Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Information System for Teams

This paper investigates an optimal information system for teams when externalities exist between team members' performance. Using a discrete model reflecting a sequential manufacturing process, we show that a team information system is better than an individual information system when the second agent utilizes information about the first agent's performance to decide her or his effort level. This decision-facilitating effect of the individual performance information increases the principal's expected costs of inducing the agent's desirable effort. In order to avoid this negative effect of the individual performance information, the principal may delay the inspection until all production processes are finished.
Identification of packet exchange patterns based on energy detection: The Bluetooth case

A time-domain recognition of different wireless technologies may be obtained using energy detection. In this work, an energy detector was implemented using the Universal Software Radio Peripheral SDR platform. The energy detector output allows the formation of a packet presence/absence diagram. Experimental results indicate that the observation of Bluetooth packet exchange patterns reveals technology-specific MAC layer procedures, leading to the conclusion that technology recognition can be obtained on the basis of time domain technology-specific features.
Differential in situ expression of IL-17 in skin diseases.

UNLABELLED Interleukin (IL)-17 is a key molecule for epithelial immunity and inflammation. OBJECTIVES To quantify IL-17 expression in situ in a large panel of cutaneous diseases. 289 samples of the 30 most common cutaneous infectious, autoimmune, inflammatory and tumor diseases were stained for IL-17 immunohistochemically. IL-17 expression strongly varied between the diseases, but was conserved within each disease. The major cellular sources of IL-17 were T cells and granulocytes. Skin diseases caused by extracellular microbials were infiltrated by many IL-17+ cells, while intracellular infections were scarcely positive for IL-17. While autoimmune diseases were mostly accompanied by IL-17+ T cells, IL-17+ granulocytes were dominant in neutrophilic dermatoses. Cutaneous diseases show a characteristic pattern of IL-17+ cellular infiltrate. These patterns are relevant for the clinician, since therapeutic approaches targeting differentiation of Th17 cells as well as direct targeting of IL-17 are or will become available.
NADP(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase from the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120: purification and characterization of the enzyme and cloning, sequencing, and disruption of the icd gene

NADP(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)-IDH) from the dinitrogen-fixing filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 was purified to homogeneity. The native enzyme is composed of two identical subunits (M(r), 57,000) and cross-reacts with antibodies obtained against the previously purified NADP(+)-IDH from the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. Anabaena NADP(+)-IDH resembles in its physicochemical and kinetic parameters the typical dimeric IDHs from prokaryotes. The gene encoding Anabaena NADP(+)-IDH was cloned by complementation of an Escherichia coli icd mutant with an Anabaena genomic library. The complementing DNA was located on a 6-kb fragment. It encodes an NADP(+)-IDH that has the same mobility as that of Anabaena NADP(+)-IDH on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels. The icd gene was subcloned and sequenced. Translation of the nucleotide sequence gave a polypeptide of 473 amino acids that showed high sequence similarity to the E. coli enzyme (59% identity) and with IDH1 and IDH2, the two subunits of the heteromultimeric NAD(+)-IDH from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (30 to 35% identity); however, a low level of similarity to NADP(+)-IDHs of eukaryotic origin was found (23% identity). Furthermore, Anabaena NADP(+)-IDH contains a 44-residue amino acid sequence in its central region that is absent in the other IDHs so far sequenced. Attempts to generate icd mutants by insertional mutagenesis were unsuccessful, suggesting an essential role of IDH in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.
Group Loans Repayment Problems of Women Borrowers

Economic growth and development is a dream without having well focused and effective strategies to eradicate poverty through extending credits to women. The mobilization of funds comes directly from the participant’s savings and therefore the use of funds is under group scrutiny. This paper aims to examine the repayment problems of women borrowers of microfinance. A sample of 100 respondents comprising 20 groups were interviewed. The groups utilize self-selection of members so that a strong degree of promise, trust and consent exists among members Limited amount of loan and procedural hurdles were found to be the two major problems in group loans. The strengthened social ties and trust in groups reduce the repayment problems to a large extent. In addition, the study noted that groups that were formed by the borrowers themselves had less repayment problems. Surprisingly, group members belonging to different levels of education and income groups had lesser repayment problems. The present study therefore recommends that microfinance institutions in targeting the women should improve and smoothen the loaning procedure, extend higher credit limits to socially heterogeneous groups. Key words: Social ties, trust, repayment problems, self-selection.
The changing determinants of UK young adults' living arrangements

The postponement of partnership formation and parenthood in the context of an early average age at leaving home has resulted in increased heterogeneity in the living arrangements of young adults in the UK. More young adults now remain in the parental home, or live independently of the parental home but outside of a family. The extent to which these trends are explained by the increased immigration of foreign-born young adults, the expansion in higher education, and the increased economic insecurity faced by young adults are examined. Shared non-family living is particularly prominent among those with experience of higher education, whilst labour market uncertainty is associated with an extended period of co-residence with parents.
Who are the Middle Class and What Values do They Hold? Evidence from the World Values Survey

This paper examines key determinants of class status and the relationship between class status and values. We show that class status is largely determined by factors related to higher incomes, but is highly divergent among regions. Higher class status is significantly correlated with values that are more likely to foster economic growth. However, political activism is to a greater degree driven by the middle class rather than the upper class or the lower class. This indicates that the middle class may have special importance in demanding greater political accountability. Thus, policies that raise class status through education and better jobs may be highly important to creating a society with values that can contribute to higher economic growth. However, higher income may have to be assessed against the need to have a larger and more politically vocal and active middle class that can place checks on government behavior. In general, the large variation across regions in values indicates that the social and cultural make-up of a country may factor into whether a country has more values that are more conducive to economic growth. This may indicate that there are deeper and more complex issues that cannot simply be resolved by policies that attempt to increase income and move people up in class status.
Industry Retention/Attrition of Hospitality Graduates

The study surveyed 442 graduates of the years 1983 through 1987 from 11 four- year hospitality programs dispersed across the United States to ascertain the rate of industry retention and attrition. Graduates were asked to rate the effectiveness of theiracademic training, satisfaction with their hospitality careers, and to assess their industry experience to date. The affect of named factors on job stability and career satisfaction is explored. Frequency distributions and cross tabulations of responses are included. Report contains many of the unedited responses to questions that provided students an opportunity to "send a message" to hospitality educators and industry practitioners.
Afrikaner Economic Empowerment (1890-1990) and lessons for Black Economic Empowerment

‘The state wants laws reviewed to turn around Black Economic Empowerment (BEE)’ Pressly, D (2007, p1) Business Report. Is it Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) or Black Economic Self Enrichment or Black Economic Embezzlement or Black Economic Disempowerment? According to many experts BEE has failed dismally, been very slow in helping transfer wealth to all black South Africans and balance economic power in a country that has one of the highest income inequalities by race, and gender (Bhorat & Kanbur, 2006; Gqubule, 2006 and Radebe, 2007). Therefore the aim of this study is to gain an indepth understanding of the Afrikaner Economic Empowerment (AEE) initiatives that led to the entire volk being economically, politically and socially empowered (Terreblanche, 2006 and Giliomee, 2003). Then draw lessons that will help enhance the effectiveness of BEE. In-depth literature review of AEE and BEE history to date was reviewed. Fourteen, semi structured interviews were conducted with well-known South African Afrikaner Economic Empowerment (AEE) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) experts (see Appendix D). The information received was analysed using a mixture of content, discourse, narrative and constant comparative analysis. The snowballing sampling technique helped produce experts who had minimum 15 years and over 40 years experience, collectively with experience exceeding 250 years. The key findings from the study revealed that the variables that shaped AEE were similar to the current BBBEE Generic Scorecard (Appendix C: Table 5). However the major learning’s for BEE as identified by the experts: AEE scorecard (see Table 3) included a savings culture and social (cultural, identity, language, and self-sacrifice) re-engineering. However when evaluating AEE, one needs to take history into account, AEE happened at a time when economies were closed vs. globalisation, sanctions forced Afrikaners to be self sufficient. In order to empower all Afrikaners which constituted less than ten per cent of the population Blacks had to be excluded, economically disempowered using various apartheid laws. Most of experts concluded that BEE context has been heavily influenced by globalisation, democracy, free market. We hope the findings from this study will have a positive impact on BEE.
The destructive potential of humor in psychotherapy.

The author believes that the use of humor by the psychiatrist is potentially destructive to the psychotherapeutic relationship. Sometimes experienced therapists can use humor without doing harm, but beginning therapists who imitate them may do irremediable damage. Too often the patient's stream of feeling and thought is diverted from spontaneous channels by the therapist's humor; it may even be arrested and blocked. While humor has its place in life, psychiatrists should acknowledge that it has a very limited role in psychotherapy.
Antibody variable region binding by Staphylococcal protein A: Thermodynamic analysis and location of the Fv binding site on E‐domain

Immunoglobulins of human heavy chain subgroup III have a binding site for Staphylococcal protein A on the heavy chain variable domain (VH), in addition to the well‐known binding site on the Fc portion of the antibody. Thermodynamic characterization of this binding event and localization of the Fv‐binding site on a domain of protein A is described. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to characterize the interaction between protein A or fragments of protein A and variants of the hu4D5 antibody Fab fragment. Analysis of binding isotherms obtained for titration of hu4D5 Fab with intact protein A suggests that 3–4 of the five immunoglobulin binding domains of full length protein A can bind simultaneously to Fab with a Ka of 5.5 ± 0.5 × 105 M–1. A synthetic single immunoglobulin binding domain, Z‐domain, does not bind appreciably to hu4D5 Fab, but both the E and D domains are functional for hu4D5 Fab binding. Thermodynamic parameters for titration of the E‐domain with hu4D5 Fab are n = 1.0 ± 0.1, Ka = 2.0 ± 0.3 × 105 M–1, and ΔH = –7.1 ± 0.4 kcal mol–1. Similar binding thermodynamics are obtained for titration of the isolated VH domain with E‐domain indicating that the E‐domain binding site on Fab resides within VH. E‐domain binding to an IgG1 Fc yields a higher affinity interaction with thermodynamic parameters n = 2.2 ± 0.1, Ka > 1.0 × 107 M–1, and ΔH = –24.6 ± 0.6 kcal mol–1. Fc does not compete with Fab for binding to E‐domain indicating that the two antibody fragments bind to different sites. Amide 1H and 15N resonances that undergo large changes in NMR chemical shift upon Fv binding map to a surface defined by helix‐2 and helix‐3 of E‐domain, distinct from the Fc‐binding site observed in the crystal structure of the B‐domain/Fc complex. The Fv‐binding region contains negatively charged residues and a small hydrophobic patch which complements the basic surface of the region of the VH domain implicated previously in protein A binding.
Salinity effects on food habits in three coastal, rural villages in Bangladesh

Abstract Since shrimp farming started in Bangladesh in the 1970s, it has spread throughout the coastal region, increasing soil and water salinity levels. The water salinity in 2005 in the coastal districts of Khulna, Bagherat and Satkhira ranged from 0.3 to 20.7, 0.4 to 27.1 and 0.7 to 24.8 dS m−1, respectively, whereby it was highly saline for several months of the year. Water salinity above 2.5 dS m−1 is not suitable for irrigation, and may cause animal health problems. Irrigation with saline water may cause ion toxicity and osmotic stress, reducing plant growth and yield. Salinity has reduced the agro-biodiversity in the coastal regions of Bangladesh, and this paper investigates how these changes have impacted human food habits in the three coastal, rural villages Putia (Satkhira district), Srifaltala (Bagerhat district) and Hogolbunia (Khulna district). Fieldwork was conducted from July to December 2006 and Participatory Rural Appraisal methods including transect walks, key informant interviews, group discussions and personal interviews were carried out. In total, 121 respondents were interviewed and historical data from 1975 to 2006 were collected. For historical data, respondents aged above 50 years were sampled, but additional criteria such as socio-economic condition and farm location were applied to assure a sample representative for the population of the coastal areas. The sampled households had characteristics similar to the major part of Bangladeshi households (rural, agrarian based, regarding family size and food habits), and were thus representative of a broader cross-section of households in Bangladesh. As all sampled villages faced increasing salinity and spread of shrimp farming, they were representative of villages in the coastal areas. When salinity increased, the production of vegetables, seasonal fruits, animal species, eggs and milk declined. As the price of the mentioned animal commodities rose, cheaper commodities such as broilers, exotic and marine fish species and exotic oils were introduced. The decision on what to cultivate was also influenced by non-residents converting the farmers' land into shrimp ponds, increasing the salinity in the surroundings and killing the farmers' ducks. These agro-biodiversity changes caused reduced frequency of consumption of beef, goat, native chicken, egg, local freshwater fish, seasonal fruits, vegetables and milk, while broilers, exotic fish, exotic oils and marine fish species were increasingly consumed. Still, the total fish consumption declined. These changed food habits may lead to considerable negative health consequences for the rural, coastal populations.
The Genesis of Inflation and the Costs of Disinflation

This essay asks how high inflation arises and why it is costly to eliminate. Specifically, the paper discusses the roles of price rigidity and credibility problems in explaining the costs of disinflation; the puzzle of persistent inflation triggered by onetime macroeconomic shocks; and the case for returning to adaptive expectations in theories of inflation.
Readers' search strategies for accessing books in public libraries

The aim of this study was to survey typical search tactics used by readers in public libraries. We analyzed whether demographic factors, the frequency of library visits, reading activity and the type of books read were associated with major search tactics. The data consisted of 1000 respondents of mail questionnaire collected in 2010 as a stratified random sample of the Finnish population aged 15 to 79 years. The most often used search tactics for accessing books in public libraries were known book or author search together with browsing search. The use of known item search strategy was associated with high educational level and the amount of non-fiction books read. The use of browsing search strategy was associated with the frequency of library visits, gender and the amount of fiction books read.
Cournot Competition, Forward Markets and Efficiency

We build a model with two Cournot duopolists who produce at Time 0 wich is the date at which all demand is realized. N periods before time 0, the duopolists trade on a forward market for delivery at Time 0. Having made these contracts, they trade again at time ( − N + 1) for delivery at Time 0. etc. We show that, in equilibrium, each of them will sell forward which makes them worse off and makes consumers better off than if the forward market did not exist. When N, the number of forward trading periods prior to production, tends to infinity, the outcome tends to the competitive solution.
Innovation and corporate sustainability: An investigation into the process of change in the pharmaceuticals industry

Although there has been considerable research effort directed at refining the content of corporate environmental performance, e.g. corporate environmental reporting and accounting, there has been relatively little empirical investigation to date on the process of corporate eco-change. This research reports on the quantitative and qualitative results of a survey of German and UK pharmaceuticals firms, which evaluated the significance of the various incentives, both intra-firm and external to the organization, that have stimulated eco-change. We find that, although the industry is one that has been characterized by voluntary agreements and proactive behaviour in the past, regulation still remains the main driver for sustainability improvements. New technology is the second most important driver. Stakeholder dialogue and inter-firm cooperation were both revealed to be relatively weak forces for eco-change. The study also tested the validity of the conventional neo-classical economic world-view of innovation in firms versus a more radical co-evolutionary one. The former assumes that firms respond only to profit signals and do so efficiently, whereas the latter assumes that change is path dependent; i.e., the firms’ norms and routines and past experiences are influential. We find that, although the neo-classical perspective stands up to our empirical investigation of eco-innovation to some degree, the co-evolutionary approach better captures the complexity of the corporate eco-change process. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment
Isolation and Characterization of Rhodobacter capsulatus Mutants Affected in Cytochromecbb3 Oxidase Activity

ABSTRACT The facultative phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus contains only one form of cytochrome (cyt)c oxidase, which has recently been identified as acbb3-type cyt c oxidase. This is unlike other related species, such as Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Paracoccus denitrificans, which contain an additional mitochondrial-likeaa3-type cyt c oxidase. An extensive search for mutants affected in cyt c oxidase activity in R. capsulatus led to the isolation of at least five classes of mutants. Plasmids complementing them to a wild-type phenotype were obtained for all but one of these classes from a chromosomal DNA library. The first class of mutants contained mutations within the structural genes (ccoNOQP) of the cytcbb3 oxidase. Sequence analysis of these mutants and of the plasmids complementing them revealed thatccoNOQP in R. capsulatus is not flanked by the oxygen response regulator fnr, which is located upstream of these genes in other species. Genetic and biochemical characterizations of mutants belonging to this group indicated that the subunits CcoN, CcoO, and CcoP are required for the presence of an active cytcbb3 oxidase, and unlike inBradyrhizobium japonicum, no active CcoN-CcoO subcomplex was found in R. capsulatus. In addition, mutagenesis experiments indicated that the highly conserved open reading frame 277 located adjacent to ccoNOQP is required neither for cytcbb3 oxidase activity or assembly nor for respiratory or photosynthetic energy transduction in R. capsulatus. The remaining cyt c oxidase-minus mutants mapped outside of ccoNOQP and formed four additional groups. In one of these groups, a fully assembled but inactive cytcbb3 oxidase was found, while another group had only extremely small amounts of it. The next group was characterized by a pleiotropic effect on all membrane-bound c-type cytochromes, and the remaining mutants not complemented by the plasmids complementing the first four groups formed at least one additional group affecting the biogenesis of the cyt cbb3oxidase of R. capsulatus.
Testing Mean Reversion in Stock Market Volatility

This paper presents a comprehensive study of continuous time GARCH modeling with the thin-tailed normal and the fat-tailed Student-t and generalized error distributions. The paper measures the degree of mean reversion in stock return volatility based on the relationship between discrete time GARCH and continuous time diffusion models. The convergence results based on the aforementioned distribution functions are shown to have similar implications for testing mean reversion in stochastic volatility. Alternative models are compared in terms of their ability to capture mean-reverting behavior of stock return volatility. The empirical evidence obtained from several stock market indices indicates that the conditional variance, log-variance, and standard deviation of stock market returns are pulled back to some long-run average level over time.
Antecedents of Service Employees' Organizational Citizenship Behaviors in Full-Service Restaurants in Korea

In the aggregate, employees' organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) promote organizational performance in many ways and thereby gain significance as market competition gets fierce. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships affect the service employee's OCBs. Following other research approaches, the structural equation model presented here hypothesizes the mediating roles of two forms of justice between LMX constructs and OCB constructs using the following constructs. The LMX forms are perceived contribution and affect, the justice constructs are interactional justice and distributive justice, and the OCB types are those directed toward supervisors and those directed at the organization. Based on an analysis of 293 responses collected from fifty-four full-service restaurants in a metropolitan city in South Korea, this study concludes that both forms of LMX significantly influence employees' perceptions of justice (that is, both interactional and distributive). Those perceptions, in turn, significantly affect the employees' tendency to engage in OCBs.