Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic usefulness of Keishi‐bukuryo‐gan for diabetic nephropathy

Keishi‐bukuryo‐gan is a traditional herbal medicine, which is used clinically as a vascular system disorder‐eliminating drug. In this study, its effect on the progression of diabetic nephropathy in experimental rats was investigated. The diabetic nephropathy model used in this study shows functional and morphological changes of the kidney resembling those seen in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Increased proteinuria and serum urea nitrogen and creatinine levels and decreased creatinine clearance, which are important parameters of renal function, were observed in rats with diabetic nephropathy. Pathological examination of the kidney revealed diffuse, nodular and exudative lesions and arteriolar hyalinosis. The deterioration of renal function was ameliorated in rats treated with Keishi‐bukuryo‐gan for 15 weeks and these results agreed with the renal histological findings. In addition, metabolic abnormalities mediated by persistent hyperglycaemia (the glycation reaction, excessive polyol pathway activity, oxidative stress and lipid metabolic abnormalities) were also observed. However, Keishi‐bukuryo‐gan reduced accumulation of advanced glycation end products, determined by measuring fluorescence, and serum lipid peroxidation, triglyceride and total cholesterol levels dose‐dependently. Thus, this study indicates the potential therapeutic usefulness of Keishi‐bukuryogan for retarding the progression of renal damage and suggests that its beneficial effects were due to its ability to improve metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes.
Nonaudit Services and Earnings Management: UK Evidence*

Using a sample of UK firms for the period 1996-98, we provide empirical evidence on the relation between nonaudit services (NAS) purchase and three proxies for earnings management: (1) the likelihood that client firm accounting practices during the sample period were publicly criticized or subject to regulatory investigation; (2) the likelihood that client firms were required to restate prior financial statements or adjust current year results upon adoption of Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) No. 12, which was intended to curb opportunistic use of provisions; and (3) the mean absolute value of client discretionary working capital accruals over the sample period. The level of NAS purchase is measured, alternatively, as (1) the ratio of nonaudit to total auditor fees, (2) the natural log of NAS fees, and (3) the decile rank of a particular client's NAS fees given all NAS fees received by the audit firm practice office. With one exception, we find that all three measures of earnings management are positively and significantly associated with the three measures of NAS purchase.
Business Succession Planning in Indian MSM-FOBEs: A Study Based on Managerial-Role Employees

Family owned business enterprises (FOBEs) are prolific contributors to the Indian economy. Micro, small and medium family owned business enterprises (MSM-FOBEs) form a substantial portion of Indian FOBEs. MSM-FOBEs are highly vulnerable to intergenerational business succession. The extent of succession planning, an important factor for the success of business succession, varies with the size of the MSM-FOBE. The number of managerial-role employees is one of the indicators of the size of the MSM-FOBE. The importance of business succession planning to the owner–manager is one of the determinants of the extent of succession planning in any MSM-FOBE. The importance of six succession planning issues to owner–managers is compared on the number of the managerial-role employees in their MSM-FOBEs. The study reveals higher importance of five succession issues to owner–managers of larger MSM-FOBEs that is, those with higher number of managerial-role employees. The lower importance of most succession planning issues among owner–managers of small Indian MSM-FOBEs (with no managerial-role employees) could be one of the reasons for their higher vulnerability to business succession.
Estimating the Demand for Protecting Freshwater Lakes from Eutrophication

In any discussion of the valuation of public goods, particularly environmental amenities, contingent valuation, travel cost, and hedonics are commonly cited as methods for estimating Hicksian or Marshallian welfare (Freeman). While contingent valuation and travel cost are widely employed, we know of very few applications where hedonic demand functions have been estimated. Palmquist (1984) and Parsons estimated second-stage hedonic demands for characteristics of housing units. Both used the approach of estimating separate hedonic price functions for different real-estate markets to identify demand parameters for housing characteristics. ' The research reported here is the first to use separate real-estate markets to identify demand parameters for an environmental amenity. The specific application is water clarity in selected lakes in Maine. Reduced water
To Signal or to Control: The Determinants of Open-Market Share Repurchases in Japan *

Using listed firm-level data in the Tokyo Stock Exchange for the 1995-2006 period, we show that ultimate owners of firms with large cash flow and voting rights deviations announce and repurchase stocks more aggressively than do those of firms with small deviations. We also find that Keiretsu (business group)-affiliated firms are most aggressive in repurchasing their own shares when large deviations exists between cash flow rights and voting rights. Consistent with the view of the takeover deterrence hypothesis, our findings suggest that firms with greater deviations in these two rights are likely to make large stock repurchases to increase both the cost of toehold and the price of the offer.
Lessons Learned from Indonesia's Attempts to Reform Fossil-Fuel Subsidies

Part of the GSI’s series of “Lessons Learned” case studies of attempt to reform subsidies in Brazil, France, Ghana, India, Poland and Senegal. This report reviews the history of fuel subsidies in Indonesia and focuses on the performance of two policies that have been used to support reform. The first is the Bantuan Langsun Tunai (BLT), an unconditional cash transfer program used to help cushion low-income households from price increases in 2005 and 2008. The second program, begun in 2007, aims to make low-income households use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) instead of kerosene, as it is cheaper to subsidize, cleaner and more efficient. The report concludes that both these policies appear to have contributed towards the Indonesian government's reform objectives.
Award-Winning Undergraduate Paper: The Effect of Age on the Probability of Participation in Wildlife-Related Activities: A Birth Year Cohort Study

To aid in the planning and marketing of wildlife recreation, a logit regression model was used to assess the effect of age on the probability of participation in waterfowl hunting and wildlife viewing. The results indicate that the probability of participating in waterfowl hunting decreases with age and birth year, while the probability of participating in wildlife viewing increases up to a point and then decreases as an individual ages and increases with birth year. Clearly, models employing age and birth year must be utilized to plan for future services and also to direct marketing efforts to gain participants.
Fertility in a tropical beef herd divergently selected for pregnancy rate

Selection on the basis of estimated breeding value for cow fertility was successful in establishing two distinct lines of high (H) and low (L) fertility in a herd of Droughtmaster (Brahman × Shorthorn) cattle. The average difference in pregnancy rates over 3 years between the H and L line was 12% ( P P H cows were proportionately 0·06 lighter in body weight ( P P P
Regulation of Neurotrophin mRNA Expression in the Rat Brain by Glucocorticoids

Northern blot analysis was used to examine the effects of glucocorticoids on neurotrophin mRNA expression in the rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus. The results show that 3 days after adrenalectomy the mRNA levels for nerve growth factor (NGF), brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin‐3 (NT‐3) decreased significantly in both these regions. In adrenalectomized animals given dexamethasone replacement the mRNA levels for the three neurotrophins were restored to control levels. The effect of a single dose of dexamethasone (5 mg/kg) administered i p. to intact animals on the expression of neurotrophins was also examined. NGF and NT‐3 mRNAs showed a 2.5‐fold and a 1.4‐fold increase, respectively, during the first 4 h after the injection. The increase was followed by a decrease, with levels ‐50% of control 24 and 48 h after the injection. In contrast, the level of BDNF mRNA did not change during the first 10 h after the injection, but decreased to 70% of control 48 h after the injection. These data indicate that glucocorticoids regulate neurotrophin mRNA expression both in the cortex and in the hippocampus, and suggest further that the known effects of glucocorticoids on neuronal survival in the brain could be due to changes in the levels of neurotrophins in the brain.
Strategies and measurement for workforce flexibility: an application of functional flexibility in a service setting

In situations where a volatile product market meets an unstable labour market, as is often found in customer contact service operations such as the hospitality industry, there is a need for the constant manipulation of labour supply to match labour demand. Functional workforce flexibility, where multiskilled staff are able to move from jobs in one department to jobs in another, presents an opportunity for solving part of the problem. Presents an approach to calculating the need for functional flexibility dependent on the identified discrepancies in labour demand and supply. Having identified the size of the need, a strategy needs to be developed for fulfilling that need. In implementing this strategy, two approaches are identified: planned whole job substitution and boundary loosening. While the planned approach offers the rational course for maintaining quality and productivity levels, there is evidence that an evolving approach may help to stabilize a highly volatile situation by breaking down barriers from within.
Estimates of the Trade and Welfare Effects of NAFTA

We build into a Ricardian model sectoral linkages, trade in intermediate goods, and sectoral heterogeneity in production to quantify the trade and welfare effects from tariff changes. We also propose a new method to estimate sectoral trade elasticities consistent with any trade model that delivers a multiplicative gravity equation. We apply our model and use our estimated elasticities to identify the impact of NAFTA's tariff reductions. We find that Mexico's welfare increases by 1.31%, U.S.'s welfare increases by 0.08%, and Canada's welfare declines by 0.06%. We find that intra-bloc trade increases by 118% for Mexico, 11% for Canada and 41% for the U.S. We show that welfare effects from tariff reductions are reduced when the structure of production does not take into account intermediate goods or input-output linkages. Our results highlight the importance of sectoral heterogeneity, intermediate goods and sectoral linkages for the quantification of the welfare gains from tariffs reductions.
The Analgesic Effects of a Bilateral Sternal Infusion of Ropivacaine After Cardiac Surgery

Background and Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a continuous postoperative administration of local anesthetic through 2 catheters placed deeply under fascia at the lateral edges of the sternum, close to the emergence of the intercostal nerves. We focused on pain during mobilization, as this aspect is likely to interact with postoperative morbidity. Methods Forty adult patients scheduled for open heart surgery with sternotomy were included in this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. A continuous fixed-rate infusion of 4 mL/hr of 0.2% ropivacaine or normal saline was administered during the first 48 postoperative hrs. All patients received acetaminophen and self-administered morphine. The efficacy outcomes were as follows: pain score during standardized mobilization and at rest; morphine consumption; spirometry and arterial blood gases; postoperative rehabilitation criteria, and patient satisfaction. Total ropivacaine plasma level was monitored throughout the study. Results Pain scores were lower in the ropivacaine group during mobilization (P = 0.0004) and at rest (P = 0.0006), but the analgesic effects were mostly apparent during the second day after surgery, with a 41% overall reduction in movement-evoked pain levels. The bilateral sternal block also reduced morphine consumption. It improved the patients’ satisfaction and rehabilitation, but no effects were noted on respiratory outcomes. No major adverse effect due to the treatment occurred, but the ropivacaine plasma level was greater than 4 mg/L in 1 patient. Conclusions This technique may find a role within the framework of multimodal analgesia after sternotomy, although further confirmatory studies are needed.
Robust General Rank Precoding Design for Amplify-and-Forward Relay Network

In this paper, we consider the problem of precoding design for amplify-and-forward (AF relay network with imperfect channel state information (CSI). We find a general rank precoding matrix at the relay such that the relay transmit power is minimized subject to quality of service (QoS) constraint as the worst case signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the destination. Since the direct optimization is nonconvex, we apply conservative methods to reformulate it as a semi-definite programming (SDP) problem which provides the upperbound of the original objective. Specifically, we suggest two SDP formulations that can be solved efficiently via convex optimization tools. We numerically compare the proposed suboptimal methods with the existing method, i.e., collaborative robust relay beamforming (CRBF), and show that the proposed schemes achieve a significant performance gain for a majority of feasible uncertainty sizes.
Phalangeal quantitative ultrasound and metabolic control in pre-menopausal women with Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Background: Several studies have reported increased fracture risk in Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1 DM). Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) provides information on the structure and elastic properties of bone, which are important determinants of fracture risk, along with bone mineral density. Aim: To study phalangeal sites by QUS, examine bone turnover markers and analyze association between these factors with metabolic control in a population of pre-menopausal women with T1 DM. Material and methods: Thirty-five T1 DM pre-menopausal women (mean age 34.5±6.8 yr) attending the Diabetic Outpatients Clinic in the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Messina, were consecutively enrolled and divided into two groups, taking into account the mean value of glycated hemoglobin in the last three years. Twenty healthy age-matched women served as controls. Phalangeal ultrasound measurements [Amplitude Dependent Speed of Sound (AD-SoS), Ultrasound Bone Profile Index (UBPI), T-Score, Z-Score] were performed using a DBM Sonic Bone Profiler. Osteocalcin and deoxypyridinoline served as markers of bone formation and bone resorption, respectively. Results: T1 DM women with poor metabolic control showed lower phalangeal QUS values compared to healthy controls (p<0.01) and T1 DM women with good metabolic control (p<0.05). No significant differences in QUS measurements were detected between T1DM women with good metabolic control and healthy controls. Lower bone formation and increased bone resorption, although not statistically significant, were observed in patients with poor metabolic control in comparison to patients with good metabolic control. Conclusions: Poor metabolic control may worsen the quality of bone in T1 DM. Phalangeal QUS could be considered as a tool to screen T1 DM women for osteoporosis in pre-menopausal age.
The effects of thalidomide in a rat model of surgically-induced endometriosis

Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze the anti-angiogenic role of thalidomide and to assess whether thalidomide had any influence on a rat model of surgically-induced endometriosis. Materials and Methods: Endometriosis was induced through surgical induction and homologous transplantation in 16 rats. The rats were randomly separated into two groups as thalidomide (n=8) and control (n=8) groups. Using oral gavage, 100 mg/kg thalidomide 0.5 ml was administered to the first group and saline 0.5 ml to the control group. Histopathologic findings and volume analysis of implants were evaluated after 4 weeks. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and oxidative markers were run from the fluid through peritoneal lavage. Results: The average implant volume decreased significantly in the thalidomide administrated group after treatment (53.3 and 22.9 mm3 respectively, p=0.012). Significant differences observed in the histopathologic scores of the thalidomide group (3 and 1 respectively, p=0.012) were not observed in the control group. Significant decreases were observed in the levels of VEGF-A and myeloperoxidase (MPO) from oxidative markers (p=0.004, p=0.037, respectively). Conclusion: Thalidomide provides volumetric and histopathologic recovery in implants particularly because the VEGF inhibition and anti-angiogenic effect, which suggests that it could be effective in the treatment of endometriosis.
Economic impact of natural disasters' fatalities

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to find the meaningful relationship between the economic impact of the natural disaster and economic condition. Design/methodology/approach - The paper employed cross-sectional analysis to investigate the relationship between economic condition namely, gross domestic product per capita (GDPpc); gross domestic product per capita squared (GDPpc Findings - Results clearly indicate that there seems to be meaningful relationship between the economic impact of natural disasters and economic conditions. Practical implications - The paper provides some evidence on the important role of economic condition in minimizing the impact of natural disasters. Originality/value - The paper incorporates a comprehensive list of explanatory variables in accounting for natural disaster fatalities.
Extremely High Incidence of Macrolide and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Resistance among Clinical Isolates ofStreptococcus pneumoniae in Taiwan

ABSTRACT From January 1996 to December 1997, 200 isolates ofStreptococcus pneumoniae recovered from 200 patients treated at National Taiwan University Hospital were serotyped and their susceptibilities to 16 antimicrobial agents were determined by the agar dilution method. Sixty-one percent of the isolates were nonsusceptible to penicillin, exhibiting either intermediate resistance (28%) or high-level resistance (33%). About two-fifths of the isolates displayed intermediate or high-level resistance to cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, cefepime, imipenem, and meropenem. Extremely high proportions of the isolates were resistant to erythromycin (82%), clarithromycin (90%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) (87%). Among the isolates nonsusceptible to penicillin, 23.8% were resistant to imipenem; more than 60% displayed resistance to cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, cefepime, and carbapenems; 96.7% were resistant to erythromycin; and 100% were resistant to TMP-SMZ. All isolates were susceptible to rifampin and vancomycin. The MICs at which 50% and 90% of the isolates were inhibited were 0.12 and 1 μg/ml, respectively, for cefpirome, and 0.12 and 0.25 μg/ml, respectively, for moxifloxacin. Six serogroups or serotypes (23F, 19F, 6B, 14, 3, and 9) accounted for 77.5% of all isolates. Overall, 92.5% of the isolates were included in the serogroups or serotypes represented in the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine. The incidence of macrolide and TMP-SMZ resistance for S. pneumoniae isolates in Taiwan in this study is among the highest in the world published to date.
Growth Is the Problem; Equality Is the Solution

While the world economy has become more efficient in one sense, i.e. , ecological damage per dollar's worth of economic output, growth in human population size and per-capita production and consumption of goods and services have together far outpaced these gains. Grievous environmental harm has resulted, whether measured in terms of human sustainability through the ecological footprint, or non-human welfare through such indicators as the living planet index and the number of threatened species. Many have therefore called for a reorientation of economic priorities away from growth, and toward equality as a more environmentally-friendly way to enhance human well-being. In this paper, I test the merits of this proposal through analysis of a few key national economic and ecological variables across time and space. The results confirm the hypothesis that equality does far less harm to ecosystems than growth does. In fact, equality seems to benefit one crucial aspect of environmental quality, namely biological diversity.
Investors' use of corporate reports in Bahrain

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to report the results of an investigation into individual investors' perceptions of the factors affecting buying, holding and selling of stock on the Bahrain stock exchange (BSE). Additionally, the paper investigates the perceptions of individual investors about corporate financial statements as a source of information for individual investors' investment decisions and what specific information such investors would like firms to disclose in these reports. Design/methodology/approach - The research method involved a mail questionnaire sent to 800 individual investors. The response rate was 42.6 percent. This research method was complemented by a series of field interviews conducted with 20 investors and six stockbrokers for the purpose of gaining additional insights into the topic. Findings - The study found that individual investors perceived corporate financial statements as the most important source of information for their investment decisions. The results also show a relatively high degree of agreement within the groups (both large and small) as to the ranking in terms of the importance of the topics. Overall, the study found relatively high levels of consensus between the two user-groups with regards to the majority of questions investigated. The greatest difference between the user-groups regards the perception of the relative importance of the cash-flow statement, the income statement and which information items are needed for investors' decision making. Originality/value - The paper offers rich data on the perceptions and uses of financial and non-financial information by individual investors. This is the first time this type of research has been conducted in Bahrain.
Personification of Death in Ghanaian Death Notices

Analysis of content of death notices (obituaries, in memoriams, and funeral announcements) may offer some explanation of how Ghanaians express their feelings about the death of loved ones and the meanings they assign to death and dying. Analysis of 371 death notices selected from two widely read Ghanaian newspapers, the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times yielded six thematic expressions about death and dying: death is personified as cold and unfeeling and described as an ongoing painful experience; the deceased is described as beloved, devoted, and valued. Death notices indicate impending restructured roles and social relationships survivors face; the image and personality of the deceased are included; and the availability and proximity of the deceased's next of kin can be inferred. The findings add to the literature on (1) cultural attitudes toward death and (2) how death is managed and feelings about death and dying are expressed.