Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Paraquat Exposure on Serial Reaction Time Performance in Rats (Rattus norvegicus) and Neuroprotection by Water-Soluble COQ10

This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters' theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email (scholarship@uwindsor.ca) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. iii DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone " s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iv ABSTRACT Nissen and Bullemer (1987) developed the serial reaction time (SRT) task to measure attention in humans. The SRT task in rats is typically modeled after studies with humans and uses repeated or random sequences to test anticipatory reactions. In the current study, paraquat (PQ)-induced Parkinson " s disease (PD) model in Long-Evans hooded rats was used to examine the rats " sequential learning. A water-soluble formulation of coenzyme Q 10 (WS-CoQ 10) was used as a therapeutic agent. Rats were induced with Parkinson " s disease via the administration of paraquat. The aim of this …
Transnational class agency and European governance: the case of the European Round Table of Industrialists

This article analyses the political and ideological agency of an emergent European transnational capitalist class in the socioeconomic governance of the European Union (EU) by examining the case of the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT). It seeks to show that the ERT‐as an elite forum mediating the interests and power of the most transnationalise d segments of European capital‐has played a significant role in shaping European governance in as much as it has successfully articulated and promoted ideas and concepts thathave at critical times set the political agenda and, beyond, have helped to shape the discourse within which European policy making is embedded. Here, the increasingly neoliberal orientation of the ERT reflects, and at the same time is a constitutive element within, the construction of a new European order in which governance is geared to serve the interests of a globalising transnational capitalist elite, and hence the exigencies of global 'competitiveness'. Although in recent year.
An Assessment of Pre-Service Teachers’ Technology Acceptance in Turkey: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

The purpose of the study is to examine the pre-service teachers' self reported future behavioral intentions to computer use in Turkey. Four hundred eighty-seven pre-service teachers (n =487, females = 284, males = 203) at Rize University, North East of Turkey took part in the study as participants. Data was collected by a self-reported questionnaire administered to the participants and it based on their responses to six constructs. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), as a research framework, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed as an analytical technique for the proposed model in the study. This study contributes to the growing interest in using Information Science models to explain the intention to use technology in educational contexts. Overall, the results indicated that (1) perceived usefulness, attitudes to computer use, and computer self-efficacy had direct effects on pre-service teachers' intentions to use technology; (2) pre-service teachers' perceived ease of use, technological complexity, and facilitating conditions had effects on technology acceptance indirectly; and (3) perceived usefulness appeared to be the strongest determinant of behavioral intention. Also, six variables corresponded to approximately 39% of the variance in behavioral intention. These findings propose that TAM is an effective model to explain pre-service teachers' technology acceptance.
Is the Journey to Work Explained by Urban Structure?

Basic to several key issues in current urban economic theory and public policy is a presumption that local imbalances between employment and residential sites strongly influence people's commuting patterns. We examine this presumption by finding the commuting pattern for the Los Angeles region in 1980 which would minimise average commuting time or distance, given the actual spatial distributions of job and housing locations. We find that the amount of commuting required by these distributions is far less than actual commuting, and that variations in required commuting across job locations only weakly explain variations in actual commuting. We conclude that other factors must be more important to location decisions than commuting cost, and that policies aimed at changing the jobs-housing balance will have only a minor effect on commuting.
Productive Benefits of Health: Evidence from Low-Income Countries

Various household survey indicators of adult nutrition and health status are analyzed as determinants of individual wages. However, survey indicators of health status may be heterogeneous, or a combination of health human capital formed by investment behavior and variation due to genotype, random shocks, and measurement error, which are uncontrolled by behavior. Although there are no definitive methods for distinguishing between human capital and genetic variation in health outcomes, alternative mappings of health status, such as height, on community health services, parent socioeconomic characteristics, and ethnic categories may be suggestive. Instrumental variable estimates of health human capital and residual sources of variation in measured health status are included in wage functions to assess empirically whether the productivity of both components of health are equal. Evidence from Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Brazil suggests that the health human capital effect on wages is substantially larger than that associated with residual health variation.
Intragastric Balloon for Overweight Patients

Background and Objectives: Current treatments for overweight adults include reduced-calorie diet, exercise, behavior modification, and selective use of medications. Many achieve suboptimal results with these measures and progress to obesity. Whether the intragastric balloon (IGB), a reversible device approved for treatment of obesity, is a safe and effective option in overweight adults is less well studied. We conducted a study to prospectively analyze the safety and effectiveness of IGB in overweight adults, to compare the results to a simultaneously studied cohort of obese patients, and to share procedural tips for safe IGB placement and removal. Methods: One hundred thirty-nine patients were evaluated in this prospective, nonrandomized study. Twenty-six overweight [body mass index (BMI), 26–30)] and 113 obese (BMI > 30) patients underwent outpatient, endoscopic IGB placement under intravenous sedation. The IGB was filled with a 550–900 mL (average, 640 mL) solution of saline, radiological contrast, and methylene blue, with an approximate final proportion of 65:2:1. The patients were followed up at 1–2 weeks and then monthly for 6 months. At 6 months, they underwent IGB removal via an esophageal overtube to optimize safety, and then they were observed for 6 more months. Results: IGB time was 190 ± 36 d in the overweight patients and 192 ± 43 d in the obese patients. Symptoms of IGB intolerance included nausea and pain, which were transiently present in 50–95% of patients for several days, and necessitated early IGB removal in 6% of patients. There were no procedure-related complications and no IGB-related esophagitis, erosion, perforation, or obstruction. The percentage of excess weight loss (EWL%) was 96 ± 54% in the overweight group and 41 ± 26% in the obese group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In overweight adults failing standard treatments, IGB placement for 6 months had an acceptable safety profile and excellent weight loss.
Stationarity and geometric ergodicity of a class of nonlinear ARCH models

A class of nonlinear ARCH processes is introduced and studied. The existence of a strictly stationary and β-mixing solution is established under a mild assumption on the density of the underlying independent process. We give sufficient conditions for the existence of moments. The analysis relies on Markov chain theory. The model generalizes some important features of standard ARCH models and is amenable to further analysis.
The history of the commercial jet engine industry

This paper addresses the problem of the general validity of models of the industry life cycle, which have been proposed to analyse the long-term evolution of many industries, exhibiting a typical pattern of shakeout. We study a case of non shake-out in the commercial jet aero-engine industry, marked by a small number of entry events distributed over 40 years of industry evolution, by no exits and by a resulting slowly increasing number of firms. We argue that the vertical structure of the industry, as represented by the network of vertical relations between aero-engine suppliers and aircraft manufacturers, “regulated” the process of entry and exit and posed the conditions for a non shakeout to take place. JEL classification: L13, L19, L22, L62
Neo-Allopatry and Rapid Reproductive Isolation

Over the past 3 centuries, many species have been dispersed beyond their natural geographic limits by humans, but to our knowledge, reproductive isolation has not been demonstrated for such neo-allopatric species. We grew seeds from three species of Centaurea (Centaurea solstitialis, Centaurea calcitrapa, and Centaurea sulphurea) that are native to Spain and have been introduced into California, and we tested to what extent seed production was affected by pollen source. Compared with within-population crosses, seed production decreased by 52% and 44%, respectively, when C. solstitialis and C. sulphurea from California were pollinated with conspecific pollen from native populations in Spain. This implies rapid evolution of reproductive isolation between populations in their native and nonnative ranges. Whether reproductive isolation has evolved following the introduction of other species is unknown, but additional cases are likely, considering the large number of neo-allopatric species.
Privacy, Social Network Sites, and Social Relations

With the growth of the Internet comes a growth in a ubiquitous networked society. Common Web 2.0 applications include a rapidly growing trend for social network sites. Social network sites typically converged different relationship types into one group of “friends. ” However, with such vast interconnectivity, convergence of relationships, and information sharing by individual users comes an increased risk of privacy violations. We asked a small sample of participants to discuss what friendship and privacy meant to them and to give examples of a privacy violation they had experienced. A thematic analysis was conducted on the interviews to determine the issues discussed by the participants. Many participants experienced privacy issues using the social network site Facebook. The results are presented here and discussed in relation to online privacy concerns, notably social network site privacy concerns and managing such information.
Amino Acid (Leucine) Chromatography: A Study of Branched-Chain Aminoaciduria in Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction Diabetes is a disease characterized by insulin deficiency resulting in glucose intolerance and in abnormalities of other metabolic fuels including protein. Recently, a number of studies have revealed that branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) play an important role in the regulation of protein synthesis by activating mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in pancreatic β cells. BCAAs have positive effects on the regulation of glucose homeostasis. Leucine is an important nutrient signal as evidenced by recent observations, which showed increased fasting concentrations of circulating BCAAs being associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance in humans. Leucine seems to have direct effects on hypothalamic and brainstem functioning involved in satiety, which can potentially contribute to obesity and T2D. A number of observational studies indicate that elevated activity of BCAAs could be associated with poor metabolic health and T2D complications. Although these associations were consistently observed in humans, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain to be completely understood. In this study, we have attempted to evaluate urinary excretion of leucine among patients of T2D and compared them with healthy controls by using a low-cost and non-invasive amino acid chromatography technique. Methods The study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry, Central Research Unit, Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Karimnagar, Telangana, India, during the period between July and September 2016. A group of 55 normal healthy subjects (control group A), and 55 patients suffering from T2D on treatment (test group B), were enrolled in the study. The urine samples were collected from normal and T2D subjects. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) for leucine was performed on all the urine samples. Results A strong correlation (p=0.0004) was found between the urinary excretion of leucine among the control (Rf=0.174 ±0.089) and T2D (Rf=0.247 ±0.030) patients. Conclusion Excretion of BCAAs (leucine) in detectable and increased quantities reflect the presence of an altered metabolic state attributable to T2D, which in turn could lead to early diabetic complications. This method (TLC), being non-invasive and cost-effective, could be recommended for assessing the progression and management of type 2 diabetes patients.
A quantitative approach to assess information security related risks

Nowadays providing information security (IS) assurance becomes one of key aspects for many organizations worldwide. This is caused not only by desire of management to protect sensitive information fed by growing hackers ' activity but also by recent enforcement of legal requirements and industry regulations. One of the required procedures to manage information security is regular performing of IS risk assessment. Though there already are several approaches proposed to measure IS related risk, they are either inapplicable to real enterprises' IT landscapes or are of qualitative nature (based on subjective decisions of implementation team) and thus could suffer from significant degree of speculation. The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitative approach for effective and efficient assessment of IS related risks which can be easily applied to any enterprise. A key feature of proposed approach is that it does not suffer from subjective considerations and relies on statistical data. Other relevant features are: maintenance cost reduction and possibility to prioritize and compare security initiatives.
Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Transformasional DanTransaksional Terhadap Iklim Organisasi DanOrganizational Citizenship Behavior(Studi Pada Rsud Genteng Kabupaten Banyuwangi)

Peneltian ini bertujuan untuk menguji dan membuktikan secara empiris pengaruh kepemimpinan transformasional dan kepemimpinan transaksional terhadap iklim organisasi dan organizational citizenship behavior pada RSUD Genteng Kabupaten Banyuwangi. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian explanatory yang bertujuan menjelaskan hubungan kausal antar variabel dengan menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif. Populasi dalam penelitain ini adalah pegawai medis dan pegawai para medis yang bukan dari unsur pimpinan yang berjumlah 199 orang. Besarnya sampel dalam penelitian ini sejumlah 130 orang yang dipilih secara acak. Metode analisis untuk menjawab hipotesis yang diajukan dalam penelitian ini adalah Smart Partial Least Square (SmartPLS) versi 2.0 M3. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kepemimpinan transformasional dan kepemimpinan transaksional berpengaruh signifikan terhadap iklim organisasi. Kepemimpinan transformasional dan kepemimpinan transaksional berpengaruh signifikan terhadap organizational citizenship behavior, baik secara langsung maupun tidak langsung yang dimediasi variabel iklim organisasi. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini gaya kepemimpinan transformasional dan transaksional yang diterapkan pimpinan RSUD Genteng hendaknya selalu mengedepankan perilaku yang membuat para bawahannya mengagumi, menghormati dan mempercayai pimpinan. Memberikan rangsangan dalam menumbuhkan ide-ide baru, bersedia mendengarkan masukan-masukan bawahan, memberikan dukungan secara moril maupun materiil, juga bersedia memperhatikan kebutuhan-kebutuhan pengembangan diri pegawai. Kebijakan organisasi dalam mengelola Iklim organisasi merupakan peranan yang penting untuk mendukung dan menumbuhkan OCB pegawai. Perbaikan dan pengembangan Iklim organisasi dapat dilakukan dengan menetapkan sebuah prosedur, menetapkan kebijakan dengan berdasarkan pada aturan-aturan yang berlaku agar tidak menimbulkan perbedaan persepsi terhadap seluruh warga organisasi.
Blind separation of convolutive mixtures: a Gauss-Newton algorithm

This paper addresses the blind separation of convolutive mixtures of independent and non-Gaussian sources. We present a block-based Gauss-Newton algorithm which is able to obtain a separation solution using only a specific set of output cross-cumulants and the hypothesis of soft mixtures. The order of the cross-cumulants is chosen to obtain a particular form of the Jacobian matrix that ensures convergence and reduces computational burden. The method can be seen as an extension and improvement of the Van-Gerven's symmetric adaptive decorrelation (SAD) method. Moreover the convergence analysis presented in the paper provides a theoretical background to derive an improved version of the Nguyen-Jutten (1995) algorithm.
Encapsulating simulation models with geospatial data sets

Traditionally, spatial data producers have used data specifications and summary statistics to report data quality information, while the onus of applying this quality information to account for spatial uncertainty has rested with the spatial data user. A conceptual framework is developed to encapsulate a stochastic simulation algorithm with a geospatial data set. This approach allows the user to automatically generate a set of equally probable realizations of the spatial phenomenon using the best information available. Responsibility for providing the simulation method and specific model parameters rests with the data producer. Illustrations using different forms of geospatial data are provided, and the feasibility of the approach is evaluated.
Natural Biased Coin Encoded in the Genome Determines Cell Strategy

Decision making at a cellular level determines different fates for isogenic cells. However, it is not yet clear how rational decisions are encoded in the genome, how they are transmitted to their offspring, and whether they evolve and become optimized throughout generations. In this paper, we use a game theoretic approach to explain how rational decisions are made in the presence of cooperators and competitors. Our results suggest the existence of an internal switch that operates as a biased coin. The biased coin is, in fact, a biochemical bistable network of interacting genes that can flip to one of its stable states in response to different environmental stimuli. We present a framework to describe how the positions of attractors in such a gene regulatory network correspond to the behavior of a rational player in a competing environment. We evaluate our model by considering lysis/lysogeny decision making of bacteriophage lambda in E. coli.
Combination lamivudine and adefovir versus entecavir for the treatment of naïve chronic hepatitis B patients: A pilot study

Background The aim of this study was to compare the effect of combination lamivudine (LAM) and adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) versus entecavir (ETV) monotherapy for naïve HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Material/Methods Fifty enrolled patients with CHB were evenly divided into 2 groups: a group treated with of lamivudine (LAM) (100 mg/day) plus adefovir (ADV) (10 mg/day) combination, and a group treated with entecavir (ETV) (0.5 mg/day). Serum levels of ALT, AST, creatinine, bilirubin, HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV viral load, and genotypic resistance were analyzed at 0, 12, 24, 52, and 104 weeks. HBV DNA levels were determined by real-time PCR and HBsAg and HBeAg by chemiluminescence. Serum levels of ALT, AST, creatinine, and bilirubin were measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer. Data analysis was performed with SPSS 12.0 software. Results There were no significant differences in the virological response (VR) rates between LAM+ADV and ETV cohorts at 24, 52, and 104 weeks (P>0.05). The HBeAg seroconversion rates were 28% and 20%, and the biochemical response (BR) rates were 88% and 84% at week 104 in the LAM+ADV and ETV groups, respectively. The rates of undetectable HBV DNA, HBeAg seroconversion, and ALT normalization rates were similar in both cohorts. No virological breakthrough or serious adverse effects were noted for any patient during the study period. Conclusions Both LAM + ADV combination therapy and ETV monotherapy were effective and safe in the treatment of naïve HBeAg-positive CHB patients. However, further studies are needed to obtain long-term results.