Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Gallium on Growth of Streptococcus mutans NCTC 10449 and Dental Tissues

Gallium-doped phosphate-based glasses (Ga-PBG) were assessed for their impact on Streptococcus mutans and dental mineralisation, firstly by disc diffusion assays followed by biofilms grown on nitrocellulose filter membrane (NFM) and constant-depth film fermentor (CDFF). Short-time exposure (10 min) effects of Ga-PBG on S. mutans biofilm were compared with that of 0.2% chlorhexidine. The effects of Ga-PBG on bovine enamel (which was investigated under pH-cycling condition) and dentine were analysed using transverse microradiography (TMR), profilometry and inductively coupled plasma optical-emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The disc diffusion assays showed inhibition zones of 24.5 ± 0.5 mm for Ga-PBG compared with controls (C-PBG). Ga-PBG showed statistically significant growth inhibition of S. mutans biofilms on NFM (p = 0.001) and CDFF (p < 0.046) compared with hydroxyapatite (HA) and C-PBG. The CDFF assay revealed a maximum of 2.11 log colony-forming unit (CFU) reduction at 48 h, but short-time exposure effects were comparable with that of 0.2% chlorhexidine only on older biofilms (maximum of 0.59 vs. 0.69 log CFU reduction at 120 h). TMR analyses of the enamel revealed non-significant mineral loss (p = 0.37) only in the case of Ga-PBG samples compared with controls including sodium fluoride. ICP-OES analyses indicated transient gallium adsorption into dentine by calcium displacement. The results confirmed that gallium inhibited S. mutans growth and appears to have the potential to protect the enamel surface under conditions representative of the oral environment. Further work is needed to establish whether it has an application in daily oral hygiene procedures to prevent or reduce caries.
Beyond Organizational Change: Structure, Discourse and Power in UK Financial Services

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION The Social Approach to Organizational Change PART TWO: THE ORGANIZATIONAL FIELD OF UK FINANCIAL SERVICES Money, Financial Institutions and the Social Order National and International Money: Restructuring British Financial Institutions PART THREE: CHANGING DISCOURSES: PROCESS AND OUTCOMES Introducing Strategic Discourse Strategy Discourse and Financial Services: Enter the Management Consultants and IT Marketing Discourse: its Emergence and Contradictions Changing Work Experiences and Practices: from Black Coats to Service Smiles PART FOUR: THE EMERGING ORGANIZATIONAL FIELD Transformation and Change in Financial Services Conclusion References Index
The role of geographic distance in completing related acquisitions: Evidence from U.S. chemical manufacturers

Acquisitions often do not reach completion when buyers' initial evaluations change during post-announcement due diligence investigations, but research offers only limited explanations for when such deal-cancelling new information will be most common. Drawing from the spatial geography and acquisition strategy literatures, we argue that successful completion of acquisitions can be partially explained by their spatial characteristics. We start by predicting that geographic distance has a particularly strong impact in reducing the likelihood of completing related acquisitions; we then identify contingencies based on multiple forms of direct, contextual, and vicarious experience that can help acquirers overcome the constraints of distance. We test the arguments with a sample of 1,603 domestic acquisitions announced by 724 U.S. chemical manufacturing firms between 1980 and 2004.
A multidisciplinary approach to hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND A multidisciplinary approach has been developed to evaluate and treat patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). STUDY DESIGN We evaluated 153 patients with cirrhosis and HCC. Fourteen patients with Child's A cirrhosis underwent resection. Transplantation was performed in 40 patients with HCC less than 5 cm (32 incidental, eight recognized preoperatively), in six patients with HCC 5 cm or greater not recognized preoperatively, and in 11 patients with recognized HCC 5 cm or greater; the latter 11 underwent transplantation in a multimodality protocol using pretransplant chemoembolization and intraoperative and postoperative chemotherapy. RESULTS Among the 14 patients who underwent resection, the three-year survival rate was 39 percent. Among the 40 patients with HCC less than 5 cm who underwent transplantation, no tumor recurrence was observed. Among the six with HCC 5 cm or greater unrecognized preoperatively, three had tumor recurrence. Among the 11 with HCC 5 cm or greater enrolled in the protocol, there were no deaths and one recurrence at a mean of 433 days follow-up. The four-year survival rate for all patients who underwent transplantation with HCC was 56 percent (66 percent excluding the six patients with unrecognized HCC 5 cm or larger). CONCLUSIONS Hepatocellular carcinoma less than 5 cm in patients with cirrhosis (Child's B or C) is an indication for hepatic transplantation. Hepatocellular carcinoma less than 5 cm in patients with cirrhosis (Child's A), although resectable, may in some cases be better treated by hepatic transplantation. Transplantation for HCC 5 cm or greater within a multimodality protocol has yielded excellent results at two years.
TRAVEL FOR FOOD SHOPPING: THE NEW DOCTRINE AND SOME ALTERNATIVES

This paper reports specifically on an investigation of food retailing. It argues controversially that locational change is unlikely to result in significant traffic reductions, and that a recent recommendation for promoting this change, namely by providing greater town centre parking capacity for shoppers at the expense of commuters, could have severe deleterious effects. These conclusions are derived from a detailed analysis of how far people travel for food shopping, how frequently they shop, what mode of transport they travel by, and whether they combine food shopping with other activities. This aims to provide an understanding of the overall traffic impacts of different sites. This paper will also outline some preliminary investigation into different ways of organising food shopping which might complement locational policies, or perhaps provide better alternatives. The possibilities offered by both delivery systems and neighbourhood shops are explored, using case study examples, in an attempt to analyse how policy could be made more sustainable in the long term. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 877018.
Export problems experienced by high‐ and low‐performing manufacturing companies: A comparative study

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the perception of export problems differentiating high‐performing export manufacturing companies from low‐performing ones in the context of two developing countries: Turkey and Lebanon. , – The paper focuses on the above objectives and aims at shedding light on them by testing some hypotheses. A structured questionnaire was applied to 144 Turkish companies and 71 Lebanese companies through the mail. The response rate was 20 percent for the Turkish sample and 23 percent for the Lebanese. , – Some differences were identified between high‐ and low‐performing Turkish and Lebanese manufacturing companies regarding the perception of export problems. The differences were grouped and discussed under internal and external export problems. Highlighted effects of such internal export problems were insufficient production capacity, packaging, and exporting being difficult and costly; and external problems were the imposition of high‐tariff/non‐tariff barriers by foreign countries. , – Whilst some of the literature has focused on company export barriers, there is a lack of studies investigating the effects of those problems on export performance, especially in developing countries. It is hoped that the paper's findings will help managers and policy makers to improve company and, thereby, country performance.
Interstitial cells of Cajal, enteric nerves, and glial cells in colonic diverticular disease

Background: Colonic diverticular disease (diverticulosis) is a common disorder in Western countries. Although its pathogenesis is probably multifactorial, motor abnormalities of the large bowel are thought to play an important role. However, little is known about the basic mechanism that may underlie abnormal colon motility in diverticulosis. Aims: To investigate the interstitial cells of Cajal (the gut pacemaker cells), together with myenteric and submucosal ganglion and glial cells, in patients with diverticulosis. Patients: Full thickness colonic samples were obtained from 39 patients undergoing surgery for diverticulosis. Specimens from tumour free areas of the colon in 10 age matched subjects undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer served as controls. Methods: Interstitial cells of Cajal were assessed using anti-Kit antibodies; submucosal and myenteric plexus neurones and glial cells were assessed by means of anti-PGP 9.5 and anti-S-100 monoclonal antibodies, respectively. Results: Patients with diverticulosis had normal numbers of myenteric and submucosal plexus neurones compared with controls (p = 0.103 and p = 0.516, respectively). All subtypes of interstitial cells of Cajal were significantly (p = 0.0003) reduced compared with controls, as were glial cells (p = 0.0041). Conclusions: Interstitial cells of Cajal and glial cells are decreased in colonic diverticular disease, whereas enteric neurones appear to be normally represented. This finding might explain some of the large bowel motor abnormalities reported to occur in this condition.
A Novel Transconductor with High Linearity

A novel transconductor based on folded cascode local feedback loop to provide low resistance nodes around source degeneration resistor is presented. The proposed transconductor achieves high linearity and shows less sensitive to channel length modulation and mismatch than traditional topology. This design uses UMC 0.18 um CMOS process. Simulation result shows the proposed transconductor operates in 1.8 V supply voltage and has a total harmonic distortions (THD) of lower than -80 dB with 10 MHz 1.2 Vp-p different input. The power consumption is 1.6 mW.
Disease-Specific Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Hematologic Malignancies

Prior to diagnosis, patients with haematological cancers often have multiple primary care consultations, resulting in Diagnostic Delay. They are less likely to be referred urgently to hospital and often present as emergencies. Howell et al. [1] examined patient perspectives of time to help-seeking and diagnosis, as well as associated symptoms and experiences using the following method; The UK’s Haematological Malignancy Research Network (www.hmrn.org) routinely collects data on all patients newly diagnosed with myeloma, lymphoma and leukaemia (>2000 annually; population 3.6 million). With clinical agreement, patients are also invited to participate in an on-going survey about the circumstances leading to their diagnosis (presence/ absence of symptoms; type of symptom(s) and date(s) of onset; date medical advice first sought (help-seeking); summary of important experiences in the time before diagnosis). From 20042011, 8858 patients were approached and 5038 agreed they could be contacted for research purposes; 3329 requested and returned a completed questionnaire.
Availability of Caregiver Support Services

Abstract This study examines the scope and range of existing resources for family caregivers from the perspective of the Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), which are charged with implementing Title III-E of the reauthorized Older Americans Act. California is used as a case example because of its substantial experience in providing caregiver support services. In particular, we examine the extent and adequacy of resources available in California corresponding to each of the five Title III-E service areas, utilizing data from AAA Area Plans, a follow-up survey of AAAs, and an Internet search. AAAs identified more than 276 providers of caregiver support services, and our Internet search identified another 195. Nearly two-thirds of these programs offer access to respite care, while other support services (e.g., counseling, training, support groups) are less often available. Service gaps most frequently identified included culturally and linguistically appropriate caregiver services, transportation, respite care, financial assistance, and services in rural areas. These findings suggest the need for enhanced efforts to improve the service network for supporting family caregivers, as states implement the National Family Caregiver Support Program.
Binarization of Color Character Strings in Scene Images Using K-Means Clustering and Support Vector Machines

This paper addresses the problem of binalizing multicolored character strings in scene images subject to heavy image degradations and complex backgrounds. The proposed method consists of four steps. The first step generates tentatively binarized images via every dichotomization of K clusters obtained by K-means clustering of constituent pixels of a given image in the HSI color space. The total number of tentatively binarized images equals 2^K-2. The second step divides each binarized image into a sequence of "single-character-like" images using an average aspect ratio of a character. The third step is use of support vector machines (SVM) to determine whether each "single-character-like" image represents a character or non-character. We feed the SVM with the mesh feature to output the degree of "character-likeness. " The fourth step selects a single binarized image with the maximum average of "character-likeness" as an optimal binarization result. Experiments using a total of 1000 character strings extracted from the ICDAR 2003 robust word recognition dataset show that the proposed method achieves a correct binarization rate of 80.8%.
Cytoarchitecture of the entorhinal cortex in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether schizophrenia is associated with abnormalities in neuronal migration in the entorhinal cortex. METHOD Nissl-stained sections through three cytoarchitectonic subdivisions of the entorhinal cortex were examined in postmortem brain specimens from 10 schizophrenic subjects and 10 matched normal comparison subjects. RESULTS No qualitative differences in cytoarchitecture were observed between the schizophrenic and comparison subjects. CONCLUSIONS These findings do not replicate previous reports of cytoarchitectural disturbances in the entorhinal cortex of schizophrenic subjects and thus fail to support the hypothesis of abnormal neuronal migration in schizophrenia.
Angebotsformen und Trägerstrukturen sozialer Dienste im europäischen Vergleich

Social services are a relatively new field of comparative welfare state research. Though comparative studies on the whole area of social services are still rare, good studies and data are available on services for elderly people and children. In almost all European countries services for the elderly are an established part of the welfare state. Countries have developed similar policies in meeting rising demands: diversification of services, investment in home-help services or privatization etc. Still, service provision and organization largely vary between countries. Child-care services are not in all countries regarded as public responsibility. There are big variations between countries with respect to services for children below three years, variations are smaller for children between three and six years. Increasing service provision has gone hand in hand with a pluralization of provider structures. In historical perspective, non-profit organizations often were pioneers in developing social services. In countries like Germany, Belgium and France non-profit organizations have become partners in public social service systems, in others like England, they are not as much integrated in public systems and often fulfil complementary functions in providing services for groups with special risks. In Scandinavian countries, where public services dominate, non-profit organizations have mainly advocacy functions. In recent years in some countries we observe a growing share of commercial service providers. The analysis of supply and provider structures reveals four distinct European social service systems: Scandinavia with highly developed public service systems, Southern Europe with low-developed services, a liberal type with a basic provision structure and a conservative type characterized by an institutionalized contribution of non-profit organizations to social service delivery
A solid organising cryptogenic liver abscess and its association with a colonic tubullovillous adenoma

Cryptogenic liver abscess (CLA) is a well-known disease entity that has puzzled clinicians for centuries. With the advancement of diagnostic modalities, comes the decreasing incidence of liver abscess labelled as ‘cryptogenic’ in nature. Colonic diseases have been identified as a possible underlying condition found in patients with liver abscesses. Although rare, tubullovillous adenomas have been implicated as one of the colonic causes of a CLA. We present a case of a CLA in a 53-year-old man with a potentially associated tubullovillous adenoma found via colonoscopy.
Sunlight and the 5-year incidence of early age-related maculopathy: the beaver dam eye study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relation of sunlight exposure and indicators of sun sensitivity with the 5-year incidence of early age-related maculopathy (ARM). DESIGN Longitudinal, population-based study. Participants (aged 43-86 years at baseline) in the Beaver Dam Eye Study were reexamined from 1993 to 1995, 5 years after the baseline examination. Questionnaire data about sunlight exposure and sun sensitivity were obtained at baseline. Additional information about earlier life patterns of exposure was ascertained at follow-up. Stereoscopic color fundus photographs were graded to determine the presence of ARM at the 5-year follow-up in eyes free from signs of early ARM at the baseline examination. RESULTS Leisure time spent outdoors while persons were teenagers (aged 13-19 years) and in their 30s (aged 30-39 years) was significantly associated with the risk of early ARM (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-3.65). There was a slight, but nonsignificant, protective effect associated with use of hats and sunglasses while persons were teenagers and in their 30s (odds ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.50-1.03). People with red or blond hair were slightly more likely to develop early ARM than people with darker hair (odds ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.83). There were no associations between estimated ambient UV-B exposure or markers of sun sensitivity and the incidence of early ARM. CONCLUSION Exposure to sunlight may be associated with the development of early ARM.
The Influence of Cobalt and Sugars upon the Elongation of Etiolated Pea Stem Segments.

were grown. Misc. Pub. 369. U. S. Dept. Agr. 1941. 2. HOLMES, R. S. Determination of total copper, zinc, cobalt and lead in soils and soil solutions. Soil Sci. 59: 77-84. 1945. 3. SCOTT, C. E. and BASKETT, R. S. California reports some annual crops show zinc lacking. What's New in Crops and Soils 1: 34. 1949. 4. SOMMER, ANNA L. Further evidence of the indispensable nature of zinc for higher plants. Plant Physiol. 3: 217-221. 1928. 5. TOWNSEND, G. R. Zinc sulphate sprays for vegetable crops. Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Press Bull. 488. 1936. 6. VIETS, FRANK G. , JR. Zinc deficiency of corn and beans on newly irrigated soils in central Washington. Agron. Jour. 43: 150-151. 1951. 7. VIETS, FRANK G. , JR. Control of zinc deficiency in field beans with zinc sulphate sprays. Wash. Agr. Exp. Sta. Cir. 143. 1951.
Effect of different total ionizing dose sources on charge loss from programmed floating gate cells

We irradiated programmed Floating Gate (FG) memory arrays with different radiation sources, including 10 keV X-rays, /sup 60/Co /spl gamma/-rays, and 27 MeV protons. After irradiation, FGs experience a net charge loss which can degrade the stored information in terms of MOSFET threshold voltage. The charge loss is the result of two different phenomena: charge generation/recombination in the oxides and photoemission from the FG. The threshold voltage shift in irradiated devices depends on the radiation source: strong dose enhancement phenomena were found after X-ray irradiation, whereas proton results closely follow /spl gamma/-ray results.
Identification and Characterization of Novel Bone Marrow Myeloid DEC205+Gr-1+ Cell Subsets That Differentially Express Chemokine and TLRs

Bone marrow-derived immunomodulatory cytokines impart a critical function in the regulation of innate immune responses and hemopoiesis. However, the source of immunomodulatory cytokines in murine bone marrow and the cellular immune mechanisms that control local cytokine secretion remain poorly defined. Herein, we identified a population of resident murine bone marrow myeloid DEC205+CD11c−B220−Gr1+CD8α−CD11b+ cells that respond to TLR2, TLR4, TLR7, TLR8, and TLR9 agonists as measured by the secretion of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in vitro. Phenotypic and functional analyses revealed that DEC205+CD11b+Gr-1+ bone marrow cells consist of heterogeneous populations of myeloid cells that can be divided into two main cell subsets based on chemokine and TLR gene expression profile. The DEC205+CD11b+Gr-1low cell subset expresses high levels of TLR7 and TLR9 and was the predominant source of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-12 p70 production following stimulation with the TLR7 and TLR9 agonists CpG and R848, respectively. In contrast, the DEC205+CD11b+Gr-1high cell subset did not respond to CpG and R848 stimulation, which correlated with their lack of TLR7 and TLR9 expression. Similarly, a differential chemokine receptor expression profile was observed with higher expression of CCR1 and CXCR2 found in the DEC205+CD11+Gr-1high cell subset. Thus, we identified a previously uncharacterized population of resident bone marrow cells that may be implicated in the regulation of local immune responses in the bone marrow.
Human motor associative plasticity induced by paired bihemispheric stimulation

Paired associative stimulation (PAS) is an effective non‐invasive method to induce human motor plasticity by the repetitive pairing of peripheral nerve stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the primary motor cortex (M1) with a specific time interval. Although the repetitive pairing of two types of afferent stimulation might be a biological basis of neural plasticity and memory, other types of paired stimulation of the human brain have rarely been studied. We hypothesized that the repetitive pairing of TMS and interhemispheric cortico‐cortical projection or paired bihemispheric stimulation (PBS), in which the right and left M1 were serially stimulated with a time interval of 15 ms, would produce an associative long‐term potentiation (LTP)‐like effect. In this study, 23 right‐handed healthy volunteers were subjected to a 0.1 Hz repetition of 180 pairings of bihemispheric TMS, and physiological and behavioural measures of the motor system were compared before, immediately after, 20 min after and 40 min after PBS intervention. The amplitude of the motor evoked potential (MEP) induced by the left M1 stimulation and its input–output function increased for up to ∼20 min post‐PBS. Fine finger movements were also facilitated by PBS. Spinal excitability measured by the H‐reflex was insensitive to PBS, suggesting a cortical mechanism. The associative LTP‐like effect induced by PBS was timing dependent, occurring only when the interstimulus interval was 5–25 ms. These findings demonstrate that using PBS in PAS can induce motor cortical plasticity, and this approach might be applicable to the rehabilitation of patients with motor disorders.