Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of the corporate sector purchase programme on corporate bond markets and the financing of euro area non-financial corporations

This article reviews the impact of the ECB’s corporate sector purchase programme (CSPP) on corporate bond markets and the financing of euro area non-financial corporations (NFCs). It finds that the CSPP has led to a significant easing in financing conditions for euro area NFCs, including declines in corporate bond spreads, improved supply conditions in the corporate bond primary market and increased bank lending to NFCs that do not have access to bond-based financing. The operational set-up of the CSPP, in particular its flexibility and adaptability, minimises any impact that could be detrimental to the functioning of the corporate bond market. JEL Classification: E52, E58, G01, G12, G21
Present scenario of hemoglobinopathies in West Bengal, India: An analysis of a large population

Background: To find out the prevalence of hemoglobinopathies by screening large population in West Bengal from Eastern India. Materials and Methods: A total of 50,487 subjects are screened for hemoglobinopathies from June 2010 to August 2013. A 2.5 ml of venous blood samples were collected in the tri-potassium EDTA vacuum container from each subject and tested with automated blood cell counter (Sysmex KX21) for red cell indices. Diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies was done by VARIANT TM (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA, USA) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: Out of 50,487 cases, 44,620 (88.38%) had normal and 5,867(11.62%) showed abnormal hemoglobin fractions on HPLC. Of these, 5,180(10.26%) were heterozygotes (traits) and 687(1.36%) cases were either homozygotes or compound heterozygote for different types of hemoglobinopathies. The following hemoglobinopathies were present: β-thalassemia trait 6.61%, HbE trait 2.78%, sickle cell trait 0.56%, HbD-Punjab trait 0.21%, β-thalassemia major 0.73%, HbEE 0.05%, compound heterozygosity for HbE-β-thalassemia 0.42%, and HbS-β-thalassemia 0.15%. Conclusion: Among the hemoglobinopathies, β-thalassemia trait (6.61%) and HbE trait (2.78%) are prevalent in rural Bengal.
Outcome of Pediatric Thromboembolic Disease: A Report from the Canadian Childhood Thrombophilia Registry

The outcome for children with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. An understanding of morbidity and mortality of DVT/PE is crucial to the development of rational treatment protocols. The Canadian Childhood Thrombophilia Registry has followed 405 children aged 1 mo to 18 y with DVT/PE for a mean of 2.86 y (range, 2 wk to 6 y) to assess outcome. The all-cause mortality was 65 of 405 children (16%). Mortality directly attributable to DVT/PE occurred in nine children (2.2%), all of whom had central venous line–associated thrombosis. Morbidity was substantial, with 33 children (8.1%) having recurrent thrombosis, and 50 children (12.4%) having postphlebitic syndrome. Recurrent thrombosis and postphlebitic syndrome were more common in older children, although deaths occurred equally in all age groups. The incidence of recurrent thrombosis and postphlebitic syndrome are likely underestimated because of difficulties in diagnosis, especially in younger children. The significant mortality and morbidity found in our study supports the need for international multicenter randomized clinical trials to determine optimal prophylactic and therapeutic treatment for children with DVT/PE.
Impact of Gastroesophageal Reflux on Survival in the Community

BACKGROUND:Concerns have been raised regarding the risks associated with gastroesophageal reflux (GER). We examined the association of gastroesophageal reflux with survival.METHODS:Between 1988 and 1993, valid symptom surveys were mailed to population-based cohorts. Respondents were classified into 4 GER symptom categories: daily, at least weekly (not daily), infrequent (less than weekly), and none. Administrative records were used to identify deaths during the follow-up (through June 2006). Association between survival and GER subgroups was assessed using proportional hazards regression to compute hazard ratios (HRs, 95% confidence intervals), adjusting for age, gender, education level, Charlson Comorbidity Index, alcohol, and tobacco.RESULTS:At baseline, 5,288 eligible subjects (mean age 53 yr, 51% female) responded (response rates over 70%); 2% reported daily heartburn, 13% weekly (not daily) heartburn, 40% infrequent heartburn, and 35% no heartburn. At 10 yr, 83% (95% CI 81–84%) of the no heartburn group was alive. An overall association between heartburn category and survival was detected (P < 0.001). Compared to no heartburn, daily heartburn was not associated with an increased risk of death (HR 1.16, 95% CI 0.82–1.65), but better survival was observed for weekly (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55–0.83) and infrequent (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.70–0.92) heartburn. Increasing age, male gender, greater Charlson index, and tobacco use all predicted worse survival.CONCLUSIONS:In this population-based study with over 50,000 person-years of follow-up, reflux symptoms were not associated with worse survival. The vast majority of heartburn sufferers can be reassured of the benign nature of their condition.
Factors Contributing to Inefficient Management and Maintenance of Waqf Properties: A Literature Review

Fundamentally, an effective management of properties has been established as a healthy way of increasing the value and benefits of real estate. The sources of awqaf (waqf) are quite rich. However, the issues of the sustainability of valuable waqf properties have not yet been explored especially with regards to sustaining and enhancing the value through sound principles of property management. Thus, this paper presents a literature review concerning the factors contributing to inefficient management and maintenance of waqf properties globally with a particular focus on Malaysia. From the findings, they have five factors identified that consist of; insufficient fund, lack of best performance by waqf manager, unregistered of waqf land under SIRC, out-dated data and confiscation of ownership rights by heirs from SIRC. Yet, due to the lack of study in the area of the maintenance function of waqf properties, it strongly suggested that there is a need to fill the gap in the body of knowledge of which both; management and maintenance function (operational management) shall take into account in waqf management practice as well. This is very important to achieve sustainability of valuable waqf properties by providing a continuous stream of income through effective and efficient of the waqf management system.
The Model of Community Learning Center Development: A Case Study of PKBM Assolahiyah in West Java

Sustaining community learning center (CLC) as a community activity centerby increasing the community capacity and skill to deal with socio-economics challenges is an important focus to ensure the success of CLC. This study was aimed to describe the sustainability elements of CLC development and analyze the policy elements that influence the sustainability of CLC program, particularly in related to CSR program. This study approach was combining a qualitative approach and quantitative approach with analytic decision method which is never conducted in the previous studies on CLC. Data and information were collected through document studies, observations and structured interviews through questionnaires, then they were analyzed using descriptive analysis and interpretive structural modeling (ISM) analysis. From ten elements of CLC sustainability were analyzed, the result of study emphasized to the importance of CLC management capacity enhancement in PKBM Assolahiyah. The result was synthesized into a policy model of CLC development through CSR program. The policy model should involve the roles of government, scientist, and non-governmental organization (NGO) to strengthen the CLC development
Modulating effect of d‐carvone on 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine‐induced pre‐neoplastic lesions, oxidative stress and biotransforming enzymes, in an experimental model of rat colon carcinogenesis

The present study has aimed to evaluate chemopreventive potential of d‐carvone on oxidative stress markers, biotransforming enzymes, incidence of colonic polyps and aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine (DMH)‐induced experimental colon carcinogenesis.
[Relapse rates of ulcerative colitis in remission and factors related to relapse].

BACKGROUND/AIMS Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with heterogeneous clinical features. Data on the disease course and prognosis of UC patients who have been regularly treated are lacking. We aimed to investigate relapse rates of UC in remission and factors related to relapse. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed clinical courses of 84 patients (43 males, median age 43 years, ranged 20-73 years) diagnosed as UC at Ajou University Hospital between January 1997 and December 2005 based on clinical, endoscopic and pathologic findings, and who were regularly followed for at least one year after the remission. RESULTS Study subjects consisted of 32 proctitis (38%), 21 left-sided colitis (25%), and 31 subtotal or total colitis (37%). Of 84 patients, relapse was observed in 52 patients (62%) during the follow-up period (ranged 1-9 years). The relapse rate was 24%, 41%, 51%, 65%, 71%, and 79% at 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, 5 years and 6 years, respectively. Among sex, age, hemoglobin, ESR, and the extent of disease on admission, decrease of hemoglobin level was the only independent factor related to relapse (odds ratio=2.67, 95% CI (1.32-5.42), p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS In Korea, relapse of UC in remission is not rare. Decrease of hemoglobin level is an independent risk factor related to its relapse, while the extent of disease is not.
Regulation of platelet‐activating factor synthesis in human monocytes by dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine

Platelet‐activating factor (PAF) has a major role in inflammatory responses within the lung. This study investigates the effect of pulmonary surfactant on the synthesis of PAF in human monocytic cells. The pulmonary surfactant preparation Curosurf® significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated PAF biosynthesis (P<0.01) in a human monocytic cell line, Mono mac‐6 (MM6), as determined by 3H PAF scintillation‐proximity assay. The inhibitory properties of surfactant were determined to be associated, at least in part, with the 1,2‐dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) component of surfactant. DPPC alone also inhibited LPS‐stimulated PAF biosynthesis in human peripheral blood monocytes. DPPC treatment did not affect LPS‐stimulated phospholipase A2 activity in MM6 cell lysates. However, DPPC significantly inhibited LPS‐stimulated coenzyme A (CoA)‐independent transacylase and acetyl CoA:lyso‐PAF acetyltransferase activity. DPPC treatment of MM6 cells decreased plasma membrane fluidity as demonstrated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy coupled with spin labeling. Taken together, these findings indicate that pulmonary surfactant, particularly the DPPC component, can inhibit LPS‐stimulated PAF production via perturbation of the cell membrane, which inhibits the activity of specific membrane‐associated enzymes involved in PAF biosynthesis.
Efficient key management scheme for health blockchain

Healthcare is a big application scenario of blockchain, and blockchains used in healthcare are called health blockchain. In general, blockchain blocks are open and the transactions in them are public. If some privacy data are involved in these transactions, they will be leaked. Owing to healthcare system involving a great deal of privacy data, certain security mechanisms must be built to protect these privacy data in health blockchain. Furthermore, because the core of security mechanisms is the key management schemes, the appropriate key management schemes should be designed before blockchains can be used in healthcare system. Here, according to the features of health blockchain, the authors use a body sensor network to design a lightweight backup and efficient recovery scheme for keys of health blockchain. The authors’ analyses show that the scheme has high security and performance, and it can be used to protect privacy messages on health blockchain effectively and to promote the application of health blockchain.
Refinancing Risk and Debt Maturity Choice during a Financial Crisis

This paper explores whether refinancing risk is an important determinant of maturity decisions by investigating how firms with refinancing risk choose the maturity of new loans they obtain during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The firms' refinancing risk is measured by the maturing portion of outstanding long-term debt. The result shows that firms with a high refinancing risk choose longer maturities. This effect is stronger for speculative-grade and low-cash-flow firms. There is also evidence that firms with refinancing risk obtain longer maturities from their relationship lenders.
Prion Protein Expression by Mouse Dendritic Cells Is Restricted to the Nonplasmacytoid Subsets and Correlates with the Maturation State1

Expression of the physiological cellular prion protein (PrPC) is remarkably regulated during differentiation and activation of cells of the immune system. Among these, dendritic cells (DCs) display particularly high levels of membrane PrPC, which increase upon maturation, in parallel with that of molecules involved in Ag presentation to T cells. Freshly isolated mouse Langerhans cells, dermal DCs, and DCs from thymus, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes expressed low to intermediate levels of PrPC. Highest levels of both PrPC and MHC class II molecules were displayed by lymph node CD8αint DCs, which represent fully mature cells having migrated from peripheral tissues. Maturation induced by overnight culture resulted in increased levels of surface PrPC, as did in vivo DC activation by bacterial LPS. Studies on Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand bone marrow-differentiated B220− DCs confirmed that PrPC expression followed that of MHC class II and costimulatory molecules, and correlated with IL-12 production in response to TLR-9 engagement by CpG. However, at variance with conventional DCs, B220+ plasmacytoid DCs isolated from the spleen, or in vitro differentiated, did not significantly express PrPC, both before and after activation by TLR-9 engagement. PrP knockout mice displayed higher numbers of spleen CD8α+ DCs, but no significant differences in their maturation response to stimulation through TLR-4 and TLR-9 were noticed. Results are discussed in relation to the functional relevance of PrPC expression by DCs in the induction of T cell responses, and to the pathophysiology of prion diseases.
Short-term weight gain after adenotonsillectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnoea: systematic review

Abstract Background: Children with obstructive sleep apnoea commonly undergo adenotonsillectomy as first-line surgical treatment. This paper aimed to investigate whether this intervention was associated with weight gain after surgery in the paediatric population with obstructive sleep apnoea. Method: Two independent researchers systematically reviewed the literature from 1995 to 2014 for studies on patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy with weight-based measurements before and after surgery. The databases used were Ovid Medline, Embase and PubMed. Results: Six papers satisfied all inclusion criteria. Four of these papers showed a significant weight increase and the others did not. The only high quality, randomised, controlled trial showed a significant increase of weight gain at seven months follow up, even in patients who were already overweight before their surgery. Conclusion: The current evidence points towards an association between adenotonsillectomy and weight gain in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea in the short term.
What is medicine and what is a doctor? Medical students’ perceptions and expectations of their academic and professional career

Background: Research was conducted at the University of Cape Town in South Africa where a new medical curriculum was introduced in 2002. This curriculum is largely problem-based and primary health care (PHC) driven. Aim: To qualitatively explore medical students’ perceptions of medicine and doctors and their expectations of studying medicine and practising as a doctor. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to all first-year students (n = 193) that assessed their perceptions of doctors, and their expectations of studying medicine and practising as a doctor. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with purposively selected first-, second-, third- and fourth-year students. Results: Medical students at the University of Cape Town were found to have generally positive perceptions of medicine and doctors, and depicted the medical profession as one that is very significant because of its influence within society, to the point of being perceived as almost noble. Some of the more challenging and difficult aspects of a career in medicine were mentioned, but these seem to be minor compared to the positive aspects. Some students regarded the medical profession as having a biomedical and curative emphasis, although there seemed to be a strong move towards a more holistic view. However, students expected their degree to concentrate on the biomedical aspects of medicine, and therefore did not expect particular components of their degree, such as the psychosocial component. Conclusions: Unmet expectations regarding their curriculum seem to be a very significant issue for students. It is therefore important for educators who deliver the curriculum to be aware of and to understand medical students’ perceptions and expectations of medicine and doctors, in order to detect and deal with conflict between these perceptions and expectations and what may be an educational institution's ‘hidden curriculum’. Practice points Students have generally positive perceptions of medicine and doctors, and some depict the medical profession as significant and influential. Some of the challenging and difficult aspects of the medical profession were mentioned, but these seemed to be overshadowed by the significance of the profession and its associated status and wealth. Students’ views of the medical profession seem to be moving away from a biomedical and curative view and towards a holistic view of medicine. However, students still expect their medical degree to be mostly biomedical and scientific in content, and did not expect the psychosocial component of their curriculum. Students did not expect the PHC approach to be part of their medical degree or part of their medical career.
The impact of a firm’s transparent manufacturing practices on women fashion shoppers

ABSTRACT Many fashion brands have responded to a transparent fashion industry to prevent unethical manufacturing practices. Firms are evaluating suppliers more carefully as fashion consumers are showing more concern and shopping with the social consciousness of sweatshops. Prior studies have examined the relationship between transparency and purchase intention; however, little is known about women fashion consumers. Because women show more participation in pro-environment behavior and activism than men and information about suppliers is highly valued, we examined women’s perception toward firms’ transparency of suppliers’ manufacturing practices. Structural modeling was employed for hypotheses testing for 411 women fashion consumers in a South-western European country. The proposed model provides the satisfactory explanation for transparency as an antecedent of brand trust among women consumers. The study reports that consumer attitude toward the brand acts as mediator between transparency and purchase intention. The results suggest that transparency has a significant and positive relationship with trust, attitude and word-of-mouth intention; however, it does not have significant relation to purchase intention. Trust has a positive and significant relation with word-of-mouth communication; however, it does not have a significant relation to purchase intention. Implications for researchers and marketers and direction for future studies are suggested.
Prognosis in childhood epilepsy: A follow-up study of 148 cases in which therapy had been suspended after prolonged anticonvulsant control

One hundred and forty-eight unselected epileptic children, seizure-free for 4 years on anticonvulsant medication, were followed for 5 to 12 years after drug withdrawal to determine the frequency of seizure recurrence and to discern any prognostic criteria. Thirty-six children (24%) had a recurrence of seizures. Sixty-one per cent of recurrences took place during the first year of gradual discontinuation of therapy. Drug withdrawal at puberty (9–15 yrs) was not associated with increased risk. An analysis of the records revealed no relation of relapse to sex, race, heredity, or seizure frequency. The prognosis was very good in children who had an early age of onset with prompt control (relapse rate 13%). There was at least a two-fold increase in relapse in cases with a late onset, with prolonged duration of seizures, and evidence of neurologic, psychologic, and electroencephalographic abnormalities. The most striking correlate to relapse was seizure type.Best results were obtained in children with grand mal (relapse rate 8%), febrile seizures (12%), and uncomplicated petit mal (12%). In psychomotor attacks the relapse rate was 25%. The highest recurrence was in children with Jacksonian seizures (53%) and those who had seizures of more than one type (40%). It was concluded that these data suggest unquestionable criteria for drug withdrawal in epileptic children after prolonged seizure control with a favorable outcome in a large percentage of selected cases.
Cell cycle dynamics and complement expression distinguishes mature haematopoietic subsets arising from hemogenic endothelium

ABSTRACT The emergence of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from hemogenic endothelium results in the formation of sizeable HSPC clusters attached to the vascular wall. We evaluate the cell cycle and proliferation of HSPCs involved in cluster formation, as well as the molecular signatures from their initial appearance to the point when cluster cells are capable of adult engraftment (definitive HSCs). We uncover a non-clonal origin of HSPC clusters with differing cell cycle, migration, and cell signaling attributes. In addition, we find that the complement cascade is highly enriched in mature HSPC clusters, possibly delineating a new role for this pathway in engraftment.