Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BRAIN‐TYPICAL CREATINEKINASE IN THE SERUM OF NEWBORN INFANTS WITH PERINATAL BRAIN DAMAGE

ABSTRACT. Abnormal values of serum‐CK‐activity in healthy newborns varied greatly (95% range: 4–165 U/l; 257 probands) and the borderline to pathological values was not sharp. Brain‐typical CK‐isoenzyme (CK‐BB) could be detected in serum of 6 of 8 infants with perinatal brain damage by means of agar gel electrophoresis. The combination of neuropathological symptoms, increased total‐serum‐CK‐activity, and significant amount of CK‐BB in serum seemed to be a sure sign of severe CNS‐damage in newborns.
The α2A‐adrenoceptor suppresses excitatory synaptic transmission to both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in layer 4 barrel cortex

The effects of noradrenaline on excitatory synaptic transmission to regular spiking (excitatory) cells as well as regular spiking non‐pyramidal and fast spiking (both inhibitory) cells in cortical layer 4 were studied in thalamocortical slice preparations, focusing on vertical input from thalamus and layer 2/3 in the mouse barrel cortex. Excitatory synaptic responses were suppressed by noradrenaline. However, currents induced by iontophoretically applied glutamate were not suppressed. Further, paired pulse ratio and coefficient of variation analysis indicated the site of action was presynaptic. Pharmacological studies indicated that the suppression was mediated by the α2‐adrenoceptor. Consistent with this, involvement of α2A‐adrenoceptor activation in the synaptic suppression in excitatory and inhibitory cells was confirmed by the use of α2A‐adrenoceptor knockout mice.
Impact of downsizing, restructuring and knowledge sharing on retention of knowledge in organisations : implications for organisational effectiveness

xii Chapter One Introduction 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Downsizing 2 1.2 Broader Implications 4 1.3 Previous Research 4 1.4 Organisational Knowledge 5 1.5 Perceptions of Downsizing/Restructuring Events 6 1.6 Purpose of Research, Research Questions and Objectives 6 1.6. 1 Research Questions 7 1.7 Overview of Method Used 8 1.8 Overview Of Thesis Structure 8 1.9 Conclusion 9 Chapter Two Literature Review 2.0 Introduction 10 2.1 Downsizing 10 2.2 Restructuring 11 2.3 Overview 12 2.4 Background 13 2.5 Previous Research on Downsizing 14 2.6 Knowledge 15 2.7 Knowledge Sharing 18 2.8 Informal Networks 22 2.9 Knowledge and Informal Networks Retention During Downsizing/Restructuring 24 2.10 Conceptual Framework for The Research 26
An Exploratory Investigation of the Periodic Performance Evaluation Processes for Marketing Faculty

Whether a first entrant into the academic job market or a seasoned professional, career outcomes for marketing educators depend heavily on the evaluation process used at their institutions. This research explores the periodic performance evaluation process for marketing faculty members using data collected from a national sample of marketing department chairpersons. Several aspects of the evaluation and its potential outcomes are explored, including teaching and research expectations. The results indicate that regular and frequent performance evaluations are a routine part of life for marketing faculty, whatever their institutional affiliation. Furthermore, these evaluations tend to play a role in promotion, tenure, compensation, and retention decisions. Several interesting conclusions emerge when the results from doctoral-granting and non-doctoral-granting universities are compared, including that doctoral-granting universities tend to have a more restrictive view of what constitutes acceptable research. Additionally, teaching and service were found to play a more important role in the tenure decision at non-doctoral-granting universities, whereas research was found to play a larger role at doctoral-granting universities. These and other results offer a unique look at the policies and procedures used in the periodic performance evaluation of marketing faculty members.
Factors Affecting Supplier Selection in the Malaysian Fresh Produce Industry

The selection of trading partners is one of the most important decisions to make in business-to-business marketing. Previous studies indicated that quality; price and the ability to deliver are generally regarded as the most important criteria by which organisational buyers evaluate their potential suppliers. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the factors affecting supplier selection from the buyer's perspective within the Malaysian fresh produce industry. A survey was conducted in two major wholesale markets in Malaysia using a simple random sampling technique. A total of 53 wholesalers represented the buyers were selected and interviewed via structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive and factor analysis. The results from the survey indicated that the ability of the supplier to offer a fair price is the most important criteria used by the wholesalers when selecting their potential supplier while, sharing marketing information are the least. Factor analysis using principal component method revealed four factors that collectively described wholesaler's perspective on their supplier selection namely quality of produce, ability to supply, appearance of produce and competitiveness. Suppliers must be able to fulfil these important attributes as indicated by the buyers to remain competitive and a long-term relationship in the market.
Does imitation reduce the liability of foreignness?: Linking distance, isomorphism, and performance

Research summary: Research demonstrates that foreign firms from institutionally distant countries imitate the practices of domestic firms (i.e., adopt an isomorphism strategy). The conjecture has been that pursuing such a strategy can help foreign firms counteract the deleterious performance consequences associated with institutional distance; yet there is scant evidence of such. This study treats isomorphism as an endogenously selected strategy influenced by institutional distance to examine its performance consequences. Using a dataset of 80 foreign banks from 25 countries operating in the United States, we find that foreign firms from institutionally distant home countries benefit initially from selecting an isomorphism strategy. However, the benefits diminish with experience. Managerial summary: Multinational companies experience great difficulty in managing institutional distance, and research suggests that one way to overcome distance-related constraints is to imitate the strategies of local companies. Unfortunately, we do not know enough about the performance-related consequences of engaging in such imitative behavior. This study examines whether imitating local firms improves performance for multinational companies from institutionally distant markets. We find that imitation improves a firm's performance at first; however, with experience those same strategies result in performance decrements. Managers of multinationals should therefore be careful not to get locked into imitative strategies that provide performance benefits upon entry, but that fail to provide benefits over time. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Productive cities: opportunity in a changing economy

Most Australians live and work in cities. They are essential to generating growth and to creating and distributing opportunities. Cities are shaped by where people live, where they work, and how they get around. When these three things are in tune with the structure of the economy, cities operate efficiently and productively, and drive growth and innovation. This report examines housing, income and travel data in Australiars four largest cities and reveals strains in the triangle of work, home and transport that could threaten national prosperity. Addressing these issues will provide a significant boost to national productivity, because as the economy becomes more knowledge intensive, deep labour markets and good links between firms become more important. Firms engaged in high-knowledge activities benefit from connections that enable them to collaborate and learn from one another. They locate in places with deep labour markets to ensure that they can attract the talent and skill they need. This report reveals, however, that labour markets are shallow in significant parts of Australiars biggest cities. In many suburbs - particularly outer suburbs - residents can reach fewer than 10 per cent of all metropolitan jobs with a reasonable commuting time. Increasingly, employees with high-level qualifications and high incomes live close to the heart of our cities. Meanwhile, workers with trade skills or low skills, and people on lower incomes, tend to live further from the centre. Rising house prices have exacerbated this divide. If this polarisation continues, then many people risk being locked out of the parts of the city that offer the richest access to jobs.
In Vitro Modeling of Fatty Acid Synthesis under Conditions Simulating the Zonation of Lipogenic [13C]Acetyl-CoA Enrichment in the Liver*[boxs]

In the companion report (Bederman, I. R., Reszko, A. E., Kasumov, T., David, F., Wasserman, D. H., Kelleher, J. K., and Brunengraber, H. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 43207-43216), we demonstrated that, when the hepatic pool of lipogenic acetyl-CoA is labeled from [13C]acetate, the enrichment of this pool decreases across the liver lobule. In addition, estimates of fractional synthesis calculated by isotopomer spectral analysis (ISA), a nonlinear regression method, did not agree with a simpler algebraic two-isotopomer method. To evaluate differences between these methods, we simulated in vitro the synthesis of fatty acids under known gradients of precursor enrichment, and known values of fractional synthesis. First, we synthesized pentadecanoate from [U-13C3]propionyl-CoA and four gradients of [U-13C3]malonyl-CoA enrichment. Second, we pooled the fractions of each gradient. Third, we diluted each pool with pentadecanoate prepared from unlabeled malonyl-CoA to simulate the dilution of the newly synthesized compound by pre-existing fatty acids. This yielded a series of samples of pentadecanoate with known values of (i) lower and upper limits for the precursor enrichment, (ii) the shape of the gradient, and (iii) the fractional synthesis. At each step, the mass isotopomer distributions of the samples were analyzed by ISA and the two-isotopomer method to determine whether each method could correctly (i) detect gradients of precursor enrichment, (ii) estimate the gradient limits, and (iii) estimate the fractional synthesis. The two-isotopomer method did not identify gradients of precursor enrichment and underestimated fractional synthesis by up to 2-fold in the presence of gradients. ISA uses all mass isotopomers, correctly identified imposed gradients of precursor enrichment, and estimated the expected values of fractional synthesis within the constraints of the data.
Brand managers in the pharmaceutical industry: are they any different?

This paper examines the brand managers’ characteristics and their role in the pharmaceutical industry. It identifies the similarities and differences of that role with the role of brand managers working in the fast‐moving consumer goods industry. In particular, this study investigates brand managers’ duties, by analysing their perceived involvement in activities relevant to market analysis, planning, implementation, evaluation and training and strategic and tactical decision making. The results proved that brand managers working in various sectors have a co‐ordinating role and that their involvement in the strategic decision of their brands is still limited. They also indicated a dissimilarity in the perceived job responsibilities between the two industries.
Envelope-Dependent Restriction of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Spreading in CD4+ T Lymphocytes: R5 but Not X4 Viruses Replicate in the Absence of T-Cell Receptor Restimulation

ABSTRACT The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replicates in activated CD4+ T lymphocytes. However, only CD4+ Th2 and Th0, but not Th1, CD4+ T-cell clones have been reported to efficiently support HIV-1 replication. This dichotomous pattern was further investigated in the present study in Th1, Th2, or Th0 cell lines derived from umbilical human cord blood and in T-cell clones obtained from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy adults. Both primary and laboratory-adapted HIV-1 strains with CCR5 as the exclusive entry coreceptor (R5 viruses) efficiently replicated in Th1, Th2, and Th0 cells. In sharp contrast, CXCR4-dependent (X4) viruses poorly replicated in both polarized and unpolarized CD4+ T cells, including adults’ PBMC infected several days after mitogenic stimulation. Unlike the X4 HIV-1NL4-3, a chimera in which the env gene had been replaced with that of the R5 HIV-1NL(AD8), efficiently replicated in both Th1 and Th2 cells. This X4-dependent restriction of HIV replication was not explained by either the absence of functional CXCR4 on the cell surface or by the inefficient viral entry and reverse transcription. T-cell receptor stimulation by anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies fully rescued X4 HIV-1 replication in both Th1 and Th2 cells, whereas it did not alter the extent and kinetics of R5 HIV-1 spreading. Thus, R5 HIVs show a replicative advantage in comparison to X4 viruses in their ability to efficiently propagate among suboptimally activated T lymphocytes, regardless of their polarized or unpolarized functional profiles. This observation may help to explain the absolute predominance of R5 HIVs over X4 viruses observed after viral transmission and during early-stage disease.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) in a Clinical Sample

Evidence for the validity of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia, Isquith, Guy, & Kenworthy, 2000) based on internal structure was examined in a sample of children with mixed clinical diagnoses via maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis. Four alternative factor models of children's executive function, based on current theories that posit a unidimensional versus fractionated model (Rabbitt, 1997; Shallice & Burgess, 1991), using the revised 9-scale BRIEF configuration that separates two components of the Monitor scale, were examined for model fit. A 3-factor structure best modeled the data when compared directly with 1-, 2-, and 4-factor models. The 3-factor model was defined by a Behavior Regulation factor consisting of the BRIEF Inhibit and Self-Monitor scales, an Emotional Regulation factor consisting of the Emotional Control and Shift scales, and a Metacognition factor composed of the Working Memory, Initiate, Plan/Organize, Organization of Materials, and Task-Monitor scales. The findings support a fractionated, multi-component view of executive function as measured by the BRIEF.
Profit and service quality in selected motor retailers for servicing of passenger vehicles.

In this research the link between a measure of profit and service quality was investigated. The service quality was measured through two models: SERVQUAL and SERVPERF. SERVQUAL measured the service quality through the expectations the interviewees had, of the service to come, and their perceptions of the service received. SERVPERF measured service quality by means of the perceptions of the interviewees. Both models were completed by the customers and employees of the dealership. At the same time the results gathered from the SERVPERF data were then compared to the findings measured in the industry. The latter included the Synovate Quality Awards and the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study. Only SERVPERF was used in this comparison as it measured perceptions similar to those of Synovate and J.D. Power and Associates. The effect on service quality due to the type of employment within which the customers are involved, was also investigated during this research. Finally the results of the SERVQUAL and SERVPERF models were evaluated with a series of statistical tests and comparisons. The results of this research, indicated that neither SERVQUAL nor SERVPERF had a positive relationship with a measure of profit measured “today” and therefore no correlations could be made. Also concluded from this research was the fact that no difference between the way in which the SERVQUAL and SERPVERF models measured service quality was found. This, therefore, did not allow one to choose a superior model for the measurement of service quality. Finally, it was recommended that this type of research continue but the effect of service quality measured “today” and its effect on a measure of profit for “tomorrow” be investigated. University Of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ School of Aeronautical, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering iii
Does Gender-Balancing the Board Reduce Firm Value?

A board gender quota reduces firm value if it forces the appointment of under-qualified female directors. We examine this costly constraint hypothesis using the natural experiment created by Norway's 2005 board gender-quota law. This law drove the average fraction of female directors from 5% in 2001 to 40% by 2008, producing a large exogenous shock to director experience and independence. However, statistically robust analyses of quota-induced shareholder announcement returns, and of long-run stock and accounting performance, fail to reject the hypothesis of a zero valuation effect of this shock to board composition. Moreover, firms did not expand board size, nor is there significant evidence of quota-induced corporate conversions to a (non-public) legal form exempted from the quota law. Finally, our evidence on female director turnover and a novel network-based measure of director gender-power gap also fails to suggest that qualified female directors were in short supply.
Amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity (APT): A low dose fatal adverse event

Introduction: Amiodarone pulmonary toxicity (APt) can be a diagnostic challenge to clinicians as it has no pathognomonic clinical, laboratory, radiological or histological features. It can potentially be fatal particularly in high risk patients. Amiodarone pulmonary toxicity is dose dependent, however, low dosages have also been reported to cause severe pulmonary disease. therefore, it should be considered in every patient with respiratory distress and on current or recent amiodarone therapy. case report: We report a case of APt with fatal outcome in a 49-year-old female taking the recommended doses of amiodarone with history of atrial fibrillation, rheumatic heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. Our patient was taking amiodarone for three years. she presented with severe respiratory distress necessitating endotracheal intubation. Despite treatment with systemic corticosteroids and broad spectrum antimicrobials, patient died in intensive care unit (IcU) after one month of admission. Amiodarone pulmonary toxicity is usually dosedependent, however, our patient was taking safe
The rs1277306 Variant of the REST Gene Confers Susceptibility to Cognitive Aging in an Elderly Taiwanese Population

Background/Aims: There is growing evidence that the RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST) gene may contribute to cognitive aging and Alzheimer diseases. In this replication study, we reassessed whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the REST gene are linked with cognitive aging independently and/or through complex interactions in an older Taiwanese population. Methods: A total of 634 Taiwanese subjects aged over 60 years from the Taiwan Biobank were analyzed. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were performed for all subjects to weigh cognitive functions. Results: Our data showed that the REST rs1277306 SNP was significantly associated with cognitive aging among all subjects (p = 0.0052). Furthermore, the association remained significant for individuals without APOE ε4 allele (p = 0.0092), but not for individuals with at least 1 APOE ε4 allele. This association remained significant after Bonferroni correction. Additionally, we found the interactions between the rs1713985 and rs1277306 SNPs on cognitive aging (p = 0.016). However, the 3-marker haplotype derived from the rs1713985, rs3796529, and rs7680734 SNPs in the REST gene demonstrated no association with cognitive aging. Conclusion: Our study indicates that the REST gene may contribute to susceptibility to cognitive aging independently as well as through SNP-SNP and APOE-REST interactions.
A review of policy and economic instruments for peak demand management in commuter rail

Urban rail systems in the larger Australian capital cities have considerable demand variability, with peak demand, mainly associated with daily commutes in many cases straining system capacity and adversely impacting on service levels and traveller satisfaction. Infrastructure responses and capacity improvements are expensive and require significant procurement lead times. System planners and managers dealing with all major transport modes have long recognised demand management as an effective tool to deliver greater efficiencies in the operation of transport infrastructure and reduce the need to invest in expensive infrastructure solutions. Literature dealing with policy and economic instruments to manage peak demand for rail and other relevant industries provides guidance for identifying best practices for possible consideration in commuter rail. In the area of transit, peak demand management constitutes the utilisation of a number of instruments with the objective of influencing travellers to vary their travel patterns in order to achieve more efficient utilisation of system resources and return a higher level of travel utility (satisfaction) to the transit system users. Instruments include social /institutional communication campaigns, quality of service, fares and/or system access fees, parking availability and pricing at transport terminals, as well as feeder services.
A flavanone and antimicrobial activities of the constituents of extracts from Mundulea sericea

In this study, 12 compounds, which include a new flavanone 5-methoxy mundulin (1), were isolated from the leaves, stem bark and twigs of Mundulea sericea (Willd.) A. Chev. (Fabaceae; Papilionoideae). The structures of the compounds were identified based on spectral data analyses. The constituents of M. sericea also showed antimicrobial activities (MIQ = 0.01–100 µg) against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans.
Consumer Risk Perception in the UK Wine Market

With the growing urgency to reduce Europe's swelling “wine lake”, further growth in underdeveloped markets is being hampered, in part, by the risks involved in purchasing wine. Perceived risk is a factor which affects consumers' decision making when they are considering a new product choice or a choice in which the “stake” is high. The article considers the importance of various risks, for example, social, financial, functional and physical, to consumers in the UK wine market. The most important perceived risk was the taste of the wine, the least important being the risk of hangover. The group discussions elaborated several other points. Knowing the exact risks people perceive about a product, marketers can set about altering the product in an attempt to reduce those risks thus increasing the competitive differential of the product.