Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome: incidence and recurrence rate in infertile women with unexplained infertility undergoing intrauterine insemination.

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and recurrence rate of luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome in women with unexplained infertility undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI). METHODS A total of 167 women with unexplained infertility who underwent 292 cycles of IUI were enrolled in the study. All patients were treated with clomiphene citrate, 50-150 mg/daily from day 5 to 9 of their menstrual cycle. Ultrasound examination to confirm ovulation was performed on the day of IUI (day 0) and every day thereafter for another 3 days (days 1, 2 and 3). A total of 69 women who failed to conceive in the first cycle and 56 women who failed to conceive in the second cycle underwent second and third cycles, respectively. RESULTS Of the total 167 patients who underwent first cycle, 42 (25%) had LUF. The incidence of LUF was 56.5% in 69 patients who underwent a second cycle of IUI treatment, of whom 33 patients had LUF in the first cycle with recurrence rate of 78.6%. In 56 patients who underwent 3 consecutive cycles, the incidence of LUF was 58.9% and recurrence rate of 90%. No pregnancies were recorded in patients with LUF during the study period. CONCLUSION The incidence and recurrence rate of LUF are significantly increased in subsequent cycles of IUI. In these patients, other options of infertility treatment might be justified.
Management Ownership and Audit Firm Size

The finance literature identifies two agency problems between managers and outside shareholders. First, there is a divergence-of-interests problem as management ownership falls. Second, there is an offsetting entrenchment problem when management ownership increases within intermediate regions of ownership. Agency problems are mitigated through contracting, but contracts are often based upon accounting numbers prepared by management. Since accounting numbers must be reliable for contracts to be enforced, agency theory predicts a demand for higher quality auditors when agency problems are more severe. However, extant studies find no significant or robust relation between management ownership and audit firm size (Francis and Wilson, 1988; DeFond, 1992). In contrast to extant research, this study samples unlisted companies rather than listed companies for two reasons. First, the monitoring value of auditing may be greater in unlisted companies because they are less vulnerable to takeover and they are required to disclose much less non-accounting information to shareholders. Second, unlisted companies have much greater variation in management ownership and this permits more powerful tests of the demand for auditing as ownership varies between 0% and 100%. Consistent with a divergence-of-interests effect, the association between management ownership and audit firm size is found to be significantly negative within low and high regions of management ownership. The association is flatter and slightly positive within intermediate regions of management ownership, suggesting the existence of an opposite entrenchment effect. The negative association and the non-linearity is consistent with the finance literature and with the predictions of agency theory.
The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Hemiculter leucisculus

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of Hemiculter leucisculus was determined to be 16,617 bp. It contains the structure of 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and non-coding control region (D-loop). The critical central conserved sequences (CSB-D, CSB-E, and CSB-F) were also detected. The determination of H. leucisculus mitogenome would play an important role in genetic diversity and population vitality in Cyprinidae.
A systematic review of the evidence on the treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder

Fountoulakis KN, Kontis D, Gonda X, Yatham LN. A systematic review of the evidence on the treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2013: 15: 115–137. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Nonsense but not missense mutations can decrease the abundance of nuclear mRNA for the mouse major urinary protein, while both types of mutations can facilitate exon skipping

In an effort to understand the mechanisms by which nonsense codons affect RNA metabolism in mammalian cells, nonsense mutations were generated within the gene for the secretory major urinary protein (MUP) of mice. The translation of MUP mRNA normally begins within exon 1 and terminates within exon 6, the penultimate exon. Through the use of Northern (RNA) blot hybridization and assays that couple reverse transcription and PCR, a nonsense mutation within codon 50 of exon 2 or codon 143 of exon 5 was found to reduce the abundance of fully spliced, nuclear MUP mRNA to 10 to 20% of normal without an additional reduction in the abundance of cytoplasmic mRNA. In contrast, a nonsense mutation within codon 172 of exon 5 was found to have no effects on the abundance of MUP mRNA. These findings suggest that a boundary between nonsense mutations that do and do not reduce the abundance of nuclear mRNA exists within the exon preceding the exon that harbors the normal site of translation termination. In this way, the boundary is analogous to the boundary that exists within the penultimate exon of the human gene for the cytosolic enzyme triosephosphate isomerase. Assays for exon skipping, i.e., the removal of an exon as a part of the flanking introns during the process of splicing, reveal that 0.1, 2.0, and 0.1% of MUP mRNA normally lack exon 5, exon 6, and exons 5 plus 6, respectively. Relative to normal, the two nonsense mutations within exon 5 increase the abundance of RNA lacking exon 5 on average 20-fold and increase the abundance of RNA lacking exons 5 plus 6 on average 5-fold. Since only one of these nonsense mutations also reduces the abundance of fully spliced nuclear mRNA to 10 to 20% of normal, the two mechanisms by which a nonsense mutation can alter nuclear RNA metabolism must be distinct. The analysis of missense mutations within codons 143 and 172, some of which retain the nonsense mutation, indicates that the reduction in the abundance of fully spliced nuclear mRNA is dependent upon the premature termination of MUP mRNA translation, whereas skipping is attributable to nonsense mutation-mediated changes in exon 5 structure rather than to the premature termination of translation. The increase in exon 5 skipping by either the nonsense or missense mutations within codon 172 correlates with a decrease in the complementarity of exon 5 to U1 snRNA. This suggests that a 5' splice site may extend as far as 12 nucleotides into the upstream exon, which is, to our knowledge, the largest extension.
Bridging the gap between disclosure and use of intellectual capital information

– The objective of this paper is to examine the information regarding intellectual capital disclosed to financial analysts and to study if this data is finally considered in their decision‐making process. , – The database consists of 257 reports of presentations held by Spanish companies and 217 analyst reports issued during 2000 and 2001. The paper shows that information related to intellectual capital is widely reported to financial analysts and that they use it in their decision making process. , – The findings show that some of the items most frequently disclosed in the meetings and considered in valuation tasks are related to coherence and credibility of strategy, alliances, or leadership. Nevertheless, the comparison shows that the disclosure on intangibles is higher than the level of this information included in the analyst reports. This paper contributes to three streams of literature. The first is the literature on intangible assets, to which we contribute by providing evidence of its disclosure through direct contacts. The second is the literature on analyst valuation, to which we contribute by increasing understanding of the role of intellectual capital in the decision‐making process of financial analysts. Finally, by comparing the results, we test the differences in the focus on intangibles between the main parties involved in the information flow: the discloser and the user of the information. , – The analysis of non‐financial information currently reported in private channels and used by financial analysis may be of interest to policymakers or regulators in the setting of mandatory disclosure requirements regarding intangibles
What Is the Maximum Predictability Permitted by Asset Pricing Models

This paper investigates whether return predictability can be explained by existing asset pricing models. Using different assumptions, I develop two theoretical upper bounds on the R-square of the regression of stock returns on predictive variables. Empirically, I find that the predictive R-square is significantly larger than the upper bounds, implying that extant asset pricing models are incapable of explaining the degree of return predictability. The reason for this inconsistency is the low correlation between the excess returns and the state variables used in the discount factor. The finding of this paper suggests the development of new asset pricing models with new state variables that are highly correlated with stock returns. JEL Classification: C22, C53, C58, G10, G12, G14, G17
Differences between Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Medical and Nonmedical Hospital Personnel

ABSTRACT It is unclear whether the levels of Staphylococcus aureus colonization of hospital personnel with patient exposure are increased or whether personnel become colonized with more antibiotic-resistant strains. Differences in nasal and hand carriage of S. aureus between medical and nonmedical hospital personnel were examined. No differences in nasal carriage between the two groups were found; however, there was a trend that suggested differences in the rates of hand carriage of S. aureus (18% of nonmedical personnel and 10% of medical personnel). Medical personnel were colonized with more antibiotic-resistant isolates than nonmedical personnel (mean, 2.8 versus 2.1 isolates [P < 0.03]), and the strain profiles indicated that they tended to be more clonal in origin, suggesting that exposure to hospital isolates alters the colonization profile.
How Much Value Can Blockholders Tunnel? Evidence from the Bulgarian Mass Privatization Auctions

This study examines the emergence of the Bulgarian stock market and the role of controlling blockholders. A new approach using mass privatization auction data measures the premium for control and demonstrates that, in the absence of legal constraints, majority owners extract more than 85% of firm value as private benefits of control. Institutional investors form portfolios of predominantly controlling positions or participate in majority coalitions. Ownership stakes cluster at 51%. After the privatized companies begin trading on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, majority-owned firms trade at 40-60% discounts. Overall, the results support the Fama and Jensen (1983) view that majority-owned firms cannot persist as publicly traded corporations if the expropriating activities of controlling blockholders are not legally restricted.
Managing Social Change and Social Policy in Greater China: Welfare Regimes in Transition?

Discussion of welfare regimes and welfare state ideal types continues to dominate comparative social policy analysis, but the focus of the debate has expanded considerably since the publication of Esping-Andersen's (1990) groundbreaking The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Shifts in this debate have been prompted by a mixture of theoretical and empirical concerns raised by comparative social policy scholars, but they have also resulted from a more general internationalisation of social policy research agendas within the academy too. In particular, there has been a strong desire to expand the scope of the debate to encompass nations and regions not included in Esping-Andersen's initial study of just eighteen high income OECD states.
Bat algorithm for topology optimization in microelectronic applications

In many design applications, designers often have to find the best geometrical configurations so as to achieve certain objectives with the minimum amount of materials used. Such shape or topology optimization problems are usually much harder to solve than nonlinear optimization problems in a fixed domain. In this paper, we use the recently developed bat algorithm to solve topology optimization problems. Results show that the distribution of different topological characteristics such as materials can be achieved efficiently. We have also tested the bat algorithm by solving nonlinear design benchmarks. Results suggest that bat algorithm is very efficient for solving nonlinear global optimization problems as well as topology optimization.
Welfare reforms in Canada

This study examines the development of impoverished pre-school children before and after the implementation of mandatory welfare-to-work initiatives in Canada. Using data from the 1994/95 and 1998/99 cycles of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, we explore the relationships that impoverished families’ income source and family income status have with pre-school children's school readiness. Findings indicate that both before and after the implementation of mandatory welfare-to-work initiatives, children in working poor families had higher school readiness scores than their peers whose families receive social assisntance, independent of family environment characteristics that differentiated working poor and social assistance poor families. In addition, both before and after the implementation of mandatory welfare-to-work initiatives, school readiness scores of poor children were lower than scores for non-poor children, with children living in families that had incomes at least 200 percent of the low-income cut-offs being the only group with scores above the expected standard of 100. In sum, our study fails to provide evidence that by the end of the 1990s welfare reforms supported the concurrent policy goal of improving the well-being of Canadian children in poverty.
Relationship between 1,25-dihydroxy Vitamin D levels and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance values in obese subjects.

AIM In this study, our aim is to evaluate the insulin resistance and quality of life in obese subjects and nonobese subjects and to find out the Vitamin D (VD) status and correlations between obesity and control groups and also according to their quality of life scores. MATERIALS AND METHOD The study was carried out between May and October 2013 which is the period of VD synthesis in Turkey. The participants of this study were volunteering individuals - obese and nonobese individuals defined according to the body mass index (BMI) - that did not receive any VD support in the last 1-year and did not have any known chronic diseases. 1,25-OH VD status and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values were evaluated. RESULTS The study population consisted of 39 individuals with normal weight (23 women, 16 men) and 66 individuals categorized as obese (51 women, 15 men). The difference in HOMA-IR and VD values between the group of obese individuals and the group of nonobese individuals was significant (P < 0.001 vs. P <0.001). The median value of HOMA-IR was higher in the obese group than in the nonobese group (P < 0.001) while the median value of VD was higher in the nonobese group than in the obese group (P < 0.001). The results regarding the relationship of BMI with HOMA-IR and VD show that there was a positive correlation between HOMA-IR and BMI (rs = 0.507; P < 0.001) and there was a negative correlation between HOMA-IR and VD (rs = -0.316; P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION Given serious diseases associated with low serum VD levels such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders as well as low side effect incidence and low cost of VD treatment, it would be a reasonable approach to identify routine serum 25(OH) D and/or 1,25-OH VD levels of obese patients and administer a treatment to patients with low levels of VD.
EFFECT OF MOMORDICA CHARANTIA FRUITS ON STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS

Objective: The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of Momordica charantia fruits on diabetes mellitus and its related complications. Methods: Crude powder, aqueous, 95% and 50% ethanol extract of Momordica charantia fruits were administered to normal rats post sucrose load and streptozotocin-induced (STZ-induced) diabetic rats in single-dose study. The aqueous extract was further fractionated into butanol and aqueous fractions which were evaluated for the antihyperglycemic activity at a single dose in STZ-induced diabetic rats. The multiple dose effect of aqueous fraction was studied in high-fructose diet fed (HFD) rats and STZ-induced diabetic rats. The effect of the same fraction on cellular glucose uptake and insulin-signaling was studied in rat skeletal muscle cells (L6). Results: The aqueous extract of Momordica charantia fruits showed significant lowering of postprandial hyperglycemia in normal rats and also lowered blood glucose level in STZ-induced diabetic rats. The butanol and aqueous fractions also significantly declined the blood glucose level of STZ-induced diabetic rats in single-dose administration with comparatively higher activity in aqueous fraction. In a multiple - dose study the aqueous fraction significantly improved fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, plasma insulin level, lipid profile, hepatic and renal parameters in both high-fructose diet fed and STZ-induced diabetic rats. In vitro study of L6 cells revealed that the aqueous fraction significantly increased glucose uptake by treated cells by upregulating the expression of IRS, AKT and GLUT4 at both mRNA and protein level. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the aqueous fraction of aqueous extract of Momordica charantia fruits is competent in the control of diabetes and its related complications.
Formaldehyde: An Experimental Multipotential Carcinogen

Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats of different ages at the start of the experiments (12 day embryos, and 7 and 25 weeks old) were administered formaldehyde in drinking water at different doses (2,500 or 1,500, 1,000, 500, 100, 50, 10, 0 ppm). An increased incidence of leukemias and of gastro-intestinal tu mors was observed in formaldehyde treated rats. Gastro-intestinal tumors are exceptionally rare in the rats of the colony used. These results, together with the ones obtained by other Authors on rats exposed by inhalation to formaldehyde, indicate that this compound is an experimental multipotential carcinogen. The experimental results presented in this report give scientific support to the epidemiological observation of a higher incidence of leukemias and of gastro-intestinal cancers among the people occu pationally exposed.
Real business cycle models, endogenous growth models and cyclical growth: A critical survey

Since the early contributions to the topic, business cycles have been considered as essentially connected with the development of capitalist economies. In the early 1980s the issue of the relationship between growth and cycles was addressed within a market clearing environment by the real business cycle (RBC) literature, and, more recently, in endogenous growth (EG) models.1 In the articles belonging to the RBC literature, which are based on the neoclassical model of (optimal) capital accumulation augmented by technology shocks, it is common to find assertions like ‘our approach integrates growth and business cycle theory’ (Kydland and Prescott, 1982, p. 1345) or ‘real business cycles theory (.) holds considerable promise for enhancing our understanding of economic fluctuations and growth as well as their interaction’ (King, Plosser and Rebelo, 1988, p. 196). Thus, it appears that such an integration of growth and business cycle theory is understood as one of the most, if not the most, important achievement of the analysis. The relationship between growth and cycles has also been tackled from a different point of view; some contributions in the EG literature focus on the possibility of generating non-linear (periodic) dynamics as the effect of introducing endogenous growth into an otherwise neoclassical growth model. In the whole of this variegated literature on RBC and EG, one can distinguish at least three main different approaches to the study of the interaction between growth and cycles:
The Effect of Three Mile Island on Utility Bond Risk Premia: A Note

could be expected to react to the possibility of losses related to nuclear accidents, and to the prospect of larger marginal costs associated with compliance with stricter regulation by Public Utility Commissions. This study tests for the effects of the TMI accident on bond risk premia in the public utility industry. The following four null hypotheses are tested: 1. Bond risk premia did not increase in the industry as a whole because of the accident at TMI. 2. Bond risk premia were not affected by a firm's commitment to generate nuclear power. 3. Bond risk premia were not affected by the extent of the firm's commitment to nuclear power generation. 4. Bond risk premia were not influenced by the brand of reactor operated. Section I of the study briefly reviews the research that documents the effects of TMI on utility equities and considers previous models of bond risk premia. Based on those findings, Section II specifies the null hypotheses in a testable form using a model of the risk premium that is consistent with the previous bond risk literature and is designed to control for bond-specific factors and for the state of the economy. Results of the hypothesis testing appear in Section III. Section IV contains the study's conclusions.
A Critical Review of Buffer Zone Theory and Practice: A Philippine Case Study

As populations increase and forest areas decline, protected areas are being defined in an attempt to preserve remnants of original flora and fauna. This is problematic where local populations exist within or close to protected area boundaries. These people are often compelled to exploit protected area resources to survive. Theoretically, socioeconomic activities and projects directed at buffer areas can decrease pressure on protected areas and provide opportunities for local populations to become active in their management. This research studied a group of rice farmers and laborers in a remote village in the Philippines to ascertain whether potential increases in farmer income affect pressure for production within the national park. From in-depth interviews, field visits, and wealth and status ranking, our case study substantiates some of the claims made by other authors, but goes further to more comprehensively implicate land tenure as a central issue in this particular situation.
Evaluating Participatory Processes in Conservation Policy and Governance: Lessons from a Natura 2000 pilot case study

Participatory approaches have been incorporated in decision-making to strengthen the involvement of social actors in natural resource management and governance. This paradigm shift is permeating the development of Natura 2000 in Europe. However, the implementation of participatory approaches is at an early stage and still contested. To assess the scope of these participatory approaches, this article: (1) reviews the role of participatory approaches in Natura 2000, (2) develops a common framework to evaluate such participatory processes, (3) applies this framework to a pilot case study and (4) based on the lessons learned, provides guidance for future developments. Although the relatively small sample of participants signals caution, the study shows that ensuring an open dialogue among the social actors served to enhance understanding of the various interests and facilitated the identification of areas for compromise. While these findings are promising, we also identify various challenges to a better and more open dialogue. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.