Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of nuclear lamina assembly and disassembly.

What can be concluded about lamin dynamics? a. While the nuclear lamina forms a tight network of proteins, individual lamina members, such as the lamin C proteins, are only partially bound to the lamina. b. A prominent pool of nucleoplasmic lamins exists in most cells, which interacts with intranuclear structures (DNA? Histones? Replication and/or transcription complexes? ) in a dynamic fashion. c. During mitosis lamins do not play a key role in the initial reformation of the nuclear envelope. However, they are important for the correct functioning of the nucleus immediately after mitosis. Many questions remain unanswered, although nuclear lamins have been studied at different levels for over 20 years. We have only just begun to understand their crucial role in several cellular processes. Some of the important questions that still remain are: a. The function of intranuclear lamin foci. Are these native nuclear structures (nuclear channels/tubules) and do they play a role in replication and transcription? b. The function of the nucleoplasmic veil of lamins. Are these molecules only temporarily bound to intranuclear structures as a result of affinity to chromosomes or nuclear proteins, or is there a functional interaction with these molecules? c. The extent to which lamin molecules add to nuclear membrane organisation. Do these molecules play a key role in keeping the membrane intact and the nucleus functional, or are they only one of many supportive component of the nuclear membrane?
An investigation of children's posture and discomfort during computer use

This study investigated schoolchildren's posture and discomfort while working at computers. Sixty-eight children (mean age 9.5 years) were observed at school during normal computer sessions lasting 15–25 min. Rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) was used to evaluate posture, and a body discomfort chart (BDC) and a modified visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to record site and intensity of discomfort. Computer tasks were noted and in accordance with RULA, postures were classified as Action Level (AL) 1 (acceptable) to 4 (needs immediate change). Most children adopted postures at an unacceptable level while working at computers. None of the postures were in AL 1; 60% were in AL 2; 38% were in AL 3; and 2% were in AL 4. Posture became worse over time. Poor posture was associated with discomfort, but it is not clear if it was related to the sitting posture or to the computer use. Children who reported discomfort had a higher mean RULA grand score (5.0) than those who did not report discomfort (4.4). The type of computer task influenced the children's posture. RULA proved generally to be a suitable method for evaluating children's posture.
The Value of Tenure in Higher Education

Our findings indicate that tenure has an important impact on job satisfaction in academia, depending to some extent on the type of academic institution at which one is employed. We estimate its monetary value by determining the additional income needed to keep job satisfaction constant if the benefit of tenure were taken away. Because income has a relatively modest effect on job satisfaction, the increase needed to offset the loss of tenure is quite large. Thus, it would be difficult to compensate for the decrease in job satisfaction if tenure were unilaterally abolished by an institution or educational system.
Distinctive clinicopathological associations of amplification of the cortactin gene at 11q13 in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Amplification of the 11q13 region is a prevalent genetic alteration in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We investigated the clinical significance of cortactin (CTTN) and cyclin D1 (CCND1) amplification in both malignant transformation and tumour progression. CTTN and CCND1 amplification was analysed by differential and real‐time PCR in a prospective series of laryngeal/pharyngeal carcinomas and archival premalignant tissues. CTTN mRNA and protein expression were respectively determined by real‐time RT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry, and correlated with gene status. Molecular alterations were associated with clinicopathological parameters and disease outcome. CTTN and CCND1 amplifications were respectively found in 75 (37%) and 90 (45%) tumours. Both correlated with advanced disease; however, only CTTN amplification was associated with recurrence and reduced disease‐specific survival (p = 0.0022). Strikingly, CTTN amplification differentially influenced survival depending on tumour site (p = 0.0001 larynx versus p = 0.68 pharynx) and was an independent predictor of reduced survival in the larynx (p = 0.04). CCND1 amplification was detected in early tumourigenesis and increased with the severity of dysplasia. Importantly, CTTN amplification was only found in high‐grade dysplasias that progressed to invasive carcinoma. CTTN gene status strongly correlated with mRNA and protein expression. Furthermore, CTTN overexpression correlated significantly with reduced disease‐specific survival (p = 0.018). Taken together, these data indicate that CTTN may serve as a valuable biomarker to identify patients with laryngeal tumours at high risk of recurrence and poor outcome. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Information Content of Commercial Banks’ Fair Value Disclosures of Loans Under SFAS No. 107

Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 107 (codified in ASC 825-10), Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments, mandates the disclosure of fair values for financial instruments with the objective of providing investors with more relevant information about firms’ future cash flows. However, the results show that fair value measurements of loans explained variation in future loan losses, which capture cash flows from loans, less than traditional cost-based measurements of loans. In addition, I find evidence suggesting that financially distressed banks overstated the fair values of their loan portfolios and that fair values of loans in the aggregate lagged considerably behind the market values of loans during the recent credit crisis. Overall, my results suggest that fair value disclosures in bank loan portfolios contain relatively less information about future cash flows because they are measured unreliably and they suffer from a similar lack of timeliness as reported carrying values.
Active and passive experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in strain 129/J (H‐2b) mice

Failure of C57BL/6J and C57BL/10Sn (H‐2b) mice to exhibit clinical signs of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis following immunization with myelin basic protein (MBP) has been interpreted to indicate that mice of this haplotype are resistant to EAE. Recently, we immunized strain 129/J (H‐2b) mice with rat MBP and found that clinical signs of EAE were expressed in the majority of animals within 2 to 3 weeks. Passive EAE was readily induced by adoptive transfer of MBP‐specific T cell lines to syngeneic recipients. MBP peptide 89–101 and PLP peptide 178–191 induced EAE upon active immunization although proteolipid protein peptide 139–151 was ineffective in this regard. Strain 129/J mice never recovered fully from acute EAE, and signs of relapsing disease were not observed. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
New Service Development in Small and Medium Accounting Practice Firms. The Italian Case.

Small and Medium Accounting Practice Firms (SMPs) have been recognized as a core element for fostering SMEs in order to keep their business economically and financially sustainable. Environmental change is pushing SMPs to innovate their services due to SMEs new needs and competitive challenge. Unfortunately, new service development has been recognized as a research field that requires specific approaches, also distinguishing between different service sectors. In order to fill this gap this paper analyzes the case of Innovation in Small Accounting Practice Firms. According to Resource-Based View using the Intellectual Capital framework, human capital, relational capital and structural capital are key factors for fostering innovation as well as strategic intent. Indeed, strategy is about the effort spent on being different, using internal and external resources. Thus, we analyze the role of intellectual capital and strategy intent on new service development. In order to test our model a questionnaire has been developed and provided in the North East of Italy to a sample of 11.267 small and medium accounting firms obtaining 2.266 responses and 961 completely filled forms. A logistic regression model was used to test our hypothesis considering the role of the SMPs’ size as a control variable. Results show how relational capital and human capital are key factors for fostering new service development. However if these variables are key elements in order to provide key sources for developing new service, the strategy intent operates as a prerequisite. Indeed using the Treacy and Wiersema model we found that firms which carried out a service leadership strategy have a greater probability of developing new service than firms that compete following a cost leadership strategy.
Why consumers use and do not use technology‐enabled services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on and discuss findings of a research study undertaken to investigate and establish empirically reasons why people use, or choose not to use, three types of technology‐enabled service: internet banking, telephone bill‐paying, and internet shopping services.Design/methodology/approach – A behavioural model is developed and tested, and the results support what is modelled and hypothesised.Findings – In sum, the findings show that willingness to use the internet and telephone for financial and shopping services is influenced by the individual sense of personal capacity or capability to engage with these service systems, the perceived risks and relative advantages associated with their use, and the extent to which contact with service personnel is preferred or deemed necessary. The paper also contains attitudinal and behavioural insights, and concludes by discussing managerial implications and opportunities for further research.Research limitations/implications.
TOWARDS REFRAMING OUTSOURCING: A STUDY OF CHOICES REGARDING PROCESSES, STRUCTURES, AND SUCCESS

Research into outsourcing has attempted to help firms achieve greater success. However, along with the mix of success and failure in practice has come mixed advice. The studies propose a range of recipes, but problems continue unabated. Despite over a decade of research into IT outsourcing (ITO), no comprehensive models of ITO processes, structures, or success have emerged. This research achieves a degree of unification by developing and testing three frameworks for decision- making: 1) a process framework consisting of a four- phase ? Outsourcing Lifecycle? , 2) a taxonomic framework, ? Configuration? , for classifying different ITO structures, and 3) a conceptual framework for measuring financial, operational, and strategic success from outsourcing. These frameworks were developed through analysis of 100 cases, three surveys, and the literature. The frameworks were then tested via in-depth interviews in seven large Australian organizations. This thesis demonstrates that ITO has more complex decisions than has been recognized. Its contribution is guidance on what decisions must be made and the potential issues each decision creates.
Role of gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in retroperitoneal fibrosis.

PURPOSE To determine if the gadolinium-enhancement characteristics of magnetic resonance images (MRI) differ for acute and chronic benign retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF). METHOD Seven male subjects, 3 with newly diagnosed nontreated RPF (acute group) and 4 with long-standing stable RPF (chronic group) who had been treated with steroids, ureteric stents or both, underwent MRI examinations with gadolinium enhancement. Patients in the acute group were examined again after treatment. Mean dynamic gadolinium-enhancement ratios (both dynamic and delayed) were calculated for each group. RESULTS The initial mean dynamic enhancement ratio for the acute group (mean 1.86, range 1.80-1.95) was significantly different (p = 0.005) from that of the chronic group (mean 1.37, range 1.26-1.61). The mean dynamic enhancement ratio for the acute group after treatment (4-8 months duration) was 1.40 (range 1.26-1.51). The mean delayed enhancement ratio (RPF/psoas muscle signal intensity) for the acute group was 1.41 (range 1.38-1.43, data from 2 patients) and for the chronic group was 1.29 (range 1.13-1.44). CONCLUSION Dynamic gadolinium enhancement was useful in differentiating newly diagnosed RPF from treated chronic disease and may have a role in assessing disease activity, monitoring response to treatment and detecting relapse.
NK-lysin, a Disulfide-containing Effector Peptide of T-lymphocytes, Is Reduced and Inactivated by Human Thioredoxin Reductase

The cytotoxic and antibacterial polypeptide NK-lysin has a molecular mass of approximately 9 kDa and contains three disulfide bonds. The activity was highly dependent on intact disulfides, because the bactericidal effect on Escherichia coli and the cytolytic effect on human 3B6 lymphocytes was inhibited when NK-lysin was treated with dithiothreitol prior to incubation with the cells. NK-lysin was a direct substrate for human or calf thymus thioredoxin reductase and preincubation of the peptide with mammalian thioredoxin reductase, and NADPH abolished its antibacterial and cytolytic activities. The addition of human thioredoxin further enhanced the inhibitory effect of thioredoxin reductase and NADPH. In contrast, E. coli thioredoxin reductase showed no direct disulfide reductase activity with NK-lysin in agreement with previous data showing large differences in structure and substrate specificity between the mammalian and E. coli enzymes. NK-lysin is the first identified macromolecular disulfide substrate for human thioredoxin reductase apart from human thioredoxin. When 3B6 cells were incubated with NADPH, thioredoxin, and thioredoxin reductase prior to addition of NK-lysin, cytotoxicity was markedly reduced. These data suggest that thioredoxin reductase inactivates NK-lysin and provides a mechanism by which the cytotoxic activity of NK-lysin is regulated.
Fancy a stay at the "Hotel California"? Foreign direct investment, investment incentives, and exit costs

Investment incentives targeted at attracting multinational firms have been extensively documented and researched, and empirical evidence has shown them to be influential. The same is not true of exit costs. Yet, as recent theory suggests, there may be a trade-off between entry incentives and exit costs. This paper focuses on just that trade-off in the case of US multinationals in 33 host countries. Our results suggest that both entry incentives and exit costs are important and ignoring the latter neglects an important dimension in firms’ location decision.
Predicting and measuring alliance performance: a multidimensional analysis

The strategic alliance literature demonstrates that alliances create value for the partners, but also that many alliances fall short of expectations. This study addresses the complex issue of alliance performance. We follow 100 contractual alliances over a 5-year period, and study their performance in terms of abrupt termination, short-term performance, and long-term performance. The results indicate that alliances that are considered strategically important are less likely to be abruptly terminated. We also find that newly established alliances have a higher termination rate than older alliances. Short-term performance is primarily affected by access to complementary and strategically important resources, whereas long-term performance is related to specific investments in human capital combined with the partners' ability to develop and expand alliance activities over time. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TAXES, CORPORATE FINANCIAL POLICY AND THE RETURN TO INVESTORS: COMMENT

* Assistant Professor of Finance, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I wish to thank Professors Donald Farrar, Lee Selwyn, and Franco Modigliani for their help. They are not responsible for any shortcomings in what follows. The writing of this paper was made possible by a Ford Foundation grant to the Sloan School for research in business finance. 1. That net income of the hypothetical firm is not expected to grow or decline over time; 1 and 2. That the firm's dividend policy is optimal i.e., stock is always repurchased in lieu of paying cash dividends.
Clinical and cytogenetic survey of institutionalized mentally retarded patients with emphasis on the fragile-X syndrome.

A detailed clinical and cytogenetic survey for the fragile-X syndrome was undertaken on 201 institutionalized mentally retarded males with no previously recognized cause of retardation, and the causes of mental retardation were summarized from a total of 595 institutionalized male and female patients after the review of their medical records including clinical and cytogenetic data. Among the 201 males clinically and cytogenetically examined, five (2.5%) had abnormal chromosome findings with four (2%) having the fragile-X syndrome. Twelve of the males (6.0%) were diagnosed with a single gene disorder. In the present study, mental retardation was classified as possibly due to multifactorial causes when a genetic syndrome, chromosome abnormality or environmental insult was not identified, but mental retardation was present in one or more first and/or second degree relatives, but did not follow a recognizable inheritance pattern. Hence, mental retardation was recorded in other family members and may indicate possible multifactorial causes in 45 males (22.4%). An environmental insult was noted in 25 males (12.4%); unexplained birth defects in three males (1.5%); a specific condition or diagnosis identified, but cause unknown (e.g. Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome) in 10 males (5%); and no diagnosis made in the remaining 101 males (50.2%). Of all 595 patients (334 males and 261 females), including the 201 males who had undergone a detailed clinical and cytogenetic evaluation, 39 (6.6%) had abnormal chromosome findings, with Down's syndrome noted in 31 of the patients. Twenty-five patients (4.2%) were diagnosed with a single gene disorder while mental retardation was noted in other family members and may indicate possible multifactorial causes in 64 patients (10.8%). An environmental insult was noted in 170 patients (28.6%); unexplained birth defects in 17 patients (2.9%); a specific condition or diagnosis but cause unknown in 27 patients (4.5%); and no diagnosis made in 253 patients (42.5%). Clinical and cytogenetic screening of mentally retarded patients for the fragile-X syndrome and other causes of mental retardation is helpful in identifying individuals and their families who may benefit from genetic services such as counseling and treatment. This study was performed over an approximate 2 year period from 1987 to 1989.
The Failure of Auditor Independence : Cognitive , Structural , Legislative , and Political Causes

The collapse of Enron represents a pivotal point in U.S. business history. While many deficiencies in the U.S. business model have been highlighted, perhaps the key failure that has become salient is the failure of our auditing system to create true independence. We provide a brief history of attempts to create and prevent auditor independence in the U.S., and then outline the critical cognitive, structural, legislative, and political barriers to true independence.
Prevalence of Gingival Biotype in a Syrian Population and Its Relation to Tooth Shapes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Gingival biotype is one of the most important factors that impede success in dental treatments; it affects the outcomes of periodontal surgery, and restorative treatments. Researchers classified gingival biotypes into thin biotype and thick biotype. It is crucial to identify tissue biotype before treatment. Aim of Study: To determine the prevalence of gingival biotypes in a Syrian population, in addition, to study the distribution of gingival biotypes according to gender and tooth shape. Material and Methods: This cross sectional study included 500 volunteers (300 males and 200 females) from the patients who had visited the department of periodontology-dental faculty at Damascus University. Gingival thickness was assessed to determine the gingival biotype for the maxillary central incisors using the direct measurement technique (Trans-gingival probing). Shapes of the maxillary incisors were recorded. A written informed consent was taken from each patient. Statistical analysis was done using test k2 p < 0.05. Results: The mean age was 26.8 ± 4.4 years. Thick gingival biotype was detected in 58.4% of the sample and most of patients are men while the prevalence of thin gingival biotype was 41.6% of the sample. It was also observed that patients with thin gingival biotype had triangular tooth shape in 99.5% (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Thick gingival biotype was observed to be more prevalent in a Syrian population than thin biotype. Most Syrian males had thick gingival biotype with square tooth shape while females had thinner biotype and triangular tooth shape.
Study on immune function of dendritic cells in patients with esophageal carcinoma.

AIM To investigate the immune function of dendritic cells from both peripheral blood and operated tissues of esophageal carcinoma patients in order to find the relationship between the immune function of dendritic cells and the pathogenesis of esophageal carcinoma. METHODS The expression of CD83, CD80, and CD86 on the surface of dendritic cells cultured from the peripheral blood of patients was detected compared with that from health donors using flow cytometry. The ability of dendritic cells to induce T lymphocyte proliferation was evaluated by a liquid scintillation counter. The expression of CD80, CD86, CD83, and S-100 proteins was assessed in esophageal carcinoma tissues using immunohistochemical method. RESULTS Compared with those from healthy donors, dendritic cells cultured from the peripheral blood of patients expressed lower CD80 and CD86. Furthermore, the ability of dendritic cells in patients to induce T lymphocyte proliferation was significantly lower than that of the control group. Compared with the control group, the positive expression ratio and frequencies of CD80, CD86, and S-100 in esophageal carcinoma tissues were significantly down regulated. The expression of CD83 was up-regulated in the pericancerous tissues, but no expression was found in the cancerous nodules. CONCLUSION The impaired immune function and the decreased number of dendritic cells cause pathogenesis and progression of esophageal carcinoma.