Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiple Protein Regions Contribute to Differential Activities of YABBY Proteins inReproductive Development1[w]

Members of the YABBY family of putative transcription factors participate in abaxial-adaxial identity determination in lateral organs in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Two YABBY genes specifically expressed in reproductive structures, CRABS CLAW (CRC) and INNER NO OUTER (INO), have additional activities, with CRC promoting nectary development and carpel fusion, and INO responding to spatial regulation by SUPERMAN during ovule development. All YABBY coding regions, except YABBY5, were able to restore outer integument growth in ino-1 mutants when expressed from the INO promoter (PROINO). However, INO was the only YABBY family member that responded correctly to SUPERMAN to maintain the wild-type gynoapical-gynobasal asymmetry of the outer integument. By contrast, INO, FILAMENTOUS FLOWER, and YABBY3 failed to complement crc-1 when expressed from PROCRC. Roles of individual regions of CRC and INO in these effects were assessed using chimeric proteins with PROINO and PROCRC and the relatively constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus PRO35S. Regions of CRC were found to contribute additively to CRC-specific functions in nectary and carpel formation, with a nearly direct relationship between the amount of CRC included and the degree of complementation of crc-1. When combined with INO sequences, the central and carboxyl-terminal regions of CRC were individually sufficient to overcome inhibitory effects of SUPERMAN within the outer integument. Reproductive phenotypes resulting from constitutive expression were dependent on the nature of the central region with some contributions from the amino terminus. Thus, the YABBY family members have both unique and common functional capacities, and residues involved in differential activities are distributed throughout the protein sequences.
Characterization by magnetophoresis of therapeutic microcarriers relying on embedded nanoparticles to allow navigation in the vascular network

In this paper a magnetophoretic chamber design is presented as a tool to evaluate the deflection patterns of magnetic microcarriers compatible with Magnetic Resonance Navigation (MRN) for drug delivery applications. Such micro-entities with different magnetic characteristics and subject to the force of a fluid flow show different deflection patterns while the effects of aggregations under different fluid flow velocities are critical to estimate the most adequate MRN strategy. Preliminary results indicate that the system and the corresponding methods presented here could become a practical tool to characterize the magnetophoretic behaviors of such microcarriers intended for navigation in the vascular network.
Prevalence of obesity and acanthosis nigricans among young children in the children's healthy living program in the United States Affiliated Pacific

Abstract Estimate prevalence of obesity and acanthosis nigricans (AN) among children in United States Affiliated Pacific (USAP) jurisdictions. Cross-sectional measurement of weight, height, and AN in 5775, 2 to 8 years old in 51 communities—Hawai‘i, Alaska, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), 4 Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei, Yap, Kosrae, Chuuk). Analyses weighted to jurisdiction-specific sex and age distributions accounting for clustering of communities within jurisdictions. Prevalence of obesity was 14.0%, overweight 14.4%, healthy weight 68.9%, and underweight 2.6%, higher in males (16.3%) than females (11.6%), higher among 6 to 8 years old (16.3%) than 2 to 5 years old (12.9%), highest in American Samoa (21.7%), and absent in RMI. In total, 4.7% of children had AN, with no sex difference, higher in 6 to 8 years old (6.8%) than 2 to 5 years old (3.5%) and highest in Pohnpei (11.9%), and absent in Alaska. Obesity was highly associated with AN (odds ratio = 9.25, 95% confidence interval = 6.69–12.80), with the strongest relationships among Asians, followed by Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI). Obesity, age, and Asian and NHPI race were positively associated with AN.
Chinese import demand for wine: evidence from econometric estimations

By estimating the demand for imported wine in China, this study investigates Chinese consumer choices in terms of wines and countries of origin, as well as the competition among suppliers. The Restricted Source Differentiated Almost Ideal Demand System (RSDAIDS) model is applied. Three goods (still bottled, bulk and sparkling wines) imported from the main exporting countries (France, Italy, Australia and Chile) and from the rest of the world are analysed. The model also includes socio-economic variables and seasonality. The results show that price sensitivities are different: inelasticity for sparkling wines, elasticity for bulk wines and different degrees of responsiveness for still bottled wines. France plays the role of market leader, and competitive interdependence emerges among its followers. The estimation of import expenditure is characterised by the widening of the wine portfolio. The minor followers generate high competitive dynamism. Relationships of substitutability or complementarity between wines and sources emerge. Finally, research perspectives of wine marketing are suggested.
Novel role for retinol‐binding protein 4 in the regulation of blood pressure

Elevated levels of serum retinol‐binding protein 4 (RBP4) contribute to insulin resistance and correlate with increased prevalence of hypertension and myocardial infarction. We sought to determine whether lowering RBP4 would improve blood pressure (BP) and protect against obesity‐ or angiotensin (Ang)‐II‐induced hypertension. Systolic and diastolic BP were lower in the RBP4‐knockout (RBP4‐KO) mice and higher in the RBP4‐overexpressing (RBP4‐Tg) mice compared with BP in the wild‐type (WT) littermates. Carbachol‐induced vasodilatation was increased in arteries from the RBP4‐KO compared with the WT mice and was impaired in the RBP4‐Tg mice. Aortic eNOSSer1177 phosphorylation was enhanced ~50% in the RBP4‐KO mice, with no change in total eNOS protein. Feeding a high‐fat diet increased BP in the RBP4‐KO mice only to the level in the WT mice fed chow and had no effect on aortic eNOSSer1177 phosphorylation. Ang‐II infusion resulted in 22 mmHg lower systolic BP in the RBP4‐KO than in the WT mice, although the relative BP increase over saline infusion was ~30% in both. Ang‐II treatment decreased aortic eNOSSer1177 phosphorylation in the WT and RBP4‐KO mice, but phosphorylation remained higher in the RBP4‐KO mice. Cardiac hypertrophy with Ang‐II treatment was diminished by 56% in the RBP4‐KO mice. Thus, elevated serum RBP4 raises BP and lack of RBP4 reduces it, with commensurate changes in aortic eNOSSer1177 phosphorylation. Lowering RBP4 may reduce BP through enhanced eNOS‐mediated vasodilatation and may be a novel therapeutic approach for hypertension. —Kraus, B. J., Sartoretto, J. L. , Polak, P., Hosooka, T. , Shiroto, T. , Eskurza, I. , Lee, S. ‐A. , Jiang, H. , Michel, T. , Kahn, B. B. Novel role for retinol‐binding protein 4 in the regulation of blood pressure. FASEB J. 29, 3133‐3140 (2015). www.fasebj. org
The Politics of State Sector Reforms in Vietnam: Contested Agendas and Uncertain Trajectories

The 1997 Asian financial crisis and subsequent impact on Vietnam's economy reignited a decade-old internal debate over economic reforms (doi moi). Heralded by many as a success story, the pace of doi moi was the cause of sharp conflicts within the ruling party as the IMF prescribed speeding up the process. At first glance it seemed that neo-liberalism was triumphant. However, this article argues that we need to take a closer look at the content and meaning of 'reform' in the Vietnamese context. Neo-liberal reforms were modified to ensure they consolidated rather than unravelled the authority of the Vietnamese state and to accommodate the new hybrids of state-business alliances.
Market Orientation and Entrepreneurial Proclivity: Antecedents of Innovation

Purpose: Innovation has been traditionally considered as a generator of competitiveness. Despite the increasing importance of innovation in the literature, there is no agreement about its antecedents. This clearly makes difficult and risky for the managers to choose suitable strategies to promote and develop successful innovations. The present research attempts to contribute to this important area by providing some critical insights on the origins of the innovative behaviour of the firms; namely: market orientation and entrepreneurial proclivity. Design/methodology/approach: To reach our goal we used in-depth case research methodology in furniture firms from Italy, Spain and Finland. Findings: The article contributes to the understanding of why some firms are more innovative than others. The study shows some evidence that market orientation and the entrepreneurship can be considered as antecedents of innovation. Research limitations/implications: We provide evidence that the furniture industry shows a tendency to innovate based on its market orientation along with its entrepreneurial proclivity probably due to the fact that it is a traditional, non-globalized low-tech sector. Future studies might also address other variables related to different competitive settings. Practical implications: This work presents direct implications for companies aiming at improving their innovation capabilities. First, it is recommended that entrepreneurial firms should promote a market orientation philosophy, and second, they also need the top management commitment in terms of people and financial resources to achieve its goals. Originality/value: This article offers an insight to explain why some companies are more successful at starting and developing innovation than others. The finding that a successful innovation profile is related to entrepreneurship and the market orientation of the company represents an interesting contribution to the management of firms.
Inactivation of NADP+-dependent Isocitrate Dehydrogenase by Peroxynitrite

Recently, we demonstrated that the control of cytosolic and mitochondrial redox balance and oxidative damage is one of the primary functions of NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) by supplying NADPH for antioxidant systems. We investigated whether the ICDH would be a vulnerable target of peroxynitrite anion (ONOO-) as a purified enzyme, in intact cells, and in liver mitochondria from ethanol-fed rats. Synthetic peroxynitrite and 3-morpholinosydnomine N-ethylcarbamide (SIN-1), a peroxynitrite-generating compound, inactivated ICDH in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The inactivation of ICDH by peroxynitrite or SIN-1 was reversed by dithiothreitol. Loss of enzyme activity was associated with the depletion of the thiol groups in protein. Immunoblotting analysis of peroxynitrite-modified ICDH indicates that S-nitrosylation of cysteine and nitration of tyrosine residues are the predominant modifications. Using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) with tryptic digestion of protein, we found that peroxynitrite forms S-nitrosothiol adducts on Cys305 and Cys387 of ICDH. Nitration of Tyr280 was also identified, however, this modification did not significantly affect the activity of ICDH. These results indicate that S-nitrosylation of cysteine residues on ICDH is a mechanism involving the inactivation of ICDH by peroxynitrite. The structural alterations of modified enzyme were indicated by the changes in protease susceptibility and binding of the hydrophobic probe 8-anilino-1-napthalene sulfonic acid. When U937 cells were incubated with 100 μm SIN-1 bolus, a significant decrease in both cytosolic and mitochondrial ICDH activities were observed. Using immunoprecipitation and ESI-MS, we were also able to isolate and positively identify S-nitrosylated and nitrated mitochondrial ICDH from SIN-1-treated U937 cells as well as liver from ethanol-fed rats. Inactivation of ICDH resulted in the pro-oxidant state of cells reflected by an increased level of intracellular reactive oxygen species, a decrease in the ratio of [NADPH]/[NADPH + NADP+], and a decrease in the efficiency of reduced glutathione turnover. The peroxynitrite-mediated damage to ICDH may result in the perturbation of the cellular antioxidant defense mechanisms and subsequently lead to a pro-oxidant condition.
Interorganizational IT investments and the value upstream relational capital

Purpose – The focus of this article is upstream relational capital, the intangible value of a firm's business relations with its suppliers. The paper aims to propose and test a valuation model of an organization's upstream relational capital that incorporates the leveraging impact of IT investments.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was carried out of 159 CEOs in the wireless telecommunication industry.Findings – Evidence suggests that IT and non‐IT factors contribute to explain abnormal return on relational investments.Research limitations/implications – This exploratory study is based on a single industry and relational capital is valued by CEO using psychometric scales.Practical implications – This study shows how IT‐related information helps external investors to value a firm's upstream relationship capital and hence assess the impact of interorganizational IT investments on the firm's valuation.Originality/value – These results militate for more transparency in regard to relational investments an.
Repurchase Tender Offers, Signaling, and Managerial Incentives

One of the main principles of corporate finance is that managers should maximize the market value of the outstanding securities. While it is realized that managers and security holders may have divergent objectives, it is generally assumed that various market forces keep managerial and shareholders' goals in line. Out of the extensive literature on this issue, three such market forces emerge. First, non-value-maximizing firms are prime targets for take-over bids (e.g., see [14]): bidding firms could acquire control over the shares of the target firm, replace the management, follow a value-maximizing strategy, and realize a profit from the resulting appeciation of the target shares. Second, outside shareholders may charge managers-owners ex ante by discounting stock prices for expected managerial expropriation, which may induce managers to accept various restrictions on their behavior (e.g., see [11]). Third, shareholders may charge managers ex post, indirectly via the discipline imposed by a competitive managerial labor market (e.g., [8]). Note the difference from the previous mechanism: Jensen and Meckling [11] assume that managerial wages are fixed so that all the adjustment for expected expropriation is reflected in stock prices (and, ultimately, in costly monitoring and bonding devices). In Fama's [8] model, all the adjustment occurs in the managerial labor market, so that the value of the firm remains unaffected by expected managerial expropriation.
Evidence on new technologies and wage inequality in France

Using individual data from the French Labour Force Survey and the Complementary Survey on Working Conditions for 1998, we analyse earnings inequalities along the wage distribution between workers using novel Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) at their job and those not using them. We estimate quantile regressions with technological dummies and carry out a decomposition analysis, both at the aggregate level and by occupations. At the aggregate level, most of the wage gap between both populations is explained by the divergence in their labour characteristics. In jobs where ICT are not very diffused, the technological premium is larger than in jobs characterized by a large presence of novel technologies. Whereas in the former type of jobs, the technological premium is mainly justified by a divergence in the labour market characteristics between ICT users and nonusers, in positions characterized by a wide presence of novel technologies the technological premium responds rather to a divergence in the returns to identical characteristics.
Organisational climate and corporate performance: an empirical investigation

Interest in organisational climate and its link with corporate performance is gaining momentum. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this discourse by examining the extent to which “above” and “below” average performing companies also exhibit different climate measurements. A survey was conducted on a sample of electronic component manufacturers, as a sunrise industry in a growth phase, and hosiery and knitwear manufacturers, as a sunset industry, in decline. In turn, sub‐samples of companies that performed above or below average for each of these sectors were selected. Climate dimension measurements collected from staff of the sample companies were analysed against corporate performance measurements. The results showed a consistent association between climate and performance. Independently of sector, companies performing above average showed higher values on climate dimensions than those performing below average. Although a link was shown to exist between climate and performance, it would be premature to conclude that this connection is causal and, if so, in which direction.
The Effect of Seller Income Taxes on Acquisition Price: Evidence from Purchases of Taxable and Tax-Exempt Hospitals

This paper investigates the impact of the seller's tax liability on the price paid in hospital acquisitions. Lock‐in theory predicts that for a given asset, asset holders with larger tax liabilities demand a higher price to compensate for income tax liabilities generated on the sale. We apply this theory to a sample of hospital acquisitions by for‐profit firms where the primary difference among target hospitals is the seller's tax status—either taxable or tax‐exempt. Consistent with the predicted lock‐in effect, the evidence indicates that purchase prices are higher when the seller is taxable than when the seller is tax‐exempt. Thus, our findings suggest that seller tax liabilities are positively related to purchase prices.
Strategic Choice of the Price Structure and Entry Deterrence Under Price Cap Regulation

This paper shows that a price-capped firm under the threat of entry in some of the markets it serves can strategically manipulate its price structure to deter entry. In doing so, the regulated firm uses the price cap constraint as a commitment device to an aggressive pricing behaviour in case of entry. A (dynamic) price cap generally entails that the prices allowed today are a function of the previous-period prices and that the tighter is the constraint on each price, the larger is the quantity sold of this good in the previous period. Hence, the regulated firm may strategically choose its price structure before entry to place a tighter regulatory control on the prices set in the (potentially) competitive markets and to make it optimal to charge in these markets - in case of entry - prices so low that entry is unprofitable. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd and the Board of Trustees of the Bulletin of Economic Research, 2004.
Capacity Investment, Flexibility, and Product Substitution/Complementarity under Demand Uncertainty

We provide a comprehensive characterization of the relationship between optimal capacity and the degree of product substitution/complementarity under price/production postponement, considering different business practices (holdback versus clearance, negative price policies) and different demand models. Specifically, we consider a firm that produces two products, which can be substitutable or complementary. The demand of each product is a linear function of the prices of both products (with the relationship depending on the substitution/complementarity structure), and is subject to an additive stochastic shock. We consider two types of linear demand functions that are commonly used in the economics and operations management literature. The firm operates in a monopolistic setting and acts as a price-setter for both products. Overall the firm needs to make three sets of decisions: capacity, production quantities, and prices. While the capacity investment decision has to be made ex-ante observation of demand curves, price and/or quantity decisions can be postponed until after demand curves are observed. We consider two postponement strategies: price and quantity postponement, and price postponement only. We characterize the optimal pricing/production/investment decisions for each postponement strategy. Using these characterizations, we show that product substitution/complementarity is a key demand characteristic, which has a large impact on the optimal capacity. Our results show that how the optimal capacity behaves in substitution/complementarity parameter is quite similar under both postponement strategies, and under holdback and clearance. However, this behavior depends highly on other underlying assumptions (i.e., whether or not negative prices are allowed) and on the demand model used. This work received support from National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant#s DMI0010032 and DMI-0245643.
Malpractice Law, Physicians’ Financial Incentives, and Medical Treatment: How Do They Interact?

The effects of malpractice law and financial incentives on physicians are typically studied independently. This paper shows that to make both positive and normative statements about medical malpractice liability, one must consider physicians’ legal and financial incentives jointly. I develop a simple model to show that when treatment is unprofitable at the margin, mitigation of liability lowers treatment levels; conversely, when treatment is profitable, mitigation of liability raises them. Motivated by this simple theoretical framework, I analyze the impact of a tort reform in Texas that mitigated malpractice liability. Consistent with the theory, the rate of cesarean sections among commercially insured mothers, for whom the procedure is considered profitable, increased by 2 percentage points relative to the rate of cesarean sections among mothers covered by Medicaid, for whom the procedure is thought to be unprofitable.
Taste disorders: a survey of the examination methods and treatments used in Japan

Conclusions. In Japan, the number of patients seeking treatment for taste disorders from otolaryngologists is ≈240 000/year, and this number has almost doubled in the last 13 years. Taste examinations are routinely conducted in almost all university hospitals; testing is not as common in private clinics. Administration of zinc is the main treatment for taste disorders in Japan. Objectives. To investigate the number of patients who visited otolaryngologists for treatment of taste disorders between 2000 and 2002. In addition to determining changes in the number of patients that had occurred in the 13 years since the last study in 1990, the survey also sought to find out what types of taste examination were used to diagnose taste disorders in Japan and what therapies were used to treat them. Material and methods. A questionnaire was mailed to 1559 members of the Japan Society of Stomato-pharyngology. Results. The average number of patients with taste disorders who visited otolaryngological clinics between 2000 and 2002 was 244 858/year. This number is 1.77-fold greater than the number of patients reported by the last study in 1990 (138 575). Electrogustometry was used in 99% of university hospitals and in 20% of private clinics. The filter-paper disk method was also used in 57% of university hospitals and in 27% of private clinics. The main treatment was zinc administration. Most doctors (70%) prescribed polaprezinc, a zinc-containing drug that is used to treat peptic ulcers. Of these doctors, 78% stated that it effectively treated taste disorders and 11% that it did not.