Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Determinants and Consequences of Subsidiary Initiative in Multinational Corporations

This paper examines corporate entrepreneurship in multinational corporations through a detailed study of initiatives taken by foreign subsidiaries. We develop a theoretical model in which two levels of organizational context (corporate and subsidiary) promote or suppress subsidiary initiative, and initiative in turn has a feedback effect on both subsidiary and corporate context. Using a multi-method study (229 questionnaire returns plus 5 in-depth case studies), the key findings are as follows: Subsidiary initiative is promoted by a high level of distinctive subsidiary capabilities, and is suppressed by a high level of decision centralization, a low level of subsidiary credibility, and a low level of corporate-subsidiary communication. Over time, we find evidence that subsidiary initiative leads to an enhancement of credibility (vis-à-vis the head office), head office openness, corporate-subsidiary communication, and distinctive capabilities.
Clinical Outcomes after Combined Meniscal Allograft Transplantation and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background: Concomitant meniscal transplantation performed at the time of ligament surgery may help to protect the anterior cruciate ligament graft. Purpose: To determine the objective and subjective clinical outcomes after combined anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and meniscal allograft transplantation. Study Design: Uncontrolled retrospective review. Methods: Twenty-eight patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction along with meniscal transplantation were retrospectively evaluated postoperatively at an average of 2.8 years (range, 1.8 to 5.6). Results: On the International Knee Documentation Committee overall subjective assessment, 86% had normal or nearly normal scores. The SF-36 physical and mental component summary scores were at higher levels than those of the patients' age- and sex-matched populations. Objectively, nearly 90% had normal or nearly normal Lachman and pivot shift test scores. The KT-1000 arthrometer testing at 30 pounds and maximum manual both demonstrated an average increased anterior translation of 1.5 mm compared with the contralateral knee. Joint space narrowing of the transplanted compartments was not significantly different from that of the contralateral knee. Conclusions: Meniscal transplantation with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction can be a beneficial procedure in properly selected patients with either chronic anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency or failed anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Restoration of meniscal function may provide protection for the articular cartilage and improve joint stability.
Operating on penetrating trauma to the mediastinal vessels

Background and Aims: Patients with penetrating trauma of the major vessels of the chest are infrequently encountered. This is due to the fact that the majority of these patients die on scene, as well as due to the overall dramatic decline in the incidence of penetrating trauma in the Western world. A certain proportion of survivors are physiologically stable and can be transferred to adequate care. Patients who are physiologically unstable must be dealt with by the surgeons available without delay. Rapid diagnosis and operation can salvage patients who would otherwise be lost, and all general surgeons should be capable of recognizing these injuries and intervening if a trauma and/or cardiothoracic surgeon is not immediately available. Material and Methods: Technical description of practical emergency surgery approaches to patients bleeding to death from penetrating mediastinal vessel injuries. Results: The scope of this review familiarizes the “uninitiated” surgeon with the operative management of this rare and lethal type of injuries. Technical aspects are described, and pitfalls as well as tips and tricks of the trade are discussed. Conclusions: Patients with penetrating injuries to the mediastinal vessels can be saved by swift and knowing operative management of this rare and lethal type of injuries, even if a trauma and/or cardiothoracic surgeon is not immediately available.
N-Myristoyltransferase as a potential drug target in malaria and leishmaniasis

SUMMARY Infections caused by protozoan parasites are among the most widespread and intractable transmissible diseases affecting the developing world, with malaria and leishmaniasis being the most costly in terms of morbidity and mortality. Although new drugs are urgently required against both diseases in the face of ever-rising resistance to frontline therapies, very few candidates passing through development pipelines possess a known and novel mode of action. Set in the context of drugs currently in use and under development, we present the evidence for N-myristoyltransferase (NMT), an enzyme that N-terminally lipidates a wide range of specific target proteins through post-translational modification, as a potential drug target in malaria and the leishmaniases. We discuss the limitations of current knowledge regarding the downstream targets of this enzyme in protozoa, and our recent progress towards potent cell-active NMT inhibitors against the most clinically-relevant species of parasite. Finally, we outline the next steps required in terms of both tools to understand N-myristoylation in protozoan parasites, and the generation of potential development candidates based on the output of our recently-reported high-throughput screens.
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia associated with gemcitabine chemotherapy: experience at an Australian center and recommendations for targeted prophylaxis

Abstract Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is seen increasingly in non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected immunocompromised populations, but few cases have previously been reported in association with gemcitabine therapy. We identified all patients administered gemcitabine between March 2009 and December 2012 at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Cases of PJP were identified using accepted definitions. Overall, 288 gemcitabine-treated patients were identified. Nine cases of PJP were detected, corresponding to an overall rate of 3.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5–5.7%). PJP was diagnosed during gemcitabine therapy in seven patients, a median of 67 (range 31–109) days from commencement. Among patients with lymphoma, 4/22 developed PJP, corresponding to a rate of 18.2% (95% CI 6.1–38.2%). Fewer infections were associated with breast, lung and gastrointestinal malignancies (1/24 [4.2%], 3/118 [2.5%] and 1/61 [1.6%], respectively). A risk-based tool incorporating concomitant steroid therapy can be applied to target high-risk populations who would benefit from PJP prophylaxis during gemcitabine therapy.
Planteamientos sobre la ley 819 de 2003 sobre responsabilidad y transparencia fiscal: una aproximación conceptual en Boyacá

This article presents the result of an analysis on the measurement of the effectiveness of the Law of Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency (Law 819 of 2003), which has as a starting point, a review of literature on the history and evolution of the concept decentralization, regulated by some authors from the seventeenth century to the era of neo - institutionalism and both political, economic as well as political-administrative approach. Next, a brief revision of the fiscal decentralization process in Colombia will be provided using as a reference fiscal federalism understood as the degree to which local fiscal decisions are decentralized; and lastly, the effects of structural reforms implemented in Colombia concerning fiscal decentralization and implications to fiscal responsibility and transparency in territorial entities; finally the methodology to be applied is presented, through which a descriptive study analytic is done to reach a comprehensive study in order to know how this form of organization in Colombia has evolved and its impact on the department of Boyaca, focusing the study on the effectiveness of the law 819 of 2003.
Optimal control for the trajectory planning of micro airships

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the application of optimal control for generating dynamically constrained minimal time trajectories in micro unmanned airships. By design, airships are generally underactuated and underpowered limiting their maneuvering capabilities. Using a simplified dynamic model derived with experimentally derived coefficients, two trajectory planning simulations are solved using optimal control. The generated trajectories are then evaluated experimentally on a micro airship to demonstrate that optimal control can be used in open loop over short distances.
Healthcare professional and patient perceptions of a new prefilled insulin pen versus vial and syringe

Objective: Usability of a new prefilled insulin pen, FlexTouch® (FT; Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark), with no push-button extension and low injection force, was compared with vial and syringe (V&S). Research design and methods: People with diabetes, and healthcare professionals with diabetes management experience conducted test injections and answered questions on preference, ease of use, confidence, ease of learning and teaching. Results: The study involved 30 needle-naïve patients (naïve to any diabetes injection therapy), 30 V&S-experienced patients, 30 physicians and 30 nurses. In the total population, FT was preferred to V&S for teaching or learning to use (both p < 0.001). Nurses (100 vs. 0%) and physicians (87 vs. 7%) preferred FT to V&S for ease of teaching. V&S-experienced (73 vs. 7%) and needle-naïve patients (83 vs. 7%) preferred FT to V&S for ease of learning. The remainder chose “equally easy/difficult. ” More participants in each group rated FT “very/fairly easy” for ease of depressing the push-button/plunger (FT vs. V&S: physicians, 93 vs. 80%; nurses, 97 vs. 80%; V&S-experienced patients, 93 vs. 90%; needle-naïve patients, 100 vs. 77%), and injecting three doses. More participants were “very/rather confident” in managing daily injections using FT (FT vs. V&S: physicians, 100 vs. 60%; nurses, 100 vs. 70%; V&S-experienced patients, 93 vs. 90%; needle-naïve patients, 90 vs. 40%). Conclusions: FT was rated easier to use, learn to use or teach to use than V&S by patients with or without experience of insulin injection with V&S, and by physicians and nurses with diabetes management experience.
Complications of chronic vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy in children.

OBJECT The aim of this study was to define better the incidence of surgical complications and untoward side effects of chronic vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in a population of children with medically refractory epilepsy. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the cases of 74 consecutive patients (41 male and 33 female) 18 years of age or younger (mean age 8.8 years, range 11 months-18 years) who had undergone implantation of a vagal stimulator between 1998 and 2001 with a minimum follow up of 1 year (mean 2.2 years). Of the 74 patients treated, seven (9.4%) had a complication ultimately resulting in removal of the stimulator. The rate of deep infections necessitating device removal was 3.5% (three of 74 patients who had undergone 85 implantation and/or revision procedures). An additional three superficial infections occurred in patients in whom the stimulators were not removed: one was treated with superficial operative debridement and antibiotic agents and the other two with oral antibiotics only. Another four stimulators (5.4%) were removed because of the absence of clinical benefit and device intolerance. Two devices were revised because of lead fracture (2.7%). Among the cohort, 11 battery changes have been performed thus far, although none less than 33 months after initial implantation. Several patients experienced stimulation-induced symptoms (hoarseness, cough, drooling, outbursts of laughter, shoulder abduction, dysphagia, or urinary retention) that did not require device removal. Ipsilateral vocal cord paralysis was identified in one patient. One patient died of aspiration pneumonia more than 30 days after device implantation. CONCLUSIONS Vagus nerve stimulation remains a viable option for improving seizure control in difficult to treat pediatric patients with epilepsy. Surgical complications such as hardware failure (2.7%) or deep infection (3.5%) occurred, resulting in device removal or revision. Occasional stimulation-induced symptoms such as hoarseness, dysphagia, or torticollis may be expected (5.4%).
TEM-Modes in Slot-Coupled Waveguides

TEM-modes which are usually expressed in terms of a scalar electric potential ø are shown to be derivable from a scalar magnetic potential ¿ if the supporting transmission line can be considered a slot coupled waveguide with more than one coupling slot. The magnetic potential must jump at the coupling slots in order to give rise to the axial electric current on the strips separating these slots. The advantage of this formulation is its compatibility to the numerically efficient generalized spectral domain technique which has been successfully applied for the analysis of planar transmission lines. Several multi-slot planar transmission lines have been analyzed using this formulation. Excellent agreement with the results obtained by other methods have been achieved with extremely low cup-time and storage requirements.
Motivational Level and Factors Associated with Stages of Change: Mandated Treatment for Substance Abuse under the Criminal Justice System

by ARAVINDHAN NATARAJAN This secondary analysis study examines factors associated with stages of change and motivation among offenders undergoing mandated substance abuse treatment under the criminal justice system. The sample is comprised, almost exclusively, of people of minority ethnic identity with the largest group being of Hispanic origin. The sample of 160 respondents was drawn from the prison system in New York. These respondents were classified as belonging to either pre-action (n=60) or action group (n=100) based on the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES). The preaction group included those who were in precontemplation, contemplation and preparation stages as defined by Prochaska and DiClemente’s Transtheoretical Model, and the action group included those who were in action and maintenance stages. The research examined whether pre-action and action groups differed in terms of internal motivational level (as measured by the motivation subscale of CMR Scale); level of depression (Beck Depression Inventory); consequences of addiction (items from the Addiction Severity Index); and Criminal History (number of convictions, arrests, seriousness of legal problems).
Characterization of Volatile Organic Chemical Emissions From Carpet Cushions.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating chemical emissions from carpet systems in order to determine whether the emissions may be responsible for the numerous health complaints associated with carpet installation. As part of this effort, a study was conducted to identify and quantify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released into the air by five major product types of new carpet cushions. Cushion samples were tested in small-volume dynamic chambers over a six-hour exposure period. Airborne VOCs collected on multisorbent samplers were identified using sensitive gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The emissions of selected VOCs were quantitated with the small-scale chamber method and further characterized in larger environmental chambers conducted over a 96-hour period under conditions more representative of indoor environments. A separate chamber method was developed to screen polyurethane cushions for emissions of toluene diisocyanates (TDI). Over 100 VOCs, spanning a broad range of chemical classes, were emitted from 17 carpet cushions. The pattern of emitted VOCs varied between and among product types, which reflects probable differences in manufacturing processes and ingredients. No significant quantities of TDI or formaldehyde were released by any cushions. Emission profiles were characterized for total VOCs and for the predominant individual VOCs. As a group, the synthetic fiber cushion samples emitted the lowest quantities of VOCs. Cushion samples purchased from carpet retailers released lesser amounts of VOCs than samples of the same cushion types obtained directly from the manufacturing mills, suggesting that chemical losses from the bulk material may ensue as a result of transport, handling, and storage prior to installation. The data suggest that placement of carpet on top of a carpet cushion, as would occur in a residential installation, reduced the rate of some VOC emissions when compared to the cushion alone.
The impact of a computer-tailored nutrition intervention.

BACKGROUND Nutrition education tailored to individual characteristics of people might be more effective than general nutrition education. Nowadays, the use of computers makes individualized feedback available for larger groups. METHODS The impact of tailored nutrition information on changes in fat, vegetable, and fruit consumption was tested in a randomized trial among 347 employees of a major oil company. Respondents in the experimental group received computer-generated feedback letters tailored to their personal dietary behavior, attitudes, perceived social influences, self-efficacy expectations, and awareness levels. Respondents in the control group received general nutrition information. RESULTS Respondents in the experimental group decreased their fat consumption significantly more than the control group between baseline and posttest. A significant effect of tailoring was also found for changes in attitudes and intentions toward reducing fat intake and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Furthermore, respondents in the experimental group were more satisfied with the nutrition information they received and more often reported changing their diet or intention as a result of the information. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that computer-tailored nutrition information is a promising means of stimulating people to change their diet toward dietary recommendations.
The core musculature in male prepubescent tennis players and untrained counterparts: a volumetric MRI study

ABSTRACT The effects of exercise on the core musculature have not been investigated in prepubescents. The main purpose of the present study was to determine the volume and degree of asymmetry of rectus abdominis, obliques and transversus abdominis, quadratus lumborum, iliopsoas, gluteus and paravertebralis muscles in prepubescent tennis players and in untrained boys. The muscle volume was determined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 7 male prepubescent tennis players and 10 untrained controls (mean age 11.0 ± 0.8 years, Tanner 1–2). After accounting for height and body weight as covariates, the tennis players had 14–34% greater volume than the controls in all the muscles analysed (P < 0.05) except in paravertebralis, dominant quadratus lumborum and non-dominant gluteus, which had similar volumes in both groups (P = NS). Compared to controls, the tennis players displayed a greater degree of asymmetry in quadratus lumborum and rectus abdominis (3% vs. 15%, P < 0.01 and 8% vs. 17%, P = 0.06, respectively). The level of asymmetry of obliques and transversus abdominis, iliopsoas, gluteus and paravertebralis muscles was similar in both groups (P = NS). In conclusion, tennis playing at prepubertal ages induces a selective hypertrophy of the core musculature and exaggerates the degree of asymmetry of quadratus lumborum and rectus abdominis compared to untrained boys.
Variation and Impact of Multiple Complications on Failure to Rescue After Inpatient Surgery

Objective: To examine the extent to which multiple, sequential complications impacts variation in institutional postoperative mortality rates. Background: Failure to rescue (FTR) has been proposed as an underlying factor in hospital variation in surgical mortality. However, little is currently known about hospital variation in FTR after multiple complications or the contribution of sequential complications to variation. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 266,101 patients within the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2000–2014) who underwent a subset of high-mortality inpatient general, vascular, or thoracic procedures. The association between number of postoperative complications (0, 1, 2, or ≥3) and 30-day mortality across quintiles of hospital risk-adjusted mortality was evaluated with multivariable, multilevel mixed-effects models. Results: Among patients who had a complication, over half (60.9%) had 1, but those with more than 1 accounted for the majority of the deaths (63.1%). Across hospital quintiles, there were no differences in complications (23.5% very low mortality vs 23.6% very high mortality; trend test P = 0.15). FTR increased significantly (12.0% vs 18.1%; trend test P < 0.001) with an incremental impact as complications accrued (6.7% 1 complication vs 26.1% ≥3, lowest quintile; 11.7% 1 complication vs 33.0% ≥3, highest quintile). However, the risk of FTR associated with increasing complications remained relatively constant across hospital quintiles and was not explained by differences in patients presenting with multiple complications on the index complicated day. Conclusions: FTR occurs predominantly among patients who have more than 1 complication with a dose-response relationship as complications accrue. As this dose-response relationship is observed across hospitals, surgical quality improvement efforts may benefit by shifting focus to broader interventions designed to prevent subsequent complications at all hospitals.
Acute toxicity and cholinesterase inhibition in larval and early juvenile walleye exposed to chlorpyrifos

Application of organophosphorus (OP) insecticides to agricultural fields during the spring often overlaps the period of spawning, egg incubation, and larval stages of fish species such as walleye (Stizostedion vitreum). Because life stage can affect uptake, distribution, and effects of contaminants, our objective was to identify the most sensitive life stage of walleye to chlorpyrifos, a broad‐spectrum OP insecticide. Prolarvae (yolk sac, endogenous feeding stage) were least sensitive to chlorpyrifos (median lethal concentration [LC50] = 225–316 μg/L), and postlarvae I (oil globule, exogenous feeding stage) were less sensitive (LC50 = 24–29 μg/L) than postlarvae II (oil globule absent; LC50 = 12–13 μg/L). The differences in sensitivity of the larval stages coincide with stages of gill development. Gill filaments were absent until the end of the prolarval stage, and development of secondary lamellae did not occur until the end of the postlarval I stage. Juvenile fish were less sensitive than postlarval stages, but did not differ significantly among the juvenile ages tested. The LC50s ranged from 37 to 45 μg/L for 30‐ and 90‐d‐old juvenile walleye, respectively. Larval walleye survived when cholinesterase (ChE) activity was inhibited by as much as 90%; however, 60‐ and 90‐d‐old juvenile walleye did not survive when ChE activity was inhibited more than 71%.