Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Nutritional Deficiencies in Hair Loss among Indian Participants: Results of a Cross-sectional Study

Background: Nutritional deficiencies are known to be associated with hair loss; however, the exact prevalence is not known. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies in participants with hair loss. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 enrolled participants were divided into telogen effluvium (TE), male-pattern hair loss (MPHL), and female-pattern hair loss (FPHL) based on the type of hair loss. All participants underwent laboratory estimation for micronutrients and amino acid levels. Results: Participants with hair loss showed varied amino acid and micronutrient deficiencies across all types of hair loss. Nutritional status did not vary much between the types of hair loss. Among the essential amino acids, histidine deficiency was seen in >90% of participants with androgenic alopecia and 77.78% of participants with TE while leucine deficiency was seen 98.15% of participants with TE and 100% with FPHL. Valine deficiency was also very common across alopecia subtypes. Among the nonessential amino acids, alanine deficiency was observed in 91.67% FPHL, 91.18% MPHL, and 90.74% TE. Cysteine deficiency was present in 55.58% and 50% of participants with MPHL and TE, respectively. A relatively higher proportion of participants with TE had iron deficiency compared to androgenic alopecia (P = 0.069). Zinc deficiency was seen in 11.76% of participants with MPHL while copper deficiency was seen in 29.41% and 31.48% of participants with MPHL and TE, respectively. Conclusion: Nutritional deficiency is a common problem in participants with hair loss irrespective of the type of alopecia. The findings of our study suggest need for identification and correction of nutritional deficiencies in patients with hair loss.
When do foreign banks ‘cut and run’? Evidence from west European bailouts and east European markets

ABSTRACT Very high levels of foreign bank ownership in central and eastern Europe (CEE) gave rise to fears that the region would be vulnerable to ‘cutting and running’ during a financial crisis, whereby western parent banks would repatriate capital and liquidity to their home markets and abandon their CEE clients. Such fears were compounded by the economic nationalism of late 2008 and early 2009 in western Europe, as well as by west European bank bailout programmes that privileged home markets over foreign ones. Although CEE experienced a severe credit crunch in late 2008, compared to other financial and economic crises, western bank behaviour in CEE has not amounted to ‘cutting and running’. While many experts credit the ‘Vienna Initiative’ for maintaining foreign bank exposures in the region, this paper argues instead that it was the deep form of financial integration to which CEE was subject that kept banks committed. Specifically, western banks’ ‘second home market’ business model, in which capital moved east via foreign-owned bank subsidiaries as opposed to primarily via branches or cross-border lending, led to only moderate retrenchment from CEE.
Electrical probing of multi-ions solution by using graphene-based sensor

The multi-ion sensing properties of graphene based field effect transistor were investigated in this paper. Hydrogen and potassium ion sensitivities were measured. The believable detection concentration region was also defined. Finally, the distribution of time-dependence drift coefficient was also discussed. (keywords: graphene, ion sensitive field effect transistor, drift coefficient, potassium, and ion).
Debt Reclassification and Capital Market Consequences

We provide initial evidence on the economic consequences of a relatively large, fully disclosed, and apparently purposeful reporting decision: the balance sheet classification of short-term obligations as long-term debt in accordance with "Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 6". We examine a sample of 1,684 American firm-year observations between the years 1989 and 2000 to determine whether reclassification is associated with debt-ratings and equity values. We find that reclassification increases the likelihood of a subsequent debt-rating downgrade. We also find that market value decreases with increases in the amount reclassified, and that equity value is higher after firms cease reclassifying short-term obligations as long-term debt, compared with other firm-years in the sample. Thus, changes in debt classification are empirically linked in predictable directions to subsequent changes in debt ratings and stock values. Taken together, our results show that debt classification is an important publicly-available indicator that may be useful to capital market participants. We discuss several research extensions including the implications of our findings to European companies that convert to IAS in 2005. Copyright 2006 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Ab Initio-Based Modelling of the Yield Strength in High-Manganese Steels

An ab initio-based model for the strength increase by short-range ordering of C-Mn-Al clusters has been developed. The model is based on ab initio calculations of ordering energies. The impact of clusters on the yield strength of high-manganese austenitic steels (HMnS) is highly dependent on the configurational structure of the cells that carbon atoms will position themselves as interstitial atoms. The impact of the alloying elements C, Mn, and Al on the potential and actual increase in yield strength is analyzed. A model for the calculation of yield strengths of HMnS is derived that includes the impact of short-range ordering, grain size refinement, and solid solution strengthening. The model is in good agreement with experimental data and performs better than other models that do not include strengthening by short-range ordering.
The Facial Distribution of Port Wine Stains on Patients Presenting for Laser Treatment

During a 2-year period, 232 patients with port wine stains presented for laser treatment. They were analyzed for the position of the port wine stain with respect to the right and left ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular divisions of cranial nerve V and the right and left cervical plexus. Fifty-one percent of the facial lesions were confined to either the right or left maxillary division, and 72% of the lesions were confined to just one of the eight nerve regions; 5.9% of the lesions occupied regions on both sides of the face, whereas 49.8% were confined to the right side and 44.3% to the left. In comparison with a group of 103 patients studied by Ohtsuka of Japan, there appeared to be significantly more patients in the maxillary division (p < 0.00001) and significantly fewer patients in the ophthahnic division and in the combination of ophthalmic and maxillary divisions (p < 0.00001).
THE INFLUENCE OF RISK VARIABLE DEFINITION ON VALUE-OF-LIFE ESTIMATES

Empirical “value-of-life” estimates derived from labor market wage-risk premiums have varied widely. This paper examines the influence of risk variable definition on these estimates. Value-of-life estimates are derived for one sample from a set of several risk measures. The analysis reveals that the risk variable definition can markedly affect the value-of-life estimate. Further, the paradoxical pattern of “high” estimates from industry risk data and “low” estimates from occupation data is shown to be attributable to different risk definition, not differences in the characterization of risk faced by a given sample of works. Finally, by associating consistently low estimates with one particular risk variable this study suggests much more uniformity in the value-of-life estimates than previously believed.
A Note on the Common Support Problem in Applied Evaluation Studies

This paper advocates the use of a nonparametric bounds analysis to check the robustness of the results of applied evaluation studies to the problem of a lack of common support. The typical responses by researchers of either ignoring it, or obtaining estimates only for the subpopulation within the common support, can both be misleading: Ignoring the problem may result in biases because the comparison group may not be comparable. Deleting observations at best yields an estimator that is consistent for the common support only. When treatment effects differ inside and outside the common support this estimator is inconsistent for the parameter of interest. Furthermore, useful information is ignored, because, for example, the response of the treated to the treatment can be estimated even outside the common support. This information can be used to derive bounds with widths depending on the configuration of the data. The application to an evaluation study of Swiss active labour market policies shows that the relevance of the bounds for changing the interpretation of the results depends very much on the particular data configuration.
An uneasy marriage: non-state actors and police reform

This article looks at the inclusion of non-state actors in security sector reform (SSR) programming, specifically when efforts are made to strengthen local-level security through police reform. It explores how the role of non-state actors has been conceptualised vis-à-vis the role of states as providers of security and justice in fragile state settings. It is argued that even though the central role of non-state actors in SSR in general and policing in particular has increasingly been acknowledged, the imperative of state building, which continues to structure SSR, makes non-state actors as providers of security at the local level an uneasy bedfellow. Based on experiences around police reform in sub-Saharan Africa, Sierra Leone in particular, the article illustrates how key personnel and advisers in police programming are aware of the importance to engage communities and develop context-specific programmes, but fall back on state-centric approaches. As will be outlined, there are many reasons for this, including the political context in which SSR is undertaken, pressure to achieve results and the like.
Risk Factors for Postoperative Urinary Tract Infection and Urinary Retention in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

The aim of this study was to analyze risk factors for postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI) and urinary retention (UR) in patients with colorectal cancer. Using Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2006–2009, a retrospective analysis of surgical patients with colorectal cancer was conducted. Patients were stratified into groups, with or without UTI/UR. The LASSO algorithm for logistic regression identified independent risk factors. A total of 93,931 surgical patients with colorectal cancer were identified. The incidences of UTI and UR were 5.91 and 2.52 per cent, respectively. Overall in-hospital mortality was 2.68 per cent. The UTI group demonstrated significantly higher in-hospital mortality rates compared with those without. Both UTI and UR groups were associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased hospital charge. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed age older than 60 years, females, anemia, congestive heart failure, coagulopathy, diabetes with chronic complications, fluid and electrolyte, paralysis, pulmonary circulation disorders, renal failure, and weight loss were independent risk factors of UTI. Age older than 60 years, male gender, rectal and rectosigmoid cancers, and postoperative anastomotic leakage and ileus were independent risk factors for UR. Postoperative UTI increases in-house mortality. Postoperative UTI/UR in patients with colorectal cancer increases length of stay and hospital charges. Knowledge of these specific risk factors for UTI and UR is needed to counsel patients and prevent these complications in this high-risk population.
Lifetime reproduction and the second demographic transition: Stochasticity and individual variation

BACKGROUND In the last half of the previous century many developed countries went through a period of decreasing fertility rates, referred to as the second demographic transition. This transition is often measured using the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which gives the mean number of children produced by a woman surviving through her reproductive years. The TFR ignores effects of mortality and, as a mean, provides no information on variability among individuals in lifetime reproduction. OBJECTIVE Our goal is to quantify the statistics (mean, variance, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and skewness) during the second demographic transition. We compare these statistical properties as functions of age, time, and developmental indices. METHODS We used Markov chains with rewards to compute the moments of lifetime reproductive output (LRO) based on age-specific mortality and fertility rates for 40 developed coun- tries, two hunter-gatherer populations and a group of North-American Hutterites. The analysis uses a Markov chain to model individual survival, and treats reproduction as a Bernoulli-distributed reward with probability equal to the age-specific fertility. RESULTS All statistical properties of lifetime reproduction changed during the transition. The mean and standard deviation of LRO declined, and the coefficient of variation and skewness increased. By 2000, these statistics were tightly correlated across countries, suggesting that the entire distribution of LRO shifted, not just the mean. CONCLUSIONS We find that developed countries adhere to a seemingly universal distribution in LRO, during and after the second demographic transition. This distribution becomes more ap- parent when development improves health circumstances and decreases mortality.
Is Lifestyle Tourism Business in the Age of Commercialization Just a Dream? Challenges and Remedies

Lifestyle tourism businesses have emerged in many Chinese township destinations, and with rapid tourism development in China the problem of commercialization cannot be ignored. This study explores the effects of tourism commercialization on lifestyle tourism business owners’ attitudes towards doing business. In-depth interviews were conducted with lifestyle tourism business owners in Yangshuo, China. The grounded theory approach was followed through a systematic procedure of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding in order to make sense out of the data. The findings indicate that most of the lifestyle tourism business owners have changed their attitudes towards doing business as a result of the commercialization of tourism in their area. Two major reasons contribute to this change of attitude, namely, altered perceptions of the destination, and the increased difficulties of doing business. This study also points out two barriers to operating small tourism businesses: high rents and increased competition from business rivals.
Is the Mpc's Voting Record Informative About Future UK Monetary Policy?

It is shown that the voting record of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England helps predict future policy rate changes. This result is robust to the inclusion of market participants' expectations as measured by the slope of the term structure of money market rates and interest rate futures. Moreover, expectations seem to adjust to the information contained in the voting record, which suggests that publishing the minutes of MPC meetings increases the transparency of monetary policy. Copyright The editors of the "Scandinavian Journal of Economics", 2004 .
Boardroom Strategic Decision‐Making Style: Understanding the Antecedents

Manuscript Type. Empirical. Research Issue. The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the antecedents that lead to boards embracing either procedural rationality or political behaviors as a particular style of strategic decision making. Research Findings. Semi‐structured interviews with 29 directors and officers of eight publicly‐traded US companies were conducted. Of the eight boards analyzed, there were clear differences in the predominant style of decision making operationalized by each. More importantly, however, the variance between boards that tended towards procedural rationality versus political behaviors as the predominant style of strategic decision making was explained by three primary factors. These included: (1) shared mental models; (2) balanced power relationships between the board members and CEO, as well as amongst individual board members; and (3) board chair leadership skills. Our data allow us to identify important antecedents of these factors. Theoretical Implications. We add to the work seeking to understand the processes associated with board level strategic decision making. We augment decision‐making theories relating to procedural rationality and political behaviors with board‐specific factors and their characteristics. Practitioner Implications. We isolate a number of antecedents relating to the conduct of boards and the environment of board decision making. We also highlight the roles of the board chair and the CEO for creating a boardroom environment conducive to engaging in quality decision‐making processes.
The Politics of Economic Adjustment in a Liberal Market Economy: The Social Compensation Hypothesis Revisited

Abstract The ‘compensation hypothesis’ holds that increasing trade exposure gives rise to pressures for an expansion in public spending, especially on welfare items. We argue that the underlying relationship between economic openness and public spending and particularly on welfare effort in Ireland shows a surprising consistency that is at odds with this hypothesis. Our preliminary estimates show a persistently weak relationship between trade openness and ‘social compensation’, unlike the experience of other small open economies. We seek to explain these findings with reference to both structural economic constraints and domestic political preferences.
Correlation of CT findings with clinical evaluations in 261 patients with symptomatic bronchiectasis.

OBJECTIVE In a multicenter study, we evaluated the relationships between the extent and severity of bronchiectasis on CT and clinical symptoms, spirometric abnormality, and sputum characteristics. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study population included 261 patients with symptomatic, physiologically significant bronchiectasis, who were enrolled in another study evaluating the clinical efficacy of deoxyribonudease in treatment of bronchiectasis. Patients with cystic fibrosis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and fungal or mycobacterial infection were excluded. In addition to high-resolution CT scanning, all patients underwent clinical evaluation, spirometry, and sputum culture. CT features scored by consensus of two observers included the extent of bronchiectasis, type of bronchiectasis (cylindric, varicose, or cystic), extent of mucoid impaction, and degree of bronchial wall thickening. RESULTS Scores for the severity and extent of bronchiectasis correlated with the forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) (r = -.362, p < .0001) and with the forced vital capacity (FVC) (r = -.362, p < .0001). Scores for bronchial wall thickening correlated with the FEV1 (r = -.367, p < .0001) and FVC (r = -.239, p < .001). Patients with cystic bronchiectasis were significantly more likely to grow Pseudomonas from their sputa and to have purulent sputa than were patients with cylindric or varicose bronchiectasis. Patients with cystic bronchiectasis had significantly lower FEV1 and FVC values than did patients with cylindric or varicose bronchiectasis. CONCLUSION In this patient population, we found weak but significant correlations between the degree of morphologic abnormality on CT and the extent of physiologic impairment. Cystic bronchiectasis was associated with sputum purulence and with the growth of Pseudomonas. CT classification of the type of bronchiectasis may be useful as an index of severity of disease.
Modeling and simulation of sensor orientation errors in garments

We report in this paper on a novel modeling and simulation approach to predict orientation errors of garment-attached sensors and their effect on posture classification. Such errors occur frequently in smart garment implementations and can reduce sensor information quality for movement and posture recognition. A kinematic model of the human upper-body was developed to simulate upper limb postures and the output of virtual 3D acceleration sensors. The model was enhanced with a statistical approximation of garment-related orientation errors. We derived this model from acceleration sensor deviations between skin- and garment-attached units. The feasibility of our body model and the garment-attached sensor deviation was validated in experimental data. We compared the classification performance for ten posture types that are frequently used in shoulder rehabilitation. In a validation set of 7 participants we observed similar classifier confusions and a relative error of 2.6% (SD:±3.2%) between simulation and experiment. We utilized the model to estimate classification performance for further simulated textile error distributions. Our simulations showed that classification performance depends on low deviations of an acceleration sensor at the lower arm, while a sensor at the upper arm was less critical. Moreover, we included magnetic field sensors in our simulation. With the help of this additional modality our posture classification performance increased by 18%. We conclude that simulation of skin- and garment-attached sensors is a feasible approach to expedite design and development process of smart garments.
The Role of Authentic Leadership in Fostering Workplace Inclusion: A Social Information Processing Perspective

The extant literature has largely overlooked the importance of a climate for inclusion as a response to the growing trend of workplace diversity. This conceptual article contends that an organization-wide change effort comprising several reinforcing processes aimed at creating a climate for inclusion is needed to institutionalize workplace inclusion. Drawing on social information processing theory, authentic leaders are posited to transmit social information about the importance of inclusion into the work environment through inclusive leader role modeling. Reward systems that remunerate inclusive conduct can foster the vicarious learning of inclusive conduct by followers. Large and diverse workgroups offer a plethora of opportunities for followers to learn how to behave in an inclusive manner. Authentic leaders and followers who share cooperative goals related to developing a climate for inclusion can prompt the vicarious learning of inclusive behaviors by followers, thereby facilitating goal attainment for both parties. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed
Report of the Fixed-Interest Working Group

ABSTRACT Actuarial models of the market in conventional British Government Stocks, also known as the Gilt-Edged market, are reviewed and contrasted with the methods which have been developed, during the last twenty years, by financial economists. Following the Treasury's announcement in May 1995 (regarding the taxation of institutional bond holdings), the so-called ‘coupon effect’ has largely disappeared and gilt prices can now be fitted very closely by using the same simple discounting functions for both income and capital flows. A new model suitable for the calculation of yield indices is proposed and is contrasted with the model currently underlying the FTSE Actuaries Government Securities (FTSEAGS) Yield Indices. A number of new possible applications of the reformulated yield indices, such as forward pricing, asset/liability matching and stochastic simulation, are discussed. An analogous model for index-linked gilts leads to applications involving the forward market in the retail prices index. A survey of professional users of the FTSEAGS Indices is described, and a revised presentation for the published yield indices is suggested. A summary of current statutory references to the indices is presented.