Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SME Managers and Financial Literacy

The aim of this study is to examine the level of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) business owners–managers’ financial literacy and its impact on firm’s performance. The article applied a random sample and structural equation modelling (SEM) approaches in assessing the influence of SME business owners–managers’ level of financial literacy within the three states in the southwest Nigeria. The findings show the complete effect of business owner–manager’s financial knowledge, financial awareness and financial attitude in converting financial literacy to increase in firm performance. Also, they confirm that financial knowledge and awareness of SME business owners–managers are obviously not a prerequisite for the performance of SMEs, but entrepreneur characteristics in decision-making and relationship to financial attitude have a comparison with financial literacy. The research limitation evolves from cross section information observation that solely covers the southwestern part of the country. Additionally, inspired to meet the analysis gap is panel data analysis. Training courses through strategic orientation on the attitudinal perception of SME business owner–manager and basic business management skills, capacity-building aspect, leadership development as well as networking via relationship marketing and management on financial literacy may have significant effect on SMEs’ performance and growth for the managers in general in Nigeria. The article is one of the first to examine the level of financial literacy of SME business owners–managers in Nigeria. The article therefore sets an important benchmark for further research in this area.
Happy Taxpayers: How Paying Taxes Can Make People Happy

Past research has shown a link between taxation and higher well-being, but no research so far has revealed a mechanism or established a causal direction. While taxation can benefit individuals through providing better quality public goods, this line of research suggests that taxation may also benefit individuals by strengthening collective identification with other taxpayers. In three studies, I show that when taxation is perceived as a form of prosocial spending rather than personal spending, taxpayers increase their group identification with the other t ax beneficiaries, which in turn results in greater happiness and life satisfaction. In Study 1, I established a link between willingness to pay taxes to help others and well-being across time and nations. I examined this by analyzing data from the World Values Survey (WVS). Across 74 nations over 17 years, increase in tax to prevent pollution was positively linked to higher happiness and life satisfaction (= .055, p < 0.001 & = .195, p < 0.001, respectively). Likewise, across 19 rich nations, willingness to pay higher taxes to increase their country's foreign aid to poor countries was associated with higher happiness and life satisfaction (= .055, p < 0.001 & = .186, p < 0.001, respectively). In Study 2, I replicated the link between willingness to pay taxes for prosocial purposes and subjective well-being with an American student sample and explored whether perceived social impact—the extent to which people feel their taxes benefit their society—mediates this relationship. The results of the bootstrapping analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of prosocial tax on happiness and life satisfaction via social impact, b Study 3, I manipulated whether taxes were perceived as either a personal or a prosocial benefit or neither and tested whether benefiting other members of one's own group (students from the iv University of Kansas) in the prosocial tax condition encourages stronger identification with other KU students, which in turn, improves happiness and life satisfaction. The results of the bootstrapping analysis confirmed a significant indirect effect of prosocial tax on current state of happiness and life satisfaction via increased KU identification, b =. 329, 95% CI = [. 0653; . 7959] and b =. 370, 95% CI = [. 0862; . 8330], respectively. The implications for tax policies are discussed.
Susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum to a peroxidase-mediated oxygen-dependent microbicidal system

The viability of Plasmodium falciparum in culture was assessed by [3H]hypoxanthine incorporation during 24 h of incubation with lactoperoxidase, glucose-glucose oxidase, hydrogen peroxide, halides, or thiocyanate, alone or in combination. Synergistic inhibition was produced by the following combinations: lactoperoxidase plus hydrogen peroxide, lactoperoxidase plus glucose-glucose oxidase, and lactoperoxidase plus hydrogen peroxide plus halides or thiocyanate. These inhibitory effects were reversed by catalase and glutathione. The presence of plasmodial crisis forms inside the erythrocytes suggests that the oxygen-dependent microbicidal system of phagocytes has a killing effect.
Gender classification using face recognition

This paper addresses the issue of gender classification using the method of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for face recognition and classification of human faces. The use of the PCA algorithm has a maximum success rate of 82%. The gender classification system is then improved by using the Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA. This algorithm has a machine-learning framework by which it trains on a database and using this trained environment to predict the outcome of other images. The classification is restricted to two classes - male and female. Upon using LDA, the success rate increased to approximately 85%. The database used in this paper for the training and testing of images is called the FERET database.
Neighborhood‐level economic activity and crime

ABSTRACT Theories of criminology suggest that neighborhood‐level economic activity affects the conditions that make crime more likely. However, most studies on neighborhoods and crime focus solely on residential characteristics and ignore the commercial ones. In this article, we estimate the effect of neighborhood‐level economic activity on crime holding residential characteristics constant. To do so, we use crime and census data combined with a detailed data set on establishments in Washington, DC from 2000 to 2010 to create a comprehensive measure of neighborhood‐level economic activity. We exploit the panel nature of the data to identify the directionality of the results by removing unobserved heterogeneity and estimating lags and leads of economic activity. Results indicate that increases in economic activity are associated with reductions in property crime, but that the reduction in property crime occurs before the growth in economic activity and rises afterward. Violent crime declines the same year as growth in economic activity.
The Role of Corruption in Explaining the Electoral Success of New Political Parties in Central and Eastern Europe

More than 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the electoral volatility in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is still remarkably high. A considerable part of the volatility derives from the votes for new political parties, since they are very often on the winning side of elections. This paper examines corruption as potential determinant of their electoral success. It argues that the effect of corruption is twofold: On the onehand, the historically-grown corruption level reduces the electoral success of new political parties due to strong clientelist structures that bind the electorate to the established parties. On the other hand, an increase of the perceived corruption above the traditional corruption level leads to a loss of trust in the political elite and therefore boosts the electoral success of new competitors. A statistical analysis of all democratic elections in CEE between 1996 and 2011 confirms these two counteracting effects.
Possible role of the 72,000 dalton DNA-binding protein in regulation of adenovirus type 5 early gene expression

Relative abundances of early virus RNA species in the cytoplasm of cells infected with wild-type adenovirus type 5 (WT Ad5) and a temperature-sensitive "early" mutant, H5ts125 (ts125), were compared by hybridization kinetics using separated strands of HindIII restriction endonuclease fragments of Ad5 DNA. 1-beta-D-Arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) was used to limit transcription to early virus genes in cells infected by WT virus. At 40.5 degrees C, a restrictive temperature for ts125, three to seven times as much virus RNA from all four early regions of the genome accumulated in the cytoplasm of cells infected by the mutant as accumulated in cells infected by WT. At 32 degrees C, no such difference in the relative abundances of cytoplasmic virus RNA was observed. The capacity to synthesize a 72,000-dalton (72K) virus polypeptide, presumably the single-stranded DNA-binding protein that is defective in ts125 at restrictive temperatures, was compared in cells infected at 40.5 degrees C in the presence of ara-C with the mutant or WT Ad5. The rate of 72K polypeptide synthesis, measured by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis of [35S]methionine-labeled polypeptides and autoradiography, was greater at 15 h after infection in ts125-infected cells than in cells infected by WT. A time course experiment showed that the rate of synthesis of the 72K polypeptide increased continuously in ts125-infected cells during the first 15 h of infection, relative to the rate in WT-infected cells. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that Ad5 early gene expression is modulated by the product of an early gene, the 72K DNA-binding protein.
Interactions between color and word processing in a flanker task.

To examine interactions between color and word attributes, participants responded, either manually or vocally, to a central target (color patch or word) flanked by a Stroop stimulus. Color and word attributes of the flanker affected both vocal and manual responding to color patches. Color and word flankers also affected manual responding to word targets, but only word flanker affected vocal responding to word targets. These results are not consistent with models (e.g., translational models) of Stroop tasks, which posit that interactions between colors and words occur only when vocal responding is required.
The human blood-testis barrier in impaired spermatogenesis.

The aim of this study was to explore the competence of the blood-testis barrier (BTB) using electron opaque tracers in diverse human testicular pathologies associated with Sertoli cell only syndrome. Two groups of patients were studied: (1) those with complete depletion (absence) of germ cells, and (2) those with severe germ cell depletion but with some germ cells left in the seminiferous epithelium. The first situation was associated with cryptorchidism with absence of germinal cells, idiopathic cases of aplasia of germ cells, peritumoral areas surrounding small seminomas where the seminiferous tubules were observed to contain a predominant population of Sertoli cells, or long estrogen treatment. The second was found also in cryptorchidism with early germ cells, idiopathic azoospermia, and oligospermia associated with sterility. In the first situation, seminiferous tubules lacked lumen and Sertoli cells had immature morphological characteristics, i.e., oval nuclei with smooth profiles, even heterochromatin distribution and a single, small nucleolus. Inter-Sertoli tight junctions were tortuous, interrupted, and mostly perpendicular to the basal lamina. Lanthanum hydroxide or nickel nitrate permeated most of the inter-Sertoli spaces, indicating disruption of the BTB. In the second situation, seminiferous tubules had a lumen, and Sertoli cells exhibited a mature appearance with large tripartite nucleoli and irregular, highly infolded nucle-olemma. Only spermatogonia or primary spermatocytes showing diverse degrees of cell involution were found. Numerous inter-Sertoli tight junctions, uninterrupted and parallel to the basal lamina, stopped the electron opaque intercellular tracers close to it; this meant the assembly of a competent BTB. Therefore, a close correlation was found between morphological parameters of Sertoli cell maturity, including their tight junction organization, and BTB integrity.
Evaluation of resin based and glass ionomer based sealants placed with or without tooth preparation-a two year clinical trial.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the two year clinical performance of two fissure sealants, placed with and without tooth preparation. METHODS A total of 25 children, between 6-10 years of age, had sealants placed and evaluated for two years at six monthly intervals. All the four first permanent molars of each patient were used in split mouth design and subjected to two different sealants with and without tooth preparation. Teeth were evaluated for defects, retention and development of caries. RESULTS Among the teeth subjected to preparation, 60% of those sealed with glass ionomers and 32% of those sealed with resin sealants showed total loss of sealants at the end of two years. Among the teeth sealed with no preparation, 100% of those sealed with glass ionomers and 80% of those sealed with resin showed total loss. Resin based sealants offered better long term retention compared to glass ionomer-based fissure sealants. Tooth preparation improved the retention of sealants irrespective of the material used. Highest retention was seen in resin sealants with tooth preparation, and lowest retention was seen in glass ionomer-based sealants without preparation. There was a significant increase in caries in teeth sealed after preparation with either material. Teeth sealed with resin sealants exhibited significantly higher caries development compared to teeth sealed with glass ionomers. CONCLUSION In the current study, resin-based sealants were found to be superior to glass ionomer-based sealants, and tooth preparation improved retention. Loss of sealants seemed to predispose tooth to development of caries, especially in cases where teeth preparation was done.
The Short-term Effects of the Kansas Income Tax Cuts on Employment Growth

The state of Kansas made dramatic changes to the structure of its personal income tax by eliminating taxation of business income and lowering marginal tax rates on other personal income sources. Proponents of the legislation maintain that the tax reductions will stimulate employment growth. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we estimate the impact of the tax changes on private-sector employment in the state of Kansas, relative to its border states, using data on the number of establishment employees and proprietors. We apply multistate county fixed effect model and county-border matching approaches to identify tax effects. Our findings indicate that two years post enactment, the tax law changes have not yielded a net increase in private-sector employment.
Characteristics of CD133+ Human Colon Cancer SW620 Cells

Worldwide, colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer affecting both sexes. It has been proposed that a small subset of cancer cells (cancer stem cells) within each tumor is able to initiate tumor growth. In 2007, two research groups simultaneously identified a colon cancer stem cell population in human tumors by the use of CD133 expression. In the present study, we used a human colon cancer cell line, SW620, to analyze the cancer stem cell-like characteristics of CD133+ cells in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, CD133+ SW620 cells had a higher proliferative capacity, were more irradiation- and chemotherapy-resistant, and had a higher expression of β-catenin compared with CD133- cells. Injections of either CD133+ or CD133- cells into the skin or rectal mucosa of NOD/SCID mice led to tumors; however, injection of CD133+ cells resulted in the formation of larger tumors. Tumors derived from injections of CD133- cells did not contain any CD133+ cells, whereas tumors derived from injections of CD133+ cells did contain CD133+ cells, suggesting self-renewing capability. However, the proportion of CD133+ cells in the newly formed tumors in vivo was lower than the proportion of CD133+ cells in vitro. In conclusion, the human colon cancer cell line, SW620, contains both CD133+ and CD133- phenotypes, and the CD133+ phenotype has characteristics consistent with those of cancer stem cells.
Antipsychotics: Mortality Risk Themselves?

the University of Minnesota, where she coordinated the evaluation of the PACE model and coordinated a study of health and cost outcomes of outpatient geriatric evaluation and management provided by an interdisciplinary team. From 1998 on, she served as an independent consultant on a variety of projects designed to improve care for vulnerable elderly adults. Her caring, passion, and humanism permeated her work. Her programs and projects have helped to define how to best coordinate care for medically complex older populations and advanced the role of interdisciplinary teams. She has published extensively on these topics and presented regularly at the American Geriatrics Society and the Gerontological Society of America. Her final work was a chapter on the PACE model, published in Geriatric Models of Care. Lynne was the exemplar of the interdisciplinary professional in aging who teamed with and befriended many in the field across many disciplines. She received many honors and awards for her work across fields, including Fellow of the University of California at Los Angeles/ University of Southern California Long Term Care Gerontology Center, Outstanding Woman Employee at National Medical Enterprises, Alzheimer’s Association Community Service Award, the Jewish Home for the Aging Award for Geriatric Nursing, and election as Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. She was a member of the Gerontological Society of America, American Geriatrics Society, American Society of Aging, American Nurse’s Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and Minnesota Geriatrics Society. Lynne is survived by her husband and son Tom and Jake Amatruda, mother Lois, and sister Leslie and her cherished extended family. Celebrations of Lynne’s life were held Saturday May 7, 2016, 11 a.m.: Breck School Chapel, 123 Ottawa Avenue N, Golden Valley, Minnesota; Thursday May 19, 7:00–9:00 a.m.: Hyatt Hotel, Regency B, Long Beach, California, Nursing Breakfast, American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting. For further information, please contact: Tom Amatruda (ttamatruda@gmail.com) or Jake Amatruda (jakeamatruda@gmail.com). In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Lynne’s name to Planned Parenthood, the American Refugee Committee, or the Health in Aging Foundation of the American Geriatrics Society.
Heterogeneous anterior‐posterior metabolic patterns in dementia of the Alzheimer type

The parietal-frontal distribution of reductions of regional cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (rCMRglc) was studied in 32 patients with mild to severe dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), using positron emission tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose, and was related to patterns of neuropsychological impairment. In moderate and severe DAT patients, one frontal association region, the premotor cortex, demonstrated significant metabolic reductions equivalent to reductions in the parietal association cortex, and the ratio of parietal to premotor rCMRglc had significantly greater variance than in controls. In moderately demented patients, parietal-premotor and parietal-prefrontal metabolic ratios correlated significantly with neuropsychological impairments. Disproportionate parietal hypometabolism was associated with more impairment of verbal comprehension, calculations, visuospatial construction, and immediate visuospatial memory span. Disproportionate frontal hypometabolism was associated with more impaired verbal fluency and attention. Longitudinal follow-up of 20 of the patients showed that parietal/frontal metabolic ratios and their correlated neuropsychological patterns were stable over time, as dementia severity worsened. These results indicate that in moderate to severe DAT patients, metabolic reductions in the premotor cortex are as severe as the reductions in the parietal association cortex. Moreover, the parietal-premotor distribution of metabolic reductions is variable and related to variable patterns of cognitive impairment.
Speed of Information Processing After Unilateral Stroke

Speed of information processing in the subacute stage after stroke was studied in 88 first ever, unilateral, ischemic stroke patients. The patient group included 42 right and 46 left hemisphere patients. Seventy-one control subjects were also examined. Four reaction time tasks with different levels of complexity were used: two visuomotor, and two semantic categorisation tasks. The results showed that stroke causes a decrease in decision making speed, but that the effect is different for right and left hemisphere patients. The right hemisphere group were slower than the control group on all reaction time tasks, and slower than the left hemisphere patients on the visuomotor tasks. The left hemisphere patients were slower than the healthy controls, only on the most complex tasks, the categorisation tasks.
IRF4 regulates IL‐17A promoter activity and controls ROR&ggr;t‐dependent Th17 colitis in vivo

Background: The transcription factor IRF4 is involved in several T‐cell‐dependent chronic inflammatory diseases. To elucidate the mechanisms for pathological cytokine production in colitis, we addressed the role of the IRF transcription factors in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and experimental colitis. Methods: IRF levels and cytokine production in IBD patients were studied as well as the effects of IRF4 deficiency in experimental colitis. Results: In contrast to IRF1, IRF5, and IRF8, IRF4 expression in IBD was augmented in the presence of active inflammation. Furthermore, IRF4 levels significantly correlated with IL‐6 and IL‐17 mRNA expression and to a lesser extent with IL‐22 mRNA expression in IBD. To further explore the role of IRF4 under in vivo conditions, we studied IRF4‐deficient and wildtype mice in experimental colitis. In contrast to DSS colitis, IRF4 deficiency was protective in T‐cell‐dependent transfer colitis associated with reduced ROR&agr;/&ggr;t levels and impaired IL‐6, IL‐17a, and IL‐22 production, suggesting that IRF4 acts as a master regulator of mucosal Th17 cell differentiation. Subsequent mechanistic studies using database analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays identified a novel IRF4 binding site in the IL‐17 gene promoter. Overexpression of IRF4 using retroviral infection induced IL‐17 production and IL‐17 together with IL‐6 induced ROR&ggr;t expression. Conclusions: IRF4 can directly bind to the IL‐17 promotor and induces mucosal ROR&ggr;t levels and IL‐17 gene expression thereby controlling Th17‐dependent colitis. Targeting of this molecular mechanism may lead to novel therapeutic approaches in human IBD. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011;)
Chemical and morphological features of dental composite resin: Influence of light curing units and immersion media

The study evaluated the influence of light curing units and immersion media on superficial morphology and chemistry of the nanofilled composite resin Supreme XT (3M) through the EDX analysis and SEM evaluation. Light curing units with different power densities and mode of application used were XL 3000 (480 mW/cm2), Jet Lite 4000 Plus (1230mW/cm2), and Ultralume Led 5 (790 mW/cm2) and immersion media were artificial saliva, Coke®, tea and coffee, totaling 12 experimental groups. Specimens (10 mm × 2 mm) were immersed in each respective solution for 5 min, three times a day, during 60 days and stored in artificial saliva at 37°C ± 1°C between immersion periods. Topography and chemical analysis was qualitative.