Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global action on the social determinants of health

Action on the social determinants of health (SDH) is required to reduce inequities in health. This article summarises global progress, largely in terms of commitments and strategies. It is clear that there is widespread support for a SDH approach across the world, from global political commitment to within country action. Inequities in the conditions in which people are born, live, work and age, are however driven by inequities in power, money and resources. Political, economic and resource distribution decisions made outside the health sector need to consider health as an outcome across the social distribution as opposed to a focus solely on increasing productivity. A health in all policies approach can go some way to ensure this consideration, and we present evidence that some countries are taking this approach, however given entrenched inequalities, there is some way to go. Measuring progress on the SDH globally will be key to future development of successful policies and implementation plans, enabling the identification and sharing of best practice. WHO work to align measures with the sustainable development goals will help to forward progress measurement.
The reproductive response of rams to thyroidectomy: mediation by impaired inhibin feedback rather than a change in LH pulsatility.

A series of experiments was conducted to examine the mechanism by which removal of the thyroid glands in seasonally suppressed rams brings about rapid testicular growth. In the first experiment, thyroidectomy at the nadir of the testicular cycle (late winter) initiated testis growth without any detectable change in the extent of spermatogenesis compared with sham-operated controls. The serum concentration of FSH, but not LH, was also markedly increased by thyroidectomy. In the second experiment, serum FSH concentration was again increased by thyroidectomy in late winter but there was no effect of thyroidectomy on LH concentration, LH pulses (measured in frequent blood samples) or testosterone concentration. Furthermore, there was no evidence of a change in central dopaminergic inhibition of GnRH, as measured by the pulsatile LH response to an i.m. injection of the dopaminergic D(2) agonist bromocriptine or antagonist sulpiride. The rapid increase in FSH concentration occurred despite a markedly increased serum inhibin A concentration in thyroidectomized rams. Therefore, the efficacy of inhibin feedback was examined by testing the FSH-suppressive effect of an inhibin preparation (5 ml charcoal-stripped bovine follicular fluid i.v.) in long-term thyroidectomized and thyroid intact castrated rams. Bovine follicular fluid suppressed FSH concentrations in control rams as expected but in marked contrast, was completely without effect in thyroidectomized animals. In castrated rams, the FSH concentration was only marginally increased by thyroidectomy, indicating that there is a major component of the mediation of the effects of thyroidectomy that is testicular in origin. It was concluded that a reduction in the ability of endogenous inhibin to inhibit FSH release at the pituitary, rather than a hypothalamic mechanism, is the primary cause of the stimulation of testis growth by thyroidectomy.
Phonagnosia: A Voice Homologue to Prosopagnosia NEUR-494 Honors Thesis

A 20-year old female, AN, was markedly poorer than controls (a number of whom were perfect) at identifying her most familiar celebrity voices. AN shows no evidence of brain damage or lesions, no deficit in voice and non-voice sound discrimination tasks, no deficit in face recognition, a clear imagination of non-voice sounds. AN and two additional phonagnosics were inability to imagine the voices of familiar celebrities. In order to solve the difficult problem of comparing a single subject to a sample of controls, I developed a bootstrap analysis that was crucial in isolating a region in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) that was activated in controls, but not by AN, when imagining familiar celebrity voices. Rather than a deficit in the representation of prosody, AN may be unable to associate the prosody of a voice to the identity of a familiar person over the long term. In this respect, the deficit in developmental phonagnosia may bear a striking parallel to developmental prosopagnosia. Sarah Herald Honors Thesis: Developmental Phonagnosia 3
Investment determinants: high-investment versus low-investment Portuguese SMEs

ABSTRACT Based on data of two subsamples of 1 557 high-investment (HINV) small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 1 454 low-investment (LINV) SMEs, and using the GMM (General Method of Moments) system (1998) dynamic estimator, this paper seeks to analyse whether there are differences in the determinants of investment in fixed assets between HINV SMEs and LINV SMEs. The results show that the positive relationship between cash flow and investment is of greater relative importance in HINV SMEs than in LINV SMEs. Debt is a factor that stimulates HINV SME investment, but it restricts LINV SME investment. The financial crisis and firm size are negative factors of investment in HINV SMEs and LINV SMEs. Age is a positive factor of HINV SME investment, but it has no effect on LINV SME investment.
A Comparative Approach to the Impact of IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) on the Performance of Banks in Nigeria

iii ÖZ. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. v LIST OF TABLES.viii LISTOF FIGURES. ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. x 1INTRODUCTION. 1 1.1 Background of the study. 1 1.2 Statement of the problem. 3 1.3 Research Questions. 5 1.4 Aims and objectives of the study. 6 1.5 Structure of Thesis. 6 2 LITERATURE REVIEW. 7 2.1 Major distinction between NGAAP and IFRS.14 3 NIGERIAN BANKING INDUSTRY.15 3.2 Corporate governance and Nigerian banks.19 4 DATA AND METHODOLOGY.21 4.1 Type and Source of Data.21 4.2Methodology. 22 4.3 Data analysis.23 4.4 Justification for the methodology used.24 4.5 The variables.24 5 EMPIRICAL RESULTS.27
Requirements Engineering Decisions in the Context of an Existing Architecture: A Case Study of a Prototypical Project

The role of an existing systems architecture (SA) in requirements engineering (RE) is recognised as important, but under-researched. A recent exploratory study of ours investigated this issue in a laboratory setting involving student participants. While the initial findings are promising, much work still remains to solidify the results. Therefore, we conducted a replication of the study, and its significant extension, on a large-scale prototypical rail project. Specifically, we identify (i) the effects of SA on RE decisions, (ii) the characteristics of the RE decisions and (iii), the impact of such decisions on development activities and the rail system. The findings of this study have implications on tighter RE-SA integration across subsystems, impact analysis of requirements on SA, and planning and risk management. We also propose three emergent hypotheses from this case study as a driver for future empirical work in RE. This case study involved examining the 10-year history of requirements and architecting decisions in several major components of the rail project. The data collected was from numerous project documents and extensive interviews with the developers and planners.
Spontaneous low‐frequency BOLD signal fluctuations: An fMRI investigation of the resting‐state default mode of brain function hypothesis

Recent neuroimaging studies have lead to the proposal that rest is characterized by an organized, baseline level of activity, a default mode of brain function that is suspended during specific goal‐oriented mental activity. Previous studies have shown that the primary function subserved by the default mode is that of an introspectively oriented, self‐referential mode of mental activity. The default mode of brain function hypothesis is readdressed from the perspective of the presence of low‐frequency blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal changes (0.012–0.1 Hz) in the resting brain. The results show that the brain during rest is not tonically active in a single mode of brain function. Rather, the findings presented here suggest that the brain recurrently toggles between an introspectively oriented mode (default mode) and a state‐of‐mind that tentatively might be interpreted as an extrospectively oriented mode that involves a readiness and alertness to changes in the external and internal environment. Hum. Brain Mapping, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessing interannual variability of evapotranspiration at the catchment scale using satellite‐based evapotranspiration data sets

The catchment water‐energy balance at the interannual scale remains a challenge for bridging the important gap in our knowledge of the hydrologic cycle. This study investigates interannual evapotranspiration (ET) variability and water‐energy balance at over 547 catchments across the contiguous United States in different climate zones. The investigation is based on ET data estimated from satellite images and surface daily meteorological data during the period of 1983–2006 provided by the University of Montana. We find that the interannual relationship between annual potential ET to annual precipitation (PET/P) and ET/P, the energy, and water factors defined with the Budyko curve framework can be captured by a linear function, with an average goodness of fit of 0.928 over all the catchments. The linear relationship is validated by another independent remote sensing ET product generated by the University of Washington and is demonstrated to be rational using regression diagnostics. Additionally, a comparison study using a water balance method and the Budyko curve is undertaken to examine the linear relationship. In addition to water supply and energy supply, the primary controls on evapotranspiration, soil water storage, response of vegetation to climate variability, and human interference are also major factors of the interannual relationship between PET/P and ET/P.
Corporate Governance and Firm Performance: The Case for Turkey

In recent years, with corporate scandals and the global financial crisis there is continuous attention in the area of corporate governance which is the new concept in corporate world these days. It is seen as a moral duty and includes supporting the conformity to law and showing ethical guide. Corporate Governance is seen as a significant tool as firms’ financial performance when investors take an investment decision is turning into a more serious topic so the relationship between corporate governance tools and financial performance measurements caught researchers’ interest in the last decade primarily on developed countries as well as developing countries. In this study, we try to examine the effects of corporate governance on corporate financial performance for Turkey, using a sample of 90 companies on BIST for the time period between 2008 and 2014. Like previous papers, board size, ceo duality, board committees, board independence, firm size and firm age are the independent variables and their effects were measured on financial variables that are ROA, ROE and Tobin’s Q.Various tests were used to investigate the relationship such as descriptive analysis, pairwise correlation and ordinary least squares by using secondary data over a period. Under the lights of this research, it was found that overall, corporate governance variables have significant impact on firm financial performance and market value measurements. When we look at it separately, while no significant relationship between board size and all dependent variables was found, board independence has a significant and positive impact on all measurement variables. Moreover, the association between Ceo duality and all dependent variables was negative and it was found that having high number of board committees is positively correlated with all measurement variables but only significantly related with ROA. (Less)
[Validation of the Polish version of the Athens Insomnia Scale].

AIMS To validate the Polish version of the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the instrument designed for quantitative measurement of the severity of insomnia based on the ICD-10 criteria. METHOD The AIS was administered to 356 subjects: 160 patients from the sleep clinic presenting with ICD-10 non-organic insomnia (90f; mean age: 44.9 +/- 15.7y) and 196 self-defined good sleepers (106f; mean age: 43.9 +/- 13.4y). To assess psychometric properties of the scale, principal component analysis, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson's correlation (test-retest reliability: two weeks interval; n = 48) and sensitivity-specificity analysis were computed. RESULTS Using the factor analysis only one factor was extracted, which accounted for 60.2% of the variance. The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90) and the test-retest reliability (r2 = 0.92) of the AIS were found to be very satisfactory. These values remain practically unchanged when any of the items was removed from the analysis. As expected, subjects with insomnia scored significantly higher on the AIS than good sleepers (14.2 +/- 3.9 pts vs. 4.8 +/- 3 pts; t = 24.9; p < 0.001). Considering the balance between sensitivity and specificity, a score of 8 was indicated as the optimum cut-off, with 89% overall correct case identification--94% patients with insomnia and 84% healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS Standardisation of the diagnostic process of insomnia is a highly important task in clinical practice, epidemiological considerations and treatment outcomes assessment. The AIS is a brief, self-reported measure of insomnia that may improve these assessments. The good psychometric properties of the Polish version of the AIS were confirmed in the present study.
A Comparative Study of Performance Management Practice in the Republic of Ireland, as Influenced by it's Expansion from the Private Sector to its Public Equivalent.

i Declaration . ii Acknowledgements . iii Table of contents . iv List of figures . viii List of tables . x Chapter One Introduction . 1 1.1 Context to this study . 1 1.2 Rationale for this study . 1 1.3 The research statement, the four research questions and their rationale . 2 1.4 Overview of data analysis . 4 Chapter Two – Literature review . 6 2.
Microbiological Evaluation of Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Urinary tract infections are the most common type of healthcare-associated infection, accounting for more than 30% of infections reported by acute care hospitals. Virtually all healthcare-associated UTIs are caused by instrumentation of the urinary tract. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) has been associated with increased morbidity, mortality, hospital cost and length of stay. In addition, hospital acquired CAUTIs are often due to multidrug resistant strains which require higher antibiotics and these strains may spread to other patients. Urine samples from all adult patients admitted without any recent history of UTI and where a Foley's catheter was introduced in the past 24 hours is aseptically collected, analysed by microscopy and cultured for microbiological profiling. Antibiogram of clinical isolates was studied and CAUTI was observed in 64 samples out of 220 samples collected. The most frequent isolates were E.coli (34.85%), Klebsiella spp (19.7%), Pseudomonas spp (12.12%), Candida spp (10.6%), Enterococcus spp (6.06%), CONS (6.06%), Staphylococcus aureus (4.55%), Citrobacter spp (3.03%) Proteus spp (3.03%). Infections were more with female sex, prolonged catheterization, old age and diabetes. Longer duration of catheterization increased the chances of CAUTI. Emphasis should be placed on good catheter management rather than the use of prophylaxis to reduce the incidence of CAUTI. ABSTRACT
Drinking patterns and their gender differences in Europe.

AIMS To compare drinking habits and to examine differences between drinking cultures in different regions and countries in Europe; to examine gender differences in drinking habits and to compare them over countries. METHODS Data consisted of independently conducted, centrally analysed surveys in the general population aged 20-64 years in 14 European countries. Central measures were abstention, frequency and volume of drinking overall and by beverage type, amounts drunk per drinking day, and heavy episodic drinking. RESULTS There were clear gender differences in all drinking measures, except for wine drinking. Differences between genders were often smaller than average in northern Europe. Gender ratios did not show systematic changes by age, with the exception that young men and women differed less than older men and women in the frequency of heavy episodic drinking. The results on beverage preferences indicate that the distinction among wine/beer/spirits cultures have implicitly been based on male drinking. Our expectation was for more daily light drinking integrated in everyday life in the Mediterranean countries, more heavy episodic drinking associated with weekends and celebrations in the North, with the traditional beer countries somewhere in between. The differences observed were usually in the direction expected. However, no country represented an ideal type of drinking culture, i.e. drinking for 'mood-changing effects' only or for 'nutritional purposes' only; all countries were mixtures of these two extremes. CONCLUSIONS There were clear and consistent gender differences in all countries, while the differences in drinking between countries and regions were not as obvious.
Influence of Land Use, Nutrients, and Geography on Microbial Communities and Fecal Indicator Abundance at Lake Michigan Beaches

ABSTRACT Microbial communities within beach sand play a key role in nutrient cycling and are important to the nearshore ecosystem function. Escherichia coli and enterococci, two common indicators of fecal pollution, have been shown to persist in the beach sand, but little is known about how microbial community assemblages are related to these fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) reservoirs. We examined eight beaches across a geographic gradient and range of land use types and characterized the indigenous community structure in the water and the backshore, berm, and submerged sands. FIB were found at similar levels in sand at beaches adjacent to urban, forested, and agricultural land and in both the berm and backshore. However, there were striking differences in the berm and backshore microbial communities, even within the same beach, reflecting the very different environmental conditions in these beach zones in which FIB can survive. In contrast, the microbial communities in a particular beach zone were similar among beaches, including at beaches on opposite shores of Lake Michigan. The differences in the microbial communities that did exist within a beach zone correlated to nutrient levels, which varied among geographic locations. Total organic carbon and total phosphorus were higher in Wisconsin beach sand than in beach sand from Michigan. Within predominate genera, fine-scale sequence differences could be found that distinguished the populations from the two states, suggesting a biogeographic effect. This work demonstrates that microbial communities are reflective of environmental conditions at freshwater beaches and are able to provide useful information regarding long-term anthropogenic stress.
Social enterprise in health care Promoting organisational autonomy and staff engagement

n The new policy environment presents a number of challenges and risks for social enterprises. A more competitive provider market, alongside shortterm contracts with commissioners, means that social enterprises will need to develop business models that are effective and sustainable. It is vital that these business models focus on viability of the service in the long term and on succession planning.
Molecular Basis of Commensalism in the Urinary Tract: Low Virulence or Virulence Attenuation?

ABSTRACT In some patients, Escherichia coli strains establish significant bacteriuria without causing symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI). These asymptomatic-bacteriuria (ABU) strains have been shown to express fewer virulence factors than the uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strains that cause severe, symptomatic UTI. Paradoxically, ABU strains carry many typical UPEC virulence genes, and the molecular basis of their low virulence therefore remains unclear. This study examined whether ABU strains might evolve from UPEC by genome loss and virulence gene attenuation. The presence of conserved E. coli K-12 genes was examined using an E. coli K-12 strain MG1655-specific DNA array and the distribution of UPEC virulence-related genes was examined with the E. coli pathoarray. Two groups of strains could be distinguished. Several ABU strains were shown by multilocus sequence typing and by comparative genomic analyses to be related to UPEC but to have smaller genome sizes. There were significant alterations in essential virulence genes, including reductive evolution by point mutations, DNA rearrangements, and deletions. Other strains were unrelated to UPEC and lacked most of the virulence-associated genes. The results suggest that some ABU strains arise from virulent strains by attenuation of virulence genes while others are nonvirulent and resemble commensal strains. We propose that virulence attenuation might constitute a general mechanism for mucosal pathogens to evolve toward commensalism.
Corporate Governance and Foreign Ownership: The Impact of Stricter Regulatory Sanctions

We examine whether stricter non-compliance sanctions on corporate governance regulations influence the investment decisions of foreign portfolio investors in emerging markets. To answer this question we use a natural experiment provided by a corporate governance regulatory reform introduced in 2000 for which stricter sanctions for non-compliance were imposed in 2004. Using firm-level panel data from 2001 to 2007, our results provide strong evidence that reforms that include stricter sanctions for non-compliance lead to higher foreign ownership. Depending on specifications, the difference-in-differences estimates show that, on average, the effect is 3% to 5% increased foreign ownership post regulatory reform of 2004.
Altered cortical activity in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during attentional load task.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether cortical activity recorded during attentional load in children with ADHD is different compared with controls. METHOD Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) was performed at open eyes and during performance of the Continuous Performance Task. RESULTS Children with ADHD showed an altered pattern of QEEG activity, especially during the attentional load task, with increased slow cortical activity (mainly over the frontal areas) and decreased fast cortical activity. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate a different arousal level in children with ADHD, which could be due to a delay in functional cortical maturation. To evaluate the clinical importance of these findings, a longitudinal follow-up will be conducted.