Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Socio-Economic Determinants of Credit Service Utilization by Smallholder Households at Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia

The objective of the study was to identify the determinants of credit service utilization in the study area. In this study multi-stage sampling techniques were used to select 5 kebeles out of 42 kebeles of the study area and 150 sample households were randomly selected, of which 82 were credit users and 68 of them were non-users. Primary data were collected through structured interview schedule. Various documents were reviewed to collect the secondary data. In the study Econometric model (binary logit model) was used to identify the determinants of credit service utilization. A total of fifteen explanatory variables were included in the model. Out of these, seven were found to be statistically significant and most of the coefficients of these variables exhibited the expected signs with the hypothesis. These variables include total income, saving habit, collateral type, training and technical advice, possession of fixed assets, risk fearing and lending procedure. Therefore, credit service providers should give attention to factors that significantly influence credit service utilization in order to improve the performance of microfinance service provision and credit service utilization. Keywords : Credit, binary logistic regression model, Determinants, Credit Utilization, Smallholder Households, Wolaita Zone
Long-term moderate exercise accelerates the recovery of stress-evoked cardiovascular responses

Abstract Psychological stress is an important global health problem. It is well documented that stress increases the incidences of various cardiovascular disorders. Regular exercise is known to reduce resting blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). This study was designed to clarify the effects of long-term exercise on stress-evoked cardiovascular responses and to emphasize post-stress recovery effects. Male Wistar rats underwent 8 weeks of moderate treadmill training, with cardiovascular responses, autonomic nervous system activities and local Fos reactivity changes in the cardiovascular regulation center were monitored before, during and after immobilization stress. A spectral analysis of cardiovascular parameters was used to examine autonomic nervous activities. We found that long-term exercise (i) lowered resting BP, HR and sympathetic activity, but increased resting parasympathetic activity and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS); (ii) accelerated post-stress recovery of stress-evoked cardiovascular and sympathetic responses along with increased BRS and (iii) accelerated post-stress recovery of stress-evoked neuron activations in the paraventricular nucleus, but delayed it in the nucleus of the tractus solitarius. We conclude that, in rats, long-term exercise accelerated recovery of stress-evoked cardiovascular responses differentially altering hypothalamic and medullar neuron activities.
Patients with sclerosteosis and disease carriers: Human models of the effect of sclerostin on bone turnover

Sclerosteosis is a rare bone sclerosing dysplasia, caused by loss‐of‐function mutations in the SOST gene, encoding sclerostin, a negative regulator of bone formation. The purpose of this study was to determine how the lack of sclerostin affects bone turnover in patients with sclerosteosis and to assess whether sclerostin synthesis is decreased in carriers of the SOST mutation and, if so, to what extent this would affect their phenotype and bone formation. We measured sclerostin, procollagen type 1 amino‐terminal propeptide (P1NP), and cross‐linked C‐telopeptide (CTX) in serum of 19 patients with sclerosteosis, 26 heterozygous carriers of the C69T SOST mutation, and 77 healthy controls. Chips of compact bone discarded during routine surgery were also examined from 6 patients and 4 controls. Sclerostin was undetectable in serum of patients but was measurable in all carriers (mean 15.5 pg/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI] 13.7 to 17.2 pg/mL), in whom it was significantly lower than in healthy controls (mean 40.0 pg/mL; 95% CI 36.9 to 42.7 pg/mL; p < 0.001). P1NP levels were highest in patients (mean 153.7 ng/mL; 95% CI 100.5 to 206.9 ng/mL; p = 0.01 versus carriers, p = 0.002 versus controls), but carriers also had significantly higher P1NP levels (mean 58.3 ng/mL; 95% CI 47.0 to 69.6 ng/mL) than controls (mean 37.8 ng/mL; 95% CI 34.9 to 42.0 ng/mL; p = 0.006). In patients and carriers, P1NP levels declined with age, reaching a plateau after the age of 20 years. Serum sclerostin and P1NP were negatively correlated in carriers and age‐ and gender‐matched controls (r = 0.40, p = 0.008). Mean CTX levels were well within the normal range and did not differ between patients and disease carriers after adjusting for age (p = 0.22). Our results provide in vivo evidence of increased bone formation caused by the absence or decreased synthesis of sclerostin in humans. They also suggest that inhibition of sclerostin can be titrated because the decreased sclerostin levels in disease carriers did not lead to any of the symptoms or complications of the disease but had a positive effect on bone mass. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of sclerostin on bone resorption. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Incontinence after prostatectomy: coping with incontinence after prostate cancer surgery.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe the nature of postprostatectomy urinary incontinence, determine how men manage postsurgery urinary incontinence, identify men's perceptions of adequacy of preoperative counseling, and identify men's expectations regarding the probability of postsurgery incontinence. DESIGN Survey. SETTING United States. SAMPLE Members of US TOO International, who experienced urinary incontinence after surgery. METHODS Copies of the survey (N = 370) were mailed to all chapters of US TOO International, a prostate cancer support group, for distribution to members. A letter of invitation also was posted on the US TOO International Web site and in the monthly newsletter. Men who desired to complete the survey (N = 130) called the researcher's office, and a copy of the survey and a stamped return envelope was mailed to them. Surveys returned to the researchers from June 1998 to January 1999 were included in the analyses. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Urinary incontinence, management of urinary incontinence, and coping. FINDINGS 166 men returned surveys. The majority was Caucasian (95%) and married (83%). The median age was 67 years, 87% of the men rated their health as good or excellent, and 114 men (69%) reported becoming incontinent after surgery. Most men experienced stress incontinence symptoms. The majority (89 of 111 men) reported that they were told preoperatively that urinary incontinence was a possible complication. Overall, regardless of length of time since surgery, men (74%) thought that incontinence was an important problem to resolve. Men used containment devices such as pads, special undergarments, and even sanitary napkins as management strategies. The majority of men (54%) used pelvic muscle exercises, especially those who were fewer than two years postsurgery (72%). CONCLUSIONS Urinary incontinence is a prevalent postoperative complication for men, even up to five years after surgery, and a source of great distress for some. Men reported stress and urge incontinence symptoms and used an array of strategies to contain their urine. Finding effective treatments for postprostatectomy urinary incontinence and receiving adequate information before surgery is important to these men. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING As the number of men who undergo surgical treatment for prostate cancer increases, nurses need to be equipped with the necessary knowledge and information to answer preoperative concerns and provide effective strategies for managing postoperative urinary incontinence.
In Search of a Risk-Free Asset: Search Costs and Sticky Deposit Rates

To attract retail time deposits, over 7,000 FDIC insured U.S. commercial banks publicly post their yield offers. I document an economically sizable and highly pro-cyclical cross-sectional dispersion in these yield offers during the period 1997-2011. Banks adjusted their yields rigidly with median duration of 7 weeks in response to increasing or constant Fed Funds rate target regimes and 3 weeks during regimes of decreasing Fed Fund rate target. I investigate to what extent information (search) costs on the part of the investors in this market can explain the observed pricing behavior. I build and estimate an asset pricing model with heterogeneous search cost investors. A large fraction of high information cost uninformed investors and the exit of low information cost informed investors rationalizes the observed price dispersion. I further qualitatively match the asymmetric yield rigidity within the framework of costly consumer search without the need to impose menu costs or other restrictions on the banks' repricing behavior.
ALK2 Functions as a BMP Type I Receptor and Induces Indian Hedgehog in Chondrocytes During Skeletal Development

Growth plate chondrocytes integrate multiple signals during normal development. The type I BMP receptor ALK2 is expressed in cartilage and expression of constitutively active (CA) ALK2 and other activated type I BMP receptors results in maturation‐independent expression of Ihh in chondrocytes in vitro and in vivo. The findings suggest that BMP signaling modulates the Ihh/PTHrP signaling pathway that regulates the rate of chondrocyte differentiation.
Primary Aortoduodenal Fistula: First you Should Suspect it

A 59 year-old patient was admitted with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The clinical exam showed mild hypotension and blood samples revealed acute anemia (hemoglobin = 7.5 g/dl). Emergency computed tomography showed an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and extravasation of the arterial contrast material toward the digestive tract. The patient was transported to the operating room for emergency laparotomy, which showed an aortoduodenal fistula. After proximal and distal aortic vascular control, the two anatomical structures were dissected with duodenorrhaphy, patch repair of the aortic tear and omentum interposition. The postoperative recovery was uneventful, with discharge after 12 days.
Developmental microRNA expression profiling of murine embryonic orofacial tissue.

BACKGROUND Orofacial development is a multifaceted process involving precise, spatio-temporal expression of a panoply of genes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), the largest family of noncoding RNAs involved in gene silencing, represent critical regulators of cell and tissue differentiation. MicroRNA gene expression profiling is an effective means of acquiring novel and valuable information regarding the expression and regulation of genes, under the control of miRNA, involved in mammalian orofacial development. METHODS To identify differentially expressed miRNAs during mammalian orofacial ontogenesis, miRNA expression profiles from gestation day (GD) -12, -13 and -14 murine orofacial tissue were compared utilizing miRXplore microarrays from Miltenyi Biotech. Quantitative real-time PCR was utilized for validation of gene expression changes. Cluster analysis of the microarray data was conducted with the clValid R package and the UPGMA clustering method. Functional relationships between selected miRNAs were investigated using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. RESULTS Expression of over 26% of the 588 murine miRNA genes examined was detected in murine orofacial tissues from GD-12-GD-14. Among these expressed genes, several clusters were seen to be developmentally regulated. Differential expression of miRNAs within such clusters wereshown to target genes encoding proteins involved in cell proliferation, cell adhesion, differentiation, apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation, all processes critical for normal orofacial development. CONCLUSIONS Using miRNA microarray technology, unique gene expression signatures of hundreds of miRNAs in embryonic orofacial tissue were defined. Gene targeting and functional analysis revealed that the expression of numerous protein-encoding genes, crucial to normal orofacial ontogeny, may be regulated by specific miRNAs.
Studies on optimization of nitrogen sources for astaxanthin production by Phaffia rhodozyma

Fermentation of Phaffia rhodozyma is a major method for producing astaxanthin, an important pigment with industrial and pharmaceutical application. To improve astaxanthin productivity, single factor and mixture design experiments were used to investigate the effects of nitrogen source on Phaffia rhodozyma cultivation and astaxanthin production. Results of single factor experiments showed nitrogen source could significantly affect P. rhodozyma cultivation with respect to carbon source utilization, yeast growth and astaxanthin accumulation. Further studies of mixture design experiments using (NH4)2SO4, KNO3 and beef extract as nitrogen sources indicated that the proportion of three nitrogen sources was very important to astaxanthin production. Validation experiments showed that the optimal nitrogen source was composed of 0.28 g/L (NH4)2SO4, 0.49 g/L KNO3 and 1.19 g/L beef extract. The kinetic characteristics of batch cultivation were investigated in a 5-L pH-stat fermentor. The maximum amount of biomass and highest astaxanthin yield in terms of volume and in terms of biomass were 7.71 mg/L and 1.00 mg/g, respectively.
PHARMACOLOGY OF PHOSPHODIESTERASE‐5 INHIBITORS

The clinical properties (efficacy and safety profile) of a medicine are related not only to its mode of action, but also to its selectivity for its target (usually a receptor or enzyme) and are also influenced by its pharmacokinetic properties (absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination). The growing number of phosphodiesterase inhibitors that are selective for phosphodiesterase‐5 (PDE5) represent a promising new class of compounds that are useful for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and perhaps other disorders. Some of the basic pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic parameters that describe drug action are discussed with regard to the new PDE5 inhibitors. Central topics reviewed are the concentration that produces a given in vitro response, or potency (IC50), maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), time to Cmax (Tmax), half‐life (t½), area under the curve (AUC), bioavailability, onset and duration of action, and the balance to achieve optimum safety and efficacy. To illustrate these concepts, a group of inhibitors with varying selectivities and potencies for PDE5 (theophylline, IBMX, zaprinast, sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil) are discussed. Each drug has its own set of unique pharmacological characteristics based on its specific molecular structure, enzyme inhibition profile and pharmacokinetic properties. Each PDE5 inhibitor has a distinct selectivity that contributes to its safety profile. As with all new drugs, and especially those in a new class, careful evaluation will be necessary to ensure the optimal use of the PDE5 inhibitors.
The Virulence Regulatory Protein ToxR Mediates Enhanced Bile Resistance in Vibrio cholerae and Other PathogenicVibrio Species

ABSTRACT The transmembrane regulatory protein ToxR is required for expression of virulence factors in the human diarrheal pathogenVibrio cholerae, including cholera toxin (CT) and the toxin coregulated pilus (TCP). ToxR is necessary for transcription of the gene encoding a second regulatory protein, ToxT, which is the direct transcriptional activator of CT and TCP genes. However, ToxR, independent of ToxT, directly activates and represses transcription of the outer membrane porins OmpU and OmpT, respectively. The genes encoding TCP and CT (and including ToxT) lie on horizontally acquired genetic elements, while the toxR, ompU, andompT genes are apparently in the ancestralVibrio chromosome. The contribution of ToxR-dependent modulation of outer membrane porins to cholera pathogenesis has remained unknown. We demonstrate that ToxR mediates enhanced bile resistance in a ToxT-independent manner. In both classical and El Tor biotypes of V. cholerae, a toxR mutant strain has a reduced minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of bile, the bile component deoxycholate (DC), and the anionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) compared to both wild-type and toxTmutant strains. Classical and El Tor toxR mutant strains also exhibit reduced growth rates at subinhibitory concentrations of DC and SDS. Growth of either V. cholerae biotype in subinhibitory concentrations of bile or DC induces increased ToxR-dependent production of a major 38-kDa outer membrane protein, which was confirmed to be OmpU by Western blot. Measurement of transcription of a ompUp-lacZ fusion in both biotypes reveals stimulation (about two- to threefold) of ToxR-dependent ompU transcription by the presence of bile or DC, suggesting that ToxR may respond to the presence of bile. ThetoxR mutant strains of three additional human intestinal pathogenic Vibrio species, V. mimicus, V. fluvialis, and V. parahaemolyticus, display lower MBCs of bile, DC, and SDS and have altered outer membrane protein profiles compared to the parental wild-type strains. Our results demonstrate a conserved role for ToxR in the modulation of outer membrane proteins and bile resistance of pathogenic Vibriospecies and suggest that these ToxR-dependent outer membrane proteins may mediate enhanced resistance to bile. We speculate that ToxR-mediated bile resistance was an early step in the evolution ofV. cholerae as an intestinal pathogen.
Drastic increases in overweight and obesity from 1981 to 2010 and related risk factors: results from the Barbados Children’s Health and Nutrition Study

Abstract Objective To examine overweight and obesity (OWOB), changes in prevalence and potential risk factors in Barbadian children. Design A cross-section of students were weighed and measured. The WHO BMI-for-age growth references (BAZ), the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth percentiles were used to determine OWOB prevalence. Harvard weight-for-height-for-age growth standards were used to estimate differences in OWOB prevalence from 1981 to 2010. Samples of parents and students were interviewed to describe correlates of OWOB. Setting Barbados. Subjects Public-school students (n 580) in class 3. Results Based on WHO BAZ, the overall prevalence of OWOB was 34·8 % (95 % CI 30·9, 38·7 %). A trend of higher OWOB prevalence was seen for girls across cut-offs, with significant sex differences noted using the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs. According to Harvard growth standards, OWOB has increased dramatically, from 8·52 % to 32·5 %. Children were more likely to be OWOB when annual household income was below BBD 9000 (OR=2·69; 95 % CI 1·21, 5·99). Eating dinner with the family every night was associated with a lower prevalence of OWOB (OR=0·56; 95 % CI 0·36, 0·87). Conclusions The sharp increase of OWOB rates in Barbados warrants attention. Sex disparities in OWOB prevalence may emerge at a young age. Promoting family meals may be a feasible option for OWOB prevention. Understanding familial and sociodemographic factors influencing OWOB will be useful in planning successful intervention or prevention programmes in Barbados.
Political Connections of the Board of Directors and Credit Financing: Evidence from Chinese Private Enterprises

This study explores whether the political connections of the board of directors facilitate credit financing. It addresses the gap concerning the discussion of the substitution or complementary effect on financing terms between political connections and government regulation in China. Using a data set covering 1340 private listed firms, we classify all members on the board of directors into subgroups and show that it is the political connections of nonexecutive directors, rather than executive directors that play an important role in obtaining long‐term credit loans. Moreover, the convenience of obtaining financing is mainly derived from the political connections of official independent directors.
PENGARUH HUMAN CAPITAL TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI REGIONAL DI PROVINSI JAWA TENGAH

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis pengaruh human capital terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi regional di Provinsi Jawa Tengah tahun 2008-2012. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data sekunder. Data sekunder dalam penelitian ini berupa dokumentasi data yang berasal dari BPS. Alat analisis yang digunakan adalah regresi panel dengan metode GLS model fixed effect. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah variabel human capital yaitu rata-rata lama sekolah dan angka harapan hidup berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi regional di provinsi Jawa Tengah. Variabel tenaga kerja berpengaruh signifikan terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi regional sedangkan rasio dana alokasi umum terhadap total penerimaan daerah tidak berpengaruh terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi regional Provinsi Jawa Tengah. Perlu adanya peningkatan alokasi belanja daerah sektor pendidikan dan kesehatan untuk meningkatkan kualitas tenaga kerja sehingga mampu mempunyai produktivitas tinggi yang dapat mendorong pertumbuhan ekonomi. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of human capital for economic growth in Central Java Province in 2008-2012. The data used in this research is secondary data. Secondary data in this study is documentation of the data from the BPS. The analysis tool used is a panel regression with fixed effect model GLS method. Results from this study is the human capital variable, average length of school and life expectancy had positive and significant impact on regional economic growth in the Province of Central Java. Labor variables significantly influence regional economic growth while the ratio of general allocation fund to total regional revenue had no effect on regional economic growth of Central Java Province. A government need to increase budget allocations of education and health sector to improve the quality of the workforce so as to have high productivity can boost economic growth.
Comparison of the effects of human dental pulp stem cells and human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells on ischemic human astrocytes in vitro

This study assesses the cytoprotective effects of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) and conditioned medium from hDPSCs (CM‐hDPSCs) on ischemic human astrocytes (hAs) in vitro compared with human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Ischemia of hAs was induced by oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD). CM‐hDPSCs and hMSCs were collected after 48 hr of culture. Cell death was determined by 3‐[4,5‐dimethylthialzol‐2‐yl]‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide and cellular ATP assays. The expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and musashi‐1 as markers of reactive astrogliosis was examined with immunochemical staining. mRNA expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed by RT‐PCR and flow cytometry, respectively. OGD increased cytotoxicity in a time‐dependent manner and decreased cellular ATP content concomitantly in hAs. Pretreatment and posttreatment with hDPSCs were associated with greater recovery from OGD‐induced cytotoxicity in hAs compared with hMSCs. Similarly, CM‐hDPSCs had a greater effect on OGD‐induced cytotoxicity in a dose‐dependent manner. Pre‐ and posttreatment with CM‐hDPSCs or CM‐hMSCs attenuated OGD‐induced GFAP, nestin, and musashi‐1 expression in hAs. Furthermore, treatment of cells with CM‐hDPSCs and hMSCs blocked OGD‐induced ROS production and interleukin‐1ß upregulation. This study demonstrates for the first time that hDPSCs and CM‐hDPSCs confer superior cytoprotection against cell death in an in vitro OGD model compared with hMSCs as shown by cell viability assay. Reactive gliosis, ROS production, and inflammatory mediators might contribute to this protective effect. Therefore, hDPSCs could represent an alternative source of cell therapy for ischemic stroke. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.