Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information search behavior of Hong Kong's inbound travelers‐a comparison of business and leisure travelers

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the information search behavior of Hong Kong's inbound tourists, in particular business and leisure travelers. The study clearly shows that business and leisure travelers demonstrate different information search behavior. ‘Personal experience,’ ‘Travel agency/tour company,’ ‘Airlines’ and the ‘Internet’ are most frequently relied upon by business travelers in searching for travel information, while leisure travelers prefer ‘Travel agency/tour company,’ ‘Friends or relatives,’ ‘Travel guide books,’ and ‘Personal experience. ’ The study also reveals that the total number of information sources used and the length of pre‐trip planning lead‐time are significantly different between these two groups of travelers. First time travelers also have a longer pre‐trip planning lead‐time than repeat travelers. Furthermore, business and leisure travelers perceive the levels of influence of several information sources, including ‘Corporate travel departments,’ ‘Friends or relatives,’ ‘Travel guide books,’ and the ‘Internet,’ differently. These information sources were classified into five different dimensions, including ‘Media,’ ‘Neutral,’ ‘Retail,’ ‘Interpersonal,’ and ‘Personal experience. ’ Analysis based on travelers' purpose for traveling and demographic information was performed. Leisure travelers perceive the level of influence of ‘Neutral’ sources as significantly higher, and those with lower household incomes perceived the level of influence of ‘Personal experience’ as lower. The results of this study will allow marketers in Hong Kong to better understand travelers’ information search behavior so that they can more effectively tailor their marketing strategies to these two major markets.
Anoxia produces smaller changes in synaptic transmission, membrane potential, and input resistance in immature rat hippocampus.

1. The reversible blocking effect of brief anoxia (2-4 min) on synaptic transmission was studied in submerged hippocampal slices (kept mostly at 34 degrees), obtained from adult (greater than 120 g) and very young (6-50 g) Wistar rats. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were recorded with extra- and intracellular electrodes, sometimes simultaneously: in CA1, they were evoked by stratum radiation stimulation, in CA3 by hilar stimulation. 2. In slices from adults, EPSPs in CA1 were depressed by 90% after 2 min of anoxia, and postanoxic recovery was relatively slow (one-half recovery times 4.0 +/- 0.23 min, mean +/- SE). EPSPs in CA3 were consistently more resistant, especially those generated by mossy fibers; after 2 min of anoxia, these were reduced by only 14.7 +/- 5.4%. 3. In newborn animals (PN1-4), both intra- and extracellular EPSPs (but no population spikes) could be recorded in CA1. Although smaller and more fatigable than in the adult, they were much more resistant to anoxia, after 2 min being reduced by only 44.1 +/- 8.8%; and they were not abolished even after 6-7 min. On the other hand, postanoxic recovery was very rapid, being one-half complete in 2.4 +/- 0.48 min. Only large and very prolonged (giant) depolarizing PSPs [probably inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs)] could be recorded in CA3 neurons; they were rapidly blocked by anoxia. 4. In older pups (PN6-21), the CA1 EPSPs became progressively more sensitive to anoxia. At the end of the second week, they were as rapidly blocked as in slices from adults; but postanoxic recovery remained quicker throughout this period. In CA3, EPSPs could now be evoked that were as resistant to anoxia as in adult slices. 5. In both CA1 and CA3 neurons from adult rats, anoxia (for 2-3 min) reduced the input resistance (RN) by 45.7 +/- 6.25%. In CA1 neurons, there was most often some hyperpolarization (-7.2 +/- 1.8 mV), which was less consistent in CA3 cells. The return of O2 typically led to a second (postanoxic) phase of hyperpolarization (-7.9 +/- 1.93 mV). 6. At PN1-4, the resting potential (Vm) of most cells had to be maintained by current injection; the input resistance (RN) of CA1 neurons was 70% higher than in mature cells, and there was little time-dependent inward rectification. Anoxia produced no regular changes in Vm, and reductions in RN were very small (by only 9.6 +/- 5.0%). A postanoxic hyperpolarization was seen in only 2 neurons out of 11. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Critical Roles of Two Hydrophobic Residues within Human Glucose Transporter 9 (hSLC2A9) in Substrate Selectivity and Urate Transport*

Background: A hydrophobic residue in TM7 of the hSLC2A9 was found to affect hexose transport. Results: Both Ile-335 and Trp-110 affect fructose trans-acceleration of urate, whereas only Trp-110 directly affects urate transport. Conclusion: hSLC2A9 handles urate/fructose transport differently. Significance: This study provides further information of how hSLC2A9 handling its substrates could be beneficial for future pharmaceutical treatments used in related diseases. High blood urate levels (hyperuricemia) have been found to be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory arthritis, such as hypertension and gout. Human glucose transporter 9 (hSLC2A9) is an essential protein that mainly regulates urate/hexose homeostasis in human kidney and liver. hSLC2A9 is a high affinity-low capacity hexose transporter and a high capacity urate transporter. Our previous studies identified a single hydrophobic residue in trans-membrane domain 7 of class II glucose transporters as a determinant of fructose transport. A mutation of isoleucine 335 to valine (I355V) in hSLC2A9 can reduce fructose transport while not affecting glucose fluxes. This current study demonstrates that the I335V mutant transports urate similarly to the wild type hSLC2A9; however, Ile-335 is necessary for urate/fructose trans-acceleration exchange to occur. Furthermore, Trp-110 is a critical site for urate transport. Two structural models of the class II glucose transporters, hSLC2A9 and hSLC2A5, based on the crystal structure of hSLC2A1 (GLUT1), reveal that Ile-335 (or the homologous Ile-296 in hSLC2A5) is a key component for protein conformational changes when the protein translocates substrates. The hSLC2A9 model also predicted that Trp-110 is a crucial site that could directly interact with urate during transport. Together, these studies confirm that hSLC2A9 transports both urate and fructose, but it interacts with them in different ways. Therefore, this study advances our understanding of how hSLC2A9 mediates urate and fructose transport, providing further information for developing pharmacological agents to treat hyperuricemia and related diseases, such as gout, hypertension, and diabetes.
Examining the Effect of Extracurricular Activities on Academic Achievements among the Public University Students in Malaysia

The objective of this study is to examine how physical, educational, and social extracurricular activities affect academic achievements of the participating students in Peninsular Malaysia. A cross-sectional design and quantitative method is applied, and complete data is collected from 150 students from three public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. Findings of this study indicate that there is no significant positive association between participation in extracurricular activities and student’s academic achievements. These alarming findings suggest that, besides emphasizing on promoting extracurricular activities to improve students’ knowledge and understanding, both universities and policy makers should be more aware of designing effective extracurricular activities and should establish a standard framework for continuous assessments of the outcome of these activities.
Searching the Silent Smiles of Women Superintendents: Did You Say Something?.

While numerous feminist scholars have written about "silence," few have focused on the silence of women in powerful masculinized positions such as the superintendency. The purpose of the paper is to expose the silencing, the disallowing of voice in actual practice, or the "unnatural silence" (Olsen 1978) of women superintendents through a postpositivist qualitative examination of their talk. Data were gathered through interviews conducted with 13 women superintendents and with 2 people who had professional relationships with each of them (n =26), for a total of 39 interview respondents. The findings show that unnatural silence was a consistent counterpart to the women's experiences of voice. Further, all categories of settled talk (voice) found the women framing their experiences well within the traditional normative rules governing the behavior of women in our culture. When the women broke the rules they faced negative consequences. The categorization of unsettled and settled talk created a disturbance in what has traditionally been the settled rhetoric of educational administration. In the past, settled talk included: (1) power as dominance; (2) listening; (3) a masculine approach; (4) use of mouthpieces; and (5) being verbally responsible. The study found that two new configurations of settled and unsettled talk emerged from the narratives of women superintendents. With the current shift in the literature toward the valuing of shared, collaborative leadership, an opportunity for the reshaped-settled talk has emerged. A "soft" leadership approach, the notion of caring, and shared leadership are now accepted practices. One figure is included. (Contains 6 endnotes and 82 references.) (LMI) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** SEARCHING THE SILENT SMILES OF WOMEN SUPERINTENDENTS: DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?
Ideal Rehabilitation Programme after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Review of Evidence

Knee injuries are the second most common musculoskeletal injuries in primary care, with anterior cruciate the most commonly injured ligament. It is caused by contact / non-contact and accelerating/decelerating twisting injury of the knee. Typical presentation includes trauma with pain and swelling, with laxity of the knee joint. Management includes rehabilitation alone or surgery combined with rehabilitation. Pre-surgery rehabilitation with graded physiotherapy programme results in improved postoperative recovery, reduced pain, swelling, better stability and improved range of movement. No consensus exists on an ideal rehabilitation programme, as various factors, including injury to other knee structures, choice of graft, type of surgery performed and patient preference exist. Rehabilitation includes accelerated vs. conservative, closed vs. open kinetic chain and techniques involving bracing, neuromuscular training and cryotherapy. Ideal personalised rehabilitation plan should include educating athletes to improve adherence, providing realistic strategies and approximate time frame for a return to sport. Studies support accelerated rehabilitation before and after surgery, in a clinic and home setting, with combined kinetic exercises. Accelerated rehabilitation protocol involving exercises to increase muscle strength, knee ROM and proprioception along with reducing pain, inflammation and swelling can lead to better knee stability and a less complicated rehabilitation course
Strategic HRM in for-profit and non-profit organizations in a knowledge-intensive industry

This article examines the adoption of strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) by for-profit and non-profit knowledge-intensive health services (HS) organizations in the Australian context. Survey data collected from senior executives are used to test the relationships between a strategic HRM model and firm performance. Path analysis found that for HS firms, irrespective of whether for-profit or non-profit, adopting strategic HRM could increase organizational performance. Strategic HRM could be achieved through the cultivation of an external orientation to customers' demands and a commitment to employees. Building an external orientation with internal structural dimensions such as commitment to employees, allows HS organizations to develop a strategic HRM approach with human capital-enhancing HRM practices. Public and non-profit organizations in the HS industry facing or undergoing health sector reform need to be aware of both of these orientations in order to adopt strategic HRM and improve their performance.
Bounded rationality and consumer choice: an evaluation of consumer choice of mobile bundles

Although numerous prior studies have examined consumer valuations in bundling transactions from a theoretical perspective, relatively few have focused on large datasets. In addition, little prior research has targeted developing telecommunication markets. To address these gaps in the literature, we examine the rationality of consumers' bundling choices in the mobile telecommunication industry, using operational data from China Telecom. We compare the current prices paid by consumers to the optimal prices of alternative bundling plans, based on the consumers' actual usage. We determine whether bundling choice is affected by risk aversion, the complexity of the bundle, and learning effects. The findings suggested that many users chose sub-optimal bundles that were more expensive than others were. The results showed that consumers were risk averse, and they were more likely to make non-optimal bundle selections with more complex usage patterns. No significant differences were found according to gender, age, or usage level.
The Effects of Inter-generational Support on the Mortality of Older People in Rural China

As inter-generational support is the primary source of support for the Chinese elderly in rural areas, such support is likely to affect their physical and psychological health. This paper investigates the effects of four types of inter-generational support on the mortality risk of the elderly in Anhui Province. Results showed that mortality risk was influenced significantly only by receiving household support. Financial support and personal care had no effect. Results also indicated that household and emotional support were effective in reducing mortality when delivered at closer proximity, suggesting that quality of support may be enhanced by co-residence and ready access to children. Conclusions about the health benefits of tangible forms of support need to be tempered by an understanding that poor health predisposes inter-generational co-residence, and that the quality of household assistance and emotional support may be sensitive to the geographic distance between older parents and their adult children in rural China.
Syntactic Structure Modifies Attention during Speech Perception and Recognition

The present paper demonstrates the interaction of syntactic structure and speech perception with a response task which minimizes the effects of memory: reaction time (RT) to clicks during sentences. (1) In 12-word unfamiliar sentences each with two clauses, RT is relatively slow overall to clicks located at the end of the first clause but decreases as a function of clause length. Clicks at the beginning of the second clause are not affected by length of the preceding clause. (2) In familiar sentences, RT is relatively fast to clicks located at the end of a clause while RT to clicks at the beginning of clauses is relatively unaffected by familiarity. (3) RT is not fastest overall to clicks located between clauses either in novel or familiar sentences. (4) As in previous studies, the subject's subsequent judegment of the location of the click tone are towards the clause break. (5) We could find no systematic interaction between RT and subjective click location. Findings (1) to (3) are consistent with the view that perceptual processing alternates between attending to all external stimuli and developing an internal representation of the stimuli. Finding (3) is in conflict with an “information channel” view of immediate attention to speech, which would predict high sensory attention to non-speech stimuli between clauses. However, findings (4) and (5) indicate that the channel view of perception may be correct for that perceptual processing which occurs after the immediate organization of the speech stimulus into major segments.
New kids on the block: pancreatic stellate cells enter the fibrogenesis world

See article on page 534 Two recently published papers have shown that a cell type with morphological features of “vitamin A storing” stellate cells is present in rat and human pancreatic tissue.1 2 These observations add to previous reports addressing the same issue in several other extrahepatic organs, including the lung, the intestine, and the kidney.3 4 Over the past 10 years, a great deal of scientific information has followed the identification of stellate cells as the main cell type involved in the progression of liver fibrosis following chronic tissue damage.5 Several roles for this cell type in normal and diseased liver have been highlighted. In addition to storage of vitamin A, these include: (1) excessive deposition of extracellular matrix on activation; (2) modulation of sinusoidal tone in normal liver as a result of their contractile features and possible involvement in the progression of portal hypertension; (3) synthesis of soluble factors affecting liver …
Expression of Mu opioid receptor mRNA in rat brain: An in situ hybridization study at the single cell level

The mu (μ) opioid receptors, which mediate the effects of morphine, are widely distributed in brain. We have examined the distribution of mRNA encoding a μ opioid receptor in rat brain with in situ hybridization histochemistry at the single‐cell level to obtain information about the cell types synthesizing this receptor. Only neurons, not glia, were labeled in discrete brain regions. High levels of labeling were detected in the thalamus, striosomes of the caudateputamen, globus pallidus, and brain regions involved in nociception, arousal, respiratory control, and, possibly, addiction. The general distribution of the receptor mRNA paralleled that of μ opioid binding sites with some notable exceptions. These include the cerebral cortex, which contains binding sites, but very few labeled neurons. No labeling was observed in the cerebellum, a region devoid of μ binding sites. Three main findings emerged from these experiments: (1) the mRNA was present in regions mediating both the therapeutic (analgesia) and the unwanted (respiratory depression, addiction) effects of morphine, (2) the mRNA was very densely expressed by neurons known to receive dense enkephalin‐containing inputs, and (3) the dissociation between the presence of binding sites and absence of mRNA in some brain regions supports a presynaptic localization of μ opioid receptors in these areas. Alternatively, other subtypes of μ opioid receptors may be encoded by a different mRNA. These results provide new insights into the receptor types and neuronal circuits involved in the effects of endogenous opioids and morphine. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation of Expression of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Nonfimbrial Adhesin TosA by PapB Homolog TosR in Conjunction with H-NS and Lrp

ABSTRACT Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a major burden to human health. The overwhelming majority of UTIs are caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains. Unlike some pathogens, UPEC strains do not have a fixed core set of virulence and fitness factors but do have a variety of adhesins and regulatory pathways. One such UPEC adhesin is the nonfimbrial adhesin TosA, which mediates adherence to the epithelium of the upper urinary tract. The tos operon is AT rich, resides on pathogenicity island aspV, and is not expressed under laboratory conditions. Because of this, we hypothesized that tosA expression is silenced by H-NS. Lrp, based on its prominent function in the regulation of other adhesins, is also hypothesized to contribute to tos operon regulation. Using a variety of in vitro techniques, we mapped both the tos operon promoter and TosR binding sites. We have now identified TosR as a dual regulator of the tos operon, which could control the tos operon in association with H-NS and Lrp. H-NS is a negative regulator of the tos operon, and Lrp positively regulates the tos operon. Exogenous leucine also inhibits Lrp-mediated tos operon positive regulation. In addition, TosR binds to the pap operon, which encodes another important UPEC adhesin, P fimbria. Induction of TosR synthesis reduces production of P fimbria. These studies advance our knowledge of regulation of adhesin expression associated with uropathogen colonization of a host.
Place-Based Policies

Place-based policies commonly target underperforming areas, such as deteriorating downtown business districts and disadvantaged regions. Principal examples include enterprise zones, European Union Structural Funds, and industrial cluster policies. Place-based policies are rationalized by various hypotheses in urban and labor economics, such as agglomeration economies and spatial mismatch – hypotheses that entail market failures and often predict overlap between poor economic performance and disadvantaged residents. The evidence on enterprise zones is very mixed. We need to know more about what features of enterprise zone policies make them more effective or less effective, who gains and who loses from these policies, and how we can reconcile the existing findings. Some evidence points to positive benefits of infrastructure expenditure, and also investment in higher education and university research – likely because of the public-goods nature of these policies. However, to better guide policy, we need to know more about what policies create self-sustaining longer-run gains.
From a Top-Down to a Bottom-Up Approach to Legislative Oversight

Over the years there have been several studies of oversight in the context of the US Congress; much less attention, however, has been paid to the study of oversight in parliamentary systems. Comparative studies spearheaded by several international organisations in recent years offer a different perspective of legislative oversight. They emphasise a new concept, oversight potential, and suggest that strengthening this potential would help promote good governance, fight corruption and improve democracy. This study examines the concept of oversight potential in a pure parliamentary system – the Israeli Knesset. It shows that low potential impairs actual oversight in a parliamentary system that uses mainly police-patrol techniques as defined by the 1987 work of McCubbins and Schwartz. It suggests that increasing oversight potential will help improve the oversight outputs of the legislature. Finally, it develops a bottom-up legislative approach for measuring oversight potential, and by doing so it enriches this neglected field of research.