Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of terrorism and travel warning on Kenyan tourism demand

Security concerns especially from terrorism events and travel warnings against the country presents a challenge to the tourism industry in Kenya. This study applies the Arellano-Bond difference GMM model to analyze the effects of terrorism and travel warning on demand for tourism in Kenya. Quarterly arrivals data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics from 22 source countries covering the period 2010q1 to 2015q4 are used. The study focuses on travel warnings by the UK and US. The results obtained show that terrorism events, represented by fatalities, significantly reduce tourism demand. The adverse effect lasts at least through to the following quarter. Travel warnings also show a negative effect on tourist arrivals in the country. However, the evolution of its effect over time seems to depend on which country issued the warning. For a UK warning, the bulk of the impact comes in the following quarter, while for a US travel warning the negative effect is mainly in the same quarter. The sector appears to recover more quickly from a US travel warning relative to a UK warning.
Does age, gender, education and globalization affect lookism with mediation effect of culture?

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between age, gender, education and globalization on lookism with mediation effect of culture. Across this study we found that there is significant relationship between globalization and lookism, and that there is no relationship between gender, age and education with lookism. The results of chi-square test revealed that there was significant relationship in the age groups in different culture; also there was significant relationship in the gender groups between male and female in different culture. The results of chi-square test also revealed that there was significant relationship in the globalization groups among cultures. However there was no significant relationship in the education groups among different cultures. To investigate the mediation effect of culture on the relationship between age, gender, education, culture, and globalization and lookism, regression coefficient was applied, and the result confirmed that culture mediates this relationship.
Aging and forgetting in prospective and retrospective memory tasks.

Ss aged 52-83 years were asked to name 30 famous people 4 times over the course of an hour and to respond to 2 targets (a beard and a pipe) by marking the trial number on the response sheet. Initial performance in the prospective memory task was related only to a measure of incidental learning. Subsequent forgetting (i.e., success followed by failure) occurred more often for older Ss than for younger Ss, but there was no difference between the age groups in recovery (i.e., failure followed by success). Forgetting was predicted by age, even after a composite measure of general ability was included in the regression. Recovery was related to general ability alone. These results both replicate and extend those from a reanalysis of a previous study (Maylor, 1990a). They provide a striking contrast with the effect of age on retrospective memory, namely, age-related impairment on initial performance but no effect of age on subsequent forgetting.
LR based pre-coding aided spatial modulation with sub-optimal detection for V2X communications

In this manuscript, a novel transmit pre-coding matrix generation method and a linear decoding scheme are proposed for the generalised pre-coding aided spatial modulation (GPSM) system. The GPSM scheme proposed recently is a new multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmission technique, which conveys information by activating a subset of receive antennas with the aid of transmit pre-coding. This scheme seems to be suitable in V2X since the base station only transmits data to certain users/vehicles. The proposed pre-coding matrix is based on the lattice reduction (LR) principle and provides significant performance improvement over the original pre-coding design in GPSM. Furthermore, as the GPSM in large-scale antenna systems, which is a trend in future communication systems, might be too complex to be implemented with the maximum likelihood (ML) detection, a linear decoding method is proposed to reduce the implementation complexity. Our studies show that the performance degradation caused by the linear detector can be compensated by the proposed LR based pre-coding. As a result, the LR based GPSM with linear detection is capable of achieving the comparable performance as that of the original GPSM scheme employing ML detection, while with significantly decreased detection complexity.
Cloning and expression of the ecdysteroid receptor during ecdysis and reproduction in females of the soft tick, Ornithodoros moubata (Acari: Argasidae)

Molecular mechanisms of ecdysteroid regulation in development and reproduction have been thoroughly investigated in Diptera and Lepidoptera, but few studies report the molecular actions of ecdysteroids in hemimetabolous insects and more primitive arthropods. Ecdysteroids appear to be the main hormones regulating development and vitellogenesis in ticks. An ecdysteroid receptor that showed high homology with EcRs of other arthropods was isolated from Ornithodoros moubata (OmEcRA). OmEcR expression patterns coincided with ecdysteroid titres in the haemolymph during moulting and vitellogenesis and differed between mated and virgin females. Therefore, OmEcR appears to mediate the regulation of moulting and vitellogenesis by ecdysteroids in O. moubata females as seen in other arthropods.
Phase II study of modified docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil with bevacizumab in patients with metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a modified administration schedule of docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (mDCF) with bevacizumab in patients with advanced gastroesophageal malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS Previously untreated patients with metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma received bevacizumab 10 mg/kg, docetaxel 40 mg/m², fluorouracil 400 mg/m², leucovorin 400 mg/m² on day 1, fluorouracil 1,000 mg/m²/d × 2 days intravenous continuous infusion beginning on day 1, and cisplatin 40 mg/m² on day 3. The primary objective was to improve 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) from 43% (historical DCF control) to 63% with the addition of bevacizumab. The target accrual was 44 patients to have 10% type I and II error rates. RESULTS In total, 44 eligible patients with cancer were enrolled from October 2006 to October 2008: 22 gastric, 20 gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), and two esophagus. In 39 patients with measurable disease, the confirmed response rate was 67% (95% CI, 50% to 81%). Six-month PFS was 79% (95% CI, 63% to 88%), and median PFS was 12 months (95% CI, 8.8 to 18.2 months). With 26-month follow-up, median overall survival (OS) was 16.8 months (95% CI, 12.1 to 26.1 months), and 2-year survival was 37%. Treatment-related grade 3 to 4 toxicity was as follows: neutropenia without fever (50%), fatigue (25%), venous thromboembolism (39%), and nausea, vomiting, mucositis, neuropathy, and febrile neutropenia less than 10% each. In subset analysis, diffuse gastric cancer had significantly worse PFS and OS, and the response rate in proximal/GEJ tumors was 85% (95% CI, 62% to 97%). CONCLUSION mDCF with bevacizumab appears tolerable and has notable patient outcomes in patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Six-month PFS was 79%, surpassing our predefined efficacy end point, and median and 2-year OS were 16.8 months and 37%, respectively.
Time Horizon and the Beta Anomaly

Stocks with high betas mainly attract individual investors willing to pay a premium for lottery-type payoffs. Although the beta anomaly shows up strongly in monthly returns, little is known about the long-term performance of these stocks. In this article, we examine the long-term returns of high versus low beta stocks using bootstrap simulations. We show that, although the returns of high-beta stocks display mean reversion and positive skewness, these effects cannot negate their low geometric mean returns. As such, high beta stocks remain a poor investment choice for long-term investors. This result is robust to different performance criteria, including the Sharpe ratio, asymmetric performance measures such as the upside potential and omega ratio, and prospect theory utility functions. Investors are unambiguously better off with a buy-and-hold strategy consisting of low beta stocks.
Thoracoscopic Findings and Pharmacokinetics of Inhaled Fluorescein in a Pig Model

Background: Fluorescein-enhanced autofluorescence thoracoscopy (FEAT) reveals regions of abnormal fluorescence in patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax and in normal subjects. Some of these lesions are undetectable by white light thoracoscopy and it has been hypothesized that they represent underlying pleural and/or parenchymal abnormalities. Objectives: In order to standardize and evaluate this novel technique, we developed an animal model. Methods: Six pigs underwent thoracoscopy after the inhalation of nebulized sodium fluorescein by either volume-controlled mechanical ventilation or spontaneous ventilation. Pleural cavity and lung surface were inspected by white light thoracoscopy and FEAT during a period of 90 min. Fluorescence intensities were quantified in pleura and in blood. Regions of interest were examined postmortem for a histological assessment of the lesions. Results:FEAT lesions were observed in all animals, with a maximum intensity of the lesions 20–30 min after the onset of fluorescein administration. The plasma concentrations of sodium fluorescein reached a maximum after approximately 20 min. The microscopic findings suggest that fluorescein accumulates in the subpleural space of better ventilated lung areas. Conclusions:This is the first animal model using FEAT. Valuable information has been gathered but further investigations are required to explain the phenomena observed in humans and pigs.
Association between Intraoperative Blood Transfusion and Mortality and Morbidity in Patients Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery

Background:The impact of intraoperative erythrocyte transfusion on outcomes of anemic patients undergoing noncardiac surgery has not been well characterized. The objective of this study was to examine the association between blood transfusion and mortality and morbidity in patients with severe anemia (hematocrit less than 30%) who are exposed to one or two units of erythrocytes intraoperatively. Methods:This was a retrospective analysis of the association of blood transfusion and 30-day mortality and 30-day morbidity in 10,100 patients undergoing general, vascular, or orthopedic surgery. We estimated separate multivariate logistic regression models for 30-day mortality and for 30-day complications. Results:Intraoperative blood transfusion was associated with an increased risk of death (odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% CI, 1.03–1.62). Patients receiving an intraoperative transfusion were more likely to have pulmonary, septic, wound, or thromboembolic complications, compared with patients not receiving an intraoperative transfusion. Compared with patients who were not transfused, patients receiving one or two units of erythrocytes were more likely to have pulmonary complications (OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.48–2.09), sepsis (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.21–1.68), thromboembolic complications (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.32–2.38), and wound complications (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.47–2.37). Conclusions:Intraoperative blood transfusion is associated with a higher risk of mortality and morbidity in surgical patients with severe anemia. It is unknown whether this association is due to the adverse effects of blood transfusion or is, instead, the result of increased blood loss in the patients receiving blood.
Analyzing Quality of Supply Chain Management in Hotels of Isfahan Using the Partial Least Squares (PLS)

ABSTRACT Hotels, as one of the major tourism service providers, must offer high quality products to survive in this severely competitive environment so that they can preserve their competitive advantage dealing with other competitors. Therefore, considering the high importance of this subject, this study aims to analyze the quality of hotels supply chain in Isfahan- Iran. On this account, the literature of quality in supply chain is reviewed and seven factors affecting the supply chain are identified. Then research hypotheses are raised in accordance with the seven factors. Data was gathered using questionnaire and Partial Least Square was applied in order to analyze the data. The obtained results indicate that focus on customer, supply chain quality leadership, supply chain quality strategies, supply chain quality information and process approach results in an increase in supply chain quality; meanwhile, the two hypotheses regarding supplier quality management and human resources development of supply chain are rejected. The results of this article will be beneficial to hotels which want to increase the level of their service quality.
New insights into paracrine mechanisms of human cardiac progenitor cells

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) have been shown to promote cardiac regeneration in vivo. Understanding the function of CPCs is essential for further implementation of these cells in the treatment of cardiac diseases. The present study tested the hypothesis that adult CPC exert paracrine effects that lead to an improvement in the functional characteristics of cardiomyocytes. This study also investigated whether aging (we included patients aged between 4 months and 81 years) has any effect on the paracrine mechanisms of CPC.
Organizational-level profitability determinants in commercial banks: Swedish evidence

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine organizational-level determinants of commercial bank profitability.Design/methodology/approachUsing bank-level longitudinal panel data for the 2005–2014 period, this study conducts univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, i.e. ordinary least squares (OLS), fixed-effects and feasible generalized least-squares (FGLS) regressions, to analyze profitability variables in Swedish commercial banks.FindingsThe findings indicate that the organizational-level determinants growth, lagged profitability and capital adequacy are positively related to banks’ current profitability. No relationship was found between banks’ size and their profitability. Moreover, no relationship was found between the macroeconomic control variable gross domestic product (GDP) and bank profitability.Practical implicationsGiven that organizational-level determinants explain sustainable bank profitability, the findings can be used by bank managers as a basis for low-risk bank policy formulation, and by regulators in monitoring banks relative to international standards (i.e. the Basel Accords). Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate determinants of bank profitability in Sweden, a country with a strong tradition of bank-based financing, with previous experience of a domestic bank crisis in the 1990s, and where the recent global financial crisis had relatively little impact on domestic banks.
A multistep algorithm for processing and calibration of microdialysis continuous glucose monitoring data.

BACKGROUND The deviation of continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring (CGM) data from reference blood glucose measurements is substantial, and adequate signal processing is required to reduce the discrepancy between subcutaneous glucose and blood glucose values. The purpose of this study was to develop a multistep algorithm for the processing and calibration of continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring data with high accuracy and short delay. Algorithm PRESENTATION The algorithm comprises three steps: rate-limiting filtering, selective smoothing, and robust calibration. Initially, the algorithm detects nonphysiological glucose rate-of-change and corrects it with a weighted local polynomial. Noisy signal parts that require smoothing are then detected based on zero crossing count of the sensor signal first-order differences, and an exponentially weighted moving average smooths the noisy parts of the signal afterward. Finally, calibration is performed using a first-order polynomial as the conversion function, with coefficients being estimated using robust regression with a bi-square weight function. ALGORITHM PERFORMANCE: The performance of the algorithm was evaluated on 16 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. To compare the algorithm with state-of-the-art CGM data denoising and calibration, the rate-limiting filter and selective smoothing were replaced with an adaptive Kalman filter, and the calibration method was replaced with the calibration algorithm presented in one of the Medtronic (Northridge, CA) CGM patents. The median (mean) of the absolute relative deviation (ARD) of the sensor glucose values processed by the newly developed algorithm from capillary reference blood glucose measurements was 14.8% (22.6%), 10.6% (14.6%), and 8.9% (11.7%) in hypoglycemia, euglycemia, and hyperglycemia, respectively, whereas for the alternative algorithm, the median (mean) was 22.2% (26.9%), 12.1% (15.9%), and 8.8 (11.3%), respectively. The median (mean) ARD in all ranges was 10.3% (14.7%) for the new algorithm and 11.5% (15.8%) for the alternative algorithm. The new algorithm had an average delay of 2.1 min across the patients, and the alternative algorithm had an average delay of 2.9 min. CONCLUSIONS The presented algorithm may increase the accuracy of CGM data.
Extracardiac Neural Remodeling in Humans With Cardiomyopathy

Background—Intramyocardial nerve sprouting after myocardial infarction is associated with ventricular arrhythmias. Whether human stellate ganglia remodel in association with cardiac pathology is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cardiac pathology is associated with remodeling of the stellate ganglia in humans. Methods and Results—Left stellate ganglia were collected from patients undergoing sympathetic denervation for intractable ventricular arrhythmias and from cadavers, along with intact hearts. Clinical data on patients and cadaveric subjects were reviewed. We classified ganglia from normal, scarred, and nonischemic cardiomyopathic hearts without scar as NL (n=3), SCAR (n=24), and NICM (n=7), respectively. Within left stellate ganglia, neuronal size, density, fibrosis, synaptic density, and nerve sprouting were determined. Nerve density and sprouting were also quantified in cadaveric hearts. Mean neuronal size in normal, scarred, and nonischemic cardiomyopathic hearts without scar groups were 320±4 &mgr;m2, 372±10 &mgr;m2, and 435±10 &mgr;m2 (P=0.002), respectively. No significant differences in neuronal density and fibrosis were present between the groups. Synaptic density in ganglia from SCAR and NICM groups were 57.8±11.2 &mgr;m2/mm2 (P=0.084) and 44.5±7.9 &mgr;m2/mm2 (P=0.039), respectively, compared with the normal group, 17.8±7 &mgr;m2/mm2 (overall P=0.162). There were no significant differences in left stellate ganglia nerve sprouting or myocardial nerve density between the groups. Conclusions—Neuronal hypertrophy within left stellate ganglia is associated with chronic cardiomyopathy in humans. Ganglionic and myocardial nerve sprouting and nerve density were not significantly different. These changes may be related to increased cardiac sympathetic signaling and ventricular arrhythmias. Further studies are needed to determine the electrophysiological consequences of extracardiac neuronal remodeling in humans.
Uncovering the research field of corporate social responsibility in family firms: a citation analysis

Purpose Inspired by increasing public interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the intensified focus of research on family firms (FFs) over the past few decades, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the existing literature on CSR in FF through a citation analysis. Design/methodology/approach This paper overviews the structure of research on CSR in FF, identifying influential publications, authors, and key lines of discussion. The authors identified the underlying sample through a systematic, keyword-based literature search of seven databases. Starting with this sample, the authors analyzed a database of 4,342 references of 3,025 different sources cited in the 63 articles. Findings The findings show that the cited literature on CSR in FF is widespread, confirming that the research field has great heterogeneity. The authors identified the most-cited researcher as Luis R. Gómez-Mejía (University of Notre Dame, USA), with 93 citations. The average author in the group of the 22 most-cited authors (with a three-way tie for 20th-most-cited author) counts 45.45 citations in the sample of 13.95 different sources. Because the citations mostly refer to journal articles, the authors further investigated the particular journals of publication. The 20 most-influential journals cover 45.28 percent of all citations, with the Journal of Business Ethics being the most influential (6.38 percent of all citations). Within the 3,025 different sources cited in the whole sample, the publication by Dyer and Whetten (2006), which is titled “Family firms and social responsibility: preliminary evidence from the S&P 500,” is the most-cited (29 citations in 46.03 percent of the analyzed 63 peer-reviewed journal articles). Originality/value The authors conclude with a call for more research on CSR in FF (especially qualitative case studies). Moreover, as scholars of North America and Western Europe dominate the current landscape of research, the authors would like to encourage scholars from other countries and cultures to provide insights from their countries.
Molecular detection and epidemiology of astrovirus, bocavirus, and sapovirus in Italian children admitted to hospital with acute gastroenteritis, 2008–2009

Although a number of enteric viruses have been identified in children with acute gastroenteritis, the majority of cases of gastroenteritis remain undiagnosed. In order to provide more insights into the epidemiology of enteric viruses that are not included usually in routine diagnostic tests, cases of childhood sporadic gastroenteritis of unknown etiology requiring hospital admission in Parma, Italy, during 2008–2009, were screened for astrovirus (AstV), sapovirus (SaV), and bocavirus (BoV). The stools of 712 children, negative for rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, enterovirus, and reovirus, were examined by PCR or RT‐PCR for AstV, BoV, and SaV. The prevalence of AstV, BoV, and SaV in the patients examined was 2.1%, 3.2%, 2.4%, respectively, with the viruses being detected mostly in children <3 years of age. AstV strains were characterized by sequencing as types 1, 2, and 4, with a AstV‐1 peak occurring in the 2008 fall–winter season. BoV strains were characterized as types 1, 2, and 3, with BoV‐3 circulating more frequently in the 2008 autumn and winter season and BoV‐2 during March–April 2009. The most common SaVs were GI.2 and GII.1 while GIV and GV SaVs were detected sporadically. Overall, AstV, BoV, and SaV infections accounted for 7.7% of the sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis with unknown etiology selected for the study. Different virus types and lineages were found to circulate and temporal peaks of virus activity were also demonstrated, suggesting either small clusters of infections or small outbreaks or epidemics in local population. J. Med. Virol. 84:643–650, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.