Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brand community under fire: The role of social environments for the HUMMER brand community

This research was undertaken as part of a larger consumer behavior research project investigating brands and brand communities as social systems. The paper is concerned with the particular role of social environments for brand communities previously neglected in literature. Grounded in a social-constructivist interpretive framework, a multi-perspective study was conducted to explore how the HUMMER brand community and its social environments discursively construct, situate, and legitimate one another. Findings reveal brand communities as powerful, socially embedded phenomena that continuously negotiate a set of core distinctions with and against their social environments.
Autonomic insufficiency as a factor contributing to dialysis-induced hypotension.

BACKGROUND Autonomic insufficiency is considered a factor that contributes to dialysis-induced hypotension (DIH). However, the relationship between the two conditions has not been fully elucidated. METHODS We investigated 44 haemodialysis patients using [(123)I]-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy and power-spectral analysis (PSA) of heart rate variability. The patients were divided into four groups: a diabetic group with DIH, a diabetic group without DIH, a non-diabetic group with DIH, and a non-diabetic group without DIH. In these groups the heart to mediastinum average count rate (H/M), MIBG washout rate, and low- and high-frequency components of PSA were compared. RESULTS From the [(123)I]-MIBG scintigraphy, for both early and delayed images, H/M of the groups with DIH were lower than in groups without DIH, in both diabetics and non-diabetics (P<0.05). For the early images, H/M of the diabetic groups were lower than in the non-diabetic groups, in the groups both with and without DIH (P<0.01). For the delayed images, H/M of the diabetic group was lower than in the non-diabetic group, in the groups with DIH (P<0.05). The MIBG washout rate was the highest in the diabetic group with DIH (P<0.05 vs diabetic and non-diabetic groups without DIH). The PSA of heart rate variability showed a good discrimination of the low-frequency component between the non-diabetic patients with and without DIH (P<0.05). Mean ultrafiltration volume and its rate were not different among the four groups. CONCLUSION Autonomic insufficiency is more severe in patients with DIH than in those without, and its degree may be enhanced in diabetic patients. For the management of DIH, special care should be addressed not only to dry weight but also to autonomic insufficiency.
A Multidisciplinary Design Model for New Service Offering Transfers and Internal Integration in Retail Chain Services

Service science proposes a multidisciplinary approach to analyzing services. Models of internal integration have been studied extensively in operations management and organizational design research. However, there are few applications of these multidisciplinary models to study retail chain service environments, where knowledge transfer of a new service offering must be communicated and transferred to remote service operators who are primarily responsible for effective execution. This paper explores how to mitigate new service offering 'stickiness' through an organizational design system that leverages information and communication technologies to promote internal integration practices and operational consensus in retail chain services. Furthermore, this paper offers a multidisciplinary framework of internal integration and several researchable propositions to advance scholarly service science research that will influence retail service practice.
Frequency of bowel movements and the future risk of Parkinson’s disease

Background: Constipation is frequent in PD, although its onset in relation to clinical PD has not been well described. Demonstration that constipation can precede clinical PD could provide important clues to understanding disease progression and etiology. The purpose of this report is to examine the association between the frequency of bowel movements and the future risk of PD. Methods: Information on the frequency of bowel movements was collected from 1971 to 1974 in 6790 men aged 51 to 75 years without PD in the Honolulu Heart Program. Follow-up for incident PD occurred over a 24-year period. Results: Ninety-six men developed PD an average of 12 years into follow-up. Age-adjusted incidence declined consistently from 18.9/10,000 person-years in men with <1 bowel movement/day to 3.8/10,000 person-years in those with >2/day (p = 0.005). After adjustment for age, pack-years of cigarette smoking, coffee consumption, laxative use, jogging, and the intake of fruits, vegetables, and grains, men with <1 bowel movement/day had a 2.7-fold excess risk of PD versus men with 1/day (95% CI: 1.3, 5.5; p = 0.007). The risk of PD in men with <1 bowel movement/day increased to a 4.1-fold excess when compared with men with 2/day (95% CI: 1.7, 9.6; p = 0.001) and to a 4.5-fold excess versus men with >2/day (95% CI: 1.2, 16.9; p = 0.025). Conclusions: Findings indicate that infrequent bowel movements are associated with an elevated risk of future PD. Further study is needed to determine whether constipation is part of early PD processes or is a marker of susceptibility or environmental factors that may cause PD.
Types of Dietary Fat and Soy Minimally Affect Hormones and Biomarkers Associated With Breast Cancer Risk in Premenopausal Women

Fourteen premenopausal women participated in a randomized, crossover controlled feeding study of three diets, each two menstrual cycles long. We compared a high saturated fat Western diet (control diet) with two other diets: the control diet plus soy protein (soy diet) and the control diet with polyunsaturated fat (PUFA diet) replacing most of the saturated fat. We measured reproductive and serum hormones, urinary estrogen metabolites and isoflavonoids, and menstrual cycle length. In the follicular phase, prolactin concentrations significantly decreased by 3.6 μg/dl (P = 0.047), follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations slightly increased by 0.1 IU/l (P = 0.076), and cortisol concentrations slightly decreased by 81.8 nmol/l (P = 0.088) with the PUFA diet vs. the control diet. The soy diet slightly increased menstrual cycle length by 1.8 ± 0.7 days (P = 0.088) and significantly increased (P < 0.0001) urinary isoflavonoid excretion. These well-controlled diets did not affect serum estrogens or urinary estrogen metabolites, suggesting that type of fat or consumption of soy with a high saturated fat diet may not alter breast cancer risk by these mechanisms.
Analysis of the NIH workshop monoclonal antibodies to human melanoma antigens.

Reagents exchanged at the 2nd workshop on monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) to human melanoma antigens were analyzed using both serological and immunochemical assays. The analysis by laboratories participating in the workshop of our MoAb 225.28S, 345.134S, 376.96S, 465.12S, and 763.24TS reaffirms our own analysis of these reagents in that (1) they all react with the majority of melanoma cell lines tested and (2) the reactivity of MoAb 225.28S and 763.24TS is much more restricted than that of MoAb 345.134S 376.96S, and 465.12S. Our serological analysis revealed that the majority of workshop reagents reacted with cultured melanoma cells. Immunochemical analysis of these monoclonal antibodies allowed for their division into three groups according to the molecular weights of the antigens recognized in immunoprecipitation experiments, greater than 100 kd, 80-100 kd, and DR antigens. Further analysis of the first two groups of monoclonal antibodies by immunodepletion and antibody binding inhibition assays revealed that MoAb 9.2. 27, 225.28S, and 763.24TS recognize distinct determinants with a heterogeneous distribution on subpopulations of a high molecular weight melanoma associated antigen. MoAb 376.96S and 705.F6 recognize either the same or spatially close determinant(s).
Lower urinary tract infection in women

Infections of the lower urinary tract affect 10° to 20° of all women, among whom a substantial proportion go on to experience recurrent infections. Bacterial virulence factors, particularly those enhancing mucosal adherence, are important in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infection. The use of a diaphragm with spermicides predisposes to urinary tract infection, most likely through alterations of the normal vaginal flora. Urine microscopy is the most accurate rapid office test for urinary tract infection. Automated and dipstick techniques yield slightly lower sensitivity and specificity. Recent treatment trials indicate that 3-day therapy for uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection provides an optimal balance between efficacy and adverse effects when compared with single-dose therapy or treatment for 7 to 10 days. Antibiotic prophylaxis is an important strategy in treating recurrent infections and is effective for periods as long as 5 years without undue emergence of resistant bacterial strains. Interstitial cystitis remains an elusive entity without definite diagnostic criteria or clearly effective therapy.
Financial Reporting Practices of Australian Manufacturing SMEs

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to present new empirical evidence on the financial reporting practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in manufacturing in Australia. The primary concern is with preparation and use of general purpose financial reports for financial management purposes within the cooperating SMEs. Financial systems and their review, financial audit, internal and external financial advice, financial decision-making, historical and future-oriented financial reporting practices, and historical financial statement analysis practices are all considered. The findings suggest that, compared to other Australian SME research, financial reporting practices amongst the collaborating businesses are evidently of a high standard, and must be seen as very encouraging from a financial management viewpoint.
High-quality frozen extracts of Xenopus laevis eggs reveal size-dependent control of metaphase spindle micromechanics

Cell-free extracts from unfertilized Xenopus laevis eggs offer the opportunity for a variety of biochemical assays for analyzing essential cell cycle events, such as metaphase spindle assembly. However, extracts’ utility is often hampered by their short storage-stability duration and high quality variation. Here, we report a simple two-step method for preparing frozen egg extracts that retain spindle assembly activity levels that are close to those of freshly prepared extracts. Extract degradation associated with the freeze-thaw process can be substantially reduced by using centrifugal filter-based dehydration and slow sample cooling. Large amounts of frozen extract stocks from single batch preparations allowed us to collect a large number of data in micromanipulation experiments that are intrinsically low-throughput and, hence, clarify correlations between metaphase spindle size and stiffness. We anticipate that our method provides an assay platform with minimized biological heterogeneity and makes egg extracts more accessible to researchers as distributable material. Summary The authors describe a method for preparing frozen extracts of Xenopus laevis eggs that retain spindle assembly activity levels that are close to those of freshly prepared extracts. This allowed for clarifying the correlation between spindle size and stiffness.
MEDIATING EFFECT OF ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON RISK CULTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Major organizations around the world agree that managing risk is crucial to survive in this globalized and competitive world. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) has emerged as a new popular concept of managing organizational risk holistically. Past researches found that adopting and practicing ERM makes an organization more prepared in addressing possible threats. Furthermore, there is also general argument by scholars and researchers that organizations adopting ERM will improve their business performances. Hence, ERM has received a positive response from business leaders and organizations around the world. However, evidence from various studies shows that there are lacking in the practice of ERM among Malaysia organizations. Why is this so? There are various factors that influence ERM adoption and implementation. But several studies indicate that risk culture is one of the important attributes of risk management aspect that board members should comprehend. This is because the implementation of ERM will be unsuccessful without a risk culture awareness being embedded at all level of the organization. As such, this paper aims to propose a conceptual framework to investigate the mediating effect of ERM on organizational culture and firms’ business performance among public listed companies in Malaysia. This study will broaden the scope of literature in this area by providing evidence on Malaysian environment and enhancing the frontier of knowledge in this area.
Recent advances in the multitarget‐directed ligands approach for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

With 27 million cases worldwide documented in 2006, Alzheimer's disease (AD) constitutes an overwhelming health, social, economic, and political problem to nations. Unless a new medicine capable to delay disease progression is found, the number of cases will reach 107 million in 2050. So far, the therapeutic paradigm one‐compound‐one‐target has failed. This could be due to the multiple pathogenic mechanisms involved in AD including amyloid β (Aβ) aggregation to form plaques, τ hyperphosphorylation to disrupt microtubule to form neurofibrillary tangles, calcium imbalance, enhanced oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial function, apoptotic neuronal death, and deterioration of synaptic transmission, particularly at cholinergic neurons. Approximately 100 compounds are presently been investigated directed to single targets, namely inhibitors of β and γ secretase, vaccines or antibodies that clear Aβ, metal chelators to inhibit Aβ aggregation, blockers of glycogen synthase kinase 3β, enhancers of mitochondrial function, antioxidants, modulators of calcium‐permeable channels such as voltage‐dependent calcium channels, N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors for glutamate, or enhancers of cholinergic neurotransmission such as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase or butyrylcholinesterase. In view of this complex pathogenic mechanisms, and the successful treatment of chronic diseases such as HIV or cancer, with multiple drugs having complementary mechanisms of action, the concern is growing that AD could better be treated with a single compound targeting two or more of the pathogenic mechanisms leading to neuronal death. This review summarizes the current therapeutic strategies based on the paradigm one‐compound‐various targets to treat AD. A treatment that delays disease onset and/or progression by 5 years could halve the number of people requiring institutionalization and/or dying from AD. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev
No evidence for vascular remodelling during hypertension induced by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthase in Brattleboro rats

Objective: To examine the effects of hypertension induced by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthase with NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) on the structure of mesenteric resistance arteries. Design and methods: Brattleboro rats were given l-NAME (0.01-0.05 mg/ml, equivalent to 10-50 mg/kg per day) in their drinking water for 2-3 weeks. On the day of the experiment, mean arterial pressure was measured directly using an intra-arterial catheter that had been implanted 2 days previously. Isolated mesenteric resistance arteries were set up in a pressure-perfusion myograph in a calcium-free physiological solution and subsequently fixed with glutaraldehyde, embedded in Araldite, sectioned and examined histologically. Results: l-NAME administration increased mean arterial blood pressure in comparison with normotensive controls. No differences were found between the structural characteristics of mesenteric resistance arteries of first (pressurized diameter approximately 350 µm), second (approximately 270 µm) or third (approximately 200 µm) order vessels isolated from normotensive rats and rats that had been treated with l-NAME. There were no significant correlations between mean arterial blood pressure and the variables of internal diameter, media thickness and media:lumen area ratio. Conclusions: Hypertension produced by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthase is not associated with remodelling of mesenteric resistance arteries in Brattleboro rats.
An optimal proximity method for nearest neighbor search in high dimensional data

Nearest Neighbor Search is the basic operation that has been used to perform similarity search in vast areas like Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR), Web Search Engines, Micro Array Data Analysis, Recommender Systems, and many more. In this work we propose a data partitioning method based on multiple reference points. Our method partitions the data into multiple groups based on an optimization criteria. The method works by partitioning the data into disjoint partitions based on the distance from a set of reference points to the data objects. We are able to retrieve the nearest neighbours (kNN) by searching in only a single partition group where all the nearest neighbours lie for the given query according to the distance from a reference point. We have used ZINC, AT & T (formarly ORL), Yale, GCM, Luekemia and Lung Data sets to conduct experiments. We compare the results with the similar methods like mean reference, minmax reference and set of reference points methods. We have tested these three methods with the proposed method on six data sets. From the experimental results we can say that the proposed method is giving promising and better results than the state of the art NN search methods. Proposed method works by pruning the search space and also reduces the computation cost and achieves fast search. Performance of the proposed method is compared with a group of queries and the results are promising.
Finding Time: How Corporations, Individuals, and Families Can Benefit from New Work Practices

In such situations, the boundaryless, advantaged risk-taker becomes the risk-absorber, the victim of the fact that corporations have become unwilling to protect employees from the risks of labor markets and shifting economic trends and have instead transferred that risk to individuals themselves. Although I appreciate the editors' and authors' efforts to explore the cutting-edge and potentially beneficial aspects of our current tumultuous and ever-changing professional system, I'd argue that a perspective that doesn't acknowledge and inform us about its more contradictory or disadvantaging elements, for professionals and nonprofessionals alike, is only a partial beginning to understanding the potentials and the pitfalls in our employment structure.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Biochemical aspects of the cell wall of Fusarium oxysporum

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EU Regulation of Corporate Social and Environmental Reporting

In 2014, the European Union adopted changes to its Accounting Directive, which, after implementation in member states, will require public-interest entities with more than 500 employees to disclose non-financial information – including social and environmental matters – in the management report section of the annual report. The amendment of EU regulation represents a high-profile attempt to regulate social and environmental reporting (SER) and this special issue presents research that addresses SER regulation in light of the EU regulation.
THE IMPACT OF UNDERLYING MARKET CLOSURE ON FUTURES MARKET LIQUIDITY: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA

This study investigates the trading activity of Chinese stock index futures, recently introduced at the open and close of the underlying trading. We document the impact of the underlying spot on the futures market liquidity as well as volatility as discussed in earlier works on market closure theory. Our empirical results support previous literature on the impact of the underlying, particularly during the open session, as a contagion effect, which is clearly at play. We find significant U-shaped patterns in liquidity factors and intraday volatility during open and close trades in the morning.
Rapid ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for a characteristic glycogen-derived tetrasaccharide in Pompe disease and other glycogen storage diseases.

BACKGROUND Urinary excretion of the tetrasaccharide 6-α-D-glucopyranosyl-maltotriose (Glc₄) is increased in various clinical conditions associated with increased turnover or storage of glycogen, making Glc₄ a potential biomarker for glycogen storage diseases (GSD). We developed an ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) assay to detect Glc₄ in urine without interference of the Glc₄ isomer maltotetraose (M₄). METHODS Urine samples, diluted in 0.1% ammonium hydroxide containing the internal standard acarbose, were filtered, and the filtrate was analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. RESULTS We separated and quantified acarbose, M₄, and Glc₄ using the ion pairs m/z 644/161, 665/161, and 665/179, respectively. Response of Glc₄ was linear up to 1500 μmol/L and the limit of quantification was 2.8 μmol/L. Intra- and interassay CVs were 18.0% and 18.4% (10 μmol/L Glc₄), and 10.5% and 16.2% (200 μmol/L Glc₄). Glc₄ in control individuals (n = 116) decreased with increasing age from a mean value of 8.9 mmol/mol to 1.0 mmol/mol creatinine. M₄ was present in 5% of urine samples. Mean Glc₄ concentrations per age group in untreated patients with Pompe disease (GSD type II) (n = 66) were significantly higher, ranging from 39.4 to 10.3 mmol/mol creatinine (P < 0.001-0.005). The diagnostic sensitivity of Glc₄ for GSD-II was 98.5% and the diagnostic specificity 92%. Urine Glc₄ was also increased in GSD-III (8 of 9), GSD-IV (2 of 3) and GSD-IX (6 of 10) patients. CONCLUSIONS The UPLC-MS/MS assay of Glc₄ in urine was discriminative between Glc₄ and M₄ and confirmed the diagnosis in >98% of GSD-II cases.
How Romanian Managers Perceive the Corporate Social Responsibility and its Costs and Benefits

At international level the preoccupations with social responsibility have a long history. In Romania the concept is relatively new, but it has become more visible during the last years. A thorough insight of the benefits and costs of social responsibility highlights a series of aspects. Generally, behind the adoption of certain social responsibility policies there are interests like the improvement of the company's image, the rise in sales and profit and finally the moral purposes.Sophocles used to say that "any benefactor thinks at himself also in a certain degree". As far as the Romanian companies are concerned, this implies that the main purpose of the corporative social programs they develop is the gaining awareness in mass media. Our paper shows that, unfortunately, many companies are only interested in the mass media coverage of such events. The commitment towards community is very often on short term horizon and does not have a solid ground, being mainly a PR exercise.