Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Why do we report suicides and how can we facilitate suicide prevention efforts? Perspectives of Hong Kong media professionals.

BACKGROUND The Hong Kong news media report suicide-related events more frequently and sensationally than Western countries. Little is known about Hong Kong media professionals' experiences and thoughts about such reporting. AIMS To understand Hong Kong media professionals' experiences and perceptions of suicide reporting and whether the news media can be better engaged into suicide prevention. METHOD We conducted three focus groups of journalists from both the Cantonese and English language news media. Data were analyzed using grounded theory methods. RESULTS We discerned three rationales from participants regarding their intense coverage of suicide-related events: (1) satisfying commercial competitiveness, (2) addressing social problems, and (3) responding to readers' interests. The first rationale was a dominant and vigorous motivating factor, and often influenced suicide reporting among local Cantonese media. Media professionals recommended engagement strategies targeted at frontline journalists, media managers, and general media consumers. CONCLUSION We see potential to involve news media professionals in Hong Kong as working partners in suicide prevention. To succeed, this effort requires engagement in a proactive, consistent, and sustained fashion.
Early Puberty-Menarche After Precocious Pubarche: Relation to Prenatal Growth

OBJECTIVE. Girls with precocious pubarche (PP; pubic hair at <8 years of age) as a result of an early or amplified adrenarche (high dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate [DHEAS]) tend to be hyperinsulinemic, in particular when born with low birth weight (LBW). The objective of this study was to assess the interrelationship among prenatal growth, PP, the timing of puberty-menarche, and adult stature. METHODS. We studied 187 PP girls longitudinally: (1) at birth, (2) in prepuberty, (3) at onset of puberty, (4) at menarche, and (5) on reaching adult stature. This PP cohort was divided into subgroups of higher birth weight (>0 SD), intermediate birth weight (0 to −2 SD), and lower birth weight (less than −2 SD). RESULTS. At the time of PP diagnosis, age, bone age, and BMI were similar across birth weight subgroups; circulating sex hormone–binding globulin and body height were reduced in PP girls with lower birth weight, and these remained so throughout pubertal development. Onset of puberty occurred earlier in PP girls with lower birth weight; so did menarche. Adult height differed by an average of 6.5 cm (∼1 SD) between the upper and lower birth weight subgroups; this difference was essentially achieved before puberty and even before PP. Menarche before age 12.0 years was twofold more prevalent in PP girls than in control subjects. Among PP girls, age at menarche was advanced by 8 to 10 months in lower versus higher birth weight girls. Menarche before age 12.0 years was threefold more prevalent among LBW-PP girls than in control subjects (∼75% vs ∼25%). CONCLUSIONS. The link between prenatal growth restraint and early menarche is herewith extended to PP girls. In particular LBW-PP girls may become a target group for interventions directed toward normalization of pubertal onset and progression.
Economic determinants of the relation between earnings changes and stock returns

SYNOPSIS AND INTRODUCTION: In competitive product markets, product prices and thus firms' revenues incorporate the cost of equity capital. In a competitive capital market, the cost of equity capital (the expected return on equity) increases with the risk of firms' investments. Because accounting earnings are calculated without deducting the cost of equity capital, they are expected to be an increasing function of firms' investment risks. This simple competitive equilibrium analysis predicts a positive relation between changes in investment risk and expected earnings. The presence of corporate debt complicates the analysis because leverage effects seem likely to affect the relation between changes in investment risk and expected earnings. Using annual earnings and return data from 1950 to 1988, we document a statistically significant positive association between changes in equities' relative risks and in earnings. However, on average, only a small proportion of changes in earnings can be attributed to changes in risk. A much larger proportion is attributable to changes in economic rents (windfall gains and losses). The observed positive association between changes in earnings and changes in equities' risks suggests that leverage effects do not fully offset the effect of changes in investment risks. This
An Evaluation of the BKB-SIN, HINT, QuickSIN, and WIN Materials on Listeners With Normal Hearing and Listeners With Hearing Loss.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine in listeners with normal hearing and listeners with sensorineural hearing loss the within- and between-group differences obtained with 4 commonly available speech-in-noise protocols. METHOD Recognition performances by 24 listeners with normal hearing and 72 listeners with sensorineural hearing loss were compared for 4 speech-in-noise protocols that varied with respect to the amount of contextual cues conveyed in the target signal. The protocols studied included the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise Test (BKB-SIN; Etymōtic Research, 2005; J. Bench, A. Kowal, & J. Bamford, 1979; P. Niquette et al., 2003), the Quick Speech-in-Noise Test (QuickSIN; M. C. Killion, P. A. Niquette, G. I. Gudmundsen, L. J. Revit, & S. Banerjee, 2004), and the Words-in-Noise test (WIN; R. H. Wilson, 2003; R. H. Wilson & C. A. Burks, 2005), each of which used multitalker babble and a modified method of constants, as well as the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT; M. Nilsson, S. Soli, & J. Sullivan, 1994), which used speech-spectrum noise and an adaptive psychophysical procedure. RESULTS The 50% points for the listeners with normal hearing were in the 1- to 4-dB signal-to-babble ratio (S/B) range and for the listeners with hearing loss in the 5- to 14-dB S/B range. Separation between groups was least with the BKB-SIN and HINT (4-6 dB) and most with the QuickSIN and WIN (8-10 dB). CONCLUSION The QuickSIN and WIN materials are more sensitive measures of recognition performance in background noise than are the BKB-SIN and HINT materials.
Improving customer relationship management through database/Internet marketing

Firms have only just begun to use the Internet to obtain customer information in their database marketing processes to enhance customer relationship management. This research uses an action research approach to develop a new framework about how they can do this. The action research project was carried out in a large Australian database company because no other sources of empirical information about the topic were available and it could provide rich findings about an under‐researched, practical area. Results showed that integration of the Internet and database marketing enhances the effectiveness of customer relationship management practices. For example, the Internet offers benefits such as increased consumer data collection accuracy and speed, cost savings, greater interaction and better relationships with customers. This research also identifies that organizational culture, top management support and collaboration between marketing and IT teams need to be in place to provide a supportive environment that is critical for the success of the integration.
Women in Top Management and Job Self Selection

Using a large sample of publicly traded firms from 1994-2002, we study the type of firms that female executives prefer to work in. We find that (1) female executives predominantly work in high risk firms and in high risk industries, (2) female CEOs have higher dismissal probability and female non-CEO executives (CFO, COO and President), in general, have lower tenure at office, and (3) there is significant self selection for female to work in high risk segments despite higher dismissal rates or lower tenure at job. Consistent with Bertrand and Hallock (2001), we find that, on average, female executives are paid lower than men, a result that is mainly driven by female in safer work segments. On the other hand, female executives in risky segments have comparable pay to their male counterparts. Using a size and industry male executive benchmark for each female executive, we also show that pay differential diminishes with the increase in job risk.
Oxidative stress in newborns by different modes of delivery.

OBJECTIVES The aim of our study is to investigate the impact of the type of delivery - vaginal vs. cesarean section on oxidative damage determined as the lipid peroxidation (15-F2t-isoprostane (15-F2t-IsoP) in the cord blood of newborns and venous blood from mothers in two localities with different levels of air pollution: Ceske Budejovice (CB), a locality with a clean air, and Karvina, a locality with high air pollution. RESUTLS In Karvina, the concentration of PM2.5 was higher than in CB in the summer 2013 (mean±SD: 20.41±6.28 vs. 9.45±3.62 µg/m3, p<0.001) and in the winter 2014 (mean±SD: 53.67±19.76 vs. 27.96±12.34 µg/m3, p<0.001). Similarly, the concentration of B[a]P was higher in Karvina than in CB in the summer 2013 (mean±SD: 1.16±0.91 vs. 0.16±0.26 ng/m3, p<0.001) and in the winter 2014 (5.36±3.64 vs. 1.45±1.19 ng/m3, p<0.001). Delivery procedures differed by the type of anesthesia; at the Cesarean section in CB was used general anesthesia in 73.8% vs. 20.8% in Karvina (p<0.001), epidural anesthesia in CB in 26.2% vs. 77.1% in Karvina (p<0.001), at vaginal delivery was local anesthesia used in CB in 58.9% vs. 14.1% in Karvina (p<0.001). In CB was oxidative stress higher after vaginal delivery (101.7±31.0 pg 15-F2t-isoP/ml plasma) vs. Cesarean section (83.9±26.9 pg 15-F2t-isoP/ml plasma, p<0.001), no difference between the type of delivery was observed in Karvina. CONCLUSION No difference between the types of delivery was observed in mothers in CB as well as in Karvina. Oxidative stress in newborns in Karvina was significantly affected by the concentrations of PM2.5 and B[a]P in the polluted air.
Plasticity of language networks in patients with brain tumors: A positron emission tomography activation study

We investigated plasticity of language networks exposed to slowly evolving brain damage. Single subject O‐15‐water language activation positron emission tomography studies were analyzed in 61 right‐handed patients with brain tumors of the left hemisphere, and 12 normal controls. In controls, activations were found in left Brodmann's Area (BA)44 and BA45, superior posterior temporal gyrus bilaterally, and right cerebellum. Patients additionally activated left BA46, BA47, anterior insula, and left cerebellum. Superior temporal activation was less frequent, and activations in areas other than posterior temporal gyrus were found bilaterally. Frontolateral activations within the nondominant hemisphere were only seen in patients (63%) with frontal or posterior temporal lesions. Laterality indices of frontolateral cortex showed reversed language dominance in 18% of patients. Laterality indices of the cerebellum were negatively correlated with language performance. Two compensatory mechanisms in patients with slowly evolving brain lesions are described: An intrahemispheric mechanism with recruitment of left frontolateral regions other than classic language areas; and an interhemispheric compensatory mechanism with frontolateral activation in the nondominant hemisphere. The latter one was only found in patients with frontal or posterior temporal lesions, thus supporting the hypothesis that right frontolateral activations are a disinhibition phenomenon.
Afferent‐specific modulation of short‐term synaptic plasticity by neurotrophins in dentate gyrus

Neurotrophins modulate synaptic transmission and plasticity in the adult brain. We here show a novel feature of this synaptic modulation, i.e. that two populations of excitatory synaptic connections to granule cells in the dentate gyrus, lateral perforant path (LPP) and medial perforant path (MPP), are differentially influenced by the neurotrophins BDNF and NT‐3. Using field recordings and whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings in hippocampal slices, we found that paired‐pulse (PP) depression at MPP–granule cell synapses was impaired in BDNF knock‐out (+/–) mice, but PP facilitation at LPP synapses to the same cells was not impaired. In accordance, scavenging of endogenous BDNF with TrkB–IgG fusion protein also impaired PP depression at MPP–granule cell synapses, but not PP facilitation at LPP–granule cell synapses. Conversely, in NT‐3+/– mice, PP facilitation was impaired at LPP–granule cell synapses whilst PP depression at MPP–granule cell synapses was unaffected. These deficits could be reversed by application of exogenous neurotrophins in an afferent‐specific manner. Our data suggest that BDNF and NT‐3 differentially regulate the synaptic impact of different afferent inputs onto single target neurons in the CNS.
Does the junior IAAF athletic world championship represent a springboard for the success in the throwing events? A retrospective study.

AIM The aim of the present study was to analyze how many finalists of the IAAF World Junior Championships (WJC) in the throwing events were present in the senior IAAF ranking at the end of 2012. METHODS The results of the 8 male and the 8 female finalists of all throwing events of the last 5 editions of the WJC from the 2002 edition were gathered. We analyzed how many athletes were missing from the IAAF ranking in 2012. For those athletes that did not drop out we monitored their progression in performance comparing their WJC and their 2012 performance. Moreover, we evaluated if the relative age effects (RAE) influenced drop out rate. RESULTS Drop out rate was 58% in 2002, 59% in 2004, 39% in 2006, and 28% in 2008 and in 2010. The female javelin throwers showed the highest drop out rate (100%) in 2002, while the female hammer throwers showed the lowest drop out rate (0%) in 2008. Performance decreased for all male shot putters, discus and hammer throwers (P<0.001). For females and for male javelin throwers, performance increased (P<0.001). RAEs showed no significant influence on drop out rate CONCLUSION Even if 8 of the finalists won a medal at the Olympic Games or at the World Championships, it is still not clear if participation at the WJC is a prerequisite to success at a senior level, given the elevated drop out rate observed in the present study.
A Comparative Approach towards the Understanding of Adult Neurogenesis

In all vertebrate species examined thus far the production of new neurons in the central nervous system takes place not only during embryogenesis but also in adult life. However, although in mammals this so-called adult neurogenesis appears to be limited to a very few brain regions, in non-mammalian vertebrates new neurons are generated continuously in many regions of the adult central nervous system. This difference makes it particularly interesting to examine adult neurogenesis from a comparative point of view. Such an approach is likely not only to yield new insights into the evolution and function(s) of this phenomenon, but also to facilitate identification of central sites that, although quiescent in vivo, have retained their intrinsic potential to produce new cells during adulthood in mammals.
The face in the crowd revisited: a threat advantage with schematic stimuli.

Schematic threatening, friendly, and neutral faces were used to test the hypothesis that humans preferentially orient their attention toward threat. Using a visual search paradigm, participants searched for discrepant faces in matrices of otherwise identical faces. Across 5 experiments, results consistently showed faster and more accurate detection of threatening than friendly targets. The threat advantage was obvious regardless of whether the conditions favored parallel or serial search (i.e., involved neutral or emotional distractors), and it was valid for inverted faces. Threatening angry faces were more quickly and accurately detected than were other negative faces (sad or "scheming"), which suggests that the threat advantage can be attributed to threat rather than to the negative valence or the uniqueness of the target display.
Optimal Upstream SOE's Managerial Delegation and Downstream Industrial Policy under Successive Duopoly

This paper introduces managerial delegation for a state-owned enterprise (SOE) in a successive duopoly model. There are two home firms, one upstream and one downstream, each competing with a respective foreign firm. All firms are private except the home upstream firm which is an SOE with a managerial incentive contract that contains profit and sales elements. The domestic government maximizes social welfare by choosing the optimal managerial contract for the SOE and the optimal industrial policy for the domestic downstream firm. The paper finds that (1) the optimal incentive contract will never be pure profit maximization; (2) if the SOE has a positive weight on its incentive contract, its equilibrium profit margin will be negative; (3) both domestic firms benefit from a lower SOE's profit-incentive weight; and (4) if the foreign input supplier is sufficiently large, the optimal industrial policy is a tax. The paper also finds that, in the linear case, the SOE's profit margin is always negative, the optimal managerial profit weight is determined by all firms' cost parameters, taxing downstream production is optimal under certain demand and cost conditions, and the foreign upstream firm will choose not to engage in a strategic managerial delegation game.
Family Succession and Firm Performance among Malaysian Companies

Family succession is one of the prevalent topics discussed in family management. However, there is lack of research on the issue of succession in Malaysia despite the f act that about 70% of listed companies in Malaysia are owned by family related business.Thus, this study aims to examine the relationship between family succession attributes and firm performance.This study adopted balanced panel data analysis for 975 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia for the year 2003 to 2007. The findings indicate that some of the family succession attributes do influence firm performance.Family ownership was found to be positively related with firm performance.Families are motivated to work efficiently when more shares were in their hands. Furthermore, the results reveal that successors-managed firms have better firm performance than founder-managed firms. The findings provide evidenced that Malaysian family firms do plan for their success ions.More importantly, it opens up the possibilities for further study of family succession, both in Malaysia and on global basis.
Sources of adverse selection in insurance markets with genetic information

In this thesis we quantify costs of adverse selection in insurance markets where there are multiple sources of adverse selection. We aim to find the relative impact of genetic information as one of these sources. Using new data on the effects of components of a polygenic model of breast cancer, we model adverse selection in a critical illness insurance market. We confirm the results of a previous study, which used a simpler polygene model without details of particular genes, that polygenes pose a greater source of adverse selection risk than the major genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2). In a start-up market for long-term insurance, we model the progression of adverse selection costs over time, where premiums are repriced to adapt to the information the insurer gains about its business mix from its claims experience. In a U.K. setting we find the greatest costs of adverse selection come from a hypothetical intermediate stage of dementia progression which is not visible to an insurer, while testing of the APOE gene poses very little risk. We find the U.K. government’s proposed cap on care liability has very little impact on adverse selection costs, as it benefits a very small proportion of people.
Forensic accountants, auditors and fraud capability and competence requirements in the Nigerian public sector

The foundation of this study is to examine the task performance fraud risk assessment (TPFRA) among forensic accountants and auditors in the Nigerian public sector. Most importantly, the study explored the role of fraud related problem representation (FRPR) as a mediator on the relationship between knowledge, skills and mindset (forensic accountant and auditor) and task performance fraud risk assessment. Importantly, this research employed the second generation statistical analysis tools of PLS-SEM and IBM SPSS. The ten out of fifteen hypotheses were tested through the use of PLS-SEM algorithm and bootstrap techniques on the hypothesized relationships while the remaining five hypotheses of differences among groups were tested using the Mann-Whitney U Test. The results provided verifiable support for the hypothesized relationships of the study. Specifically, knowledge, skills and mindset (forensic accountant and auditor), and fraud related problem representation are significant and positively related to task performance fraud risk assessment. In addition, knowledge, skills and mindset (forensic accountant and auditor) are significantly and positively related to fraud related problem representation. Most gratifying is the significant positive influences of knowledge, skills and mindset and fraud related problem representation indicate that the variables are essential requirements in enhancing task performance fraud risk assessment. The research findings provided support for the differences between groups (forensic accountants and auditors) hypotheses in the area of fraud detection, prevention and response. Importantly, forensic accountants have higher levels of knowledge (KR), skills (SR), mindset (MR), fraud related problem representation (FRPR), and task performance fraud risk assessment (TPFRA) than auditors. Therefore, accountants and auditors in the Nigerian public sector should be encouraged to acquire forensic accounting knowledge, skills, mindset, fraud related problem representation (i.e. capability requirement) to enhance task performance fraud risk assessment (i.e. competences requirement) in the workplace.