Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Liver Glycogen Reduces Food Intake and Attenuates Obesity in a High-Fat Diet–Fed Mouse Model

We generated mice that overexpress protein targeting to glycogen (PTG) in the liver (PTGOE), which results in an increase in liver glycogen. When fed a high-fat diet (HFD), these animals reduced their food intake. The resulting effect was a lower body weight, decreased fat mass, and reduced leptin levels. Furthermore, PTG overexpression reversed the glucose intolerance and hyperinsulinemia caused by the HFD and protected against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. Of note, when fed an HFD, PTGOE mice did not show the decrease in hepatic ATP content observed in control animals and had lower expression of neuropeptide Y and higher expression of proopiomelanocortin in the hypothalamus. Additionally, after an overnight fast, PTGOE animals presented high liver glycogen content, lower liver triacylglycerol content, and lower serum concentrations of fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate than control mice, regardless of whether they were fed an HFD or a standard diet. In conclusion, liver glycogen accumulation caused a reduced food intake, protected against the deleterious effects of an HFD, and diminished the metabolic impact of fasting. Therefore, we propose that hepatic glycogen content be considered a potential target for the pharmacological manipulation of diabetes and obesity.
Management of acute infectious diarrhea for children living in resource-limited settings

Acute infectious gastroenteritis continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children below 5 years of age, with the majority of deaths concentrated in 35 ‘low income’ countries. In these countries the under five years of age mortality rates reach 100 per 1000 live births, of which a significant proportion are associated with acute diarrhea. Rotavirus, cryptosporidium, Shigella spp and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli are the main pathogens causing disease in these settings, although other bacteria and parasites can cause moderate to severe disease in different regions and situations. Treatment of children in these setting should be focused on appropriate rehydration, early hospitalization of severely malnourished children, zinc supplementation, and in specific situations, antimicrobials should be considered. The rationale for antimicrobial use should be based on the potential benefits based on published literature and the opportunity for use. This review provides a pathogen-specific update on the potential benefits of antimicrobials and suggests an empirical management approach for children suffering an acute watery or bloody diarrhea in a resource-limited region.
Role of the Thymus in Generation of Lymphocyte Functions

The thymuses of 14‐day‐old CBA mouse embryos cultured for 14 days in organ Cultures supplemented with mouse serum contained lymphocytes that were highly reactive to the mitogens concanavalin A (Con A) and leukoagglutinin (LA) and to irradiated allogeneic spleen cells in vitro. In contrast, thymocytes derived from fetal‐calf‐serum‐supplemented organ cultures displayed much weaker responses to the two mitogens and little or no responses to the allogeneic spleen cells. Control thymocytes obtained from 1‐month‐old CBA mice responded well to Con A but not to LA. The responses of these cells to allogeneic spleen cells wire delayed compared with the organ‐culture‐derived cells, which responded promptly, with a maximum already on culture day 2–3. The results demonstrate that the organ culture system provides a convenient model for further study of the generation of immunoreactive cells in the mouse thymus.
Anogenital distance is associated with serum reproductive hormones, but not with semen quality in young men.

STUDY QUESTION Is anogenital distance associated with semen parameters and serum reproductive hormone levels in males? SUMMARY ANSWER Anogenital distance is associated with serum reproductive hormones, but not with semen quality. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Epidemiological studies have suggested that anogenital distance (AGD) may be associated with testicular dysfunction in adult men. However, the role of AGD in estimating male reproductive function remains unclear. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We examined the associations between AGD and semen parameters and reproductive hormones levels in 656 young college students in a Male Reproductive Health in Chongqing College Students (MARHCSs) cohort study in June of 2014. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS In this study, two variants of AGD (AGDAP and AGDAS) were measured in 656 university students. Serum levels of testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and inhibin-B; and semen quality outcomes, including semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm number, sperm progressive motility, total motility and morphology, were assessed. The associations between AGD and semen parameters/reproductive hormones levels were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Both AGDAS and AGDAP were not associated with any semen parameters. In the non-parametric correlation analysis, AGDAP were correlated with sperm progressive motility and reproductive hormones of E2, testosterone, SHBG and the testosterone/LH ratio. However, body mass index (BMI) also significantly correlated with serum testosterone ( ITALIC! r = -0.216, ITALIC! P = <0.0001) and SHBG ( ITALIC! r = -0.229, ITALIC! P = <0.001). In the multiple regression models, AGDAP was negatively associated with the serum E2 level (95% CI, -0.198 to -0.043; ITALIC! P = 0.002) and positively associated with the ratio of T/E2 (95% CI, 0.004-0.011; ITALIC! P = 0.001) after an adjustment for BMI and other confounders. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Using only a single semen sample to predict male reproductive function over a longer period is a potential limitation of the present study. The other limitation is the cross-sectional nature of the study design. Longitudinal data from an extended follow-up on a large cohort would be more definitive. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our results do not support previous studies where AGD is associated with male semen quality. The utility of AGD in predicting reproductive outcomes in adult males should thus be considered prudently. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS This study was supported by the Key Program of Natural Science Funding of China (no. 81130051), Young Scientist Program of NSFC (no. 81502788) and the National Scientific and Technological Support Program of China (no. 2013BAI12B02). None of authors had any competing interests to declare.
The cutting (w)edge--comparative evaluation of renal baseline biopsies obtained by two different methods.

BACKGROUND The assessment of donor-derived damage of transplanted kidneys might be instrumental for estimating donor organ quality and for predicting short- and long-term organ outcome. In the present study, we report a new standardized method for obtaining pre-transplant kidney biopsy specimens. Instead of taking wedge biopsies (WBs), a skin punch biopsy (PB) tool was utilized to obtain standardized biopsy samples that also represented deeper cortical zones. METHODS We compared 147 PB specimens and 114 WBs with respect to the number of glomeruli and arterial vessels they contained. The performance of the two biopsy methods in detecting glomerular damage, interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IF/TA) and arteriosclerosis was determined by evaluation of subsequent transplant core biopsies of the patients. Statistical comparison employed Kruskal-Wallis and kappa (κ) tests. RESULTS Significantly more PB samples (89%) than WBs (66%) were diagnostically adequate according to the Banff criteria. Despite a higher number of glomeruli in WBs (34.6 versus 21.7 in punch biopsies), arteries were present in only 68% of WBs but could be found in 93% of punch biopsies. The comparison of findings in pre-transplant biopsies with lesions in corresponding post-transplant core biopsies revealed a superior diagnostic concordance for IF/TA and arteriosclerosis for punch biopsies than for WBs, reaching kappa values of 0.823 versus 0.729 and 0.661 versus 0.516, respectively. CONCLUSION The use of skin PB tools for obtaining baseline biopsies from transplanted kidneys is a safe and effective method for assessment of donor-derived damage of the organ.
A new Web assessment index: Spanish universities analysis

Despite the rapid growth of the World Wide Web in the last several years few studies have appeared in the literature assessing Web sites’ efficacy. This paper provides an original Web Assessment Index, focused on four categories: accessibility, speed, navigability and content. The scoring mechanism is explained and the index is applied to assess the Web sites of all Spanish universities. Finally, conclusions and implications derived from this study are presented.
Is financial statement information about future earnings changes impounded in returns

The thesis provides empirical evidence on the predictive ability and information content of UK financial statement report numbers. Specifically, I investigate the Ou and Penman (1989a) finding for the US that financial statement numbers convey information about the sign of the one year ahead earnings change, and that this is not reflected in current stock returns. The main motivation, however, of the thesis is the suggestion by Greig (1992) that the Ou and Penman results are driven by variations in accounting ratios across industries. In addition, it is further examined whether the Ou and Penman results are valid only for negative and/or positive values of the earnings changes and whether the Ou and Penman lagged impounding is confined to large and/or companies. The thesis complements the existing U. K. literature by offering this predictive perspective on, and interpretation of, the incremental information content of financial statement accounting numbers. The main results of the thesis provide evidence for a "predictive information link" between some annual report numbers and future earnings changes. However, these annual report numbers capture the temporary and not permanent changes in current earnings, thus for the market to look for the incremental information about future earning changes in accounting numbers is not worthy in terms of money and costs. Only, in the stores industry, the %A in current ratio indeed captures permanent changes in current earnings. The thesis also provides evidence for a "lagged impounding" phenomenon for some of the numbers as well as a "size effect". The incremental information of these accounting numbers is not impounded in current returns. The financial statement information of large companies is earlier reflected in current returns than the information of small companies. The predictive information link is established by fitting binary one-year ahead earnings change prediction models as well as regression models to annual report data for the period 1980-88. The lagged impounding phenomenon and size effect are established by running multivariate regression earnings information models over the period 1980-88.
Enhancing the fraud detection skills of audit students using problem-based learning

2 Declaration 4 Acknowledgements 5 List of Figures 11 List of Tables 12 1.1 Fraud Detection 13 1.1.1 The case for educated, more fraud-aware auditors 14 1.1.2 Professional scepticism 16 1.1.3 Ambiguity tolerance 17 1.1.4 Themes and recognisable patterns of fraud 18 1.1.5 The fraud continuum 19 1.1.6 Transferable knowledge and skills 20 1.1. 7 Complex cognitive skills acquisition 20 1.2 Theoretical Framework 22 1.3 Purpose and Aims of the Study 22 1.4 Context of the Research 23 1.5 Research Motivation and Significance 24 1.6 Description of Method 25 2.1 The Complexities of Fraud Detection 27 2.1.1 The red flags of fraud 29 2.1.2 The role of judgement in fraud detection 30 2.1.3 The role of profiling in fraud detection 31 2.1.4 The importance of reasoning in fraud detection 32 2.1.5 The role of concealment in fraud detection 33 2.1.6 A cognitive approach to auditor fraud detection 33 2.1. 7 Knowledge acquisition in complex auditing tasks 37 2.2 The Constructivist Theoretical Framework 38 2.2.1 Constructivism 39 2.2.2 Constructivist theory and collaboration 41 2.2. 3 The adaptive nature of knowledge 41 2.2. 4 Pre-existing knowledge and prior experience 42
Injection Therapy for Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: An Updated Cochrane Review

Study Design. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Objective. To determine if injection therapy is more effective than placebo or other treatments for patients with subacute or chronic low back pain. Summary of Background Data. The effectiveness of injection therapy for low back pain is still debatable. Heterogeneity of target tissue, pharmacological agent, and dosage, generally found in RCTs, point to the need for clinically valid comparisons in a literature synthesis. Methods. We updated the search of the earlier systematic review and searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases up to March 2007 for relevant trials reported in English, French, German, Dutch, and Nordic languages. We also screened references from trials identified. RCTs on the effects of injection therapy involving epidural, facet, or local sites for subacute or chronic low back pain were included. Studies that compared the effects of intradiscal injections, prolotherapy, or ozone therapy with other treatments were excluded unless injection therapy with another pharmaceutical agent (no placebo treatment) was part of one of the treatment arms. Studies about injections in sacroiliac joints and studies evaluating the effects of epidural steroids for radicular pain were also excluded. Results. Eighteen trials (1179 participants) were included in this review. The injection sites varied from epidural sites and facet joints (i.e. intra-articular injections, peri-articular injections and nerve blocks) to local sites (i.e. tender-and trigger points). The drugs that were studied consisted of corticosteroids, local anesthetics, and a variety of other drugs. The methodologic quality of the trials was limited with 10 of 18 trials rated as having a high methodologic quality. Statistical pooling was not possible because of clinical heterogeneity in the trials. Overall, the results indicated that there is no strong evidence for or against the use of any type of injection therapy. Conclusion. There is insufficient evidence to support the use of injection therapy in subacute and chronic lowback pain. However, it cannot be ruled out that specific subgroups of patients may respond to a specific type of injection therapy.
Program CSR Berbasis Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Menuju Kemandirian Ekonomi Pasca Tambang di Desa Sarĳaya

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is the company’s commitment to contribute to sustainable economic development by taking into account the social aspects and the environment. PT Pertamina EP as one of the major industrial companies operating internationally and has a fundamental problem in the implementation of their CSR, namely how the planning and implementation of the CSR program, as well as through any indicator PT Pertamina EP is able to apply a good CSR refers to the MDGs documents, regulations regulations and ISO 26000. this study aimed to measure the eﬃ ciency of the implementation as well as the response and participation in the implementation of CSR programs conducted.
Examination of the Effectiveness and Long-Term Impact of Safety Incentive Programs in Construction

Incentives are used a great deal in construction safety programs; however, a great deal of uncertainty exists regarding their effectiveness of improving safety on a jobsite. Most research on safety incentives involves case studies and theoretical analysis of their advantages and disadvantages, while little has been done on examining their effectiveness over a large population of construction firms. Using primary survey data from construction firms and craft workers, this paper examines the impact of incentives on the safety performance of this population. This paper also examines the differences in the perception of their effectiveness between managers and craft workers. The study finds that incentives are effective at improving many of the safety performance metrics of construction. Moreover, the paper examines how key safety performance indicators change over time in the presence of safety incentive programs in the US construction industry. The key finding of this paper is that the effectiveness of safety incentive programs change with time. Over time, safety incentive programs become less effective as suspected by earlier experts and managers. However, craft workers have a more favorable impression regarding the effectiveness of safety incentive programs than those individuals who are in charge of the program.
Toxic Effects of Sulphite in Combination with Peroxynitrite on Neuronal Cells

Abstract: Sulphite is widely used as a preservative and antioxidant in foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. Endogenous sulphite is generated during the normal metabolism of sulphur‐containing amino acids, and alterations in sulphur amino acid metabolism occur in some neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, sulphite oxidase deficiency produces severe mental retardation, seizures, spastic quadriparesis, dislocated lenses, and early death. Exposure of a neuronal cell line (rat mesencephalic cells) to high levels of sulphite induced a time‐dependent decrease in viability. Peroxynitrite was also toxic to this cell line, and sulphite affected the toxicity of ONOO−. Sulphite concentrations of ≤0.5 mM markedly potentiated cell damage induced by 200 µM ONOO−. We propose that sulphite can act as a neurotoxic agent, especially in combination with peroxynitrite. Sulphite radicals may be involved in the neurotoxic effect.
Essays on contract manufacturing

In recent decades, contract manufacturing has been increasingly adopted in industries such as telecommunication and personal computer industry. By outsourcing the production to the contract manufacturers (CMs), the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can better focus on their core competencies such as product design and marketing and at the same time enjoy the benefits of reduced labor costs, freed-up capital, and improved worker productivity (Arruñda and Vázquez 2006). This dissertation consists of three parts, each investigating a decision-making issue on contract manufacturing: (1) The outsourcing structure selection, (2) the price negotiation, quantity commitment and capacity installing, (3) the choice over quantity leadership/followship when the CM becomes a downstream competitor of
The effectiveness of cinema advertising in Hong Kong

Cinema advertising offers a relatively less cluttered environment for advertisers to present their message to a captive audience. However, little is known about its effectiveness in countries such as Hong Kong (a city that is relatively underdeveloped in terms of cinema adspend). Building on the work of Ewing et al. (2001) and Dunnett and Hoek (1996), insights into perceptions of cinema advertising in Hong Kong were obtained from a survey of 150 interviewees. As opposed to previous studies, which utilised delayed recall, this study interviewed audience members immediately after they had viewed a particular movie. Results showed that cinema advertising exposure and recall rates were significantly related to various demographic variables, especially gender and age. Furthermore, the level of recall was found to be correlated with various situational stimuli in the cinema, such as the larger-than-life screen, Dolby stereo sound, the silent environment, comfortable seats and audience members’ expectations to focus on the screen. Based on these findings, recommendations for cinema managers and advertisers are made.
Dissociation between nonpropositional and propositional speech: A single case study

In the aphasic literature, it is not rare to find patients with a clear dissociation between preserved automatic speech in the context of very severe compromised linguistic abilities. We present the case of a patient, who, although almost recovered from her aphasia, showed a selective inability to produce any kind of overlearned sequences. Her cognitive profile was intact except for her short-term memory span. Results are discussed in terms of a possible relation between an impairment in phonological processes, mediated by the short-term memory store, and automatic speech production.
The results of the study concerning the identification of the activities realized in the management of the technical infrastructure in large enterprises

The technical condition of the technical infrastructure owned influences substantially the quality level of the product and the final competitiveness of the enterprise. This issue is particularly important in large enterprises where the sudden production interruptions caused by unexpected failures incur huge financial losses of the enterprises [21, 25]. The failures may cause sudden changes of the processing parameters, and, in consequence, in the production of the parts that don’t meet the quality requirements, what increases the production costs. Additionally, it may generate costs connected with the failure to meet the deadlines of the contracts concluded. There are also obviously repair costs. That is why an important task of the managers of these enterprises is forming a proper level of exploitation efficiency of the technical infrastructure owned through the realization of the proper activities. The research done so far is limited to the identification or indication of the machine supervision strategies [28, 33]. The way of their matching and incorporating into an organization’s strategies was analysed [3, 24]. The research related to the identification and assessment of policy used by the enterprises on the technical infrastructure supervision was carried out [31, 34], and in the paper [30] the examples of the development of the strategies used were presented. Whereas, in the paper [4] the authors point to the necessity of the personnel participation in the maintenance program. In another, paper [22] the framework for using the modern strategy of RBM (risk-based maintenance) is presented. The suggestions of the application of new approaches into the technical infrastructure supervision [5], as well as models of decision processes support in using particular strategies [1, 10] also appear. Different models of the optimization of activities related to the machine maintenance [23] and also indicators for the machine supervision assessment [16] were demonstrated, or the ones used in practice were identified by means of a questionnaire [18]. In the paper [26] a literature review for the indicators used in the machine efficiency assessment in the industrial sector was presented. However, it is difficult to find any study indicating what activities are realized by enterprises in reality. E.g. in the paper [12] the results of the study ran in the Czech agro-industrial enterprises were shown, but the emphasis was put on the IT systems used. Likewise, in the AnTosz K, sTAdnicKA d. The results of the study concerning the identification of the activities realized in the management of the technical infrastructure in large enterprises. Eksploatacja i niezawodnosc – Maintenance and Reliability 2014; 16 (1): 112–119.