Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Remodeling of the acetabulum after experimental hip joint dislocation--an animal experiment study of the rabbit].

PURPOSE Little is known about the remodeling potential of the acetabulum after dislocation and relocation of the hip joint. Most clinical data rely on radiographic measurements in a clinical setting, with only few singular reports on histologic changes at the time of surgery. This study was undertaken to examine the remodeling potential of the rabbit acetabulum after different length of hip dislocation and to gain insight into the histology of the remodeling process involved. METHOD The right knee joint was immobilized in 28 matched New Zealand white rabbits, causing dislocation of the associated hip joint. Assessment of the joint status was made by serial X-rays in a reproducible standardized way, allowing measurement of the Acetabular Index (AI). The untreated left hip joints served as controls in the histologic sections and also allowed to develop an age matched scale of normal acetabular development for radiographic assessment. Dislocation was unsuccessful in 2 rabbits, 9 animals were sacrificed with the joint dislocated, and in 13 animals a closed reduction was performed and maintained in a Petrie type position for 10 days. Reduction was unsuccessful in 4 cases. The reduced group was sacrificed after 4 to 12 weeks, the point of harvesting being determined by no further change in the serial standardized radiographic measurements of the AI. All surgical procedures were done under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon and followed an approved protocol. RESULTS In the time observed, the normal values of the Acetabular Index drop from 30 degrees to 20 degrees over a time of 3 months. In animals with a dislocated hip the AI increased to 40 degrees, which was completely reversible and reached normal values in 4 weeks, if reposition was done at this time (group A). Later reposition did improve the AI, but compared to normal age matched values, the AI remained elevated (> 30 degrees), demonstrating a residual dysplasia (group B). The histologic sections of the control left joints showed normal hyaline cartilage with physiologic vertical stacking of the cartilage zones. In the dislocated group the vertical stacking was lost, with chondrocytes demonstrating a fibro-cartilaginous metaplasia. There was hypocellularity with loss of nuclear staining. These changes were completely reversed in the group A, but remained in group B. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that an early reduction will not only allow for a normalisation of the radiographic values, but that the histologic changes as they develop during dislocation can completely be reversed. Long standing dislocation will lead to a permanent tissue metaplasia similar to the one seen in compression testing of joint cartilage, therefore loosing the potential for remodeling. Similar processes may occur in the human situation and the findings here underline the necessity for early reduction to allow for a complete remodeling of the hip joint.
Isoflurane enhances spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations in developing rat hippocampal neurons in vitro

Background: During the nervous system development, spontaneous synchronized Ca2+ oscillations are thought to possess integrative properties because their amplitude and frequency can influence the patterning of neuronal connection, neuronal differentiation, axon outgrowth, and long‐distance wiring. Accumulating studies have confirmed that some drugs such as volatile anesthetic isoflurane produced histopathologic changes in the central nervous system in juvenile animal models. Because the hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory, the present work was designed to characterize the Ca2+ oscillations regulated by volatile anesthetic isoflurane in primary cultures of developing hippocampal neurons (5‐day‐cultured).
Corporate Investment under Uncertainty and Pareto Optimality in the Capital Markets

Within the context of a mean-variance equilibrium model of the pricing of capital assets, this paper investigates the allocation of investment in new risky opportunities which results from the collective behavior of firms, each of which attempts to maximize the net increase in its market value. This allocation is then compared to those allocations which (1) maximize nominal social wealth or (2) maximize social welfare. These comparisons are made under a variety of assumptions concerning the nature of the new opportunities, investor attitudes toward risk, and the number and characteristics of firms in the economy. With the exception of certain special cases, it is found that the private allocation of investment does not correspond to that which either maximizes social wealth or maximizes social welfare.
A data transmission method for towed line array

According to the characteristics of the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) with towed line array, puts forward a method of data transmission of towed line array. Introduced the structure of data transmission node of towed line array, and completed the design of the transmitting and receiving node HOT Link controller. Aiming at the UUV using data processing platform is ADSP TS101, the communication protocol of TS101 link port designed using FPGA. This makes the HOT Link received data through data processing of link port transmission to the TS101's processor. It has proved that this method can realize high efficient transmission for towed line array.
Postharvest processes of edible insects in Africa: A review of processing methods, and the implications for nutrition, safety and new products development

ABSTRACT In many African cultures, insects are part of the diet of humans and domesticated animals. Compared to conventional food and feed sources, insects have been associated with a low ecological foot print because fewer natural resources are required for their production. To this end, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognized the role that edible insects can play in improving global food and nutrition security; processing technologies, as well as packaging and storage techniques that improve shelf-life were identified as being crucial. However, knowledge of these aspects in light of nutritional value, safety, and functionality is fragmentary and needs to be consolidated. This review attempts to contribute to this effort by evaluating the available evidence on postharvest processes for edible insects in Africa, with the aim of identifying areas that need research impetus. It further draws attention to potential postharvest technology options for overcoming hurdles associated with utilization of insects for food and feed. A greater research thrust is needed in processing and this can build on traditional knowledge. The focus should be to establish optimal techniques that improve presentation, quality and safety of products, and open possibilities to diversify use of edible insects for other benefits.
PRICING AND HEDGING AMERICAN BARRIER OPTIONS BY A MODIFIED BINOMIAL METHOD

The aim of this work is to present a modification of the standard binomial method which allows to price American barrier options improving the efficiency of the trinomial methods. Our approach is based on a suitable interpolation of binomial values and allows to price and hedge such options also in the critical case of near barriers. All the different types of single barrier options are considered, in the case of knock-in barriers a new implementation of the binomial method is provided.
Magging: Maximin Aggregation for Inhomogeneous Large-Scale Data

Large-scale data analysis poses both statistical and computational problems which need to be addressed simultaneously. A solution is often straightforward if the data are homogeneous: one can use classical ideas of subsampling and mean aggregation to get a computationally efficient solution with acceptable statistical accuracy, where the aggregation step simply averages the results obtained on distinct subsets of the data. However, if the data exhibit inhomogeneities (and typically they do), the same approach will be inadequate, as it will be unduly influenced by effects that are not persistent across all the data due to, for example, outliers or time-varying effects. We show that a tweak to the aggregation step can produce an estimator of effects which are common to all data, and hence interesting for interpretation and often leading to better prediction than pooled effects.
Foreign Manufacturing Investment and Regional Industrial Growth in Guangdong Province, China

In this paper, information from four major studies of Hong Kong's manufacturing investment in China, as well as published statistics concerning foreign investment in Guangdong, and data from a detailed investigation of seven manufacturing firms in Hong Kong are drawn upon in order to detail the locational and sectoral characteristics, the production and linkage attributes, and the regional economic impacts of foreign manufacturing investment in Guangdong Province, China. It is found that, geographically, foreign manufacturing investment clusters in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, with Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, and Shantou as the secondary centers of concentration. Sectorally, investment from Hong Kong is concentrated in the electronics, garment, and textiles industries, whereas investment from other countries is centered in electronics, construction materials, transport equipment, and chemical industries. Foreign manufacturing investment in Guangdong is directed at a diverse array of activities, of which a significant amount involves work that is technologically similar to that conducted in the source countries. These beneficial impacts are attributable primarily to the extensive production decentralization from Hong Kong, the social affinity between Hong Kong and the Zhujiang Delta, the ability of the state to control foreign investment flows, and the entrepreneurship and ingenuity of individual locales in the province. The impacts are especially concentrated in the Shenzhen region. This region, along with the Foshan and Guangzhou regions, is likely to become a major industrial district in Pacific Asia.
Effects of extracellular matrix proteins in chondrocyte‐derived matrices on chondrocyte functions

Loss of cartilaginous phenotype during in vitro expansion culture of chondrocytes is a major barrier to the application of chondrocytes for tissue engineering. In previous study, we showed that dedifferentiation of chondrocytes during the passage culture was delayed by matrices formed by primary chondrocytes (P0‐ECM). In this study, we investigated bovine chondrocyte functions when being cultured on isolated extracellular matrix (ECM) protein‐coated substrata and P0‐ECM. Low chondrocyte attachment was observed on aggrecan‐coated substratum and P0‐ECM. Cell proliferation on aggrecan‐ and type II collagen/aggrecan‐coated substrata and P0‐ECM was lower than that on the other ECM protein (type I collagen and type II collagen)‐coated substrata. When chondrocytes were subcultured on aggrecan‐coated substratum, decline of cartilaginous gene expression was delayed, which was similar to the cells subcultured on P0‐ECM. These results indicate that aggrecan plays an important role in the regulation of chondrocyte functions and P0‐ECM may be a good experimental control for investigating the role of each ECM protein in cartilage ECM. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 29:1331–1336, 2013
Microeconomics of Technical Change: What's a Better Animal Worth?

In their review of research on technical change in agriculture, Peterson and Hayami cite 163 studies. Of the cited studies that present empirical results, virtually all deal with such questions as: (a) What technical changes have occurred? (b) What have been their effects? (c) What forces account for economic growth that has occurred? Also, virtually all of these studies are aggregative. They consider such variables as total expenditures on education, total public expenditures on poultry research, total stock of fixed capital. Study of such retrospective and aggregative questions can help us understand the past and influence the future. But economists can do more to affect future technical changes. In each study cited by Peterson and Hayami, the economist came along after the "technical-change-makers" had done their work, and the economist made his measurements of past effects of changes that had already been made. Economists could work with technical-changemakers to influence the choice of technical changes that will be made in future.
A Study to Develop Methodology for Feeding 24-Hour-Old Neonatal Swine for 3 Weeks

Pediatric evaluations are useful only when the animal model and human neonate have similar timing in system development. The objective of this study was to compare the growth of 24-hour-old swine provided 3 different feeding regimens of a simulated sow milk formula for 3 weeks. Three groups of three swine per sex were used. Group 1 was fed every 4 hours for weeks 1 through 3. Group 2 was fed every 3 hours during week 1 and every 4 hours during weeks 2 and 3. Group 3 (as close to ad libitum as possible) was fed every 2 hours for the first 2 days; every 2.5 hours for the next 2 days; every 3 hours for the next 3 days; and every 4 hours during weeks 2 and 3. No mortality occurred. Body weights were within normal limits. Organ weights, physical and ophthahnologic examinations, hematology and serum chemistry parameters, gross necropsy observations, and microscopic evaluation of the brain, liver, and kidneys were not affected by the three feeding regimens. Day 21 body weight gain of group 3 was greater than that for groups 1 or 2. Mean formula consumption (ounces/day) over 21 days was significantly increased (p <.01) for group 3 (males and combined sexes) compared to the two other groups, supporting the greater weight gain of group 3 versus groups 1 and 2 over the 21-day feeding period. Body weights of the piglets fed simulated sow milk and historical control 21-day-old suckling pigs were within the same range. Only the labor-intensive feeding of simulated sow milk in a regimen close to ad libitum produced maximal weight gain in 24-hour-old piglets during the initial 3 weeks postpartum.
Uma investigação dos determinantes socioeconômicos da depressão mental no Brasil com ênfase nos efeitos da educação

This study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic factors and mental depression emphasizing the educational effect. Analyses for men and women were performed separately, using a 2003 Brazilian Household Survey (PNAD). It was verified that socioeconomic conditions can interfere in the probability of both men and women to develop depressive symptoms. However, the effect of these conditions is larger for women. Finally we concluded that higher education can reduce the risk of depression.
The impact of ERP systems on firm performance: the case of Greek enterprises

There are contradicting results on the effect of enterprise resource planning (ERP) adoption to the profitability of firms. International evidence suggests that ERP systems are one of the important drivers of a firm's successful performance and competitiveness. The objective of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of ERP systems on firm performance of enterprises operating in Greece under economic crisis conditions. Our sample consists of 88 firms ERP adopters and non-adopters comparing their performance with the use of ROA, ROS and ATO metrics for a period of ten years (2001-2011). The findings suggest that the performance of ERP adopters is superior to that of the non-adopters and that there exists a significant relation between firm size and financial health of ERP adopters with respect to ROA, ROS and ATO.
The effects of marital dissolution and re-marriage on fertility in urban Latin America.

The net effect of marital dissolution on societal fertility may be either positive or negative depending on the formation of a new marital union. 8064 women from Buenos Aires Bogota San Jose Mexico City and Caracas were analyzed according to data from a series of surveys by CELADE in 1964-5. Using dates of marriage and of dissolution of marriage the womens histories of time spent in and out of marriage were constructed. Time since first marriage was divided into 5-year intervals and a weight assigned to each interval based on the conceptions of live-born children occurring during that interval in that city. The literacy and economic levels were highest in Buenos Aires and San Jose. Consenuality in marriage is highest in Caracas and lowest in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is a low-fertility city with a mean completed family size of under 3 children; the average completed family sizes in the other 4 cities were 4-6. In societies where higher-order marriages are common the desire for children in each marriage may be a more important pronatalist stimulus in fertility than in cities where multiple unions are not as common e.g. Barbados or Guayaguil. Women in Buenos Aires who were married more than once have fewer children than their counterparts in other cities. Rising socioeconomic level is associated with decreased fertility importance of reproductive time lost as a deterrent to fertility and potential for individual variation.
Issues in development of space-based solar power

Space-Based Solar Power-SBSP) is a concept that has considerable potential to provide clean renewable energy. Increased population coupled with reduced natural resources represent a challenge to national and world security. The SBSP concept is to collect energy from the Sun in Earth orbit. The electrical energy is converted to microwave frequency for transmission to the surface of the Earth. There it is converted back in to electricity for use. Possible usages are base-load power, fuel conversion or direct delivery to consumers in isolated locations. The available potential of solar energy is greater than energy in petroleum reserves. The primary issue is defining the path to development of SBSP capability.
College mergers: lessons to be learned from other sectors

Abstract High profile mergers involving further education colleges have become a feature of post-16 education in England since the mid-1990s. Senior staff with little, if any, previous experience of the process have implemented most mergers and they are unlikely to repeat it. This article reviews merger activity in the further education sector since incorporation in 1993, considers the motives for mergers and discusses the process that colleges go through. I argue that, despite the very high cost of mergers in economic, curriculum and human terms, there is, outside the strictly financial, little systematic planning and evaluation. This is largely attributable to the Government's over-riding economic priorities and a lack of merger experience on the part of key players, such as college principals. I conclude that there is an absence of well-founded evidence about college mergers, and that those who are about to embark on a merger need to learn lessons from other sectors about the planning and implementation of the process. For example, possible cost savings should be systematically identified and monitored, rather than simply being asserted, clear time-bound objectives, for example, about curriculum change, should be set and post-merger evaluation undertaken. College mergers are changing because of the increasingly strategic role being played by the Learning and Skills Council. However, amongst LSC officers, there is also a lack of merger experience, which in many cases is only added to by an equal lack of experience of FE colleges. Therefore, there is a continuing and perhaps greater, need for those involved in college mergers to learn lessons from other sectors.
Application of Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy to Radiation Biology

Optical imaging and spectroscopy is a diverse field that has been of critical importance in a wide range of areas in radiation research. It is capable of spanning a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, and has the sensitivity and specificity needed for molecular and functional imaging. This review will describe the basic principles of optical imaging and spectroscopy, highlighting a few relevant applications to radiation research.
Aspects of the Swiss Labor Market

This paper presents an analysis of the behavior of the Swiss labor market, which emphasizes both changes to labor supply and real wage inflexibility as determinants of recent unusually high levels of unemployment. Supply responses in the past meant that measured unemployment rates were rarely high. The paper suggests that these responses also meant that real wages were probably less responsive to shocks as a result. Econometric tests reported in the paper broadly confirm these suggestions, and imply that the level of unemployment consistent with stable inflation has risen in Switzerland.
A 1.2-V 8.3-nJ CMOS Humidity Sensor for RFID Applications

This paper presents a fully integrated CMOS humidity sensor for a smart RFID sensor platform. The sensing element is a CMOS-compatible capacitive humidity sensor, which consists of top-metal finger-structure electrodes covered by a humidity-sensitive polyimide layer. Its humidity-sensitive capacitance is digitized by an energy-efficient capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) based on a third-order delta-sigma modulator. This CDC employs current-efficient operational transconductance amplifiers based on current-starved cascoded inverters, whose limited output swing is accommodated by employing a feedforward loop-filter topology. A programmable offset capacitor is included to remove the sensor's baseline capacitance and thus reduce the required dynamic range. To reduce offset errors due to charge injection of the switches, the entire system is auto-zeroed. The proposed humidity sensor has been realized in a 0.16- μm CMOS technology. Measurement results show that the CDC performs a 12.5-bit capacitance-to-digital conversion in a measurement time of 0.8 ms, while consuming only 8.6 μA from a 1.2-V supply. This corresponds to a state-of-the-art figure-of-merit of 1.4 pJ/conversion-step. Combined with the co-integrated humidity sensing element, it provides a resolution of 0.05% RH in the range from 30% RH to 100% RH while consuming only 8.3 nJ per measurement, which is an order-of-magnitude less energy than the state-of-the-art.
Changing patterns of pericardial disease in patients with end‐stage renal disease

Pericarditis can occur in patients with chronic renal failure before initiation of dialysis. It is also described in established dialysis patients. Traditionally, the cause of pericarditis in such settings has been attributed to uremia and/or inadequate dialysis and it is consequently thought that intensifying the dialysis process in such patients could improve outcome. We report here 7 cases of acute pericarditis in patients with end‐stage renal disease on renal replacement therapy. Only 3 of the patients gave any history of chest pain, and a pericardial friction rub was only noted in 2. Despite a period of intensive dialysis, none of the patients improved and all required pericardial drainage as the definitive curative procedure. The clinical presentation of acute pericarditis in dialysis patients therefore may be atypical and pericardial drainage should be considered early, as intensive dialysis alone may not lead to resolution.