Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wolbachia modulates Chikungunya replication in Aedes albopictus

The Aedes albopictus mosquito has been involved as the principal vector of recent major outbreaks due to the chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The species is naturally infected by two strains of Wolbachia (wAlbA and wAlbB). Wolbachia infections are thought to have spread by manipulating the reproduction of their hosts; cytoplasmic incompatibility is the mechanism used by Wolbachia to invade natural populations of many insects including Ae. albopictus. Here, we report a study on the effects of removing Wolbachia from Ae. albopictus on CHIKV replication and examine the consequences of CHIKV infection on some life‐history traits (survival and reproduction) of Wolbachia‐free Ae. albopictus. We found that Wolbachia‐free mosquitoes maintained a highly heterogeneous CHIKV replication compared to Wolbachia‐infected individuals. In Wolbachia‐infected Ae. albopictus, the regular increase of CHIKV followed by a steady viral load from day 4 post‐infection onwards was concomitant with a decline in Wolbachia density. This profile was also detected when examining the two key organs for viral transmission, the midgut and the salivary glands. Moreover, Wolbachia‐free Ae. albopictus was not altered in life‐history traits such as survival, oviposition and hatching characteristics whether infected or not with CHIKV. We found that Wolbachia is not essential for viral replication, its presence could lead to optimize replication from day 4 post‐infection onwards, coinciding with a decrease in Wolbachia density. Wolbachia may regulate viral replication in Ae. albopictus, with consequences on survival and reproduction.
Community development and engagement with local governance in South Africa

The issue of public participation is receiving increasing attention in South Africa, from both government and civil society sectors. We are witnessing acknowledgement from a wide range of public institutions that insufficient consideration has been paid to public participation, and that existing policy frameworks, institutional mechanisms and programme interventions are failing to comply with government's constitutional and statutory obligations in this regard. This article examines actual practice in one key invited space: the policy and legislative framework for public participation in municipal processes. The article also highlights community experiences of attempting to engage with municipalities in development planning and policy processes, and their aspirations and expectations in this regard. We conclude with a set of recommendations on how participatory development at the local level can be transformed to ensure that municipal planning and programme implementation processes are truly accessible, participatory and empowering for local communities.
When Customers Complain

Frontline hospitality employees inevitably face customer complaints and verbal aggression from time to time. Some employees seem to be able to shake off this negative energy and offer service recovery, while others collapse under such onslaughts. This study of 243 frontline employees of casual dining restaurants in Korea found that customer orientation is an important factor in employees’ ability to avoid emotional exhaustion and provide service recovery. The study first establishes the harmful relationships among customer verbal aggression, emotional exhaustion, and (successful or failed) service recovery performance. By incorporating customer orientation into the model, the study documents its buffering role as a personal coping resource. In summary, (1) customer verbal aggression intensifies emotional exhaustion, (2) emotional exhaustion mitigates service recovery performance, (3) customer verbal aggression does not mitigate service recovery performance, (4) emotional exhaustion fully mediates the harmful relationship between customer verbal aggression and service recovery performance, and (5) the detrimental effects of customer verbal aggression are greater among employees with low customer orientation than high orientation employees with regard to the effect of emotional exhaustion on service recovery performance.
Acceptability and repeatability of spirometry in children using updated ATS/ERS criteria

Spirometry in pediatrics can be limited by the child's development which is usually related to age. In 2005 the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and European Respiratory Society (ERS) published updated quality control criteria for spirometry. In 2007 the ATS/ERS published specific criteria for spirometry in preschool children 6 years of age and younger. Our primary objective was to determine the influence of age on the ability of children to meet updated spirometry criteria for acceptable and repeatable tests. Our second objective was to determine which criteria are associated with unacceptable tests. Data was prospectively collected over 12 months for children 4–17 years of age performing spirometry for the first time. Unsuccessful tests were analyzed to determine specific criteria not achieved. Three hundred ninety‐three studies were collected and 292 (74%) met recently revised ATS/ERS criteria for acceptable and repeatable tests. Acceptable and repeatable test success was not correlated to the gender or race of the children. The percentage of acceptable and repeatable spirometry increased with age rising above 50% by age 6 and reached a plateau with approximately 85% success at age 10. The most common unmet criteria for an unacceptable study among preschool children was glottic closure and non‐maximal efforts, while in school‐age children was failure to plateau. These data demonstrate most children are able to perform acceptable/repeatable spirometry with their first effort based on revised ATS/ERS criteria. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008; 43:1020–1024. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Operational impact of employee wellness programs: a business case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of employee wellness programs on employee engagement and the reduction of employee health care costs. The intent of the analysis is to explain the typical costs associated with these programs and the potential benefits to the employer and employee.Design/methodology/approach – Due to the paucity of academic literature on the operational impact of employee wellness programs, a case study utilizing an internal company's resources and employee survey were also used to examine business questions related to the efficacy of such programs in businesses.Findings – The results of the employee survey showed that there is a correlation between eating a balanced diet and being more productive at work. Also, there is a link between being in good physical health, potentially because employees participate in the wellness program, and being productive at work. On the other hand, it was also found that employees who do not eat a very balanced diet, do.
Director Ownership and Voluntary Segment Disclosure: Hong Kong Evidence

Weakness of corporate governance and lack of transparency are often considered causes of or contributors to the Asian Financial Crisis. Publicly listed companies in Hong Kong, like other Asian firms, have concentrated director ownership. The study uses voluntary segment disclosure above the benchmark minimum as a proxy for transparency and examines its relationship to the ownership structure and composition of corporate boards in Hong Kong. We find that: (1) high (concentrated) board ownership explains the extent of low voluntary segment disclosure and this negative relationship is stronger when firm performance is very poor; (2) the contribution of non-executive directors to enhance voluntary segment disclosure is effective for firms with low director ownership but not for concentrated-ownership firms. These results have implications for policy makers and regulators in the Asia-Pacific region striving to improve governance and transparency.
Diets, Nutrition and Poverty: The Indian Experience

This chapter focuses on the Indian experience with dietary changes, their nutritional implications, and policy response to alleviate nutritional deprivation. We review the evidence on nutrient intake and dietary changes, particularly the downward shift in calorie, protein and other nutrient intake over the period 1993–2004 and provide a demand based explanation of this shift. We report on eating out as an aspect of dietary transition, examine the relationship between calorie deprivation and poverty, and argue against delinking of the two. We analyse poverty nutrition traps, whether child undernutrition is underestimated and the double burden of undernutrition and obesity. We examine the (potential) contribution of National Rural Guarantee Scheme and Public Distribution System in mitigating the extent and severity of undernutrition. We emphasize that food security entails a right to certain policies to ensure food entitlements, as opposed to a narrow interpretation of the right to food in terms of state provisioning of these entitlements. Conclusions from a broad policy perspective are delineated.
Seasonal pattern in volatility in Asian stock markets

Using the Levene test, it is found that there exist day-of-the-week variations in volatility in most of the emerging Asian stock markets. Monday returns, in general, have the lowest volatility for all the emerging Asian markets except Korea. Three of the five markets that have significant day-of-the-week effect in volatility have the lowest volatility on the last trading day of the week. It is also found that the close-market effect is not a good explanation of the volatility pattern across day-of-the-week.
CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY NEW MEXICO AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION TEACHERS IN INCLUDING SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS

Approximately 19% of the students enrolled in agricultural education in New Mexico are classified as special education students. The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to describe the challenges experienced by agricultural education teachers in New Mexico when including special needs students in their programs. A census of New Mexico secondary school agricultural education teachers received a mail questionnaire during spring and summer 2003. Most programs in the state offered instruction in a combination classroom and shop/laboratory format (85%) and a classroom-only (59%) format. Among disabilities/special needs, students with mental retardation and limited English proficiency were the most challenging to include in courses with the classroom-only format. In the laboratory/shop-only format, students with mental retardation, physical disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders were most challenging. Mentally retarded students were the most challenging in the combination format. Older teachers and teachers on a regular schedule had lower perceptions of the degree of challenge in including students with special needs than younger teachers and teachers on a block schedule.
Cloning and Targeted Deletion of the Mouse Fetuin Gene*

We proposed that the α2-Heremans Schmid glycoprotein/fetuin family of serum proteins inhibits unwanted mineralization. To test this hypothesis in animals, we cloned the mouse fetuin gene and generated mice lacking fetuin. The gene consists of seven exons and six introns. The cystatin-like domains D1 and D2 of mouse fetuin are encoded by three exons each, whereas a single terminal exon encodes the carboxyl-terminal domain D3. The promoter structure is well conserved between rat and mouse fetuin genes within the regions shown to bind transcription factors in the rat system. Expression studies demonstrated that mice homozygous for the gene deletion lacked fetuin protein and that mice heterozygous for the null mutation produced roughly half the amount of fetuin protein produced by wild-type mice. Fetuin-deficient mice were fertile and showed no gross anatomical abnormalities. However, the serum inhibition of apatite formation was compromised in these mice as well as in heterozygotes. In addition, some homozygous fetuin-deficient female ex-breeders developed ectopic microcalcifications in soft tissues. These results corroborate a role for fetuin in serum calcium homeostasis. The fact that generalized ectopic calcification did not occur in fetuin-deficient mice proves that additional inhibitors of phase separation exist in serum.
Characterization of Botulinum Neurotoxin A Subtypes 1 Through 5 by Investigation of Activities in Mice, in Neuronal Cell Cultures, and In Vitro

ABSTRACT Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are synthesized by Clostridium botulinum and exist as seven immunologically distinct serotypes designated A through G. For most serotypes, several subtypes have now been described based on nominal differences in the amino acid sequences. BoNT/A1 is the most well-characterized subtype of the BoNT/A serotype, and many of its properties, including its potency, its prevalence as a food poison, and its utility as a pharmaceutical, have been thoroughly studied. In contrast, much remains unknown of the other BoNT/A subtypes. In this study, BoNT/A subtype 1 (BoNT/A1) to BoNT/A5 were characterized utilizing a mouse bioassay, an in vitro cleavage assay, and several neuronal cell-based assays. The data indicate that BoNT/A1 to -5 have distinct in vitro and in vivo toxicological properties and that, unlike those for BoNT/A1, the neuronal and mouse results for BoNT/A2 to -5 do not correlate with their enzymatic activity. These results indicate that BoNT/A1 to -5 have distinct characteristics, which are of importance for a greater understanding of botulism and for pharmaceutical applications.
A Documentary of Innovation Support among New World Wine Industries

During the past two decades, the international wine industry has undergone a 'seismic shift'. Old World producers no longer dominate production, export and marketing of wine to the extent that they once did. Instead, New World producers such as California, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand have successfully married production, management, marketing and innovation to emerge as a new force on the global wine landscape. It is the innovation supports within these selected New World industries that this short communication seeks to document, in order to highlight different approaches and outcomes and how they may or may not contribute to an innovative culture.
The Franchise Fulcrum: The Legal System's Contributions to Research about Power and Control in Business Format Franchising

Franchisors’ need for power over their franchisees and control of their brands underpins their apparent opportunism. Through Australian and United States examples, we identify how the legal system's levers facilitate examination of opportunism within franchising. We suggest that the balance of power and control within franchising is ever changing. We suggest that all legal systems provide rich and often overlooked data for business researchers investigating franchise relationships. They should be accessed to help franchising stakeholders frame research propositions and to understand and meet twenty-first century challenges such as those posed by Gen Y and online retailing.
EXPLAINING EARLY EXIT RATES FROM THE ROYAL NAVY

The Royal Navy (RN) is striving to achieve the right manpower mix through improved retention levels. This paper analyses the ratings’ exit patterns from the RN using a hazard regression framework. We hypothesise that similar to civilian workers, job transition decisions of the RN ratings are dependent upon alternative job availability and macroeconomic conditions. In addition, working conditions, gender and skill mix, family commitments and promotion prospects in the Navy influence their decisions to leave early. We estimate the unemployment elasticity for males to be −0.65 (female −0.51), which is high, compared to the elasticity reported for the US Navy. The civilian wage is positively related to exit probability from the RN. Overall, married ratings are less likely to exit as compared to their unmarried counterparts, but married female ratings are 88% more likely to leave early as compared to unmarried females in the Navy. Promotion to higher ranks reduces the probability of early exists.
Doing Assessment As If Learning Matters Most

After nearly two decades of uphill struggle, the “assessment movement” has reached a promising plateau. In general, US higher education has moved beyond unproductive, dualistic debates – do you remember, “four legs good, two legs bad” from Animal Farm? – over whether assessment should focus on accountability or improvement. Today, most faculty and academic administrators have finally, if reluctantly, come to accept that dealing with both is a political and economic inevitability. Nonetheless, most of us think assessment should be, first and foremost, about improving student learning and, secondarily, about determining accountability for the quality of learning produced. In short, though accountability matters, learning still matters most.
CLEC-2 Is a Phagocytic Activation Receptor Expressed on Murine Peripheral Blood Neutrophils1

CLEC-2 is a member of the “dectin-1 cluster” of C-type lectin-like receptors and was originally thought to be restricted to platelets. In this study, we demonstrate that murine CLEC-2 is also expressed by peripheral blood neutrophils, but only weakly by bone marrow or elicited inflammatory neutrophils. On circulating neutrophils, CLEC-2 can mediate phagocytosis of Ab-coated beads and the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, in response to the CLEC-2 ligand, rhodocytin. CLEC-2 possesses a tyrosine-based cytoplasmic motif similar to that of dectin-1, and we show using chimeric analyses that the activities of this receptor are dependent on this tyrosine. Like dectin-1, CLEC-2 can recruit the signaling kinase Syk in myeloid cells, however, stimulation of this pathway does not induce the respiratory burst. These data therefore demonstrate that CLEC-2 expression is not restricted to platelets and that it functions as an activation receptor on neutrophils.
The Sugar Colonies of the Old Empire:Profit or Loss for Great Britain?

N a recent article in this Journal, R. B. Sheridan maintains that the British West Indies made a substantial contribution to the economic development of Great Britain before the end of the eighteenth century.2A careful examination of the evidence presented by Sheridan does not support his contention. The object of this essay is to demonstrate that economic analysis used in conjunction with the data employed by Sheridan yields the conclusion that the possession of the British West Indies actually had the effect of retarding the growth of Great Britain.3 In fact, the conclusion reached in this essay is that the income of Englishmen would have been at least J500,ooo higher in the absence of the West Indies from the empire. Sheridan contends that the West Indies in general, andJamaica in particular, "yielded an economic surplus which contributed in no small way to the growth of the metropolitan economy". 4 This conclusion is based upon evidence showing the rapid extensive economic growth of the island ofJamaica between I 740 and 1 775, and upon an implicit "balance sheet of empire" based also upon data from Jamaica. In the course of his argument, Sheridan constructs an estimate of the wealth ofJamaica during the I 770's and expands it to include all the British West India sugar colonies. This wealth estimate was found by Sheridan to be consistent with a measurement of the annual income generated in the British West Indies. The sheer size of these findings seems to have led Sheridan to conclude that the British West Indies must have made a significant positive contribution to the economic growth of the metropolitan region.
Levamisole and surgery in bronchial carcinoma patients: increase in deaths from cardiorespiratory failure.

Levamisole and surgery in bronchial carcinoma patients: increase in deaths from cardiorespiratory failure Sir,-We would like to comment on this paper by Dr Anthony and her coworkers. Firstly, whether or not these deaths are related to levamisole must be examined in relation to three factors: 1. (a) In a three-centre study (which inspired Anthony et al to start their own trial) of 211 resectable lung cancer patients the percentage of non-tumour deaths after three months (the period during which the excess death rate in the Leeds study was reported) was three with levamisole (n=96) and four with the placebo (n=115). In view of the findings in Leeds and at the request of Dr Anthony we asked each centre (Amsterdam, Leuven, and Utrecht) to review all early deaths, particularly those diagnosed as myocardial infarction or bronchopneumonia. We also requested a report on any surviving patients who had shown periods of unexplained breathlessness and/or a pulmonary oedemalike syndrome that failed to respond to diuretics. No centre was able to find a single suspected case in the levamisole group. (b) A similar request was sent to Dr P Wright (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle) who is involved in another double-blind resectable lung cancer study with levamisole started preoperatively (as in Leeds and in the study l(a) above). Dr Wright reports that an interim analysis of his trial shows no excess deaths of a similar nature to those reported by Dr Anthony. This is important in view of Dr Anthony's comment that the increased death rate was pronounced in patients weighing more than 75 kg and that these heavy patients were treated with 50 mg four times a day-all other patients received 50 mg three times a day. In Seattle all patients weighing more than 70 kg are treated with at least 4X50 mg daily. 2. From the original data that Dr Anthony showed us which covered non-tumour deaths as a proportion of all operations (including exploratory thoracotomy) month by month we have derived the following table in which the data are split into four periods:
Overseas research and development by us‐based firms

In recent years, the overseas research and development activities of US-based firms have become the focus of controversy. Some observers view such activities with suspicion, since they regard them as a device to "export" R and D jobs, or as a channel through which American technology may be transmitted to actual or potential foreign competitors. ' Others, particularly the governments of many developing (and some developed) countries, view them as highly desirable activities that will help to stimulate indigenous R and D in these countries. Indeed, the United Nations Group of Eminent Persons recommended that host countries require multinational corporations to contribute towards innovation of appropriate kinds, and to encourage them to do such R and D in their overseas affiliates.2 Although the amount of controversy in this area might lead one to believe that the nature of existing overseas R and D activities of US-based firms has been studied quite thoroughly, this is far from the case. The unfortunate truth is that economists have devoted little or no attention to even the most basic questions concerning these activities.3 In this paper, we try to fill part of this gap.
Access to Education Andinformation and Communication Technologies as a Factorreducing Inequality

In this article the authorsexamine the impact offactors suchas access to educationand information and communication technologies on theinequality in the distribution of population by income. The authors, based on a household survey data baseof the Agencyof the Republic of Kazakhstan on Statisticsprove the existence of a direct relationship between the seindicators and make recommendationsto improve public policies to reduceine qualities in income andquality of life.