Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seroprevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in horses and mules from Northern Thailand

In the present study the seroprevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, the causative agents for equine piroplasmosis was investigated in Northern Thailand through a cross sectional survey carried out in December 2011. Two hundred forty equids sera from a complex of farms located in Chiang Mai Province were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Overall seroprevalence of T. equi by ELISA and IFAT was 5.42% (13/240) and 8.75% (21/240) while that of B. caballi was 2.50% (6/240) and 5.00% (12/240), respectively. Molecular assay found T. equi infection in 3 mules (1.25%) while none of B. caballi was detected. The IFAT results showed that prevalence of T. equi was significantly higher in mules (10.73%) than in horses (3.17%), whereas prevalence of B. caballi was higher in horses (11.11%) than in mules (2.82%). Risk factor analysis based on IFAT results showed that occupation related to the host breed was significantly associated to equine piroplasmosis seropositivity (p < 0.05). Present results provide important information regarding the prevalence of equine piroplasmosis in horses and mules in the Northern region of Thailand, which should be beneficial for better prevention and control of this disease.
Internal branding with corporate ethical values and corporate social responsibility : the case of the life insurance industry in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to identify the extent to which corporate ethical values and employee-oriented CSR can be employed as business levers of internal branding for the life insurance industry. Our results indicate that the impact of corporate ethical values on internal branding benefits is fully mediated by knowledge dissemination, and that the impact of employee-based CSR on internal branding benefits is partially mediated by knowledge dissemination. Therefore, for life insurance companies, employee-oriented CSR can be considered an independent lever of internal branding and can be conducted without other auxiliary initiatives to induce internal branding benefits.
Effects of diltiazem prophylaxis on the incidence and clinical outcome of atrial arrhythmias after thoracic surgery.

OBJECTIVES We sought to determine whether early prophylaxis with an L -type calcium channel blocker reduces the incidence and morbidity associated with atrial fibrillation/flutter and supraventricular tachyarrhythmia after major thoracic operations. METHODS In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 330 patients were given either intravenous diltiazem (n = 167) or placebo (n = 163) immediately after lobectomy (> or =60 years) or pneumonectomy (> or =18 years) and orally thereafter for 14 days. The primary end point with respect to efficacy was a sustained (> or =15 minutes) or clinically significant atrial arrhythmia during treatment. RESULTS Postoperative atrial arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation/flutter = 60; supraventricular tachyarrhythmias = 5) occurred in 25 (15%) of the 167 patients in the diltiazem group and 40 (25%) of the 163 patients in the placebo group (P = .03). When compared with placebo, diltiazem nearly halved the incidence of clinically significant arrhythmias (17/167 [10%] vs. 31/163 [19%], P = .02). The 2 groups did not differ in the incidence of other major postoperative complications or overall duration or costs of hospitalization. No serious adverse effects caused by diltiazem were seen. CONCLUSIONS After major thoracic operations, prophylactic diltiazem reduced the incidence of clinically significant atrial arrhythmias in patients considered at high risk for this complication.
Knowledge, Finance and Human Capital: The Role of Social Institutional Variables on Entrepreneurship in Japan

New technology-based firms are acknowledged as playing an important role in the knowledge-based economy. Policy makers in Japan have advocated the creation of such firms, focusing on two primary fields--biotechnology and information technology (IT)--which are expected to make major contributions to Japan's international competitiveness, to the creation of new industries, and to employment opportunities. Although several empirical studies have been conducted into such firms in the West, few comparable studies have been undertaken in Japan using original data from indigenous firms. This paper addresses this gap by examining several firm-level and managerial characteristics of Japanese biotechnology and IT venture firms, in the context of three social institutional variables that impact on entrepreneurship and the growth of such firms: knowledge, finance and human capital.
Leveraging the innovative performance of human capital through HRM and social capital in Spanish firms

Literature on Intellectual Capital provides interesting arguments about the key role of social and human capital, not only separately but also jointly, for innovation activities. Thus, given the acknowledged importance of these variables, this article studies (1) the direct relationship between social and human capital and innovative performance, (2) the links between these two components of intellectual capital, as well as the possible mediating role of human capital, (3) the effect of particular human resource management (HRM) practices (selection procedures, development programmes, empowerment and use of incentives on compensation) on social and human capital, and (4) the influence of innovative performance on firm performance. In our study, we define a population of firms in the most innovative Spanish sectors for an empirical test of this model, focusing on their R&D departments. Using data taken from 85 firms and applying Structural Equation Models, we have tested the hypotheses and obtained interesting results. It is the uniqueness of human capital, and not its value, which has a direct and positive effect on firm innovativeness. Such uniqueness, in turn, is enhanced through social capital and HRM practices such as empowerment and employee selection based on learning potential and interpersonal abilities. Social capital does not have, per se, a direct influence on innovation, but it indirectly does through human capital. Social capital, in turn, can be enhanced by the selection of individuals with learning potential and interpersonal skills, as well as by their involvement in decision-making processes. Finally, innovation improves firm performance.
Three Female Familial Cases of Solid Pseudopapillary Tumors With a Protease Serine 1 Gene Mutation

Abstract Solid pseudopapillary tumors (SPTs) are a rare pancreatic neoplastic lesion. Familial aggregation has not been reported in this disease. The objectives of this study were to report the history, clinicopathological features, and gene mutations of 3 familial cases of SPT. Three female cases of SPT presented in 1 family. Eight family relatives, 5 healthy volunteers, and 8 patients with SPT acted as controls. Histological examination and immunohistochemistry were performed on the surgical tumor specimens. Polymerase chain reaction–single-strand conformation polymorphism and gene sequencing were performed on genomic DNA extracted from blood. All 3 patients underwent surgical treatment, 2 patients died (3 months and 5 months after surgery), whereas neither recurrence nor metastasis was observed in the other patient during 2-year follow-up. The tumors from the 3 cases had identical immunoreactivity to a series of molecular markers. A Leu104Val mutation of protease serine 1 (PRSS1) was observed in the familial patients and 2 healthy male family members; no &bgr;-catenin or adenomatous polyposis coli mutations were detected in the familial cases. This study indicates the possibility of genetic involvement in the pathogenesis of SPT. Family history may be a positive predictive factor for malignancy in SPT.
Essays on gradual wage-price adjustments, monetary unions and open economy macrodynamics

This dissertation deals with the role of wage and price inflation dynamics and of monetary policy for the stability of monetary economies from the theoretical and empirical perspective. On the one hand, it analyzes the case of small open economies within a monetary union where, by definition, the country-specific nominal exchange rate channel does not exist anymore and where therefore the degree of macroeconomic flexibility relies to a much larger extent on the dynamics of domestic wage and price inflation. On the other hand, the interplay between the nominal exchange rate dynamics and the behavior of wage and price inflation in open economies is investigated.
Toward a User Commitment Continuum

User commitment to a new information system is critical to its success. But what does this mean? One explanatory theory is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which has gained wide recognition, but has also been criticized for its inability to account for temporal and contextual differences as well as its failure to consider how user commitment grows and changes with system use. This paper suggests that “user commitment” is not a binary proposition, but rather is better described as a range of values on a continuum. We propose such a model with at least four major components.
SERUM CYTOKINE LEVELS AND ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO INFLUENZA VACCINE IN THE ELDERLY

Cytokines play critical roles in regulating the antibody response to vaccines. We sought to understand the role of endogenous cytokines in the determination of antibody production in the elderly, a group of subjects known to have a lower response rate to vaccination. We found that in a healthy elderly group, only 52% of whom responded to the influenza vaccine, endogenous levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10 and gamma interferon (IFNγ) did not differ statistically significantly between responders and non-responders (responders: n = 27, IL-6 = 293 ± 101 pg/ml, IL-10 = 882 ± 240 pg/ml; non-responders: n = 26, IL-6 = 223 ± 71 pg/ml, P = 0.57, IL-10 = 445 ± 148 pg/ml, mean ± SE, P = 0.14, respectively, and undetectable IFNγ). Serum levels of these three cytokines were not changed significantly four weeks after vaccination (P < 0.05 for IL-6 and P < 0.01 for IL-10). In addition, there were also no age-dependent differences in serum IL-6 and IL-10 levels.
X-ray microscopy studies of protein adsorption on a phase segregated polystyrene/polymethylmethacrylate surface. 2. Effect of pH on site preference.

X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (XPEEM) using synchrotron radiation illumination has been used to study the adsorption of human serum albumin (HSA) onto a phase segregated polystyrene/polymethylmethacrylate (PS/PMMA) blend surface from solutions of five different pH values. The absolute coverage of albumin on each of three chemically distinct components of the surface, PS domains, PMMA domains, and the interface between the domains, was determined from a quantitative analysis of C 1s image sequences. At all pH values, the preferred adsorption site is the interface. At neutral pH (7.0), albumin showed a slight preference for PS regions relative to PMMA. At strongly acidic pH (2.0) and strongly basic pH (10.0), similar amounts of albumin adsorb on the PS and PMMA regions. However, at pH 4.0, the amount of albumin adsorbed on PMMA domains is approximately 1.6 times greater than that on PS domains, while at pH 8.6 the amount of albumin adsorbed on PMMA is one-half that adsorbed on PS domains. The pH dependence of the site preference is rationalized in terms of the known changes of albumin conformation with pH [Peters, T. , Jr. All About Albumin: Biochemistry, Genetics, and Medical Applications; Academic Press: New York, 1995]. We infer from our results that the site preference of albumin adsorption on PS/PMMA blends is related mainly to changes in hydrophobic interactions, which are driven by pH-dependent electrostatic effects, that is, changes to the protein surface structure as the charge on the protein changes. The results provide insight into changes in the secondary structure of albumin in acid and basic media.
An Analysis of Financial Analysts' Optimism in Long-term Growth Forecasts

A large body of literature has rejected rational expectations in relation to analyst forecasts. In this paper we start with a boundedly rational premise that analysts and managers adopt are influenced by the availability heuristic (Tversky and Kahneman [1973]). In the presence of business cycles, a rational growth forecast presupposes precise knowledge of the factors that cause a business cycle. In contrast, under the availability heuristic the current state is overweighted in the growth forecast and so whatever part of the business cycle the economy is currently in will be preserved by the investment decision. As a result, under the hypothesis of the availability heuristic we will observe ex-post, a systematic association between the drivers of this behavior (e.g., current state of the economy, industry, current performance) and subsequent forecast errors and (realized) growth when related to specific properties of the business cycle. We test for this condition and find evidence in support of it. The boundedly rational premise also provides a prediction for the nature of information that can improve analyst forecasts. The results from our analysis provide support for conclusion that a major driver of the boundedly rational behavior is ignoring the business cycle. Together these results provide direct evidence in support of Sargent's [2001] conjecture that a plausible reason for departures from rational expectations is the overly strong assumptions regarding the knowledge the agents are assumed to possess regarding the underlying laws of motion for the economy.
Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability

During the last months of 2007, the beginnings of ‘‘The Great Recession’’ unfolded. While nowhere near as severe as the Great Depression eighty years earlier, over the course of the past two years, this economic disruption has already significantly altered the way America lives. Since the effects were first felt, and feelings of economic insecurity have spread, people have started to reassess what is necessary for a high-quality life. A Pew Research Center (Morin and Taylor 2009) poll conducted in April found that Americans’ understanding of what goods are indispensable has shifted significantly since 2006. While cars and cell phones are still seen as necessities, dryers, air conditioners, and many other goods are increasingly seen as luxuries that can be done without. More Americans are also starting to change how they consume, doing their own repairs, cutting back on luxury item purchases, and even starting backyard gardens to the point that some seeds are in short supply. Perhaps most interesting, according to a Rasmussen (2009) poll, one-third of the adults under thirty now prefer socialism to capitalism, while another 30 percent are undecided. These shifts in behaviors, feelings, and ideals are perhaps not surprising considering that unemployment rates have more than doubled to 9.5 percent since the recession began. Since then, an additional 7.2 million people have lost their jobs (bringing the total to 14.7 million) and countless thousands have literally had to abandon the trappings of their overextended consumer lifestyles—from large homes, to boats, to recreational vehicles, horses, even their family pets. The question remains though, will this Great Recession have a lasting impact on how we live, transforming our very cultures, or will we go back to our consumptive ways as soon as the market recovers and we feel secure enough to start consuming freely once again? If it is up to political and business leaders, the answer may very well be that this was just a hiccup, as there are new strategies being tested to effectively market stuff to worried and reluctant consumers, and many political leaders have passed and continue to push legislation that will infuse billions of dollars to stimulate the economy so it once again keeps growing. In reality, the only reason this is a Great Recession is because it gives humanity a chance to reflect on the path it is taking and to recognize that this high consumption way of life—a way of life that has spread so extensively around the world over the last six decades—is utterly unsustainable. If we can use this moment to start redirecting our path toward a more sustainable future—to literally reorient our cultural systems away from consumerism and toward sustainability—only then will we, as a species, be able to thrive long into the future. But if instead, we continue to pursue well-being in the near-term in ways that undermine our long-term security, then humanity’s very survival may be at stake.
Impact of apo(a) length polymorphism and the control of plasma Lp(a) concentrations: evidence for a threshold effect.

Plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels are believed to be controlled predominantly by the apolipoprotein(a) [APO(a)] gene, which encodes the apo(a) glycoprotein, a key constituent of the Lp(a) particle. Previously, it has been accepted that the plasma Lp(a) level is inversely proportional to apo(a) length. To examine this relationship in greater detail, 1500 unrelated, homogeneous (sex, race, age, plasma lipids) subjects were studied, from which 769 were identified with a single-expressing APO(a) allele. A bimodal frequency distribution of apo(a) isoforms was observed. As expected, there was a general inverse relationship between apo(a) isoform size and Lp(a) level. However, when groups with equivalent single-expressing apo(a) isoforms were studied, it was clear that although smaller isoforms were associated on average with higher levels, they were also associated with the greatest variability in level. After logarithmic transformation of Lp(a) data, the overall contribution of the apo(a) length polymorphism was calculated to be 38%. However, in subjects with apo(a) isoforms of </=20 kringle-4 (K-4) repeats, only 9% of the variability in Lp(a) concentration is explicable on the basis of the apo(a) length polymorphism. In those with apo(a) isoforms of >20 K-4 repeats, the corresponding contribution is 10%. We conclude that the contribution of the apo(a) isoform size to the control of plasma Lp(a) level is considerably lower than previously calculated, because the variability in plasma Lp(a) concentration is not uniform across the apo(a) size spectrum.
Land Bank 2.0: An Empirical Evaluation

Cuyahoga County created a land bank in 2009 explicitly intended to acquire low-value properties, mitigate blighted housing, help stabilize neighborhoods, and slow the decline of property values. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the land bank by estimating spatially-corrected hedonic price models using sales near the land bank homes. Homes that sold within 500 feet of a property that would be acquired by the land bank in the next six months show a 3 to 5 percent discount versus observationally similar homes. Homes that sold within 500 feet of a land bank owned home sold at prices approximately 5 percent higher than similar homes. A land bank demolition appears to have a positive externality, which adds 9 percent to the value of a nearby home sale. These results are consistent through a wide variety of specifications, but they are not measured precisely enough to be statistically significant.
Strategies for delivering local anesthetics to the skin: focus on liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, hydrogels and patches

Introduction: Dermal and transdermal drug delivery systems offer the possibility to control the release of the drug for an extended period of time. In particular, skin-delivery of local anesthetics (LA) is one of the most important strategies to increase the local drug concentration and to reduce systemic adverse reactions. Areas covered: During the development phase of new formulations for skin-delivery of LA one should consider a set of desirable features such providing suitable adhesion, easy application/removal and also to be biocompatible, biodegradable and non-toxic. This review emphasizes the main strategies for skin-delivery of LA considering those features in relation to the composition of the delivery systems described. The topics highlight the relationships between physico-chemical studies and pharmaceutical applications for liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles as well as the formulation and clinical applications for hydrogels and patches. Expert opinion: The development of LA skin-delivery systems using hydrogels and different permeation enhancers, liposomes or lipid nanoparticles (as isolated carrier systems or as their dispersion in a gel-base) and patches have been explored as alternatives to commercial formulations, modifying the release rate of LA, increasing bioadhesive properties and reducing toxicity, resulting in an improved therapeutic efficacy. This review should provide to the reader a special emphasis on four delivery-systems, comprising the group of liposomes and lipid nanoparticles, hydrogels and patches technologies looking forward their application for skin anesthesia.
Impact of Monetary Policy on Inflation Control in Nigeria

Inflation is a major problem facing Nigeria as a country today. This has led to reduction in the standard of living of Nigerians. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), however, has made efforts to fight it using different policy measures, of which monetary policy is one of them. Thus this paper focuses on the use of monetary policy to check inflation in Nigeria. The study is based on time series data from 1970 to 2010. Employing the method of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) to estimate the model results, the study found that bank rate, deposit with the central bank, liquidity ratio, and broad money supply are statistically significant in explaining changes in inflation. However, exchange rate was found not to account for significant changes in inflation in Nigeria. The study recommended the need to check the excess reserves of commercial banks, which will help keep money supply at a low level.
Consumer behavior on Facebook

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate consumers’ voluntary behaviors on Facebook through exploring how members’ community participation affects consumer citizenship behaviors toward the brand. The study also provided further insight into the mediating effect by considering brand trust and community identification. Design/methodology/approach – This research begins by developing a framework to describe and examine the relationship among Facebook participants, brand trust, community identification, and consumer citizenship behaviors. Furthermore, it tests the mediating effects of brand trust and community identification on the relationship between Facebook participation and consumer citizenship behaviors. The model and hypotheses in this study employ structural equation modeling with survey data. Findings – First, this study reveals consumers’ community participation on Facebook has directly positive and significant effects on brand trust and community identification. Second, this research c.