Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human resource practices, employee attitudes and small firm performance

This article uses the matched employee–employer dataset from the Workplace Employment Relations Study of 2011 (WERS2011) in Britain to empirically examine the direct relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) performance in the United Kingdom, as well as the potential moderating effect of organisational commitment/job satisfaction on the HRM-performance linkage. We find a positive and direct relationship between the use of certain formalised human resource (HR) practices and SME performance, measured by financial performance and labour productivity. More importantly, we find that the positive relationship between HR practices and financial performance varies between SMEs with high job satisfaction and low job satisfaction, and that the relationship is weakened in SMEs with high job satisfaction. The results suggest that certain HR policies and practices may improve small firm performance, especially within firms with low levels of commitment and satisfaction.
Ethanol and the Tobacco-specific Carcinogen, NNK, Contribute to Signaling in Immortalized Human Pancreatic Duct Epithelial Cells

Objectives: Smoking is a well-documented risk factor for pancreatic cancer. The tobacco-specific nitrosamine, NNK (4-[methylnitrosamino]-1-[3-pyridyl]-1-butanone), significantly induces pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas in laboratory rodents. Recent observations suggest that ethanol enhances the tumorigenic effects of smoking. Ethanol consumption is associated with the development of chronic pancreatitis, also considered a predisposing factor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Because the precise role of ethanol in pancreatic carcinogenesis is not known, this study sought to elucidate the cumulative effects of ethanol and NNK on particular signal transduction pathways that might play a role in cell proliferation in immortalized human pancreatic duct epithelial cells. Methods: The HPDE6-c7 cells are developed from pancreatic duct epithelial cells, which are the putative cells of origin of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cell proliferation assays, Western blot, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate assays were used to demonstrate the effects of ethanol and NNK treatments on these cells. Results: Ethanol cotreatments enhanced the NNK-induced proliferation of these cells. This response was inhibited by the adenylyl cyclase, protein kinase A, mitogen-activated protein kinase (p42/p44), and epidermal growth factor receptor-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Cotreatments of NNK and ethanol also increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate accumulation, cAMP response element-binding family of proteins and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation, and protein kinase A activation. Conclusions: These findings suggest a potential role for these pathways contributing to the development of smoking- and alcohol-related pancreatic carcinogenesis.
Antiarrhythmic agents: the modulated receptor mechanism of action of sodium and calcium channel-blocking drugs.

At the time of the last review of antiarrhythmic drugs in this series in 1 975 (1) , the important developments in the field centered around the "classical" agents: lidocaine, procainamide, quinidine, diphenylhydantoin (now phenytoin), and propranolol. That review properly emphasized the importance of new informa­ tion regarding the effects of these agents on diseased tissue (e.g. obtained from infarcted hearts) or on normal tissue stressed in the muscle chamber (e.g. by depolarization with potassium). However, data and concepts available at that time were not sufficient to explain the important differences among the effects of these drugs on different types of cardiac tissue, or the difference in sensitiv­ ity of diseased and depolarized tissue as compared to normal tissue. Since 1 975, a modest revolution in antiarrhythmic drug development, re­ search, and clinical application has occurred. The number of agents in active clinical use or investigation in the U.S. is now more than 18 (2, 3). In addition, a major new class of agents, the calcium channel blockers, has come into general use (4, 5) . Furthermore, an attempt has been made to extend our understanding of the mechanism of action at the molecular level: the modulated receptor hypothesis (6, 7). This review concentrates on the antiarrhythmic drug literature pertinent to an evaluation of the modulated receptor hypothesis. A number of general reviews
Factors that Improve Student Retention in School Band Programs

Supervisory Committee Dr. Mary A. Kennedy, Supervisor (Department of Curriculum and Instruction) Dr. Garry Froese, Committee Member (Department of Curriculum and Instruction) This study explored student retention in school band programs by means of a survey. Band teachers from Edmonton Public and Elk Island Public Schools were asked to provide information about their beliefs, values, opinions, as well as current demographic information. Topics of the survey included student factors, and teacher factors such as band assignments, performances, motivational strategies, and administration. Data were analyzed using the online program Survey Gizmo. Examination of the data confirmed that there are common band teacher strategies that improve student retention. Some key strategies are involving students in repertoire selection, being flexible on instrument changes, earning trip and tour privileges for practicing required material, assessing progress in the form of playing tests, scheduling frequent performances, administrator attendance at performances, frequent encouraging comments about progress, and planned listening and performance trips.
Enhancement of neutrophil-mediated killing of Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood forms by fatty acids: importance of fatty acid structure

Effects of fatty acids on human neutrophil-mediated killing of Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood forms were investigated by using a quantitative radiometric assay. The results showed that the antiparasitic activity of neutrophils can be greatly increased (>threefold) by short-term treatment with fatty acids with 20 to 24 carbon atoms and at least three double bonds. In particular, the n-3 polyenoic fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, and the n-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid, significantly enhanced neutrophil antiparasitic activity. This effect was >1.5-fold higher than that induced by an optical concentration of the known agonist cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). At suboptimal concentrations, the combination of arachidonic acid and TNF-alpha caused a synergistic increase in neutrophil-mediated parasite killing. The fatty acid-induced effect was independent of the availability of serum opsonins but dependent on the structure of the fatty acids. The length of the carbon chain, degree of unsaturation, and availability of a free carboxyl group were important determinants of fatty acid activity. The fatty acids which increased neutrophil-mediated killing primed the enhanced superoxide radical generation of neutrophils in response to P. falciparum as detected by chemiluminescence. Scavengers of oxygen radicals significantly reduced the fatty acid-enhanced parasite killing, but cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitors had no effect. These findings have identified a new class of immunoenhancers that could be exploited to increase resistance against Plasmodium species.
Social capital and interlocal service collaboration in US counties

ABSTRACT Social capital and interlocal service collaboration in US counties. Regional Studies. Local governments are increasingly faced with public policy problems that span across their individual jurisdictional boundaries. Interlocal service collaboration has been suggested as a preferable alternative to address these issues. This study examines the association between collective social capital, especially focusing on Putnam-type organizations and interlocal service collaboration, by investigating the interlocal revenues at the county level for the fiscal year 2002 in the United States. An instrumental variables estimator to address a potential endogeneity problem of social capital was adopted. The results show that social capital is positively associated with interlocal service collaboration. Further analysis revealed that 15.8% of counties’ variation in interlocal service collaboration was attributed to the state level.
Intranasal therapeutic strategies for management of Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic and progressive age-related irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that represents 70% of all dementia with 35 million cases worldwide. Successful treatment strategies for AD have so far been limited, and present therapy is based on cholinergic replacement therapy and inhibiting glutamate excitotoxicity. In this context, role of neuroprotective drugs has generated considerable interest in management of AD. Recently, direct intranasal (IN) delivery of drug moieties to the central nervous system (CNS) has emerged as a therapeutically viable alternative to oral and parenteral routes. IN delivery bypasses the blood–brain barrier by delivering and targeting drugs to the CNS along the olfactory and trigeminal neural pathways which are in direct contact with both the environment and the CNS. In an attempt to understand how neurotherapeutics/nanoparticulate delivery systems can be transported from the nose to the CNS, the present review sets out to discuss the mechanism of transport from nose to brain. The aim of this review is to discuss and summarize the latest findings of some of the major studies on IN drug delivery in AD models, with a focus on the potential efficacy of neuroprotective treatments.
Hedge Fund Performance in Bull and Bear Markets: Alpha Creation and Risk Exposure

This article investigates whether hedge funds create abnormal risk-adjusted returns, during both bull and bear markets. The model applied is an extended multi-factor model, using a dataset consisting of hedge fund return series with data from a 15-year period ranging from 1994 to 2009. The whole set, as well as bull and bear subperiods, has been analyzed. The authors apply a slightly different model from that used in previous studies and use a comprehensive database that includes the recent financial crisis. A limited amount of the hedge fund literature distinguishes between performance during bull markets and bear markets. The authors find that most hedge fund strategies reduce their exposure to the equity markets during adverse market conditions and invest more in commodities. The inclusion of global macro and managed futures funds in an investor’s portfolio offers a good hedge for bear market conditions.
Isolation and antimicrobial and antioxidant evaluation of bio-active compounds from eriobotrya japonica stems.

PURPOSE The present study was carried out to evaluate antimicrobial and antioxidant activities from Eriobotrya japonica stems as well investigation of its chemical composition. METHODS Methanol 80% extract of Eriobotrya japonica stems was tested for antimicrobial activity against bacterial and fungal strains and for antioxidant activity using oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays and also total content of polyphenols with phytochemical analysis of the extract were determined. RESULTS The results showed that the extract has a significant antimicrobial activity, it inhibited significantly the growth of Candida albicans suggesting that it can be used in the treatment of fungal infections, and it showed no effect on the other bacterial and fungal strains, the extract has a good antioxidant activity, it has shown high values of oxygen radical absorbance capacity and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, while it showed a low value of polyphenol content. Phytochemical analysis of the extract showed the presence of carbohydrates, terpenes, tannins and flavonoids, further phytochemical analysis resulted in the isolation and identification of three triterpenic acids, oleanolic, ursolic and corosolic acids and four flavonoids, naringenin, quercetin, kaempferol 3-O-β-glucoside and quercetin 3-O-α-rhamnoside. CONCLUSION These results may help to discover new chemical classes of natural antimicrobial antioxidant substances.
Syllable Frequency and Spoken Word Recognition

Research has shown that syllables play a relevant role in lexical access in Spanish, a shallow language with a transparent syllabic structure. Syllable frequency has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on visual word recognition in Spanish. However, no study has examined the syllable frequency effect on spoken word recognition. The present study tested the effect of the frequency of the first syllable on recognition of spoken Spanish words. A sample of 45 young adults (33 women, 12 men; M = 20.4, SD = 2.8; college students) performed an auditory lexical decision on 128 Spanish disyllabic words and 128 disyllabic nonwords. Words were selected so that lexical and first syllable frequency were manipulated in a within-subject 2 × 2 design, and six additional independent variables were controlled: token positional frequency of the second syllable, number of phonemes, position of lexical stress, number of phonological neighbors, number of phonological neighbors that have higher frequencies than the word, and acoustical durations measured in milliseconds. Decision latencies and error rates were submitted to linear mixed models analysis. Results showed a typical facilitatory effect of the lexical frequency and, importantly, an inhibitory effect of the first syllable frequency on reaction times and error rates.
Inferring Contexts From Facebook Interactions: A Social Publicity Scenario

The great acceptation of the Social Web has converted social networks, blogs and wikis in almost perfect advertising mediums. However, many of the current social publicity strategies do not exploit all the potential of these mediums, since they obviate users' online life: the social contexts in which they are involved. Our proposal to reverse this situation is a model to infer users' social contexts by the application of several Natural Language Processing (NLP) and data mining techniques over users' interaction data on Facebook. We take advantage of both Facebook and Groupon APIs to provide a deployment scenario in which knowing users' social life allows ads to target the most potential customers, which is beneficial for both companies and possible customers.
The influence of suture pattern on the incidence of incisional drainage following exploratory laparotomy.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Incisional complications following exploratory celiotomy increase morbidity, extend hospitalisation and increase cost. Retrospective studies seek to identify risk factors and measures for prevention of surgical site infection. The relatively high incidence of incisional complications following exploratory laparotomy necessitates identification of ideal surgical closure methods. OBJECTIVES The study sought to identify the incidence of incisional drainage within our hospital population, and to identify risk factors for incisional complications while determining surgical practices that reduce the incidence of incisional drainage. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. METHODS A retrospective study, with telephone follow-up, was performed on 199 horses that underwent exploratory laparotomy at the University of Georgia from 2 January 2008 to 31 December 2010, examining associations between case background, lesion type, access to the lumen of the bowel, and closure methods and incisional draining. The linea alba incisions were closed by the primary surgeon and junior house officers closed the subcutaneous tissues and skin. RESULTS The incidence of purulent or persistent serosanguinous incisional drainage in 142 horses with complete follow-up information was 21.8%. Background, lesion type, and enterotomy or enterectomy were not associated with a significantly increased likelihood of incisional drainage. However, closure of the subcutaneous tissues and skin in a 2-layer, modified subcuticular pattern was associated with a significantly lower incidence of post operative incisional drainage. Follow-up information identified subsequent episodes of colic in 28.9% of horses. However, 80.3% of horses had returned to their previous level of work. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE Incisional drainage is common following ventral midline laparotomy. The use of a 2-layer, modified subcuticular closure was associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of incisional drainage compared with closure performed with skin sutures, but not closure performed with staples.
Modelling of a double-sided dielectric resonator antenna array fed from dielectric insular image guide

In this paper, a double-sided dielectric resonator antenna array fed by a dielectric insular image guide is proposed. A complete design process with theoretical calculation and 3D modelling simulation is given. This 10-element antenna array has a 15 dB gain at 60 GHz, which is 2 dB enhancement over a single-sided array and the cross- polarization is suppressed by more than 30 dB. Also, with the employment of an insular layer in the dielectric image guide, the predicted antenna efficiency is as high as 93%.
Assessment of dysplasia, mucosal mucins, p53 protein expression, and DNA content in ulcerative colitis patients with colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis.

BACKGROUND Patients with ileorectal anastomosis after colectomy for ulcerative colitis remain at risk of developing rectal malignancy. Detection of mucosal dysplasia has been used for regular screening but is difficult in inflammatory mucosa, prompting the search for complementary markers. METHODS This prospective study aimed to assess the prevalence of dysplasia, the predominance of sialomucin, DNA aneuploidy, and p53 overexpression as possible predictors of colorectal tumourigenesis, in the rectal mucosa of an unselected group of 27 patients with ileorectal anastomosis performed for ulcerative colitis. Patients had neither neoplastic nor dysplastic lesions on the colectomy specimen and the retained rectum at the time of surgery. One biopsy specimen of each lateral rectal wall was studied, using routine histology, mucin histochemistry, DNA flow cytometry, and the streptavidin-biotin complex method with D07 monoclonal antibodies directed towards the p53 protein. RESULTS Seventeen, seven, and three patients showed inflammatory lesions of inactive, moderate, and severe active colitis, respectively. Dysplasia, sialomucin predominance, DNA aneuploidy, and p53 overexpression were not detected. CONCLUSIONS The risk of malignant transformation of the rectal mucosa after ileorectal anastomosis seemed to be low in this ulcerative colitis group without high-grade dysplasia or carcinoma in the previous colectomy specimen, carefully followed up endoscopically and histologically. It remains to be evaluated which of the methods studied above will optimize the histopathologic surveillance of the rectal mucosa of ulcerative colitis patients with ileorectal anastomosis.
Effect of polyphenolic compounds on the renal Na+,K+‐ATPase during development and persistence of hypertension in rats

It has been suggested that polyphenolic substances provide protection against the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. The present study was designed to investigate whether application of red wine polyphenols influences the kinetic properties of the renal Na+,K+‐ATPase in rats with hypertension (164 ± 8 mmHg) that was experimentally induced by the NO synthase inhibitor NG. ‐nitro‐larginine methyl ester (l‐NAME). Polyphenols in a dose of 40 mg kg−1 day−1 in drinking fluid induced different effects on the properties of the renal Na+,K+‐ATPase depending on the mode of their administration. Preventive application of polyphenols during the development of hypertension (144 ± 5 mmHg) partially protected the Na+,K+‐ATPase molecule against hypertension‐induced deterioration via increased capability of the enzyme to bind ATP and/or Na+ as suggested by decrease of Km and KNa, respectively, even to values lower than in controls. However, polyphenols did not prevent the hypertension‐induced reduction of the number of active Na+,K+‐ATPase molecules as shown by similar Vmax values as compared to the hypertensive l‐NAME group. The above protection is probably secured by a NO‐dependent mechanism as suggested by 150% increase of the NO synthesis. Additional treatment of already hypertensive animals with polyphenols (153 ± 8 mmHg) resulted in partial restoration of the Na+,K+‐ATPase affinities especially for sodium as indicated by significant diminution of KNa. However, polyphenols in this mode of application did not slow down the l‐NAME‐induced decrease in the number of Na+,K+‐ATPase molecules in the kidney as suggested by additional significant decrease in Vmax values when comparing this group with the control group and also the hypertensive l‐NAME group. In this case the polyphenols affected the Na,K‐ATPase molecule in a NO‐independent way as indicated by the fact that polyphenols failed to restore normal NO synthesis.
High Resolution Schemes for a Hierarchical Size-Structured Model

In this paper we discuss two explicit finite difference schemes, namely a first order upwind scheme and a second order high resolution scheme, for solving a hierarchical size-structured population model with nonlinear growth, mortality, and reproduction rates. We prove stability and convergence for both schemes and provide numerical examples to demonstrate their capability in solving smooth and discontinuous solutions.
Melatonin decreases TLR3‐mediated inflammatory factor expression via inhibition of NF‐κB activation in respiratory syncytial virus‐infected RAW264.7 macrophages

Abstract: Double‐stranded (ds) RNA has been identified as a ligand for Toll‐like receptor 3 (TLR3). Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a single‐stranded RNA virus and a major respiratory pathogen and pneumovirus in human infants pathogenesis of which relies on early inflammatory and immune events of the host in response to RSV, could be recognized by TLR3 sensing viral dsRNA produced during replication. The downstream signaling pathway from TLR3 leads to activation of IFN regulatory factor (IRF)‐3 and/or NF‐κB and subsequent expression of numerous proinflammatory factors. Melatonin (MT) is an effective regulator of the immune system. To determine the molecular mechanisms responsible for the suppressive effect of MT on RSV infection, we analyzed signaling molecules involved in the TLR3‐mediated activation of inflammatory factors in macrophages infected with RSV and the modulatory role of MT on these mediators. We report that RSV infection of RAW264.7 macrophages time‐dependently stimulate the rapid activation of TLR3 and NF‐κB, as well as subsequent NF‐κB‐dependent gene expression such as those encoding TNF‐α and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Moreover, we demonstrate that MT decreased TLR3‐mediated downstream gene expression in RSV‐infected macrophages in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner, and that MT inhibition of NF‐κB activity seemed to be the key event required to explain the reduction in inflammatory gene expression caused by MT. But MT did not influence TLR3 at either the protein or mRNA level or MyD88 transcription. These results could be related to the beneficial immunoregulatory role of MT in RSV‐infected macrophages and address the possible therapeutic potential of this indoleamine in human RSV diseases.