Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress genes, BiP and chop, in genetic and environmental models of retinal degeneration.

PURPOSE Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been observed in animal models of retinitis pigmentosa expressing P23H rhodopsin. We compared levels of tightly induced ER stress genes, Binding of immunoglobulin protein (BiP) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (Chop), in seven additional models of retinal degeneration arising from genetic or environmental causes. METHODS Retinas from transgenic S334ter rhodopsin (lines 3, 4, and 5) and Royal College of Surgeons (RCS and RCS-p+) rats from postnatal (P) days 10 to 120 were analyzed. In a constant light (CL) model of retinal degeneration, BALB/c mice were exposed to 15,000 lux of CL for 0 to 8 hours. Retinal tissues from three to eight animals per experimental condition were collected for histologic and molecular analyses. RESULTS S334ter animals revealed significant increases in BiP, S334ter-3 (3.3× at P15), S334ter-4 (4× at P60), and S334ter-5 (2.2× at P90), and Chop, S334ter-3 (1.3× at P15), S334ter-4 (1.5× at P30), and S334ter-5 (no change), compared with controls. P23H-3 rats showed significant increase of BiP at P60 (2.3×) and Chop (1.6×). RCS and RCS-p+ rats showed significant increases in BiP at P60 (2.4×) and P20 (1.8×), respectively, but no statistically significant changes in Chop. BALB/c mice showed increases in BiP (1.5×) and Chop (1.3×) after 4 hours of CL. Increased levels of these ER stress markers correlated with photoreceptor cell loss. CONCLUSIONS Our study reveals surprising increases in BiP and to a lesser degree Chop in retinal degenerations arising from diverse causes. We propose that manipulation of ER stress responses may be helpful in treating many environmental and heritable forms of retinal degeneration.
Analyzing Health Equity Using Household Survey Data: A Guide to Techniques and Their Implementation

This book shows how to implement a variety of analytic tools that allow health equity - along different dimensions and in different spheres - to be quantified. Questions that the techniques can help provide answers for include the following: Have gaps in health outcomes between the poor and the better-off grown in specific countries or in the developing world as a whole? Are they larger in one country than in another? Are health sector subsidies more equally distributed in some countries than in others? Is health care utilization equitably distributed in the sense that people in equal need receive similar amounts of health care irrespective of their income? Are health care payments more progressive in one health care financing system than in another? What are catastrophic payments? How can they be measured? How far do health care payments impoverish households? This volume has a simple aim: to provide researchers and analysts with a step-by-step practical guide to the measurement of a variety of aspects of health equity. Each chapter includes worked examples and computer code. The authors hope that these guides, and the easy-to-implement computer routines contained in them, will stimulate yet more analysis in the field of health equity, especially in developing countries. They hope this, in turn, will lead to more comprehensive monitoring of trends in health equity, a better understanding of the causes of these inequities, more extensive evaluation of the impacts of development programs on health equity, and more effective policies and programs to reduce inequities in the health sector.
Detection of Campylobacter jejuni added to foods by using a combined selective enrichment and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA)

An assay to detect Campylobacter jejuni in foods that uses a short selective enrichment culture, a simple and rapid isolation procedure, NASBA amplification of RNA, and a nonradioactive in solution hybridization was studied. The presence of high numbers of indigenous flora affected the sensitivity of the assay. However, detection of C. jejuni was possible up to a ratio of indigenous flora to C. jejuni of 10,000:1. Interference by food components was eliminated by centrifugation following the enrichment step. Fourteen food samples artificially inoculated with C. jejuni (1 to 1,000 CFU/10 g) were analyzed with the NASBA assay and the conventional culture method with Campylobacter charcoal differential agar (CCDA). A few false-negative results were obtained by both NASBA (1.42%) and CCDA (2.86%) isolation. Yet the use of enrichment culture and NASBA shortened the analysis time from 6 days to 26 h. The relative simplicity and rapidity of the NASBA assay make it an attractive alternative for detection of C. jejuni in food samples.
Seasonality Effects on Trends of Domestic and International Tourism: A Case of Nairobi National Park, Kenya

Tourism is a very important source for foreign revenue for Kenya, as well as the main supporter and rationale for wildlife conservation in the country. But most of this revenue is from international tourists, which the government and stakeholders seem to invest and focus on more rather than domestic tourism. However, international tourists cannot always support the tourism industry, especially in years of economic, political and social turmoil. A vibrant domestic tourism can cushion the industry from fluctuations in international tourists and bring stability and predictability in the industry. This study sought to addresses reasons why domestic tourism is still low despite its importance, and suggest ways of improving it in Kenya. The data for this study was gathered through the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) tourism records, interviews with key stakeholders and players in the industry and interviews with local communities surrounding NairobiNational Park. About 64% of all tourists for NairobiPark for the last twenty years was domestic tourism, while only 35% were international tourists. The level of education influenced the likelihood of the community to visit the parksand appreciate its conservation contribution. Extra disposable income, lack of free time and low education were the hindrances towards local Kenyans visiting the park. Therefore new marketing strategies, special holiday hotel rates for Kenyans and a more friendly hospitality industry for Kenyans would increase domestic tourism, especially for protected areas in urban vicinity. Key words : Domestic tourism, international tourism, Kenya, NairobiNational Park,
Not Quite NFS, Soft Cache Consistency for NFS

There are some constraints inherent in the NFSTM∈ protocol that result in performance limitations for high performance workstation environments. This paper discusses an NFS-like protocol named Not Quite NFS (NQNFS), designed to address some of these limitations. This protocol provides full cache consistency during normal operation, while permitting more effective client-side caching in an effort to improve performance. There are also a variety of minor protocol changes, in order to resolve various NFS issues. The emphasis is on observed performance of a preliminary implementation of the protocol, in order to show how well this design works and to suggest possible areas for further improvement.
SPECIFICS OF SIZE STRUCTURE AND MANAGING ROLE OF THE LARGE COMPANIES IN ENTERPRISE ENVIRONMENT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Enterprise size structure is understood from historical point of view. Today enterprise size structure is connected with better capture of global market. For evaluating sizes of companies the basis is very simple classificatory point of view – number of employees. In the Czech Republic 1,1 million enterprises realize active entrepreneurial activity. The most common legal form of business is micro-firm (nearly 95%). Number of large enterprises is much lower – it is only 0.2% and they realize about half of the Czech economy. These enterprises have decisive influence on real economic and business processes. Our analysis brought approximate profile of large enterprise in the Czech Republic (according to the number of employees, legal form of business, branch, owner, localization). By realizing insight into selected large enterprises in the Czech Republic there come out externally important questions that concern their capital ties, managing and decision-making practice in the Czech Republic.
Growth and Development of Small Enterprise: The Case of Bangladesh

The context and legacy of small enterprise development in Bangladesh small enterprises in Bangladesh - the policy environment policy priority on the small enterprises - the why growth and development of small enterprises in Banmgladesh programmes and institutional supports for small enterprise development constraints on the small enterprise growth in Bangladesh conclusions relevant to policy. Appendices: promotional achievements of BSCIC for 1987-88 to 1989-90 various sub-activities under stimulatory, support and sustaining activities.
A kis- és középvállalkozások logisztikai gyakorlatának vizsgálata = Logistics practice of small and medium-sized enterprises

A gazdasagban betoltott jelentős sulyuk, rugalmassaguk es innovativitasuk, gyors donteshozataluk miatt a kis- es kozepvallalkozasokat (KKV) gyakran vizsgaljak, mely a logisztika funkciojukrol nem mondhato el. Disszertaciomban előszor a teruleten az elmult 20-25 evben szuletett publikaciok feltarasat vegeztem el, szisztematikusan feldolgozva a legtobbszor a „szurke” irodalomba tartozo, zomeben csak a helyi nyelveken kozolt tanulmanyokat, elemzeseket. A kozel felszaz a logisztikai tevekenysegkiszervezessel, teljesitmennyel, koltsegszintekkel, strategiaval, szervezeti megjelenessel es eszkozokkel foglalkozo kutatas eredmenyeinek osszehasonlitasabol a logisztika komplexitasa es a fogalmak ertelmezesi problemai miatt keves altalanos kovetkeztetest lehetett levonni. Az esettanulmanyoktol a tobb ezer vallalkozas logisztikajat felmerő kutatasok leginkabb a feldolgozoipari es a kereskedelmi KKV-ket vizsgaltak egymastol elszigetelt felmeresekkel, dontően alacsony szintű matematikai-statisztikai modszertant alkalmazva.
Evaluation of HbA1c determination methods in patients with hemoglobinopathies.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate commercially available determination methods for HbA1c in patients with hemoglobin variants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS HbA1c values were determined with various commercially available methods, including ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), boronate affinity assay, and immunoagglutination in patients with the hemoglobin mutations Hb Graz, Hb Sherwood Forest, Hb O Padova, Hb D, and Hb S. RESULTS The effect of hemoglobinopathies on glycohemoglobin measurements was highly method dependent. The HPLC methods for HbA1c determination lacked the resolution necessary to differentiate hemoglobin variants. They demonstrated additional peaks in the chromatograms and HbA1c results either too low or too high compared with the nondiabetic reference range. With all immunoassays, Hb Graz demonstrated falsely low values. The other hemoglobinopathies in our study caused falsely low and/or high HbA1c results in immunoagglutination methods. The boronate affinity method showed values in an acceptable range for all hemoglobin variants. CONCLUSIONS Because of the local occurrence of Hb variants and the ethnic origin of a given population, every individual laboratory must establish and validate its own assay method. In managing diabetic patients, knowledge of hemoglobinopathies influencing HbA1c determination methods is essential because hemoglobin variants could cause mismanagement of diabetes resulting from false HbA1c determinations.
Is there a relationship between age at menarche and clinical and temperamental characteristics in bipolar disorder?

BACKGROUND This study investigated whether age at menarche in women with bipolar disorder (BD) is different from that in healthy women and if there is a relationship between age at menarche and clinical and temperamental characteristics of BD. METHODS We consecutively evaluated 126 euthymic women diagnosed with BD according to DSM-IV. The healthy control group comprised 100 individuals of similar mean age and socioeconomic level. After the diagnostic interview, BD patients completed the Mood Disorders Diagnosis and Follow-Up Form and Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire. RESULTS Age at menarche in BD patients was similar to that in controls. A strong inverse correlation was found between age at menarche and total duration of depressive episodes (r = -0.532). In BD patients, an inverse correlation has been found between age at menarche and depressive and cyclothymic temperament scores (r = -0.384 and r = -0.421). However, a strong correlation has been found between age at menarche and irritable temperament scores (r = 0.488). CONCLUSIONS Age at menarche is associated with the clinical course of BD. Moreover, age at menarche seems to be associated with traits related to mood.
Ownership Structure and Firm Technical Innovation： a Theoretical and Empirical Analysis on Chinese Enterprises

Taking more than 600 enterprises as example, this paper analyzes the influence of managers’ features on the relationship between ownership structure and technical innovation of the firm. The authors find that the managers’ care to owners benefit (Emc) and the managers’ talent(Ta) have positive influence on firm technical innovation (Inte), and the ownership share of different kinds of owners have different effects on Emc and Ta. Therefore, ownership structure can not only directly influence the technical innovation of the enterprises, but also influence it indirectly. Key words: ownership structure, firm technical innovation, managers’ care to owners benefit, the managers’ talent Resume: Prenant en exemple plus de 600 entreprises, ce document present analyse l’ influence des caracteristiques des managers sur les relations entre la structure possessive et l’innovation technique des entreprises. Les auteurs trouvent que l’attention des managers aux interets des possedants (Emc) et le talent des managers (Ta) effectue une influence positive sur l’ innovation techniquel des entreprises(Inte), et le partage possessif de possedants de toutes les sortes a de differents effects sur Emc et Ta. Cependant, la structure possessive peut influencer l’innovation technique des entreprises directement a la fois indirectement. Mots cles: structure possessive, innovation technique des entreprises, attention des managers aux interets des possedants, talent des managers
Exploring process management: are there any widespread models and definitions?

Purpose – Process management has been around for a long time, but unlike that of many other management trends, the interest in process management has remained high. The starting point for the study was the idea that the lack of well‐established conceptual models and definitions of process management play a role in the challenge and difficulty facing organizations when trying to manage their processes on a strategic level. The purpose of the study was to explore whether there really are some existing widespread and common models and definitions for process management in the literature? The aim of this paper is to describe and explore the findings from the study.Design/methodology/approach – A structured literature review is used to identify contemporary models and definitions for process management.Findings – There are several descriptions and definitions of process management presented in the literature, but none that seems to be really widespread and well‐established. However, the analysis indicate two d.
Fixed Effects Regression Methods for Longitudinal Data Using SAS®

nondeterministic methods are probabilistic methods “that replace traditional deterministic approaches for making design decisions with a new risk-based approach that uses rigorous models to quantify uncertainty and assess safety” (Preface, p. ix). Applications in Part 3 of the handbook are limited to the first three industries listed above. Participants as authors include engineers and scientists, as well as statisticians, from industry and from government agencies such as NASA, plus the usual coterie of academic participants. Altogether 76 authors and co-authors have assembled 45 different chapters. The first seven chapters constitute Part 1, “Status and Future of Nondeterministic Approaches” (NDA’s). These chapters focus on methods for product design and the research that supports the creation and development of new reliability methodologies. The next 20 chapters have been gathered under the heading for Part 2, “Nondeterministic Modeling: Critical Issues and Recent Advances. ” Some of the statistical topics that can be found here are uncertainty, information theory, evidence theory, interval methods, expert knowledge, reliability models, system reliability, probability models, response surfaces, Bayesian modeling and updating, accelerated life testing, and variance-reduction techniques, where the foregoing laundry list follows the order of the chapters. The mathematical level of a number of these chapters is at or above the content of Meeker and Escobar (1998), the most comprehensive statistical reliability textbook. This is certainly not the technical level of a book for reliability engineers, such as O’Connor (2002). I did not expect to find a lot of interesting chapters among the applications in Part III, since BP does not design and deliver products in very many of its businesses. There are a number of chapters that relate to design in aerospace or machinery. There are also chapters on reliability assessment, such as corrosionfatigue damage, a common problem in refineries, and analysis for composite structures, which are everywhere in oil and gas production. There is a chapter on reliability assessment for ships, a big issue for a company like BP that owns a fleet of ships that transport liquefied natural gas. There is another chapter on reliability assessment and maintenance for large pipelines. BP owns a few thousand miles of those, whose reliability is critical to the operation of the entire business. Some of these chapters have some mathematical content, but generally they are more typical of the engineering reliability textbook genre. This is probably not a book that should be on every reliability engineer’s desktop. Too many papers have a research orientation to their content. However, any organization in industry, government, or academia that has an interest in reliability technology should make sure to acquire copies for their associated libraries. Every scientist or engineer with an interest in reliability should be able to find something of interest in this handbook.
Local Metabolic Effects of Dopexamine on the Intestine During Mesenteric Hypoperfusion

This self-controlled experimental study was designed to test the hypothesis that dopexamine, a synthetic catecholamine that activates dopaminergic (DA-1) and &bgr;2-adrenergic receptors, improves oxygenation in the jejunal mucosa during intestinal hypotension. In six normoventilated barbiturate-anesthetized pigs, controlled reductions in superior mesenteric arterial pressure (PSMA) was obtained by an adjustable clamp around the artery. Dopexamine infusions (0.5 and 1.0 &mgr;g · kg−1 · min−1) were administered at a freely variable PSMA (i.e., with the perivascular clamp fully open) and at a PSMA of 50 mmHg and 30 mmHg. We continuously measured superior mesenteric venous blood flow (QMES; transit-time ultrasonic flowmetry), jejunal mucosal perfusion (laser Doppler flowmetry), and tissue oxygen tension (Po2 TISSUE; microoximetry). Jejunal luminal microdialysate of lactate, pyruvate, and glucose were measured every 5 min. Measurements of mucosal Pco2 (air tonometry), together with blood sampling and end-tidal Pco2 measurements, enabled calculations of pHi and Pco2 gap. Dopexamine reduced mesenteric vascular resistance and increased QMES at a PSMA of 50 mmHg and 30 mmHg. At a PSMA of 30 mmHg, dopexamine increased mesenteric oxygen delivery but did not influence mesenteric oxygen uptake or extraction. In this situation, dopexamine had no beneficial effect on jejunal mucosal blood flow. On the contrary, dopexamine increased mesenteric net lactate production and Pco2 gap, whereas Po2 TISSUE and pHi decreased. Jejunal luminal microdialysate data demonstrated an increased lactate concentration and a pattern of decreased glucose concentration and increased luminal lactate-pyruvate ratio. These negative metabolic effects of dopexamine should be taken into account in situations of low perfusion pressures.
Theatrical service experiences: Dramatic script development with employees

This article provides a framework for the development of a dramatic script for a service (retail) organisation. It is argued that such a script can lead to an agreed experiential goal that the organisation can use to achieve positive holistic service experiences for customers. It draws on techniques from practical theatre and is being tried, evaluated and refined in conjunction with employees of a UK multiple retail organisation. The process of dramatic script development with employees is demonstrated through the identification of the drama, the creation of the playtext and the exploration of subtext. It can be employed by any organisation where the nature of the business requires that face‐to‐face interactions take place between employees and customers.
The aging neurogenic subventricular zone

In the adult mouse brain, the subventricular zone (SVZ) is a neurogenic stem cell niche only 4–5 cell diameters thick. Within this narrow zone, a unique microenvironment supports stem cell self‐renewal, gliogenesis or neurogenesis lineage decisions and tangential migration of newly generated neurons out of the SVZ and into the olfactory bulb. However, with aging, SVZ neurogenesis declines. Here, we examine the dynamic interplay between SVZ cytoarchitecture and neurogenesis through aging. Assembly of high‐resolution electron microscopy images of corresponding coronal sections from 2‐, 10‐ and 22‐month‐old mice into photomontages reveal a thinning of the SVZ with age. Following a 2‐h BrdU pulse, we detect a significant decrease in cell proliferation from 2 to 22 months. Neuroblast numbers decrease with age, as do transitory amplifying progenitor cells, while both SVZ astrocytes and adjacent ependymal cells remain relatively constant. At 22 months, only residual pockets of neurogenesis remain and neuroblasts become restricted to the anterior dorsolateral horn of the SVZ. Within this dorsolateral zone many key components of the younger neurogenic niche are maintained; however, in the aged SVZ, increased numbers of SVZ astrocytes are found interposed within the ependyma. These astrocytes co‐label with markers to ependymal cells and astrocytes, form intercellular adherens junctions with neighboring ependymal cells, and some possess multiple basal bodies of cilia within their cytoplasm. Together, these data reveal an age‐related, progressive restriction of SVZ neurogenesis to the dorsolateral aspect of the lateral ventricle with increased numbers of SVZ astrocytes interpolated within the ependyma.