Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum protein pattern during cow pregnancy: Acute‐phase proteins increase in the peripartum period

Serum collected in a time‐course mode during the pregnancy of a group of heifers was analyzed by 2‐DE under various experimental conditions to optimize resolution of all protein spots. Changes in the levels of some components were detected during the last phase of pregnancy and early postpartum. These included a decrease of α2‐HS‐glycoprotein, an increase of α1‐antichymotrypsin and, with a much larger and more abrupt variation, of orosomucoid and haptoglobin. These findings associate the weeks preceding calving with an acute‐phase reaction. Analysis of individual animal's sera by 1‐DE demonstrated a higher level of orosomucoid in the sera of cows developing postpartum endometritis during the 2 wk after calving (i.e., in the course of the infection) but a lower level during the 2 wk before calving. This observation could represent an important tool for the prepartum detection of animals prone to develop postpartum endometritis and lead to a more accurate peripartum management of those animals.
Price Competition of Make-to-Order Firms

In recent years, there has been considerable research on price competition in a market where customers are sensitive to production or service delays. Most of these works assume identical firms with only different service speeds (capacities), and find that the firm with the higher speed can usually charge a premium price and take a larger market share. We consider the (non-cooperative) competition of two make-to-order firms. In addition to different service capacities, the competing firms may provide different values of service, and have firm-dependent unit costs of waiting. We obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of a Nash equilibrium, and we characterize the equilibrium analytically for some cases and numerically for some other cases. Our results confirm that the firm with the higher speed of service can usually charge a premium price and does take a larger market share. In addition, we find that the firm with the higher value of service and lower cost of waiting can usually charge a premium price and also take a larger market share. However, we do find cases where the faster (while otherwise identical) firm may charge a lower price, or take a smaller market share, or even generate less profit. In response to an increase in its service capacity, a firm may either raise or cut its optimal price, even though a higher service capacity always leads to a shorter expected waiting time. The firm may either raise or cut its price in response to a hike in its unit waiting cost.
Institutional Ties, Transaction Costs, and External Service Production

Analyses of local government contracting increasingly focus on understanding how the transaction costs created by service attributes limit opportunities for external service production. However, the institutional collective action framework suggests that networks among local government actors help to offset these costs for intergovernmental contracting decisions. We use data describing service production arrangements of cities in Michigan to examine the proposition that service production decisions are conditioned by the communication networks created through institutional linkages in addition to the transaction characteristics of services. We examine three different production options: (1) internal production, (2) joint or complete contracting with another government, and (3) production by a private or nonprofit organization, and find strong support for the expected role of transaction costs in these production choices. We also find that some types of networks created by institutions increase the likelihood that local governments will rely on intergovernmental service arrangements.
The Adaptation of Host Market Positioning Strategies: Empirical Evidence on Australian Exporters

The author explores how and why the content of an exporter's host market positioning strategy differs from the content of its home market strategy. The research is significant for two reasons: (1) It uses a more comprehensive and rigorous definition and measurement of firm strategy than previous adaptation research, and (2) it systematically measures the magnitude and direction of the adaptation. Previous research has concentrated only on the need to adapt. This approach opens up an entirely new debate about what patterns of adaptation should be expected. The author uses a large-scale survey of Australian exporters to test the emerging hypotheses, which are strongly supported. Domestically based Australian exporters tend to have a narrower focus and rely more heavily on operations-based differentiation in foreign markets.
Understanding Trends in the Black-White Achievement Gaps during the First Years of School

THE GAPS BETWEEN THE average academic achievement of black and white children have been persistent features of American life. Until quite recently, obvious differences in the school resources provided to children of different races explained substantial portions of these achievement gaps. For example, in 1920 more than one-quarter of the racial gap in children’s literacy rates could be explained by differences in easy-to-measure variables such as the school year length and per pupil expenditures. Given the history of blatant discrimination in the school resources provided to American children of different races, it is understandable why the U.S. Congress in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ordered the commissioner of education to conduct a survey to document “the lack of availability of equal educational opportunities by reason of race, color, religion, or natural origin in public educational institutions at all levels. ” In July 1966 the U.S. Office of Education published the survey results in a 737-page volume entitled Equality of Educational Opportunity. Better known as the Coleman Report, named after its lead author, the eminent sociologist James Coleman, this volume documented the substantial gaps between the average mathematics and reading
Transport investment and house prices

The paper describes the use of hedonic analysis to examine the impact of the South Yorkshire Supertram on house prices in Sheffield. The approach was distinguished by the use of asking prices rather than transaction prices, the use of dummy variables to capture neighbourhood quality effects and the use of a GIS to calculate continuous distance variables. Compared with similar previous studies the equations performed well and identified, for the first time in a British context, a small, discrete transport induced price effect. Supertram initially depressed the prices of nearby houses but prices show signs of recovery. Further research is needed to examine the longer term impact of Supertram on the housing market.
The dynamics of spatial inequality in UK housing wealth

This paper investigates the dynamics of spatial inequality in gross housing wealth in the UK. Our results challenge recent research findings in the UK that suggest inexorable rises in housing wealth inequality. We argue that such findings are illusory, arising in part from the use of final period price levels to categorize areas into low and high house price locations. We use Monte Carlo simulations to illustrate the bias that final period categorization introduces and we then estimate how gross housing wealth inequality changes over time using a battery of measures. All our results indicate that there is evidence of cycles in housing wealth inequality but no evidence of an upward trend. Most surprisingly, the cycles in inequality are found to be of very large amplitude and this may have important effects on consumption, work incentives and business formation. We also find that the entire distribution of house values has shifted which is likely to imply a growing gulf in housing wealth between owners and renters over the period considered.
GbPDF1 Is Involved in Cotton Fiber Initiation via the Core cis-Element HDZIP2ATATHB21[W]

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) fiber cells are seed trichomes derived from the epidermal layer of the cotton seed coat. The molecular components responsible for regulating fiber cell differentiation have not been fully elucidated. A cotton PROTODERMAL FACTOR1 gene (GbPDF1) was found to be expressed preferentially during fiber initiation and early elongation, with highest accumulation in fiber cells 5 d post anthesis. PDF1 silencing caused retardation of fiber initiation and produced shorter fibers and lower lint percentage compared with the wild type, indicating that the gene is required for cotton fiber development. Further analysis showed that a higher accumulation of hydrogen peroxide occurred in the RNA interference transgenic cotton lines. Meanwhile, the expression of several genes related to ethylene and pectin synthesis or sugar transport during cotton fiber growth was found to be significantly reduced in the PDF1-suppressed cotton. Three proteins interacting with GbPDF1 in yeast and in planta might involve cellular signaling or metabolism. GbPDF1 promoter::GUS constructs in transgenic cotton were predominantly expressed in the epidermis of ovules and developing fibers. Progressive deletions of the GbPDF1 promoter showed that a 236-bp promoter fragment was sufficient for basal GbPDF1 transcription in cotton. Mutation of putative regulatory sequences showed that HDZIP2ATATHB2, an element within the fragment, was essential for PGbPDF1-1 expression. The binding activity between this cis-element and nuclear extracts from fiber-bearing cotton ovules at 5 d post anthesis was specific. We conclude that GbPDF1 plays a critical role together with interaction partners in hydrogen peroxide homeostasis and steady biosynthesis of ethylene and pectin during fiber development via the core cis-element HDZIP2ATATHB2.
Identification of an Active Site on the Laminin α5 Chain Globular Domain That Binds to CD44 and Inhibits Malignancy

The laminin α5 chain is a component of laminin-10 (α5β1γ1) and -11 (α5β2γ1). In this study, we have screened 113 overlapping synthetic peptides from the laminin α5 globular domain (G-domain) for cell attachment activity with B16-F10 cells using peptide-coated dishes. Eleven attachment-active peptides were identified. In vivo experimental B16-F10 pulmonary metastasis and primary tumor growth assays found that 4 of the 11 peptides inhibited tumor metastasis and growth and increased apoptosis. These four peptides also blocked tumor cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. Two of the peptides were highly homologous and showed significant similarity to sequences in collagens. We sought to identify the B16-F10 cell surface receptors for each of the four active peptides using peptide affinity chromatography. Only one peptide recognized a cell surface protein. Peptide A5G27 (RLVSYNGIIFFLK, residues 2892–2904) bound a diffuse Mr ∼120,000–180,000 band that eluted with 2 m NaCl. Glycosidase digestion of the 2 m eluate yielded protein bands of Mr 90,000 and 60,000 that reacted in Western blot analysis with antibodies to CD44. Immunoprecipitation of the A5G27-bound membrane proteins with various cell surface proteoglycan antibodies confirmed CD44 as the surface receptor for A5G27. Finally, attachment assays to A5G27 in the presence of soluble glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) identified the GAGs of CD44 as the binding sites for A5G27. Our results suggest that A5G27 binds to the CD44 receptor of B16-F10 melanoma cells via the GAGs on CD44 and, thus, inhibits tumor cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis in a dominant-negative manner.
Bayesian geoadditive modelling of breastfeeding initiation in Nigeria

A study into the geographical variability of timing of initial child breastfeeding after birth was carried out with the data set from the 1999 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The effect of the metrical covariate of the mother's age at birth was assumed to be nonlinear and estimated nonparametrically. Other categorical covariates are estimated in the usual parametric form. Within a Bayesian context, appropriate priors are assigned for the geographical location, vector of the unknown (nonlinear) smooth functions and a further vector of the fixed effect parameters. For instance, a Markov random field prior is assumed on the spatial effects. Inferences are based on Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques while Bayesian model diagnostics are based on the deviance information criteria. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainability innovation: categories and interactions

The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework to position sustainable entrepreneurship in relation to sustainability innovation. The framework builds on a typology of sustainable entrepreneurship, develops it by including social and institutional entrepreneurship, i.e. the application of the entrepreneurial approach towards meeting societal goals and towards changing market contexts, and relates it to sustainability innovation. The framework provides a reference for managers to introduce sustainability innovation and to pursue sustainable entrepreneurship. Methodologically, the paper develops an approach of qualitative measurement of sustainable entrepreneurship and how to assess the position of a company in a classification matrix. The degree of environmental or social responsibility orientation in the company is assessed on the basis of environmental and social goals and policies, the organization of environmental and social management in the company and the communication of environmental and social issues. The market impact of the company is measured on the basis of market share, sales growth and reactions of competitors. The paper finds conditions under which sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainability innovation emerge spontaneously. The research has implications for theory and practitioners in that it clarifies which firms are most likely under specific conditions to make moves towards sustainability innovation. The paper makes a contribution in showing that extant research needs to be expanded with regard to motivations for innovation and that earlier models of sustainable entrepreneurship need to be refined. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Tying, Investment, and the Dynamic Leverage Theory

The idea that an incumbent supplier may tie two complementary products to fend off potential entrants is popular among practitioners yet is not fully understood in formal economic theory. This article makes sense of the argument by formally deriving a dynamic version of the old leverage doctrine. We show that when an incumbent monopolist faces the threat of entry in all complementary components, tying may make the prospects of successful entry less certain, discouraging rivals from investing and innovating. Tie-in sales may reduce consumer and total economic welfare. Copyright 2001 by the RAND Corporation.
Agencification and Public Sector Performance: A systematic comparison in 20 countries

Abstract The increased establishment of semi-autonomous agencies in most countries from the 1980s on has been justified by claims of expected improvement in public sector performance. Empirical research to test these claims has been scarce, based on single cases and showing mixed results. This study tests these claims at the macro level in twenty countries using a range of indicators and variables. Overall, we find a negative effect of agencification on both public sector output and efficiency. This refutes the economic claims about agencification.
Innovation in Natural Resource Management: The Role of Property Rights and Collective Action in Developing Countries

International agricultural research is expanding beyond the development of annual crop technologies for individual farms to the development of longer-tern natural resource management techniques for entire landscapes. But technologies of practices with a long lag time between investment and returns are unlikely to be adopted by farmers unless they have secure rights to the underlying resources (property rights). Similarly, technologies that span multiple farms are unlikely to be adopted unless neighbors and groups work together (collective action). But little is know about the way property rights and collective action in developing countries mediate the adoption of technologies by farmers and groups. To address this information gap, this volume brings together international experts in economics, sociology, and natural resource management to examine the links among property rights, collective action, and technological change for a variety of technologies across a rage of community contexts in the developing world.
Operation and performance of international manufacturing networks

This paper seeks to explore the interplay and interdependencies of factory and network capabilities. This issue has become progressively more important as companies seek to manage dispersed networks of plants capable of responding to increasingly competitive and volatile environments. The paper draws on field studies of two international manufacturing networks comprising eight factories in six countries. The research used a case‐based methodology that combined multiple interviews and ethnographic research at each location. Factory and network level capabilities were shown to simultaneously affect a suggested set of dimensions of operational performance and a matrix was proposed to visualise this interdependency. The case studies show that decisions regarding factory and network issues are often taken independently of each other despite the fact that they may be heavily interdependent. The cases also highlight the critical dimension of time in factory and network level capability building as well as the need for developing strategy processes that take into account the interdependency of factory and network capabilities.
Comparing Line and HR Executives' Perceptions of HR Effectiveness: Services, Roles, and Contributions

This study compares HR and line executives' evaluations of the effectiveness of the HR function in terms of its service delivery, roles, and contributions to the firm. Survey responses from 44 HR and 59 line executives from 14 companies indicated that (a) HR executives consistently rated the functions' effectiveness higher than did line executives, and (b) the greatest differences were observed on the more important and/or strategic aspects of HR. Implications for improving HR effectiveness are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The influence of product life cycle on the efficacy of purchasing practices

Purpose – The purpose of this study is twofold. First, to examine the contingent role of the product life cycle on the efficacy of purchasing practices. Second, to use the results of the first investigation to explore the adequacy of the profit‐maximization framework for explaining purchasing decision making. This second investigation is motivated by growing evidence on the role of institutional factors in explaining supply chain management practices.Design/methodology/approach – Survey data from a sample of North American manufacturing firms, across four standard industry sectors, are analysed using ANOVA and linear regression, to examine the hypotheses.Findings – The results indicate that product life cycle has a contingent effect on the efficacy of some purchasing practices but not on others. Interestingly, the results suggest that the profit‐maximization framework is capable of explaining only some purchasing decisions but not others; firms adopt certain purchasing practices in certain product life cy.
Stimulation with a wireless intraocular epiretinal implant elicits visual percepts in blind humans.

PURPOSE Electrical stimulation of retinal neurons has been shown to be a feasible way to elicit visual percepts in patients blind from retinal degenerations. The EPIRET3 retinal implant is the first completely wireless intraocular implant for epiretinal stimulation. Stimulation tests have been performed during a clinical trial that was carried out at the eye clinics of Aachen and Essen to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of the implant. METHODS Six legally blind retinitis pigmentosa patients were included in the study. In accordance with the regulations laid down in the study protocol, three 1-hour perceptual tests for each subject were performed within 4 weeks of surgery. Stimuli were charge-balanced square current pulses of various durations and current amplitudes. RESULTS All subjects reported visual percepts as a result of electrical stimulation by the implant. Thresholds for eliciting visual percepts varied between them but were below the safety limits of electrical stimulation. Stimulation success depended stronger on pulse duration than on current amplitude or total charge delivered. Subjects were able to discriminate between stimulation patterns of different orientations or at different locations of the electrode array. CONCLUSIONS The EPIRET3 system is suitable to elicit visual percepts in blind retinitis pigmentosa patients.
Defending the Community College equity agenda

The community college mission to provide accessible and affordable higher education for Americans, is being increasingly challenged by economic, political and social developments such as decreasing funding combined with growing enrolments, a greater emphasis on outcome-based accountability, competition from for-profit institutions, and a growing immigrant student population. These challenges are compounded by economic and workforce development pressures that could affect the capacity of colleges to fulfill their mission. This edited volume draws on case studies of colleges in six states to examine how these challenges impact the community college's mission of educational opportunity and how they can maintain their open-door policies and support students to complete qualifications that prepare them successfully for jobs. Particular focus is given to how colleges can serve low-income students of colour and other under-served groups. The authors propose a set of strategies to strengthen the role of colleges in providing both access and student achievement for all students. The chapters are as follows: Introduction: defending the community college equity agenda / Thomas Bailey and Vanessa Smith Morest (pp.1-27); Double vision: how the attempt to balance multiple missions is shaping the future of community colleges / Vanessa Smith Morest (pp.28-50); Performance accountability as imperfect panacea: the community college experience / Kevin J. Dougherty and Esther Hong (pp.51-86); Increasing competition and the growth of the for-profits / Thomas Bailey (pp.87-109); Virtual access / Rebecca D. Cox (pp.110-131); The limits of 'training for now': lessons from information technology certification / Jim Jacobs and W. Norton Grubb (pp.132-154); 'Lights just click on every day' / Dolores Perin and Kerry Charron (pp.155-194); 'Like, what do I do now? ': the dilemmas of guidance counseling / W. Norton Grubb (pp.195-222); Twice the credit, half the time? : the growth of dual credit at community colleges and high schools / Vanessa Smith Morest and Melinda Mechur Karp (pp.223-245); The community college equity agenda in the twenty-first century: moving from access to achievement / Thomas Bailey and Vanessa Smith Morest (pp.246-270). Includes an extensive reference list.