Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early abnormalities of evoked potentials and future disability in patients with multiple sclerosis

Evoked potentials (EP) have a role in making the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) but their implication for predicting the future disease course in MS is under debate. EP data of 94 MS patients examined at first presentation, and after five and ten years were retrospectively analysed. Patients were divided into two groups in relation to the prior duration of disease at the time point of first examination: group 1 patients (n-44) were first examined within two years after disease onset, and group 2 patients (n-50) at later time points. As primary measures sum scores were calculated for abnormalities of single and combined EP (visual (VEP), somatosensory (SEP), magnetic motor evoked potentials (MEP)). In patients examined early after disease onset (group 1), a significant predictive value for abnormal EP was found with MEP and SEP sum scores at first presentation correlating significantly with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) values after five years, while the VEP sum score was not. The cumulative number of abnormal MEP, SEP and VEP results also indicated higher degrees of disability (EDSS≥ 3.5) after five years. Combined pathological SEP and MEP findings at first presentation best predicted clinical disability (EDSS≥ 3.5) after five years (odds ratio 11.0). EP data and EDSS at first presentation were not significantly linked suggesting that EP abnormalities at least in part represented clinically silent lesions not mirrored by EDSS. For patients in later disease phases (group 2), no significant associations between EP data at first presentation and EDSS at five and ten years were detected. Together with clinical findings and MR imaging, combined EP data may help to identify patients at high risk of long-term clinical deterioration and guide decisions as to immunomodulatory treatment.
Information Aggregation, Inflation, and the Pricing of Indexed Bonds

Using daily prices of indexed bonds between 1970 and 1979, we test whether announcements of the Israeli CPI contain information that is not already reflected in bond prices. The results indicate that bond prices reflect about 85 percent of the new information about inflation as it occurs (i.e., when the Central Bureau of Statistics samples prices). The announcement of the CPI 15 days after the end of the sampling period causes the remaining 15 percent adjustment in bond prices. This evidence raises questions about the empirical importance of misperceptions about inflation as a source of nonneutrality in monetary policy.
The determinants and labour market effects of lifelong learning

Despite the policy importance of lifelong learning, there is very little hard evidence from the UK on (a) who undertakes lifelong learning and why, and (b) the economic benefits of lifelong learning. This paper uses a rich longitudinal panel data set to look at key factors that determine whether someone undertakes lifelong learning and then models the effect of the different qualifications acquired via lifelong learning on individuals’ economic outcomes, namely wages and the likelihood of being employed. Those who left school with O-level qualifications or above were much more likely to undertake lifelong learning. Undertaking one episode of lifelong learning also increased the probability of undertaking more lifelong learning. We found little evidence of positive wage effects from lifelong learning. However, males who left school with only low-level qualifications do earn substantially more if they undertake a degree via lifelong learning. We also found important positive employment effects from lifelong learning.
Intangibles and Italian IPO prospectuses: a disclosure analysis

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to investigate intangibles disclosure in Italian initial public offerings (IPO) prospectuses. It seeks to examine whether intangibles disclosure in IPO prospectuses is correlated to some firm‐specific variables, which influence the information selected by a company for its admission on the stock exchange.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an empirical analysis of intangibles disclosure in Italian IPO prospectuses, and in particular an analysis of its association with some firm‐specific variables through a regression model.Findings – The paper finds that intangibles information is increasing in Italian IPOs. Firm size and pre‐IPO managerial ownership are associated with intangibles disclosure, while firm age and level of technology are not related.Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that the IPO disclosure could not be exhaustive of the intangibles disclosure provided by Italian companies, because it is produced on a voluntary basis. Originality.
Autoinduction of 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol Biosynthesis in the Biocontrol Agent Pseudomonas fluorescensCHA0 and Repression by the Bacterial Metabolites Salicylate and Pyoluteorin

ABSTRACT The antimicrobial metabolite 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2,4-DAPG) contributes to the capacity of Pseudomonas fluorescensstrain CHA0 to control plant diseases caused by soilborne pathogens. A 2,4-DAPG-negative Tn5 insertion mutant of strain CHA0 was isolated, and the nucleotide sequence of the 4-kb genomic DNA region adjacent to the Tn5 insertion site was determined. Four open reading frames were identified, two of which were homologous tophlA, the first gene of the 2,4-DAPG biosynthetic operon, and to the phlF gene encoding a pathway-specific transcriptional repressor. The Tn5 insertion was located in an open reading frame, tentatively named phlH, which is not related to known phl genes. In wild-type CHA0, 2,4-DAPG production paralleled expression of a phlA′-′lacZtranslational fusion, reaching a maximum in the late exponential growth phase. Thereafter, the compound appeared to be degraded to monoacetylphloroglucinol by the bacterium. 2,4-DAPG was identified as the active compound in extracts from culture supernatants of strain CHA0 specifically inducing phlA′-′lacZ expression about sixfold during exponential growth. Induction by exogenous 2,4-DAPG was most conspicuous in a phlA mutant, which was unable to produce 2,4-DAPG. In a phlF mutant, 2,4-DAPG production was enhanced severalfold and phlA′-′lacZ was expressed at a level corresponding to that in the wild type with 2,4-DAPG added. ThephlF mutant was insensitive to 2,4-DAPG addition. A transcriptional phlA-lacZ fusion was used to demonstrate that the repressor PhlF acts at the level of transcription. Expression of phlA′-′lacZ and 2,4-DAPG synthesis in strain CHA0 was strongly repressed by the bacterial extracellular metabolites salicylate and pyoluteorin as well as by fusaric acid, a toxin produced by the pythopathogenic fungus Fusarium. In thephlF mutant, these compounds did not affectphlA′-′lacZ expression and 2,4-DAPG production. PhlF-mediated induction by 2,4-DAPG and repression by salicylate ofphlA′-′lacZ expression was confirmed by usingEscherichia coli as a heterologous host. In conclusion, our results show that autoinduction of 2,4-DAPG biosynthesis can be countered by certain bacterial (and fungal) metabolites. This mechanism, which depends on phlF function, may helpP. fluorescens to produce homeostatically balanced amounts of extracellular metabolites.
Simulated Attack on DNP3 Protocol in SCADA System

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system monitors and controls industrial process in physical critical Infrastructures. It is thus of vital importance that any vulnerabilities of SCADA system must be identified and mitigated. DNP3 is and open SCADA network protocol that is mainly used in electrical utilities. However, the security mechanisms of DNP3 were neglected at its design stage. For example, the coverage of DNP3 Secure Authentication is limited to itself only. In our experiments, we have successfully performed a number of attacks to DNP3 on a small-scale testbed. Hence, this paper will not only discuss our experimental results but also propose a novel hybrid method that can enhance the security of existing DNP3 protocol by combining both encryption and authentication techniques.
Do Affirmative Action Bans Lower Minority College Enrollment and Attainment?

Using institutional data on race-specific college enrollment and completion, I examine whether minority students were less likely to enroll in a four-year public college or receive a degree following a statewide affirmative action ban. As in previous studies, I find that black and Hispanic enrollment dropped at the top institutions; however, there is little evidence that overall black enrollment at public universities fell. Finally, despite evidence that fewer blacks and Hispanics graduated from college following a ban, the effects on graduation rates are very noisy.
Regulation of chloride in quiescent sheep‐heart Purkinje fibres studied using intracellular chloride and pH‐sensitive micro‐electrodes.

1. The intracellular Cl activity, alpha iCl was measured inside quiescent sheep cardiac Purkinje fibres, bathed in normal Tyrode at pH 7.40, buffered with approximately 22 mM‐bicarbonate/approximately 5% CO2 + 95% O2. The measurements were made using liquid ion‐exchanger Cl‐sensitive micro‐electrodes. 2. After internal Cl levels had been depleted by prolonged exposure to Cl‐free media (glururonate‐substituted) when external Cl was restored, there was a rapid re‐accumulation of Cl inside the fibres to levels that were much higher than those expected for a passive Cl distribution. Such a process can be conveniently defined as an active inward Cl pump. 3. The inward‐pumping was noticeably temperature‐sensitive (Q10 approximately 2.6), its rate was reduced about eighteenfold in the nominal absence of external bicarbonate/CO2 and it was substantially inhibited by the drug SITS (4‐acetamido‐4'‐isothiocyanato‐stilbene‐2,2'‐disulphonic acid). 4. The fall of alpha iCl in Cl‐free solution was slow and was also equally temperature‐sensitive and substantially inhibited by SITS, but was only slightly impaired in the nominal absence of external bicarbonate/CO2. 5. pHi was measured using recessed‐tip pH‐sensitive micro‐electrodes, and in some experiments both pHi and alpha iCl were monitored simultaneously. When alpha iCl slowly declined in Cl‐free solution then pHi slowly became alkaline. Upon restoring external Cl, then there was, as usual, a rapid recovery of a high alpha iCl and this was accompanied by a rapid re‐acidification of pHi. Both the recovery of alpha iCl and pHi were exponential with virtually the same time constant. 6. Both the slow alkalinization of pHi in Cl‐free solution and the rapid re‐acidification upon restoring external Cl were substantially inhibited by the drug SITS. 7. When [k]O was raised to 45 mM or more (by removing equivalent amounts of [Na]O), there was a large depolarization of Em and a slow rise of alpha iCl, which was not accompanied by a large change of pHi. The rise of alpha iCl appeared to be unaffected by SITS. 8. It is suggested that a Cl/CHO‐3 exchange mechanism can operate reversibly across the membrane of quiescent Purkinje fibres, and that it can account, at least in part, for the high levels of alpha iCl measured in the resting state. It is also concluded that Cl can cross the membrane in other ways, especially in high‐K solution possibly by moving passively through conductance channels that are open under these conditions.
Ownership Concentration, Corporate Control Activity, and Firm Value: Evidence from the Death of Inside Blockholders

The authors analyze how ownership concentration affects firm value and control of public companies by examining effects of deaths of inside blockholders. They find shareholder wealth increases, ownership concentration falls, and extensive corporate control activity ensues. Share price responses are related to the deceased's equity stake. Control group holdings fall for two-thirds of the firms due to either the estate's dispersal or inheritors selling stock. A majority of firms become targets of control bids: three-quarters of bids are successful; one-third are hostile. The authors' evidence is broadly consistent with Stulz's (1988) model of the relationship between ownership concentration and firm value. Copyright 1993 by American Finance Association.
Social capital and household solid waste management policies: a case study in Mytilene, Greece

Four main components of social capital are identified: social trust, institutional trust, social networks and compliance with social norms. A theoretical analysis explores the links between these components and environmental behaviour and policy in order to lay the ground for an investigation of the influence of social capital on the implementation of environmental policy. The influence of social capital on citizens' behaviour connected with two solid waste management policies is investigated empirically by means of a survey. The findings indicate some differentiation regarding the influence of the components of social capital upon environmental behaviour in the context of different environmental policies.
The mobile phone, perpetual contact and time pressure

Mobile phone services are now universally diffused, creating the possibility of perpetual contact, regardless of time and location. Many think the impossibility of being ‘out of touch’ leads to increased time pressure. In addition to claims that the mobile phone has led to harried leisure, others have argued that perpetual contact extends work into the home or intensifies work in other ways. In this article, these issues are explored using survey data employing some novel methodologies — combining a questionnaire with logs of phone traffic recovered from respondents’ handsets and a purpose-designed time-diary of technology use. Overall, results show that mobile phone use is not associated with more harried leisure. Fears of work intruding into home life appear to be exaggerated. However, there is some evidence that frequent use of mobiles during working hours is associated with work intensification, at least among men.
Correlation of serum levels of adenosine deaminase activity and its isoenzymes with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is involved in purine metabolism and plays a significant role in the mechanisms of the immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the activity of total ADA (tADA) and isoenzymes ADA1 and ADA2 and clinical activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The study comprised 37 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 30 healthy controls. Total serum ADA activity was measured spectrophotometrically. The isoenzyme pattern of ADA was analyzed using erytro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenine (EHNA). Disease activity was assessed using DAS criterion. RESULTS The means of tADA, ADA1 and ADA2 levels were found to be 22.7 +/- 5.9, 3.9 +/- 2.0 and 18.8 +/- 4.9 IU/L in patients with RA, and 15.1 +/- 4.4, 4.1 +/- 1.2 and 11.0 +/- 3.7 IU/L in healthy control subjects. When compared to the healthy controls, serum tADA and ADA2 levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients with RA, but the decrease of ADA1 level was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). There was a strong correlation (r = 0.527, p < 0.001) between serum tADA level and disease activity by DAS (Pearson's rank correlation), and no correlation between tADA and CRP or ESR in the patient groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Serum tADA and ADA2 activity is closely associated with RA and these non-invasive investigations can be used as biochemical markers for inflammation. These may provide additional information regarding disease activity along with the traditional indices such as ESR and CRP.
Lessons from South Korea’s digital divide index (DDI)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine South Korea’s digital divide policy and investigate how it Korea is one of the most networked countries in the world that has been addressing the digital divide issue since the inception of broadband. Design/methodology/approach – A secondary data analysis of the National Information Society Agency’s Digital Divide Index was conducted between 2003 and 2012. Findings – The differences in the changes in the access, skills and utilisation dimensions of the digital divide indicate that a second-level digital divide emerges as penetration increases. The gap in access has been minimised concurrently with the rapid adoption of broadband. Reduction of gaps in skills and effective uses has not followed accordingly. Social implications – Countries adopting broadband policies to achieve high connectivity can learn from this case and devise preventive policies that can overcome inequalities in skills and utilisation among digitally disadvantaged groups. Originality/va.
Business strategy–balanced scorecard measures alignment: an empirical test of its performance implications using systems approach

This study empirically examined the alignment between business strategy and the use of balanced scorecard (BSC) measures and its impact on firm performance. Alignment was conceptualised according to the systems approach as proposed by Drazin and Van de Ven who defined it as the internal consistency of multiple contingencies and multiple structural characteristics. Given the importance of non-financial performance measures in providing better indicators of performance, this study intends to address that, regardless of which business strategy firms emphasise, firms would rely on using multiple performance measures (both financial and non-financial measures) in their performance measurement system. Overall, the results indicate that the effect of alignment between business strategy and all four dimensions of BSC measures usage on non-financial performance is prominent among both high and low emphasis of business strategy. Hence, there is support found for the systems approach to fit.
Collusion in Organizations

The principal-agent theory developed in the 1980s has produced a large set of insights for understanding how contracts can be established within organizations. This theory explains how a principal who offers a contract to an agent should structure this contract to overcome, at least partially, the asymmetries of information he faces. By now, optimal contracts with adverse selection (or hidden knowledge), with moral hazard (or hidden action) or with nonverifiability by a third party (of some variables known ex post by both the principal and the agent) are relatively well understood. Despite insightful extensions to multiagent or multiprincipal organizations, this body of knowledge falls short of a comprehensive theory of organizations. One major reason, beyond the restrictive nature of the organizations studied, lies in the noncooperative approach generally followed to model multiagent settings. Indeed, in this standard paradigm, the cooperation of agents desired by the principal can be induced by the contracts he offers to the agents, each of them maximizing his own welfare given the behavior of the other agents. What remains is that the principal has complete control of the game played by the agents. Unwanted communication or side contracting between agents can be prevented. This is a rather unrealistic assumption. Contract theory teaches us that the principal structures the contracts so as to minimize the informational rents given up to the agents because of their informational advantages. It is quite natural to expect a collective reaction on the part of the agents to protect their rents. We need to understand how agents can react to the rules of an organization, and beyond, to understand how a principal who is aware of the incentives for collusion should design the organization. Modeling coalitional or collusive behavior and characterizing the regulatory responses to such behavior is a major task of organization theory. The empirical relevance of this line of work is easy to establish. A clear example is that of auctions, for which the occurrence of cooperative behavior between bidders is a general and well-documented phenomenon: see Porter and Zona (1993).
Vesicular glutamate transporters in the spinal cord, with special reference to sensory primary afferent synapses

Spinal cord sensory synapses are glutamatergic, but previous studies have found a great diversity in synaptic vesicle structure and have suggested additional neurotransmitters. The identification of several vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) similarly revealed an unexpected molecular diversity among glutamate‐containing terminals. Therefore, we quantitatively investigated VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 content in the central synapses of spinal sensory afferents by using confocal and electron microscopy immunocytochemistry. VGLUT1 localization (most abundant in LIII/LIV and medial LV) is consistent with an origin from cutaneous and muscle mechanoreceptors. Accordingly, most VGLUT1 immunoreactivity disappeared after rhizotomy and colocalized with markers of cutaneous (SSEA4) and muscle (parvalbumin) mechanoreceptors. With postembedding colloidal gold, intense VGLUT1 immunoreactivity was found in 88–95% (depending on the antibody used) of CII dorsal horn glomerular terminals and in large ventral horn synapses receiving axoaxonic contacts. VGLUT1 partially colocalized with CGRP in some large dense‐core vesicles (LDCVs). However, immunostaining in neuropeptidergic afferents was inconsistent between VGLUT1 antibodies and rather weak with light microscopy. VGLUT2 immunoreactivity was widespread in all spinal cord laminae, with higher intensities in LII and lateral LV, complementing VGLUT1 distribution. VGLUT2 immunoreactivity did not change after rhizotomy, suggesting a preferential intrinsic origin. However, weak VGLUT2 immunoreactivity was detectable in primary sensory nociceptors expressing lectin (GSA‐IB4) binding and in 83–90% of CI glomerular terminals in LII. Additional weak VGLUT2 immunoreactivity was found over the small clear vesicles of LDCV‐containing afferents and in 50–60% of CII terminals in LIII. These results indicate a diversity of VGLUT isoform combinations expressed in different spinal primary afferents. J. Comp. Neurol. 472:257–280, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An application of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) in the Jordanian mobile phone sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate customers’ satisfaction associated with mobile phone services in Jordan. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) model is used as the framework to examine the causal relationships among customer expectations, perceived quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, customer complaint and loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – The responses were collected using a structured questionnaire from 447 mobile subscribers in three major universities in Jordan (Jordan, Yarmouk and Mutah Universities). Findings – It is found that the ACSI model adequately describes the perceptions and behavior of mobile phone users in Jordan. Furthermore, customer expectations, perceived quality and perceived value are important predictors to customer satisfaction, which ultimately results in customer loyalty. In addition, customer satisfaction does not influence customer complaints. The influence of customer complaints on customer loyalty was positive.Research limitatio.