Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computer assisted surgery for knee ligament reconstruction.

BACKGROUND Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is one of the most frequently performed orthopaedic procedures. The most common technical cause of reconstruction failure is graft malpositioning. Computer assisted surgery aims to aid graft placement. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of computer assisted reconstruction surgery versus conventional operating techniques for ACL or posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) deficient knees in adults. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register (October 2010), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 3), MEDLINE (1966 to March 2010), EMBASE (1980 to March 2010), CINAHL (1937 to March 2010), article references and prospective trial registers. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared computer assisted surgery (CAS) of the ACL and PCL with conventional operating techniques not involving CAS, were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently screened search results, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. Where appropriate, data were pooled using risk ratios or mean differences, both with 95% confidence intervals. MAIN RESULTS Four randomised controlled trials were included (266 participants). All involved ACL reconstructions performed by experienced surgeons. Risk of bias assessment was hampered by poor reporting of trial methods. Pooled data from two trials showed no statistically or clinically significant differences at two years or more follow-up in self-reported quality of life outcomes: International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective scores (mean difference 2.05, 95% CI -2.16 to 6.25) and Lysholm scores (mean difference 2.05, 95% CI -2.16 to 6.25). A third trial also found a minimal difference in IKDC subjective scores (mean difference = 0.2). Pooled data from three trials for normal or nearly normal IKDC knee examination grades at final follow-up showed no significant differences between the two groups (risk ratio 1.01, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.06). No significant differences were found for other objective measures of knee function. The only adverse effects reported were some loss in range of motion in two versus three participants in one trial. CAS use was associated with longer operating times (range 9.3 to 26 minutes). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS A favourable effect of computer assisted surgery for cruciate ligament reconstructions of the knee compared with conventional reconstructions could neither be demonstrated nor refuted. There is insufficient evidence to advise for or against the use of CAS. There is a need for improved reporting of future studies of this technology.
A Case of Coeliac Disease Detected via Raised 5-Hydroxytryptamine and 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid

Measurements of urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) are usually carried out in the diagnosis of the carcinoid syndrome. Carcinoid tumours are derived from enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract. These tumours produce either 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) depending on the location in the gut; mid-gut tumours tend to secrete 5-HT and fore-gut tumours 5-HTP. In a recent audit increased 5-HIAA excretion was found to have a specificity of 88% for the detection of carcinoid tumours. I Most false positives are due to diet high in foods containing 5-HT, e.g. walnuts, chocolate, bananas, etc., or from analytical interferences from drugs. Increased 5-HIAA excretion has been reported in some patients with other gastrointestinal diseases, e.g. coeliac disease, bacteria gut overgrowth syndrome and Whipple's disease. We report here a case of coeliac disease detected as a result of finding unusually high whole blood 5HT concentrations in a volunteer participating in a research project.
AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE ON DIVERSIFICATION AND CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING: ENTRY, EXIT, AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE DURING 1981–89

This study proposes a theoretical perspective that firms engage in continuous search and selection activities in order to improve their knowledge base and thereby improve their performance. This general framework is applied to the context of corporate evolution. Entry and exit activities are understood as search and selection undertaken by the firm to improve their performance. One of the compelling features of this framework is that firms learn from their past entry experience and approach the next entry in a more focused and directed manner over time. Also, firms acquire additional knowledge from each entry event while applying their existing knowledge base. With a longitudinal (1981-89) data base on entry and exit activities of all publicly traded manufacturing firms in the United States, this study shows that applicability of the firm's knowledge base plays an important role in predicting which businesses a firm enters or exits. Finns sequentially enter businesses of similar human resource profiles and firms are more likely to divest lines of business of different profiles. Corporate-level analysis shows that such well-directed entry and exit contribute to the improvement of a firm's profitability.
Zinc-amino acid complexes for swine.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of sources of dietary zinc on gain, feed conversion and blood and bone traits of swine. In the first experiment 96 pigs were used in a 28-d study. The pigs were fed diets with no supplemental Zn or with either 9 or 12 ppm supplemental Zn from zinc sulfate (ZnSO4), zinc methionine (ZnMet) or zinc methionine with picolinic acid (ZnMet w/PA), each with or without 5% added corn oil. There were differences (P less than .05) in average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) between the pigs fed the two organic Zn sources, with those fed ZnMet w/PA showing the better gains and feed conversion. However, neither organic Zn source resulted in pig performance that was different from either the diet with no supplemental Zn or the diets supplemented with Zn from ZnSO4. In the second experiment the same dietary Zn sources and treatments were fed as in Exp. 1 except that corn oil was deleted as a variable. No differences in ADG, ADFI, feed/gain (F/G) or in changes in serum Zn or Cu were observed among treatments during either the 21-d nursery or the 56-d growing periods. During the subsequent 56-d finishing period ADG and ADFI were greater (P less than .01) for pigs fed the Zn-supplemented diets than for those fed the diets without supplemental Zn. There were no differences among treatments in F/G during the finishing period. Zn content of bone ash was lower (P less than .01) in the non-Zn-supplemented pigs. These data suggest that the Zn sources used are of similar biological value and do not support the theory that picolinic acid aids Zn absorption.
Air pollution and hospital admissions in Sydney, Australia, 1990 to 1994.

OBJECTIVES This study examined the effects of outdoor air pollutants on daily hospital admissions in Sydney, Australia. METHODS A time-series analysis of counts of daily hospital admissions and outdoor air pollutants (1990 to 1994) was performed, by means of Poisson regression that allowed for overdispersion and autocorrelation. RESULTS An increase in daily maximum 1-hour concentration of nitrogen dioxide from the 10th to the 90th percentile was associated with an increase of 5.29% (95% confidence interval = 1.07, 9.68) in childhood asthma admissions and 4.60%(-0.17,9.61) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admissions. A similar increase in daily maximum 1-hour particulate concentration was associated with an increase of 3.01% (-0.38, 6.52) in COPD admissions. An increase from the 10th to the 90th percentile in daily maximum 1-hour nitrogen dioxide, daily maximum 1-hour ozone, and daily mean particulate was associated with an increase in heart disease admissions among those 65 years and older of 6.71% (4.25, 9.23), 2.45% (-0.37, 5.35), and 2.82% (0.90, 4.77), respectively. Heart disease and childhood asthma were primarily associated with nitrogen dioxide; COPD was associated with both nitrogen dioxide and particulates. CONCLUSIONS Current levels of air pollution in Sydney are associated with increased hospitalization for respiratory and heart disease.
Supervision of Community Health Workers

• Supervision for community health workers (CHWs) is one of the most challenging program elements to implement; yet, it is considered one of the most important elements to successful programs. • Supervisory responsibilities have changed over time from providing administrative and clinical oversight to the inclusion of psychosocial support to frontline CHWs who face a wide range of challenges on their own. • Supervision is generally considered to be oversight from a health worker at a peripheral facility; however, this model is costly and difficult to implement. Alternative approaches might include group supervision, peer supervision, and community supervision to distribute the supervision tasks and increase support to CHWs in some contexts.
An Experiential Exercise in Service Environment Design

A new experiential exercise affords marketing students the opportunity to learn to design service environments. The exercise is appropriate for a variety of marketing courses and is especially beneficial in teaching services marketing because the proposed activity complements two other exercises widely used in this course. Service journal and blueprinting exercises are commonly assigned to examine the impact of “people” and “process” decisions; the exercise proposed in this article offers an opportunity to examine the influence of “physical evidence” on the customer experience. Thus, these three exercises expose students to hands-on activities related to all three of the additional Ps related to services marketing. In addition to explaining how to carry out the exercise, this article provides evidence of how it actively engages students in all four steps of the experiential learning cycle (concrete experience, abstract conceptualization, reflective observation, and active testing). Finally, the ability of this exercise to close the loop in experiential learning is discussed.
A selective medium for the isolation of Arcobacter from meats

A method, including enrichment in Arcobacter Selective Broth (ASB) and isolation on semisolid Arcobacter Selective Medium (ASM) under aerobic conditions at 24°C, is described for the isolation of Arcobacter from retail meat products. Selective agents used in ASB and ASM were cefoperazone, trimethoprim, piperacillin and cycloheximide. Arcobacters were isolated from 53 (24.1%) of 220 poultry meat products and also, at lower incidence from samples of beef and pork. The isolates were identified as A. butzleri or A. butzleri‐like and belonged to a wide variety of serotypes and biotypes.
A New Phylogenetic Cluster of Cereulide-Producing Bacillus cereus Strains

ABSTRACT Phenotypic and molecular studies have established that cereulide-producing strains of Bacillus cereus are a distinct and probably recently emerged clone within the Bacillus population. We analyzed a set of B. cereus strains, both cereulide producers and nonproducers, by multilocus sequence typing. Consistent with earlier reports, nonproducers demonstrated high heterogeneity. Most cereulide-producing strains and all flagellar antigen type H1 strains were allocated to the known sequence type of exclusively emetic B. cereus strains. Several cereulide-producing strains, however, were recovered at a new phylogenetic location, all of which were serotype H3 or H12. We hypothesize that the group of cereulide producers is diversifying progressively, probably by lateral transfer of the corresponding gene complex.
Financial Decision Makers' Views On Safety What SH&E Professionals Should Know

IN 2006, A TOTAL OF 5,840 FATAL occupational injuries occurred in private industry in theU.S. (BLS, 2008). In addition, 4.1 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported, which means that 4.4 nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses were reported for every 100 full-time-equivalent workers in the U.S. Rosenman, Kalush, Reilly, et al. (2006) have suggested that these statistics are a cause for employer concern, especially in light of a recent study which indicated that the BLS’s system for recording work-related injuries and illnesses undercounts the total number of injuries associated with chronic or acute conditions. Most SH&Eprofessionals are verymuch aware of these statistics and endeavor to reduce the numbers of occupational fatalities, injuries and illnesses. Often, however, there are limits as to what SH&E professionals can do to positively impact occupational safety. For example, practitioners may not be in a position to ultimately determine what and how company resources are allocated to safety interventions. They may often have to find ways to convince higher-level managers—who set priorities and control the budget—of the need to fund occupational safety efforts, and of the critical role their support can play in their company’s occupational safety. Research has supported the concept that a positive association exists between top management support and improved workplace safety and health outcomes (Cohen, 1977; Griffiths, 1985; Marsh, Davies, Phillips, et al., 1998). Griffiths (1985) found that top management commitment to safety and health was associated with reduced lost-time injuries in the industrial gas industry. Sawacha, Naoum and Fong (1999) found that top managements’ attitudes toward safety played a significant role in safety performance. Despite these findings, research to assess the safety priorities and safety concerns of top-level executives/managers (such as corporate financial Yueng-Hsiang Huang, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist at Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety (LMRIS) in Hopkinton, MA. She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Portland State University. She is a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, American Psychological Association, Society for Occupational Health Psychology, the ASSE Foundation Research Committee and the editorial board of Accident Analysis and Prevention.
Intracytoplasmic detection of TCL1—but not ILT7—by flow cytometry is useful for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell leukemia diagnosis

Diagnosis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) or plasmacytoid dendritic cell leukemia (pDCL) is mainly based on immunophenotypical characterization of leukemic cells in blood or bone marrow samples. We tested by flow cytometry intracellular expression of the proto‐oncogene T‐cell leukemia 1 (TCL1), as well as membrane and intracellular expression of immunoglobulin‐like transcript 7 (ILT7) in 21 pDCL samples and 61 non‐pDC acute leukemia samples [i.e., 14 B‐acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B‐ALL), 9 T‐ALL and 38 acute myeloid leukemia (AML)]. TCL1 is highly expressed in all pDCL samples while at a statistically lower level in all B‐ALL and 34% of AML. Statistical analysis shows that intensity of TCL1 expression is a good marker for differential diagnosis of pDCL versus other acute leukemia (area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve, [AUC]: 0.96). By contrast, ILT7 positivity is limited to few pDCL samples and cannot be useful for diagnosis purpose. In conclusion, high intracellular intensity of TCL1 expression is currently the best marker for pDC lineage assignment by flow cytometry, which is particularly useful to distinguish pDCL from CD4+ CD56+/− undifferentiated or monoblastic acute leukemia. Thus, intracellular TCL1 detection should be included in acute leukemia diagnosis panels used in hematology laboratories. © 2012 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Phenomenological Study of Dynamical Model of Traffic Flow

We show that the Car Following Model with Optimal Velocity (Optimal Velocity Model), which was proposed in our previous paper, is a successful traffic model in reproducing the characteristic features of observed traffic flow data. In our model the transition from free flow to congested flow occurs spontaneously by the collective motion of vehicles, which obey to the same dynamical equation. The observed specific discrepancy of traffic flow vs. car density graph is well understood in terms of the phase transition in our model.
Dissecting the Molecular Mechanism of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Using Murine Models

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a complex disease that impinges on stem cell biology, the regulation of blood lineage determination and/or selection, as well as the overall regulation of hematopoietic cell proliferation, survival, adhesion and migration. Establishment of murine models for CML in recent years has enabled experimental analyses of molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of CML at the organismal level. This review summarizes the approaches used to develop murine models for CML and the analyses of the roles of functional domains and downstream signaling pathways of BCR-ABL (an oncoprotein generated by the t(9;22)(q34;q11) translocation found in CML patients) and the roles of related tyrosine kinase oncoproteins, altered cytokine production and oncogene cooperation in the pathogenesis of CML-like disease using murine models. These in vivo studies of leukemogenesis will help to advance therapies for CML, as well as to understand fundamental rules of leukemogenesis and hematopoiesis, which should contribute in turn to the development of therapies for other related diseases.
Service as Theatre: The Customer Service Behaviour 
of Librarians in a Market Driven World

The purpose of this research is to explore the attitude of librarians to service. Previous studies showed that although many librarians identified service as their most important value, librarians were still perceived by many customers as unfriendly and unhelpful. Using Goffman's theory of dramaturgy the study looks at the relationship between the library service ethic and the market driven service ethic attributed to retail, and whether there is conflict between these two models, and if so what affect this is having on the attitudes and behaviour of librarians. This qualitative study uses focus groups to gather data. Focus group participants were all practicing librarians from the Wellington area. The research concludes that there is a conflict between the two service models which is directly affecting the attitude and thus the behaviour of librarians. The marketing model is perceived as a threat to the core functions of libraries because of its 'one size fits all' approach to service. Participants felt this model was a threat to genuine authentic service and personal autonomy.
COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE

Subcontracts No more than 50 percent of the total dollars of this award may be subcontracted to another party(ies) without prior written approval of the Authorized Departmental Officer (ADO) except subcontracts to Federal agencies. Any subcontract awarded to a Federal agency under this award must have prior written approval of the ADO. To request approval a justification for the proposed subcontractual arrangements, a performance statement, and a detailed budget for the subcontract must be submitted to the ADO.
Dental insurance and use of dental services.

OBJECTIVES This article examines socioeconomic differences in insurance for dental services among Canadians aged 15 or older and factors associated with the use of dental services. DATA SOURCE The data on dental insurance coverage and use of dental services are from the cross-sectional file of Statistics Canada's 1996/97 National Population Health Survey. The sample size of respondents aged 15 or older was 70,884. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES Logistic regression analysis was used to model variables related to dental insurance coverage and to dental visits in the past year. A weighted bootstrap resampling procedure was used to derive variance estimates. MAIN RESULTS In 1996/97, 53% of the population aged 15 or older reported having dental insurance, and 59% said they had visited a dentist in the past year. But even when they had insurance, individuals with low incomes and low educational attainment had much lower odds of visiting a dentist than those with higher incomes and more education.
Foreign and Domestic Escorted Tour Expectations of American Travelers

A national survey of American escorted tour participants showed differences in expectations between domestic tours and foreign tours. Foreign travelers had higher expectations for tour comfort and value along with need for adequate stops, adventure, and educational aspects. Both groups expected the tour to be the best way to see as much as possible with a congenial atmosphere. Additionally, both groups expected comfort, scenery, and experienced tour guider. Tour planning can ensure that expectations are met.
A stochastic target formulation for optimal switching problems in finite horizon

We consider a general optimal switching problem for a controlled diffusion and show that its value coincides with the value of a well-suited stochastic target problem associated to a diffusion with jumps. The proof consists in showing that the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations of both problems are the same and in proving a comparison principle for this equation. This provides a new family of lower bounds for the optimal switching problem, which can be computed by Monte-Carlo methods. This result has also a nice economical interpretation in terms of a firm's valuation.
The capital structure of the regulated firm

This thesis studies the capital structure of the regulated firm. Theoretical models are developed to analyse the relationship between capital structure, the regulator's pricing decision and the allocation of risk between consumers and investors. It is shown that the price-cap system is almost certainly sub-optimal because consumers are willing to trade-off price variations against a lower expected price. There is also a socially optimal capital structure that depends on consumers' and shareholders' attitudes to risk. This is such that there are higher prices for consumers in adverse economic conditions but it is not necessary that shareholders' returns are lower. It might be optimal to insure shareholders against market risk to achieve a lower expected price. There is only one very special set of conditions where it is socially optimal for the firm to be wholly reliant on debt finance and operate on a 'not-for-profit' basis. In all other cases there should either be a combination of equity and debt or no debt at all. An empirical study investigates whether the behaviour of regulated firms is consistent with the trade-off or pecking order theories of capital structure. The water companies in England and Wales are used as a case study. Econometric models of the relationship between debt and capital value over the period 1990/91 to 2002/03 indicate that water companies, at least when viewed collectively, have behaved as though they had target levels of gearing. While this result could be consistent with the pecking order theory if the companies had attempted to exert a price-influence effect, there is little indication that they have tried to manipulate their financial positions to that end. The overall conclusion of the study is that the empirical evidence relating to water companies is more consistent with the trade-off theory than the pecking order theory.