Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linguistic and cultural barriers to care

AbstractCONTEXT: Primarily because of immigration, Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse minority groups in the United States. However, little is known about their perspectives on health care quality. OBJECTIVE: To examine factors contributing to quality of care from the perspective of Chinese- and Vietnamese-American patients with limited English language skills. DESIGN: Qualitative study using focus groups and content analysis to determine domains of quality of care. SETTING: Four community health centers in Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 122 Chinese- and Vietnamese-American patients were interviewed in focus groups by bilingual interviewers using a standardized, translated moderator guide. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Domains of quality of care mentioned by patients in verbatim transcripts. RESULTS: In addition to dimensions of health care quality commonly expressed by Caucasian, English-speaking patients in the United States, Chinese- and Vietnamese-American patients with limited English proficiency wanted to discuss the use of non-Western medical practices with their providers, but encountered significant barriers. They viewed providers’ knowledge, inquiry, and nonjudgmental acceptance of traditional Asian medical beliefs and practices as part of quality care. Patients also considered the quality of interpreter services to be very important. They preferred using professional interpreters rather than family members, and preferred gender-concordant translators. Furthermore, they expressed the need for help in navigating health care systems and obtaining support services. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural and linguistically appropriate health care services may lead to improved health care quality for Asian-American patients who have limited English language skills. Important aspects of quality include providers’ respect for traditional health beliefs and practices, access to professional interpreters, and assistance in obtaining social services.
Toxin ζ Triggers a Survival Response to Cope with Stress and Persistence

Bacteria have evolved complex regulatory controls in response to various environmental stresses. Protein toxins of the ζ superfamily, found in prominent human pathogens, are broadly distributed in nature. We show that ζ is a uridine diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine (UNAG)-dependent ATPase whose activity is inhibited in vitro by stoichiometric concentrations of ε2 antitoxin. In vivo, transient ζ expression promotes a reversible multi-level response by altering the pool of signaling purine nucleotides, which leads to growth arrest (dormancy), although a small cell subpopulation persists rather than tolerating toxin action. High c-di-AMP levels (absence of phosphodiesterase GdpP) decrease, and low c-di-AMP levels (absence of diadenylate cyclase DisA) increase the rate of ζ persistence. The absence of CodY, a transition regulator from exponential to stationary phase, sensitizes cells to toxin action, and suppresses persisters formed in the ΔdisA context. These changes, which do not affect the levels of stochastic ampicillin (Amp) persistence, sensitize cells to toxin and Amp action. Our findings provide an explanation for the connection between ζ-mediated growth arrest (with alterations in the GTP and c-di-AMP pools) and persistence formation.
Philippines - Labor Market Review : Employment and Poverty

This study analyzes labor market performance in the Philippines from the perspective of workers’ welfare. It argues that pervasive in-work poverty is the main challenge facing labor policy. Poverty is primarily due to low earning capacity of the poor and to their limited access to regular and productive jobs. Behind these are the two interrelated root causes of in-work poverty - low education of the poor, and the scarcity of productive job opportunities. The labor market is segmented into good and bad jobs, with the poor working in the latter. They hold jobs that are informal, temporary or casual, and low-paid. Widespread informality means that the poor neither benefit from the minimum wage policy nor from employment protection legislation. They do not benefit from wage growth either, because their bargaining power is weak. Good jobs are so few, especially in rural areas, that even better educated workers are often forced to take unskilled jobs and work as low-paid laborers. The reduction of in-work poverty hinges on removing constraints to gainful employment in both supply side (better education and skills) and demand side (better jobs). It is critical that the young poor have improved access to quality education, and be equipped with skills required in the modern sector of the economy. But in parallel, better jobs need to be created, which can be attained from the growth of the formal and higher value added sector of the economy. The process of structural transformation should be supported by effective labor policy. Labor regulations need to be made simpler and more flexible to facilitate the reallocation of labor from less to more productive activities, and from informal to formal sector. Targeted training programs have the potential to address the problem of low skills among the poor workers, especially the young ones. Such programs should be developed on a pilot basis and expanded if proven to be cost-effective.
Is HACCP a Difficult Food Safety System to Implement

HACCP system is a very important food safety tool that most countries throughout the world try to implement and make pressure for its adoption. The food safety literature demonstrates that a successful HACCP system involves a complex mix of managerial, organizational and technical hurdles. Even the largest food companies, equipped with important resources, technical specialists and management skills, may face difficult challenges implementing an HACCP system. These difficulties or barriers vary from country to country or from business sector to business sector. Some may be due to internal factors in a business' operations, like the knowledge level or available resources for the business. Others may be related to external factors, such as the accessibility of government or industry support. In the present study; implementation of the HACCP system globally and in our country was evaluated, challenges of the sector were faced on the basis of the main branches of the sector. With the aim of that, world literature was gathered and we seek to understand its implementation barriers of HACCP system.
THE EFFECT OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT (POS) AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT (AC) ON EMPLOYEES' TURNOVER INTENTION: A STUDY OF MALAYSIAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY

This study examines the effect of peceived organizational support (POS) and affective commitment (AC) on employees’ turnover intention in the manufacturing sector of Malaysia. 297 employees participated in the study. The result of the study indicate that perceived organizational support was significantly related to affective commitment. The results also shows that individuals with higher levels of affective commitment and perceived organizational support tended to report lower levels of turnover intention. Implication were presented for manager who want to keep and encourage their employees to remain in the organization. Field of Research: Perceived organizational support, affective commitment, turnover intention
Comparative Bone Histology of Adult Horses (Equus caballus) and Cows (Bos taurus)

Bone microstructure of domestic herbivores is still not completely understood. Indeed, works focused on the bone histology of numerous Mammalian species frequently led to misunderstandings because of the high number of variations such as the kind of bone, section orientation, species, breed and age. Moreover, attempts to identify the species in archaeozoological studies by a mere qualitative approach have not been encouraging and in recent years quantitative methods, based on image processing and statistical analysis, have appeared. The present study was undertaken to determine whether morphometrical and morphological differences exist in the compact bone structure of the femur and humerus between horses and cows. Measurements such as area, perimeter, minimum and maximum diameter of osteons and Haversian canals as well as the osteonal density were carried out on cross sections of eight humeri and eight femurs of the two herbivores investigated. In agreement with other authors, the qualitative investigation confirmed that the compact bone of horses and cows can be classified as dense Haversian tissue. Osteons of the horse were more numerous and composed of a higher number of well‐defined lamellae when compared with the cow. Diameter, perimeter and area of osteons and Haversian canals were always higher in horses than in cows and this pattern could be related to the different locomotor behaviour of these animals.
Quebec’s universal childcare policy : immigrant women’s labour supply and childcare usage

The 1997 Quebec childcare policy is the first and only universal childcare program to be introduced in Canada. By using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth from Statistics Canada, this paper analyzes the effects of this policy on immigrant women’s labour supply and their childcare usage over the course of 8 different cycles: 1994-1995, 1996-1997, 1998-1999, 2000-2001, 2002-2003, 2004-20005, 2006-2007 and 2008-2009. A double difference-in-difference method is used to estimate the effects. The results show an increase in immigrant women’s labour force participation, affecting the lower educated mothers more than the higher educated ones. In the case of childcare usage, whilst the results show an overall increase in usage, the increase is largely for informal childcare. This research adds to the existing literature, as it is the first to analyze the effects of the policy on immigrants in particular; the assumption that immigrants behave in the same way as non-immigrants is not fully supported by the findings. This paper opens up a new line of inquiry regarding the impacts of the 1997 Quebec childcare policy. July, 2016
The Effects of Angiotensin Metabolites on the Regulation of Coagulation and Fibrinolysis in Cultured Rat Aortic Endothelial Cells

Summary Not only angiotensin II (Ang II) but also other angiotensin metabolites such as angiotensin I (Ang I), angiotensin III (Ang III), angiotensin IV, or angiotensin 1-7 have recently been reported to have various activities. Few data, however, are available on the regulation of thrombus formation. In this study, we investigated the effects of angiotensin metabolites on the mRNA expression of tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and tissue type plasminogen activator (TPA) in cultured rat aortic endothelial cells. None of the used angiotensin metabolites altered TFPI or TPA mRNA expression levels. Ang I, Ang II, and Ang III made TF and PAI-1 mRNA inductions which were inhibited by an selective antagonist of angiotensin II type 1 receptors. These metabolites made TF predominant to TFPI or PAI-1 to TPA, and could render endothelial cells thrombogenic.
Convergence performance and EXIT analysis of 4-state partially-systematic Turbo codes

The error-rate performance of punctured turbo codes may be significantly improved by puncturing data symbols as well as parity symbols, yielding partially-systematic turbo codes (PSTCs). In this paper, it is shown that relatively simple 4-state PSTCs are able to achieve convergence (i.e., waterfall) performance that is 0.26 dB from the binary channel capacity limit at rate 1/2 and 0.18 dB from the limit at rate 8/9. It is also demonstrated that extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts do not accurately predict convergence performance for 4-state PSTCs.
Modularity in Knowledge Representation and Natural-Language Understanding

The notion of modularity, introduced by Noam Chomsky and developed with special emphasis on perceptual and linguistic processes by Jerry Fodor in his important book "The Modularity of Mind, " has provided a significant stimulus to research in cognitive science. This book presents essays in which a diverse group of philosophers, linguists, psycholinguists, and neuroscientists--including both proponents and critics of the modularity hypothesis--address general questions and specific problems related to modularity.
'Brexit' and the Contraction of Syndicated Lending

Using the syndicated loan market as a laboratory, we analyze the effect of the Brexit referendum on corporate loan origination. Issuances in the UK syndicated loan market dropped by 25% after the Brexit referendum relative to a set of comparable syndicated loan markets. We propose a new matching strategy – “Siamese Twins Matching” – to identify appropriate counterfactuals for the UK market. We further document a novel channel, market attractiveness, that plays an important role beyond standard demand and supply factors: firm-bank combinations that used to issue loans in both the UK market and other markets decrease their issuances in the UK market more than in other markets after the Brexit referendum. Our results help to understand the dynamics of competition between financial centers and the role of policy uncertainty shocks in this competition.
Periodontitis and Systemic Inflammation: Control of the Local Infection is Associated with a Reduction in Serum Inflammatory Markers

Severe periodontitis is associated with elevated inflammatory markers in otherwise healthy populations. However, the nature of this association has not been determined. Our aim was to assess whether the degree of response to periodontal therapy was associated with changes in serological markers of systemic inflammation. Ninety-four systemically healthy subjects with severe generalized periodontitis participated in a prospective six-month blind intervention trial. Periodontal parameters and inflammatory markers [C-reactive Protein (CRP) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6)] were evaluated prior to and 2 and 6 mos after delivery of standard non-surgical periodontal therapy. Six months after treatment, significant reductions in serum IL-6 (p < 0.001, median decrease 0.2 ng/L, 95% CI 0.1–0.4 ng/L) and CRP (p < 0.0001, median decrease 0.5 mg/L, 95% CI 0.4–0.7) were observed. Decreases in inflammatory markers were significant in subjects with above average clinical response to periodontal therapy after correction for possible confounders. Periodontitis may add to the systemic inflammatory burden of affected individuals.
Therapeutic Actions of Melatonin in Cancer: Possible Mechanisms

Melatonin is a phylogenetically well-preserved molecule with diverse physiological functions. In addition to its well-known regulatory control of the sleep/wake cycle, as well as circadian rhythms generally, melatonin is involved in immunomodulation, hematopoiesis, and antioxidative processes. Recent human and animal studies have now shown that melatonin also has important oncostatic properties. Both at physiological and pharmacological doses melatonin exerts growth inhibitory effects on breast cancer cell lines. In hepatomas, through its activation of MT 1 and MT2 receptors, melatonin inhibits linoleic acid uptake, thereby preventing the formation of the mitogenic metabolite 1,3-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid. In animal model studies, melatonin has been shown to have preventative action against nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA)-induced liver cancer. Melatonin also inhibits the growth of prostate tumors via activation of MT1 receptors thereby inducing translocation of the androgen receptor to the cytoplasm and inhibition of the effect of endogenous androgens. There is abundant evidence indicating that melatonin is involved in preventing tumor initiation, promotion, and progression. The anticarcinogenic effect of melatonin on neoplastic cells relies on its antioxidant, immunostimulating, and apoptotic properties. Melatonin's oncostatic actions include the direct augmentation of natural killer (NK) cell activity, which increases immunosurveillance, as well as the stimulation of cytokine production, for example, of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-12, and interferon (IFN)-γ. In addition to its direct oncostatic action, melatonin protects hematopoietic precursors from the toxic effect of anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs. Melatonin secretion is impaired in patients suffering from breast cancer, endometrial cancer, or colorectal cancer. The increased incidence of breast cancer and colorectal cancer seen in nurses and other night shift workers suggests a possible link between diminished secretion of melatonin and increased exposure to light during nighttime. The physiological surge of melatonin at night is thus considered a “natural restraint” on tumor initiation, promotion, and progression.
Ownership Concentration and Corporate Disclosure Choice in Bangladesh

This paper investigates empirically the effect of ownership concentration on corporate disclosure choice in Bangladesh. In an environment of weak enforceability of laws, corporate culture in Bangladesh is characterized by family control and concentrated ownership. Controlling shareholders exercise nearly full control over a firm’s operating and financial policies, including disclosure policies, while maintaining low cash flow rights relative to voting rights. The paper shows that management’s choice of disclosure across key financial elements is discriminatory against external shareholders and bondholders. The findings show that controlling for factors such as age, size, profitability and financial leverage, ownership concentration reduces corporate disclosure. The findings validate the hypothesis of La Porta et al. (1999) that an increasing ownership concentration leads corporate management to adopt a disclosure regime which is biased against external shareholders and creditors.
China's industrial performance : a review of recent findings

This essay evaluates the overall performance of China's state industry by reviewing the recent literature. It examines changes in state industry from several perspectives in the 1980s, major changes occurred in the structure of state industry, that is, the incentives within state enterprise, the autonomy granted to their managers, and the market and regulatory environment in which they operate. These changes in structure should give rise to changes in the behavior and performance of state industry. The authors examine various studies that have attempted to measure such changes in state industry. Throughout, a comparative perspective for the analysis is provided showing how China's state industry compares with non-state industry. This review provides provisional answers to the three main questions posed by the authors. First, have state-owned enterprises substantially improved their performance? Second, is this performance sustainable? Third, why is the TVE (collective enterprise) sector outperforming the state enterprise sector?
Flow cytometric analysis of circulating platelet-monocyte aggregates in whole blood: Methodological considerations

Summary Platelet-monocyte aggregates are increasingly being used to quantify platelet activation.The variables that influence plateletmonocyte aggregates have not been well defined.We sought to determine the effect of blood collection, handling and processing techniques on detected levels of platelet-monocyte aggregates using a flow cytometric assay. Whole blood was labelled with anti-CD14-PE and anti-CD42a-FITC. Thereafter, samples were fixed and red cells lysed.Analysis was performed with the flow cytometer initially triggering on light scatter and then on FL-2 to identify CD14-PE positive monocytes. Platelet-monocyte aggregates were defined as monocytes positive for CD42a. The effect of collection, handling and processing techniques on this assay were assessed. Anticoagulation with heparin (20.1 ± 2.0%), PPACK (16.8 ± 1.9%), sodium citrate (12.3 ± 1.6%) and EDTA (9.5 ± 1.0%) resulted in markedly different levels of pla- gregation was higher in samples obtained from intravenous cannulae compared to those obtained by venepuncture (20.9 ± 3.9% vs.13.8 ± 2.4%,P=0.03). For every 10 minutes of delay prior to processing platelet-monocyte aggregates increased by 2.8% (P=0.0001) in PPACK anticoagulated blood and 1.7% (P=0.01) in citrate anticoagulated blood. Erythrocyte lysis together with fixation does not affect platelet-monocyte aggregation. Plateletmonocyte aggregates remained stable over 24 hours when fixed and stored at 4°C. Multiple handling and processing factors may affect platelet-monocyte aggregation. We recommend the measurement of platelet-monocyte aggregates on samples collected by direct venepuncture, using a direct thrombin inhibitor as the anticoagulant and minimising the time delay before sample fixation.
Topoisomerase I Gene Mutations at F270 in the Large Subunit and N184 in the Small Subunit Contribute to the Resistance Mechanism of the Unicellular Parasite Leishmania donovani towards 3,3′-Diindolylmethane

ABSTRACT 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM), a novel poison targeting Leishmania donovani topoisomerase I (LdTOP1LS), induces programmed cell death in Leishmania parasites. The development of resistant parasites by adaptation with increasing concentrations of DIM generates random mutations in LdTOP1LS. Single-nucleotide mutations result in the amino acid substitutions F270L and K430N in the large subunit and N184S in the small subunit of the enzyme. DIM failed to inhibit the catalytic activity of the recombinant mutant enzyme (LdTOP1DRLS). Transfection studies of the mutant genes showed that the mutated topoisomerase I confers DIM resistance on wild-type Leishmania parasites. Site-directed mutagenesis studies revealed that a substantial level of resistance is conferred by the F270L mutation alone; however, all three mutations (F270L, K430N, and N184S) together are required to reach a higher-resistance phenotype. DIM fails to stabilize the topoisomerase I-DNA covalent complexes in the F270 mutant. Moreover, DIM cannot interfere with the religation step in the catalytic cycle of the recombinant F270L mutant enzyme. Taken together, these findings identify novel mutations in topoisomerase I that hinder its interaction with DNA, thereby modulating enzyme catalysis and conferring resistance to DIM. These studies advance our understanding of the mechanism of cell poisoning by DIM and suggest a specific modification of the drug that may improve its efficacy.
Knowledge Contribution Determinants through Social Network Sites: Social Relational Perspective

The advancement of the social network sites (SNSs) have enabled individual to share and exchange information through online platforms. This relatively new form of information exchange, motivations of knowledge contribution only recently received have significant academic attention. Many studies have focused at the usage intention of SNSs by examining the factors that affect individual’s engagement in such environment. Knowledge contribution behavior can be explained from the social relational perspective that emphasizes the public goods. However, based on literature there is a need for further investigation for determinants of knowledge sharing through SNSs. This paper focuses on the social relational factors as key motives of individual’s engagement in online knowledge sharing behavior. The research model empirically tested with a sample of 426 members of Facebook users. The results in this study confirm that reciprocity and sense of community are significantly related to users’ engagement in knowledge sharing behavior, whereas trust had shown no relationship. The implications for both researchers and practitioners are discussed.