Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of a Disulfide Isomerase Protein of Leishmania major as a Putative Virulence Factor

ABSTRACT Several approaches have been previously used to elucidate the genetic basis of Leishmania virulence. In general, they were based on laboratory Leishmania clones genetically modified or grown in the presence of selecting agents. In a previous study, we demonstrated that Leishmania major freshly isolated from human cutaneous lesions showed significant differences in the severity of the experimental disease induced in BALB/c mice. Here, using the mRNA differential display technique, we analyzed gene expression in L. major promastigotes showing different levels of virulence. We have identified a novel Leishmania gene encoding a 477-amino-acid protein exhibiting two distinct regions that are identical to the putative active-site sequence (CGHC) of the eukaryotic protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). The recombinant protein displayed a specific PDI enzymatic activity. This L. major disulfide isomerase protein (LmPDI) is predominantly expressed, at both the mRNA and protein levels, in highly virulent strains. Specific PDI inhibitors abolished the enzymatic activity of the recombinant protein and profoundly affected parasite growth. These findings suggest that LmPDI may play an important role in Leishmania natural pathogenicity and may constitute a new target for anti-Leishmania chemotherapy.
Appropriateness and Consequences: The Logic of Neo‐Institutionalism

Skeptical questions may be raised about the neo-institutionalist approach of James G. March and Johan P. Olsen, in which a “logic of expected consequences” is set against a “logic of appropriateness”: (1) it is difficult to determine what kind of constructs the so-called logics are—whether they are to be seen as perspectives, theories, or ideal types; (2) the logics, far from being mutually excluding, overlap very considerably; (3) analytical utility is debatable not only in the case of the “logic of expected consequences” but also when it is a matter of the “logic of appropriateness”; (4) the normative virtue of substituting a “logic of appropriateness” for a “logic of expected consequences” is less obvious than March and Olsen's readers may be led to think. It is tempting to conclude that March and Olsen’s approach has proven compelling because of its consequences for the scholarly community rather than by virtue of its analytical appropriateness.
Drivers of International E-Tail Performance: The Complexities of Orientations and Resources

Retail e-commerce (e-tail) continues to grow as an important channel of distribution in the global business environment. In this article, the authors present and test a conceptual model of the relationships among firm orientations, strategic resources, and international e-tail performance. Specifically, they investigate the ability of important e-tail firm resources—brand strength and supplier relations—to mediate the effects of market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, and foreign market orientation on revenue growth and firm performance relative to objectives. Using survey responses from a cross-national sample of 174 marketing and e-commerce decision makers, the authors find support for the role of brand strength and supplier relations as mediators between market and foreign market orientations and firm performance. The study provides managerial insights into the types of orientations and resources that can help drive e-tail performance and contributions regarding the indirect effects of orientations on international marketing performance.
Quality Management in Irish Healthcare

This article reports the findings from a quantitative research study of quality management within the Irish Healthcare Sector. The survey results indicate that quality management has not fully permeated the sector although indications are that interest is growing in adopting this approach. The study revealed that, for all the hospitals, an aim to improve the quality of care delivered was the predominant factor for the uptake of quality. The findings suggest that even though quality management is in its infancy within the sector a substantial number of responding organisations reported that their programmes have been reasonably successful with patient satisfaction and quality awareness increasing as a result.
How Urban Parks Offer Opportunities for Physical Activity in Dublin, Ireland

Parks are an important part of the urban fabric of cities. They offer people the opportunity to connect with nature, engage in physical activity, find a haven away from the city noise, or spend time alone or with family and friends. This study examines the relative importance of park and park visit characteristics for 865 survey participants in Dublin, Ireland. The data is analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression model which can distinguish the relative importance of attributes. The model results demonstrate an improvement over proportional by chance accuracy, indicating that the model is useful. The results suggest that when and why individuals go to the park along with the proximity of their residence to the park influence visit frequency more than their age and gender and more than their impression of the sound levels in the park. The contribution of the results, in terms of their potential usefulness to planners, suggest that the priority should be on the provision of park space close to residential areas, so that individuals can engage in activities such as walking and relaxation, and that the quality of that space, in the context of noise levels at least, is less important.
Transient Response of a Multiconductor Transmission Line With Nonlinear Terminations Excited by an Electric Dipole

A method for transient analysis of multiconductor transmission lines with nonlinear terminations excited by an electric dipole is presented in this paper. The solution to the initial boundary value problem represented by transmission-line equations and initial and boundary conditions is proved to be unique, under the assumption that the terminations are locally passive nonlinear resistors. The current Baum-Liu-Tesche equation in the complex frequency domain is divided into two parts representing responses excited separately by terminal voltages of the loads and distributed voltage sources produced by the electric dipole. Furthermore, the equivalent resistance of each exciting voltage source is derived to be zero. Time-domain equations to resolve the problem are established. In contrast with calculation results by other methods, it is shown that the method proposed in the paper can be used to efficiently calculate the electromagnetic coupling problem of an external electromagnetic field and multiconductor transmission line with nonlinear terminations.
First Nosocomial Outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Producing an Integron-Borne Metallo-β-Lactamase (VIM-2) in the United States

ABSTRACT Carbapenemases are rare in the United States. This is the first report of a United States nosocomial outbreak of pan-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections due to an integron-borne metallo-β-lactamase, VIM-2. This emergence of carbapenemases on mobile genetic elements in the United States warrants surveillance.
Political mythologization in a digital environment as a communicative strategy of candidate image formation during election period

This article deals with the study of myths in political communication and level's specification of mythological impact on political image construction. The authors propose to distinguish “internal mythologization” when a politician with a team are considered to be a source of mythmaking, and “external mythologization”initiated by non-affiliated representatives of different socialgroups. It is concerned with “internal mythologization” as a communicative strategy for constructing a politician's image during election period and analyses the representation features of four main political myths(social ideal, enemy, identity community and hero-saviour) in communication of one of the new leaders of Russia's political agenda and the Communist Party's candidate for the 2018 presidential election Pavel Grudinin. Much attention is given to the identification of verbal and visual means, through which these political myths are explicated in election videos, as well as the definition of emotional-evaluative connotations that can influence the construction of political image.
Self-selection in the market of teachers

Public school teachers are usually paid according to centralized earning schedules, in which their income depends mainly on experience. By contrast, in private schools, there is high wage dispersion, and salaries correspond mainly to teachers’ performance. That dichotomous labour regulation encourages teachers with better unobservable skills to self-select into private schools because the likelihood of earning higher wages is higher than in public schools. The other side of the coin is the self-selection of ‘bad’ teachers into public schools. Using a representative sample of Chilean teachers, we estimate a two-sector Roy model to test self-selection. We find evidence of negative self-selection of teachers into public schools.
UK Takeovers and Acquiring Company Wealth Changes: The Impact of Survivorship and Other Potential Selection Biases on Post-Outcome Performance

A number of studies of takeover activity, both in the UK and elsewhere, have documented a pattern of long-run negative post-bid returns to shareholders of acquiring companies. One possible interpretation of the phenomena is that it represents a delayed market reaction to overpriced takeovers. An alternative explanation is that the phenomena is illusory and caused by methodological errors in the identification of long-run returns. These errors may arise through choice of inappropriate control models or through the introduction of some element of bias into the chosen sample, including the use of inappropriate tests of statistical significance. Potential sources of bias include survivorship and prior performance bias and the aggregation and testing of non-normal returns' distributions. In the current paper we demonstrate that the pattern of long-run negative returns to acquirers in UK acquisitions over the period 1977-1990 is not a function of survivorship bias. Nor do benchmark controls using both portfolios and matched pairs, with matching on book-to-market and size, provide results inconsistent with long-run negative wealth effects to shareholders of acquiring firms. However the application of test statistics that reflect the non-normal properties of distributions of long-run returns do reduce the significance of results based on parametric statistics. Our results also confirm that a number of characteristics of the acquiring firm can explain some of the cross-section distribution of wealth changes. In particular cash-financed acquisitions consistently outperform acquirers who rely on a method of financing based on equity. Cash-financed acquirers do not experience significant wealth changes when measured over a five-year post-acquisition period. We are unable to conclude that the negative wealth effects experienced by equity-financed acquirers is associated with long-run returns reversal, as tests that use benchmarks of companies matched on the basis of prior performance do not materially alter the pattern of negative long-run wealth losses. Large acquirers also suffer less-negative wealth effects than their smaller counterparts. In addition we also find that regular acquirers suffer no significant wealth losses, irrespective of the control model adopted, and consistently outperform single acquirers. This last finding does suggest that management do at least tend to learn from previous experience. In multiple regression tests, coefficients representing method of financing and experience of acquirers are the only variables that are significant. We find no evidence on any additional 'glamour versus value' effect after controlling for book-to-market and size.
Effects of cultural system (organic and conventional) on growth and fiber quality of two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties

Abstract Organic cotton is a new industrial crop product. Field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of cultural systems and varieties on the growth, fiber quality and yield components of cotton crop (Gossypium hirsutum L.). The experiments, conducted during 2006 and 2007, were laid out in a split plot design with four replicates, two main plots (organic and conventional system) and two sub-plots (cotton varieties: Athena and Campo). There were no significant differences between the organic and conventional system for cotton growth, yield and fiber quality. The results suggest that the soil N released from both the inorganic (80:40:40 kg ha−1 N:P2O5:K2O) and organic pool (green manure) were sufficient to maintain good growth. Inferior-quality fiber was produced in the variety. Campo, which had the lowest fiber fineness (micronaire), strength, length and reflection. In addition, this variety had the highest fiber elongation and yellowness. There were no significant differences between varieties as far as uniformity and leaf trash ratio are concerned. A positive correlation was observed between fiber strength and length. However, a negative correlation was found between lint yield and fiber strength.
The use of the psychological contract to explain turnover intentions in the hospitality industry: a research study on the impact of gender on the turnover intentions of highly educated employees

The subject of this study is the psychological contract approach to the employment relationship within the hospitality industry with special reference to highly educated employees. The purpose was to research the differences in the psychological contract and its relation to the intention to leave between highly-educated male and female employees. The research study conducted among this specific group worldwide provided a corpus of 247 respondents. The results show that psychological contract measures, and in particular job content, can explain why there is a substantial amount of variance among highly-educated employees regarding their intention to leave an organization, especially if the mediating role of affective commitment is taken into account. Moreover, it would appear that for women in particular, promotion opportunities and work-family balance were related to turnover intentions while for men the clarity of the job description was an important predictor for leaving. We suggest that the results of this study should be considered when developing gender-specific HRM policies to retain highly-educated staff. Considering the limitations of this study, we suggest that it be followed by research studies which concentrate on the job aspects which may be related to employee turnover. A longitudinal study concentrating on the relation between the psychological contract, turnover intentions and actual turnover behaviour should also be carried out.
Myocardial Infarct Segmentation From Magnetic Resonance Images for Personalized Modeling of Cardiac Electrophysiology

Accurate representation of myocardial infarct geometry is crucial to patient-specific computational modeling of the heart in ischemic cardiomyopathy. We have developed a methodology for segmentation of left ventricular (LV) infarct from clinically acquired, two-dimensional (2D), late-gadolinium enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) images, for personalized modeling of ventricular electrophysiology. The infarct segmentation was expressed as a continuous min-cut optimization problem, which was solved using its dual formulation, the continuous max-flow (CMF). The optimization objective comprised of a smoothness term, and a data term that quantified the similarity between image intensity histograms of segmented regions and those of a set of training images. A manual segmentation of the LV myocardium was used to initialize and constrain the developed method. The three-dimensional geometry of infarct was reconstructed from its segmentation using an implicit, shape-based interpolation method. The proposed methodology was extensively evaluated using metrics based on geometry, and outcomes of individualized electrophysiological simulations of cardiac dys(function). Several existing LV infarct segmentation approaches were implemented, and compared with the proposed method. Our results demonstrated that the CMF method was more accurate than the existing approaches in reproducing expert manual LV infarct segmentations, and in electrophysiological simulations. The infarct segmentation method we have developed and comprehensively evaluated in this study constitutes an important step in advancing clinical applications of personalized simulations of cardiac electrophysiology.
Profitability and opportunity of conservation agriculture in acid savannah grasslands of Laos

In north-eastern Laos, the savannah grasslands of the Plain of Jars cover vast areas of potentially cultivable land. However, soil acidity, low inherent fertility, and the absence of alternatives to tillage represent significant constraints to the development of sustainable smallholder agriculture. Our objective was to evaluate the potential for conservation agriculture (CA) to enhance soil productivity and farming system profitability. A three-year rotation of rice/maize/soybean was tested under three fertilization levels and four agricultural systems: one conventional tillage-based (CT) system and three CA systems based on no-tillage with cover crops. After four cropping seasons, our results show that, compared with CT, CA systems led to similar-to-higher grain production, similar-to-higher profits, higher opportunity of livestock system intensification, and higher labour productivity regardless of fertilization levels. While CA represents a relevant alternative to current practices, our results suggest that its contribution to the emergence of a sustainable smallholder agriculture is conditioned by broader institutional transformations, including the enrolment of local manufacturers and traders for deploying no-till implements and seed market channels for cover crops, long-term public support to maintain active research and technical mentoring to farmers, and possibly the integration of ecosystem services in agricultural policy.
Why Have Short-Term Interest Rates Been So High?

THE most visible and persistent feature of the U.S. financial markets thus far during the 1980s has been high interest rates. Observed nominal interest rates on most instruments traded in the U.S. debt markets have set record highs twice since 1980. Perhaps more important, "real" interest rates, in the sense of observed nominal rates less a presumed expectation of future price inflation, have been unprecedentedly high as well. During the past few years nominal interest rates first rose to levels far above the prevailing inflation rate, and more recently the decline in nominal interest rates has lagged well behind the slackening pace of inflation. Especially for instruments of short maturity, for which inferences about expectations of inflation in the distant future are not necessary, these high nominal interest rates have clearly corresponded to high real rates as well. Although the rough dimensions of this development are broadly familiar, it may be helpful to recall just how sizable these interest rate movements have been. The three-month U.S. Treasury bill rate, for example, was 11.60 percent on average during the fifteen calendar quarters beginning in 1979:4 (when the Federal Reserve System announced its new monetary policy) and extending through mid-year 1983.
The Visible Hand? Demand Effects of Recommendation Networks in Electronic Markets (Extended Version)

Online commercial interactions have increased dramatically over the last decade, leading to the emergence of networks that link the e-commerce landing pages of related products to one another. Our paper conjectures that the explicit visibility to consumers of such “product networks” can alter demand spillovers across their constituent items. We investigate this empirically using data about the co-purchase networks and demand levels associated with over 250,000 interconnected books offered on Amazon.com over the period of one year while controlling for alternative explanations of demand correlation using a variety of approaches. Our findings suggest that on average, the explicit visibility of a co-purchase relationship can lead to up to a three-fold amplification of the influence that complementary products have on each others’ demand levels. We also find that newer and more popular products "use" the attention they garner from their network position more efficiently, and that diversity in the sources of spillover further amplifies the demand effects of the network. Our paper presents new evidence quantifying the role of network position in electronic markets and highlights the power of basing virtual shelf position on consumer preferences that are revealed through shared purchasing patterns.
Crucial Role of Extracellular Polysaccharides in Desiccation and Freezing Tolerance in the Terrestrial Cyanobacterium Nostoc commune

ABSTRACT The cyanobacterium Nostoc commune is adapted to the terrestrial environment and has a cosmopolitan distribution. In this study, the role of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) in the desiccation tolerance of photosynthesis in N. commune was examined. Although photosynthetic O2 evolution was not detected in desiccated colonies, the ability of the cells to evolve O2 rapidly recovered after rehydration. The air-dried colonies contained approximately 10% (wt/wt) water, and field-isolated, natural colonies with EPS were highly water absorbent and were rapidly hydrated by atmospheric moisture. The cells embedded in EPS in Nostoc colonies were highly desiccation tolerant, and O2 evolution was not damaged by air drying. Although N. commune was determined to be a mesophilic cyanobacterium, the cells with EPS were heat tolerant in a desiccated state. EPS could be removed from cells by homogenizing colonies with a blender and filtering with coarse filter paper. This treatment to remove EPS did not damage Nostoc cells or their ability to evolve O2, but O2 evolution was significantly damaged by desiccation treatment of the EPS-depleted cells. Similar to the EPS-depleted cells, the laboratory culture strain KU002 had only small amount of EPS and was highly sensitive to desiccation. In the EPS-depleted cells, O2 evolution was also sensitive to freeze-thaw treatment. These results strongly suggest that EPS of N. commune is crucial for the stress tolerance of photosynthesis during desiccation and during freezing and thawing.
Ethiopian Agricultural Cooperatives in an Era of Global Commodity Exchange: Does Organisational Form Matter?

In Ethiopia, agricultural cooperatives are expected to play a key role in linking smallholder farmers to the recently established commodity exchange system. Recent research has found, however, that the commercialisation levels of cooperative members do not differ significantly from those of non-member farmers in Ethiopia. We argue though that the impact of cooperative membership on commercialisation may vary significantly depending on the type of cooperative organisations considered. Applying propensity score matching as well as regression analysis to a set of farm household living in rural areas where the commodity exchange system was to become operational, we consistently find significantly higher commercialisation rates, when compared with non-member famers, for farmers belonging to marketing cooperatives. Livelihood cooperatives, on the other hand, appear to have insignificant or negative impact on Ethiopian farmers' commercialisation. We conclude that the selective inclusion of marketing cooperatives in the commodity exchange system has the potential to simultaneously reduce the rural poverty and maximise agro-commodity commercialisation in Ethiopia. Copyright 2011 The author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.