Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A poverty-reduction oriented perspective to small business development in South Africa: A human capabilities approach

Despite the South African government’s strategic policy interventions and huge investments into small business development over the past two decades, solid evidence of the transition of informal businesses to the formal sector is hard to encounter. Furthermore, the high rates of unemployment in the country point to the growing incapacity of small-scale, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) to address the chronic social ills of poverty, inequality and social deprivation ravaging the country. Building on mainstream literature on the government interventions designed to promote growth without equity among SMMEs and Sen’s capabilities approach, this theoretical study advances a poverty-reduction approach to entrepreneurship underpinned by a systematic integration of multiple-level conversion factors, sustainable resourcing (especially seed funding and managerial capacity development), commercialization of business activities, a strong entrepreneurial orientation and solid managerial capabilities. Such an integrated approach was deemed to strengthen the capacity of SMMEs to survive the competition from established commercialised enterprises.
Experiencing health care service quality: through patients' eyes.

OBJECTIVE The primary aim of the present study was to consider health care service quality from the patients' perspective, specifically through the patient's eyes. METHOD A narrative analysis was performed on 300 patient stories. This rigorous analysis of patient stories is designed to identify and describe health care service quality through patients' eyes in an authentic and accurate, experiential manner. RESULTS The findings show that there are variant and complex ways that patients experience health care service quality. CONCLUSION Patient stories offer an authentic view of the complex ways that patients experience health care service quality. Narrative analysis is a useful tool to identify and describe how patients experience health care service quality. Patients experience health care service quality in complex and varying ways.
Chapter 6. Collective bargaining reforms in Southern Europe during the crisis: impact in the light of international standards

The objective of this chapter is to compare the reforms of collective bargaining regulations implemented in a number of Southern European countries during the Great Recession. We focus on Greece, Portugal and Spain, three countries subject to financial assistance programs, all of which have implemented regulatory changes in collective bargaining. However, while in Greece and Portugal those changes were explicitly included in their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with inter national creditors, in Spain the corresponding memorandum was limited to the financial sector. Nevertheless, the Spanish government also implemented important changes in collective bargaining. A comparison between the three countries sheds light on the similarity of the changes (promoting decentralized collective bargaining), although the specific changes affected different institutions at national level. The most expected impact would have been an increase in the use of company-level agreements and a decrease of sector and any other multi-employer collective agreement (CA). However, the available statistical information does not uphold this prediction and impacts even differ by country. In addition, we will also discuss the role of tripartite social dialogue on implementing changes in the legal regulation of collective bargaining.
The Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project: intervention, evaluation, and baseline results of a diabetes primary prevention program with a native community in Canada.

OBJECTIVES Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project is a 3-year community-based, primary prevention program for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in a Mohawk community near Montreal, Canada. Objectives are to improve healthy eating and encourage more physical activity among elementary school children. METHODS Intervention incorporates behavior change theory, Native learning styles, the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, and a health promotion planning model. Evaluation uses a mixed longitudinal and cross-sectional design to measure obesity, fitness, eating habits, and physical activity of elementary school children in the experimental and comparison communities. Intermediate variables are self-efficacy and perceived parental support. Process evaluation provides feedback to the intervention. RESULTS During 3 years, 63 distinct interventions that included a Health Education Program reinforced by school events, a new Community Advisory Board, a recreation path, and community-based activities promoting healthy lifestyles were implemented. Baseline consent rates were 87 and 71% in the experimental and comparison schools. As expected, anthropometric data increase with age. Between 9 and 10 years there are increased weight, height, BMI, and skinfold thicknesses; decreased fitness; and increased television watching. CONCLUSIONS Implementing a Native community-based diabetes prevention program is feasible through participatory research that incorporates Native culture and local expertise.
The efficacy of systemic therapy for childhood and adolescent externalizing disorders: a systematic review of 47 RCT.

Systemic (family) therapy is a widely used psychotherapy approach. However, most systematic efficacy reviews have focused solely on "family-based treatment" rather than on the theoretic orientation "systemic therapy. " We systematically review trials on the efficacy of systemic therapy for the treatment of childhood and adolescent externalizing disorders. All randomized (or matched) controlled trials (RCT) evaluating systemic/systems-oriented therapy in various forms (family, individual, group, multi-family group therapy) with child or adolescent index patients (0-17 years) suffering from mental disorders were identified by data base searches and cross-references. Inclusion criteria were as follows: index patient diagnosed with a DSM- or ICD-listed mental disorder, and trial published in any language up to the end of 2011. The RCTs were analyzed for their research methodology, interventions applied, and results (postintervention; follow-up). A total of 47 trials from the United States, Europe, and China, published in English, German, and Mandarin, were identified. A total of 42 of them showed systemic therapy to be efficacious for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, conduct disorders, and substance use disorders. Results were stable across follow-up periods of up to 14 years. There is a sound evidence base for the efficacy of systemic therapy for children and adolescents (and their families) diagnosed with externalizing disorders.
National Differences in Predictors of Suicide Among Young and Elderly Citizens: Linking Societal Predictors to Psychological Factors

ABSTRACT Suicide is usually conceptualized as arising either because of social phenomena or individual dynamics. In this study, these approaches were combined by analyzing suicide rates of younger people aged 15–24 and elderly aged 65–74 from 54 nations using societal variables in conjunction with psychological measures of citizen characteristics as mediators. A mediated analysis showed that psychological citizen factors, like home satisfaction and happiness, mediated the impact of societal variables, like the sex ratio, in predicting suicide rates. We found different psychological and societal predictors for young and elderly suicides, with elderly suicide rates being much more predictable. An age-responsive Durkheimian framework focusing on the dynamics of social integration at different ages was used to interpret these results.
The Effects of Age, Information, and Personal Contact on Attitudes toward Individuals with Cleft-Lip and Palate

Objective The aim of the study was to examine how information and brief personal contact with individuals who have a cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) affected attitudes and to compare these effects across two age cohorts. Design and Participants A pretest-posttest design was utilized to determine if accurate information and personal contact with an individual with CLP would affect cognitive, emotional, and behavioral attitudes in participants without CLP. To assess attitudes, 189 participants without cleft lip and palate completed a modified version of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (Findler et al., 2007). The study included a child cohort (n = 78; Mean age = 10.01 years) and a young adult cohort (n = 111; Mean age = 19.58 years). Results Using a mixed MANCOVA, it was found that children's cognitive attitudes were significantly improved (22.54%) by information and personal contact with individuals with CLP. Within the young adult cohort, however, findings were inconsistent with prior research in that information and personal contact did not significantly affect their attitudes. There were no significant differences in attitudes between the age cohorts; however, data suggests that the children responded differently to the experimental intervention. Conclusions Nonclefted children's attitudes toward individuals with CLP can be significantly improved using educational information and personal contact with individuals with CLP. In the current study, the combination of accurate information and personal contact enhanced the degree of attitude change over and above the provision of information only.
Matrix genes of measles virus and canine distemper virus: cloning, nucleotide sequences, and deduced amino acid sequences

The nucleotide sequences encoding the matrix (M) proteins of measles virus (MV) and canine distemper virus (CDV) were determined from cDNA clones containing these genes in their entirety. In both cases, single open reading frames specifying basic proteins of 335 amino acid residues were predicted from the nucleotide sequences. Both viral messages were composed of approximately 1,450 nucleotides and contained 400 nucleotides of presumptive noncoding sequences at their respective 3' ends. MV and CDV M-protein-coding regions were 67% homologous at the nucleotide level and 76% homologous at the amino acid level. Only chance homology was observed in the 400-nucleotide trailer sequences. Comparisons of the M protein sequences of MV and CDV with the sequence reported for Sendai virus (B. M. Blumberg, K. Rose, M. G. Simona, L. Roux, C. Giorgi, and D. Kolakofsky, J. Virol. 52:656-663; Y. Hidaka, T. Kanda, K. Iwasaki, A. Nomoto, T. Shioda, and H. Shibuta, Nucleic Acids Res. 12:7965-7973) indicated the greatest homology among these M proteins in the carboxyterminal third of the molecule. Secondary-structure analyses of this shared region indicated a structurally conserved, hydrophobic sequence which possibly interacted with the lipid bilayer.
Effects of Supplementation with Annatto (Bixa orellana)-Derived δ-Tocotrienol on the Nicotine-Induced Reduction in Body Weight and 8-Cell Preimplantation Embryonic Development in Mice

Effects of nicotine on pre-partum body weight and preimplantation embryonic development has been reported previously. Present study was conducted to determine the effects of annatto (Bixa orellana)-derived delta-tocotrienol (TCT) (with presence of 10% gamma-TCT isomer) on the nicotine-induced reduction in body weight and 8-cell embryonic growth in mice. Twenty-four 6-8 weeks old (23-25g) female balb/c mice were randomly divided into four groups (G1-G4; n=6). Those groups were subjected to the following treatments for 7 consecutive days: G1 (control) were gavaged with 0.1 ml tocopherol stripped corn oil. G2 was subcutaneously (s.c.) injected with 3 mg/kg/day of nicotine. G3 received concurrent treatment of nicotine (3 mg/kg/day) and 60 mg/kg/day of δ-TCT mixture (contains 90% delta & 10% gamma isomers) and G4 was given 60 mg/kg/day of δ-TCT mixture alone. Body weights were recorded daily during the treatment. On Day 8, females were superovulated with 5 IU Pregnant Mare’s Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) for 48 hours followed with 5 IU human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) before mated with males at the ratio of 1:1. Females were sacrificed by cervical dislocation for embryo collection 48 hours post-coitum. Collected embryos were cultured in vitro. Results showed that throughout Day 1 to Day 7, the body weight of nicotine treated group (G2) was significantly lower (p<0.05) than that of G1, G3 and G4. Intervention with δ-TCT mixture (G3) managed to increase the body weight close to the control group. This is also observed in the group treated with δ-TCT mixture alone (G4). The development of 8-cell embryos following in vitro culture (IVC) was totally inhibited in G2. Intervention with δTCT mixture (G3) resulted in the production of 8-cell embryos, although it was not up to that of the control group. Treatment with δTCT mixture alone (G4) caused significant increase in the average number of produced 8-cell embryo compared to G1. Present data indicated that δ-TCT mixture was able to reverse the body weight loss in nicotine treated mice and the development of 8-cell embryos was also improved. Further analysis on the quality of embryos need to done to confirm the effects of δ-TCT mixture on preimplantation embryos. Keywords—δ-tocotrienol, body weight, nicotine, preimplantation embryonic development. Rajikin M.H and Sharaniza A-R are with the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sg. Buloh Campus, Selangor, Malaysia, (e-mail: hamim400@salam.uitm.edu.my). Syairah, S. M. M. is with the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sg. Buloh Campus, Selangor, Malaysia, on leave from Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM, Puncak Alam Campus, Selangor, Malaysia (email: syairah@puncakalam.uitm.edu.my).
Reduced Na+,K+-ATPase Activity in Erythrocyte Membranes from Patients with Phenylketonuria

Na+,K+-ATPase activity was determined in erythrocyte membranes from 12 phenylketonuric patients of both sexes, aged 8.8 ± 5.0 y, with plasma phenylalanine levels of 0.64 ± 0.31 mM. The in vitro effects of phenylalanine and alanine on the enzyme activity in erythrocyte membranes from healthy individuals were also investigated. We observed that Na+,K+-ATPase activity was decreased by 31% in erythrocytes from phenylketonuric patients compared with normal age-matched individuals (p < 0.01). We also observed a significant negative correlation between erythrocyte Na+,K+-ATPase activity and plasma phenylalanine levels (r = −0.65;p < 0.05). All PKU patients with plasma phenylalanine levels higher than 0.3 mM had erythrocyte Na+,K+-ATPase activity below the normal range. Phenylalanine inhibited in vitro erythrocyte Na+,K+-ATPase activity by 22 to 34%, whereas alanine had no effect on this activity. However, when combined with phenylalanine, alanine prevented Na+,K+-ATPase inhibition. Considering that reduction of Na+,K+-ATPase activity occurs in various neurodegenerative disorders leading to neuronal loss , our previous observations showing a significant reduction of Na+,K+-ATPase activity in brain cortex of rats subjected to experimental phenylketonuria and the present results, it is proposed that determination of Na+,K+-ATPase activity in erythrocytes may be a useful peripheral marker for the neurotoxic effect of phenylalanine in phenylketonuria.
Distribution of glycinergic neurons in the brain of glycine transporter‐2 transgenic Tg(glyt2:Gfp) adult zebrafish: Relationship to brain–spinal descending systems

We used a Tg(glyt2:gfp) transgenic zebrafish expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) under control of the glycine transporter 2 (GLYT2) regulatory sequences to study for the first time the glycinergic neurons in the brain of an adult teleost. We also performed in situ hybridization using a GLYT2 probe and glycine immunohistochemistry. This study was combined with biocytin tract tracing from the spinal cord to reveal descending glycinergic pathways. A few groups of GFP+/GLYT2− cells were observed in the midbrain and forebrain, including numerous pinealocytes. Conversely, a small nucleus of the midbrain tegmentum was GLYT2+ but GFP−. Most of the GFP+ and GLYT2+ neurons were observed in the rhombencephalon and spinal cord, and a portion of these cells showed double GLYT2/GFP labeling. In the hindbrain, GFP/GLYT2+ populations were observed in the medial octavolateral nucleus; the secondary, magnocellular, and descending octaval nuclei; the viscerosensory lobes; and reticular populations distributed from trigeminal to vagal levels. No glycinergic cells were observed in the cerebellum. Tract tracing revealed three conspicuous pairs of GFP/GLYT2+ reticular neurons projecting to the spinal cord. In the spinal cord, GFP/GLYT2+ cells were observed in the dorsal and ventral horns. GFP+ fibers were observed from the olfactory bulbs to the spinal cord, although their density varied among regions. The Mauthner neurons received very rich GFP+ innervation, mainly around the axon cap. Comparison of the zebrafish glycinergic system with the glycinergic systems of other adult vertebrates reveals shared patterns but also divergent traits in the evolution of this system. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:389–425, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
EMU-related news and financial markets in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland

We analyse the impact of news on five financial markets in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland using a newly constructed data set in a Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) framework. Macroeconomic shocks (on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation rate, current account and trade balance) are constructed as deviations from expected values. Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)-related political and fiscal news is captured as news dummies. Macroeconomic shocks significantly affect short-term interest rates and, to a lesser extent, other financial variables. Political and fiscal news has an impact on long-term bond yields and exchange rates. News displayed prominently in our media sources has a greater impact on financial markets than other news and, in addition, the sources of news themselves matter. We also discover asymmetric effects of news within markets. Finally, using a pooled GARCH model we find that macroeconomic shocks have the strongest impact on financial markets in Hungary, while political news has the largest influence in both Hungary and Poland.
Market-based instruments for risk-averse farmers: rubber agroforest conservation in Jambi Province, Indonesia

Abstract This paper investigates the effectiveness of different market-based instruments (MBIs), such as eco-certification premiums, carbon payments, Pigovian taxes and their combination, to address the conversion of agroforests to monoculture systems and subsequent effects on incomes of risk-averse farmers under income uncertainty in Indonesia. For these, the authors develop a farm-level dynamic mean-variance model combined with a real options approach. Findings show that the conservation of agroforest is responsive to the risk-aversion level of farmers: the greater the level of risk aversion, the greater is the conserved area of agroforest. However, for all risk-averse farmers, additional incentives in the form of MBIs are still needed to prevent conversion of agroforest over the years, and only the combination of MBIs can achieve this target. Implementing fixed MBIs also contributes to stabilizing farmers’ incomes and reducing income risks. Consequently, the combined MBIs increase incomes and reduce income inequality between hardly and extremely risk-averse farmers.
Long-term outcomes of patients receiving drug-eluting stents

Background: We sought to establish the long-term safety of drug-eluting stents compared with bare-metal stents in a usual care setting. Methods: Using data from a prospective multicentre registry, we compared rates of death and of death or repeat revascularization during 3 years of follow-up of 6440 consecutive patients who underwent angioplasty with either drug-eluting or bare-metal stents between Apr. 1, 2003, and Mar. 31, 2006. Results: Drug-eluting stents were inserted in 1120 patients and bare-metal stents in 5320. The drug-eluting stents were selected for patients who had a greater burden of comorbid illness, including diabetes mellitus (32.8% v. 20.8% in the bare-metal group, p < 0.001) and renal disease (7.4% v. 5.0%, p = 0.001). At 1-year follow-up, the drug-eluting stents were associated with a mortality of 3.0%, as compared with 3.7% with the bare-metal stents (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46–0.83). The rate of the composite outcome of death or repeat revascularization was 12.0% for the drug-eluting stents and 15.8% for the bare-metal stents (adjusted OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.33–0.49). In the subgroup of patients who had acute coronary syndromes, the adjusted OR for this composite outcome was 0.46 (95% CI 0.35–0.61). During the 3 years of observation, the relative risks for death and repeat revascularization varied over time. In year 1, there was an initial period of lower risk in the group with drug-eluting stents than in the group with bare-metal stents; this was followed by a shift toward outcome rates favouring bare-metal stents in years 2 and 3. The adjusted relative risk of the composite outcome of death or repeat revascularization associated with drug-eluting stents relative to bare-metal stents was 0.73 early in the first year of follow-up; it then rose gradually over time, to a peak of 2.24 at 3 years. Interpretation: Drug-eluting stents are safe and effective in the first year following insertion. Thereafter, the possibility of longer term adverse events cannot be ruled out.
Lipid changes during basal insulin peglispro, insulin glargine, or NPH treatment in six IMAGINE trials

Basal insulin peglispro (BIL) is a novel basal insulin with hepato‐preferential action resulting from reduced peripheral effects. This report provides an integrated summary of lipid changes at 26 weeks with BIL and comparator insulins (glargine, NPH) from phase III studies in type 1 diabetes (T1D), insulin‐naïve patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), patients with T2D on basal insulin only and patients with T2D on basal‐bolus therapy. BIL treatment had little effect on HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in all patients. The effect of both BIL and glargine treatment on triglycerides (TG) depended on whether patients had been previously treated with insulin. When BIL replaced conventional insulin glargine or NPH treatments, increases in TG levels were observed. When BIL or comparator insulins were given for 26 weeks to insulin‐naïve patients with T2D, TG levels were unchanged from baseline with BIL but decreased with either glargine or NPH. The decreased peripheral action of BIL may reduce suppression of lipolysis in peripheral adipose tissue resulting in increased free fatty acid delivery to the liver and, hence, increased hepatic TG synthesis and secretion.