Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of increased in vivo excursion on digital range of motion and tendon strength following flexor tendon repair

Postoperative rehabilitation is an important factor in determining functional outcome following intrasynovial flexor tendon repair. We hypothesized that a rehabilitation protocol that produced increased in vivo excursion would lead to increased digital range of motion and tendon strength and decreased adhesion formation in a canine model. Ninety‐six flexor digitorum profundus tendons from 48 dogs were cut transversely and repaired by a multistrand suture technique. Postoperative rehabilitation was performed daily with a low excursion‐low force (1.7‐mm average excursion: < 10 N force) or a high excursion‐low force (3.6 mm excursion: < 10 N force) protocol. After death of the dogs at 10, 21, or 42 days, specimens were evaluated for digital range of motion, tensile mechanical properties, elongation of the repair site, and adhesion formation. Our data indicate that the range of motion of digits whose tendons were at low or high excursion was similar to that of controls. Increased in vivo tendon excursion due to synergistic wrist motion did not significantly affect ex vivo flexion of the distal and proximal interphalangeal joints or tendon displacement (p > 0.05). Similarly, tensile properties (ultimate load, repair site rigidity, and repair site strain at 20 N and at failure) and length of the gap at the repair site were not significantly affected by increased excursion (p > 0.05). Severity of adhesion formation was reduced slightly by increased excursion (p = 0.04). Our findings indicate that 1.7 mm of tendon excursion is sufficient to prevent adhesion formation following sharp transection of the canine flexor tendon and that additional excursion provides little added benefit.
Back to the Basics: In Defense of Achievement (and Achievement Tests) in College Admissions

Summarizing a decade of research at the University of California, this paper concludes that admissions criteria that tap student mastery of curriculum content, such as high-school grades and performance on achievement tests, are stronger predictors of success in college and are fairer to poor and minority applicants than tests of general reasoning such as the SAT.
Successful measurements of Electron energy dependence of interface-trap-induced scattering in N-MOSFETs

The dependence of the interface-trap-induced scattering on the electron kinetic energy (ε<inf>ele</inf>) in nMOSFETs is investigated experimentally. The procedure to extract the accurate ε<inf>ele</inf> dependence of the interface-trap-induced scattering relationship is developed based on the careful Hall effect measurements. As a result, it is demonstrated that as ε<inf>ele</inf> increases, the interface-trap-induced scattering is suppressed more greatly than calculated by the conventional two-dimensional Coulomb scattering model. It is also found that the ε<inf>ele</inf> dependence of the interface-trap-induced scattering is enhanced as D<inf>it</inf> increases.
Impulses in the pyramidal tract

ALTHOUGH it is easy to demonstrate the electrical activity of the brain we are still some way from understanding the full meaning of our records. This is mainly due to the complex structure in which the potential changes occur, though it is true that to simplify the conditions various means have been devised for recording from restricted areas, e.g. by microelectrodes, multiple leads, etc. In the present work the problem has been approached from a different angle, for we have been chiefly concerned not with the potential waves in the cortex but with the impulses sent down the axons of cortical cells. These have been recorded by leading from the fibres of the pyramidal tract in the medulla: with suitable arrangements it is possible not only to study the composite discharge in many fibres of the tract, but to distinguish the impulses in single conducting units. We have, therefore, a method of determining the activity of the Betz cells in different conditions and we can compare the pyramidal fibre discharge with the potential waves in the motor area. The method has led to several unexpected but illuminating results. In particular it has been found that in the anaesthetized animal there is usually a continued pyramidal discharge which is infra-liminal for the motor nerve cells of the spinal cord, that the cerebral neurones can be made to discharge at extremely high frequencies with certain forms of stimulation, and that such discharges are to be found whenever there is a widespread excitation of epileptiform type.
Mediated Effects of Export Promotion Programs on Firm Export Performance

Purpose – The impact of export promotion programs (EPPs) on firm export performance (FEP) has received little attention in the export literature. This paper attempts to investigate the direct and indirect impact of EPPs on FEP in a comprehensive model. The indirect effects of EPPs on FEP have been conceptualized through a set of firm‐ and management‐related antecedents for empirical testing.Design/methodology/approach – Primary data were collected through mail survey from a sample of 203 exporting firms in three export‐oriented industries in a developing country. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques to test the hypothesized relationships.Findings – Results suggest that in addition to its direct impact on the FEP, the usage of EPPs has direct impact on firm's export knowledge, and managers’ perception that in turn influence commitment to export, export strategy and FEP.Research limitations/implications – Findings provide empirical support to theorize indirect effect of the.
Flow-based enzymatic ligation by sortase A.

Sortase-mediated ligation (sortagging) is a versatile, powerful strategy for protein modification. Because the sortase reaction reaches equilibrium, a large excess of polyglycine nucleophile is often employed to drive the reaction forward and suppress sortase-mediated side reactions. A flow-based sortagging platform employing immobilized sortase A within a microreactor was developed that permits efficient sortagging at low nucleophile concentrations. The platform was tested with several reaction partners and used to generate a protein bioconjugate inaccessible by solution-phase batch sortagging.
Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness determined by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in ophthalmologically normal eyes.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the peripapillary distribution of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) in normal eyes using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and to study potentially related factors. METHODS In 7 institutes in Japan, RNFLT in 7 concentric peripapillary circles with diameters ranging from 2.2 to 4.0 mm were measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in 251 ophthalmologically normal subjects. Multiple regression analysis for the association of RNFLT with sex, age, axial length, and disc area was performed. RESULTS Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness decreased linearly from 125 to 89 μm as the measurement diameter increased (P < .001, mixed linear model). Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness correlated with age in all diameters (partial correlation coefficient [PCC] = -0.40 to -0.32; P < .001) and negatively correlated with disc area in the 2 innermost circles but positively correlated in the 3 outermost circles (PCC = -0.30 to -0.22 and 0.17 to 0.20; P ≤ .005). Sex and axial length did not correlate with RNFLT (P > .08). The decay slope was smallest in the temporal and largest in the nasal and inferior quadrants (P < .001); positively correlated with disc area (PCC = 0.13 to 0.51; P ≤ .04); and negatively correlated with RNFLT (PCC = -0.51 to -0.15; P ≤ .01). CONCLUSIONS In normal Japanese eyes, RNFLT significantly correlated with age and disc area, but not with sex or axial length. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness decreased linearly as the measurement diameter increased. The decay slope of RNFLT was steepest in the nasal and inferior quadrants and steeper in eyes with increased RNFLT or smaller optic discs.
Perhitungan Value At Risk pada Institusi Perbankan berdasarkan Metode Variance Covariance

The rapid growth in global financial market causes tough competition to happen even in the internal banking sector. The implementation of good corporate governance (GCG) is absolutely required. The banking operation is financially at risk with regard to default risk, liquidity risk, market risk, interest rate risk, foreign exchange rate risk, operational risk and global banking risk. Accordingly, Bank Indonesia has issued the guidance on risk management No.5/8/PBI/2003 dated 19 May 2003 and instructed all bankers to establish “Basel Committee” for the supervision of banking operation. Under Basel Committee, risk management is concerned with active-supervision, conservative-policy, procedure, risk limit setting, identification process, measurement, monitoring, information system and risk control as well as internal control system. The methodology used in this study is to apply variance-covariance method to test whether the market value of equity of the bank (MVE) in the short run will be at risk or not. VaR is statistical model to measure probable loss of the investment portfolios with certain confidence level and holding period. The results of the study reveal that VaR at Bank XYZ is mainly due to the capital inadequacy.
The Influence of Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity on The Employee’s Performance Through Commitment and SelfEfficacy (Study on the Nurses at Public Health Service Center of Kabupaten Kediri, East Java)

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of role conflict and role ambiguity on the organizational commitment, self-efficacy, and employee’s performance of nurses at public health service centers (Puskesmas/PusatKesehatanMasyarakat). The data were obtained from 145 nurses as government officers from 35 public health service centers at KabupatenKediri, East Java. The gathered data were then analyzed by using Partial Least Square method; the research result demonstrates that, among the overall proposed hypotheses, role conflict does not influence organizational commitment and nurse’s performance so that there is no mediating function of organizational commitment on the relationship between role conflict and performance. The limitation of this research is described on the latest part of this article.
Interpolating Quality Dynamics in Wikipedia and Demonstrating the Keilana Effect

For open, volunteer generated content like Wikipedia, quality is a prominent concern. To measure Wikipedia's quality, researchers have historically relied on expert evaluation or assessments of article quality by Wikipedians themselves. While both of these methods have proven effective for answering many questions about Wikipedia's quality and processes, they are both problematic: expert evaluation is expensive and Wikipedian quality assessments are sporadic and unpredictable. Studies that explore Wikipedia's quality level or the processes that result in quality improvements have only examined small snapshots of Wikipedia and often rely on complex propensity models to deal with the unpredictable nature of Wikipedians' own assessments. In this paper, I describe a method for measuring article quality in Wikipedia historically and at a finer granularity than was previously possible. I use this method to demonstrate an important coverage dynamic in Wikipedia (specifically, articles about women scientists) and offer this method, dataset, and open API to the research community studying Wikipedia quality dynamics.
Optical Properties of ZnO Nanorods on Glass Via Spray Deposition of Solution Containing Zinc Chloride and Thiourea

In this research paper, we have investigated optical properties of two zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods specimens grew on a glass by spray deposition of a solution, which contains only zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and ZnCl2 with small amount of thiourea (tu: CH4N2S). We sprayed a 1 mL of each solution onto a glass in every minute to obtain a 50 mL specimen. The prepared specimens were characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. We have observed from SEM measurements that small addition of thiourea into a ZnCl2 solution (ZnCl2:tu = 1:0.25) provides significantly thinner ZnO nanorods with a higher aspect ratio compared to that obtained from only ZnCl2 solution. It is noted that this addition considerably decreased the diameter of ZnO nanorods to 500 nm and increased the height to approximately 200 nm. This is desirable in nanotechnology applications. However, it is observed from PL measurements that optical properties of ZnO nanorods prepared from ZnCl2 and thiourea solution deteriorate.
The effect of perceived image fit on brand awareness: 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup

Much of the existing research in sports sponsorship is applied in nature and devoid of serious theoretical insight regarding its role from a marketing communication effects standpoint. In this study, Taylor & Crocker's (1981) schema theory is used to interpret the phenomenon that sponsoring events exhibiting a good image fit with the brand can strengthen brand awareness. Since consumers' perceptions of the FIFA World Cup/official partners image fit enhance the brand awareness of sponsoring brands, the results have implications for the FIFA World Cup marketing parties using sports sponsorship as a strategic marketing tool.
Intelligent power control of DC microgrid

In this paper, an intelligent power management strategy is proposed for hybrid DC microgrid, including wind turbine, fuel cell and battery energy storage. The considered wind turbine has a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). In the considered structure, wind turbine operates as the main energy source while the fuel cell and battery bank are both auxiliary power sources. The main control objective is to supply the load power continuously while keeping all power sources in normal conditions. Hence, the fuel cell and battery bank are managed such that the system operates in normal condition and fuel cell will not generate excessive power. The proposed control scheme is based on the fuzzy algorithm. All simulations in variant operational modes are performed by MATLAB/Simulink and results show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Factors Associated With the Diagnosis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVES. We investigated the occurrence of newly diagnosed mental retardation, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism and sociodemographic factors associated with their distribution in Taiwan, and we examined urbanicity- and socioeconomic status–associated differences in the age at first diagnosis. METHODS. The data for this study were derived from the 1996–2004 National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Approximately 1.8 million beneficiaries born between 1996 and 2001 were identified, with follow-up periods ranging from 3 to 8 years. RESULTS. Each of the 3 neurodevelopmental disorders had distinct incidence rates and associated factors. For example, as compared with the birth years of 1996–1999, the rate of autism increased 14% during the period 2000–2004, whereas the rate of newly diagnosed mental retardation decreased 42% to 50% over the same period. An elevated incidence rate for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism was observed in later birth cohorts. The risk of receiving a diagnosis of mental retardation for children in rural areas and of lower socioeconomic status was reduced in early childhood and increased in school ages as compared with their urban and higher socioeconomic status counterparts. CONCLUSIONS. Variation in the rate of newly diagnosed mental retardation, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism among children in Taiwan depended on age, birth year, period, and socioeconomic status. The extent of the association linking age with the first diagnosis of mental retardation varies across different urbanicity level and socioeconomic status.
Invertir en la TI que sí hace una diferencia competitiva

Las investigaciones en ciertas tecnologias otorgan una ventaja competitiva que siempre debe ser renovada ya que los rivales no solo buscaran igualar sus jugadas, sino que usaran la tecnologia para desarrollar ideas mas potentes para poder superarlo. Esa es la conclusion de un exhaustivo analisis que efectuaron McAfee, profesor de Harvard Business School, y Brynjolfsson, profesor de MIT, de todas las empresas estadounidenses �de todos los sectores� que cotizan en bolsa, en las ultimas decadas. Encontraron una correlacion clara entre los gastos en TI y una nueva dinamica competitiva: desde mediados de los 90, cuando la tasa de gastos en TI comenzo a aumentar bruscamente, la brecha entre los lideres y rezagados en un sector dado ha crecido. Hay mas mercados donde los ganadores se llevan todo. Pero la mayor concentracion ha aumentado en lugar de aplacado la turbulencia entre los actores restantes. Y esta dinamica es mayor en aquellos sectores que son intensivos en el uso de TI. Este patron es conocido entre los fabricantes de productos digitales, pero ahora se ha expandido hacia sectores mas tradicionales, senalan los autores, no debido a que mas productos se estan haciendo digitales, sino porque los procesos se estan digitalizando. El software para empresas como los sistemas ERP y CRM, en conjunto con redes de bajos costos, esta permitiendo que las empresas reproduzcan sus procesos de negocios unicos de forma mas generalizada, rapida, y con mayor fidelidad. En este nuevo entorno, los ejecutivos deben elegir con cuidado cuales procesos deben ser globalmente coherentes y cuales podrian variar a nivel local. Ademas, aunque estandaricen algunas formas de trabajar, tambien deben alentar a los empleados para que generen mejoras creativas a los procesos que superen las innovaciones de los competidores. Competir a un ritmo tan rapido no es facil, y no todos podran mantener aquel ritmo, pero las empresas que lo logren generaran mejores procesos de negocios e incrementaran su valor de mercado.
Clue to damage recognition by UvrB: residues in the β‐hairpin structure prevent binding to non‐damaged DNA

UvrB, the ultimate damage‐recognizing component of bacterial nucleotide excision repair, contains a flexible β‐hairpin rich in hydrophobic residues. We describe the properties of UvrB mutants in which these residues have been mutated. The results show that Y101 and F108 in the tip of the hairpin are important for the strand‐separating activity of UvrB, supporting the model that the β‐hairpin inserts between the two DNA strands during the search for DNA damage. Residues Y95 and Y96 at the base of the hairpin have a direct role in damage recognition and are positioned close to the damage in the UvrB–DNA complex. Strikingly, substituting Y92 and Y93 results in a protein that is lethal to the cell. The mutant protein forms pre‐ incision complexes on non‐damaged DNA, indicating that Y92 and Y93 function in damage recognition by preventing UvrB binding to non‐damaged sites. We propose a model for damage recognition by UvrB in which, stabilized by the four tyrosines at the base of the hairpin, the damaged nucleotide is flipped out of the DNA helix.
Shift work, occupational noise and physical workload with ensuing development of blood pressure and their joint effect on the risk of coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVES The change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) over an 8-year period was explored in groups defined according to exposure to shift work, occupational noise, and physical workload. The impact of baseline SBP and its increase in relation to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk due to these exposures was also studied. METHODS The study cohorts (N=1288 for CHD follow-up, N=884 for SBP follow-up) consisted of industrially employed middle-aged men from the Helsinki Heart Study. Shiftwork status was obtained from a questionnaire, and other exposures were determined with the Finnish job-exposure matrix. SBP was measured in the Helsinki Heart Study, and CHD end points were obtained from official Finnish registers. The joint effects of baseline SBP, its change, and the exposure in question were estimated via Cox s regression models. RESULTS During the SBP follow-up, the steepest SBP gradient was found for physical workload only and physical workload combined with noise; shift work alone or combined with noise primarily entailed a lower mean SBP level than no such exposure. However, the shift workers had a relative risk of 1.71 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01-2.87] even without an increase in SBP, but, with a baseline SBP of > or = 140 mmHg and an additional increase, their relative risk rose to 4.62 (95% CI 2.31-9.24) when they were compared with day workers with an SBP of <140 mmHg and no increase. CONCLUSIONS In general, shift workers do not develop higher SBP levels than day workers, but, if they do, it entails high CHD risk. Noise shows a similar pattern. In contrast, physical workload entails a significant increase in SBP, and SBP is a key pathway to CHD risk.
Influence of grain source on ruminal characteristics and rate, site, and extent of digestion in beef steers.

Six cannulated Salers steers (305 +/- 17 kg initial BW) were used in a double 3 x 3 Latin square design to compare the effects of the nature of the cereal (wheat vs corn) and the corn genotype (dent vs flint) on rate, site, and extent of digestion of high-concentrate diets. The cereals were coarsely cracked, and the diets were balanced to have the same percentage of starch (47.7 +/- 2.3%) and CP (14.6 +/- .7%). Differences in ruminal starch digestion were observed between wheat- and corn-based diets (86.6 vs 47.8%; P < .001) and between corn genotypes (60.8 vs 34.8% for dent and flint corns; P < .001). For flint corn, more than half the starch was digested in the hindgut. Total tract digestion of starch was greater (P < .001) by steers fed wheat than by those fed corn and did not differ (P > .1) between the two corn genotypes. Ruminal mean pH (P < .01) was lower and total VFA concentration (P < .1) was higher for wheat- than for corn-based diets. Ruminal acetate:propionate tended to increase with the decrease in the amount of starch degraded in the rumen, but differences were not significant (P > .1). When wheat replaced corn, nonammonia, nonmicrobial N duodenal flow decreased (P < .01), and microbial duodenal flow increased (P < .05), so there were no differences in the duodenal flow of nonammonia N duodenal flow (P > .1). The lower nonammonia N duodenal flow for the dent corn- than for the flint corn-based diet (P < .05) was related to a lower passage of nonammonia, nonmicrobial N into the duodenum. Efficiency of microbial protein synthesis was inversely correlated with the amount of starch degraded in the rumen. Nature of the cereal, wheat vs corn, and genotype of the corn, dent vs flint, alter the site and extent of starch digestion.
Brain stem frequency‐following response to dichotic vowels during attention

FREQUENCY-FOLLOWING responses (FFRs) were elicited by English long vowels (female /a/ and male /e/) in a dichotic listening task. Stimuli were simultaneous and of equal duration, but differing spectra permitted unique identification of vowel components in the compound FFR. Horizontal and vertical montage FFRs were recorded with putative origins in the acoustic nerve and central brain stem, respectively. FFRs obtained during attention to each vowel showed significant effects for the voice fundamental frequency, f0, which is perceptually salient and conveys paralinguistic information such as the sex of the speaker. Amplitudes of f0 were larger when vowels were attended than when ignored. These findings provide evidence of short-latency attention effects in humans and suggest that linguistic attention may initially filter inputs based on salient paralinguistic cues.