Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of plasmids that encode streptomycin‐resistance in bacterial epiphytes of apple

Streptomycin resistance in strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. papulans, Pantoea agglomerans and a yellow‐pigmented, non‐fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. (Py), isolated from apple orchards in New York and Washington states, is predominantly associated with strA‐strB genes carried on conjugal plasmids (R plasmids). None of 128 resistant Erwinia amylovora strains from the eastern and western USA hybridized with a strA‐strB probe, SMP3. Resistant Py strains transfered R plasmids to Ps. syringae pv. papulans and to Py in vitro at frequencies of 10−1–10−2 per recipient cell whereas Ps. syringae pv. papulans transferred its plasmids at frequencies of 10−2 to below detectable levels. Transfer of R plasmids to P. agglomerans was not detected and resistant P. agglomerans did not transfer their R plasmids to any recipients. R plasmids were found to be highly diverse as measured by DNA fingerprint analysis. Transfer‐deficient transposon mutants of R plasmid pCPP519 were generated, and 3·9 kb EcoRI and 3·0 kb SmaI fragments that hybridized with a Tn5 probe were cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequences of the 3·9 kb fragment were similar to proteins involved in replication, nicking at oriT, and piliation in other bacteria.
Experience Advantages and Entry Dynamics

Abstract We consider an extension of Dixit and Shapiro′s model of uncoordinated entry dynamics to the case when there are experience advantages: each firm′s payoff from being in the market increases with past experience, measured by the number of periods it has previously been active. We select an equilibrium which satisfies a number of reasonable properties and provide the exact bounds for the long-run number of active firms, which is a random variable. These bounds correspond to generalized no entry–no exit conditions. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Number: L10.
European integration and the dynamic process of investments and divestments of foreign TNCs in Greece

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to analyse how European integration shapes the locational decisions of foreign transnational corporations (TNCs). Design/methodology/approach – The paper concentrates on foreign direct investment (FDI) in the European Union (EU) and highlight the case of Greece. The investigation is based on a wide original sample of 199 foreign industrial subsidiaries operating in Greece. In particular, the paper reveals the dynamic investment and divestment strategies of TNCs in the host economy, which have taken place in the context of the reduction of EU market fragmentation and barriers to entry.Findings – The empirical results suggest, that, in general, the participation of Greece in the EU has not increased the attractiveness of the country as a production base for TNCs. In fact, Greece did neither manage to attract considerable amounts of export oriented foreign investment nor did it receive much efficiency seeking FDI.Research limitations/implications – The findings show for t.
Tracking demand – an early audit of Australia’s new student demand driven system

In 2012, Australian universities entered a new era of student selection and enrolment. Australia's universities are now able to enrol as many students as they choose (or to be more precise, as choose them) under a funding system driven by student demand. This Joining the Dots Research Briefing explores the changes that have occurred in the system over the few years since this funding arrangement was announced. This involves an early audit of the figures for 2012 in relation to those of the past six years, followed by some discussion of the consequences of student demand driven funding for the higher education system.
Do Respondents Report Willingness-to-Pay on a per Person or per Group Basis? A High Mountain Recreation Example

Contingent valuation methodology (CVM) studies often use dichotomous choice willingness-to-pay (WTP) questions to measure the value that visitors place on recreation. This study assesses whether individuals respond to WTP questions on an individual or a group basis and whether reported WTP values are affected by changes in wording to address this issue explicitly. The authors' analysis reveals statistically significant differences in mean WTP when the payment vehicle is worded more generally, compared to specific language questioning respondents about increases in their share of the cost. Further, dividing the WTP from the standard CVM survey language by group size did not restore the equality of individual average WTP. These results indicate that payment vehicle language in recreation studies should go to great lengths to ask explicitly for either individual or group WTP, to ensure that accurate WTP estimates are obtained.
Value co-creation via information and communications technology

The aims of the present work centre on determining whether co-created value constitutes a competitive advantage for firms, and whether it is capable of influencing consumer behaviour. Applying the service-dominant logic perspective, the work examines the firm's capabilities in the context of its business-to-customer (B2C) interactions, focusing on information and communications technology (ICT) as a particular driver of value co-creation. Taking this B2C perspective, ICT is measured, from the firm's point of view, and customer perceptions are analysed, using the variables ‘value co-creation’, ‘perceived value’ and ‘loyalty’. The sample consists of 100 service firms and 572 of their customers. The findings indicate that ICT capabilities have a direct effect on value co-creation, as does value co-creation on perceived value and loyalty.
Deprenyl in Parkinson's disease

half-life of 40 days [3]. Assuming a 40-day half-life for recovery, a 2-month washout would be expected to result in a persistence of 35% inhibition of MAO B activity. Since the effects of partial M A 0 B inhibition are not known, it remains a possibility that the results of Oianow and colleagues [I] may be due to a symptomatic effect of L-deprenyl due to incomplete recovery of the enzyme at the end of a 2month washout. We appreciate that a drug withdrawal period of several months (which would be required for complete M A 0 B recovery) may not be in the best interest of the patients.
A Proteogenomic Survey of the Medicago truncatula Genome*

Peptide sequencing by computational assignment of tandem mass spectra to a database of putative protein sequences provides an independent approach to confirming or refuting protein predictions based on large-scale DNA and RNA sequencing efforts. This use of mass spectrometrically-derived sequence data for testing and refining predicted gene models has been termed proteogenomics. We report herein the application of proteogenomic methodology to a database of 10.9 million tandem mass spectra collected over a period of two years from proteolytically generated peptides isolated from the model legume Medicago truncatula. These spectra were searched against a database of predicted M. truncatula protein sequences generated from public databases, in silico gene model predictions, and a whole-genome six-frame translation. This search identified 78,647 distinct peptide sequences, and a comparison with the publicly available proteome from the recently published M. truncatula genome supported translation of 9,843 existing gene models and identified 1,568 novel peptides suggesting corrections or additions to the current annotations. Each supporting and novel peptide was independently validated using mRNA-derived deep sequencing coverage and an overall correlation of 93% between the two data types was observed. We have additionally highlighted examples of several aspects of structural annotation for which tandem MS provides unique evidence not easily obtainable through typical DNA or RNA sequencing. Proteogenomic analysis is a valuable and unique source of information for the structural annotation of genomes and should be included in such efforts to ensure that the genome models used by biologists mirror as accurately as possible what is present in the cell.
Winners and Losers of Financial Crises: Evidence from Individuals and Firms

We use a comprehensive employer-employee dataset from German social security records and commercial bank data to examine the impact of an exogenous shock to bank capital on individual workers' careers. German regional banks' trading losses from exposure to U.S. mortgage-backed securities cause a large contraction in the supply of capital to private firms in banks' exclusive geographic domains. Workers in affected establishments suffer persistent earnings losses of over €1,500 per year and experience three more weeks in unemployment than workers employed in unaffected establishments. Affected establishments limit the layoffs but cut hiring, especially into vocational training programs. Employees who are most negatively affected by the shocks include the unskilled, less educated, and less experienced workers with shorter tenures. ∗ We appreciate comments from Charles Brown, Susan Collins, Christopher House, Matthew Shapiro, conference participants at the 5 BU/Boston Fed Conference on Macro-Finance Linkages, CES ifo Conference on Macroeconomics and Survey Data (Munich), European Economic Association Meetings (Mannheim), SWISS Winter Conference on Financial Intermediation (Lenzerheide), CSEF-EIEF-SITE Conference on Finance and Labor (Rome), and seminar participants at the University of Michigan’s Finance-Economics seminar and the Economics seminar at Ryerson University. We thank Stephan Grießemer from the Institute for Employment Research for support with the data sampling. This research was in part supported by NSF grant SES-1326365. E-mails: daniela.hochfellner@iab.de, joshua.montes@cbo.gov, dsosyura@umich.edu, schmalz@umich.edu. The views expressed in this paper are the authors’ and should not be interpreted as the views of the Congressional Budget Office or the National Science Foundation. 1
Ownership structures of norwegian foreign subsidiaries in manufacturing

This article explores how Norwegian multinational companies select ownership structures for their foreign manufacturing subsidiaries. Hypotheses are drawn from various theoretical perspectives on the choice of wholly owned versus partly owned affiliates. The hypotheses are tested on a sample of 174 foreign direct investments made by Norwegian companies. One main finding is that political risk of the host country strongly increases the probability that ownership of a foreign subsidiary is shared. The results also suggest that cultural distance between the home and the host countries leads to a higher propensity to joint venture. Other results were less conclusive and little support was found for a transaction coast approach to choice of ownership structures.
Assessing the Economic Development of Nature Tourism

Nature tourism is increasingly being considered as an economic development opportunity for rural areas of the Great Plains. As rural communities seek to develop nature tourism, questions regarding the attributes and interests of the nature tourist arise. This study sought to address these questions through a survey of participants at a birding festival held in central North Dakota in June 2004. The festival participants were predominately from outside the local area, and most of these visitors were from out of state. The festival participants were middle-aged and highly educated, and had relatively high income. The visitors spent an average of three nights in the local area, with an average local expenditure of $160 per person. The visitors enjoyed the festival and the area; almost all would recommend the birding festival to a friend. The potential for growth of nature tourism in the area appears substantial.
Hotel Guests' Cumulative Satisfaction Updating Process in the Context of Service Failure and Service Recovery

ABSTRACT Consumers constantly revise their satisfaction judgments as they gain new service experience. While some researchers found that consumers weigh their prior cumulative experience more heavily than their most current individual service encounters when updating their cumulative overall satisfaction, others found the opposite result. Following the development of the literature, this study investigated customers' satisfaction updating process in the context of service failure and service recovery in the hotel industry. The results of the data analysis show that when updating overall satisfaction, participants weighed their current service encounter satisfaction more heavily than prior cumulative overall satisfaction, regardless of different levels of service failure and service recovery. The findings of this research also suggest that once customers experience service problems, it is difficult to bring customers' satisfaction level back to where it was.
Profile of Central Nervous System Disease in HIV/AIDS Patients With Special Reference to Cryptococcal Infections

Objectives:Central nervous system involvement is common in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), with Cryptococcus neoformans being an important cause among etiologies causing fungal meningitis. Seventeen human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive adults with symptoms of chronic meningitis were investigated for fungal meningitis because of C. neoformans and a correlation was attempted with the CD4 counts of these patients. Methods:Cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples were collected for direct microscopy, culture, and serology. CD4 counts were determined by flow cytometry. Results:Cryptococcal meningitis was seen in 5 (29.4%) patients, tubercular meningitis in 9 (52.9%) patients, HIV encephalopathy in 2 (11.7%), and cerebral toxoplasmosis in 1 patient. In patients with Cryptococcal meningitis both methods, ie, an India ink preparation and Gram staining gave similar results. Culture was positive in 3 patients (60%) whereas Cryptococcal antigen in cerebrospinal fluid was positive in 4 (80%) patients. The mean CD4 count was 120 ± 55.13 cells/&mgr;L. Conclusion:The study provides information about the increasing incidence of Cryptococcal meningitis after the AIDS pandemic. It indicates progression of HIV infection toward AIDS and is useful as a reference to starting antiretroviral therapy in settings where facilities for determination of CD4 counts are not available. It also confirms that the course of Cryptococcal meningitis in Indian patients is similar to most studies.
The acute‐phase protein α1‐acid glycoprotein (AGP) induces rises in cytosolic Ca2+ in neutrophil granulocytes via sialic acid binding immunoglobulin‐like lectins (Siglecs)

We studied whether the acute‐phase protein α1‐acid glycoprotein (AGP) induces rises in [Ca2+]i in neutrophils and sought to identify the corresponding AGP receptor (or receptors). We found that AGP elicited a minimal rise in [Ca2+]i in Fura‐2‐loaded neutrophils, and this response was markedly enhanced by pretreatment with anti‐L‐selectin antibodies. (The EC50 value of the AGP‐induced Ca2+ response was 9 μg/ml.) Activation of phospholipase‐C, Src tyrosine kinases, and PI3 kinases proved to be essential for the AGP‐mediated increase in [Ca2+]i, whereas the p38 MAPK and SYK signaling pathways were not involved. Furthermore, antibodies against sialic acid binding, immunoglobulin‐like lectin 5 (Siglec‐5) and oligosac‐charide 3′‐sialyl‐lactose both antagonized the AGP‐in‐duced response and caused an immediate increase in [Ca2+]i in anti‐L‐selectin‐treated neutrophils, which indicates a signaling capacity of Siglec‐5. We used modified forms of AGP (treated with mild periodate or neuraminidase) to establish the importance of sialic acid residues. The modified forms of AGP caused a much smaller rise in [Ca2+]i than did unaltered AGP. Affinity chromatography confirmed that unchanged AGP, but not neuraminidase‐treated AGP, bound to Siglec‐5. Our report provides the first evidence for a signaling capacity by AGP through a defined receptor. Pre‐engagement of L‐selectin significantly enhanced this signaling capacity. — Gunnarsson, P., Levander, L. , Påhlsson, P., Grenegård, M. The acute‐phase protein α1‐acid glycoprotein (AGP) induces rises in cytosolic Ca2+ in neutrophil granulocytes via sialic acid binding immunoglobulin‐like lectins (Siglecs). FASEB J. 21, 4059–4069 (2007)
China of the Chinese

A solution to get the problem off, have you found it? Really? What kind of solution do you resolve the problem? From what sources? Well, there are so many questions that we utter every day. No matter how you will get the solution, it will mean better. You can take the reference from some books. And the china of the chinese is one book that we really recommend you to read, to get more solutions in solving this problem.
Activos y recursos de la población pobre en Chile

The central pourpose of this research is to examine the links between asset holdings and poverty for the Chilean economy. The first section presents a review of previous poverty studies for Chile and offers a revised view of the evolution and characteristic of poverty in the last decade, including previously unpublished long term measurement data for Santiago. The second section analyses the relation between human capital and poverty for 1987 and 1996. This analysis is based on a careful estimation household assets through a valuation of available endowments for working age individuals, and corrected by labor participation choices. Evidence on the inter-generational transmission mechanism for assets is also presented on the basis of schools educational achievement. // El objetivo central de esta investigacion es examinar los vinculos entre la tenencia de activos y la condicion de pobreza en el caso de la economia chilena. La seccion I presenta antecedentes de estudios previos de la pobreza en Chile y ofrece un panorama actualizado de las caracteristicas y evolucion de la pobreza en el pasado decenio, incluyendo una serie inedita de largo plazo para la variable en el caso de Santiago. La seccion II analiza la relacion entre capital humano y la pobreza durante 1987 y 1996. Esta ultima se basa en una cuidadosa estimacion del activo de los hogares a partir de la valoracion de la dotacion disponible en cada individuo en edad de trabajar y corregida por la decision de participacion laboral. Tambien se muestra evidencia de la transmision intergeneracional del activo sobre la base del estudio de los logros educativos de las escuelas a las cuales asisten los ninos en edad escolar.
Towards a deeper understanding of managerial green investment patterns – a USA–Germany comparison

Green investments are crucial mechanisms for translating green operation strategies into managerial action. We examine the impact of external pressures on green investment patterns in terms of their scope, type and time horizon across 251 German and US managers. A scenario-based experiment was conducted using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design in which managers were assigned to high and low consumer, community, and resource treatment groups before being asked to make green investment decisions. Our hypotheses are developed based on resource advantage theory and tested in a number of regression models. The results demonstrate that German and US managers respond differently to external pressures in their green investment decisions. Regarding the scope of green investments, German and US managers invest differently if end consumer pressure increases and partially differently if resource scarcity increases, but they act in a similar way if community pressure increases. Moreover, we detected specific variations in the type and time horizon of green investments across US and German managers. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings for green operations management research and for firms operating in multinational settings are explained.
Work, Welfare, and Family Structure: What Have We Learned?

Welfare reform has once again made its way to the top of the domestic policy agenda. While part of the motivation behind recent reform efforts is fiscally driven, there is also an interest in making changes that address two prominent criticisms of the existing system of public assistance in the United States. First, the system has significant, adverse work incentives. Second, the system discourages the formation of two-parent families and is responsible in a major part for the high and rising rates of female headship and out-of-wedlock birth rates. This paper explores the validity of these criticisms using available empirical evidence and in turn evaluates the impact of various reforms to the system. The programs examined include Aid to Families with Dependent Children Food Stamps and Medicaid programs. The paper relies on evidence based on three sources of variation in welfare policy: cross-state variation, over time variation, and demonstration projects at the state level. The paper concludes that current reforms aimed at reducing female headship and nonmarital births such as family caps, eliminating benefits for teens, and equal treatment of two-parent families are unlikely to create large effects. Changes to implicit tax rates and benefit formulas may increase work among current recipients, but overall work effort may not be affected. These predictions should be accompanied by a word of caution. Many of the proposed changes have never been implemented at the state or federal level and require out of sample predictions. Current state experimentation may help fill this gap.
Assessment of target-organ damage in adolescent white-coat and sustained hypertensives

Aims and scope The aim of the present study was to assess whether a difference exists between intima–media thickness and the left ventricular mass index in healthy nonhypertensive, white-coat hypertensive and sustained hypertensive adolescents. Patients and methods Fifty-nine normotensive and 120 hypertensive adolescents were enrolled in our study. Hypertensive patients were classified into white-coat hypertension (WCH) and sustained hypertension groups based on 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurements. Both normotensive and hypertensive individuals underwent routine laboratory tests, intima–media thickness measurements on the common carotid arteries and transthoracic echocardiography to measure the left ventricular mass index (LVMI). Results Intima–media thickness was higher both in WCH and sustained hypertension compared with healthy normotensive individuals (controls: 0.048 ± 0.01 cm, WCH: 0.056 ± 0.01 cm, sustained hypertension: 0.054 ± 0.012 cm, both P < 0.001 compared with controls, nonsignificant difference between the two hypertensive groups). There was no difference between the LVMI of control individuals and WCH (LVMI: 35.5 ± 10.3 g/m2.7 and 37.7 ± 11.2 g/m2.7 respectively, P = 0.87). LVMI in sustained hypertension group (LVMI: 44.1 ± 14.1 g/m2.7) was significantly higher both compared with WCH (P < 0.05), and healthy adolescents (P < 0.001). Conclusion Target-organ damage develops in a stepwise fashion in adolescent hypertension. An increased intima–media thickness can be demonstrated not only in the sustained but also in the white-coat form of adolescent hypertension.
The Case for Antitrust Enforcement

This paper provides evidence of the necessity and success of antitrust enforcement. It begins with examples of socially beneficial antitrust challenges by the federal antitrust agencies to price-fixing and other forms of collusion; to mergers that appear likely to harm competition; and to monopolists that use anticompetitive exclusionary practices to obtain or maintain their market power. It then reviews systematic empirical evidence on the value of antitrust derived from informal experiments involving the behavior of U.S. firms during periods without effective antitrust enforcement, and the behavior of firms across different national antitrust regimes. Overall, it concludes, the benefits of antitrust enforcement to consumers and social welfare--particularly in deterring the harms from anticompetitive conduct across the economy--appear to be far larger than what the government spends on antitrust enforcement and firms spend directly or indirectly on antitrust compliance.