Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gene expression profiling reveals multiple novel intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with axonal regeneration failure

In contrast to the regeneration‐competent peripheral nervous system (PNS), lesions of nerve tracts within the central nervous system (CNS) lead to chronically impaired neuronal connections. We have analysed changes in gene expression patterns occurring as a consequence of postcommissural fornix transection at a time when spontaneous axonal growth has ceased at the lesion site. This was done in order to describe both extrinsic and intrinsic determinants of regeneration failure. Using a genomic approach we have identified a number of so far undetected factors such as bamacan and semaphorin 6B, which relate to chronic axonal growth arrest and therefore are promising candidates for lesion‐induced axonal growth inhibitors. In addition, we observed that within the subiculum, where the fornix axons originate, neuronal Oct‐6 was induced and NG2 was down‐regulated, indicating that axotomized neurons as well as glial cells react at the level of gene expression to remote axotomy.
The Effects of Total Quality Management Practices on Performance and the Reasons of and the Barriers to TQM Practices in Turkey

Previous studies reported mixed and ambiguous results of the relationship between TQM practices and performances. This study investigated impacts of TQM practices on various performance measures as well as the reasons and the barriers of the TQM practices of firms in Turkey. We used a cross-sectional survey methodology in this study, and the unit of the sample was at the plant level. The sample was selected from the member firms to Turkish Quality Association and the firms located in the Kocaeli-Gebze Organized Industrial Zone. We obtained 242 usable questionnaires, with a satisfactory response rate of 48.4 percent. We conducted exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. This study has shown that different TQM practices significantly affect different performance outcomes. Results revealed that primary obstacles that the firms in Turkey face were lack of employee involvement, awareness and commitment of the employees, inappropriate firm structure, and lack of the resources. It is recommended that firms should continue implement TQM with all variables to improve performance. Firms should improve employees’ involvement/commitment/awareness to TQM, enhance firm structure, and provide resources to overcome the barriers that prevent effective implementation of TQM practices.
Avian-to-mammal transmission of an avian rotavirus: analysis of its pathogenicity in a heterologous mouse model.

It has been suggested that group A avian rotaviruses can be transmitted to mammals, but there is no direct evidence that such viruses induce disease in mammals. Suckling mice were orally inoculated with two avian rotaviruses. A pigeon rotavirus, PO-13, was found to induce diarrhea, but a turkey rotavirus, Ty-3, did not. The diarrhea induced by PO-13 was dependent on the age of the mouse. In histopathological examinations, antigens of PO-13 were sporadically detected in absorptive cells in the ileum, and lesions were observed as ballooning degenerations of absorptive cells in a region from the duodenum to the ileum. However, the rotavirus antigen was not detected in the majority of these degenerative cells. These results indicated that PO-13 could infect and induce diarrhea in suckling mice. This is the first evidence of an avian rotavirus being experimentally transmissible to a mammal.
Information and Communication in Sequential Bargaining

In experimental bargaining with incomplete information, we vary the information distribution (symmetric and asymmetric), the direction of electronic pre-play communication (no, one-way, and two-way), and the electronic communication medium (email and video) Bargaining out-comes are influenced by the information and communication configurations, but not by the communication medium. In particular, sellers earn more when being informed about buyers' reservation prices (though they are willing to allocate more to buyers than theoretically pre-dicted), but less when communication opportunities are provided.
Reverse Genetics System for Uukuniemi Virus (Bunyaviridae): RNA Polymerase I-Catalyzed Expression of Chimeric Viral RNAs

ABSTRACT We describe here the development of a reverse genetics system for the phlebovirus Uukuniemi virus, a member of theBunyaviridae family, by using RNA polymerase I (pol I)-mediated transcription. Complementary DNAs containing the coding sequence for either chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) or green fluorescent protein (GFP) (both in antisense orientation) were flanked by the 5′- and 3′-terminal untranslated regions of the Uukuniemi virus sense or complementary RNA derived from the medium-sized (M) RNA segment. This chimeric cDNA (pol I expression cassette) was cloned between the murine pol I promoter and terminator and the plasmid transfected into BHK-21 cells. When such cells were either superinfected with Uukuniemi virus or cotransfected with expression plasmids encoding the L (RNA polymerase), N (nucleoprotein), and NSs (nonstructural protein) viral proteins, strong CAT activity or GFP expression was observed. CAT activity was consistently stronger in cells expressing L plus N than following superinfection. No activity was seen without superinfection, nor was activity detected when either the L or N expression plasmid was omitted. Omitting NSs expression had no effect on CAT activity or GFP expression, indicating that this protein is not needed for viral RNA replication or transcription. CAT activity could be serially passaged to fresh cultures by transferring medium from CAT-expressing cells, indicating that recombinant virus containing the reporter construct had been produced. In summary, we demonstrate that the RNA pol I system, originally developed for influenza virus, which replicates in the nucleus, has strong potential for the development of an efficient reverse genetics system also for Bunyaviridae members, which replicate in the cytoplasm.
Applying the TOC five‐step focusing process in the service sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive descriptive analysis of the sequential application of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) five‐step focusing process in improving the effectiveness of a service process that was limiting the performance of the entire service system.Design/methodology/approach – The five‐step approach is schematically presented with each step being described and evaluated relative to its role in effective constraint management. A detailed example provides additional insights and nuances into its use in managing the constraint within a banking organization's subsystem, namely, the loan application and approval process. This hypothetical, realistic, and comprehensive illustration iterates through several cycles of the five‐step focusing process to demonstrate how managers are able to address different types of constraints.Findings – The paper provides a detailed description on how each of the five‐steps can be used to improve the organization's performance relativ.
Remarks on the economic-financial rate of return for a large ecological farm in southern Romania.

Ecological agriculture is a developing sector in Romania, the farms’ profitability depending directly on their physical and economic size. Large ecological farms are fewer in this sector, but due to their size they succeed in dealing better with high investments costs and in managing more effectively the process of production, animal husbandry or crop cultivation. The methodology used in this paper is based on the data gathered from an agricultural business of 750 hectares in the southern part of Romania and includes calculations specific to economic-financial rate of return, starting from the company’s economic outturn account. The analysis performed and presented in this paper contributes to increasing the knowledge and importance of the information provided by this ecological farm’s economic-financial rate of return.
Market-Neutral Investing: Long/Short Hedge Fund Strategies

The term “market-neutral investing” refers to the use of a group of investment strategies intended to neutralize certain market risks by taking offsetting long and short positions in related instruments. At fi rst glance, these strategies seem to be quite different. But all market-neutral strategies derive returns from the relationship between long and short elements of the portfolio, whether that relationship occurs within the portfolio or within the instruments themselves. These strategies look for investments that are not correlated. Correlated investments offer similar returns under similar market conditions. Market-neutral strategies look for pairs of investments that behave differently under a given set of market conditions. Market-neutral strategies provide returns similar to those of long-only strategies, but with less volatility. Their risk-to-return ratios are greater than long-only strategies. Most mutual funds cannot sell securities short, but money managers at large institutions have an opportunity to capitalize off ineffi ciencies between various long/short positions. Thus, they are the leading market-neutral practitioners. Market-neutral strategies require a substantial investment in information technology and infrastructure. Managers and predictive models vary, but each market-neutral strategy has a core return. Managers only out-perform the core return in the short term. Choosing the right strategy is more important than choosing any particular manager. The key to understanding market-neutral strategies is to identify the long and short exposures in each and discover which are hedge relationships. You can be fooled easily by appearances in this fi eld. Thus, looking beneath the surface to understand these strategies is vitally important. Seven distinct market-neutral and hedged strategies are available: “Market-neutral approaches do not eliminate risk entirely; rather, they allow managers to hedge unwanted risks and retain exposure to risks they wish to maintain. ” “No matter how theoretically attractive a security may be, one must always consider the extreme: Can the position be unwound, and at what cost? ”
Debt Maturity and the Global Financial Architecture

The paper starts from the premise that the debate on the ‘new architecture’ of the international financial system should be based on a theory that endogenizes the structure of countries' external liabilities. I present a model in which the maturity of a country's external sovereign debt is the solution to an incentives problem, which may lead to reliance on short-term debt and vulnerability to runs. I study, in the context of this model, the welfare effects of an international lender of last resort, measures aimed at coordinating creditors in crises, and a tax on short-term capital flows. These measures may increase or decrease global welfare, and always leave it strictly below the first-best level.
Vitamin B1 Functions as an Activator of Plant Disease Resistance1

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is an essential nutrient for humans. Vitamin B1 deficiency causes beriberi, which disturbs the central nervous and circulatory systems. In countries in which rice (Oryza sativa) is a major food, thiamine deficiency is prevalent because polishing of rice removes most of the thiamine in the grain. We demonstrate here that thiamine, in addition to its nutritional value, induces systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in plants. Thiamine-treated rice, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and vegetable crop plants showed resistance to fungal, bacterial, and viral infections. Thiamine treatment induces the transient expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes in rice and other plants. In addition, thiamine treatment potentiates stronger and more rapid PR gene expression and the up-regulation of protein kinase C activity. The effects of thiamine on disease resistance and defense-related gene expression mobilize systemically throughout the plant and last for more than 15 d after treatment. Treatment of Arabidopsis ecotype Columbia-0 plants with thiamine resulted in the activation of PR-1 but not PDF1.2. Furthermore, thiamine prevented bacterial infection in Arabidopsis mutants insensitive to jasmonic acid or ethylene but not in mutants impaired in the SAR transduction pathway. These results clearly demonstrate that thiamine induces SAR in plants through the salicylic acid and Ca2+-related signaling pathways. The findings provide a novel paradigm for developing alternative strategies for the control of plant diseases.
How efficiently is capital created? Evidence from property registration reform in Egypt

One tool for enhancing economic growth is a simple property registration process. Many developed countries, and countries on their way toward development, have simple, inexpensive, and fast property registration processes. The benefit of such a tool is driven by this thinking: low property registration fees encourage every property holder to receive a formal title. The poor especially will benefit, because they can use their property as collateral, start doing business, and achieve some of their dreams. Recognizing the importance of property registration to the ease of doing business, the Egyptian ministry of investment spotted a relevant reform. A reform strategy was immediately set up. Two problem areas were identified: the cost and quality of procedures to register a property. In Cairo one year ago, registering a property would cost on average 5.9 percent of its value, causing 90 percent of property to be either unregistered or registered at underestimated values.
The effects of racial discrimination on the HIV-risk cognitions and behaviors of Black adolescents and young adults.

OBJECTIVE Two studies examined the impact of racial discrimination on HIV-risk (substance use and risky sex) behaviors (Study 1) and cognitions (Study 2) among African Americans. METHODS Study 1 examined longer-term effects of cumulative discrimination on HIV-risk behaviors among 833 adolescents. In Study 2, Black young adults were excluded or included in an online game (Cyberball) by White peers. RESULTS Study 1 revealed that discrimination was associated with greater HIV-risk behaviors contemporaneously, and with an increase in these behaviors over a 3-year period. In Study 2, excluded participants tended to attribute their exclusion to racial discrimination and reported greater risky sex and substance use willingness. In Study 1, the relation between discrimination and risky sex was mediated by substance use behavior. In Study 2, substance use willingness mediated the relation between perceived discrimination and risky sex willingness. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight the importance of examining the effects of discrimination on HIV risk among Black youth. The studies also demonstrate the utility of assessing social-psychological processes when examining the effects of discrimination on HIV-risk cognitions and behavior.
Intellectual capital through the eyes of the consumer

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to measure intellectual capital of the firm through the eyes of the consumer by investigating the relationships between financial-based brand equity (FBBE) and consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) and their related constructs. Design/methodology/approach – Fifteen consumer brands were evaluated based on three different perspectives of CBBE, and were then regressed on FBBE. Prior to the regression analysis, the FBBEs of 15 consumer brands were standardized using the total assets and three-year weighted average of their brand equity values. Findings – Findings show that existing CBBE scales and related brand dimensions partially explain FBBE, namely, sustainability and brand experience, and that the product category contributes significantly in explaining FBBE. In addition, brand experience is positively associated with FBBE. Research limitations/implications – The study only includes brands from the food, electronics and clothing industries. Practical implications – The.
A Proposal of User Interface for a Distributed Asynchronous Remote Evaluation System: An Evolution of the QUESTOURnament Tool

This paper presents a distributed asynchronous system which allows remote evaluation of students’ submissions. This system is being developed in the context of the EduJudge project whose aim is to provide a greater pedagogic character for the UVa Online Judge, an on-line programming trainer. The UVa Online Judge has been integrated into the e-learning platform Moodle and a competitive tool called QUESTOURnament. More specifically, this paper focuses on the design of the user interface of the evolved QUESTOURnament tool. It has been adapted to be able to manage different competition strategies and to have a centralized system for the management of questionnaires.
Translating diversity to Internet governance

This paper examines the emergence of diversity as a guiding principle of Internet governance. This paper compares how diversity is being interpreted and applied in Internet governance discourse and related research with its interpretation and application in traditional communications policy-making and policy research. As this paper illustrates, a somewhat more narrow conceptualization of diversity has developed within the Internet governance context than has been the case in traditional communications policy contexts. This pattern is also reflected in Internet governance-related diversity research to date. To some extent, the Internet governance conceptualization of the diversity principle is becoming diffused into other related policy principles (e.g., access, localism), which may undermine its significance as a guiding principle of Internet governance.
alpha 1-adrenergic receptor subtypes. Molecular structure, function, and signaling.

The α1ARs are important mediators of sympathetic nervous system responses, particularly those involved in cardiovascular homeostasis, such as arteriolar smooth muscle constriction and cardiac contraction.1 2 In addition, α1ARs have more recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy, in ischemia-induced cardiac arrhythmias, and in ischemic preconditioning.1 3 Like other ARs, α1ARs are activated by the catecholamines, norepinephrine and epinephrine. They are intrinsic membrane glycoproteins and are members of the GPCR superfamily. Over the past 10 to 15 years, data initially based on functional, radioligand, and biochemical studies have accumulated, indicating that the α1ARs are a heterogeneous group of distinct but related proteins. This conclusion has been confirmed with the molecular cloning of three distinct α1-receptor subtypes, although until recently discrepancies between the properties of the cloned expressed receptors and those characterized pharmacologically and biochemically have led to confusion in the classification of α1-receptor subtypes and their coupled effector responses. As detailed in the present review, much of this confusion has now been clarified for the three cloned α1ARs. These and other recent insights into the molecular structure, function, and signaling of α1ARs, the control of α1AR-gene expression, and pharmacological evidence for additional α1AR subtypes will be reviewed here. For additional information, the reader is also referred to several previous reviews of α1ARs. 4 5 6 7 Functional studies of AR responses, particularly from the laboratories of McGrath8 and Ruffolo,9 provided the initial evidence that there may be subtypes of α1ARs. These studies indicated that postjunctional responses mediated by α1ARs could not be explained adequately on the basis of a single population of receptors. This concept was further advanced …
Ignoring Rules of Succession: How The Board Reacts To CEO Illness Announcements

Rules of behavior guide decisions, and succession rules guide CEO selection.When CEO turnover is unanticipated, succession rules may not be able toguide the board. We examine unanticipated successions that occur when a CEObecomes ill or injured. These unanticipated successions are associated with agreater likelihood of former-CEO successors than when the successions areanticipated. The stock market reacts positively to former-CEO succession announcements.While this type of succession may not be consistent with successionrules, it may be consistent with their functions by reducing internal conflict andallowing directors to maintain fiduciary responsibiliy.
Comparison of ThinPrep and conventional preparations: Nongynecologic cytology evaluation

ThinPrep processing, an automated cytopreparatory method, has been reported to show good correlation with conventional preparations and to reduce the rate of false‐negative diagnoses. In a retrospective review of 230 consecutive nongynecologic cytology cases, we compare the ThinPrep (TP) method with conventional preparations (CP). There were 129 fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) specimens from various sites, including 51 breasts, 40 thyroids, 14 lungs, 8 livers, and 16 miscellaneous sites. The sources of 101 body cavity fluids included 68 pleural peritoneal effusions, 25 peritoneal pelvic washings, and 8 miscellaneous sites. Each case was evaluated for cellularity, morphologic details, and obscuring background material. Diagnoses of the TP slides were classified as insufficient, normal, benign, suspicious, or malignant. Each case was then correlated with the tissue diagnosis when available. In TP slides, cellular arrangements, nuclear details, and nuclear cytoplasmic ratio were preserved, while blood and diathesis were eliminated. There was no statistically significant difference between TP and CP in the diagnostic categories. However, in six cases of “insufficient for diagnosis” on FNA by CP. TP yielded sufficient cells and tissue fragments for diagnosis. One case each of FNA and body fluid with a diagnosis of “suspicious for malignancy” by CP was considered “positive” on TP slides. The overall sensitivity of TP was 97.6%, and the specificity was 92.9%. The positive predictive value was 93.0%. We conclude that the ThinPrep method shows good correlation with conventional preparations in both FNA and body fluids. Diagn. Cytopathol. 16:368–371, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dual Delta Bank TCR for Harmonic Reduction in Three-Phase Static Var Controllers

The conventional “Delta” connected thyristor-controlled reactor (TCR) bank used for static var compensation and other applications is proposed to be split into two identical “Delta” banks each having kvar capacity half of the total TCR capacity. The study presented shows that such combination of two identical “Delta” connected reactor banks, one with phase switching by thyristors and the other with line switching thyristor arrangement can effectively reduce the harmonic generation of the TCR. Since both the three-phase banks are connected in delta, the zero sequence triplen harmonics generated due to phase control of thyristors remain trapped inside the delta, thus reducing the harmonic injection into the power system. Further, some other major characteristic harmonics are also minimized in the TCR line current. Thus, the proposed TCR yields a low current THD which meets the requisite harmonics standards and it can therefore be used as an economic solution for reactive power control over a reasonable range in high power grid without using any external harmonic filter or special phase shifting transformer. This paper describes in detail the modeling, analysis, and performance assessment of the proposed scheme. Simulation results are furnished to evaluate the output characteristics of the scheme under varying operating conditions. Finally, experimental results are presented, which proves the theoretical proposition.