Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Importance of the Length of Global Product Rollout: An Examination in the Motion Picture Industry

Employing the resource-based view of the firm and the competitive forces perspective, the authors examine how brand equity (star power, director power, and brand extensions), financial resources, and competitive intensity serve both as antecedents to the length of global product rollout and as moderators of the effect of length of global product rollout on global product performance. The results, based on data from the motion picture industry, demonstrate that brand equity, financial resources, and competitive intensity result in shorter global product rollout and that shorter global product rollout enhances global product performance. They also find that brand equity and financial resources operate as moderators, magnifying the effect of length of global product rollout on global product performance. Implications for international marketing academics and practitioners are presented.
Oral salmon calcitonin attenuates hyperglycaemia and preserves pancreatic beta‐cell area and function in Zucker diabetic fatty rats

Oral salmon calcitonin (sCT), a dual‐action amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist, improved glucose homeostasis in diet‐induced obese rats. Here, we have evaluated the anti‐diabetic efficacy of oral sCT using parameters of glycaemic control and beta‐cell morphology in male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, a model of type 2 diabetes.
Sucralfate suppresses Helicobacter pylori infection and reduces gastric acid secretion by 50% in patients with duodenal ulcer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The mechanism(s) by which sucralfate heals duodenal ulcers remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of sucralfate on Helicobacter pylori infection and on the accompanying hypersecretion of gastric acid the infection induces in patients with duodenal ulcer. METHODS Basal and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) stimulated gastrin release and acid secretion. H. pylori density, gastric urease activity, and severity of gastritis were studied in patients with duodenal ulcer who were positive for H. pylori before, during, and after 4 weeks' treatment with sucralfate (2 g twice daily). RESULTS The density of H. pylori decreased by 70% during sucralfate treatment and returned to the pretreatment level after discontinuation of therapy. This suppression of H. pylori infection was accompanied by an 80% decrease in gastric urease activity. GRP-stimulated plasma gastrin concentrations, GRP-stimulated acid output, and basal acid output all decreased by approximately 50% during sucralfate therapy and returned to pretreatment levels after treatment was discontinued. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that sucralfate markedly suppresses H. pylori infection and the accompanying hypersecretion of acid the infection induces in patients with duodenal ulcer. These effects are likely to be important mechanisms by which the drug promotes duodenal ulcer healing.
Review: Airway smooth muscle as a model for new investigative drugs in asthma

Bronchial asthma as such exists because airway smooth muscle (ASM) contracts excessively in response to various stimuli. After several decades during which research was mainly focused on airway inflammation, increasing attention is now being paid to a possible abnormal behaviour of ASM. Thus, ASM is regarded as a major target for anti-asthma treatments. This review first describes the mechanisms of ASM contraction and airway hyperresponsiveness, through cellular, animal and human models. The developments of new drugs targeting extra and/or intracellular pathway of ASM contraction are discussed.
Changing background risk and risk-taking - Evidence from the field

Decisions involving risk are usually taken in the presence of other insurable or non-insurable risks, the latter type called background risk. We examine how changing background risk influences risk-taking based on panel data with monthly observations from Senegalese fishermen. Fishing income is volatile and income risk depends on weather conditions and on technologies employed. To measure risktaking, we use an incentivized investment task. To measure background risk, we consider long-run wind conditions and a measure based on comparing standardized monthly income deviations from the yearly individual mean. We find that the latter measure that controls for technology choices and thus takes conscious reduction of risk exposure into account has a significant impact when overall fishing income is below average. Then, higher income risk increases risk-taking, suggesting intemperate behavior in low-income situations. This effect is stronger for poorer fishermen, highlighting the need for safety nets.
Controlled Trial on Medical Birth Notification Design

Abstract In a controlled trial, two different forms were compared with respect to thoroughness of completing medical data on procedures during pregnancy, labor, and in newborns. The contents of 547 forms filled in by hospital personnel were compared to data abstracted from hospital records by trained research assistants. Forms with open-ended questions lacked information on 29% of the most common procedures and forms with a check-box format 9%. The results support the use of the check-box format in routine collection of data on common medical procedures.
Acetate Free Biofiltration: Effects on Peripheral Blood Monocyte Activation and Cytokine Release

Acetate free biofiltration (AFB), a new hemodiafiltration (HDF) technique characterized by a buffer free dialysate and postdilution infusion of a sterile HCO3 solution, was recently proposed as an alternative to HDF performed with acetate or bicarbonate dialysate. To evaluate the effects of dialysate buffer on immune cell activation, release of interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) from peripheral blood monocytes was studied in 12 uremic patients before and after HDF with polyacrylonitrile membranes (Filtral 12, Hospal Laboratories, Bologna, Italy) and consecutive dialysis with acetate, bicarbonate, and AFB. Data were correlated with the monocyte cytoplasmic concentration of Ca++, an index of early cell activation. Levels of bacterial endotoxins in the acetate, bicarbonate, buffer free dialysate, and infusate for AFB were also determined. Results showed that release of IL-1, PGE2, and LTB4, was greater after HDF with acetate than with bicarbonate; after bicarbonate dialysis, however, TNF production was significantly higher. On the other hand, after AFB, minimal production of these cytokines was seen and TNF, in particular, was undetectable. There was a direct correlation between release of cytokines in the monocytes and cytoplasmic Ca++ content. In the bicarbonate dialysate, detectable levels of bacterial endotoxins were found, whereas the acetate, buffer free dialysate, and infusate were endotoxin free. It was concluded that acetate dialysis directly activates peripheral blood monocytes to produce IL-1, PGE2, and LTB4, whereas bicarbonate induced TNF activation occurs through endotoxins. In AFB, which uses a buffer free dialysate and sterile bicarbonate infusion, monocyte activation is negligible.
Collaboration between community pharmacists and family physicians: lessons learned from the Seniors Medication Assessment Research Trial.

OBJECTIVES To learn about the experiences of specially trained expanded role pharmacists (ERPs) and family physicians in a program in which they worked together to optimize drug therapy for elderly patients (aged 65 and older) and to identify shortcomings of the program, obstacles to its implementation, and strategies to overcome these obstacles. DESIGN Qualitative opinion analysis. PARTICIPANTS Six family physicians and six community-based ERPs who had participated in a randomized controlled trial (Seniors Medication Assessment Research Trial [SMART]). INTERVENTION In-depth interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Themes that emerged from the interviews regarding the strengths and weaknesses of and ways to improve the program. RESULTS ERPs and physicians differed in their perceptions of appropriate roles for ERPs. ERPs saw the program as an opportunity to take on new professional roles. Physicians appreciated the information they received from ERPs about their patients' adherence and use of nonprescription medications, but they did not want ERPs to directly counsel their patients. Some physicians questioned the value of the program for some patients, since the inclusion criteria for patients were broad and not all patients meeting the criteria needed intense interventions by ERPs. Both ERPs and physicians identified the need to refine the referral process and to work out professional role relationships and ongoing collaboration more fully. If the program were to be implemented as a routine service, physicians were concerned about the demands on their staff and office space and the need for an external compensation mechanism. CONCLUSION Issues to be addressed for future programs include clarification of the roles of pharmacist and physician when the professionals work together, targeting of appropriate patients for the program, identification of a more efficient way to deliver recommendations, and development of an appropriate compensation mechanism.
Concentrations of carotenoids, retinol and alpha-tocopherol in plasma and follicular fluid of women undergoing IVF.

BACKGROUND Carotenoids are transferred into follicular fluid where they might serve as antioxidants and/or as precursors of retinoids which might modulate follicular or oocyte functions. METHODS AND RESULTS In 77 women undergoing IVF differences between plasma and follicular fluid in the levels of carotenoids, retinol and alpha-tocopherol were evaluated especially with regard to fertilization success. Concentration of total carotenoids, retinol and alpha-tocopherol determined by HPLC in follicular fluid and plasma were 0.06 +/- 0.02 versus 0.56 +/- 0.23 micro mol/l, 1.26 +/- 0.52 versus 1.66 +/- 0.37 micro mol/l and 4.89 +/- 2.13 versus 21.0 +/- 5.7 micro mol/l (mean +/- SD) respectively (P < 0.001 for all). Differences between plasma and follicular fluid were greater for beta-carotene and lycopene (<20% of plasma concentration) than for lutein and zeaxanthin (>40%). Intrafollicular retinol and retinol-binding protein (RBP) levels represented 58 +/- 23% and 60 +/- 19% of plasma level. Similar molar ratios of retinol/RBP were observed. While no differences in the mean values of all components investigated were observed in plasma and follicular fluid between women with and without reproductive success, the variability in the concentration was much greater in follicular fluid obtained from women without reproductive success. CONCLUSIONS It remains to be elucidated, if this is indicative of a disturbed sieving effect of the blood-follicle barrier with possibly negative consequences for oocyte maturation.
Export Performance: A Focus on Discretionary Adaptation

Marketing adaptation strategy has been characterized as a strategic imperative in markets with protectionist and nationalist sentiments, which underscores the need to better understand the effects of adaptation strategy. However, empirical investigations of international marketing strategy have considered mandatory and discretionary adaptations as equivalent. Discretionary adaptations, unlike mandatory adaptations, involve choice; thus, they are more relevant to the selection of an international marketing strategy. This article focuses on the direct and conditional effects of discretionary adaptation on export performance. Analyzing data from 203 U.S. small and medium-sized enterprises, the authors find a positive effect of discretionary adaptation on export performance as well as moderating effects of (1) a market characteristic (psychic distance), (2) a firm characteristic (international experience), and (3) a product characteristic (product positional advantage). The implications suggest that adaptation strategy may be more advantageous than previously thought, and that researchers should focus on discretionary adaptations when investigating the choice of a relatively standardized versus adapted international marketing strategy.
The incidence and temporal patterning of insomnia: a pilot study

To date very little research has been conducted on night‐to‐night variability in the incidence of insomnia. It is unclear from prior research whether subjects with primary insomnia (PI) exhibit good sleep (or better than average sleep) on some interval basis. In the present study, pilot data are provided on: (1) the frequency with which ‘good sleep’ occurs in subjects with PI; and (2) whether these events occur in a non‐random manner. Ten subjects with PI participated in this ‘naturalistic’ study. All subjects completed daily sleep diaries for a minimum of 20 days. None of the subjects received treatment for their insomnia during the monitoring period. The night‐to‐night data were evaluated by typing each night’s sleep as ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’, and then by determining the number of bad nights that occurred prior to a good night for each subject. Good and bad nights were typed in two ways: (1) using a ≥85% cut‐off and (2) using a better than the individual’s mean sleep efficiency (idiographic cut‐off). Subjects exhibited good sleep on between 29% (>85% criteria) and 55% (idiographic criteria) of the nights evaluated. The temporal patterning analysis (based on an idiographic cut‐off) revealed that better than average sleep most frequently occurred (>89% of instances) following one to three nights of poor sleep. These data suggest that insomnia severity may be mediated/moderated by sleep homeostasis and that the homeostat, or input to the homeostat, may be abnormal in patients with PI.
Species richness, diversity and specificity of the parasites of bream Abramis brama (L.) and perch Perca fluviatilis L. in the estuary of the Odra River, Poland

SummaryThe parasitological studies were carried out on bream and perch from brackish water of Pomeranian Bay and the Szczecin Lagoon — a mouth of the Odra River. Bream and perch hosted 21 and 13 parasitic species, respectively. The species richness and diversity of parasites were much higher for bream and the abundance of parasites in bream was nearly four-fold higher than that in perch. Faunistic similarity of both parasite communities was low. The dominant group of parasites in both fish hosts was digeneans. Five species were specialists of bream, while only one species was a perch specialist. Five new host records have been reported in Poland for the following species: Myxobolus dispar, Hysterothylacium aduncum, Khawia sinensis, Echinorhynchus gadi and Pomphorhynchus laevis.
The Carbon Bubble: climate policy in a fire‐sale model of deleveraging

Committed and credible implementation of climate change policy, consistent with the usual 2C limit, is thought to require large fossil fuel asset write-offs. This issue, termed the Carbon Bubble, is usually presented as having implications for investors but, for the first time, this paper discusses its implications for macroeconomic policy and for climate policy itself. We embed the Carbon Bubble in a macroeconomic model exhibiting a financial accelerator: if investors are leveraged, the Carbon Bubble may precipitate a fire-sale as investors rush for the exits, and generate a large and persistent fall in output and investment. We investigate policy responses which can accompany the writing-off of fossil fuel assets, like debt transfers, investment subsidies, government guarantees, or even deception about the true scale of the required write-off of fossil fuel assets. We find a role for policy in mitigating the Carbon Bubble.
COMPARING THE USEFULNESS OF NET INCOME VERSUS COMPREHENSIVE INCOME IN TERMS OF FIRM PERFORMANCE: BORSA ISTANBUL CASE

Based on the ongoing claims that comprehensive income measures financial performance better than net income, thus enhance the transperancy and usefulness of financial statements, International Accounting Standard No.1 (IAS 1) requires reporting comprehenive income in a primary and separate financial statement. From this point forth, we compare the usefullnes of comprehensive income with net income in terms of financial performance proxied by stock price, stock market returns and operating cash flows. Using a sample of listed companies in Turkey, we find some evidence that comprehensive income is a better measurement than net income, especially explaining stock market price and market returns. However, the association between comprehensive income and stock market price is negative. In that sense, our findings are consistent with previous research that argue investors find the financial information in comprehensive income is more volatile, risky, transitory and incomplete than net income, resulting in decreased stock market price.
Priority queuing of long-range dependent traffic

By using multiscale wavelet models (MWM), the multi-scale queuing (MSQ) technique is extended to evaluate the queue length distribution for two DiffServ classes fed with long-range dependent (LRD) traffic. The higher-priority class is first served by using an MWM/D/1 queue to estimate the unused capacity that is subsequently characterized by a MWM model in the analysis of the queue length distribution of the lower-priority MWM/MWM/1 queue. Comparison with simulation results shows that the proposed analytical technique can provide a tight bound on the queue length distribution.
Inability to directly detect magnetic field changes associated with neuronal activity

The ability to directly detect neuronal magnetic fields by MRI would help investigators achieve the “holy grail” of neuroimaging, namely both high spatial and temporal resolution. Both positive and negative findings have been reported in the literature, with no clear consensus as to the feasibility of direct detection. The aim of this study was to replicate one of the most promising published in vivo results. A second aim was to investigate the use of steady‐state visual evoked potentials (ssVEPs), which give a large evoked response and offer a well‐controlled approach because the frequency of the neuronal response can be dictated by the experimenter. For both studies we used a general linear model (GLM) that included regressors for both the expected blood oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) signal and the magnetic source (MS) signal. The results showed no activity that could be attributed to the neuromagnetic signals in either study, and no frequency component corresponding to the frequency of the ssVEPs. This study demonstrates that for the particular stimuli and hardware used, the sensitivity of the magnitude MRI signal to detect evoked neuronal currents is too low to be of practical use. Magn Reson Med 57:411–416, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Insulin Enhances Endothelial Function Throughout the Arterial Tree in Healthy But Not Metabolic Syndrome Subjects.

CONTEXT Insulin reportedly impairs endothelial function in conduit arteries but improves it in resistance and microvascular arterioles in healthy humans. No studies have assessed endothelial function at three arterial levels in healthy or metabolic syndrome (METSYN) subjects. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to compare endothelial responsiveness of conduit arteries, resistance, and microvascular arterioles to insulin in healthy and METSYN subjects. DESIGN We assessed conduit, resistance, and microvascular arterial function in the postabsorptive and postprandial states and during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (insulin clamp). SETTING The study was conducted at a clinical research unit. PARTICIPANTS Age-matched healthy and METSYN subjects participated in the study. INTERVENTIONS We used brachial flow-mediated dilation, forearm postischemic flow velocity, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound to assess the conduit artery, resistance arteriole, and microvascular arteriolar endothelial function, respectively. We also assessed the conduit artery stiffness (pulse wave velocity and augmentation index) and measured the plasma concentrations of 92 cardiovascular disease biomarkers at baseline and after the clamp. RESULTS Postabsorptive and postprandial endothelial function was similar in controls and METSYN in all tested vessels. METSYN subjects were metabolically insulin resistant (P < .005). In controls, but not METSYN subjects, during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia, endothelial function improved at each level of arterial vasculature (P < .05 or less for each). Conduit vessel stiffness (pulse wave velocity) was increased in the METSYN group. Twelve of 92 biomarkers differed at baseline (P < .001) and remained different at the end of the insulin clamp. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that insulin enhances arterial endothelial function in health but not in METSYN, and this vascular insulin resistance may underlie its increased cardiovascular disease risk.
Perceived race-based and socioeconomic status(SES)-based discrimination in interactions with health care providers.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to: 1) examine whether African Americans perceive race-based and socioeconomic status(SES)-based discrimination in their interactions with health care providers; 2) explore the relationship between perceived discrimination and health care utilization; and 3) examine the interrelationships among education, stigma consciousness, and perceived discrimination. DESIGN Cross-sectional. METHODS Seventy-six African-American adults (59 women and 17 men) completed self-report questionnaires regarding their experiences with and attitudes toward health care providers. RESULTS Almost two thirds (63%) of participants perceived discrimination in their interactions with health care providers based on their race or color, and 58.9% perceived discrimination based on their socioeconomic status or social class. Some experiences of perceived discrimination were correlated with measures of health care utilization. Education and stigma consciousness were positively correlated with perceptions of both race-based and SES-based discrimination. Stigma consciousness was not significantly correlated with education, suggesting that expectations that one will be stereotyped by doctors do not account for the relationship between education and reports of perceived discrimination in interactions with health care providers. CONCLUSION Further research is needed to assess the prevalence, frequency, and consequences of perceived discrimination in health care interactions.
Characterization of the dTDP‐d‐fucofuranose biosynthetic pathway in Escherichia coli O52

d‐fucofuranose (d‐Fucf) is a component of Escherichia coli O52 O antigen. This uncommon sugar is also the sugar moiety of the anticancer drug – gilvocarcin V produced by many streptomycetes. In E. coli O52, rmlA, rmlB, fcf1 and fcf2 were proposed in a previous study by our group to encode the enzymes of the dTDP‐d‐Fucf (the nucleotide‐activated form of d‐Fucf) biosynthetic pathway. In this study, Fcf1 and Fcf2 from E. coli O52 were expressed, purified and assayed for their respective activities. Novel product peaks from enzyme‐substrate reactions were detected by capillary electrophoresis and the structures of the product compounds were elucidated by electro‐spray ionization mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Fcf1 was confirmed to be a dTDP‐6‐deoxy‐d‐xylo‐hex‐4‐ulopyranose reductase for the conversion of dTDP‐6‐deoxy‐d‐xylo‐hex‐4‐ulopyranose to dTDP‐d‐fucopyranose (dTDP‐d‐Fucp), and Fcf2 a dTDP‐d‐Fucp mutase for the conversion of dTDP‐d‐Fucp to dTDP‐d‐Fucf. The Km of Fcf1 for dTDP‐6‐deoxy‐d‐xylo‐hex‐4‐ulopyranose was determined to be 0.38 mM, and of Fcf2 for dTDP‐d‐Fucp to be 3.43 mM. The functional role of fcf1 and fcf2 in the biosynthesis of E. coli O52 O antigen were confirmed by mutation and complementation tests. This is the first time that the biosynthetic pathway of dTDP‐d‐Fucf has been fully characterized.