Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Challenges and issues facing ethnic minority small business owners

Studies investigating the challenges and barriers faced by ethnic minority entrepreneurs have often concentrated on areas where there is a large supportive ethnic minority community. Less work has been conducted on the experience of those entrepreneurs operating in cities where such ethnic resources may be less widely available. Considered from the perspective of mixed embeddedness framework, this study uses face-to-face interviews with 25 ethnic minority entrepreneurs to gain a greater understanding of the constraints experienced by the starting and running businesses in one such location, the Scottish city of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. Although issues found by previous studies such as access to funding remain an issue, the entrepreneurs indicated problems with access to labour as United Kingdom Border Agency’s immigration rules and tightening of the Post Study Work visa have had a profound effect on these entrepreneurs. The results imply that the weakening of the ethnic resource microsphere has not opened up opportunities which are exploited by the entrepreneurs, but they have still been exposed to external forces from the regulatory macrosphere. Both entrepreneurs and policymakers need to think carefully about the retention, training and recruitment of staff. In particular, the wider ramifications of immigration rule changes need to be considered, but also whether entrepreneurs need to be more open to the potential of recruiting non-ethnic employees and if so what support is required to achieve this.
Health problems, impairment and illnesses associated with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder among primary care and obstetric gynaecology patients

Background. Although psychiatric patients with eating disorders are known to be at risk for a variety of health problems, relatively little is known about eating disorders and associated health problems in other populations. An epidemiological study was conducted to investigate health problems and impairment associated with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) among female primary care and obstetric gynaecology patients. Methods. Psychiatric disorders, physical illnesses, disabilities, functional status and stress were assessed among 4651 female patients (age range:18 to 99 years) at 8 primary care and 7 obstetric gynaecology clinics throughout the United States. Results. Two hundred eighty-nine women (6·2%) were diagnosed with BN or BED. The prevalence of BN was approximately 1% among young and middle-aged women. The prevalence of BED increased steadily from early (3·3%) through middle (8·5%) adulthood. Anxiety disorders, mood disorders and diabetes were much more common among women with BN or BED than among women without these eating disorders. Women with BN or BED reported markedly poorer functioning and much higher levels of disability, health problems, insomnia, psychosocial stress and suicidal thoughts than did women without BN or BED, after co-occurring psychiatric disorders were controlled statistically. Yet, fewer than one of ten cases of BN or BED was recognized by the patients’ physicians. Conclusions. Patients with BN or BED often experience considerable disability, impairment, distress and co-occurring illnesses. Increased recognition of eating disorders may be a crucial step towards encouraging more patients to seek treatment for these disabling conditions.
A Controlled Comparison of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The present study had two objectives 1) to determine the characteristics that differentiated subjects with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), chemical sensitivities (CS), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS); and 2) to evaluate the psychiatric and neuropsychological complaints of these groups relative to normal controls. A cross-sectional comparison was made of the following groups matched for age, sex, and education: 1) patients whose sensitivities to multiple low level chemical exposures began with a defined exposure (MCS; N = 23); 2) patients with sensitivities to multiple chemicals without a clear date of onset (CS; N = 13); 3) patients meeting CDC criteria for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS; N = 18); and 4) normal controls (N = 18). Subjects with sensitivities to chemicals (MCS and CS) reported significantly more lifestyle changes due to chemical sensitivities and significantly more chemical substances that made them ill compared with chronic fatigue and normal controls. MCS, CS, and CFS patients had significantly higher rates of current psychiatric disorders than normal controls and reported significantly more physical symptoms with no medical explanation. Seventy-four percent of MCS and 61% of CFS did not qualify for any current Axis I psychiatric diagnosis. Chemically sensitive subjects without a defined date of onset (CS) had the highest rate of Axis I psychiatric disorders (69%). On the MMPI-2, 44% of MCS, 42% of CS, 53% of CFS, and none of the controls achieved clinically significant elevations on scales associated with somatoform disorders. With the exception of one complex test of visual memory, no significant differences were noted among the groups on tests of neuropsychological function. Standardized measures of psychiatric and neuropsychological function did not differentiate subjects with sensitivities to chemicals from those with chronic fatigue. Subjects with sensitivities to chemicals and no clear date of onset had the highest rate of psychiatric morbidity. Standardized neuropsychological tests did not substantiate the cognitive impairment reported symptomatically. Cognitive deficits may become apparent under controlled exposure conditions.
17-P: When Not Having Enough Prompts Consumers to Show Off: Reminders of Resource Scarcity Prompt Narcissism

Consumers often think and talk about “not having enough” resources (e.g., money, time, food, etc.). They are also often reminded of their lack of resources by their surroundings, such as when seeing their empty refrigerator, the low gas gauge in their car, an ad about whether they have saved enough money for retirement, or a magazine article about an impending resource shortage. This research examines the effect that reminders of resource scarcity have on consumers’ personality state and resulting product preferences. Resource scarcity has been shown to prompt consumers to become more selfish and less likely to share resources with others. Past research on narcissism has also demonstrated that this personality trait tends to be related to a selfish orientation. Bridging the gap between these two lines of work, this thesis proposes that reminders of resource scarcity will prompt consumers to become more narcissistic. Further, narcissists tend to prefer high-prestige and conspicuous products, as they help signal higher status to their peers. Consequently, this thesis further proposes that reminders of resource scarcity will shift consumers’ preferences toward more conspicuous products. Across three experiments, this thesis demonstrates that reminders of resource scarcity increase consumers’ narcissistic tendencies, and that narcissism mediates the effect of reminder of resource scarcity on selfishness. Further, this thesis shows that reminders of resource scarcity prompt consumers to prefer luxury products with more prominent brand logos as a result.
Relapse prevention in first-episode schizophrenia--maintenance vs intermittent drug treatment with prodrome-based early intervention: results of a randomized controlled trial within the German Research Network on Schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE After acute treatment of the first illness episode in schizophrenia, antipsychotic maintenance treatment is recommended for at least 1 year. Evidence for the optimal subsequent treatment is still scarce. Targeted intermittent treatment was found to be less effective than continuous treatment at preventing relapse in multiple episode patients; however, a post hoc analysis of our own data from a previous study suggested comparable efficacy of the 2 treatment approaches in first-episode patients. The current study was therefore designed to compare prospectively the relapse preventive efficacy of further maintenance treatment and targeted intermittent treatment in patients with ICD-10-diagnosed first-episode schizophrenia. METHOD A randomized controlled trial was conducted within the German Research Network on Schizophrenia. Entry screening took place between November 2000 and May 2004. After 1 year of antipsychotic maintenance treatment, stable first-episode patients were randomly assigned to 12 months of further maintenance treatment or stepwise drug discontinuation and targeted intermittent treatment. In case of prodromal symptoms of an impending relapse, patients in both groups received early drug intervention, guided by a decision algorithm. The primary outcome measure was relapse (increase in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale positive score > 10, Clinical Global Impressions-Change score ≥ 6, and decrease in Global Assessment of Functioning score > 20 between 2 visits). RESULTS Of 96 first-episode patients, only 44 were eligible for the assigned treatment (maintenance treatment, n = 23; intermittent treatment, n = 21). The rates of relapse (19% vs 0%; P = .04) and deterioration (up to 57% vs 4%; P < .001) were significantly higher in the intermittent treatment group than in the maintenance treatment group, but quality-of-life scores were comparable. Intermittent treatment patients received a significantly lower amount of antipsychotics (in haloperidol equivalents; P < .001) and tended to show fewer side effects, particularly extrapyramidal side effects. CONCLUSIONS Maintenance treatment is more effective than targeted intermittent treatment in preventing relapse, even in stable first-episode patients after 1 year of maintenance treatment, and should be the preferred treatment option. However, about 50% of patients remain stable at a significantly lower drug dose and show fewer side effects, and a substantial proportion refuse maintenance treatment. Alternative long-term treatment strategies, including targeted intermittent treatment, should therefore be provided in individual cases. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00159120.
Effect of Crude and Decaffeinated Extracts of Cola nitida Seeds on Male Reproductive System in Swiss Albino Rats

Background: Caffeine is present in kola nut and xanthine stimulants which are used as a psychoactive drug. Therefore, the effect of kola nut (Cola nitida) extract was carried out on male reproductive system in male albino rats. Aim and Objectives: This study was aimed to determine the effect of oral administration of Crude Extract of Kola (CEK) and Decaffeinated Extract of Kola (DEK) on the reproductive function in male Swiss albino rats. Material and Methods: Twenty-four adult male albino rats were used for this study, they were assigned into three groups consisting eight rats each. Group 1 (control group) received (8mg/kg bw) of distilled water for six weeks, Group 2 (crude extract group) received (8mg/kg bw) of CEK for six weeks, and Group 3 (decaffeinated extract group) was treated with (8mg/kg bw) of DEK for six weeks. Result: CEK showed no significant decrease in the body weight and sperm count when compared with the control group. No significant difference in seminal parameter (motility, morphology, viability), organ weight (testis) and hormonal assay (testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone) when compared with the control group. DEK showed no significant different in body weight, hormonal assay (testosterone and follicle stimulating hormone, seminal parameter (sperm viability, count, morphology and motility), organ weight (testes and epipidymis) of the animal; however significant increase was observed in luteinizing hormone when compared with control group. A significant increase in Effect of Crude and Decaffeinated Extracts of Cola nitida Seeds on Male Reproductive System in Swiss Albino Rats 1 3 2 Ogundipe J.O *, Afolabi O. A , Saka O. S 1 2 Department of Physiological Sciences, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic 3 Medical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso,
Penguatan Daya Saing Usaha Mikro Kecil Menengah Melalui E-Commerce

MSMEs have faced many challenges, especially in marketing its products, consequently the use of information technology is a necessity in the midst of rapid business changes. This study aimed to analyze the use of e-commerce in strengthening MSMEs competitiveness in terms of operations and marketing. The research took place in Kudus, a city that is pro-investment, where there are many MSMEs with various business fields. The respondents were the owners of the embroidery business in Padurenan village that was the center of the embroidery and convection industry in Kudus. They were asked about the use of e-commerce in supporting their business in terms of operation and marketing activities. Data then analyzed through qualitative technique analysis in order to conclude the research problem. As the results of the study, it’s concluded that the use of e-commerce impacted on broader marketing area, cost reduction, more relation, ease of transaction, and additional income. Besides there were some concequencies such as higher competition, plagiarism, and prone to fraud recognized as threats of the e-commerce implementation.Keywords: empowerment, competitiveness, e-commerce, threats, marketing.
Galactosaminoglycan Function and Oligosaccharide Structure Determination

This review will discuss the importance of sequencing long chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate chains specifically derived from decorin. Decorin is a member of the small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans and ubiquitously expressed primarily in the skin. Sequence information and diverse function of glycosaminoglycans is further influenced by variable expression through the core protein indicating the importance to analyse glycosaminoglycans from specific proteoglycans.
The effects of socio-cultural factors on public service motivation: Insights from the Lebanese public service

The infusion of market and business management principles into the public sector has impeded the behaviour of public service motivated employees who are motivated by intrinsic motives. Besides, the infusion of such principles caused great threats to basic values of the civil service, like equity, fairness, justice, accountability, impartiality, public welfare and other values related to the public sector. From here, public service motivation (PSM) emanates as a reaction against these principles/techniques in the civil service. Public management scholars have studied PSM from different angles and perspectives; however, no one has studied the effects of socio-cultural factors on PSM. This study will fill this gap in PSM literature by studying how socio-cultural factors impede/block the development of this construct with lessons learnt from the Lebanese civil service.
Pengaruh Profitabilitas, Leverage dan Pertumbuhan Penjualan terhadap Penghindaran Pajak

The research aims to analyze the effect of profitability, leverage, and sales growth on tax avoidance. Data were collected from 25 companies from manufacture listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in 2011 to 2014. The analysis method of this research used multiple regression. The results showed that profitability and sales growth had a negative and significant effect on tax avoidance (p-value <0.05), while leverage was not successfully supported. Overall, the model's ability to explain tax avoidance is 29.60%. Discussions and limitations are discussed in the paper. Keywords: profitability, leverage, sales growth, tax avoidance
Phytochemical and antimicrobial studies of four species of Cola Schott & Endl. (Sterculiaceae).

The in-vitro antimicrobial evaluation of ethanol extracts of four species of Cola Schott & Endl. was done using human isolated strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus albus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger as test organisms. The assays were carried out by agar well diffusion, erythromycin and ketoconazole served as the control drugs. The leaf ethanol extracts of the plants were found to be more effective against the tested fungi than the bacteria at high concentrations. None of the extracts was active against Staphylococcus aureus. Plant extract of C. acuminata (P. Beauv.) Schott & Endl. and C. nitida (Vent) Schott & Endl. showed activity on S. albus at concentrations ranging from 10-150 mgml(-) having comparable diameters of zone of inhibition of 7.3+/-0.03-16.0+/-0.0 for C. acuminata and 10.0+/-0.0-19.0+/-0.0 for C. nitida. Also, these two species of Cola demonstrated activities on C. albicans and A. niger at concentrations ranging from 90-150mgml(-1) with relatively close diameters of zone of inhibition. Only C. acuminata inhibited the growth of K. pneumoniae at the MIC of 90mgml(-1) whereas, C. albicans was inhibited by C. acuminata, C. millenii K. Schum and C. gigantea A.Chev. at the MIC of 120mgml(-1). Phytochemical screening of the four species of Cola showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins and cardenolides in all the plants which apart from showing the probable closeness of the species could also be responsible for the observed activities. The antimicrobial property shown by the plant extracts is an evidence of the ethnomedicinal uses of the plants. The similarity observed in the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activities demonstrated by C nitida (Vent.) Schott & Endl. , C. millenii and C.gigantea A. Chev. and C. acuminata suggest a probable closeness among these species. The results obtained in this study provide preliminary evidence of the chemotaxonomic significance of secondary metabolites and antimicrobial activities in infra-generic taxonomy of species of Cola.
The Interbank Market Puzzle

This study documents significant differences in the interbank market lending and borrowing levels across countries. We argue that the existing differences in interbank market usage can be explained by the trust of the market participants in the stability of the country’s banking sector and counterparties, proxied by the history of banking crises and failures. Specifically, banks originating from a country that has lower level of trust tend to have lower interbank borrowing. Using a proprietary dataset on bilateral exposures, we investigate the Euro Area interbank network and find the effect of trust relies on the network structure of interbank markets. Core banks acting as interbank intermediaries in the network are more significantly influenced by trust in obtaining interbank funding, while being more exposed in a community can mitigate the negative effect of low trust. Country-level institutional factors might partially substitute for the limited trust and enhance interbank activity. JEL Classification: G01, G21, G28, D85
Isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi from saliva of the tick vector, Ixodes scapularis

A method for cultivating and isolating Lyme disease spirochetes, Borrelia burgdorferi, from the saliva of vector ticks, Ixodes scapularis (formerly known as Ixodes dammini), is described. Saliva was collected from partially engorged ticks after application of pilocarpine to induce salivation. B. burgdorferi was isolated from 8 of 14 (57%) of the saliva samples derived from ticks infected with the bacteria, as determined by direct immunofluorescent-antibody assay of tick hemolymph. A comparison of the protein profiles of the salivary isolates and a highly passaged strain (B31) showed that the salivary isolates all lacked a 22-kDa protein known to increase with continuous passage, but exhibited larger amounts of the OspA and OspB proteins than did the highly passaged B31 strain.
Safer Choices: Reducing Teen Pregnancy, HIV, and STDs

Objectives. This study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of Safer Choices, a theory-based, multi-component educational program designed to reduce sexual risk behaviors and increase protective behaviors in preventing HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy among high school students. Methods. The study used a randomized controlled trial involving 20 high schools in California and Texas. A cohort of 3869 ninth-grade students was tracked for 31 months from fall semester 1993 (baseline) to spring semester 1996 (31-month follow-up). Data were collected using self-report surveys administered by trained data collectors. Response rate at 31-month follow-up was 79%. Results. Safer Choices had its greatest effect on measures involving condom use. The program reduced the frequency of intercourse without a condom during the three months prior to the survey, reduced the number of sexual partners with whom students had intercourse without a condom, and increased use of condoms and other protection against pregnancy at last intercourse. Safer Choices also improved 7 of 13 psychosocial variables, many related to condom use, but did not have a significant effect upon rates of sexual initiation. Conclusions. The Safer Choices program was effective in reducing important risk behaviors for HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy and in enhancing most psychosocial determinants of such behavior.
Of gypsies and gene flows: CYP1B1

The article by Micheal et al. in this issue of CEO raises several talking points and provides further evidence regarding the role of CYP1B1 in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. CYP1B1 was first linked to primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) in a study of recessive Gypsy pedigrees in the late 1990s (or Romani, the more politically correct term for this itinerant Eurasian people). Gene discovery was achieved by positional cloning studies. This, and other similar work at the time required large pedigrees segregating in a Mendelian fashion and was usually a fairly labour intensive task. Dramatic improvements in DNA sequencing techniques and associated analyses have transformed the field of clinical genetics. The use of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, pronounced snip) microarray and use of the mapping tool HomozygosityMapper by Michael et al. are examples of autozygosity mapping which might be used to interrogate a consanguineous pedigree. Other techniques, which incorporate high throughput, parallel sequencing of DNA (so called next generation sequencing) have heralded the golden age of clinical genetics.
The impact of good corporate governance and Sharia compliance on the profitability of Indonesia’s Sharia banks

This article aimed to observe the influence of Good Corporate Governance (GCG) and Sharia compliance on the profitability of Sharia banks in Indonesia. This study uses secondary data obtained from 2012 until 2016 with nine samples of Indonesia’s Sharia banks according to purposive sampling criteria. Data are processed by using data panel regression analysis. The independent variables used are the composite value of GCG, which is the result of the self-assessment of the Sharia bank, as well as the proxy of Sharia compliance, namely Islamic Income Ratio (IsIR) and Profit Sharing Ratio (PSR), while the dependent variable used is profitability with a Return on Equity (ROE) as the proxy. The results showed that GCG and PSR variables have negative values indicating that there is no influence of GCG and PSR on ROE, while the variable of IsIR influences ROE value. This study provides benefits in presenting useful information to assess the compliance of Islamic banks based on Sharia principles.