Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DIVERGENCE IN ALLOPATRY: MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN SEA URCHINS SEPARATED BY THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA

How rapidly do populations separated by a geographic barrier diverge? The question is important to evolutionary biology, because differentiation between such isolates is held to result in the formation of new species (Mayr, 1963; Dobzhansky, 1970; Bush, 1975; Lewontin, 1975). However, there is a lack of direct evidence relevant to the problem because of the difficulties involved in assessing the efficacy of a suspected barrier to genetic exchange. The obstacle to migration, in addition to being nearly absolute, must have been erected recently enough to allow the study of changes at the level of populations rather than major taxonomic groups. It must have also remained in place to the present day so that the populations have not had a chance to either fuse (if reproductive isolation has not developed) or evolve in response to each other (if they have become different species). A geological event that fulfills these conditions is the Pleistocene emergence of a land bridge between North and South America, which fractionated the range of neotropical marine species sometime between 2 and 5.7 million years ago (Woodring, 1966; Emiliani et al., 1972; Saito, 1976; Webb, 1978). The closure of the portals connecting the tropical Atlantic and Pacific oceans has set the stage for an "evolutionary experiment"; it provides the opportunity to assess the consequences of independent evolutionary development of populations that have remained isolated for a defined period of time. Many genera, belonging to various marine taxa, are rep-
The Effect of Firm Characteristics on Dividend Decisions of Bulgarian Companies

Bulgarian companies operate in a specific environment, which determine a different effect of the most important determinants of dividend policy. Using a database of 312 companies we examine the cash dividends paid by public non-financial companies from 2003 to 2009. The object of the paper is to study how firm characteristics as profitability, asset turnover, size, leverage, relations with the banks, cash holdings, growth and ownership determine dividends. The results show that dividend policy depends on life cycle and conflicts between majority and minority shareholders. Taxation, signaling effects, and conflicts between management and owners have weak significance.
Olig2‐positive cells in glioneuronal tumors show both glial and neuronal characters: The implication of a common progenitor cell?

Glioneuronal tumors (GNTs) are rare neoplasms consisting of both glial and neuronal components. Among the GNTs, dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNTs), papillary glioneuronal tumors (PGNTs), and rosette‐forming glioneuronal tumors of the fourth ventricle (RGNTs) share the character of being mainly composed of small round Olig2‐positive tumor cells. Using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization, we examined a series of 35 GNT cases (11 DNTs, 15 PGNTs and 9 RGNTs) on the characteristics of Olig2‐positive tumor cells. Histologically, Olig2‐positive cells showed small round forms in most GNTs; however, there were a small number of Olig2‐positive cells with neuronal morphology only in a PGNT case. These cells expressed both glial and neuronal markers by double immunostaining. With regard to labeling indices and intensity, only PGNT cells expressed neuronal markers, including α‐internexin and neurofilament. These findings also suggest that some Olig2‐positive PGNT cells may show neuronal differentiation. In GNTs, a considerable number of Olig2‐positive cells showed immunopositivity for cyclin D1 and/or platelet‐derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα), which are markers for oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. These immunostainings were particularly strong in DNTs. In RGNTs, Olig2‐positive cells formed “neurocytic rosettes”. Furthermore, they were also immunopositive for glial markers, including GFAP, PDGFRα and cyclin D1. These findings indicate the heterogeneous characteristics of Olig2‐positive cells in GNTs, and some of them also exhibited neuronal features. So it is possible that a part of Olig2‐positive GNT cells have characteristics similar to those of progenitor cells.
Entrepreneurial business development through building tribes

Understanding tribe development can be critical to the survival of entrepreneurial e-service ventures. This article presents findings on how a Swedish start-up industrial design company termed BETTER-DESIGN attempted to build a global presence by creating a tribe of followers on the web. From this single in-depth case study and a comprehensive literature review, a model is developed comprising the necessary components to succeed in tribe building efforts in social media. These components include social cohesion of the inner tribe (founders) in terms of vision, the creation of an icon (a loudspeaker concept) that is able to generate strong customer response, and shape the brand or e-brand, which in turn can create a market and a sustainable business. We suggest entrepreneurial success is highly dependent on how the inner-tribe can create an ‘icon’ to shape an outer-tribe by means of electronic word of mouth in social network environments.
What's In A Patch, I: Tensors, Differential Geometry and Statistical Shading Analysis

We develop a linear algebraic framework for the shape-from-shading problem, because tensors arise when scalar (e.g. image) and vector (e.g. surface normal) fields are differentiated multiple times. The work is in two parts. In this first part we investigate when image derivatives exhibit invariance to changing illumination by calculating the statistics of image derivatives under general distributions on the light source. We computationally validate the hypothesis that image orientations (derivatives) provide increased invariance to illumination by showing (for a Lambertian model) that a shape-from-shading algorithm matching gradients instead of intensities provides more accurate reconstructions when illumination is incorrectly estimated under a flatness prior.
The Impact of Consumer Perceptions of Information Privacy and Security Risks on the Adoption of Residual RFID Technologies

In today’s global competitive environment, organizations face a variety of challenges. Continuous improvement in organizational efficiencies and improving the entire supply chain are necessary to stay competitive. Many organizations are adopting radio frequency identification technologies (RFID) as part of their information supply chains. These technologies provide many benefits to the organizations that use them. However, how these technologies affect the consumer and their willingness to adopt the technology is often overlooked. Many of these RFID tags remain active after the consumers purchase them. These RFID tags, placed in a product for one purpose and left in the product after the tags have served their purpose, are residual RFIDs. Residual RFID technology can have many positive and negative effects on consumers’ willingness to buy and use products containing RFID, and thus, on the business’s ability to sell products containing RFID. If consumers refuse to buy products with residual RFID tags in them, the business harm is greater than the business benefit, regardless of any gain in supply chain efficiency. In this study, we outline some of the advantages and disadvantages of Residual RFID from the consumer perspective, then follow up with an in depth survey and analysis of consumer perceptions. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) we demonstrate that consumers’ perceptions of privacy risk likelihood and privacy risk harm negatively impact their intentions to use this technology. The implications of these findings need to be considered before the pending implementation of residual RFID technologies in the supply chain on a mass scale.
Incidence and prognostic influence of DNMT3A mutations in acute myeloid leukemia.

PURPOSE To study the incidence and prognostic impact of mutations in DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 489 patients with AML were examined for mutations in DNMT3A by direct sequencing. The prognostic impact of DNMT3A mutations was evaluated in the context of other clinical prognostic markers and genetic risk factors (cytogenetic risk group; mutations in NPM1, FLT3, CEBPA, IDH1, IDH2, MLL1, NRAS, WT1, and WT1 SNPrs16754; expression levels of BAALC, ERG, EVI1, MLL5, MN1, and WT1). RESULTS DNMT3A mutations were found in 87 (17.8%) of 489 patients with AML who were younger than 60 years of age. Patients with DNMT3A mutations were older, had higher WBC and platelet counts, more often had a normal karyotype and mutations in NPM1, FLT3, and IDH1 genes, and had higher MLL5 expression levels as compared with patients with wild-type DNMT3A. Mutations in DNMT3A independently predicted a shorter overall survival (OS; hazard ratio [HR], 1.59; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.21; P = .005) by multivariate analysis, but were not associated with relapse-free survival (RFS) or complete remission (CR) rate when the entire patient cohort was considered. In cytogenetically normal (CN) AML, 27.2% harbored DNMT3A mutations that independently predicted shorter OS (HR = 2.46; 95% CI, 1.58 to 3.83; P < .001) and lower CR rate (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.84; P = .015), but not RFS (P = .32). Within patients with CN-AML, DNMT3A mutations had an unfavorable effect on OS, RFS, and CR rate in NPM1/FLT3-ITD high-risk but not in low-risk patients. CONCLUSION DNMT3A mutations are frequent in younger patients with AML and are associated with an unfavorable prognosis.
The Consequences of Consumers’ Use of Pre-Existing Social Relationships to Make Purchases

In this article, we extend and refine previous research on marketing relationships by specifically examining consumers’ use of pre-existing social relationships (i.e., friendships) with firm representatives to make purchases. This study identifies the various consequences of using pre-existing social relationships and integrates these new outcomes with existing research to develop a cohesive theoretical framework. Doing so highlights the unique advantages of developing stronger relationships between firms and customers, while also extending marketing scholars’ and practitioners’ understanding of relationship marketing. Finally, this study links the outcomes of using these relationships to important marketing constructs, such as satisfaction and loyalty.
Soluble sugar permeases of the phosphotransferase system in Escherichia coli: evidence for two physically distinct forms of the proteins in vivo

The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate‐dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) consists of a set of cytoplasmic energy‐coupling proteins and various integral membrane permeases/sugar phosphotransferases, each specific for a different sugar. We have conducted biochemical analyses of three PTS permeases (enzymes II), the glucose permease (IIGlc), the mannitol permease (IIMtl) and the mannose permease (IIMan). These enzymes each catalyse two vectorial/chemical reactions, sugar phosphorylation using phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) as the phosphoryl donor, dependent on enzyme I, HPr and IIA as well as IIBC (the PEP reaction), and transphosphorylation using a sugar phosphate (glucose‐6‐P for IIGlc and IIMan; mannitol‐1‐P for IIMtl) as the phosphoryl donor, dependent only on IIBC (the TP reaction). When crude extracts of French‐pressed or osmotically shocked Escherichia coli cells are centrifuged in an ultracentrifuge at high speed, 5–20% of the enzyme II activity remains in the high‐speed supernatant, and passage through a gel filtration column gives two activity peaks, one in the void volume exhibiting high PEP‐dependent and TP activities, and a second included peak with high PEP‐dependent activity and high (IIMan), moderate (IIGlc) or negligible (IIMtl) TP activities. Both log and stationary phase cells exhibit comparable relative amounts of pelletable and soluble enzyme II activities, but long‐term exposure of cells to chloramphenicol results in selective loss of the soluble fraction with retention of much of the pelleted activity concomitant with extensive protein degradation. Short‐term exposure of cells to chloramphenicol results in increased activities in both fractions, possibly because of increased lipid association, with more activation in the soluble fraction than in the pelleted fraction. Western blot analyses show that the soluble IIGlc exhibits a subunit size of about 45 kDa, and all three soluble enzymes II elute from the gel filtration column with apparent molecular weights of 40–50 kDa. We propose that enzymes II of the PTS exist in two physically distinct forms in the E. coli cell, one tightly integrated into the membrane and one either soluble or loosely associated with the membrane. We also propose that the membrane‐integrated enzymes II are largely dimeric, whereas the soluble enzymes II, retarded during passage through a gel filtration column, are largely monomeric.
Requirement of a cell division step for stalk formation in Caulobacter crescentus

Penicillin G at low concentrations blocked cell division in Caulobacter crescentus without inhibiting cell growth. The long filamentous cells formed after two to three generations under these conditions had a stalk at one pole and usually one or more flagella at the opposite pole. The failure of the filaments to form a second stalk at the flagellated pole indicates that stalk formation was dependent upon completion of a step that was also required for cell division. Two observations support this conclusion. (i) Penicillin did not stop the normal development of synchronous swarmer cells into stalked initiation and stalk elongation. (ii) When the action of penicillin was reversed by the addition of penicillinase to cultures of filaments, stalks were not formed at the nonstalked pole until after cell division had occurred; thus the normal order of development events was maintained: cell division leads to stalk formation. These results are consistent with a model in which the organization of the developmental program for stalk formation occurs before cell division as a consequence of steps that branch from the cell division pathway.
Comparison of individual-level versus area-level socioeconomic measures in assessing health outcomes of children in Olmsted County, Minnesota

Background Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of health, but SES measures are frequently unavailable in commonly used datasets. Area-level SES measures are used as proxy measures of individual SES when the individual measures are lacking. Little is known about the agreement between individual-level versus area-level SES measures in mixed urban–rural settings. Methods We identified SES agreement by comparing information from telephone self-reported SES levels and SES calculated from area-level SES measures. We assessed the impact of this agreement on reported associations between SES and rates of childhood obesity, low birth weight <2500 g and smoking within the household in a mixed urban–rural setting. Results 750 households were surveyed with a response rate of 62%: 51% male, 89% Caucasian; mean child age 9.5 years. Individual-level self-reported income was more strongly associated with all three childhood health outcomes compared to area-level SES. We found significant disagreement rates of 22–31%. The weighted Cohen's κ indices ranged from 0.15 to 0.22, suggesting poor agreement between individual-level and area-level measures. Conclusion In a mixed urban–rural setting comprised of both rural and urbanised areas, area-level SES proxy measures significantly disagree with individual SES measures, and have different patterns of association with health outcomes from individual-level SES measures. Area-level SES may be an unsuitable proxy for SES when individual rather than community characteristics are of primary concern.
Attitudes and experiences of tourism operators in Northern Australia towards people with disabilities

The last decade has seen an increasing interest in disability, access and tourism. This has culminated in the emergence of a body of work on “accessible tourism. ” Disability and access have been the subject of a great deal of government regulation and coordination through building codes, awareness training and state-based tourism marketing authorities and policy engagement. Yet, the supply-side perspective of industry responses to this consumer group has been under researched (Darcy & Pegg, 2011). This study seeks to redress this omission through examining the attitudes and experiences of tourism operators. The area chosen for the study was Queensland, Australia. In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 tourism operators across five major regional tourism locations. The interviews investigated the level of engagement with the consumer group, their motivations for catering for the group and their experiences with the service provision to the group. The results of the study showed that, while the macro policy environment is conducive to having an accessible built environment, transport and service sector, the level of engagement by the tourism industry still involves an ad hoc process of trial and error on the part of individual operators. In comparison with previous decades, tourism operators are now making significant efforts to make their products and services more accessible to people with disabilities. However, most operators in the study noted that there is still a weak demand from the accessible tourism market and low recognition of their existing product offerings.
E-Commerce Adoption in the Retail Sector: Empirical Insights

– To investigate the determinants of e‐commerce adoption in the retail sector using duration analysis. , – The study proposes a conceptual model based on technology adoption and population ecology models. It identifies specific determinant factors organized under three areas: perceived benefits, organizational readiness, and external influences. Duration analysis is applied to data on 392 retailers. , – Organizational readiness and external influences were the main driving factors of the adoption decision. There is no strong support for the perceived benefits construct. This suggests that e‐commerce adoption was to a great extent responsive to external pressures. , – Major limitations include insufficient data. Future research can collect other types of data. Other extensions include the investigation of the effect of e‐commerce adoption, the construction of a formal theoretical model, and the collection of data from other countries. , – The study provides guidelines to entry anticipation. It appears that many retailers mimetically responded to the online entry of other retailers. Managers should be also aware of the suitability of e‐commerce adoption to their organization. In order to be proactive, firms can put more emphasis on internal factors and rely less on outside signals in their strategies. , – The paper investigates the e‐commerce adoption decision among retailers using a unique database collected from public sources, avoiding potential subjectivity bias. It traces the timing of e‐commerce adoption incorporating both fixed and time‐varying covariates.
Cladribine for the Management of Erdheim-Chester Disease in Adults

Erdheim-Chester Disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized by foamy infiltrates of soft tissue and bone, with a histopathology that reveals CD68+, CD1a-, and S100histiocytes densely infiltrating organ systems such as bone, large vessels, heart, and lungs, and other tissues to name a few. Few chemotherapeutic options exist in the second line, of which one is cladribine. Cladribine (2-chlorodeoxyadenosine) is an anti-metabolite that predominantly affects blood cells by mimicking adenosine nucleosides, inhibiting adenosine deaminase, and thus disrupts the ability of the cell to repair DNA. Here we report three patients with varying sites of disease who achieved a response following treatment with cladribine. Although the efficacy of cladribine has been demonstrated in patients with ECD who primarily exhibited neurological symptoms, we present three patients in whom significant responses were achieved in disease distributed in long bones, pericardium, and retroperitoneum.
The impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and perceived brand quality on customer-based brand preference

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate how corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance (i.e. to the environment, society and stakeholders) and perceived brand quality influence brand preference. The mediating effect of perceived brand quality on the relationship between CSR performance and brand preference is also studied. Design/methodology/approach – In 2011, 243 valid responses to questionnaire surveys were collected from a convenience sample in China. Regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings – Customers’ brand preference can be enhanced by CSR performance. Performance in each of the three CSR domains (i.e. environment, society and stakeholders) positively impacts brand preference, although to different degrees. The impact of CSR on stakeholders has the strongest influence on Chinese customers’ brand preference among the three CSR domains. Perceived brand quality was found to be a mediator of the relationship between CSR performance and brand preference. Research limitatio.
Internal marketing and the mediating role of organisational competencies

The paper proposes and empirically evaluates a new internal marketing (IM) implementation model as a framework for implementing marketing strategies. The paper proposes the concept of IM mix or a set of controllable instruments inside the organisation that can be used effectively to influence employees so that they are motivated and act in a customer‐oriented fashion. In the model organisational competencies mediate the relationship between IM mix and business performance. Additionally, the model postulates that application of marketing‐like philosophy and marketing‐like tools internally moderates the relationship between IM mix and organisational competencies. All the major hypotheses were supported by the empirical research. In particular the IM mix was shown to be a reliable measure and strongly related to business performance. The research supports the view that organisational competencies mediate the relationship between the IM mix and business performance.
Management of sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a consultant survey

A questionnaire was sent to 100 consultant otolaryngologists from three selected health regions in the United Kingdom enquiring about their assessment and management of a patient presenting with sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss. Seventy – six replied, of whom 42 stated a sub – specialist interest in otology. Seventy – eight percent of respondents would order routine blood tests including the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and syphilis serology; in addition 38 per cent would order a magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan at the first presentation. The vast majority would treat such a patient (89 per cent), although the method and combination varied widely. A review of the literature confirmed that the level of evidence for treating this condition is limited and therefore the wide disparity in consultants’ practice is not surprising.