Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sonography of the median nerve in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to describe the features on high-frequency sonography of median nerves in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and determine whether sonography can help in the detection and characterization of the disease in these patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The median nerves of 24 patients with genetically proven Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (12 patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A, seven with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2, and five with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type X) were prospectively examined at the right mid forearm with a 12-5-MHz transducer. Image analysis for each patient included measurement of both the cross-sectional area and fascicular diameter of the nerve. Correlations then were made with genetic and electrophysiologic features and with findings in a control group of 50 subjects. RESULTS Sonography was found to be a reliable means of detecting the nerve hypertrophy and the fascicular swelling occurring in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The 1A type of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease could be distinguished sonographically by a larger nerve area and fascicular diameter than those observed in patients with the other types of disease (including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 and X-linked type) and the control subjects. In patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and control subjects, linear regression analysis did not show a correlation between either the cross-sectional area or fascicular diameter of the nerve and the patient's height, body mass, sex, or electrophysiologic parameters. CONCLUSION High-resolution sonography can be used to detect the hypertrophy of median nerves in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. It can be helpful in defining the Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A on the basis of the larger nerve sizes and fascicular diameters than those occurring in patients with other types of the disease. In an affected kindred, sonography is promising as a screening tool for identifying individuals who should undergo genetic assessments.
Cybercafés Use Continuance: An Empirical Test of a Research Model

Cybercafes served as the main access point to computer and Internet mostly for people in the developing world. This avenue for communal access to IT platform indeed has the potential for serving as an effective tool for bridging the effect of digital divide. Several researches into adoption and use of cybercafes emerged across the globe but few studies related to its use continuance exist. Empirical study is conducted base on previous researches to test a modified Bhattachee's model of expectation-confirmation theory with the purpose of exploring the use continuance of cybercafe from users' perspective in Nigeria. Using cross-sectional survey through random sampling design, the data collected from the valid 105 respondents was used to test the research model using the structural equation modeling approach. The results suggested perceive usefulness and habit are the most important factors influencing cybercafes use continuance in Nigeria. The implication for research and practice of cybercafes implementation is hereby presented.
Predictors of Financial Well-Being among Malaysian Employees: Examining the Mediate Effect of Financial Stress

Financial well-being and its impact on the quality of life among employees have received considerable attention from researchers, consumer and financial educators, practitioners and policy makers. The purpose of this study is to examine the determinant factors of employees’ financial well-being in Malaysia. The results of this study can be used for better understanding of the relationship between and among determinants of financial well-being by highlighting the relationships among financial literacy, financial behavior, financial capability, financial problem, and financial stress. Samples were selected using multi-stage sampling technique among employees in public and private sectors. A total of 2,000 completed questionnaires were analyzed using path analysis to identify direct and indirect effects on financial well-being. The results identified that financial well-being determinants were financial literacy, financial behavior, financial capability, financial problem; and financial stress had either a direct and indirect effect on financial well-being. The findings indicated that financial stress partially mediate the effect of factors on predicting financial well-being. Keywords: Financial literacy, financial behavior, financial capability, financial problem, financial stress, financial well-being
A way to reverse CAD?

PURPOSE Plant-based nutrition achieved coronary artery disease (CAD) arrest and reversal in a small study. However, there was skepticism that this approach could succeed in a larger group of patients. The purpose of our follow-up study was to define the degree of adherence and outcomes of 198 consecutive patient volunteers who received counseling to convert from a usual diet to plant-based nutrition. METHODS We followed 198 consecutive patients counseled in plant-based nutrition. These patients with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) were interested in transitioning to plant-based nutrition as an adjunct to usual cardiovascular care. We considered participants adherent if they eliminated dairy, fish, and meat, and added oil. RESULTS Of the 198 patients with CVD, 177 (89%) were adherent. Major cardiac events judged to be recurrent disease totaled one stroke in the adherent cardiovascular participants—a recurrent event rate of . 6%, significantly less than reported by other studies of plant-based nutrition therapy. Thirteen of 21 (62%) nonadherent participants experienced adverse events. CONCLUSION Most of the volunteer patients with CVD responded to intensive counseling, and those who sustained plant-based nutrition for a mean of 3.7 years experienced a low rate of subsequent cardiac events. This dietary approach to treatment deserves a wider test to see if adherence can be sustained in broader populations. Plant-based nutrition has the potential for a large effect on the CVD epidemic.
MRI in patients with high-grade gliomas treated with bevacizumab and chemotherapy

Patients with recurrent gliomas (n = 14) were treated with bevacizumab and carboplatin, cpt-11, or etoposide. Follow-up MRI scans were obtained 2 to 6 weeks after initiation of treatment. Contrast-enhancing tumor shrank in 7 patients, with reductions evident in as little as 2 weeks after initiation of therapy. Treatment seemed more effective for heterogeneously enhancing tumor compared with solidly enhancing tumor.
The conjugative plasmid pTR2030 encodes two bacteriophage defense mechanisms in lactococci, restriction modification (R+/M+) and abortive infection (Hsp+)

pTR2030 is a conjugative plasmid which encodes resistance to bacteriophage in lactococci by a mechanism that aborts the phage infection (Hsp+). Subcloning and in vivo deletion events showed that two independent mechanisms of resistance are located on a 13.6-kilobase Bg/II fragment cloned in pSA3; one mechanism is responsible for the abortive infection, and the other incodes a restriction modification system. The introduction of pTR2030 or the recombinant plasmid pTK6 resulted in the loss of a resident restriction modification plasmid in Lactococcus lactis NCK202 which was not previously identified.
Testing the Pecking Order Theory of Capital Structure in Brazilian Firms

The paper tests if the theory known as Pecking Order Theory provides empirical explanation for the capital structure of Brazilian firms. According to this theory, the capital structures would result from a hierarchy of financial decisions where internally generated resources would have first priority, followed by debt issues and, as last resort only, by equity issues. In its strong form, the Pecking Order Theory sustains that equity issues would never occur, whereas in its weak form, limited amounts of issues are acceptable. The methodology adopted in this empirical study involves cross-section regressions and the testing of hypotheses stemming from the underlying theory in its strong and weak forms. The upshot leads to the conclusion that the tested theory, in its weak form, is applicable to Brazilian firms, but the same does not happen with its strong form. The results also show that the goodness of fit of the Brazilian regressions are significantly better than those reported for American firms and that Brazilian firms seem to be closer to the Pecking Order's strong form than the American ones. The sample involves 132 publicly listed firms and the accounting data refer to 2001.
Assessment of LF solder joint reliability by four point cyclic bending

Quick and effective reliability assessment method is one of aspired targets for product development and test. Base on specific design board, this paper study the effect of four-point cyclic bend test parameters, such as deflection and temperature to lead-free solder joint fatigue life and failure mode, compare the performance of lead-free joints in four-point cyclic bend and accelerated temperature cycling (ATC), explore the application of four-point cyclic bend test method in lead-free solder joint reliability assessment.
Influence of deuterium oxide on calcium transients and myofibrillar responses of frog skeletal muscle.

The influence of substituting D2O for H2O on calcium transients and on contraction was studied in intact single skeletal muscle fibres injected with aequorin and in mechanically skinned fibres from frogs. Most experiments were carried out at 10 degrees C. Experiments performed in vitro established that the calcium concentration‐effect curve for aequorin is depressed and the rate of change of aequorin light emission after sudden changes of [Ca2+] is decreased when D2O is substituted for H2O. D2O substitution greatly reduces the amplitude of the aequorin signals of intact fibres both in twitches and in tetani. This is partly the result of the influence of D2O on aequorin, but the amplitude of the calcium transients is reduced as well. In both H2O and D2O Ringer solutions, the amplitude and time course of the sarcoplasmic calcium transient during a tetanus vary greatly with the stimulus frequency. In H2O, frequencies high enough to produce mechanical fusion normally produce cytoplasmic calcium concentrations high enough to saturate the myofibrils, with the result that stimulus frequency has very little influence on the mechanical response. Saturation does not occur in D2O, and the amplitude and form of fully fused tetani are greatly influenced by the frequency of stimulation. Aequorin was used as a calcium indicator to estimate the influence of D2O substitution on the apparent equilibrium association constant for the calcium‐EGTA complex. The constant was reduced by more than one order of magnitude in D2O at pD = pH = 7.0. Experiments on mechanically skinned muscle fibres showed that D2O substitution decreased the apparent sensitivity of the myofibrils to calcium, but increased the force of contraction at saturating calcium concentrations. The latter effect is probably responsible for the potentiation of tetanic tension that is observed in certain D2O/H2O mixtures or in H2O solutions immediately after a switch from D2O. In intact muscle fibres the potentiation of twitch or tetanic tension after a switch from D2O to H2O declines with a half‐time of about 25 s; this probably reflects the time course of exchange of intracellular D2O for H2O. The effects of D2O on the intracellular calcium transient appeared and disappeared with a half‐time of less than 1 s; this time is of the same order of magnitude as that calculated for the exchange of H2O and D2O in the T‐tubules. We conclude that D2O affects calcium release at a site in the T‐tubule which is more accessible to the extracellular space than to the intracellular space.
The Antiinflammatory Properties of Humic Substances: A Mini Review.

Humic substances are effective in the suppression of delayed type hypersensitivity, rat paw oedema, a graft-versus-host reaction and contact hypersensitivity in rats. They reduce the C-reactive protein levels of patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee and the wheel and flare reaction of patients suffering from hay fever. They have also been described as cardioprotective and pro-angiogenic. Toxicity studies have indicated that potassium humate is safe in humans up to a daily dosage of 1 g/kg, whereas fulvic acid is safe in humans up to a daily dosage of 1.8 g per adult. The antiinflammatory action of potassium humate can be contributed to the inhibition of the release of inflammatory-related cytokines, an adhesion molecule, oxidants and components of the complement system.
Financial Transparency and External Managerial Labor Market Activity

This paper presents a model explaining the positive relationship between the availability of financial information to outsiders and external managerial labor market activity. An adverse selection problem appears when firms don't know the financial condition of other firms and thus the ability of outside managers. Firms could offer a performance-based contract screening out low-ability managers. Managers require a risk premium to take such a contract, however, since they do not know the financial condition of the firm offering the contract. Thus, an ex ante mutually beneficial contract may not exist. The theory suggests that the inferior monitoring by inside corporate directors of firms relative to outside directors may be due not to their career concerns, but to the fact that they have less information about outside managerial candidates.
Intrarenal distribution of penicillin, cephalothin, ampicillin and oxytetracycline during varied states of hydration.

After the constant infusion of an antibiotic, tissue concentrations of the drug measured within the cortex, medulla and papilla of the dog kidney show considerable variation depending upon the type of antibiotic and the state of hydration of the experimental animal. In the hydropenic state, a significant gradient of increasing concentration from cortex to papilla occurs with penicillin and cephalothin, whereas ampicillin and oxytetracycline concentrations do not differ between cortex, medulla and papilla. The increase in antibiotic concentration from cortex to papilla was 4-fold for penicillin and 3-fold for cephalothin. Hydration effectively dissipated these gradients. The increase in tissue gradients during hydropenia may be attributed in part to high antibiotic concentrations in medullary and papillary intratubular urine. However, it appears that the papillary tissue water concentration for some of the antibiotics may be significantly increased over concomitant serum levels. Papillary tissue water concentration of penicillin exhibited a 10-fold, cephalothin a 6½-fold and oxytetracycline a 2½-fold increase over simultaneously existing serum levels during hydropenia. This form of investigation provides a means for selecting antibiotics most effectively concentrated in the papillary and medullary tissues and yields information of potential therapeutic importance.
Economics of military outsourcing

This thesis is concerned with outsourcing the production of defence and military activities to private providers. Theoretical approaches to the issue are reviewed and found to make insufficiently specific predictions to be useful in assessing the scope for outsourcing. Instead four empirical analyses are undertaken using publicly available data. The first estimates the elasticity of substitution between military labour and capital. It builds on Ridge and Smith (1991), using data on military wages to allow a more flexible specification. It finds the elasticity likely to be some small positive number, much lower than previous estimates suggest. The second extends the framework to incorporate civilian labour as a third factor of production. It then estimates the elasticity of substitution between military and civilian labour. This elasticity is estimated to be close to zero, suggesting that there is little scope for military outsourcing beyond that which exists without reducing capabilities in some circumstances. The next approach assesses how far increases in the use of contracting-out and competitive procurement have yielded reductions in UK aggregate military expenditure. The best model suggests that increased outsourcing is associated with lower aggregate military spending in the long-run, but a number of issues arise which raise concerns about the validity of demand for military expenditure models. The final approach uses an original dataset on control of Ministry of Defence Private Finance Initiative projects to identify the key firms involved in the UK market for military outsourcing contracts, the structure of the industry and its impact on the scope of efficient outsourcing. Whilst there is currently scope for effective competition for contracts in most market segments, this competition is vulnerable to industry consolidation. The key firms involved do not financially outperform their peers in other markets.
Corporate Financial Policies in Overvalued Debt Markets

We investigate the repercussions of credit market mistakes for a firm's borrowing and investment decisions. When credit ratings are relatively optimistic, we find evidence that firms take advantage of inaccuracies by issuing more debt, increasing leverage, rolling over more debt and lengthening maturities. The result goes beyond a wealth transfer and has real investment implications: approximately 75% of the funds raised from debt issuance related to credit rating mistakes was used for capital expenditures and cash acquisitions. In the cross section, credit rating mistakes affect financially constrained firms the most, suggesting that debt overvaluation loosens financial constraints.
Developing a Computer Simulation Based Approach to Simulate Potency of Islamic Voluntary Sector to Alleviate the Poverty in Indonesia Using System Dynamics Methodology

This research tries to find out the potency of Islamic Voluntary Sector as financial instrument to alleviate the poverty in Indonesia. This research also tries to offer a computer simulation based approach design of the cash waqf fund management system and zakah fund as a part of Islamic Voluntary Sector in a system dynamics model. Using the system dynamics methodology, we try to know the structure of the cash waqf funds management system and simulate the behaviour of cash waqf and zakah fund. Zakah and Cash Waqf fund are expected to become the alternative instruments for the poverty alleviation programs in Indonesia. These programs require huge amount of fund that cannot be provided thoroughly by the government. Therefore, development of the voluntary sector for such a program is inevitable. In the Islamic sosio-economic concept, there are some sources of social fund that are economically and politically free of charge, namely cash waqf and zakah, infaq and shodaqah. In this research we focus in Cash Waqf Management and Zakah fund. In these concepts, Nadzir collects the fund from Waqif and invest the money in the real sector (mainly Small & Medium-sized Ventures) and in any syariah-based investment opportunities and Amil also collects the fund from Muzzaki. Amil will distribute all of Zakah fund for Mustahiq and Nadzir will then allocate all profits and returns gained from the investments to any poverty alleviation programs to enhance the quality of poor people’s life, such as free education and health service, cheap basic food, etc. Not just like Amil, who is allowed to distribute all of zakah fund, Nadzir is obliged to maintain the amount of fund in such a way that it does not go below the initial amount. Therefore, Nadzir not only should be highly capable, but also needs a financial institution, which has been proven to be experienced, highly capable and effective in helping Micro and SMEs development efforts, since such a microfinancing program is considered as the most vital portfolio in the poverty alleviation program. Therefore, it’s necessary to design an instrument which is able to control the cash waqf management.
[Diversified health education mode applied in oral health care of preschool children].

PURPOSE In regard to the current problems and deficiencies of preschool children's oral health, diversity of health education intervention was carried out, and the effect was evaluated. METHODS Three kindergartens in Pudong New District were randomly selected. The children's age ranged from 4 to 5 years old. One hundred and ten children from one kindergarten were randomly selected as the intervention group, executing special health training and various related health education activities for a period of 1 year. Another 220 children from 2 kindergartens were chosen as control group, no special health education and behavior intervention were given. After the interventional period, the situation of children with suffering from dental caries in the intervention group and the control group, scores of oral health knowledge, and the improvement of behavior were compared. SPSS19.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS After 1 year of health education intervention, scores of oral knowledge and oral health behaviors in the interventional group increased significantly. However, caries prevalence and the average number of caries had no significant differences between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS The diversity of oral health education plays a positive role in the kindergarten for pre-school children's oral health knowledge, attitude and behavior change.
Consumer perceptions of online consumer product and service reviews: Focusing on information processing confidence and susceptibility to peer influence

Purpose – Online consumer reviews play an important role in influencing consumers' purchasing decisions by providing a wealth of information about products and services. Framed by uncertainty reduction theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine consumer perceptions of online consumer reviews and effects on consumer attitudes and usage behaviors in relation to individual characteristics.Design/methodology/approach – Data were randomly collected from 1,930 US online consumer review users using an online survey.Findings – The researchers found that consumers perceived both benefits and costs from online consumer reviews and that both benefits and costs influenced consumer attitudes toward, and usage behaviors of, online consumer reviews. Individual characteristics – confidence in the information process and consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence – were shown to determine how online consumer reviews were perceived.Originality/value – The results provide insight to retailers and marketers as t.