Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Characteristics of Human Enterovirus 71 and Coxsackievirus A16 Circulating from 1999 to 2004 in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China

ABSTRACT The genetic and phylogenetic characteristics of human enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) sampled from children with hand, foot, and mouth disease in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China, over a 6-year period (1999 to 2004) were examined with reverse transcription-PCR and DNA sequencing. Out of 147 stool specimens, 60 showed positive signals when screened with EV71- and CA16-specific primers. EV71 was identified in 19 specimens, and CA16 was identified in 41 specimens; coinfection by EV71 and CA16 was not observed. Phylogenetic analysis of all EV71 strains isolated from the mainland Chinese samples established C4 as the predominant genotype. Only one other known strain (3254-TAI-98; AF286531), isolated in Taiwan in 1998, was identified as belonging to genotype C4. Phylogenetic analysis of CA16 strains allowed us to identify three new genetic lineages (A, B, and C), with lineage C recently predominating in Asian countries, such as the People's Republic of China, Malaysia, and Japan. These new observations indicate that CA16 circulating in the People's Republic of China is genetically diverse, and additional surveillance is warranted.
EVALUATION OF BUSINESS PROMOTION PROGRAMMES: LITHUANIAN CASE

In recent years business promotion programmes generated high interest among researchers. Many studies proved that business promotion programmes positively impact employment rate in different countries, contribute to the reduction of gender, age and wage gap in the labour market and increase the level of entrepreneurship. In practice, there are cases where business support programmes do not give the desired effect (for example, Argentina, project Jefes). The purpose of the article is to evaluate the efficiency of business promotion programmes, researching the experience of the participants of business promotion programmes. The results of the empirical research enabled to establish the main reasons for participation in business promotion programmes (the wish to receive necessary funding, opportunities to make useful contacts, opportunities to get free systematised information necessary for business start-ups and others), the factors determining the efficiency of business promotion programmes (selection of the target group, arrangement of practical activities) and the obstacles for the efficient performance of the business promotion programmes (low personal interest, few opportunities to get funding). With reference to the research results, the recommendations on how to increase the efficiency of business promotion programmes have been introduced too. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.em. 18.1. 3979
Comparison of Central Corneal Thickness Between Fourier-Domain OCT, Very High-Frequency Digital Ultrasound, and Scheimpflug Imaging Systems.

PURPOSE To compare corneal thickness measurements between three imaging systems. METHODS In this retrospective study of 81 virgin and 58 post-laser refractive surgery corneas, central and minimum corneal thickness were measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT), very high-frequency digital ultrasound (VHF digital ultrasound), and a Scheimpflug imaging system. Agreement between methods was analyzed using mean differences (bias) (OCT - VHF digital ultrasound, OCT - Scheimpflug, VHF digital ultrasound - Scheimpflug) and Bland-Altman analysis with 95% limits of agreement (LoA). RESULTS Virgin cornea mean central corneal thickness was 508.3 ± 33.2 µm (range: 434 to 588 µm) for OCT, 512.7 ± 32.2 µm (range: 440 to 587 µm) for VHF digital ultrasound, and 530.2 ± 32.6 µm (range: 463 to 612 µm) for Scheimpflug imaging. OCT and VHF digital ultrasound showed the closest agreement with a bias of -4.37 µm, 95% LoA ±12.6 µm. Least agreement was between OCT and Scheimpflug imaging with a bias of -21.9 µm, 95% LoA ±20.7 µm. Bias between VHF digital ultrasound and Scheimpflug imaging was -17.5 µm, 95% LoA ±19.0 µm. In post-laser refractive surgery corneas, mean central corneal thickness was 417.9 ± 47.1 µm (range: 342 to 557 µm) for OCT, 426.3 ± 47.1 µm (range: 363 to 563 µm) for VHF digital ultrasound, and 437.0 ± 48.5 µm (range: 359 to 571 µm) for Scheimpflug imaging. Closest agreement was between OCT and VHF digital ultrasound with a bias of -8.45 µm, 95% LoA ±13.2 µm. Least agreement was between OCT and Scheimpflug imaging with a bias of -19.2 µm, 95% LoA ±19.2 µm. Bias between VHF digital ultrasound and Scheimpflug imaging was -10.7 µm, 95% LoA ±20.0 µm. No relationship was observed between difference in central corneal thickness measurements and mean central corneal thickness. Results were similar for minimum corneal thickness. CONCLUSIONS Central and minimum corneal thickness was measured thinnest by OCT and thickest by Scheimpflug imaging in both groups. A clinically significant bias existed between Scheimpflug imaging and the other two modalities.
The Dynamics of Trust in Politicians

The literature, both scholarly and non-scholarly, abounds with allegations that mass public is losing confidence in politicians and in many aspects of the political system. This chapter investigates such concerns. It first reviews some of the arguments for the decline of trust, and discusses where trust should be placed within the hierarchy of political support. It then discusses general characteristics of the data used, emphasizing issues of dimensionality and comparability across country and over time. It then describes the main trends in support from the late 1960s and early 1970s, focusing on sociological as well as political explanations. It concludes that the empirical evidence provides no firm guidance as to which factors are crucial in explaining variations in trust levels.
Hospitalization with varicella and shingles before and after introduction of childhood varicella vaccination in Germany

In Germany, one dose of varicella vaccination has been recommended for children aged <24 months since 2004, and 2 doses have been recommended since 2009. Vaccination coverage (VC) is above 80% for one dose and 60% for 2 doses. In this study, data on varicella- and shingles-associated hospitalizations before and after vaccine introduction were assessed. Based on ICD-coded data of the main diagnosis of hospitalized cases from 1995–2012 in Germany, annual age-adjusted and age-specific hospitalization incidences (cases/100,000; HI) were calculated. HI means 1995–2003 (pre-vaccination-period) versus 2005–2012 (post-vaccination-period) were compared. Age-specific trends and annual percentage change rates (APC) were assessed by joinpoint regression. Overall age-adjusted varicella-HI decreased from 3.3/100,000 pre-vaccination to 1.9/100,000 post vaccination. The decline was greatest in regions with the highest VC. The post-vaccination decline was greatest in children aged <1, 1–4, and 5–9 y, who had APCs of –18.2,–27.2 and –15.2, respectively, and significant joinpoints. In all other age groups no post-vaccination joinpoints were detected or they did not lead to a consistent trend. Age-adjusted shingles-HI increased from 8.8/100,000 (1995) to 16.8/100,000 (2012). Shingles-HI increased in all age groups with no significant post-vaccination joinpoints, except in children <1 and 1–4 y, where APCs of –5.6 and –3.6 were detected. Varicella vaccination significantly reduced varicella-HI in children below 10 y, but was not definitely related to varicella-HI in older age groups. A consistent increase of shingles-HI began before varicella vaccination was introduced and was not affected by vaccination.
The moderating effects of the board of directors on the relationship between R&D investment and firm performance

This research examines how the board of directors affects the relationship between Research and Development (R&D) investment and firm performance. The study, conducted on a sample of French companies listed on Euronext Paris, shows that the relationship between R&D investment and firm performance is significantly positive. However, this relationship varies significantly with the characteristics of the board of directors. Specifically, the results show that board independence, chief executive officer and chairman duality and the number of board meetings have a positive effect on the R&D investment-firm performance relationship, whereas board size affects this relationship negatively.
Searching for Emerging Knowledge: The Influence of Collaborative and Geographically Proximate Search

The application of emerging knowledge is crucial for innovation by firms competing in science and technology‐intensive industries. However, relatively little is known about how and where firms search externally for emerging knowledge. This study investigates collaborative and geographic proximate search patterns and the use of emergent knowledge in innovation activities. The examination of patent references in the US biotechnology industry reveals significant differences among knowledge‐search patterns. Collaborative search relates to emerging knowledge, but the age of the knowledge increases with geographic distance because knowledge sourced internationally tends to be older than national or local knowledge.
R2 and Price Inefficiency

Motivated by the recent debate on return R2 as an information-efficiency measure, this paper proposes and examines a new hypothesis that R2 is related to investors’ biases in processing information. We provide a model to show that R2 decreases with the degree of the marginal investor’s overreaction to firm-specific information. This theoretical result motivates an empirical hypothesis that stocks with lower R2 should exhibit more pronounced overreaction-driven price momentum. Empirically, we confirm that such a negative relationship between R2 and price momentum exists, and find this relationship robust to controls for risk as well as several alternative mechanisms, such as slow information diffusion, information uncertainty, fundamental R2 and illiquidity. Furthermore, we also document stronger long-run price reversals for stocks with lower R2. Taken together, our results suggest that return R2 could be related to price inefficiency.
Changes in nasal resonance following septoplasty in adults: Acoustic and perceptual characteristics

Objectives. Patients undergoing surgery for a deviated nasal septum (septoplasty) often report that their voice sounds different or less hyponasal. However, such a relationship between septoplasty and vocal resonance remains without scientific evidence. The purpose of this work is to investigate whether nasal septal surgery has any effect on nasal resonance, both in terms of objective measurements and patient perception. Methods. The research carried out was a prospective case–control study. We recruited patients who underwent septoplasty (study group) and healthy volunteers (control group). We obtained voice recordings of the nasal consonant /m/ pre- and four weeks postoperatively and twice at similar time intervals in the control group. We investigated objective changes by means of acoustic analysis of the voice recordings and calculated the total amount of acoustic energy in different bandwidths on a wide-band spectrogram. We also utilized a questionnaire to explore patient perception. Results. A total of 34 participants entered the study. ANOVA testing revealed significant changes in average total acoustic energy, phlegm, and throat dryness postoperatively. Regarding patient perception, a considerable number of our patients felt that their voice had changed for the better upon direct questioning. However, statistical analysis of the questionnaire items related to nasality of voice did not show a significant change. Conclusions. In this study it has been demonstrated that surgical correction of septal deviation causes significant spectrographic changes. In particular it causes changes in the average total acoustic energy during the production of a nasal consonant. A considerable number of our patients reported change in their vocal resonance for the better. We recommend that patients be advised that their voice may sound different after surgery, or less hyponasal.
A Stochastic Version of Zeeman's Market Model

In a heterogenous agents framework, we study a randomized version of Zeeman's market model with fundamental and momentum traders. Using methods from random dynamical systems theory, we examine convergence properties of invariant measures which correspond to market equilibria. It turns out that due to a stochastic stabilisation effect the market stays stable up to some critical value of speculative activity. If this threshold is surpassed, sudden trend reversals are possible without being induced by some exogenous shock.
Mode of Supervision and Teacher Productivity

This paper investigated the impact of principal supervisory techniques on teacher productivity in Oyo State Secondary Schools. An ex-post -facto research design was adopted for the study. The stratified random sampling techniques were used to select 85 schools from among 318 public secondary schools and 15 private secondary schools among 47 private secondary schools in Oyo State. 1, 600 respondents consisting 100 principals 500 teachers and 100 students were used in the study. While data wee collected through the use of questionnaire tagged "Teacher Productivity Questionnaire" (TPQ) and participant observation. The study discovered that, supervision has no significant impact on productivity of both high and low income earning teachers. it was also revealed that supervision has greater impact on teacher productivity in public schools than in private schools. Based on the findings it was recommended that attention should be paid to supervision mechanism details and be effectively implemented. Nigerian Journal of Clinical and Counselling Psychology Vol.8(2) 2002: 219-228
Prenatal Breastfeeding Education: Impact on Infants With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Background: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a growing problem in the United States, affecting 32,000 infants annually. Although breastfeeding would benefit infants with NAS, rates among these mothers are low. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase breastfeeding rates and decrease hospital length of stay (LOS) for infants with NAS through prenatal breastfeeding initiatives. Method: A pre-/postquality improvement design was used to assess the relationship between breastfeeding initiatives on breastfeeding rates and LOS in infants with NAS. A 3-class curriculum was offered to pregnant women at risk for delivering an infant with NAS. Chart review was completed for all infants evaluated for NAS in a hospital at baseline (n = 56), after Baby Friendly Status (BFS) (n = 75), and after BFS plus breastfeeding education (n = 69). Results: Although not statistically significant, the BFS plus breastfeeding education cohort had the largest percentage of exclusively breastfed infants during hospitalization (24.6%) and at discharge (31.9%). There was a statistically significant decrease in LOS (P < .001) between cohorts. Implications for Practice: The small sample made it not possible to infer direct impact of the intervention. However, results suggest that prenatal education may contribute to an increase in the numbers of infants with NAS who receive human milk and a decrease in hospital LOS. Implication for Research: Refinement of best practices around breastfeeding education and support for mothers at risk of delivering an infant with NAS is recommended so that breastfeeding may have the greatest impact for this subgroup of women and their infants.
Fifteen years of research with the Staff Observation Aggression Scale: a review

Objective: Research on the prevalence and causes of in‐patient aggression has been hindered by the use of different methods for measuring aggression. Since Palmstierna and Wistedt presented the Staff Observation Aggression Scale (SOAS) in 1987, this data collection method has been used in various studies, which may make comparisons more useful.
Leverage Constraints and the Optimal Hedging of Stock and Bond Options

Abstract This paper considers the problem of a financial institution that needs to hedge a stream of state-contingent cash flows while facing borrowing and short-sales restrictions. The study determines analytically the strategy that minimizes the initial cost of hedging the desired cash flow, which is also the upper bound on its market price, and shows that the impact of leverage constraints on the cost of hedging call and put options is significant and, therefore, the biases detected by tests of option pricing models may not represent arbitrage opportunities. The paper also shows that with credit limits, it is optimal to reduce the rate of trading; thus, these constraints need to be recognized when estimating the trading volume generated in replicating contingent payoffs such as portfolio insurance.
The value relevance of accounting information during the global financial crisis: evidence from Norway

This study investigates how the recent financial crisis influenced the value relevance of accounting information. The empirical analyses show that the book values of equity explained most of the cross-sectional variation in stock prices during the crisis. Still, the earnings response coefficient increased significantly during the period of the crisis. The analysis suggests a separation between the information content of book values and earnings in a crisis situation. The findings are consistent with book values being highly relevant as a proxy variable for liquidation values in a crisis, whereas earnings, in contrast to the balance sheet, capture information about the future earning capabilities of the firm.
ACL Injury Prevention Training Results in Modification of Hip and Knee Mechanics During a Drop-Landing Task

Background: Injury prevention training has been shown to be effective in reducing the incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury; however, the underlying reason for the success of these training programs is unclear. Purpose: To investigate whether an ACL injury prevention program that has been shown to reduce the incidence of ACL injury alters sagittal plane hip and knee biomechanics during a drop-landing task. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Thirty female club soccer players (age range, 11-17 years) with no history of knee injury participated in this study. Kinematics and ground-reaction forces were collected while each participant performed a drop-landing task prior to and immediately after participation in a 12-week ACL injury prevention training program. Results: After ACL injury prevention training, participants demonstrated decreased knee extensor moments (P = .03), increased energy absorption at the hip (P = .04), decreased knee-to-hip extensor moment ratios (P = .05), and decreased knee-to-hip energy absorption ratios (P = .03). Conclusion: Participation in an ACL injury prevention training program decreased reliance on the knee extensor muscles and improved use of the hip extensor muscles, which may explain the protective effect of this type of training program on ACL injury. Clinical Relevance: Based on these findings, clinicians can better understand how ACL injury prevention training, such as the Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance (PEP) Program, may change movement behavior at both the hip and knee. Furthermore, the study findings may support the implementation of the PEP Program, or a similar program, for clinicians aiming to improve use of the hip in an effort to reduce knee loading and consequent injuries.
Effects of Lead Phytochemicals of Radix Scutellariae on Acanthamoeba.

Purpose Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), which is associated with noncompliant use of contact lenses, remains difficult to treat due to delayed diagnosis and paucity of therapeutic agents. Although improvements in activity against Acanthamoeba infection have been achieved in disinfecting solutions for soft contact lenses, such modifications have not been extended to those for special rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses, which are increasingly used for myopia control in children. Phytochemicals present in herbs used for traditional Chinese medicine may be effective as therapeutic or preventive agents. The purpose of this study was to investigate amoebicidal properties of lead phytochemicals of Radix scutellariae alone and in combination with multipurpose (disinfecting) solutions (MPS) for RGP lenses. Methods Viability of Acanthamoeba castellani and A. polyphaga trophozoites was determined following exposure to four phytochemicals: baicalin, baicalein, wogonoside, and oroxylin A and both alone and in combination with four RGP MPS, using a modified stand-alone technique. Results As individual agents, wogonoside and oroxylin A showed highest activity against A. castellani and A. polyphaga trophozoites, respectively. For both organisms, the combination of baicalein and oroxylin A was superior. Effectiveness of MPS alone did not exceed 0.27 log reduction, but addition of combined baicalein and oroxylin A resulted in 0.92 and 0.64 log reductions of A. castellani and A. polyphaga, respectively. Conclusions The combination of baicalein and oroxylin A enhanced the activity of MPS for RGP contact lenses against trophozoites of two pathogens, A. castellani, and A. polyphaga, and offers a potential therapeutic and/or preventative agent for AK.
Socially responsible and conventional investment funds: performance comparison and the global financial crisis

We investigate the performance of socially responsible funds (SRFs) and conventional funds (CFs) in different market (geographical area and class size) segments during the period 1992–2012. From an unbalanced sample of more than 22 000 funds, we define a matched sample using a beta-distance measure to match any SRF with the ‘nearest neighbour’ CF in terms of sensitivity to risk factors. Using this matching approach and a recursive analysis, we identify several switch points in the lead/lag relationship between the two investment styles over time in different market segments. A relevant finding of our analysis is that SRFs played an ‘insurance role’ outperforming CFs during the 2007 global financial crisis.