Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Stress Response and the Regulation of Inflammatory Disease

The molecular and biochemical bases for interactions between the immune and central nervous systems are described. Immune cytokines not only activate immune function but also recruit central stress-responsive neurotransmitter systems in the modulation of the immune response and in the activation of behaviors that may be adaptive during injury or inflammation. Peripherally generated cytokines, such as interleukin-1, signal hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons to activate pituitary-adrenal counter-regulation of inflammation through the potent antiinflammatory effects of glucocorticoids. Corticotropin-releasing hormone not only activates the pituitary-adrenal axis but also sets in motion a coordinated series of behavioral and physiologic responses, suggesting that the central nervous system may coordinate both behavioral and immunologic adaptation during stressful situations. The pathophysiologic perturbation of this feedback loop, through various mechanisms, results in the development of inflammatory syndromes, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and behavioral syndromes, such as depression. Thus, diseases characterized by both inflammatory and emotional disturbances may derive from common alterations in specific central nervous system pathways (for example, the CRH system). In addition, disruptions of this communication by genetic, infectious, toxic, or pharmacologic means can influence the susceptibility to disorders associated with both behavioral and inflammatory components and potentially alter their natural history. These concepts suggest that neuropharmacologic agents that stimulate hypothalamic CRH might potentially be adjunctive therapy for illnesses traditionally viewed as inflammatory or autoimmune.
The role of trust in creating value and student loyalty in relational exchanges between higher education institutions and their students

The globalization of educational services and the increasing competition coming from the private sector have forced higher education institutions to market their programs more aggressively and to look at student loyalty as the key for future success. Student loyalty to higher education institutions represents not only a more stable financial basis for such institutions but also continuing support for them after graduation. The present research examines the relational exchange process between higher education institutions and their students. Specifically, it explores the process by which trust is first developed and then translated into students' perceived value of the higher education institutions, ultimately leading to the development of student loyalty toward those institutions. The identification of the components and the outcomes of student trust are presented on the basis of Sirdeshmukh, Singh, and Sabol's trust–value–loyalty framework.
Reviewing the SEC’s Review Process: 10-K Comment Letters and the Cost of Remediation

ABSTRACT: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) comment letters provide independent and timely feedback on the clarity of disclosures and on the extent to which filings comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and SEC reporting regulations. We investigate factors that affect the probability of receiving a 10-K comment letter, the extent of comments received, and the cost of remediation. We find that in addition to factors explicitly stated to increase SEC scrutiny in Section 408 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, low profitability, high complexity, engaging a small audit firm, and weaknesses in governance are positively associated with the receipt of a comment letter, the extent of comments, and the cost of remediation. The probability that the comment letter results in a restatement is higher for smaller companies and for companies engaging a small audit firm. We also provide evidence that comments relating to accounting issues result in higher remediation costs, largely due to the additional time.
Covenant Violations, Collateral and Credit Access: Public and Private Firms

We study the impact of covenant violations on credit access for both privately-held and publicly-traded firms, using a rich supervisory dataset of syndicated loans from 2006-2012. Leveraging the unique information on covenant compliance, collateral and default risk in the data, we show that banks are substantially less likely to forgive covenant violations by private firms. Hence private firms, particularly firms with assets below $1 billion, experience more severe credit access consequences after violations relative to comparable public firms. These private firms are more likely to suffer loan limit cuts and balance reductions. Recessions aggravate these credit constraints due to increased violations and tighter lending standards. Private firms that are established in the loan market or have an external rating face smaller cuts. We also find that collateral plays an important role in alleviating credit rationing for private firms after violations, with over-collateralized loans experiencing much smaller cuts. Our results shed new light on how access to the public markets can influence bank intermediation, and the financing constraints faced by firms.
An empirical examination of the complex relationships between entrepreneurial orientation and stakeholder support

Purpose – This paper seeks to integrate stakeholder theory with the entrepreneurial orientation literature to explore relationships between distinct entrepreneurial behaviors and support from stakeholders with divergent interests.Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal study in the non‐profit professional theatre industry examines how relationships between entrepreneurial orientation and stakeholder support evolve over time. A series of regression analyses examine how support from diverse stakeholders influences entrepreneurial behaviors and, subsequently, how those entrepreneurial behaviors influence future stakeholder support.Findings – The findings support a multi‐dimensional conceptualization of entrepreneurial orientation, point to tensions inherent in satisfying multiple stakeholder demands, and illustrate that different stakeholders support entrepreneurial behaviors in unique and sometimes unexpected ways. The findings offer insight into the complex balancing act that entrepreneurial managers .
Deal Flow and the Pricing of IPOs

This study examines how the decisions that issuers and their investment banks make about IPO pricing are affected by the value of deals in registration, measured at the aggregate, industry and bank level both as of the filing date and the offering date (in order to identify changes in the IPO pipeline over the issuance process). Examining 1684 IPOs from1998-2007 we find evidence that measure of the IPO pipeline significantly affect pricing decisions. The evidence is mostly consistent with agency-based arguments that investment banks with large and growing pipelines of deals partially adjust prices given market information but also leave more money on the table. While harming issuers, this both helps clear their pipeline of deals, and attracts institutional clientele ensuring the banks can sell their backlog of deals.
Global Capacity Investment Strategies for Product Variants

We study the capacity investment decision faced by a global flrm that has to customize its product in difierent markets due to government regulations and/or customer requirements. To do so, the flrm installs two difierent types of capacity: base capacity for producing the common features of the product variants and customizing capacity for fulfllling the markets’ speciflc requirements. We provide the structure of the flrm’s optimal investment strategy in these capacities and characterize the optimal investment portfolio. We show that our model and the resulting strategy characterization generalize the ∞exible server model of Van Mieghem (1998) to global settings, in which manufacturing facilities are located in non-homogeneous markets and the cost of transporting unit product from one market to the other is not negligible. Furthermore, we provide the graphical depiction of the structure of the flrm’s optimal investment portfolio; this enables managers to assess the robustness of their decisions with respect to variant prices, production, transportation, and investment costs as well as demand variability and demand correlation. Additionally, we investigate how the structure of the flrm’s optimal investment strategy changes when the variant demands are perfectly correlated and flnd that it can be optimal to invest in maximal ∞exibility by installing customizing capacity in both markets even when the variant demands are perfectly positively correlated. Thus, our discussion extends the insights on the impact of perfectly correlated demands prevalent in the ∞exible capacity investment literature to global settings.
Manufacturer and retailer perceptions of in‐store promotions in South Africa

The objective of this article was to investigate the perceptions of retailers and manufacturers with regard to in‐store promotions A literature review of in‐store promotions was undertaken in the context of channel conflict between manufacturers and retailers In this study, the perceptions of a sample of 133 manufacturers and 144 retailers in South Africa were measured Perceptions of these two groups were obtained about the promotional activities conducted, promotion objectives, price and non‐price promotions and the effectiveness and evaluation methods for promotions The results indicate that there are differences between the two groups, with the retailers being the dominant group Also there is a lack of sound measurement of in‐store promotion Implications for manufacturers are discussed
Mechanical properties of mortars containing recycled ceramic as a fine aggregate replacement

We study the behavior of mortars where 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% and 100% of their original natural sand was replaced by ceramic sand in a search of potential new building materials that will help to conserve natural resources and that are environmentally friendly. In this paper, the physical properties of the sands and their derived mortars, including their compressive strength, flexural strength, and shrinkage due to base and total drying, are characterized. Our results show that the compressive and flexural strengths of the recycled mortars decrease proportionally to the amount of natural sand replacement used. A similar behavior is observed for the shrinkage due to drying in mortars with low ceramic substitutions (10%, 20% and 30%). Based on these findings, we believe that the use of mortars made with recycled sand (with substitution contents lower than 30%) could be feasible in applications where the mechanical requirements are low.
Governance Through Trading on Acquisitions of Public Firms

This paper empirically identifies an important external corporate governance mechanism through which the institutional trading improves firm values and disciplines managers from conducting value-destroying activities. We propose a reward-punishment intensity (RPI) measure, and show that it is positively related to firm’s subsequent Tobin’s Q. Importantly, we find that firms with higher RPI exhibit less subsequent empire building and earnings management. Furthermore, we show that the exogenous liquidity shock of Decimalization augments the governance effect of institutional trading. We also find that the discipline effect is more pronounced for firms with moderate institutional ownership concentration, higher managers’ wealth-performance sensitivity, and higher trading liquidity, which further supports the governance role of the RPI. The results are robust to using a subsample containing firms with reduced institutional ownership and to using two instrumental variables.
A simple and rapid DNA extraction protocol for filamentous fungi efficient for molecular studies

A simple and rapid protocol for extracting high-quality DNA from filamentous fungi was studied. The method involved disruption of fungal cells by employing glass bead method, followed by inactivation of proteins using CTAB/proteinase K. The DNA yield from fungal isolates varied from 310-1879 μg g dry mycelium and a clear intact DNA band was observed upon agarose gel electrophoresis. Absorbency ratios (A260/A280) for DNA ranged 1.7-1.9, which indicated minimal presence of contaminating metabolites. PCR analysis like 18S rRNA gene amplification, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) showed that DNA was compatible for downstream applications. This method can be applied to extract genomic DNA of filamentous fungi from different environmental sources.
IT AND THE SMALL RETAIL BUSINESS

Information technology is generally accepted as an important source of competitive advantage for the small retail business, though UK research indicates that the take‐up rate has been slow. Examines the factors influencing take‐up among small food retail businesses in the UK. Based on a sample of 148 customers of one major supplier, confirms the findings from earlier research that the effective adoption of information technology is facilitated by the expertise of the owner‐manager and the influence of the large company supplier; and is retarded by the owner‐manager failing to appreciate the benefits IT can provide, particularly in terms of strategic management development and control. Concludes that, given the symbiotic relationship existing between supplier and retailer, suppliers need to ensure that their smaller firm customers receive the requisite education and training to facilitate IT adoption.
Adeno-Associated Virus Capsid Structure Drives CD4-Dependent CD8+ T Cell Response to Vector Encoded Proteins1

The immunological sequelae of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene transfer in vivo is quite complex. In murine models, most AAV capsids are associated with minimal or dysfunctional T cell responses to antigenic transgene products. In this study we compared T cell activation against AAV2/8 and AAV2/rh32.33 vectors expressing nuclear-targeted LacZ (nLacZ), GFP, or firefly luciferase in murine skeletal muscle. We show that, unlike AAV8, AAVrh32.33 yields qualitatively and quantitatively robust T cell responses to both the capsid and transgene product. AAV2/rh32.33. CB.nLacZ, but not AAV2/8, drives a high degree of cellular infiltration and a loss of detectable transgene expression in C57BL/6 mice. However, cellular immunity to AAVrh32.33 is ablated in the absence of CD4, CD40L, or CD28, permitting stable β-galactosidase expression. Treatment of CD40L−/− mice with the CD40 agonist, FGK45, failed to restore the CD8 response to AAV2/rh32.33. nLacZ, suggesting that additional factors are involved. Our results suggest that specific domains within the AAVrh32.33 capsid augment the adaptive response to both capsid and transgene Ags in a CD4-dependent pathway involving CD40L signaling and CD28 costimulation. Structural comparison of the AAV8 and rh32.33 capsids has identified key differences that may drive differential immunity by affecting tropism, Ag presentation or the activation of innate immunity. This murine model of AAV-mediated cytotoxicity allows us to delineate the mechanism of viral immune activation, which is relevant to the translation of AAV technology in higher order species.
Specifying business processes by means of rules

Business rules are useful for various purposes. Usually, business rules are the means to communicate requirements with user communities (e.g. ‘All tasks must be performed by sta that is both qualified and authorized for that task’). However, business rules can equally well be used as software specifications for controlling business processes. In this paper we propose to use business rules to specify both business processes and the software that supports them. This paper also proposes a repository for business rules (RAP) that not only stores and organizes rules, but serves as a process engine as well. This result is achieved by making use of smart mathematical notations, which bring a requirements engineer from his business interviews straight to a consistent design.
Development of a Modified Local Lymph Node Assay using ATP Measurement as an Endpoint

Several proposed modified local lymph node assays (LLNAs) use a non-RI method, but such methods tend to yield lower stimulation indices (SIs) than those obtained with the standard LLNA when used to assess moderate sensitizers. To address this issue, we propose a modified LLNA in which mice are exposed to the test material four times, instead of three times, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content is used as a measure of proliferation of lymph node cells (LNCs). The chemicals tested were 2.4dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), eugenol, and -hexyl cinnamic aldehyde (HCA), which are classified as strong-to-moderate sensitizers in the LLNA. Methyl salicylate (MS) was used as an example of a non-sensitizer. Using an SI of 3 as a cut-off, as recommended in the standard LLNA, DNCB, eugenol and HCA were classified as positive, while MS was classified as negative using the ATP-based non-RI method. Furthermore, there were no marked differences in SI levels for 10% eugenol and 10% HCA (a moderate sensitizer) between the non-RI method and the standard LLNA. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the non-RI method proposed in the present study could be a valid alternative to the standard LLNA.
The influence of ownership on performance: An empirical study

This research examines the relationship between ownership structure and financial performance in the context of the agency theory. It improves upon previous research by presenting an improved risk‐adjusted performance measure, by using a larger sample size than prior work and also by controlling for firm size differences. The results suggest that ownership is significantly related to firm financial performance even after controlling for size.
Can a securities law improve investor rationality in processing earnings information

In this paper, I propose a general hypothesis that after the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOA) ﬁnancial statements convey more accurate and reliable corporate information to investors who in turn reﬂect such improvements in stock prices and test four practical hypotheses that simultaneously feature the degree of information asymmetry, forecast bias, and investor reaction to biased earnings information. The empirical results unanimously suggest that the post-SOA investors take advantage of the improvement in informational eﬃciency and accuracy and actively adjust for analyst forecast bias in earnings forecasts. The SOA indeed appears to achieve its primary goal of investor protection.
Electron microscopic study of the distribution of the mouse leukemia virus (gross) in organs of mice and rats with virus-induced leukemia.

Summary The distribution of virus particles in organs from leukemic and normal C3Hf mice and Sprague-Dawley rats was studied. In leukemic animals of both species, virus particles could be found consistently in thymus, spleen, lymph node, and bone marrow. The highest number of particles was found in the thymus in leukemic mice, and in the bone marrow in leukemic rat donors. Stages in particle development and location, and particles in tissues from leukemic rats were described and illustrated by electron micrographs. No virus-like particles were observed in the organs of 10 normal, healthy control Sprague-Dawley rats. Among 10 normal healthy control C3Hf mice examined, budding and doughnut-type particles were observed in 6 mice in the thymus only, and in 1 additional mouse in thymus and in bone marrow also; among the 7 mice showing presence of virus particles in the thymus, “mature” forms with nucleoids were found in 3 animals. All forms of particles found in normal mice were morphologically indistinguishable from those observed in leukemic mouse and rat donors, but were, in general, fewer in numbers. In the thymus, particles were usually observed in epithelial cells, and less frequently budding from lymphocytes or lymphoblasts. In addition to particles described above, smaller doughnut-type particles, previously described, and presumably unrelated to the mouse leukemia virus, were found widely distributed in organs of leukemic, as well as in normal C3Hf mice, but not in either leukemic or normal rat donors.
Detecting Dysglycemia Using the 2015 United States Preventive Services Task Force Screening Criteria: A Cohort Analysis of Community Health Center Patients

Background In 2015, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended targeted screening for prediabetes and diabetes (dysglycemia) in adults who are aged 40 to 70 y old and overweight or obese. Given increasing prevalence of dysglycemia at younger ages and lower body weight, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities, we sought to determine whether the current screening criteria may fail to identify some high-risk population subgroups. Methods and Findings We investigated the performance of the 2015 USPSTF screening recommendation in detecting dysglycemia among US community health center patients. A retrospective analysis of electronic health record (EHR) data from 50,515 adult primary care patients was conducted. Longitudinal EHR data were collected in six health centers in the Midwest and Southwest. Patients with a first office visit between 2008 and 2010 were identified and followed for up to 3 y through 2013. We excluded patients who had dysglycemia at baseline and those with fewer than two office visits during the follow-up period. The exposure of interest was eligibility for screening according to the 2015 USPSTF criteria. The primary outcome was development of dysglycemia during follow-up, determined by: (1) laboratory results (fasting/2-h postload/random glucose ≥ 100/140/200 mg/dL [5.55/7.77/11.10 mmol/L] or hemoglobin A1C ≥ 5.7% [39 mmol/mol]); (2) diagnosis codes for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes; or (3) antidiabetic medication order. At baseline, 18,846 (37.3%) participants were aged ≥40 y, 33,537 (66.4%) were overweight or obese, and 39,061 (77.3%) were racial/ethnic minorities (34.6% Black, 33.9% Hispanic/Latino, and 8.7% Other). Overall, 29,946 (59.3%) patients had a glycemic test within 3 y of follow-up, and 8,478 of them developed dysglycemia. Only 12,679 (25.1%) patients were eligible for screening according to the 2015 USPSTF criteria, which demonstrated the following sensitivity and specificity (95% CI): 45.0% (43.9%–46.1%) and 71.9% (71.3%–72.5%), respectively. Racial/ethnic minorities were significantly less likely to be eligible for screening yet had higher odds of developing dysglycemia than whites (odds ratio [95% CI]: Blacks 1.24 [1.09–1.40]; Hispanics 1.46 [1.30–1.64]; and Other 1.33 [1.16–1.54]). In addition, the screening criteria had lower sensitivity in all racial/ethnic minority groups compared to whites. Limitations of this study include the ascertainment of dysglycemia only among patients with available test results and findings that may not be generalizable at the population level. Conclusions Targeted diabetes screening based on new USPSTF criteria may detect approximately half of adult community health center patients with undiagnosed dysglycemia and proportionately fewer racial/ethnic minorities than whites. Future research is needed to estimate the performance of these screening criteria in population-based samples.