Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationship between employment and mental and physical health in South Africa

ABSTRACT This paper estimated the relationship between employment and depression, hypertension, diabetes and tuberculosis in South Africa between 2008 and 2014. South Africa has high levels of economic inactivity and unemployment as well as a high disease burden occasioned by depression, other non-communicable diseases and tuberculosis. Data came from the National Income Dynamics Study panel dataset. Using fixed effects, random effects and pooled ordinary least squares regressions, depression and diabetes were associated with a 4–6 percentage point decline in employment probability, while tuberculosis was associated with a 12–13 percentage point employment decline. The results suggested that the employment-health relationship possibly operated through illness being associated with increased economic inactivity, rather than through making the search efforts of the unemployed unsuccessful. Moreover, the employment-health relationship not only existed contemporaneously, but extended into the future (especially for the physical health indicators).
Epistasis between APOE and nicotinic receptor gene CHRNA4 in age related cognitive function and decline

Abstract Healthy participants (n = 237) aged 45–79 were tested neuropsychologically with tests of memory, speed, and cognitive control and followed up for 3–5 years (mean, 3.4 years). The sample was genotyped for apolipoprotein E (APOE) and CHolinergic Receptor for Nicotine Alpha 4 (CHRNA4), and genetic effects on cognitive function at initial testing and on cognitive decline was studied. We predicted relatively stronger effects of APOE on memory, and of CHRNA4 on speeded tasks. The predictions were partially confirmed, but we found interactive effects of APOE and CHRNA4 in several cognitive domains. Being an APOE ε4/CHRNA4 TT carrier was associated with slower and less efficient performance, and with steeper decline in speed tasks and in delayed recall. Age dependent genetic effects were found for both APOE and CHRNA4, where old participants (60–79 years) showed a negative influence of TT carrier status on initial memory performance, but a tendency for steeper memory decline in ε4 carriers. Inconsistent and small effects of APOE reported in previous studies of healthy groups may be caused by failure to consider epistasis of APOE with nicotinic receptor and other genes. (JINS, 2010, 16, 424–432.)
The impact of social norms on female corporate board membership inclusion

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to document that religious adherence in the county of the corporate headquarter and educational attainment of the female director pool near the firm headquarters are influential to the likely addition of female corporate board directors. Design/methodology/approach The sample covers 1,630 unique firms and 30,369 unique directors covering a ten-year period to investigate the effects of religiosity and educational attainment. Findings The analysis reveals that while the number of women has increased in general terms, this change is mostly limited to boards that are increasing in size. Women do not tend to replace exiting male board members but are appointed when the board size grows. Therefore, while the number of women is increasing in absolute terms, they are not increasing in relative terms. In areas where religiosity is high, as measured by church affiliation and attendance, female participation in the boardroom is lower and a more educated and qualified female population leads to higher board participation. These effects supersede any regional effects. Originality/value The study adds insights into corporate board dynamic, providing new evidence concerning the impact of local conditions on board composition as well as additional information concerning the interplay of board dynamics and female board representation.
Empirical Evidence on the Determinants of Dividend Pay-Outs in the Auto Components Sector in India

Determinants of dividend policy have been a topic of debate in the academic literature for several decades, but the studies have not been able to give a concluding result on the topic. Existing literature reveals that one of the most challenging decisions, dividend payout, is affected by multiple determinants thereby impacting the value of stock, among which proficatibility, capital structure and level of cash flows are identified to be significant factors. The aim of this study is to evaluate empirically the determinants of dividend payout among the companies in the Indian auto components sector which are listed in major Indian bourses. This paper constitutes a modest attempt to explore the relationship between dividend policy (dividend pay-out ratio) of the companies and the variables representing profitability, capital structure, investments, liquidity and cash flows. The other salient feature of the study is that it examines casual relationship of financial performance, operational efficiencies and investment strategies on decision of paying the dividend. ANOVA, correlation analysis and regression analysis have been used to explore the relationship between the identified variables. The study finds that the dividend policy of the companies in the Indian auto components sector is largely influenced by the operating profit, cash from operations, proportion of cash from operations used for financing the investment activities and the proportion of equity in the capital structure of the companies. The study addresses the Indian auto components sector, which is not researched much, and suggests rejuvenation in dividend policy after accounting a derived variable of cash flow to capital expenditure, as identified relevant to the group of auto manufacturers selected for the study.
Acetylcholinesterase fiber staining in the human hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus

The AChE fiber distribution within the human hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus was studied in order to provide normative data for the examination of cholinergic fiberarchitecture in human pathology and to clarify the cytoarchitectonic organization of these structures. A modification of the Koelle method was used to stain temporal lobe serial sections from 6 neurologically normal human brains collected at autopsy.
Radioisotopic, Culture-Based, and Oligonucleotide Microchip Analyses of Thermophilic Microbial Communities in a Continental High-Temperature Petroleum Reservoir

ABSTRACT Activity measurements by radioisotopic methods and cultural and molecular approaches were used in parallel to investigate the microbial biodiversity and its physiological potential in formation waters of the Samotlor high-temperature oil reservoir (Western Siberia, Russia). Sulfate reduction with rates not exceeding 20 nmol of H2S liter−1 day−1 occurred at 60 and 80°C. In upper horizons (AB, A, and B), methanogenesis (lithotrophic and/or acetoclastic) was detected only in wells in which sulfate reduction did not occur. In some of the wells from deeper (J) horizons, high-temperature sulfate reduction and methanogenesis occurred simultaneously, the rate of lithotrophic methanogenesis exceeding 80 nmol of CH4 liter−1 day−1. Enrichment cultures indicated the presence of diverse physiological groups representing aerobic and anaerobic thermophiles and hyperthermophiles; fermentative organotrophs were predominant. Phylogenetic analyses of 15 isolates identified representatives of the genera Thermotoga, Thermoanaerobacter, Geobacillus, Petrotoga, Thermosipho, and Thermococcus, the latter four being represented by new species. Except for Thermosipho, the isolates were members of genera recovered earlier from similar habitats. DNA obtained from three samples was hybridized with a set of oligonucleotide probes targeting selected microbial groups encompassing key genera of thermophilic bacteria and archaea. Oligonucleotide microchip analyses confirmed the cultural data but also revealed the presence of several groups of microorganisms that escaped cultivation, among them representatives of the Aquificales/Desulfurobacterium-Thermovibrio cluster and of the genera Desulfurococcus and Thermus, up to now unknown in this habitat. The unexpected presence of these organisms suggests that their distribution may be much wider than suspected.
Do Ownership Gender Diversity and Size Matter? A Focus on Intellectual Capital Performance

The study investigates whether ownership gender diversity and size impact on intellectual capital performance of Italian SMEs. The investigation is carried out through cross-sectional OLS analysis. The intellectual capital performance, the dependent variable, is measured through VAICTM. The ownership gender diversity and size, the independent variables, are measured through a gender diversity index and the number of owners, respectively. The findings show that both gender diversity and size negatively impact on intellectual capital performance. They also show that size tends to moderate the effect of gender diversity on intellectual capital performance.
Managing market innovation for competitive advantage: how external dynamics hold sway for financial services

From the complexity theory, it is argued that external factors largely determine the effectiveness of firm-level strategies. Hence, firms must seek to align their strategies such as market innovation with the prevailing business environment to achieve competitive advantage. We investigate the moderating effect of three environmental factors, regulatory regime, competitive intensity and customer demand, on the relationship between innovation and competitive advantage creation in financial services firms. Data were collected from the Ghana's financial services sector with a focus on banking and insurance institutions. Constructs were validated through confirmatory factor analysis while robust regressions estimates were run to test their hypothesised relationships. We found that both competitive intensity and regulatory regime positively increase the effect of market innovation on competitive advantage. It was also found that the interaction between competitive intensity and regulatory regime has a positive effect while the interaction between customer demand and regulatory regime dampens the positive relationship between market innovation and competitive advantage creation. The concurrent occurrences of the three factors were found to have a negative moderating effect.
Intraflagellar transport proteins are involved in thrombocyte filopodia formation and secretion

Abstract Intraflagellar transport (IFT) proteins are vital for the genesis and maintenance of cilia. Our identification of ift122 transcripts in zebrafish thrombocytes that lack primary cilia was unexpected. IFT proteins serve transport in cilia, whose narrow dimensions may have necessitated the evolution of IFT from vesicular transport in ancestral eukaryotes. We hypothesized that IFTs might also facilitate transport within the filopodia that form when thrombocytes are activated. To test this possibility, we knocked down ift122 expression by injecting antisense Morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) into zebrafish embryos. Laser-induced arterial thrombosis showed prolonged time to occlusion (TTO) of the vessel, as would be expected with defective thrombocyte function. Acute effects in adult zebrafish were evaluated by Vivo-Morpholino (Vivo-MO) knockdown of ift122. Vivo-MO morphants showed a prolonged time to thrombocyte aggregation (TTA) in the plate tilt assay after thrombocyte activation by the following agonists: ADP, collagen, PAR1 peptide, and epinephrine. A luminescence assay for ATP revealed that ATP secretion by thrombocytes was reduced in collagen-activated blood of Vivo-MO ift122 morphants. Moreover, DiI-C18 labeled morphant thrombocytes exposed to collagen showed reductions in filopodia number and length. Analysis of ift mutants, in which cilia defects have been noted, also showed prolongation of TTO in our arterial laser thrombosis assay. Additionally, collagen activation of wild-type thrombocytes led to a concentration of IFT122 both within and at the base of filopodia. Taken together these results, suggest that IFT proteins are involved in both the extension of filopodia and secretion of ATP, which are critical in thrombocyte function.
Allergen-Specific Polyclonal Antibodies Reduce Allergic Disease in a Mouse Model of Allergic Asthma

Background: Recombinant allergen-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody therapy can reduce allergic asthma symptoms by inhibiting the immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic response. This study investigated the effect of intranasally administered allergen-specific monoclonal (mAb) and polyclonal (pAb) antibody on airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in a mouse model of human asthma. Methods: Ovalbumin (OVA)-specific IgG2b antibodies were generated by phage display using spleens from OVA-immunized mice, and screening against OVA and finally expressed in CHO cells. Sensitized mice were treated intranasally with either a recombinant anti-OVA mAb (gc32) or a polyclonal preparation comprising seven selected antibodies (including gc32). Control mice received diluent only, OVA only, a control polymeric IgG or dexamethasone. Following challenge with nebulized OVA, investigators assessedairway inflammation by histology and cellular composition of the bronchoalveolar fluid, and methacholine-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Serum levels of total and OVA-specific IgE were measured by ELISA. Results: Sensitized mice developed airway inflammation and AHR in response to OVA challenge. Intranasally administered OVA-specific murine polyclonal or monoclonal IgG2b antibodies both reduced OVA-induced lung inflammation. Polyclonal, but not anti-OVA mAb, also reduced AHR and eosinophil influx into the airway lumen. Both anti-OVA antibody preparations reduced levels of specific IgE with no effect on total IgE levels. Conclusions: Intranasal treatment with allergen-specific pAb reduces pulmonary inflammation and AHR in a mouse model of allergic asthma, but allergen-specific mAb reduces inflammation only. Allergen-specific recombinant pAb offers a potentially valuable therapeutic approach to the management of allergic asthma.
Subviral Particle Release Determinants of Prototype Foamy Virus

ABSTRACT Glycoproteins of several viruses have the capacity to induce release of noninfectious, capsidless particulate structures containing only the viral glycoprotein. Such structures are often called subviral particles (SVP). Foamy viruses (FVs), a special type of retroviruses with a replication strategy combining features of both orthoretroviruses and hepadnaviruses, express a glycoprotein (Env) which has the ability to induce SVP release. However, unlike human hepatitis B virus, prototype FV (PFV) naturally secretes only small amounts of SVPs, because ubiquitination of the Env protein seems to suppress the intrinsic capacity for induction of SVP release. In this study, we characterized the structural determinants influencing PFV SVP release, examined the role of specific Env ubiquitination sites in the regulation of this process, and analyzed the requirement of the cellular vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) machinery for SVP egress. We observed that the cytoplasmic and membrane-spanning domains of both the leader peptide (LP) and the transmembrane (TM) subunit harbor essential as well as inhibitory domains. Furthermore, only ubiquitination at the most N-terminal lysine residues (K14 and K15) in LP reduced cell surface expression and suppressed SVP release to wild-type levels. This suggests that interaction of Env with cellular components required for SVP release suppression is effective only when Env is ubiquitinated at these lysine residues but not at others. Finally, SVP release was sensitive to dominant-negative mutants of late components, but not early components, of the cellular VPS machinery. PFV therefore differs from hepatitis B virus in using the same cellular pathway for egress of both virions and SVPs.
Music appreciation and music listening in prelingual and postlingually deaf adult cochlear implant recipients

Abstract Objective: To explore the music appreciation of prelingually deaf adults using cochlear implants (CIs). Design: Cohort study. Adult CI recipients were recruited based on hearing history and asked to complete the University of Canterbury Music Listening Questionnaire (UCMLQ) to assess each individual’s music listening and appreciation. Results were compared to previous responses to the UCMLQ from a large cohort of postlingually deaf CI recipients. Study sample: Fifteen prelingually deaf and 15 postlingually deaf adult cochlear implant recipients. Results: No significant differences were found between the prelingual and postlingual participants for amount of music listening or music listening enjoyment with their CI. Sound quality of common instruments was favourable for both groups, with no significant difference in the pleasantness/naturalness of instrument sounds between the groups. Prelingually deaf CI recipients rated themselves as significantly less able to follow a melody line and identify instrument styles compared to their postlingual peers. Conclusions: The results suggest that the pre- and postlingually deaf CI recipients demonstrate equivalent levels of music appreciation. This finding is of clinical importance, as CI clinicians should be actively encouraging all of their recipients to explore music listening as a part of their rehabilitation.
A Longitudinal Study of Changes in Fluctuating Asymmetry with Age in Jamaican Youth

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), random deviation from perfect bilateral symmetry, is an indicator of developmental stability. Examining the ontogeny of FA can illustrate whether symmetry is actively maintained as the organism grows or breaks down as perturbations accumulate with age. Previous studies of changes in human FA with age have been cross-sectional studies and give conflicting results. We analyzed data from a longitudinal study of bodily FA in Jamaicans, using a composite index of seven paired traits. In addition, 288 children (ages 5–12) were first measured in 1996, and many were re-measured in 2002 and 2006 (maximum age = 22 years). Both within-individual longitudinal comparisons and between-individual comparisons across age groups demonstrate changes in FA with age. In males and females, FA increased until around age 13, but the pattern of change differed between the sexes. In males, FA increased rapidly approaching adolescence and then slightly declined into early adulthood. The increase in female FA was more gradual and then leveled off. The patterns observed likely reflect accumulation of developmental errors over time, rapid physical changes during puberty (especially in boys), and then regulation of symmetry when transitioning into adulthood. Although most changes in symmetry over time probably reflect random processes, the magnitude and direction of asymmetry in an individual at one point in time tended to be positively (though weakly) related to asymmetry in later years, pointing to underlying differences among individuals in developmental stability.
Pushing Too Hard? Unattainable Organizational Goals and Frontline Employee Turnover

The creation of organization-level performance goals has evolved into a ubiquitous facet of the study and practice of public management. In this article, we theoretically and empirically examine the relationship between unattainable organizational goals and collective frontline employee turnover, and consider the moderating role of a public organization’s performance context on the relationship. While the findings indicate a positive relationship between unattainable goals and collective frontline employee turnover, the effect is conditional on organizational performance. The research offers nuanced insights into the establishment of goals in public organizations and has important implications for managing personnel on the frontlines of public service delivery.
LGBTIQA+ Learners in New Zealand Schools

The New Zealand Curriculum (2007) states that all students have the right to learn in an environment that is inclusive and safe. Teachers in New Zealand are responsible for upholding these and many other values, ensuring that each student’s “unique set of experiences, abilities and interests, and differences in how they learn” (Ministry of Education, 2017a, para 2) are accommodated in the classroom. This research overview considers New Zealand articles on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Allied (LGBTIQA+) students. Moreover, it identifies the importance of LGBTIQA+ students receiving the support they need to deter depressive thoughts and bullying. Consideration is given to what schools and teachers could do to develop inclusive classrooms for this group of diverse learners, thus supporting these students to reverse their negative experiences of schooling.
Adhesion Molecule Behavior during Rejection and Infection Episodes after Heart Transplantation

Abstract In cardiac transplant recipients the release of soluble cellular adhesion molecules intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-Selectin into serum is pronounced during immune activation. It is uncertain whether there is a specific pattern of release during infection or cardiac allograft rejection. In a prospective study, 30 consecutive cardiac allograft recipients were followed for a median period of 11.4 months (range 1–34). Soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1), soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) and soluble E-Selectin (sE-Selectin) were measured in addition to acute phase proteins (C-reactive protein, α1-antitrypsin), complement factors (C3, C4) and β2-microglobulin. The measured serum levels were correlated with the clinical status of the transplant recipient: 1) uneventful clinical status; 2) asymptomatic infection; 3) symptomatic infection and 4) rejection. Forty age-matched healthy subjects served as controls. Six days before biopsy-proven cardiac allograft rejection sICAM-1-release started to increase (p < 0.05) as compared to uneventful clinical status. The peak concentration of sICAM-1 was measured three days before rejection. On the day of rejection, serum concentrations of sICAM-1 (p < 0.001) and sVCAM-1 (p < 0.05) were increased, whereas sE-Selectin was not markedly elevated. In symptomatic infections, the serum concentrations of sICAM-1 (p < 0.001) and sVCAM-1 (p < 0.05) were elevated at the day of diagnosis and both parameters reached peak levels three days after onset of chemotherapy. In multivariate analysis soluble adhesion molecules only weakly discriminated between rejection and infection (sensitivity: 13%, specificity: 95%). Although, in combination with routine blood parameters the discriminatory power could be improved (sensitivity: 85%, specificity: 85%) the clinical utility of these markers in non-invasive monitoring is limited.