Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Why do Indian Firms Borrow in Foreign Currency?

We investigate why firms in emerging economies such as India borrow in foreign currency. The results of a dynamic panel regression approach suggest that both firm-specific factors and macroeconomic factors are significant in explaining the corporate sector dollarization. Export revenue and tangible assets are primary drivers of the external commercial borrowings (ECBs) of non-financial firms, whereas the ECBs of financial firms are sensitive to interest rates in global markets. The policy measures to relax restrictions on firm borrowing in foreign currency facilitate the denomination of corporate debt in foreign currency, but such exposure was adversely affected by the global financial crisis. The findings of the study suggest the vital need to develop the domestic bond market to reduce firms’ dependency on external finance. The results also call for competitive interest rates in the domestic fixed income segment through monetary policy intervention. JEL Classification: G300, G320, F310
Antibiotic exposure perturbs the bacterial community in the small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus

Bacteria symbionts in herbivores play an important role in host biology and ecology, and are affected by environmental factors such as temperature, diet, habitat, antibiotics and so on. However, the effects of antibiotics on the microbiome of the small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus (SBPH) remain unclear. Here, we studied the effects of tetracycline on the diversity and composition of bacterial colonies in different tissues of SBPH using high throughput sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA amplicons. Our results show that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria were most abundant in SBPH, and the genera Asaia and Wolbachia were most abundant in all body parts of SBPH. Antibiotic treatment had persistent effects on the composition of the SBPH microbiome. Tetracycline depleted the population of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes and Fusobacteria, and nearly 100% eliminated Wolbachia, Bacteroides and Abiotrophia in SBPH. Together, these results suggest that antibiotic exposure affects the bacteria symbionts of different body parts in SBPH and will facilitate future studies of the bacterial symbionts of arthropod hosts.
Factors Associated with FDI Inflows to MENA Region: An Empirical Examination

T he purpose of the current research was to empirically examine the relationship between six independent variables and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows (dependent variable) to countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the period of 2002-2016. The independent variables studied in this research were foreign exchange systems, good governance, inflation, gross domestic product, market openness, and doing business. To test the research hypotheses, a two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression was used to analyze the imbalanced pooled data for the years 2002-2016. The hypotheses were tested at 95% confidence level and Eviews produced two-tailed probability T statistics. Based on the results of the analysis, none of the six hypotheses could be rejected. This result show that good governance, gross domestic product, openness and doing business had a positive relationship in spite of inflation by the negative effect on FDI inflows. As for foreign exchange region, the result showed that countries with fixed exchange rate system attracted more FDI inflows as compared to the countries with the two-tiered system.
The Role of Workplace Spirituality in Improving Job Satisfaction and Lecturer Performance

This study was aimed to examine the influence of workplace spirituality, leadership spirituality, and intelligent spirituality on job satisfaction and performance of lecturers in private universities in Riau. The respondents of this study were 111 lecturers. The exogenous variables were workplace spirituality, intelligent spirituality, and leadership spirituality. In addition, the endogenous variables consisted of job satisfaction and lecturer performance. The analytical tool used was path analysis using PLS-SEM. The researchers found out that only intelligent spirituality and leadership spirituality that had a significant effect on job satisfaction, while workplace spirituality showed different result. On the other hand, workplace spirituality had a significant effect on lecturer performance, while intelligent spirituality and leadership spirituality had no significant effect on the variable. This research suggested that universities should be more concerned about their surroundings and workplace spirituality. Moreover, universities leaders should also care about the inner peace of their teaching staff and be more honest and do not tell falsehood.
The image of physical education teachers held by students from two universities

This study analyses the image that students of initial physical education teacher education (PETE) from two different universities (University of Alicante- UA, Spain, and Central University of Ecuador-UCE) have of physical education teachers. This qualitative and comparative study uses a metaphorical approach. Qualitative methodology was used to analyse the participating students metaphors in order to explore whether or not they suit the current learning and teaching perspectives in the field of Physical Education, and whether the images conveyed any differences between universities due to the influence of the context in the Physical Education teacher image and in gender stereotypes. A total of 190 students participated in the study (n= 105 men; n= 85 women). The software AQUAD 7 was used to process the data. The results showed that there were no obvious gender differences that keep women away from physical activity. As well as not excessive differences due to the different context of the participants.
Effect of sowing dates and different crop establishment methods on yield and economics of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

A field experiment was conducted to study the “Effect of sowing dates and different crop establishment methods on yield, nutrient uptake and economics of rice (Oryza sativa L.) During Kharif, 2017 at Rice research Centre, Agricultural Research Institute, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad (TS), India. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four replications, comprises two main plot treatments i.e., sowing dates M1- Normal sowing: First fortnight of July, M2- Delayed sowing: 20 days after normal sowing, three subplot treatments i.e., S1- Machine transplanting, S2- Manual transplanting in lines, S3- Manual transplanting at random. The results revealed that normal (optimum) sowing i.e., first fort night of July with machine transplanting proved to be better for obtaining maximum grain yield and net returns.
Effects of an Educational Film About Body Donors on Students' Empathy and Anxiety Levels in Gross Anatomy

While most German anatomy institutes provide only limited information about body donors and their lives, students have expressed a desire to learn more about these individuals, especially about their motivations to donate their bodies for the sake of medical education. In order to gratify this wish, as well as to further humanize body donors, an educational film was compiled, and a study designed to capture the film's effects on medical students. This is the first study using standardized, validated psychological tools to evaluate the impact of an educational film about body donors on students’ empathy and psychological stress levels. The study followed a longitudinal, controlled, and cluster randomized design, including 77 (48 females/29 males) participants who watched the video either before, midway, or after the dissection course. Questionnaires were completed at four points in time applying the Jefferson Scale for Empathy (JSPE‐S) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure empathy. Psychological stress levels were recorded by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Overall, students recommended the film to be shown to all students (median 6.0; maximum on the six‐point Likert scale). Viewing the film revealed no significant changes between study groups or over time in JSPE‐S sum scores. All groups demonstrated a significant reduction of BSI values before the dissection course actually started and increased values during the course, but both developments appeared not to be associated with the intervention. Overall, the educational film did not correlate with any negative effects on students’ empathy and psychological stress levels, and it was strongly approved of by students, as it provided more humanizing personal information about body donors without violating their anonymity.
The predictive value of serum testosterone level on the functional outcomes after acute ischemic stroke in males

Abstract Introduction We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of sex hormone levels on 3-month functional outcomes after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in males. Materials and methods A total of 110 male AIS patients were included in this prospective study. Serum levels of testosterone and estradiol were measured at admission. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) were measured at admission and after 3 months. A mRS score ≥3 was considered as a poor functional outcome. Results The median age of the 110 subjects was 62.0 [23.3] years (range 35–93 years). Univariate logistic regression revealed that bioavailable testosterone, free testosterone, age, NIHSS at admission, mRS at admission, and prior ischemic stroke were associated with a poor functional outcome (mRS score ≥3) at 3 months. In multivariate analysis, only age, NIHSS at admission, and mRS at admission were independent predictors. Conclusions After controlling the covariates, bioavailable and free testosterone levels are not associated with the 3-month mRS in male patients with AIS. Age, NIHSS at admission, and mRS at admission are robust predictors for the functional outcomes.
Efficacy of the natural oxygen transporter HEMO2life® in cold preservation in a preclinical porcine model of donation after cardiac death

The growing use of marginal organs for transplantation pushes current preservation methods toward their limits, and the need for improvement is pressing. We previously demonstrated the benefits of M101, a natural extracellular oxygen carrier compatible with hypothermia, for the preservation of healthy renal grafts in a porcine model of autotransplantation. Herein, we use a variant of this preclinical model to evaluate M101 potential benefits both in static cold storage (CS) and in machine perfusion (MP) preservation in the transplantation outcomes for marginal kidneys. In the CS arm, despite the absence of obvious benefits within the first 2 weeks of follow‐up, M101 dose‐dependently improved long‐term function, normalizing creatininemia after 1 and 3 months. In the MP arm, M101 improved short‐ and long‐term functional outcomes as well as tissue integrity. Importantly, we provide evidence for the additivity of MP and M101 functional effects, showing that the addition of the compound further improves organ preservation, by reducing short‐term function loss, with no loss of function or tissue integrity recorded throughout the follow‐up. Extending previous observations with healthy kidneys, the present results point at the M101 oxygen carrier as a viable strategy to improve current organ preservation methods in marginal organ transplantation.
Comparison of Private Sector Hospital Involvement for UHC in the Western Pacific Region

Many transitional economies in the Western Pacific Region (WPR) have been moving away from the public sector fully funding and providing health care services. Many governments are looking to the private sector for their expertise in organization and bringing efficiency to the provision of health care. Public hospitals are also gaining more financial and administrative autonomy, with more hospitals moving across the spectrum from fully public to mixed public and private models with for-profit behavior. With rising demand for modern and highquality health services and severe fiscal constraints on public financing for health services, the private sector has recently expanded its presence in the health care sector. This transition has been particularly rapid in Viet Nam, China, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The role of the private sector in the provision of health care services dominates the hospital and primary health care (PHC) sectors in Japan and Korea, where there is a long history of private hospitals using social health insurance and state budget funding to advance hospital-based contributions to universal health coverage (UHC). The major challenge in this transition is aligning both public and private hospitals to achieve equitable access to services, better quality, and improved efficiency. Through a series of public hospital reforms, including granting various levels of autonomy in managing public hospitals and introducing some forms of public–private partnerships, the governments of Lao PDR, China, and Viet Nam have attempted to make public hospitals work more efficiently. The move toward fully autonomous public hospitals is one aspect of Viet Nam’s broader “social mobilization” policy that has also led to increased private investment in state hospitals along with government granting them more decision rights in generating and retaining revenues. In Lao PDR, the private hospital regulations recently introduced more attractive incentives for private investors, such as allowing 100% foreign-owned investment, land concessions, and tax or duty exemptions on medical equipment and supplies. In addition, through Lao
From sugar to liver fat and public health: systems biology driven studies in understanding non-alcoholic fatty liver disease pathogenesis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now a major public health concern with an estimated prevalence of 25–30% of adults in many countries. Strongly associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome, the pathogenesis of NAFLD is dependent on complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors that are not completely understood. Weight loss through diet and lifestyle modification underpins clinical management; however, the roles of individual dietary nutrients (e.g. saturated and n-3 fatty acids; fructose, vitamin D, vitamin E) in the pathogenesis or treatment of NAFLD are only partially understood. Systems biology offers valuable interdisciplinary methods that are arguably ideal for application to the studying of chronic diseases such as NAFLD, and the roles of nutrition and diet in their molecular pathogenesis. Although present in silico models are incomplete, computational tools are rapidly evolving and human metabolism can now be simulated at the genome scale. This paper will review NAFLD and its pathogenesis, including the roles of genetics and nutrition in the development and progression of disease. In addition, the paper introduces the concept of systems biology and reviews recent work utilising genome-scale metabolic networks and developing multi-scale models of liver metabolism relevant to NAFLD. A future is envisioned where individual genetic, proteomic and metabolomic information can be integrated computationally with clinical data, yielding mechanistic insight into the pathogenesis of chronic diseases such as NAFLD, and informing personalised nutrition and stratified medicine approaches for improving prognosis.
Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio is Useful in Differentiation of Malign and Benign Thyroid Nodules.

OBJECTIVE Significant amount of thyroid nodules are malignant. Inflammation plays crucial role in the pathogenesis of many disorders, including cancer. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), has been suggested as an index of inflammatory response and association between increased NLR and cancer has also been reported. In this retrospective analysis, we aimed to study NLR levels in patients with malign and benign thyroid nodules and healthy control subjects. METHODS The patients who underwent surgery for nodular goiter in general surgery clinics of our university hospital between June 2012 and June 2015 and 68 healthy volunteers were included. Patients with thyroid nodules divided into malign or benign nodule groups according to the pathology report. Thyroid carcinomas other than micropapillary tumor were excluded. Preoperative hemogram parameters of these groups were compared. RESULTS Mean NLR of malign nodule group (2.1±0.9%) was significantly higher than both those in benign nodule (1.7±0.9%) and control groups (1.7±0.6%). CONCLUSION We suggest that elevated NLR in patients with thyroid nodules in preoperative period may be an indicator of underlying malign nodular disease. Increased NLR in such patients should encourage physician to perform cancer screening in thyroid gland.
Blunted fat oxidation upon submaximal exercise is partially compensated by enhanced glucose metabolism in children, adolescents, and young adults with Barth syndrome

Barth syndrome (BTHS) is a rare X‐linked condition resulting in abnormal mitochondria, cardioskeletal myopathy, and growth delay; however, the effects of BTHS on substrate metabolism regulation and their relationships with tissue function in humans are unknown. We sought to characterize glucose and fat metabolism during rest, submaximal exercise, and postexercise rest in children, adolescents, and young adults with BTHS and unaffected controls and examine their relationships with cardioskeletal energetics and function. Children/adolescents and young adults with BTHS (n = 29) and children/adolescent and young adult control participants (n = 28, total n = 57) underwent an infusion of 6′6′H2 glucose and U‐13C palmitate and indirect calorimetry during rest, 30‐minutes of moderate exercise (50% V˙O2peak ), and recovery. Cardiac function, cardioskeletal mitochondrial energetics, and exercise capacity were examined via echocardiography, 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and peak exercise testing, respectively. The glucose turnover rate was significantly higher in individuals with BTHS during rest (33.2 ± 9.8 vs 27.2 ± 8.1 μmol/kgFFM/min, P < .01) and exercise (34.7 ± 11.2 vs 29.5 ± 8.8 μmol/kgFFM/min, P < .05) and tended to be higher postexercise (33.7 ± 10.2 vs 28.8 ± 8.0 μmol/kgFFM/min, P < .06) compared to controls. Increases in total fat (−3.9 ± 7.5 vs 10.5 ± 8.4 μmol/kgFFM/min, P < .0001) and plasma fatty acid oxidation rates (0.0 ± 1.8 vs 5.1 ± 3.9 μmol/kgFFM/min, P < .0001) from rest to exercise were severely blunted in BTHS compared to controls. Conclusion: An inability to upregulate fat metabolism during moderate intensity exercise appears to be partially compensated by elevations in glucose metabolism. Derangements in fat and glucose metabolism are characteristic of the pathophysiology of BTHS.
Rapamycin Rescues Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Dry Eye Syndrome in Mice.

Purpose To investigate whether rapamycin protects tear production and the ocular surface during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced dry eye syndrome in mice. Methods Tunicamycin was injected intraperitoneally in BALB/c mice without or with rapamycin (TM or RM5 group). Peritoneal injection of PBS performed in vehicle group. Group without injection served as control. Blinking rate, fluorescein staining score (FSS), and phenol red thread tear production test were measured at 4 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks after treatment. Levels of inflammatory and angiogenic cytokines were measured by ELISA. Results Blinking rate and FSS were elevated, and tear production was decreased in TM group compared with controls (P < 0.05 for all), which was ameliorated by rapamycin at 1 and 2 weeks. Levels of inflammatory and angiogenic cytokines in the cornea and lacrimal glands were higher in the TM group than controls, and lower in the RM5 group than the TM group at 1 and 2 weeks (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusion Rapamycin protected tear production and the ocular surface against this dry eye syndrome by ameliorating ER stress-induced vascular damage and inflammation of lacrimal glands and the ocular surface.
Exposure to a Healthy Gut Microbiome Protects Against Reproductive and Metabolic Dysregulation in a PCOS Mouse Model

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting approximately 10% of reproductive-aged women worldwide. Diagnosis requires two of the following: hyperandrogenism, oligo/anovulation and polycystic ovaries. In addition to reproductive dysfunction, many women with PCOS display metabolic abnormalities associated with hyperandrogenism. Recent studies have reported that the gut microbiome is altered in women with PCOS and rodent models of the disorder. However, it is unknown whether the gut microbiome plays a causal role in the development and pathology of PCOS. Given its potential role, we hypothesized that exposure to a healthy gut microbiome would protect against development of PCOS. A co-housing study was performed using a letrozole-induced PCOS mouse model that recapitulates many reproductive and metabolic characteristics of PCOS. Since mice are coprophagic, co-housing results in repeated, non-invasive inoculation of gut microbes in co-housed mice via the fecal-oral route. In contrast to letrozole-treated mice housed together, letrozole-treated mice co-housed with placebo mice showed significant improvement in both reproductive and metabolic PCOS phenotypes. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we observed that the gut microbial composition of letrozole-treated mice co-housed with placebo mice differed from letrozole mice housed together. In addition, our analyses identified several bacterial taxa including Coprobacillus, Dorea and Adlercreutzia associated with the improved PCOS phenotype in letrozole-treated mice co-housed with placebo mice. These results indicate that disruption of the gut microbiome may play a causal role in PCOS and that manipulation of the gut microbiome may be a potential treatment option for PCOS. Significance PCOS is a common cause of female infertility and ~80% of women with PCOS have metabolic dysregulation that predisposes them to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Since treatment options for the metabolic symptoms of PCOS are limited, there is a need to develop novel therapeutic options. The gut microbiome has emerged as an important player in human health and has been shown to play a causal role in obesity. In this study, we found that exposure to a healthy gut microbiome through co-housing protected against the development of reproductive and metabolic dysregulation in a PCOS mouse model. These results suggest that manipulation of the gut microbiome may be a potential treatment option for women with PCOS.