Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microglial activation induced by factor(s) contained in sera from Alzheimer‐related ApoE genotypes

Several factors that increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) have already been identified. A correct evaluation of these may contribute to a better understanding of the etiology of the disease. The risk of developing AD definitely increases with (a) age, (b) head injuries, (c) family history of AD or Down syndrome, (d) sex (higher prevalence of AD in women), (e) vascular disease, (f) exposure to environmental toxins, (g) infectious processes, or (h) changes in immune function, and recent advances in molecular genetics have suggested that genetic predisposition (i) can be considered one of the most important risk factors in the development of AD. A significant increase in the number of amyloid plaques in AD patients with an apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE) allele has been observed and the results of several genetic studies indicate that the etiology of this neurodegenerative disease is associated with the presence of the allele E4 of ApoE. A potential source of damage in the AD brain is an altered response triggered by microglial activation, which is associated with amyloid plaques. It has become evident that a dysregulation of cytokine release appears within lesions of many types of brain disorders including infection, trauma, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases. Many studies have shown that microglia secrete both cytokines and cytotoxins and since reactive microglia appears in nearly every type of brain damage, it is likely that their secreted products ultimately help to determine the rate of damaged brain tissue. In this study, in vitro cell cultures were established to investigate the effect of different concentrations of human sera (2.5% and 10%) with specific ApoE genotypes from Alzheimer's and non‐Alzheimer's subjects on ameboid and flat microglial cells obtained from neonatal rat hippocampi. Results show that a modulation in the proliferation and activation of microglial cells was obtained and that AD sera, mainly in the ApoE 3/ 4 and 4/ 4 genotype contain factor(s) which are able to induce morphological changes, as measured by an increase in the ameboid cell type. In addition, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen expression, as measured by flow cytometric analysis, and interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) release as measured by enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA), in comparison with control groups and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐treated cells, clearly demonstrate a direct effect of ApoE 3/ 4 and 4/ 4 and/ or an indirect effect mediated by the release of IL‐1β on microglia activation. These results strongly suggest that primary in vitro microglial cell cultures can be used as a screening model to test human sera as well as the effect of new potential drugs aimed at down‐regulating microglia activation. J. Neurosci. Res. 54:539–553, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF PRODUCT INNOVATION CAPABILITY ON ENTREPRENEURIAL PRO-ACTIVENESS AND HOTEL PERFORMANCE

This study is based on a phenomenon that occurred in Thai hotel industry. Nowadays, innovation is a critical concern in most enterprises particular in hotel businesses due to the fact that hotels have the uniqueness of product and service. For a hotel to be competitive and achieve efficient outcomes, it is important to understand the manager’s perspectives of product innovation capability (PIC) and entrepreneurial pro-activeness (EPA) that lead to hotel performance (HP). The purpose of this study was to examine and explain the PIC in mediating the effect of EPA and HP in Thailand. A structured questionnaire was developed to collect data from 240 hotel managers in Thailand. The constructs were measured by using established scales. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine research hypotheses. The results showed that PIC has a direct and significant impact on HP and strongly mediates the relationship between EPA and HP. An important finding of this study is being able to integrate the effect of EPA towards HP through PIC as a mediating variable. This finding is also encouraging for hotel owners and managers in implementation and development of strategies appropriate to the environment, and achievement of competitive advantage. It is anticipated that these factors will lead to higher levels of product and service in the Thai hotel industry and enhance the positive travel experiences in Thailand.
Exploring variability and reliability of multi-level STT-MRAM cells

In this paper we have presented a comprehensive analysis of multi-valued STT-MRAM and their benefits and drawbacks. Results shows that in order to reduce read failures in scaled geometries, self-reference reading scheme is necessary. We have also shown that by choosing appropriate RA<sub>1</sub> and RA<sub>2</sub> (we define the feasible RA<sub>1</sub>-RA<sub>2</sub> region in the design space), one can reduce both read and write failures. However, in order to achieve higher reliability, a thicker T ox is needed, which can further constrain the RA<sub>1</sub>-RA<sub>2</sub> design space of multi-valued STT-MRAMs.
Asymmetric Price Adjustment: Evidence from Weekly Product-Level Scanner Price Data

We investigate asymmetric price responses by considering a unique, highly disaggregate retailer- and product-level time series at a major supermarket chain. We find asymmetry exists, but is limited in scope and there is no evidence of a pervasive chain wide asymmetric pricing strategy. To explain product level variation, we borrow from both economic and marketing perspectives to suggest menu costs, operational efficiency, competition, and consumer perceptions as important factors. The evidence suggests an efficiency-based rationale for asymmetry. This study complements that of Peltzman (2000. J. Polit. Econ. 108 (3): 466-502. ) who found no systematic asymmetry in a study of the same data considered at a more aggregate level. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Expectations and willingness-to-pay for ecotourism services in Hong Kong’s conservation areas

The nascent ecotourism market in Hong Kong has much potential for development which could benefit from research findings. This study evaluated the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for ecotourism activities in protected conservation areas and assessed the potential for ecotourism development in Hong Kong. Our questionnaire surveys gathered data from 960 general tourists at four popular tourism hotspots and 456 nature tourists at four ecotourism hotspots. Both groups were willing to pay more for ecotourism activities in the protected areas. Nature tourists would pay 40% more than general tourists and preferred high-quality products. The mean WTP of general tourists and nature tourists was, respectively, HK$167.3 and HK$223.6 (US$1.00 = HK$7.80) to participate in ecotourism activities, being 39% and 86% above the average price of a general tour (HK$120) offered by travel agents. Younger tourists, better education, and higher income raised the WTP for ecotours. The results were compared and contrasted with cognate overseas studies. The findings highlighted the need to improve service quality, pricing structure, and product differentiation. They allowed ecotourism operators to understand the market, formulate development strategies, and optimize the service to meet divergent and changing client expectations. The income generated by ecotourism services could enhance protected area management and conservation.
John Butterworth's pioneering contributions to the accounting and information economics literature

This paper reviews John Butterworth’s contributions to accounting and other disciplines. The general nature of his scientific work is discussed and comments on theoretical issues are provided. John’s path-breaking work in the application of information economics to the evaluation of accounting information systems is highlighted in the immediately following section and is followed by a review of his studies in the area of bounds on information value. Mathematical models in management accounting is the topic of the third part and John’s studies on multiperson models are analyzed in the fourth section. Material contributions to agency theory in the accounting setting are discussed in the fifth and sixth parts and are followed by comments on John’s research in the areas of oil and gas accounting, and accounting standards and regulations in Canada. Concluding remarks are offered in the last section of this paper.
Increased radiation dose to overweight and obese patients from radiographic examinations.

PURPOSE To estimate the increase in effective radiation dose from diagnostic x-rays for overweight and obese adult patients, as compared with the effective dose for lean reference phantoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS Relative effective radiation doses (E/E(0)) for the acquisition of chest and abdominal radiographs were calculated by using Monte Carlo computer simulations of effective doses delivered to adult phantoms with (E) and without (E(0)) subcutaneous adipose tissue added to the torso for five fat distributions. Total (anterior plus posterior) fat thicknesses ranged from 0 to 38 cm. RESULTS For 30 cm of additional fat, E/E(0) values for 120-kVp chest and 80-kVp abdomen radiographs ranged from approximately 2 to 31 and 2 to 83 for male patients, respectively, and from 2 to 45 and 2 to 76 for female patients, respectively, depending on the type of fat distribution and patient orientation in the x-ray beam (anteroposterior or posteroanterior). Orienting the patient such that the thinnest fat layer was facing away from the x-ray tube minimized E/E(0), which was well approximated by using the formula E/E(0) = [B(t)/B(0)] x exp(kt(DF)), where B(t) and B(0) are the antiscatter grid Bucky factors for patient thicknesses of t and t = 20 cm, respectively; k, a constant; and t(DF), the distal (beam exit) fat layer thickness. Reductions in E/E(0) reached 14% and 20% for the thickest phantoms when x-ray tube voltages were increased by 10 and 20 kVp, respectively, for abdominal radiography in the male phantom. CONCLUSION Effective doses from radiographic examinations in the extremely obese can exceed 100 mSv from only a small number of abdominal examinations and should be minimized to the extent possible and monitored. Exponential dose increases for increased subcutaneous fat thicknesses can be reduced substantially by positioning the patient so that the thinnest fat layer (anterior or posterior) is closest to the image receptor. Increasing the tube voltage also reduces the dose-but to a much smaller extent.
Improving performance and lifetime of large-page NAND storages using erase-free subpage programming

Recent NAND flash devices have large page sizes. Although large pages are useful in increasing the flash capacity, they can degrade both the performance and lifetime of flash storage systems when small writes are dominant. We propose a new NAND programming scheme, called erase-free subpage programming (ESP), which allows the same page to be programmed multiple times for small writes. By avoiding internal fragmentation, the ESP scheme reduces the overhead of garbage collection for large-page NAND storages. Experimental results show that an ESP-aware FTL can improve the IOPS and lifetime by up to 74% and 177%, respectively.
Women on Corporate Boards in Italy: The Role of Family Connections

Manuscript Type Empirical Research Question/Issue This paper sets out to shed light on female representation on Italian corporate boards before the introduction of gender quota legislation in 2012, as well as on the relevance of family connections. We investigate the potential determinants of having boards with diverse representation and the correlation between female directorship and family connections, with a focus on governance measures. Research Findings Using data on all directors of Italian publicly traded companies from 2008 to 2010, we identify two different models. In the majority of gender-diverse boards, at least one woman has a family connection to the controlling shareholder. Family-affiliated women are more common in companies that are small, have a concentrated ownership, are in the consumer sector, and have a larger board. Conversely, non-family-affiliated women are more common on the boards of companies that are widely held, have younger and more educated boards, have a higher proportion of independent directors, and have a smaller number of interlocked directors. With reference to governance-related outcomes, the number of board meetings appears to be negatively correlated to both the presence of family members and female directors. Additionally, women show lower attendance than men at board meetings. Theoretical/Academic Implications The paper provides support for theories on the differences between the governance of family-owned and non-family-owned companies. Practitioner/Policy Implication The study offers insights to policymakers implementing gender quota legislation. Substantial effort should be devoted to ensuring that board diversity is associated with actual independence of board members.
Oil prices and MENA stock markets: new evidence from nonlinear and asymmetric causalities during and after the crisis period

This article investigates the potential of nonlinear causal relationships between world oil prices and stock markets in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries during a black swan period that is characterized by rarity and devastating impacts. Our study is carried out using the daily data for 11 MENA countries over the period from 2 July 2007 to 27 August 2012. By using the nonlinear and asymmetric causality test of Kyrtsou and Labys (2006), we mainly find that: (i) the oil prices and MENA stock markets interact in a nonlinear manner; (ii) the signs of changes in the causing variables are important for detecting the true causality links between the variables and (iii) the nonlinear causality is more pronounced in the case of the Brent than West Texas Intermediate oil prices.
Globalization, Taylor rulesand inflation

This article provides evidence that globalization has contributed to global disinflation by making policy makers more aggressive towards fighting inflation. We estimate Taylor rules for 83 countries over the period 1985 to 2004 and find that the relative weight attached to the output gap is negatively related to trade and financial openness in a simple cross-section model. This result does not hold up for the OECD subsample, suggesting that this group of countries has successfully solved the time inconsistency problem and uncoupled central bank behaviour from otherwise relevant determinants of the inflation bias.
Chronic Relapsing Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis: Effects of Insulin‐like Growth Factor‐I Treatment on Clinical Deficits, Lesion Severity, Glial Responses, and Blood Brain Barrier Defects

Chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (crEAE), a model for multiple sclerosis, was used to test 2 regimens of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) treatment. We induced crEAE by injecting 3×07 myelin basic protein—(MBP) sensitized lymph node cells into adult female SJL/J mice. Fifty-one mice, divided randomly into 4 groups, were used in the first trial. Two groups received IGF-I (a gift of Cephalon, Inc.) 0.6 mg/kg/d subcutaneously from day 7 to day 16 and the other two groups received placebo injections. IGF-I treatment reduced clinical deficits during the first attack and during 2 subsequent relapses. Image analysis of immunostained and histological sections showed that IGF-I treatment reduced BBB defects and both the numbers and sizes of inflammatory, demyelinating, and demyelinated lesions. Twelve mice that had recovered from their first attack were used in our second trial to evaluate possible adverse effects of prolonged treatment with a higher dose of IGF-I. Six received 1.2 mg/kg/d for 6 weeks (days 19–63). No adverse effects of IGF-I treatment were identified. The eyes, hearts, livers, and kidneys of IGF-I-treated mice were normal histologically and their spleens also appeared normal except for mild to moderate microscopic increases in lymphopoesis. Our results suggest that prolonged IGF-I treatment is well tolerated and that the anti-inflammatory effects of IGF-I have a major role in reducing clinical deficits and lesion severity in crEAE. These effects, if present in multiple sclerosis, may benefit patients with this disease.
Open Content Alliance (OCA) vs. Google Books: OCA as superior network and better fit for an emerging global public sphere

The Open Content Alliance (OCA) is a network of libraries and similar organizations committed to digitizing and providing broadest possible access to books and other materials; over 1.6 million books are already online under OCA principles. OCA is analyzed in contrast with Google Books (as per the preliminary Google Books Settlement, November 2009), using Castell’s network theory and theories of an emerging global public sphere, based on the work of Habermas and Fraser. OCA is seen as a superior network to Google Books, with particular strengths in connectedness, consistency (shared goals), flexibility, scalability, survivability, networking (inclusion / exclusion) power, and network-making power, including the ability to form strategic alliances. The lawsuit against Google Books, and the settlement, illustrate some of the limitations of Google Books as a network, for example the lawsuit per se is a challenge to Google Books’ rights to make decisions on inclusion and exclusion, and illustrates poor connectedness and consistency, two attributes Castells points to as essential to the performance of a network. The respectful, law-abiding approach of OCA is a good fit for a global public sphere, while the Google Books Settlement takes a key issue that has traditionally been decided by governments (orphan books), and brings the decision-making power into private contract negotiations, diminishing democracy. The current Google Books Settlement is fractured on a national (geographic) basis; consequences could include decreased understanding of the rest of the world by a leading nation, the U.S. This works against the development of a global public sphere, and has potential negative economic and security implications for the U.S. OCA is presented as one node of an emerging library network for the global public sphere, a global public good increasing access to knowledge everywhere, increasing the potential for informed public debate towards global consensus.
Plasmodium falciparum malaria: evidence for an isotype imbalance which may be responsible for delayed acquisition of protective immunity

In view of the recent demonstration that antibodies that are protective against Plasmodium falciparum malaria may act in collaboration with blood monocytes, we investigated the isotype content of sera from individuals with defined clinical states of resistance or susceptibility to malaria. Profound differences in the distribution of each immunoglobulin subclass were found. Immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) and IgG3, two cytophilic isotypes, predominated in protected subjects. In nonprotected subjects, i.e., children and adults that have sustained a primary malarial attack, four different situations were encountered: (i) an imbalance in which IgG2, a noncytophilic class, predominated (mostly seen in primary attacks), (ii) an imbalance also concerning IgG2 but only of a given antigenic specificity, (iii) an imbalance in which mostly IgM antibodies predominated (a frequent event in children), and, less frequently, (iv) an overall low level of antimalarial antibodies. Of 33 nonimmune subjects studied, all but one had one of the above defects. The function of total immunoglobulin presenting such an isotype imbalance was studied in vitro in antibody-dependent cellular inhibition assays. IgG from protected subjects cooperated efficiently with blood monocytes, whereas IgG from nonprotected groups did not. Also, the latter could inhibit the in vitro effect of the former: in competition assays whole IgG from primary-attack cases with increased IgG2 content and IgG or IgM from children from endemic areas competed with IgG from immune adults. This led us to formulate the hypothesis that nonprotected subjects have antibodies to epitopes critical for protection, but that these antibodies are nonfunctional. These results bring some clues to the very long delay required to reach protection against malaria and clearly stress the need to investigate immune responses in both quantitative and qualitative terms.
Intra-articular ketamine for pain control following arthroscopic knee surgery.

BACKGROUND In an attempt to demonstrate the peripheral effect of ketamine on the synovia of knee joint and to smoothen the recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery, this study was designed to evaluate the analgesic effect of intra-articular ketamine injection after knee arthroscopy. METHODS In a double blind randomized study, 60 patients were assigned to three groups. Group A patients received saline 5 mL intra-articularly after closure of the surgical wound to serve as control; group B patients received ketamine 0.5 mg/kg of body weight intra-muscularly to rule out the systemic effect and group C patients received ketamine 0.5 mg/kg of body weight diluted with saline up to 5 mL intra-articularly. After surgery, patients were evaluated for pain with visual analogue scale (VAS 0 to 10) for 24 h with the operated leg in the position of extension rest and active flexion of the knee joint to 60 degree angle. Rescue pethidine (1 mg/kg of body weight) was given intra-muscularly for pain relief at request every 4 h postoperatively if necessary. The time to first rescue analgesic request was recorded, and the total doses of pethidine were calculated. RESULTS The results showed no difference in the VAS pain scores at rest and during active motion in the range of 60 degree among three groups during a 24 h observation. CONCLUSIONS Ketamine had been reported to have peripheral analgesic effects with variable duration on measurements of pain and hyperalgesia. However, in the present study, we failed to demonstrate that ketamine could provide a clinically relevant peripheral analgesic effect for postoperative arthroscopic pain.
The Role and Effect of Job Satisfaction and Empowerment On Customers’ Perception of Service Quality: a Study in the Restaurant Industry

Empowerment, job satisfaction, and customer’s perception of service quality have been extensively researched in a multitude of industries. Although the service quality literature points out the importance of managing service quality from both customers’ and employees’ views, only a few studies have jointly considered an employee—customer research design. This study examined the answers from 474 restaurant contact employees and their 1,259 customers to determine the effects of empowerment and job satisfaction on customers’ perception of service quality. The uniqueness of this study is in its service quality variable used in the structural model. Whereas previous research based the service quality variable on the SERVQUAL conceptualization and measurement, this study conceptualized customers’ perceived service quality variable according to the “hierarchical approach” model and used the performance-only index for its measurement. Findings suggest that empowerment and job satisfaction have a significant impact on customers’ perception of service quality. Implications of the findings are discussed in detail.