Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metformin Causing Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A Guilty Verdict Without Sufficient Evidence

Metformin causing vitamin B12 (B12) deficiency has become a traditional myth in medical literature (1,2). But what evidence do we have? The possibility to measure holotranscobalamin (active B12) and the metabolic marker, methylmalonic acid (MMA), has changed the practice of diagnosing B12 deficiency in recent years. We have learned that not all low plasma B12 means a “deficiency” and not all high plasma B12 mean “sufficiency. ” When B12 is internalized and is able to maintain the B12-dependent intercellular enzyme activities (methionine synthase and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase), plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and MMA will be within the reference range. This revolution in diagnosing B12 deficiency has provided convincing evidence that metformin is not as bad as its reputation. In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 1,621 patients with diabetes (575 were taking …
Host–Parasite Associations in Small Mammal Communities in Semiarid Savanna Ecosystems of East Africa

Abstract Despite the established importance of rodents as reservoirs of vector-borne zoonoses in East Africa, there is relatively limited information regarding the infestation parameters and host associations of ectoparasites that vector many such pathogens among small mammals in this region. Between 2009 and 2013, small mammals were live-trapped in the semiarid savanna of Kenya. A subset of these individual hosts, including 20 distinct host taxa, was examined for ectoparasites, which were identified to species. Species of fleas, ticks, mites, and sucking lice were recorded. Based on these data, we calculated host-specific infestation parameters, documented host preferences among ectoparasites, conducted a rarefaction analysis and extrapolation to determine if ectoparasites were adequately sampled, and assessed nestedness for fleas to understand how pathogens might spread in this system. We found that the flea community structure was significantly nested. Understanding the ectoparasite network structure may have significant human relevance, as at least seven of the ectoparasite species collected are known vectors of pathogens of medical importance in the region, including Yersinia pestis, Rickettsia spp. , and Theileria parva, the causative agents of plague, spotted fevers and other rickettsial illnesses in humans, and theileriosis, respectively.
Velocity Vector Imaging of Longitudinal Mechanical Properties of Upstream and Downstream Shoulders and Fibrous Cap Tops of Human Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque

Aims: Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is closely related to high regional mechanical stress in the plaque itself. We aimed to explore the longitudinal mechanical properties of upstream and downstream shoulders and fibrous cap tops of human atherosclerotic plaques in vivo by velocity vector imaging (VVI) combined with acoustic densitometry (AD) imaging. Methods and Results: We included 135 patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaque. VVI and AD were used to examine 3 regions of carotid plaque along the longitudinal‐axis view. A total of 405 regions were classified with low or high AD values by corrected averages image intensity (AIIc%) < or ≥50, respectively. Peak systolic strain, strain rate (SR), and velocity were significantly greater for upstream than downstream shoulders and fibrous cap tops of carotid plaque (P < 0.05 for both). AIIc% was significantly lower for upstream than downstream plaque shoulders (P < 0.05). Peak systolic SR of the plaque regions was negatively correlated with corresponding AIIc% (R2 = 0.499, P < 0.05). Conclusions: The longitudinal strain of human carotid atherosclerotic plaques as derived by VVI is associated with its corresponding AD but also in part with the internal position of the strain, with values greater for upstream than downstream shoulders and fibrous cap tops.
Deposition and characterization of ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films

ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films were deposited at different deposition times by using the Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) technique. Effects of deposition time on structural, morphological and optical properties of the obtained thin films were characterized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to study the structural properties of ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films. It was found that ZnSe thin films have a cubic structure with a preferentially orientation of (111). The calculated average grain size value was about 28-30 nm. The surface morphology of these films was studied by the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The surfaces of the thin films were occurred from small stacks and nano-sized particles. The band gap values of the ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films were determined by UV-Visible absorption spectrum and the band gap values were found to be between 2.65-2.86 eV.
China and India: A Tale of Two Trade Integration Approaches

The comparison of the key features of trade integration processes and the economic outcomes in China and India reveals that while much has already been achieved in both these economies, the Chinese reforms, especially with respect to manufacturing trade, have gone further and that this is likely one of the key determinants of better economic performance of China. Still, Chinas integration process so far remains characterized by a certain duality. On the one hand the opening up of trade and FDI in manufactured goods has spurred the emergence of a largely private sector. On the other hand the high level of public ownership and important regulatory barriers continue to dominate the services sectors. India has gone a long way in reducing its tariffs on non-agricultural products as well as selected non-tariff barriers but moderate protection still persists which likely adds to the hurdles faced by the Indian manufacturing sector. India has revealed a comparative advantage in certain segments of the services sector but its services trade policy is still very restrictive, even as compared to China. More generally the extent of liberalisation achieved so far in India and the outcomes it brought about suggest that the remaining goods and services trade barriers are just but one item on the list of reforms that India needs to tackle in order to promote trade-led expansion of more labour-intensive activities.
Blank Check IPOs: A Home Run for Management

In the last four years, sixty-two blank check companies have raised $4 billion dollars with their IPOs. According to the SEC definition, a Blank Check company is a development stage company that has no specific business plan or purpose, or has indicated that its business plan is to engage in a merger or acquisition with an unidentified company or companies, other entity, or person. These companies typically involve speculative investments and often fall within the SEC's definition of "penny stocks" or are considered microcap stocks" even though some of these companies raise more money than a typical standard IPO. In this paper, we document various aspects of these companies and IPOs and analyse the returns earned by shareholders and management, from their issuance date to the post-acquisition date. Our results show that the shareholders of blank check IPOs earned minus 3% annualised abnormal returns, whereas management earned approximately 1900 percent annualised return. It looks like the investors essentially wrote a blank check to management.
Market and Individual Investors Reactions to Corporate News in the Media

In this paper we present results from an event study based on a unique data set of corporate news in the media. The data is provided by Media Tenor, a research institute which collects and rates all corporate news from the most important German daily newspapers and TV news. Our analysis is based on roughly 300,000 corporate news on 125 large- and medium-sized companies in 5 large daily newspapers and 7 TV news shows from Germany between July 1998 and October 2006. Since analysts rate the news, we have an exogenous measure whether news are good or bad news for a company. Based on this data we can show that the incorporation of information in prices is fairly fast. The main price reaction occurs on the day of the arrival of the new information. This price jump is especially large if the news coverage in the media is accompanied by ad hoc announcements made by the corporation itself. While there is only a very short-term post-event drift after good news, prices tend to drift for several days after bad news. The post-event trading volume is significantly higher than before the news for several days for good as well as bad news. To provide a test of the model of Hong and Stein (1999) we define several proxies for the speed of the information diffusion through different investor groups. We find that for smaller companies with lower abnormal media coverage the information diffusion is indeed slower, as predicted by theory. We further combine the media coverage data with individual investors transaction data in stocks and bank-issued warrants from a large German online broker. Our results indicate that individual investors, especially stock investors, as compared to warrant investors, react slower to new information as the market does. A tendency to react to bad news by buying put warrants, because selling stocks short was impossible for private investors during our sample period, could not be observed.
Demographic and Environmental Factors Associated with Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study

Relevant demographic and environmental conditions need to be understood before tailoring policies to improve mental health. Using community health survey data from 25 communities in Seoul, 2013, cross-sectional associations between mental health and community level environments were assessed. Mental health outcomes (self-rated stress levels (SRS) and depressive symptoms (DS)) were analyzed. Community environmental factors included green space, green facilities, and annual PM10 level (AnnPM10); socio-demographic factors included sex, age, education, labor market participation, comorbidity, sleep hours, physical activity, smoking, and drinking. A total of 23,139 people with the following characteristics participated: men (44.2%); age groups 19−39 (36.0%), 40−59 (39.4%), 60−74 (19.2%), and 75+ (5.4%). Women had higher odds ratios (OR) for SRS [OR 1.22, 95% Confidence interval (CI) 1.17–1.27] and DS [OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.42–1.71]. Regular physical activity predicted SRS [OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84–0.95] and DS [OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.88–1.10]; current smoking and drinking were adversely associated with both SRS and DS. Higher accessibility to green space (Q4) was inversely associated with DS [OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.81−0.97] compared to lower accessibility (Q1). AnnPM10, annual levels for particles of aerodynamic diameter <10 µm (PM10), among communities was associated with poorer SRS [OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00–1.04] by 10 μg/m3 increases. Therefore, both demographic and environmental factors should be considered to understand mental health conditions among the general population.
Determinants of Voluntary Disclosure of Sales by Small Private Companies

The purpose of this paper is to provide generalizable evidence on the determinants influencing the voluntary disclosure of sales in the abbreviated financial statements of small private companies. We estimate our model separately for micro-entities and non-micro small companies. The existing literature examining voluntary disclosure behavior does so mainly in a context of capital markets, leaving voluntary disclosure incentives of small and private companies largely unexplored. As we observe that many small private companies in Belgium disclose more financial information than required, understanding the benefits associated with higher disclosure levels is important. We empirically show on a sample of 243,633 small companies, which includes 163,686 micro-entities, that small private companies have incentives to disclose financially sensitive information on a voluntary basis.
The mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathways: role in megakaryocyte differentiation

Summary. Megakaryopoiesis is a process by which bone marrow progenitor cells develop into mature megakaryocytes (MKs), which in turn produce platelets required for normal hemostasis. The mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) family comprises four main groups of proteins: extracellular signal‐related kinases (ERKs) (ERK1/2 or p44/p42), ERK5, p38MAPKs (α, β, γ, δ) and c‐Jun amino‐terminal kinases (JNKs) (JNK 1, 2, 3). These intracellular signaling pathways play a pivotal role in many essential cellular processes including proliferation and differentiation. The purpose of this review is to summarize our current knowledge on the role of MAPKs in MKs, specifically regarding differentiation in immortalized cell lines and primary MKs. A critical role of the MEK (MAPK kinase)‐ERK1/2 pathway in MK development has been demonstrated although the details remain controversial. There is at present no functional evidence for a role of p38MAPKs whereas the role of JNKs and ERK5 in MK development is not known. Characterization of these molecular event cascades remains crucial for the understanding of the megakaryopoiesis process.
Short-term changes in upper extremity dynamic mechanical response parameters following power hand tool use

Dynamic mechanical response parameters (stiffness, damping and effective mass), physiological properties (strength and swelling) and symptoms of the upper limb were measured before power tool operation, immediately following and 24 h after power tool operation. Tool factors, including peak torque (3 Nm and 9 Nm) and torque build-up time (50 ms and 250 ms), were controlled in a full factorial design. Twenty-nine inexperienced power hand tool users were randomly assigned to one of four conditions and operated a pistol grip nutrunner four times per min for 1 h in the laboratory. Isometric strength decreased immediately following tool use (15%) (p < 0.01) and 24 h later (9%) (p < 0.05). Mechanical parameters of stiffness (p < 0.05) and effective mass (p < 0.05) were affected by build-up time. An average decrease in stiffness (43%) and effective mass (57%) of the upper limb was observed immediately following pistol grip nutrunner operation for the long (250 ms) build-up time. A previously developed biomechanical model was used to estimate handle force and displacement associated with the tool factors in the experiment. The conditions associated with the greatest predicted handle force and displacement had the greatest decrease in mechanical stiffness and effective mass, and the greatest increase in localized discomfort.
Core self‐evaluations: a review of the trait and its role in job satisfaction and job performance

Over the past five years there has been a growing body of literature that examines the relationships among some of psychology's most studied traits (Neuroticism, self‐esteem, and locus of control). Core self‐evaluation theory posits a conceptual and empirical relationship between these traits and job satisfaction. After briefly reviewing core self‐evaluation theory, we examine the empirical evidence documenting a relationship between these traits and the two central criteria of interest to I/O psychologists—job satisfaction and job performance. We then examine the relationship between core self‐evaluation traits and the Big Five personality traits. We conclude with a discussion of the contributions and limitations of core self‐evaluation research and opportunities for future research. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Responsible Restructuring: Creative and Profitable Alternatives to Layoffs

Restructuring is a hot topic right now -- companies need to figure out how to weather the current economic storm and still be well-positioned to take advantage of the next upswing. Using real-life illustrations of successful, Responsible Restructurings at companies such as Charles Schwab, Cisco, Motorola, and Intel, this book provides alternatives to downsizing. Wayne Cascio examines the specific practices these leading firms use instead of layoffs -- including retraining, labor-management partnership, and compensation linked to organizational performance. These practices demonstrate that these companies view their workers as assets to be developed rather than as costs to be cut. Cascio presents compelling evidence showing that businesses adopting these measures fare better than businesses in similar circumstances who choose downsizing.
The Impact of Intellectual Capital on Bank’s Market Value and Financial Performance in Indonesia Stock Exchange

The purpose of this research were to analyze the impact of intellectual capital and this components to firm’s market value and finance performances at 21 public banks in Indonesia Stock Exchange in year 2009 until 2011. The components of intellectual capital were Value Added of Capital Employee (VACA), Value Added of Human Capital (VAHU), and Structural Capital Value Added (STVA). The firm’s market value was measured by Market to Book Value (MBV). The finance performances were measured by Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Growth of Revenue (GR). To find the impact of variables, this research used linier regression analysis. The result of regression analysis showed that intellectual capital (VAIC) had not significant effect to firm’s market value and Growth of Revenue; Value Added of Capital Employee (VACA) had only significant effect to Return on Equity; Value Added of Human Capital (VAHU) had not significant effect to both of firm’s market value and finance performance; and Structural Capital Value Added (STVA) had significant effect to all measurement of finance performance.
From Generic Strategies to Value for Money in Hypercompetitive Environments

Va lue for money is a multi·generic strategy. It encompasses the two generic strategies of cost leadersh ip and product di fferen tiation examined in Porter' s analys is. According to Porter, however, a strategy not pursued to its extreme imp lies that room for improvement exists. Consequently, a firm may be out priced/differentiated by other firms prepared to take th e extreme strategic position. Be ing stuck in the midd le, he argues, isa recipe for below average performance. Theonly way a firm can be profitab le when 'stuck in the midd le ' is ifit is fortunate enough to have similar competitors or if the structu re of the industry is highly favourable.
Leptospirosis in swine caused by Leptospira pomona.

Reports from various parts of the world indicate that swine are important hosts for Leptospira pomona.1'10 Evidence of infection by this organism has also been demonstrated in other species, including cattle and man.8-10 It has been established that pigs may serve as reservoir hosts for the disease in man;2 furthermore, there is reason to believe tihat an interchange of infection occurs between swine and cattle.10-11 The disease produced in pigs by Lept. pomona has not. yet been fully defined, nor has its significance been appraised. The following investigations were initiated to consider certain aspects of the problem of leptospirosis in swine that seemed to be of importance: (a) a determination of the incidence of Lept. pomona in the swine population, (b) the characterization under controlled experimental conditions of Lept. pomona infection in swine, (c) the possibility that nfected pigs might be a reservoir of infection for cattle.
A Qualitative Study of Friendship in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa and possible Autism Spectrum Disorder

Difficulties in friendships have been reported both in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and in individuals with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). This small-scale qualitative study aimed to evalu- ate the friendship experiences of seven patients with AN who presented with possible ASD traits; to determine whether their experiences were reflective of those found in people with ASD, and whether any difficulties were present before the onset of their eating disorder. Participants were interviewed using the ADOS-G and the interviews were transcribed and analysed. Four principle themes emerged from the thematic analysis: limited social network, lack of contact or communi- cation, difficulty understanding the concept of friendship, and focus of attention away from the self; which could not be explained by the state of starvation alone. The evidence presented here not only reflects the friendship experiences of individuals with AN as documented in the literature, but also the friendship difficulties which have been observed in people with ASD without a co- morbid eating disorder. The findings provide evidence that friendship difficulties experienced by people with AN precede the onset of the eating disorder and therefore offer support for the idea of a shared phenotype between AN and ASD. This study also highlights the need to address friend- ship difficulties in treatment interventions for AN in order to promote recovery. Further research is warranted to better explore the friendship similarities between people with AN and ASD, and to develop friendship focused interventions for patients with AN.
A severe frontal–parietal lobe syndrome following cerebellar damage *

We report a case study of a frontal and parietal lobe syndrome with memory loss after unilateral left‐sided cerebellar damage caused by a stroke in a patient with right cerebellar unusual developmental agenesis. The syndrome consisted of severe deficits in planning an organized sequence of events, in visuo‐constructive abilities and inappropriate jocularity. These changes are ascribed in part to cerebellar‐pontine lesions with resulting frontal lobe diaschisis as documented by single‐photon emission computed tomography in the absence of morphological damage to the neocortex.
Predictors of change in alcohol consumption among Frenchmen of the GAZEL study cohort.

AIMS To identify the predictors of changes in alcohol intake among French men. DESIGN Longitudinal study over a 2-year period. SETTING The GAZEL volunteer cohort comprising workers employed by Electricité de France-Gaz de France. PARTICIPANTS The study included 11,613 men aged 40-50 years who had answered a self-administered questionnaire in 1989 and 1991. MEASUREMENTS Subjects were defined according to initial levels of alcohol intake and changes in that intake (cessation, decrease and increase) and compared with subjects with corresponding levels but unchanged intake by logistic regression. The effects of individual characteristics and of occupational and health conditions were investigated. FINDINGS Different variables measured in 1989 were predictive of changes in alcohol consumption in 1991, depending on the change. Self-perception of bad health, consumption of sleeping pills and unmarried status were predictive of the cessation of alcohol consumption. Working under favourable conditions (with no specific occupational risks) and being a non-smoker tended to be associated with reduced consumption. Increased consumption was associated with the number of reported disease and the smoking status. Among abstainers or light daily drinkers, being exposed to more than one constraint enlarged the risk of increased consumption. For moderate drinkers, the risk of increased consumption was higher, irrespective of the number of physical constraints. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight the fact that many inter-related factors help to determine changes in drinking habits.