Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financing patterns, debt maturity and growth: Evidence from East Asia and the GCC Countries

The primary goal of this paper is to quantify the impact of financing constraints on corporate growth. For this, we use a sample of 1588 firms from the GCC and East Asia during the period 1999-2007. Specifically, we examine the relationships between growth and (1) the availability of internal finance, and (2) the debt maturity of external financing using an accelerator investment model extended to account for the extent to which companies use internal finance, long term debt and short term debt to finance their acquisition of long term assets. A company is constrained not only because it cannot access credit but also if it cannot access long term finance. This paper therefore includes the maturity of the debt as an explicit variable that impacts corporate long term investment. Our evidence supports earlier findings that because of asymmetric information and other market imperfections, small companies face more financing constraints than large companies, and have difficulties accessing long term finance. Our results alsoÂ provide evidence that corporations in East Asia face financing constraints while those in the GCC seem to have easy access to long and short term finance.
Comparison of Ice Packs Application and Relaxation Therapy in Pain Reduction during Chest Tube Removal Following Cardiac Surgery

Background: Usually the chest tube removal (CTR) has been described as one of the worst experiences by patients in the intensive care unit. Aim: This study aimed to compare the effects of cold therapy and relaxation on pain of CTR among the patients undergoes coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Materials and Methods: This single-blinded clinical trial was done on 80 post-cardiac surgery patients in the heart hospital of Sari-Iran. The patients were assigned to three randomized groups that included cold therapy, relaxation, and control groups. Data analysis was done by T-test, Chi-square, generalized estimating equations and repeated measures analysis variance tests. Results: The groups had no significant differences in pain intensity before CTR (P = 0.84), but immediately after CTR there was a significant difference between the treatment (cold application and relaxation groups) and control groups (P = 0.001). There was no significant difference between relaxation and cold therapy groups. Conclusion: Regarding the relaxation and cold application methods showed relatively equal effects on reducing the pain owing to CTR. Thus, the use of relaxation because of economics, without side effects, easy to use and effective is recommended by the authors to the practitioners.
Les acides Ginkgolique et Niflumique sont les nouveaux modulateurs de récepteur à la glycine Ginkgolic and Niflumic acids are novel modulators of glycine receptors

For years, our ability to study pathological changes in neurological diseases has beenhamperedby the lack of relevantmodels until the recent groundbreakingwork fromYamanaka’s group showing that it is feasible to generate inducedpluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) fromhuman somatic cells and to redirect the fate of these iPSCs into differentiated cells. In particular, much interest has focused on the ability todifferentiatehuman iPSCs intoneuronal progenitors and functional neurons for relevance to a large number of pathologies includingmental retardation and behavioral or degenerative syndromes. Current differentiation protocols are time-consuming and generate limited amounts of cells, hindering use on a large scale.We describe a feeder-freemethod relying on the use of a chemically definedmedium that overcomes the need for embryoid body formation and neuronal rosette isolation for neuronal precursors and terminally differentiated neuron production. Four days after induction, expression of markers of the neurectoderm lineage is detectable. Between 4 and 7 days, neuronal precursors can be expanded, frozen, and thawed without loss of proliferation and differentiation capacities or further differentiated. Terminal differentiation into the different subtypes of mature neurons found in the human brain were observed. At 6–35 days after induction, cells express typical voltage-gated and ionotrophic receptors for GABA, glycine, and acetylcholine. This specific and efficient single-step strategy in a chemically definedmediumallows the production ofmature neurons in 20–40 days with multiple applications, especially for modeling human pathologies. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2014;3:1467–1472
A novel ANO 5 splicing variant in a LGMD 2 L patient leads to production of a truncated aggregation-prone Ano 5 peptide

Mutations in ANO5 cause several human diseases including gnathodiaphyseal dysplasia 1 (GDD1), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2L (LGMD2L), and Miyoshi myopathy 3 (MMD3). Previous work showed that complete genetic disruption of Ano5 in mice did not recapitulate human muscular dystrophy, while residual expression of mutant Ano5 in a gene trapped mouse developed muscular dystrophy with defective membrane repair. This suggests that truncated Ano5 expression may be pathogenic. Here, we screened a panel of commercial antiAno5 antibodies using a recombinant adenovirus expressing human Ano5 with FLAG and YFP at the Nand C-terminus, respectively. The monoclonal antibody (mAb) N421A/85 was found to specifically detect human Ano5 by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence staining. The antigen epitope was mapped to a region of 28 residues within the N-terminus. Immunofluorescence staining of muscle cryosections from healthy control subjects showed that Ano5 is localized at the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The muscle biopsy from a LGMD2L patient homozygous for the c.191dupA mutation showed no Ano5 signal, confirming the specificity of the N421A/85 antibody. Surprisingly, strong Ano5 signal was detected in a patient with compound heterozygous mutations (c.191dupA and a novel splice donor site variant c.363 1 4A>G at the exon 6–intron 6 junction). Interestingly, insertion of the mutant intron 6, but not the wild-type intron 6, into human ANO5 cDNA resulted in a major transcript that carried the first 158-bp of intron 6. Transfection of the construct encoding the first 121 amino acids into C2C12 cells resulted in protein aggregate formation, suggesting that aggregate-forming Ano5 peptide may contribute to the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy.
Medicinal Plants used by the Malayali Tribe of Servarayan Hills , Yercaud , Salem District , Tamil Nadu , India

An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to collect information about medicinal plants used by Malayali tribes in the forest area of Servarayan Hills, Salem district Tamilnadu, India. Informations presented in this paper were gathered from tribal informants including practitioners using an integrated approach of botanical collections and interview schedules. About 65 ethnomedicinal plant species distributed across 38 families have been documented in the present study. Results indicate that fresh plant materials were invariably preferred for treating ailments. Informations reveal that Malayali’s largely depend on medicinal plants to meet their primary healthcare needs. They use ethnomedicinal plants to treat ailments such as cold, cough, fever, headache, stomachache, diarrhoea, dysentery, skin diseases, poison bites, cut/ wounds and diabetes. Medicinal plants used by Malayali’s in Servarayan Hills have been listed along with plant parts used with its ethnomedicinal significance.
Subproteomic signature comparison of in vitro selected fluoroquinolone resistance and ciprofloxacin stress in Salmonella Typhimurium DT104B

ABSTRACT Background: Fluoroquinolone resistance in nontyphoidal Salmonella is a situation of serious and international concern, particularly in S. Typhimurium DT104B multiresistant strains. Although known to be multifactorial, fluoroquinolone resistance is still far from a complete understanding. Methods: Subproteome changes between an experimentally selected fluoroquinolone-resistant strain (Se6-M) and its parent strain (Se6), and also in Se6-M under ciprofloxacin (CIP) stress, were evaluated in order to give new insights into the mechanisms involved. Proteomes were compared at the intracellular and membrane levels by a 2-DE~LC-MS/MS and a shotgun LC-MS/MS approach, respectively. Results: In total, 35 differentially abundant proteins were identified when comparing Se6 with Se6-M (25 more abundant in Se6 and 10 more abundant in Se6-M) and 82 were identified between Se6-M and Se6-M+CIP (51 more abundant in Se6-M and 31 more abundant under ciprofloxacin stress). Conclusion: Several proteins with known and possible roles in quinolone resistance were identified which provide important information about mechanism-related differential protein expression, supporting the current knowledge and also leading to new testable hypotheses on the mechanism of action of fluoroquinolone drugs.
Integrating synchronization bus timetabling and single-depot single-type vehicle scheduling

We address the bus network planning of Monterrey, Mexico, which is similar to those of other cities in Latin America. This city has a large bus network where passenger transfers must be favored, almost evenly spaced departures are sought, and bus bunching must be avoided. We study the timetabling and vehicle scheduling subproblems of bus network planning. By one hand, we use a timetabling formulation with the objective of maximizing the number of synchronizations, i.e., to maximize the arrivals of different bus lines at transfer nodes or to avoid bus bunching along the network. By other hand, we address the single-depot single-type vehicle scheduling with the objective of minimizing the number of vehicles. Since these subproblems are commonly solved in sequential approaches, we propose a bi-objective formulation to consider a more representative problem in bus network planning. Keywords— Synchronization, timetabling, vehicle scheduling, bi-objective.
MicroRNA-26a inhibits hyperplastic scar formation by targeting Smad2

Hypertrophic scar (HS) is a fibrotic disease in which excessive extracellular matrix forms due to the response of fibroblasts to tissue damage. Novel evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) may contribute to hypertrophic scarring; however, the role of miRNAs in HS formation remains unclear. In the present study, miR-26a was significantly downregulated in HS tissues and human HS fibroblasts (hHSFs) was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative analysis. TargetScan was used to predict that mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2 (Smad2) is a potential target gene of miR-26a and a dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that Smad2 was a target gene of miR-26a. The expression of Smad2 was upregulated in HS tissues and hHSFs. Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry analyses demonstrated that the overexpression of miR-26a significantly suppressed the proliferation ability of hHSFs and the apoptotic rate of hHSFs was significantly upregulated in response to miR-26a mimic transfection. Furthermore, the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein was increased and Bcl-2 expression was decreased following miR-26a mimic transfection. The expression of collagens I and III was significantly inhibited following treatment with miR-26a mimics in hHSF cells. Conversely, miR-26a inhibitors served an opposing role in hHSFs. Furthermore, Smad2 overexpression enhanced the expression of collagens I and c III; however, Smad2 silencing inhibited the expression of collagens I and c III. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that miR-26a inhibits HS formation by modulating proliferation and apoptosis ad well as inhibiting the expression of extracellular matrix-associated proteins by targeting Smad2.
1 Forming Dietary Habits in Childhood : A Field Experiment With Low Income Families

This paper evaluates with a field experiment the extent to which dietary habits are malleable early on in childhood and later in life. We evaluate two treatments – one that targets what people eat, the other that targets how people eat. 285 low income families with young children were recruited and assigned either to a control group or one of two treatments, each of them lasting for 12 consecutive weeks. In the first treatment, families received food groceries at home for free for 12 weeks and were asked to prepare five specific healthy meals per week. In the second treatment, families were simply asked to reduce snacking and eat at regular times. We collected a range of measures of food preferences, dietary intake, as well as BMI and biomarkers based on blood samples. We find some evidence that children’s preferences have been affected by both treatments, and we find that their BMI distribution shifted significantly relative to the control group, i.e. they became relatively “thinner”. On the other hand, we find little evidence of any effects on adults and these effects are not consistent with adopting a healthier diet. We conclude that exposure to a healthy diet and regularity of food intake possibly play a role in shaping dietary habits, but influencing dietary choices in the short and long run remains a major challenge. 1 We are thankful to Nudge-It funding (FP760731); local authorities, early life centres, schools in Edinburgh and Colchester; Ilenia Paciarotti, Hazel Blakemore and Gaja Lescinar for their help with the design and implementation of the interventions, Andrew Kelloe, Lise van Wijngaarden, Kritsina Enger, Hasna Fadhilah, Dragos Gruia, Yvonne Laird, Agnès Charpin, Chiara Serra for their help with assistance during the study, ISER and the EssexLab for allowing us to use their facilities, and the nutritionists from Alison Clark Health and Nutrition. We also thank the participants of the seminars at ALISS, INRA; LIRAES, Paris 5; Stirling; Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Gothenburg; Hamburg; Stellenbosch; Lucerne, as well as the participants at the ESA conference, at the behavioural workshop of Paris Ouest-Nanterre, and of the first workshop in behavioural and food economics in Autrans. 2 University of Edinburgh, EUI 3 CNRS, EconomiX, University Paris-Nanterre 4 University of Bath 5 University of Edinburgh
A Directed Framework for Integrating Ethics into Chemistry Curricula and Programs Using Real and Fictional Case Studies.

This paper presents an approach to using real and fictional case studies with a range of ethical dilemmas. The pedagogical method we describe is effective in a variety of venues from high school to undergraduate summer research programs to workshops with graduate and postdoctoral students. Although the activities are quite similar in each venue, we focus on different aspects of the cases to make them relevant to the particular groups participating in the activities. Several example cases (real and fictional) are provided for varying levels of participants; we also provide example of scenarios that are less effective in certain venues.
Adverse effects of exposure to low doses of chlorpyrifos in lactating rats

This study was conducted to shed light on the effect of exposure of lactating rat to chlorpyrifos (CPF). CPF was orally administered to lactating rats at 0.01 mg kg-1 b.wt. (acceptable daily intake, ADI), 1.00 mg kg-1 b.wt. (no observed adverse effects level, NOAEL) and 1.35 mg kg-1 b.wt. (1/100 LD 50) from postnatal day 1 (PN1) until day 20 (PN20) after delivery. Results indicated decreases in body weight and increases in relative liver and kidney weights of exposed dams. Significant damage to liver was observed via increased plasma levels of aminotransferases (aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and γ-glutamyle transferase (γ-GT) in a dose-dependent manner. At two high doses of CPF (1.00 and 1.35 mg kg-1 b.wt.), the lactating mothers showed significant decrease in the activity of cholinesterase (ChE). Lipid peroxidation was significantly increased, while glutathione s-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly decreased compared to control. At high dose of CPF (1.35 mg kg-1 b.wt.), total protein and uric acid levels were significantly increased. CPF caused dose-related histopathological changes in liver and kidney of the CPF-treated dams.
The human pressor response during and following voluntary and evoked isometric contraction with occluded local blood supply.

1. Changes in heart rate and blood pressure were observed, in nine healthy subjects, during and after voluntary and electrically evoked isometric contractions of the triceps surae under conditions of local circulatory arrest. 2. The progressive increases in heart rate and blood pressure seen during 2 min voluntary and evoked contractions at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction were not significantly different in the two conditions. On cessation of contraction but with circulatory arrest maintained, heart rate fell to control levels while blood pressure fell to a similar though still significantly elevated level in both conditions. Elevated blood pressure was maintained for 2 min until the circulatory occlusion was removed; however it was maintained at a significantly higher level for the last 60‐90 s of occlusion following electrically evoked contractions compared to voluntary contraction. 3. Comparison of the responses to voluntary and involuntary electrically evoked contractions suggest that ‘central command’ is not necessary for the initial increases in heart rate and blood pressure to occur. In addition the removal of central command on cessation of contraction need not account for the return of heart rate to control levels or the drop in blood pressure at that time. Maintained blood pressure elevation during circulatory occlusion would seem to be due to the trapping of chemical substances within the muscle interstitium.
Prediction of Mandibulofacial Asymmetry using Risk Factor Index and Model of Dentocraniofacial Morphological Pattern

Patients with mandibulofacial asymmetry will suffering from aesthetical, psychological, functional disturbance, and has a poor prognosis. The aim of the research was to get the prediction index through the study of risk factors for prevention and early detection. The study was conducted in several schools in Jakarta, on 234 Indonesian physical characteristics aged 8-30 years. Data were obtained from questionnaires and examinations (clinical, functional, photographic, and radiographic examinations). The main risk factor is One-sided Sleep Habit and Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Sign. It was detected that mandibulofacial asymmetry characterized a specific pattern of dental and skeletal morphology. Risk Factors Index and Model of Dentocraniofacial Morphological Pattern can be used to predict the occurrence of asymmetry mandibulofacial. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2016; 9: (3), pp. 195-201)
News and Uncertainty Shocks

We provide novel empirical evidence linking the effects of technology news shocks with uncertainty shocks. The correlation between news and financial uncertainty shocks implies that when financial uncertainty shocks hit the economy, utilization-adjusted total factor productivity increases over the medium term. This leads to an attenuation of the negative impact of increasing uncertainty on economic activity. The correlation also implies that the positive effects of technology news shocks on output, consumption, investment and hours are attenuated over the short term. Supported by these empirical results, we propose an identification strategy to obtain the impact of `good uncertainty' shocks and disentangle the importance of technological news, good and bad uncertainties, and ambiguity shocks in explaining business cycle variation.
Saline Infusion Sonohysterography

Objective. To review the technique, indications, and common imaging findings regarding saline infusion sonohysterography. Methods. The literature on saline infusion sonohysterography was reviewed. Pertinent images from our institution are presented to illustrate common imaging findings. Results. From the literature review, we summarize the various clinical scenarios in which saline infusion sonohysterography is useful and give examples from our clinical practice. Conclusions. Saline infusion sonohysterography is a useful procedure for evaluation of endometrial and subendometrial abnormalities.
Cash Holdings and Business Conditions

We investigate the relation between business conditions and corporate liquidity decisions by US firms. We find strong evidence that financially constrained firms hold more cash during recessions and that business conditions are significant to constrained firms' cash decisions. In contrast, we find weak evidence that financially unconstrained firms adjust cash holdings according to the business cycle. This asymmetric behavior is more pronounced for changes in the short-term interest rate. Moreover, we find that firms increase the level of liquidity during periods of tighter credit conditions. Our findings support both the precautionary motive for holding cash and the pecking order theory.
Nitrate Supplement Benefits Contractile Forces in Fatigued but Not Unfatigued Muscle

Purpose Evidence suggests dietary nitrate supplementation enhances low-frequency (⩽20 Hz) involuntary, but not voluntary, forces in unfatigued human muscle. We investigated the hypotheses that nitrate supplementation would also attenuate low-frequency fatigue and the loss of explosive voluntary forces in fatigued conditions. Methods In a counterbalanced double-blinded order, 17 male participants completed two experimental trials after 7 d of dietary supplementation with either nitrate-rich (NIT) or nitrate-depleted (PLA) beetroot juice. Each trial consisted of measuring isometric knee extension forces during a series of explosive maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) and involuntary tetanic contractions (at 10, 20 50, and 100 Hz) in unfatigued conditions, followed by a fatigue protocol of 60 MVC and a repeat of the tetanic contractions immediately after the 60 MVC. Results In unfatigued conditions, there was no effect of NIT on any of the measured dependent variables, including maximal voluntary force, explosive impulse, and tetanic peak forces or peak rate of force developments at any frequency. In contrast, the percentage decline in explosive voluntary impulse from the first to the last 6 MVC in the fatigue protocol was lower in NIT (51.1% ± 13.9%) than in PLA (57.3% ± 12.4%; P = 0.039; d = 0.51). Furthermore, low-frequency fatigue determined via the percentage decline in the 20/50-Hz ratio was attenuated in NIT for tetanic peak force (NIT: 12.3% ± 12.0% vs PLA: 17.0% ± 10.1%; P = 0.110; d = 0.46) and tetanic peak rate force development (NIT: 12.3% ± 10.4% vs PLA: 20.3% ± 9.5%; P = 0.011; d = 0.83). Conclusions Nitrate supplementation reduced the decline in explosive voluntary forces during a fatiguing protocol and attenuated low-frequency fatigue, likely due to reduced disruption of excitation–contraction coupling. However, contrary to previous findings, nitrate supplementation had no effect on contractile performance in unfatigued conditions.