile kit containing 20 μg of TP3805. Radiochemical purity and sterility were examined. Nineteen consenting women with histologically proven BC were given 370 MBq of 18F-FDG. One hour later, 6 of these patients were imaged with PET/CT and 13 with positron emission mammography (PEM). Two to 7 d later, 6 PET/CT patients received 111 MBq (±10%) (n = 2), 127 MBq (±10%) (n = 2), or 148 MBq (±10%) (n = 2) of 64Cu-TP3805 and were imaged 2 and 4 h later. Thirteen PEM patients received 148 MBq (±10%) of 64Cu-TP3805 and were imaged 15 min, 1 h, 2 h, and 4 h later. Standardized uptake value (SUV) was calculated for PET/CT patients, and PUV/BGV (PEM uptake value/background value) was calculated for PEM patients. Tumor volume was also calculated. Results: The radiochemical purity of 64Cu-TP3805 was 97% ± 2%, and specific activity was 44.4 GBq (1.2 Ci)/μmol. In 19 patients, a total of 24 lesions were imaged (15 invasive ductal carcinoma, 1 high-grade mammary carcinoma, 3 lobular carcinoma, 1 invasive papilloma, and 4 sentinel lymph nodes). All lesions were unequivocally detected by 64Cu-TP3805 and by 18F-FDG. The average tumor volume as determined by PET/CT with 64Cu-TP3805 was 90.6% ± 16.1% of that with 18F-FDG PET/CT, and the average SUV was 92% ± 26.4% of that with 18F-FDG. For PEM, the tumor volume with 64Cu-TP3805 was 113% ± 37% of that with 18F-FDG and the PUV/BGV ratio was 97.7% ± 24.5% of that with 18F-FDG. Conclusion: 64Cu-TP3805 is worthy of further investigation in patients requiring biopsy of suggestive imaging findings, to further evaluate its ability to distinguish malignant lesions from benign masses noninvasively.
The CMU METAL Farsi NLP Approach

While many high-quality tools are available for analyzing major languages such as English, equivalent freely-available tools for important but lower-resourced languages such as Farsi are more difficult to acquire and integrate into a useful NLP front end. We report here on an accurate and efficient Farsi analysis front end that we have assembled, which may be useful to others who wish to work with written Farsi. The pre-existing components and resources that we incorporated include the Carnegie Mellon TurboParser and TurboTagger (Martins et al., 2010) trained on the Dadegan Treebank (Rasooli et al., 2013), the Uppsala Farsi text normalizer PrePer (Seraji, 2013), the Uppsala Farsi tokenizer (Seraji et al., 2012a), and Jon Dehdaris PerStem (Jadidinejad et al., 2010). This set of tools (combined with additional normalization and tokenization modules that we have developed and made available) achieves a dependency parsing labeled attachment score of 89.49%, unlabeled attachment score of 92.19%, and label accuracy score of 91.38% on a held-out parsing test data set. All of the components and resources used are freely available. In addition to describing the components and resources, we also explain the rationale for our choices.
Multiple Performance Measurement in Australian Top 500 Companies

Presently, knowledge about the design of multiple perspectives performance measurement and management systems (PMMS), comprising financial and non-financial measures, in Australian business organisations, is limited. The empirical findings of a questionnaire-based study provide evidence to describe PMMS implemented in a sample of the Australian listed organisations, including information on levels of PMMS use, PMMS types, perspectives and measures.
Structural basis for the recognition of complex‐type biantennary oligosaccharides by Pterocarpus angolensis lectin

The crystal structure of Pterocarpus angolensis lectin is determined in its ligand‐free state, in complex with the fucosylated biantennary complex type decasaccharide NA2F, and in complex with a series of smaller oligosaccharide constituents of NA2F. These results together with thermodynamic binding data indicate that the complete oligosaccharide binding site of the lectin consists of five subsites allowing the specific recognition of the pentasaccharide GlcNAcβ(1–2)Manα(1–3)[GlcNAcβ(1–2)Manα(1–6)]Man. The mannose on the 1–6 arm occupies the monosaccharide binding site while the GlcNAc residue on this arm occupies a subsite that is almost identical to that of concanavalin A (con A). The core mannose and the GlcNAcβ(1–2)Man moiety on the 1–3 arm on the other hand occupy a series of subsites distinct from those of con A.
Are State-Owned Companies Underperforming? A Case Study of Chinese Listed Property Companies

CChina's privatization program was initiated in April 1984 through the State Commission; however, the State continues to hold dominant shares in privatized companies. The fast growing economy has created a favorable environment for the private economy to develop, especially in property markets that have been booming since 2000. This study uses data of all the listed property companies in China's stock markets from 2000 to 2005 to investigate two issues: (1) who owns China's listed property companies; and (2) the performance differences between these two types of property companies. The goals of the research are to examine whether state-owned companies are less efficient and underperform privately-owned companies in the property sector and what type of property companies are good investments.
Clinical evaluation of teeth restored with quartz fiber-reinforced epoxy resin posts.

PURPOSE This prospective clinical follow-up evaluated the acceptability of quartz fiber-reinforced epoxy posts used in endodontically treated teeth over a 30-month period. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 132 patients, 180 endodontically treated teeth were restored using AEstheti-Plus quartz-fiber posts. The posts were luted with the All-Bond 2 adhesive system and C&B Resin Cement according to the manufacturer's recommendations. The core was made with Core-Flo or Bis-Core, and all-ceramic crowns or metal-ceramic crowns were applied as final restorations. The parameters considered as clinical failure were displacement, detachment, or fracture of posts; core or root fracture; and crown or prosthesis decementation. Patients were reevaluated at 6, 12, 24, and 30 months. RESULTS One cohesive failure involving a margin of the composite core was observed after 2 weeks, and two adhesive fractures were seen after 2 months. These failures were located between the cement and the dentin walls of the canals. All three failures occurred during removal of the temporary crown. The percentage of failures was thus 1.7% over a 30-month period, but it was possible to successfully replace the restoration in all three failed cases. CONCLUSION Over a 30-month period, the rehabilitation of endodontically treated teeth using quartz-fiber posts showed good clinical results. No crown or prosthesis decementation was observed, and no post, core, or root fractures were recorded.