Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intention to Conserve Water: Environmental Values, Planned Behavior, and Information Effects. A Comparison of Three Communities Sharing a Watershed

This article examines a set of constructs underlying water conservation behavior in three distinct communities located in the California-Nevada Truckee River Watershed. Using the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical base, we focus on the additional explanatory power of environmental values and information. The analysis, based on 733 telephone interviews, indicates that significant differences in these variables do not appear across the communities. An analysis of the full watershed shows that the theory of planned behavior does a good job of accounting for intention to conserve water. Environmental values and information effects demonstrate significant but weak effects. Interpretation of the results suggests that conservation promoters should understand the power of audience information seeking and direct behavior change efforts at improving self-efficacy to conserve water.
Proteins synthesized in minicells containing plasmid ColE1 and its mutants

Minicells containing the ColE1 plasmid and derivatives of it that contain a Tn3 insertion and deletions of the plasmid were shown to synthesize a variety of polypeptides: (i) a 56,000-dalton polypeptide was found that is colicin E1. (ii) A 15,000-dalton polypeptide is involved in plasmid DNA relaxation. (iii) A 14,000-dalton polypeptide may be the colicin immunity protein. (iv) A correlation between the location of various Tn3 insertions and the proteins synthesized from the plasmid DNA was found that suggests the locations of promoter sites in the plasmid and directions of transcription in two regions of the plasmid. (v) Polypeptides associated with the presence of Tn3 were identifiable. (vi) The nature and extent of gene expression of deletion mutants only generally correlates with the extent of the deletions.
Environmental equity in a sunbelt city: the spatial distribution of toxic hazards in Phoenix, Arizona

Abstract This paper examines the spatial distributions of industrial facilities emitting toxic substances in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan region. The analysis relies on geographic information system mapping of hazardous facilities listed in the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) to assess the spatial distribution of polluting industries in relation to the demographic composition of host neighborhoods. The research addresses four questions: (1) Are there differences between the socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods with and without polluting industrial facilities? (2) Is there a relationship between the volume of toxic chemicals released from industrial facilities and the socioeconomic characteristics of host neighborhoods? (3) Is there a relationship between the toxicity of the chemicals released from industrial facilities and the socioeconomic characteristics of those living in proximity? (4) Do alternative methods for determining the distribution of potentially affected populations produce different observed patterns of environmental inequities? The study concludes that there is a clear pattern of environmental inequity in Phoenix based on the location and volume of emissions of TRI facilities. Analysis of the toxicity of emissions found a more equal distribution of risk, reflecting the suburbanization of high-technology industries into predominantly white middle-class communities.
Genetic characterization of members of the genus Contracaecum (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from fish-eating birds from west-central Florida, USA, with evidence of new species

SUMMARY Specimens of Contracaecum spp. from Phalacrocorax auritus and Pelecanus occidentalis from Florida were characterized by sequencing of the small subunit of the mitochondrial ribosomal RNA gene (rrnS) and by PCR-based RFLP analysis of the same gene and of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Analyses of the rrnS sequence data using the MP and UPGMA approaches yielded trees with similar topologies, delineating 3 main clusters. Specimens from Ph. auritus, morphologically assigned to C. rudolphii (s.l.), were part of the cluster comprising also the other 2 species of the C. rudolphii complex (A and B), but representing a genetically distinct group, potentially corresponding to a distinct lineage within the complex, provisionally named as C. rudolphii C. The second cluster comprised 5 individuals from P. occidentalis, which formed a genetically relatively homogeneous group. The rrnS data indicate that these specimens (indicated as Contracaecum sp. 1) are clearly genetically different from the morphologically most closely related species, i.e. C. rudolphii (s.l.) and C. microcephalum, and could represent a new species. The third cluster comprised 7 specimens from P. occidentalis morphologically assigned to C. multipapillatum (s.l.). These were shown to be genetically homogeneous and related to but quite distinct from C. multipapillatum from Greece, although additional studies are needed to assess their status. PCR-RFLP based markers for the quick identification of these taxa are provided.
Genocide : conceptual and historical dimensions

In the turbulent years since the term genocide was first introduced into the international legal debate in 1933, it has evolved into a fairly broad concept, applied often - and loosely - to many situations, both historical and contemporary. While there is no doubt that the Nazis' "final solution of the Jewish question" constituted genocide, there is also sound evidence for applying the term to describe past and present-day massacres committed worldwide: the Armenian genocide during World War I; the slaughter of more than a million Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s; Idi Amin's mass murders in Uganda; and the case of the Iraqi extermination of the Kurds in the 1980s. And today the specter of genocide has been raised once again, with neo-Nazi violence on the rise in Germany and elsewhere, and with the wide-scale killing of Muslims in Bosnia. But genocide has also been used to describe a much wider range of events and policies, from the nuclear bombing of Japan at the end of World War II to Western efforts to establish birth control and abortion programs in third world nations. It is these dimensions of genocide that George J. Andreopoulos and the contributors to this volume seek to explore, in the context both of their historical roots and of the implications for current and future international action. Originally the exclusive terrain of international lawyers, the debate over genocide in recent decades has come under increasing scrutiny from social scientists, who have launched a long overdue inquiry into the origins and unfolding of genocide as a social process. Armed with different tools and objectives, the social scientists' work has sharpened the focus on the shortcomings ofthe United Nations Convention on Genocide, which has formed the basis for the internationally accepted categorization of genocide as a crime. The authors first examine the legal and social-theoretical criteria by which mass killings have been categorized as genocide and debate th
Adaptive Coping Mediates the Relation Between Mothers’ and Daughters’ Depressive Symptoms: A Moderated Mediation Study

Maternal depression is associated with an increased risk for depression in offspring; the factors explaining this association, however, are unclear. We examined coping in a group of 9- to 14-year-old daughters of mothers with and without a history of major depressive disorders. We tested whether daughters’ adaptive coping mediated the association between mothers’ and daughters’ depressive symptoms, and whether these relations were moderated by daughters’ pubertal status. Using moderated mediation analyses, higher levels of maternal depressive symptoms were related to less adaptive coping in daughters, which was related to higher levels of daughters’ depressive symptoms. The mediating effect of coping was evident only for daughters in late stages of pubertal maturation. Early interventions aimed at strengthening coping in girls may have a protective effect on daughters’ risk for depression at later pubertal stages.
In vitro up-regulation of E-selectin and induction of interleukin-6 in endothelial cells by autoantibodies in Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis.

OBJECTIVE In patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) autoantibodies to myeloid granule proteins (ANCA), particularly proteinase 3 (Pr3) and myeloperoxidase (MPO), and to endothelial cells (AECA) are frequently detected. The role of these autoantibodies in the development of vascular injury is incompletely understood. Since the expression of E-selectin and the production of interleukin 6 by endothelial cells is an early step in the sequence of events leading to vascular injury, we examined the capacity of IgG fractions from patients with WG and/or MPA to activate endothelial cells to the expression of E-selectin and the production of IL-6. We related those findings to the presence of ANCA and AECA in the IgG preparations. METHODS Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were incubated with immunoglobulin (IgG) preparations from 28 patients (17 positive for anti-Pr3, 10 for anti-MPO, and one for anti-Pr3/MPO) with active vasculitis and from 10 healthy volunteers. The final IgG concentration in the activation assay was 2 mg/ml. TNF alpha (10 ng/ml) and LPS (10 ng/ml) were used as positive controls for HUVEC activation. The extent of HUVEC activation was assessed by the measurement of E-selectin expression by flow cytometry (after 4 hours of incubation) and the production of interleukin 6 by ELISA (after 24 hours). RESULTS We found that 11 of the 28 ANCA positive IgG samples were capable of activating endothelial cells: six samples induced IL-6 production alone, one sample upregulated E-selectin expression alone, and four samples induced both IL-6 production and E-selectin upregulation. Five of 17 anti-Pr3 positive samples (one of which was also positive for AECA) and 6 of 10 anti-MPO positive samples (all simultaneously positive for AECA) induced endothelial cell activation. AECA positive samples that induced endothelial cell activation (n = 7) had higher AECA titres than samples that did not induce endothelial cell activation (n = 6). CONCLUSION Our data suggest that the activation of endothelial cells in patients with WG and MPA can be induced by circulating autoantibodies. Both ANCA and AECA can be responsible for this effect.
Immigration, asylum and citizenship in Germany: The impact of unification and the Berlin republic

In recent years, there has been much debate over whether post‐unification Germany, often termed the ‘Berlin Republic’, represents a substantive change from the ‘Bonn Republic ‘, that is, West Germany. This article analyses Germany's immigration and citizenship policy against this background by examining various dimensions of immigration before and after unification. The article argues that both unification itself and Germany's changed international environment have resulted in far‐reaching changes in policy, which have forced a reappraisal of Germany's traditional self‐image as a ‘non‐immigration country’.
Phase I study of combination therapy with S-1 and docetaxel (TXT) for advanced or recurrent gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND S-1, an oral fluorouracil antitumor drug, and docetaxel have both been identified as effective agents for the treatment of gastric cancer. The two drugs have incompletely overlapping principal toxicities, which constitute the rationale for evaluating the effects of a combination of S-1 and docetaxel in this phase I study. The aim of this phase I study was to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) and the recommended dose of docetaxel with a fixed dose of S-1 in patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS The pharmacokinetics of both drugs were evaluated on Day 1 of treatment. Patients with a performance status (PS) of 0 to 2 received docetaxel at the starting dose of 40 mg/m2 by i.v. infusion over 1 hour on Day 1 and S-1 at the fill dose of 80 mg/m2 daily for two weeks every three weeks. Nine patients were treated with increasing dose levels of docetaxel as follows: (docetaxel/S-1, mg/m2): 40/80 (Level 1), 50/80 (Level 2) and 60/80 (Level 3) and all the cases were found to be assessable for drug safety, while 7 were assessable for response. Colony-stimulating factor (CSF) was not used in this study. The adverse effects of the treatment were analyzed according to NCI-CTC version 2, and the response was assessed according to the Japanese Classification of Gastric Cancer, 13th Ed. RESULTS The MTD was reached at the 50/80 mg/m2 dose level in three patients out of six, who experienced a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). The DLTs were neutropenia and allergic reactions. No hematological or non-hematological adverse effects (nore severe than Grade 2) were observed in any of the Level 1 patients. However among the Level 2 patients, 50% developed neutropenia (more severe than Grade 2), 33% developed loss of appetite, 17% developed diarrhea, 33% developed stomatitis and 17% developed allergic reactions. On the other hand, partial response was achieved in 5 (71.4%) of the 7 patients with evaluable lesions. The pharmacokinetics of docetaxel were not altered as compared to that in the historical controls by the administration of S-1. These results indicate that the recommended doses of the two drugs in the combination therapy would be 40 mg/m2 for docetaxel and 80 mg/m2 for S-1. CONCLUSION The drug combination showed a good safety profile, with neutropenia being a common but manageable adverse reaction. Moreover, the responses observed in the study suggest that the drug combination shows a high degree of efficacy in patients with advanced and or recurrent gastric cancer.
Historical Performance of Asset Location Strategies and Its Implications for Investors’ Retirement Portfolios

This study investigates how two portfolios, both holding Treasury bonds and the passively managed U.S. stock market index but utilizing opposite location strategies, would have performed historically over the 1928–2009 period and finds that the relative performance of the two portfolios differs substantially during the two halves of the period. The return to full taxation of dividends at marginal income tax rates created a significant advantage for the stock-sheltered portfolio as the combination of the changes in tax legislation and high dividend payouts contributed to the consistent outperformance of the stock-sheltered portfolio until mid-1980s. During the second half of the period, which was characterized by elevated inflation, substantially higher bond returns, and shrinking dividend yields, the advantage of the stock-sheltered portfolio was gradually eliminated due to the diminished level of tax inefficiency of equities. The relative attractiveness of the stock-sheltered portfolio declines with higher risk aversion but increases with a higher share of payout distributions. The expected tax environment of 2011 combined with a modest size of the realized stock market risk premium would marginally favor the stock-sheltered portfolio.
Mechanism of siRNA production from repetitive DNA

Repetitive DNA loci are a major source for the production of eukaryotic small RNAs, but how these small RNAs are produced is not clear. Yang et al. show that DNA tandem repeats and double-strand breaks are necessary and, when both are present, sufficient to trigger gene silencing and siRNA production. In addition to siRNA production, the quelling pathway also maintains tandem repeats by regulating homologous recombination.
Facilities management: factors influencing the role of Nigerian estate surveyors

Purpose – The paper examined the factors influencing the role of estate surveyors in facilities management (FM). Design/methodology/approach – The study administered questionnaires on 247 practicing estate surveyors within Lagos metropolis, Nigeria in 2006. These were selected through alphabetic systematic sampling of estate surveyors from the list of financial members with designations (2004/2005) of the Lagos state branch of Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. The survey achieved a total response rate of 85 percent. Statistical tools employed in analyzing data were relative importance indices and factor analysis.Findings – The findings suggest that training in FM and type of business of the organisation managed by the estate surveyor were significant factors that influence surveyors' participation in areas of core competence in FM.Research limitations/implications – Owing to time constraints, authors have only studied one location. No urban area can be representative of all cities in th.
Trade flows, relative prices, and effective exchange rates: a VAR on Ethiopian data

The dynamic response of trade flows to price and effective exchange rate changes is examined via VAR using quarerly data from Ethiopia for the period 1973(i)–1985(iv). The results show one-way Granger-causality running from prices and exchange rates to imports and exports without significant feedback. Imports and exports exhibit similar response patterns to unexpected changes in relative prices and exchange rates. The responses of imports and exports are larger and the adjustment takes longer when relative prices rather than exchange rates caused a change in international prices. In the long-run, changes in prices account for a larger percentage of the forecast error variances in imports and exports than exchange rate changes. It is shown that devaluation may have an initial adverse effect on the trade balance.
Analyzing Microcredit Interest Rates: A Review of the Methodology Proposed by Mohammed Yunus

In 2007, Muhammad Yunus (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank, one of the largest microfinance providers in Bangladesh), proposed a new methodology for the evaluation of microcredit interest rates based on an interest rate premium, defined as the difference between the interest rate charged by the MFI and the cost of funds at the market rate paid by the MFI. In particular, this methodology defines three zones:• Green Zone: (Interest Rate – Cost of Funds) ≤ 10 percentage points. According to Professor Yunus, these are the “poverty-focused” microcredit programs (p. 69). • Yellow Zone: (Interest Rate – Cost of Funds) ≤ 15 percentage points. • Red Zone: (Interest Rate – Cost of Funds) > 15 percentage points. Professor Yunus labels institutions operating in this zone as “profit-maximizing” MFIs, adding that these programs are “commercial enterprises whose main objective appears to be earning large profits for shareholders or other investors”. Prof., Yunus even referred to this as the zone of the “moneylenders” and “loan sharks”. This paper analyzes global microfinance institutions using this methodology, and determines characteristics of MFIs that do fall into the different zones. The main conclusions from this analysis are:• Three out of four microfinance institutions worldwide fall into the ‘red zone’. • The categorization can almost entirely be explained by operating expenses, rather than profits, since operating expenses represent 62 percent of all the expenses that need to be covered by the average yield and 80 percent of expenses covered by the premium, as defined in the methodology. • Looking across the broad universe of MFIs, there is no evidence that institutions in any ‘zone’ are taking supernormal profits. Removing all profits from all MFIs would not substantively change the distribution of MFIs into green, yellow and red zones. • Most MFIs that have low average loans sizes (suggesting they reach poorer clients) are being mislabeled as in the ‘red zone’. • Not-for-profit NGO MFIs are more likely to be in the red zone than for-profit MFIs (like banks) and credit unions.Combined, these factors suggest that the proposed methodology is an imperfect tool for understanding the operations of an institution and identifying solutions for bringing affordable credit to the poor. The main challenge for the industry remains to improve operating efficiency, within feasible levels.
Inhibition of Return Impairs Phosphene Detection

Efficient visual exploration requires the ability to select possible target locations via spatial attention and to deselect previously inspected locations via inhibition of return (IOR). Although a great deal is known about the effects of spatial attention on processing in visual cortex, much less is known about the effects of IOR on early visual areas. One possibility is that IOR acts in an opposite way to spatial attention, such that, whereas spatial attention enhances target related neural signals in visual cortex, IOR suppress target-related signals. Using a novel dual-coil TMS protocol, we found that IOR reduced the probability of detecting a TMS-induced phosphene in extrastriate cortex (V5). Specifically, a nonpredictive spatial precue presented 500 or 800 msec before stimulation significantly reduced the probability of detecting a phosphene when the precue appeared contralaterally to the site of stimulation (i.e., ipsilaterally to the potential location of the phosphene), compared with ipsilaterally or centrally presented cues. This result demonstrates that IOR facilitates visual exploration by directly affecting the strength of target-related signals in extrastriate visual cortex. This result is consistent with neurophysiological models of attention, which postulate that IOR modulates perception by biasing competition between sensory representations.
Information Technology and Productivity Changes in the Banking Industry

This paper analyses the effects of investment in information technologies (IT) in the financial sector using micro-data from a panel of 600 Italian banks over the period 1989-2000. Stochastic cost and profit functions are estimated allowing for individual banks' displacements from the best practice frontier and for non-neutral technological change. The results show that both cost and profit frontier shifts are strongly correlated with IT capital accumulation. Banks adopting IT capital-intensive techniques are also more efficient. On the whole, over the past decade IT capital-deepening contribution to total factor productivity growth of the Italian banking industry can be estimated in a range between 1.3 and 1.8 per cent per year. Copyright 2007 The Authors Journal compilation 2007 Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA.