Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in body-weight, composition and hepatic enzyme activities in response to dietary methionine, betaine and choline levels in growing chicks

The experiments described here were set up (a) to investigate the effect of age and (b) to investigate the effect of giving five diets which varied in methionine and choline or betaine contents on some of the enzymes that metabolize these nutrients in chick liver. Growth and carcass composition of the chicks fed on the different diets were also examined. There was no obvious relationship between age and enzyme activity in young chicks. Only a diet low in methionine (but not one low in choline) showed a significant decrease in growth and a change in carcass composition. The effects of diet on enzyme activity were complex. Choline oxidase (EC 1.1.3.17) activity was affected by the level of choline in the diet, being high when choline was present at high levels, especially when methionine was limiting. 5-Methyl-tetrahydrofolate homocysteine methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.3) had a high activity in the livers of chicks fed on a conventional diet compared with those given semi-purified diets. Other enzymes showed minor changes in response to the diet. The diet low in methionine showed a lower activity of cystathionine η-synthase (EC 4.2.1.22) and slightly higher activities of methionine adenosyltransferase (EC 2.5.1.6) and betaine–homocysteine methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.5; compared with other diets), suggesting that this diet encouraged re-methylation of homocysteine at the expense of trans-sulphuration to cystathionine. The findings obtained in these studies form a useful basis for further investigation of the metabolic interrelationships between methionine and related nutrients.
Measuring the Impact of Electronic Data Management on Information Worker Productivity

Introduction and Overview In this project, we studied the effects of digitizing work on information workers' time-use and performance at a large insurance firm. We were able to determine of direction of causality between technology and performance by exploiting a quasi-experiment: the phased introduction of Electronic Document Management (EDM) across multiple offices at different dates. Our analysis used a " difference-indifferences " methodology to econometrically measure changes in a suite of performance metrics. This allowed us to derive unbiased estimates of the main effects. In addition, the study used three complementary research techniques to support the econometric findings: extensive onsite interviews before, during and after implementation; detailed time use diaries and observation; and a series of surveys. In addition to large changes in time-use and performance, we found that digitization leads to a decline in the routine labor input and an increase in complementary non-routine cognitive labor input. To interpret our results, we describe below a new micro-level mechanism, " IT-enabled slack " , that explains how exactly IT can lead to payoff in terms of information worker productivity.
Extensive Margins of Offshoring and Exporting

This paper derives new comparative statics within a two-country version of the recent offshoring model by Antras, Fort, and Tintelnot (2014) with nonprohibitive costs of exporting final goods. One key finding is that an asymmetric trade liberalisation might very well imply that the fractions of offshorers and exporters increase in one country and decrease in the other country. This model outcome occurs when competition enhances in a country experiencing a decline in its costs of international trade. The fractions of offshorers and exporters certainly increase in a small open economy experiencing a decline in its costs of international trade. These strong industry-level results appear even though the comparative statics at the firm level are nonmonotone and asymmetric across the heterogeneous firms.
CpG-binding Protein (CXXC Finger Protein 1) Is a Component of the Mammalian Set1 Histone H3-Lys4 Methyltransferase Complex, the Analogue of the Yeast Set1/COMPASS Complex*

CpG-binding protein (CXXC finger protein 1 (CFP1)) binds to DNA containing unmethylated CpG motifs and is required for mammalian embryogenesis, normal cytosine methylation, and cellular differentiation. Studies were performed to identify proteins that interact with CFP1 to gain insight into the molecular function of this protein. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry reveal that human CFP1 associates with a ∼450-kDa complex that contains the mammalian homologues of six of the seven components of the Set1/COMPASS complex, the sole histone H3-Lys4 methyltransferase in yeast. In vitro assays demonstrate that the human Set1/CFP1 complex is a histone methyltransferase that produces mono-, di-, and trimethylated histone H3 at Lys4. Confocal microscopy reveals that CFP1 and Set1 co-localize to nuclear speckles associated with euchromatin. A Set1 complex of reduced mass persists in murine embryonic stem cells lacking CFP1. These cells carry elevated levels of methylated histone H3-Lys4 and reduced levels of methylated histone H3-Lys9. Together with the previous finding of reduced levels of cytosine methylation, these data indicate that cells lacking CFP1 contain reduced levels of heterochromatin. Furthermore, ES cells lacking CFP1 exhibit a 4-fold excess of histone H3-Lys4 methylation following induction of differentiation, indicating that CFP1 restricts the activity of the Set1 histone methyltransferase complex. These results reveal a mammalian counterpart to the yeast Set1/COMPASS complex. The presence of CFP1 in this complex implicates this protein as a critical epigenetic regulator of histone modification in addition to cytosine methylation and reveals one mechanism by which this protein intersects with the epigenetic machinery.
Health effects of solvent exposure among dockyard painters: mortality and neuropsychological symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: To study mortality and prevalence of neuropsychological symptoms among a cohort of painters known to have been heavily exposed to organic solvents. METHODS: A mortality study of 1292 male painters who had worked in a dockyard in Scotland for > or = 1 year between 1950 and 1992 comprised a nested cross sectional study of 953 surviving painters from the cohort and 953 male non-painters randomly selected from the local population and a case-control study of those with high symptom scores. Mortality, symptoms, and risks associated with painting, adjusting for age, education, smoking, alcohol, and personality were measured. RESULTS: The proportional mortality ratio for all cancers was not increased significantly (110 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 84 to 143), except for a possible excess of deaths from ischaemic heart disease (132, 105 to 164). Standardised mortality ratios were not significantly increased. Among the 260 surviving painters and 539 community controls who responded to the questionnaire there was a significant excess of symptoms among painters; adjusted relative risk (RR) increased significantly with increasing symptom score. These RRs suggested an exposure-response relation; for a high score (12-22) for all symptoms RR was 2.27 (1.20 to 4.30) for 1-4 years of exposure, 2.42 (1.18 to 4.95) for 5-9 years, 2.89 (1.42 to 5.88) for 10-14 years, and 3.41 (1.82 to 6.36) for 15-41 years, compared with controls. In multivariate analyses, painting exposure, and aging were associated with high symptom scores and there was again an increased risk relative to time worked as a painter. CONCLUSION: This study supports the hypothesis that heavy and prolonged exposure to paint solvents leads to neuropsychological ill health.
Institutional Trading Performance in a Retail Investor Dominated Emerging Market

In this study, we use daily trading data to investigate the performance of institutional investors in the Chinese stock market, which is dominated by retail investors. We find that stocks with intense institutional net buying significantly outperform those with intense institutional net selling by an annual average premium of 15%, a cumulative abnormal return of 165%, or a market-adjusted cumulative value of RMB 9.9 billion over the sample period. The superior institutional performance holds even after controlling for common risk factors and transaction costs; it is also robust to monthly, quarterly, and semi-annually rebalanced portfolios. In addition, consistent with the informational trading hypothesis, we find that institutional trades have incremental explanatory power for return co-movement. In fact, this explanatory power is more pronounced for monthly rebalanced portfolios than for semi-annually rebalanced portfolios, and it is stronger for buying percentage than for selling percentage. Further analysis indicates that institutions tend to trade stocks that are larger in size, have a higher excess return, and have a lower systematic risk. Institutions tend to buy stocks with less firm-specific risks and sell stocks with higher firm-specific risks. All of our findings suggest that the superior performance of institutions can be attributed to their prudential investment preference, superior stock picking ability, and informational advantage.
Assessment of websites user behavior : A case study of housing agency firms

Abstract This study used an extension and combination of existing theories to measure user’s acceptance of housing agency websites and used IS (information system) quality indicators to evaluate consumers’ intention to use housing agency website services. The research subjects were general agency network users. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed to the subjects, and 371 valid questionnaires were retrieved, resulting in a valid return rate of 61.8%. SEM (structural equation modeling) was used to test various hypotheses. The empirical results show that the system quality of a housing agency website significantly affects users’ perceived ease of use. Service quality significantly affects users’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and indirectly affects users’ perceived usefulness. Perceived ease of use directly and indirectly affects attitudes toward use. In addition to the direct effect of perceived usefulness on intention to use, perceived usefulness has an indirect effect on intention to use through attitudes toward use. Finally, attitudes toward use have the most important role in user acceptance behavior.
Is Clinical Relevance Sometimes Lost in Summative Scores?

It is possible to have a reliable and valid measure of a clinical phenomenon but to score the measure in a way that inaccurately represents the clinical meaning of the measured phenomenon. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the risk to research and clinical assessments caused by a discrepancy in the clinical meaning of scores obtained by total scale scoring and those obtained by individual item scoring. The clinical phenomenon that is used in this demonstration is symptom distress as measured by the Symptom Distress Scale (SDS). In this example, the discrepancy in meaning between total scale scores and the individual item scores of the SDS has potential clinical implications as more than 30% of participating adolescent patients at each of four time points spanning a 6-month time period would have been inaccurately assessed when the assessment was based on the total scale score.
Glioma‐astrocyte interactions on white matter tract‐mimetic aligned electrospun nanofibers

Gliomas are highly invasive forms of brain cancer comprising more than 50% of brain tumor cases in adults, and astrocytomas account for ∼60‐70% of all gliomas. As a result of multiple factors, including enhanced migratory properties and extracellular matrix remodeling, even with current standards of care, mean survival time for patients is only ∼12 months. Because glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells arise from astrocytes, there is great interest in elucidating the interactions of these two cell types in vivo. Previous work performed on two‐dimensional assays (i.e., tissue culture plastic and Boyden chamber assays) utilizes substrates that lack the complexities of the natural microenvironment. Here, we employed a three‐dimensional, electrospun poly‐(caprolactone) (PCL) nanofiber system (NFS) to mimic some features of topographical properties evidenced in vivo. Co‐cultures of human GBM cells and rat astrocytes, as performed on the NFS, showed a significant increase in astrocyte GFAP expression, particularly in the presence of extracellular matrix (ECM) deposited by GBM cells. In addition, GBM migration increased in the presence of astrocytes or soluble factors (i.e., conditioned media). However, the presence of fixed astrocytes acted as an antagonist, lowering GBM migration rates. This data suggests that astrocytes and GBM cells interact through a multitude of pathways, including soluble factors and direct contact. This work demonstrates the potential of the NFS to duplicate some topographical features of the GBM tumor microenvironment, permitting analysis of topographical effects in GBM migration. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 31:1406–1415, 2015
Extradural infusion analgesia for postoperative pain relief.

We describe 4-yr experience providing extradural infusion analgesia in a district hospital for treatment of postoperative pain. A total of 770 patients recovering from major surgery were treated on general surgical wards between April 1989 and March 1993. The results of a retrospective audit showed that pain control, assessed with both a visual analogue scale (VAS score (0-10 cm)) and a verbal rating scale (VRS), was good. At rest, more than 80% of patients scored pain as absent or mild (VAS score 0-3) during the first 24 h, with only 4% experiencing severe pain (VAS score 7-10). On movement, 50% of patients had good pain control (VAS score 0-3) while 20% of patients experienced severe pain (VAS score 7-10). Minor complications such as emetic sequelae and pruritus were common; these conditions were mild and rarely required treatment. Hypotension (< 100 mm Hg) occurred in 34% of patients in the first 24 h. Ventilatory frequencies of 8 b.p.m. or less occurred in 2.6% of patients. Four patients (0.52%) developed severe respiratory depression. These patients demonstrated increased sedation but only one had a low ventilatory frequency. Three patients died while receiving extradural infusion analgesia.
The Effect of Perceived Advertising Costs on Brand Perceptions

How, why, and when consumers use their perceptions of advertising costs as cues to a new brand's quality-related attributes is examined. It is proposed that consumers perceive advertising costs as deviations from expectations about typical costs in the product category. Perceived costs are hypothesized to affect brand perceptions in an inverted-U fashion with extemely high costs leading to negative perceptions. The level of involvement and informativeness of ad content moderate this relationship. An experiment in which subjects are exposed to an ad for a new product provides evidence for the proposed model. Copyright 1990 by the University of Chicago.
Cross-Functional Integration of R&D, Marketing, and Manufacturing in Radical and Incremental Product Innovations and Its Effects on Project Effectiveness and Efficiency

Previous research commonly emphasizes the positive effects of cross-functional integration on performance measures. However, cross-functional integration is a highly complex phenomenon which does not allow general conclusions in terms of performance impacts. Therefore, the present study assesses the impact of integrating the R&D, marketing, and manufacturing functions on the effectiveness and efficiency of new product development (NPD) projects. A multi-functional design is applied that considers three functions, including manufacturing, which has been often neglected in prior research on cross-functional integration. Further, the study distinguishes between two phases of the NPD process, namely the development and commercialization phases. In building the sample care was particularly taken to include a sufficient number of highly innovative NPD projects to cover the full range in terms of project innovativeness. This allows assessing the moderating role of project innovativeness on the effects of cross-functional integration on NPD performance. A research model incorporating these ideas is theoretically developed and empirically validated by means of survey data. One hundred and eighteen NPD project managers participated in the survey (50 incremental and 68 radical innovation projects). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the research model. More concretely, partial least squares (PLS) was used as the most accepted variance-based approach. Generally, the findings emphasize that the relationships between various facets of cross-functional integration and performance measures are highly complex. The integration between R&D and marketing positively impacts efficiency, but not effectiveness across different types of projects. Further, the impact of integration between marketing and R&D depends on the process stage and the degree of innovativeness. Findings regarding the integration between R&D and manufacturing show a strong positive impact on efficiency in the development phase. With respect to the integration between marketing and manufacturing, no significant effects on the performance dimensions can be observed for radical NPD projects. Overall, a positive impact of integration between these departments on effectiveness in the commercialization phase emerges.
Firm growth and the spatial impact of geolocated external factors - empirical evidence for German manufacturing firms

In this paper the relationship between firm growth and external knowledge sources, such as related firms and universities, is studied. The spatial characteristics of these relationships are examined by geolocating firms into a more realistic relational space using travel time distances and using flexible distance decay function specifications. This approach properly accounts for growth relevant knowledge spillovers and allows for estimating their spatial range and functional form. Applying quantile regression techniques on a large sample of German manufacturing firms, we show that the impact of external factors substantially differ along firmsâ€™ size, type of knowledge source and growth level.
Cloning, Characterization, and Expression Analysis of Hepcidin Gene from Red Sea Bream (Chrysophrys major)

ABSTRACT A cDNA encoding hepcidin was isolated from a library of cDNA from spleen of red sea bream (Chrysophrys major) by expressed sequence tag analysis. The expression of the hepcidin mRNA in various tissues was examined. Challenge of red sea bream with Escherichia coli DH5α elevated hepcidin mRNA levels in spleen, gill, liver, and intestine.
Organic food consumers: what do we really know about them?

Purpose – The organic trade literature in the USA makes strong claims about the relationship between income, ethnicity, and other factors and the likelihood of purchasing organic food products. However, previous economic research focusing on the socio‐economic characteristics of organic food consumers yields mixed findings. One explanation for the literature's inconsistent findings is that most studies rely on one specific product or one region of the country, or base their analysis on data collected from in‐store surveys. Another shortcoming in the existing literature is the failure to account for how access to organic food influences the likelihood of buying organic food. This paper's goal is to identify what is known, as well as what is not known, about consumers of organic food.Design/methodology/approach – The paper extends the literature through the combination of a novel approach and unique dataset of US consumers, and addresses the relationship between demographic traits and the likelihood of buyi.
Tuning the Effective Work Function of Gold and Silver Using ω-Functionalized Alkanethiols: Varying Surface Composition through Dilution and Choice of Terminal Groups

Thiol-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have been used to tune the effective work function of gold over a range of ca. 1.8 eV via two strategies: (i) the use of ω-functionalized alkanethiols where the tail groups have widely varying electronegativity or (ii) by the creation of two-component SAMs from selected mixtures of methyl-terminated alkanethiols (C16) and alkanethiols fluorinated at the two terminal carbon atoms (C16F2). UV-photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) was used to monitor changes in effective work function, using shifts in the low kinetic energy edge of these photoemission spectra to quantify the shift in local vacuum level resulting from the interface dipole effect created by the surface modifier. Tail groups on alkanethiol chains varied from −CH3, to −phenyl, −Cl, −Br, and −CF3 or −CF2CF3, which provided a shift in local vacuum level that varied linearly with the calculated molecular dipole moment of the individual modifiers, as observed previously for a more limited range of alkanethiols.
Usefulness of the leaflet-based intervention for family members of terminally ill cancer patients with delirium.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Delirium in terminally ill cancer patients causes considerable distress to family members. The aim was to determine the family-perceived usefulness of a leaflet about delirium in terminally ill cancer patients. METHODS Family members received a leaflet about delirium designed for this study as a part of routine practice. Questionnaires were mailed to bereaved family members of cancer patients recruited from three palliative care units, one hospital palliative care team, and three specialized home care teams in Japan. RESULTS Among 235 family members, 16 questionnaires were returned as undeliverable, and responses were obtained from 169 bereaved family members (response rate 77%, 169/219). Of these, 22 were excluded because of missing data and 34 families reported they did not recognize that the patient had delirium, and thus 113 responses were finally analyzed. As a whole, 81% of the family members reported that the leaflet was "very useful" or "useful. " Many respondents noted that the leaflet "helped them understand the dying process" (84%), "helped them identify what they could do for the patient" (80%), "helped them understand the patient's physical condition" (76%), and "was useful in preparing for the patient's death" (72%). CONCLUSIONS The leaflet about delirium was evaluated as useful for family members. This leaflet could help family members cope with a difficult situation by facilitating accurate understanding of the situation and by helping family members understand what they could do for the patient. More comprehensive intervention programs should be developed and tested in the future.
Innovativeness: Its Antecedents and Impact on SME Business Performance

In this study, three research questions are addressed: (1) What effects do organizational orientations (i.e. social capital orientation, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation) have on innovativeness? (2) What effect does innovativeness has on business performance? (3) To what extent innovativeness mediate relationship between organizational orientations and business performance? Resource Based View (RBV) was applied to not only to develop key antecedents to innovativeness, such as social capital orientation, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation, but also the relationship between innovativeness and business performance. Findings confirm the validity of the model. It also indicates innovativeness, appears to be a key mediator in the web of relationships among organizational orientations and business performance. Lastly, implications are offered on the antecedents and consequences of innovativeness.