Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coffee, tea, and caffeine consumption and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer and borderline ovarian tumors: Results from a Danish case-control study

Abstract Background. Epidemiological studies that have investigated the association between coffee, tea and caffeine consumption and ovarian cancer risk have produced conflicting results. Furthermore, only few studies have examined the role of coffee and tea consumption separately for borderline ovarian tumors. By use of data from a large Danish population-based case-control study, we examined the risk of ovarian tumors associated with coffee, tea, and caffeine consumption with a particular focus on characterizing risks by tumor behavior and histology. Material and methods. From 1995 through 1999, we included 267 women with ovarian cancer, 115 women with borderline ovarian tumors and 911 randomly selected control women. All women completed a beverage frequency questionnaire with detailed information on coffee and tea consumption. Analyses were performed using multiple logistic regression models. Results. Both coffee (OR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.84–0.97 per cup/day) and total caffeine consumption from coffee and tea combined (OR = 0.93; 95% CI 0.88–0.98 per 100 mg/day) decreased the risk of ovarian cancer. These associations were significant only for the serous and “other” subtypes of ovarian cancer. No relation between tea consumption and ovarian cancer risk was observed. The risk estimates for borderline ovarian tumors resembled those observed for ovarian cancer, but did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions. Our results indicate that coffee consumption and total caffeine consumption from coffee and tea combined is associated with a modest decreased risk of ovarian cancer. However, more biological studies are needed to identify bioactive chemical compounds in coffee that potentially could affect ovarian cancer development.
Development of food safety capability in Ghana to enhance access to the Global Food Manufacturing Value Chain (GFMVC)

i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. iii PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS . v LIST OF FIGURES . xv LIST OF TABLES . xix LIST OF EQUATIONS.xxi GLOSSARY . xxiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Context of the Research . 1 1.2 Significance of the Study . 3 1.3 Overview of the Ghanaian Economy . 4 1.3.1 Structure of the Sector . 10 1.4 Overview of the Economy of the Learning Case: the UK . 12 1.5 Research Scope. 13 1.6 Research Proposition. 13 1.7 Research Aim and Objectives . 13 1.8 Thesis Structure . 14 CHAPTER 2: GOVERNANCE IN THE GLOBAL FOOD MANUFACTURING VALUE CHAIN (GFMVC). 17 2.1 Definition of Concepts . 17 2.2 Governance in the Global Economy . 21 2.2.1 Stages within Global Value Chain Interpretations of Governance. 22 2.2.1.1 Governance as Driving. 22 2.2.1.2 Governance as Coordination . 24 2.2.1.3 Governance as Normalisation . 27 2.2.2 Mechanisms of Governance in Food Manufacturing Value Chains . 30 2.2.2.1 Food Safety Requirements in Value Chains. 34 2.2. 3 Impact of Food Safety Requirements on Value Chain Governance . 37 2.2. 3.1 A Proliferation of Standards . 38 2.2. 3.2 Similarities and Differences amongst Standards. 41 2.2. 3.3 Attempts at Harmonising Food Safety Regulations . 42 2.2. 3.4 Tougher Requirements for Laboratories and Third Party Auditing Bodies . 44 2.2. 3.5 An Increased Role and Responsibility for Consumers. 44
Local Risk-Minimization for Payment Processes: Application to Insurance Contracts with Surrender Option or to Default Sensitive Contingent Claims

In this paper, we extend the local risk-minimization theory, initially developed by Schweizer for a single payoff, to a payment stream. We basically follow Moller's approach in when he extended the risk-minimization theory to payment processes.In a second step, we apply this extended theory to insurance contracts with surrender option or equivalently, to default sensitive contingent claims. This part can be seen as an extension of Biagini and Cretarola on the local risk-minimization of defaultable claims. The main differences with the works of these authors are, firstly, that the discounted financial assets prices follow a general continuous s-dimensional semimartingale and, secondly, that we do not assume that the so-called (H)-hypothesis necessarily holds.As a by-product, we also study the impact of an enlargement of filtration on the minimal martingale measure.
Tarsal Coalition and Painful Flatfoot

&NA; The prevalence of tarsal coalition is probably 1% or less. The two sites most commonly affected are the calcaneonavicular joint and the middle facet of the talocalcaneal joint. Diagnosis should be suspected in the preteen or teenage patient with insidious or sudden onset of pain in the midfoot to hindfoot associated with a lack of motion in the subtalar joint. Initial treatment with immobilization or an orthosis may relieve symptoms, but most patients will have persistent symptoms that warrant surgical correction. Long‐term results indicate that excision of the coalition is moderately successful in relieving symptoms in the calcaneonavicular bar. Long‐term success with excision of subtalar bars is less clear, although early relief of symptoms is usually possible.
Acquisition Decisions and CEO Turnover: Do Bad Bidders Get Fired?

This paper investigates whether corporate control mechanisms discipline management who has made value-reducing acquisitions. The link between acquisition decisions and subsequent turnover of chief executive officer (CEO) is empirically examined. Results from event studies show significant differences in the stock market reaction surrounding the acquisition announcement between the sample of acquirers with post-acquisition CEO turnover and those without subsequent CEO turnover. The average cumulative abnormal returns around the acquisition announcement day are significantly negative for those firms that replaced their CEO after an acquisition occurred. Logit regression analyses provide strong evidence of a negative association between the acquiring firm’s abnormal stock market performance due to the acquisition announcement and the probability of disciplinary CEO departure. Those CEOs who have deviated from shareholders’ value maximization are more likely to be disciplined through internal corporate governance mechanisms. However, CEOs of firms that cancel an acquisition after observing a negative market reaction are less likely to be replaced subsequently.
Association of Socio-economic Attributes with Adoption of Better Management Practices in Shrimp Farming in Karnataka, India

The study was conducted to determine personal, socio-economic and psychological characteristics of shrimp farmers and to explore the relationship between selected characteristics of the farmers with the extent of adoption of Better Management Practices (BMPs) in shrimp farming. Data were collected through interview from 120 respondents, who were involved in shrimp farming. Results indicated that more than half of the respondents were in middle age group with medium level of social participation, extension agency contact, extension participation, information seeking ability and scientific orientation. The results of correlation coefficient indicated that the independent variables viz., education, experience, income, extension participation, scientific orientation and risk orientation had positive relationship with the adoption level of BMPs. The multiple regression analysis indicated that the independent variables viz., social participa- tion, innovativeness and economic motivation are the important variables contributing towards adoption.
Determinants of purchasing intention for fashion luxury goods in the Italian market

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the latent determinants of the purchasing intention for fashion luxury goods.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 40 in‐depth interviews were conducted with Italian customers in a fashion luxury goods store in Italy. Qualitative research was employed in data collection using the laddering technique and the means‐end chain (MEC) analysis.Findings – Results showed that consumers buy luxury fashion goods mainly to match their lifestyle, thus satisfying their inner drives. The hierarchical value map resulting from the data collection and elaboration demonstrates that self‐confidence and self‐fulfillment are the main hidden final values when buying and consuming luxury goods. Implications for marketers are related to tailoring products, brand values and communication messages to the subjective, self‐rewarding and “internalized” consumption sought after by consumers.Originality/value – The contribution of the paper is based on the use of the laddering te.
Conditions That Shape the Learning Curve: Factors That Increase the Ability and Opportunity to Learn

Prior studies examining factors that influence the learning curve mainly focus on settings in which firms adopt new products or technologies or open new plants or assembly lines. Less is known, however, about how more mature firms learn, when they are further down the learning curve. To gain insight into factors that enhance learning in this situation, I examine factors that increase both the ability and the opportunity to learn. I hypothesize that the ability to learn is enhanced by the presence of a moderate amount of temporary employees in the workforce and by providing employees with related variation in tasks, measured by product heterogeneity. In addition, I hypothesize that opportunities for learning are created when there is some slack in resources and when there are no problems in other important performance dimensions that consume employee attention. These hypotheses are examined using data of the Royal Dutch Mail, which has 27 geographically dispersed regions. Although these 27 regions are homogeneous with respect to their tasks, internal organization, type of products delivered, and technology used, their learning rates differ considerably. In the sample of 972 observations used for this analysis, I find that this variation in learning rates is explained by the percentage of temporary employees used, the level of excess capacity, the degree of product heterogeneity, and the degree to which regions face problems in other important performance dimensions. These findings provide insight into strategies that help managers in designing work processes to maintain a positive learning curve.
[Amniotic membrane as a carrier for cultivated and labeled corneal endothelial cell transplantation].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the feasibility of using amniotic membrane (AM) as a carrier for cultured corneal endothelial cells transplantation. METHODS Rabbit corneal endothelial cells were cultivated, passaged, and labeled with the fluorescent tracker CM-DiI, then transplanted onto denuded AM. The cell density, morphology, histology and ultrastructure of the cultured cells on AM were examined by light microscope, fluorescent microscopy and scanning electron microscope. To determine whether these composite endothelial sheets were functional in vivo, the sheets were transplanted onto rabbit corneas whose deep lamellar with Descemet's membrane and endothelial cells had been completely removed. The deep layer excised rabbit corneas without any transplantation or with transplantation of denuded AM were treated as controls. After transplantation, the corneal appearance and corneal thickness were examined. The grafts were examined for cell density, morphology and histology 4 weeks after the surgery. RESULTS A monolayer of endothelial cells were confluent on the AM 5 - 7 days after seeding. The density of the endothelial cells was (3202.84 +/- 347.77)/mm(2). Morphologically, the sheets consisted of a fairly continuous layer of flat polygonal endothelial cells that appeared uniform in size with tight junctions. The labeled cells were red in color under fluorescent microscopy. After transplantation, the corneas that received cultured endothelial cells had little edema and retained their thinness and transparency, while the corneas of controls showed prominent edema and opacity, indicating that these cells were transplanted cells rather than the cells migrated from peripheral cornea. Four weeks after surgery, the labeled endothelial cells were still found in the cornea with red fluorescence. CONCLUSIONS AM maintains cultured endothelial cells' morphology and function both in vitro and in vivo. AM could serve as a carrier for corneal endothelial cells transplantation. These results provide a promising method for the treatment of diseases caused by corneal endothelial disorders.
The impact of claim diagnosticity on consumer scepticism to corporate social responsibility advertising claims

A considerable body of literature on consumers’ responses to information about firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives has been published over the past decade. To date, however, little if any of this research has looked at consumer reaction to such information communicated via the medium of advertising, despite the increasing use of such corporate societal advertising appeals. While scepticism is a common cognitive response toward advertising, how scepticism toward non-economic corporate image claims might be promoted or inhibited through message elements has not been the focus of research attention. This thesis seeks to address this knowledge gap by investigating the impact of two diagnostic message elements on scepticism toward specific CSR claims. This study examines whether consumer scepticism toward the advertising of CSR claims can be influenced by altering the diagnosticity of social topic information and CSR commitment message dimensions. Two key research questions are addressed: does the provision of more social topic information encourage consumers toward less CSR advertising claim scepticism? , and does more specific information about a firm’s CSR commitment, expressing both its history and actual achievements, and their impacts, inhibit CSR advertising claim scepticism? In order to investigate these two research questions, an experimental approach was used to allow the manipulation of message elements and the testing of cause and effect. Data received via an online panel of a cross-section of 417 Australian consumers were analysed, and the hypotheses specified in study were tested using analysis of variance and covariance techniques. Results from this research suggest that increased information about the social topic related to the domain of the firm’s CSR initiatives does not significantly influence the level of scepticism toward CSR advertising claims, but information specificity about the firm’s CSR commitment does. These results are impacted by the consumer’s level of scepticism toward advertising in general, attitude toward the notion of corporate social responsibility, and attitude toward the social topic. The findings of this thesis provide evidence that consumers have the ability to deal with larger cognitive loads, created by information about specific impacts of firms’ CSR programs, and that such diagnostic information is useful in reducing scepticism responses to CSR messages. These responses are important, as they form the foundation of subsequent attitudinal and belief structures so critical for influencing consumer behaviour.
Intentions to Use Location-Based Services: Refining a Predictive Model and Understanding Contexts of Use

This thesis is concerned with the processes involved in the perception, adoption and use of location-based services (LBS). Location-based services are able to pinpoint the geographical position of an individual and are most often deployed on mobile devices. The capability for LBS to be integrated into other systems such as social networking sites is also growing. The focus of current LBS research is on the development of security measures to protect privacy. The actual privacy concerns of real LBS users, however, have not been considered. The work in this thesis examines location-based services from a user perspective. A previously untested predictive model of LBS was assessed, and shown to be unsuited to account for intentions to use the technology in a workplace setting. A revised and improved model is proposed that suggests four factors account for intentions: perceived usefulness, trust of the LBS provider, disclosure to employer and trust of the employer. This research investigated the types of location information that might be disclosed when using LBS, who the recipients might be, and how people categorise location information into meaningful clusters. Results showed that people have explicit LBS preferences, with the receiver of information and context playing a large role in determining disclosure. Three qualitative case studies aimed to understand implications of LBS use with different populations. Participants raised concerns about trustworthiness of their employer and knowledge of LBS providers, providing support for the theoretical model. These case studies suggest LBS could also successfully be applied to alternate user groups. These findings have important implications for LBS providers and industry. People have a desire to know who the LBS provider is and what role they will play. Making these issues explicit should improve trust and develop the user-LBS provider relationship. When implementing LBS in the workplace, consultation with employees and providing clear information may enhance trust of the employer.
Together stronger: Intracolonial genetic variability occurrence in Pocillopora corals suggests potential benefits

Abstract We investigated the occurrence of intracolonial genetic variability (IGV) in Pocillopora corals in the southwestern Indian Ocean. Ninety‐six colonies were threefold‐sampled from three sites in Reunion Island. Nubbins were genotyped using 13 microsatellite loci, and their multilocus genotypes compared. Over 50% of the colonies presented at least two different genotypes among their three nubbins, and IGV was found abundant in all sites (from 36.7% to 58.1%). To define the threshold distinguishing mosaicism from chimerism, we developed a new method based on different evolution models by computing the number of different alleles for the infinite allele model (IAM) and the Bruvo's distance for the stepwise mutation model (SMM). Colonies were considered as chimeras if their nubbins differed from more than four alleles and if the pairwise Bruvo's distance was higher than 0.12. Thus 80% of the IGV colonies were mosaics and 20% chimeras (representing almost 10% of the total sampling). IGV seems widespread in scleractinians and beyond the disabilities of this phenomenon reported in several studies, it should also bring benefits. Next steps are to identify these benefits and to understand processes leading to IGV, as well as factors influencing them.
Comparison between Specific Lumber Mobilization and Core-Stability Exercises with Core-Stability Exercises Alone in Mechanical low back pain

Objective: To Compare the Specific Lumber Mobilization (SLM) techniques and Core-Stability (CS) Exercises with Core-Stability Exercises Alone in Mechanical low back pain (MLP) Methods: A 6 month pretest-posttest design, quasi experimental study was conducted at department of physiotherapy Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) Peshawar, Pakistan. We conveniently selected a sample 40 patients and placed into two groups. The SLM techniques with CS exercises was applied in group A and CS exercises alone in group B for 6 weeks. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual analog scale (VAS) for mechanical low back pain were assessment tools assessed for all patients before and after 6 weeks of physical therapy intervention. Data was analyzed by SPSS and statistical test were applied at 95% level of significance determine the efficacy of both the treatments regimes and compared with each other. Results: After comparison between two groups, the group A treated with specific lumber mobilization techniques shows better results in improving pain (p=0.008) and reducing physical disability (p=0.004) as compared to the group B treated with specific lumber mobilization techniques alone (pain intensity: p= 0.172 and physical disability: p=0.201). Conclusion: It is concluded that patients with mechanical low back pain will show more improvement in pain and function while treated by specific lumber mobilization and core stability exercises as compared to those patients who will be treated by specific joint mobilization techniques.
Enhanced Ubiquitylation and Accelerated Degradation of the Dopamine Transporter Mediated by Protein Kinase C*

Dopamine transporter (DAT) localization in dopaminergic neurons plays an important role in regulating dopamine signaling. However, the mechanisms of DAT trafficking that control DAT localization are still poorly understood. To gain insight into these mechanisms, human DAT was purified in large amounts using a two-step affinity chromatography procedure from untreated HeLa cells or cells treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Mass spectrometric analysis of purified DAT complexes revealed the presence of several proteins, among which ubiquitin was particularly abundant in the PMA-treated sample. Western blotting of highly purified DAT protein confirmed constitutive ubiquitylation of DAT and a dramatic increase in DAT ubiquitylation in cells treated with PMA. This increase was blocked by pretreatment with the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor bis-indolylmaleimide. DAT ubiquitylation by ectopically expressed ubiquitin was demonstrated in cells transiently transfected with yellow fluorescent protein-tagged ubiquitin. In addition, fluorescence resonance energy transfer was detected between cyan fluorescent protein-tagged DAT and yellow fluorescent protein-tagged ubiquitin, indicative of DAT-ubiquitin conjugation. Interestingly, the largest fluorescence resonance energy transfer signals were observed in endosomes. Ubiquitylated DAT was detected in the plasma membrane using cell surface biotinylation as well as in intracellular compartments, suggesting that ubiquitylation begins at the plasma membrane and is maintained in endosomes. In both porcine aortic endothelial and HeLa cells, where PKC-dependent DAT ubiquitylation was observed, PKC activation resulted in rapid degradation of DAT (\batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(t_{\frac{1}{2}}=1-2\) \end{document} h). Altogether, these data suggest that PKC-induced DAT ubiquitylation may target DAT to lysosomal degradation.
SCIENCE-BASED LEGITIMACY: THE VALUE RELEVANCE OF INTERACTING SIGNALS FOR YOUNG FIRMS (SUMMARY)

This paper contributes to the literature on the legitimization of science-based firms, by investigating whether the affiliation by with prestigious universities affect their valuation at IPO, and how it interacts of the endorsements by prestigious underwriters and venture capitalists. Based on a sample of 254 European biotech firms, we find that scientific legitimization is valued by investors, and this is particularly true when the company is tied to a prestigious academic entity. We confirm previous results on the relevance of the certification provided by top-tier underwriters and venture capitalists. However, taking into considerations their interactions, we find that signal provided by venture capitalists shades, as it is moderated by its overlapping with the endorsements by reputable underwriters and universities. We argue that underwriters provide the strongest certification role due to positive selection, while universities bring the strongest certification of substantive business benefits. Venture capitalists mix these two roles.