s excluded as irrelevant (n = 1320) Full text paper obtained for further review (n = 164) 99 studies further excluded: • • • • • • • No astragalus involved in TCM treatment (n = 54) Not all subjects received astragalus-based TCM (n = 8) No platinum included in the chemotherapy or chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy (n = 10) No usable endpoints were included (n = 16) Not a controlled trial (...

PURPOSE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intrastromal corneal ring segment implantation using both mechanical and femtosecond-assisted tunnel creation for the treatment of patients with keratoconus. METHODS A retrospective noncomparative interventional study including 96 eyes of 75 patients with keratoconus. All patients had contact lens intolerance and clear central corneas. Corneal tu...

The paper tests for external effects of local economic activity on consumption and income growth at the farm household level using panel data from four provinces of post-reform rural China. The tests allow for nonstationary fixed effects in the consumption growth process. Evidence is found of geographic externalities, stemming from spillover effects of the level and composition of local economi...

The relationship between research and practice in ergonomics and human factors has rarely been addressed in the literature. This presents specific problems for researchers when seeking to relate their work to the research community. Equally, practitioners are often frustrated by the lack of appropriate research to meet their needs. This paper seeks to identify current drivers for ergonomics res...

A Western blot (immunoblot) assay is presented for the diagnosis of nocardiosis with a specific immunodominant 54-kilodalton (kDa) antigen purified from a culture filtrate of Nocardia asteroides by immunoaffinity chromatography. The chromatography column was prepared with immunoglobulin G obtained from sera from patients with lepromatous leprosy. Unbound solutes consisted of specific, partially...

Labor Market Assimilation and the Self-Employment Decision of Immigrant Entrepreneurs This paper uses data from the 1980 and 1990 U.S. Censuses to study labor market assimilation of self-employed immigrants. Separate earnings functions for the self-employed and wage/salary workers are estimated. To control for endogenous sorting into the sectors, models of the self-employment decision are estim...