Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differences in Prevalence and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder among Immigrants: Results from an Epidemiologic Survey

Objective: To add to the limited data on the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) among immigrants. Method: Data were obtained from a large epidemiologic survey, the Canadian Community Health Survey—Mental Health and Well-Being (CCHS 1.2). Lifetime prevalence rates of BD were compared between immigrant and nonimmigrant respondents. Among BD subjects (n = 831), sociodemographic, clinical, and mental health treatment use variables were compared based on immigrant status. Logistic regression was used to determine the correlates of lifetime contact with a mental health professional and 12-month psychotropic medication use. Results: Lifetime prevalence rate of CCHS 1.2–defined BD was significantly lower among immigrant, compared with nonimmigrant, participants (1.50% and 2.27%, P = 0.01). There were few sociodemographic or clinical differences, yet immigrants with BD were significantly less likely to report any lifetime contact with mental health professionals (OR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.50, P < 0.001). Past-year psychotropic medication use was numerically lower among immigrants with BD (24.5% and 41.0%); however, this did not reach statistical significance when controlling for other factors (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.24 to 1.01, P = 0.05). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, there are in the range of 56 000 to 104 000 immigrants with BD in Canada. Further efforts are needed to better understand and address the barriers to mental health treatment use among immigrants who have BD.
DETERMINANTS OF GREEN MARKETING QUALITY PRACTICES AMONG SMALL MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs)

The phenomenon of green marketing practices is growing in popularity. People are becoming more sensitive towards environmental issue which is a favorable social consciousness. Considering substantial numbers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in Indonesia, there is a need for assessing the environmental impacts of their operations. The study aims at determining the antecedents of green marketing quality practices among SMEs. The sample of study was export-oriented SMEs located in Banyumas Regency Central Java Indonesia. One hundred and twenty-five companies were selected as the respondents of the study. Data were gathered using questionnaire containing items measured using Likert scale. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regressions, and the finding showed that all independent variables except environmental consciousness have significant influence on green marketing quality practice by SMEs. The most influential factor on marketing quality of SMEs was social impressions. The implication of the study is that every SME should always put their best effort in preventing environmental damaged resulting from companies’ operation. Location in where sample was selected was conveniently determined (convenient sampling). Including other provinces as research locations might improve the representativeness of the data, and might ultimately give different result on this area of study.
Lack of evidence for the Th2 predominance in patients with chronic hepatitis C

A T helper (Th)1 to Th2 shift has been proposed to be a critical pathogenic determinant in chronic hepatitis C. Here, we evaluated mitogen‐induced and hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen‐induced cytokine production in 28 patients with biopsy‐proven chronic hepatitis C. Flow cytometry demonstrated that after mitogenic stimulation the percentage of Th2 cells (IL‐4 + or IL‐13 +) and Th0 cells (IFN‐γ/IL‐4 + or IL‐2/IL‐13 +) did not differ between patients and controls. In contrast, the percentage of Th1 cells (IFN‐γ + or IL‐2 +) was significantly increased in CD4 + , CD8 + , ‘naive’‐CD45RA + and ‘memory’‐CD45RO + T‐cell subsets from patients versus controls. Similar results were obtained by ELISA testing supernatants from mitogen‐stimulated, unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. Interferon‐alpha treatment was associated with a reduction in the mitogen‐induced Th1 cytokine response in those patients who cleared their plasma HCV‐RNA. Analysis of cytokine expression by CD4 + T cells after HCV core antigen stimulation in a subgroup of 13 chronic hepatitis C patients demonstrated no cytokine response in 74% of these patients and an IFN‐γ‐restricted response in 26%. Finally, no Th2 shift was found in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated monocytes. These data indicate that a Th1 to Th2 shift does not occur in chronic hepatitis C.
Drivers of Corruption Risk and Stock Market Effects: Evidence from the Defence Industry

Since anecdotal evidence indicates that corruption is rampant in the defence sector globally, we examine the drivers of firm level corruption risk in the defence industry. Our empirical results indicate that visibility and shareholding are significant drivers affecting a firm’s corruption risk. Large firms and listed firms have lower corruption risk, other things being equal. Further, higher managerial shareholding is associated with higher level of corruption risk. These results hold even after controlling for country level drivers such as institutional quality, cultural and economic factors. Interestingly, stock markets in developed countries react more negatively around the announcement to firms achieving low corruption risk scores. Firms with low corruption risk experience lower stock price volatility after the disclosure of corruption risk scores. Finally, we also find that the disclosure of corruption risk is associated with an increase in firm level market liquidity.
The Effect of Usefulness, Ease of Use, Risk, and Trust to Behavioral Intention in the Use of Internet Banking

Recently information technology is one of the vital elements in human daily activity supports. One example of information technology measurement is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which is an information system that shows how users come to accept and use the technology. Usefulness and Ease of Use are the main reasons that would predispose a person to use such technology. The TAM is also applied to the use of Internet Banking, but there are some more factors that will affect the Behavior Intention in using the Internet Banking including Risk and Trust. The aim of this study is to prove the hypothesis of the variables that affect the Behavior Intention. Research variables were measured using a questionnaire that is processed with SPSS software. The results showed that the four variables studied positive influence on Behavior Intention in the use of Internet Banking. Keywords: Internet banking; Usefulness; Ease of use; Risk; Trust; Behavior intention.
The Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness: Development of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale for Self and Peer Evaluation

Instructors often incorporate self and peer evaluations when they use teamwork in their classes, which is common in management education. However, the process is often time consuming and frequently does not match well with guidance provided by the literature. This paper describes the development of a web-based instrument that efficiently collects and analyzes self- and peer-evaluation data. The instrument uses a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) to measure team-member contributions in five areas that are based on the literature on team effectiveness. Three studies provide evidence for the validity of the new instrument. Implications for management education and areas for future research are discussed.
Deformable registration of CT and cone-beam CT by local CBCT intensity correction

In this paper, we propose a method to accurately register CT to cone-beam CT (CBCT) by iteratively correcting local CBCT intensity. CBCT is a widely used intra-operative imaging modality in image-guided radiotherapy and surgery. A short scan followed by a filtered-backprojection is typically used for CBCT reconstruction. While data on the mid-plane (plane of source-detector rotation) is complete, off-mid-planes undergo different information deficiency and the computed reconstructions are approximate. This causes different reconstruction artifacts at off-mid-planes depending on slice locations, and therefore impedes accurate registration between CT and CBCT. To address this issue, we correct CBCT intensities by matching local intensity histograms slice by slice in conjunction with intensity-based deformable registration. This correction-registration step is repeated until the result image converges. We tested the proposed method on eight head-and-neck cancer cases and compared its performance with state-of-the-art registration methods, Bspline, demons, and optical flow, which are widely used for CT-CBCT registration. Normalized mutual-information (NMI), normalized cross-correlation (NCC), and structural similarity (SSIM) were computed as similarity measures for the performance evaluation. Our method produced overall NMI of 0.59, NCC of 0.96, and SSIM of 0.93, outperforming existing methods by 3.6%, 2.4%, and 2.8% in terms of NMI, NCC, and SSIM scores, respectively. Experimental results show that our method is more consistent and roust than existing algorithms, and also computationally efficient with faster convergence.
Angiographic features in acute pancreatitis: the severity of abdominal vessel ischemic change reflects the severity of acute pancreatitis.

CONTEXT Assessment of tissue microcirculation is one of the important aspects of pathological evaluation in acute pancreatitis. Severe ischemic change sometimes leads to the development of organ dysfunction and/or infectious complications. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the angiographic features of acute pancreatitis and correlate them with the severity of the disease. DESIGN Retrospective study. PATIENTS Twenty-seven consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis who had undergone angiography were retrospectively investigated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Vascular findings and Ranson score. RESULTS Ischemic changes were found in 18 patients (66.7%); 11 (40.7%) were severe changes. Pseudoaneurysm, bleeding, and staining were seen in 4 (14.8%), 2 (7.4%) and 5 (18.5%) patients, respectively. The rate of severe ischemic changes was significantly correlated with the Ranson score (P=0.012). Conclusions Angiographic findings are useful for the evaluation of severe acute pancreatitis.
[Protective effect of lycium barbarum polysaccharides against heat stress-induced germ cell apoptosis in rats and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effect of lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) against heat stress-induced apoptosis of germ cells in rats and its action mechanism. METHODS Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups of 18 each: control, heat stress (HS), high-dose LBP, median-dose LBP and low-dose LBP. The rats of the three LBP groups were given LBP by intragastric administration at 100 mg/(kg x d), 50 mg/(kg x d) and 10 mg/(kg x d) respectively for 14 days, and on the 15th day they, together with those of the HS group, were exposed to a heat of 43 degrees C for 30 minutes. At 24 h, 48 h and 7 d after heat stress, the animals were killed by cervical dislocation, followed by observation of the apoptotic germ cells by TUNEL, determination of the expression of Caspase-3 by immunohistochemistry and detection of cytochrome C in the cytosol by ELISA. RESULTS Compared with the HS group, the three LBP groups showed statistically significant decreases in the apoptosis index (P<0.05), the expression level of Caspase-3 in germ cells (P<0.05) and the concentration of cytochrome C in the cytosol (P<0.05). CONCLUSION LBP can inhibit cytochrome C release from mitochondria, decrease the expression of Caspase-3 and hence reduce the apoptosis of germ cells. It thus can be deduced that LBP can protect germ cells against apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway.
Effects of T-2 mycotoxin on in vitro development and chromatin status of mouse embryos in preimplantation stages

T-2 toxin is a mycotoxin produced by phytopathogenic fungi of the Fusarium genus and has many well-studied deleterious effects on mammalian cells and reproductive tract. Despite the wide scale studies, the effects on preimplantation stage embryos are lacking. The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of T-2 on the cleavage stage of mouse embryos with regard to development to blastocysts and nuclear chromatin status. Six-weeks-old BDF1 female mice were superovulated and placed together overnight with mature males. Zygotes were flushed 20 h after human chorionic gonadotropin injection and divided randomly into treated (supplemented with 0.5, 0.75, and 1 ng/ml T-2) and nontreated (control) groups. Embryos were cultured in vitro for 96 h. Developmental stage was evaluated in the 72nd- and 96th-h for assessment of development dynamics. At the end of culture period, blastocysts from treated and control groups with normal morphology were selected for nuclear chromatin analysis. Blastocysts were categorized (grade A, B, and C) depending on the proportion of blasomeres with micronuclei and/or lobulated nuclei. Our data show significant decrease in the proportions of blastocysts in the 0.75 and 1 ng/ml toxin-supplemented groups compared with the control group. Blastocyst rate did not differ in embryos treated with 0.5 ng/ml T-2 but 24 h delay was found in blastocoel formation in all the treated groups. Only grade A (21.1%) and B (78.9%) blastocysts were found in low-toxin-contaminated group similar to the control ones (50–50%). Grade C embryos appeared in the 0.75 ng/ml (10%) treated group and the rate increased significantly (33.3%) in the highest contaminated group. T-2 mycotoxin has a harmful effect on early embryo development which results in decreased blastocyst proportion, delayed blastulation, and increased rate of chromatin damage.
Lao SME Participation in Regional Economic Integration

This study aims to investigate the participation of Lao SMEs in regional economic integration. Supporting SMEs’ participation in regional economic integration is important to increase their productivity and competitiveness. However, there are various barriers that prevent this from occurring. In this study, a Logit model is applied to secondary data to investigate factors affecting exporting behaviour and preferential tariff utilization. This study finds that there are weak linkages between Lao firms and regional economic integration. Very few firms are exporting and the level of preferential tariff utilization is relatively low. Firms have a low level of awareness of economic integration and they appear to be too optimistic about its impact. It is important that policymakers should provide training on FTAs to export-oriented firms and potential exporters, together with a wider promotion of FTA utilization through media channels.
The Capital Structure of Listed Industrial Companies in Jordan

This paper examines the capital structure of listed industrial companies in Jordan. Using firm-level panel data, the main leverage ratios and the mean ratios of long term debt to total debt are calculated during the time period 1978-1998. Based on the statistical analysis, it is found that company size and retained earnings divided by total assets are significant determinants of leverage. Furthermore, it is found that fixed assets to total assets and total assets are the only significant determinant factors of the debt ratios.
Consumer Socially Sustainable Consumption: The Perspective toward Corporate Social Responsibility, Perceived Value, and Brand Loyalty

Consumers voluntarily take action in socially responsibility behavior only if they perceive the firm's efforts to conduct the activities toward corporate social responsibility (CSR). This study seeks to examine the direct influence of CSR on consumer socially sustainable consumption which has been neglected in prior studies. The findings indicate that the ethical and legal dimension of CSR is a stronger predictor of socially sustainable consumption than the philanthropic expectations dimension. Perceived value and brand loyalty also play significant mediating roles between CSR and socially sustainable consumption. Finally, some theoretical and managerial contributions in the field of marketing and management are discussed.
Faculty Members’ Concerns about Adopting a Learning Management System (LMS): A Developing Country Perspective

This study examined the concerns of faculty members regarding the adoption of a Learning Management System (LMS) employing the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM). Forty-seven faculty members from a university in Jordan completed the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ). The SoCQ was used to assess the strength of faculty members’ concerns in seven areas: awareness, information, personal impact, management, consequences, collaboration and refocusing. The results showed that the respondents’ concerns were greatest in the early stages of the introduction of the LMS. Faculty members had a general lack of awareness about LMS and did not have enough information about it. The faculty members had little interest in or engagement with the LMS; they wanted to know more about the effect of LMS on them personally. Furthermore, faculty members had concerns about the management, time, and logistical aspects of the implementation of LMS.
To Drink or Not to Drink: How Are Alcohol, Caffeine and Past Smoking Related to Bone Mineral Density in Elderly Women?

Objectives: To determine relationship between alcohol, caffeine, past smoking and bone mineral density of different skeletal sites in elderly women, accounting for other biological and life-style variables. Methods/Design: A cross-sectional study in 136 Caucasian women, mean ± SD age 68.6 ± 7.1 years, all healthy and free of medications affecting bones, including estrogen. Bone mineral density (BMD) of multiple skeletal regions and body composition were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Serum vitamin D (25-OHD) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were analyzed and used as confounders. Calcium (Ca) intake was assessed by food frequency questionnaire. Alcohol and caffeine consumption was assessed by questionnaires determining frequency, amount and source of each. There were no current smokers, but the history of smoking was recorded, including number of years and packages smoked/day. Past physical activity was assessed by Allied Dunbar National Fitness Survey and used as confounder. Statistical significance was considered at p ≤ 0.05. Results: In the correlational analysis, alcohol was positively associated with spine BMD (r = 0.197, p = 0.02), 25-OHD and negatively with PTH. Smoking was negatively related to Ca intake, 25(OH)D and number of reproductive years. In subgroup (stratified by Ca intake) and multiple regression analyses, alcohol (average ∼0.5–1 drinks/day or ∼8 g alcohol/day) was favorably associated with BMD of spine and total body. Caffeine (average ∼2.5 6-fl oz cups/day or 200–300 mg caffeine/day) had negative association with most of the skeletal sites, which was attenuated with higher Ca intake (≥median, 750 mg/day). The past smokers who smoked on average 24 years of ∼1 pack cigarettes/day had lower BMD in total body, spine and femur than never-smokers when evaluated in subgroup analyses, and the association was attenuated in participants with ≥median Ca intake. There was no significant association between past smoking and BMD of any skeletal site in multiple regression analyses. Conclusion: The results support the notion that consumption of small/moderate amount of alcohol is positively, while caffeine and past smoking are negatively associated with most of the skeletal sites, which might be attenuated with Ca intake above 750 mg/day.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Latency-Associated Transcript Expression Protects Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons from Apoptosis

ABSTRACT Upon infection of murine trigeminal ganglia with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), an immune response is initiated resulting in significant infiltration of CD8+ T cells. Previous investigators have observed a lack of apoptosis in HSV-1 trigeminal ganglia even in the presence of cytotoxic immune cells. To determine the role of the latency-associated transcript (LAT) in inhibiting apoptosis, we examined mice during acute and latent infection with HSV-1 (strain 17 or a LAT-negative deletion mutant strain 17 N/H) by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). FACS analysis revealed CD8+ T cells in the trigeminal ganglia by day 7, with more being present in 17- than 17 N/H-infected trigeminal ganglia (6.22% versus 3.5%) and a decrease in number through day 30 (2.7% to 1.2%). To detect apoptotic CD8+ T cells, sections were assayed by TUNEL and stained for CD8+ T cells. By day 7, ∼10% of CD8+ T cells in both 17- and 17 N/H-infected trigeminal ganglia had undergone apoptosis. By day 30, 58% and 74% of all T cells had undergone apoptosis in 17- and 17 N/H-infected trigeminal ganglia, respectively. Furthermore, no HSV strain 17-infected trigeminal ganglion neurons were apoptotic, but 0.087% of 17ΔSty and 0.98% of 17 N/H-infected neurons were apoptotic. We conclude that the antiapoptotic effect of LAT appears to require the LAT promoter, with most of the antiapoptotic effect mapping within the StyI (+447) to the HpaI (+1667) region and a minor contribution from the upstream StyI (+76) to StyI (+447) region.
Measuring health-related quality of life in clinical trials that evaluate the role of chemotherapy in cancer treatment.

Quality of life is a subjective multidimentional concept that can be assessed by means of validated questionnaires completed by patients. The psychological effects of a diagnosis of cancer and the physical effects of the disease and its treating have a major impact on a patient's health-related quality of life. Much cancer treatment, especially chemotherapy for metastatic disease, is given for palliation. Palliation implies improvement in either the duration or quality of life remaining. However, treatment patients with common metastatic tumours to prolong life is generally unsuccessful, so improving quality of life is a more realistic goal. Most trials involve evaluating shrinkage of a tumour (i.e., tumour response), which does not imply a benefit to the patient. Few trials have assessed quality of life directly, although several validated instruments, described here, are available to quantify quality of life in cancer patients. These instruments represent a wide scope, from evaluating general health to assessing the quality of life of patients with specific types and stages of cancer. They respond to changes in clinical state and are strongly predictive of survival. Measures of quality of life should be incorporated in all clinical trials where treatment is palliative, and a simple, relevant measure of quality of life should be used as a (or the) primary outcome measure. Other measures of quality of life are important to ensure that gains in one area do not occur at the expense of others. A few large trials incorporating these principles have shown that chemotherapy can provide palliation for patients with advanced cancer.
Kickstart or jumpstart? Understanding women entrepreneurs’ crowdfunding performance

Women entrepreneurs face hindrances while accessing financial capital for their ventures. With the emergence of crowdfunding as a popular mechanism for fundraising, women entrepreneurs are encouraged to seek funding through this platform from multiple funders. Drawing on the literature on social identity and entrepreneurial passion, we developed a theoretical framework on the factors that influence the crowdfunding performance of women entrepreneurs. We argue that as the women entrepreneurs behave like entrepreneurs, think like one in their cognitive schema, they will establish an identity with the entrepreneurs as a group. This positive identification will be further enhanced in the presence of entrepreneurial passion, prior industry related experience and self-efficacy which in turn will positively affect their crowdfunding performance.