Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anodic Plasma Chemical Treatment of Titanium Schanz Screws Reduces Pin Loosening

Objective: This study was designed to assess the benefits of a new Anodic Plasma Chemical calcium-phosphate (APC-CaP) surface treatment on reducing pin track infection and pin loosening in comparison to anodized titanium (Ti) during external fracture fixation. Methods: A tibial midshaft, transverse, 6-mm gap osteotomy was created in 17 adult female Swiss alpine sheep. The tibia was stabilized with an external fixator and 4 Schanz screws of Ti or APC-CaP-treated Ti. The sheep were examined during a 12-week observation period. Infection was assessed with weekly clinical pin track grading and microbiologic assessment at sacrifice. Pin loosening was assessed by grading for radiolucency on biweekly radiographs and by measuring extraction torque on pin removal. In vivo bending stiffness measurements were performed to determine gap healing. A qualitative histologic assessment of the tissue adjacent to pin sites was also performed. Results: A trend (P = 0.056) for less infection around APC-CaP pins was found at 6 weeks, but the strength of this difference diminished with time. Significantly more radiolucency was found around Ti pins after 8 (P = 0.011) and 12 (P < 0.001) weeks. At all pin sites, the extraction torque for APC-CaP pins was higher than for Ti pins (P = 0.007). No difference in the progression of gap healing was found. Histology showed bone growth at the implant surface in the form of distance osteogenesis for Ti and contact osteogenesis for APC-CaP. Conclusions: This study has shown that the APC-CaP surface improves the clinical performance of Ti pins with respect to pin loosening and pin track infection.
Distributional Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading: Alternative Allocation and Recycling Strategies in California

Cap and trade remains attractive to many state governments because it provides a much‐needed source of additional revenue when greenhouse gas emission allowances are auctioned to the highest bidder. We analyze the income distribution impacts of the California Global Warming Solutions Act under alternative policy designs. These include the free allocation of emission allowances versus recycling of auction revenues through proportional income tax relief and a per capita dividend. The analysis is undertaken under conditions where significant economic gains, rather than losses, are projected for the policy, and in the context of the new electricity pricing regulatory environment in which passing along the opportunity costs of using free allowances may not be approved. We adapt and enhance the Regional Economic Models, Inc. Policy Insight Plus Model and apply it for the first time to estimate the income distribution impacts of cap and trade. The analysis illustrates the importance of considering macroeconomic impacts and identifies important efficiency‐equity tradeoffs. The method and results are generalizable to the dozens of states and regions still formulating or revising climate action plans in the United States and to many regions and nations around the world.
Plant identification using score-based fusion of multi-organ images

This paper describes a fusion technique for species identification from images of different plant organs. Given a series of image organs such as branch, entire, flower or leaf, we firstly extract confidence scores for each single organ using a state-of-the-art deep convolutional neural network (CNN). After that, we deploy various schemes of the fusion approaches including not only conventional transformation-based approaches (sum rule, max rule, product rule) but also a classification-based approach (support vector machine). Then we proposed a hybrid fusion model. To measure the performances of the combination schemes, a large number of images of 50 species which are collected from two main resources: PlantCLEF 2015 dataset and the Internet resources. The experiment exhibits the dominant results of the fusion techniques compared with those of individual organs. At rank-1, the highest accuracy of a single organ is 73.0% for flower images, whereas by applying our proposed fusion technique for leaf and flower, the accuracy reaches to 89.8%.
Administrative Support and Challenges in Nebraska Public School Early Childhood Programs

One hundred seventy-six teachers employed in prekindergarten programs in Nebraska's public schools were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the administrative supports and challenges associated with their programs. Both early childhood and early childhood special education teachers participated. Overall findings suggest that most administrators of early childhood programs advocate for quality programs and support teachers' unique budgetary requests and work-hour schedules. Consistent with the findings from reports by Brotherson et al. (2001) and Lieber et al. (1997), teachers indicated that their supervisor (principal or other type of administrator) relied on them for knowledge about recommended practices in early childhood programs. Teachers supervised by principals versus teachers supervised by other administrators reported some disparity regarding their supervisor's support; knowledge of the program; and advocacy for flexible schedules, home visits, and contacts with families and noneducation agencies. Implications for teachers and administrators are presented.
Video Capsule Endoscopy: The Past, Present, and Future

Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) has been available for evaluation of the small bowel since the beginning of the 21st century. This review of the literature examines the beginnings of capsule endoscopy, improvements made, and capsules likely to be made available in the near future. Preparation, indications, contraindications, and future applications are also discussed.
Antigens of Streptococcus mutans II. Characterization of an Antigen Resembling a Glycerol Teichoic Acid in Walls of Strain BHT

Cold 10% trichloroacetic acid was used to extract antigens from purified cell walls of Streptococcus mutans BHT. Column chromatography on Biogel P-100 resolved two serologically reactive fractions (B and C). These fractions were ascertained to be relatively pure by recycling on Biogel P-100, Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis, and immunoelectrophoresis. Fractions B and C demonstrated bands of absolute homology by double-diffusion but different mobilities by immunoelectrophoresis. Chemical analysis indicated that fraction B is a polysaccharide composed principally of rhamnose and galactose, with smaller amounts of glucose and glucosamine. Small quantities of glycerol and phosphorus also were found. Fraction C was composed mainly of galactose, glycerol, and phosphorus. Alkaline hydrolysis of this fraction yielded products typically released by the degradation of a glycerol teichoic acid, such as glycerol monophosphate, glycerol diphosphate, inorganic phosphorus, and several glycosyl glycerol phosphates. Diglycerol triphosphate was not detected. Side-group analysis revealed that glycerol was substituted by mono- and trigalactosyl moieties. Fraction C was deduced to contain 25 glycerol phosphate units per polymer length. Hapten inhibition studies revealed a β-galactoside as the probable hapten on this antigen. The BHT teichoic acid reacted strongly with FA-1 antiserum. It showed bands of homology with both BHT and FA-1 crude acid extracts upon double-diffusion, using antisera to either strain. The BHT teichoic acid also displayed immunoelectrophoretic behavior identical to one of the mobile FA-1 cell wall antigens, again using either serum to develop precipitin bands. It is concluded this antigen may possess a serotype-specific determinant for S. mutans serotype b.
Metals, Oxidative Stress, and Hepatic Fibrogenesis

Progressive fibrosis of organs, such as the liver, the kidney, or the lung, is the basis of mechanistically related disorders that are major causes of morbidity and mortality. As keloids and hypertrophic dermal scarring may result in disfigurement and disability, scarring in the liver leads to disruption of normal lobular architecture, nodular regeneration, and loss of function. Hepatic fibrosis is now regarded as a common response of the liver to a chronic insult which, regardless of its nature (e.g., viral infection, alcohol abuse, metal overload), leads to cell damage and/or necrosis followed by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components. ' The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of the hepatic scar are likely to be common to different types of chronic liver injury. In fact, all the disorders mentioned above share the common feature of a progressive and inappropriate accumulation of connective tissue, dominated by collagen. Early events such as accumulation of collagen fibrils in the space of Disse are reversible. Basically, enhanced collagen expression can be regarded as an "acute-phase" response of mesenchymal cells, the major effectors of liver fibrogenesis, as a result of complex interconnected pathways involving autocrine and paracrine signals elicited in hepatic resident and nonresident cells. Overall, this expresses a defensive response of the liver to the inciting insult, and the healing process usually leads to recovery and restoration of normal liver architecture and function. In conditions where the primary tissue-damaging cause persists, the response becomes chronic, thus perpetuating the stimulus to fibrogenesis. The accompanying alterations of vascularization and reorganization of replicating hepatocytes in nodules direct the progression to the nonreversible stage of the "cirrhotic" liver. As examples of liver toxicity, metal overload diseases may share with other types of liver diseases common pathways to liver fibrosis. Thus, wherever there is
TNFR 1383 A˃C polymorphism association with clinical manifestations in primary Sjögren ’ s syndrome patients

Primary Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease affecting the function of exocrine glands. Tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR1) is involved in apoptosis through extrinsic pathway initiation. The level of soluble TNFR1 is reported increased in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and primary Sjögren’s syndrome patients. The TNFR1 gene contains a polymorphism that replaced an adenine with a cytosine at the -383 in promoter region position. The TNFR1-383 A˃C polymorphism has been associated with rheumatic diseases. We examined the association between the TNFR1383 A˃C polymorphism and TNFR1 soluble (sTNFR1) levels and 2 A.L. Fletes-Rayas et al. ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp. com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 15 (2): gmr.15024177 laboratory and clinical characteristics in primary Sjögren’s syndrome patients. Eighty-two patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome classified using the American-European criteria and 84 healthy subjects were studied. Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity Index (SSDAI) and Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Damage Index were performed for all patients. Genotypic and allelic frequencies were similar in both groups (P = 0.317 and P = 0.329, respectively). sTNFR1 levels were similar in patients and healthy subjects (P = 0.051). High levels of C-reactive protein (P = 0.045) and rheumatoid factor (P = 0.040) in patients with the A˃C genotype were observed. In these patients, the SSDAI score was higher than in A˃A genotype carriers (P = 0.045). This is the first study that to examine the TNFR1-383 A˃C polymorphism in primary Sjögren’s syndrome patients. Clinical parameters and SSDAI index were associated in A˃C genotype carriers. However, further studies with a larger sample are necessary to verify the association between primary Sjögren’s syndrome and the TNFR1-383 A˃C polymorphism.
The impact of cross-distribution bug duplicates, empirical study on Debian and Ubuntu

Although open source distributions like Debian and Ubuntu are closely related, sometimes a bug reported in the Debian bug repository is reported independently in the Ubuntu repository as well, without the Ubuntu users nor developers being aware. Such cases of undetected cross-distribution bug duplicates can cause developers and users to lose precious time working on a fix that already exists or to work individually instead of collaborating to find a fix faster. We perform a case study on Ubuntu and Debian bug repositories to measure the amount of cross-distribution bug duplicates and estimate the amount of time lost. By adapting an existing within-project duplicate detection approach (achieving a similar recall of 60%), we find 821 cross-duplicates. The early detection of such duplicates could reduce the time lost by users waiting for a fix by a median of 38 days. Furthermore, we estimate that developers from the different distributions lose a median of 47 days in which they could have collaborated together, had they been aware of duplicates. These results show the need to detect and monitor cross-distribution duplicates.
The impact of Rapido trawling for scallops, Pecten jacobaeus (L.), on the benthos of the Gulf of Venice

Rapido trawls are used to catch sole around the coast of Italy and to catch scallops in the northern Adriatic Sea but little is known about the environmental impact of this gear. Benthic surveys of a commercial scallop ground using a towed underwater television (UWTV) sledge revealed an expansive area of level, sandy sediment at 25 m characterized by high population densities of scallops (2·82 m −2 Aequipecten opercularis but fewer Pecten jacobaeus) together with ophiuroids, sponges, and the bivalve Atrina fragilis. Rapido trawls were filmed in action for the first time, providing information on the selectivity and efficiency of the gear together with its impact on the substratum and on the benthos. The trawls worked efficiently on smooth sand with ca. 44% catch rate for Pecten jacobaeus, of which 90% were >7 cm in shell height. Most organisms in the path of the trawl passed under or through the net; on average by-catch species only formed 19% of total catch by weight. Of the 78 taxa caught, lethal mechanical damage varied from 50% in soft-bodied organisms such as tunicates. A marked plot surveyed using towed UWTV before, then 1 and 15 h after fishing by Rapido trawl showed clear tracks of disturbed sediment along the trawl path where infaunal burrow openings had been erased. Abundant, motile organisms such as Aequipecten showed no change in abundance along these tracks although scavengers such as Inachus aggregated to feed on damaged organisms. There were significant decreases in the abundance of slow-moving/sessile benthos such as Pecten, Holothuria, and Atrina. Juvenile pectinids were abundant on the shells of Atrina. The introduction of a scheme of areas closed to trawling would protect highly susceptible organisms such as Atrina and enhance the chances of scallop recruitment to adjacent areas of commercial exploitation.
Assessment of HIV Screening Tests for Use in Preexposure Prophylaxis Programs

Preexposure prophylaxis programs involve frequent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing. We evaluated the sensitivity of 2 antigen/antibody immunoassays (Architect and Bioplex), 2 antibody-based rapid tests (Vikia-HIV-1/2 and Autotest-VIH), and 1 antigen/antibody rapid test (Alere HIV Combo) for the diagnosis of HIV infection. Among the 31 HIV-1-infected participants in the ANRS-IPERGAY trial, HIV-1 RNA was detected alone in only 2. The sensitivities of the Architect and Bioplex assays were 83% (95% confidence interval [CI], 76%-99%) and 82% (95% CI, 63%-94%), respectively. The sensitivities of the Vikia, Autotest, and Alere tests were 54% (95% CI, 34%-72%), 50% (95% CI, 31%-69%), and 78% (95% CI, 58%-91%), respectively. Antigen/antibody tests should be preferred to avoid missing cases of acute HIV infection and to decrease the related risks of viral transmission and emergence of drug resistance.
School Names as Cultural Arenas: The Naming of U.S. Public Schools after Martin Luther King, Jr.

The commemoration of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) is a growing movement in many American cities and towns. School naming is an important yet underanalyzed part of this project. A recent struggle in Riverside, California over naming a high school for MLK is used as a springboard for: (1) conceptualizing school names as cultural arenas for debating student and community identity and (2) conducting a general study of the types of U.S. public schools named for King. As illustrated in California, school naming can be interpreted by one social group as a means of integrating and inspiring students historically and viewed by another group as a means of drawing boundaries around students in terms of race and local heritage. According to 1997-1998 data, 110 public schools bear King's name. They are located most often in the central cities of large and mid-size urban areas. King's name is most frequently found on schools that teach early and middle grades. Schools named for Martin Luther King do not necessarily denote a "Black" school in terms of the racial characteristics of students, although they do not fully integrate Whites with African Americans or Whites with minorities in general. Naming schools for King is part of a larger refashioning of the urban cultural landscape as racial and ethnic groups increasingly seek public recognition of their historical achievements.
The burden of endometriosis symptoms on health-related quality of life in women in the United States: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Introduction: To examine the symptomatic burden of endometriosis on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in women in the United States (US). Methods: A cross sectional web-based survey study was conducted among women using survey panels. The survey included study-specific questions and standardized HRQL questionnaires. Participants reviewed a list of endometriosis symptoms and selected all symptoms they had ever or were currently experiencing. For current symptoms, participants rated the severity and bothersomeness of each symptom. Participants completed the endometriosis health profile (EHP-30) core questionnaire. Descriptive analyzes were performed and multivariate regressions were run with each EHP subscale as a dependent variable to examine the impact of symptoms while controlling for age and comorbid conditions. Results: Mean age of the 1269 women was 34.3 ± 0.3; 78% were white. At least 75% reported having ever experienced: pelvic pain/cramping during their menstrual period, anxiety/stress, lower back pain or fatigue/weariness/anemia. EHP-30 scores ranged from 33.6 (95% CI: 31.4, 35.8) (social support) to 37.8 (95% CI: 35.5, 40.1) (control and powerlessness), indicating moderate HRQL impact. For all but one domain and one symptom, EHP-30 scores were significantly higher (worse) for women who had individual endometriosis-related symptoms than for those who did not. EHP-30 scores consistently deteriorated with each increase in the number of symptoms experienced and by increasing perceived disease severity. Pelvic pain/cramping during menstrual period, irregular periods and general abdominal pain were significantly associated with the EHP-30 domain scores in the regression models. Conclusion: Experiencing endometriosis symptoms is associated with lower HRQL. Importantly, as symptom severity and number of symptoms increase, HRQL further deteriorates.
Relationship, Motivation and Organizational Climate: A Case of Sustainability

The aim of this study is to check the relationship between Organizational climate and employee’s motivation in Sialkot manufacturing industry. Organizational climate refers to a set of measureable properties of the work environment that are supposed by the people who live and work in it, and influence their behavior and motivation (Abbas et al., 2010). Motivation is the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal (Robbins, 2009). Organizational climate is directly related with motivation level and performance of the employees in any organization (Rice, 1982). This study is derived from literature that provides the basis for the study. The study reports that for the data analyses, 130 respondents were used from the manufacturing industry consists of 22 industries of Sialkot and the data was collected by using the questionnaire as a research tool by convenience sampling. The correlation analysis was used to test the hypotheses and after analysis of data, it is concluded that organizational climate has significant relationship with employee’s motivation. It is also concluded that the organizational climate dimensions; Innovation, Rewards, Empowerment, Training & Development and communication have positive relationship with employee’s motivation and the conflict has negative relationship with employee’s motivation.
A Strategy for Opening a New Market and Encroaching on the Lower End of the Existing Market

We identify and analyze a scenario where a firm first opens up what we call a “detached” market, by offering a new product that meets a customer need that is very different from (i.e., detached from) the need met by the old established product. Our analysis builds on the previous studies that describe alternate ways in which a new product might open a new market and ultimately encroach on an existing market. Consider the example of cell phones: They opened up a new detached market by meeting the customer need for mobility, a need very different from the traditional attribute of reception quality. By meeting an important detached need, a new product can sell at a high price, even though it might be woefully deficient with regard to the traditional performance dimension (the reception/coverage of early cell phones was sorely lacking). A person who is a high‐end customer for the old product initially despises the new product as a replacement for the old one but might simultaneously be one of the first customers for the new product because it fills the detached‐market need. Over time, the new product improves along the traditional dimension (e.g., cell phone reception/coverage has dramatically improved), and eventually it becomes a replacement for the old product, encroaching from the lower end upward (the first customers to drop their landlines have been lower‐end customers such as students and apartment dwellers, whereas higher‐end business customers still have landlines in their offices). We call this the detached‐market form of low‐end encroachment and show how it helps explain the conundrum of an expensive “disruptive” innovation. We go on to relate our results to the finding that “willingness to cannibalize” is a key factor in an incumbent firm's growth and survival, and to the “blue ocean strategy. ”