Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GIS for rapid epidemiological mapping and health-care management with special reference to filariasis in India

This study was carried out to apply geographic information systems (GIS) technology for rapid epidemiological mapping and health-care management of filariasis in India. GIS has essentially become important role in epidemiological mapping, disease monitoring and health information management in India. It has been customized inbuilt facilities to store, retrieve, analysis, and mapping of horizontal and vertical structure of the disease epidemiological information. This study aimed on the application of GIS for rapid epidemiological mapping of disease occurrences, infection rate, age group, sex, disease transmission, site specification of the patients, host availability of the parasite or virus loads, and so on. It was used to state the horizontal and vertical structure of the diseases, history of the disease, etc. with reference to space and times. GIS is not only used to mapping the geographical distributions of disease prevalence (communicable and noncommunicable diseases), but also been used to analyze the spatial trend of the disease transmission and the spatial modeling of environmental aspects of disease occurrences, above and beyond. GIS has been used to updating and mapping the disease epidemiological information and perhaps, it was used for disease surveillance, mapping disease transmission risk and for spatial modeling. And hence, it has also become essential tool in mapping the epidemiological information, disease surveillance, health monitoring, surveying, sampling design, disease control programs, predicting the disease transmission, and most importantly, it has become the important decision-making tool in public health disease surveillance and monitoring disease control programs, site selection of health services, health information systems toward and tool for providing a datum of guidelines for decision making and planning toward the achievements of health-care management in India successfully.
Disclosure of anogenital warts to sexual partners

Objectives: To investigate psychological functioning, relationship factors, stigma perception, disclosure outcomes and regret about the disclosure decision in people being treated for anogenital warts, comparing disclosers and non-disclosers and evaluating the possible predictors of disclosure. Method: A self-completion questionnaire was completed by 54 participants recruited from a London genitourinary medicine clinic. There were 36 disclosers and 18 non-disclosers. Results: Disclosers were significantly less anxious than non-disclosers (p<0.01). Compared with non-disclosers, disclosers also rated their relationships as longer lasting (p<0.001) and closer (p<0.01). Disclosers were less likely to express regret about their disclosure decision than were non-disclosers (p<0.001). There were no significant differences between groups with regard to depression, self-esteem, expected partner response to disclosure, or sexually transmitted infection (STI)-related stigma perception, although there was a trend towards higher stigma perception in disclosers (p = 0.15). The actual partner response to disclosure was significantly more supportive than had been expected (p<0.001). A binary logistic regression model used three variables to predict disclosure status with an accuracy of 83%. Disclosers were predicted by lower anxiety levels, longer relationship duration and higher stigma perception. Conclusions: Relationship factors, in particular duration, were key predictors of partner disclosure of anogenital warts. In terms of individual characteristics, only anxiety was significantly different in disclosers and non-disclosers. Perceptions of stigma and expected outcome of disclosure were not significantly different in the two groups. Of particular relevance to those considering whether or not to disclose, partner response was significantly more supportive than disclosers expected and disclosers expressed significantly less regret about their disclosure decision than did non-disclosers.
Foreign Banks in the U.S.: A Reference Document

The concepts "international," "cross-border," and "foreign" banking are complex by nature because they involve the interactions of entities operating in two or more national financial markets and regulatory systems. Given this inherent conceptual complexity, clarity and transparency in the use of terms and data is especially important. This reference document focuses on one important dimension in the realm of "foreign banking" of great interest to analysts, regulatory authorities, and policy makers: foreign banks in the U.S. It identifies key definitional and data issues surrounding the topic which, if inadequately dealt with, can cripple analysis (and therefore, possibly, undermine policy decisions). With that discussion as a conceptual foundation, the document looks in detail at the structure and assets-size of the foreign banking presence in the U.S. It also introduces a data set that addresses key data and definitional challenges in a more comprehensive, and economically meaningul, way than traditional data sources viewed as covering "the" U.S. banking system.
Cardiopulmonary interactions of salbutamol and hypoxaemia in healthy young volunteers.

1. Nebulised salbutamol is frequently used in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its effects on the cardiovascular system have been extensively investigated although as yet little is known concerning its effects on the pulmonary circulation, particularly during hypoxaemia. We have therefore examined the effects of nebulised salbutamol on pulmonary haemodynamics to see if it modifies hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. 2. Eight healthy normal volunteers were studied on two separate occasions. After resting to achieve baseline haemodynamics patients were randomised to receive 5 mg salbutamol or placebo via a nebuliser. They were restudied after 30 min and then rendered hypoxaemic by breathing an N2/O2 mixture to achieve an SaO2 of 75-80%. Doppler echocardiography was used to measure mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), cardiac output (CO) and hence pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). 3. Treatment with salbutamol significantly increased MPAP during normoxaemia and hypoxaemia compared with placebo at 12.0 +/- 1.2 vs 8.0 +/- 0.7 mm Hg and 28.6 +/- 0.9 vs 25.2 +/- 1.0 mm Hg, respectively (P < 0.05). Salbutamol caused a significant increase in heart rate compared with placebo and effects were additive to those of hypoxia at 74 +/- 2 vs 67 +/- 3 beats min-1 during normoxaemia and 84 +/- 3 vs 77 +/- 4 beats min-1 during hypoxaemia, respectively (P < 0.05). Whilst systemic vascular resistance fell in response to salbutamol, PVR was unchanged by salbutamol during either normoxaemia or hypoxaemia. Cardiac output was increased by salbutamol and by hypoxia. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Role of the External Auditor in the Regulation and Supervision of the UK Banking System

ABSTRACT The role of the external auditor in the supervisory process requires standards such as independence, objectivity and integrity to be achieved. Even though the regulator and external auditor perform similar functions, namely the verification of financial statements, they serve particular interests. The regulator works towards safeguarding financial stability and investor interests. On the other hand, the external auditor serves the private interests of the shareholders of a company. The financial audit remains an important aspect of corporate governance that makes management accountable to shareholders for its stewardship of a company. The debate surrounding the role of external auditors focusses in particular on auditor independence. A survey by the magazine “Financial Director” shows that the fees derived from audit clients in terms of non-audit services are significant in comparison with fees generated through auditing. Accounting firms sometimes engage in a practice called “low balling” whereby they set audit fees at less than the market rate and make up for the deficit by providing non audit services. As a result, some audit firms have commercial interests to protect too. There is concern that the auditor's interests to protect shareholders of a company and his commercial interests do not conflict with each other. Sufficient measures need to be in place to ensure that the external auditor's independence is not affected. As well as considering threats to auditor independence and safeguards to protect against such threats, this paper focuses on how the external auditor can assist the FSA through two of its principal regulatory tools in the FSA's response to risk, namely supervision and enforcement. A lot of work and improvements on audit independence have been carried out over the years and there should be an ongoing process of review and further efforts aimed at improvement. Key words: Supervision, Enforcement, Independence
Political marketing ‐ An investigation of the political marketing concept and political market orientation in Australian politics

The connections between political parties, the electorate (individual voters) and society at large, that may be achieved through applying marketing is an important area in need of research. Understanding such connections is vitally important for effective and efficient use of marketing in politics and also for improvement in the delivery of the political offering to society. This paper presents the findings of an exploratory research project carried out in Australia on the philosophical basis and operationalisation of marketing in politics. A survey and in‐depth interviews were undertaken to explore issues related to the application of market orientation and its relationship to the marketing concept in political marketing. The results highlight unique dimensions and relationships of marketing in politics.
Genetic variation in the SST gene and its receptors in relation to circulating levels of IGF 1 , IGFBP 3 and prostate cancer risk

The growth hormone receptor (GHR) is potentially involved in prostate cancer through its role in stimulating insulin-like growth factor I production and its cellular effects on prostate epithelium. We have used a haplotype-based tagging approach within CAncer Prostate Sweden, a large retrospective case-control study of 2,863 cases and 1,737 controls to investigate if genetic variation in theGHR gene influences prostate cancer risk. One haplotype in the 3¶ region of the GHR gene was found associated with prostate cancer risk in elderly men (>65 years old at the time of diagnosis), with heterozygote haplotype carriers having an odds ratio of 1.65 (95% confidence interval, 1.21-2.16; P = 0.0009, Pcorrected = 0.03). GHR function has been implicated in the determination of body mass index. Interestingly, the same haplotype associated with risk in the 3¶ end of the GHR gene was also associated with a decrease in body mass index in controls (P = 0.003, Pcorrected = 0.05), possibly indicating some functionality with this haplotype. These results suggest that whereas genetic variation in the GHR gene does not seem to play a major role in prostate cancer etiology, one haplotype in the 3¶ region may be potentially relevant to cases with later onset of prostate cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(1):169–73)
Fundamental Insights into the Degradation and Stabilization of Thin Layer Black Phosphorus

Herein, we have developed a systematic study on the oxidation and passivation of mechanically exfoliated black phosphorus (BP). We analyzed the strong anisotropic behavior of BP by scanning Raman microscopy providing an accurate method for monitoring the oxidation of BP via statistical Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, different factors influencing the environmental instability of the BP, i.e., thickness, lateral dimensions or visible light illumination, have been investigated in detail. Finally, we discovered that the degradation of few-layer BP flakes of <10 nm can be suppressed for months by using ionic liquids, paving the way for the development of BP-based technologies.
Endometriosis and Genetic Polymorphisms

Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disease with an unclear pathophysiology characterized by ectopic endometrium causing endometrium-like inflammatory lesions outside the uterine cavity. Recently, a number of studies have investigated genetic polymorphisms as a possible factor contributing to the development of endometriosis. In this review, we have summarized current data regarding genes with nucleotide polymorphisms investigated with regard to endometriosis. We searched PubMed for publications on endometriosis and polymorphism and found 108 publications between January 1979 and September 2005. These were classified according to the type of genetic polymorphism investigated and whether the result favored or did not favor association with endometriosis. We found a strikingly large amount of conflicting results. About 50% of the reviewed studies demonstrated positive correlations between different polymorphisms and endometriosis. This relation is most clearly seen in groups 1 (cytokines and inflammation), 2 (steroid-synthesizing enzymes and detoxifying enzymes and receptors), 4 (estradiol metabolism), 5 (other enzymes and metabolic systems), and 7 (adhesion molecules and matrix enzymes). Group 8 (apoptosis, cell-cycle regulation, and oncogenes) seemed to be negatively correlated with the disease, whereas group 3 (hormone receptors), 6 (growth factor systems), and especially 9 (human leukocyte antigen system components) showed a relatively strong correlation. The review indicates that polymorphisms may have a limited value in assessing possible development of endometriosis. Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this article, the reader should be able to recall the complexity of attempting to link endometriosis to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), explain that the literature is varied on results and recommendations and is population specific, and state that there are some SNP relationships that are clinically stronger than others.
Pelagic larval duration of 10 temperate cryptobenthic fishes

The pelagic larval duration (DPL) for 10 temperate cryptobenthic species belonging to three families: Gobiidae, Gobiesocidae and Blenniidae was investigated. Overall, the Gobiesocidae presented short DPLs varying between 11 and 18 days, the Gobiidae’s DPL ranged between 14 and 39 days, and Parablennius pilicornis (Blenniidae) had an average of 33 days (range 31–37 days). Two subtypes of settlement marks were found among individuals of the same species.
Impact of Total Quality Management-Based People Management Practices on Administrative Innovation In Service Smes

This paper investigates the impact of Total Quality Management-based People Management practices TQM-PM on Administrative innovation in service Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Data was obtained from managers of 191 SMEs from different service subsectors. The Confirmatory Factors Analysis (CFA) technique was applied to validate the measurement model. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. Results of SEM model showed Employee involvement and Training have positive impact on administrative innovation, while Employee empowerment showed no impact. Findings of this study help managers of service SMEs to focus on the TQM-PM as administrative innovation resource.
A U-shaped slot antenna for WLAN and WiMAX applications

A novel dual band antenna with two U-shaped slots is presented. Using two U-shaped slots, the dual band characteristics are obtained. Utilizing a CPW feeding line, the overall dimension of the antenna is 34.5mm× 40mm, which printed on an FR4 substrate with a dielectric constant of 2.95 and a substrate thickness of 0.8 mm. Simulation and measurement results show that the antenna impedance bandwidth covers the frequency range of 2.15 to 3.72GHz. With almost omni-directional radiation pattern, the proposed antenna configuration can be applied to WLAN and WiMAX devices.
Coping and cognitions in adolescents with a chronic illness

The aim of the current investigation was to evaluate the applicability of the Self-Regulation Model (SRM) for representing quality of life (QOL) in adolescents with chronic illness. Participants included 48 adolescents with chronic medical conditions, as well as 53 parents of adolescents with medical conditions. Measures included parent and adolescent reports of the adolescents’ QOL, illness representations, and coping/stress responses. Correlational analyses indicated that multiple coping/stress responses and illness representations were associated with lower QOL. Only adolescents’ reports of perceived treatment control were significantly associated with higher QOL. In total, 64% of the variance in QOL was accounted for by illness representations and coping/stress responses based on the adolescent self-reported data. Mediational analyses revealed indirect effects of illness representation on QOL. Given the current data, the SRM appears to be an adequate representation for adolescents with chronic medical conditions. Directions for future research and intervention development are indicated.
Market structure, publicly and privately financed R&D spending. Empirical evidence for Denmark.

In this paper we analyse the determinants of R&D spending in Danish firms and firms and industries in the nineties. We also examine the complementarity and substitution between publicly and company financed spending taking into account the influence from market structure, barriers of entry, demand conditions and other economic factors of the market and the firm. The empirical models of R&D spending are estimated both on industry and on firm level data. This allows us to examine how the investment R&D -activities differ according to differences in the organisation of the firm, firm size and the debt burden of the firms.
UK Joint Ventures in China: Motivation and Partner Selection

The Chinese government has liberalized the foreign investment environment considerably in order to encourage inward investment, primarily through joint ventures. Reviews the changes in the regulatory environment and presents new data from UK partners engaged in Chinese joint ventures. The findings indicate that the main force motivating UK firms to form joint ventures is to gain faster entry to the Chinese market. The joint ventures allow UK firms access to largely intangible inputs that they would otherwise have difficulty acquiring. While choice of Chinese partners appears to be highly constrained, on the whole the UK partners analysed the joint venture decision thoroughly and generally concluded that they had joined forces with the “right” partner.
Identifying variables that predict clients' propensity to end their checking accounts

Purpose – This study aims to investigate which variables can predict clients closing their checking accounts in a commercial bank and to validate the model used in this research.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical basis of the study has contemplated satisfaction, loyalty, change mediators, switching costs and client retention. A total of 2,000 account holders plus 2,000 clients who closed their checking accounts were selected by simple probabilistic sample. The samples were probabilistic, without repetition, with an error margin of approximately 2.2 percent and trust interval of 95 percent with random drafting of the account holders' database from a large institution based in all Brazil. The variables were tested using the Binary Logistic Regression and the variables between the account holder and former account holder groups with indication of checking account closing request were compared.Findings – Account holder's age, time of the account, investor/taker profile, internal relationship, long .
Menorrhagia: an update

Menorrhagia is defined as a ‘complaint of heavy cyclical menstrual bleeding occurring over several consecutive cycles’. Objectively it is a total menstrual blood loss equal to or greater than 80 ml per menstruation. It is estimated that approximately 30% of women complain of menorrhagia. Excessive bleeding is the main presenting complaint in women referred to gynecologists and it accounts for two‐thirds of all hysterectomies, and most of endoscopic endometrial destructive surgery. Thus, menorrhagia is an important healthcare problem. Its etiology, investigation, medical and surgical management are described. In approximately 50% of cases of menorrhagia no pathology is found at hysterectomy. Abnormal levels of prostaglandins or the fibrinolytic system in the endometrium have been implicated. Effective medical treatments suitable for long‐term use include intrauterine progestogens, antifibrinolytic agents (tranexamic acid) and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory agents (mefenamic acid). Over the past decade there has been increasing use of endometrial destructive techniques as an alternative to hysterectomy. Their further refinement and the advent of fibroid embolization has increased the options available to women.
On Integrating the Components of Self-Control

As the science of self-control matures, the organization and integration of its key concepts becomes increasingly important. In response, we identified seven major components or “nodes” in current theories and research bearing on self-control: desire, higher order goal, desire–goal conflict, control motivation, control capacity, control effort, and enactment constraints. To unify these diverse and interdisciplinary areas of research, we formulated the interplay of these components in an integrative model of self-control. In this model, desire and an at least partly incompatible higher order goal generate desire–goal conflict, which activates control motivation. Control motivation and control capacity interactively determine potential control effort. The actual control effort invested is determined by several moderators, including desire strength, perceived skill, and competing goals. Actual control effort and desire strength compete to determine a prevailing force, which ultimately determines behavior, provided that enactment constraints do not impede it. The proposed theoretical framework is useful for highlighting several new directions for research on self-control and for classifying self-control failures and self-control interventions.
A Hemispherical 3-D Null Steering Antenna for Circular Polarization

In this letter, a compact three-dimensional (3-D) null steering antenna is presented for circular polarization. Two high-isolated circularly polarized (CP) pattern modes, the broadside and the conical CP pattern modes, are synthesized for 3-D null steering in the upper hemisphere. The broadside CP pattern mode is generated by a corner-truncated patch, and the conical CP pattern mode is generated by four rotationally symmetric strips. By controlling the exciting power ratio and the relative phase delay of the two modes, continuous null steering is achieved in the elevation plane and the azimuth plane, respectively. A prototype of the proposed antenna operating at 1.575 GHz is fabricated and tested for the global position system (GPS) applications. The simulated and measured results verify the null steering performance of the proposed design.