Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential accumulation of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris proteins during the interaction with the host plant: Contributions of an in vivo system

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) is the causal agent of black rot, a highly destructive disease that affects all brassicas. This work aimed to study the interaction Xcc–Brassica oleracea using an in vivo system in an attempt to identify proteins involved in pathogenicity. We used label‐free shotgun 2D‐nanoUPLC/MSE to analyze Xcc proteins in three conditions: in the interaction with susceptible (REK) and resistant (REU) plants and in culture medium (control condition). A model of Xcc–susceptible host interaction is proposed and shows that Xcc increases the abundance of several crucial proteins for infection and cell protection. In this study, we also confirmed the differential expression by qPCR analysis of selected genes. This is the first report showing a large‐scale identification of proteins in an in vivo host plant condition. Considering that most studies involving phytopathogens are in vitro (growth in culture medium or in plant extract), this work contributes with relevant information related to the plant–pathogen interaction in planta.
Adoption of Activity Management Practices in Public Sector Organizations

This paper examines the extent to which activity management practices are adopted by Australian public sector organizations at each of Gosselin's (1997) levels of Activity Analysis, Activity Cost Analysis, and Activity-based Costing. The present paper replicates Baird et al. (2004), thereby enabling a comparison of the extent of adoption of activity management in the public sector with that reported in the private sector in Baird et al. (2004). The results reveal that the adoption of higher level activity management practices (Activity Cost Analysis and Activity-based Costing) is less prevalent in public sector organizations, whereas they adopt Activity Analysis to the same extent as the private sector.
An empirical analysis of the efficiency of online auction IPO processes and traditional IPO processes

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the online auction mechanism in the USA is more effective at pricing initial public offerings (IPOs) than the traditional book building process. Design/methodology/approach - The analysis compares the performance of online auction IPOs with traditional IPOs issued in the same industry area and in the same year to assess the differences in first day mispricing and its persistence. The paper compares the characteristics of firms choosing the auction process relative to the traditional process. It also uses regression models to examine whether online auction IPOs had a significantly lower first day price increase than traditional IPOs. Findings - The results indicate that for 60 percent of the auction IPOs, over 40 percent of the traditional IPOs issued in that year and in that three-digit Standard Industry Classification (SIC) area had greater mispricing. The mispricing of online auction IPOs relative to traditional IPOs persist over time for 50-80 percent of online auction IPOs. Regression analyses controlling for industry effects, year effects, size of the issue, and type of traditional underwriter (low, medium, and high volume underwriters) suggest that the auction's first day price surges are not significantly lower than those of traditional underwriters. Moreover, high volume traditional underwriters have statistically significantly higher first day price surges than low volume traditional underwriters, supporting the theory that they intentionally misprice to benefit their preferred clients. Firms choosing the auction process tend to be smaller in terms of the number of shares of their IPO and their annual sales than firms choosing the traditional IPO process. There is some overlap in industry sector and age, although this varies by year. Originality/value - This paper suggests that the auction process may not be as efficient in pricing IPOs as was initially intended and that there are opportunities for further innovation and improvement.
Community-Government Partnership and Sustainability of Rural Water Programmes in Anambra State, Nigeria

In a Multi-Indicator survey published in 2013 by the National Bureau of statistics, has shown that over 70 million Nigerians have no access to safe water and thereby projecting Nigeria as the third globally ranked number of people without access to safe water. However, the Nigerian constitution as contained in the second Draft of the National water Resources Bill of April 2007 accords jurisdiction over rural water supply to states in conjunction with the benefitting communities. The unbalanced community-government partnership in relinquishing responsibilities in terms of ownership, control, improved service delivery and as well as provision of the required technical know-how, has become a principal factor constraining sustainable rural water projects in Anambra State for so long. It is evident from a deductive rational survey with what is obtainable in Nigerian rural water projects as against 2007 constitutional provision that disclosed dormant rural water policy propagation across the states and its docile forms of practice. Rural water projects are dynamic in nature, the choice and use of good management approach or combination of approaches is always circumspect. Community-government partnership is a worthwhile management approach that acquaint with the strength and weaknesses inherent in other management methods, and is able to use these effectively and circumspectly. This paper takes detailed explanations at factors weighing-down the success of a sustainable water provision in the rural communities in the State. We proffered a prolific approach to contain the plaguing constraints in the essential elements of planning, participation, project implementation and water policies of the State. The idea in community-government partnership is to strike a balance where the objectives of having sustainable rural water projects are achieved through proactive co-operation. Keywords : Community-government partnership, Rural water supply, Sustainability.
Firm performance and alliance capability: the mediating role of culture

Purpose – Extant literature has looked at the effect of alliance capability and organizational culture on alliance portfolio performance, but the relationship between the two has not been explored. The purpose of this paper is to explore the hypothesis that an alliance supportive culture is not only fostered by a firm’s alliance capabilities, but that it mediates the relationship between capabilities and performance. Design/methodology/approach – Survey responses from 190 alliance managers, collected using a two-stage process, were analyzed to investigate the interrelationship of firm-level alliance capability, alliance supportive culture and portfolio performance. Findings – Alliance supportive culture was found to mediate the relationship between alliance capability and alliance portfolio performance. This finding suggests that in order to effectively manage a firm’s portfolio of alliances, the benefits of alliance capability must be transferred broadly into the organization’s cultural orientation towar.
Public Service Motivation and Attraction to Public Versus Private Sector Employment: Academic Field of Study as Moderator?

ABSTRACT Despite extensive public service motivation (PSM) research, our knowledge of PSM's influence on individuals’ sector employment preferences is limited. Few studies examine this relationship by suitable research designs, and the empirical findings are mixed. Using a sample of 718 Danish students of economics, political science, and law, this article tests (1) the relationship between PSM and attraction to public versus private sector employment and (2) the moderating effect on this relationship of students’ academic field of study. Overall, results underscore the multidimensionality of the PSM construct, as the PSM dimension of “public interest” is positively associated with attraction to public sector employment and negatively associated with attraction to private sector employment, while the PSM dimension of “compassion” is unrelated to both. Importantly, however, moderation analyses reveal notable correlation differences across students’ academic fields. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of prior and future research.
Agricultural Biotechnology Adoption in Developing Countries

Over the last ten years, modern agricultural biotechnology has been adopted rapidly at the global level, including in several developing countries. This trend has been most apparent for genetically modified (GM) crops. While the first GM crops were officially commercialized in the United States in 1995, in 2004 GM crops were already grown by more than 8 million farmers in seventeen countries on a total area of 81 million hectares (James). This is the fastest diffusion of any new crop technology in the history of humankind. The most widely used GM technologies involve herbicide tolerance (HT) applied in soybean and canola, and insect resistance, based on genes isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), applied in maize and cotton. Recent studies about the agronomic and economic impacts demonstrate that on average adopting farmers benefit from income increases through reduced pest control costs and higher effective yields (Carpenter et al.; Traxler et al.; Pray et al.; Morse, Bennett, and Ismael, Thirtle et al.; Qaim and Zilberman, Qaim and de Janvry 2005; Qaim and Traxler). These studies even suggest that the farm-level benefits tend to be bigger in developing than in developed countries.
Employee Startups in High‐Tech Industries

Various theories that can account for employees leaving incumbent firms to start their own firms in the same industry are discussed. The theories are evaluated using evidence from three new and one old study of such employee startups in high-tech industries and from studies of high-tech and high-growth startups of all kinds. A new, evolutionary-based theory that builds on and extends existing theories is sketched out to provide a novel interpretation of the evidence. Copyright 2001 by Oxford University Press.
Productive Recessions and Jobless Recoveries

type="main" xml:id="coep12096-abs-0001"> We explore international variation in business cycle dynamics to gain insights into the recent pattern of robust productivity growth during downturns (productive recessions) and weak employment growth during recoveries (jobless recoveries) seen in some advanced economies. We find that sectoral change is associated with productive recessions but that labor market rigidity can impede reallocation and reduce the probability of a productive recession. We also find evidence of a link between productive recessions and jobless recoveries and that recessions dominated by reductions to employment, rather than changes in average employee hours, are more likely to be associated with jobless recoveries . ( JEL F44, E32)
Bargaining Theory, Trade Unions, and Industrial Strike Activity

The purpose of this paper is to examine certain received theories of the firm, trade union behavior, and bargaining in order to derive testable implications concerning the conditions under which labor disputes are more likely to occur. There are at least three reasons why an investigation of industrial strike activity seems fruitful. First, it might be argued that, because of their relatively frequent disruption of key sectors of the economy, work stoppages are the most important public policy issue raised by the existence of trade unions. It would therefore be useful to know whether, as Hicks thought, " . the majority of actual strikes are doubtless the result of faulty negotiation" [18, p. 146] or whether they are an inevitable part of the functioning of an institutionalized market economy. Although it has long been known that the level of strike activity follows the business cycle [23] [20] [29], this leaves open the questions of the behavioral relations involved and their stability over time. Second, data on industrial disputes provide a potentially rich source of material for testing the implications of bargaining theories which purport to explain the outcome of labor-management negotiations. ' Yet little work seems to have been done to date on the application of bargaining theoretic models to nonexperimeiltal data. A third reason for undertaking a study of this problem stems from the continuing interest in the effect of unions upon both the relative wage structure and the rate of change of aggregate money wages. Most union "power" is derived from the threat of the strike, and, accordingly, we agree with Charles Holt's recent suggestion that ". the theory and analysis of industrial disputes may belp to clarify the role that unions play in the determination of wages" [19, p. 50].
Optimized bacterial expression of myocilin proteins and functional comparison of bacterial and eukaryotic myocilins.

PURPOSE To maximize the expression level of myocilin and its truncated proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and to examine the biological effects of bacterially expressed myocilin as compared to eukaryotic myocilin on cultured human trabecular meshwork (TM) cells. METHODS Myocilin full length (1-504 amino acids) and two truncated proteins, myocilin 1-270 and 271-504, were expressed and purified from an E. coli strain, Rosetta2(DE3)pLysS. The eukaryotic myocilin was purified from cultured medium of a transformed TM cell line (TM5) transduced with feline immunodeficiency virus that contains an internal cassette expressing full length myocilin. The morphology and adhesion of human TM cells plated either on fibronectin alone or on fibronectin/purified myocilin mixtures were assessed by phase contrast microscopy. Actin cytoskeleton was examined using Oregon Green phalloidin. Immunofluorescence staining for paxillin was also performed. RESULTS The expression of full length and truncated myocilin proteins in Rosetta2(DE3)pLysS was markedly increased especially when the bacteria were grown in media supplemented with 1.0% glucose. Cell adhesion was impaired and microspikes were formed when TM cells were plated onto fibronectin/bacterial full length myocilin mixtures. Loss of actin stress fibers and focal adhesions was also observed. This myocilin phenotype was also seen with myocilin 1-270, but not with myocilin 271-504. The eukaryotic full length myocilin produced nearly identical de-adhesive effects as those of the bacterially expressed myocilin. CONCLUSIONS The condition for a high level expression of full length and truncated myocilins in E. coli was optimized. The bacterial and eukaryotic recombinant full length myocilin produced similar biological consequence on TM cells. The myocilin phenotype appears to be largely due to the NH(2)-terminal half of the protein.
Natural environmental disclosures: strategic responses by Port Moresby Stock Exchange entities

This paper discusses the components of a simplified natural environment disclosure (NED) index that accommodates a developing country setting, and examines the level of NED in annual reports of all Port Moresby Stock Exchange (POMSoX) entities of Papua New Guinea for 2002. The results of the study found a low level of NED consistent with what Brown and Tower (2002) coin a traditional reporting model, although POMSoX entities showed a much higher level of NED than their Pacific Island Country counterparts. A number of conventional accounting predictors were put forward to explain the level of NED. None of the predictors explained aggregated NED, but some of the predictors, most notably stock exchange listing, explained some individual components of NED. The very low level of NED flies in the face of much natural environmental regulation in PNG. Clearly, POMSoX regulations, POMSoX entities and international accounting advisers need to focus on the reporting of natural environmental issues if environmental accounting is to take shape in this part of the developing world. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Investor Sentiment and Stock Price: Evidence from India

The impact of investor sentiment on stock market price has been a subject of long standing interest to both economists and practitioners. Following the theoretical argument of behavioral asset pricing, recent literature confirms the possible linkage between the aggregate investor sentiment and stock returns. In this paper we examine the causal relationship between investor sentiment index constructed from various market related implicit proxies, and aggregate stock market indices such as BSE sensex and NSE Nifty indices. The Johansen co-integration test is applied to measure the long-term relationship between the sentiment index and market indices and Error Correction Method has been used to check the short-term relationship between the two variables. Granger causality test is used to check the causal relationship between them. Our results suggest that, given the evidence of comovements of sentiment and market index there is significant long-run and short-run relationship between the two indices. Consistent with the existing literature which suggest that the sentiment effect is a short-run phenomena, our findings gives an indication that long term investment strategy can effectively mitigate the sentiment risk. The results for causality test suggest that there exist a unidirectional causal relationship between the sentiment index and market indices.
Mucosal eosinophilia and recurrence of nasal polyps - new classification of chronic rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND Eosinophils and nasal polyps are believed to affect the surgical outcome of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). CRS is classified based on the presence of nasal polyps in western countries. The majority of patients with CRS with nasal polyps (CRS with NP) are characterized by predominantly eosinophilic inflammation. However, Asian patients with CRS with NP show characteristics indicative of neutrophilic inflammation. Therefore, are eosinophils or nasal polyps more important for the classification of CRS? METHODS A prospective cohort study conducted from April 2007 to March 2008 classified patients with CRS based on the presence of nasal polyps and mucosal eosinophilia. The recurrence rate of nasal polyps was compared between the groups. Recurrence rate was analysed as a time-dependent variable by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS Eosinophilic inflammation was found in 59.6% of patients with CRS with NP. Patients with mucosal eosinophilia had higher polyp recurrence rate than patients without mucosal eosinophilia, whereas patients with nasal polyps did not have higher polyp recurrence rate than patients without nasal polyps. CONCLUSIONS Presence of mucosal eosinophilia is a more important factor than nasal polyps for classifying CRS in terms of the surgical outcome.
Are Stock Splits Credible Signals? Evidence from Short-Interest Data

We propose the change in short interest as a new metric of the signaling strength of a corporate event. If an event signals positive information, short interest should decline at the event announcement. We study short interest around stock split announcements made by NYSE firms during 1990-94. Short interest does not decline around stock splits, which suggests that the typical split does not convey a positive signal. However, short interest declines for the subset of the sample characterized by favorable industry-adjusted pre-split performance. Short interest increases significantly for firms that experience post-split liquidity improvements.
Holding on to the Losers: Finnish Evidence

Recent literature reports evidence on investor behavior that is inconsistent with traditional finance theory. One currently being debated is behavioral irrationality, the tendency of investors to hold losing investments too long and sell winning investments too soon, a phenomenon known as the disposition effect. We analyze the trading records of all individual investors in the Finnish stock market and document that capital losses reduce the selling propensity of investors. There is, however, no opposite effect identifiable with respect to capital gains. We also find, somewhat surprisingly, that both positive and negative historical returns significantly reinforce the negative association between the selling propensity of investors and capital losses. While these findings offer no direct support for the disposition effect, they do suggest that investors are loss averse.
Sirolimus increases transforming growth factor-beta1 expression and potentiates chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity.

BACKGROUND Sirolimus (SRL) is increasingly being used to decrease cyclosporine (CsA) exposure. SRL is not known to be nephrotoxic and has a mechanism of action distinct from CsA. We investigated the effect of combining CsA and SRL on renal structure and function and on transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in a model of chronic CsA nephrotoxicity. METHODS Rats treated with vehicle, SRL 0.3 mg/kg/day, CsA 5 or 10 mg/kg/day, or CsA5+SRL were sacrificed at 7 or 28 days. Physiologic and histologic changes were studied in addition to TGF-beta1 mRNA and protein expressions, and mRNA expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and ECM proteins biglycan and types I and IV collagen. RESULTS While SRL alone did not alter renal function and structure, it potentiated the nephrotoxic actions of CsA when used in combination with low-dose CsA5 and resulted in significant changes similar to high-dose CsA10. In addition, SRL alone increased TGF-beta1 by 44% to 49% (P < 0.05 vs. VH). When used in combination with low-dose CsA5, SRL potentiated TGF-beta1 mRNA and protein by 121% and 176%, respectively (P < 0.05 vs. VH and CsA5), to levels achieved with high-dose CsA10. The expression of the ECM proteins followed that of TGF-beta1; a similar effect was observed with PAI-1, suggesting a decrease in ECM degradation. CONCLUSION Because SRL augments nephrotoxicity, caution should be exercised when it is used in combination with CsA. More studies are needed to determine the long-term clinical impact of SRL on nephrotoxicity and allograft function.
A Haploid Expressed Gene Cluster Exists as a Single Chromatin Domain in Human Sperm (*)

Mammalian spermiogenesis is marked by the initial disruption of the nuclear-histone-DNA complex by the transition proteins for ultimate replacement with protamines. The genes for three of these low molecular weight basic nuclear proteins exist as a single linear array of PRM1, PRM2, and TNP2 on human chromosome 16p13.2. To begin to address the mechanism governing their transcriptional potentiation, a region of ∼40 kilobases of the human genome encompassing these genes was introduced into the germ line of mice. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and Southern analysis showed that this segment of the human genome integrated into independent chromosomal sites while maintaining its fidelity. Transcript analysis demonstrated that the expression of the endogenous mouse protamine Prm1 and Prm2 genes as well as the mouse transition protein Tnp2 gene were expressed along with their human transgene counterparts. The pattern of expression of these transgenic human genes within this multigenic cluster faithfully represented that observed in vivo. In addition, all members of this transgenic gene cluster were expressed in proportions similar to those in human testis. Copy number-dependent and position-independent expression of the transgenic construct demonstrated that the corresponding biological locus was contained within this segment of the human genome. Furthermore, DNase I sensitivity established that in sperm the human PRM1→ PRM2→ TNP2 genic domain was contained as an ∼28.5-kilobase contiguous segment bounded by an array of nuclear matrix associated topoisomerase II consensus sites. This is the first description of a multigenic male gamete-specific domain as a fundamental gene regulatory unit. A model of haploid-specific gene determination is presented.