Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chronic alcohol consumption in mice increases the proportion of peripheral memory T cells by homeostatic proliferation

This study examined the mechanism underlying the increase of peripheral memory phenotype T cells that occurs during chronic alcohol consumption in mice. Female C57BL/6 mice were given 20% (w/v) alcohol in the drinking water for 2 weeks to 6 months. Chronic alcohol consumption significantly induced peripheral T cell lymphopenia; up‐regulated expression of CD44 on T cells and increased the percentage of CD4+CD44int/hi and CD8+CD44int/hi Ly6C+ T cells; up‐regulated the expression of CD43 on CD8+ T cells; increased the percentage of interferon‐γ‐producing T cells; decreased the percentage of CD8+CD28+ T cells; and down‐regulated the expression of CD28 on CD4+ T cells. Expression of CD25 and CD69 on peripheral CD8+ T cells was not affected and inconsistently expressed on CD4+ T cells. Neither cell type showed altered expression of CD137 or CD153. Alcohol withdrawal did not abrogate the increase in CD8+Ly6C+ cells induced by alcohol consumption. In vivo bromodeoxyuridine incorporation experiments demonstrated that chronic alcohol consumption decreases naïve T cells that are presumed to have emigrated from the thymus and increases proliferation of memory T cells, but accelerates peripheral T cell turnover. Together these results indicate that chronic alcohol consumption results in T cell lymphopenia, which in turn induces T cell homeostatic proliferation that increases the proportion of peripheral memory T cells relative to naïve T cells.
Effects of 24 weeks of Tai Chi Exercise on Postural Control among Elderly Women

This study examined the effects of 24 weeks of Tai Chi Quan on the postural control of elderly women. A total of 43 women aged 55–68 years participated in the study. A Tai Chi group (n = 22) underwent an organized Tai Chi exercise, whereas the control group (n = 21) maintained a habitual, no-regular-exercise lifestyle. A Good Balance tester (Metitur, Finland) was used to measure the time, paths and velocity of the center of pressure (COP) of subjects during stance while shifting COP to targeted positions shown on a monitor. After 24 weeks, the Tai Chi group showed significantly shorter total (18.6%, p = 0.005), mediolateral (21.9%, p = 0.002) and anteroposterior (18.3%, p = 0.002) COP sway paths than the control group. The results indicate that 24 weeks of the Tai Chi exercise improved the efficiency of postural control for elderly women.
Safety, immunogenicity and infectivity of new live attenuated influenza vaccines

Live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) are believed to be immunologically superior to inactivated influenza vaccines, because they can induce a variety of adaptive immune responses, including serum antibodies, mucosal and cell-mediated immunity. In addition to the licensed cold-adapted LAIV backbones, a number of alternative LAIV approaches are currently being developed and evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies. This review summarizes recent progress in the development and evaluation of LAIVs, with special attention to their safety, immunogenicity and infectivity for humans, and discusses their perspectives for the future.
COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES FOR INTERNET MARKETERS IN EMERGING MARKETS

In emerging markets, Internet marketers need to pursue strategies that are different from those in developed countries. The four major considerations that guide Internet marketers in emerging markets are technology, marketing functions, target markets, and the marketing mix. This paper analyzes these four issues and develops appropriate strategic propositions for Internet marketers in emerging markets. Upon recognizing the technology‐related constraints in emerging markets, marketers are advised to use the Internet more for informational rather than transactional or product‐delivery purposes, and focus on business customers and affluent consumers. Propositions are made regarding the appropriate product, promotion, pricing, and distribution strategies to reach these target markets in emerging economies by using the Internet.
The state of social safety nets 2015

Over the last decade, a policy revolution has been underway in the developing and emerging world. Country after country is systematically providing non-contributory transfers to poor and vulnerable people, in order to protect them against economic shocks and to enable them to invest in themselves and their children. Social safety nets or social transfers, as these are called, have spread rapidly from their early prominence in the middle-income countries of Latin America and Europe increasingly to nations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East - and today, over 130 developing countries have made investments in social safety nets an important pillar of economic development policies. The statistics and analysis in The State of Social Safety Nets 2015 capture this revolution, and reveal it in many dimensions at the country, regional, and international levels. This latest edition of a periodic series brings together a large body of data that was not previously available, drawing on the World Bank's ASPIRE database and other sources. Why have so many countries made a firm commitment to incorporate social safety nets as part of their social and economic policy architecture? Because social safety nets work. This report also reports on the rigorous evidence that demonstrates their impact, and also points the way to making them even more efficient and effective at meeting their development goals. This latest edition of a periodic series brings together a large body of data that was not previously available, drawing on the World Bank's ASPIRE database and other sources to examine trends in coverage, spending, and safety nets program performance.
Recent Advances in Oligopoly Theory from a Game Theory Perspective

Abstract. This paper surveys the contribution that recent developments in game theory have made to the understanding of oligopoly theory. It is argued that conventional models suffer from the problem that there are a number of solution concepts offered with little guidance as to which should be selected, and this is related to the static nature of the models employed. One important development in game theory has been the analysis of repeated games, and when applied to oligopoly theory this suggests that outcomes may be more cooperative than conventional theory suggests. Related to this is the requirement that firms employ credible threats to punish cheating from cooperative outcomes, and the paper examines the extent to which imperfect information may restrict the scope of firms to employ such punishments. One way in which firms may seek to make threats credible is through strategic investments, for example in production capacity, and the paper explores how competition over price or output is integrated with competition over instruments for strategic investment.
Blame it on Rio: isomorphism, environmental protection and sustainability in the Olympic Movement

This article will effectively place blame on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as it represents the latest Olympic host city to raise the stakes in matters of environmental protection and sustainability. Subject to isomorphic pressures operating within the organizational field, Bid Organizing Committees (BOCs) are encouraged to prescribe environmental programmes that are not only similar to, but are increasingly more ambitious than, previously successful bids. Rio's bid, by extension, represents the latest Olympic host city that has been driven to replicate, and then expand upon, elements of environmental protection and sustainability. This article will apply a range of institutional and organizational management theories to explain why BOCs have emerged as the actor responsible for enhancing the prospect of sustainability in the Olympic Movement while the International Olympic Committee's attempts at doing so have been considerably less effective.
Measuring systemic risk in the European banking sector: a copula CoVaR approach

ABSTRACT We propose a new methodology based on copula functions to estimate CoVaR, the Value-at-Risk (VaR) of the financial system conditional on an institution being under financial distress. Our Copula CoVaR approach provides simple, closed-form expressions for various definitions of CoVaR for a broad range of copula families and allows the CoVaR of an institution to have time-varying exposure to its VaR. We extend this approach to estimate other ‘co-risk’ measures such as Conditional Expected Shortfall (CoES). We focus on a portfolio of large European banks and examine the existence of common market factors triggering systemic risk episodes. Further, we analyse the extent to which bank-specific characteristics such as size, leverage, and equity beta are associated with institutions' contribution to systemic risk and highlight the importance of liquidity risk at the outset of the financial crisis in summer 2007. Finally, we investigate the link between macroeconomy and systemic risk and find that changes in major macroeconomic variables can contribute significantly to systemic risk.
Hypophosphorylated TCR/CD3ζ signals through a Grb2‐SOS1‐Ras pathway in Lck knockdown cells

Despite the loss of proximal TCR‐dependent signaling events, downstream T cell responses are paradoxically augmented in T cells with siRNA‐mediated Lck knockdown (Methi et al., J. Immunol. 2005. 175: 7398–7406). This indicates that alternative Lck‐independent pathways of T cell activation exist or that low levels of Lck elicit other signals than normal T cell activation. Here we report the recruitment of Grb2‐SOS1 to CD3ζ of the TCR complex after prolonged anti‐CD3 (OKT3) stimulation in T cells with Lck knockdown. Grb2 bound to incompletely phosphorylated ITAM1 with the pY‐Y configuration in a solid‐phase assay, but was excluded by ZAP‐70 in the doubly phosphorylated pY‐pY conformation. Ras and ERK1/2 activation was augmented after prolonged stimulation in T cells with Lck knockdown compared to control, leading to increased activation of the proximal IL‐2 promoter (NFAT‐AP‐1). Finally, the phosphorylation of Ras‐GAP was strongly suppressed in Lck knockdown cells, indicating that a Ras negative feedback mechanism is dependent on Lck.
The dynamics of low pay employment in Australia

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding low pay dynamics of Australian employees, with a focus on the determination of low pay duration. Design/methodology/approach - – The study draws on a representative longitudinal survey of Australian households to provide empirical findings from both descriptive analysis and econometric modelling. Findings - – The results show that workers who have entered low pay from higher pay also have a higher hazard rate of transitioning to higher pay; and those who have entered low pay from non-employment are more likely to return to non-employment. Union members, public sector jobs and working in medium to large size firms tend to increase the hazard rate of transitioning to higher pay, while immigrants from non-English speaking countries and workers with health problems have a lower hazard rate of moving into higher pay. There is some evidence that the longer a worker is on low pay, the less likely he or she is to transition to higher pay. Originality/value - – This study addresses an information gap regarding the determination of low pay duration. The findings help identify workers who are at high risk of staying on low pay or transitioning into non-employment and are therefore informative for developing targeted policy to help the low paid maintain employment and/or move up the earnings ladder. The results also suggest that policy intervention should take place at an early stage of a low pay spell.
Compressed sensing for phase unwrapping of interferometric SAR data

We approach to the problem of wave-front reconstruction via phase unwrapping of interferograms observed by interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR), from the viewpoints of Bayesian statistical inference and compressed sensing. For this purpose, we apply sparse representation for compressed sensing to the Bayesian wave-front reconstruction model from SAR interferograms by Saika and Uezu [1]. In the formulation of the problem taking sparse representation into account, the MAP estimate is found to lead to a phase unwrapping algorithm which can be interpreted as a quadratic programming problem. Numerical experiments on an artificial wave-front make it clear that the algorithm effectively removes noise to reconstruct the wave-front, although it suffers from the errors similar to block noise in image processing.
Voices of survivors: Words that downsizing CEOs should hear

Executive Summary Middle managers play a crucial role in corporate downsizing and restructuring as they evaluate and implement a strategy that is emotionally demanding and non-traditional. They are often ill-prepared to make a full commitment, especially if they are confused about the reasons for the downsizing and their role in its implementation. To “hear” their concerns, we extensively interviewed middle managers from one corporation engaged in a significant downsizing effort. We focus on their emotional responses to the strategy-voices which speak of anger, withdrawal and skepticism. In responding to these voices CEOs face a formidable leadership task. They need to listen carefully in order to hear what middle managers are saying about both the downsizing strategy and their uncertainty about their role in its implementation. Only when the voices of middle managers are heard will such efforts be successful.
[Experimental study on antiendotoxin effect of extracts from Artemisia annua L].

OBJECTIVE To explore the antiendotoxin effect of extracts from Artemisia annua (AA) and qinghaosu (QHS). METHOD LPO and SOD in chondriosome, ACP in lysosomes, tumor nicrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) and endotoxin in plasma, and P450 concentration in hepatic microsome of rats were determined. Mortality of endotoxemic mice and histomorphology were observed. RESULT LPO, ACP, endotoxin, TNF-alpha and P450 content were decreased with AA and QHS. SOD activity was increased with AA and QHS. At the same time, mortality was decreased. Histomorphology of lysosomes and chondriosome of rats were protected from endotoxin. CONCLUSION AA and QHS possess an antiendotoxin effect.
Red vs. Yellow. Volume 1: Thailand's Crisis of Identity

Thailand-based husband and wife academic partnership, Pasuk Pongpaichit and Chris Baker, are curiously described as ‘‘a Thai professor and a U.S.-based researcher’’ (p. 203). In another section, where Chin describes how the Wa country is ‘‘[o]fficially known as the Number 2 Special Region’’ (p. 245), he slightly miscues. It is, in formal parlance, Shan State Special Region No. 2. There is a separate ‘‘Special Region No. 2’’ in the Kachin State, which can cause confusion. However, these types of minor infelicities should not detract from Chin’s penetrating treatment of what goes on behind the shadows of the Shan hills. For illuminating the transformation of Southeast Asia’s drug trade he has made a simply outstanding contribution to our understanding of the region. This is a book that will be read and re-read for many years to come.
Phasic Effects of Glucose, p-Hydroxymercuribenzoate, and Lysophosphatidylcholine on Insulin Secretion from HIT Cells

Monolayer cultures of HIT cells were superfused to examine phasic insulin secretion. A Diphasic pattern of insulin secretion was observed when cells were stimulated with a constant glucose concentration as low as 0.28 mM, with increasing stimulation at 0.56,1.7, and 5.6 mM glucose. Higher glucose concentrations did not increase insulin secretion. In the absence of glucose, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (15, 30, and 50 μM), which blocks the reacylation of lysophospholipids with arachidonic acid, also evoked a concentration-dependent biphasic release of insulin. Lysophosphatidylcholine (50, 75, and 100 μg/ml) also caused a concentration-dependent biphasic release of insulin in the absence of glucose. These observations were similar to those previously reported for superfused monolayer culture of rat islet cells and suggest that the HIT cell is a β-cell line that may be valuable in the further examination of the relationships among glucose, phospholipid metabolism, and insulin secretion. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that glucose-stimulated release of lysophospholipids may be important in initiation of the biphasic pattern of glucose-stimulated insulin release.
Testing for Complementarity and Substitutability among Multiple Technologies: The Case of U.S. Hog Farms

The hypothetical distribution of multiple technology adoptions under the assumption that technologies are mutually independent is compared against the actual observed distribution of technology adoptions on hog farms. Combinations of technologies that occur with greater frequency than would occur under independence are mutually complementary technologies. Combinations that occur with less frequency are substitute technologies. This method is easily applied to simultaneous decisions regarding many technologies. We find that some technologies used in pork production are mutually substitutable for one another while others are complementary. However, as the number of bundled technologies increases, they are increasingly likely to be complementary with one another, even if subsets are substitutes when viewed in isolation. This finding suggests that farmers have an incentive to adopt many technologies at once. Larger farms and farms run by more educated operators are the most likely to adopt multiple technologies. Our findings suggest that the complementarity among technologies in large bundles is contributing to a form of returns to scale that is leading to increasing growth in average farm size.
Innovation processes and the small business:a conceptual analysis

Innovation in the small business can be conceived of as a management process and challenge that can fundamentally affect business performance. This process, when mapped, offers a framework that can be used to encourage and enhance successful innovation management. The paper outlines an innovation process based on five case studies of small businesses, and uses qualitative data to analyse and examine the concept of innovation within the small and medium enterprise. The development of an underpinning conceptual framework provides insights into the constituent parts of the innovation process, which can be presented in three main stages. The first stage encompasses the development of the "building blocks" of innovation, namely a strategy for innovation; awareness of the external environment and opportunities; and the capability to innovate within the small business. The second stage relates to the development of innovative responses to problems and opportunities experienced by the small business or its key stakeholders. The third and final stage commercialises the innovative response, both tactically and strategically, in ways that maximise the benefit of innovation to the small business. Overall, effective innovation is based on managing this process as a whole, and on building up capacity and competency at each stage. The framework has since been used as the template for the development of a management development program for owner-managers of SMEs and as a practical tool for diagnosing small firm support needs. The framework, therefore, provides a mechanism for performance management benchmarking in the small business.
Self-Screening in Targeted Public Transfer Programs

The self-screening properties of initial eligibility determination, a mechanism often under the control of the administrators of targeted transfer programs, are derived and the use of this mechanism in the social security disability insurance system is explored empirically. An increase in the rigor of initial eligibility screening may discourage potential applicants because they are unaware of appeal prospects and because the eligibility decision delay is lengthened, as denied applicants are forced to appeal their claims. In the disability program, a 10 percent increase in the initial denial rate induces a 4 percent decrease in applications. Self-selection is nonperverse.
When Does Prior Experience Pay? Institutional Experience and the Multinational Corporation

This study reexamines organizational learning theories to reconcile the conditions under which prior internationalization experience leads to performance gains for multinational corporations (MNCs) with varying host-country institutional experiences in different regulatory environments. Using field studies on telecommunications regulation, executive interviews conducted in Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Canada, and the U.S., and foreign direct investment data for 96 subunit operations investing in the Brazilian telecommunications industry from 1997 to 2004, I develop an experiential-learning theoretical framework to explain the mechanisms driving MNCs’ performance in subsequent host-country institutional environments given the prior experience they acquired in 80 heterogeneous regulatory environments. I predict and find that MNCs with highly similar institutional experience compared with the target country’s institutional environment will succeed. Empirical evidence suggests that similarity, breadth, and depth of prior regulatory experience significantly prolong survival. In contrast, firms with institutional experience unrelated to the target country’s regulatory environment experience learning penalties and are six times more likely to fail. These findings suggest that variations in learning contexts affect organizations’ learning curves.
Managing for Effective Workforce Diversity

To measure the success of actual employee-diversity initiatives, this article reports on the workplace experiences of 74 hospitality managers and supervisors who themselves represent a diverse population by virtue of their gender, race, and ethnic background. Through content analysis, this study collected from those 74 managers hundreds of isolated accounts of their organizational experiences. Those experiences were coded and then clustered according to the inherent meaning the managers gave them. The emerging clusters, or themes, formed a comprehensive model that managers can use to create a climate that encourages diversity and to optimize multiculturalism in the workplace. The three main themes that emerged are: culture (organization-wide image and concern for equality); opportunity (career development and hiring practices); and leadership (management practices). The most important factors relating to a climate where diversity is valued concerned management practices. That finding highlights the need to hire and develop top-level staff members who are sensitive to the concerns of multicultural employees.