Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dying, death, and bereavement among the Maya Indians of Mesoamerica: a study in anthropological psychology.

Death, dying, and bereavement are com- plex psychological and biosocial problems of 20th- century Western civilization. Some earlier cultures and societies responded successfully to the phenomena of dying and death and the intense emotions attendant upon them. For us today, possible solutions to these problems exist in rediscovering the effective adjustive methods of the ancients. In light of this, the civiliza- tion of the pre-Columbian Maya of Mesoamerica is discussed, with particular emphasis on the Maya's death-related beliefs and rituals, treatment of the fatally ill, burial practices, and family and social atti- tudes toward death. In the classical Maya civilization, the primary cultural controls over death, dying, and bereavement were myths and rituals that were accepted as truth. These rituals specified how victims and their families were to respond; social pressures ensured the continuation of time-honored ritual practices. Parallels are drawn with the societies of the ancient Hebrews, early Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, and Navajos. Death, dying, and bereavement are complex psy- chological and biosocial problems in 20th-century Western civilization, a fact dramatically illustrated by the burgeoning number of books and articles on death and dying (Cohen, 1976). Feifel's (1959) observation almost two decades ago addressed with acute poignancy what might be considered the core of the problem: In the presence of death western culture by and large has tended to run, hide and seek refuge in group norms and actuarial statistics. The individual face of death becomes blurred by embarrassed curiosity and institutionalization. (p. xii) Modern man, in effect, endeavors to hide the dead and the fact of death by various means, means that function to provide psychological distance between the deceased and the survivors. We live in an age in which society attempts to repress and negate the
Conjectures concerning elliptic curves

where f(s) is the Riemann zeta-function and LD(S) is a Hecke Lseries. Denote by LD(s) the derivative of LD(S) with respect to s. This note is a description of some numerical results obtained for the values of L D ( 1 ) and LD(1) for many D, with special reference to the conjectures of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer, [ l ] . In particular, when g = l, the value of LD(1) is compared with a canonical measure for the density of the rational points on TD. With the aid of further computations of second and third derivatives of LD(S) for a few values of D, a relation can be conjecturally formulated as
Text Generation in Clinical Medicine – a Review

Summary Objectives: This article aims at an analysis of ways of producing documents (such as findings or referral letters) in clinical medicine. Special emphasis is given to the question of whether the field of “Natural Language Generation” (NLG) can provide new approaches to ameliorate the current situation. Methods: In order to assess the currently used techniques in text production, an analysis of commercially available systems was performed in addition to an extensive review of the literature. The sketch of current NLG approaches is also based on a literature review. To estimate the applicability of several techniques to clinical documents, a typology of documents in clinical medicine was developed, based on rhetorical structure theory, speech act theory and certain recurrent linguistic phenomena exposed in the said documents. Results: Current ways of producing text for documents in medicine are less than optimal in several respects. The field of NLG draws on the idea of generating text from a conceptual representation of not only certain facts, but also knowledge about how to express them via (written) language. Unfortunately, NLG does not yet offer “ready-to-run” solutions for the automatic production of most of the document types in the given typology. It seems, however, highly plausible that the demands of medical informatics for these kinds of systems will be satisfiable as NLG matures. Conclusions: NLG offers a promising way of generating text for clinical documents, a problem of enormous economical importance. The medical informatics community should therefore commit itself to the idea of NLG in medicine.
User Interface Optimization using Genetic Programming with an Application to Landing Pages

The design of user interfaces (UIs), such as World Wide Web pages, usually consists in a human designer mapping one particular problem (e.g., the demands of a customer) to one particular solution (i.e., the UI). In this article, a technology based on Genetic Programming is proposed to automate critical parts of the design process. In this approach, designers are supposed to define basic content elements and ways to combine them, which are then automatically composed and tested with real users by a genetic algorithm in order to find optimized compositions. Such a strategy enables the exploration of large design state-spaces in a systematic manner, hence going beyond traditional A/B testing approaches. In relation to similar techniques also based on genetic algorithms, this system has the advantage of being more general, providing the basis of an overall programmatic UI design workflow, and of calculating the fitness of solutions incrementally. To illustrate and evaluate the approach, an experiment based on the optimization of landing pages is provided. The empirical result obtained, though preliminary, is statistically significant and corroborates the hypothesis that the technique works.
Marketing without Consent: Consumer Choice and Costs, Privacy, and Public Policy

Most of the privacy debate pertains to personal information being collected and disseminated in databases without consumer consent or perhaps even knowledge. The author asserts that a more important issue is how these databases are used to impose marketing costs on consumers without their consent. All marketers realize it is costly to communicate to potential consumers, but they often forget that consumers bear some marketing communications costs as well. The author suggests that economic efficiency would be enhanced by requiring marketers to internalize at least some of the consumer costs, particularly those likely to be borne involuntarily. Current regulations address only some costs for some media and often limit rather than enhance consumer choice. The author presents new public policy recommendations to improve efficiency and consumer choice.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Reluctance Step Motors in Comparison with Other Design Versions

Optional designs of step motors are compared in the paper. The authors show, that the reluctance step motors essentially outperform other type of step motors. They have a large torque, high accuracy of functioning, reliability, etc. Step motors can be successfully used in system for orientation of low power wind installations. Further improvements in t he performance of the reluctance step motors are proposed.
S-allylcysteine is effective as a chemopreventive agent against porcine serum-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.

BACKGROUND Hepatic fibrosis is a chronic progressive disorder with a poor prognosis for which no definitive treatment exists. S-allylcysteine (SAC), an ingredient of aged garlic extract, is known to have antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifibrotic effects of SAC in the liver. METHODS Hepatic fibrosis was induced in male Wistar rats by porcine serum (PS) intraperitoneal injection. SAC (0.15% of basal diet) or N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 0.45% of basal diet) was orally administered for 12 weeks. Liver damage was assessed by the levels of plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), hepatic lipid peroxides (LPO), and hepatic total thiols 12 weeks after first PS injection. Area of fibrosis was examined by Azan-Mallory staining. Hydroxyproline content of liver were assessed as an index of collagen content. Liver was examined for expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) as a marker of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. RESULTS There were no significant differences in levels of plasma ALT, hepatic LPO, or hepatic total thiols among the groups. PS significantly increased area of fibrosis and hydroxyproline content in the liver. SAC and NAC each markedly attenuated the development ofhepatic fibrosis. SAC and NAC markedly suppressed the PS-induced increase in alpha-SMA expressions. CONCLUSIONS Oral administration of SAC reduced PS-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats via inhibition of HSC activation. SAC could provide a new therapeutic strategy for hepatic fibrosis.
Trading Volume, Price Momentum, and the 52-Week High Price Momentum Strategy in the Saudi Stock Market

This paper investigates the existence of a pure momentum strategy in the Saudi stock market (SSM), the largest market in the Middle East and one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Price momentum profitability in the SSM is very similar in magnitude and significance to these found in developed market. We also find that trading volume affects the profitability of a momentum strategy. Stocks possessing momentum combined with a high volume during the previous 3, 6, 9, and 12 months continue to perform better in the following 3, 6, 9, and 12 months than stocks with a low trading volume.The 52-week high price momentum strategy for the SSM contradicts the empirical result of George and Hwang (2004) for the US market. We find a reversal in stocks that have reached their 52-week high. George and Hwang argue that when a stock reaches it 52-week high price, investors are reluctant to bid the price higher even if the information warrants it. The information of good new eventually prevails and pushes the stock prices higher. We do not find this for the SSM. One possible explanation of the different result obtained here for the SSM compared to the results for well developed financial markets such as US can be attributed to the diffusion of information and investors overreaction. Stocks might reach their 52-week high price because investors speculation moves the price to their 52-week high; however, when more accurate news reaches the market, the stocks drop below their 52-week high price.
Evaluation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in Malagasy patients.

INTRODUCTION Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important cause of infections. It is well recognized that nasal carriage of S. aureus represents a potent and increasingly prevalent risk factor for subsequent S. aureus infection. However, in Madagascar no data exist concerning this nasal carriage of S. aureus. METHODOLOGY Nasal swabs from 304 different patients attending the Laboratory of Training and Research in Medical Biology of Madagascar were cultured for methicillin sensitive (MSSA) and MRSA. RESULTS One hundred and sixteen patients had S. aureus in their noses (38.16 ± 5.46%) of whom 45 (14.80 ± 3.99%) had MRSA. A risk factor for MSSA nasal carriage included a history of hospitalization when antibiotics were administered (odds ratio [OR] 2.25, 1.09 - 4.64). Among MRSA nasal isolates, high rate of resistance to other antibiotics was observed, particularly for trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (68.89%), erythromycin (66.67%) and ofloxacin (53.33%). CONCLUSIONS Our data showed a high rate of MRSA nasal carriage and a high rate of multidrug resistance. A strategic policy against the spread of multidrug resistant strains is desirable.
Comparações múltiplas das carteiras de bolsa no Brasil: avaliação da performance do Índice de Governança Corporativa

A adocao de padroes de governanca corporativa superiores aumenta o retorno, reduz a volatilidade dos retornos, aumenta o volume negociado e a liquidez, e diminui a exposicao dos retornos das acoes a riscos externos, o que consequentemente torna o custo de capital menor e eleva o valor da empresa. Este artigo tem por objetivo geral analisar essas hipoteses no mercado de capitais nacional mediante a revisao da literatura existente, e como objetivo especifico desenvolver um Estudo de Carteiras para avaliar a performance do Indice de Governanca Corporativa (IGC). Nesse sentido, por meio do metodo de reamostragem Bootstrap, comparam-se as medias e medianas das carteiras: IGC, Ibovespa (IBO), IBrX, IBrX-50, FGV-E e FGV-100, no periodo de julho de 2001 a agosto de 2005, em tres diferentes classes de indicadores: retornos, risco e retornos ajustados ao risco. Na primeira classe de indicadores foram utilizados os retornos nominais e reais e na segunda foram empregadas as medidas de risco dos retornos nominais mensais: desvio-padrao, coeficiente de variacao e Beta do CAPM. Relativamente aos retornos ajustados ao risco, usaram-se os seguintes indicadores: Indice de Sharpe (S), Indice de Treynor (T), Indice M², Alfa de Jensen ( α ) e Appraisal Ratio (A). Conclui-se que, apesar de poucas diferencas estatisticas, o IGC apresentou uma boa performance, corroborando a eficacia de melhores praticas de governanca corporativa.
Nucleolar organizer regions in meningiomas.

Paraffin sections of 305 meningeal tumours were analysed for the presence of nucleolar organizer region (Ag-NOR) in the neoplastic cells, using a one step silver-colloidal staining method. The mean (+/- SEM) Ag-NOR counts were 2.73 +/- 0.21 for atypical and 2.91 +/- 0.18 for papillary variants of meningioma. In meningotheliomatous and transitional variants of meningioma, the mean Ag-NOR counts were 1.41 +/- 0.34 and 1.38 +/- 0.31, respectively. The recurrence rates were significantly higher in atypical meningiomas than in other histopathological variants (p < 0.05). Differences in the mean Ag-NOR numbers between meningothelial and transitional variants in their primary and recurrent tumours were not significantly different (p > 0.05). The results of this study indicates that estimation of Ag-NORs can be applied in predicting the aggressive clinical behaviour of primary meningeal tumours.
Structure of a novel cofactor containing N-(7-mercaptoheptanoyl)-O-3-phosphothreonine.

The cofactor required in the methylcoenzyme M methylreductase reaction was shown to be a large molecule with an Mr of 1149.21 in the free acid form. The cofactor, named MRF for methyl reducing factor, was identified from analyses by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR spectroscopy as uridine 5'-[N-(7-mercaptoheptanoyl)-O-3-phosphothreonine-P-yl(2-acetamido- 2-deoxy- beta-mannopyranuronosyl)(acid anhydride)]-(1----4)-O-2-acetamido-2-deoxy- alpha-glucopyranosyl diphosphate. MRF contains N-(7-mercaptoheptanoyl)threonine O-3-phosphate (HS-HTP) [No11, K. M. , Rinehart, K. L. , Tanner, R. S. , & Wolfe, R. S. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 4238-4242] and is linked to C-6 of 2-acetamido-2-deoxymannopyranuronic acid of the UDP-disaccharide through a carboxylic-phosphoric anhydride linkage. It is postulated that this bond is responsible for the instability of the molecule and its hydrolysis during isolation. Analyses of Eadie and Hofstee plots of the methylcoenzyme M methylreductase reaction indicate that MRF has a 6-fold lower Km(app) than HS-HTP and a 50% greater Vmax. This suggests that the UDP-disaccharide moiety may be of importance in the binding of MRF to the enzyme active site.
Career management: The issue of the millennium

Abstract The last decade has seen immense changes in the business environment. The globalization of business, its deregulation and the consequent opening up of new markets, the advances in information technology, and the growth of consumerism have all added to the competitive pressures which commercial organizations face (Hamel & Prahalad, 1994). At the same time, changes in social attitudes, especially regarding societal institutions such as government, education, and health, have increased the pressures on the public sector to provide value for taxpayers' money.
Predicting Canadian Recessions Using Dynamic Probit Modelling Approaches (La Prévision Des Récessions Canadiennes À L’Aide D’Approches Utilisant Des Modèles Probit Dynamiques)

This paper examines the ability of various financial and macroeconomic variables to forecast Canadian recessions. It evaluates four model specifications, including the advanced dynamic, autoregressive, dynamic autoregressive probit models as well as the conventional static probit model. The empirical results highlight several significant recession predictors, notably the government bond yield spread, growth rates of the housing starts, the real money supply and the composite index of leading indicators. Both the in‐sample and out‐of‐sample results suggest that the forecasting performance of the four probit models is mixed. The dynamic and dynamic autoregressive probit models are better in predicting the duration of recessions while the static and autoregressive probit models are better in forecasting the peaks of business cycles. Hence, the advanced dynamic models and the conventional static probit model can complement one another to provide more accurate forecasts for the duration and turning points of business cycles. (Ce texte examine la capacite de differentes variables financieres et macroeconomiques a predire les recessions canadiennes On examine quatre specifications du modele probit –, le modele dynamique avance, le modele autoregressif, le modele dynamique autoregressif, ainsi que le modele statique conventionnel. Les resultats empiriques soulignent plusieurs predicteurs significatifs – notamment l’etalement des taux de rendement des obligations gouvernementales, les taux de croissance des mises en chantier des maisons, l’offre de monnaie reelle, et l’indice composite avance. Les resultats a la fois pour des estimations basees sur l’echantillon ou hors‐echantillon suggerent que la performance previsionnelle des quatre modeles probit n’est pas toujours coherente. Les modeles dynamique et dynamique autoregressif performent mieux dans la prevision de la duree des recessions, alors que les modeles statique et autoregressif font un meilleur travail dans la prevision des sommets des cycles d’affaires. Les modeles dynamique avance et conventionnel se completent en ce qu’ils fournissent des donnees plus precises sur la duree et et les points tournants des cycles d’affaires.)
Effects of external loading on power output in a squat jump on a force platform: A comparison between strength and power athletes and sedentary individuals

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of external loading on power output during a squat jump on a force platform in athletes specializing in strength and power events (6 elite weight-lifters and 16 volleyball players) and in 20 sedentary individuals. Instantaneous power was computed from time-force curves during vertical jumps with and without an external load (0, 5 or 10 kg worn in a special vest). The jumps were performed from a squat position, without lower limb counter-movement or an arm swing. Peak instantaneous power corresponded to the highest value of instantaneous power during jumping. Average power throughout the push phase of the jump was also calculated. A two‐way analysis of variance showed significant interactions between the load and group effects for peak instantaneous power ( P < 0.01) and average power ( P < 0.001). Peak instantaneous power decreased significantly in sedentary individuals when moderate external loads were added. The peak instantaneous power at 0 kg was greater than that at 5 and 10 kg in the sedentary individuals. In contrast, peak instantaneous power was independent of load in the strength and power athletes. Mean power at 0 kg was significantly lower than at 5 kg in the athletes; at 0 kg it was significantly higher than at 10 kg in the sedentary males and at 5 and 10 kg in the sedentary females. In all groups, the force corresponding to peak instantaneous power increased and the velocity corresponding to peak instantaneous power decreased with external loading. The present results suggest that the effects of external loading on peak instantaneous power are not significant in strength and power athletes provided that the loads do not prevent peak velocity from being higher than the velocity that is optimal for maximal power output.
Why do forest companies change their CSR strategies? Responses to market demands and public regulation through dual-certification

Certification represents a comparatively new means of CSR, which is important in the forest industry. Forest companies and industries have previously certified their management and products in accordance with one of the competing systems (FSC: Forest Stewardship Council and PEFC: Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes), but recently, important large-scale companies in several countries have started to certify under both schemes. This study explores the causes and effects of this change in strategies, drawing on semi-structured interviews with Swedish forest companies and industries and European retailers. The results show that public bodies, not the least in the EU, as well as ENGOs, have transformed customer demands, resulting in dual-certification. This change in strategies has the potential to alter corporate environmental practices throughout the supply chains. These results call for further research on the under-studied issue of the interaction between public regulation and private forest governance.
Bio-entrepreneurs and their investors: a mutually beneficial relationship?

We empirically study the influence of Venture Capital Companies (VCC) on the technology regarding biotechnology of startups and the commercialisation strategy by using a combination of dyadic case studies and a questionnaire survey. The main findings regarding the effects of and reasons for Venture Capital (VC) firms' influence on startups' commercialisation and technology strategy are the following. First, startups report that the VCCs' influence on their technology and commercialisation strategy can be either strong or weak, with very few startups reporting a medium level of influence. Second, VCCs' short-term objectives play an important role in VCCs' influence on their portfolio companies. Third, entrepreneurs' evaluation of the outcome of VCCs' influence on the company is dependent on the VCCs' reasons for exerting influence. Exerting influence because of 'the VCCs' greater plans for the startup' is rated as the most positive reason. Fourth, corporate VCCs' influence is rated more positive than other investor types' influence.
A comprehensive structural model for defaultable fixed-income bonds

An exact valuation formula for defaultable corporate coupon bonds is proved. The model incorporates discrete coupons, bankruptcy costs, taxes and the market risk generated by a stochastic risk-free structure. The aim of this paper is twofold: first, we generalise previous pricing models for corporate bonds; second, we provide a comprehensive formula in order to properly disentangle the contribution of several risk factors to credit spreads.