Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of National Culture on the Acceptance and Use of Information Technologies: An Empirical Study

This dissertation examines the influence of national culture on the acceptance and use of information technologies. An extended model of technology acceptance is developed and specific cultural dimensions are hypothesized to influence the extended model. Introduction and General Overview In the increasingly global business environment, there is a growing need to utilize information technology (IT) to achieve efficiencies, coordination, and communication. Clearly cultural differences between countries may have an impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of IT deployment. Research would provide valuable insights into the processes, obstacles, and opportunities present in cross-cultural IT environments. The objective of this dissertation is to examine the influence of culture on technology acceptance behaviors. Culture is defined as the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one group from another (Hofstede, 1984). Technology acceptance and usage across cultures is a crucial factor for deriving IT benefits in multinational and transnational organizations. Rather than testing existing technology acceptance models across different cultures to see if boundary conditions hold, the current research develops a model of technology acceptance that model explicitly incorporates dimensions of national culture. The resulting theoretical framework can make generalized predictions about technology acceptance in different national cultures. Specifically, this dissertation reviews the existing technology acceptance literature to extend the technology acceptance model (TAM Davis, 1989) by adding social influence, willingness to innovate, quality of life, and trust in technology. TAM was chosen, as the basic model, since it is a widely accepted yet parsimonious and robust model of technology acceptance. Then, based on crosscultural research literature, Hofstede's (1984) widely cited dimensions of national culture (masculinity/femininity, individualism/collectivism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance) are incorporated into the model as either direct antecedents or moderator variables of the technology acceptance constructs and relationships. The resulting theoretical model for the study is presented in Figure 1 with the cultural constructs shown in italic type. It should be noted that this dissertation does not treat culture as a monolithic construct. Rather, it posits that different cultural dimensions differentially influence technology acceptance constructs. Hypotheses for the specific effects of each cultural dimension on the technology acceptance constructs and relationships are presented in the paragraphs that follow.
Difference in glycosylation between secreted and pituitary free alpha-subunit of the glycoprotein hormones.

The sera of 12 patients with elevated serum concentrations of α-subunit (α) were fractionated by gel chromatography on Sephadex G-100. The partition coefficients (Knv) of serum α, measured by RIA in each fraction collected, were compared to the Kav of cochromatographed iodinated pituitary human TSHα. Six patients had nonneoplastic disorders (2 postmenopausal women, 1 hypothyroid patient, 2 patients with chronic renal failure, and 1 with TSH-mediated hyperthyroidism). Six patients had neoplastic disorders (3 with TSH-secreting pituitary tumors and 3 with malignant carcinoid tumors). The mean Kav of serum a from the 12 patients was 0.39 ± 0.04, compared to 0.45 ± 0.04 for cochromatographed iodinated pituitary TSHα (P < 0.001). There was no difference in Kav between neoplastic and nonneoplastic serum α. Gel chromatography of 18 normal human pituitary extracts revealed no significant difference in Kav values between immunoactiveintrapituitary α and cochromatographed iodinated pituitary TSHα. In contrast to th.
PR-Independent Neurosteroid Regulation of α 2-GABAA Receptors mRNA in the Hippocampus Subfields

= 187 words; Introduction = 557 words; Discussion = 1,203 words Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke Grant R01 NS051398 (to D.S.R.). *Corresponding author: D. Samba Reddy, PhD, RPh, FAAPS, FAAAS, FAES Professor Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics College of Medicine Texas A&M University Health Science Center 2008 Medical Research and Education Building 8447 State Highway 47, Bryan, TX 77807-3260 Phone: 979-436-0324 E-mail: reddy@medicine.tamhsc. edu
Influence of anxiety symptoms on quality of life in idiopathic Parkinson?s disease without dementia

The Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a type of neurodegenerative pathology. It has a negative impact on the Quality of Life (QOL), the patient's daily life activities, as well as the psychological stability and family activities of their immediate caregivers. Some studies show that anxiety is related to the deterioration of the quality of life. The objective of this work is to study the influence of anxiety on the QOL in patients with idiopathic PD without dementia. The sample was composed by 50 subjects diagnosed with idiopathic PD without dementia (33 men and 17 women), in stages I and II of Hoehn and Yahr, aged between 45 and 75 years. It was found that depressive symptomatology, more than anxiety, cognitive functioning, or sensorimotor stage significantly affects the quality of life in patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD without dementia, with mild motor disability. Regression analysis showed that the depression and cognitive functioning explained 45.7% of the variance. The results showed that anxiety doesn't impact on QOL in PD, possibly associated with overlapping clinical depression as frequent in PD emotional alteration. The results suggest that the identification and prompt treatment of anxiety and depression is important for the improvement of QOL in idiopathic PD without dementia.
Mechanistic studies on metabolic interactions between gemfibrozil and statins.

A series of studies were conducted to explore the mechanism of the pharmacokinetic interaction between simvastatin (SV) and gemfibrozil (GFZ) reported recently in human subjects. After administration of a single dose of SV (4 mg/kg p.o.) to dogs pretreated with GFZ (75 mg/kg p.o., twice daily for 5 days), there was an increase (approximately 4-fold) in systemic exposure to simvastatin hydroxy acid (SVA), but not to SV, similar to the observation in humans. GFZ pretreatment did not increase the ex vivo hydrolysis of SV to SVA in dog plasma. In dog and human liver microsomes, GFZ exerted a minimal inhibitory effect on CYP3A-mediated SVA oxidation, but did inhibit SVA glucuronidation. After i.v. administration of [(14)C]SVA to dogs, GFZ treatment significantly reduced (2-3-fold) the plasma clearance of SVA and the biliary excretion of SVA glucuronide (together with its cyclization product SV), but not the excretion of a major oxidative metabolite of SVA, consistent with the in vitro findings in dogs. Among six human UGT isozymes tested, UGT1A1 and 1A3 were capable of catalyzing the glucuronidation of both GFZ and SVA. Further studies conducted in human liver microsomes with atorvastatin (AVA) showed that, as with SVA, GFZ was a less potent inhibitor of the CYP3A4-mediated oxidation of this drug than its glucuronidation. However, with cerivastatin (CVA), the glucuronidation as well as the CYP2C8- and CYP3A4-mediated oxidation pathways were much more susceptible to inhibition by GFZ than was observed with SVA or AVA. Collectively, the results of these studies provide metabolic insight into the nature of drug-drug interaction between GFZ and statins, and a possible explanation for the enhanced susceptibility of CVA to interactions with GFZ.
The nicotinic cholinergic receptor: correlation of molecular structure with functional properties.

AND PERSPECfIVES . 492 INTRODUCfION 492 THE ELECfROPLAQUE AcChR MOLECULE 492 Evidence for Four Subunits 496 Receptor Composition 497 Physical Properties 498 THE MUSCLE AcChR 500 THE AcChR IN POSTSYNAPTIC MEMBRANES . 503 AcChR Mobility in Postsynaptic Membranes 503 AcChR as a Transmemb"ane Protein 504 AcChR-Lipid Interactions 505 The Shape of the Electric Organ AcChR Molecule 508 The Organization of AcChR Molecules in the Postsynaptic Membrane 510 Othe,. Proteins Associated with AcChR Membrane Preparations 512 LIGAND BINDING TO THE AcChR . , . ' 512 Rapid Kinetic Studies of Cholinergic Ligand Binding ' , . , 512 Binding of Local Anesthetics, Histrionicotoxin and Related Compounds . , 513 Affinity Labeling of Cholinergic Ligand Binding Sites , 517 Ligand Affinity Changes Related to Desensitization . , , 518
Wearable wideband exposimeter design for electromagnetic field exposure measurements

A novel architecture is proposed for the design and implementation of a wideband exposimeter covering the telecommunication standards in the 700 MHz - 6 GHz frequency band. The design is based on a simplified direct down conversion receiver principle. The proposed architecture is highly flexible in order to incorporate future Radio Access Technologies (RAT). The proposed design is validated using calculations and measurements. The results are in agreement with the specification requirements for wideband exposure measurements.
HR: Becoming a Strategic Partner

Transit agencies nationwide are struggling to attract, retain, and engage skilled employees. Faced with constrained budgets and an outdated culture that focuses on buses and trains instead of people, transit agencies are realizing that change is necessary in order to address workforce challenges. Unfortunately, the human resource (HR) function, which is responsible for establishing the policies and procedures around human capital management, is not typically aligned with the executives responsible for developing the agencies’ strategic direction. Without an understanding of an organization’s direction and goals, the HR department cannot, for example, assist management in clearly identifying the star performers or recognizing outstanding performance. This misalignment is a hindrance to a transit agency’s mission to effectively meet its vision and goals. While the HR function is responsible for developing the tools and practices that can enable effective people management, it is the managers of a transit agency that are, ultimately, responsible for implementing these tools and practices. Clearly, this requires a synergy between the two respective parties, and this can only be accomplished if they are driven by the same goals. This paper focuses on the importance of aligning the HR function with the transit agency’s organizational objectives. This idea should not diminish the importance of a transit agency’s management team also actively participating in attracting, retaining, and engaging the workforce. The first half of the paper describes current human capital management challenges in the transit industry, the role of the HR function, and the level of alignment between HR and a transit agency’s strategy. This paper compares the transit industry to other industries, and then fully elucidates its need for change. The latter half of the paper describes the evolving role of the HR function and then provides detailed steps towards transforming an HR department into a transit agency’s strategic partner, with the goal of addressing many of the transit industry’s workforce challenges.
Survivability not Superiority: A Critique of Kroenig (2013)

Kroenig (2013b) nds that in crises between nuclear-armed states, countries possessing nuclear arsenals larger than those of their opponents tend to be victorious. After correcting for coding errors in the dataset and for nite-sample bias in clustered standard error esti- mates, we show that the original conclusion is too over-condent. We further demonstrate that the association between nuclear superiority and crisis victory is extremely sensitive to the author's variable coding decisions and model specications. Using a new method for
Herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated transcription unit promotes anatomical site-dependent establishment and reactivation from latency

Defined herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) mutants KOS/1 and KOS/62 (positive and negative, respectively, for latency-associated transcripts [LATs]) express the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal) gene during latency. These mutants were employed to assess the functions of the latency-associated transcription unit on establishment and maintenance of and reactivation from the latent state. It was found that in the trigeminal ganglia, the frequencies of hyperthermia-induced reactivation of KOS/62 and an additional LATs- mutant (KOS/29) were reduced by at least 80%. Quantification of latently infected neurons expressing the beta-Gal gene revealed that the LATs- mutant KOS/62 established approximately 80% fewer latent infections in the trigeminal ganglia than did KOS/1 (LATs+). This reduction in establishment which is evident in the trigeminal ganglia could account for the reduced frequency of reactivation from this site. In striking contrast, both LATs- mutants reactivated with wild-type frequencies from lumbosacral ganglia. Quantification of beta-Gal-positive neurons at this site revealed that KOS/62 established as many as or more latent infections than the LATs+ virus, KOS/1. Colocalization of HSV antigen and beta-Gal suggested that the decreased establishment by LATs- mutants in trigeminal ganglia was the result of inefficient viral shutoff. Thus, one function of the HSV-1 LATs transcription unit is to promote the establishment of latency in trigeminal but not lumbosacral ganglia. Such a function may be relevant to understanding the distinct clinical recurrent disease patterns of HSV-1 and HSV-2.
Production, post harvest handling and marketing of cut-flowers in Bangladesh: an agribusiness study.

The present field survey was an attempt to examine the production and marketing cost structure and profitability of some selected flowers such as tuberose, rose, gladiolus and marigold. Primary data were collected through stratified random sampling technique. The study covered primary market (Jessore), wholesale market (Dhaka city) and retail market (Dhaka city) for flower business. Data were collected from 20 farmers of two selected unions under Jhikargacha upazilla of Jessore district. Besides, 30 local traders, 10 wholesalers cum retailers and 20 retailers were interviewed from the selected markets. The highest net return was earned from rose (Tk. 3,53,927) followed by tuberose (Tk. 1,76,941), gladiolus (Tk. 1,33,069) and marigold (Tk. 84,643). Total marketing cost per hundred flower was highest for retailer (Tk 41.14) because of their diverse activities and lowest for wholesaler cum retailer (Tk 5.66) due to their limited functions. On an average, the net marketing margin was highest for retailers (Tk. 28.10) and lowest for wholesaler (Tk. 9.03). The flowerfarmers and intermediaries faced various production and marketing problems in the study areas. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made to overcome the problems that include development of storage facility, provision for scientific knowledge and training facility, and establishment of permanent flower wholesale and local markets, etc.
Has Information Technology Leveled the Competitive Playing Field

This paper analyzes the relationship between IT and ordinary (non-IT) capital and the competitive dynamics within U.S. industries. Using a panel of industry data from 1998-2005, I investigate whether IT has leveled the competitive playing field between small and large firms. I address three questions: (1) Is IT affecting barriers to entry? (2) What is the relationship between IT capital and the rate of turnover among small firms in an industry? (3) Is more IT associated with industries becoming more concentrated in smaller or larger firms? As to whether IT levels the competitive playing field, my results are mixed. When an industry becomes more IT intensive, there is more entry and expansion of firms (including entry of new small firms and expansion of large firms from the same and other industries). Yet there is also more turnover of small firms in the industry as well as concentration of the industry into large firms. In contrast, as an industry becomes more ordinary capital-intensive, there is less entry of small firms and fewer establishment openings by large firms; a lower rate of turnover by small firms; and fragmentation of the industry into small firms. My results further suggest that in IT intensive environments, large firms use business process replication to expand their share of the market, and in less IT intensive environments, small firms may be operating in more niche markets, thus avoiding direct competition with larger firms. This paper contributes to existing literature on IT and the boundaries of the firm.
Adult Faconi Syndrome Secondary to Light Chain Gammopathy: Clinicopathologic Heterogeneity and Unnsual Features in 11 Patients

Fifty-seven cases of Ig light chain-associated Fanconi syndrome (FS) have been reported so far, mostly as isolated reports. The pioneering work by Maldonado and associates (35), who reviewed the first 17 cases in 1975, led to the unifying concept that patients with FS and Bence Jones proteinuria have a special form of plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by slow progression of the tumor and by prominent crystal formation in proximal tubule cells, in the absence of myeloma casts in the distal tubule. We carefully reappraised these characteristics in a series of 11 patients. Ten renal biopsy specimens were available for electron microscopy, adding to the 15 previously reported cases with ultrastructural studies. Moreover, 10 of the kappa light chains could be entirely or partially sequenced and tested for their resistance to cathepsin B, a lysosomal protease present in proximal tubule cells. Our series showed an unexpected clinicopathologic heterogeneity. Seven patients presented with the typical clinical and pathologic features of FS and low-mass myeloma or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), in keeping with Maldonado et al's description. Crystals in bone marrow cells were detected in patients of this group, only. Three patients who presented with full-blown FS exhibited, however, the characteristic features of myeloma cast nephropathy in the setting of high-mass myeloma. One patient of this group also had numerous crystals in proximal tubule cells. The eleventh patient had complete FS with MGUS, but no crystals in proximal tubule cells even after electron microscopy. Contrasting with the clinicopathologic heterogeneity, genetic and biochemical analyses of the light chains showed a striking homogeneity. First, they all were of the kappa type. Second, 8 of 9 belonged to the V kappa I variability subgroup, which indicates that FS light chains are related by the sequence of their variable regions. Third, the 8 V kappa I light chain sequences most likely originated from only 2 germline genes, LCO2/012 and LCO8/018. Fourth, all 5 LCO2/012-derived sequences presented an unusual hydrophobic or nonpolar residue at position 30. These sequence peculiarities may account for unusual physicochemical properties of the light chains including the resistance of their variable domain V kappa to proteolysis by cathepsin B, observed in 7 of 9 patients in our series, while light chains isolated from patients with myeloma cast nephropathy are completely digested. Resistance of V kappa to proteolysis in FS patients can explain the accumulation of the light chain in the endocytotic compartment of the proximal tubule cells, leading to impairment of proximal tubule functions.
Adsorption of bile salts from aqueous solution by plant fibre and cholestyramine

1. Adsorption of bile salts by dietary fibre is believed to promote their excretion and hence to reduce the serum cholesterol level in man and experimental animals. 2. We have tested a number of plant fibre fractions and other related materials for their ability to adsorb bile salts from aqueous solution. The ‘insoluble’ plant fractions were from ‘dry grain’ (a residue from brewing), apple, wheat bran, lucerne (Medicago sativa), soya beans, mung beans (Phaseolus mungo), chick peas (Cicer arietinum), rolled oats, spinach (Spinacia oleracea), sunflower seeds, sawdust and sheep faeces. The other materials were cholestyramine, pectin and lignins prepared from wheat bran and from sawdust. 3. Only cholestyramine and the fibre from lucerne, soya beans, mung beans, chick peas, spinach, and sunflower seeds adsorbed enough of either sodium cholate or sodium deoxycholate for adsorption to be detectable. 4. This result conflicts with a report that the lignin component of dietary fibre is responsible for adsorption of bile salts. 5. Adsorption of bile salts, when it occurs, may depend on the presence of saponins bound to the fibre.
Preservation of RNA for functional analysis of separated alleles in yeast: comparison of snap-frozen and RNALater® solid tissue storage methods

Abstract Background: The aim of the present study was to compare RNALater® with the usual method of liquid nitrogen snap freezing as a surrogate mRNA preservation method for functional analysis of separated alleles in yeast (FASAY). Methods: A total of 81 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder underwent fresh tissue biopsies directly transferred into RNALater® and stored at room temperature or at 4°C for increasing time intervals until RNA processing. From this cohort of patients, 53 paired snap-frozen and RNALater® preservative-suspended tissues were obtained. Samples immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen were further stored at −80°C. Results: Of the 81 RNALater® samples, 14 were not processed for FASAY because of RNA degradation. Of the remaining 67 samples, 15 (22%) were FASAY-positive. Identical FASAY results were found for 50 of 53 (94.4%) paired samples and the percentage of red yeast colonies was highly correlated (Cohen's κ<0.82; p<0.00001). A single p53 missense mutation was found in each of the three discordant positive FASAY and was identical in each concordant positive sample (10/53). Storing samples in RNALater® at room temperature for 3 days and at 4°C for less than 1 month provided high-quality mRNA suitable for FASAY. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that RNALater® is a suitable and flexible alternative to snap freezing for FASAY analysis. Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:1283–7.