Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective Association of Milk Intake on the Risk of Hip Fracture: Results from the Framingham Original Cohort

Dairy foods are rich in bone‐beneficial nutrients, yet the role of dairy foods in hip fracture prevention remains controversial. Our objective was to evaluate the association of milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, and milk + yogurt intakes with incident hip fracture in the Framingham Original Cohort. A total of 830 men and women from the Framingham Original Cohort, a prospective cohort study, completed a food‐frequency questionnaire (1988 to 1989) and were followed for hip fracture until 2008. In this population‐based study, Cox‐proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) by categories of energy‐adjusted dairy intake (servings/wk), adjusting for standard confounders and covariates. The exposure was energy‐adjusted intakes of milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, and milk + yogurt (servings/wk). Risk of hip fracture over the follow‐up was the primary outcome; the hypothesis being tested was formulated after data collection. The mean age at baseline was 77 years (SD 4.9, range 68 to 96). Ninety‐seven hip fractures occurred over the mean follow‐up time of 11.6 years (range 0.04 to 21.9 years). The mean ± SD (servings/wk) of dairy intakes at baseline were: milk = 6.0 ± 6.4; yogurt = 0.4 ± 1.3; cheese = 2.6 ± 3.1; and cream = 3.4 ± 5.5. Participants with medium (>1 and <7 servings/wk) or higher (≥7 servings/wk) milk intake tended to have lower hip fracture risk than those with low (≤1 serving/wk) intake (high versus low intake HR 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31–1.06, p = 0.078; medium versus low intake HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.36–1.08, p = 0.071; p trend = 0.178]. There appeared to be a threshold for milk, with 40% lower risk of hip fracture among those with medium/high milk intake compared with those with low intake (p = 0.061). A similar threshold was observed for milk + yogurt intake (p = 0.104). These associations were further attenuated after adjustment for femoral neck bone mineral density. No significant associations were seen for other dairy foods (p range = 0.117 to 0.746). These results suggest that greater intakes of milk and milk + yogurt may lower risk for hip fracture in older adults through mechanisms that are partially, but not entirely, attributable to effects on bone mineral density. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Smoking and Outcomes After Knee and Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review

Objective. Studies have suggested higher rates of perioperative and postoperative complications in smokers compared to nonsmokers. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the association of smoking and postoperative outcomes following total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods. A search of 6 databases (The Cochrane Library, Scopus, Proquest Dissertation abstracts, CINAHL, Ovid Medline, and Embase) was performed by a Cochrane librarian. All titles and abstracts were screened by 2 independent reviewers with expertise in performing systematic reviews. Studies were included if they were fully published reports that included smoking and any perioperative or postoperative clinical outcome in patients with TKA or THA. Results. A total of 21 studies were included for the review, of which 6 provided multivariable-adjusted analyses, 14 univariate analyses, and one statistical modeling. For most outcomes, results from 1–2 studies could be pooled. Current smokers were significantly more likely to have any postoperative complication (risk ratio 1.24, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.54) and death (risk ratio 1.63, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.51) compared to nonsmokers. Former smokers were significantly more likely to have any post-operative complication (risk ratio 1.32, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.66) and death (risk ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.64) compared to nonsmokers. Conclusion. This systematic review found that smoking is associated with significantly higher risk of postoperative complication and mortality following TKA or THA. Studies examining longterm consequences of smoking on implant survival and complications are needed. Smoking cessation may improve outcomes after THA or TKA.
Green productivity and bilateral trade flows in an augmented gravity model – A panel data analysis

Motivated by the debate in the trade liberalization and the environment literature, this article examines the effect of enhancing green productivity (GP) on bilateral trade flows. The uptake of per capita ISO14001 certification counts is used to measure GP. The existing literature provides other key determinants of bilateral trade flows. This article employs an augmented gravity model and presents panel data analysis on 26 countries from 1995–2004. Since GP is closely related to quality management, this article also examines the joint effect of the measure of quality management systems (QMS) and the measure of GP. Several fixed effects regression equations are estimated. The results support the hypothesis that enhancing green productivity is a positive and statistically significant determinant of real bilateral exports. The joint significance of the measures of GP and QMS is also supported. This article lends empirical support for the new trade theory and Linder's hypothesis and is consistent with those obtained in the existing literature.
What is Tort Law for? Part 2. The Place of Distributive Justice

This is the promised sequel to my paper 'What is Tort Law For? Part 1. The Place of Corrective Justice'. I argue that, in addition to the many ways in which tort law may raise exogenous questions of distributive justice, it raises at least two endogenous questions of distributive justice. They are: (1) how to distribute legal rights to corrective justice? and (2) how to effect distributions between two parties where the parties are brought together by corrective justice? As these formulations show, these distributive questions cannot be understood independently of tort law's corrective role. That is the sense in which they are endogenous to tort law. As well as defending the sense and salience of these qustions I cast doubt on the proposal, most famously developed by Tony Honore, that they should be cast as questions of 'risk-distributive justice'.
An Industrial Case Study for Scrum Adoption

Agile software development methods and techniques have been demonstrated to improve employee morale, enhance end-product quality, and achieve customer satisfaction. Agile adoption always comes with special challenges and thus fundamental organizational changes are necessary for successful outcome. In this paper we present an in-depth case study for adopting Scrum in a multi-team and multi-project situation to a government entity in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E). While there are many successful stories for adopting Scrum in large and small organizations, there is little known about adoption stories in a multi-project/multi-team environments. In this paper we present a case study for an unsuccessful adoption of Scrum in a government entity in the U.A. E. The government entity under study have used the traditional waterfall approach for many years and decided to move to Agile software development method. This study highlights the challenges faced during the adoption of Scrum method with recommendations to address them. Each organization has its unique properties and one case study is not enough to draw conclusions for the U.A. E environment. However, the results obtained from this paper help software engineers to better understand the development environment and context factors for software projects in the U.A. E and many lessons may be learned for future Agile adoption.
The Circadian Clock Influences Heart Performance

Circadian clocks are believed to provide the selective advantage of anticipation, thus allowing organisms to respond efficiently to stimuli at the appropriate moment. Disrupted circadian rhythms have been found to affect a variety of basic physiological processes. However, the importance of the circadian clock in regulating heart performance remains undetermined. We hypothesized that the circadian clock plays a crucial role in heart performance through the anticipation of daily workload. Echocardiography was employed to monitor heart function and structure in mice in a noninvasive, real-time manner. In wild-type mice, both the ejection fraction (EF) and the shortening fraction (FS), two important markers of cardiac function, show diurnal variation. In addition, the amplitude of the EF and the FS enlarges in response to forced exercise in a time-dependent manner. The diurnal variations in EF and FS are altered in mice with disruptions in circadian clock genes and are significantly attenuated under an imposed light regimen. Furthermore, it shows that the overexpression of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (Pgc1α) under control of the muscle creatine kinase (MCK) promoter inhibited clock gene expression in the heart and muscle and decreased the expression of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor alpha (Pparα), metabolic genes glucose transporter (Glut4), and acetyl-coA synthetase (Acs1). Pgc1α overexpression abolished the diurnal variation of EF. We thus propose that PGC1α might play an important role in circadian-mediated, impaired cardiac function by regulating the circadian rhythm of metabolic genes.
Nighttime pedestrian detection using thermal imaging based on HOG feature

This research focuses on pedestrian detection using infrared thermal imager. The purpose is to locate the pedestrians from studying thermal imagery. Based on HOG (Histograms of Oriented Gradients), Adaboost algorithm is used as a way to perform the detection. The system is divided into three sections, to extract the features of the pedestrians, to train the Adaboost classifier, and to detect the pedestrian. To get the features of the pedestrians, data is gathered from inserted images. The features allow the detection to work well. The feature extraction includes image segmentation, ROI selection, and feature extraction. We have successfully located the positions of the pedestrians with the methods mentioned above. This can be applied to the development of the intelligent driver assistance system, giving more road traffic situations to the drivers throughout the night.
Asset Management Framework for State Departments of Transportation to Meet Transit Fleet Requirements

State departments of transportation that provide the bulk of matching funds to local transit agencies for the purchase of new buses are duly concerned about the escalating costs of new buses and the lack of sufficient funds to keep up with their replacement costs. An asset management framework is presented that can be used by state departments of transportation to (a) allocate capital dollars for the dual purpose of purchasing new buses and rebuilding existing buses within the constraints of a fixed budget when the needs of all constituent agencies in a peer group are considered and (b) distribute funds among the agencies equitably. The proposed framework includes two optimization models. Model 1 attempts to maximize the weighted fleet life of all the buses being purchased and rebuilt for a given peer group within the constraints of a fixed budget. Model 2 is designed to maximize the remaining life of the entire peer group, including the existing buses and those being replaced or rebuilt. Case studies presented to demonstrate the application of the models show that the framework is viable and can be used for the designated purpose with fleet data currently available from transit agencies. Further research on testing the framework is recommended to ensure its applicability under different sets of circumstances.
The neuroprotective effect of electro-acupuncture against ischemic stroke in animal model: a review.

BACKGROUND It is well established that electro-acupuncture can exert neuroprotection in animal experiments. However, the exact mechanism of electro-acupuncture against ischemic stroke is not very clear. MATERIALS AND METHODS Literature retrieval was performed in four databases (OVID, PUBMED, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science), from respective inception to July 2013. RESULTS Series of studies have demonstrated that electro-acupuncture might be a promising method in reducing brain damage after stroke and induce brain ischemic tolerance before stroke through the promotion of angiogenesis, alleviation of the inflammatory response, regulation of the blood brain barrier (BBB), inhibition of apoptosis, and so on. Through these mechanisms, electro-acupuncture may reduce the neural damages associated with stroke. CONCLUSION An awareness of the benefits of acupuncture might lead more patients into accepting acupuncture therapy for the management of patients with ischemic stroke and patients with high risk of ischemic stroke.
Will the changes proposed to the conceptual framework's definitions and recognition criteria provide a better basis for IASB standard setting?

In this paper we evaluate the International Accounting Standards Board's (IASB) efforts, in a discussion paper (DP) of 2013, to develop a new conceptual framework (CF) in the light of its stated ambition to establish a robust and consistent basis for future standard setting, thereby guiding standard setting decisions in complex and controversial areas. We investigate the impact of the definitions and recognition criteria for assets and liabilities in the existing CF and the DP. We conclude that, in areas where standards have diverged from the CF in the past, that is, not consistently applying probability thresholds, the DP supports the existing standards by removing those thresholds. Furthermore, the DP includes the more judgemental criteria of relevance and faithful representation to determine whether an item should be recognised as an asset or liability. This would justify those existing standards which currently do not recognise items that meet the (current and revised) definitions of asset or liability. Altogether, we conclude that the development of IFRSs will continue to be the outcome of professional debate, negotiation, consensus seeking and political influence. We therefore recommend that additional measures should be taken by the IASB to ensure coherence in the development and application of standards after implementation of a new CF.
Growth and planning strategies within women‐led SMEs

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the planning strategies of female entrepreneurs who have indicated a desire to grow their businesses, the time horizons of planning strategies and the relationship between planning horizons and number of employees and annual sales as measures of business performance.Design/methodology/approach – In order to gather data for this exploratory study, a questionnaire was sent by e‐mail to members of networks of female entrepreneurs across England and Wales. Questionnaires were selected for analysis on the basis of an indication from the respondent that they wished to grow their business. Data were entered into SPSS to generate descriptive statistics, and conduct hypothesis testing.Findings – The most preferred business growth strategies were: improving existing products or services and expanding advertising and promotion. Planning horizons are very short (often under three months), although the planning horizons associated with new products and entry into new markets were i.
Exports and Firm Characteristics in German Manufacturing Industries

Germany is one of the leading actors on the world market for manufactured goods, but not every firm from a manufacturing industry in Germany is an exporter. In 2006, the share of exporters in all enterprises was 69 percent in West Germany and 52 percent in East Germany. Reliable information on the characteristics of exporting and non-exporting firms is important to guide theorists and policy makers in an evidence-based way. This paper uses recently released rich, high-quality data for a large representative panel of enterprises from German manufacturing industries to investigate the links between firm characteristics and export activities, demonstrating the decisive role of human capital intensity for exporting. It links these findings to the recent literature from the new new trade theory on international activities of heterogeneous firms, which emphasizes the role of productivity in exporting. It shows that productivity is important for exporting as is hypothesized in the formal theoretical models, but that contrary to the assumption made in these models, productivity is not (only) the result from a random draw from the productivity distribution—it is strongly positively related to human capital intensity.
Inhibitory effects of Indigofera aspalathoides on 20-methylcholanthrene-induced chemical carcinogenesis in rats

Background: The anticancer and antioxidant effects of the aqueous extract of Indigofera aspalathoides on 20-methylcholanthrene (20-MCA) induced fibrosarcoma were investigated in male albino rats. Materials and Methods: The rats were divided into four different groups, each group consisting of six animals. Group I animals were served as normal control, Group II animals were fibrosarcoma-bearing animals after the incubation period, Group III animals were fibrosarcoma-bearing animals, treated with aqueous extract of I. aspalathoides intraperitoneally at a dose of 250 mg/kg b.w. for 30 days and Group IV animals were administered with the aqueous extract of I. aspalathoides alone, at a dose of 250 mg/kg b.w. for 30 days, served as drug control animals. After the experimental period, all the rats were weighed and killed by cervical decapitation. The serum was separated from the blood for analysis. The weights of the liver and the kidneys were noted. The fibrosarcoma was proved by pathological examinations. The liver and kidney tissues were excised and then homogenized in an ice-cold buffer. These tissues were used for biochemical analysis. Results: The activities of antioxidant enzymes, e.g. catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in blood serum, liver, and kidney of control and experimental animals, respectively, have been reported. Conclusion: The present observations suggested that the aqueous extract of I. aspalathoides treatment enhanced the recovery from 20-MCA-induced fibrosarcoma due to its antioxidants and antineoplastic properties.
Teleworking and workplace flexibility: a study of impact on firm performance

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between teleworking adoption, workplace flexibility, and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical survey of a representative sample of 479 small‐ and medium‐sized firms. Data gathered through interviews with company managers using a structured questionnaire. A t‐test used to analyse the mean differences of flexibility dimensions between companies, and a regression analysis used to study the impact of teleworking and other flexible workplace practices on firm performance. Findings – Firm performance is positively related to the use of teleworking, flexitime, contingent work and spatial decentralisation. Teleworking firms use more flexitime, have more employees involved in job design and planning, are more intensively managed by results, and use more variable compensation. The relationship of teleworking and external workplace flexibility is not so conclusive. Measures of external flexibility like subcontracting or contingent work are not associated with teleworking but spatial decentralisation is positively associated. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of this research is the measurement of flexibility at the firm level and the use of cross‐sectional data. To the extent that organisations may obtain functional and numerical flexibility by means of their relations to other organisations in networks, the most appropriate unit of analysis may be the network which it has implications for future longitudinal studies. Practical implications – Flexibility is a source of competitive advantage. Enhancing flexibility may be costly in the short run, but it gets easier over time. Firms become more flexible because their managers emphasise the importance of flexibility and because they practice being flexible. A self‐reinforcing process then begins. The relationships between the different forms of flexibility are important to understand the interaction between the dynamic control capacity of management and the responsiveness of the organisation. Originality/value – The article analyses the relationship between teleworking adoption and other flexibility dimensions.
Fresh Driver for Economic Growth: Fracking the UK Nation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to examine UK shale gas viability. The recent commitment to shale gas exploration in the UK through fracking has given rise to well-publicised economic benefits and environmental concerns. There is potential for shale gas exploration in different parts of the UK over the next couple of decades. As argued in this study, if it does, it would transform the energy market and provide long-term energy security at affordable cost. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews with senior practitioners and local communities were recorded, transcribed and entered into qualitative research software Nvivo. Validity and reliability were achieved by first assessing the plausibility in terms of already existing knowledge on some of the economic and environmental issues raised by participants. Findings – Findings from this study suggest that environmental, health and safety risks can be managed effectively provided operational best practices are implemented and monitored by the Health and Safety Executive; Department of Energy, Climate Change; and the Mineral Planning Authorities. Participants further suggested that the integration of shale gas technology will protect consumers against rising energy prices and ensure that government does not get exposed to long-term geopolitical risks. Practical implications – The present study corroborates the position that environmental, health and safety risks can be managed effectively provided operational best practices are implemented and monitored by the Health and Safety Executive; Department of Energy, Climate Change; and the Mineral Planning Authorities. Social implications – The present study confirms that the government is committed to ensuring that the nation maximises the opportunity that cost-effective shale gas technology presents, not just investment, cheap energy bills and jobs but providing an energy mix that will underpin the UK long-term economic prosperity. Originality/value – The present study corroborates the position that environmental, health and safety risks can be managed effectively provided operational best practices are implemented and monitored by the Health and Safety Executive; Department of Energy, Climate Change; and the Mineral Planning Authorities. As shown in this study, the UK has a very strong regulatory regime compared to USA; therefore, environmental, health and safety risks will be very well managed and unlikely to escalate into the crisis being envisioned.
The diffusion of the Bookstart programme in Taiwan: description, concepts and research design

Service delivery innovations have taken hold in local governments across the globe. Attention is largely focused on innovations in the West. This symposium of the Asian Journal of Public Policy provides evidence from Taiwan and examines an early years education programme called Bookstart. This introductory article presents a framework of competing concepts for the study of innovation diffusion. The framework draws attention to questions of partnership, organizational variables, personnel characteristics, constraints and opportunities in the external environment, knowledge utilization and the consequences of innovation. In conclusion, the common methods used in the studies are laid out and the articles described.