Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diffusion of organisational innovation: knowledge transfer through social networks

This paper discusses the linkages between Social Network Theory (Granovetter, 1973) and Organisational Knowledge Theory (Polanyi, 1966; Nonaka, 1994; Nonaka et al., 2001) as it relates to the diffusion of organisational innovation within large organisations. The focus is on examining these theoretical interrelationships in three case studies, delving into major change projects in three large telecommunications firms. The findings indicate that weak ties are vital when the focus is on explicit knowledge, while strong ties are vital when the focus is on tacit knowledge. Further, a model is posed to expand this theoretical interrelationship to include a third dimension: the knowledge source.
OBSERVATIONS ON REMYELINATION IN THE RABBIT SPINAL CORD FOLLOWING DEMYELINATION INDUCED BY LYSOLECITHIN

The extent and type of remyelination that occurred following demyelination induced by intraspinal injection of small volumes of lysolecithin was examined in 24 rabbits. Unlike the rat and cat following this procedure remyelination is not complete even after 6 months' survival and little Schwann cell invasion occurs. The cellular environment around remyelinated and persistently demyelinated axons differed. Remyelination was associated with a good astrocytic presence and removal of myelin debris, while persistently demyelinated axons were surrounded by myelin debris and a poor astrocytic presence. It was concluded that the environment around the demyelinated axon influences oligodendrocyte remyelination.
Permeability changes induced by L‐glutamate at the crayfish neuromuscular junction.

Two different methods are described which allow the reversal potential (Er) for the channels opened by L‐glutamate at the voltage‐clamped, crayfish neuromuscular junction to be measured accurately. In both cases the value of Er was found to be about +6 mV. Reversal potentials were also measured in solutions where Na+ was replaced by K+, Ca2+, or Mg2+; or in which Cl‐ was replaced by isethionate. In solutions where Na+ was partially replaced by K+, the measured reversal potentials were compared to theoretical values predicted by both the constant‐field and equivalent‐circuit equations. The experimental values were more accurately described by the constant‐field equation. Permeability ratios (PX/PNa) for K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cl‐ were calculated using the constant‐field equation. K+ and Na+ were equally permeant while Ca2+ and Mg2+ were about half as permeant as the monovalent cations. Cl‐ was impermeant. The results of these experiments indicate that the L‐glutamate activated channel is non‐selective for cations. Furthermore, the value of the permeability ratios for the physiological cations tested are very similar to those obtained for the acetylcholine activated channel in vertebrate skeletal muscle.
Correlation between an absence of cervical gland area on transvaginal sonography and cervical mucus hyaluronic acid levels in women with threatened preterm delivery

Abstract Purpose: Transvaginal sonographic findings of an absent cervical gland area (CGA) and a short cervical length (CL) are frequently observed in patients with threatened preterm delivery. The present study aimed to clarify whether sonographic findings are due to active production of hyaluronic acid (HA) in the cervix. Methods: Possible relationships between sonographic findings of the presence or absence of the CGA and/or a short CL and cervical mucus HA concentration were investigated in 68 women with threatened preterm delivery at 22–31 weeks’ gestation and 136 women without threatened preterm delivery as controls. Results: HA levels were higher in women with threatened preterm delivery (68.0 ng/mL) than in controls (39.0 ng/mL; P=0.001). Similarly, HA levels were higher in women with preterm labor showing an absent CGA and a short CL than in women with threatened preterm delivery without such findings (P<0.01). Stepwise multivariate logistic regression identified an absent CGA and threatened preterm delivery as independent predictors of high HA levels (P=0.04). HA concentration was not predictive for preterm delivery. Conclusion: A sonographic finding of an absent CGA reflects high HA levels in the cervix with threatened preterm delivery.
Role of Electrophysiological Studies in Diabetic Neuropathy

Abstract: Electrophysiological studies are a reproducible and noninvasive method of assessing peripheral nerve function. The sensitivity of these methods has been validated in population-based and clinical studies, and the variability of test results is typically lower than with other noninvasive tests of nerve function. It has been recommended that standardized procedures including temperature control and equipment calibration be utilized with electrophysiological testing. The failure to detect significant changes in nerve conduction studies from clinical studies may be due to poor standardization of technique and inadequate sample size to detect differences. Baseline results from a multicenter, randomized trial indicate that different electrophysiological measures are highly correlated and reproducible. This and future studies that incorporate standardized techniques and an adequate sample size should be able to detect significant differences between treatments and identify effective therapeutic interventions for diabetic neuropathy.
Stiffness control of magnetic suspension by local current feedback

A control method of adjusting the stiffness of suspension is proposed for magnetic suspension systems whose bias flux is provided by permanent magnets. In such magnetic suspension systems, zero-power control has often been applied. Since the zero-power magnetic suspension system behaves as if it has negative stiffness, it has been applied to vibration isolation system. However, the amplitude of negative stiffness cannot be adjusted. It is one of the obstacles to the industrialization of the vibration isolation system. In this paper, a proportional feedback is incorporated into the minor current feedback loop of the zero-power controller. It is shown that the stiffness can be adjusted by the gain of the added current feedback. The characteristics of the designed control system are studied both analytically and experimentally. In addition, the controller is modified to switch the stiffness from negative to positive when excessive disturbance acts on the suspended object. This function is achieved with a saturation element added to the integrator of the minor current loop. It is demonstrated experimentally that the modified controller enlarges the operation range of the suspension system.
Symposium on antimicrobial therapy. VII. The fluoroquinolones.

The fluoroquinolones represent an important addition to the antimicrobial armamentarium. They are, however, commonly overused. It is estimated that in 1989, ciprofloxacin was prescribed for 1 in every 44 Americans. This observation demonstrates not only the overusage, but the economic incentive for development of additional fluoroquinolones. In some situations, oral fluoroquinolone therapy can reduce costs by eliminating the need for parenteral therapy and reducing the need for or the duration of hospitalization. In most situations where oral antimicrobial agents are being considered, however, the fluoroquinolones are among the most expensive alternatives. In addition to concerns about cost factors, it is important to reiterate concern that widespread overuse of these agents will promote the development of microbial resistance and ultimately limit their usefulness. The clinical usefulness of the fluoroquinolones is summarized in Table 4. As can be seen, the fluoroquinolones are the "possibly preferred agent" in very few infections: complicated urinary tract infections due to Gram-negative bacilli resistant to other oral antimicrobial agents, severe bacterial gastroenteritis, exacerbations of lower respiratory tract infection in patients with cystic fibrosis, osteomyelitis due to Gram-negative bacilli sensitive to the fluoroquinolones, and invasive external otitis. They are alternative agents in a number of other infections when sensitive Gram-negative bacilli are the identified pathogens. A considerable literature exists on using these agents in these and other circumstances, but one must remain wary of limited reports of efficacy in comparison to known efficacy of established and less expensive agents. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Vagal relaxation of the stomach. Experimental re-investigation of the concept of the transmission mechanism.

Martinson, J. Vagal relaxation of the stomach. Experimental re-investigation of the concept of the transmission mechanism. Acta physiol. scand. 1965. 64. 453–462. – The vagus nerves contain efferent fibres capable of relaxing the corpus and fundus of the stomach. In experiments on cats this atropine-resistant effect has been shown to differ in several respects from relaxation elicited by sympathetic stimulation or infusion of catecholamines. The vagal responses are more potent, their latency is shorter, and maximum response is attained at definitely lower frequencies. The responses to sympathetic stimulation wears off much more rapidly after the end of stimulation than does vagally induced gastric relaxation. Finally, the sympathetic or catecholamine gastric responses are more or less completely blocked by guanethidine or nethalide, which have hardly any effect on the vagal relaxation of the stomach. Hexamethonium inhibits vagal relaxation, and seems to be potentiated by atropine. It is concluded that the relaxation of the stomach on excitation of“high-threshold” efferent vagal nerve fibres is mediated via preganglionic vagal fibres, which do not exert their effect by any adrenergic mechanism. It is still not possible to say what peripheral mechanism is actually responsible for this long-lasting gastric relaxation.
Essential Oil from Ocimum basilicum (Omani Basil): A Desert Crop

The focus of the present study was on the influence of season on yield, chemical composition, antioxidant and antifungal activities of Omani basil (Ocimum basilicum) oil. The present study involved only one of the eight Omani basil varieties. The hydro-distilled essential oil yields were computed to be 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.1% in the winter, spring and summer seasons, respectively. The major components identified were L- linalool (26.5 - 56.3%), geraniol (12.1 - 16.5%), 1,8-cineole (2.5 - 15.1%), ρ-allylanisole (0.2 - 13.8%) and DL-limonene (0.2 -10.4%). A noteworthy extra component was β- farnesene, which was exclusively detected in the oil extracted during winter and spring at 6.3% and 5.8%, respectively. The essential oil composition over the different seasons was quite idiosyncratic, in which the principal components of one season were either trivial or totally absent in another. The essential oil extracted in spring exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (except DPPH scavenging ability) in comparison with the oils from other seasons. The basil oil was tested against pathogenic fungi viz. Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, Penicillium italicum and Rhizopus stolonifer using a disc diffusion method, and by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration. Surprisingly high antifungal values were found highlighting the potential of Omani basil as a preservative in the food and medical industries.
Correlation of habitat, environment and color of chiggers, and their potential significance in the epidemiology of scrub typhus in Malaya (Prostigmata: Trombiculidae).

Mites of the family Trombiculidae are parasitic only in the larval stage. The post-larval stages, i.e., the nymph and adult, are non-parasitic. Only certain species transmit the agent of scrub typhus to man. From the viewpoint of epidemiology the critical phase in the life history of a trombiculid mite is the unfed state of the larva, prior to attachment to a host, which could be either a bird, reptile, or mammal, including man. Inasmuch as trombiculid mites to a great extent are habitat-specific, knowledge of the resting places of the unfed larvae contributes towards a better understanding of the biotope of the various species of chiggers. On the basis of (a) the color of the unfed larval mite; (b) association of the mite with habitat; and (c) its association with favored hosts, the 146 species of Malayan chiggers are separated into 7 ecological groups. Those which affect man, and other species that have better opportunities of coming in contact with him, occur in Group I. These species are ground-surface dwellers and occur on a broad range of birds and mammals. All the 25 species in this group are pale orange to red. The remaining species, which have a limited host range, occur in 6 other ecological groups. Almost 60% of the Malayan species (Group II) are either known to be ground-hole dwellers or are believed to be so. These are white to yellow. Ecological Groups III to VII essentially show closer relationship With their hosts, perhaps because of concurrent habitat-specificity of host and parasite. It is postulated that Groups II to VII have less or no opportunities of coming in contact with man and some explanation is given for this.
Trypanosoma cruzi-induced immunosuppression: blockade of costimulatory T-cell responses in infected hosts due to defective T-cell receptor-CD3 functioning

A model of experimental Trypanosoma cruzi murine infection with chemically induced metacyclic forms (opossum clone Dm28c) showed a marked state of T-cell unresponsiveness during acute phase, but lacked evidence of suppressor cell activity. Spleen cells from infected mice were suppressed in vitro in responses to T-cell activators concanavalin A, anti-Thy1 monoclonal antibody (MAb), and anti-CD3 MAb compared with spleen cells from control littermates. Activation with accessory cell-independent stimulus provided by immobilized anti-CD3 was defective in splenic CD4-positive T cells from infected mice, but not in such cells from control mice. No evidence of splenic suppressor cell activity was found in cell-mixing experiments using nylon-passed T cells from control and infected donors. Kinetic experiments showed that there was a discrete stage in infection when T cells were already suppressed in response to anti-CD3 but still responded to anti-CD69 MAb. In these T cells, immobilized anti-CD3 failed to enhance simultaneous CD69 responses, although anti-CD3 enhanced CD69 responses in control T cells from uninfected donors. These results demonstrate an intrinsic defect in T-cell receptor-mediated T-cell activation, which could be a mechanism generating T-cell suppression during infection by T. cruzi.
Influence of pH on Terminal Carbon Metabolism in Anoxic Sediments from a Mildly Acidic Lake

The carbon and electron flow pathways and the bacterial populations responsible for transformation of H2-CO2, formate, methanol, methylamine, acetate, glycine, ethanol, and lactate were examined in sediments collected from Knaack Lake, Wis. The sediments were 60% organic matter (pH 6.2) and did not display detectable sulfate-reducing activity, but they contained the following average concentration (in micromoles per liter of sediment) of metabolites and end products: sulfide, 10; methane, 1,540; CO2, 3,950; formate, 25; acetate, 157; ethanol, 174; and lactate, 138. Methane was produced predominately from acetate, and only 4% of the total CH4 was derived from CO2. Methanogenesis was limited by low environmental temperature and sulfide levels and more importantly by low pH. Increasing in vitro pH to neutral values enhanced total methane production rates and the percentage of CO2 transformed to methane but did not alter the amount of 14CO2 produced from [2-14C]acetate (∼24%). Analysis of both carbon transformation parameters with 14C-labeled tracers and bacterial trophic group enumerations indicated that methanogenesis from acetate and both heterolactic- and acetic acid-producing fermentations were important to the anaerobic digestion process.
Association of Genomic O Island 122 of Escherichia coli EDL 933 with Verocytotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli Seropathotypes That Are Linked to Epidemic and/or Serious Disease

ABSTRACT The distribution of EDL 933 O island 122 (OI-122) was investigated in 70 strains of Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) of multiple serotypes that were classified into five “seropathotypes” (A through E) based on the reported occurrence of serotypes in human disease, in outbreaks, and/or in the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). Seropathotype A comprised 10 serotype O157:H7 and 3 serotype O157:NM strains. Seropathotype B (associated with outbreaks and HUS but less commonly than serotype O157:H7) comprised three strains each of serotypes O26:H11, O103:H2, O111:NM, O121:H19, and O145:NM. Seropathotype C comprised four strains each of serotypes O91:H21 and O113:H21 and eight strains of other serotypes that have been associated with sporadic HUS but not typically with outbreaks. Seropathotype D comprised 14 strains of serotypes that have been associated with diarrhea but not with outbreaks or HUS, and seropathotype E comprised animal VTEC strains of serotypes not implicated in human disease. All strains were tested for four EDL 933 OI-122 virulence genes (Z4321, Z4326, Z4332, and Z4333) by PCR. Negative PCRs were confirmed by Southern hybridization. Overall, 28 (40%) strains contained OI-122 (positive for all four virulence genes), 27 (38.6%) contained an “incomplete” OI-122 (positive for one to three genes), and 15 (21.4%) strains did not contain OI-122. The seropathotype distribution of complete OI-122 was as follows: 100% for seropathotype A, 60% for B, 36% for C, 15% for D, and 0% for E. The differences in the frequency of OI-122 between seropathotypes A, B, and C (associated with HUS) and seropathotypes D and E (not associated with HUS) and between seropathotypes A and B (associated with epidemic disease) and seropathotypes C, D, and E (not associated with epidemic disease) were highly significant (P < 0.0001).
En automatisk navnegjenkjenner for norsk, svensk og dansk

I dette foredraget vil vi presentere et prosjekt som nettopp har kommet i gang, og som har fått NOK 1 000 000 fra NorFA til et nordisk nettverk. Prosjektet har to siktemål som henger nøye sammen. Det ene er å bygge nettverk mellom fire forskningsog utviklingsmiljøer ved UiO (Tekstlaboratoriet), UiB (HIT-senteret), GU (Språkdata) og CST. Det andre er praktisk: å utvikle en automatisk navnegjenkjenner for norsk, svensk og dansk. (En automatisk navnegjenkjenner er et program som klarer å skille typer navn, som firmanavn, stedsog personnavn, fra hverandre). Produktet som utvikles, kan ha kommersiell interesse. Vi er samarbeider med Internett-firmaet FAST Search & Transfer, som vurderer å gå inn med studentstipendmidler.
Calculation of transformer saturated leakage inductance based on field test data

In a black start of a power system, at times, an overvoltage could be caused by core saturation on the energization of a transformer with residual flux. Such an over-voltage might damage some equipment and delay power system restoration. Through an actual field test and EMTP simulations, we have found that such phenomena cannot be accurately simulated using a normal transformer model with inductance data measured during the factory test. This paper proposes a new calculation scheme of transformer inductance by using actual field test data in order to grasp the saturated transformer characteristics accurately. We also show an analytical scheme for calculating the leakage inductances from shunt currents in delta windings that give extensive influence to over-voltage under flux saturation
RYK Is Not Mutated in Autosomal Dominant Robinow Syndrome

It was with great interest that we read the recent article published by Andre et al. (1) describing the role of Ryk in regulating planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling. This article brings relevant information about the transduction of Wnt5a signaling by the Ryk-Vangl2 complex. Based on their results, the authors propose that mutations in the RYK gene might be involved in the etiology of Robinow syndrome. We have previously described mutations in the WNT5A gene in patients with autosomal dominant Robinow syndrome (DRS) (2). At that time, considering the similarities between the Wnt5a and Ryk knock-out mice (2, 3), we screened 24 patients diagnosed with DRS for mutations in exons 2–16 of RYK. No pathogenic mutations were identified suggesting that mutations in RYK are not a major cause of DRS. However, since DRS appears to be highly heterogeneous with only one familial and one sporadic case reported to carry WNT5A mutations, we cannot definitely exclude RYK as a candidate for a minority of cases. The identification of a major causative gene for DRS by other approaches such as exome sequencing may shed light on the etiology of DRS and contribute to a better understanding of the PCP pathway.
Image enhancement towards soft image authentication

This paper describes an image enhancement technique that can be made to any message authentication code (MAC) to improve its survivability against acceptable signal distortions such as re-compression, etc. This algorithm improves the MAC's error tolerance by transforming the image and creating an error tolerance buffer. As a result, minor acceptable changes in the coefficients (caused by common signal distortions) will not alter the value of the MAC. A change in a coefficient will affect a change in the MAC only if the coefficient change exceeds a given threshold. The performance of this method is analyzed for two types of image manipulation: JPEG compression and image tampering.
On-pump versus off-pump coronary-artery bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND Coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) has traditionally been performed with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (on-pump CABG). CABG without cardiopulmonary bypass (off-pump CABG) might reduce the number of complications related to the heart-lung machine. METHODS We randomly assigned 2203 patients scheduled for urgent or elective CABG to either on-pump or off-pump procedures. The primary short-term end point was a composite of death or complications (reoperation, new mechanical support, cardiac arrest, coma, stroke, or renal failure) before discharge or within 30 days after surgery. The primary long-term end point was a composite of death from any cause, a repeat revascularization procedure, or a nonfatal myocardial infarction within 1 year after surgery. Secondary end points included the completeness of revascularization, graft patency at 1 year, neuropsychological outcomes, and the use of major resources. RESULTS There was no significant difference between off-pump and on-pump CABG in the rate of the 30-day composite outcome (7.0% and 5.6%, respectively; P=0.19). The rate of the 1-year composite outcome was higher for off-pump than for on-pump CABG (9.9% vs. 7.4%, P=0.04). The proportion of patients with fewer grafts completed than originally planned was higher with off-pump CABG than with on-pump CABG (17.8% vs. 11.1%, P<0.001). Follow-up angiograms in 1371 patients who underwent 4093 grafts revealed that the overall rate of graft patency was lower in the off-pump group than in the on-pump group (82.6% vs. 87.8%, P<0.01). There were no treatment-based differences in neuropsychological outcomes or short-term use of major resources. CONCLUSIONS At 1 year of follow-up, patients in the off-pump group had worse composite outcomes and poorer graft patency than did patients in the on-pump group. No significant differences between the techniques were found in neuropsychological outcomes or use of major resources. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00032630.).
Infant Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, Ireland, 2007--preliminary outbreak report.

Between February and May 2007, five confirmed cases of Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome (SSSS) were identified in full-term healthy infants born at a maternity unit in Ireland (hospital A). This hospital serves a population of 340,000 people, with over 4,500 babies born annually.