Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Population Structure of Phytophthora infestans from the Toluca Valley of Central Mexico Suggests Genetic Differentiation Between Populations from Cultivated Potato and Wild Solanum spp.

ABSTRACT The population structure of Phytophthora infestans in the Toluca Valley of central Mexico was assessed using 170 isolates collected from cultivated potatoes and the native wild Solanum spp. , S. demissum and S. xendinense. All isolates were analyzed for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) multi-locus fingerprint genotype. Isolate samples were monomorphic for mtDNA haplotype because all isolates tested were of the Ia haplotype. A total of 158 multilocus AFLP genotypes were identified among the 170 P. infestans isolates included in this study. P. infestans populations sampled in the Toluca Valley in 1997 were highly variable and almost every single isolate represented a unique genotype based on the analysis of 165 AFLP marker loci. Populations of P. infestans collected from the commercial potato-growing region in the valley, the subsistence potato production area along the slopes of the Nevado de Toluca, and the native Solanum spp. on the forested slopes of the volcano showed a high degree of genetic diversity. The number of polymorphic loci varied from 20.0 to 62.4% for isolates collected from the field station and wild Solanum spp. On average, 81.8% (135) of the AFLP loci were polymorphic. Hetero-zygosity varied between 7.7 and 19.4%. Significant differentiation was found at the population level between strains originating from cultivated potatoes and wild Solanum spp. (P = 0.001 to 0.022). Private alleles were observed in individual isolates collected from all three populations, with numbers of unique dominant alleles varying from 9 to 16 for isolates collected from commercial potato crops and native Solanum spp. , respectively. Four AFLP markers were exclusively found present in isolates collected from S. demissum. Indirect estimation of gene flow between populations indicated restricted gene flow between both P. infestans populations from cultivated potatoes and wild Solanum hosts. There was no evidence found for the presence of substructuring at the subpopulation (field) level. We hypothesize that population differentiation and genetic isolation of P. infestans in the Toluca Valley is driven by host-specific factors (i.e., R-genes) widely distributed in wild Solanum spp. and random genetic drift.
Use of Forecasts of Earnings to Estimate and Compare Cost of Capital Across Regimes

I critically examine several of the methods used in the recent literature to estimate and compare the cost of capital across different accounting/regulatory regimes. I focus on the central importance of expectations of growth beyond the short period for which forecasts of future pay-offs (dividends and/or earnings) are available. I illustrate, using the stocks that comprised the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) at December 31, 2004, as an example, the differences between the growth rates implied by the data, and growth rates that are often assumed in the literature. My analyses show that assumptions about growth beyond the (short) forecast horizon may seriously affect the estimates of the expected rate of return and may lead to spurious inferences. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2006.
Does Income Inequality Make Us Less Happy?

type="main" xml:lang="en"> This article presents evidence from Australia showing linkages between income inequality in an individual's geographical region and life satisfaction. Higher income inequality is associated with lower self-rated life satisfaction. In contrast to expectations that inequality may primarily be an issue of concern for poorer individuals, the relationship holds strongly for higher income households, but the evidence for lower income households is less conclusive. Shadow price estimates indicate that, in order to offset the effect of annual changes in inequality over the sample period (2001–2009), an average Australian would require compensatory changes of approximately 3–9 per cent in income each year (about $3,689 in 2009).
Explaining the Variance in the Performance Effects of Privatization

Agency and public choice theories of privatization indicate that a privatized firm's performance will improve on average, but they do not include an explanation of the observed variance in this result. We argue that organizational and contextual variables need to be considered in order to explain that variance. We develop a model and propositions about the changes that privatization triggers in the firm's management, governance structure, goals, incentives, control, strategy, and organization.
Cytogenetic Effect of Some Insecticides in Mouse Spleen

Several insecticides were tested for their ability to induce chromosomal aberrations in mouse spleen. They were injected i.p. in doses representing approximately 1/8–1/10 of the respective ld50 values. Doses were: DDT, 5.5 mg kg−1 body wt. ; malathion, 30 mg kg−1 body wt. ; Dursban, 4 mg kg−1 body wt. ; Sevin, 7 mg kg−1 body wt. ; and Lannate, 1 mg kg−1 body wt. ‘Mitomycin C’ at a dose of 1 mg kg−1 body wt. was used as a positive control. Mice were sacrificed 6, 24 and 48 h after treatment. DDT, malathion, dursban and lannate caused maximum chromosomal aberrations 24 h after injection, whereas Sevin induced its maximum effect 6 h after the treatment. All the insecticides induced statistically significant chromosomal aberrations even after excluding the number of metaphases with gaps. The results indicate genotoxicity in mouse spleen cells.
What do patients in a lithium outpatient clinic know about lithium therapy?

OBJECTIVE To determine how much patients know about lithium therapy and to examine factors that might influence this knowledge. SETTING Lithium outpatient clinic. PATIENTS Patients (n = 123) affiliated with a lithium outpatient clinic (mean treatment duration of 12 years). Diagnoses, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, revised, included bipolar disorder, recurrent unipolar depression and schizoaffective disorder. OUTCOME MEASURES Quantitative assessment of lithium-related knowledge, obtained by responses to a questionnaire adapted from the Lithium Knowledge Test, and factors affecting this knowledge. RESULTS Age was negatively correlated with lithium therapy knowledge scores, whereas duration of treatment, sex, education and diagnosis appeared to be unrelated to knowledge. CONCLUSION Patient education about lithium treatment should be intensified, especially for older patients taking lithium because adverse drug reactions pose a greater risk to the elderly.
How green was my valley: Earnings differentials and the changing distribution of wages in Spain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the wage distribution in Spain, its evolution in recent years and the implications for increased wage dispersion. Accordingly, its attention focuses on the following issues: first, the paper investigates how personal, job and firm attributes affect the wages distribution and examine earnings differentials between and within groups of workers according to their individual and job characteristics throughout the conditional wage distribution; and second, the paper analyses whether the business cycle may influence the magnitude of these differentials. Design/methodology/approach – Using administrative data from the Spanish Social Security and the Tax Administration National Agency, the paper estimates OLS and quantile regression (QR) models in order to assess the impact of personal, job and workplace attributes on between- and within-groups wage inequality. Findings – Among other things, we find that, although the average wage has been increasing over time (un.
Has EU regional policy empowered the regions? A study of Spain and the United Kingdom

The political impact of EC regional policy within member states, and in particular the implications of the policy for territorial relations, has been a central concern for scholars in the 1990s. Despite this, no clear picture has emerged. For some, regional policy has strengthened the role of national governments within policy-making (Anderson, 1990). For others, regional policy mobilized the regions and was central to the emergence of multi-level governance 'in which supranational, national, regional, and local governments are enmeshed in territorially overarching policy networks' (Marks, 1993: 402-3). More recently, cross-national comparisons revealed variation in the political impact of regional policy (Hooghe, 1996b; Smyrl, 1997) reflecting political and administrative differences within member states.
Animal models in xenotransplantation

The severe shortage of donor organs has provided a strong impetus to push the investigation into the use of animal organs for humans. Xenotransplantation will not only benefit patients, but also represents a unique and potentially profitable business opportunity. However, there are many barriers to successful clinical xenotransplantation, including immunological barriers, physiological incompatibility, zoonosis and ethical concerns. This overview will focus on currently available animal models used in attempts to break through the immunological barriers to xenotransplantation. There are many advantages to using small animal, namely rodent, models in xenotransplantation research. For example, the use of the mouse model allows the use of knockout mice and careful dissection of rejection mechanisms at the molecular level. The following models can be used to study hyperacute rejection (HAR): guinea-pig-to-rat, mouse-to-rabbit, guinea-pig-to-mouse, rat-to-presensitised mouse and rat-to-α-Gal knockout mouse. The hamster-to-rat, mouse-to-rat and rat-to-mouse models are commonly used to study acute vascular rejection. Large animal models are complex and expensive, but they are more relevant to clinical xenotransplantation. Based on experiments using transgenic pig-to-primate models, HAR can be overcome. However, acute vascular rejection remains a major barrier at the present time. A pig cartilage-to-monkey model has been developed to study chronic rejection. Other novel models such as pig venous segment-to-monkey model and rat-to-primate model may represent viable options to study immunological barriers following xenotransplantation. Like many other medical breakthroughs, animal research will continue to make enormous contributions towards the eventual success of xenotransplantation.
Implicit signature checking

Proposes a control flow checking method that assigns unique initial signatures to each basic block in a program by using the block's start address. Using this strategy, implicit signature checking points are obtained at the beginning of each basic block, which results in a short error detection latency (2-5 instructions). Justifying signatures are embedded at each branch instruction, and a watchdog timer is used to detect the absence of a signature checking point. The method does not require the building of a program flow graph and it handles jumps to destinations that are not fixed at compile/link-time, e.g. subroutine calls using function pointers in the C language. This paper includes a generalized description of the control flow checking method, as well as a description and evaluation of an implementation of the method. <<ETX>>
Frontal Impact Dummy Kinematics in Oblique Frontal Collisions: Evaluation Against Post Mortem Human Subject Test Data

Objective. Today, a predominant percentage of vehicles involved in car crashes are exposed to oblique or frontal offset collisions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the 50th percentile male Hybrid III, THOR 99, and THOR Alpha dummies by comparing them with the corresponding kinematics of post mortem human subjects (PMHS) in this type of collision. Methods. The PMHS data include results from oblique frontal collision tests. They include sled tests with near-side and far-side belt geometries at 15°, 30°, and 45° angles. The test subjects were restrained with a three-point lap-shoulder belt and the Δ V was 30 km/h. Results. The results from the Hybrid III and THOR 99 tests showed that, in most of the test, the head trajectories were an average of approximately 0.1 m shorter than those from equivalent PMHS. The Hybrid III and THOR 99 far-side belt geometry tests showed that the belt remained in place longer on the shoulder of the Hybrid III than on the THOR 99 and the THOR Alpha. This was probably due to a stiffer lumbar spine in the Hybrid III and to a large groove in the steel of the superior surface of the Hybrid III shoulder structure. The THOR 99 escaped from the shoulder belt about 40–50 ms earlier than the THOR Alpha. The results from the THOR Alpha tests show that the head trajectory accorded fairly well with the PMHS data, as long as the shoulder belt did not slip off the shoulder. Although the THOR Alpha shoulder escaped the shoulder belt in the 45° far-side belt geometry, the PMHS did not. This may be due to the THOR Alpha shoulder design, with approximately 0.05 m smaller superior and medial shoulder range-of-motion, in combination with a relatively soft lumbar spine. Conclusions. The THOR Alpha provides head trajectories similar to those of the PMHS under these loading conditions, provided the shoulder belt remains in position on the shoulder. When the shoulder belt slipped off the dummy shoulder, the head kinematics was altered. The shoulder range-of-motion may be a contributing factor to the overall kinematics of an occupant in oblique frontal impact situations where the occupant moves in a trajectory at an angle from that of the longitudinal direction of the car.
An immortalized cell line with features of human follicular dendritic cells. Antigen and cytokine expression analysis

Follicular dendritic cells (FDC) are specialized cells residing primarily within lymphoid follicles. They bind immunocomplexes and play an important role in the presentation of antigen to follicular B cells. Isolation of FDC for in vitro studies, however, is difficult because they constitute only about 1% of the cells in lymphoid tissue and form tight clusters entrapping lymphocytes within their dendritic processes. The monoclonal antibody (mAb) Ki‐M4, which is highly restricted in its binding to FDC, is used to identify these cells.
Developing a framework for make‐or‐buy decisions

The make‐or‐buy question represents a fundamental dilemma faced by many companies. Companies have finite resources and cannot always afford to have all manufacturing technologies in‐house. This has resulted in an increasing awareness of the importance of make‐or‐buy decisions. This paper reports on the development of a make‐or‐buy framework to address the make‐or‐buy decision for either a specific individual part or family of parts. Firstly, a literature review of the principal make‐or‐buy approaches is discussed. Secondly, the development of a make‐or‐buy framework is described and the framework is explained and illustrated using case studies. Thirdly, the operationalisation of the framework is outlined. The paper concludes with a discussion of its contribution to both the academic understanding of the subject, and the improvement of industrial practice.
Effect of barley variety and dietary barley content on digestive function in beef steers fed grass hay-based diets.

Five ruminally and duodenally cannulated steers were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square design with a 2 x 2 + 1 arrangement of treatments to study the effects of barley variety and dietary barley content on digestive function in steers fed grass hay-based diets. Barley varities evaluated were Russell and Steptoe, which had bulk densities of 67.7 and 64.5 kg/hL, respectively. Supplemental treatments were as follows: corn, low Russell (Ru-lo), low Steptoe (St-lo), high Russell (Ru-hi), and high Steptoe (St-hi). Corn, Ru-lo, and St-lo were provided at 30% (DM basis) of grass hay-based diets, whereas Ru-hi and St-hi were provided at 35.5% of diet DM (equal starch content as the corn treatment). No treatment differences (P > .10) were observed for DMI, ruminal particulate passage rate, and NDF total tract digestibility. Ruminal DM and starch digestibility were greater (P < .01) for barley-containing diets than for the corn diet. Similarly, total tract DM (P < .10) and starch (P < .01) digestibility was greater for barley than for corn diets. Microbial protein and non-NH3 N flow to the small intestine were greater (P < .01) for the barley diets than for the corn diet. Starch intake (P < .01) and DM digestibility (P < .10) were greater for high- than for low-barley diets; however, differences due to barley variety were not observed (P > .10). In situ disappearance of grass hay NDF at 8 and 96 h of incubation was greater (P < .05) for barley than for corn diets. Rate of in situ disappearance of grain DM was greater (P < .01) for barley than for corn and for Russell than for Steptoe barley. Responses suggest that ruminal and total tract digestibility and protein flow to the small intestine can be increased with barley compared with corn as an energy supplement to grass hay-based diets.
Effect of price discount frames and levels on consumers' perceptions in low-end service industries.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of price discount frames and price discount levels on consumer perceptions about the quality of the service product, the value of the discount, their purchase intentions and their willingness to spread the word of mouth about the discount savings across different types of services.Design/methodology/approach – The study uses an experiment design method using three interesting variables: discount format, discount level and service industry type. The experiment included four different types of low‐end price service levels: restaurants, hotels, mailing services, and retail services.Findings – The findings indicate that price discount frames and discount levels do affect consumers' perceptions on the value of the discount, the quality of the service, their intention to purchase and their willingness to engage in WOM advertising.Practical implications – The practical implication for service firms that want to use price discount promotions to enc.
Bone associated with implants in diabetic and insulin-treated rats.

OBJECTIVES Diabetes is an increasingly prevalent disease with oral health manifestations. While diabetes clearly has an affect on bone, its impact on the healing of bone associated with dental implants is not completely understood. The purpose of this study was to measure bone response to implants in uncontrolled and insulin-controlled diabetic rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred and fifty-two rats were divided into control, diabetic, and insulin groups. Rats received streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) to induce diabetes; animals in the insulin group also received a subcutaneous slow-release insulin implant. Titanium alloy implants (1.5 x 8 mm) were placed in the proximal tibiae of animals. Implants were harvested at 2, 7, 14, and 24 days and examined histologically. Bone or bone-like tissue adjacent to implants was quantified as a percent. Data were compared using a two-way analysis is variance (ANOVA) with time and treatment as primary independent factors. RESULTS Time and treatment were significant factors in predicting bone response to implants (P<0.0001). Mean bone volume peaked at day 7 and decreased over time to day 24. Mean bone volume percent at 2, 7, 14, and 24 days (+/-SD) was 8.2 (+/-8), 22.9 (+/-8), 18.8 (+/-10), and 14.9 (+/-9), respectively. Mean total bone volume percent (adjusted for day) for control, diabetic, and insulin groups (+/-SD) was 12.4 (+/-9), 22.6 (+/-10), and 17 (+/-7), respectively. Bone volume adjacent to implants in diabetic rats was significantly greater than controls (P<0.05). Diabetic animals treated with insulin were not statistically different from controls. CONCLUSIONS Induction of diabetes with STZ is associated with increased bone response compared with controls. This response was mediated by treatment with insulin.
Association between cupular deposits and otosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether otosclerosis is an underlying mechanism for the production of cupular deposits and to study the association between cupular deposits and dysequilibrium in otosclerosis. DESIGN Retrospective human temporal bone (TB) study. The incidence of cupular deposits in these 70 TBs was analyzed. Correlations between cupular deposits and vestibular symptoms, endosteal involvement of the otosclerotic focus, stapedial fixation, and clinical history of stapes surgery were evaluated. SETTING Otolaryngology laboratory in a tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS The study material consisted of 35 human TBs with otosclerosis and 35 age-matched controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Morphometric evaluations of the incidence of cupular deposits, endosteal involvement of the otosclerotic focus, and stapedial fixation were made by light microscopy. Clinical records were reviewed retrospectively for clinical history of stapes surgery and prevalence of vestibular symptoms. The incidence of cupular deposits was compared between the otosclerotic and control groups. Correlations between cupular deposits and vestibular symptoms, endosteal involvement of the otosclerotic focus, stapedial fixation, and clinical history of stapes surgery were evaluated in the subjects with otosclerosis. RESULTS The incidence of cupular deposits in TBs with otosclerosis was significantly higher than in those without whereas there was no correlation between the incidence of the deposits and dysequilibrium in cases of otosclerosis. An increase in deposits did not correlate with stapedial fixation, stapes surgery, or endosteal involvement. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest otosclerosis as an underlying mechanism for the production of cupular deposits; however, we did not find an association between these deposits and vestibular symptoms.
Type of Test-meal Affects Palatability and Eating Style in Humans

Effects of palatability on the meal as a whole or the microstructure of meals are often inconsistent or even divergent. Is this attributable to the nature of the test meals? In the present study, three frequently used types of meals were offered to seven normal-weight women: conventional courses, sandwiches and semi-liquid items. Each meal was composed of four items of either high or medium-low palatability. The type of meal appeared to be the major factor determining the level of palatability and of every dependent variable. Energy intake was influenced by palatability level in conventional meals only. The microstructure of meals was responsive to palatability only in sandwich and semi-liquid meals. The data suggest that palatability effects are detectable beyond a minimum threshold. In addition, characteristics of eating style appeared to be very stable within individuals across meal types and palatability conditions.