Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relation of Falls to Fatigue, Depression and Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson’s Disease

Objective: To characterize non-motor symptoms in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who experience falls compared to those who do not fall. Methods: Fifty-four individuals with PD were studied. Thirty-six were fallers and 18 were non-fallers. Fatigue was assessed by the Iowa Fatigue Scale. Excessive daytime sleepiness was assessed by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and depressive symptomatology was assessed by the short-form Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: Compared to non-fallers, fallers had more severe disability, greater general physical fatigue (p = 0.024), lower energy levels (p = 0.042) and less productivity (p = 0.007). Fallers had more depressive symptomatology than the non-fallers (p = 0.01). Excessive daytime sleepiness was not different between the two groups (p = 0.695). Conclusions: Individuals with PD who fell had more severe motor and non-motor symptoms than those who did not fall. These non-motor symptoms included physical fatigue, energy, productivity and depressive symptomatology.
Serovars of Mycobacterium avium complex isolated from AIDS and non‐AIDS patients in Spain

Antigen fingerprinting based on surface glycolipid antigens was applied to the epidemiology of clinical isolates of the Mycobacterium avium complex from 128 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 31 non‐AIDS patients from several different regions of Spain. The application of thin‐layer chromatography, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and monoclonal antibodies, combined with ELISA, allowed a facile identification, differentiation and classification of the isolates. The cumulative results demonstrate that, among the clinical isolates, serovar 4 was predominant in both AIDS (33·6%) and non‐AIDS (22·6%) isolates. In general, the results demonstrate geographical as well as disease‐related differences in the distribution of Myco. avium complex serovars of clinical importance.
Does privacy matter to millennials? The case for personal cloud

ABSTRACT To date, there is little research on the extent to which privacy, security, and trust influence consumer technology-use decisions based on generation. We, therefore, examine, through the lens of the expectancy-valence theory, the extent to which privacy, security, and trust influence the decision to use personal cloud computing among millennials. We also examine the moderating effect of innovativeness on these relationships. Our structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis of 371 millennials shows that privacy is irrelevant for millennials when making decisions to use personal cloud and that individuals with high innovativeness tend to disregard security when making an adoption decision.
Risk management and internal audit: Evidence from Greece

How to cite this paper: Drogalas, G. , Siopi, S. (2017). Risk management and internal audit: Evidence from Greece. Risk governance & control: financial markets & institutions, 7(3), 104-110. doi:10.22495/rgcv7i3p10 How to access this paper online: http://dx.doi. org/10.22495/rgcv7i3p10 Copyright © 2017 The Authors This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b
Pregnancy as a Model of Controlled Invasion Might Be Attributed to the Ratio of CD3/CD8 to CD56

PROBLEM: Pregnancy can be considered as a model of successfully controlled tissue invasion. Cellular mediated immunity appears to regulate the controlled invasion of fetal trophoblast cells. In endometrium cancer, a dysregulation of invasive malignant cells can be observed. Since immuncompetent cells are known to be involved in recognition and rejection of ‘non‐self’ antigens, we investigated the presence and distribution pattern of CD3, CD8, CD56, and CD68 positive cells in decidua from normal and failing pregancies, compared with malignant and benign endometrium. METHOD OF STUDY: Decidual tissue from first trimester normal pregancies (NP; n=15) and abortion (AB; n=12), endometrial samples from premenopausal women (NE; n=8), and endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EA; n=8) were examined by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody against large spectrum cytokeratin, and against the receptors CD3, CD8, CD56 and CD68, respectively. RESULTS: In NP, we observed 32.5% CD3, 44.7% CD56, and 22.9% CD68+ cells. In AB, we found 36.9% CD3, 45.3% CD56, and 17.8% CD68+ cells. The differences in ratio between normal pregnancy and abortion were not statistically significant. In NE, we counted 39.5% CD3, 30.2% CD56 and 30.2% CD68+ cells. In EA, we observed 47.9% CD3, 12.4% CD56 and 39.7% CD68+ cells. The decrease of CD56 positive cells in endometrioid adenocarcinoma was statistically significant. Interestingly, we found 4.1% of cells positive for CD8 in NP, 4.9% in AB, 22.7% in NE, and 48.2% in EA. CONCLUSIONS: The increase of CD8 cells in NE, and particularely in EA, and decrease of CD56 cells, compared with NP or AB, suggests an interaction between CD8 cells and CD56 cells. Studying different pathological situations in the uterus, such as malignancies or ectopic pregnancies, might help us to understand the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of pregnancy.
Physical Productivity and Exceptional Exporter Performance: Evidence from a Chinese Production Survey

In this paper, we use a detailed production survey in the Chinese manufacturing industry to estimate both revenue and physical productivity and relate our measurements to firms’ trade activity. We find that Chinese exporters for largely export oriented products like leather shoes or shirts appear to be less e cient than firms only involved on the domestic market based on the standard revenue productivity measure. However, we show strong positive export premium when we instead consider physical productivity. The simple and intuitive explanation of our results is that exporters charge on average lower prices. We focus more particularly on the role of processing trade and find that price di↵erences are especially (and probably not surprisingly) large for firms involved in this type of contractual arrangements. We also extend our analysis to other products for which the domestic market plays a more important role like beer or rice, and our results are just the opposite. ⇤Preliminary draft comments welcome. We thank Andrew Bernard and Chad Syverson for useful discussions. All errors are ours. † Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, email: yaoli@ust.hk ‡ Aarhus University, email: vas@asb.dk § Aarhus University, email: fwa@asb.dk
Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula presenting as an enhancing lesion of the medulla

A case of atypical clinical and imaging manifestations of an intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is reported. A 53-year-old man presented with orthostatic syncope and tingling of the fingertips of both hands, and the initial imaging findings were interpreted as brainstem mass. A catheter angiogram confirmed the presence of an intracranial DAVF with venous drainage around the brainstem and spinal cord. The lesion was treated by endovascular embolization and the patient remains asymptomatic 9 months after treatment.
Capital Structure and Irish Tech SMEs

This paper analyses the capital structure of 100 Irish technology oriented small companies and in particular looks at the impact financing options have on a variety of key topics. We examine key variables and their impact on the source of finance used by tech SMES The importance of internal sources, particularly retained earnings is found amongst older firms. A change from equity finance to debt occurs within tech SMEs over time. The relationship between the banking sector and tech firms has not improved over the past few years. Half of the tech firms were found to be profitable. Regression analysis finds a negative relationship between the use of incubators and accelerators with profitability. A positive relationship between tangible assets and internal finance exists, while firms with previous start-up experience have a positive affiliation with equity finance. The generation of revenue for tech SMEs is positively influenced by internal finance, while the use of debt is discovered to provide a negative impact.
Independent Board, Audit Committee, Risk Committee, the Meeting Attendance level and Its Impact on the Performance: A Study of Listed Banks in Indonesia

This study determines the effect of good corporate governance on the performance of banks in Indonesia. The variables used are independent board (IB), the annual board meeting (BM), the percentage of annual board of director meeting attendance, the annual board-executive meeting (BEM), the percentage of annual board-executive meeting attendance, audit committee (AC), audit committee meeting (ACM), the percentage of annual audit committee meeting attendance, risk committee (RC), risk committee meeting (RCM), and the percentage of annual risk committee meeting attendance. The analysis technique employed in this study is two-stage least square (2SLS) panel data regression using return on asset (ROA), net interest margin ratio (NIM), and Tobin’s Q as the proxies of bank performance. The data used are listed bank in Indonesia Capital Market between 2013 and 2015. The findings reveal that the independent board has a positive impact on net interest margin among the big scale bank. However, among the small scale bank the independent board of directors has the positive impact on the market value, but they will have the lack of information that could obstruct the accounting based profit of the bank. Moreover, the findings of this study also explain the important role of meeting attendance for the accounting based profitability of the bank. This study also found the critical role of the audit committee in the banking industry.
Retrograde double‐labeling demonstrates convergent afferent innervation of the prostate and bladder

Prostatic inflammation is a common histologic finding in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). It has been postulated that prostatic inflammation could sensitize afferent neurons innervating the bladder and thereby produce changes in voiding behavior. In support of this, we demonstrate an anatomic basis for pelvic cross‐talk involving the prostate and bladder.
Sustainable care improvement programs supported by undergraduate health care education

Background: The Care for Better Region program was developed to achieve sustainable care improvement focusing on fall prevention. Key ingredients involved improvement teams developing and implementing a falls reduction plan, Practice Development; facilitation of improvement teams by lecturers and undergraduate health care students; an implementation phase. This study evaluates the impact of this program on: (1) the number of falls incidents, and (2) the sustainability of care improvement practice. Methods: A realist evaluation design was used. Nine improvement teams participated in the Care for Better Region program. Staff members registered falls incidents in two measurement cycles in the participating teams (N = 143 older adults) and in a control group (N = 93). Data collection on improvement sustainability involved participative observations, interviews, logs of students and lecturer coaches, minutes and evaluations. Results: The falls incidents on the participating wards decreased over 12 months from 13.3% to 1.4%. At the control wards they stabilized. Sustainability of improvement practice: (1) Involvement of improvement teams was enhanced by measurements of falls incidents. However, involvement of ward staff was difficult to accomplish; (2) Students, lecturer coaches and project leaders of the improvement teams learned how to involve stakeholders, implement project management, and how to prevent falls incidents; (3) Network facilitation was promoted by the central meetings. The project leaders’ meetings continued after the project; (4) Students facilitated the improvement teams. The change of students after six and twelve months inspired the teams to renew their focus. Conclusions: This exploratory realist evaluation study shows how the Care for Better Region program improved sustainability of falls incidents reduction. The program also had a positive impact on the sustainability of improvement practice. Nursing education should focus on the development of innovation and facilitation skills in students. Nursing practice may improve by interdisciplinary collaboration with undergraduate health care education in care improvement programs.
Wavelet Methods for Time Series Analysis

The purpose of this book is to introduce wavelet methodology in time series applications. Emphasis is placed on the discrete wavelet transform and other discrete wavelets. There are many analogies to the spectral analysis of time series that the authors make in the book. However, they do not assume that the reader has any knowledge of Fourier analysis. They cover the relevant aspects of the frequency-domain theory of time series in Chapters 2 and 7. Just as the frequency-domain methods decompose the variance of a time series into frequency components, so do wavelets decompose the variance according to scaling. The authors take great pains in demonstrating this with several specific wavelets including the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and the maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT). Fast transform methods exist for wavelets as well as for Fourier transforms, and they are apparently simpler and faster for wavelets. This is a computational selling point for wavelets. The contents of the book are as follows:
The Impact of Lending Relationships on the Choice and Structure of Bond Underwriting Syndicates

Past bank-firm lending relationships affect the probability of choosing a bank as debt-underwriter. However, there is no evidence regarding how these relationships may influence the decision to syndicate the issuance; nor is there evidence of their effect on the syndicate formation. Using a sample of European corporate bonds from 2003–2013, we show that prior lending relationships have a significant impact on the syndication choice. Reputable banks refrain from joining a syndicate if they perceive that they are matching with less reputable counterparts. Furthermore, when lending relationships explain the syndication choice, there is a negative effect on at-issue spreads
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Coaching Program

"Objective – This study aims to examine and analyze micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) coaching program and to obtain an empirical evidence regarding the effect of MSMEs coaching program on the quality of financial statements. Methodology/Technique – This study was conducted using quantitative descriptive method and statistical analysis using a sample of 50 entrepreneurs in several MSMEs coaching program institutions in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. Findings – The result shows that all objectives of MSMEs coaching program classified as good with the value of mean above 3.43. Furthermore, the hypothesis proposed in this study shows that MSMEs coaching program has a significant effect on the quality of financial statements. Novelty – The study findings useful for future references in implementing coaching program. "
Does customer relationship strategy influence customer satisfaction and loyalty?: Evidence from Malaysia banking sector

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that explains the influence of Customer Relationship Strategy on the customer satisfaction and loyalty of Malaysia Banks.Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopts qualitative method of reviewing related literatures.Findings – Evidences from the extant literatures have suggested that effective implementations of the five dimensions of CRM (Customer Orientation, CRM Organization, Knowledge Management, Technology Based CRM and Customer Involvement) will positively affect customer satisfaction and lead to loyalty within the banking industry.Research limitations/implications – The major limitation of this work is that it is qualitative and thereby requires empirical data to support the model that is presented. Practical implications – This paper practically suggests that for banks to gain satisfaction and loyalty of their customers, they must monitor level of customer trust through proper integration of CRM application.Originality/value – This paper primarily conceptualizes a measurement model that would assist in determining the impacts of CRM on customer satisfaction and loyalty of banks.It is the first study that incorporates customer involvement dimension along other four CRM dimensions that was developed by Sin et al (2005). It also considers trust as a moderating variable between satisfaction and loyalty.
Caveolin-1 null mice are viable but show evidence of hyperproliferative and vascular abnormalities.

Caveolin-1 is the principal structural protein of caveolae membranes in fibroblasts and endothelia. Recently, we have shown that the human CAV-1 gene is localized to a suspected tumor suppressor locus, and mutations in Cav-1 have been implicated in human cancer. Here, we created a caveolin-1 null (CAV-1 -/-) mouse model, using standard homologous recombination techniques, to assess the role of caveolin-1 in caveolae biogenesis, endocytosis, cell proliferation, and endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling. Surprisingly, Cav-1 null mice are viable. We show that these mice lack caveolin-1 protein expression and plasmalemmal caveolae. In addition, analysis of cultured fibroblasts from Cav-1 null embryos reveals the following: (i) a loss of caveolin-2 protein expression; (ii) defects in the endocytosis of a known caveolar ligand, i.e. fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin; and (iii) a hyperproliferative phenotype. Importantly, these phenotypic changes are reversed by recombinant expression of the caveolin-1 cDNA. Furthermore, examination of the lung parenchyma (an endothelial-rich tissue) shows hypercellularity with thickened alveolar septa and an increase in the number of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (Flk-1)-positive endothelial cells. As predicted, endothelial cells from Cav-1 null mice lack caveolae membranes. Finally, we examined eNOS signaling by measuring the physiological response of aortic rings to various stimuli. Our results indicate that eNOS activity is up-regulated in Cav-1 null animals, and this activity can be blunted by using a specific NOS inhibitor, nitro-l-arginine methyl ester. These findings are in accordance with previous in vitro studies showing that caveolin-1 is an endogenous inhibitor of eNOS. Thus, caveolin-1 expression is required to stabilize the caveolin-2 protein product, to mediate the caveolar endocytosis of specific ligands, to negatively regulate the proliferation of certain cell types, and to provide tonic inhibition of eNOS activity in endothelial cells.
A Macro-Finance Approach to Sovereign Debt Spreads and Returns

Foreign currency sovereign bond spreads tend to be higher than historical sovereign credit losses, and cross-country spread correlations are larger than their macro-economic counterparts. Foreign currency sovereign debt exhibits positive and time-varying risk premia, and standard linear asset pricing models using US-based factors cannot be rejected. The term structure of sovereign credit spreads is upward sloping, and inverts when either (a) the country's fundamentals are bad or (b) measures of US equity or credit market stress are high. I develop a quantitative and tractable continuous-time model of endogenous sovereign default in order to account for these stylized facts. My framework leads to semi-closed form expressions for certain key macro-economic and asset pricing moments of interest, helping disentangle which of the model features influences credit spreads, expected returns and cross-country correlations. Standard pricing kernels used to explain properties of US equity returns can be nested into my quantitative framework in order to test the hypothesis that US-based bond investors are marginal in sovereign debt markets. I show how to leverage my model to study the early 1980's Latin American debt crisis, during which high short term US interest rates and floating rate dollar-denominated debt led to a wave of sovereign defaults.
A randomized study of platinum based chemotherapy with or without amifostine for the treatment of children with hepatoblastoma (HB): A report of the Intergroup Hepatoblastoma Study P9645.

8518 Background: Platinum-based therapy has improved the outcome for children with HB, however this therapy is associated with an increased risk of ototoxicity. Amifostine is a chemoprotectant developed to protect normal tissues from chemotherapy-induced side effects without adversely affecting anti-tumor activity. One of the goals of the P9645 study was to estimate the efficacy of Amifostine in reducing the toxicity associated with platinum agents in children with HB by randomizing patients to receive chemotherapy with or without Amifostine. METHODS A total of 203 patients were entered onto this study. Stage I/II patients received treatment with 4 cycles of Cisplatin-5-Fluorouracil-Vincristine (C5V) +/- Amifostine and patients with Stage III/IV were randomized to receive 4-6 cycles of C5V +/- Amifostine or Carboplatin alternating with Cisplatin (CC) +/- Amifostine. Amifostine (740 mg/m2/dose) was given intravenously prior to the platin agent in every cycle. Audiometric data was assessed in a cohort of surviving patients who had not progressed, and therefore had not received additional therapy off protocol. RESULTS The disease outcome for patients receiving Amifostine was not different from those treated without Amifostine. Audiometric data was available for 116 eligible patients, and fully evaluable in 82. Amifostine did not prevent ototoxicity as significant hearing loss (> 40 dB extending to 2 kHz) was seen in 14% (5/37) of the patients receiving Amifostine versus 9% (4/45) of the patients who did not receive Amifostine (p=0.72 ). Other organ toxicities (renal/bone marrow) were not different for patients who did or did not receive Amifostine, however, the use of Amifostine was associated with a higher incidence of hypocalcemia (5% vs. 0.5%, p=0.00006). CONCLUSION Amifostine in the dose and schedule used in this study does not protect against the ototoxicity associated with platinum agents used for the treatment of children with HB. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Reindeer in the Swedish Mountains: An Assessment of Grazing Impacts

Abstract During the last decade, several well-publicized grazing-related incidents of vegetation degradation have helped to form an official opinion of overutilization of some mountain areas and a concern that Swedish reindeer husbandry may not be ecologically sustainable. We examine these examples in a temporal and management perspective to assess the scale of impact on summer grazing grounds in the Swedish mountains. Long-term data on population dynamics of reindeer show no trend with fluctuations around 225 000 animals for the last century. Data on grazing effects from Långfjället (Dalarna) and Mittåkläppen (Härjedalen) are discussed in detail. We compare these data to the situation in Finnmark, Norway, and in northern Finland where reindeer husbandry in recent decades does not seem to have been ecologically sustainable. We conclude that large-scale overexploitation by reindeer in the Swedish mountains is not evident. However, strong grazing and trampling effects may be found around enclosures and fences.
Determinants of Dividend Payout: An Empirical Study of Pharmaceutical Companies of Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)

Dividend payout decision tends to focus on the distribution of the corporate profits as a whole or holding some part of it. Dividend payout is one of the sizzling topics that always gain attention of organizations, financial analyst, researchers, investors and other stakeholders. According to Brealy et.al, (2008) dividend policy controversy is one of the ten major unsolved problems of corporate finance which deserves more research in order to increase understanding of the subject.