Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychological Differences Between Veterans With and Without Gulf War Unexplained Symptoms

Objective The objective of this study was to assess measures of psychological and neurobehavioral functioning to determine their association with unexplained symptoms in Gulf War veterans. Methods An epidemiological survey focusing on exposures and symptoms was mailed to a random sample of Gulf War veterans from Oregon and southwestern Washington. Volunteers were recruited from survey respondents who agreed to undergo a thorough medical examination and psychological and neurobehavioral assessment. Persistent symptoms with no medical explanation associated with service in the Persian Gulf (eg, fatigue, muscle pain, and memory deficits) that began during or after the war qualified respondents as cases. The 241 veterans with unexplained symptoms were classified as case subjects, and the 113 veterans without symptoms were classified as control subjects. All veterans completed a battery of computerized assessment tests consisting of 12 psychosocial and 6 neurobehavioral tests. Differences between case and control subjects on neurobehavioral and psychological variables were assessed with univariate and multivariate statistical comparisons. Results Case subjects differed substantially and consistently from control subjects on diverse psychological tests in the direction of increased distress and psychiatric symptoms. Case subjects had small but statistically significant deficits relative to control subjects on some neurobehavioral tests of memory, attention, and response speed. A logistic regression model consisting of four psychological variables but no neurobehavioral variables classified case and control subjects with 86% accuracy. Conclusions Our results revealed that Gulf War veterans who report symptoms associated with that conflict differed on multiple psychological measures in the direction of increased distress and performed more poorly on neurobehavioral measures when compared with control subjects who did not report symptoms. This suggests that psychological differences have a prominent role in investigation of possible explanations of Gulf War symptoms.
A study of geographical distance groups on length of visitors’ stay at local food festival destinations

The primary aims of this study are to (1) explain the geographical distance groups (GDGs) in relation to the origin of visitors to local festival destinations, (2) examine the probability of visitors staying overnight at a festival destination as affected by GDGs and salient trip-related variables, and (3) identify the effects of GDGs and trip-related variables on length of stay (LOS). Data were collected during two local food festivals in the Midwestern area of the United States in 2010. The results of this study reveal that the consideration of geographical distance is most beneficial in capturing the target market for local festivals. Additionally, it is also found that LOS and overnight stay is predicted by the visitors’ trip-related characteristics of the destination, such as the number of previous visits to the festival, immediate group size, and distance from festival. From the results and findings of this study, managerial and academic implications are offered.
Examination of the Hierarchical Self-Esteem Model in Adults with Physical Disability

The primary purpose of this research was to examine the validity of the hierarchical physical self-perceptions model developed by Fox and Corbin (1989) within a population of physically disabled individuals. The secondary purpose was to compare the physical self-perceptions of those who were physically active and physically inactive. 97 adults with physical disabilities completed a self-esteem scale and the Physical Self-perception Profile, Japanese short version to assess General Physical Self-worth and its subdomains of Perceived Sports Competence, Physical Condition, Attractive Body, and Physical Strength. Path analysis showed adequate fit of the data to the hierarchical physical self-perception model. In general, physical self-perceptions were rated more favorably by physically active participants.
Testing the Efficacy of an Integrative Model for Community Participation

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an integrative model for community participation in tourism development. Termed as motivation—opportunity—ability (MOA), the model integrated two streams of research, “means” and “ends” oriented studies, with the intent of providing a holistic view of community participation research. To test the hypothesized relationships, data were collected from a stratified random sample of households in Charleston, South Carolina. The data provided some support for the model; the findings suggest that the extent to which community members participate in the tourism development process depends on motivation, opportunity, and ability to participate. Practical and theoretical implications have been discussed within the general framework of community participation.
Data-sharing bottlenecks in transboundary integrated water resources management: a case study of the Mekong River Commission’s procedures for data sharing in the Thai context

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) relies on co-ordination, co-operation and sharing of collected data amongst relevant organizations. This article presents the results of systematic research into non-technical barriers that influence IWRM-related data sharing in transboundary contexts, with a focus on the Mekong River Commission’s procedures for data sharing in Thailand. The current extent of data sharing is quite limited. The main bottlenecks hindering relevant Thai organizations’ sharing data across national boundaries appear to be a perception of limited gains, and concerns for national security. The article concludes that data sharing for IWRM implementation cannot be radically improved without significant changes in the mindsets of the relevant organizations, and suggests how to achieve this.
The Geography of Knowledge Sourcing—A Case Study of Polish Manufacturing Enterprises

Abstract The assumption that geographic proximity between innovating partners is of great importance is widely unquestioned and it has been documented by studies of high-tech areas in advanced countries. Until now, the pattern of cooperation among firms in low- and medium-tech industry in more peripheral locations has not been a subject of study to the same degree. This article sets out to question the rationales behind the territorial innovation theories, and, in particular, their views on the role of the region in the era of globalization. It is found that the regional focus is less fruitful when it comes to explaining the innovation pattern of individual firms today. Notions of proximity are particularly suited for identifying the spatial variety of inter-firm relations, in combination with notions of firm capabilities. Against this background, the article detects the pattern and role of knowledge sourcing of low- and medium-tech firms in a peripheral context of Poland. It sheds light on the capability of firms to source useful knowledge for innovation, and particularly, on the geography of their knowledge sourcing. The analysis shows that the firms are capable of sourcing knowledge in a flexible and complex way, and that a division of labour exists between regional, global and national knowledge sources. Global sources are seen as the most important sources of innovation, while the regional level basically provides a labour market and entrepreneurship. Thus, the research of this article does not support ideas of clustering or local buzz or of perceiving the region as mediator. On the contrary, the research suggests that knowledge sourcing for innovation is global. The theoretical part of the paper is rooted in a critical assessment of the ongoing debate on “proximity”. (A more detailed assessment can be found in a paper by the author presented at the ESF exploratory workshop on “The governance of networks as a determinant of local economic development”, San Sebastian, 16–18 November 2005, and at the Regional Studies International conference on ‘Regional Growth Agendas’ on 28–31 May 2005 in Aalborg University, Denmark.) The empirical focus of the paper is knowledge sourcing strategies at firm level. The empirical part of the paper is based on the analysis of interviews performed at 23 companies in two Polish cities in 2000, 2001 and 2002 (Lorentzen, 2005).
Epitope‐dependent synergism and antagonism between CD40 antibodies and soluble CD40 ligand for the regulation of CD23 expression and IgE synthesis in human B cells

Background: The induction of IgE synthesis in naïve B cells requires two T‐cell‐derived signals: one delivered through CD40 and the other via interleukin‐4 (IL‐4). The natural counterstructure to CD40 is the CD40 ligand (CD40L). We have asked about the interplay between CD40L and CD40 mAb that recognize distinct epitopes in delivering signals for regulating IL‐4‐dependent IgE synthesis and the expression of CD23, the low‐affinity IgE receptor, in resting B cells.
The enabling role of information technology in the global war for talent: Accenture's industrialized approach

The globalization of information technology (IT), in which developing countries play a major role, has caused a “war for talent. ” To meet challenging growth targets, service providers find that recruitment and retention are of key importance. For developing countries globalization offers the opportunity for economic development. The central question of this paper is how IT can be used to support service providers in these fields. Specifically, this paper focuses on Accenture's human resources management (HRM) processes and the suite of applications implemented to support them. Accenture's industrialized approach makes effective and efficient HRM processes possible. The conclusion is that the HRM applications now working in parallel will ultimately converge into a fully integrated application suite. As a result, the exchange of employees between the company's branches would be still better supported, as would the collaboration between those employees. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Piet Ribbers and Koen Milis were the accepting Guest Editors for this article.
Reader Variability in Identifying Pulmonary Nodules on Chest Radiographs From the National Lung Screening Trial

Purpose: To measure reader variability related to the evaluation of screening chest radiographs (CXRs) for findings of primary lung cancer. Materials and Methods: From the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), 100 cases were randomly selected from baseline CXR examinations for retrospective interpretation by 9 NLST radiologists; images with noncalcified lung nodules (NCNs) or other abnormalities suspicious for lung cancer as determined by the original NLST reader were oversampled. Agreement on the presence of pulmonary nodules and abnormalities suspicious for cancer and recommendations for follow-up were assessed by the multirater &kgr; statistic. Results: The multirater &kgr; statistic for interreader agreement on the presence of at least 1 NCN was 0.38. Rates at which readers reported the presence of at least 1 NCN ranged from 32% to 63% (mean, 41%); among 16 subjects with NCN and a cancer diagnosis within 1 year of the CXR examination, an average of 87% (range, 81% to 94%) of cases were classified as suspicious for cancer across all readers. The multirater &kgr; for agreement on follow-up recommendations was 0.34; pairwise &kgr; values ranged from 0.15 to 0.64 (mean, 0.36). For all subjects, readers recommended a follow-up procedure classified as high level (computed tomography, fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography, or biopsy) 42% of the time on average (range, 30% to 67%); this increased to 84% (range, 52% to 100%) when readers reported an NCN and 88% (range, 82% to 94%) for subjects with cancer. Conclusion: Reader agreement for screening CXR interpretation and follow-up recommendations is fair overall but is high for malignant lesions.
Interpreting the Trail Making Test Following Traumatic Brain Injury: Comparison of Traditional Time Scores and Derived Indices

The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical application of traditional time scores and various derived indices from the Trail Making Test (TMT) in a sample of 571 patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants were classified into four injury severity groups. A clear linear relation between injury severity and TMT performance was demonstrated, with the more severely brain injured patients performing more poorly on most measures. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis of TMT time scores across binary extreme groups based on injury severity resulted in high classification rates for patients with very mild TBI (93.0% correctly classified) and low classification rates for patients with moderate to severe TBI (50.0% correctly classified). However, TMT derived indices did not provide a unique contribution to test interpretation beyond what is already available from Part A and B separately. Portions of these data were presented at the American Psychological Association conference in August, 2001, San Francisco.
Interleukin-6 Trans-Signaling Pathway Promotes Immunosuppressive Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells via Suppression of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 in Breast Cancer

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been reported to stimulate myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in multiple cancers, but the molecular events involved in this process are not completely understood. We previously found that cancer-derived IL-6 induces T cell suppression of MDSCs in vitro via the activation of STAT3/IDO signaling pathway. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. We found that in primary breast cancer tissues, cancer-derived IL-6 was positively correlated with infiltration of MDSCs in situ, which was accompanied by more aggressive tumor phenotypes and worse clinical outcomes. In vitro IL-6 stimulated the amplification of MDSCs and promoted their T cell suppression ability, which were fully inhibited by an IL-6-specific blocking antibody. Our results demonstrate that IL-6-dependent suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) suppression in MDSCs induced phosphorylation of the JAK1, JAK2, TYK2, STAT1, and STAT3 proteins, which was correlated with T cell suppression of MDSCs in vitro. Therefore, dysfunction in the SOCS feedback loop promoted long-term activation of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway and predominantly contributed to IL-6-mediated effects on MDSCs. Furthermore, IL-6-induced inhibition of SOCS3 and activation of the JAK/STAT pathway was correlated with an elevated expression of IL-6 receptor α (CD126), in which the soluble CD126-mediated IL-6 trans-signaling pathway significantly regulated IL-6-mediated effects on MDSCs. Finally, IL-6-induced SOCS3 dysfunction and sustained activation of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway promoted the amplification and immunosuppressive function of breast cancer MDSCs in vitro and in vivo, and thus blocking the IL-6 signaling pathway is a promising therapeutic strategy for eliminating and inhibiting MDSCs to improve prognosis.
Executive Compensation and Tournament Theory: Empirical Tests on Danish Data

This article adds to the empirical literature on tournament theory as a theory of executive compensation. I test several propositions of tournament models on a rich data set containing information about 2,600 executives in 210 Danish firms during a 4‐year period. I ask, Are pay differentials between job levels consistent with relative compensation? Is pay dispersion between levels higher in noisy environments? Is the dispersion affected by the number of tournament participants? Is average pay lower in firms with more compressed pay structures? Does wider pay dispersion enhance firm performance? Most of the predictions gain support in the data.
Association of CTLA4 gene A–G polymorphism with type 1 diabetes in Chinese children

The CTLA4 (cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen‐4) gene encodes the T cell receptor involved in the control of T cell proliferation and mediates T cell apoptosis. Thus it is a strong candidate gene for T cell‐mediated autoimmune disease. There is polymorphism at position 49 in exon 1 of the CTLA4 gene, providing a A–G exchange. This polymorphism is reportedly associated with type 1 diabetes in Caucasians but not in a small data set of Chinese. We wished to test this polymorphism in a larger and more homogeneous data set of Chinese children with type 1 diabetes and normal adult controls.
An Analysis of the Factors Determining the Geographical Distribution of Japanese Manufacturing Investment in the UK, 1984-91

The purpose of this paper is to discover which factors have been important in determining the geographical distribution of Japanese manufacturing establishments in the UK during 1984-91. A multivariate statistical analysis is undertaken, based on the Poisson model, to investigate the inter-county variation in the number of establishments locating in each UK county during two separate time periods (1984-88 and 1989-91). In addition to examining the influence of variables such as labour costs, labour availability and industry mix on the locational choice of Japanese firms, the statistical analysis attempts to capture the influence of regional policy. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that the geographical distribution of Japanese-owned investment in the UK is only statistically associated with a small number of variables. The main explanatory variable in the model is whether an area had assisted-area status. Other key explanatory variables are those reflecting an area's industry mix.
Measuring the impact of fair trade on development

This study of the impact of fair trade relies on new field data from coffee and banana co-operatives in Peru and Costa Rica, including a detailed assessment of its welfare effects by comparing FT farmers with non-FT farmers as a benchmark. Attention is focused on three major effects: (a) direct tangible impact of FT arrangements on the income, welfare, and livelihoods of rural households; (b) indirect effects of fair trade for improving credit access, capital stocks, investments, and attitudes to risk; and (c) institutional implications of fair trade for farmers' organisations and externalities for local and regional employment, bargaining, and trading conditions. Although direct effects in terms of net income remain fairly modest, important benefits are found to include capitalising farmers and strengthening their organisations.
Effect of handling in pre-weaning rabbits.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of regular daily handling in the first week after birth on weight gain and the fear reaction towards a new environment and human beings in domestic kits (Tonic Immobility test: TI, Emergence test: ET). Two groups in the same environment and fed the same diet were analysed: handled group and control (17 litters, 9 kits/litter per group). No differences in weight gain were recorded. During ET at 33 d of age, handled kits took less time to enter the arena than control group kits. TI duration was shorter in handled kits, which required more inductions than the control group. It was found that minimal human contact imposed before nursing reduced the fear of humans in rabbit kits. Our handling method requires minimal contact and can be used to reduce fear and improve welfare in rabbits. Moreover, the short length of the handling procedure allows stockpersons to produce tamer rabbits, reducing stress levels.
An Active Public Investment Rule and the Downsizing Experience in the US: 1960-2000

Abstract We use a simple growth model with public capital to examine the evolution of the US macroeconomy and to discuss the implications of the public infrastructure decline for the productivity slowdown over the last four decades. The main difference of the model to other papers in the related literature is that public investment is actively managed as a non-linear function of the state of the economy, and is not a constant fraction of output in every period. The active management policy delivers transition dynamics that reproduce the public capital downsizing episode, but that accounts for only a minor fraction of the observed productivity slowdown. However, taking into consideration higher rates of returns to public capital or the reallocation of public resources from productive to unproductive expenditures, which is consistent with the US experience in the 70s and 80s, the model simulation accounts for most of the observed productivity slowdown.
Key factors for small and medium enterprises in Taiwan to successfully implement information systems

The innovation and development of computer technology have had significant impact on the operations of various enterprises. Introducing information systems into enterprises becomes a critical solution for the latter to survive in the highly changeable environments caused by computer technology; this is true in particular, of the small and medium enterprises in Taiwan. Unlike large enterprises that have plenty of resources to develop information systems, small and medium enterprises must focus on how to allocate their limited resources in implementing information systems efficiently. In this study, we attempt to identify the key factors of successful computerisation in Taiwan's small and medium enterprises. Our results show that setting a good plan is a critical step and the success of information systems strongly depends on external information technology expertise. The cost incurred to improve the environment within an enterprise for implementing information systems should deserve more concerns than the money directly invested, and the support from chief executive officers is the most important internal factor.
Towards a demographic profile of the street homeless in South Africa

This paper provides a demographic analysis of the Human Sciences Research Council homelessness survey, and starts to develop a profile of the adult and child street homeless populations in the northern part of South Africa. Attempting to sketch the population dynamics of homelessness, the paper reviews research methodology, looks at the age, gender and employment status of the respondents, and identifies the foreign-born and citizen population elements. The data suggest that cross-border migrants represent a significant share of the street homeless, and particularly of street children. In addition, it appears that the child and adult populations are largely separate, with older street children leaving the streets to be replaced by in-migrating rural-born homeless adults.
Direct current stimulation over the anterior temporal areas boosts semantic processing in primary progressive aphasia

Noninvasive brain stimulation in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a promising approach. Yet, applied to single cases or insufficiently controlled small‐cohort studies, it has not clarified its therapeutic value. We here address the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the semantic PPA variant (sv‐PPA), applying a rigorous study design to a large, homogeneous sv‐PPA cohort.