Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disruption of actin impedes transmitter release in snake motor terminals

1 To investigate the role of actin in vertebrate nerve terminals, nerve‐muscle preparations from garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) were treated with the actin‐depolymerizing agent latrunculin A. Immunostaining revealed that actin filaments within presynaptic motor terminal boutons were disrupted by the drug. 2 In preparations loaded with the optical probe FM1‐43, destaining was reduced by latrunculin treatment, suggesting that transmitter release was partially blocked. 3 Latrunculin treatment did not influence the amplitude or time course of spontaneous miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs). Similarly, endplate potentials (EPPs) evoked at low frequency were comparable in control and latrunculin‐treated curarized preparations. 4 Brief tetanic stimulation of the muscle nerve (25 Hz, 90 s) depressed EPP amplitudes in both control and latrunculin‐treated preparations. After tetanus, EPPs elicited at 0.2 Hz in control preparations recovered rapidly (0–5 min) and completely (usually potentiating to above pre‐tetanus levels; 130 ± 11%, mean ±s.e.m.). In contrast, EPPs evoked in latrunculin‐treated preparations recovered slowly (8–10 min) and incompletely (84 ± 8%). 5 The influence of latrunculin on post‐tetanic EPPs depended on its concentration in the bath (KD= 3.1 μm) and on time of incubation. 6 These observations argue that actin filaments facilitate transmitter release rather than impede it. Specifically, actin may facilitate mobilization of vesicles towards the releasable pools.
ADDING SHAREHOLDER VALUE THROUGH DIVIDEND POLICY: EVIDENCE FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM ON TAX-BASED SHAREHOLDER CLIENTELES

This paper addresses the question of dividend clienteles based on shareholder-level taxation. In the United Kingdom in 1997, radical changes were made to the way in which the dominant shareholder clientele was taxed on dividend income. These changes provided a unique quasi-experimental opportunity for a direct test of dividend clienteles, and of tax theories. This issue is central to policy formation, and to predicting the likely impact on shareholder value of changes to the dividend policy pursued by firms. Evidence is presented of two distinct tax-based clienteles in the United Kingdom, with contrasting preferences, one of which was strong enough to influence payout in the firms in which this clientele invested. The implication for South African firms is that, as the tax system changes, the payout preference of shareholders may also change. It is imperative that corporate financial managers react to these clienteles, and their requirements.
Push, pull and sustaining factors of child labour in Nigeria

This paper examines a particular aspect of child labour activities - street trading. Using 241 subjects, the paper highlighted the push, pull and sustaining factors of child labour. Data collection exercise involved the use of questionnaires, interview and observation of the children at work. Conducted in a business district Ibadan, Nigeria, the study reveals that the children are generally pushed out of their household given the increasing instability of maintenance; attracted to street trading because of its good economic yields; sustained in the job by the harmonious social context, but continuously being ruined and denied of their future by the hazards of the hazards of the workplace and the anti-social elements that they daily come in contact with on the streets.
Developing host-guest relationships in Thai tourist resorts

This relationship marketing study investigates the influence of national culture on the development of host-guest relationships between local and international tourists and Thai resort operators on Samui Island, Thailand. It proposes that a quality relationship between tourists and resort operators, which is characterised by high levels of trust and commitment, is the major determinant of customer loyalty. In particular, it concentrates on the major cultural differences between Thai and Australian tourists that impinge upon host-guest relationship development. To assist in the study, a research model developed by Morgan and Hunt (1994) was modified and used to conceptualise host-guest relationships and to inform the data collection procedure. Based on survey data collected from Australian and Thai tourists that arrived on Samui Island between January and February 2005, it was found that Australian and Thai respondents have different service experiences during their vacation. Moreover, they also weigh the importance of the antecedents of trust and commitment differently. The findings of the study highlight the need for resort operators to interact with tourists in a culturally sensitive manner. The managerial implications of the results of this study for resort operators are presented, and some recommendations for future service management and delivery strategies are suggested.
Power and influence in the buying centre

Builds on work in organisational buying. Examines the relationship between power bases and influence strategies in an organisational buying situation, specifically, the decision to purchase the services of an advertising agency. Hypothesises the influence strategies of consultation, coalition, legitimating pressure, exchange, rational persuasion, inspirational appeals and personal appeals, related to source characteristics (power bases). Findings from 150 organisational buying decisions support findings from a recent study in the USA. Suggests that the use of an influence strategy is positively related to the corresponding type of power.
Di erent pathways of formation of N 2 O , N 2 and NO in black earth soil

The use of N tracer provides a suitable technique to investigate the processes of N transformation in soils and the origin of the environmentally relevant gaseous N compounds N2O and NO from nitri®cation and denitri®cation. The results of incubation experiments with black earth soil under two dierent water contents are presented here. Nitri®cation and denitri®cation proceeded simultaneously, but the importance of these two microbial processes shifted depending on the water content of the soil. Under water-unsaturated conditions the microbial oxidation of NH4 + to NO3 ÿ predominated, but a reduction of NO3 ÿ also occurred. The emission of NO exceeded the emission of N2O by a factor of up to 20 at the beginning of the experiments. Under water-saturated conditions denitri®cation was the dominant process of N transformation in the soil. However, nitri®cation also occurred to a considerable extent. The emission of N2O was greater than under unsaturated conditions. The formation of NO could hardly be observed. N loss by molecular nitrogen from denitri®cation could be detected under saturated conditions. The N loss amounted to 60% of NO3 ÿ and thereby the cumulative N ratio of N2 to N2O was 3. Under either unsaturated or saturated conditions NO arose from NO2 ÿ or during the microbial oxidation of NH4 + to NO2 ÿ. However, N2O mainly formed from denitri®cation under both conditions. Furthermore, NO could not be observed as a precursor of N2O and the free NO2 ÿ could not be detected as a common N pool for the formation of N2O and NO. High emissions of NO could be a problem for the black earth soil in the semi-arid climate in central Germany, if there are large amounts of NH4 + in the soil after fertilisation. # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Importers' benevolence toward their foreign export suppliers

In this article, the authors report the development and testing of a model of importers' benevolence toward their foreign export suppliers. The model posits that an importer's satisfaction with and commitment to its relationship with a foreign export supplier will have a positive impact on the importer's benevolence toward that supplier, that an importer's benevolence positively influences relationship performance, and that the benevolence-performance link is moderated by relationship duration. The authors tested the model with a sample of U.S. importers who buy from foreign exporters. The results indicate that the importers' commitment to the relationship significantly influenced its benevolence; however, importers' satisfaction with the relationship did not significantly affect their benevolence. Importers' altruistic benevolence had a positive impact on performance in mature relationships but not in new relationships. Importers' mutualistic benevolence had a significant influence on performance regardless of relationship duration.
Organizational culture of the architectural firm: a case in a developing country

The construction industry has been reported to experience problems in efforts to be innovative due to its complex nature. One of the factors that contributes to the problem is culture. Despite their perceived innovations, architectural firms have a limited understanding of their organizational culture in relation to innovation. This paper examines the organizational culture within the architectural firm in Malaysia, in response to the wider need for more organizational studies in the construction industry, especially in developing countries in Asia. A postal survey was employed and 151 architectural firms responded. The exploratory factor analysis revealed four cultural dimensions, namely (1) innovation-supportive behaviours, (2) freedom, (3) collectivism/teamwork and (4) individualism. The findings indicate that innovation-supportive behaviours and collectivism/teamwork were dominant in these architectural firms. The findings also revealed a lack of freedom and individualism within the architectural firms of Malaysia. Therefore future strategy should focus on encouraging more freedom and individualism within architectural firms as a way of fostering innovation, particularly in the context of developing countries.
Industrial Purchasing: An Empirical Exploration of the Buyclass Framework

The Robinson, Faris, and Wind buyclass framework has been called one of the most useful concepts in organizational buyer behavior, yet the entire model has received little empirical attention. Part of the explanation is the difficulty of obtaining valid data from members of the buying center. The authors study the buyclass framework using a novel approach: querying the managers of salesforces about the behavior their salespeople encounter on the part of their industrial customers. In phase 1, model development, the authors study the model's applicability in a relatively homogeneous, controlled setting (one industry, few firms). In phase 2, model replication, they extend and validate the phase 1 findings using multiple firms and industries. Much of what salespeople observe is found to correspond closely to the buyclass theory of organizational buyer behavior. Also, the “problem newness” and “information needs” dimensions are found to be strongly related, as expected. However, “seriousness of consideration of alternatives” seems to be a separate dimension that does not operate entirely as predicted by the buyclass framework.
Varicella zoster virus triggers the immunopathology of giant cell arteritis

Purpose of reviewGiant cell arteritis (GCA) is a severe form of vasculitis in the elderly. The recent discovery of varicella zoster virus (VZV) in the temporal arteries and adjacent skeletal muscle of patients with GCA, and the rationale and strategy for antiviral and corticosteroid treatment for GCA are reviewed. Recent findingsThe clinical features of GCA include excruciating headache/head pain, often with scalp tenderness, a nodular temporal arteries and decreased temporal artery pulsations. Jaw claudication, night sweats, fever, malaise, and a history of polymyalgia rheumatica (aching and stiffness of large muscles primarily in the shoulder girdle, upper back, and pelvis without objective signs of weakness) are common. ESR and CRP are usually elevated. Diagnosis is confirmed by temporal artery biopsy which reveals vessel wall damage and inflammation, with multinucleated giant cells and/or epithelioid macrophages. Skip lesions are common. Importantly, temporal artery biopsies are pathologically negative in many clinically suspect cases. This review highlights recent virological findings in temporal arteries from patients with pathologically verified GCA and in temporal arteries from patients who manifest clinical and laboratory features of GCA, but whose temporal artery biopsies (Bx) are pathologically negative for GCA (Bx-negative GCA). Virological analysis revealed that VZV is present in most GCA-positive and GCA-negative temporal artery biopsies, mostly in skip areas that correlate with adjacent GCA pathology. SummaryThe presence of VZV in Bx-positive and Bx-negative GCA temporal arteries indicates that VZV triggers the immunopathology of GCA. However, the presence of VZV in about 20% of temporal artery biopsies from non-GCA postmortem controls also suggests that VZV alone is not sufficient to produce disease. Treatment trials should be performed to determine if antiviral agents confer additional benefits to corticosteroids in both Bx-positive and Bx-negative GCA patients. These studies should also examine whether oral antiviral agents and corticosteroids are as effective as intravenous acyclovir and corticosteroids. Appropriate dosage and duration of treatment also remain to be determined.
Comment on "Obestatin, a Peptide Encoded by the Ghrelin Gene, Opposes Ghrelin's Effects on Food Intake"

Zhang et al. (Research Articles, 11 November 2005, p. 996) reported that obestatin, a peptide derived from the ghrelin precursor, activated the orphan G protein–coupled receptor GPR39. However, we found that I125-obestatin does not bind GPR39 and observed no effects of obestatin on GPR39-transfected cells in various functional assays (cyclic adenosine monophosphate production, calcium mobilization, and GPR39 internalization). Our results indicate that obestatin is not the cognate ligand for GPR39.
Factors instead of demographic characteristics related to nutrition label use

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how health consciousness and nutrition self-efficacy influence attitudes towards and use of nutrition labels, the moderating effect of nutrition knowledge between health consciousness and nutrition label attitude, and the impact of the consumer’s ethical evaluation of a business on nutrition label use. Design/methodology/approach – This study proposes an integrative model that includes health consciousness, nutrition self-efficacy, nutrition knowledge, nutrition label attitude, ethical evaluation, and nutrition label use. Empirical data were collected from a famous website in Taiwan by a non-ordered questionnaire to decrease the priming effect, and 306 valid questionnaires were collected. The collected data were analysed using SPSS and AMOS software. Findings – The results show that both health consciousness and nutrition self-efficacy have direct effects on nutrition label attitude, and this attitude will influence label use. There is a moderating effect of nutrition knowledge, in terms of both subjective and objective nutrition label knowledge, between health consciousness and nutrition label attitude. However, the moderating effect in the low nutrition label knowledge group is slightly greater than in the high nutrition label knowledge group. The consumer’s ethical evaluation of businesses affects nutrition label use. Originality/value – This study is the first to indicate that nutrition label knowledge, both subjective and objective, will moderate the relationship between consumers’ health consciousness and their attitude towards nutrition labels. Furthermore, this study affirms the relationship between the consumer’s ethical evaluation of a firm and nutrition label use.
The Irrationality of Shareholder Class Action Lawsuits: A Proposal for Reform

This article examines shareholder class actions and offers a proposal for reforming this area of litigation. After describing the nature and dynamics of these lawsuits (see Part II), the article in Part III outlines the criticisms of shareholder class actions. These criticisms take two basic forms, one of which mirrors those made against class action lawsuits in general, and another which is unique to shareholder lawsuits. As to the former, shareholder class actions often result in relatively trivial payments to the class members, while plaintiffs' lawyers receive millions of dollars in fees; and the class members have virtually no say in the conduct of the lawsuit or the terms of any settlement. As to the latter type of criticism made against shareholder class actions, the lawsuits often contain an inherent irrationality, at least from the standpoint of the plaintiffs themselves. The lawsuits are brought by stockholders against their own corporation. Since any settlement basically comes out of the shareholders' own assets, accompanied by an extremely high transaction price in the form of lawyers' fees, the lawsuit can actually yield a net negative return to the class members. Evidence suggests that shareholder class action litigation results more from a company's stock price movements than from the actual commission of fraud by the corporation. The connection between stock market movements and shareholder class action filings is discussed in Part IV, as are various studies analyzing the underlying merits of such lawsuits. In Part VI, a reform proposal is offered, which aims to take advantage of the unique role that shareholders occupy vis-a-vis the corporation. Most other class actions involve plaintiffs who have no legal or economic connection to defendants. Most, for instance, involve lawsuits brought by consumers against the manufacturers of allegedly defective products. In shareholder litigation, however, the plaintiffs are the owners of the defendant corporation, and hence in a unique position to remedy past misdeeds of the corporation and to deter future wrongdoing. Recognizing that shareholder class actions have failed to produce any real compensatory relief to injured investors and that such actions can actually have negative effects on shareholders, the reform proposal offered in Part VI concentrates exclusively on the goal of deterring future securities fraud.
ENKEPHALINS AND DORSAL HORN NEURONES OF THE CAT: EFFECTS ON RESPONSES TO NOXIOUS AND INNOCUOUS SKIN STIMULI

1 In spinal cats anaesthetized with α‐chloralose, a study was made of the effects of methionine enkephalin and methionine enkephalin amide on the responses of neurones of spinal laminae IV and V to noxious and innocuous skin stimuli. The enkephalins were ejected from micropipettes either in the region of cell bodies or in the substantia gelatinosa. 2 Administered near cell bodies the enkephalins reduced spontaneous firing and cell responses to both types of skin stimuli. These effects were antagonized by naloxone when administered near cell bodies but not when given intravenously in doses (0.3‐0.6 mg/kg) more than adequate to antagonize analgesic doses of morphine. 3 Administered in the substantia gelatinosa the enkephalins were more selective in their action. The predominant effect was a reduction in nociceptive responses with little effect on non‐nociceptive responses although spontaneous firing was commonly reduced. Naloxone administered either in the substantia gelatinosa or intravenously (0.1‐0.3 mg/kg) reversed these effects of the enkephalins.
Chinese and American perceptions of foreign‐name brands

Purpose – Previous research is mixed regarding consumer reactions and concerns regarding product brands with foreign‐sounding names. This paper aims to study the perception and purchase intent of foreign‐name brands in a sample of adult US and Chinese consumers.Design/methodology/approach – US and Chinese consumers completed a 23‐item bilingual questionnaire to assess perceptions of foreign names on brand attitude and purchase intent for low‐involvement products, using two fictitious soft drink products.Findings – The paper finds that there were no differences between US and Chinese consumers in attitudes towards foreign products or foreign brand names, except in the case of perceived deception. There were differences in perceptions that the product name was not authentic to the country of origin. Differences in purchase intent were driven by product type and price rather than country of origin or brand name.Practical implications – When there is incongruence between product type and perceived country of .
Propagation Phases of Plasma Bullets

Plasma bullets have recently been used in novel applications in biology and medicine, which spurred interesting developments in the new interdisciplinary field of “Plasma Medicine. ” In this paper, using high speed ICCD camera images we show that during their lifetime, plasma bullets undergo three distinctive phases: a launching phase during which the bullet velocity increases rapidly, a propagation phase during which the bullet velocity is temporarily maintained but later steadily decreases, and an ending phase during which the bullet collapses.
Are CEOs in U.S. Public Firms Overpaid? New Evidence from Private Firms *

We provide new evidence that counters the commonly made claim that CEOs in U.S. public firms are significantly overpaid. Using public and private firm CEO pay data made available through mandated SEC disclosures over the period 1999 to 2008, we first show that after controlling for firm and CEO characteristics, public firm CEOs are paid more than private firm CEOs, with a pay premium of about 20%, and that public firm CEOs are given more on-going equity incentives. This public firm pay premium becomes economically insignificant after risk-adjusting the pay, and accounting for differences in dividend policy and CEO turnover between public and private firms. We then show that both public and private firm CEO annual compensation is positively and significantly related to firm accounting performance, and that the pay-performance link is much stronger in public firms. We provide some evidence that the pay differential is related to labor market segmentation between these two types of firms and relatively stable over time. Finally, when firms transition from private to public, we find that both the level and structure of pay change significantly in ways that corroborate our findings from the cross-section.
The emerging role of microRNAs in regulating immune and inflammatory responses in the lung

Chronic inflammatory diseases of the lung are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Many of these disorders can be attributed to abnormal immune responses to environmental stimuli and infections. As such, understanding the innate host defense pathways and their regulatory systems will be critical to developing new approaches to treatment. In this regard, there is increasing interest in the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the regulation of pulmonary innate host defense responses and the inflammatory sequelae in respiratory disease. In this review, we discuss recent findings that indicate an important role for miRNAs in the regulation in mouse models of various respiratory diseases and in host defense against bacterial and viral infection. We also discuss the potential utility and limitations of targeting these molecules as anti‐inflammatory strategies and also as a means to improve pathogen clearance from the lung.
The Operating Expense Puzzle of US Green Office Buildings

Cost savings from efficiency gains are at the core of the green building business case. Significantly lower energy bills are said to be a major factor in the green rent premium that has been observed in earlier studies. Our study tests this relationship by, inferring energy costs from operating expenses for a large dataset of US office buildings and relating them to the rental rates in a hedonic framework. We find that eco-certification is associated with a higher than anticipated total energy expenditure. While our dataset does not contain a direct measure of actual energy consumption, this result puts the cost-saving argument into question. By contrast, this study confirms earlier findings of a green rent premium but it appears that this premium might be an effect of factors unrelated to a tenant’s operating expenses.