Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A conceptual model of knowledge sharing

Purpose The purpose of the study is to develop a conceptual model of knowledge sharing and how knowledge sharing is linked to business performance. The study proposes basic dimensions of knowledge sharing which seem to be poorly defined in the past literature. Design/methodology/approach The studies were explored from journals which are indexed (Scopus, Thomson Reuters and ProQuest) and specialized in knowledge sharing and business performance. Majority of the papers were available in electronic format, so that papers could be easily explored using the key terms. Various search engines were used to explore the studies such as Google scholar, Emerald insight and ProQuest. Published theses, conference proceedings, working paper series and work in progress were excluded from the search. The review process included the studies from 1987 to 2017. During the review process, papers were explored on the basis of key word search, namely, “Knowledge sharing”, “Business performance” and “Industry type” to reduce interpretation bias. Findings Knowledge sharing is the significant predictor of business performance and industry type moderates the relationship between knowledge sharing and business performance. The relationship between knowledge sharing and business performance is important in both manufacturing and service organizations. Knowledge sharing dimensions proposed are elementary in nature and require further refinement and development. Research limitations/implications The study was approached from a theoretical perspective and the model proposed can be empirically validated by identifying statements for each dimension. Future research should explore the following: As to what extent these dimensions reflect knowledge sharing? Are dimensions chosen carefully? Or do they emerge as a result of previous studies? Practical implications The model can be very helpful for managers and practitioners who want to study how knowledge sharing enhances business performance. Managers will be able to understand how industry-specific differences affect business performance through knowledge sharing. Originality/value Proposed conceptual model advances the theoretical base of knowledge sharing by suggesting dimensions based on comprehensive review of the literature. The study contributes to knowledge management and business performance literature.
Clinical follow-up of horses treated with allogeneic equine mesenchymal stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood for different tendon and ligament disorders

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) offer promise as therapeutic aids in the repair of tendon and ligament disorders in sport horses. Equine allogeneic MSCs derived from umbilical cord blood (eUCB-MSCs) can be obtained in a minimally invasive fashion with successful propagation of MSCs. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the applicability and therapeutic effect of eUCB-MSCs on tendinitis of the superficial digital flexor tendon, desmitis of the suspensory ligament, tendinitis of the deep digital flexor tendon, and desmitis of the inferior check ligament in clinical cases. Methods: A retrospective clinical study was performed. At two equine clinics, 52 warmblood horses were treated with cultured eUCB-MSCs between 2009 and 2012. About 2–10 × 106 cells per lesion were administered. When a lesion was treated twice, the total amount could run up to 20 × 106 cells. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to compare the effect of the injured structure on the success rate, as well as the effect of the age of the horse. Results: Based on repeated examinations, 40 horses (77%) returned to work on the same or a higher level based on information provided by the owner. Neither the injured structure nor the age of the horse had a statistically significant influence on the result. Conclusion: Overall, the results of treatment of some tendon and ligament injuries with eUCB-MSCs in clinical cases are promising.
No Evidence of Racial Differences in Endothelial Function and Exercise Blood Flow in Young, Healthy Males Following Acute Antioxidant Supplementation

Abstract This study investigated the effects of acute antioxidant supplementation on endothelial function, exercise blood flow and oxidative stress biomarkers in 9 young African American compared to 10 Caucasian males (25.7±1.2 years). We hypothesized that African American males would have lower exercise blood flow and endothelial responsiveness compared to Caucasian males, and these responses would be improved following antioxidant supplementation. Ultrasonography was used to measure blood flow during handgrip exercise. Endothelial function was assessed using flow-mediated dilation, and lipid peroxidation was assessed by measuring levels of malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. African American males exhibited lower endothelial function than Caucasians at baseline (8.3±1.7 vs. 12.2±1.7%) and the difference was ameliorated with antioxidant supplementation (10.7±1.9% vs. 10.8±1.8%), but the interaction was not significant (p=0.10). There were no significant changes in malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances following antioxidant supplementation. There was a significant increase in brachial blood flow and forearm vascular conductance with exercise but no differences with antioxidant supplementation. There were no group differences in exercise responses and no differences with antioxidant supplementation, suggesting a lack of influence of oxidative stress during exercise in this cohort.
The Effect of Cash and Stock Dividends on the Banks Tobina Q

This study aimed at investigating the effect of cash and stock dividends taking into consideration the control variables on Tobin’s Q in Jordanian commercial banks listed on Amman Stock Exchange. To achieve this objective, the study depended on financial reports published in stock exchange market for (16) Jordanian commercial banks during the period from 2009 to 2015, and used multiple and stepwise regression to test study hypotheses. The results of the study indicate that there is a significant and positive effect of cash and stock dividends on Tobin’s Q, and this effect in the favor of cash dividends over stock dividends on Tobin’s Q in Jordanian commercial banks. Keywords— dividends, stock dividends, Tobin’s Q, Jordanian commercial banks)
Family, educational and peer influences on the alcohol use of female and male adolescents.

OBJECTIVE This research provides estimates of how strongly family bonds, family drug use, age, educational commitment and peer drug use are associated with the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption among adolescents, and compares females and males. METHOD Using questionnaire data from a random sample of 27,000 adolescents, structural equation modeling is used to evaluate the strength of several risk factors. RESULTS The influence of family bonds is moderately strong but operates primarily through peers; adolescents with higher family bonds are less likely to have close friends who are involved with drugs. Family bonds have a relatively strong, positive association with educational commitment, and adolescents with a higher educational commitment tend to drink less frequently; and when they drink, they tend to consume smaller amounts. Living in a family where other family members have a problem with alcohol or other drugs increases the chance that an adolescent has friends who drink or use other drugs. CONCLUSIONS Family bonding has small but significant direct effects and moderate indirect effects on both the frequency and amount of alcohol use. Family and peer influences are similar for both females and males. Living in a family where other family members have a drug problem increases the chance that an adolescent has friends who use drugs. Family bonding appears to be an important social control mechanism that may decrease the risk of alcohol abuse among adolescents.
Government Trust, Social Trust, and Citizens’ Risk Concerns: Evidence from Crisis Management in China

Abstract Citizens’ trust in government and other people is crucial to their perceptions of social risks. In this study, we examine the effects of institutional and social trust on citizens’ risk perceptions. Our analysis of a 2013 national survey conducted in 30 provincial capitals in China reveals that risk perceptions focus on two factors: public emergencies (e.g., traffic accidents) and public health threats (e.g., food safety). We found that only citizens’ trust in central government was significantly negatively correlated with perceived emergencies, while trust in local government was marginally positively correlated with perceived emergencies. Social trust was not correlated with perceived emergencies, and none of the three trust variables was significantly correlated with perceived health threats. Our results revealed that the demographic variables gender, age, education, media exposure, and religious belief are all relevant for citizens’ risk perceptions.
Characterization of an allelic variant in the nifedipine-specific element of CYP3A4: ethnic distribution and implications for prostate cancer risk. Mutations in brief no. 191. Online.

CYP3A4 is involved in the metabolism of numerous biologically active compounds, including testosterone. A genetic variant located in the P450NF (nifedipine) specific element (NFSE) has been identified that disrupts a transciptional regulatory element located in the 5' regulatory region of CYP3A4. The CYP3A4 variant (CYP3A4-V) is associated with the clinical presentation of prostate cancer. There are significant differences in CYP3A4 metabolism and rates of prostate cancer across ethnic groups that may be associated with CYP3A4 genotypes. Therefore, we estimated the frequency of the CYP3A4 variant in three ethnic groups with different prostate cancer incidence rates. The frequency (q) of CYP3A4-V was significantly different (p<0.0001) in African Americans (q=0.53), U.S. Caucasians (q=0.09), and Taiwanese (q=0.0). CYP3A4-V segregated in a Mendelian manner in one large African American family, and 7 of 16 (44%) biologically unrelated "marry-ins" carried a CYP3A4 variant allele. Reflecting population-specific prostate cancer incidence rates, our results suggest a high frequency of this variant in African Americans compared with U.S. Caucasians and Taiwanese.
Motives influencing Facebook usage as a social networking site: An empirical study using international students

Orientation: Recent trends in the world show a growing usage of social networking sites. Research has grown in interest on understanding uses of social networking sites by different groups of people. With increasing numbers of international students being hosted by South African institutions, it is imperative that special focus should be directed towards understanding their usage of social networking sites as part of their lived experience.Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the motives influencing Facebook usage amongst international students at a rural campus in South Africa.Motivation for the study: Continued increase in international student enrolment at South African institutions, coupled with rising popularity of social networking sites amongst university students, has presented a new area to carry out research of this nature.Research approach, design and method: A quantitative research approach was followed in carrying out this study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to answer the research questions of the study. The respondents (n= 158) were international students enrolled at a rural university campus in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa during the 2016 academic year.Main findings: Motives for Facebook usage were found to be positively related to Facebook usage.Practical and managerial implications: Findings of this study can assist international education practitioners to develop strategies that will aid in understanding how international students operate in the higher education context.
THE EFFECTS OF FINANCIAL CRISES ON FOREIGN TRADE: A LOGIT TRIAL FOR TURKEY

Together with development of financial markets, the vulnerability level of economies increased much more and markets became more sensitive to the changes – especially unexpected changesexperienced. Crises experienced play key role, for after the process they appear, in the sense of being able to understand and predict the possible crises. Models and approaches, shaped in the axis of the features crises contain, shed an important light on crisis literature. The development of financial markets has made it more inevitable for risk factors to become more prominent in these markets. An important indicator of the effects of financial crises on the real sector is the export rate. The level of exports, which may be extremely sensitive to changes in the wake of the financial crisis, may change in the negative direction during or after the financial crisis period. The main aim of this study is to set out the dynamics of the financial crisis and to set out the possibility of realizing the financial crisis with the help of a logit model by taking the lead indicators that are accepted in the literature related to the pre-crisis process. As a result of the analysis, a unit increase in domestic credits and real exchange rate caused exports to decrease by 0.002 and 0.003 units respectively. On the other hand, the increase in M2 / reserves, interest rates and the probability of crisis is 0.023 for exports; 0.003 and 0.53 units, respectively. JEL codes: F14, G01.
The Association of Glutathione S-transferase Gene Mutations (including GSTT1 and GSTM1) with the Prognostic Factors and Relapse in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy in children. It accounts for one fourth of all childhood cancers and approximately 75% of all childhood leukemias. Some prognostic factors determine the outcome of therapy [e.g. age, sex, initial white blood cell count (WBC), etc.]; however, it is believed that other mechanisms such as glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene mutation, the expression of lung resistance protein (LRP), and multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) also plays a role in treatment failure. In this study, GST gene mutations including GSTM1 and GSTT1 were evaluated in patients with leukemia. Thirty newly diagnosed ALL patients younger than 15 years of age participated in the present study. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy were evaluated for immune phenotyping and DNA was extracted for GST genotyping. All data plus sex, age, initial WBC count, central nervous system (CNS) or testicular involvement, immune phenotype, and outcome (relapse or not) were analyzed statistically. Genotyping showed that 46% were double null, 50% were M1 null and 93.3% were T1 null for GST mutations. There was no statistically significant relationship between GSTT1 and GSTM1 mutations, or between double null status, prognostic factors and relapse (P > .05). So, although the results of GST mutations were consistent, it seems that these mutations are not statistically significant.
Codistribution of GABA‐ with acetylcholine‐synthesizing neurons in the basal forebrain of the rat

In recent years, GABAergic neurons have been identified in the basal forebrain where cholinergic cortically projecting neurons are located and known to be important in mechanisms of cortical activation. In the present study in the rat, the relationship of the GABA‐synthesizing neurons to the acetylcholine‐synthesizing neurons was examined by application of a sequential double staining immunohistochemical procedure involving the peroxidase‐antiperoxidase technique for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). In these double and adjacent single immunostained series of sections, the GAD+ and ChAT+ cells were mapped, counted and measured with the aid of a computerized image analysis system.
Effect of maintaining highly active antiretroviral therapy on AIDS events among patients with late-stage HIV infection and inadequate response to therapy.

BACKGROUND We evaluated the effect of maintaining highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the development of new acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related events in patients with late-stage human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who had suboptimal CD4+ cell count and viral load responses to HIV therapy. METHODS In patients with pretreatment CD4+ cell counts of <200 cells/mm3, incidence rates of new AIDS-related events occurring during HIV treatment were calculated during period 1 (pre-HAART era, 1990-1995; 88 patients) and period 2 (HAART era, 1996-2004; 214 patients) according to CD4+ cell count responses while receiving treatment. Cox multivariate model was used to compare rates of AIDS-related events from period 2 with those from period 1 according to specific CD4+ cell count response categories and rates of AIDS-related events for various viral load ranges within CD4+ cell count categories during period 2. RESULTS For period 2 patients with CD4+ cell counts <50 cells/mm3 and viral loads >100,000 copies/mL, the rate of AIDS-related events (39.3 events per 100 person-years) was significantly lower than that for period 1 patients with CD4+ cell counts <50 cells/mm3 (76.4 events per 100 person-years; P=.02). This held true for patients with CD4+ cell counts <100 cells/mm3; there were also significantly fewer AIDS-related events in period 2 (18 events per 100 person-years) than in period 1 (65.2 events per 100 person-years; P=.001), including those events occurring among period 2 patients with viral loads >100,000 copies/mL (29.5 events per 100 person-years; P=.01). Similarly, for patients with CD4+ cell counts of 100-200 cells/mm3, there were fewer AIDS-related events in period 2 (7.8 events per 100 person-years) than in period 1 (34.5 events per 100 person-years; P=.001); even for patients in period 2 with viral loads >100,000 copies/mL (15.4 events per 100 person-years; P=.04). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that, even among patients with late-stage HIV infection and inadequate CD4+ cell count and viral load responses to HIV therapy, maintaining HAART may reduce the incidence of AIDS-related events.
Separate Domains of Fission Yeast Cdk9 (P-TEFb) Are Required for Capping Enzyme Recruitment and Primed (Ser7-Phosphorylated) Rpb1 Carboxyl-Terminal Domain Substrate Recognition

ABSTRACT In fission yeast, discrete steps in mRNA maturation and synthesis depend on a complex containing the 5′-cap methyltransferase Pcm1 and Cdk9, which phosphorylates the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) and the processivity factor Spt5 to promote transcript elongation. Here we show that a Cdk9 carboxyl-terminal extension, distinct from the catalytic domain, mediates binding to both Pcm1 and the Pol II CTD. Removal of this segment diminishes Cdk9/Pcm1 chromatin recruitment and Spt5 phosphorylation in vivo and leads to slow growth and hypersensitivity to cold temperature, nutrient limitation, and the IMP dehydrogenase inhibitor mycophenolic acid (MPA). These phenotypes, and the Spt5 phosphorylation defect, are suppressed by Pcm1 overproduction, suggesting that normal transcript elongation and gene expression depend on physical linkage between Cdk9 and Pcm1. The extension is dispensable, however, for recognition of CTD substrates “primed” by Mcs6 (Cdk7). On defined peptide substrates in vitro, Cdk9 prefers CTD repeats phosphorylated at Ser7 over unmodified repeats. In vivo, Ser7 phosphorylation depends on Mcs6 activity, suggesting a conserved mechanism, independent of chromatin recruitment, to order transcriptional CDK functions. Therefore, fission yeast Cdk9 comprises a catalytic domain sufficient for primed substrate recognition and a multivalent recruitment module that couples transcription with capping.
Usefulness of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and head-up tilt test in the evaluation of paediatric syncope

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring versus head-up tilt test in the evaluation of children with a history of syncope. Study design We considered 146 consecutive children with more than one episode of syncope. All patients had a normal electrocardiogram at rest and were otherwise considered to be healthy. Forty-six patients,19 male, with a mean age of 13.6 plus or minus 5.6 years, were studied with a head-up tilt test and 100 patients, 41 male with a mean age of 9.4 plus or minus 5.6 years, were studied with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Twelve patients underwent both procedures. Hypotension during ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was defined when mean blood pressure values were lower than the 50th centile and the head-up tilt test was positive when syncope occurred. All patients were followed for 10 plus or minus 2 months. Results Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring showed postural hypotension in 91% children, while head-up tilt test was positive for 54%. In the group of children having both tests, two of them were negative for both, 10 of 12 children had a positive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring while only five of 10 children had a positive response to head-up tilt test. Conclusions When a child with a normal resting electrocardiogram is referred with a typical history of syncope, the use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring as a non-invasive first step for diagnosis of postural hypotension may be more sensitive than the head-up tilt test. Behavioural adjustments resolved the continued syncope in most cases. If episodes persist then the head-up tilt test is indicated.
Skeletal fiber types and spindle distribution in limb and jaw muscles of the adult and neonatal opossum, Monodelphis domestica

The South American opossum, Monodelphis domestica, is very immature at birth, and we wished to assess its potential for studies of jaw muscle development. Given the lack of prior information about any Monodelphis fiber types or spindles, our study aimed to identify for the first time fiber types in both adult and neonatal muscles and the location of spindles in the jaw muscles.
Isolation and Characterisation of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells in the Ovine Endometrium

Objective Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) were recently discovered in the human endometrium. These cells possess key stem cell properties and show promising results in small animal models when used for preclinical tissue engineering studies. A small number of surface markers have been identified that enrich for MSC from bone marrow and human endometrium, including the Sushi Domain-containing 2 (SUSD2; W5C5) and CD271 markers. In preparation for developing a large animal preclinical model for urological and gynecological tissue engineering applications we aimed to identify and characterise MSC in ovine endometrium and determine surface markers to enable their prospective isolation. Materials and Methods Ovine endometrium was obtained from hysterectomised ewes following progesterone synchronisation, dissociated into single cell suspensions and tested for MSC surface markers and key stem cell properties. Purified stromal cells were obtained by flow cytometry sorting with CD49f and CD45 to remove epithelial cells and leukocytes respectively, and MSC properties investigated. Results There was a small population CD271+ stromal cells (4.5 ± 2.3%) in the ovine endometrium. Double labelling with CD271 and CD49f showed that the sorted CD271+CD49f- stromal cell population possessed significantly higher cloning efficiency, serial cloning capacity and a qualitative increased ability to differentiate into 4 mesodermal lineages (adipocytic, smooth muscle, chondrocytic and osteoblastic) than CD271-CD49f- cells. Immunolabelling studies identified an adventitial perivascular location for ovine endometrial CD271+ cells. Conclusion This is the first study to characterise MSC in the ovine endometrium and identify a surface marker profile identifying their location and enabling their prospective isolation. This knowledge will allow future preclinical studies with a large animal model that is well established for pelvic organ prolapse research.