Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Beliefs and Intentions in Search and Purchase Functions in an E-Commerce Web Site

Many e-commerce Web sites provide multiple functions, such as a product search function, an online purchase function, an order tracking function, and for downloadable software products, a product delivery function. It is important to assess how perceptions of a peripheral function affect perceptions of the core purchase function that locks in revenue. In this study, we examine how the search function of an e-commerce site affects its purchase function. Further, we categorize research on function-based analysis into three progressive stages, depending on whether behavioral intention and beliefs are considered for separate functions and whether these concepts are related across functions. Based on purchase decision process, goal-oriented and experiential behaviors, and task-dependency process, we hypothesize that each search construct has a direct effect on its corresponding purchase construct. A survey supports the hypothesis. An excellent search function can increase purchase intention, and ultimately contribute to the revenue of e-commerce sites.
Pregnancies in the Presence of Copper Intra‐uterine Devices: Hysterosalpingographic studies

Two copper‐bearing intrauterine devices—the Cu‐7 and Cu‐T‐200—were investigated to determine why contraceptive failures occur with these devices. For this investigation, 155 multiparous women were followed up for at least 24 months after IUD insertion (T‐Cu‐200 in 75 cases and the Cu‐7 in 80 cases). Three women using the T‐Cu‐200 and 5 women using the Cu‐7 became pregnant during the first year. Hysterosalpingographic findings are presented for 8 of these cases and for 2 additional cases (one with each device) who became pregnant during the second year of follow‐up. These indicate that uterine abnormalities and disproportions between the uterine cavity's shape and size and that of the device are the primary reasons for device displacement and partial fundal coverage leading to contraceptive failures.
Clopidogrel: What Is a Cardiologist to Do?

The FDA required a black box warning for clopidogrel based on the assumption that it was a CYP2C19 substrate. Therefore, those patients with defective CYP2C19 alleles would not be as able to effectively metabolize clopidogrel to the active metabolite. The boxed warning informed the physician that “tests are available to identify a patient’s CYP2C19 genotype and can be used as an aid in determining therapeutic strategy. ” Thus, in some hospitals, as well as the cost, PCIs could be delayed, until such genotyping was completed, as the hospital might be subject to liability, if there was a bad outcome in a patient, whose CYP2C19 genotype was unknown. Unfortunately, because FDA did not require the patients to be genotyped, most insurers did not reimburse additional costs incurred by genotyping. Those patients needing a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are at high risk and FDA acted appropriately in placing this warning. There were, though, already some concerns, as to whether clopidogrel was indeed a CYP2C19 substrate, as it had previously considered to be a CYP3A substrate. Now there is serious doubt. FDA should review their position on the clopidogrel black box and ensure that the label is still “truthful and not misleading. ” While most physicians welcome prompt action by FDAwhen a risk with a drug is identified, others have noted FDA’s inconsistencies in their updating of drug labels. Seminerio and Ratain have suggested that FDA adopt a more stringent protocol for such updating. Based on the amount of usage, clopidogrel should surely qualify for such an updating.
Paraneoplastic glomerulopathies: new insights into an old entity.

Keywords: nephrotic syndrome, membranous glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy, crescentic glomerulonephritis, minimal change disease, amyloidosis, immunotactoid glomerulopathy, monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease, POEMS syndrome, Castleman's disease
Phytoplasma and spiroplasma diseases in open-field crops in Israel.

During 2009 - 2011, symptoms of curling, yellow and purple discoloration of leaves, stunting of shoots, and formation of bunchy, fibrous secondary roots were observed in several ornamental crops, carrot, celery, and parsley fields located in several production areas of Israel. Incidence of disease was almost 20-80% in individual affected fields. Moreover, the observed symptoms resembled those caused by Spiroplasma citri in carrots affected by the carrot purple leaf disease, recently reported in United States and in Spain. Analyses revealed that high percentage of symptomatic plants tested positive for S. citri. Some of the plants were double infected by S. citri and a phytoplasma. Leafhopper species known to vector phytoplasmas and/or spiroplasmas, have been trapped in several locations in Israel. To our knowledge, this is the first report of S. citri associated with the ‘yellow disease’syndrome in open-field crops in Israel.
Tying Performance Management to Service Delivery: Public Sector Reform in Malaysia, 2009-2011

In 2008 Malaysia’s voters expressed deep discontent with government services by handing the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, its worst election performance since independence in 1957. Poor service delivery reflected gaps in accountability, disparities in policy planning, and inadequate coordination across public agencies, especially at the ministerial level. After assuming office in 2009, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak appointed Idris Jala, a politically unaffiliated corporate executive, as a cabinet minister to head the newly created Performance Management and Delivery Unit, known by the acronym Pemandu, which also means “the driver” in Malay. Najib assigned the new agency the job of monitoring and improving the performance of ministries. Idris facilitated policy planning by issuing a roadmap for change, developed by civil servants in eight six-week “lab” sessions held in October and November of 2009. Leveraging his role as an unaffiliated cabinet minister, Idris and his team at Pemandu then set about implementing the roadmap, building a service delivery chain that linked the cabinet minister to the citizenry via the civil service and implementing agencies. Under Idris, Pemandu implemented the Government Transformation Program (GTP), a system that focused ministries on six key results areas, involving measurable service delivery targets against which ministers and inter-ministerial initiatives would be assessed.
Segmenting the Volunteer Market: Learnings from an Australian Study

The volunteering industry in Australia contributes over 42 billion dollars to society each year. It is facing increasing pressures due to reduced funding and growing competition for limited resources. This study provides valuable information to volunteer managers by segmenting what is otherwise an extremely heterogeneous market into homogenous subgroups based on peoples’ motivations to volunteer. This is useful in the development of targeted marketing campaigns to identify, attract, and retain volunteers. Three segments are identified with distinctive motivational patterns – ‘social volunteers’, ‘community volunteers’ and ‘altruistic volunteers’. These segments are then profiled so that managers can identify the most effective way of reaching them and ultimately more efficiently spend their limited marketing dollars.
Cryo-EM structure of a CD 4-bound open HIV-1 envelope trimer reveals structural rearrangements of the gp 120 V 1 V 2 loop

The HIV-1 envelope (Env) glycoprotein, a trimer of gp120–gp41 heterodimers, relies on conformational flexibility to function in fusing the viral and host membranes. Fusion is achieved after gp120 binds to CD4, the HIV-1 receptor, and a coreceptor, capturing an open conformational state in which the fusion machinery on gp41 gains access to the target cell membrane. In the well-characterized closed Env conformation, the gp120 V1V2 loops interact at the apex of the Env trimer. Less is known about the structure of the open CD4bound state, in which the V1V2 loops must rearrange and separate to allow access to the coreceptor binding site. We identified two anti–HIV-1 antibodies, the coreceptor mimicking antibody 17b and the gp120–gp41 interface-spanning antibody 8ANC195, that can be added as Fabs to a soluble native-like Env trimer to stabilize it in a CD4-bound conformation. Here, we present an 8.9-Å cryo-electron microscopy structure of a BG505 Env–sCD4–17b–8ANC195 complex, which reveals large structural rearrangements in gp120, but small changes in gp41, compared with closed Env structures. The gp120 protomers are rotated and separated in the CD4-bound structure, and the three V1V2 loops are displaced by ∼40 Å from their positions at the trimer apex in closed Env to the sides of the trimer in positions adjacent to, and interacting with, the three bound CD4s. These results are relevant to understanding CD4-induced conformational changes leading to coreceptor binding and fusion, and HIV-1 Env conformational dynamics, and describe a target structure relevant to drug design and vaccine efforts.
The Impact of Analyst Industry Expertise on Market Prices

Security analysts are often considered experts in the industries they follow. We analyze the impact of such expertise on market prices and returns in a setting where firms’ earnings components may differ in their levels of persistence over time. In this context we show that a firm’s post-earnings announcement price is a function of the analyst’s prior earnings forecast even though that forecast does not contain any incremental information about current period earnings. This is because the forecast provides information about the firm’s individual earnings components, which is useful in predicting its future earnings. We demonstrate how this result can serve as a theoretical underpinning for the observed market premium earned by firms that meet or beat consensus analyst forecasts and how it can explain the premium’s empirical link to future earnings performance. This result also provides a rational justification for the practice of expectations management. We derive the optimal expectations management strategy in our setting and compare its effectiveness to that of earnings management.
Electrical treeing behavior in XLPE under kHz-AC voltage

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) has been widely used as insulating material in power cable. Electrical tree formed within the XLPE has been considered as an important reason for the accelerated ageing and early breakdown of the insulation. From the viewpoint of safety, it is very necessary to gain a firm understanding of the nature of electrical treeing phenomena. In this paper, XLPE has been employed as test sample to investigate the influence of kHz-AC voltage on the treeing behavior. It has been found that bush trees are formed at such a high frequency range and the density of the tree appears to increase with the frequency, whereas the time to breakdown tends to decrease. It is suggested that partial discharge within the tree channel is strengthened with the frequency and thereby the deterioration of the material is accelerated.
Exploring the Anatomy of Firm Payouts: Who Pays, How Much and When?

We investigate the anatomy of corporate payouts -- dividends and stock repurchases. Specifically, we use firm-level data to understand which firms drive the changing patterns of payouts over time and in the cross-section. Our work extends the current literature by studying firms payouts based on industry sectors, firm age and other attributes. We find that dividends are not only concentrated among a relatively small group of mature firms, but also among industry groups. In contrast, stock repurchases are undertaken by a more diverse group of firms. Moreover, we find that dividends and stock repurchases are concentrated in firms listed in certain specific years and that it is the youngest and the oldest firms who are the main responsible for the growth of dividends and repurchases after 2001. Finally, our evidence confirms that the biggest firms by market capitalization are not always those that pay the largest dividends and that the drivers of these differences are not the same over the whole sample period.
Dissociation of Antimicrobial and Hemolytic Activities of Gramicidin S through N‐Methylation Modification

β‐Sheet antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are well recognized as promising candidates for the treatment of multidrug‐resistant bacterial infections. To dissociate antimicrobial activity and hemolytic effect of β‐sheet AMPs, we hypothesize that N‐methylation of the intramolecular hydrogen bond(s)‐forming amides could improve their specificities for microbial cells over human erythrocytes. We utilized a model β‐sheet antimicrobial peptide, gramicidin S (GS), to study the N‐methylation effects on the antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. We synthesized twelve N‐methylated GS analogues by replacement of residues at the β‐strand and β‐turn regions with N‐methyl amino acids, and tested their antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. Our experiments showed that the HC50 values increased fivefold compared with that of GS, when the internal hydrogen‐bonded leucine residue was methylated. Neither hemolytic effect nor antimicrobial activity changed when proline alone was replaced with N‐methylalanine in the β‐turn region. However, analogues containing N‐methylleucine at β‐strand and N‐methylalanine at β‐turn regions exhibited a fourfold increase in selectivity index compared to GS. We also examined the conformation of these N‐methylated GS analogues using 1H NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in aqueous solution, and visualized the backbone structures and residue orientations using molecular dynamics simulations. The results show that N‐methylation of the internal hydrogen bond‐forming amide affected the conformation, backbone shape, and side chain orientation of GS.
Earnings Management, Corporate Investments, and Stock Returns

In this paper, we investigate the relation between accounting accruals and abnormal corporate investments and if the accrual-based anomaly documented by Sloan (1996) is distinct from the investment-based anomaly documented by Titman, Wei, and Xie (2004). Our results indicate that abnormal capital investments are positively associated with accounting accruals and that the mispricing of abnormal capital investments is distinct from the mispricing of discretionary current accruals. In addition, investors can earn substantially higher size-adjusted returns by exploiting both strategies at the same time than by exploiting each individual strategy alone. Finally, our result suggests that the stock market appears to overvalue both discretionary current accruals and abnormal capital expenditures.
A Novel Role for Interleukin-18 in Adhesion Molecule Induction through NFκB and Phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-Kinase-dependent Signal Transduction Pathways*

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a novel proinflammatory cytokine found in serum and joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We studied a novel role for IL-18 in mediating cell adhesion, a vital component of the inflammation found in RA and other inflammatory diseases. We examined the expression of cellular cell adhesion molecules E-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on endothelial cells and RA synovial fibroblasts using flow cytometry. Adhesion of the monocyte-like cell line HL-60 to endothelial cells was determined by immunofluorescence. IL-18 significantly enhanced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression on endothelial cells and RA synovial fibroblasts. In addition, IL-18 induced E-selectin expression on endothelial cells and promoted the adhesion of HL-60 cells to IL-18-stimulated endothelial cells. Neutralizing anti-VCAM-1 and anti-E-selectin could completely inhibit HL-60 adherence to endothelial cells. IL-18-induced adhesion molecule expression appears to be mediated through nuclear factor κB (NFκB) and phosphatidyl-inositol 3 kinase (PI 3-kinase) since addition of inhibitors to either NFκB (pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and N-acetyl-l-cysteine) or PI 3-kinase (LY294002) inhibited RA synovial fibroblast VCAM-1 expression by 50 to 60%. Addition of both inhibitors resulted in inhibition of VCAM-1 expression by 85%. In conclusion, the ability of IL-18 to induce adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells and RA synovial fibroblasts indicates that IL-18 may contribute to RA joint inflammation by enhancing the recruitment of leukocytes into the joint. IL-18 requires NFκB as well as PI 3-kinase to induce VCAM-1 on RA synovial fibroblasts, suggesting that there may be two distinct pathways in IL-18-induced adhesion molecule expression.
P‐cadherin in adhesion and invasion: Opposite roles in colon and bladder carcinoma

Neoexpression or upregulation of placental cadherin (P‐cadherin), a member of the classical cadherin family, has previously been described in several carcinomas, such as colorectal and bladder carcinomas. In this study, we combined two different approaches, immunohistochemistry of tumor samples and in vitro knockdown of P‐cadherin, to gain a better insight into the role of P‐cadherin in these types of cancer. First, we performed immunohistochemistry for P‐ and E‐cadherins in a series of 52 colorectal adenocarcinomas, including well, moderately and poorly differentiated (WD, MD, and PD) tumors. Decrease or loss of P‐cadherin neoexpression was significantly associated with a higher tumor grade and could discriminate WD from MD and/or PD tumors (p < 0.001). E‐cadherin, on the other hand, was strongly expressed at the membrane of most WD (18 of 19) and MD tumors (15 of 19). Downregulation correlated significantly with the PD phenotype (p ≤ 0.001). In a second approach, we transiently or stably knocked down P‐cadherin in HT‐29 colon adenocarcinoma cells. This led to decreased intercellular adhesion and to an increased migratory and long‐term invasive phenotype compared with control HT‐29 cells, suggesting that P‐cadherin acts as a proadhesive and anti‐invasive/antimigratory molecule in colon carcinoma cells. Contrasting with these results and illustrating the context‐specific function of P‐cadherin were our results obtained in RT‐112 bladder carcinoma cells. Stable knockdown of P‐cadherin in RT‐112 cells diminished invasion and migration, and promoted intercellular adhesion.
Case Report: Use of Clinical Decision Support to Increase Influenza Vaccination: Multi-year Evolution of the System

Despite recognition that clinical decision support (CDS) can improve patient care, there has been poor penetration of this technology into healthcare settings. We used CDS to increase inpatient influenza vaccination during implementation of an electronic medical record, in which pharmacy and nursing transactions increasingly became electronic. Over three influenza seasons we evaluated standing orders, provider reminders, and pre-selected physician orders. A pre-intervention cross-sectional survey showed that most patients (95%) met criteria for vaccination. During our intervention, physicians were increasingly likely to accept pre-selected vaccination orders, Year 1 (47%), Year 2 (77%), Year 3 (83%); however vaccine administration by nurses was suboptimal. As electronic medical record functionality improved, patient receipt of vaccine increased dramatically, Year 1 [0/36; 0%], Year 2 [8/66; 12%], Year 3 [286/805; 36%]. Successful use of clinical decision support to increase inpatient influenza vaccination only occurred after initiation of CPOE for all medications and integration of an electronic medication administration record. Also, since most patients met criteria for influenza vaccination, complicated logic to identify high-risk patients was unnecessary.
Financial development, integration and stability : evidence from Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe

This book highlights the achievements and challenges of the ongoing process of the financial integration of Europe. The financial integration of Europe is both welcomed as an economic driving force and watched with concern as a catalyst of potential instability. After all, changing financial, regulatory and corporate ownership structures are fuelling competition, capital mobility and credit growth, but at the same time creating new systemic risks. With a special focus on Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, the contributors to this book explore a wide spectrum of underlying issues, including the finance-growth nexus, credit boom patterns, the implications of foreign bank entry modes, lessons learned from old EU member states and commercial bank strategies. Authoritative views from central bank officials and policymakers are complemented with a special focus on empirical and econometric evidence from academia as well as practical insights from key financial market players. This unique collection will be of great interest to economists and experts in the fields of financial markets and European integration from central, commercial and investment banks, governments, international organizations, universities and research institutes.
Evaluation of endothelial markers in detecting blood and lymphatic channel invasion in pT1 transitional carcinoma of bladder

In a study of 40 patients with high‐grade (G2 and G3) transitional cell carcinoma of bladder invading the lamina propria—stage pT1, retraction artifact was often misdiagnosed as vascular/lymphatic tumour invasion. Vascular/lymphatic infiltration was diagnosed in five cases based on haematoxylin and eosin stained sections, but confirmed in only two of these using immunohistochemical techniques to demonstrate endothelial markers. Of the latter, these preparations demonstrating von‐Willebrand factor and binding the monoclonal antibody QBEND/10 were technically superior to those in which Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1 was used. It is unlikely that the demonstration of vascular/lymphatic infiltration, a rare feature, will prove of value in defining prognostic groups for treatment.
Social Integration Is Associated With Fibrinogen Concentration in Elderly Men

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether social integration is associated with plasma concentrations of fibrinogen in an elderly population. Methods: Participants (ages 70–79; n = 375 men and 425 women) were part of the MacArthur Successful Aging Study, a longitudinal study from three community-based cohorts in the United States, who have relatively high physical and cognitive functioning. Social integration was measured using a social integration score, which assessed marital status, number of contacts with family and friends, frequency of religious service attendance, and participation in voluntary organizations. Fibrinogen concentrations were measured in plasma using an automated clot-rate assay. Cross-sectional multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Social integration was significantly associated with elevated concentrations of fibrinogen (>336 mg/dL) in men after adjusting for smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, body mass index, comorbidity, physical functioning, depression, age, race, and education (odds ratio [OR] = 2.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07–4.89, p = .03 for having elevated fibrinogen in the least integrated quartile versus the most integrated quartile). There was no significant association between social integration and fibrinogen in women (multivariate-adjusted OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.27–1.21, p = .15). Conclusions: Social integration is associated with fibrinogen concentrations in elderly men. This provides evidence of a biologic mechanism that may help explain the observed associations between social integration and mortality in men. There may be gender differences in the physiological pathways by which social integration influences health. OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.