Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Assessment of Wildlife Trade at Mong La Market on the Myanmar-China Border

M YANMAR is the largest country in mainland South-east Asia. Bordering five nations, including India, Thailand and the People’s Republic of China, it is strategically located as a land bridge between South and East Asia. The country is endowed with rich natural resources and is home to some of Asia’s prime conservation flagship species, such as the Tiger Panthera tigris, the Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, and the Gaur Bos gaurus. Besides habitat loss, wildlife in Myanmar is threatened by illegal and unregulated hunting for domestic and international trade (Martin and Redford, 2000; Shepherd, 2001; Rao et al., 2005), and these practices continue to flourish largely because of lack of commitment to protect wildlife (Martin, 1997). Insufficient capacity among enforcement agencies is a major impediment to conservation. Although little is known about the extent of wildlife trade within and from Myanmar, it is well known that China is a major consumer of wildlife from neighbouring countries (Yiming and Dianmo, 1998; Yiming and Wilcove, 2005), including Myanmar (Yiming et al., 2000). With that in mind, the Mong La market on the border with China was visited to assess the trade so as to further TRAFFIC’s understanding of Myanmar’s wildlife trade dynamics, especially pertaining to international trade. With a poverty incidence of 27%, Myanmar is among the poorest countries in South-east Asia (ADB, 2006), especially in remote and border areas. As part of an overall plan to reduce poverty, raise the standard of living, and narrow the gap between urban and rural areas, 24 Special Development Zones in designated States and divisions were established in 2001. Several of these are situated near international borders, in order to promote international trade. Mong La is situated in one of the Special Development Zones, immediately adjacent to the border with China’s Yunnan Province. The town was largely developed with money from a Chinese opium war lord, after reaching a peace agreement with the Myanmar junta, and until 2005 operated largely independently from Myanmar law. Nightclubs, brothels, hotels, and 24-hour casinos attracted large numbers of Chinese to indulge in activities largely banned inside China (Oswell and Davies, 2002; Davies, 2005). In the past, the region was off limits to non-Chinese foreign visitors, but more recently, foreigners from further abroad have begun to visit the area intermittently, regardless of the seven-hour land journey from the Thai/Myanmar border. Along with Burmese and other local languages, Chinese is commonly used. All signs in Mong La, for example, are written in Chinese characters, and the Chinese Yuan, and not the Myanmar Kyat, is the currency of daily use. At the time of the authors’ visit, many of the casinos were closed down, hotels were empty, and prostitutes appeared to be less in evidence.
Workplace Disability: Whose Wellbeing Does it Affect?

The paper examines the link between workplace disability (WD) and job satisfaction (JS) in Britain using linked data from WESR2011. The results obtained indicate workplaces with respondents with disabilities report lower JS vis-a-vis workplaces without such respondents in the private sector. Within private sector workplaces with mixed respondents, the JS of respondents without disabilities declines with the percentage of respondents with disabilities. Also, workplace disability policies and practices are positively (negatively) associated with the JS of respondents with (without) disabilities in the sector. The sector may have to re-examine its dealings with issues of workplace disability.
Aversive stimulation of the inferior colliculus changes dopamine and serotonin extracellular levels in the frontal cortex: Modulation by the basolateral nucleus of amygdala

We have shown that stimulation of the neural substrates in the inferior colliculus (IC) causes a significant increase in the extracellular levels of dopamine (DA) in frontal cortex (FC). Also, it has been reported that the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) serves as a filter for unconditioned and conditioned aversive information that ascend to higher structures from the brainstem. Linking these two kinds of information, this work examines whether inactivation of BLA interferes with the activation of cortical dopaminergic outputs produced by aversive stimulation of the IC. To this end, rats were implanted with an electrode in the IC for the determination of the threshold of escape responses. Each rat also bore a cannula implanted in the BLA for injections of lidocaine (10 μg/0.5 μL), muscimol (0.5 μg/0.5 μL), or its vehicle and a microdialysis probe in the FC for determination of the amount of DA and serotonin (5‐HT). The data obtained show that IC electrical stimulation caused an increase in the DA release while it reduced the 5‐HT release in the FC. BLA inactivation with both lidocaine or muscimol enhanced the aversiveness of the electrical stimulation of the IC and attenuated the increase in DA, while the reduction in 5‐HT release in the FC remained unaffected. These findings suggest that ascending aversive information from IC on their way up to higher structures in the SNC courses with opposite modulation by DA/5‐HT mechanisms in the FC. These processes are regulated by filters located in the BLA. It is proposed that the loss of these BLA regulatory mechanisms prevents the expression of these modulatory mechanisms in the FC that are adaptive responses in order to cope with unconditioned aversive stimulus triggered at the brainstem level. Synapse 55:58–66, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Building Customer-centric Organizations: Shaping Factors and Barriers

Abstract Although the number of companies declaring their commitment to the concept of customer centricity is increasing, many of these companies are struggling to actually shape their organization accordingly. In this article we share the results of our research, which aims to identify key shaping factors that help organizations move towards customer centricity, and key barriers that typically deter organizations from becoming customer-centric. Based on a literature review and field research among both practitioners and academics, we have identified a set of nine shaping factors and three barriers to building customer-centric organizations and explored these in more detail. Our study suggests that there are no simple recipes or shortcuts for organizations to become customer-centric. Instead, companies can reap sustainable competitive advantage from evolving the ability to master nine shaping factors and evade three barriers to customer centricity.
Prenatal screening of congenital heart disease between ethics and cost‐effectiveness. Time for a change in current prenatal ultrasound screening policies?

The progressive reduction of the gross national product share allotted to financing health interventions during the last decades has increased the attention paid by governmental agencies and public health operators to the costs of the various preventive and therapeutic health interventions. The method of choice in evaluating the health outcomes and resource costs of health interventions is costeffectiveness analysis (CEA). This type of evaluation allows the definition of the cost to be sustained per unit of health outcome achieved, where health outcome units are usually years of life saved (YLS) or, if a qualitative assessment of the life gained is needed, quality-adjusted life-years (QUALY) 1 . This type of analysis has been widely applied to demonstrate the economic and medical advantages of some health interventions, such as, within the field of obstetrics and gynecology, screening for cervical and breast cancer 2,3 or the administration of hormone replacement therapy. However, in these cases, the health outcome could always be measured in YLS or QUALY. The problem with prenatal diagnosis is to find other units to replace YLS. In fact, to carry out such analysis for any of the various screening protocols currently used in pregnancy, such as serum biochemistry or nuchal translucency for Down’s syndrome or ultrasound screening for congenital anomalies, the following assumption is made: that the implementation of the screening procedure aims to detect an anomaly in order to prevent the affected fetus being born. Everybody can evaluate the inappropriateness of such an assessment. Nonetheless, in prenatal screening, we are bound to this type of decision-analysis approach if we want to perform a costeffectiveness analysis, irrespective of the personal discomfort associated with the possible ethical implications. It is not unlikely that it is this uneasiness that lies behind the severely reduced number of cost-effectiveness analyses published in the field of prenatal diagnosis when compared to other fields of medicine. In fact, we have run a Medline search for ‘cost-effectiveness’ and ‘fetus’ and compared the number of publications retrieved with the number of publications from a search for ‘cost-effectiveness’ and other medical conditions for the years 1998–99 (Table 1): the difference between the 342 references for ‘infections’ or the 97 for ‘breast cancer’ and the 18 references yielded for ‘fetus’ or the nine for ‘fetus and malformation’ needs no further comment. One of the most interesting and thorough evaluations of
Efficacy and safety of a pharmacist‐managed inpatient anticoagulation service for warfarin initiation and titration

What is known and Objective: Anticoagulation consultations provided by a pharmacist‐staffed inpatient service, similar to the experience reported in outpatient anticoagulation clinics, can potentially improve anticoagulation control and outcomes. At Tan Tock Seng Hospital, a 1200‐bed acute care teaching hospital in Singapore, pharmacist‐managed anticoagulation clinics have been in place since 1997. Pharmacist‐managed services were extended to inpatient consultations in anticoagulation management from April 2006. Our objective was to assess the effect of implementing a pharmacist‐managed inpatient anticoagulation service.
Prognostic analysis of primary extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Objective: To analyze factors related to the prognosis of primary extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumors (EGISTs). Methods: The pathological and clinical data of 42 patients with primary EGISTs was collected and retrospectively analyzed. The patients were hospitalized from January 2004 to December 2013 and received complete surgical resection in Ruijin Hospital. The follow-up of postoperative patients was performed to obtain information about recurrence. The influence of clinical and pathological factors on the disease-free survival (DFS) of patients was analyzed. Results: Postoperative tumor recurrence was found in 24 patients during follow-up; 8 patients died of tumor recurrence and 1 patient died of other reasons. Kaplan-Meier univariate survival analysis revealed that tumor size, tumor mitotic count, and Ki-67 index were correlated with the DFS of patients (P=0.024, 0.001, 0.039, respectively). Cox multivariate regression analysis confirmed that tumor mitotic count was an independent prognostic factor affecting DFS post tumor surgery. Conclusions: Tumor size, tumor mitotic count, and Ki-67 index were correlated with EGIST recurrence. Tumor mitotic count was an independent prognostic factor influencing tumor recurrence.
Reactivity of Toluate Dioxygenase with Substituted Benzoates and Dioxygen

ABSTRACT Toluate dioxygenase (TADO) of Pseudomonas putida mt-2 catalyzes the dihydroxylation of a broad range of substituted benzoates. The two components of this enzyme were hyperexpressed and anaerobically purified. Reconstituted TADO had a specific activity of 3.8 U/mg with m-toluate, and each component had a full complement of their respective Fe2S2 centers. Steady-state kinetics data obtained by using an oxygraph assay and by varying the toluate and dioxygen concentrations were analyzed by a compulsory order ternary complex mechanism. TADO had greatest specificity for m-toluate, displaying apparent parameters of KmA = 9 ± 1 μM, kcat = 3.9 ± 0.2 s−1, and KmO2 = 16 ± 2 μM (100 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.0; 25°C), where KmO2 represents the Km for O2 and KmA represents the Km for the aromatic substrate. The enzyme utilized benzoates in the following order of specificity: m-toluate > benzoate ≃ 3-chlorobenzoate > p-toluate ≃ 4-chlorobenzoate ≫ o-toluate ≃ 2-chlorobenzoate. The transformation of each of the first five compounds was well coupled to O2 utilization and yielded the corresponding 1,2-cis-dihydrodiol. In contrast, the transformation of ortho-substituted benzoates was poorly coupled to O2 utilization, with >10 times more O2 being consumed than benzoate. However, the apparent Km of TADO for these benzoates was >100 μM, indicating that they do not effectively inhibit the turnover of good substrates.
Psychosocial interventions for recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in childhood.

BACKGROUND Between 4% and 25% of school-age children complain of recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) of sufficient severity to interfere with daily activities. For the majority of such children, no organic cause for their pain can be found on physical examination or investigation. Although most children are managed by reassurance and simple measures, a large range of psychosocial interventions including cognitive and behavioural treatments and family therapy have been recommended. OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for recurrent abdominal pain or IBS in school-age children. SEARCH STRATEGY The Cochrane Library (CENTRAL) 2006 (Issue 4), MEDLINE (1966 to Dec 2006), EMBASE (1980 to Dec 2006), CINAHL (1982 to Dec 2006), ERIC (1966 to Dec 2006), PsycINFO (1872 to Dec 2006), LILACS (1982 to Dec 2006), SIGLE (1980 to March 2005), and JICST (1985 to 06/2000) were searched with appropriate filters. SELECTION CRITERIA Any study in which the majority of participants were school-age children fulfilling standard criteria for RAP (Apley or the Rome II criteria for functional gastrointestinal diseases) , randomly allocated to any psychosocial treatment compared to standard care or waiting list, were selected. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS References identified by the searches were independently screened against the inclusion criteria by two reviewers. Data were extracted and analysed using RevMan 4.2. 10. MAIN RESULTS Six randomised trials (including a total of 167 participants) of cognitive behavioural interventions were identified, with data reported in ten papers. Five studies reported statistically significant improvements in pain, measured in a variety of ways, in children randomised to receive interventions based on cognitive behavioural therapy compared to children on wait lists or receiving standard medical care (Duarte 2006; Humphreys 1998; Robins 2005; Sanders 1989; Sanders 1994). The remaining trial (Hicks 2003) included a wider group of children with recurrent pain and too few with only RAP to provide interpretable data. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The included trials were small, with methodological weaknesses and a number failed to give appropriate detail regarding numbers of children assessed. In spite of these methodological weaknesses and the clinical heterogeneity, the consistency and magnitude of the effects reported provides some evidence that cognitive behavioural therapy may be a useful intervention for children with recurrent abdominal pain although most children, particularly in primary care, will improve with reassurance and time.
Is Voluntary Disclosure Value Relevant? Evidence from Italian Listed Companies

The paper aims to assess the level of voluntary disclosure in companies listed on the Italian Stock Exchange and understand the relationship between the quality of voluntary disclosure and market value of Italian listed companies.Voluntary disclosure refers to the discretionary release of financial and non-financial information, which companies are not obliged to disclose by accounting standard setting bodies. In particular, this paper analyzes the effect that disclosure of voluntary information could have on the stock market value of Italian listed companies. To do this, 203 annual reports of Italian listed companies for the year 2012 were analyzed. A voluntary disclosure index index is created to measure the extent of disclosure. The index is used in an ordinary least squares model, as a dependent variable, to understand relationships between the above-mentioned determinants. The disclosure score is composed mainly of 38 items per firm.A total of 7,714 items were collected and analyzed.Results show the level of voluntary disclosure provided by Italian listed companies in their 2012 annual reports positively and significantly affect the value relevance of Italian listed companies.
Preliminary evidence for signature vocalizations among free-ranging narwhals ( Monodon monoceros ) a )

Animal signature vocalizations that are distinctive at the individual or group level can facilitate recognition between conspecifics and re-establish contact with an animal that has become separated from its associates. In this study, the vocal behavior of two free-ranging adult male narwhals Monodon monoceros in Admiralty Inlet, Baffin Island was recorded using digital archival tags. These recording instruments were deployed when the animals were caught and held onshore to attach satellite tags, a protocol that separated them from their groups. The signature content of two vocal categories was considered: 1 combined tonal/pulsed signals, which contained synchronous pulsatile and tonal content; 2 whistles, or frequency modulated tonal signals with harmonic energy. Nonparametric comparisons of the temporal and spectral features of each vocal class revealed significant differences between the two individuals. A separate, cross-correlation measure conducted on the whistles that accounted for overall contour shape and absolute frequency content confirmed greater interindividual compared to intraindividual differences. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that narwhals produce signature vocalizations that may facilitate their reunion with group members once they become separated, but additional data are required to demonstrate this claim more rigorously. © 2006 Acoustical Society of America. DOI: 10.1121/1.2226586
Linear observer design using the inverse method for systems with matched disturbances

The paper deals with a state observer design for linear systems with disturbances that lie in the control space. We propose a pseudo output, Σ(t), to be included in the observer. It is found that this pseudo output can be related to the measurable output, y(t), by a dynamic mapping which is invariant of the disturbances. Using the inverse method, Σ(t) can be retrieved by y(t) such that the inaccessible system state can further be estimated by means of the proposed dynamic mapping.
Current approach to iron chelation in children

Transfusion‐dependent children, mostly with thalassaemia major, but also and occasionally to a more significant degree, with inherited bone marrow failures, can develop severe iron overload in early life. Moreover, chronic conditions associated with ineffective erythropoiesis, such as non‐transfusion‐dependent thalassaemia (NTDT), may lead to iron overload through increased gut absorption of iron starting in childhood. Currently, the goal of iron chelation has shifted from treating iron overload to preventing iron accumulation and iron‐induced end‐organ complications, in order to achieve a normal pattern of complication‐free survival and of quality of life. New chelation options increase the likelihood of achieving these goals. Timely initiation, close monitoring and continuous adjustment are the cornerstones of optimal chelation therapy in children, who have a higher transfusional requirements compared to adults in order to reach haemoglobin levels adequate for normal growth and development. Despite increased knowledge, there are still uncertainties about the level of body iron at which iron chelation therapy should be started and about the appropriate degree of iron stores’ depletion.
Alpha rebound improves on-line detection of the end of motor imageries

Limb movement execution or imagination induce sensorimotor rhythms that can be detected in electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. This article presents the interest of considering not only the beta frequency band but also the alpha band to detect the elicited EEG rebound, i.e. the increasing of oscillatory power synchronization, at the end of motor imageries. From database 2a of the BCI competition IV, it is shown that this phenomenon can be stronger over the alpha than the beta band and it is experimentally demonstrated that the analysis on the alpha band improves the detection of the end of motor imageries. Moreover a variant method to compute the oscillatory power without referring to a baseline period is proposed; such capacity is useful for self-paced brain-computer interfaces (BCI) control.
X-linked hypophosphataemia in South Africa.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the pattern of clinical presentation in a series of South African subjects with X-linked hypophosphataemia (XLH) with particular reference to ethnic differences in presentation and inheritance, and to determine the perceptions and psychosocial problems associated with the disease. DESIGN AND SETTING The clinical details of 50 subjects were collected from their records as well as from examining those currently attending the clinics held at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and the National Health Laboratory Services in Johannesburg. There were 17 males and 33 females in the study. The psychosocial part of the study involved interviews with 20 parents and 7 subjects (aged 16 years or more). RESULTS Thirty-one of the subjects were black, 17 white and 2 Indian. The mean age of clinical onset was 2.02 years (range 0.25 - 10 years). Fifty-four per cent of the cases were apparently sporadic. The prevalence of sporadic mutations was 64% among the black subjects and 41% among the white subjects. No differences were found in either clinical or biochemical presentation between genders or ethnic groups, despite an apparently higher sporadic presentation in the black children. The study also showed that this disorder had not only affected family life but also the lives of the subjects and their interpersonal relationships. The hereditary nature of the condition was not clear to most parents even after having attended the clinic for many years. CONCLUSIONS South African subjects with XLH have similar features to those reported in other studies but there is a higher prevalence of sporadic mutations in the black subjects. Better counselling services are needed to improve the understanding of this condition among parents of affected children.