Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Share Pledging in China: Funding Listed Firms or Funding Entrepreneurship?

This paper studies the connection between share pledging and entrepreneurial activities in China, challenging the common wisdom that share pledging funds circle back to the listed firms. Share pledging funds are at the discretion of the shareholders who pledge their publicly traded shares, and survey evidence shows that a majority of the largest shareholders (67.3%) used pledging funds outside the listed firms. By linking firm registration data with share pledging data, we show a positive relation between shareholders’ pledging transactions and entrepreneurial activities. Utilizing the launch of the exchange market in 2013 as a quasi-natural experiment that favors share pledging by natural person shareholders against that by legal entity shareholders, our difference-in-differences (DiD) analysis shows natural person shareholders increased their entrepreneurial activities significantly in response to the policy shock, relative to legal entity shareholders. In addition to various robustness checks, we also show that shareholders with better access to share pledging invest more heavily in industries with above-median growth potential. Our findings
ATTITUDES OF CZECH AND SLOVAK YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TOWARDS POTENTIAL NEW ENTRANTS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

The automotive industry is changing rapidly. Are these changes what the car customer prefers? This paper gives insights into attitudes towards new automotive brands, the brand image of big tech companies, perceptions regarding the cooperation between car manufacturers and tech companies, purchasing drivers of new brands, and willingness to pay for big tech brands in automotive. In-depth interviews with young professionals in the Czech Republic and Slovakia were conducted with the use of an interview guide.
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Food Images: Image Classification of Twitter Images

Obesity is a modern public health problem. Social media images can capture eating behavior and the potential implications to health, but research for identifying the healthiness level of the food image is relatively under-explored. This study presents a deep learning architecture that transfers features from a 152 residual layer network (ResNet) for predicting the level of healthiness of food images that were built using images from the Google images search engine gathered in 2020. Features learned from the ResNet 152 were transferred to a second network to train on the dataset. The trained SoftMax layer was stacked on top of the layers transferred from ResNet 152 to build our deep learning model. We then evaluate the performance of the model using Twitter images in order to better understand the generalizability of the methods. The results show that the model is able to predict the images into their respective classes, including Definitively Healthy, Healthy, Unhealthy and Definitively Unhealthy at an F1-score of 78.8%. This finding shows promising results for classifying social media images by healthiness, which could contribute to maintaining a balanced diet at the individual level and also understanding general food consumption trends of the public.
Genetics and resistance / Génétique et résistance Multiple resistance genes to leaf and stem rust in Brazilian wheat varieties ‘BRS194’ and ‘Toropi’

: Leaf ( Puccinia triticina; Pt ) and stem ( Puccinia graminis tritici; Pgt ) rust are important constraints to wheat production. The leaf and stem rust resistance in the Brazilian wheat varieties ‘Toropi’ and ‘BRS194’ was evaluated using a ‘Toropi/BRS194’ doubled-haploid (DH) population. Parents evaluated at the seedling stage with Pt race MCJ-HN displayed infection type (IT) = ;1 for ‘BRS194’ and IT = 3 for ‘Toropi’. The DH progeny fit a 1R:1S ratio, indicating a single Lr gene in ‘BRS194’ was effective against race MCJ-HN. Adult plant testing with isolate 18-96-1 CCDS found that ‘BRS194’ displayed an IT = 3 and ‘Toropi’ IT = 1 − , with segregating progeny consistent for multigenic adult plant resistance in ‘Toropi’. The parents and DH progeny were screened for the 1BL.1RS translocation ( Sr31 ) with marker PE061, with ‘Toropi’ negative and ‘BRS194’ positive for the presence of Sr31 . ‘BRS194’ was also tested against Pgt races MCCF, QTHJ, RHTS, RTHJ, TMRT, TPMK, and TTKSK at the seedling stage. BRS194 was resistant to all Pgt races, and an IT = 0 to TTKSK suggested the presence of Sr36 . The presence of Sr36 in ‘BRS194’ was supported by the molecular marker STM773-2 (+) and ‘Arthur 71’ ( Sr36 carrier) in its pedigree. Most resistant lines carried the Sr36 -associated allele of STM773-2, while a few did not, indicating the presence of a second gene conferring resistance to TTKSK. Seedling resistance to Pgt in ‘Toropi’ was effective against races RHTS, MCCF, QTHJ, and RTHJ, postulated to be Sr9e . The variety ‘BRS194’ has effective rust-resistance genes that can be used in wheat-breeding programmes.
Kyrieleis like plaques - atypical presentation of ocular Behcet’s disease

Purpose: To report an unusual presentation with kyrieleis like plaques in a patient with ocular Behcet’s disease. Case presentation: A 28-year-old young male presented with blurring of vision in the left eye, fundus examination revealing focal segmental intra-arterial plaques involving all branches of retinal artery characteristics of kyrieleis-like plaques with no features of retinitis in retinal periphery and mild vitritis. All routine investigations were normal, the patient testing positive for HLA-B51 marker, diagnosed as a case of ocular Bechet’s disease and managed with oral steroids and immunosuppressive agents. Results: The patient had good recovery of vision with substantial resolution of intra-arterial plaques. Conclusion: Ocular Bechet’s disease can present with uncommon features of kyrieleis like plaques. Ophthalmologists need to be vigilant for the presence of such potential ocular manifestations as the likely initial presentation in order to obtain early diagnosis and initiate timely management.
Understanding the Influence of Rock Content on Streaming Potential Phenomenon of Soil–Rock Mixture: An Experimental Study

To applicate streaming potential phenomenon to study the seepage feature in the soil–rock mixture (SRM), research on the variation in the streaming potential phenomenon of SRM is the precondition. This paper deals, in assistance with the streaming potential test apparatus, with the streaming potential effect response of SRM subjected to different rock contents. The test results show that when the rock content increases from 10% to 30%, the streaming potential coupling coefficient increases with the increases in rock content at 85% compactness and 0.01 mol L−1 salinity. When the rock content is more than 30%, the streaming potential coupling coefficient decreases with the increases in rock content. As the rock content increases, the permeability coefficient has a negative correlation with the streaming potential coupling coefficient. The streaming potential increases first and then goes down with the increases in rock content, and the streaming potential decreases significantly when the rock content exceeds 50%. The findings indicate that the rock content is the key structural factor that restricts the streaming potential phenomenon of the SRM.
Changes in Space Usage Behaviours after the Implementation of Seoul’s Bus Rapid Transit Project in Jongno Street: A Social Data Analysis

This study analysed blog data to examine visitors’ behavioural changes following the introduction of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Seoul to vitalise public transport. Using blog texts, we assessed the appearance frequency of numerous keywords, including “Jongno Street” (the target location), “public transportation,”, and “bus-only lane”, to identify and categorise frequently visited places and examine the changes in user behaviours before and after project implementation. Based on this analysis, we categorised the significant places into nine types (public spaces, cultural and religious places, open spaces, major places, historic sites, streets, and structures) in accordance with Jongno’s attributes. We found that the scope of visitors’ activities increased within a 1-km radius of the bus station and most people visited open spaces, streets, and major places and engaged in various activities before reaching their final destination. The visitors who used public transport often walked to their destinations within a 1-km radius. This showed that the BRT system implemented on Jongno Street contributed to the creation of a vigorous, walkable urban environment.
Updated Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence in Women: 2015–2018 National Population-Based Survey Data

Objectives This study aimed to update estimates of urinary incontinence (UI) prevalence and associated risk factors for adult women in the United States, using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods We used descriptive analysis of 2015–2018 NHANES weighted data for women to estimate prevalence and characterize UI types and severity. Logistic regression modeling determined adjusted associations with UI. Results Complete data were available for 5,006 women. In weighted analyses, 61.8% had UI, corresponding to 78,297,094 adult U.S. women, with 32.4% of all women reporting symptoms at least monthly. Of those with UI, 37.5% had stress urinary incontinence, 22.0% had urgency urinary incontinence, 31.3% had mixed symptoms, and 9.2% had unspecified incontinence. The prevalence of moderate or more severe UI by Sandvik Severity Index was 22.1%, corresponding to 28,454,778 adult U.S. women. In multivariate models, increasing age, body mass index ≥25, prior vaginal birth, anxiety, depression, functional dependence, and non-Hispanic White ethnicity and race were associated with any and moderate UI. Urinary incontinence was not associated with diabetes, education level, prior hysterectomy, smoking status, physical activity level, or current pregnancy status. Conclusions More than 60% of community-dwelling adult women in the United States experience any UI and an increase from prior estimates (38%–49%) using NHANES data from 1999 to 2004; more than 20% experience moderate or more severe UI. Increases in UI prevalence may be related to population aging and increasing obesity prevalence. Age greater than 70 years, body mass index >40, and vaginal birth had the strongest association with UI in multivariate modeling.
Effectiveness of Mathematical Modeling in a Technological Environment and Its Impact on Developing Motivation toward Learning Mathematics among Students in Middle Schools in Israel

The study aims to identify the effectiveness of mathematical modeling in a technological environment, and its effect on the development of middle school learners' critical thinking skills and motivation rising toward mathematics as a subject in Rahat area/ Negev region. In this study, the researcher employed the experimental approach where the two tools of the study were applied to two groups of eighth graders: (group A, control group, 29 learners) and (group B, test group, 30 learners). The tools employed were, first, measuring learners’ motivations towards learning, and second, measuring the degree to which learners possess the skills of critical thinking. The tools were used in both the prior and the latter stages of mathematical modeling where a questionnaire was prepared with the aim of identifying the views of students in the middle schools about their motivation to learn mathematics, and the questionnaire included the three dimensions of the study. The second tool consists of a set of questions that measure the degree to which the student has critical thinking skills by answering the test questions (consisting of a set of questions selected to test students in critical thinking skills in solving mathematical problems). The two instruments were initially presented to a group of competent arbitrators in order to benefit from their expertise, and after presenting them and making the necessary adjustments, they were produced in their final form. The results were as follows: 1. The scale of the student’s desire towards learning mathematics, and their sense of perseverance and awareness were all intermediate. 2. Learners’ average in the prior test that was designed to measure their skills in critical thinking was low. 3. The study shows variations in the degree of motivation toward mathematics learning regarding their desire and awareness of the importance of the subject. 4. The study shows a variation in the degree of the possession of critical thinking skills in middle school learners. The variation was in favor of the test group.
An Ancient >200 m Cumulative Normal Faulting Displacement Along the Futagawa Fault Dextrally Ruptured During the 2016 Kumamoto, Japan, Earthquake Identified by a Multiborehole Drilling Program

The Mw 7.0 mainshock of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence was triggered by dextral rupture of the Futagawa fault within the Aso volcanic region, Southwestern Japan. To reproduce its faulting patterns and to reveal the geological and geophysical characteristics of the fault and surrounding lithological units, we report the results of a multiple‐borehole drilling program penetrating the Futagawa fault zone. By combining core descriptions with geophysical logs, we identified >200 m of normal faulting displacement along the currently dextral strike‐slip Futagawa fault. Considering previous kinematic and chronological studies of the fault, we interpret that the Futagawa fault dominantly slipped as a normal fault in a short period (∼300–87 ka) before switching to its current transtensional (dominant strike‐slip) regime ∼87 ka caused by a local change in the stress field associated with the termination of the Aso caldera‐forming eruptions. In the main borehole, three damage/slip zones were penetrated at depths of ∼354, 461, and 576 m. The 461 damage zone was identified as ∼45 m in vertical thickness and thicker than the other damage zones (∼3–6 m vertically) and was characterized by high fracture density and the presence of strike‐slip slickenlines. Depth profiles of physical properties revealed different patterns near the three damage zones; both the resistivity and the P‐wave velocity showed stronger deterioration at the 461 damage zone than the others. Based on these geological and geophysical observations, we suggest that the 461 damage zone is the primary candidate for seismogenic faulting during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake mainshock.
Effects of Thickness Fraction Process on Physicochemical Properties, Cooking Qualities, and Sensory Characteristics of Long-Grain Rice Samples

A process of removing thinner kernels of rough rice, i.e., thickness fraction process, has been suggested as a method for increasing milling yields in the rice industry. This study aimed at determining whether physicochemical properties, cooking qualities, and sensory characteristics of rice samples could be changed by the addition of a thickness fraction into the rice process stream. Each of four long-grain rice cultivar lots was assigned into two groups: unfractionated and thickness-fractionated. For the thickness-fractionated group, thin rice kernels (<1.9 mm) of rough rice were discarded from unfractionated rice samples. Unfractionated and thickness-fractionated rice samples were compared with respect to physicochemical properties, cooking qualities, and sensory characteristics. The results showed that the removal of such thin kernels decreased the breakage and chalkiness rates and increased head rice yields. Fractionated rice samples exhibited lower amylose contents and crude protein contents but higher gelatinization temperatures than unfractionated rice samples. While the optimum cooking duration and width–expansion ratios of thickness-fractionated rice samples were higher than those of unfractionated ones, there was a negligible impact of the thickness fraction process on sensory characteristics of long-grain rice samples. In conclusion, the thickness fraction process affects physicochemical properties and cooking qualities more than the sensory characteristics of rice samples.
Building Environmental Health and Genomics Literacy among Healthcare Providers Serving Vulnerable Communities: An Innovative Educational Framework

This study addresses healthcare providers’ knowledge deficits in environmental health and genetics, and primarily focuses on student nurses and nurses serving marginalized, low-income communities frequently exposed to environmental toxicants. Our approach to improve public health is unique, combining hands-on modeling exercises with case-based lessons in addition to three targeted 40 min lectures on toxicology. These lectures included the team’s community-based environmental health research among Indigenous peoples of the U.S. The hands-on approach employed DNA and protein molecular models designed to demonstrate normal and dysfunctional molecules, as well as genetic variants in world populations. The models provided learners with visuals and an experience of “learning by doing. ” Increased awareness of the effects of environmental toxicants is the first step toward improving health care for exposed communities. We measured knowledge gains by pre- and post-tests among student nurses and nurses serving Native Americans living both in urban and rural areas of the U.S. (n = 116). The modeling lessons illustrated genetic variants in liver proteins common in Native peoples and their resulting health vulnerabilities. Participants were engaged and enthusiastic; and pre- and post-test results reported substantial knowledge gains and a greater understanding of genetic susceptibility (p < 0.0001). Our study demonstrates the utility of this framework across diverse populations and remote communities.
Effect of Public Investment on Private Investment: Evidence from Ethiopia

This study examined the effect of public investment on private investment and their relative effects on Ethiopia economic growth. The study employed the ARDL bounds testing approach. The empirical results revealed that public investment has a crowding-in effect on private investment in the long run which means, public investment stimulates private investment in the long run. However, the study revealed that public investment has a crowding out effect on private investment. In the other word, public investment has no direct impact on economic growth in the long run. However, private investment has a significant positive impact on economic growth in the long run while it is negatively related to economic growth in the short run. This suggests that private investment positively contributes to economic growth more than public investment. In addition, economic growth is positively associated with private investment although it is statistically insignificant in the long run. This implies that it is prudent for policy makers not to cut back on the efficient component of public investment and increase infrastructural public investment to a level that promotes private investment in the long run thereby indirectly fostering economic growth.
Recent Developments and Applications of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Technology in Cell Classification

Multicellular organisms have many cell types and are complex, and heterogeneity is common among cells. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-SEQ) is a new technique for studying the transcriptional activity of a single cell that is still in its early stages of development. It generates transcriptional profiles from thousands of parallel cells to reveal the differential expression of individual cell genomes. They reflect the heterogeneity between cells to identify different cell types and form cell maps of tissues or organs, which play an essential role in biology and clinical medicine. Based on the introduction and comparison of the scRNA-SEQ sequencing platform, this paper focuses on the application of scRNA-SEQ in the exploration of cell types in the nervous system and immune system and summarizes the research results of the combination of scRNA-SEQ and spatial transcriptome technology.
Plethora of Resistance Genes in Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria in Greece: No End to a Continuous Genetic Evolution

Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are a public health threat that requires urgent action. The fact that these pathogens commonly also harbor resistance mechanisms for several other antimicrobial classes further reduces patient treatment options. The present study aimed to provide information regarding the multidrug resistance genetic background of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in Central Greece. Strains from a tertiary care hospital, collected during routine practice, were characterized using a DNA microarray-based assay. Various different resistance determinants for carbapenems, other beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, trimethoprim, sulfonamides and macrolides were detected among isolates of the same sequence type. Eighteen different multidrug resistance genomic profiles were identified among the twenty-four K. pneumoniae ST258, seven different profiles among the eight K. pneumoniae ST11, four profiles among the six A. baumannii ST409 and two among the three K. oxytoca. This report describes the multidrug resistance genomic background of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria from a tertiary care hospital in Central Greece, providing evidence of their continuous genetic evolution.
The effect of storage period on calcium and magnesium level and antimicrobial activity of goat’s milk kefir

The purpose of this reasearch was to determine the effect of storage period goat’s milk kefir (GMK) on total LAB, total mineral levels included Ca and Mg and antimicrobial activity to pathogenic microbes. The materials used was GMK. This research was conducted using Completely Randomized Design with 4 treatments and 4 replications. The treatments were storage period that consist of D0 (0 day), D1 (7 days), D2 (14 days), and D3 (21 days). Total calculation of LAB used TPC (Total Plate Count). Samples were diluted from 10-1 to 10-8, then incoculated PCA medium by using pour plate method. Petri dish was incubated at 37ºC for 48 hours. Calcium and magnesium levels were calculed base AAS method. The result of this study was analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), then followed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). The storage time treatment has a significant effect on the total microbial count, mineral levels (Ca and Mg) and inhibition zone of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar typhi on goat's milk kefir. Average clear zone Staphylococcus aureus 2.60 – 3.18 mm. Average inhibition zone Escherichia coli 2.09 – 3.32 mm. Average clear zone Salmonella enterica serovar typhi 1.97 – 2.72 mm.