Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Capital and the Repayment of Microfinance Group Lending. A Case Study of Pro Mujer Mexico

This paper investigates how social networks of group borrowers come into play in joint liability group lending. We use a large and original dataset containing 802 mapped social networks of borrowers from Pro Mujer Mexico. This is the first paper to look at external ties, i.e. social ties with individuals outside the borrowing group. Our main finding is that group lending with joint liability works when group borrowers use the informal risk insurance arrangement embedded in their external ties as guarantee for loan repayment. The extent to which this informal arrangement is used as guarantee is not decided by the borrower, but it is determined by the configuration of the group borrowers’ social networks, i.e. by their overlapping networks. These overlapping networks (or information channels) facilitate the diffusion of information into each other’s networks, and, thus, increases the credibility of the threat of losing one’s informal risk insurance arrangement in case of default. Our results show that the threat of losing the informal risk insurance arrangement embedded in one’s external ties matters for loan repayment even more than internal ties (i.e. ties between group members).
Criticism of the Pap Smear as a Diagnostic Tool in Cervical Cancer Screening

This editorial by Dr. Leopold G. Koss appeared in the January 1980 issue of Acta Cytologica. It addressed recent critical opinions in the general media on cervical screening and its costs. It marked the beginning of a more critical approach to cytology by the lay press, health care providers, and epidemiologists. It was also the first of a series of highly informative editorials by Dr. Koss that illustrated the critical issues of cytology during the 1980s. The elegance and clarity of his articles reflect the high standard of editorial writing in Acta Cytologica at this time. These articles are reviewed and excerpts are presented.
The Progression of Patellofemoral Arthrosis after Medial Unicompartmental Replacement: Results at 11 to 15 Years

This study reports the 11-year to 15-year results of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty with an emphasis on failure mechanisms and progression of patellofemoral arthrosis. In a prospective study of 513 consecutive potential knee replacement candidates, 59 patients (12%) had medial unicompartmental arthroplasty of the knee. All 59 patients had isolated unicompartmental disease without clinical symptoms or radiographic evidence of patellofemoral arthritis. No patient was lost to followup. The average followup was 13 years (range, 11–15 years). The mean preoperative Hospital for Special Surgery knee score of 55 points (range, 30–79 points) improved to a mean of 90 points (range, 60–100 points) at final followup. Patellofemoral symptoms were present in 1.6% of patients at 10 years; this increased markedly to 10% of patients at 15 years (p < 0.01). Four patients (10%) had moderate or severe patellofemoral symptoms at final followup; two were revised to a primary total knee replacement at 7 and 11 years for progressive patellofemoral degeneration. No component was radiographically loose and no osteolysis was seen. The Kaplan-Meier survival with loosening or revision for any reason was 98.0% ± 2.0% at 10 years and 95.7% ± 4.3% at 15 years. At up to 15 years, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty yielded good clinical results; however, progressive patellofemoral arthritis was the primary mode of failure.
Time, Costs, and Clinical Utilization of Screening for Health Literacy: A Case Study Using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) Instrument

Purpose: Difficulties in identifying and caring for patients with limited health literacy have prompted interest in clinical screening to assess health literacy. Little agreement exists, however, on the utility of such screening. In this case study we explore the business and clinical cases for screening for health literacy using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), a brief instrument specifically developed for use in primary care settings. Methods: Data were collected in 2008 in the Morehouse School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine Primary Care Clinic, where health literacy screening was implemented as part of routine intake procedures within an ongoing quality improvement effort to improve cardiovascular disease and diabetes outcomes. Specifically, we monitored time requirements, administrative and training costs, and clinician utilization associated with the NVS. Results: Results identified only small time and cost constraints associated with implementing NVS screening. Clinical utility was more problematic, however, because refresher trainings were needed to ensure continued staff and clinician buy-in, use of the NVS data, and implementation of best practices to communicate with at-risk patients. Conclusions: Though the time and cost constraints associated with screening for health literacy were small, clinician utilization of this data in decision making and care processes may require further training and/or support.
A randomized double blind trial of verbal NSAID education compared to verbal and written education.

OBJECTIVE We performed a double blind randomized controlled trial to investigate whether patients taking nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) knew more about these drugs at followup depending on whether they were randomized to receiving or not receiving an NSAID information sheet. The patients were unaware they were in a study. METHODS All patients received verbal education on the side effects of NSAID that was standardized and always given by the same rheumatologist. Thirty patients randomly received an NSAID information sheet and 26 patients did not. At next clinic followup, after reading a letter of explanation about the study and signing a consent form, patients completed a questionnaire asking about their knowledge of NSAID. RESULTS Outcome variables assessed within the questionnaire included whether NSAID : (1) can decrease inflammation; (2) help with pain; (3) cause stomach upset and bleeding in the bowels. None of these variables were statistically significant. The only variable that was statistically significantly different between the groups was their report of whether they had received an information sheet about NSAID (p<0.00004). A greater proportion of patients who received the NSAID information sheet correctly reported they had received one compared to those who had not received one and who said they had not received one (85% in the former group, 70% in the latter group). The group who received the NSAID information sheet were more apt to say that NSAID can help with their pain (odds ratio 6.1, p<0.05). Education level was positively correlated with knowledge (p<0.04). However, level of education explained only 11% of the variance in overall knowledge scores (r=0.34) among all patients. CONCLUSION An information sheet may not add educational value over verbal information by a physician in a clinic setting.
Risk Preferences, Probability Weighting, and Strategy Tradeoffs in Wildfire Management

Wildfires present a complex applied risk management environment, but relatively little attention has been paid to behavioral and cognitive responses to risk among public agency wildfire managers. This study investigates responses to risk, including probability weighting and risk aversion, in a wildfire management context using a survey‐based experiment administered to federal wildfire managers. Respondents were presented with a multiattribute lottery‐choice experiment where each lottery is defined by three outcome attributes: expenditures for fire suppression, damage to private property, and exposure of firefighters to the risk of aviation‐related fatalities. Respondents choose one of two strategies, each of which includes “good” (low cost/low damage) and “bad” (high cost/high damage) outcomes that occur with varying probabilities. The choice task also incorporates an information framing experiment to test whether information about fatality risk to firefighters alters managers' responses to risk. Results suggest that managers exhibit risk aversion and nonlinear probability weighting, which can result in choices that do not minimize expected expenditures, property damage, or firefighter exposure. Information framing tends to result in choices that reduce the risk of aviation fatalities, but exacerbates nonlinear probability weighting.
Corticosteroids and lymphoid cells.

GLUCOCORTICOSTEROID hormones of the adrenal cortex have striking pharmacologic effects on lymphoid tissues and cells. These effects form part of the basis for the widespread use of these hormones in the treatment of a variety of diseases involving immunologic, inflammatory or neoplastic processes. The subject is large and has been reviewed in the past,1 2 3 4 5 6 7 but many questions remain to be answered. The purpose of this article is to take a new look at the subject, concentrating on three aspects. The first is species differences in susceptibility to corticosteroids. (Although these differences have been noted before, they are often overlooked; they .
Transient expression of foreign genes in lymphoid cells is enhanced by phorbol ester

In lymphoid cells and an erythroleukemia cell line, phorbol myristate acetate significantly enhanced (up to 90-fold) expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase driven by four unrelated viral transcriptional units. The results suggest that phorbol myristate acetate acts via a general mechanism to enhance gene expression in these cells and provides a convenient means for increasing transient expression of foreign DNA.
WT1 Is Not a Reliable Marker to Distinguish Reactive from Neoplastic Astrocyte Populations in the Central Nervous System

A diagnostic difficulty in neuropathology practice is distinguishing reactive from neoplastic astrocyte populations. This is particularly true in small biopsy samples that lack evidence of increased cellularity or mitotic activity, microvascular proliferation, or necrosis. We performed the current study to validate the previously reported finding that in the central nervous system, the expression of WT1 is limited to neoplastic astrocytes. We retrospectively studied WT1 protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 100 formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded brain tissue samples consisting of 3 normal control tissues, 44 cases of reactive gliosis, 49 gliomas and 4 lesions suspicious for glioma. In normal human cortex, WT1 staining was restricted to vascular endothelium. Most cases of reactive gliosis (82%) showed at least focal WT1 positivity, and analysis of specimens with electrode monitoring lesions showed an inverse relationship between WT1 expression intensity and the number of days from electrode placement to tissue resection. All glioma samples (100%) and all cases suspicious for glioma (100%) showed at least focal WT1 positivity. Our results likely differ from those in the prior report because of differences in tissue fixation and IHC methodology. Thus, our findings indicate that WT1 expression alone is not a reliable feature to distinguish reactive from neoplastic astrocytes.
Mergers and Shareholders' Wealth in the Insurance Industry

This paper examines the stock market valuation of mergers in the insurance industry between 1996 and 2000 in Europe and in the US. We form a sample of 56 deals in which the acquiring company is listed. Our data reveal that insurance companies mergers enhance value for bidder shareholders. Over the event window (-20,+2) their abnormal return is 3.65%. The abnormal returns for acquiring firms are larger the greater the relative size of deal value. We also find that mergers occurring between insurance companies located in the same European country are not valued positively by the market, while cross-border deals appear to increase shareholder's wealth. The analysis of a sub-sample of simultaneously listed bidders and targets reveals that the combined insurance companies experience significantly positive abnormal returns - over the event window (-20,+2) shareholders gain 5.27% - and consistent with previous findings, target shareholders substantially increase their wealth.
Vitamin E in the Menopause*

Menopausal flushing and sweating can usually be controlled by oestrogens, but the stimulating effect of these hormones on the genital tract and breasts sometimes contraindicates their use-for instance, after radium treatment of cancer or before cessation of menstruation. Although oestrogens promote cancer development in animals there is so far no proof that they do so in man (Gemmell and Jeffcoate, 1939; Gardner, 1947). Nevertheless, "cancer-like" areas are quite often a troublesome finding in curettings from patients whose oestrogenwithdrawal bleeding has necessitated curettage (Gusberg, 1947). Vitamin E was first used by Evan Shute (1937) to control flushings, and several confirmatory reports have followed The Investigation Clinical Material. -In view of the cost (£7 per case), treatment was given only to patients seriously disabled by drenching sweats, flushings, loss of sleep, and so on. The incidence of severe flushing after cessation of menstruation is about 17%, while after radium or surgical castration the figure is 50% (McLaren, 1941). Vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol (" ephynal ") was given to 47 patients with severe flushings; these included four regarded as new cases, although in fact they had relapsed after successful treatment with vitamin E. Forty cases had not been previously treated, while three had resisted stilboestrol. The 47 cases fall into the following categories
AN EFFECT OF THYMECTOMY ON RECOVERY FROM IMMUNOLOGICAL PARALYSIS.

Mice were immunologically paralysed with two protein antigens, and then either thymectomized or sham-operated in adult life. Recovery from paralysis was much impaired by thymectomy, but was not abolished. This result is discussed in relation to the function of the thymus, and to possible mechanisms of recovery from paralysis.
Customer satisfaction measurement and management : using the voice of the customer

This step-by-step guide gives advice on how to increase repeat business and profits and how to become a customer-driven company. It is aimed at any business implementing a customer satisfaction programme, and should also be valuable for organizations trying to improve an existing programme. Also addressed are additional issues such as proactive customer contact, complaint handling, multinational considerations, and internal customers.
Persistent Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States

The diagnosis and management of patients with persistent vegetative (PVS) and minimally conscious (MCS) states entail powerful medical, ethical and legal debates. The recent description of the MCS highlights the crucial role of unexpected and well-documented recoveries of cognitive functions. Functional neuroimaging has provided new insights for assessing neuropathology and cerebral activity in these patients, providing information on the presence, degree, and location of any residual brain function in patients with PVS or MCS. We present a review on this topic, emphasizing the clinical and neuroimaging assessment of these states, with some of our recent results in this area. We conclude that the development of rehabilitation techniques for patients with PVS and others suffering long-lasting effects of brain injury is a crucial challenge for actual and future generations of neuroscientists.
Hepcidin level predicts hemoglobin concentration in individuals undergoing repeated phlebotomy

Dietary iron absorption is regulated by hepcidin, an iron regulatory protein produced by the liver. Hepcidin production is regulated by iron stores, erythropoiesis and inflammation, but its physiology when repeated blood loss occurs has not been characterized. Hepcidin was assayed in plasma samples obtained from 114 first-time/reactivated (no blood donations in preceding 2 years) female donors and 34 frequent (≥3 red blood cell donations in preceding 12 months) male donors as they were phlebotomized ≥4 times over 18–24 months. Hepcidin levels were compared to ferritin and hemoglobin levels using multivariable repeated measures regression models. Hepcidin, ferritin and hemoglobin levels declined with increasing frequency of donation in the first-time/reactivated females. Hepcidin and ferritin levels correlated well with each other (Spearman’s correlation of 0.74), but on average hepcidin varied more between donations for a given donor relative to ferritin. In a multivariable repeated measures regression model the predicted inter-donation decline in hemoglobin varied as a function of hepcidin and ferritin; hemoglobin was 0.51 g/dL lower for subjects with low (>45.7 ng/mL) or decreasing hepcidin and low ferritin (>26 ng/mL), and was essentially zero for other subjects including those with high (>45.7 ng/mL) or increasing hepcidin and low ferritin (>26 ng/mL) levels (P<0.001). In conclusion, hepcidin levels change rapidly in response to dietary iron needed for erythropoiesis. The dynamic regulation of hepcidin in the presence of a low levels of ferritin suggests that plasma hepcidin concentration may provide clinically useful information about an individual’s iron status (and hence capacity to tolerate repeated blood donations) beyond that of ferritin alone. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00097006
Biosynthetic PCL-graft-Collagen Bulk Material for Tissue Engineering Applications

Biosynthetic materials have emerged as one of the most exciting and productive fields in polymer chemistry due to their widespread adoption and potential applications in tissue engineering (TE) research. In this work, we report the synthesis of a poly(ε-caprolactone)-graft-collagen (PCL-g-Coll) copolymer. We combine its good mechanical and biodegradable PCL properties with the great biological properties of type I collagen as a functional material for TE. PCL, previously dissolved in dimethylformamide/dichloromethane mixture, and reacted with collagen using carbodiimide coupling chemistry. The synthesised material was characterised physically, chemically and biologically, using pure PCL and PCL/Coll blend samples as control. Infrared spectroscopy evidenced the presence of amide I and II peaks for the conjugated material. Similarly, XPS evidenced the presence of C–N and N–C=O bonds (8.96 ± 2.02% and 8.52 ± 0.63%; respectively) for PCL-g-Coll. Static contact angles showed a slight decrease in the conjugated sample. However, good biocompatibility and metabolic activity was obtained on PCL-g-Coll films compared to PCL and blend controls. After 3 days of culture, fibroblasts exhibited a spindle-like morphology, spreading homogeneously along the PCL-g-Coll film surface. We have engineered a functional biosynthetic polymer that can be processed by electrospinning.
Force‐velocity relations and myosin heavy chain isoform compositions of skinned fibres from rat skeletal muscle.

1. This study was performed to assess whether muscle contractile properties are related to the presence of specific myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms. 2. Force‐velocity relations and MHC isoform composition were determined in seventy‐four single skinned muscle fibres from rat soleus, extensor digitorum longus and plantaris muscles. 3. Four groups of fibres were identified according to their MHC isoform composition determined by monoclonal antibodies: type 1 (slow), and types 2A, 2B and 2X (fast). 4. With respect to maximum velocity of shortening (V0), the fibres formed a continuum between 0.35 and 2.84 L/s (muscle lengths per second) at 12 degrees C. V0 in type 1 fibres (slow fibres) was between 0.35 and 0.95 L/s (0.639 +/‐ 0.038 L/s; mean +/‐ S.E. of mean). V0 in type 2 fibres (fast fibres) was consistently higher than 0.91 L/s. Ranges of V0 in the three fast fibre types mostly overlapped. Type 2A and 2X fibres had similar mean V0 values (1.396 +/‐ 0.084 and 1.451 +/‐ 0.066 L/s respectively); type 2B fibres showed a higher mean V0 value (1.800 +/‐ 0.109 L/s) than type 2A and 2X fibres. 5. Mean values of a/P0, an index of the curvature of force‐velocity relations, allowed us to identify two groups of fibres: a high curvature group comprised of type 1 (mean a/P0, 0.066 +/‐ 0.007) and 2A (0.066 +/‐ 0.024) fibres and a low curvature group comprised of type 2B (0.113 +/‐ 0.013) and 2X (0.132 +/‐ 0.008) fibres. 6. Maximal power output was lower in slow fibres than in fast fibres, and among fast fibres it was lower in type 2A fibres than in type 2X and 2B. 7. Force per unit cross‐sectional area was less in slow fibres than in fast fibres. There was no relation between fibre type and cross‐sectional area. 8. The results suggest that MHC composition is just one of the determinants of shortening velocity and of other muscle contractile properties.
Moral Hazard in Hierarchies and Soft Information

We investigate the scope for supervisory activities in organizations in which information is non-verifiable and opportunism severe. A principal-supervisor-agent hierarchy is considered. Side-contracts between supervisor and agent may be reached both before and after the agent has chosen his hidden action. We find that the supervisor is useful if and only if appointed before the agent has chosen his action. We also show that delegation of payroll authority is suboptimal. Finally, some insights concerning the optimal design of verification activities are provided: when information is non-verifiable, the supervisor should be employed as a monitor rather than as an auditor.
Bacterial protein toxins and lipids: role in toxin targeting and activity

All bacterial toxins, which globally are hydrophilic proteins, interact first with their target cells by recognizing a surface receptor, which is either a lipid or a lipid derivative, or another compound but in a lipid environment. Intracellular active toxins follow various trafficking pathways, the sorting of which is greatly dependent on the nature of the receptor, notably lipidic receptor or receptor embedded into a distinct environment such as lipid microdomains. Numerous other toxins act locally on cell membrane. Indeed, phospholipase activity is a common mechanism shared by several membrane‐damaging toxins. In addition, many toxins active intracellularly or on cell membrane modulate host cell phospholipid pathways. Unusually, a few bacterial toxins require a lipid post‐translational modification to be active. Thereby, lipids are obligate partners of bacterial toxins.
Should the focus of publicly provided small business assistance be on start-ups or growth businesses?

How is New Zealand best able to maximise the potential of its enterprise population? The simple answer is that it has to ensure that the „rules of the game‟ (incentives and signals) are as good as they can be. Nonetheless, there still may be instances of market failure, suggesting grounds for publicly provided business assistance. This paper examines whether any such business assistance would be better provided to start-up or small fast growth firms. The paper presents both arguments for and against support for these two types of small firms. It finds, overall, that the arguments for supporting fast growth firms are more compelling. It then considers a range of potential policy options (e.g. the introduction of a voucher scheme, managerial training). After reviewing the evidence base, the paper recommends that there still remains a need for the stronger evaluation of public assistance programmes.
When should we delay highly active antiretroviral therapy?

The development of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to a dramatic reduction in the mortality among patients with HIV infection.1–3 However, problems with patient adherence to this medical therapy have created unprecedented challenges. The central concern is that nonadherence can lead to suboptimal viral suppression and the development of a resistant virus, which may then spread among people at risk. This problem adds to the gravity of decisions about when to initiate HAART.