Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationship between mitochondrial state, ATP hydrolysis, [Mg2+]i and [Ca2+]i studied in isolated rat cardiomyocytes.

1. As ATP has a higher affinity for Mg2+ than ADP, the cytosolic magnesium concentration rises upon ATP hydrolysis. We have therefore used the Mg(2+)‐sensitive fluorescent indicator Magnesium Green (MgG) to provide an index of changing ATP concentration in single rat cardiomyocytes in response to altered mitochondrial state. 2. In response to FCCP, [Mg2+]i rose towards a plateau coincident with the progression to rigor, which signals ATP depletion. Contamination of the MgG signal by changes in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration (the KD of MgG for Ca2+ is 4.7 microM) was excluded by simultaneous measurement of [Ca2+]i and [Mg2+]i in cells dual loaded with fura‐2 and MgG. The response to FCCP was independent of external Mg2+, confirming an intracellular source for the rise in [Mg2+]i. 3. Simultaneous measurements of mitochondrial NAD(P)H autofluorescence and mitochondrial potential (delta psi m; .‐1 fluorescence) and of autofluorescence and MgG allowed closer study of the relationship between [Mg2+]i and mitochondrial state. Oligomycin abolished the FCCP‐induced rise in [Mg2+]i without altering the change in autofluorescence. Thus, the rise in [Mg2+]i in response to FCCP is consistent with the release of intracellular Mg2+ following ATP hydrolysis by the mitochondrial F1F0‐ATPase. 4. The rise in [Mg2+]i was correlated with cell‐attached recordings of ATP‐sensitive K+ channel (KATP) activity. In response to FCCP, an increase in KATP channel activity was seen only as [Mg2+]i reached a plateau. In response to blockade of mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis with cyanide (CN‐) and 2‐deoxyglucose (DOG), [Mg2+]i rose more slowly but again KATP channel opening increased only when [Mg2+]i reached a plateau and the cells shortened. 5. Oligomycin decreased the rate of rise of [Mg2+]i delayed the onset of rigor and increased the rate of mitochondrial depolarization in response to CN‐_DOG. Thus, with blockade of mitochondrial respiration delta psi m is maintained by the mitochondrial F1F0‐ATPase at the expense of ATP reserves. 6. In response to CN‐_DOG, the initial rise in [Mg2+]i was accompanied by a small rise in [Ca2+]i. After [Mg2+]i reached a plateau and rigor developed, [Ca2+]i rose progressively. On reperfusion, in hypercontracted cells, [Ca2+]i recovered before [Mg2+]i and [ca2+]i oscillations were sustained while [Mg2+]i decreased. Thus on reperfusion, full recovery of [ATP]i is slow, but the activation of contractile elements and the restoration of [Ca2+]i does not require the re‐establishment of millimolar concentrations of ATP.
Rural Marketing

Definition and domain related issues of ‘rural marketing’ need further clarification and revision. Often, rural marketing is equated with marketing by multinationals in rural India. The extant literature on rural marketing has uncritically used the same theories, models, concepts and frameworks as have been used in the mainstream marketing discipline. So far, rural marketing has not produced its own unique theories, concepts, frameworks and distinct vocabulary. As a result, rural marketing cannot claim the status of a separate subdiscipline within the broader marketing discipline. This article provides a critique of the extant work in rural marketing and its dependence on the mainstream business marketing. It is argued that rural marketing must find its own distinct perspective before theory construction can begin in the field. After reviewing the literature on marketing and economic development, it is proposed that development of rural people should be the perspective of rural marketing. In this article, an outcome based definition and domain of rural marketing is proposed and a few potential areas for theory construction work to begin in the subject are suggested.
Cellular Telephone, New Products and the CPI

Cellular telephone is an example of a new product that has significantly affected how Americans live. Since their introduction in 1983, cellular telephone adoption has grown at 25-35% per year such that at year end 1996 about 42 million cellular telephones are in use in the U.S. However, cellular telephone has not been included in the construction of the CPI, and the CPI will not include cellular telephone until 1998 or 1999. This neglect of new goods leads to an upward bias in the CPI. The analysis of the paper demonstrates that the gains in consumer welfare from a new product such as cellular telephone can be substantial. The paper also gives an approximation result which the BLS could use to calculate gains in consumer welfare from new products for use in the CPI. The BLS telecommunications CPI estimates that since 1988, telecommunications prices have increased by 8.5% or an increase of 1.02% per year. This estimate ignores cellular service. A corrected telecommunication services COLI that includes cellular service decreased from 1.0 in 1988 to 0.903 in 1996 for a decrease of 1.28% per year. Thus, the bias in the BLS telecommunications services CPI equals approximately 2.3 percentage points per year. The neglect of new products in the CPI can lead to significant biases.
Fertility adaptation of Turkish and Moroccan women in the Netherlands.

After a short overview of fertility trends among Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands based upon population and vital registration data determinants of these trends are analysed using survey data on cumulative fertility as well as on desired fertility. The author concludes that although "a long time series of data is not yet available due to the fairly recent history of the migration of Turkish and Moroccan women to the Netherlands it appears that their fertility level is declining. Migrant fertility levels are lower than in the countries of origin.Factors in the decline of overall immigrant fertility are variables related to the country of destination: work and education insofar as this education was received in the Netherlands. " (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA) (EXCERPT)
Experimental and theoretical characterization of the mode profile of single-mode DFB fiber lasers

The characterization of the spatial mode profile of distributed feedback fiber lasers (DFB-FLs) is discussed. A new approximate solution for the mode profile of single longitudinal mode DFB-FLs with nonuniform phase and grating profiles is derived. An enhanced high resolution heat perturbation method for mode shape characterization is described. Experimental mode shape profiles are compared with theoretical predictions with good agreement.
THE SELL SIDE-OBSERVATIONS ON INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL INDICATORS

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to examine the use of indicators of intellectual capital (IC) by financial analysts employed by brokerage firms, so‐called “sell‐side analysts”, and based on the findings draw conclusions on the perceived usefulness of different categories of indicators.Design/methodology/approach – The basis for the paper is a content analysis of 250 sell‐side financial analyst reports written on a respective number of randomly selected S&P 500 companies. The study describes the use of IC information as leading indicators of future performance and identifies the contextual factors related to the use of such indicators.Findings – The results reveal frequent use of IC indicators in analyst reports. Statistical analysis of the results indicates industry to be a contextual factor that is significantly related to the number of indicators used. Moreover, a majority of the IC indicators refer to relational capital, whereas indicators on human and structural capital are less frequent.Orig.
Population declines of tuna and relatives depend on their speed of life

Larger-bodied species in a wide range of taxonomic groups including mammals, fishes and birds tend to decline more steeply and are at greater risk of extinction. Yet, the diversity in life histories is governed not only by body size, but also by time-related traits. A key question is whether this size-dependency of vulnerability also holds, not just locally, but globally across a wider range of environments. We test the relative importance of size- and time-related life-history traits and fishing mortality in determining population declines and current exploitation status in tunas and their relatives. We use high-quality datasets of half a century of population trajectories combined with population-level fishing mortalities and life-history traits. Time-related traits (e.g. growth rate), rather than size-related traits (e.g. maximum size), better explain the extent and rate of declines and current exploitation status across tuna assemblages, after controlling for fishing mortality. Consequently, there is strong geographical patterning in population declines, such that populations with slower life histories (found at higher cooler latitudes) have declined most and more steeply and have a higher probability of being overfished than populations with faster life histories (found at tropical latitudes). Hence, the strong, temperature-driven, latitudinal gradients in life-history traits may underlie the global patterning of population declines, fisheries collapses and local extinctions.
ransport of ARS-labeled hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in saturated granular edia is influenced by surface charge variability even in the presence of humic cid

Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 71 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China U.S. Salinity Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 450 W. Big Springs Road, Riverside, CA 92507, United States U.S. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine Street, Boulder, CO 80303, United States Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Effectiveness of ezetimibe added to ongoing statin therapy in modifying lipid profiles and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal attainment in patients of different races and ethnicities: a substudy of the Ezetimibe add-on to statin for effectiveness trial.

OBJECTIVE To examine whether the improvements in lipid profiles and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal attainment found in the Ezetimibe Add-On to Statin for Effectiveness trial occurred equally in the black, Hispanic, and white patient populations enrolled in the study. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients were recruited from 299 community-based practices across the United States (January to August 2003). Patients with, hypercholesterolemia and LDL-C levels exceeding National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III goals were randomized (2:1) to receive either ezetimibe (10 mg/d) or placebo in addition to their ongoing statin therapy for 6 weeks. RESULTS A total of 5802 patients were screened at baseline for the Ezetimibe Add-On to Statin for Effectiveness study. Of these, 2772 were excluded, and the remaining 3030 eligible patients were randomized. Ezetimibe, compared with placebo, added to statin therapy significantly reduced LDL-C levels from statin-treated baseline by 23.0% (white patients), 23.0% (black patients), and 21.0% (Hispanic patients). This effect was consistent across race and ethnicity groups (P > .50 for treatment-by-race interactions). Ezetimibe added to statin therapy also statistically significantly (P < .001) increased the percentage of patients attaining their LDL-C goal for their National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III risk category in black (63.0%), Hispanic (64.8%), and white (72.3%) patients compared with placebo plus statin (32.9% black patients, 19.0% Hispanic patients, and 19.7% white patients). Ezetimibe treatment improved other lipid parameters across groups, including triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-high-density ilpoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels. Finally, the addition of ezetimibe reduced high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels overall, and no significant interaction of treatment by race occurred (P = .83), Indicating a consistent effect across races. Ezetimibe was generally well tolerated, and no detectable differences occurred in the adverse event profile by race or ethnicity. CONCLUSION Ezetimibe added to statin therapy is effective and well tolerated for improving the lipid profile and LDL-C goal attainment of patients regardless of race or ethnicity.
Europeanization without the European Union? French military reforms 1991- 96

This article addresses the puzzle of the Europeanization of French military policy between 1991 and 1996. To what extent is there a Europeanization of French military policy? How can Europeanization be understood and conceptualized in this particular area? I discuss the theoretical debate on Europeanization specifically in the defence sector, and present a methodology based on the study of the decision- making process of French military reforms. The analysis refutes the thesis according to which Europeanization is no more than an alibi or an illusion in the case of French military policy. Studying the decision-making process of the 1991-96 reforms illustrates the impact of European integration on the transformation of French military policy, affecting both cognitive and normative frames, and the actors and the instruments of this public policy. Finally, it details the mechanisms of this Europeanization without the EU. Institutional mediations are important, but in this case indirect pressures, é lite socialization and the learning process are more decisive factors.
Temporal Aggregation and the Power of Cointegration Tests: A Monte Carlo Study

The effect of time-aggregation on the power of commonly used tests for cointegration is studied with the Monte Carlo method. The results suggest that, for a given span, a higher frequency of observation can add substantially to test power. Also, Engle and Granger's (1987) ADF test leads overall to the highest and most stable powers for typical finite sample sizes and likely data generating processes encountered by practitioners. Copyright 2002 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Antecedents of attitude towards the adoption of Internet banking in Senegal

Banks in developing and emerging economies worldwide face challenges and opportunities to extend microfinance to the 2.5 billion unbanked adults extant. The purpose of this research was to focus on the case of Senegal and validate critically important barriers in the formation of positive attitudes towards Internet banking in a Senegalese context. The method was to use a modified, abbreviated Technology Acceptance Model in order to evaluate consumers’ perceptions: antecedents of attitude towards Internet banking. A sample of 281 targeted consumers, those with bank accounts and relatively high educational levels, has been collected. Structural equation modeling was employed to test six hypotheses. Perceived facilitating conditions were found to be an antecedent to perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Perceived ease of use was not found to be directly significantly related to attitude towards use of Internet banking. However, perceived ease of use was found to be predictive of perceived usefulness and perceived usefulness was found to be predictive of attitude. Finally, perceived risk was confirmed as being predictive of attitude towards use of Internet banking. The value of this research is a theoretical and practical understanding of information technology adoption research within the context of Internet banking within a developing economy at an early adopter stage. An abbreviated technology acceptance model can serve as a basis to model important factors that influence attitude towards the use of Internet banking services. The results of this research will help microfinance providers to develop and implement successful distribution strategies.JEL Codes: G21, M15, M16
A Comparison of Principals’ Perceptions of Preparedness Based on Leadership Development Opportunities

This research study identified the frequency in which six public school districts in Texas provided principals with effective development opportunities prior to the principalship excluding university or certification programs. A purposive sample of over 200 principals from six school districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area were asked to participate in the study yielding a response rate of 41%. Respondents identified through a questionnaire their leadership development opportunities and perceptions of preparedness on nine standards common to the profession. Principals were nominally grouped for comparison. The perceptions of preparedness for principals who received effective leadership development opportunities were compared to those who did not receive these same opportunities using an independent samples t-test to determine statistical significance (p < .05). Peer coaching yielded the most statistically significant results in three standards. This finding indicates principals who receive peer coaching prior to the principalship compared to those who did not perceive themselves as more prepared in the areas of community collaboration, political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context, and curriculum, instruction and assessment. Effect size was measured for the statistically significance standards to determine practical significance. Each of the five statistically significant standards yielded a medium effect size indicating that the leadership development methods received by participants explained approximately 30% of the difference.
Detection by PCR of human papillomavirus genotypes in cervical lesions of Senegalese women

In order to analyse human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the Senegalese population, HPV DNA was sought in 65 women with evidence of cervical cytological abnormality and in 72 pregnant women. Ninety‐four percent of the patients were positive for HPV DNA as compared to 24% of pregnant women. HPV 16 was detected in cervical smears in 42% of cases, HPV 18 in 39%, HPV 6 in 26%, HPV 11 in 15%, HPV 45 in 10%, HPV 52 in 3%, and HPV 31, HPV 33 and HPV 68 in 1.5%. HPV 16 and HPV 18 were detected in 16% and 7% respectively of pregnant women. HPV DNA of unknown type was detected in 6% of cases, and multiple HPV infections were observed in 28% of cases. Low risk genital HPVs (6/11) were detected in smaller proportions (17%) among high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) than the low grade SILs (43%). High risk HPVs (16/18) were detected in high proportions both in low and high grade SIL lesions, though the highest frequency (70%) was observed among patients with high grade lesions. In conclusion, the results confirm that HPV infections are frequent in Senegal and that HPV 18 and 45 are detected in a high proportion of patients in Africa. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Selecting forecasting models for portfolio allocation

Techniques for evaluating and selecting multivariate volatility forecasts are not yet as well understood as their univariate counterparts. This paper considers the ability of different loss functions to discriminate between a competing set of forecasting models which are subsequently applied in a portfolio allocation context. It is found that a likelihood based loss function outperforms it competitors including those based on the given portfolio application. This result indicates that the particular application of forecasts is not necessarily the most effective approach under which to select models.
Atorvastatin reduces β-Adrenergic dysfunction in rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy

Background In the diabetic heart the β-adrenergic response is altered partly by down-regulation of the β1-adrenoceptor, reducing its positive inotropic effect and up-regulation of the β3-adrenoceptor, increasing its negative inotropic effect. Statins have clinical benefits on morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients which are attributed to their “pleiotropic” effects. The objective of our study was to investigate the role of statin treatment on β-adrenergic dysfunction in diabetic rat cardiomyocytes. Methods β-adrenergic responses were investigated in vivo (echocardiography) and ex vivo (left ventricular papillary muscles) in healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, who were pre-treated or not by oral atorvastatin over 15 days (50 mg.kg-1.day-1). Micro-array analysis and immunoblotting were performed in left ventricular homogenates. Data are presented as mean percentage of baseline ± SD. Results Atorvastatin restored the impaired positive inotropic effect of β-adrenergic stimulation in diabetic hearts compared with healthy hearts both in vivo and ex vivo but did not suppress the diastolic dysfunction of diabetes. Atorvastatin changed the RNA expression of 9 genes in the β-adrenergic pathway and corrected the protein expression of β1-adrenoceptor and β1/β3-adrenoceptor ratio, and multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4). Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition abolished the beneficial effects of atorvastatin on the β-adrenoceptor response. Conclusions Atorvastatin restored the positive inotropic effect of the β-adrenoceptor stimulation in diabetic cardiomyopathy. This effect is mediated by multiple modifications in expression of proteins in the β-adrenergic signaling pathway, particularly through the NOS pathway.
The impact of operational and strategic management on liner shipping efficiency: a two-stage DEA approach

This paper aims to measure the relative efficiency of liner shipping companies in terms of operational and financial performance and further investigates the impact of strategic and operational management on efficiency performance. A two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach is employed combining DEA and Tobit regression, which has been extensively used in various research areas. 14 liner shipping companies from the top 20 container lines in terms of fleet capacity were included in this analysis. The results suggest that the firm size (in terms of TEU capacity), ship size, the ratio of chartered vessels, use of new vessels, and the formation of alliances all make a positive contribution to the financial performance of liner shipping companies. Ship age and ship type did not show a significant contribution to the financial performance and, for the operational performance, any of these determinant factors were not significant. This analysis is able to provide container shipping companies with information on the managerial and strategic implications of how managerial options influence operational and financial performance. In addition, maritime researchers will benefit from this study, measuring the efficiency of container shipping companies and the factors that influence efficiency, as this study is the first to investigate and model factors of relative efficiency of container shipping companies to the authors’ knowledge.
Are Foreign Investors Really Beneficial? Evidence from South Korea

We examine whether foreign investors impact corporate governance by analyzing the relation between foreign share ownership and pay-performance sensitivity. While the extant literature has examined the impact of foreign ownership, the evidence for emerging markets is limited. We test our hypotheses using a sample of Korean firms, an emerging market with unique characteristics. We find that firms with higher foreign share ownership demonstrate significant pay-performance sensitivity while their low foreign share counterparts do not, suggesting that foreign investors may be good monitors. We control for the potential self-selection bias that foreign investors may only invest in firms that have already exhibited good governance practices, and our results are unchanged. Our results suggest that foreign shareholders are able to promote improved corporate governance in an emerging market.