Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Obstacles to Entrepreneurship in Albania, Georgia, Morocco, Nigeria, and Pakistan

Entrepreneurship reinforces the economic growth of a country. Therefore, most countries, especially developing ones, are striving to create new policies and implement actions in order to support entrepreneurial processes through the establishment of a business-friendly environment. However, there are still many obstacles facing entrepreneurs in these countries. The aim of this paper is to locate the most common barriers to entrepreneurial processes in Albania, Georgia, Morocco, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Data from officials in 149 companies were collected through questionnaire dissemination from October to December 2015. The company officials have been asked several questions, among which, to rate the obstacles listed, starting from the ones they perceive to be most restrictive for their businesses. Most of the companies examined were small and medium size companies, SMEs. Both a descriptive analysis and a comparative analysis of the data were applied, in order to check the accuracy of the hypothesis established. It was found that state policy towards SMEs and political instability/corruption are the most common obstacles to entrepreneurship in these developing countries. Also, tax policy was also considered as an obstacle to entrepreneurship.
Harmonic Radar Tagging for Tracking Movement of Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

ABSTRACT Harmonic radar tagging was investigated as a method for monitoring the movement of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Because adhesive toxicity and tag weight limit the use of this technology, initial efforts focused on selection of the optimal adhesive and design of harmonic radar tags to reduce impact on the movement of stink bugs. A design consisting of a 6-cm-long 0.10-mm-thick silver-plated copper monopole on the anode terminal of a three-contact Schottky barrier diode attached with Gorilla super glue provided a compromise between unimpaired movement and tracking range, adding an additional 8% to the weight of the stink bug while not significantly (P > 0.05) reducing walking or flying mobility in the laboratory. Recovery of tagged stink bugs in cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L), and fallow fields ranged from 10 to 75% after 24 h, whereas marked stink bugs were recovered at rates of 0–35% by using sweep net or drop cloth sampling. The distance dispersed in the field was not impacted (P > 0.05) by crop, tagged status, or gender of the insect. Future research should examine possible improvements to the harmonic radar transceiver and the wire antenna to decrease encumbrance.
Playing a role - but which one? : how public service motivation and professionalism affect decision-making in dilemma situations

Individuals who work in the public sector see themselves confronted with conflicting values, contradictory demands, and the need to serve an at times difficult to define __public interest__. This book contributes to our understanding of what drives public service professionals__ decision-making in real-life dilemma situations by looking into the combined effect of public service motivation (PSM) and professionalism. Because there are persistent knowledge gaps about the meaning and behavioural consequences of these concepts when it comes to the context of dilemma situations, this book presents new approaches to the study of PSM and professionalism. Another important contribution of this study is related to the discussion about the stability of PSM. Several hypotheses and propositions are put to the test within a mixed-method research design based on data from research on Dutch veterinary inspectors. The results show that in order to clarify the meaning and behavioural consequences of PSM and professionalism in the context of dilemmas it is useful to combine our understanding of these two concepts with insights from identity theory. Mixed findings regarding the relationship between PSM and professionalism highlight our incomplete conceptual understanding of the topics studied, and call for future research that is sensitive to role perceptions.
Significance of Nuclear p-Akt in Endometrial Carcinogenesis: Rapid Translocation of p-Akt Into the Nucleus by Estrogen, Possibly Resulting in Inhibition of Apoptosis

Introduction: Endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma (endometrial cancer) develops through endometrial hyperplasia caused by estrogenic hyperstimulation. Estrogen is known to activate growth factor signaling pathways, resulting in cellular proliferation, but precisely how has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of estrogen and downstream factors such as the MAPK (MEK, ERK) and Akt pathways in endometrial carcinogenesis. Methods: The expression of p-MEK, p-ERK, and p-Akt was analyzed immunohistochemically in normal, hyperplastic, and neoplastic endometria. The estrogenic effect on p-Akt was examined using an endometrial cancer cell line (Ishikawa cells). The estrogenic effect on the apoptosis of Ishikawa cells was assessed by the TUNEL method. Results: Phospho-MEK (p-MEK) and p-ERK expression levels were similar among histological types but correlated with each other. The nuclear p-Akt labeling index (LI) was higher in cancer than in normal endometrium and hyperplasia. The nuclear p-Akt LI of well-differentiated cancer (G1) was higher than that of moderately (G2) or poorly (G3) differentiated cancers. The nuclear expression of p-Akt was correlated with that of estrogen receptor &agr; (ER-&agr;). The nuclear p-Akt level was significantly correlated with prognosis in cases of G1. In Ishikawa cells transfected with ER&agr;, p-Akt was translocated into the nucleus from the cytoplasm in 1 to 3 hours after estrogenic stimulation. Further, apoptosis induced by H2O2 was inhibited by estrogen in the ER-&agr;-positive cells. Conclusions: The translocation of p-Akt into the nucleus by estrogen may be related to the suppression of apoptosis by estrogen and consequently to endometrial carcinogenesis and prognosis in G1 endometrial cancer.
Structural disorder: a tool for housekeeping proteins performing tissue-specific interactions

An interaction between a pair of proteins unique for a particular tissue is denoted as a tissue-specific interaction (TSI). Tissue-specific (TS) proteins always perform TSIs with a limited number of interacting partners. However, it has been claimed that housekeeping (HK) proteins frequently take part in TSIs. This is actually an unusual phenomenon. How a single HK protein mediates TSIs – remains an interesting yet an unsolved question. We have hypothesized that HK proteins have attained a high degree of structural flexibility to modulate TSIs efficiently. We have observed that HK proteins are selected to be intrinsically disordered compared to TS proteins. Therefore, the purposeful adaptation of structural disorder brings out special advantages for HK proteins compared to TS proteins. We have demonstrated that TSIs may play vital roles in shaping the molecular adaptation of disordered regions within HK proteins. We also have noticed that HK proteins, mediating a huge number of TSIs, have a greater portion of their interacting interfaces overlapped with the adjacent disordered segment. Moreover, these HK proteins, mediating TSIs, preferably adapt single domain (SD). We have concluded that HK proteins adapt a high degree of structural flexibility to mediate TSIs. Besides, having a SD along with structural flexibility is more economic than maintaining multiple domains with a rigid structure. This assists them in attaining various structural conformations upon binding to their partners, thereby designing an economically optimum molecular system.
An examination of the determinants of real exchange rate in Namibia

This study examines the determinants of the real exchange rate in Namibia using annual time series for the period 1980 to 2014. The fundamental determinants of the real exchange rate in Namibia are openness, terms of trade, ratio of government expenditure to GDP and the ratio of investment to GDP. Time series properties were tested for stationarity using the Dickey Fuller-GLS test. The variables were found to be nonstationary but became stationary at their first differences. The study employed the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds testing approach to co-integration to test for the existence of the long run relationships among the variables. The ARDL results confirm the presence of a long run relationship among the variables. The empirical investigations show that an increase in openness appreciates the real exchange rate while terms of trade, ratio of government expenditure to GDP and the ratio of investment to GDP depreciate the real exchange rate. However, the ratio of investment to GDP appreciates the real exchange rate in the short run. Openness and terms of trade are the only variables that significantly determine the real exchange rate in the long run while in the short run, the real exchange rate is only determined by terms of trade.
Childhood precursors of schizophrenia: facial expressions of emotion.

OBJECTIVE This study sought to determine whether affective abnormalities could be detected in home movies of children who later developed schizophrenia. METHOD Trained observers coded facial expressions of emotion of 32 schizophrenic patients and 31 of their healthy siblings from home movies made when they were children. All of the patients met the DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia with onset in late adolescence or early adulthood. The sibling comparison subjects had no history of psychiatric illness. Nine emotions and a neutral category were rated. RESULTS Analyses revealed significantly lower proportions of joy expressions among the total expressions of the preschizophrenic female subjects than among the same-sex healthy siblings. This difference extended from infancy through adolescence. Among the male subjects, there were inconsistent differences between diagnostic groups in expressions of joy across age levels. However, both the preschizophrenic male subjects and the preschizophrenic female subjects showed greater negative affect than their same-sex comparison groups. CONCLUSIONS These findings lend support to the assumption that vulnerability to schizophrenia may be subtly manifested in emotional behavior long before the onset of clinical symptoms.
Pediatric Response to Court-Mandated Medicaid Behavioral Screening in Massachusetts

Objective: In 2007 in Massachusetts, a settlement of a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries mandated that primary care practices perform developmental, behavioral, and mental health screening using formal tools. The aim of this study was to assess perspectives from providers and practice staff about implementing developmental and mental health screening in response to the judicial ruling. Methods: In this qualitative study, semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 physicians and staff from 11 pediatric and medicine-pediatric primary care practices in Eastern Massachusetts between April 2009 and November 2010. Using an interview guide, data on barriers and facilitators to implementing developmental and mental health screening, how practices selected tools, and what processes or changes made screening routine were collected. Clinicians were asked how screening changed the quality and/or content of well-child care visits. Interviews were transcribed and coded. Overarching themes were generated using thematic analysis. Results: Participants were motivated to comply with the mandate, and most practices reported implementing routine screening for developmental and mental health problems over several months. Although certain aspects of screening were endorsed, many perceived that screening added little to quality of care, primarily because tools lacked sensitivity and specialty resources were too scarce to address concerns adequately. Practices' receptivity to change and physicians' sense of duty to comply facilitated implementation. No practice developed processes specifically to track and follow-up abnormal results. Conclusions: Implementation of mandated developmental and mental health screening could be facilitated by providing assistance with practice change, improving the quality of screening tools, and assuring adequate referral resources.
Neurobehavioral Functioning of Healthy Preterm Infants of Varying Gestational Ages

&NA; Little information is available regarding the behavioral repertoire of healthy, yet prematurely born, infants. To address this problem, the Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior (APIB) was used 10 to 14 days after birth in a cross‐sectional comparison of 42 healthy newborn infants: 16 full‐term infants (gestational age at birth [GA] = 40 weeks), 13 close to full‐term infants (GA = 37 weeks), and 13 preterm infants (GA = 34 weeks). Groups differed on four background variables that were used as covariates in subsequent analyses. Significant group differences were found on 12 of 29 outcome variables, including measures of autonomic, motor, state, attention/interaction, and self‐regulatory systems, as well as a measure of overall behavioral organization. Pairwise comparison showed that preterm and full‐term infants differed on all 12 variables whereas preterm and close to full‐term infants differed on 11 of the 12 variables. Furthermore, full‐term and close to full‐term infants differed on 4 of the 12 variables, including measures of the autonomic, motor, and state systems. Full‐term and close to full‐term infants were behaviorally more similar to one another than either group was to the preterm infants, yet there were important differences even between full‐term and close to full‐term infants.
Design of a serious game for learning vibrotactile messages

To prevent accidental falls, we have designed an augmented shoe aiming at assisting a user when walking. For this, the risk level (low, medium, high and very high) represented by the current situation is conveyed to the user through vibrotactile messages. In this paper, we describe the design of a serious game dedicated to learning of these signals. The game is centered on a virtual maze, whose parts are associated with the four risk levels. To explore this maze, fitted with a pair of the augmented shoes, the user is invited to walk in a room, completely empty, whose dimensions are mapped to those of the virtual maze. When moving, for each area explored the corresponding signal is delivered to the user through the augmented shoes. An initial experiment confirmed the idea that vibrotactile messages can serve for communicating the level of risk.
The Impact Of Good Corporate Governance To Manufacturing Firm’s Profitability And Firm’s Value

This paper studied the behavior of management toward the implementation of Good Corporate Governance in Indonesia to determine whether it has any influence towards profitability and its implication to th e Manufacturing Firms’ value publicly listed in Indonesian Stock Exchange. There were 41 corporations who met the criteria of the survey. The data were analyzed using Panel Regression with fixed effects Model. The empirical findings show that the implementation of Corporate Governance in Indonesia has a positive, significant and direct impact toward firms’ profitability and firms’ value. Corporate Governance principles based on OECD principles that have positive and significant impact to both profitability and Firms’ Valueis Rights of Shareholders, Role of Stakeholders, Responsibilities of the Board Commissioners and Board of Directors. The principles that have significance and negative impact towards corporate profitability and value, are: Equitable treatment of shareholders and Disclosure and Transparencies. The most significant principle influencing profitability and firms’ value is D isclosure and Transparencies. Profitability plays a greater role in influencing Manufacturing Firms’ value in Indonesia. DOI: 10.15408/sjie.v5i2. 3542
The Effects of Bedrest on Circadian Changes in Hemostasis

Summary Venous stasis occurs when people are at bedrest, because of altered venous flow characteristics. This is commonly believed to be one etiology behind the development of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The hemostatic effects of bedrest and their possible role in DVT development have not been fully examined. We hypothesized that bedrest would lead to increases in hemostatic function and that these increases could be important in the development of DVT. Twelve non-smoking volunteers were studied during supine positioning for 36 hours. Platelet reactivity and plasma concentrations of fibrinogen, a2-antiplasmin, plasminogen, thromboxane (32, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, tissue plasminogen activator and neuroendocrine hormones (cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine) were measured at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Cortisol demonstrated an early morning increase while catecholamines were unchanged throughout. Fibrinogen, a2-antiplasmin, plasminogen and platelet reactivity were no different at any time point. Fibrinolytic proteins changed over time, manifested by decreased PAI-1 antigen and activity levels at 24 h. Based upon the parameters measured, bedrest causes no increase in hemostatic function. In fact, bedrest causes the potential for enhanced fibrinolysis, that differs from that previously reported for normal activity over 24 h. This may represent a protective mechanism to counter the effects of stasis from bedrest.
Influence of the Compression Force and Powder Particle Size on Some Physical Properties of Date Fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) Tablets

Abstract—In recent years, the compression of date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit powders (DP) to obtain date tablets (DT) has been suggested as a promising form of valorization of non commercial valuable date fruit (DF) varieties. To further improve and characterize DT, the present study aims to investigate the influence of the DP particle size and compression force on some physical properties of DT. The results show that independently of particle size, the hardness (y) of tablets increases with the increase of the compression force (x) following a logarithmic law (y = a ln (bx) where a and b are the constants of model). Further, a full factorial design (FFD) at two levels, applied to investigate the erosion %, reveals that the effects of time and particle size are the same in absolute value and they are beyond the effect of the compression. Regarding the disintegration time, the obtained results also by means of a FFD show that the effect of the compression force exceeds 4 times that of the DP particle size. As final stage, the color parameters in the CIELab system of DT immediately after their obtaining are differently influenced by the size of the initial powder.
Meta‐analysis of sentinel node biopsy in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

The need for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in patients with a preoperative diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is debated. Advocates recommend such biopsy based on a high incidence of SLN involvement in some series. Opponents discourage SLN biopsy based on a perceived low incidence of nodal involvement in this setting. These contradictory arguments are generally based on small studies. The present study is a meta‐analysis of the reported data on the incidence of SLN metastasis in patients with DCIS.
Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup B Vaccine, Bivalent rLP2086, Induces Broad Serum Bactericidal Activity Against Diverse Invasive Disease Strains Including Outbreak Strains

Background: Bivalent rLP2086 (Trumenba), 1 of 2 meningococcal serogroup B (MnB) vaccines recently approved in the United States for the prevention of MnB disease in individuals 10−25 years of age, is composed of 2 lipidated factor H binding proteins from subfamilies A and B. This study evaluated the breadth of MnB strain coverage elicited by bivalent rLP2086 measured with serum bactericidal assays using human complement (hSBAs). Methods: hSBA responses to diverse MnB clinical strains circulating in the United States and Europe (n = 23), as well as recent US university outbreak strains (n = 4), were evaluated. Individual prevaccination and postvaccination sera from adolescents and young adults previously enrolled in phase 2 clinical studies of bivalent rLP2086 were assessed. Responders were defined by an hSBA titer ≥1:8, which is more stringent than the accepted correlate of protection (hSBA titer ≥1:4). Results: Baseline hSBA response rates were generally low; robust increases were observed after 2 and 3 doses of bivalent rLP2086, with hSBA responses to all test strains ranging from 31.8% to 100% and 55.6% to 100%, respectively. hSBA responses to strains expressing prevalent subfamily A and B factor H binding protein variants in the United States and Europe, A22 and B24, ranged from 88.0% to 95.0% and 81.0% to 100.0%, respectively, after dose 3. Substantial responses were also observed for recent US outbreak strains. Conclusions: Bivalent rLP2086 elicits robust hSBA responses to MnB strains expressing 14 factor H binding protein variants representing approximately 80% of MnB invasive isolates and different from vaccine antigens, suggesting that bivalent rLP2086 confers broad protection against diverse MnB disease-causing strains.
High sCD40L levels early after trauma are associated with enhanced shock, sympathoadrenal activation, tissue and endothelial damage, coagulopathy and mortality

Summary. Background: Severe injury activates the sympathoadrenal, hemostatic and inflammatory systems, but a maladapted response may contribute to a poor outcome. Soluble CD40L is a platelet‐derived mediator that links inflammation, hemostasis and vascular dysfunction. Objectives: To investigate the association between the sCD40L level and tissue injury, shock, coagulopathy and mortality in trauma patients. Methods: A prospective, observational study of 80 trauma patients admitted to a Level I Trauma Center. Data on demography, biochemistry, Injury Severity Score (ISS) and 30‐day mortality were recorded and admission plasma/serum analyzed for sCD40L and biomarkers reflecting sympathoadrenal activation (adrenaline, noradrenaline), tissue/endothelial cell/glycocalyx damage (histone‐complexed DNA fragments [hcDNA], Annexin V, thrombomodulin and syndecan‐1), coagulation activation/inhibition (PF1.2, TAT‐complex, antithrombin, protein C, activated protein C, sEPCR, TFPI, von Willebrand factor [VWF], fibrinogen and factor [F] XIII), fibrinolysis (D‐dimer, tissue plasminogen activator [tPA] and plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 [PAI‐1]) and inflammation (interleukin‐6 [IL‐6] and sC5b‐9). We compared patients stratified by median sCD40L level and investigated predictive values of sCD40L for mortality. Results: High circulating sCD40L was associated with enhanced tissue and endothelial damage (ISS, hcDNA, Annexin V, syndecan‐1 and sTM), shock (pH, standard base excess), sympathoadrenal activation (adrenaline) and coagulopathy evidenced by reduced thrombin generation (PF1.2), hyperfibrinolysis (D‐dimer), increased activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and inflammation (IL‐6) (all P < 0.05). A higher ISS (P = 0.017), adrenaline (P = 0.049) and platelet count (P = 0.012) and lower pH (P = 0.002) were associated with higher sCD40L by multivariate linear regression analysis. High circulating sCD40L (odds ratio [OR] 1.84 [95% CI 1.05–3.23], P = 0.034), high age (P = 0.002) and low Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) pre‐hospital (P = 0.002) were independent predictors of increased mortality. Conclusions: High early sCD40L levels in trauma patients reflect tissue injury, shock, coagulopathy and sympathoadrenal activation and predict mortality. As sCD40L has pro‐inflammatory activity and activates the endothelium, sCD40L may be involved in trauma‐induced endothelial damage and coagulopathy.