Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Replication in Primary Macrophages by Using Tat- or CCR5-Specific Small Interfering RNAs Expressed from a Lentivirus Vector

ABSTRACT Although several groups have demonstrated that RNA interference, induced by transfection of small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes, can protect cells against a viral challenge in culture, this protection is transient. Here, we describe lentivirus expression vectors that can stably express siRNAs at levels sufficient to block virus replication. We have used these vectors to stably express siRNAs specific for the essential human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat transcription factor or specific for a cellular coreceptor, CCR5, that is required for infection by the majority of primary HIV-1 isolates. These lentivirus vectors are shown to protect cells, including primary macrophages, against HIV-1 infection in culture by inducing selective degradation of their target mRNA species. These data suggest that it should be possible to block the expression of specific viral or cellular genes in vivo by using viral vectors to stably express the appropriate siRNAs.
Strategy and industry effects on profitability: evidence from Greece

The present study examines the impact of firm and industry-specific factors on profitability, using census data on Greek manufacturing. At the firm level, particular attention is given to strategy effects. Based on a modification of Porter's typology, these effects are captured through different forms of both ‘pure’ and ‘hybrid’ strategies. Industry effects are represented using industry concentration, entry barriers, and growth. Hypotheses are developed taking into account both previous research and the particular idiosyncrasies of the national context. The results obtained provide important insights on specific determinants of firm profitability. With respect to strategy, results confirm the hypothesis that hybrid strategies are clearly preferable compared to pure ones. In addition, it was found that the more generic strategy dimensions are included in the strategy mix, the more profitable the strategy is, provided that one of the key ingredients is low cost. Industry-level effects, although weaker, show strong impact of industry entry barriers. Moreover, the findings suggest that while both sets of factors significantly contribute to firm profitability, firm-specific factors explain more than twice as much profit variability as industry factors. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gridded Electron Guns and Modulation of Intense Beams

Gridded guns are useful for producing modulated electron beams. This modulation is generally limited to simple gating of the beam but may be used to apply structure to the beam pulse shape. In intense beams, this structure spawns space-charge waves whose dynamics depend in part on the relative strengths of the velocity and density variations which comprise the initial current modulation. In this paper, the strengths of beam current and velocity modulation produced in a gridded electron gun are calculated, and it is shown that under normal conditions, the initial modulation is dominated by density variation rather than velocity variation
APPLYING CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO BANK PERFORMANCE IN MALAYSIA

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the state of corporate entrepreneurship among the banks in Malaysia, and to examine its consequent effect on bank business performance. The study employed the quantitative approach through a survey instrument design. The population was the branch managers of domestic banks in Malaysia, and they were chosen because these banks have extensive branch networks, even in rural areas. Data were collected using questionnaires, and the constructs used were developed from prior research and previously tested for reliability. A total of 1844 questionnaires were mailed to the respondents, and 260 usable responses were received, giving a response rate of 14.09 percent. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the characteristics of the respondents including frequency, mean, and measures of reliability, while multivariate technique employed was multiple regressions. The findings reveal that significant relationship exists between corporate entrepreneurship and performance. These findings may be of help to bank managers to be more entrepreneurial oriented in order for them to survive the intensely competitive business environment
A Robust Control Scheme for Medium-Voltage-Level DVR Implementation

In this paper, a robust control scheme with an outer Hinfin voltage control loop and an inner current control loop is designed and implemented on a medium-voltage (MV)-level dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) system. Through a simple selection of weighting functions, the synthesized Hinfin controller would exhibit significant gains in the vicinity of positive- and negative-sequence fundamental frequencies, and therefore, it would be able to regulate both positive- and negative-sequence components effectively, with explicit robustness in the face of system parameter variations. A detailed discussion of Hinfin controller weighting function selection, inner current loop tuning, and system disturbance rejection capability is presented. Finally, the designed control scheme is extensively tested on a laboratory 10-kV MV-level DVR system with varying voltage sag (balanced and unbalanced) and loading (linear/nonlinear load and induction motor load) conditions. It is shown that the proposed control scheme is effective in both balanced and unbalanced sag compensation and load disturbance rejection, as its robustness is explicitly specified.
CYTOPATHIC EFFECT OF THE ATYPICAL PNEUMONIA ORGANISM IN CULTURES OF HUMAN TISSUE

Eaton, Monroe D. (Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.), Ann E. Farnham, Jeana D. Levinthal, and Anthony R. Scala. Cytopathic effect of the atypical pneumonia organism in cultures of human tissue. J. Bacteriol. 84:1330–1337. 1962. —Three strains of the atypical pneumonia agent were adapted to grow in continuous cell cultures of human amnion or human embryonic lung, with production of initial increased acidity followed by destruction of the cells. Evidence is presented that cytopathic effects of the organism were associated with intracellular growth and formation of microcolonies. Clumps of organisms stained specifically with fluorescein-labeled antibody, and showed distinctive tinctorial reactions with the May Grünwald-Giemsa stain. The cytopathic effect was prevented by fresh serum from a rabbit immunized with an egg-passage strain of the atypical pneumonia agent. Heating the immune serum to 56 C for 30 min abolished the neutralizing effect. The significance of heat-labile serum constituents in killing or inhibition of mycoplasma is discussed.
What makes a marketer? Development of ‘marketing professional identity’ among marketing graduates during early career experiences

Abstract A sample of marketing graduates was surveyed to identify the factors that caused some of them to feel that they had become ‘professional marketers’ consequent to their early experiences of work in graduate marketing positions. A model of the possible determinants of the form of ‘workplace identity’ that a marketing graduate would assume was developed and tested. The model hypothesised that: (i) a firm's approaches to training and management development, mentoring, appraisal and reward; (ii) the natures of the tasks allocated to graduate marketing recruits and the task culture prevailing within an enterprise; and (iii) specific characteristics of the individual employee affected the emergence of particular types of workplace identity. Levels of each category of professional identity observed among the sample members were then correlated with job and organisational satisfaction and commitment, self-assessed operational performance, and intention to remain with an enterprise.
Ninety Years of Media Coverage and the Cross-Section of Stock Returns

Using a novel dataset on New York Times coverage of U.S. firms from 1924 to 2013, we re-examine the relation between media coverage and stock returns. The relation between changes in media coverage and returns is consistent with an attention-driven price pressure effect: Top-quintile outperform bottom-quintile coverage change stocks by 10.68% during the formation year. Over the next two years, these stocks underperform their counterparts by 5.04%. In contrast to previous findings, the level of media coverage positively predicts stock returns. Top-quintile outperform bottom-quintile coverage stocks by 2.76% per year (Sharpe Ratio of 0.48, Momentum: 0.49). This is consistent with the media having a positive effect on corporate governance and profitability, which is not adequately priced.
Production of the chemokine RANTES by articular chondrocytes and role in cartilage degradation.

OBJECTIVE To examine the expression of the chemokine RANTES and its receptors in normal and osteoarthritic (OA) human cartilage and to analyze its effects on chondrocyte function. METHODS The expression of RANTES and its receptors were examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. The effect of RANTES on gene expression of other cytokines and on the release of mediators of cartilage degradation was also examined by PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS The expression of RANTES was undetectable in normal chondrocytes until after stimulation with interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) or IL-18. Cultures of normal cartilage also produced RANTES in response to IL-1beta, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. All OA cartilage samples analyzed expressed RANTES messenger RNA (mRNA); RANTES protein was detected by immunohistochemistry in the superficial and mid zones of the tissue. OA chondrocytes produced elevated levels of RANTES constitutively and after IL-1beta stimulation. Normal cartilage expressed the RANTES receptors CCR3 and CCR5, but not CCR1. CCR1 was expressed in OA cartilage, and CCR3 and CCR5 were increased. In normal chondrocytes, RANTES induced the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and IL-6. RANTES stimulated the release of matrix metalloproteinase 1 in normal and OA chondrocytes as effectively as IL-1beta. Treatment of normal articular cartilage with RANTES increased the release of glycosaminoglycans and profoundly reduced the intensity of Safranin O staining. CONCLUSION Chondrocytes produce RANTES and express RANTES receptors. RANTES and CCR5 were markedly increased in OA and after in vitro treatment of normal chondrocytes with IL-1. Chondrocyte activation and cartilage degradation were identified as novel biologic and pathogenetic activities of this chemokine.
A quality function deployment approach to internal benchmarking of critical success factors of strategic quality management

This paper presents a methodology to benchmark the quality-related action programmes and critical success factors of Strategic Quality Management (SQM) for manufacturing industries using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) approach. The expert committee constituted for this research project identified 27 organisation performance requirements. The required quality-related action programmes to achieve the identified organisation performance requirements were obtained by adopting QFD methodology. Eleven SQM critical success factors were derived by grouping the similar quality-related action programmes. The QFD matrix was constructed with the organisation performance requirements as 'Whats' and the quality-related action programmes as 'Hows'. Finally, the critical success factors and the quality-related action programmes were benchmarked by their corresponding importance weight factors. A case study was presented to illustrate the methodology.
The contribution of marketing to business strategy formation: a perspective on business performance gains

Recognized as a topic with important implications for executive practice by both the Marketing Science Institute and the American Marketing Association, the contribution of marketing to business strategy formation has now become a fertile, prominent and notable area of contemporary investigation. It remains that little is understood of (1) the relevant contribution and centrality of marketing to business strategy formation, (2) the empirical testing of this contribution in areas of particular strategic relevance and (3) the business performance implications of marketing's contribution to business strategy formation. In an attempt to address these three key issues, this paper presents an empirical investigation of medium and large, high-technology, industrial manufacturing firms. Specifically, the study examines the potential differences between high business performance firms and low business performance firms concerning the contribution of marketing to dimensions of business strategy formation activities while controlling for potential confounding effects. The findings indicate that firms are able to realize significantly greater pay-offs in business performance terms when critical marketing input in all areas of the strategy formation process (from goal setting to strategy selection) is harnessed in comparison with those firms where marketing does not make such a meaningful contribution to strategy formation.
Winery Tourism Life-cycle Development: A Proposed Model

A number of studies have shown the potential benefits of wine tourism. However, relatively few have given thought to the strategic context of the winery and how this may affect the support for, and development of, a wine tourism strategy. Using an organizational life-cycle model, the authors examine whether wine tourism strategies develop through their own life-cycle in response to changes in the external environment and the strategy of the firm. The authors employ a grounded theory approach to build a five-stage wine tourism life-cycle based upon three in-depth case studies of New World wineries and a review of the general wine tourism literature. The suggested model can provide a road map for wine tourism stakeholders to plan future strategies and developments.
OEM New Product Development Practices: The Case of the Automotive Industry

SUMMARY In industries where value added by suppliers contributes significantly to the final product, the competitiveness of the value chain depends upon supplier performance (cost, quality and on-time delivery). Despite the importance of supplier performance in new product development (NPD), most research has focused on supplier performance in operations. Few studies have focused on how product development practices of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) influence OEM evaluations of supplier performance. This paper posits a model of the relationships among three factions: OEM practices that involve suppliers in design, concurrent engineering practices of the OEM and OEM assessments of supplier performance. This model is tested and cross-validated using a sample of 406 NPD projects in Germany and the United States. The findings suggest that NPD practices of OEMs influence their perceptions of suppliers' performance.
Breath-actuated inhalers in chronic asthma: comparison of Diskhaler and Turbohaler for delivery of beta-agonists.

An open, randomized, cross-over study was performed to compare the efficacy and acceptability of two breath-actuated inhalers, the Turbohaler (T) and Diskhaler (D), for delivery of beta-agonists. Thirty six adults with chronic asthma requiring beta-agonists four times daily were treated with terbutaline 500 micrograms via T and salbutamol 400 micrograms via D four times daily, each period lasting four weeks. Additional bronchodilator via pressurized aerosol was permitted as required. Peak expiratory flow (PEF) was recorded in the morning (before and after beta-agonist) and in the evening. The mean morning PEF was higher during the first two weeks using T (295 l.min-1) than whilst using D (281 l.min-1, p < 0.01), but this difference did not persist during the second two weeks and there were no differences in post-bronchodilator PEF or rescue beta-agonist use. After four weeks, > 90% of patients used both inhaler devices efficiently and they were equally acceptable in terms of ease of use and convenience to carry. The Diskhaler and Turbohaler achieve similar clinical efficacy for delivery of beta-agonists.
Costly information acquisition in a speculative attack: Theory and experiments

We solve and test experimentally a discrete global games model of speculative attack where agents choose, at a cost, the precision of the private signal they observe. We prove existence of a unique equilibrium in the coordination game and explore strategic incentives in information acquisition. In the experiment, we …nd that subjects follow the strategies suggested by the theory, but, contrary to our predictions, the number of attacks increases as subjects acquire more precise information. This implies that as the precision of the signal increases, the actions of subjects move towards e¢ ciency and not risk dominance, which contradicts previous well known results of global games. Therefore, our results suggest that acquiring more precise information
The Role of Investability Restrictions on Size, Value, and Momentum in International Stock Returns

Using monthly returns for over 37,000 stocks from 46 developed and emerging market countries over a two-decade period, we test whether empirical asset pricing models capture the size, value, and momentum patterns in international stock returns. We propose and test a multi-factor model that includes factor portfolios based on firm characteristics and that builds separate factors comprised of globally-accessible stocks, which we call “global factors,” and of locally-accessible stocks, which we call “local factors. ” Our new “hybrid” multi-factor model with both global and local factors not only captures strong common variation in global stock returns, but also achieves low pricing errors and rejection rates using conventional testing procedures for a variety of regional and global test asset portfolios formed on size, value, and momentum.
Market orientation and dimensions of strategic orientation

The specific domain of market orientation has been the subject of much scrutiny this decade. Both conceptual and empirical advances have been made to establish the marketing orientation construct as central to marketing decisions, business activities and organizational culture. However, a lacuna remains in understanding how market orientation may be related to competitive strategy. It is argued that market oriented activities and behaviours are articulated through strategic means which guides the firm in its product‐market. Conceptualized as “strategic orientation of the business enterprise”, competitive strategy is discussed as an important vehicle through which market orientation may be manifest. Six dimensions of strategic orientation are presented and statistical analyses, of data generated from a survey of medium and large industrial manufacturing businesses, specified “proactiveness”, “analysis” and “futurity” as positive and significant in their association with firms’ levels of market orientation. Discussion of these findings is made, along with various conclusions and implications of the study for executive and academic audiences.
Evaluation of Intracameral Amphotericin B in the Management of Fungal Keratitis: Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intracameral amphotericin B (ICAMB) in the management of fungal keratitis. Methods: In total, 45 eyes with smear-confirmed fungal keratitis with hypopyon were randomized into three treatment groups: Group I (topical antifungal treatment + oral antifungal); Group II (topical antifungal treatment + ICAMB + oral antifungal); and Group III (topical antifungal treatment + drainage of hypopyon + ICAMB + oral antifungal). The main outcome measures were treatment success rate, time to heal, visual acuity gain, and presence of complications. Results: There were no differences in the treatment success rates (p = 0.66), time to healing (p = 0.18), or mean final visual acuity (logMAR) (p = 0.8) between the three groups. The major complication observed was increased incidence of cataract in group III (40%), though it was statistically insignificant. Conclusions: ICAMB does not offer any benefit over topical antifungal therapy when performed alone or associated with drainage of hypopyon.
Consumer-Based Brand Equity: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

The concept of brand equity has been debated for many years but there is no consensus as to what it means, what it comprises, and how it is measured. This paper adopts the perspective that brand equity is context-specific and investigates its conceptualization from a cross-cultural perspective, with the use of a standardized questionnaire administered in four distinct cultures. The findings suggest a seven-dimensional construct. Inherent differences exist, however, between the respondents of the different cultures as to the strength and composition of each dimension. Further, the paper establishes the positive effect of brand equity on purchase decisions.
CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY OF THE HUMAN CORNEA

Confocal microscope is an ophthalmic instrument that provides real-time and non-invasive serial imaging of cornea. With the principle of both projecting of light to the tissue and focusing lens have the same focal point, it has a high magnification of 40X to visualize many layers of cornea, in sequence, the epithelial layer, subepithelial nerve plexus (which has not demonstrated by any instrument before), stroma (the most thickness layer that comprised of keratocytes and matrix), and endothelium. Therefore, this instrument can apply for a clinical use in the studies of cornea. Chiang Mai Medical J 2007;46(2): 83-91.
Influence of temperature on growth rate and competition between two psychrotolerant Antarctic bacteria: low temperature diminishes affinity for substrate uptake

The growth kinetics of two psychrotolerant Antarctic bacteria, Hydrogenophaga pseudoflava CR3/2/10 (2/10) and Brevibacterium sp. strain CR3/1/15 (1/15), were examined over a range of temperatures in both batch culture and glycerol-limited chemostat cultures. The maximum specific growth rate (mu max) and Ks values for both bacteria were functions of temperature, although the cell yields were relatively constant with respect to temperature. The mu max values of both strains increased up to an optimum temperature, 24 degrees C for 2/10 and 20 degrees C for 1/15. Strain 1/15 might therefore be considered to be more psychrophilic than strain 2/10. For both bacteria, the specific affinity (mu max/Ks) for glycerol uptake was lower at 2 than at 16 degrees C, indicating a greater tendency to substrate limitation at low temperature. As the temperature increased from 2 to 16 degrees C, the specific affinity of 1/15 for glycerol increased more rapidly than it did for 2/10. Thus 1/15, on the basis of this criterion, was less psychrophilic than was 2/10. The steady-state growth kinetics of the two strains at 2 and 16 degrees C imply that 1/15 would be able to outgrow 2/10 only at relatively low substrate concentrations (< 0.32 g of glycerol.liter-1) and high temperatures (> 12 degrees C), which suggests that 1/15 has a less psychrotolerant survival strategy than does 2/10. Our data were compared with other data in the literature for bacteria growing at low temperatures. They also showed an increase of substrate-specific affinity with increasing temperature. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)