Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Safety evaluation of mercury based Ayurvedic formulation (Sidh Makardhwaj) on brain cerebrum, liver & kidney in rats

Background & objectives: Sidh Makardhwaj (SM) is a mercury based Ayurvedic formulation used in rheumatoid arthritis and neurological disorders. However, toxicity concerns due to mercury content are often raised. Therefore, the present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of SM on brain cerebrum, liver and kidney in rats. Methods: Graded doses of SM (10, 50, 100 mg/kg), mercuric chloride (1 mg/kg) and normal saline were administered orally to male Wistar rats for 28 days. Behavioural parameters were assessed on days 1, 7, 14 and 28 using Morris water maze, passive avoidance, elevated plus maze and rota rod. Liver and kidney function tests were done on day 28. Animals were sacrificed and brain cerebrum acetylcholinesterase activity, levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) in brain cerebrum, liver, kidney were estimated. The levels of mercury in brain cerebrum, liver and kidney were estimated and histopathology of these tissues was also performed. Results: SM in the doses used did not cause significant change in neurobehavioural parameters, brain cerebrum AChE activity, liver (ALT, AST, ALP bilirubin) and kidney (serum urea and creatinine) function tests as compared to control. The levels of mercury in brain cerebrum, liver, and kidney were found to be raised in dose dependent manner. However, the levels of MDA and GSH in these tissues did not show significant changes at doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg. Also, there was no histopathological change in cytoarchitecture of brain cerebrum, liver, and kidney tissues at doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg. Interpretation & conclusions: The findings of the present study suggest that Sidh Makardhwaj upto five times the equivalent human dose administered for 28 days did not show any toxicological effects on rat brain cerebrum, liver and kidney.
Pseudoaneurysm of the Y‐graft/iliac artery anastomosis following pancreas transplantation: a case report and review of the literature

Transplant‐related aneurysms are an unusual complication following pancreas transplantation. We present a case of a pseudoaneurysm developing in a recipient 6 months after bladder‐drained pancreas transplantation. The pseudoaneurysm was incidentally found during ultrasonographic evaluation in preparation for a pancreas biopsy. Angiography demonstrated that the origin of the pseudoaneurysm was located near the base of the Y‐graft/iliac artery anastomosis. Surgical repair was performed using standard vascular techniques. The patient subsequently recovered without loss of graft exocrine or endocrine function. Review of the literature revealed that aneurysms of various types associated with pancreas transplantation have a high incidence of graft loss and contribute significantly to patient morbidity. However, with prompt diagnostic and surgical management, non‐infected pseudoaneurysms can be repaired without loss of pancreatic function.
Oral participation in retail service delivery: a comparison of the roles of contact personnel and customers

Explores observable oral participation (OOP) of customers at the front stage of the service delivery system within a retail store setting. Spoken interactions between a customer and a sales assistant are denoted as OOP1, and those between one customer and another as OOP2. The respective front stage roles of customers and sales assistants are examined through an analysis of the content of OOP1 and OOP2 as described by a large sample of customers of a particular store. A process and structure of classification of OOP1 and OOP2 interactions is described and proposed. Results show that, while overall patterns of OOP1 and OOP2 activities are significantly different, the proportion of products‐related interactions for each is very similar. OOP2 interactions were predominantly positive and there is evidence that, for some customers, product‐related conversations with other customers replace or reinforce those with sales assistants. Discusses the actual roles enacted by persons at the front stage in the context of the management of the service encounter.
Validity of the Concept of Minor Depression in a Developing Country Setting

Evidence for validity of the diagnostic construct of minor depressive disorder comes primarily from reports on subthreshold depressive states rather than minor depressive disorder per se. We report on the prevalence, impact, and sociodemographic correlates of minor depressive disorder in a developing country setting as further validation of this diagnostic construct. Diagnostic assessment of 1714 adults of an island population in Ethiopia was carried out using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The lifetime prevalence of minor depressive disorder was 20.5% (95% confidence interval 18.6, 22.5%). One-third of cases had sought help and expressed suicidal ideation. Being divorced/widowed, middle-aged, and having somatic pain were independently associated with having minor depressive disorder. Only being divorced/widowed was a shared risk factor for both minor depressive disorder and bereavement. Minor depressive disorder seems to be a useful and valid diagnostic construct with particular clinical significance in this and, possibly, similar developing country settings.
Asset Allocation with Hedge Funds on the Menu

Abstract Hedge funds have become an increasingly important asset class in recent years. This paper discusses the asset allocation decision of an investor who is considering investing in hedge funds. We develop a simple procedure that may help in making this decision when the assets consist of a core equity portfolio, the risk-free asset, and a hedge fund. A regime-switching framework is used to model the joint returns of the hedge fund and the equity market. We use monthly intervals so that the regimes can change only at most once a month. Within each regime the returns on the two risky assets are bivariate lognormal with constant parameters. These parameters are estimated from the empirical data. We show how to determine the optimal allocation of an investor, such as a pension plan, to hedge fund assets. Our procedure is based on the maximization of expected utility, and we use different horizons. We restrict the admissible strategies to buy-andhold strategies, so we do not allow for portfolio balancing. We illustrate the procedure with examples. We find that bias in the hedge fund expected return has an important impact on the results. We note that some hedge fund strategies have substantial left-tail risk to which investors may be very averse. This type of risk aversion is not adequately captured by the standard expected utility model, but it could be added as a constraint.
Analysis of Performance Appraisal System of the Nigerian Public Sector Organizations

One of the human resource management problems which engulfed the public sector organizations in Nigeria was the absence of effective performance appraisal system. Subjective method of staff appraisal hitherto used in the Nigerian public sector emphasized only personal traits such as; drive, honesty, initiative, foresight, loyalty, industry and courage. This method posed human resource management problems, in the areas of promotion, wage increase, selection for training and retraining, job description and placement. As a result, the Nigerian public sector was rendered inefficient and ineffective thus hindering the progress of this important sector of the Nigerian system. However, in 1988 the Civil Service Reform prompted the introduction of target setting and performance appraisal system in the public sector organizations, which was based on “objective assessment, subject to measurable job performance and demonstration of professional competence with effective rewards and sanctions. This paper therefore compared the former performance appraisal system with the present performance appraisal system. It assessed the applicability of the present performance appraisal system to determine its efficiency. Using the concept of strategic human resource management the study observed that the present performance appraisal system will help achieve organizational goals and objectives, meet individual needs and provide competent and well motivated employees in the Nigerian public sectors. It recommends that the reporting officers or scheduled supervisors of public organizations should be specifically trained on how to compute and calculate the new Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER). This will certainly ease and facilitate hitch free and accurate computation of workers’ appraisal.
Financial Markets and the Financing Choice of Firms: Empirical Analysis of Emerging Market Countries JKM

This study attempts to extend knowledge of the role of financial market development in the financing choice of firms in developing countries using cross-sectional regression estimator with a dynamic-panel approach for 219 firms listed on the three emerging countries during the period 1990-2012. Capital structure studies have generally been aimed at studying the determinants of optimal leverage. Empirically, the focus is, however, on studying the association between observed leverage and a set of explanatory variables. Various theories, namely, the trade-off, pecking order and agency theories, are deployed to explain and predict the signs and significance of each factor identified by Ragan and Zingales (1995) and Booth et al. (2001). The pioneering work of Modigliani and Millar, and many scholars revealed that the financial leverage is one of the most influencing factors in determining the firm growth. The results suggest that liquidity and profitability are negatively and significantly related to the leverage ratios, while the firm size is positively and significantly related to leverage. Leverage is negatively related with tangibility in two emerging countries. Therefore, growth opportunities are positively related to book value leverage and negatively related to market leverage in all three emerging countries. However, our results generally indicate that both the trade-off and the pecking order theories can explain three emerging firms’ financing decisions. These results indicate that high price-earnings ratios and high interest rates will cause firms to choose equity over debt, as both of these factors reduce the cost of equity finance. Furthermore, the results suggest an unimportant role for economic growth and inflation rates in explaining the variation in debt-equity ratios. Results show that further development in the stock market indicators are negatively and significantly related to the leverage ratios in emerging countries (Jordan, Kuwait and Malaysia) suggesting that as equity markets in these countries become more developed and their liquidity improves, while banking sector development favours debt financing over equity financing, as one would expect.
What Constrains Liquidity Provision? Evidence From Hedge Fund Trades

The paper investigates the determinants of limits of arbitrage for liquidity providers. Using data on institutional transactions, we find that hedge funds' liquidity provision is more exposed to financial conditions than that of other institutions, notably mutual funds. We identify leverage, age, asset illiquidity, and reputational capital as a relevant set of characteristics that explain the exposure of hedge funds' liquidity supply to funding conditions. Stocks with more exposure to constrained liquidity providing hedge funds suffered more during the financial crisis. Finally, we find that the trades of financially constrained hedge funds underperform for at least one quarter following negative funding shocks.
Volatility, Investor Uncertainty, and Dispersion

This paper studies the aggregation of investor expectations of stock market return variation and its implications. We motivate theoretically that the market's expected return variance can be decomposed into the average of individuals' expected variance plus the dispersion in individuals' expected mean returns. The former can be seen as risk, while the latter is a measure of uncertainty. We illustrate this result empirically by setting up a unique survey measuring investors' expected returns and volatilities. Our finding is important to the issue of aggregating heterogeneous beliefs at the micro level in relation to pricing in financial markets. For instance, as a result it is almost per definition that individual investors are overconfident in the sense of overly narrow forecast bounds, due to neglecting individual differences of opinion about mean returns. We furthermore show that investors display a risk-return trade-off, whereas the market seems to price uncertainty.
Testing the Determinants of Microcomputer Usage via a Structural Equation Model

The objective of this study was to develop and test an integrated conceptual model of microcomputer usage. This study used the technology acceptance model and sought to extend it by investigating the impact of the external factors (i.e., individual, organizational, and system characteristics) on the user acceptance of microcomputer technology. The paper reports the results of a field study investigating the determinants of microcomputer usage. The analyses of the measurement model confirm the existence of two distinct constructs of (1) beliefs-perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use; (2) organizational support-management support and end-user computing (EUC) support; and (3) microcomputer usage-perceived usage and variety of use. The tested conceptual model confirms the effects of individual, organizational, and system characteristics on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The model also confirms the influence of perceived ease of use on perceived usefulness, and the effects of perceived usefulness on perceived usage and variety of use. Results confirm several previously proposed notions, including the effects of individual, organizational, and system characteristics on ease of use and usefulness; the influence of ease of use on usefulness, and the effects of perceived usefulness on usage and variety of use. The results demonstrate the utility of investigating factors contributing to microcomputer usage and the external factors affecting endogenous variables such as system usefulness. The importance of EUC support and management support is corroborated, as well as the need for designing mechanisms such as training programs and newsletters to improve user perceptions of microcomputers.
Minority-carrier lifetime in InP as a function of light bias

Minority-carrier lifetime in InP is studied as a function of doping level and laser intensity using time-resolved photoluminescence. A continuous wave diode laser illuminates bulk InP and acts as a light bias, injecting a steady-state concentration of carriers. A 200 ps laser pulse produces a small transient signal on top of the steady-state luminescence, allowing lifetime to be measured directly as a function of incident intensity. For p-InP, lifetime increases with light bias up to a maximum value. Bulk recombination centers are presumably filled to saturation, allowing minority carriers to live longer. The saturation bias scales with dopant concentration for a particular dopant species. As light bias is increased for n-InP, minority-carrier lifetime increases slightly but then decreases, suggesting radiative recombination dominant decay mechanism.
Association of adipose tissue and liver fibrosis with tissue stiffness in morbid obesity: links with diabetes and BMI loss after gastric bypass.

CONTEXT Liver and white adipose tissue (WAT) develop inflammation and fibrosis. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to evaluate the bioclinical relevance of WAT fibrosis in morbid obesity and diabetes and the relationships with tissue stiffness measured using a novel device. DESIGN AND SETTING Observational and longitudinal studies were conducted in a hospital nutrition department. PATIENTS Biopsies of liver and subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) and omental adipose tissue were collected from 404 obese bariatric surgery candidates, of whom 243 were clinically characterized before surgery and 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. In 123 subjects, liver and scWAT stiffness was assessed noninvasively using vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE). INTERVENTIONS Bariatric surgery was performed for some patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Adipose tissue fibrosis and stiffness and their link to obesity phenotypes were measured. RESULTS scWAT fibrosis was positively associated with liver fibrosis (fibrosis score ≥2) (ϱ= 0.14; P = .01). VCTE-evaluated liver and scWAT stiffness was positively correlated with immunohistochemistry-determined liver (ϱ= 0.46; P = .0009) and scWAT fibrosis (ϱ= 0.48; P = .0001). VCTE-evaluated scWAT stiffness measures negatively associated with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-evaluated body fat mass (R = -0.25; P = .009) and were correlated with metabolic variables. Diabetic subjects showed increased scWAT stiffness. Participants less responsive to gastric bypass were older and more frequently diabetic, and they had increased body mass index, serum IL-6, and scWAT and liver fibrosis. Subjects with no diabetes and normal liver had higher fat mass and lower tissue fibrosis and stiffness. CONCLUSION scWAT stiffness was associated with tissue fibrosis, obesity, and diabetes-related traits. Noninvasive evaluation of scWAT stiffness might be useful in clinical practice.
Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Performances of Metal Alloy/Spinel Ferrite/Polymer Composites

High-frequency electromagnetic wave (EM-wave) absorbing characteristics of metal alloy/spinel ferrite/polymer composite materials with various metal alloy particle contents were evaluated from measurements of complex permeability μ = μ'-jμ" by the coaxial reflection method in the frequency interval from 1 MHz to 3 GHz. We varied the volume content of metal alloy in composites from 0 to 60 vol% at fixed 40 vol% content of polymer matrix. The increasing metal alloy content in composites resulted in a smaller matching thickness and larger matching frequency than that of spinel ferrite/polymer composite. The return loss calculations showed that prepared composites are good EM-wave absorbers in the quasi-microwave band (100 MHz-3 GHz) and thus suitable for electromagnetic interference noise suppression in electronic communication systems.
Vaginal Reconstruction Using Labia Minora Flaps in Congenital Total Absence

A simplified technique using labia minora for total lining of the neovagina succeeded in 7 of our 10 patients with encouraging cosmetic and physiological results. In the remaining 3 patients, because of the smaller size of the labia minora, additional free skin grafts were necessary. The surgical technique, especially the surgical anatomy of the labia minora, is described in detail.
Market Reaction to International Cross-Listing: Evidence from Nigeria

This paper examines market reaction to international dual listings. The sample consists of the only six (6) firms that cross-listed their equity abroad and which are also listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The market reaction to a cross-listing program is positive and seen as a welcoming development to the selected companies and their shareholders at large. The stock price reaction is related to choice of exchange, geographical location (i.e., emerging or developed markets), and avenues for raising equity capital (i.e., public versus private offerings).
Recurrence Risk of Hypertensive Disease in Pregnancy

Cite this article: Takahashi K, Ohkuchi A, Kobayashi M, Matsubara S, Suzuki M (2014) Recurrence Risk of Hypertensive Disease in Pregnancy. Med J Obstet Gynecol 2(2): 1023. *Corresponding authors Akihide Ohkuchi, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi, 3290498, Japan,Tel: 81-285-58-7376; Fax: 81-285-44-8505; Email: okuchi@jichi.ac. jp
Exploring the Barriers and the Level of TQM Implementation in Malaysian Construction Industry

More and More construction firms are engaging in Total Quality Management (TQM) to improve the quality of their products which, in hope of, ultimately lead to higher level of customer satisfaction. However, there are still a number of players in Malaysian construction industry refused to implement TQM. This study aimed at identifying the barriers for construction firms to engage in TQM and tested its relationship with the level of implementation of TQM. Based on data collected from 138 engineers from Malaysian construction firms, the results showed that there were six barriers of implementation of TQM in Malaysian construction industry, which were lack of knowledgeable personnel, low bid mindset, lack of effective communication, extra cost and time consuming, lack of top management support and difficulties in measurement. The results also showed that only lack of effective communication and lack of top management support were not significantly associated with the level of implementation of TQM.
Outer membrane of Salmonella typhimurium: chemical analysis and freeze-fracture studies with lipopolysaccharide mutants

The outer membrane layer of the cell wall was isolated from wild-type Salmonella typhimurium LT2 as well as from its mutants producing lipopolysaccharides with shorter saccharide chains. Chemical analysis of these preparations indicated the following. (i) The number of lipopolysaccharide molecules per unit area was constant, regardless of the length of the saccharide side chain in lipopolysaccharide. (ii) In contrast, in "deep rough" (Rd or Re) mutants producing the lipopolysaccharides with very short saccharide chains, the amount of outer membrane protein per unit surface area decreased to about 60% of the value in the wild type. (iii) In the wild type, the amount of phospholipids is slightly less than what is needed to cover one side of the membrane as a monolayer. In comparison with the wild type, the outer membrane of Rd and Re mutants contains about 70% more phospholipids, which therefore must be distributed in both the outer and inner leaflets of the membrane. Freeze-fracture studies showed that the outer membrane of Re mutants were easily fractured, but fracture became increasingly difficult in strains producing lipopolysaccharides with longer side chains. The convex fracture face was always nearly smooth, but the concave fracture face or the outer half of the membrane was densely covered with particles 8 to 10 nm in diameter. The density of particles was decreased in Re mutants to the same extent as the reduction in proteins, suggesting the largely proteinaceous nature of particles. A model for the supramolecular structure of the outer membrane is presented on the basis of these and other results.
Credit Market Frictions and Coessentiality of Money and Credit

We explore how credit market frictions matter for the coessentiality of money and credit. There are high-productivity and low-productivity borrowers. Limited commitment can yield a one-for-one credit limit in accordance with a borrower's productivity. An adverse selection problem caused by asymmetric information, however, makes lenders impose the credit limit of a low-productivity borrower on a high-productivity borrower. If productivities differ su fficiently between borrowers, a high-productivity borrower is credit-constrained and is willing to hold money to compensate for the deficiency of her credit limit, but a low-productivity borrower is not. This eventually implies the coessentiality of money and credit in the sense that the use of both improves the allocation from a social welfare perspective.