Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative evaluation of 1,3,1,6 β-D-glucan contents in wild-growing species of edible Polish mushrooms

Background Macrofungal β-glucans are mainly represented by compounds with β-1,3- and β-1,6 glycosidic bonds. They have been shown to have immunomodulatory, anticancer, and antioxidant properties. Although there are many reports on the bioactivity and structure of fungal glucans, studies on the quantitative assessment of these compounds are sparse. Objective The aim of the study was to determine total β-glucans and 1,3-1,6-β-D-glucan contents in selected species of wild-growing edible Polish mushrooms. Material and methods Eight species of wild-growing edible mushrooms Boletus pinophilus, Hydnum repandum, Craterellus cornucopioides, Suillus variegatus, Suillus granulatus, Gyroporus cyanescens, Tricholomopsis rutilans, and Auricularia auricula-judae and one species of cultivated mushroom for comparison purposes Agaricus bisporus, were analyzed. Quantitative analysis of 1,3-1,6-β-D-glucans was done using a colorimetric method in accordance with Nitschke et al. Result Mean total β-glucan content varied from 13.5 g/100 g dry mass in A. bisporus (portobello variety) to 40.9 g/100 g dry mass in T. rutilans. Mean 1,3-1,6-β-D-glucan content in the analyzed fruiting bodies ranged from 3.9 g/100 g dry mass in Agaricus bisporus (cremini) to 16.8 g/100 g dry mass in Auricularia auricula-judae (wood ear). The following mushrooms demonstrated the greatest percentage of 1,3-1,6-β-D-glucan contents in relation to the total β-glucan content: Gyroporus cyanescens (54%), Suillus granulatus (49.8%), Auricularia auricula-judae (47.9%), and Suillus variegatus (40.6%). Conclusions Among the analyzed species, wild-growing mushrooms had a generally higher average 1,3-1,6-β-Dglucan content compared with cultivated mushrooms such as A. bisporus. The highest average content of these polysaccharides was observed in medicinal mushroom Auricularia auricula-judae. Comparable 1,3-1,6-β-D-glucan content, in relation to this mushroom species, was found in Gyroporus cyanescens, Suillus granulatus and Suillus variegatus, which points to the possibility of the use of these species of mushrooms as medicinal foods.
Human Vascular Reactivity and Polymorphisms of the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme and the Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor Genes

The D allele of the insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and the C allele of the A1166-C polymorphism in the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGT1R) gene have been associated with altered vascular structure and with an increased risk of myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to determine whether differences in vascular function could be demonstrated to link the previously described changes in structure and the disease outcome. 70 subjects were recruited at random from patients undergoing colonic resection, resistance arteries were excised and were mounted in a small vessel wire myograph. Vasomotor responses to potassium chloride, noradrenaline, prostaglandin F2α, angiotensin I, angiotensin II, acetylcholine and substance P were performed in 30 subjects. Genotype was established in a blinded fashion after completion of myography. To exclude the possibility of masking of genetic influence by non-ACE conversion of angiotensin I, vasomotor responses were then performed to proline10-angiotensin I in a further 30 subjects and to angiotensin I in the presence of chymostatin in a further 10 subjects. No significant effect of the I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene was seen on vasomotor function. The C allele of the AGT1R gene was associated with an increase in sensitivity to prostaglandin F2α but not with alteration to the other vasoactive agents studied. The I/D ACE and A1166-C AGT1 receptor polymorphism do not appear to result in differences in vasomotor function in isolated human mesenteric resistance arterioles in subjects without evidence of underlying hypertensive or cardiovascular disease.
Maximum likelihood combining for noncoherent and differentially coherent frequency-hopping multiple-access systems

The frequency-hopping multiple-access (FHMA) approach to digital mobile radio provides diversity gain against frequency selective fading. Optimum combining methods, in the maximum likelihood sense, are derived for FHMA systems with either noncoherent or differentially coherent detection. In the optimum combining structure, the detector outputs are first passed through a nonlinearity and then a linear combiner.
Experimental Study and Device Design of NO, NO2, and NH3 Gas Detection for a Wide Dynamic and Large Temperature Range Using Pt/AlGaN/GaN HEMT

We report an AlGaN/GaN HEMT gas sensor designed to enable NO, NO2, and NH3 detection from 100 °C-400 °C over a large concentration range. Device modeling is performed to optimize several HEMT device parameters for sensing, and the experimental results show that the optimized sensor has improved performance compared with the previously reported HEMT sensors. The device shows significant no sensitivity for the first time in an HEMT device, with sensitivity up to 7% at 400 °C. In addition, high sensitivities of up to 17% are reported for NO2, and NH3 is detected at concentrations as low as 150 ppb.
A knowledge destination framework for tourism sustainability: A business intelligence application from Sweden

Based on Grant's (1996) knowledge-based view of the fi rm, Jafari's (2001) knowledge-based platform of thinking and Schianetz, Kavanagh and Lockington (2007a) Learning Tourism Destination, the Knowledge Destination Framework (Hopken, Fuchs, Keil & Lexhagen, 2011) is introduced and a Web-based Destination Management Information system (DMIS) is presented. It is illustrated how knowledge creation, exchange and application processes can be improved by applying a Business Intelligence approach. By focusing on Online-Analytical Processing (OLAP), exemplarily for the Swedish tourism destination of Are, it is highlighted how DMIS can be used as a monitor for measuring the proportion of tourists with the smallest ecological footprint (Dolnicar, Crouch & Long, 2008; Dolnicar & Leisch, 2008). After a discussion of study limitations, future research steps are outlined. Th e paper concludes by providing some critical remarks on the political economics of sustainability on a global scale and by outlining policy implications for the governance of sustainability at the level of tourism destinations.
The Impact of Free Trade Agreements on Business Activity: A Survey of Firms in the People's Republic of China

The Peopleâ€™s Republic of China (PRC) has emerged as a major player in the global economy and considers free trade agreements (FTAs) an important part of its global trading strategy. The PRCâ€™s export industries are embedded in existing regional and global production networks and are reliant on foreign direct investment flows and external supplies of material and intermediate goods. Immediately after its accession to the World Trade Organization in December 2001, the PRC adopted a regional approach to trade and began negotiating and implementing FTAs. This paper analyzes the results of a survey undertaken across 232 Chinese firms with regard to FTA-related issues such as utilization, perceived costs and benefits, perceptions of multiple rules of origin, and policy and institutional support mechanisms. It was found that, of the firms surveyed, 45% were using FTAs to some extent. While this utilization rate appears relatively high, and reflects the assertive stance of Chinese firms when it comes to exploring market opportunities, the actual coverage of export value by FTAs is variable. In general, Chinese firms view FTAs as a way to increase their access to partner markets. Nevertheless, there remains an orientation toward the United States and other traditional markets. However, over time, as rebalancing of growth takes place, there may be a shift in market orientation toward the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and regional markets and the use of FTAs may intensify. This study offers several proposals to increase FTA use, including the expansion of support services for firms, the promotion of larger regional FTAs, and the creation of more opportunities for collaboration between the government and the private sector.
Which Takeovers Are Profitable? Strategic or Financial?

Are friendly takeover transactions between firms in overlapping businesses likely to be more profitable to acquirers than hostile takeovers involving firms in unrelated businesses? In a detailed study, the authors examine strategic and financial takeovers to determine which generated gains for acquirers, using the fifty largest U.S. industrial takeovers from 1979 to mid-1984 as their sample. Healy et al. also studied the relation between takeover profitability and three characteristics of the transactions that company management controlled: 1.The target company managers' attitudes, which generally predicted the acquiring company's plans for the target firm. 2. The form of payment, i.e., equity financing or stock and debt securities. 3. The degree of overlap between the merging firms' businesses. High overlap gave the targets and acquirers synergistic gains. Were the takeovers profitable? The results show that takeovers do improve performance, but the insignificant industry-adjusted cash flow returns after takeover indicate that the improvement was insufficient for the acquirer to earn returns beyond those required to justify the premium. Which takeovers were more profitable? The results show that strategic or friendly takeovers generated substantial gains for acquirers. Financial, or unfriendly, transactions broke even at best. The authors also examined how investors' expectations related to the subsequent results of the takeovers. The market did not seem to recognize the difference in profitability between strategic and financial transactions.
Cone contrast influence on components of the pattern onset/offset VECP

Transient visual evoked cortical potentials (VECP) were recorded from the scalp of healthy normal trichromats (n = 12). VECPs were elicited by onset/offset presentation of patterned stimuli of two kinds: isochromatic luminance‐modulated, and equiluminant red‐green modulated, sine wave gratings. The amplitude and latency of the major onset components of the onset/offset VECP were measured and plotted as a function of the logarithm of pooled cone contrast. The early onset components, achromatic C1 and chromatic N1, increase linearly with log contrast, but N1 has a higher contrast gain than C1. The late onset components, achromatic C2 and chromatic N2, have similar contrast gain, and similar response as a function of contrast level: both increase in the low‐to‐medium range of contrasts and saturate at high contrast levels. In the range of pooled cone contrast tested, C1 and N1 show similar latencies, whilst C2 shows shorter latencies than N2. We suggest that C1 and N1 are generated by the same visual mechanism with high red‐green contrast gain and low luminance contrast gain, whilst C2 and N2 are generated by different visual mechanisms.
Comparing Public and Private Institutions That Have and Have Not Implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems: A Resource Dependence Perspective.

iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . v LIST OF TABLES . ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 Overview . 1 Literature Overview . 3 Theoretical Framework . 6 Purpose . 8 Research Questions . 8 Methods. 9 Definitions. 10 Limitations . 13 Significance of the Study . 15 Summary . 16 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 18 Overview . 18 IT in Higher Education . 20 Funding in Higher Education . 28 ERP Systems Implementation. 35 Costs of ERP Systems Implementation . 43 Theoretical Framework . 53 Summary . 68 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODS . 70 Introduction . 70 Research Design . 70 Data Sources . 71 Sample Institutions. 73 Data Collection Procedures . 74 Independent Variables . 77 Data Analyses . 83 Research Questions . 86 Summary . 88 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS . 89 Overview . 89 Discriminant Function Analysis Model . 90 Institutional Characteristics . 90 Resource and Customer Variables . 96 Paired Samples t-test Model . 106
Strategic industrial sourcing : the Japanese advantage

Japanese industrial firms have developed a system of subcontracting with suppliers that has played a major role in their world-wide success. This book explores the historical evolution of subcontracting in Japan and analyses it in current practice. It develops a theory of 'strategic dualism' that after nearly six decades of evolution is a new mode of contractual relations, based on principles of problem-solving collaborative manufacturing. This new form of contractual relations is supported by a range of institutional arrangements that drive prime contractors and subcontractors towards continuous improvement in product quality and cost reduction. It argues that this system is possible in a range of cultures different from Japan.
The Impact of Trust on Acceptance of Online Banking

Major benefits of Online Banking include for banks cost savings, and for customers convenience. Nevertheless, many people perceive Internet banking as risky. This paper introduces a tentative conceptual framework. Trust will be integrated into the Technology Acceptance Model – TAM (Davis, 1989). Recent research showed that Trust has a striking influence on user willingness to engage in online exchanges of money and personal sensitive information. Detailed literature about Online Banking and Trust is provided. TAM is discussed in depth; external variables that are suitable for the Online Banking context is suggested. In addition the theoretical justification for the conceptual framework integration is discussed. Finally managerial implications and recommendations for Online Banking acceptance are suggested. COPYRIGHT Attention is drawn to the fact that copyright on this work rests with its author. This copy of the project has been supplied on the condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the project and no information derived from it may be published without the prior consent of the author.
Stay or Leave Again? New Evidence for Bulgarian Return Migration

The paper focuses on the "stay or leave again" dilemma of Bulgarian return migrants. Data from a unique representative survey among households and their members who had been abroad during the period 2001-2005 is utilized. Special attention is paid on the satisfaction from the stay abroad and on the inclination of return migrants to leave again. Two binary regression models are estimated for this purpose. The independent variables reflect the socio-demographic profile and foreign experience of return migrants. Satisfaction is related to age, duration of the stay abroad, qualified job under official contract, and employment in services. Clear differences in satisfaction levels are found with respect to the region of stay: almost each fourth respondent returned from Southern Europe was not satisfied. Nevertheless, the majority of return migrants express a high likelihood to go abroad again. The availability of acquaintances residing abroad is found to be a strong determinant of the re-migration likelihood. The leave again question has a clear positive answer for return migrants satisfied with their foreign experience. However, Bulgarian labor market faces a serious deficit in a range of professions which is supported by the finding that educational level acts as a hold-up factor regarding return migrants' likelihood to leave again.
Corporate Reporting on the Internet by Irish Companies

The use of the Internet for financial reporting purposes by 109 Irish companies in 1998 is examined. The relationship between Internet disclosure and size, leverage, demand for corporate information and industry is analysed. Results show that 35 (37 per cent) listed and 15 (100 per cent) semi-state companies had a Web site. Larger companies, with larger annual report print runs, were significantly more likely to have a Web site. There was no association between presence of an Internet site and leverage or number of shareholders. Companies in the services and financial industries were significantly more likely to have a Web site.
Surgical Treatment of Pressure Ulcers with a Fibrin Sealant in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: A Cost-Consequence Analysis

BACKGROUND: A comparative study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and costs of a fibrin sealant (Tissucol Duo [known as Tisseel in the United States], Baxter International, Deerfield, Illinois) to improve postoperative outcomes in patients with spinal cord injury undergoing surgical treatment for pressure ulcers (PrUs). METHODS: Between January and June 2011, 27 patients underwent surgical treatment for PrUs with the direct application of Tissucol Duo sprayed before closure. The costs and outcomes obtained in this cohort were compared with those obtained in a previous retrospective study where 71 patients underwent conventional surgery. RESULTS: Lower rates of hematoma-seroma were observed in the study group (3.7% vs 33.8%; P < .05). Drain removal occurred earlier (10 vs 15 days; P < .05), and the average drain volume was also lower (155 vs 360 mL; P < .05) for this group. The mean length of hospital stay was significantly lower in the study group and was the main contributing factor to the overall costs. CONCLUSIONS: The application of Tissucol Duo during surgical treatment of PrUs in patients with spinal cord injury has been shown to be effective in reducing postoperative complications and in shortening the duration of the hospital stay with a consequent savings in costs.
Headquarter-subsidiary relationships in multinational corporations

The aim of this dissertation is to describe and analyze how headquarter-subsidiary relationships are managed in multinational corporations. More specifically, based on an intensive investigation of six MNCs, this study addresses the following questions: What systems or instruments does the MNC use to coordinate and control the activities of the foreign subsidiaries? How are these systems designed and managed? How do the environment and strategy of the MNC, i.e. the environmental and strategic context, influence the need for coordination and control of the foreign subsidiaries and the design and functioning of the various coordination and control systems? How do the design and functioning of the total configuration of systems influence the mode of managing headquarter-subsidiary relationships and the performance of the MNC? How are various coordination and control systems interrelated within a single MNC
Entrepreneurial Intentions towards Individual vs. Corporate Entrepreneurship

An individual’s intention to behave entrepreneurially will have attitudinal and self-efficacy antecedents. Nascent entrepreneurs also have the choice to behave entrepreneurially in their own new business or to behave entrepreneurially in an existing business (as an intrapreneur). When faced with choice, intentions are driven by attitudes towards elements of the outcomes associated with the choice items. Since the outcomes of self-employment and employment as an intrapreneur typically differ in terms of level of decision-making autonomy, degree of ownership and degree of risk exposure, we might expect the choice between these alternative career paths to depend on the individual’s attitudes to autonomy, ownership and risk. We also expect self-efficacy to moderate the effect of attitudes on intentions, since self-employment involves considerable risk and greater personal decision responsibility. Our empirical tests confirm these expectations, with the intention to engage in individual entrepreneurship or corporate entrepreneurship having different attitudinal antecedents, with one of the attitude variables interacting with entrepreneurial self-efficacy.
{Delta}Np73{beta} puts the brakes on DNA repair.

Mammalian cells are barraged with endogenous metabolic byproducts and environmental insults that can lead to nearly a million genomic lesions per cell per day. Networks of proteins that repair these lesions are essential for genome maintenance, and a compromise in these pathways propagates mutations that can cause aging and cancer. The p53 tumor suppressor plays a central role in repairing the effects of DNA damage, and has therefore earned the title of "guardian of the genome. " In this issue of Genes & Development, Wilhelm and colleagues (pp. 549-560) demonstrate that p73-an older sibling of p53-inhibits pathways that resolve DNA double-strand breaks.
WAGES, M OBILITY A ND FIRM PERFORMANCE: ADVANTAGES A ND INSIGHTS FROM USING M ATCHED WORKER-FIRM D ATA*

To illustrate the wide applicability of longitudinal matched employer-employee data, we study the simultaneous determination of worker mobility and wage rates using an econometric model that allows for both individual and firm-level heterogeneity. The model is estimated using longitudinally linked employer–employee data from France. Structural results for mobility show remarkable heterogeneity with both positive and negative duration dependence present in a significant proportion of firms. The average structural returns to seniority are essentially zero, but this result masks enormous heterogeneity with positive seniority returns found in low starting-wage firms. In this article, we reconsider the relation between earnings and mobility using newly developed longitudinal matched employer-employee data. Our research is positioned at the intersection of labour economics and human resource management; however, the techniques we use and the ideas we examine have broad applicability. We develop this idea immediately. Longitudinally linked employer–employee data can be characterised as follows. Labour markets are used as a motivating example. The population frame from which such data are created is a record of all formal jobs in the economy over a specific time period. A job consists of an association between in individual (worker) and an employing entity (firm 1 ). The longitudinally linked data are constructed following jobs over time and by adding information from two additional population frames: workers and firms. Longitudinal information from both of these sources is integrated into the job frame. Then, an analysis sample is constructed based on individuals, jobs or employers according to the question under study.
Hair bundles teaming up to tune the mammalian cochlea

The mammalian inner ear separates complex sounds into individual frequency and amplitude components with remarkable precision. The active process is a term coined to encompass the mechanisms involved in establishing both frequency selectivity and sensitivity of the living cochlea (1). The underlying molecular mechanisms that establish the active process are under debate and incorporate two distinct schools of thought. The first and more widely accepted is based on outer hair cell (OHC) somatic motility. The second theory hinges on active hair bundle motility. In this issue of PNAS, Dierkes et al. (2) create a biophysical model of outer hair cells where hair bundles are tethered to each other by the tectorial membrane, the overlying membrane in which OHC hair bundles are embedded. This association enhances both the frequency selectivity and the gain provided by the hair bundle active processes. This model is significant because it demonstrates a realistic mechanism by which hair bundle force generation can be used in tandem to make a significant contribution to the active process and because it provides a basis in which the disparate mechanisms of the active process might be unified. That is, although the model does not explicitly include outer hair cell motility or the resonant properties of the tectorial membrane, considering these additional variables in the framework presented may provide a means by which both measured frequency and sensitivity can be reproduced theoretically.