Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Employee Perceptions of Branding Materials and External Communications for a State Forestry Organization

The purpose of this study was to assess the Florida Forest Service (FFS) employees’ perceptions of the organization’s external branding materials through an online survey. Employees had positive perceptions of the mission statement, including it being accurate and differentiating FFS from other organizations. Perceptions of the new change were relatively neutral. Employees believed the public received most its information about FFS from television, workshops, websites, and print articles. Employees believed television, websites, and print articles were the most important communication channels for FFS to communicate to the public in general. Employees believed television, radio, and websites were the most important for emergency information. While employees believed FFS’s external communications were important, they did not consider the communications effective or consistent. There are three recommendations for practitioners: use multiple channels of communication to reach the public, understand target demographic groups when selecting communication channels, and consistently represent the brand in external communications. There are three recommendations for research: assess the relationship between employee and public perceptions of which communications channels should be used, compare employees’ perceptions of the importance of different communications channels to actual effectiveness of the different communications channels, and continue research into internal perspectives of public organizations’ brands.
Adenoviral p53 gene transfer and gemcitabine in three patients with liver metastases due to advanced pancreatic carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Current therapies for adenocarcinoma of the pancreas do not improve the life expectancy of patients. METHODS In a non-randomized pilot trail we tested whether a local therapy based upon an adenoviral gene transfer of wild type p53 in combination with gemcitabine administration would be safe in patients with liver metastases due to pancreatic carcinoma. We report on the clinical course of three patients with respect to safety, tolerability and tumor response. RESULTS Transient grade III toxicities occurred with fever, leucopenia, elevation of AP, ALT, AST, GGT, while grade IV toxicity occurred for bilirubin only. Laboratory tests suggested disseminated intravascular coagulation in all three patients, but fine needle biopsies of liver did not show any histological evidence of thrombus or clot formation. Progression of liver metastases was documented in one and stable disease in another patient two months after treatment. However, a major improvement with regression of the indexed lesion by 80% occurred in a third patient after a single administration of 7.5 x 10(12) viral particles, and time to progression was extended to six months. CONCLUSION The combination therapy of viral gene transfer and chemotherapy temporarily controls and diminishes tumor burden. Improvement of the toxicity profile is necessary. Further trials are warranted to improve treatment and life expectancy of patients suffering from fatal diseases such as pancreatic carcinoma.
Crisis Management Across Borders: Effects of a Crisis Event on Consumer Responses and Communication Strategies in Norway and Russia

ABSTRACT This research examined the impact of a crisis on product attitudes and emotions of consumers in Norway and Russia, and the effectiveness of crisis marketing communication using authority endorsement across and within the two countries. Our research shows that not only are different communication strategies effective in the two markets, but also that those that work well in one country may actually worsen the crisis and lead to more negative attitudes and emotions in the other country. We conclude that research needs to incorporate country-level, individual-level dimensions of culture and consumer emotions in order to develop optimal marketing communication strategies.
Consensus QSAR Models: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Complexity?

This study has assessed the use of consensus regression, as compared to single multiple linear regression, models for the development of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs). To provide a comparison, four data sets of varying size and complexity were analyzed: silastic membrane flux, toxicity of phenols to Tetrahymena pyriformis, acute toxicity to the fathead minnow and flash point. For each data set, a genetic algorithm was used to develop a model population and the performance of consensus models was compared to that of the best single model. Two consensus models were developed, one using the top 10 models, and the other using a subset of models chosen to provide maximal coverage of model space. The results highlight the ability of the genetic algorithm to develop predictive models from a large descriptor pool. However, the consensus models were shown to offer no significant improvements over single regression models, which are as statistically robust as the equivalent consensus models. Consensus models developed from a selection of the best QSARs were shown not to be superior to a selection of diverse in "model space" QSARs. For the data sets analyzed in this study, and in light of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development principles for the validation of QSARs, the increase in model complexity when using consensus models does not seem warranted given the minimal improvement in model statistics.
The effects of congruency of environmental issue and product category and green reputation on consumer responses toward green advertising

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the congruence effect of the product and claimed environmental issue on green advertising on consumer responses as well as the moderation effect of the perceived green reputation of the product on the congruence effect. Design/methodology/approach A two-by-two designed experiment (high/low congruence × high/low green reputation) with a covariate (ad skepticism) was conducted via online survey recruiting 179 college students. Findings High congruence of green issue and product category generated positive ad attitude, sponsor attitude, behavioral intention (BI), sponsor credibility and message credibility. Low green reputation positively affected ad attitude and BI. An interaction effect of congruence and green reputation on BI occurred. Originality/value This study contributes to suggest a new approach to green reputation by examining a perception of a product category in terms of green reputation. The study findings recommend marketing communication managers to keep high congruence of their product category and claimed environmental issue to maximize communication effectiveness.
Composition and Antifungal Activities of the Leaf Essential Oil of Neolitsea parvigemma from Taiwan

The hydrodistillated leaf essential oil of Neolitsea parvigemma was analyzed to determine its composition and yield. Sixty-two compounds were identified, the main components being β-caryophyllene (14.2%), β-eudesmol (12.9%), α-cadinol (10.2%) and τ-cadinol (8.8%). Oxygenated sesquiterpenes (48.9%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (48.8%) were the predominant groups of compounds. The antifungal indexes of the leaf oil against the 7 fungi, Aspergillus clavatus, A. niger, Chaetomium globosum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Myrothecium verrucaria, Penicillium citrinum and Trichoderma viride, were 100.0, 72.3, 100.0, 100.0, 100.0, 75.8 and 88.6% at a 1 mg/mL concentration, respectively. The oil also exhibited anti-wood-decay-fungi activity against Trametes versicolor, Phaneochaete chrysosporium, Phaeolus schweintizii, and Lenzites sulphureu with MIC values of 50, 50, 25 and 25 μg/mL, respectively. For the antifungal and anti-wood-decay fungal activities of the oil, the active source compounds were determined to be α-cadinol, β-eudesmol and τ-cadinol.
Quit and Smoking Reduction Rates in Vape Shop Consumers: A Prospective 12-Month Survey

Aims: Here, we present results from a prospective pilot study that was aimed at surveying changes in daily cigarette consumption in smokers making their first purchase at vape shops. Modifications in products purchase were also noted. Design: Participants were instructed how to charge, fill, activate and use their e-cigarettes (e-cigs). Participants were encouraged to use these products in the anticipation of reducing the number of cig/day smoked. Settings: Staff from LIAF contacted 10 vape shops in the province of the city of Catania (Italy) that acted as sponsors to the 2013 No Tobacco Day. Participants: 71 adult smokers (≥18 years old) making their first purchase at local participating vape shops were asked by professional retail staff to complete a form. Measurements: Their cigarette consumption was followed-up prospectively at 6 and 12 months. Details of products purchase (i.e., e-cigs hardware, e-liquid nicotine strengths and flavours) were also noted. Findings: Retention rate was elevated, with 69% of participants attending their final follow-up visit. At 12 month, 40.8% subjects could be classified as quitters, 25.4% as reducers and 33.8% as failures. Switching from standard refillables (initial choice) to more advanced devices (MODs) was observed in this study (from 8.5% at baseline to 18.4% at 12 month) as well as a trend in decreasing the e-liquid nicotine strength, with more participants adopting low nicotine strength (from 49.3% at baseline to 57.1% at 12 month). Conclusions: We have found that smokers purchasing e-cigarettes from vape shops with professional advice and support can achieve high success rates.
The spindle assembly checkpoint in Caenorhabditis elegans: One who lacks Mad1 becomes mad one

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) monitors the microtubule attachment status of the kinetochore and arrests cells before anaphase until all pairs of sister kinetochores achieve bipolar attachment of microtubules, thereby ensuring faithful chromosome transmission. The evolutionarily conserved coiled-coil protein MAD1 has been implicated in the SAC signaling pathway. MAD1 forms a complex with another SAC component MAD2 and specifically localizes to unattached kinetochores to facilitate efficient binding of MAD2 to its target, CDC20, the mitotic substrate-specific activator of the anaphase promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C). Thus, MAD1 connects 2 sequential events in the SAC signaling pathway – recognition of unattached kinetochores and inhibition of APC/C activity. However, the molecular mechanisms by which it specifically localizes to unattached kinetochores are largely unknown. Studies in multicellular organisms have revealed the role of MAD1 in development and tumor suppression, but the precise time at which MAD1 activity is required is unknown. Investigation of cellular and organismic functions of MAD1 in the simple multicellular organism C. elegans identified functional interactors of MAD1 in both kinetochore-oriented SAC signaling and kinetochore-independent cell cycle regulation. Studying the function of SAC components in C. elegans provides a new molecular insight into the SAC-regulated cell cycle progression in a context of a multicellular organism.
Integrated Physiological, Biomechanical, and Subjective Responses for the Selection of Assistive Level in Pedelec Cycling

In recent decade, pedelec has become one of the most popular transportation modes due to its effectiveness in reducing physical effort. The effects of using pedelec as an alternative mode of exercise were explored in previous studies. However, the effects of pedelec parameters were not quantified for the self-selected gear ratio, random riding speed, and varied road slopes, which restricted its application. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of gear ratio and assistive torque and to determine the optimum riding condition regarding physiological, biomechanical, and subjective responses of the rider. The riding tests consisted of simulated slope (1.0 vs. 2.5% grade), gear ratio (light vs. heavy), and assistive levels (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2), and the tests were conducted in a randomized order. A total of 19 non-athletes completed the riding tests to evaluate physiological [metabolic equivalent of task (MET), heart rate, and gross efficiency (GE)], biomechanical [muscle activity (expressed as reference voluntary contraction, RVC) and power output], and subjective responses [rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and sense of comfort (SC)]. The test conditions induced moderate to vigorous intensities (3.7–7.4 METs, 58.5–80.3% of maximal heart rate, 11.1–29.5% of RVC rectus femoris activity, and 9.4–14.2 RPEs). The effects of gear ratio and assistive level on the physiological responses were significant. Riding with the heavy gear ratio showed advantages in METs and GE. For the optimum assistive level selection, low GE and limited improvement in subjective responses suggested the impact of low-power output conditions. Overall, for the health pedelec commuters, riding with 0.75 W/kg power output with 50 rpm cadence is recommended to obtain the moderate intensity (4.7 METs) and the advantages in GE and subjective feelings. Moreover, the findings can be applied to exercise intensity control and save battery energy effectively in varying riding conditions.
Evaluation of a dual-arm Archimedean spiral array for microwave hyperthermia

Purpose: This effort describes a third-party performance evaluation of a novel, commercial, dual-armed Archimedean spiral array hyperthermia applicator. The applicator is analysed for its ability to couple efficiently into muscle equivalent phantom loads, operate over a broad bandwidth to help accommodate variable tissue properties and generate predictable and repeatable SAR contours that are adaptable to clinically probable disease shapes. Materials and methods: Characterization of the applicator includes E-field and return-loss measurements in liquid muscle tissue-equivalent phantom, as well as comparison of ‘treatment-planning’ simulations of several possible array SAR patterns with measured SAR from non-coherently driven spiral array antennae. Results: The applicator demonstrates a reasonably low return loss over a large bandwidth and the ability to generate a very uniform heating pattern. Ability to adjust SAR contours spatially to fit specific shapes is also demonstrated. Conclusions: This device should prove a welcome addition to a currently limited set of superficial heating applicators to provide controllable heating of superficial tissue disease.
Oral health inequalities between young Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children living in Ontario, Canada.

OBJECTIVES To investigate (i) oral health inequalities between off-reserve Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children entering junior kindergarten (JK) in the Thunder Bay District, Northwest Ontario, Canada, (ii) oral health inequalities between kindergarten-aged (4 years old) Aboriginal children living on reserves in the Sioux Lookout Zone (SLZ), Northwest Ontario and those living off-reserve in the Thunder Bay District and (iii) early childhood caries (ECC) trends among SLZ children between 2001 and 2005. METHODS Cross-sectional oral health data (dmft/s Indices) for 416 (2003/2004), 687 (2004/2005) and 544 (2005/2006) 3- to 5-year olds attending JK in the Thunder Bay District were collected by calibrated dental hygienists with the District's Health Unit. Secondary analysis of oral health status data from two studies conducted in the SLZ between 2001 and 2005 provided the dmft of random samples of children younger than 6 years of age living in 16-20 First Nations communities. RESULTS When compared with non-Aboriginal children aged 3-5 years attending the same schools in the Thunder Bay District between 2003 and 2006, off-reserve Aboriginal children had 1.9 to 2.3 times the risk of having ECC (dmft > 0), 2.9 to 3.5 times the risk of a dmft > 3 and 1.8 to 2.5 times the risk of untreated decayed teeth after adjusting the prevalence ratios for child's age and sex, school's risk level and clustered-correlated data. The mean dmft of on-reserve Aboriginal 4-year olds in 2005 was 11.2 and 5.9 for their off-reserve Aboriginal counterparts. In 2001, the mean dmft scores (95% confidence interval) of 2-, 3- and 4-year-old Aboriginal children in the SLZ were: 9.1 (8.3-9.9), 12.4 (11.8-13.1), 13.1 (12.1-14.2). In 2005, similarly aged SLZ children had a mean dmft of: 6.2 (5.2-7.1), 8.9 (8.2-9.6), 11.2 (10.5-11.9), representing significant reductions in caries severity (32%, 28% and 14.5%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Significant disparities in caries experience exist between off-reserve Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children living in the same locales and between Aboriginal children living on- and off-reserve in northwestern Ontario. The study showed decreased trends in the severity of ECC for children in the SLZ occurring over the 5-year period. Despite this progress, the oral health of young Aboriginal children in Ontario continues to lag far behind that of non-Aboriginal children, demanding further programs and policies to tackle the social determinants of oral health and resolve these inequalities.
Characterization and catalytic properties of the sterol 14alpha-demethylase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Sterol 14alpha-demethylase encoded by CYP51 is a mixed-function oxidase involved in sterol synthesis in eukaryotic organisms. Completion of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome project revealed that a protein having homology to mammalian 14alpha-demethylases might be present in this bacterium. Using genomic DNA from mycobacterial strain H(37)Rv, we have established unambiguously that the CYP51-like gene encodes a bacterial sterol 14alpha-demethylase. Expression of the M. tuberculosis CYP51 gene in Escherichia coli yields a P450, which, when purified to homogeneity, has the predicted molecular mass, ca. 50 kDa on SDS/PAGE, and binds both sterol substrates and azole inhibitors of P450 14alpha-demethylases. It catalyzes 14alpha-demethylation of lanosterol, 24, 25-dihydrolanosterol, and obtusifoliol to produce the 8,14-dienes stereoselectively as shown by GC/MS and (1)H NMR analysis. Both flavodoxin and ferredoxin redox systems are able to support this enzymatic activity. Structural requirements of a 14alpha-methyl group and Delta(8(9))-bond were established by comparing binding of pairs of sterol substrate that differed in a single molecular feature, e.g., cycloartenol paired with lanosterol. These substrate requirements are similar to those established for plant and animal P450 14alpha-demethylases. From the combination of results, the interrelationships of substrate functional groups within the active site show that oxidative portions of the sterol biosynthetic pathway are present in prokaryotes.
Expanding the methodological toolbox of HRM researchers: The added value of latent bathtub models and optimal matching analysis

Researchers frequently rely on general linear models (GLMs) to investigate the impact of human resource management (HRM) decisions. However, the structure of organizations and recent technological advancements in the measurement of HRM processes cause contemporary HR data to be hierarchical and/or longitudinal. At the same time, the growing interest in effects at different levels of analysis and over prolonged periods of time further drives the need for HRM researchers to differentiate from traditional methodology. While multilevel techniques have become more common, this article proposes two additional methods that may complement the current methodological toolbox of HRM researchers. Latent bathtub models can accurately describe the multilevel mechanisms occurring in organizations, even if the outcome resides at the higher level of analysis. Optimal matching analysis can be useful to unveil longitudinal patterns in HR data, particularly in contexts where HRM processes are measured on a continuous basis. Illustrating the methods’ applicability to research on employee engagement, this paper demonstrates that the HRM community—both research and practice—can benefit from a more diversified methodological toolbox, drawing on techniques from within and outside the direct field to improve the decision-making process.
The plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) 4G/5G promoter polymorphism and PAI-1 levels in ischemic stroke

Summary High levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) have been implicated as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but its precise role remains controversial.The 4G allele of the PAI-1 4G/5G promoter polymorphism is associated with higher levels of PAI-1. We studied the relationship between ischemic stroke and the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism and PAI-1 antigen levels. We performed a case-control study among patients aged 18–75 years with first ischemic stroke, confirmed by CT.All patients were screened for cardiovascular risk factors, cardiac disorders and large vessel disease. We excluded patients with a definite non-atherosclerotic cause of the stroke and patients using oral anticoagulants. Population-controls were age -and sex-matched, without a history of stroke, and of the Caucasian race.Venous blood samples were taken for PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism and PAI-1 level one week after stroke.We included 124 patients and 125 controls. Mean age was 56 yrs (range 18 to 75 yrs). Sixty one patients (50%) and 58 (47%) controls were heterozygous for the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism.The homozygous 4G/4G genotype was found in 33 patients (27%) and in 36 controls (29%). The odds ratio of ischemic stroke associated with 4G-carriers versus 5G/5G homozygotes was 1.0 (95% CI: 0.6–1.8). The relative risk of ischemic stroke associated with the level of PAI-1 in the upper quartile was 0.73 (95%CI: 0.4 to 1.4). Neither the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism nor the PAI-1 antigen level is a strong risk factor for ischemic stroke.
Epidemiology and outcome of bacterial meningitis in Canadian children: 1998-1999.

BACKGROUND The introduction of Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule in Canada has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the cases of Hib meningitis. We describe the epidemiology and outcome of bacterial meningitis in Canadian children six years after the introduction of Hib conjugate vaccine and prior to the introduction of the conjugate Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine. METHODS A retrospective chart review from January 1998 to December 1999 of children with meningitis identified at eight Canadian tertiary care children's hospitals belonging to the PICNIC network. RESULTS Bacterial meningitis was documented in 104 (11%) of 970 children presenting with meningitis. The most common isolated organisms were: Streptococcus pneumoniae (54%), group B streptococci (13%), and Neisseria meningitidis (11%). The mean age was 2.2 +/- 3.5 yr. Forty seven percent of the children required admission to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and 19% required artificial ventilation. Sequelae were documented among 32 children (31%) prior to discharge and there were 6 (5.6%) deaths attributable to meningitis and sepsis. CONCLUSIONS Bacterial meningitis is an important cause of morbidity in Canadian children with S. pneumoniae replacing H. influenzae as the leading potentially vaccine preventable cause. Despite proper initiation of antimicrobial therapy, meningitis results in great morbidity and mortality in children in Canada.