Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MALDI‐TOF MS for identification of porcine Brachyspira species

The aim of this study consisted in evaluating MALDI‐TOF MS as a tool for the identification of the genus Brachyspira (B.) and its relevant species for the pig industry. First, a database was created with 30 control strains, and superspectra for five different porcine Brachyspira species were calculated. In a second step, 67 field isolates were investigated using MALDI‐TOF MS, and results were compared to those obtained using nox gene‐based RFLP (reference method) and biochemical tests. Among the 67 field isolates, five different Brachyspira species were detected using nox gene‐based RFLP analysis. MALDI‐TOF MS analysis correctly assigned all isolates to the genus Brachyspira and identified all isolates from B. hyodysenteriae (29/29), B. pilosicoli (11/11), B. intermedia (4/4) and B. innocens (11/11). In terms of B. murdochii, MALDI‐TOF MS assigned one of 12 isolates ambiguously as B. innocens/B. murdochii. The results of this study indicate that MALDI‐TOF MS facilitates the diagnosis of swine dysentery and porcine intestinal spirochaetosis.
R&D and internal finance: a panel study of small firms in high-tech industries

Since Joseph Schumpeter, economists have argued that internal finance should be an important determinant of R&D expenditures. Yet almost without exception, previous empirical studies have not found evidence of such a relation. Using newly available data, the authors investigate this puzzle with a panel of 179 small firms in high-tech industries. Under each estimation strategy they employ, the authors find an economically large and statistically significant relationship between R&D investment and internal finance. Their results are consistent with the view that, because of capital market imperfections, the flow of internal finance is the principal determinant of the rate at which small, high-tech firms acquire technology through R&D. Copyright 1994 by MIT Press.
Umbilical Artery Acid-Base Status in the Preterm Infant

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Apgar scores are generally lower in otherwise uncomplicated preterm newborns than in term newborns. However, there is little information regarding normal values for umbilical artery blood gas measurements in the preterm infant. The present study included 77 otherwise uncomplicated preterm infants and 1292 uncomplicated term infants. Although preterm infants did have significantly lower 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores, there was no significant difference in the frequency of acidemia (umbilical artery pH below 7.20). The mean pH was 7.29 in preterm infants and 7.28 in term infants. Mean values for pCO2, pO2, HCO3, and base deficit were similar in each group. There were no significant differences in umbilical artery blood gas values in the 77 preterm infants according to birth weight groups. Umbilical cord blood acid-base determination may prove a useful adjunct in assessing the condition of the newborn preterm infant.
Response of Stock Markets to Monetary Policy: The Tehran Stock Market Perspective

Abstract The article assesses the response of Tehran stock prices to exogenous monetary policy shocks, using a vector error correction model for the 1998Q1–2013Q2 period. Monetary policy is transmitted to stock market price through three routes: money by itself, exchange rate and inflation. Our result in this paper points to the fact that stock prices increase persistently in response to an exogenous easing monetary policy. Variance deposition results show that, after ten periods, the forecast error variance of more than 53 per cent of the Tehran Stock Exchange Price Index (TEPIX) can be explained by the exogenous shocks to the US dollar–Iranian rial exchange rate, while this ratio for exogenous shocks to the Iranian real gross domestic product was only 17 per cent. The article argues that such evidence can be accounted for by an endogenous response of the stock prices to the monetary policy shocks.
Molecular Biology of the Chromosomal Instability Phenotype of Follicular Cell Thyroid Tumors

The overall aim of the present thesis was to progress in the understanding of the pathogenic and diagnostic meaning of some numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities that are frequently detected in follicular cell derived tumors of the thyroid. The flow cytometry study of 143 thyroid lesions revealed that the aneuploidy in follicular tumors is strongly associated with a particular morphologic pattern, the so-called fetal type of growth pattern, leading to the individualization of fetal adenomas (FTA) from the DNA content standpoint. Moreover, we found that a high percentage of FTA, as well as follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTC) with a fetal adenoma growth pattern, were within the triploid range. The results obtained by CGH (and confirmed by FISH) revealed that aneuploidy in FTA and FTC is usually represented by whole chromosome gains. Not all chromosomes are affected in the same way. Despite being frequently triploid, FTA display a highly repetitive pattern characterized by four copies of some chromosomes, three copies of several other chromosomes, and two copies of others. The follicular tumors displaying a distinct DNA content had a usual follicular growth pattern and showed a CGH profile with very few alterations and a trend toward the loss of some chromosomes. The CGH results suggest that follicular tumorigenesis may follow at least two pathways: one characterized by prominent aneuploidy and numerous gains, in which the tumors display a fetal adenomalike growth pattern, and another pathway accompanied by less obvious aneuploidy or even quasi diploidy and dominant chromosome losses, in which the tumors display a “common follicular architecture. ” To investigate the putative molecular alteration underlying aneuploidization in follicular tumors, the RAS mutational status was investigated in 85 tumors. The results showed that RAS mutations are not a major cause of aneuploidy in thyroid tumors, but there is a strong association between the H-RAS 81C polymorphism and the presence of aneuploidy. Since the H-RAS 81C polymorphism does not alter the RAS protein, the association has to be explained in another way: We advanced that such association could reflect the increased H-RAS mRNA expression found in these tumors, as well as by the preferential expression of the H-RAS p21 isoform, which is the isoform that is able to activate the downstream effectors of RAS. Besides FTA and FTC, there is a third follicular patterned thyroid lesion, the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC), which is characterized by consistent diploidy and a disputable pathogenesis. To investigate if this FVPTC, from a molecular
Productivity and Profitability of Conventional and Alternative Farming Systems: A Long-Term On-Farm Paired Comparison

ABSTRACT A “Conventional” and an “Alternative” farm located on the western edge of the Corn Belt were compared for relative productivity and profitability over the 8-year time period from 1985 through 1992. Although earnings on both farms were respectable for the area, the Conventional farm was more profitable, on average, than the Alternative farm when organic premiums for the Alternative farm were excluded. This was due in part to higher soybean and com yields and a greater proportion of acreage in corn and soybeans on the Conventional farm. Federal farm program support payments were higher for the Conventional farm in the first 5 years, but not in the last 3 years.
Joint Moment and Mechanical Power Flow of the Lower Limb During Vertical Jump

The purpose of this study was to examine the joint moment and the mechanical power flow in the lower limb during three types of vertical jump. A healthy male subject performed the following jumps: maximal vertical jump from a squatting position (SJ), maximal vertical jump from an erect standing position with a preliminary countermovement (CMJ), and repetitive submaximal hopping in place with preferred frequency. The jumps on the force plate were also filmed (100 frames X s-1). Film analysis on force platform records were used to obtain the joint reaction forces, moments, mechanical powers, and work. All the peak values of moments of CMJ were greater than those of SJ, but in both cases they appeared in the same rank order (hip greater than knee greater than ankle). The mechanical work of the hip extensors was much greater than that of SJ although the work by the knee extensors and the ankle plantar flexors was almost the same in these jumps. It was suggested that the performance difference between SJ and CMJ might result from the difference in work by the hip extensors rather than from the effect of the stored elastic energy. Hopping differed from SJ and CMJ and was characterized by large moment and mechanical work of the ankle plantar flexors. The results also suggest that muscle elasticity may play a greater role in hopping than in CMJ.
The Future for Hard Fibers and Competition from Synthetics

The structure of the world's hard fibers economy is examined. Producing countries display a strong export orientation with approximately 68 percent of total world output being exported in raw form. Western Europe and the United States are the dominant outlets for hard fibers. The hard fibers-manufactures import market is small in size and narrow geographically. Hard-fibers production is a crucial source of employment and income in particularly poor areas in which production alternatives are limited. As a result of competition from newly developed polyolefin fibers, the world's consumption for hard fibers has fallen at a rate of one percent annually since the mid-1960s. International cooperation among producers led to an export quota that raised prices to above the break-even point for producers but below the level at which synthetic substitution would occur. While this informal arrangement reestablished some order in the world market, substantial problems remained due to over supply and stock accumulations. Demand-supply forecasts for the 1970s show that sisal-henequen producers must deal with a supply adjustment problem of considerable proportions. Extensive statistical and tabular data are provided.
Rapid Dendritic Cell Activation and Resistance to Allotolerance Induction in Anti-CD154-Treated Mice Receiving CD47-Deficient Donor-Specific Transfusion

CD47–SIRPα signaling plays an important role in regulating macrophage and dendritic cell (DC) activation. Here we investigated the role of CD47 expression on donor cells in tolerance induction by combined treatment with donor-specific transfusion (DST) plus anti-CD154 mAb in a mouse model of fully MHC-mismatched heart allotransplantation. The majority of BALB/c recipient mice that received anti-CD154 and CD47+/+ B6 splenocytes (DST) showed indefinite donor heart survival (median survival time, MST > 150 days). Donor heart survival was improved in anti-CD154-treated BALB/c mice that received CD47+/- (MST = 90 days) or CD47-/- B6 DST (MST = 42 days) when compared to the nontreated (MST = 7 days) and anti-CD154 alone-treated (MST = 15 days) controls, but significantly reduced when compared to mice receiving anti-CD154 plus CD47+/+ B6 DST. Recipient mice treated with anti-CD154 plus CD47-/- or CD47+/- DST also showed significantly increased antidonor, but not anti-third-party, MLR responses compared to those receiving anti-CD154 and CD47+/+ DST. Furthermore, CD47-/- DST induced rapid activation of CD11chiSIRPαhiCD8α- DCs via a mechanism independent of donor alloantigens. These results demonstrated that CD47 expression on donor cells is essential to the success of tolerance induction by combined therapy with DST and CD40/CD154 blockade.
Chinese voices: Chinese learners and their experiences of living and studying in the United Kingdom

Higher institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) have responded enthusiastically to two prime ministers' ‘Initiatives for International Education’ to promote Britain as a destination for overseas students and international fees from Chinese students now play an important role in the funding of the UK university sector. Yet it is not clear how far institutions understand the background of these students and the experience they have living and studying in the UK. This article presents a review of literature of the Chinese learner and a subsequent investigation into Chinese students' experiences of living and studying in the UK. The literature review suggests that Chinese students use different study techniques from their Western counterparts and as a result are often unfairly pigeonholed into the category of ‘shallow learners’ by Western lecturers. The interviews draw a picture of ambitious students frustrated by their inability to make meaningful contact with their Western classmates.
Home government policies for outward FDI from emerging economies: lessons from Asia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from the emerging economies and if there exists a positive role for home governments to coordinate them. The backdrop is the recent increases in OFDI from emerging economies and the emergence of several emerging economy firms, which have caught up to become global leaders in several industries. The paper focuses particularly on experiences from Asian economies.Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies a multi method approach and relies on literature studies, investment statistics, government reports, press reports, company reports, and interviews with public officials.Findings – Extending the motive‐based business theory, the paper first establishes the pronouncement of a third wave of OFDI from the mid‐1990s. Whereas the typical motives have remained important, the technology‐seeking motive has become significantly more important during the third wave. Typical policy prescriptions to liberalize.
The Zero Interest Rate Floor (ZIF) and its Implications for Monetary Policy in Japan

This paper uses the IMF's macroeconomic model MULTIMOD to examine the implications of the zero interest rate floor (ZIF) for the design of monetary policy in Japan. Similar to findings in other studies, targeting rates of inflation lower than 2.0 per cent significantly increases the likelihood of the ZIF becoming binding. Systematic monetary policy strategies that respond strongly to stabilise output and inflation, or that incorporate some explicit price-level component, can help to mitigate the implications of the ZIF.
Managerial Incentives and Corporate Investment and Financing Decisions

This paper examines the relationship between common stock and option holdings of managers and the choice of investment and financing decisions by firms. The authors find support for the hypothesis of a positive relationship between the security holdings of managers and the changes in firm variance and in financial leverage. This conclusion is based on samples of acquiring and divesting firms. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that executive security holdings have a role in reducing agency problems.
The Influence of Social and Environmental Labels on Purchasing: An Information and Systematic-heuristic Processing Approach

This paper aims at exploring how social and environmental (SE) labels influence purchasing. By drawing on the information processing and the systematic-heuristic models, this study tests the process followed by consumers when purchasing SE labeled-products. Information was gathered through a structured questionnaire in personal interviews with 400 consumers responsible for household shopping of Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), who were randomly approached at shopping mails in four areas of Madrid, Spain. They were asked about recognition, knowledge, credibility, perceived utility and purchases on 12 different labels; the influence of these variables on purchase is modeled and tested by path analysis. This study suggests that a systematic-heuristic information processing occurs when consumers buy SE-labeled FMCG products, as the purchase of this type of goods depends on the recognition of a label, knowledge of the issue/issuer, as well as the credibility and the perceived utility of SE labels. Motivation for being informed influences the process, being an antecedent of awareness, comprehension and perceived utility. This model shows a dual processing mode: systematic and heuristic, where the lack of cognitive capacity could explain why these two processing modes co-occur. This paper adds value to existing literature on SE labels and consumption by applying the information processing model, which has not been used before in the field of responsible consumption, in addition to open a promising avenue for research, by offering complementary theories to the existing ones, based on attitudes.
Do Foreign-owned Subsidiaries in China Follow a Distinctive Pattern of Technological Knowledge Sourcing?

Abstract This study investigates the China-located subsidiaries of foreign-owned multinational corporations (MNCs) for patterns of intra-firm and interorganizational technological knowledge accumulation. We analyze US patents attributed to those subsidiaries between 1996 and 2005 and argue that MNCs have recently tended toward open network structures, enabling subsidiaries in emerging markets to develop technological capabilities by searching for diversified inter-organizational knowledge sources beyond geographically local contexts to compensate for local limitations and deficiencies. Findings show that subsidiaries in China have gradually developed their technological capabilities through non-localized searches beyond their organizational, technological, and geographical boundaries. The study contributes to the literature on MNC organizational restructuring, subsidiary evolution, and subsidiary-level non-localized knowledge searches. The findings also have important implications for knowledge spillovers, MNC knowledge management, and government policies.
Emergency outpatient services in the city of Berlin: factors for appropriate use and predictors for hospital admission

Objectives To determine the proportion of patients making inappropriate use of medical care at hospital emergency rooms. To identify the factors that influence appropriateness of use and the probability of subsequent hospital admission. Methods Data were collected from 815 patients at three gynaecological/internal medicine emergency clinics in Berlin, Germany using multiple data sources: (i) standardized interviews covered service use history, psychosocial variables, migration history and sociodemographics; (ii) medical data were retrieved from patients' medical records, including case histories, diagnoses and therapies; (iii) emergency room physicians were asked to evaluate patients' language comprehension, physician–patient relationship and treatment urgency. Statistical analyses included χ2 tests, correlational and logistic regression analyses. Results According to a self-constructed index measuring appropriateness of emergency service use, about half of the patients' visits would have to be classified as inappropriate. Age, chronic illness and the time of day of the emergency service attendance were significantly associated with appropriateness of use. The probability of a hospital admission following the emergency treatment increased with patients' age and the physician's evaluation of treatment urgency. Remarkably, and contrary to the results of international studies, the patient's ethnicity played no significant role with respect to the appropriateness of use of emergency outpatient services or the likelihood of subsequent hospital admission.
Confrontation talk: Aspects of ‘interruption’ in argument sequences on talk radio

Recognition of the Status of 'Interruption' äs a members' evaluative construct, rather than äs merely a subclass ofspeech overlap, is the basisfor an investigation ofthe ways in which doing interruptingand 'being interrupted' are ways members have of framing up a spate of talk äs confrontational. The use of Interruption is examined in bouts of confrontation talk found in argument sequences produced in a specialised cultural setting — the 'talk radio' broadcast — wifh three main results. First, both sequential and moral dimensions of 'interrupting' on the pari ofparties to an argument are shown to be closely bound up with the hearably confrontational character ofgiven spates of disputatious talk. Second, resistance strategies are located which show t hat Interruption is by no means definitively disruptive of a Speaker's topical line. And third, institutionally-grounded ways of using Interruption äs a way of doing 'being in control' of a disputatious exchange are isolated
Guanine nucleotides are competitive inhibitors of N-methyl-D-aspartate at its receptor site both in vitro and in vivo.

Guanine nucleotides were shown to alter N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-effector coupling by competitive antagonism at the glutamate binding site, rather than via interaction with an intracellularly located GTP-binding protein. Thus, in contrast to known G-protein linked receptors, micromolar concentrations of guanine nucleotides and their analogs decreased both agonist [( 3H]glutamate) and antagonist [( 3H]-3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid binding to the NMDA receptor complex. The most potent compound, the GDP analog guanosine-5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP beta S), was studied in detail. GDP beta S exhibited almost 200-fold selectivity for the glutamate recognition site vs. the strychnine-insensitive glycine binding site. IC50 values were 2.7 +/- 1.4 and 484 +/- 97 microM, respectively. GDP beta S also inhibited N-[1-(2-thienyl)cyclohexyl-3H]piperidine binding (IC50 was 28.0 +/- 3.7 microM) in an NMDA-reversible fashion. [3H]-3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid saturation binding studies revealed an increase in Kd from 263 +/- 49 (control) to 552 +/- 134 nM (8 microM GDP beta S) without any change in maximum binding (4.94 +/- 0.34 and 5.19 +/- 0.58 pmol/mg of protein, respectively). GDP beta S was also a competitive inhibitor of the following NMDA-stimulated responses: elevation of cyclic GMP in neonatal rat cerebellar slices, release of preloaded [3H]norepinephrine from superfused rat hippocampal slices and elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration in fura-2-loaded cultured rat forebrain neurons. IC50 values were 78.4, 53.4 and 1.6 microM, respectively. Finally, GDP beta S resembled known NMDA receptor antagonists in its ability to block NMDA receptor-induced seizures after i.c. v. administration. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Do Borrowing Constraints Change U.S. Homeownership Rates

Abstract This study has two main objectives. First, we estimate various alternative specifications of the tenure choice model with borrowing constraint variables, originally put forth by Linneman and Wachter, using a more recent sample of the Survey of Consumer Finance. Second, we simulate effects of policy changes governing constraints and changes in mortgage interest rates, both on households' owning decisions and on the aggregate homeownership rate. While the impact of constraints has been demonstrated in previous studies, our research provides the first microsimulation estimates of the impact for aggregate homeownership rates for the entire U.S. population.