Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of cigarette smoking on oral elastase activity in adult periodontitis patients.

BACKGROUND We have previously reported that elastase activity in oral fluids is significantly increased in most adult periodontitis patients. In some patients, however, elastase levels remain low despite the presence of deep periodontal pockets. In this study we explored whether or not smoking is related to the unexpected low elastase values in these patients. METHODS We determined what proportion of the periodontitis patients that showed low oral elastase values were smokers. Paraffin-stimulated saliva or oral rinse samples (3 ml of water, 30 second rinse) were assayed for elastase activity by incubating with 1 mM succinyl-alanyl-alanyl-valine-p-nitroanilide for 20 hours at 37 degrees C, and the color formation read with a spectrophotometer. Neutrophil numbers were analyzed by staining the cells in the oral rinse smear samples. RESULTS In 2 patient groups, one in Helsinki, Finland (n = 46) and the other in Vancouver, British Columbia (n = 25), 63% and 83%, respectively, of the adult periodontitis patients who had one or more pockets > or =6 mm and had low oral elastase values (increase of optical density <0.5) were smokers. Non-smoking periodontitis patients had elevated neutrophil numbers compared to healthy subjects, while the smoking patients showed no significant change. Next we analyzed elastase levels in stimulated whole saliva in a group of smokers (n = 300) and those who had quit smoking (n = 102). Smokers had significantly lower oral elastase levels than former smokers in both advanced and moderate periodontitis groups. In this subject group, 56% of all smokers with periodontitis (at least one pocket > or =6 mm) had oral elastase values less than 0.5 U while only 31% of those patients who had quit smoking had low values. CONCLUSIONS Cigarette smoking leads to lowered elastase and neutrophil levels in the oral cavity. The oral neutrophil elastase assay, therefore, cannot be used to measure the periodontal status of smokers.
Financial Sector Development and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria: A Vector Autoregression Analysis (1980-2010)

This study examines the nexus between financial sector development and poverty reduction in Nigeria using Vector autoregressive (VAR) model. The choice of the study has been motivated by the alleged failure of the financial sector development in bringing about a reduction in the worsening trend in poverty incidence in Nigeria. The evidences from both the VAR and impulse response show that the indirect effect of economic growth exerts the strongest influence on poverty reduction in the short run but could be detrimental to the poor in the long run due to the adverse effect of income inequality. Furthermore, the relationship between poverty and the financial deepening proxied by broad money supply (M2) is negative and significant. Hence, the McKinnon conduit effect is the likely main transmission channel through which the poor benefit from the financial sector development in the long run. The study, however, concludes that credits to private sector, contrary to the general belief, have failed to cause a reduction in the incidence of poverty in Nigeria.
Accelerometric comparison of the locomotor pattern of horses sedated with xylazine hydrochloride, detomidine hydrochloride, or romifidine hydrochloride.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the duration of effects on movement patterns of horses after sedation with equipotent doses of xylazine hydrochloride, detomidine hydrochloride, or romifidine hydrochloride and determine whether accelerometry can be used to quantify differences among drug treatments. ANIMALS 6 healthy horses. PROCEDURES Each horse was injected IV with saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (10 mL), xylazine diluted in saline solution (0.5 mg/kg), detomidine diluted in saline solution (0.01 mg/kg), or romifidine diluted in saline solution (0.04 mg/kg) in random order. A triaxial accelerometric device was used for gait assessment 15 minutes before and 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, and 120 minutes after each treatment. Eight variables were calculated, including speed, stride frequency, stride length, regularity, dorsoventral power, propulsive power, mediolateral power, and total power; the force of acceleration and 3 components of power were then calculated. RESULTS Significant differences were evident in stride frequency and regularity between treatments with saline solution and each α2-adrenoceptor agonist drug; in speed, dorsoventral power, propulsive power, total power, and force values between treatments with saline solution and detomidine or romifidine; and in mediolateral power between treatments with saline solution and detomidine. Stride length did not differ among treatments. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Accelerometric evaluation of horses administered α2-adrenoceptor agonist drugs revealed more prolonged sedative effects of romifidine, compared with effects of xylazine or detomidine. Accelerometry could be useful in assessing the effects of other sedatives and analgesics. Accelerometric data may be helpful in drug selection for situations in which a horse's balance and coordination are important.
Simultaneous Relationships Among Ownership, Corporate Governance, and Financial Performance

We draw on the many aspects of corporate governance examined in the developed economies and extend them to the Chinese environment. We find evidence of strong linkage and interdependence in the use of different control mechanisms. While there are significant relationships between the governance control mechanisms and firm performance, these disappear when using simultaneous equation estimation. Our findings support the argument that governance control mechanisms operate independently and they are substitutes for one another.
Rolling in the aisles: a comparative study of male and female grocery shopper typologies

The purpose of this paper is to segment male and female grocery shoppers based on store and product attribute evaluations. A rich profile for each segment is developed. Gender comparisons are operationalised and these developed contemporary shopper typologies are further contrasted against earlier works. Data of 560 grocery shoppers were attained by a survey questionnaire. Factor analysis, cluster analysis and ANOVA were employed to develop specific segments of shoppers. Four distinct cohorts of male shoppers and three cohorts of female shoppers emerged from the data of eight constructs, measured by 46 items. One new shopper type, not found in earlier typology literature, emerged from this research. This shopper presented as young, well educated, at the commencement of their career and family life cycle, attracted by a strong value offer and willingness to share the family food shopping responsibilities. This research makes a contribution to segmentation literature and grocery retail practice in several ways. It presents the first retail typology of male supermarket shoppers, employing a cluster analysis technique. Comparisons between male and female grocery-shopping typologies are accordingly facilitated. The research provides insights into the modern family food shopping behaviour of men; a channel in which men are now recognised as equal contributors. Research outcomes encourage supermarket retailers to implement targeted marketing and rationalised operational strategies that deliver on attributes of importance. Finally, this research provides the basis for further cross-cultural, cross-contextual comparative studies.
Gender difference in sickness absence from work: a multiple mediation analysis of psychosocial factors.

BACKGROUND Previous research has shown that job characteristics, private life and psychosocial factors partially account for gender difference in work absences because of sickness. Most studies have analysed these factors separately. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether these explanatory factors act as mediators when they are considered simultaneously. METHODS The evaluated data set comprises the merger of two Belgian longitudinal studies, BELSTRESS III and SOMSTRESS. It includes 3821 workers (1541 men) aged 21-66 years, employed in eight organizations. A multiple mediation analysis was performed to explain the higher prevalence among women. Estimated factors were occupational grade, total number of paid working hours per week, job strain, overcommitment, home-work interference and social support at and outside work. Prospective data concerning duration and frequency of medically justified sickness absence (registered by the organizations) were used as outcomes. RESULTS Overall, the mediating factors partially account for gender difference in sickness absence. The strongest mediator for both outcomes is job strain. In addition, difference in absence duration is mediated by social support at work, whereas difference in frequency is mediated by professional grade and home-work interference. CONCLUSIONS Our results call attention to the necessity to elaborate actual preventive actions aiming at favouring a better positioning of women on the labour market in term of hierarchical level as well as in terms of quality of work for reducing sickness absence in this group.
Managing quality in the hospitality industry.

In - Managing Quality In the Hospitality Industry – an observation by Glover, Hospitality Management initially Glover establishes: “Quality is a primary concern in the hospitality industry. The author sees problems in the nature of the way businesses are managed and discusses approaches to ensuring quality in corporate cultures. ” As the title suggests, the author wants to point out certain discrepancies in hospitality quality control, as well as enlighten you as to how to address some of these concerns. “A discussion of quality presents some interesting dilemmas. Quality is something that almost everyone wants,” Assistant Professor Glover notes. “Service businesses will never admit that they don't provide it to their customers, and few people actually understand what it takes to make it happen,” he further maintains. Glover wants you to know that in a dynamic industry such as hospitality, quality is the common denominator. Whether it be hotel, restaurant, airline, et al., quality is the raison d’être of the industry. “Quality involves the consistent delivery of a product or service according to the expected standards,” Glover provides. Many, if not all quality deficiencies can be traced back to management, Glover declares. He bullet points some of the operational and guest service problems managers’ face on a daily basis. One important point of note is the measuring and managing of quality. “Standards management is another critical area in people and product management that is seldom effective in corporations,” says Glover. “Typically, this area involves performance documentation, performance evaluation and appraisal, coaching, discipline, and team-building. ” “To be effective at managing standards, an organization must establish communication in realms where it is currently non-existent or ineffective,” Glover goes on to say. “Coaching, training, and performance appraisal are methods to manage individuals who are expected to do what's expected. ” He alludes to the benefit quality circles supply as well. In organizational Glover realization must that people and product management eventually the bottom line all When prevention is the focus, quality is most consistent and expectations are usually met,” he offers. Much of the article is dedicated to, “Appendix A-Table 1-Characteristics of Corporate Cultures (Reactive and Proactive. In it, Glover measures the impact of proactive management as opposed to the reactive management intrinsic to many elements of corporate culture mentality. Quality is a primary concern in the hospitality industry. The author sees problems in the nature of the way businesses are managedand discusses approaches to ensuring quality in corporate cultures.
Trace fear conditioning involves hippocampal α5 GABAA receptors

The heterogeneity of γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors contributes to the diversity of neuronal inhibition in the regulation of information processing. Although most GABAA receptors are located synaptically, the small population of α5GABAA receptors is largely expressed extrasynaptically. To clarify the role of the α5GABAA receptors in the control of behavior, a histidine-to-arginine point mutation was introduced in position 105 of the murine α5 subunit gene, which rendered the α5GABAA receptors diazepam-insensitive. Apart from an incomplete muscle relaxing effect, neither the sedative, anticonvulsant, nor anxiolytic-like activity of diazepam was impaired in α5(H105R) mice. However, in hippocampal pyramidal cells, the point mutation resulted in a selective reduction of α5GABAA receptors, which altered the drug-independent behavior. In line with the role of the hippocampus in certain forms of associative learning, trace fear conditioning, but not delay conditioning or contextual conditioning, was facilitated in the mutant mice. Trace fear conditioning differs from delay conditioning in that the conditioned and unconditioned stimulus are separated by a time interval. Thus, the largely extrasynaptic α5GABAA receptors in hippocampal pyramidal cells are implicated as control elements of the temporal association of threat cues in trace fear conditioning.
Export market‐oriented behavior and export performance: The moderating roles of competitive intensity and technological turbulence

This study examines the issue of how export market‐oriented behaviors influence export success. Using survey data obtained from Hong Kong based manufacturing exporters, our findings suggest that export market‐oriented behaviors are important predictors of several dimensions of export performance. In particular, it appears that this behavior is most important for exporters operating under conditions of high environmental turbulence. The export market‐oriented behavior – export performance relationship for these firms, was generally positive and strong. However, under conditions of low environmental turbulence, the costs of developing and implementing high levels of export market‐oriented behavior may outweigh the benefits accrued.
Reproductive Cycle of the California Leaf-Nosed Bat, Macrotus californicus

Spermatogenesis is limited to summer and fall, and females are inseminated during the fall concurrent with ovulation and fertilization. While most of the embryonic development is deferred until March, there is slow growth of embryo and placenta during the winter. This sequence is termed "delayed development. " Birth is in June, and the young bats are able to join the forage flights by August.
Effect of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the Delivery of Banking Services in Ghana: A Case Study of Zenith Bank Ghana Limited

The study seek to examine the awareness of Information and Communication Technology banking among customers; to analyze the usage of Information and Communication Technology in banking and to identify the benefits of Information and Communication Technology in banking. Convenience sampling technique was employed by the study. Questionnaire was used to collect the data. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data collected. Descriptive statistics (percentages and frequencies) was used to make inferences from the data analyzed. The findings regarding the study revealed that majority of the respondents (90%) have heard of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) whiles 10% said they were not aware of any banking services called Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The result also reveals that 41.1% use only ATM cards, the most widely used ICT products within the banks for transactions, however, significant proportion of respondents (22.2%) also uses combinations of ICT products. Results again show that ninety (90%) of respondents believed that ICT products and services have a positive effect, the most prominent effect was customers having more time for other businesses and administrative works get reduced drastically. Base on this, the researchers however, believed that considerable education and marketing of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products and services of the banks will attract more customers and provide customer satisfaction.
Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Program in Colombia: A Probabilistic Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost-benefit analysis is a standard tool for determining the efficiency of planned projects. But one of the major difficulties in risk mitigation investments is that benefits are by nature uncertain. In this context, the standard approach relying on the average value of benefits may provide an incomplete picture of the efficiency of the risk mitigation project under consideration. This paper presents a probabilistic cost-benefit analysis relying on a catastrophe risk model. It produces risk metrics such as the exceedance probability curve of the benefit-cost ratio, thus providing the decisionmaker with a more complete risk analysis of the net benefits of the project. This is illustrated with the earthquake vulnerability reduction project in Colombia.
Individualism, Collectivism, and Authoritarianism in Seven Societies

Building on Hofstede's finding that individualism and social hierarchy are incompatible at the societal level, the authors examined the relationship between individualism-collectivism and orientations toward authority at the individual level. In Study 1, authoritarianism was related to three measures of collectivism but unrelated to three measures of individualism in a U.S. sample (N = 382). Study 2 used Triandis's horizontal-vertical individualism-collectivism framework in samples from Bulgaria, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Poland, Canada, and the United States (total N = 1,018). Both at the individual level and the societal level of analysis, authoritarianism was correlated with vertical individualism and vertical collectivism but unrelated to horizontal collectivism. Horizontal individualism was unrelated to authoritarianism except in post-Communist societies whose recent history presumably made salient the incompatibility between state authority and self-determination.
A dose-response analysis of candesartan-hydrochlorothiazide combination therapy in patients with hypertension

Abstract Aim. To describe the antihypertensive dose-response of combination therapy with candesartan and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT). Patients and methods. Data from 4632 men and women (sex ratio 1:1, mean age 54 years) with mild to moderate hypertension, who participated in one of seven randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with candesartan-HCT for 8–12 weeks, were entered in a common database. The daily dose of candesartan ranged from 2 to 32mg, and that of HCT from 6.25 to 25mg. An Emax model was used to describe the placebo-adjusted dose-response surface for systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) reductions. Results. The BP reduction increased with increasing doses of candesartan and HCT, ranging from 5.9 to 17.4mmHg systolic, and from 2.8 to 10.2mmHg diastolic with combination therapy. As these figures represent pure drug effects, the effect observed in placebo treated patients (mean reduction 6.0/5.6mmHg) should be added to estimate the average BP reduction in the usual clinical setting. The reduction with candesartan-HCT represented fully additive contributions of the components. Conclusion. The effect of candesartan-HCT is dose-related over a wide range of doses, and the effects of the components are fully additive. This analysis provides guidance for dosing.
Epidermolysis bullosa simplex with PLEC mutations: new phenotypes and new mutations

Background Genetic mutations in the plectin gene (PLEC) cause autosomal recessive forms of epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS) associated with either muscular dystrophy (EBS‐MD) or pyloric atresia (EBS‐PA). Phenotype–genotype analysis has suggested that EBS‐MD is due mostly to genetic mutations affecting the central rod domain of plectin, and EBS‐PA to mutations outside this domain.
Genetic and clinical features of hemoglobin H disease in Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND Normally, one pair of each of the two alpha-globin genes, alpha1 and alpha2, resides on each copy of chromosome 16. In hemoglobin H disease, three of these four alpha-globin genes are affected by a deletion, a mutation, or both. We studied the alpha1-globin gene abnormalities and the clinical and hematologic features of Chinese patients with hemoglobin H disease in Hong Kong. METHODS We assessed the clinical features, hematologic values, serum ferritin levels, and liver function of 114 patients with hemoglobin H disease. We also performed echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging of the liver and examined the two pairs of alpha-globin genes. RESULTS Hemoglobin H disease in 87 of the 114 patients (76 percent) was due to the deletion of three of the four alpha-globin genes (--/-alpha), a combination termed the deletional type of hemoglobin H. The remaining 27 patients (24 percent) had the nondeletional type of hemoglobin H disease, in which two alpha-globin genes are deleted and a third is mutated (--/alphaalphaT). All 87 patients with the deletional type of hemoglobin H were double heterozygotes in whom there was a deletion of both alpha-globin genes from one chromosome, plus a deletion of the alpha1 or alpha2 gene from the other chromosome (--/alpha- or --/-alpha). A variety of mutated alpha-globin genes was found in the patients with nondeletional type of hemoglobin H disease. Patients with the nondeletional type of the H disease had more symptoms at a younger age, more severe hemolytic anemia, and larger spleens and were more likely to require transfusions than patients with deletional hemoglobin H disease. The severity of iron overload was not related to the genotype. CONCLUSIONS Chinese patients in Hong Kong with the nondeletional type of hemoglobin H disease have more severe disease than those with the deletional type of the disease. Iron overload is a major cause of disability in both forms of the disease.
Personal Bankruptcy Decisions Before and After Bankruptcy Reform

We examine whether adverse life events influence the personal bankruptcy decisions of lower-income homeowners. Econometric studies suggest that personal bankruptcy is explained by financial gain rather than adverse events, but data constraints have hindered tests of the adverse events hypothesis. Using household level panel data and controlling for the financial benefit of filing, we find that stressors related to cash flow, unexpected expenses, unemployment, health insurance coverage, medical bills, and mortgage delinquencies predict bankruptcy filings a year later. At the federal level, the 2005 Bankruptcy Reform explains a decrease in filings over time in counties that experienced lower filing rates.
Maintaining Momentum to 2015?: An Impact Evaluation of Interventions to Improve Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition in Bangladesh

This report addresses the issue of what publicly-supported programs and external assistance from the Bank and other agencies can do to accelerate attainment of targets such as reducing infant mortality by two-thirds. The evidence presented here relates to Bangladesh, a country which has made spectacular progress but needs to maintain momentum in order to achieve its own poverty reduction goals. The report addresses the following issues: (1) What has happened to child health and nutrition outcomes and fertility in Bangladesh since 1990? Are the poor sharing in the progress which is being made? (2) What have been the main determinants of maternal and child health outcomes in Bangladesh over this period? (3) Given these determinants, what can be said about the impact of publicly and externally-supported programs - notably those of the World Bank and DFID - to improve health and nutrition? (4) To the extent that interventions have brought about positive impacts, have they done so in a cost effective manner?