Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolutionary changes in plant tolerance against herbivory through a resurrection experiment

Both theoretical and empirical works have highlighted the difference in the evolutionary implications of host resistance and tolerance against their enemies. However, it has been difficult to show evolutionary changes in host defences in natural populations; thus, evaluating theoretical predictions of simultaneous evolution of defences remains a challenge. We studied the evolutionary changes in traits related to resistance and tolerance against herbivory in a natural plant population using seeds from two collections made in a period of 20 years. In a common garden experiment, we compared defensive traits of ancestral (1987) and descendant (2007) subpopulations of the annual plant Datura stramonium that shows genetic variation for tolerance and to which the specialist herbivore Lema daturaphila is locally adapted. We also examined the effects of different plant genotypes on the herbivore for testing the plant genetic variation in resistance. Based on the response to the contemporary herbivore populations, results revealed a nonsignificant response in plant resistance traits (herbivore consumption, foliar trichomes and tropane alkaloids), but a significant one in tolerance. The survival of herbivores in laboratory experiments depended on the plant genotype, which suggests genetic variation in plant resistance. Although we cannot identify the selective agent for the change nor exclude genetic drift, the results are consistent with the expectation that when resistance fails to control herbivory, tolerance should play a more important role in the evolution of the interaction.
Accountability and Creating Accountability: A Framework for Exploring Behavioural Perspectives of Corporate Governance

What is board accountability, and how is such accountability created? This response to Roberts, McNulty and Stiles suggests a framework for exploring behavioural perspectives of boards and corporate governance. The contribution of this framework is to develop a terminology that may help us accumulate knowledge and provide directions for a research agenda. The consistent use of a terminology, the accumulation of knowledge and an accepted research agenda among a core group of scholar are some of the first steps in developing a promising research field with considerable potential to create actionable knowledge. The framework can help us sort some of the research, concepts and anecdotes that have been presented in efforts to open the black box of board research.
Challenges towards Employability: Higher Education's Engagement to Industrial Needs in Japan

This paper examines the challenges and strategies of twenty-three Japanese universities working towards the improvement of employability skills. These universities have been selected for the national project “Improving Higher Education for Meeting Industrial Needs” funded by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The purpose of this project is to improve the higher education systems that help develop employability skills that industry seeks by sharing their challenges and strategies in collaboration with companies. This paper analyses these challenges and strategies from the reports submitted by these universities for the preparation of the Second Conference of Industry-University Partnerships that took place in Nagoya, Japan on November 14, 2013. This paper concludes with discussion drawn from the reports and the conference.
Ramsey Tax Cycles

This paper asks whether tax cycles or tax smoothing represents the optimal policy in models without any extrinsic uncertainty. To answer this question, I develop a general framework for studying tax cycles in a large class of models that feature various types of frictions. This framework adds various wedges, resembling tax wedges, to the labour market, to the product market, and to money acquisition into an otherwise frictionless economy, so that it nests a large class of models used for policy analysis. I derive a criterion for this general framework that indicates when cycles are welfare-improving in a frictionless economy, and why frictions make cycles more likely to be optimal. I then calibrate two models with frictions, a labour search model and a monetary model, and show that cycles are welfare-improving under standard preferences. Copyright , Wiley-Blackwell.
Long-term results of mandibular reconstruction with autogenous bone grafts and oral implants after tumor resection.

OBJECTIVES (a) To evaluate retrospectively the clinical outcome of non-vascularized bone grafts used for the reconstruction of mandibular defects following tumor resection; (b) to evaluate the clinical outcome of implants and implant-supported prostheses placed in the reconstructed areas; and (c) to evaluate patients' satisfaction regarding function and esthetics after oral rehabilitation. MATERIAL AND METHODS In a 9-year period (1995-2003), 29 patients affected by mandibular tumors involving to tooth bearing areas were treated by means of tumor resection and immediate or delayed reconstruction with autogenous non-revascularized calvarial or iliac bone grafts. Among these patients, 16 patients were selected for dental rehabilitation of the lost dentition with implant-supported 3fixed prosthese333s. For to 7 months later, the patients received 60 oral implants for the prosthetic rehabilitation of the reconstructed edentulous areas. RESULTS No total failure of the graft was observed, while partial loss of the graft was observed in one patient. The mean follow-up of patients after the start of prosthetic loading of implants treated was 94 months (range: 36-132 months). Two patients dropped out of the follow-up after 3 and 4 years of observation, respectively. Two implants were removed due to loss of osseointegration, while two implants, although still integrated, presented peri-implant bone resorption values higher than those proposed by Albrektsson et al. for successful implants. Cumulative survival and success rates of implants were 96.7% and 93.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION Results from this study demonstrated that bone defects following resection of mandibular tumors can be predictably reconstructed with autogenous bone grafts taken from the calvarium or the anterior iliac crest. It has also been shown that the long-term survival and success rates of implants placed in the reconstructed areas (96.7% and 93.3%, respectively) may guarantee an excellent prognosis of implant-supported prostheses.
The Use of Electronic Payment Machines at Farmers Markets: Results from a Choice Experiment Study

The use of electronic payment machines offer vendors an alternative payment method which can increase farmers markets’ sales and customer base. In this study, we elicited the value that managers and vendors assign to different machines’ features. Also we estimated customers’ values on different markets’ features, including access to electronic payment machines. Managers were willing to pay for user-friendly machines, excellent customer service, and excellent quality machine technology. Customers were also willing to pay for excellent quality food, for vendors that are local farmers, and for an entertaining atmosphere. We found no evidence of customers willing to pay premium prices for having access to electronic payment machines at farmers markets. Findings from this study should be useful to those designing ways to implement electronic payment machines at farmers markets in order to increase adoption rates.
Identifying Control Motives in Managerial Ownership: Evidence from Antitakeover Legislation

This study uses the introduction of second-generation antitakeover legislation as a natural experiment setting to infer the value that managers place on the control rights conferred by stock ownership. We conjecture that managers will reduce their stockholdings in the post-legislation period, because they can ensure their prior level of control while holding fewer risky shares. Using a variety of specifications, we find robust evidence consistent with this "revealed preference" hypothesis. Further demonstrating the key role played by control considerations in managers' stockholding decisions, the reductions in ownership are concentrated in management teams with higher levels of initial ownership, and in firms without poison pills.
Effects of Parents' Migration on the Education of Children Left Behind in Rural China

type="main"> This essay draws on an original cross-sectional survey of 1,010 children and their guardians in highly migratory regions of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces located in China's interior. It uses propensity score matching, a technique that mitigates endogenity, to examine the impact of parental migration and post-migration guardianship arrangements on the children's educational performance as measured by test scores for Chinese and mathematics. One core finding is that the educational performance of children is adversely affected by parental migration only when both parents migrate or when a non-parent guardian is the principal carer. Additionally, longer durations of parental absence are associated with poorer educational performance. The migration of two parents only significantly adversely affects the educational performance of boys. There is no significant effect on the educational performance of girls. On the basis of our findings we argue that rather than support left-behind children within the countryside, the long-term policy response should be to remove the institutional obstacles that prevent family resettlement in the cities.
Age discrimination in hotel workplaces: HRM practices and their effects on the employment of "older" workers

There is evidence to suggest that more people suffer from age discrimination than any other form of discrimination. This is a problem for the individuals concerned, businesses and the economy. Despite major growth of literature on age discrimination in employment in recent years, there remains a dearth of research into age discrimination in hotel workplaces. The aim of this article is to assess the role of Human Resource practices in perpetuating age discrimination in such workplaces. The study is empirical and focuses on the views of ten Human Resource managers of hotels in the UK and Ireland. This study uncovered little evidence to suggest that older workers are experiencing direct discrimination. However, evidence of indirect discrimination included the widespread use of internet recruitment, a focus on local colleges when recruiting, a focus on work flexibilty, a desire to recruit Eastern European workers and few special inititatives to attract older employees.
Raloxifene use in clinical practice: efficacy and safety

Objective and Methods: In this article, we provide an interdisciplinary concise review of the effects of raloxifene on breast, bone, and reproductive organs, as well as the adverse events that may be associated with its use. Results: Raloxifene has been shown to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (PMW) with low bone mass and prevent vertebral fractures in those with osteoporosis/low bone mass; it has not been shown to reduce the risk of nonvertebral fractures. Raloxifene reduces the risk of invasive breast cancer in PMW with osteoporosis or at high risk of breast cancer. The risk of venous thromboembolism has been consistently shown to be increased with raloxifene, so it should not be used in women at high risk of venous thromboembolism. Although raloxifene does not increase, nor decrease, the risk of coronary or stroke events overall, in the raloxifene trial of PMW at increased risk of coronary events, the incidence of fatal stroke was higher in women assigned raloxifene versus placebo. Conclusions: Based on its approved indications, it is appropriate to prescribe raloxifene to prevent or treat osteoporosis, as well as to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer in PMW with osteoporosis or at high risk of breast cancer. Women at increased risk of both fracture and invasive breast cancer are those most likely to receive a dual benefit with raloxifene. Decision making must involve the incorporation of the woman's personal feelings about the risks and benefits of raloxifene therapy, balanced with her interest in reducing risk of fractures and breast cancer through pharmacological intervention.
Interactions among APETALA1, LEAFY, and TERMINAL FLOWER1 Specify Meristem Fate

Upon floral induction, the primary shoot meristem of an Arabidopsis plant begins to produce flower meristems rather than leaf primordia on its flanks. Assignment of floral fate to lateral meristems is primarily due to the cooperative activity of the flower meristem identity genes LEAFY (LFY), APETALA1 (AP1), and CAULIFLOWER. We present evidence here that AP1 expression in lateral meristems is activated by at least two independent pathways, one of which is regulated by LFY. In lfy mutants, the onset of AP1 expression is delayed, indicating that LFY is formally a positive regulator of AP1. We have found that AP1, in turn, can positively regulate LFY, because LFY is expressed prematurely in the converted floral meristems of plants constitutively expressing AP1. Shoot meristems maintain an identity distinct from that of flower meristems, in part through the action of genes such as TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1), which bars AP1 and LFY expression from the inflorescence shoot meristem. We show here that this negative regulation can be mutual because TFL1 expression is downregulated in plants constitutively expressing AP1. Therefore, the normally sharp phase transition between the production of leaves with associated shoots and formation of the flowers, which occurs upon floral induction, is promoted by positive feedback interactions between LFY and AP1, together with negative interactions of these two genes with TFL1.
Understanding Community Impacts: A Tool for Evaluating Externalities from Local Bio-Fuels Production

The popularity of public investment in local bio-fuels production as a rural development initiative is growing. An important consideration in determining the level of public support for a plant's development, however, is accurately measuring public externalities resulting from plant activity. The purpose of this research was to first develop a set of community multipliers associated with various bio-fuel plant configurations, and then develop an easy to use tool that allows local communities to measure potential benefits based on varying levels of plant activity.
Dermal Permeation of Biocides and Aromatic Chemicals in Three Generic Formulations of Metalworking Fluids

Metalworking fluids (MWF) are complex mixtures consisting of a variety of components and additives. A lack of scientific data exists regarding the dermal permeation of its components, particularly biocides. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dermal permeation of biocides and other aromatic chemicals in water and in three generic soluble oil, semi-synthetic, and synthetic MWF types in order to evaluate any differences in their permeation profiles. An in vitro flow-through diffusion cell study was performed to determine dermal permeation. An infinite dose of different groups of chemicals (6 biocides and 29 aromatic chemicals) was applied to porcine skin, with perfusate samples being collected over an 8-h period. Perfusate samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS), and permeability was calculated from the analysis of the permeated chemical concentration–time profile. In general, the permeation of chemicals was highest in aqueous solution, followed by synthetic, semi-synthetic, and soluble oil MWF. The absorption profiles of most of the chemicals including six biocides were statistically different among the synthetic and soluble oil MWF formulations, with reduced permeation occurring in oily formulations. Permeation of almost all chemicals was statistically different between aqueous and three MWF formulation types. Data from this study show that permeation of chemicals is higher in a generic synthetic MWF when compared to a soluble oil MWF. This indicates that a soluble oil MWF may be safer than a synthetic MWF in regard to dermal permeation of chemicals to allow for an increased potential of systemic toxicity. Therefore, one may conclude that a synthetic type of formulation has more potential to produce contact dermatitis and induce systemic toxicological effects. The dilution of these MWF formulations with water may increase dermal permeability of biocides, allowing for an enhanced risk for systemic toxicological effects and dermatitis potential.
Impact of Investors Status on Their Evaluation of Positive and Negative, and Past and Future Information

This paper examines the effect of investors' status (current and prospective) on their evaluation of information varying in valence (negative and positive) and temporality (past and future). Master of Business Administration graduates, proxying for current or prospective investors, rated the relevance of negative, positive, past, and future Management Discussion and Analysis information. Investors' relevance ratings of information resulted in the following ranking (from highest to lowest): negative-future, negative-past, positive-future, and positive-past information. Furthermore, prospective investors (relative to current) rated positive and future information as more relevant and negative information as less relevant. Implications for effective disclosure strategies and policies are discussed. Copyright (c) 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2008 AFAANZ.
Contributing to Markets for Technology? A Comparison of Patent Filing Motives of Individual Inventors, Small Companies and Universities

We compare patenting motives of individual inventors, small firms, and universities to those of large firms. We use data from a survey (637 responses) among applicants at the European Patent Office. Our results from regression and factor analyses confirm significant differences among applicant types. The generation of licensing opportunities is rated as being more important if the applicant is a university, individual inventor or small firm. Blocking and prevention of imitation is rated as being less important if the applicant is a university. We interpret that this finding results from the universities’ willingness to license under adequate conditions and their tendency not to use their patents for preventing the diffusion of their technology and its usage by others. Individual inventors and small firms place a higher importance on using patents as signals to investors, suggesting that patents are perceived as useful to secure access to the capital necessary to start or grow a business. Among all applicant groups, individual inventors attribute the most importance to blocking as a patent filing motive. This gives cause for concern because individuals who do not manufacture products on their own but, rather, use their patents to block others from production act as patent trolls.
Pathogenicity of Hantaan Virus in Newborn Mice: Genetic Reassortant Study Demonstrating that a Single Amino Acid Change in Glycoprotein G1 Is Related to Virulence

ABSTRACT Two Hantaan virus strains, clone 1 (cl-1), which is virulent in newborn mice, and its attenuated mutant (mu11E10), were used to examine the pathogenesis of Hantaan virus infection in a mouse model and identify virus factors relating to virulence. After subcutaneous inoculation of newborn BALB/c mice, cl-1 caused fatal disease with high viral multiplication in peripheral organs, but mu11E10 produced nonfatal infection with a low level of virus multiplication. Intracerebral inoculation of either strain caused fatal disease. Histopathological changes in the dead animals were prominent in the brain, indicating that the brain is the target organ and produces the fatal outcome. These results indicate that mu11E10 has a generally less virulent phenotype, and because of decreased multiplication in peripheral tissues, neuroinvasiveness is also decreased. An experiment with genetic reassortant viruses showed that in newborn mice the M segment is the most related to virulence and the L segment is partly related. Sequence comparison detected a single deduced amino acid change (cl-1 Ile to mu11E10 Thr) at amino acid number 515 in glycoprotein G1. One nucleotide change, but no amino acid substitution, was observed in the noncoding region of the L segment. In mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells in vitro, viruses possessing a cl-1-derived M segment grew more rapidly than viruses containing a mu11E10-derived M segment. These results suggest that the single amino acid change in the glycoprotein alters peripheral growth, which affects invasion of the central nervous system in mice.
TNF-alpha: a risk factor for ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND Inflammatory markers are being explored to aid in stroke diagnosis especially, to differentiate between clinical varieties of stroke. This study aimed to compare plasma tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels between stroke patients and controls, as well as between hemorrhagic and ischemic varieties of stroke. METHODS Stroke patients who were admitted to Shaikh Zayed Hospital Lahore and Services Hospital Lahore, Pakistan within 24 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms were consecutively asked to participate in this study from June 2011 to December 2011.Venous blood samples were collected within 24 hours of stroke symptoms onset. Plasma TNF-α levels and IL-10 were calculated using commercial enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA). Cytokines levels were dichotomized as detectable yes/no and were compared between different groups using chi square test. Continuous variables were compared using the student t-test. Logistic regression model was used to investigate the effect of various risk factors on stroke subtypes. A value of p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS One hundred and thirty one stroke patients were included in the study, out of which 93 were ischemic and 38 were haemorrhagic stroke patients. Forty-seven healthy asymptomatic individuals were included . as controls Plasma TNF-α levels (p < 0.001, r = 0.503, CI: 18.197-1672.950) were significantly elevated in stroke patients as compared to controls, along with advancing age (p = 0.002, r = 0.310, CI: 1.025-1.110) and history of hypertension (p = 0.002, r = 0.265, CI: 1.746-12.511). Males were found to be at a higher risk of developing stroke. Furthermore, history of hypertension (p=0.019, r= -0.294, CI: 0.134-1.500) and detectable TNF- levels (p = 0.002, r = 0.319, CI: 2.106-23.725) were found to be significantly different between ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke patients. CONCLUSION TNF-α level differed highly significantly between stroke and controls, and also between ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke subtypes.
Acid-base response to chronic hypercapnia in man.

Abstract To define "steady-state" chronic hypercapnia in man, we studied 20 patients with stable carbon dioxide tensions from 34 to 103 mm of mercury and with no apparent complicating disorders. The whole-body titration curve in chronic uncomplicated hypercapnia is characterized by a linear increase in estimated hydrogen ion activity as carbon dioxide tension increases. Over a range of carbon dioxide tensions from 34 to 103 mm of mercury the arterial-blood hydrogen ion activity increased by 0.24 nM per liter per millimeter of mercury increase in carbon dioxide tension. Thus, the whole-body defense of arterial-blood pH appears equally effective over the range of carbon dioxide tensions observed in this study. The physiologic response to chronic hypercapnia in man is defined by a zone that is approximately 11 nM per liter (0.10 pH unit) wide for hydrogen ion and 10 mEq wide for bicarbonate. These significance bands may be used to separate mixed acid-base disorders in patients with chronic hypercapnia.