Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potato Glycoalkaloids Adversely Affect Intestinal Permeability and Aggravate Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BackgroundDisruption of epithelial barrier integrity is important in the initiation and cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Glycoalkaloids, solanine (S), and chaconine (C) are naturally present in potatoes, can permeabilize cholesterol-containing membranes, and lead to disruption of epithelial barrier integrity. Frying potatoes concentrates glycoalkaloids. Interestingly, the prevalence of IBD is highest in countries where fried potatoes consumption is highest. ObjectiveTo further understand the role of potato glycoalkaloids on intestinal barrier integrity, we examined the effect of varying concentrations of solanine and chaconine on intestinal permeability and function. MethodsSolanine (0–50 &mgr;M), chaconine (0–20 &mgr;M), or a 1:1 mixture (0–20 &mgr;M) were exposed to T84 cultured epithelial monolayers for varying periods of time to determine concentration response effect on epithelial permeability. Next, a 1:1 mixture (5 &mgr;M) of solanine-to-chaconine (C:S) was exposed to sheets of normal murine small intestine, mounted in Ussing chambers, from control and interleukin-10 gene-deficient mice to determine whether glycoalkaloids affected intestine from mice with a genetic predisposition for IBD greater than controls. Finally, the effects of glycoalkaloids on colonic histologic injury were examined in mice orally fed amounts of glycoalkaloids that would normally be consumed in a human diet. ResultsGlycoalkaloids embedded and permeabilized the T84 monolayer epithelial membrane bilayer in a concentration-dependent fashion, with C:S > C > S. In vitro Ussing chamber experiments also illustrated a concentration-dependent disruption of intestinal barrier integrity in animals with a genetic predisposition to develop IBD, but not in control animals. Similarly, in vivo oral feeding experiments demonstrated that C:S ingestion, at physiologic concentrations, aggravated histologic colonic injury in mice genetically predisposed to developing IBD. ConclusionConcentrations of glycoalkaloids normally available while eating potatoes can adversely affect the mammalian intestine and can aggravate IBD.
Cigarette smoking, oral moist snuff use and glucose intolerance

Abstract. Persson P‐G, Carlsson S, Svanström L, Östenson C‐G, Efendic S, Grill V (Karolinska Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden). Cigarette smoking, oral moist snuff use and glucose intolerance. J Intern Med 2000; 248: 103–110.
Sustainability Strategies of Leading Global Firms and Their Financial Performance: A Comparative Case Based Analysis

The main focus of this study is to examine the financial performance of a select sample of corporations from around the globe who were repeatedly selected for inclusion in the DJSI for their exemplary sustainable business practices during 2001-2007. We were interested in probing into whether consistently high sustainability performance has come at the cost or in support of positively growing financial performance. While the extant literature on the link between corporate social and financial performance has examined the dynamics involved on both theoretical and empirical grounds, usually as crosssectional data, our research contributes to the existing literature by focusing on companies that have been recognized for their leading edge sustainability programs over a prolonged period of time (seven years) and how the pursuit of such strategies has affected their financial performance as measured by select conventional measures of profitability and market valuation.
Characterization and Modeling of Dynamic On-Body Propagation at 4.5 GHz

On-body communication channels are of increasing interest as more and more wireless devices are wearable in medical, military, and personal communications. This letter presents an experimental investigation into the dynamic on-body channel with body movements. Based on statistical analyses of level crossing rate and fading duration, a three-state Fritchman model that considers both channel dwelling time and channel quality is proposed to describe the burst characteristics of on-body fading. The dynamic on-body channels are classified into unstable error-free state, constant error-free state, and error state. Parameters for the Fritchman model are estimated from the measured data.
Meta-Evaluation of Worksite Health Promotion Economic Return Studies: 2012 Update

Two earlier editions of The Art of Health Promotion reported formal meta-evaluations of economic return studies of worksite health promotion programs. These meta-evaluations were among the most popular articles in our publishing history because practitioners, scientists, and employers continue to seek evidence on the economic effectiveness of workplace health promotion. The 2003 report examined 42 peer-reviewed journal articles that met the inclusion criteria, and the 2005 report examined 56 peer-reviewed journal articles. This 2012 update examines 10 additional studies that met the same set of inclusion criteria; four of the weaker studies were dropped, resulting in a total of 62 studies in this report. The meta-evaluation method used here is the same as used in the earlier reports and has been adapted from use with other preventive health programs, providing an overall summary and individual look at the quality of the peer reviewed articles that comprise the current scientific evidence of economic return for worksite health promotion and wellness programs. The term ‘‘meta-evaluation’’ as used in this article is defined as the application of a systematic review process to a set of evaluation studies with a similar purpose in order to determine their respective quality and to summarize their primary findings. It applies the formal meta-evaluation review process and methodology developed and refined by Windsor and Orleans and further modified by Boyd and Windsor to studies of multi-component worksite health promotion programs as defined by Heaney. This report include excerpts from the book Proof Positive: An Analysis of the Cost-Effectiveness of Worksite Wellness, seventh edition, revised and expanded in December of 2011, which applies the same methodology. This edition of The Art of Health Promotion addresses the following topics:
HIV risk behavioral surveillance in Bangkok, Thailand: sexual behavior trends among eight population groups.

OBJECTIVE To assess trends in HIV risk behaviors over a 3-year period in eight population groups in Bangkok, Thailand. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS Using a repeated cross-sectional survey design with a structured questionnaire, we collected five sets of self-reported sexual behavior data related to HIV risk from the following subject groups at the same sampling sites during 1993-1996: direct and indirect female sex workers, male attenders of sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics, female attenders of antenatal care clinics, male and female vocational students, and male and female factory workers. RESULTS Reported patronage of commercial sex by the three male groups declined by an overall average of 48% over the 3-year period. Other non-regular sexual partnerships declined among male STD clinic attenders and vocational students. Condom use during most recent sexual intercourse between sex workers and clients peaked at high levels (>90%) in the early data waves, while among indirect sex workers and their clients, consistent condom usage increased from 56% to 89%. Low condom use persisted among sex workers and their non-paying sex partners. Single women reported low levels of sexual activity and condom use with no signs of an increase. Similarly, married women from antenatal clinics reported low condom use with their husbands, with no change throughout the period of the study. CONCLUSIONS HIV risk behavioral surveillance is a useful way of determining whether behavior change has occurred in specific population groups. The results here confirm and add to a growing set of evidence of risk behavior reduction in Thailand. The behavioral changes did not occur uniformly but varied depending on the sexual dyad and the population group under study. Behavioral surveillance should be promoted and its methodologies strengthened in attempts to understand the local dynamics of HIV epidemics.
Earnings Management at Large Us Bank Holding Companies

This paper examines earnings management at the largest publicly traded bank holding companies in the United States. We find that the use of discretionary loan loss provisions is positively related to a bank's unmanaged cash flow returns, capital ratios, and asset size. In contrast, the use of discretionary loan loss provisions is negatively related to a bank's non-discretionary loan loss provisions and market-to-book ratios. Further, the use of discretionary loan loss provisions to manage earnings is significantly related to the fraction of shares owned by the bank's CEO, the fraction of shares owned by all directors, the existence of CEO/chair duality, and the CEO's pay-for-performance sensitivity. However, this practice is found to be significantly reduced when the board is composed of more independent outside directors. For the sample of large banks examined in this paper, the majority of earnings management results in an increase in net income. Thus, while bank managers appear to use discretionary loan loss provisions to increase earnings and, subsequently, their own personal wealth, corporate governance mechanisms can be incorporated to effectively constrain discretion in earnings management.
Outward FDI and home-country performance: Evidence from Italian manufacturing and service firms

How does outward foreign direct investment (FDI) affect employment and productivity growth in the home country? Does the impact of outward investment differ among manufacturing and service sectors? In this paper, we analyze the effects of investing abroad using firm-level data for Italy in the period 2003–2006. We adopt matching techniques in combination with a difference–in–difference estimator in order to investigate the causal effect on domestic employment and productivity of becoming multinational. Preliminary results suggest that, on average, Italian outward FDI has limited effects on the domestic employment and performance of internationalizing firms. However, results differ significantly according to the sector (manufacturing versus services) in which the MNEs operate. In particular, we find that whereas in the manufacturing sector, outward FDI tends to strengthen both productivity and to a lesser extent employment, in the service sector there is a negative effect on both employment (two years after the investment) and productivity.
Comparative in vitro activity of cefodizime, ceftazidime, aztreonam, and other selected antimicrobial agents against Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The in vitro activities of three new beta-lactam antimicrobial agents, cefodizime, ceftazidime, and aztreonam (formerly azthreonam), were compared with those of cefotaxime, cefuroxime, cefoxitin, and penicillin against 100 beta-lactamase-negative and 42 beta-lactamase-positive Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains. The three new antimicrobial agents showed excellent activity against N. gonorrhoeae regardless of beta-lactamase production. Cefodizime was as active as cefotaxime and more active than the other test antimicrobial agents. It inhibited all isolates at a concentration of less than or equal to 0.016 micrograms/ml.
Relative effects of store traffic and customer traffic flow on shopper spending

This article examines the relative effects of store traffic and customer traffic flow on shopper spending in a single study. An analysis of Croatian hypermarket survey data indicates that store traffic alone does not adequately explain shopper spending. Instead, gross customer traffic flow and realized customer traffic flow are stronger drivers of money spent. The article contributes to the retailing literature by clarifying the respective roles of store traffic and customer traffic flow. Recognizing the greater revenue-generating effect of in-store traffic flow, retailers should better design their store layout and merchandizing strategies to optimize traffic movement and boost store performance.
Value Fusion: The Blending of Consumer and Firm Value in the Distinct Context of Mobile Technologies and Social Media

Purpose: In this article, we introduce the concept of Value Fusion to describe how value can emerge from the use of mobile, networked technology by consumers, firms, and entities such as non-consumers, a firm’s competitors, and others simultaneously.Design/methodology/approach: We discuss the combination of characteristics of mobile devices that enable Value Fusion. We discuss specific value and benefits to consumers and firms of being mobile and networked. We introduce and define Value Fusion and set it apart from related, other conceptualizations of value. We provide examples of Value Fusion and discuss the necessary conditions for Value Fusion to occur. We discuss under which conditions the use of mobile, networked technology by consumers and firms may lead to Value Confusion instead of Value Fusion. We end with several research questions, proposed to further enhance the understanding and management of Value Fusion.Findings: The combination of portable, personal, networked, textual/visual and converged characteristics of mobile devices enables firms and consumers to interact and communicate, produce and consume benefits, and create value in new ways that have not been captured by popular conceptualizations of value. These traditional conceptualizations include customer value, experiential value, customer lifetime value, and customer engagement value. Value Fusion is defined as value that can be achieved for the entire network of consumers and firms simultaneously, just by being on the mobile network. Value Fusion results from producers and consumers (i) individually or collectively, (ii) actively and passively, (iii) concurrently, (iv) interactively or in aggregation contributing to a mobile network (v) in real time and (vi) just-in-time.Implications: Mobile devices have revolutionized the way we live, and there is widespread expectation that they will have “game- changing” implications for marketing in the near future (MSI, 2012). Therefore, research is needed to help us understand how mobile technologies are likely to change conventional wisdom about how customers and firms connect, interact and do business, and finally culminate in mutual, synergetic value; a phenomenon which we label Value Fusion.Originality: This paper synthesizes insights from the extant value literature that by and large has focused on either the customer’s or the firm’s perspective, but rarely blended the two. The contribution of this paper is that the Value Fusion concept achieves such a blending in the distinct context of mobile technologies and social media. Value should be considered more holistically, and value to the consumer and firm should be jointly optimized (i.e., Value Fusion) rather than managed in isolation. In addition, both active and passive participation should be valued. This paper calls for a more holistic approach to conceptualize value and identifies unanswered questions about value in the distinct context of mobile technology and social media.
USING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TO MANAGE URBAN STORMWATER QUALITY: A Review of Selected Practices and State Programs

5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.7 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION.21 CHAPTER II: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.27 Indicators of Effectiveness.28 Sources of Data for Assessing Green Infrastructure Effectiveness.29 Green Infrastructure Performance.30 The International Stormwater BMP Database.34 Sources of Variation.36 Design Variation and Effectiveness.37 Scaling.38 Geographic Variation and Cold Climate Studies.38 Maintenance and Effectiveness.38 Conclusions.39 CHAPTER III: FUNDING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.41 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.41 The Cost-Effectiveness of Green Infrastructure.43 CHAPTER IV: CURRENT PRACTICES.51 The Illinois MS4 Program.51 Local Programs.54 Cook County.55 DuPage County.55 Kane County.57 Kendall County.58 Lake County.59 McHenry County.59 Will County.60 City of Aurora.61 City of Chicago.62 City of Crystal Lake.62 Village of Homer Glen.62 Local Program Transferability.63
Does Corporate Governance Determine Corporate Performance and Dividends During Financial Crisis: Evidence from Poland

This study seeks to investigate the relationship between corporate governance, measured by Corporate Governance Index (CGI), and firm's performance and dividend payouts during the financial crisis in Poland. The empirical approach in the study lies in constructing a comprehensive measure of the corporate governance for 298 non-financial companies listed on Warsaw Stock Exchange in the years 2006-2010. The results show a positive association between corporate governance and performance measured by Tobin's q. Moreover, I find evidence that higher corporate governance leads to an increase in cash dividends. Finally, the results presents that during the recent financial crisis corporate governance is positively associated with return on assets. However, in the period of the financial crisis better governed companies paid dividends less generously than do firms with lower corporate governance standards.
Market Drivers of Service Export Performance: An Eclectic Perspective

Service exports play an increasingly crucial role in the prosperity of global and national economies. Nevertheless, the service sector is under-researched and under-serviced. Very limited attention has been given to the performance of service exporters. Based on the eclectic paradigm, this study investigates how host government policies, competitive intensity, and technological turbulence determine the performance of 254 Australian service exporters. The research findings indicate that the favourability of host government policies has both direct and indirect impact on the performance of service firms. However, neither technological turbulence nor competitive intensity significantly influences their exporting success. The study contributes to the theoretical development of international services marketing and export marketing literature, and provides important implications to business practitioners.
Retail logistics service quality: a cross-cultural survey on customer perceptions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare perceptions of retail logistics service quality among Romanian and Tunisian customers, and determine which dimensions of logistics service quality have the greatest influence on customer satisfaction and loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using self‐administered questionnaires from two convenience samples of hypermarket customers (100 in Romania and 100 in Tunisia). Logistics service quality was measured using two dimensions: the relational LSQ (The perception of Carrefour employees' assurance, responsiveness and caring) and the operational LSQ (Carrefour reliability). Data were analyzed by using confirmatory factor analysis, ANOVA and linear regression.Findings – Respondents in both countries reported high levels of perceived logistics service quality in Carrefour. However, Romanians reported higher perceived logistics service quality than Tunisians for both dimensions. In the Tunisian sample, relational LSQ was the most important p.
The p160 RhoA-binding kinase ROK alpha is a member of a kinase family and is involved in the reorganization of the cytoskeleton

The GTPase RhoA has been implicated in various cellular activities, including the formation of stress fibers, motility, and cytokinesis. We recently reported on a p150 serine/threonine kinase (termed ROK alpha) binding RhoA only in its active GTP-bound state and on its cDNA; introduction of RhoA into HeLa cells resulted in translocation of the cytoplasmic kinase to plasma membranes, consistent with ROK alpha being a target for RhoA (T. Leung, E. Manser, L. Tan, and L. Lim, J. Biol. Chem. 256:29051-29054, 1995). Reanalysis of the cDNA revealed that ROK alpha contains an additional N-terminal region. We also isolated another cDNA which encoded a protein (ROK beta) with 90% identity to ROK alpha in the kinase domain. Both ROK alpha and ROK beta, which had a molecular mass of 160 kDa, contained a highly conserved cysteine/histidine-rich domain located within a putative pleckstrin homology domain. The kinases bound RhoA, RhoB, and RhoC but not Rac1 and Cdc42. The Rho-binding domain comprises about 30 amino acids. Mutations within this domain caused partial or complete loss of Rho binding. The morphological effects of ROK alpha were investigated by microinjecting HeLa cells with DNA constructs encoding various forms of ROK alpha. Full-length ROK alpha promoted formation of stress fibers and focal adhesion complexes, consistent with its being an effector of RhoA. ROK alpha truncated at the C terminus promoted this formation and also extensive condensation of actin microfilaments and nuclear disruption. The proteins exhibited protein kinase activity which was required for stress fiber formation; the kinase-dead ROK alpha K112A and N-terminally truncated mutants showed no such promotion. The latter mutant instead induced disassembly of stress fibers and focal adhesion complexes, accompanied by cell spreading. These effects were mediated by the C-terminal region containing Rho-binding, cysteine/histidine-rich, and pleckstrin homology domains. Thus, the multidomained ROK alpha appears to be involved in reorganization of the cytoskeleton, with the N and C termini acting as positive and negative regulators, respectively, of the kinase domain whose activity is crucial for formation of stress fibers and focal adhesion complexes.
Neurons Recorded from Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Patients with Cortical Dysplasia

Summary: Purpose: Cortical dysplasia (CD) is a common pathological substrate in patients with early‐onset childhood epilepsy. In CD tissue, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for cellular hyperexcitability. In this study, we report initial electrophysiological and morphological observations from normal and dysmorphic cells in pediatric CD patients.
The role of the upper echelon in the value chain management

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of top management teams on firms' value chain action intensity and value chain activity heterogeneity. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted from an emerging market perspective. The sample was based on the secondary data collected from three fast-growing industries in India: automobile, pharmaceutical and fast-moving consumer goods over the three-year period from 2009 to 2012. The Panel Poisson and Tobit regression have been used to conduct this study. Findings – Drawing upon the upper echelon theory, the author found that a top management team's educational level, functional heterogeneity and total organizational tenure influence value chain action intensity and value chain activity heterogeneity. Originality/value – The author introduces the concept of value chain action intensity and value chain action heterogeneity and investigates the role of the upper echelon in influencing intensity and heterogeneity.