Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The separate and joint effects of the market for corporate control and board effectiveness on R&D valuation

This study finds that stronger market control (measured as fewer anti-takeover provisions) and more effective boards (measured as boards that are more independent and for which independent directors have more outside directorships) are both associated with higher R&D valuation. Furthermore, stronger market control (more effective board governance) is associated with higher R&D valuation only in the presence of weaker board governance (market control). Taken together, the results are consistent with the interpretation that both the market for corporate control and effective boards mitigate agency conflicts arising from R&D investments and improve the market valuation of R&D. Furthermore, the two mechanisms act as substitutes in doing so. JEL Classification: G34, G32, M41
Renal pathology in patients with occupational exposure to carbon disulphide: A case series

Carbon disulphide (CS2) is widely used as an organic solvent. However, there is little information available regarding the clinical manifestations and the pathological features of kidney injury caused by CS2. The current study aimed to describe the renal manifestations of a group of patients with long‐term occupational exposure to CS2.
Open Communication Between Caregivers and Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: The Role of Caregivers' Characteristics and Situational Variables

This study assesses caregivers' perceived level of open communication about illness and death with their terminally ill relatives and examines the contribution of caregivers' characteristics and situational variables to the explanation of open communication. A total of 236 primary caregivers of terminal cancer patients participated in the study. Level of open communication was measured by 6 items clustered into 1 factor. Caregivers' characteristics were composed of demographic variables, personality traits, and negative emotional reactions to caregiving. The situational variables included the duration and intensity of caregiving, and perceived functioning and suffering of the patient. Caregivers experienced substantial difficulties in communicating with patients about illness and death. Level of open communication was explained by caregivers' emotional reactions (emotional exhaustion, depression) and self-efficacy, as well as by the duration of caregiving. Intervention programs for health professionals need to focus on prevention, identification, and treatment of caregivers at risk for negative reactions to caregiving.
Striving for legitimacy through CSR: an exploration of employees responses in controversial industry sector

Purpose Based on the social identification theory, this study aims to understand employees’ reactions to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in oil companies. This study finds that employees’ perceived CSR is positively related to the employee organizational identification in controversial sector companies. Design/methodology/approach The authors chose to analyze five oil companies in India. These companies are large in size and revenue and provide a valid context for the present study. A survey of 316 employees had been carried out in the year 2015 at the headquarters of these companies located in India. Findings The finding shows that organization CSR activities enhance employees’ organizational identification, which in turn leads to employee commitment to their organization. Furthermore, the finding highlights the relationship between perceived CSR and organizational identification, which is mediated by perceived external prestige and perceived organizational support. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this study is the cross-sectional research design. The variables under investigation were measured only at one specific point of time. Another restriction of the study is that the data had been collected from the self-reported questionnaire. The results were dependent on how employees perceive and interpret how outside world assesses or views their organization. Originality/value This study provides a first step of empirical evidence suggesting that CSR engagement is important and can help in building the relation with stakeholders even in controversial industry.
Board of directors characteristics and performance in family firms and under the crisis

This paper aims to examine the relationship between board of directors’ characteristics and performance in family businesses. It offers evidence to the question of whether a family firm (FF) differs from a non-family firm and looks at the possibility of asymmetrical effects between periods of stability and economic adversity. ,A panel data approach was applied to a sample of Portuguese firms listed the on Euronext Lisbon exchange between 2002 and 2013. ,The results show that FFs are likely to have a lower proportion of independent members and higher gender diversity on their boards than non-family firms. FF performance is positively related to ownership concentration and gender diversity. There are performance premiums for family businesses, which have more gender diversity than their counterparts. These effects also depend on whether the economy is in recession. The evidence suggests that the presence of women on the board and the leverage and size of the FFs have a more significant impact on the performance in periods of economic adversity. ,One limitation of this study is the small size of the sample as it was drawn from the Euronext Lisbon exchange, a small stock exchange market. ,This study provides input into the academic discussion on corporate governance and FF, an area which is in need of research. In addition, the authors examine this issue in conjunction with generalised economic adversity, focusing on the possible asymmetrical effects that the nature of the board of directors may have on performance in periods of stability and those of economic adversity. The role of board of directors is crucial to the understanding of corporate behaviour and the setting of the policy that regulates corporate activities.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae

A species of aerobic, Gram-negative, diplococci shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria. This species is oxidase and catalase positive, grows best on blood agar medium or chocolate medium, is non-hemolytic, produces acid from glucose, but not from maltose, fructose, sucrose, mannose or lactose, does not synthesize polysaccharides, and reduces nitrite but not nitrate. N. gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhea and is transmitted via sexual contact.
Electronic cigarette exposures reported to Texas poison centers.

INTRODUCTION Exposure to the liquid nicotine solutions in electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) may be dangerous because they are highly concentrated. Little is known about the impact of exposure on public health. This study describes e-cig exposures reported to poison centers. METHODS All e-cig exposures reported to Texas poison centers during 2009 to February 2014 were identified. Exposures involving other substances in addition to e-cigs and exposures not followed to a final medical outcome were included. The distributions of exposures by demographic and clinical factors were determined. RESULTS Of 225 total exposures, 2 were reported in January 2009, 6 in 2010, 11 in 2011, 43 in 2012, 123 in 2013, and 40 through February 2014. Fifty-three percent (n = 119) occurred among individuals aged <5 years old, 41% (n = 93) occurred among individuals aged >20 years old, and 6% (n = 13) occurred among individuals aged 6-19 years. Fifty percent were female. The route of exposure was 78% ingestion. Eighty-seven percent of the exposures were unintentional, and 5% were intentional. The exposures occurred at patients' own residences in 95% of the cases. The clinical effects reported most often were vomiting (20%), nausea (10%), headache (4%), ocular irritation (5%), dizziness (5%), and lethargy (2%). CONCLUSION E-cig exposures reported to poison centers are increasing. Most of the patients are young children, and the exposures most frequently occur through ingestion. Reported exposures often do not have serious outcomes.
Queer Nuclear Families? Reproducing and Transgressing Heteronormativity

ABSTRACT During the past decade the public debate on gay and lesbian adoptive rights has been extensive in the Norwegian media. The debate illustrates how women and men planning to raise children in homosexual family constellations challenge prevailing cultural norms and existing concepts of kinship and family. The article discusses how lesbian mothers and gay fathers understand and redefine their own family practices. An essential point in this article is the fundamental ambiguity in these families' accounts of themselves–how they simultaneously transgress and reproduce heteronormative assumptions about childhood, fatherhood, motherhood, family and kinship.
Do Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures Disadvantage Women and Minorities

When different legal controversies arise, parties frequently employ alternative dispute resolution procedures to resolve them. Yet some members of ethnic minority groups and women may seek judicial proceedings out of a concern that their ethnicity or gender may undermine their ability to achieve beneficial bargaining outcomes through ADR. This article addresses the real and perceived challenges of ethnic minorities and women in ADR. It draws upon decades of research into dispute resolution bargaining processes to illustrate that most traits associated with ethnicity and gender are irrelevant today with respect to ADR. When persons are taught even minimally about the bargaining process and how it operates, such information greatly enhances their likelihood of interacting effectively. Well-prepared minorities and women should thus be able to seek advantageous terms for themselves in ADR, even when dealing with white-male counterparts. Conversely, there is no guarantee that members of ethnic groups or women would achieve more advantageous outcomes in judicial proceedings. Even the formal rules of judicial proceedings may be influenced by subconscious stereotypes that still influence the ways that judges, jurors, and arbitrators assess litigant situations. Therefore, this article posits that adjudication is not clearly preferable to ADR procedures for minority group members and women.
Pituitary-ovarian relationships in polycystic ovary syndrome.

The spontaneous pattern of pituitary gonadotropins and ovarian steroids and their response to dynamic tests were measured in 12 women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCO) and the results compared to those from 6 normal women during the early follicllar phase of the cycle (controls). As judged by serial measurements of urinary total estrogen and pregnanediol over a 12-week period, in PCO patients 75% of cycles were anovulatory (anovulatory PCO) as compared to 100% ovulatory in controls. The basal concentrations of LH, androstenedione and estrone were significantly higher and the concentration os FSH significantly lower in anovulatory PCO than in the controls (P less than .05). In PCO patients the concentration of LH was lower following an ovulatory cycle than that following a period of anovulation. Negative and positive feedback responses to an estrogen provocation test (200 microgram ethinyl estradiol per day for 3 days) were normal in anovulatory PCO although the LH peak occurred 24 h earlier than in the controls. The amplitude of the pulses of LH was significantly greater in anovulatory PCO than in the controls and was suppressed in both groups after ethinyl estradiol. The peak release of LH in response to 56 microgram LRF in ovulatory PCO was similar in controls but LH responses in anovulatory PCO were significantly greater. It is suggested that the abnormalities in gonadotropin secretion in PCO are secondary to excessive and prolonged extraglandular production of estrogen from androstenedione.
Epidemiology of Conjugative Plasmid-Mediated AmpC β-Lactamases in the United States

ABSTRACT A sample of 752 resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Escherichia coli strains from 70 sites in 25 U.S. states and the District of Columbia was examined for transmissibility of resistance to ceftazidime and the nature of the plasmid-mediated β-lactamase involved. Fifty-nine percent of the K. pneumoniae, 24% of the K. oxytoca, and 44% of the E. coli isolates transferred resistance to ceftazidime. Plasmids encoding AmpC-type β-lactamase were found in 8.5% of the K. pneumoniae samples, 6.9% of the K. oxytoca samples, and 4% of the E. coli samples, at 20 of the 70 sites and in 10 of the 25 states. ACT-1 β-lactamase was found at eight sites, four of which were near New York City, where the ACT-1 enzyme was first discovered; ACT-1 β-lactamase was also found in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. FOX-5 β-lactamase was also found at eight sites, mainly in southeastern states but also in New York. Two E. coli strains produced CMY-2, and one K. pneumoniae strain produced DHA-1 β-lactamase. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and plasmid analysis suggested that AmpC-mediated resistance spread both by strain and plasmid dissemination. All AmpC β-lactamase-containing isolates were resistant to cefoxitin, but so were 11% of strains containing transmissible SHV- and TEM-type extended-spectrum β-lactamases. A β-lactamase inhibitor test was helpful in distinguishing the two types of resistance but was not definitive since 24% of clinical isolates producing AmpC β-lactamase had a positive response to clavulanic acid. Coexistence of AmpC and extended-spectrum β-lactamases was the main reason for these discrepancies. Plasmid-mediated AmpC-type enzymes are thus responsible for an appreciable fraction of resistance in clinical isolates of Klebsiella spp. and E. coli, are disseminated around the United States, and are not so easily distinguished from other enzymes that mediate resistance to oxyimino-β-lactams.
Tourism students’ motivational orientations: the case of Vietnam

ABSTRACT The availability of skilled labor and institutions of higher education that can contribute to human capacity building are prerequisites for tourism-dependent nations like Vietnam. The exploration of students’ motivations is one way in which the role of institutions of higher education in capacity building and tourism development can be further understood. This research explores students’ motivational orientations related to enrollment in tourism degree programs in Vietnam. Three key categories emerged: enthusiasm for travel and tourism; employment; and contribution to national industry. The findings are linked to the basic psychological needs of self-determination theory, namely autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
An Examination of the Relationship Between Black Millennial Social Media Use and Political Activism

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between black millennial political activism and social media use. In Phase One of the study, the attitudes of 126 black 18-29 year olds were measured via survey. Results from the survey show that there is a significant relationship between social media use and political activism. In Phase Two, ten high-scoring participants from Phase One were interviewed and analyzed using thematic coding. Examination of the influence of social media on black millennials can inform strategy used for the advancement of black communities and black activism through widespread, effective communication and an advocacy platform accessible by all. INDEX WORDS: social media, activism, black millennials, social movement, African-American, black social media, political activism AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BLACK MILLENNIAL SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM
The relation of shoulder pain and range-of-motion problems to functional limitations, disability, and perceived health of men with spinal cord injury: a multifaceted longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES To determine if shoulder pain and range-of-motion (ROM) problems can be predicted by demographic, injury-related, body weight, and radiographic data over 3 years and to determine the relationships among these shoulder problems and functional limitations, disability, and perceived health. DESIGN A longitudinal, 2-panel study in which data were collected at 2 points in time, 3 years apart. SETTING The community. PARTICIPANTS Eighty-nine adult men with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in the Houston-Galveston, TX, area. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The acromioclavicular (AC) and the glenohumeral (GH) joints were x-rayed on plain film in standard anteroposterior position. Functional limitations were determined with the FIM instrument; disability was measured with the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART). RESULTS Thirty percent had shoulder pain and 22% had shoulder ROM problems. Men with shoulder pain had lived longer with SCI, were more likely to report shoulder ROM problems, had lower CHART mobility scores, and were more likely to rate their health as fair than those without shoulder pain. Shoulder ROM problems were more common among men who were older, had AC joint narrowing, had lower FIM scores, and reported poorer health. CONCLUSION Shoulder pain and ROM problems were relatively prevalent. Demographic, injury-related, and radiographic variables were identified that were predictive of these problems over a period of at least 3 years. The shoulder problems were related to functional limitations, disability, and perceived health.
Regional and Ontogenic Expression of the NMDA Receptor Subunit NR2D Protein in Rat Brain Using a Subunit‐Specific Antibody

Abstract: A polyclonal antibody for the NMDA receptor subunit NR2D has been developed that identifies an ∼160‐kDa band on immunoblots from NR2D transfected cells and CNS tissues. No cross‐reactivity is seen with other NMDA receptor subunits. The NR2D receptor subunit is N‐glycosylated in both brain and transfected cells. Transfected cells expressing NR2D are immunofluorescently labeled, whereas untransfected cells or cells transfected with other NMDA receptor subunit cDNAs are not. Similarly, the NR2D subunit is selectively and quantitatively immunoprecipitated, whereas the NR1, NR2A, or NR2B subunit is not. The relative densities of the NR2D subunit in nine areas of postnatal day 7 and adult rat brains have been determined by quantitative immunoblotting. NR2D was expressed at highest levels in the thalamus, midbrain, medulla, and spinal cord, whereas intermediate levels of this subunit were found in the cortex and hippocampus. Low or undetectable levels were seen in the olfactory bulb, striatum, and cerebellum. Following a peak after the first week of birth, NR2D protein levels decreased by about twofold in adulthood in all rat brain regions examined. More complete ontogenic profiles were determined for the diencephalon, telencephalon, and spinal cord where similar ontogenic patterns were seen. NR2D protein is present at high levels at embryonic stages of development, rises to a peak at postnatal day 7, and decreases but remains measurable during late postnatal life. This study demonstrates the generation and characterization of an antibody selective for the NR2D NMDA receptor subunit as well as a determination of the distribution and ontogenic profile of this subunit in rat brain. The results suggest that native NMDA receptors containing the NR2D subunit may have functional roles not only in the young brain but also in adult brain.
Religiosity and household income in Sekhukhune

ABSTRACT Literature analysing the interrelation of religion and economic performance suggests religion to explain differences in household income. Religious communities foster economically conducive attitudes and are important sources of social capital, particularly under weak economic structures. This paper targets at investigating effects of religiosity on rural household income using survey data from Greater Sekhukhune in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Using insights from religious studies within a conceptual framework of rural household decision-making, the authors estimate an income equation that includes measures for religious affiliation. While church membership per se does not reveal a significant effect on household income, the results show a positive and robust relationship for membership in the Zion Christian Church and the practice of African traditional religion.
ICT, Financial Access and Gender Inclusion in the Formal Economic Sector: Evidence From Africa

The study investigates the relevance of information and communication technology (ICT) in modulating the effect of financial access on female economic participation. Female economic participation is proxied by female labor force participation, financial access is measured with deposit and credit channels while ICT is proxied by mobile phone penetration, internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions. The focus of the study is on 48 African countries for the period 2004-2014 and the empirical evidence is based on Generalized Method of Moments. Policy thresholds are established at which, ICT modulates financial access to induce favourable effects on female economic participation. These policy thresholds are: (i) 160 mobile phone penetration (per 100 people) for the deposit channel and (ii) 2.166 and 0.75 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people for respectively, the deposit mechanism and credit channel. Overall the study supports the importance of ICT in moderating financial access for enhanced female economic participation.
Exenatide therapy in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with insulin.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of exenatide on clinical parameters in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus whose hyperglycemia is not adequately controlled despite treatment with oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin. METHODS In this retrospective analysis, clinical progress of 52 obese patients with type 2 diabetes treated with exenatide, 5 mcg twice daily, in an outpatient setting was reviewed. Treatment initiation was between September and December 2005. Mean follow-up period was 26 weeks. Thirty-eight patients took exenatide regularly (Group A); 14 patients discontinued exenatide because of insurance, personal, or economic reasons (Group B). Measurements at baseline and at follow-up included body weight; blood pressure; and levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), and plasma lipids. Insulin dosage requirements were assessed. RESULTS Mean body weight (+/- standard error of the mean) decreased by 6.46 +/- 0.8 kg (P<.001) in Group A and increased by 2.4 +/- 0.6 kg in Group B (P<001). In Group A, mean HbA1c decreased by 0.6 +/- 0.21% (P = .007), and the insulin dosage requirement decreased for rapid-acting and mixed insulins (P<.02). In Group A, means of the following parameters decreased: serum total cholesterol by 8.5 +/- 3.3% (P = .03), triglycerides by 26 +/- 7.6% (P = .01), systolic blood pressure by 9.2 +/- 3.3 mm Hg (P = .02), and high-sensitivity CRP by 34 +/- 14.3% (P = .05). These indices did not change in Group B. CONCLUSION Exenatide effectively treats obese patients with type 2 diabetes on insulin, leading to weight loss and reduction in levels of HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and high-sensitivity CRP.