Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CADMIUM STRESS STIMULATES NITRIC OXIDE PRODUCTION BY WHEAT ROOTS

Study was conducted to elucidate the nitrite-dependent nitric oxide (NO) production by wheat roots grown in hydroponics under cadmium (Cd) stress. In a long-term Cd exposure experiment, plants were grown for 4 weeks under 1 μM Cd. The root Cd concentration in the Cd-stressed plants was 2.5 mM compared to 0.1 mM in the untreated plants. Most of the Cd taken up by plants was restricted to roots where its concentration was 9 times higher than that in shoots. Despite the high Cd concentration in roots and shoots, the plant growth was not affected. However, Cd stress caused a 1.7-fold decrease in the root respiration, whereas it produced a 2.4-fold increase in NO emission (detected by gas phase chemiluminescence). In a short-term Cd exposure experiment, freshly harvested Cd-free roots were exposed to 10 μM Cd for 3 h. Here also, the root respiration decreased by 42% and NO production increased by 73%, thus confirming the stimulatory effect of Cd stress on NO production by wheat roots.
Precocious puberty: a comprehensive review of literature.

CONTEXT Precocious puberty currently affects 1 in 5,000 children and is 10 times more common in girls. Statistics indicate that girls in the United States are maturing at an earlier age than they did 30 years ago and the number of girls with diagnosed precocious puberty (the appearance of secondary sex characteristics before 8 years of age or the onset of menarche before age 9) is on the rise. A summary of the growing body of literature on this topic is necessary to inform nurses and other health care providers of the current trends and incidence of precocious puberty to better meet the physical and psychosocial needs of these girls and their families. METHODS EBSCOhost Research Databases that included CINAHL Plus, Health Source: Nursing Edition, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Women's Studies International were searched for journal articles published in the past 10 years (1997-2006) that explicitly examined precocious puberty in females and proposed theories to describe the phenomenon. Search terms included precocious puberty, sexual maturation, menarche, and secondary sex characteristics. These terms were searched individually and in combination with proximate determinants such as endocrine disruptors, environmental toxins, phthalates, stress, skin care, genetics, age, ethnicity, obesity, and assisted reproduction. The search yielded 947 articles addressing this issue. RESULTS Eighty-two studies or case reports met the criteria for inclusion in this literature review that captured six attributable causes of early sexual maturation in female children. These included genetic, ethnic, and pediatric obesity, as well as environmental toxins that disrupt endocrine function (chemicals, toxins, plasticizers, infant feeding methods, skin and hair products, assisted reproductive technologies), psychosocial stress, and early exposure to a sexualized society. The robustness of the reports varied and few of the studies were widely generalizable but did offer suggestions for assessment and nursing care. CONCLUSIONS Precocious puberty has health and social implications that are complex and influenced by multiple factors. Further research is needed to expand and elucidate theoretical relationships between the early development of secondary sex characteristics in young girls and the proposed causative factors.
Suitable or Non-Suitable? An Investigation of Eurozone SME Access to Market-Based Finance

The present paper provides in-depth analysis of SME access to capital markets among Eurozone countries. First, we detect the factors - at the firm and country level - that are able to influence the likelihood of SME access to market-based finance. Second, we construct an index of what we call "market suitability",, i.e., a score that can be measured at the dimensional, sectoral and national level, which provides the percentage of firms potentially fit for market-based finance. Our results highlight that a few Eurozone countries seem to have deployed the "potential" for capital market financing, while there exists a large percentage of unexploited potential for firms fit for market-based finance. It should also be highlighted that overall business conditions - measured by GDP growth, the degree of development of domestic financial markets, and the quality of the legal and judicial enforcement system - greatly influence a firm's market suitability. In the period under consideration (2000-2014), macro factors tended to reduce the likelihood of SME access to market-based finance in most countries in our sample
Current management strategies and therapeutic targets in chronic constipation

Constipated patients who are refractory to simple lifestyle interventions will usually resort to laxatives, whether prescribed or over the counter. Clinical trial evidence is scarce for older medications such as laxatives, especially with a condition as chronic and subjective as constipation. Newer polyethylene glycol-based laxatives have been investigated under rigorous clinical trial settings, but comparisons between different laxatives are not available. Newer prokinetic agents, targeting peristalsis, intestinal secretion and the colonic flora, have been developed for laxative refractory constipation. This review focuses on the evidence for each of these agents, and the relative indications for each of them.
Clarithromycin is inactive against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

When 10% oleic acid-albumin-dextrose-catalase-enriched Mueller-Hinton agar medium was employed, the MICs of clarithromycin (CLARI) at which 50 and 90% of 12 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were inhibited were 64 and > 128 micrograms/ml, respectively, which are significantly greater than the achievable peak CLARI concentrations in serum and in lung tissue in humans. In two different mouse experiments, 4 to 6 weeks of treatment with CLARI at 200 mg/kg of body weight six times weekly produced neither bactericidal nor bacteriostatic effects against M. tuberculosis. Therefore, we conclude that CLARI as a single drug is inactive against M. tuberculosis.
DETERMINAN PEMBIAYAAN MURABAHAH (Studi Kasus Pada PT. Bank Muamalat Indonesia, Tbk.)

This research is aimed to examine the influence of third party funds, the influence of non performing financing, the influence of return on assets to the murabaha financing. The sample collection technique has been carried out by using purposive sampling. The sample is PT. Bank Muamalat Indonesia in 2007-2014 research periods. The data analysis technique has been performed by using multiple linear regressions. The result of the research indicates that third party funds has positive influence since the bank tends to distribute their funds as much as possible in order to gain maximum profit. Non Performing Financing has negative influence because the loans which return to the bank is less, it will make the funds which is available to be distributed decreased. Meanwhile, the Return on Assets has positive influence because when the profit rate that is gained by the bank is getting large, the management efforts to invest the profit with various activities which benefit the management is getting strive as well, particularly the distribution of financing. Keywords: third party funds, non performing financing, return on assets, murabaha financing.
Determinants of consumers’ intention to adopt mobile banking services in Zimbabwe

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of consumers’ intention to adopt mobile banking services in Zimbabwe. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 232 bank customers was conducted in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, using a structured questionnaire with Likert-type questions. Customers were randomly intercepted as they walked out of five major banks. Structural equation modelling, independent-samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to test research hypotheses. Findings The study found that perceived usefulness, perceived self-efficacy, social influence, relative advantage and perceived compatibility all have a positive effect, whilst perceived risk has a negative effect on behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking services in Zimbabwe. Perceived ease of use, facilitating conditions, perceived complexity, perceived trialability, awareness-knowledge and demographic factors (gender, age, education and income) did not significantly influence behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking. Perceived ease of use was found to positively influence perceived usefulness, while perceived self-efficacy was found to have a positive effect on perceived ease of use. Behavioural intention was found to positively influence usage of mobile banking services in Zimbabwe. Research limitations/implications Data were collected from bank customers in Chinhoyi, one of the emerging towns in Zimbabwe. Future research should be expanded to include other major cities in Zimbabwe and other countries. More similar studies should be conducted to test the factors identified in literature in different contexts and markets and on other innovations. Practical implications The study advises banks to pay particular attention to perceived usefulness, perceived self-efficacy, social influence, relative advantage, perceived compatibility and perceived risk when designing new mobile banking services. Originality/value There is not a unified position regarding factors influencing mobile banking adoption. Factors vary with contexts, markets, time and types of innovations. The study tested some major factors identified in literature in the context of Zimbabwe.
Arthur C. Corcoran Memorial Lecture. Sympathetic activity, vascular capacitance, and long-term regulation of arterial pressure.

I am honored to have been chosen to present the 2008 Arthur C. Corcoran Memorial Lecture, because Dr Corcoran was both a brilliant scientist and one of the founding fathers in the field of hypertension research, but I am particularly gratified to join the list of superb scientists who have preceded me as Corcoran lecturers. When I began studying hypertension as a postdoctoral fellow, under the tutelage of Dr Michael Brody at the University of Iowa, I quickly acquired what turned out to be a lifelong interest in the integrative aspects of cardiovascular system regulation. Because of Dr Brody’s research interests, this naturally included a focus on the sympathetic nervous system. However, a major stimulus for my fascination with integrative physiology was the excitement at that time over the detailed and refined mathematical model of the circulation developed by Arthur Guyton, Thomas Coleman, and colleagues at the University of Mississippi.1 It is well known of course that the model highlights the importance of body fluid volume regulation as the key determinant of long-term arterial pressure regulation. The combined impact of these 2 influences—at a formative stage in my research career—led to my deep interest in the following question: “Can the sympathetic nervous system participate in long-term arterial pressure regulation within the framework of the Guyton-Coleman circulatory model? ” Guyton and colleagues incorporated sympathetic regulation into their model. They emphasized the importance of nonrenal sympathetic activity in determining the hemodynamic pattern of many forms of hypertension and the potential for renal sympathetic nerve activity to affect the renal function curve (pressure-natriuresis relationship) and to thereby help establish the long-term value of arterial pressure. However, they also pointed out the tendency of reflex mechanisms regulating sympathetic activity to reset and, thus, maintain sympathetic activity at normal levels. This would minimize the influence …
(CCTTT)n repeat polymorphism in the NOS2 gene promoter is associated with atopy.

BACKGROUND Several studies have shown that nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in the regulation of the T(H)1/T(H)2 balance, indicating the potential for NO to contribute to the development of atopy and several other allergic diseases, including bronchial asthma. NO synthase 2 (NOS2) is critically involved in the synthesis of NO during several inflammatory states, and the gene encoding NOS2 is located at chromosome 17q11.2-q12, where 2 genome scans have identified a candidate locus for atopy and asthma. OBJECTIVE The 14-repeat allele of the (CCTTT)(n) repeat polymorphism in the NOS2 promoter region is a powerful enhancer of promoter activity in reporter constructs in vitro. We tested whether this potentially functional allele in the NOS2 gene influences the development of atopy and asthma. METHODS We studied a total of 497 unrelated Japanese subjects (141 nonatopic healthy controls, 102 atopic healthy controls, 56 nonatopic asthmatic subjects, and 198 atopic asthmatic subjects). The odds ratio (OR) was calculated for atopy and asthma in carriers of the 14-repeat allele through use of logistic regression models. Atopy was defined as a positive specific IgE level to at least 1 of 10 common inhaled allergens. RESULTS The 14-repeat allele was inversely associated with atopy (OR = 0.42, P < .01). The association remained significant when the model was controlled for asthmatic status (OR = 0.36, P < .01). This allele, however, was associated neither with the development of asthma nor with total serum IgE levels. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the (CCTTT)(n) repeat polymorphism in the promoter of the NOS2 gene that affects promoter activity is a risk factor for the development of atopy, and this genetic effect seems independent of asthma.
The effects of social media opinion leaders’ recommendations on followers’ intention to buy

Purpose – The objective of this study is to investigate how consumers are influenced in their intention to buy after having access – within social media – to persuasive messages sent out by digital opinion leaders. Design/methodology/approach – Data collection carried out via survey and data analysis carried out with the use of structural equation modeling. Findings – Digital opinion leaders capable of generating persuasive messages can change the attitudes of followers and make them accept the information provided, influencing their intention to buy evaluated products. Originality/value – The results show that it was possible to verify the direct and positive relationship between the persuasiveness of a message and the acceptance of the information contained in this message, while also indicating a significant relationship between the persuasiveness of the message and attitude change in relation to the purchase of goods evaluated by it. This highlights the relevance of these digital opinion leaders to the definition of marketing strategies by companies.
Activating values to stimulate organic food purchases: can advertisements increase pro-environmental intentions?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine different strategies for an increasing adoption of “environmentally friendly” products. Scholars have consistently shown that consumers with strong biospheric and altruistic beliefs are more likely to purchase these products, while marketers are increasingly appealing to consumers’ self-interest in their efforts to sell their “green” products. This paper explores this divide and offers a potential explanation for it, using the concept of value activation. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents results of two survey experiments that test this explanation in the context of organic food advertisements. In a simulated trip to a grocery store, participants were exposed to advertisements designed to activate the six different values in Schwartz’s framework. After viewing the advertisements, participants were asked to select among organic and non-organic options in six product categories – milk, bread, eggs, spinach, potatoes and chocolate. Findings The study’s results suggest that while advertisements designed to activate values may have limited effect on consumer intentions, those that relate to protecting the health of oneself and one’s family are most likely to increase organic purchases. Originality/value This paper is one of the first of its kind to explicitly test whether advertisements designed to activate a range of human values can increase consumers’ intention to engage in pro-environmental behaviors. The two studies reveal that value-based advertisements may have a stronger effect on the organic purchasing intentions of specific demographic groups (e.g. consumers who are aged under 40, lack a college degree and do not identify as liberal).
MRI Study of Caudate Nucleus Volume in Parkinson’s Disease with and without Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Alzheimer’s Disease

Objective: To compare whole brain and caudate volume on MRI in subjects with Parkinson’s disease without cognitive impairment (PD), Parkinson’s disease with dementia with Lewy bodies (PD + DLB), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and normal control subjects. To examine the relationship between caudate volume and cognitive impairment, depression and movement disorder. Method: Whole brain and caudate volumes were segmented from volumetric 1.5-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of older subjects with PD (n = 28; mean age 75.5 years), PD + DLB (n = 20; 73.0 years), AD (n = 27; 77.5 years) and normal controls (n = 35; 74.9 years). Results: Subjects with AD had significantly reduced whole brain and caudate volume compared to controls and those with PD. Caudate atrophy in AD was proportionate to whole brain atrophy. There were no significant differences in whole brain or caudate volume between controls, PD and PD + DLB. There were no significant correlations between caudate volume and either global cognitive function, executive performance or processing speed. Conclusions: Caudate atrophy occurs in AD but not PD without dementia. Caudate atrophy is not regionally specific but part of generalised brain volume loss. Structural changes in the caudate, as assessed by in vivo MRI, do not appear to contribute to the cognitive impairment observed amongst patients with PD, PD + DLB or AD. Results indicate that the executive and attentional dysfunctions associated with PD and DLB are unlikely to be a direct and specific consequence of caudate atrophy as assessed on MRI.
Contraceptive use in South Africa under apartheid

In this paper, patterns of contraceptive use among black South African women in the late 1980s are examined. Multilevel logit models are used to evaluate the extent to which segregation of the African population into homelands gave rise to uneven patterns of contraceptive use; how this pattern was shaped by variations in family-planning acceptability; and the way in which the system of male labor migration and social and economic inequities across communities affected women's use of contraceptives. Results show that variation in contraceptive use across homeland areas diminished with the addition of community controls for development and migration. Controlling for unobserved heterogeneity indicated that localized conditions could offset the advantages or disadvantages of living in a former homeland.
First trimester maternal serum PAPP‐A, β‐hCG and ADAM12 in prediction of small‐for‐gestational‐age fetuses

To examine the ability of predicting fetuses being small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) at delivery with the maternal serum markers pregnancy‐associated plasma protein A (PAPP‐A), beta‐human chorionic gonadotrophin (β‐hCG) and A disintegrin and metalloprotease 12 (ADAM12) in first trimester.
Student Attitudes toward Same-Gender versus Mixed-Gender Partnering in Practicing Physical Examination Skills

Students were surveyed to assess perceptions with regard to the use of same-gender and mixed-gender partnering in practicing physical examinations. There was support for this arrangement, with students reporting that the practice provided an important learning experience with reasonable levels of comfort and no loss of thoroughness and rigor. Students did express some concerns. Females tended to have lower comfort levels, particularly when they were in the role of patient. Many of the concerns expressed could be addressed with procedural changes during the assignment of partners, and the benefits of continuing this practice seem to outweigh any negative aspects.
Strategic Planning and Organisational Performance : The Nigerian Experience

This paper evaluated the effects of strategic planning on the performance of firms in Nigeria. A ten year study of ten firms most susceptible to competition was undertaken. Both survey and ex post facto design were adopted. Structured questionnaire was utilized in collecting primary data while the secondary data was obtained from the annual reports/statements of accounts of the selected firms. Descriptive statistics and dummy variable regression technique were utilized in the analyses. It was found that the firms embark on strategic planning but this has contributed only but negligible proportion of the companies’ performance. The paper, therefore, recommended that firms should identify all relevant strategic factors while setting their strategic plans to be sure their actions were igned to firms’ objectives.
Job contenders: roles of the β‐barrel assembly machinery and the translocation and assembly module in autotransporter secretion

In Gram‐negative bacteria, autotransporters secrete effector protein domains that are linked to virulence. Although they were once thought to be simple and autonomous secretion machines, mounting evidence reveals that multiple factors of the bacterial envelope are necessary for autotransporter assembly. Secretion across the outer membrane of their soluble effector “passenger domain” is promoted by the assembly of an outer membrane‐spanning “β‐barrel domain”. Both reactions require BamA, an essential component of the β‐barrel assembly machinery (BAM complex) that catalyzes the final reaction step by which outer membrane proteins are integrated into the lipid bilayer. A large amount of data generated in the last decade has shed key insights onto the mechanistic coordination of autotransporter β‐barrel domain assembly and passenger domain secretion. These results, together with the recently solved structures of the BAM complex, offer an unprecedented opportunity to discuss a detailed model of autotransporter assembly. Importantly, some autotransporters benefit from the presence of an additional machinery, the translocation and assembly module (TAM), a two‐membrane spanning complex, which contains a BamA‐homologous subunit. Although it remains unclear how the BAM complex and the TAM cooperate, it is evident that multiple preparatory steps are necessary for efficient autotransporter biogenesis.
Lasers in Melasma: A Review with Consensus Recommendations by Indian Pigmentary Expert Group

Lasers have come up as the newest therapeutic modality in dermatological conditions including melasma. In this article, as a group of experts from Pigmentary Disorders Society in collaboration with South Asian Pigmentary Disorders Forum (SPF), we have tried to discuss the lasers which have been used in melasma and formulate simple consensus guidelines. Following thorough literature search, we have summarised the rationale of using the lasers and the supporting evidences have also been provided. It is clear that laser cannot be the first line treatment for melasma. However, it can be used as an adjuvant therapy in resistant cases, provided the selection of patient and counselling has been done properly.
Langerhans cell density and high‐grade vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia in women with human immunodeficiency virus infection

Background: Decreased numbers of Langerhans cells (LCs) in the cervix of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected women are believed to contribute to the progression of human papilloma virus (HPV)‐related squamous intraepithelial lesions. However, this impairment of local immunity has not been well studied in the vulva. The objective of this study was to compare the S100+ LC density in high‐grade vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) in HIV‐positive and HIV‐negative women.