Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Hemodialysis on Left Ventricular Contractility in Pediatric Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease

Assessment of the effect of hemodialysis on myocardial contractility is complicated by variations in loading conditions that can occur during hemodialysis and by the prevalence of coronary artery disease among patients with chronic renal failure. Therefore, we used a load-independent index of left ventricular contractility, derived from analyses of the rate corrected velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (Vcfc)-end systolic wall stress (ESWS) relationship, to study the acute effects of hemodialysis on left ventricular function in the cases of 15 pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease. Prior to dialysis, Vcfc was appropriate for ESWS (102% ± 16% of predicted) and did not differ significantly from values obtained from a group of nine normal control subjects of similar ages (103% ± 9% of predicted), indicating that the patients' left ventricles were functioning in a normal inotropic state. After dialysis, Vcfc increased to levels beyond those expected for ESWS (118% + 20% of predicted, P<.05 versus control; P <.001 versus predialysis levels), indicating that dialysis was associated with enhancement of the left ventricle's inotropic state. A statistically significant increase in plasma norepinephrine levels was also observed. However, the increase in the percentage of the predicted Vcfc did not correlate with observed changes in this inotropic agent or with dialysis-induced variations in body weight or levels of electrolytes, urea nitrogen, or creatinine, and firm conclusions regarding the identity of the factors responsible for the positive inotropic effect of hemodialysis could not be drawn.
Differences in calpain system, desmin degradation and water holding capacity between commercial Meishan and Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred pork.

The objective of this study was to examine the differences in calpain system, desmin degradation, pH values and water holding capacity (WHC) between muscles of commercial Meishan and Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred pigs. Meishan pork presented better WHC evidenced by lower purge loss at days 1 and 3 and less centrifugation loss at day 1 post mortem (P < 0.05). pH values at 45 min post mortem in Meishan pork were significantly higher compared to crossbred pork (P < 0.05). Calpain-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was lower in Meishan pork compared to that from crossbred pork (P < 0.05). Additionally, calpain-1 activity, the ratio of calpain-1 to calpastatin activity and desmin degradation were lower in Meishan pork compared to those from crossbred pork samples (P < 0.05). The results indicate that the calpain system including mRNA expression and activity were different between commercial Meishan and crossbred pork resulting in difference in the degree of desmin degradation during post mortem aging. pH values at 45 min and 24 h post mortem rather than calpain activity and desmin degradation could explain the higher water holding capacity in commercial Meishan pork.
Influences of Campus Recruiting on Applicant Attraction to Hospitality Companies

ABSTRACT Many hospitality companies use college recruiting to attract managers to work for them. This study expands on previous research to further investigate initial reaction to recruiter behavior, during campus interviews, as it relates to the pursuit of the job in regard to expectancy (of a job offer) and attractiveness of the job. The study findings confirmed that applicant perceptions of recruiter behaviors influence applicant attraction, particularly in regards to a perceived interest in candidate and professionalism. Given the highly competitive atmosphere for recruitment of qualified hospitality managers, this study could prove useful regarding attraction of potential hospitality managers.
Socioeconomic status and the reward value of smoking following tobacco abstinence: a laboratory study.

INTRODUCTION Socioeconomic status (SES) indicators are robustly associated with smoking behaviors. Yet, the psychological mechanisms underlying relations are unclear. This study merged the socioecological construct of SES with laboratory psychological science to investigate how income, education, and employment status predicted the reward value of smoking following tobacco abstinence among a diverse sample of adult daily smokers. We hypothesized that participants with lower SES (i.e., less education, lower income, and unemployed) would experience greater abstinence-induced enhancement of the reward value of smoking. METHODS Adult smokers (N = 240; 68.7% male; 51.7% Black, 33.8% White, 7.1% Latino, and 7.5% other) attended 2 laboratory sessions (1 nonabstinent and 1 following 16-hr tobacco abstinence) involving behavioral assessment of (a) latency to smoking when delaying smoking was monetarily rewarded and (b) purchasing individual cigarettes. Generalized estimating equations were used to test the interaction between each SES variable (education, income, and employment) and abstinence state to illustrate whether participants with certain SES characteristics were more sensitive to the abstinence-induced enhancement of the relative reward value of smoking. RESULTS Participants who never attended college (vs. college attendees) exhibited greater abstinence-induced enhancement of the reward value of smoking, which was indicated by reduced willingness to delay smoking for money (ps = .03). Income and employment status did not moderate abstinence effects. CONCLUSIONS Less-educated smokers were particularly motivated to smoke during acute abstinence. Observed educational disparities in smoking behaviors and smoking cessation might reflect a biased valuation of immediate drug-related (over less immediate alternative) rewards. Future research should explore potential mediators of this association.
Bre index for the Hong Kong residential property market

This paper examines housing price trends and prediction, of homeowners and potential home buyers, and establishes an independent index (the BRE Index) based on longitudinal telephone surveys collected. The Index, first of this kind in Hong Kong, measures price expectations and benchmarks the level of housing actors’ confidence in the residential market. This is the first paper delivered as part of a government‐funded research project. It synthesizes the key findings of the first survey mounted from 17-super-th to 20-super-th December, 2003. The results show that confidence among housing actors has begun to grow since the property crash in late 1997 with the “overall” BRE Index standing at 564 (0--1000 range). In general, homeowners, people with higher educational level and higher income are optimistic about the market outlook. Residential property prices are expected to rise marginally in the short term. Statistically, there is no significant difference in housing price expectations between homeowners and non‐owners. In their minds, economic condition is the most important factor affecting housing decisions. Apparently, the rising trends in the immediate past have been used to form expectations. The strength of the association between actual capital gains and forecast capital gains is moderately strong, and there appears co‐movement between them. This leads us to believe that hope‐led expectations increase the likelihood of sustaining price increases. The current market is largely driven by expectations. If households formed their expectations in a similar manner in other periods, there would be similar “positive hit” results, which might render the Index more powerful.
Quality training: Needs and evaluation-findings from a European survey

Quality systems and quality management are key elements for organizations wanting to maintain or develop their competitive edge. The training that underpins quality management determines the likely effectiveness of the quality initiatives undertaken. With the introduction of the new ISO 9000:2000 the issues of training needs analysis and training evaluation both form part of the standard. This article presents findings drawn from a questionnaire survey about quality management tools adopted and the training provided, focusing on the training needs assessment and training evaluation. A total of 450 responses is analysed. Findings from the UK, Portugal and Finland are compared to identify similarities or differences in national practice and identify any areas where one country can learn from the practices of another. Training needs assessment is dominated by senior management decision and supervisors' opinions. The skills inventory is the most widely applied formal technique. Finnish organizations tend to pay more attention to customers and work groups when defining training needs. In general, objective and formal methods should be adopted more widely (e.g. training audits). As with much training evaluation, informal feedback and participant satisfaction measures are the most frequently adopted. Formal, structured methods such as cost-benefit analysis are adopted by less than one in five organizations. Linking to quality-related organizational objectives is reasonably frequently done (about 40%), but this is mostly subjective. A greater objectivity is also needed in training assessment.
The Effect of Business Risk on Capital Structure of Indian Corporate Firms: Business Groups vs. Stand-alone Firms

Abstract This study estimates the relationship between leverage and business risk for Indian corporate firms by applying semi-parametric regression method for three time points, namely 2001, 2007 and 2012. We observe that the relationship is non-linear for all the three measures of RISK in 2001 and 2012. Since we get different results for different measures of risk, we lay more emphasis on RISK2 as the better measure of risk here. From the graphical plots, we find that the relationship between leverage and RISK2 appears to be a polynomial of degree 5 or more. Thus, it invalidates the previous argument of a quadratic relationship between leverage and risk. We then check if the quadratic specification between leverage and risk, as proposed in the existing studies, is appropriate by applying Hardle and Mammen's test. We observe that the relationship varies over the measures of risks and it differs between group-affiliated firms and stand-alone firms. Moreover, the relationship changes over time. Thus, our findings raise questions about the predictions of Castanias, Kale et al. and others on the relationship between capital structure and business risk as a U-shaped one. We conclude that the generalization of a U-shaped relationship between capital structure and business risk is not true.
Cash Flow, Consumption Risk and Cross Section of Stock Returns

This paper directly links the risk premium on an asset to two characteristics of its underlying cash flow: cash flow covariance with aggregate consumption; and cash flow duration, which measures the temporal pattern of the cash flow. Their impact on the cross-sectional variation of risk premia can be largely captured by a two-factor cash flow model. While cash flow covariance is of first-order importance in explaining the cross-sectional variation of risk premia, cash flow duration still provides additional explanatory power through a second-order interaction term. Cash flow duration is particularly important in explaining the value premium given as value and growth stocks have significantly different durations. Empirically, I measure both cash flow characteristics using only consumption and accounting data. I show that the two-factor cash flow model is able to explain 82% of the cross-sectional variation in returns on size or book-to-market sorted stock portfolios.
Whose Futures? A Comparative Study of Local Agenda 21 in Mid Wales

By signing the Agenda 21 declaration from the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, theUK government committed itself to the preparation of a national sustainabledevelopment plan. To facilitate this process, Chapter 28 of Agenda 21 envisagessigni® cant local-authority-led action for sustainable development at the locallevel (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),1992). Termed Local Agenda 21 (LA21) plans, these rely heavily on activecitizen participation and empowerment, thereby challenging the establishedorthodoxy of top-down down models of citizen participation and planning. Thetheory and the rhetoric suggest that LA21 has the potential to bring aboutsubstantive change to current environmental, economic and social systems.However, does LA21 deliver in practice, and what kind of change, if any, iseffected to attain the elusive goal of sustainable development? This paper addresses these concerns with reference to recent research carriedout in Powys and Ceredigion County Councils in rural Wales (Figure 1). Bothare unitary authorities following local government reorganisation in Wales in1996. By examining survey data, minutes of meetings and reports, as well asemploying participant observation techniques, this research documents andcontrasts the philosophy, approach and potential of the LA21 programmes.
Zebrafish R‐cadherin (Cdh4) controls visual system development and differentiation

In zebrafish, R‐cadherin (cadherin‐4 or Cdh4) is expressed in the retina and in retinorecipient brain regions, suggesting that Cdh4 functions during visual system development. Cdh4 function was examined during retinogenesis and retinal axon outgrowth using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides and mutant Cdh4 construct expression. In knockdowns, Cdh4 was reduced or absent, eyes were small, and retinae lacked discrete laminae. Increased cell death produced the small eye phenotype. Zn5‐, Pax6‐, and zpr‐1–positive cells were reduced or absent in knockdown retinas but, when present, were in the correct laminae. Cdh4 knockdowns had sparse or absent retinal ganglion cell axons. When present, axons projected contralaterally but lacked fine branching and failed to reach the tectum or arborize the entire tectum. Mutant Cdh4 construct expression during retinal ganglion cell differentiation reduced or ablated neurite formation. Cdh4 is necessary for neural retina survival and differentiation, and required for normal retinotectal projection formation and tectal arborization. Developmental Dynamics 233:930–945, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Canada's Irregular Economy

Concern has increased in Canada and elsewhere over the part of economic activity that escapes traditional measurement methods. If the irregular economy is large, economic policies are likely based on misleading figures for GNP, GNP growth rates, unemployment, and inflation. The equity, efficiency, and self-assessment aspect of the tax system is also brought into question. This paper, based on methods similar to those used for the United States, provides three estimates of Canada's irregular economy. Estimates range from 5 to 20 per cent of total economic activity. The potential size of the problem suggests that it deserves much more attention.
Aggregate Consumer Behaviour without Exact Aggregation

A model of consumer behavior is estimated by pooling Canadian cross-sectional and time-series data. In contrast to a similar study by D. W. Jorgenson, L. J. Lau, and T. M. Stoker (1982), exact aggregation, homogeneity, and symmetry are not imposed but are tested. Exact aggregation is rejected. However, these data are less sensitive to homogeneity and symmetry restrictions. Demographic effects appear to be important determinants of demand. The model can also be estimated using only cross-sectional data. These results indicate that exact aggregation should not be imposed, and household demographic effects should be modeled. Homogeneity and symmetry seem relatively less restrictive for these data.
Monitoring and Forecasting Winter Wheat Freeze Injury and Yield from Multi-Temporal Remotely Sensed Data

AbstractRemote-sensing techniques provide crop growth information economically, rapidly, and objectively on a large scale. Remote sensing has been widely used to monitor crop growth and forecast yield. In this study, three Huanjing satellite (HJ) charge-coupled device (CCD) images of winter wheat at growth-wintering (December 2, 2009; pre-freeze injury), regreening (April 2, 2010; post-freeze injury), and jointing stages (April 23, 2010) were acquired for the Gaocheng area in Hebei Province. According to the change characteristics of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of field samplings of post-freeze injury, we built a multi-line-progress model between the NDVI difference (ΔNDVI) and field samplings, which correspond with field investigation data. The damage levels (uninjured, mild, moderate, and serious) and the growth levels (better, good, bad, and worse) were also specified in the model. As a result, the coefficient of determination (R2) of this model reached 0.6001; 20 sampling points .
The relationship between ‘high-performance work practices’ and employee attitudes: an investigation of additive and interaction effects

In order to improve our understanding of mediating variables inside the ‘black box’ of the firm's labour management, this paper examines the relationship between high-performance work system (HPWS) practices and employee attitudes. Using a randomly selected, national population sample, clear evidence was found for a positive relationship between HPWS practices and the attitudinal variables of job satisfaction, trust in management, and organizational commitment, implying that HPWS can provide win-win outcomes for employees and employers. However, the study also tests – from an employee perspective – the ‘complementarities thesis’ and finds negative interaction effects among HPWS practices. This strengthens the argument that there are likely to be limits to the positive outcomes of HPWSs for employees. Evidence of sequencing in the employee attitudinal responses to HPWSs was also found, with job satisfaction as the key mediating variable.
Introducing Web technology in a small peripheral hospitality organization

The emergence of global electronic markets on the Internet has been seen as an opportunity for small and medium‐sized tourism enterprises to improve their competitive position. However, several barriers hinder small hospitality organizations from capitalizing on IT and the Internet. This paper reports on an action research program of introducing Internet technology in a small hotel located in a peripheral region of Finland. As part of a project funded by the European Union, a complete integrated Web booking and hotel management system was developed, denoting a re‐engineering of many business processes. The system, which features customer online (real‐time) reservation services was an inexpensive, user‐friendly solution specially designed for the purposes of small and medium‐sized hospitality organizations with little prior IT knowledge. In the field of online reservation systems, the hotel is a pioneer, as it is the first independent hotel in Finland to offer online reservation services through a non‐cust.
Ca2+-Permeable Channels in the Plasma Membrane of Arabidopsis Pollen Are Regulated by Actin Microfilaments1

Cytosolic free Ca2+ and actin microfilaments play crucial roles in regulation of pollen germination and tube growth. The focus of this study is to test the hypothesis that Ca2+ channels, as well as channel-mediated Ca2+ influxes across the plasma membrane (PM) of pollen and pollen tubes, are regulated by actin microfilaments and that cytoplasmic Ca2+ in pollen and pollen tubes is consequently regulated. In vitro Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) pollen germination and tube growth were significantly inhibited by Ca2+ channel blockers La3+ or Gd3+ and F-actin depolymerization regents. The inhibitory effect of cytochalasin D (CD) or cytochalasin B (CB) on pollen germination and tube growth was enhanced by increasing external Ca2+. Ca2+ fluorescence imaging showed that addition of actin depolymerization reagents significantly increased cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels in pollen protoplasts and pollen tubes, and that cytoplasmic Ca2+ increase induced by CD or CB was abolished by addition of Ca2+ channel blockers. By using patch-clamp techniques, we identified the hyperpolarization-activated inward Ca2+ currents across the PM of Arabidopsis pollen protoplasts. The activity of Ca2+-permeable channels was stimulated by CB or CD, but not by phalloidin. However, preincubation of the pollen protoplasts with phalloidin abolished the effects of CD or CB on the channel activity. The presented results demonstrate that the Ca2+-permeable channels exist in Arabidopsis pollen and pollen tube PMs, and that dynamic actin microfilaments regulate Ca2+ channel activity and may consequently regulate cytoplasmic Ca2+.
A Review of Marketing-Operations Interface Models: From Co-Existence to Coordination and Collaboration

Marketing and operations are two key functional areas that contribute to the success of a firm. By acquiring and analyzing information regarding customers and competitors, marketing can be viewed an external-focused functional area that determines "what" kind of products (or services) a company should provide through "which" channel at "what" price. By viewing this marketing plan as the "demand" from an internal customer, operations is by-and-large an internal-focused functional area that examines "how" to deliver this demand by using internal or external resources. Due to their inherent roles and responsibilities, coordination and collaborations between marketing and operations areas can be difficult in practice. As such, the conflict between marketing and operations arises when the operation's "supply" does not meet the marketing's "demand. " Over the last two decades, researchers have developed different quantitative models to examine the issue of coordination/collaboration in the context of marketing operations interfaces. The intent of this paper is two-fold. We present a unified framework for classifying various marketing-operations interface models that may serve as a guide to navigate through the sea of research articles in this important area. Also, by examining some missing gaps, we discuss some topics for potential future research.
Administrative Reform and Regional Development Discourses in Hungary. Europeanisation Going NUTS?

Starting from the empirical observation of high levels of absorption of EU cohesion funds but strikingly low levels of substantive change in regional cohesion, this essay offers a contextual analysis of regional development policies in Hungary. Based on theoretical frameworks dealing with Europeanisation, new regionalism and participative development, it explores the reasons for this observation by analysing the role of administrative and planning structures and of development discourses. The essay shows that the Europeanisation of regional development policy triggered several changes in the planning process and led to the partial inclusion of new actors. However, the main effect of this was a growing centralisation of development policy making. The essay explains this by pointing to the domestic political context and the historical foundations of regional development discourses of the conservative and leftist liberal parties. While there are overlaps between the discourses on both sides of the ideological divide, they are perceived as incompatible by political actors. Thus, it is argued that considerations of political power, rather than ideological nature, shape Hungarian regional and development policy and explain the incremental reform process.