Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinically Applicable Multiplex PCR for Four Middle Ear Pathogens

ABSTRACT The multiplex PCR method for the detection of Alloiococcus otitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae (P. H. Hendolin, A. Markkanen, J. Ylikoski, and J. J. Wahlfors, J. Clin. Microbiol. 35:2854–2858, 1997) in middle ear effusions (MEEs) was modified to be better suited for clinical use. To detect false-negative results, an internal amplification was added to the reaction, and to prevent carryover contamination, the dUTP–uracil-N-glycosidase system was incorporated into the procedure. Labor was minimized by using the heat-activatable AmpliTaq Gold polymerase in order to circumvent manual hot start and by detecting the amplification products on an automated sequencer. The performance of the improved protocol was verified with MEEs from patients with otitis media with effusion. In addition, a ligase detection reaction (LDR) was developed for confirmation of the PCR products. The modifications increased the reliability of the protocol and the hands-off time significantly. However, when two DNA extraction protocols were compared, gram-negative bacteria were detected more often in phenol-treated MEEs (94 versus 46%; P < 0.001), and gram-positive bacteria were detected more often in MEEs dissolved in sodium dodecyl sulfate-NaOH-chaotropic salt (83 versus 27%;P < 0.001). The LDR was found to be 100% specific. In all, the results demonstrate the feasibility of the rapid (7-h) multiplex PCR method for routine laboratory use.
The effect of three different warm-up intensities on kayak ergometer performance.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of warm-up (WU) intensity on supramaximal kayak ergometer performance. METHODS In the initial testing session, eight institute of sport kayak squad members performed a graded exercise test for determination of VO2max and lactate (La) parameters. In a random, counterbalanced order, subjects subsequently performed WU for 15-min at either their aerobic threshold (W1), their anaerobic threshold (W3), or mid-way between their aerobic threshold and anaerobic threshold (W2). A 5-min passive rest period and then a 2-min, all-out kayak ergometer test followed the WU. RESULTS For the three different WU conditions, no significant differences were observed for average power, peak VO2, total VO2, total VCO2, or accumulated oxygen deficit (AOD) during the 2-min test. However, when compared with W3, differences in average power approached significance after both W1 (P = 0.09) and W2 (P = 0.10). Furthermore, when compared with W3, average power during the first half of the 2-min test was significantly greater after W2 (P < 0.05) and approached significance after W1 (P = 0.06). After each WU period, there was a significant difference in blood pH (W1>W2>W3; P < 0.05) and blood [La] (W1<W2<W3; P < 0.05). Despite the significantly different metabolic acidemia after each WU condition, there were no significant differences in the VO2 responses to the 2-min test. However, the greater metabolic acidemia after W3 was associated with impaired 2-min kayak ergometer performance. CONCLUSIONS It was concluded, that although a degree of metabolic acidemia may be necessary to speed O2 kinetics, if the WU is too intense, the associated metabolic acidemia may impair supramaximal performance by reducing the anaerobic energy contribution and/or interfering with muscle contractile processes.
Large creditors and corporate governance: the case of Chinese banks

Purpose - Banks are the major suppliers of external funds for companies in China. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Chinese banks exercise effective monitoring over borrowers in two lending decisions, including loan interest rates and loan renewals. Design/methodology/approach - Using a sample of Chinese public industrial firms from 2000 to 2005, the authors perform multivariate regression analysis to investigate whether banks adjust their loan interest rates and consider loan renewal decisions in response to borrowers financial performance. The authors also examine these bank lending decisions before and after 2003, when the major banking reforms started to take place in China. Findings - A negative relation was found between the loan interest rate spread and the financial performance of borrowers. However, a negative relation was found between loan renewals and the financial performance of borrowers, consistent with firms in financial difficulties being in need of more funding and hence more likely to get its bank loans renewed. Additionally, it was found that the factors banks consider when making loan decisions vary before and after 2003. Originality/value - The authors' findings suggest that Chinese banks play a limited role in monitoring and disciplining borrowers through adjustments of loan interest rates, and that their loan renewal decisions for firms with poor financial performance highlight banks' financing, instead of monitoring role in this transition economy. These findings provide empirical evidence on bank governance in a transition economy dominated by state-owned enterprises. The paper contributes to the literature by constructing an alternative loan renewal measure using financial statement information.
Isolation, Complementation, and Initial Characterization of Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of the Baculovirus Autographa californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus

Sixteen temperature-sensitive mutants of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus were isolated. Several interesting phenotypes were observed. A large proportion of the mutants were unable to form polyhedral occlusion bodies (polyhedra) at the nonpermissive temperature (32.5°C). At 32.5°C, one mutant formed plaques in which the cells lacked polyhedra. Another mutant type was defective in the production of progeny extracellular nonoccluded virus and produced a “plaque” consisting of only a single cell containing polyhedra at 32.5°C. One mutant was defective in plaque formation, progeny nonoccluded virus formation, and polyhedra formation at 32.5°C. Several mutants produced nonoccluded virus but failed to produce plaques or polyhedra at 32.5°C. Other phenotypes were also distinguished. Complementation analyses, performed by either measuring the increase in extracellular nonoccluded virus formation or by observing polyhedra formation in mixed infections at 32.5°C, indicated the presence of 15 complementation groups. A high frequency of recombination was observed. Four of the mutants were found to be host dependent in their temperature sensitivity for polyhedra formation.
International approaches to the welfare of meat chickens

Welfare issues and approaches are compared in the following review, for all major meat chicken producing countries. In certain countries, such as the United States and Australia, the industry comprises a small number of integrated, self-regulated companies, whereas in Europe the industry is more diverse, with greater competition, and more government regulation. There is much more meat chicken welfare research and regulation in Europe, and in particular the United Kingdom, than in countries with self-regulated industries, such as the United States, even taking into account the level of meat chicken production in the relevant areas. By contrast, welfare regulation in two of the world's major meat chicken producing countries; namely Brazil and China, is negligible. Some welfare issues are regional, such as high temperatures which are particularly problematic for free range birds, breeds selected for rapid growth and when birds are removed from fully-housed systems. However, similar welfare issues affect intensively-housed birds worldwide, which comprise the majority of animals produced. These include rapid growth rates, predisposing birds to heart and leg problems, especially ascites and sudden death syndrome, and high stocking densities, which inhibit locomotion and environmental exploration, predisposing birds to contact dermatitis. Welfare research in Europe has shown that highly stocked birds spend longer sleeping, congregate around feeders and are more fearful, as well as experiencing higher ammonia levels, which irritate their eyes and respiratory systems. The review concludes that intensive systems present similar welfare issues worldwide; however, European research is more directed to the behavioural and cognitive requirements of the birds, than in self-regulated countries. This will enable their industry to respond better to future welfare requirements from consumers.
Some observations on smoke plumes.

The plume at Tallawarra power station was photcgraphed many times to obtain the mean position. The observations were plotted in terms of appropriate nondimensional variables and compared with others results. Within about 1500 ft from the source, good agreement with theory was found. The asymptotic plume height was found to be given crudely by the formula: z /sub a/ = 250 F/U/sup 3/ where U is wind speed, F "flux of buoyancy," a variable proportional to heat flux. (auth)
The Genetical Society of Great Britain THE POPULATION GENETICS OF THE SELF-INCOMPATIBILITY POLYMORPHISM IN PAPA VER RHOEAS . III . THE NUMBER AND FREQUENCY OF S-ALLELES IN TWO FURTHER NATURAL POPULATIONS ( R 102 AND R 104 )

A sample of 36 plants drawn at random from each of two further natural populations (R102 and R104) contained between them 30 and 26 different S-alleles respectively. In both samples, the frequencies of these alleles were significantly unequal. These results are compared with those presented in a previous paper (the R106 sample; Campbell and Lawrence, 1981b) and with those obtained by Emerson (1939) from the Oenothera population. Unequal S-allele frequencies appear to be characteristic of natural populations of P. rhoeas in the West Midlands and probably also elsewhere in the British Isles. The number of S-alleles found in these samples suggest that the number of alleles in the natural populations from which they were obtained is unlikely to be less than the number that Emerson eventually found in the Oenothera population, namely, 45. However, if this is indeed the case, it is no longer possible to regard P. rhoeas as a colonising species; on the contrary, on the evidence obtained from these three populations, it appears to be a permanent member of the flora of wayside places.
Testing the quantity theory of money in Greece

This paper tests two monetarist hypotheses on the Greek data: (1) the predictability of income velocity of money; and (2) the proportionality postulate between nominal income (or, prices) and money. The unit root tests with structural breaks show that the velocity of narrow money can be characterized as a stationary process. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration indicates that the proportionality postulate between nominal income (or, prices) and money is supported by the data. This evidence suggests that shocks which affect the money supply are reflected in the nominal income (or, prices) in a similar way, thus velocity will not fluctuate widely and its movements will be predictable.
Functional Organization of Single and Paired V(D)J Cleavage Complexes

ABSTRACT RAG-1 and RAG-2 initiate V(D)J recombination by binding to specific recognition sequences (RSS) and then cleave the DNA in two steps: nicking and hairpin formation. Recent work has established that a dimer of RAG-1 and either one or two monomers of RAG-2 bind to a single RSS, but the enzymatic contributions of the RAG molecules within this nucleoprotein complex and its functional organization have not been elucidated. Using heterodimeric protein preparations containing both wild-type and catalytically deficient RAG-1 molecules, we found that one active monomer is sufficient for both nicking and hairpin formation at a single RSS, demonstrating that a single active site can carry out both cleavage steps. Furthermore, the mutant heterodimers efficiently cleaved both RSS in a synaptic complex. These results strongly suggest that two RAG-1 dimers are responsible for RSS cleavage in a synaptic complex, with one monomer of each dimer catalyzing both nicking and hairpin formation at each RSS.
Media attention and the market for 'green' consumer products

There are signs that a general "counter-attack" is now being orchestrated against the "greens. " This paper surveys the evidence regarding an "issue-attention" cycle in environmental concern in Western Europe and North America. It furthermore discusses the role of the news media in creating the cycle. It is well documented that the mass media plays an important role in determining which issues receive high or low attention by the general public. However, not only does the media's assessment of what is newsworthy mean that "green" businesses will eventually lose the current of a rising issue attention cycle, but also its mere success means that stories framing "green" businesses in a negative light become newsworthy while positive stories lose their newsworthiness. Therefore, and despite a large and loyal customer base, many "green" companies now find themselves in a much more hostile environment than a decade ago.
IMP‐3 expression in melanocytic lesions

Background: Insulin‐like growth factor‐II mRNA‐binding protein 3 (IMP‐3 ), a member of the insulin‐like growth factor mRNA‐binding protein family, is expressed in several human malignancies, including melanomas. However, the expression of IMP‐3 has not been explored in melanoma in situ, various histologic subtypes of invasive melanomas and atypical Spitz tumors.
Disruptive Technologies, Stakeholders and the Innovation Value-Added Chain: A Framework for Evaluating Radical Technology Development

Contemporary frameworks for evaluating technological innovations contend that innovative success is dependent upon the ability of firms to acquire and assimilate new knowledge without disrupting value chain members such as suppliers, customers and complementary innovators. These frameworks, however, provide little advice on how to deal with radical, controversial innovations that may also introduce new undesirable environmental, health, and social side affects. In addition to technological, commercial and organisational uncertainties, the developers of such technology typically must resolve social uncertainties, a particularly difficult activity because of the added complexities and often conflicting and/or difficult-to-reconcile concerns from secondary stakeholders. Attempts must be made to address the potential unintended and unforeseen consequences of the technology, as well as its potential benefits, if it is to be successfully applied. Using Monsanto's development of agricultural biotechnology as an illustration, we suggest an evaluation framework that incorporates stakeholder theory, innovation management concepts and Popper's evolutionary learning methodology of science and its extension to social issues.
High Frequency Export and Price Responses in the Ontario Electricity Market

Export responses to unanticipated price shocks can be a key contributing factor to the rapid mean reversion of electricity prices, a phenomenon often seen in electricity markets. In this paper, we use event analysis to demonstrate how hourly export transactions respond to negative supply shocks in the Ontario electricity market. Although event analysis has been used for many years in other applications, particularly finance, to our knowledge this is the first time that this technique has been applied to price response analysis in the electricity market. The analysis clearly demonstrates the sensitivity of export volume to price changes, and more generally, the responses of prices and quantities to an unexpected supply shock.
Adjustments of Midwest Grain Farm Businesses in Response to Increases in Petroleum Energy Prices

Since the early 1970s, the increasingly tight energy situation has introduced a new emphasis, if not a wholly new concern, into the economics of agriculture. Assuming the tight energy situation continues, or even intensifies in the future, it is likely to require economic adjustment in U.S. agriculture—an agriculture heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Dvoskin and Heady have shown that when maximizing farm profits is the primary goal, energy price levels have a minimal impact on acres of crops produced under reduced tillage methods in the U.S. However, when energy minimization was the primary goal, there was a substantial shift from conventional to reduced tillage. An ERS study proposes that forms of reduced tillage can be a major means of achieving fuel savings. Reduced tillage methods do reduce fuel requirements, but these are accompanied by higher chemical requirements. Eidman, Dobbins and Mapp found that with current energy prices, a form of reduced tillage for corn production was preferable to conventional tillage methods. In a recent study, Musser and Marable concluded that with respect to machinery purchases, energy cost increases are providing incentives for substitution of labor for capital.
Effects of innovativeness and long-term orientation on entrepreneurial intentions: a comparison of business and engineering students

Entrepreneurship has become an increasingly researched area, because it has caught the attention of policy makers as one promising response to sustainable development challenges. Given the emerging character of the field to date, however, most contributions remained conceptual or reported results of case study research. The discussion of sustainable entrepreneurship should therefore benefit from the analysis of large-scale empirical research projects. This paper contributes with a large scale empirical analysis at the individual level, where sustainable development crucially depends on concerned individuals behaving entrepreneurially. Despite this being a crucial pre-condition, its empirical validity has rarely been analysed. Using large-scale survey data to analyse how innovativeness and long-term orientations relate to entrepreneurial intentions, this contribution also compares engineering and business students with regard to this.
Opposing roles of STAT1 and STAT3 in IL-21 function in CD4+ T cells

Significance IL-21 is a type I cytokine important for immune cell differentiation and function. We found that transcription factors STAT1 and STAT3 play partially opposing roles in IL-21 function in CD4+ T cells. Both STAT1 and STAT3 control IL-21–mediated gene regulation, with some genes, including Ifng, Tbx21, and Il21 reciprocally regulated by these STATs. IFN-γ production was also differentially regulated by these STATs in vitro during CD4+ T-cell differentiation and in vivo during chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis infection. Importantly, IL-21–induced IFNG and TBX21 expression was higher in CD4+ T cells from patients with autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome or with STAT1 gain-of-function mutations, suggesting that dys-regulated IL-21–STAT signaling partially explains the clinical manifestations of these patients. IL-21 is a type I cytokine essential for immune cell differentiation and function. Although IL-21 can activate several STAT family transcription factors, previous studies focused mainly on the role of STAT3 in IL-21 signaling. Here, we investigated the role of STAT1 and show that STAT1 and STAT3 have at least partially opposing roles in IL-21 signaling in CD4+ T cells. IL-21 induced STAT1 phosphorylation, and this was augmented in Stat3-deficient CD4+ T cells. RNA-Seq analysis of CD4+ T cells from Stat1- and Stat3-deficient mice revealed that both STAT1 and STAT3 are critical for IL-21–mediated gene regulation. Expression of some genes, including Tbx21 and Ifng, was differentially regulated by STAT1 and STAT3. Moreover, opposing actions of STAT1 and STAT3 on IFN-γ expression in CD4+ T cells were demonstrated in vivo during chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis infection. Finally, IL-21–mediated induction of STAT1 phosphorylation, as well as IFNG and TBX21 expression, were higher in CD4+ T cells from patients with autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome, which is caused by STAT3 deficiency, as well as in cells from STAT1 gain-of-function patients. These data indicate an interplay between STAT1 and STAT3 in fine-tuning IL-21 actions.
A Breast Reconstruction Needs Assessment: How does Self-Efficacy Affect Information Access and Preferences?

Background Breast cancer patients requiring mastectomy do not consistently receive information about post-mastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR) surgery from the treatment team. Patients have varying levels of self-efficacy, defined as one's confidence in their ability to gather information and make health-related decisions. The present preliminary study was designed to evaluate the relationship between self-efficacy and access to PMBR information. Methods A qualitative interview study was conducted on a convenience sample of 10 breast cancer patients considering or having already undergone PMBR and six key health care provider informants. The modified six-item Stanford Self-Efficacy Scale for managing chronic disease was administered. Results Patient self-efficacy scores ranged from 5 to 9.3 (out of 10). Two main access to information themes were identified from the patient qualitative data: theme A – difficulty initiating the PMBR discussion; and theme B – perceived lack of access to PMBR information with the sub-themes of timing, modality, quantity and content of resources. All respondents expressed their concern over the absence of a standardized process for initiating the dialogue of PMBR. Patients also reported that credible and easily accessible information was not routinely available and expressed a desire to hear about their PMBR options early in the decision-making process. Conclusions Health care providers may need to assume more responsibility in standardizing information dissemination on PMBR. This information should be distributed early in the consultation process, the content should be complete, and there may be a role for individualizing the delivery of information based on a patient's level of self-efficacy.
Welfare and environmental quality impacts of green taxes in Iran: A computable general equilibrium model

One of the most important government challenges is the environmental crisis; therefore, governments should strive to implement various policies and programs to overcome environmental problems including air pollution or the reduction of negative effects of human functions on the environment. This study has tried by using an input-output table in 1380, specifically looking at the amount of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, to survey the welfare and environmental effects on the green tax in consumer sectors of energy. For this purpose, using Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and software general algebraic modeling system (GAMS) welfare changes with and without environmental impact, changes in energy demand and changes in three pollutants CO2, SO2 and NOX in the four tax scenarios have been studied. The results of the study showed that a green tax reduces the demand for fossil fuels as intermediate input and final goods. Under the 10% tax rate on fossil fuels, welfare has decreased 47.5%, if the environmental effects are not considered. Furthermore, CO2, SO2 and NOX emissions have decreased 50.5, 60.1 and 41.5%, respectively, and welfare increased to 3%, if the environmental effects are considered. Key words: Green tax, welfare, emission, CGE, Iran.