Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Antimony Stress on Photosynthesis and Growth of Acorus calamus

This study was aimed to explore that effects of Sb on physiological parameters of Acorus calamus and the possibility of using A. calamus as a remediation plant. A. calamus potted experiments were conducted using different concentrations (0, 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg) of antimony potassium tartrate (Sb3+) (marked as CK, T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively) and potassium pyroantimonate (Sb5+) (marked as CK, T′1, T′2, T′3, and T′4, respectively). The effects of Sb stress (Sb3+ and Sb5+) on leaf photosynthetic pigments, biomass, photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of potted A. calamus were studied. With the rise of Sb3+ concentration from T1 to T4, the leaf pigment contents (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid), plant height, dry weight, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), evaporation rate (E), PSII maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and PSII electron transfer quantum yield rate (ΦPSII) of A. calamus all reduced, while intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) significantly increased. The reduction of Pn was mainly induced by non-stomatal limitation. Chlorophyll a/b ratio increased significantly versus the control, while carotenoid/chlorophyll ratio (Car/Chl) first decreased and then increased. The leaf Chl a, Chl b, Car, plant height, dry weight, Pn, Gs, E, Fv/Fm, and ΦPSII all maximized in T′1 (250 mg/kg), but were not significantly different from the control. As the Sb5+ concentration increased from T′2 to T′4, the above indices all decreased and were significantly different from the control. Moreover, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) decreased significantly. The reduction of Pn was caused by non-stomatal limitation, indicating the mesophyll cells were damaged. The Car/Chl ratio was stable within 0–500 mg/kg Sb, but decreased in T3 and T4, and rose in T′3 and T′4. After Sb3+ and Sb5+ treatments, translocation factor varied 19.44–27.8 and 19.44–24.86%, respectively. In conclusion, different form Sb3+ treatment, Sb5+ treatment showed a Hormesi effect, as low-concentration treatment promoted A. calamus growth, but high-concentration treatment inhibited its growth. The two forms of Sb both caused unfavorable effects on A. calamus, but the seedlings did not die and were modestly adaptive and Sb-accumulative. A. calamus, which is easily maintained and cultivated, can serve as a good candidate for phytoremediation of water contaminated with Sb.
Impacts of Initial Transformation to a Patient-Centered Medical Home on Diabetes Outcomes in Federally Qualified Health Centers in Florida

Objective: Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Florida see large numbers of vulnerable patients with diabetes. Patient-centered medical home (PCMH) models can lead to improvements in health for patients with chronic conditions and cost savings for providers. Therefore, FQHCs are increasingly moving to PCMH models of care. The study objective was to examine the effects of initial transformation to a level 3 National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) certified PCMH in 2011, on clinical diabetes outcomes among 27 clinic sites from a network of FQHCs in Florida. Methods: We used de-identified, longitudinal electronic health record (EHR) data from 2010-2012 and multivariate logistic regression to analyze the effects of initial transformation on the odds of having well-controlled HbA1c, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) among vulnerable patients with diabetes. Models controlled for clustering by year, patient, and organizational characteristics. Results: Overall, transformation to a PCMH was associated with 19% greater odds of having well-controlled HbA1c values with no statistically significant impact on BMI or BP. Subanalyses showed transformation had less of an effect on BP for African American patients and HbA1c control for Medicare enrollees but a greater effect on weight control for patients older than 35 years. Conclusion: Transformation to a PCMH in FQHCs appears to improve the health of vulnerable patients with diabetes, with less improvement for subsets of patients. Future research should seek to understand the heterogeneous effects of patient-centered transformation on various subgroups.
Style analysis and dominant index timing: an application to Australian multi-sector managed funds

Using a returns-based style analysis approach, we develop a dominant timing indicator to measure each fund's ability to take advantage of movements in their dominant passive index. We apply this to a sample of Australian multi-sector funds over the period 1990 to 2005. We find evidence that the dominant timing metric presents a more positive picture of fund timing ability in comparison to traditional timing measures; however, the majority of funds are still unable to time their dominant index effectively.
Risk and rationality in entrepreneurial processes

This study begins with a historical overview of the connection between risk and rationality. It then broadens beyond this historical trajectory by taking entrepreneurship as a point of departure for understanding risk and rationality. Drawing from the research of Littlechild (1986), Buchanan and Vanberg (1991), and Sarasvathy et al. (2003), this study considers three entrepreneurial processes: opportunity recognition, opportunity discovery, and opportunity creation. Associated with each of these processes are unique conceptualizations of risk and rationality, reflected in distinct research streams. The final section of the study considers implications of the process-contingent nature of risk and rationality, and motivates a broadening of the research agenda from entrepreneurial decision making to practices. Copyright © 2007 Strategic Management Society
Perceived parental differential treatment in middle adulthood: curvilinear relations with individuals' experienced relationship quality to sibling and parents.

Guided by predictions from equity theory and the self-esteem maintenance model, links between perceptions of current parental differential treatment and the perceiver's experienced relationship quality with sibling and parents were analyzed in a sample of 1,020 adult (middle-aged) offspring. Participants rated how often they and a sibling receive parental recognition, nurture, and demands for filial responsibility. In addition, they indicated their emotions and behaviors toward sibling and parents. Data analyses showed that an individual's experienced relationship with sibling was best when both were treated equally and diminished with increasing favoritism or disfavoritism. Experienced relationship with parents was best when participants were favored a bit; the relationship worsened when participants were disfavored and worsened only slightly when they were extremely favored. Results are discussed regarding mediating processes and implications for practical applications.
Reorienting fiscal policy: a bottom-up Approach

The present article offers a fundamental critique of fiscal policy as it is understood in theory and exercised in practice. Two specific demand-side stabilization methods are examined here: conventional pump priming and the new designation of fiscal policy effectiveness found in the new consensus literature. A theoretical critique of their respective transmission mechanisms reveals that they operate in a trickle-down fashion that not only fails to secure and maintain full employment, but itself contributes to the increasing postwar labor market precariousness and the erosion of income equality. The two conventional demand-side measures are then contrasted with the proposed alternative—a bottom-up approach to fiscal policy based on a reinterpretation of Keynes's original policy prescriptions for full employment. The article offers theoretical, methodological, and policy rationale for government intervention that includes specific direct employment and investment initiatives, which are inherently different from contemporary hydraulic fine-tuning measures. It outlines the contours of the modern bottom-up approach and concludes with some of its advantages over conventional stabilization methods.
Multi-attribute decision model for assessing components of total quality management

Continuous improvement is an imperative for being competitive. The studies show that total quality management (TQM) is an effective tool for continuous improvement. The literature on quality management shows that there is need of a model which can compare the industries on the basis of components of TQM. This paper describes the multi-attribute decision model using the analytic hierarchy process for the assessment of the quality status of industry.
In Situ Monitoring of Water Percolation and Solute Transport Using a Vadose Zone Monitoring System

Water percolation and tracer migration through the vadose zone underneath an ephemeral channel were studied using a vadose zone monitoring system (VMS) and application of a multitracer test. The VMS included flexible time‐domain reflectometry (FTDR) probes for continuous tracking of water content profiles, and vadose zone sampling ports (VSPs) for frequent sampling of the deep vadose pore water at multiple depths. The VMS was installed directly under an infiltration pond with several infiltration rings containing a traceable solution. Water content measurements by the FTDR probes allowed detailed visualization of the vadose wetting process; VSP samples allowed the establishment of tracer breakthrough curves at various depths. Flow velocities and fluxes were calculated from both the wetting process and the tracer breakthrough curves. The multitracer experiment revealed an unsteady flow pattern strongly affected by the layered structure of the sediments. The tracer breakthrough curves indicated domination of a mobile–immobile flow mechanism controlling contaminant migration across the vadose zone. The experimental setup demonstrated the ability of the VMS to provide real‐time monitoring of water flow and contaminant transport in the vadose zone.
Combining cap-and-trade with offsets: lessons from the EU-ETS

Linking a cap-and-trade with an offset mechanism has many theoretical advantages: it reduces compliance costs, extends the price signal outside the cap-and-trade, and triggers technology transfer. However, it is feared that such linking will induce outsourcing of emissions reduction at a low price and undermine the price incentive in the cap-and-trade. The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is the first full-scale example of a cap-and-trade system linked to project-based mechanisms such that offsets have effectively been used by industrial installations. This article is an ex post analysis of EU ETS data for the years 2008 and 2009, and the characteristics of the link and its efficiency are evaluated. Although offsets have been much used, their use is concentrated and not very intense or frequent, which allays the fear that offsets will flood the market. Although the majority of surrendered CERs effectively come from the largest and oldest projects, the credits surrendered are similar to those available on the market. Possible factors that contribute towards inefficiency are the rules for using offsets, transaction costs affecting the participation of small installations, awareness and openness to market-based instruments, and uncertainties regarding CERs offer and demand from other markets. However, the impact on EUA equilibrium price still needs to be quantified.
High Frequency of Syncytium-Inducing and CXCR4-Tropic Viruses among Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Subtype C-Infected Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Treatment

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype C viruses have been found to almost exclusively use the chemokine receptor CCR5 as a coreceptor for entry, even in patients with advanced AIDS. We have characterized subtype C virus isolates from 28 patients from Harare, Zimbabwe, 20 of whom were receiving antiretroviral treatment. Virus from 10 of the treated patients induced syncytium formation (SI virus) when cultured with MT2 cells. Only non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) virus was cultured from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the eight patients who had not received treatment. The majority of these subtype C SI viruses were capable of using both CCR5 and CXCR4 as coreceptors for viral entry, and the consensus V3 loop sequences from the SI viruses displayed a high net charge compared to those of NSI viruses. While those on treatment had reverse transcriptase (RT) and protease mutations, there was no clear association between RT and protease drug resistance mutations and coreceptor tropism. These results suggest that CXCR4-tropic viruses are present within the quasispecies of patients infected with subtype C virus and that antiretroviral treatment may create an environment for the emergence of CXCR4 tropism.
Choosing Among American, European, or Not Antitrust at All

We use the theory of law enforcement to analyze why some countries have antitrust policies and others don't; and also, why some countries choose to enforce some antitrust domains using common or civil law as in America, while others resort to the administrative process as in Europe. We conclude that there is not a unique antitrust that fits all countries and policy domains. There is no need of antitrust in countries and policy domains where institutions of law enforcement are too weak. For moderate level of institutional strength, it is better to use ex-ante authorizations such as cartel registrations and competition restrain authorizations. For an intermediate level of institutional strength, it might be better to have an ex-post judiciary regime of common or civil law litigation based on the rule of reason to protect private parties from negligent conducts that end up restraining competition. But, at that level of institutional strength, an ex-post administrative negligence system of the European type dominates when encouraging all firms to comply with a legal standard is not socially desirable. Finally, when institutions are very strong, it is optimal to have an ex-post strict liability regime of litigation able to hold liable firms that engage in what are defined as per se illegal competition restrains as in the cartel cases in the US.
The decision between internal and external R&D

The purpose of this paper is to identify those factors shaping the decision to engage in external R & D. We use the lens of institutional economics to link the decision to engage in external R & D to both firm-and industry-specific characteristics. In particular, we find that internal and external R & D tend to be complements in high-technology industries but substitutes in low-technology industries. (JEL: O 3).
Diversity, Novelty, and Antimicrobial Activity of Endophytic Actinobacteria From Mangrove Plants in Beilun Estuary National Nature Reserve of Guangxi, China

Endophytic actinobacteria are one of the important pharmaceutical resources and well known for producing different types of bioactive substances. Nevertheless, detection of the novelty, diversity, and bioactivity on endophytic actinobacteria isolated from mangrove plants are scarce. In this study, five different mangrove plants, Avicennia marina, Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia obovota, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, and Thespesia populnea, were collected from Beilun Estuary National Nature Reserve in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. A total of 101 endophytic actinobacteria strains were recovered by culture-based approaches. They distributed in 7 orders, 15 families, and 28 genera including Streptomyces, Curtobacterium, Mycobacterium, Micrococcus, Brevibacterium, Kocuria, Nocardioides, Kineococcus, Kytococcus, Marmoricola, Microbacterium, Micromonospora, Actinoplanes, Agrococcus, Amnibacterium, Brachybacterium, Citricoccus, Dermacoccus, Glutamicibacter, Gordonia, Isoptericola, Janibacter, Leucobacter, Nocardia, Nocardiopsis, Pseudokineococcus, Sanguibacter, and Verrucosispora. Among them, seven strains were potentially new species of genera Nocardioides, Streptomyces, Amnibacterium, Marmoricola, and Mycobacterium. Above all, strain 8BXZ-J1 has already been characterized as a new species of the genus Marmoricola. A total of 63 out of 101 strains were chosen to screen antibacterial activities by paper-disk diffusion method and inhibitors of ribosome and DNA biosynthesis by means of a double fluorescent protein reporter. A total of 31 strains exhibited positive results in at least one antibacterial assay. Notably, strain 8BXZ-J1 and three other potential novel species, 7BMP-1, 5BQP-J3, and 1BXZ-J1, all showed antibacterial bioactivity. In addition, 21 strains showed inhibitory activities against at least one “ESKAPE” resistant pathogens. We also found that Streptomyces strains 2BBP-J2 and 1BBP-1 produce bioactive compound with inhibitory activity on protein biosynthesis as result of translation stalling. Meanwhile, Streptomyces strain 3BQP-1 produces bioactive compound inducing SOS-response due to DNA damage. In conclusion, this study proved mangrove plants harbored a high diversity of cultivable endophytic actinobacteria, which can be a promising source for discovery of novel species and bioactive compounds.
International Trade and Industrialization with Capital Accumulation and Skill Acquisition

In this paper we develop a small open economy three-sector model of semi-endogenous growth that consists of an agricultural sector, a manufacturing sector and a skill-producing sector, and we analyze the relationship between specialization processes and economic growth. The main results are as follows: (i) for the sustainability of complete specialization in manufacturing, the growth rate of the population at home must exceed that in the ROW; (ii) it is possible that an economy that is scarce in both capital stock and skills industrializes by delaying the time when it switches from autarky to free trade; and (iii) under free trade, an economy that is abundant in capital stock (skills) but scarce in skills (capital stock) is likely to asymptotically specialize in agriculture.
The cost-effectiveness of inputs in primary education: Insights from recent student surveys for sub-Saharan Africa

With SACMEQ and PASEC there are now two large data bases available on student achievement, socio-economic background and school and teacher characteristics in both anglophone and francophone Sub-Saharan Africa. A joint analysis of PASEC and SACMEQ in a common education production function framework allows us to estimate the impact of educational inputs on student achievement in 22 sub-Saharan African countries, and to compare our results with those of earlier empirical studies for education systems in Africa and other world regions. Our empirical results based on a traditional retrospective analysis of student achievement in PASEC and SACMEQ countries are broadly in line with earlier analyses. In addition, we find some evidence for the effectiveness of incentive based policy options. Some differences between francophone and anglophone education systems can be observed with respect to the impact of the teachers' own education and training if differences in the sampling methodology are duly taken into account. These differences may themselves be related to education quality. Other inputs show similar effects in both linguistic areas.
Environmental Orientation and Economic Performance: a Quasi‐experimental Study of Small Swedish Firms

This paper investigates the relationship between the environmental orientation and economic performance of small firms. We conduct a quantitative analysis on a sample of 299 environmentally oriented and all other small (2-49 employees) Swedish firms. We estimate the effect of environmental orientation on profit margin to examine how environmentally oriented firms perform in relation to non-environmentally oriented firms. To do this, we employ a quasi-experimental design in which we create a control group of non-environmentally oriented firms that are very similar to their environmentally oriented counterparts. We use two measures of environmental orientation: 1) a third party classification, and 2) a self-assessment of environmental differentiation. The findings show a negative effect of environmental orientation on economic performance. Our contribution to the literature is in using a novel and more rigorous way to measure the relationship between environmental orientation and economic performance and providing implicit support for the existence of a causal link from economic performance to environmental orientation.
The Determinants and Performance Impact of Outside Board Leadership

Outside board chairs are more likely in firms that are smaller, have greater stock volatility and research and development intensity, and have a lower proportion of inside directors and less institutional ownership; they are also more likely when chief executive officers have shorter tenure and lower ownership. We also find that the existence of an outside chair is associated with geographical and industry norms. An outside chair is positively associated with firm performance, a finding robust to various estimation methods, including event study and multivariate analyses incorporating controls for endogeneity, as well as market and accounting measures of performance. We note, however, that the relationship between outside chair and firm performance varies with firm characteristics.
Stock market volatility and trading activities in the KOSPI 200 derivatives markets

The relationship between the trading activities of the Korea Stock Price Index 200 derivatives contracts and their underlying stock market volatility is examined. A positive contemporaneous relationship between the stock market volatility and the derivatives volume is found while the relationship is negative between the volatility and open interest. For the cash volatility and derivatives volume two-way causality is found for both futures and options contracts, but for the cash volatility and open interest two-way causality is found only in options markets.
Amantadine for treatment of fatigue in Guillain-Barré syndrome: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover trial

Objective: Fatigue is a major complaint in patients with immune mediated polyneuropathies. Despite apparently good physical recovery after Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), many patients remain restricted in daily and social activities, and have a decreased quality of life. In this trial, the effect of amantadine on severe fatigue related to GBS was studied. Methods: During the pre-treatment phase, all patients were monitored for 2 weeks. Only patients with severe fatigue, defined as a mean fatigue score of ⩾5.0 on the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), were randomised for this double blind, placebo controlled, crossover study. Primary outcome measure was improvement of at least 1 point on the FSS. Secondary outcome measures were impact of fatigue, anxiety and depression, handicap, and quality of life. Results: In total, 80 patients with GBS were randomised, of whom 74 were included for analysis. Fatigue appeared to be reduced already during the pre-treatment phase (p = 0.05), probably due to increased attention provided to the patients. No significant differences in any of the primary and secondary outcome measures were found. Conclusions: Amantadine was not superior to placebo. Because fatigue remains a serious complaint, other studies evaluating new treatment options are strongly recommended.