Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prospective clinical study on natural history of discogenic low back pain at 4 years of follow-up.

BACKGROUND To accurately assess the effect of any therapy for treating discogenic low back pain, the natural history of such pain should be known beforehand. However, until now, no pathological characteristic could be used to predict the disease course of low back pain. OBJECTIVE To better instruct the clinical treatment of discogenic low back pain, a prospective clinical study was performed to observe the natural history of the disease. STUDY DESIGN A prospective clinical study during a 4-year follow-up period. SETTING The study was performed at a spinal center in China. METHODS A total of 279 patients with chronic low back pain were included from June 2006 through October 2007. Using discography, 156 patients (56%) were diagnosed to have discogenic back pain. A 101-point numerical rating scale (NRS) was used to assess the back pain symptoms and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used to assess lumbar function. RESULTS Of the 156 patients, 131 (84%) completed the study at 4-year follow-up. At the end of follow-up, 17 patients (13.0%) had their low back pain symptoms alleviated and lumbar function improved; 10 patients (7.6%) were slightly improved; 16 patients (12.2%) had their symptoms aggravated; and 88 patients (67.2%) experienced the same pain and disability as before. Although the average NRS and ODI scores obtained during the 4-year follow-up study gradually decreased, statistical significances were found in such changes (P < 0.05,and P < 0.05, respectively); however, the improvement rates of both pain (7.6%) and disability (5.2%) were very low. LIMITATIONS The shortcoming of this study is its relatively small sample size. CONCLUSION The present study indicated that the natural history of discogenic low back pain was chronic but persistent, and that the pain and disability in most patients did not improve over time.
Möglichkeiten und Mehrwert einer Berichterstattung über Human Capital

Stichwörter Human Capital Bewertung Human Capital Controlling Human Capital Management Human Capital Reporting Saarbrücker Formel Für viele Unternehmen stellt das Human Capital die entscheidende Ressource für ein erfolgreiches Bestehen im Wettbewerb dar. Zwar existieren in Forschung und Unternehmenspraxis zahlreiche Ansätze zur Steuerung und zur Bewertung des Human Capital, jedoch hat sich bis heute kein einheitliches Verständnis darüber durchsetzen können, wie über diese Ressource zu berichten ist. Den meisten Unternehmensexternen, wie z. B. Kapitalgebern, potenziellen Mitarbeitern oder Kunden, bleibt dadurch das tatsächliche Wertschöpfungspotenzial des Unternehmens verborgen. Der Beitrag zeigt Möglichkeiten zur Steuerung und Berichterstattung von Human Capital auf und geht dabei auch auf die damit verbundenen Wirkungen bei den internen und externen Berichtsempfängern sowie auf den Mehrwert aus Sicht des berichtenden Unternehmens ein. Darüber hinaus gibt der Beitrag gezielte Anweisungen, wie eine Berichterstattung über Human Capital in die betriebliche Praxis umzusetzen ist.
Corporate social responsibility in Asian supply chains

This research provides an overview of CSR practices in Asia, evaluates the usefulness of codes of conduct, reviews the benefits of CSR in supply chains and reviews obstacles for companies wishing to adopt good CSR practices. In order to achieve this, interviews were undertaken with CSR managers, factory managers and other experts, conducted in confidence and anonymously. Codes of conduct and associated inspections and audits are common practice but in most cases flawed. Labour issues and the rights of workers are generally seen as the most important aspect of CSR in the region. Benefits of CSR include risk reduction, staff recruitment and retention, cost savings and building good relationships with stakeholders. Obstacles include a lack of resources and skills, a lack of awareness of stakeholders' demands and inefficient production techniques. It is noted that larger firms are more able to overcome such obstacles, with clear adverse implications for smaller companies. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Enterprise Architecture – A Tool for Business Innovation Realization in the Enterprise

---------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT------------------------------------------------------Enterprises globally are undergoing business transformation. Organisations and corporate world have been searching for ways to enhance their businesses in order to be agile and how development in information technology (IT) can help them achieve this in today’s unstable economic climate. Large-scale changes in the business affect operations, which in turn impact business systems. Changes in the underlying technology infrastructure are often needed to enable business transformation. The study carried out shows that architecture is the key to managing complexity and scale of change in the business. The method used is the integration of the processes for strategic, business, operations, systems and technology planning in a way that also integrates with other business and technology governance processes. Enterprise Architecture provides a framework to describe, manage and align the various elements of an organisation such as business processes, information, applications and technology and enables to understand the relationships between these elements and their environment to better facilitate change. This article proposes enterprise architecture (EA) as an effective Tool to Business Innovation Realization in the Enterprise.
MIXED ALLOGENEIC RECONSTITUTION (A+B→A) TO INDUCE DONOR‐SPECIFIC TRANSPLANTATION TOLERANCE: PERMANENT ACCEPTANCE OF A SIMULTANEOUS DONOR SKIN GRAFT

Mixed allogeneic reconstitution, in which a mixture of T-cell-depleted bone marrow of syngeneic host and allogeneic donor type is transplanted into a lethally irradiated recipient (A+B→A), results in mixed lymphopoietic chimerism with engraftment of a mixture of both host and donor bone marrow elements. Recipients are specifically tolerant to donor both in vitro and in vivo. Donor-specific skin grafts survive indefinitely when they are placed after full bone marrow repopulation at 28 days, while third-party grafts are rapidly rejected. To determine whether a delay of a month or more for full bone marrow repopulation is required before a donor-specific graft can be placed, we have now examined whether tolerance induction can be achieved if a graft is placed at the time of bone marrow transplantation. Permanent acceptance of donor-specific B10.BR skin grafts occurred when mixed allogeneic chimerism (B10+B10.BR±B10) was induced and a simultaneous allogeneic donor graft placed. In vitro, mixed reconstituted recipients were specifically tolerant to the B10.BR donor lymphoid cells but fully reactive to MHC-disparate third-party (BALB/c; H-2dd) when assessed by mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and cell-mediated lympholysis (CML) assays. These data therefore indicate that a donor-specific graft placed at the time of mixed allogeneic reconstitution is permanently accepted without rejection. To determine whether an allogeneic skin graft alone without allogeneic bone marrow would be sufficient to induce tolerance, syngeneic reconstitution (B10±B10) was carried out, and a simultaneous B10.BR allogeneic skin graft placed. Although skin grafts were prolonged in all recipients, all grafts rejected when full lymphopoietic repopulation occurred at 28 days. Taken together, these data suggest that allogeneic donor bone marrow elements are required for the induction and maintenance of donor-specific transplantation tolerance and that allogeneic skin grafts alone are not sufficient for tolerance induction.
Inherited amyloid polyneuropathy type IV (gelsolin variant) in a Japanese family

We describe a Japanese family with familial amyloid polyneuropathy type IV. The family originates from central Japan, Nagano prefecture, and is unrelated to Finnish or other Caucasian populations. Of 42 members in three generations, 14 individuals (5 men, 9 women) are affected by corneal lattice dystrophy, cranial neuropathy, mild peripheral neuropathy, and skin changes. Polarizing microscopy and immunohistochemistry studies of skin biopsy samples demonstrated abundant amyloid deposits, which bound an antigelsolin monoclonal antibody. Direct sequence analysis of a DNA fragment spanning codon 187 of plasma gelsolin complementary DNA and restriction analysis using a modified polymerase chain reaction demonstrated a single base substitution, guanine to adenine, at nucleotide position 654, which is identical to the mutation in Finnish familial amyloid polyneuropathy type IV. This strongly suggests that the mutation causes the familial amyloid polyneuropathy type IV phenotype regardless of ethnic background.
Ratings, Reviews & ROI

Online word of mouth takes many forms, from individual blog posts to threaded message board conversations, but one particular form is quickly emerging as the new consumergenerated media of choice for leading online retailers and ecommerce sites focused on extracting both immediate and long-term ROI from their marketing efforts: customer ratings and reviews. Highly successful retailers like CompUSA, PETCO, and Burpee are leveraging customer ratings and reviews to enhance their existing online marketing, merchandising, and brand building efforts, including search marketing, email marketing, online display advertising, datadriven merchandising, blogs, and RSS. These retailers and others have discovered that customer ratings and reviews are a highly desirable and effective form of word of mouth for multiple reasons. Ratings and reviews are highly focused on the objects of the purchase task, frequently sought out by consumers, and highly measurable.
Pulse pressure waveform in hydrocephalus: what it is and what it isn't.

OBJECT Apart from its mean value, the pulse waveform of intracranial pressure (ICP) is an essential element of pressure recording. The authors reviewed their experience with the measurement and interpretation of ICP pulse amplitude by referring to a database of recordings in hydrocephalic patients. METHODS The database contained computerized pressure recordings from 2100 infusion studies (either lumbar or intraventricular) or overnight ICP monitoring sessions in patients suffering from hydrocephalus of various types (both communicating and noncommunicating), origins, and stages of management (shunt or no shunt). Amplitude was calculated from ICP waveforms by using a spectral analysis methodology. RESULTS The appearance of a pulse waveform amplitude is positive evidence of a technically correct recording of ICP and helps to distinguish between postural and vasogenic variations in ICP. Pulse amplitude is significantly correlated with the amplitude of cerebral blood flow velocity (R = 0.4, p = 0.012) as assessed using Doppler ultrasonography. Amplitude is positively correlated with a mean ICP (R = 0.21 in idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus [NPH]; number of cases 131; p < 0.01) and resistance to cerebrospinal fluid outflow (R = 0.22) but does not seem to be correlated with cerebrospinal elasticity, dilation of ventricles, or severity of hydrocephalus (NPH score). Amplitude increases slightly with age (R = 0.39, p < 0.01; number of cases 46). A positive association between pulse amplitude and increased ICP during an infusion study is helpful in distinguishing between hydrocephalus and predominant brain atrophy. A large amplitude is associated with a good outcome after shunting (positive predictive power 0.9), whereas a low amplitude has no predictive power in outcome prognostication (0.5). Pulse amplitude is reduced by a properly functioning shunt. CONCLUSIONS Proper recording, detection, and interpretation of ICP pulse waveforms provide clinically useful information about patients suffering from hydrocephalus.
The Erosion of the German System of Industrial Relations

The paper assesses current trajectories of change in the German system of industrial relations by analysing the co-determination and collective bargaining systems. It argues that two parallel developments undermine the institutional stability of the German model. First, the institutional base of the German industrial relations system, which has served as the precondition of its past success, has been shrinking during the last two decades. This is due to a decline in coverage by the two major industrial relations institutions: the works council system and wage agreements. Today fewer than 15 per cent of German plants are covered by both a valid collective agreement and a works council. Second, increasing decentralization pressures within collective bargaining tend to undermine the division of labour between co-determination and collective bargaining. The dynamics of an institutional erosion of the German industrial relations institutions and the decentralization of collective bargaining disturbs the fine-tuning of the mediating process between macroeconomic steering capacity and co-operative workplace industrial relations. This tendency has been aggravated by the effects of German unification. The current institutional developments of the German industrial relations system leave serious doubts about the future of a successful model of co-operative modernization.
A Survey of DDOS Attacks in TCP/IP Stack

The aim of study is to discuss DDOS attack in TCP/IP layer. A Denial-of-Service (DoS) or Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to make a device or network source not available to its designed customers. The purposes and objectives of a DoS attack may differ, it usually includes initiatives to momentarily or consistently disrupt or hold solutions of a variety linked with the Online. As explanation, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack are sent by two or more individuals, or bots. DoS (Denial of Service) attack are sent by one person or system. DoS attack typically focus on sites or solutions organized on high-profile web or web servers such as financial institutions, bank card payment gateways and even main name servers. This technique has now seen comprehensive use in certain activities, used by server owners, or dissatisfied opponents on activities. Progressively, DoS attack have also been used as a way of level of resistance.
CAUSES AND OUTCOMES OF ONLINE CUSTOMER COMPLAINING BEHAVIOR: IMPLICATIONS FOR CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM)

Handling customer complaints has been issued in the traditional market place with customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. However, online studies have rarely addressed the importance of the customer complaining behavior. How e-businesses handle customers’ “complaining behavior” has been referred to as the critical “moment of truth” [Tax et al. 1998] in managing and developing customer loyalty and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The purpose of this study is to investigate causes of complaints and customer actions that appeared in Negative Feedback Systems (NFS). Causes of complaints have been generated from a disparity between customers’ expectation in the pre-purchase stage and disconfirmation in the post-purchase stage. Survey data provides the most critical factors based on customer expectations of products, technology issues, and Web assessment factors –i.e., factors such as information, agreement, settlement, and the community phase-. Additionally, customer actions have been gathered from the data in online.
Formulation and Evaluation of Microemulsion Based Delivery System for Amphotericin B

The present studies were designed to develop a formulation of amphotericin B in a lipid-based preparation as a microemulsion and to compare its toxicity with the commercial formulation Fungizone®. The final product developed is a lyophilized amphotericin B, oil and surfactant blend for reconstitution in water to yield a microemulsion containing 5 mg/ml of the drug. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed to identify areas of existence of microemulsion composed of Peceol® (glyceryl monooleate) as oil phase and Mys 40® (polyethylene glycol 40 stearate) and Solutol HS 15® (polyethylene glycol 15 hydroxy stearate) as surfactants. Amphotericin B was co-evaporated with oil - surfactant mixture to produce a microemulsion pre-concentrate. The co-evaporate was diluted in water, filtered for sterilization and lyophilized to obtain the final product. The lyophilized as well as the reconstituted products were separately studied for stability and the latter was also characterized for various physicochemical aspects including droplet size of the dispersed phase, osmolarity and aggregation state of drug. The dispersion showed no evidence of precipitation of drug for 48 h, and resisted destabilization due to freeze–thaw cycles or centrifugation. The dispersed phase globules measured a mean size of 84 nm and uv–spectrophotometric studies indicated the presence of self-aggregated amphotericin B. The present formulation showed a 92% decrease in haemolysis of human RBC in vitro when compared with the commercially available Fungizone®. The LD50 in mice was estimated to be 3.4 mg/kg. The results indicate that the formulation holds promise for development as a safer and efficacious alternative for amphotericin B therapy.
Individualized Tourism Brochures as a Novel Approach to Mass Customization

ABSTRACT Tourism is an information intensive business and technological advances have transformed the way in which information is stored, managed and transmitted to potential visitors. Despite the wide adoption of Internet technologies in tourism marketing, information is still largely disseminated through printed brochures that have remained unchanged and unaffected by personalization trends. This conceptual paper argues that technological innovations such as digital printing allow the creation of dynamic, customized brochures at a lower cost than that of conventional tourist brochures. The main aim of this paper is to propose a framework for cross-media customization of tourism and travel brochures. The paper concludes that empirical research is necessary to assess the optimum levels of individualization for tourism brochures.
THE IMPACT OF AUDITORS OPINION ON EARNINGS MANAGEMENT: EVIDENCE FROM ROMANIA

The aim of this research is to analyze the relation between modified audit opinion and discretionary accruals in the case of Romanian listed entities. In order to investigate the influence of auditors opinion on earnings management, a multiple regression was designed. The final sample, after eliminating the financial institutions due to homogeneit y considerations, consists of 60companies listed onthe Bucharest StockExchange in 2012. The most significant findings of this research are that the probabilityto manage earnings to the decrease is related to the issuance of a qualified audit report and thepresence of a Big 4 audit firm. Thus, both audit opinion and auditor size are negatively related to discretionary accruals in the case of the Romanian listed companies.
Golden Rule of Forecasting : Be Conservative 6 February 2014 Working Paper Draft

This paper proposes a unifying theory of forecasting in the form of a Golden Rule of Forecasting. The Golden Rule is to be conservative. A conservative forecast is consistent with cumulative knowledge about the present and the past. To be conservative, forecasters must seek all knowledge relevant to the problem, and use methods that have been validated for the situation. A checklist of 28 guidelines is provided to implement the Golden Rule. This article’s review of research found 150 experimental comparisons; all supported the guidelines. The average error reduction from following a single guideline (compared to common practice) was 28 percent. The Golden Rule Checklist helps forecasters to forecast more accurately, especially when the situation is uncertain and complex, and when bias is likely. Nonexperts who know the Golden Rule can identify dubious forecasts quickly and inexpensively. To date, ignorance of research findings, bias, sophisticated statistical procedures, and the proliferation of big data have led forecasters to violate the Golden Rule. As a result, despite major advances in forecasting methods, evidence that forecasting practice has improved over the past half-century is lacking.
Cultural differentiation in product choice by outdoor tourists

ABSTRACT We compare geographic origins, demographics, motivations, information sources and satisfaction factors for tourists taking high-volume bus-based sightseeing tours and low-volume active hiking tours, respectively, at Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China. Interests, behaviour and product purchases differ between domestic Chinese and international inbound tourists. The two groups also differ in motivations, information sources and factors affecting satisfaction. Product purchases by commercial tourists at this site are culturally mediated. This differentiation affects visitor management strategies for the site.
Characteristic Features of Rank-Probability Word Distribution in Scientific and Belletristic Literature

Abstract In the present work, an optimal function for the approximation of word probability distribution in natural language is tentatively sought. An analysis of Zipf's rank-frequency distribution and its modifications is performed. The original Lavalette's law is modified to get the most accurate approximation of rank-frequency word distribution in natural language. The suggested modification of Lavalette's function has been tested on a broad variety of belletristic and scientific texts. Implication of text features in fitting parameters of the modified Lavalette's distribution function is suggested. The conclusions are made for the general tendencies and the reasons for possible deviations are discussed.
A cross‐national investigation of the effects of country of origin and brand name on the evaluation of a new car

Examines the cross‐national applicability of a model of the effects of country of origin and brand name on consumers’ evaluations of a product. Specifically, investigates the structures of country‐of‐origin and brand effects on the evaluation of a new automobile by German and French car owners. Uses a multi‐group structural equation modelling approach to assess the invariance of the proposed model across countries. Reports findings indicating both the factor structure and the structural model relationships are invariant, thus providing support for the hypothesis of the model’s cross‐national generalizability. Also notes that both brand name and country of origin turned out to have a significant impact on consumers’ evaluations of the automobile. Discusses the implications of the study for international manufacturing decisions and new product development.