Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence for the Safety and Efficacy of Zinc Supplementation in the Management of Diarrhoea

Following the publication in 2004 of the WHO/UNICEF joint statement on the clinical management of acute diarrhoea (1), recommending the use of zinc in the clinical management of acute diarrhoea, efforts to ensure the availability and use of suitable zinc products in countries were conducted by WHO, UNICEF, USAID and Johns Hopkins University. In 2005, a collaborative effort with the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) helped establish monographs and reference standards for tablets and oral solutions, and led to the development of a document entitled Production of zinc tablets and zinc oral solutions: guidelines for programme managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers (2). In addition, evidence on the efficacy and safety of zinc in the management of acute diarrhoea was collated and presented to the WHO Expert Committee on the Use of Essential Medicines in March 2005 to support the inclusion of zinc in the 14th revised edition of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines in March 2005 (3). At the same time, UNICEF Supply Division identified international suppliers of zinc products that met the established quality criteria of the USP monograph and fulfilled the WHO criteria of good manufacturing practice. In May 2006, an international competitive tender was issued, to which seven zinc product manufacturers from four countries responded. Following thorough technical evaluation, including laboratory analysis of samples at the USP Laboratories in Washington, DC, one supplier based in France (Nutriset), under manufacturing contract with Laboratoires Pharmaceutiques Rodael, was approved to supply zinc dispersible tablets (20 mg) to UNICEF. Efforts are now continuing to approve the products of other manufacturers.
Logistics outsourcing relationships: Conceptual model

Over the last decades, outsourcing has become important for many organizations. In order to clarify logistics outsourcing relationships, a literature review of existing theoretical and empirical studies was presented. The objective of this research is to describe the relationships between logistics service providers and their customers. It aims at increasing interaction between customers and logistics service providers. In this article, we develop a model of logistics outsourcing and we present hypotheses regarding the antecedents and consequences of trust. Our analysis is based on an extensive survey of the literature on logistics outsourcing relationship.
Measuring Perceived Financial Capability

With the growing complexity of financial products and services, there is an increased interest in understanding the psychological components that affect financial decisions. Perceived financial capability is but one component of the broader concept of financial capability that also includes objective knowledge and the opportunity to act. We construct with factor analysis a single measure of perceived financial capability from five items in the 2009 Canadian Survey of Financial Capability (CFCS) (N = 15,519). After adjusting the measure for the influence of income, we find through bivariate analysis and multiple regression that younger individuals, females, and those with low education levels have relatively lower levels of perceived financial capability. Results indicate that perceived financial capability is empirically distinct from objective financial knowledge. Approximately 65% of the correlation between perceived financial capability and financial knowledge was unexplained. Results provide a baseline understanding of perceived financial capability in Canada that can be used for comparison with other countries and over time.
Foreign Direct Investment in Australia: determinants and consequences

Increased globalisation over the last two decades has led to strong growth of international business activity and FDI. Despite the considerable amount of research that has been undertaken to analyse the determinants and consequences of FDI, Australia represents a country with a substantial share of foreign ownership whose FDI experience has been largely overlooked in terms of a comprehensive economic analysis. Not only has Australia received a large amount of foreign investment so far, it is also competing for more FDI. Invest Australia, Australia’s national inward investment agency, is actively promoting Australia as a location for FDI, claiming that foreign investment has made a major contribution to Australia’s economic growth and living standards of all Australians. Instantly, two key issues arise. Firstly, assuming that FDI has positive effects, what causes the inflow of FDI, i.e. what are the determinants of FDI in Australia? Secondly, given the inflow of FDI, what is its actual effect on the Australian economy, i.e. what are the consequences of FDI in Australia? In order to analyse those questions, new and previously unused data on FDI inflows in Australia were explored by applying time-series and panel-data analysis. The time period ranges from 1981 to 2002, with differing coverage for the individual samples. A further contribution of the thesis is the search for new FDI data, bringing together and analysing datasets provided by the ABS and other statistical agencies (from the US, the UK, Japan and Germany). A detailed description of Australian FDI data was given to gain a better understanding of the Australian FDI experience and because no such comprehensive summary has been available. The first part of the analysis focused on the determinants of FDI. Determinants of FDI according to different theoretical models were discussed and tested using five types of datasets: aggregate quarterly data, country-specific annual data, industry-specific annual data, countryand industry-specific data (from the US, the UK, Japan and Germany and US) and US formspecific data. Australian FDI inflows were found to be driven by economic growth and market size, wages and labour supply (though the signs varied across models), trade and openness (though customs duties encouraged Japanese industry-specific FDI), interest rates, exchange rate appreciation, inflation rate (which had a unexpected positive effect) and the investing country’s overall FDI outflows. Corporate tax rates were only significant in the quarterly FDI model, but they had an unpredicted positive sign. Australian FDI was driven by longer term considerations and its determinants could not be fully explained by any single theory, but a variety of theoretical models. Furthermore investment decisions depend on factors such as investment origin, the industry in which the investment takes place and the form of the investment, making aggregation difficult.
House Money Effect: Evidence from Market Makers at Taiwan Futures Exchange

We document empirical support for the 'house money' effect proposed by Thaler and Johnson (1990). Market makers for Taiwan' TAIEX index options tend to take above-average risks in afternoon trading after above-average morning gains. The fraction of market makers with better-than-average morning performance influences market-level liquidity and volatility in the afternoon trading. Our findings confirm that prior outcome influences subsequent risk-taking and emphasize that how investors frame previous outcomes influences their subsequent attitude toward risks.
Downregulation of Heparanase Expression Results in Suppression of Invasion, Migration, and Adhesion Abilities of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Objective. Heparanase (HPSE) is high-expressed in most malignant tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and promotes cancer cell invasion and migration. The aim of the study is to explore whether HPSE enhances adhesion in metastasis of HCC cells. Methods. HPSE expressions in human HCC cells were measured with real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Four recombinant miRNA vectors pcDNATM6.2-GW/EmGFP-miR-HPSE (pmiR-HPSE) were transfected into HCCLM3 cell. HPSE expression in transfected cell was measured. The cell invasion, migration, and adhesion abilities were detected, respectively. Results. Both HPSE mRNA and protein relative expression levels were higher in HepG2, BEL-7402, and HCCLM3 cells than those in normal hepatocyte (P < 0.05). HPSE showed highest expression level in HCCLM3 cell (P < 0.05). Transfection efficiencies of four miRNA vectors were 75%–85%. The recombinant vectors significantly decreased HPSE expression in transfected HCCLM3 cells (P < 0.01), and pmiR-HPSE-1 showed best interference effect (P < 0.05). pmiR-HPSE-1 significantly decreased the penetrated and migrating cells numbers and adherence rate of HCCLM3 cells (P < 0.05). Conclusion. HPSE is a potentiator of cell adhesion in metastasis of HCC.
Costly Interpretation of Asset Prices

We propose a model in which investors cannot costlessly process information from asset prices. At the trading stage, investors are boundedly rational, and their interpretation of prices injects noise into the price, generating a source of endogenous noise trading. Our setup predicts price momentum and yields excessive return volatility and excessive trading volume. In an overall equilibrium, investors optimally choose sophistication levels by balancing the benefit of beating the market against the cost of acquiring sophistication. There can exist strategic complementarity in sophistication acquisition, leading to multiple equilibria. This paper was accepted by Gustavo Manso, finance.
Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in managed care subjects with influenza.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate costs of inappropriate oral antibiotic prescribing in a managed care population with influenza. METHODS This was a retrospective (January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2009) analysis of the US Impact National Benchmark Database. Patients with an influenza diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 487.xx) and continuous health plan enrollment for >12 months before and 1 month after the index influenza diagnosis date were included. We identified patients with an antibiotic prescription claim within 3 days before or 3 days after the index influenza diagnosis date. Patients were classified as having received appropriate antibiotic treatment if a secondary respiratory infection was observed within the 2-week postindex period or if there was a previous comorbid diagnosis of diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, acute myocardial infarction, or sickle cell anemia as identified by ICD-9-CM codes. RESULTS We identified 270,057 subjects with influenza (mean age, 31.6 years). Antibiotics were prescribed in 58,477 (21.65%) patients. Among patients receiving antibiotics, 99% did not have a follow-up diagnosis for a respiratory bacterial infection and 79% had neither a secondary infection nor evidence of a comorbidity (ie, received inappropriate antibiotic treatment). Based on a conservative annual seasonal influenza rate of 10%, we estimated that inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for influenza costs the United States approximately $211 million annually. CONCLUSIONS Empiric antibiotics were inappropriately prescribed in a high percentage of influenza patients. This represents a significant financial burden to the US healthcare system and may contribute to increased antibiotic resistance.
Plastinated fetus: 3D CT scan (VRT) evaluation.

OBJECTIVE The intent of this study was to evaluate the effect of plastination on the morphology and structure of stored organs, to find out how much accuracy a plastinated specimen has, and to look into the changes that occurred because of plastination. MATERIALS AND METHODS A human fetus of gestational age 24 weeks was plastinated, and 3D CT scan evaluation of the fetus was done. RESULTS The results showed normal, well-defined, clearly identifiable organs, with no alteration in morphology and structure of organs. CONCLUSION In our opinion, plastinated specimens are better way of visualization of morphology and structure of stored organs, which is a useful tool for teaching as well as for research purposes.
Strategies of Multinationals and Competition for Foreign Direct Investment: The Opening of Central and Eastern Europe

This study seeks to find out to what extent the transformation of the Central and Eastern European nations to market, private sector economies diverted foreign direct investment (FDI) that otherwise would have gone to developing countries--especially to countries around the Mediterranean rim, or in Sub-Saharan Africa. The research was based on interviews with executives of some multinational corporations (MNCs)in Western Europe, North America, and Japan, supplemented by studies of the investment environments in a sample of countries in the various regions. The results showed no diversion effect with the possible exception of some FDI in the textiles and apparel sectors. There are three basic findings: 1) There is a small subset of all the developing and transitional countries--the core group--in which most MNCs are interested in investing. Among these countries, there may be some competition for FDI. However, with very few exceptions, countries outside this core group are not competing with the core countries for FDI. 2) The dominant factor in investment decisions is the size of the market and its dynamism. 3) For countries aiming at attracting FDI, the policy implications is to have a stable political and economic climate, and a transparent and non-discretionary legal and regulatory framework.
RelE, a global inhibitor of translation, is activated during nutritional stress

The stringent response is defined as the physiological changes elicited by amino acid starvation. Many of these changes depend on the regulatory nucleotide ppGpp (guanosine tetraphosphate) synthesized by RelA (ppGpp synthetase I), the relA-encoded protein. The second rel locus of Escherichia coli is called relBE and encodes RelE cytotoxin and RelB antitoxin. RelB counteracts the toxic effect of RelE. In addition, RelB is an autorepressor of relBE transcription. Here we reveal a ppGpp-independent mechanism that reduces the level of translation during amino acid starvation. Artificial overexpression of RelE severely inhibited translation. During amino acid starvation, the presence of relBE caused a significant reduction in the poststarvation level of translation. Concomitantly, relBE transcription was rapidly and strongly induced. Induction of transcription occurred independently of relA and spoT (encoding ppGpp synthetase II), but instead depended on Lon protease. Consistently, Lon was required for degradation of RelB. Replacement of the relBE promoter with a LacI-regulated promoter indicated that strong and ongoing transcription of relBE is required to maintain a proper RelB:RelE ratio during starvation. Thus relBE may be regarded as a previously uncharacterized type of stress-response element that reduces the global level of translation during nutritional stress.
Exploring Mobile Internet Use Among Marginalised Young People in Post‐Conflict Sierra Leone

Although the use of mobile internet is emerging as a new area of exploration for accessing the impact of mobile telephony on people in developing countries, study on how it is adopted and utilised in post‐conflict context is rare. This paper draws upon domestication theory and ethnographic approach to explore the adoption, popularity and use of mobile internet by marginalised young people in post‐conflict Sierra Leone. It argues that such an inquiry is important for understanding how the behavioural patterns of marginalised young people are shaped by the technology that is available to them, and equally how they shape technology to respond to their needs. While the findings reveal an increasing popularity and usage of mobile internet among marginalised young people to build communication networks, access information and entertainment content; some of the users are confronted with multiple impediments that mitigate their capabilities to access and use mobile internet productively. Notable examples of such barriers include high cost of internet enabled mobile phone, low level ICT and literacy skills and limited knowledge in the productive use of mobile internet. The paper concludes that if the potential of mobile internet is to be exploited for productive livelihood improvement, then, there is a need to respond appropriately to these challenges by providing cheaper and durable internet enabled mobile phones, create awareness and facilitate training to improve on the literacy and ICT skills of the users.
Characterization of ischemia/reperfusion injury after pancreas transplantation and reduction by application of monoclonal antibodies against ICAM-1 in the rat.

BACKGROUND Reperfusion injury contributes to early organ malfunction after transplantation. The aim of this study was to characterize the ischemia-reperfusion injury after pancreas transplantation and to evaluate the effect of monoclonal antibody therapy against ICAM-1. METHODS Twenty-five heterotopic pancreas transplantations were performed in syngenic rats in a no-touch technique. Microcirculation and leukocyte-endothelial interaction in the grafts were evaluated by intravital microscopy at 1 hour (I), 6 hours (II), 12 hours (III), and 24 hours (IV) after reperfusion, and 12 hours after reperfusion (V) in the therapeutic group. In (V) antibodies against ICAM-1 were applied as bolus at reperfusion and continuously for 6 hours. Next to intravital microscopy, histologic scores, myeloperoxidase levels, and ICAM-1 expression were determined. RESULTS Microcirculation was significantly reduced in capillaries and postcapillary venules in the time course after reperfusion (capillary: 0.96 +/- 0.08 mm/s [I] to 0.45 +/- 0.07 mm/s [IV] [P <.01]) and was improved significantly by therapy with ICAM-1 antibodies (0.98 +/- 0.06 mm/s, (P <.01). Leukocyte-endothelial interaction significantly increased 6 hours after reperfusion (II) (P <.01). These changes were paralleled by an increased endothelial expression of ICAM-1 in immunohistochemistry. Histologic evaluation showed increased inflammation at 12 hours after reperfusion (P <.01), which could be diminished by the administration of ICAM-1 antibodies (P <.05). CONCLUSION Increased endothelial expression of ICAM-1 after pancreas transplantation is positively correlated with microcirculatory impairment. Important steps of pancreatic inflammation take place approximately 6 hours after reperfusion. Prophylactic application of monoclonal antibodies against ICAM-1 reduces reperfusion injury and successfully prevents the occurrence of graft pancreatitis.
Attributional Style, Depression, and Loneliness: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of American and Chinese Students

Completing measures of attributional style, depression, and loneliness were 198 college students from the East China Normal University in Shanghai, China, and 193 participants from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Students from China accepted more responsibility for interpersonal and noninterpersonal failures than did U.S. students. They also took less credit for interpersonal success than did U.S. students. These relatively maladaptive attributional styles by Chinese students accounted for much of their relatively higher scores on depression and loneliness. The sample differences in attributional style fit well with previous research showing that the United States is a relatively more independent culture and that China is a relatively more interdependent culture. Finally, the observed relations between attributional style and depression and loneliness were very similar across these two samples, perhaps reflecting cross-cultural generality of fundamental human needs for feeling efficacious. Implications for attribution theories and models of cross-cultural differences were discussed.
Interactions among High-Frequency Traders

Using unique transactions data for individual high-frequency trading (HFT) firms in the U.K. equity market, we examine the extent to which the trading activity of individual HFT firms is correlated with each other and the impact on price efficiency. We find that HFT order flow, net positions, and total volume exhibit significantly higher commonality than those of a comparison group of investment banks. However, intraday HFT order flow commonality is associated with a permanent price impact, suggesting that commonality in HFT activity is information based and so does not generally contribute to undue price pressure and price dislocations.
Evaluation of Investment Cases – An empirical study of industries and acquisitions for a long-term investment firm

Invest AB is a long-term investment firms currently exploring new opportunities to expand its portfolio and increase economic returns. In an effort to identify attractive investment cases, this thesis has screened and evaluated more than 40 industries in Sweden spanning from concrete and window manufacturing to outdoor products and pet stores. Based on literature and Invest AB’s investment philosophy, two investment frameworks have been designed to enable an effective and structured evaluation of industries and investment cases. The frameworks encompass integral aspects relating to industry and firm analysis such as profitability, industry structure, and business models. As a result of an extensive analysis of industries, the industries work-wear, wooden houses, and prefabricated concrete were identified as the most attractive. The three industries are characterized by strong growth, high profitability as well as favorable competitive pressure. Further, several attractive investment cases with sustainable business models, valuable capabilities, and high takeover potential were identified. For instance, the profitable precut manufacturer B4 has a leading position in the Swedish wooden house industry with its unique business model where the firm is able to cost effectively customize houses. In addition, the prefabricated concrete manufacturer C11 is an attractive investment case because of the firm’s exceptional production capabilities, which has resulted in double-digit growth as well profitability during the last decade. Lastly, the most attractive investment case is the premium work-wear manufacture A12 with its unique value chain position controlling the largest retail chain in Sweden. A12 has a strong position for consolidating the highly fragmented retail sector as well as functioning as a platform for additional investments in the work-wear manufacturing industry. The identified investment cases enable Invest AB to strengthen its current portfolio with attractive firms in leading market positions and strong competitive advantages. Also, there is strong potential for the investment firm to further develop the companies in areas such as add-on investments, product offerings, and value chain activities.
Quercetin induces cytochrome‐c release and ROS accumulation to promote apoptosis and arrest the cell cycle in G2/M, in cervical carcinoma: signal cascade and drug‐DNA interaction

Small aromatic compounds like flavonoids can intercalate with DNA molecules bringing about conformational changes leading to reduced replication and transcription. Here, we have examined one dietary flavonoid, quercetin (found in many fruit and vegetables), for possible anti‐cancer effects, on HeLa cells originally derived from a case of human cervical cancer.