Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Import processing zones, tools for regional integration? The case of the free trade zone of Manaus (Brazil)

Characterised by low-quality transport infrastructures and located quite far from the country economic centre, the Amazonian region in Brazil was almost wholly disconnected from the rest of the country for several decades. In conjunction with other factors, this motivated the creation of a Free Trade Zone in the region by Brazilian authorities to foster economic linkages with the country’s other states. We examine in this article whether this challenging goal of connecting an isolated region marked by lowquality transport infrastructures to a distant economic centre has been accomplished and if the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) has played a role in the process. Using a gravity model to assess each Brazilian state trade performance and level of trade costs, we found that the two entities representing the state of Amazonas (Manaus where the Free Trade Zone is implanted and the rest of Amazonas) were among the most effective intra-national exporters in Brazil in 2008 despite facing the highest level of trade costs in the country. These apparently counter-intuitive findings indicate a potentially significant role of the FTZ in this process of integration.
TAK-875 Mitigates β-Cell Lipotoxicity-Induced Metaflammation Damage through Inhibiting the TLR4-NF-κB Pathway

Metabolic inflammatory damage, characterized by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling activation, is a major mechanism underlying lipotoxicity-induced β-cell damage. The present study is aimed at determining whether G protein-coupled receptor 4 (GPR40) agonist can improve β-cell lipotoxicity-induced damage by inhibiting the TLR4-NF-κB pathway. Lipotoxicity, inflammation-damaged β-cells, obese SD, and TLR4KO rat models were used in the study. In vitro, TAK-875 inhibited the lipotoxicity- and LPS-induced β-cell apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner, improved the insulin secretion, and inhibited the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB subunit P65. Besides, silencing of TLR4 expression enhanced the protective effects of TAK-875, while TLR4 overexpression attenuated this protective effect. Activation of TLR4 or NF-κB attenuated the antagonism of TAK-875 on PA-induced damage. Moreover, the above process of TAK-875 was partially independent of GPR40 expression. TAK-875 reduced the body weight and inflammatory factors, rebalanced the number and distribution of α or β-cells, inhibited the apoptosis of islet cells, and inhibited the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB subunit P65 in obese rats. Further knockout of the rat TLR4 gene delayed the damage induced by the high-fat diet and synergy with the action of TAK-875. These data suggest that GPR40 agonists antagonized the lipotoxicity β-cell damage by inhibiting the TLR4-NF-κB pathway.
Scott, Simon D. and Kinsley, Rebecca and Temperton, Nigel and Daly, Janet M. (2016) The optimisation of Pseudotyped viruses for the characterisation of immune responses to equine influenza

Pseudotyped viruses (PVs) produced by co-transfecting cells with plasmids expressing lentiviral core proteins and viral envelope proteins are potentially powerful tools for studying various aspects of equine influenza virus (EIV) biology. The aim of this study was to optimise production of equine influenza PVs. Co-transfection of the HAT protease to activate the haemagglutinin (HA) yielded a higher titre PV than TMPRSS2 with the HA from A/equine/Richmond/1/2007 (H3N8), whereas for A/equine/Newmarket/79 (H3N8), both proteases resulted in equivalent titres. TMPRSS4 was ineffective with the HA of either strain. There was also an inverse relationship between the amount of protease-expression plasmids and the PV titre obtained. Interestingly, the PV titre obtained by co-transfection of a plasmid encoding the cognate N8 NA was not as high as that generated by the addition of exogenous neuraminidase (NA) from Clostridium perfringens to allow the release of nascent PV particles. Finally, initial characterisation of the reliability of PV neutralisation tests (PVNTs) demonstrated good intra-laboratory repeatability. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that equine influenza PV production can be readily optimised to provide a flexible tool for studying EIV.
ECG-Based Subject Identification Using Statistical Features and Random Forest

In this work, a nonfiducial electrocardiogram (ECG) identification algorithm based on statistical features and random forest classifier is presented. Two feature extraction approaches are investigated: direct and band-based approaches. In the former, eleven simple statistical features are directly extracted from a single-lead ECG signal segment. In the latter, the single-lead ECG signal is first decomposed into bands, and the statistical features are extracted from each segment of a given band and concatenated to form the feature vector. Nonoverlapping segments of different lengths (i.e., 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, or 15 sec) are examined. The extracted feature vectors are applied to a random forest classifier, for the purpose of identification. This study considers 290 reference subjects from the ECG database of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). The proposed identification algorithm achieved an accuracy rate of 99.61% utilizing the single limb lead (I) with the band-based approach. A single chest lead (V1), augmented limb lead (aVF), and Frank’s lead (Vx) achieved an accuracy rate of 99.37%, 99.76%, and 99.76%, respectively, using the same approach.
Corporate governance and financial performance in Islamic banks: the role of the sharia supervisory board in multiple-layer management

This study aims to investigate the impact of Good Corporate Governance (GCG) on the financial performance of sharia banking. GCG is measured by the Board of Commissioners Performance, the Board of Commissioners Composition, the Number of Audit Committees, the Board of Directors, and the Sharia Supervisory Board Performance, whereas financial performance is proxied by Return on Assets, financing risk (Non-Performing Financing), and capital (Capital Adequacy Ratio). Sharia commercial banks registered by Bank Indonesia made the sample of this study. Annual reports and GCG reports of sharia commercial banks from 2014 to 2017 are used as a data source. The study uses a panel data regression approach to analyze the data; some interesting results have been obtained. The Sharia board positively affected financial performance of Islamic banks in terms of return on assets and capital adequacy ratio, and negatively as to non-performing financing. Similarly, the board of directors had a significant impact on the financial performance of Islamic banks in the same direction as the sharia supervisory board in terms of the three components. Meanwhile, the board of commissioners had a significant and positive impact only on the return on assets of Islamic banks in Indonesia.
The contribution of Data Analytics in predicting the future purchase intentions of consumers

In today’s global market, the impact of technology can be felt in every sector and marketing is no exception to it. This study seeks to explore the role of Data Analytics in forecasting the consumers’ future buying intentions. An extensive literature review reveals that in the last couple of decades, marketing processes have undergone remarkable transformations in the way consumer data is treated and in achieving this, emerging information technologies like Data Analytics have played a significant role. The study demonstrates that meeting customers’ needs is critical for companies to acquire and retain customers and to accomplish this, anticipating consumer needs ought to be a priority for companies. While the study highlights the reasons that make data-driven techniques more reliable than the traditional theories and frameworks for the study of consumer behaviour, certain gaps have been identified in the literature including lack of relevant resources pertaining to the research topic. For the completion of this study, the qualitative research method was chosen. 15 participants from 7 different countries participated in this study through semi-structured interviews. The interviewees are Marketing and Data professionals working in the IT industry. The final outcome of this study indicates that Data Analytics is being implemented in most of the organizations to forecast consumers’ buying behaviour. Specifically, the Clustering technique and Bayesian network algorithm are considered to be the most effective models for making predictions about consumer data. The empirical findings collected through interviewing participants coupled with the extant literature contributes to the flourishing literature pertaining to the contribution of Data Analytics in forecasting consumer behaviour.
Role of bone morphogenetic proteins in ankle and hindfoot fusion

Since first being introduced, the use of adjuvant osteobiologic agents has begun to revolutionize musculoskeletal surgery by providing reliable, safe osteobiologic augmentation, with robust bone healing in patients who in the past were considered to be nonoperative candidates. Among the current osteobiological adjuvant agents, recombinant bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 has emerged as the most reliable for patients who are considered high-risk for foot and ankle surgery. Few reports exist on the use of BMP whether in the form of rhBMP-2 or 7 in foot and ankle surgery. The purpose of this review article is to give the practicing surgeon a basic review of BMPs and what role they can play in ankle and hindfoot fusions especially in a high-risk patient.
University of São Paulo “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture Exogenous fibrolytic enzymes affect the nutritive value and the performance of Nellore bulls when added to corn-based silages

Exogenous fibrolytic enzymes affect the nutritive value and the performance of Nellore bulls when added to corn-based silages The use of silages made from corn crop is common in Brazil and around the world. The high moisture corn and the whole-plant corn silage are largely used by farmers in feedlot diets. Another silage made from the corn, which seems to have great potential, is the snaplage. The snaplage is composed by the ear of the corn, which contains husk, cob, and grains. Animals fed diets with high moisture corn silages have better feed efficiency, due to the increase of starch digestibility. This increase is dependent on three factors: length of storage, grain particle size, and moisture. The improvement in starch digestibility occurs because of endosperm protein matrix solubilization. However, another barrier that can impair the grain nutrients availability, such as, starch, is the endosperm cell wall. The cell wall is composed mainly by arabinoxylans. Therefore, the application of exogenous fibrolytic enzymes can enhance the availability of the nutrients, by the solubilization of cell wall components. The optimal pH and temperature of the silages might be beneficial for the enzymes to act. The objective of the first study was to evaluate the performance of Nellore bulls fed diets with high moisture corn and snaplage, with or without the addition of exogenous fibrolytic enzymes at ensiling. In the second study, the objective was to evaluate the chemical composition, the nutrient digestibility, and the fermentative profile of whole-plant corn silages added different doses of fibrolytic enzymes, ensiled for different times of storage. As a result of the first study, the bulls fed diets with silages treated with fibrolytic enzymes showed a decreased dry matter intake and an increased feed efficiency. The enzyme treatment decreased the NDF content and increased the DM in vitro and in situ digestibility of the high moisture corn silage. Moreover, the acetic acid and ethyl acetate concentration was increased for the high moisture corn treated with the enzymes. There was no difference between the diets. In the second study with whole-plant corn silage, the exogenous fibrolytic enzymes addition increased the acetic acid concentration and decreased the concentrations of ethanol, ethyl lactate, and ethyl acetate. In conclusion, the addition of exogenous fibrolytic enzymes in high moisture corn silages improved the animal performance, and in whole-plant corn silages, it affected the fermentative profile.
University of Birmingham Arrhythmogenic mechanisms in heart failure

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Adherence to Consuming Medication for Hypertension Patients at Primary Health Care in Medan City

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the major health issues among senior citizens considering the increase in the population of a senior citizen’s over the age of 60 in Indonesia. The use of antihypertensive drugs alone has proved to be inadequate to exhibit long-term effects of blood pressure control if it is not supported by adherence. AIM: This study aims to investigate the relationship between knowledge, attitude, action, and doctor’s communication to adherence of hypertensive patient in taking medication. METHODS: This is an analytical study with a cross-sectional design. The population of this study consist of patients who have been diagnosed with hypertension and are consuming antihypertensive drugs. Eighty samples were randomly recruited. The research data were collected using a guided interview questionnaire and were an analysed using the chi-square test. RESULTS: This study shows that the patient percentages with poor knowledge are 76.3%, 82.5% with a bad attitude, 82.5% for negative action, 56.3% for lack of doctor’s communication, and 58% for poor levels of adherence. Chi-square test shows a significant relationship (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a relationship between knowledge, attitude, action, and doctor’s communication towards the adherence of hypertensive patient in taking medication.
TACE combined with PEI sequential therapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective To explore the effect of transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization(TACE)combined with percutaneous ethanol injection(PEI) sequential therapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma(PHCC). Methods The clinical data of 76 cases of PHCC treated by TACE and PEI were analysed retrospectively.They were randomly divided into two groups,TACE combined with PEI groupand only PEI under the guidance of type B ultrasonography.Results TACE+PEI group had good quality of life.There was significant difference in remission rate and survival rate on two groups.Conclusion TACE combined with PEI sequential therapy can effectively continue life period with PHCC patients,improve the quality of life.It is a effective,safe and dependable combination treatment for PHCC.
Exploring the Spirit in U.S. Audiences: The Role of the Virtue of Transcendence in Inspiring Media Consumption

Little is yet known about audiences who routinely seek out media content that is inspirational in nature. The current study expands the research on inspirational media by utilizing a nationally representative sample of U.S. audiences (n = 2,016) to explore relationships between inspiring media exposure, trait transcendence, and self-transcendent emotions. Results show that media content is a reliable source for everyday self-transcendent emotional experiences in U.S. audiences. These experiences are most frequently encountered by persons with high levels of trait spirituality and gratitude. The profile of U.S. audiences that seek out inspiring media is discussed.
CIA_A_227767 2205..2212

Dan Song Doris SF Yu 2 Polly WC Li 2 Guijuan He Qiuhua Sun 1School of Nursing, ZheJiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR Purpose: This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and identify the important correlates of HRQoL in older Chinese adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study design was adopted. A total of 204 older adults with MCI were enrolled in this study. HRQoL was evaluated by the Quality of Life– Alzheimer’s disease. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to investigate the sociodemographic, disease-related, psychological, and behavioral factors associated with the HRQoL of individuals with MCI. Results: Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that old age (Beta = −0.131, p =0.024), low income (Beta = 0.128, p = 0.032), depressive symptoms (Beta = −0.564, p < 0.001), and poor sleep quality (Beta = −0.169, p =0.004) were significantly associated with the HRQoL of individuals with MCI. Conclusion: Caring for older Chinese adults with MCI should focus on sociodemographically disadvantaged groups with advanced age and low income. Rehabilitation programs that effectively alleviate depressive symptoms and improve sleep quality should be applied to older adults with MCI to enhance their HRQoL.
Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterizations of Aeromonas hydrophila Complex Isolated from Fresh and Frozen Beef and Poultry Meats

This study was aimed to identify the phenotypic and geneotypic characteristics of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from fresh and frozen beef and poultry meat, determine its harmfulness, and identify the sources of contamination of meat. To achieve these objectives, a total of 200 bacteriological swabs was collected from meat as following: (66) fresh beef, (43) fresh poultry meat, (57) frozen beef and (34) frozen poultry meat. In addition, 9 swabs from the hands of the workers who handling meat and also 5 samples of washing water used in the slaughterhouse and meat retail shops. The samples were examined by microbiological and biochemical screening tests followed by molecular biological and examined some of aerolysin, lipase and enterotoxin genes by PCR. The results revealed that out of 200 meat swabs samples, 129 (64.5%) were positive for Aeromonas spp. Out of 9 samples from workers’ hands, 6 (66.67%) was identified to Aeromonas spp. However, the 5 water samples was negative for Aeromoans spp. Biochemical characterization identified to species level of 129 Aeromonas strain isolates identified to the A. hydrophila (no= 112; 86.82%), and other motile Aeromonas spp. (no= 17; 13.18 %). Concerning the bacteriological examination of samples from worker hands, 5 (83.34%) out of 6 samples was identified as A. hydrophila and 1 (16.66%) was identified to other motile Aeromonas spp. The prevalence of A. hydrophila of Fresh meet (74.31%) was significantly higher than that in frozen meat (47.25%) at aeroA, lip and act genes were 31.11 %, 22.22 %, and 73.33 %, respectively. Results of this study revealed that there is a clear presence of A. hydrophilastrains isolated from frozen and fresh meat and worker hands, as well as high levels of genes responsible for the virulent microbe indicate the presence of a potential risk of infection from food poisoning.
Interdisciplinary coordination and Problem-Based Learning: evidence from Higher Education

A key aspect of the European Higher Education Area is the need to educate students using a multidisciplinary approach. The undergraduates should also acquire the competences that will be essential in their future profession. The interdisciplinary approach provides many benefits that develop into much needed lifelong learning skills that are essential to a student’s future learning. The aim of this work is to apply interdisciplinary coordination in two subjects of a Degree, for the achievement of the competences and skills of the students. In this context, this work describes an educational constructivist innovation consisting of the interdisciplinary coordination between two subjects from the Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management: Production Management and Business Statistics, using Problem-based learning (PBL). We ran the educational innovation project over three consecutive academic years. The results demonstrate that acquiring knowledge via interdisciplinary coordination is highly valued by the students and also allows them to acquire competences that will be essential in their future careers. It highlights the need of the policy maker to evaluate interdisciplinary curricula.
TRACK 1. Corporate Social Responsibility The Impact of Corporate Social Disclosure on Investment Behavior – A Cross-National Study

The Impact of Corporate Social Disclosure on Investment Behavior – A Cross-National Study Introduction Gernon and Wallace (1995) state “a purpose of international accounting research is to make apparent in different countries the connection between accounting institutions and practices and their environment” (p. 54). Since environmental factors (economic, legal, social, cultural, etc.) vary across countries, the accounting standards and practices differ across countries accordingly. One area of accounting practice that has been found to differ across countries is corporate social disclosure (Freedman and Stagliano, 1992; Meek et al., 1995; Fekrat et al., 1996; Gamble et al., 1996; Gray et al., 2001; Newson and Deegan, 2002). Corporate social disclosure (CSD) is generally used to refer to the information companies provide about their environmental, community, employee, and consumer activities and relationships. This paper, through a cross-national study, examines the impact of CSD on investment behavior employing the stakeholder concept as the theoretical framework for the analysis. Single country studies of CSD dominate the literature The few cross-national studies of CSD that have been conducted, have found that country of origin is an important factor in explaining variations in the level and quality of CSD (Freedman and Stagliano, 1992; Meek et al., 1995;
Regional Islamic Bank Credibility and Customer Loyalty: Does Customer Commitment Really Serve as a Mediator Variable?

The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of credibility on commitment and loyalty and to determine whether the commitment mediates the credibility effects on customer loyalty of an Islamic bank in Aceh. The sample of this research is 160 respondents taken using a purposive sampling technique. The method of data analysis used is Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS. The results showed that the credibility of regional Islamic banks influenced significantly on customer commitment. The customer commitment influences significantly on customer loyalty. Moreover, the customer commitment can mediate the effects of credibility on customer loyalty. Unfortunately, credibility has no direct effect on the customer loyalty of Islamic banks. However, credibility is the key driver for increasing customer perception.