Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cryptococcus neoformans Differential Gene Expression Detected In Vitro and In Vivo with Green Fluorescent Protein

ABSTRACT Synthetic green fluorescent protein (GFP) was used as a reporter to detect differential gene expression in the pathogenic fungusCryptococcus neoformans. Promoters from the C. neoformans actin, GAL7, or mating-type alpha pheromone (MFα1) genes were fused to GFP, and the resulting reporter genes were used to assess gene expression in serotype A C. neoformans. Yeast cells containing an integrated pACT::GFP construct demonstrated that the actin promoter was expressed during vegetative growth on yeast extract-peptone-dextrose medium. In contrast, yeast cells containing the inducible GAL7::GFP or MFα1::GFP reporter genes expressed significant GFP activity only during growth on galactose medium or V-8 agar, respectively. These findings demonstrated that the GAL7 and MFα1 promoters from a serotype D C. neoformans strain function when introduced into a serotype A strain. Because the MFα1 promoter is induced by nutrient deprivation and the MATα locus containing the MFα1 gene has been linked with virulence, yeast cells containing the pMFα1::GFP reporter gene were analyzed for GFP expression in the central nervous system (CNS) of immunosuppressed rabbits. In fact, significant GFP expression from the MFα1::GFP reporter gene was detected after the first week of a CNS infection. These findings suggest that there are temporal, host-specific cues that regulate gene expression during infection and that the MFα1 gene is induced during the proliferative stage of a CNS infection. In conclusion, GFP can be used as an effective and sensitive reporter to monitor specific C. neoformans gene expression in vitro, and GFP reporter constructs can be used as an approach to identify a novel gene(s) or to characterize known genes whose expression is regulated during infection.
Consumer price knowledge in the German retail market

Price knowledge as a construct has been one of the top behavioral pricing themes in the last four decades, especially in the Anglo-American literature. In Germany, scientists have paid relatively little attention to this topic during the last 15 years – with some notable exceptions. Therefore, this study analyzes German consumers' price knowledge and, by doing so, replicates and extends existing international work. After reviewing earlier attempts at assessing the construct, a measure is developed for the price estimation error “PEE”, based on explicit price knowledge stored in long-term memory. Results, including data from about 1,000 consumers on 69 products from a German retail chain, indicate that price knowledge in Germany is relatively low. Based on that observation, implications for the management are discussed.
Increasing children's time spent outdoors reduces the incidence of myopia

Commentary on: He M, Xiang F, Zeng Y, et al. Effect of time spent outdoors at school on the development of myopia among children in China: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2015;314:1142–8. [OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3] The epidemic of myopia has been well-documented in urban East Asia, exceeding 80% in school leavers, with evidence suggesting moderate rises elsewhere.1 Given the strong link between myopia and sight-threatening pathology,1 curbing myopia has become a major topic of public health interest. This has sparked research to identity modifiable factors, with increased time outdoors consistently shown to prevent myopia.2 This randomised control trial is the largest to investigate the efficacy of increasing the time children spend outdoors in the prevention of myopia. Primary schools (n=30) in Guangzhou, China were divided into six strata according to uncorrected visual acuity (VA), … [1]: {openurl}? query=rft.jtitle%253DJAMA%26rft.volume%253D314%26rft.issue%253D11%26rft.spage%253D1142%26rft.atitle%253DEFFECT%2BOF%2BTIME%2BSPENT%2BOUTDOORS%2BAT%2BSCHOOL%2BON%2BTHE%2BDEVELOPMENT%2BOF%2BMYOPIA%2BAMONG%2BCHILDREN%2BIN%2BCHINA%253A%2BA%2BRANDOMIZED%2BCLINICAL%2BTRIAL%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1001%252Fjama.2015. 10803%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F26372583%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref? access_num=10.1001/jama.2015. 10803&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref? access_num=26372583&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F21%2F2%2F76.atom
An Exploratory Investigation of the Effects of Service Failures and Recovery Efforts on Customer Satisfaction

Service failures seem to be inevitable given the heterogeneous nature of services. In many cases, it is the service recovery efforts performed by service providers after a service failure that affect customer satisfaction. A model is proposed that considers the impact of service failures and service recovery efforts on customer satisfaction within restaurants. The findings indicate that while the severity of the service failure does not impact the preference for recovery efforts, recovery efforts do impact customer satisfaction. In addition, an analysis of various demographic factors suggests that gender plays a role in these variables.
Between‐City Variation in Frequency of Injection Among Puerto Rican Injection Drug Users: East Harlem, New York, and Bayamon, Puerto Rico

Summary: Frequency of injection has been consistently found to be higher among Puerto Rican Injection drug users (IDUs) than among other groups of IDUs. Several explanations have been suggested, but an empirical explanation has yet to be presented. This study compares the frequency of injection of Puerto Rican IDUs in East Harlem, New York, with that of IDUs in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Study subjects comprised 521 Puerto Rican IDUs from East Harlem and 303 IDUs from Bayamon. The mean frequency of injection among IDUs in East Harlem was 2.8, the corresponding mean in Bayamon was 5.4. Younger IDUs reported a higher number of daily injection episodes than older IDUs, and the IDU group in Bayamon was 5 years younger than the group in East Harlem. The drug use variables accounted for a greater portion of the between‐city difference than the demographic and psychosocial variables. Use of noninjected drugs, as well as the use of prescribed methadone, were found to be associated with a lower number of daily injections. Conversely, injection of cocaine, injection of cocaine mixed with heroin (“speedball”), and injection of larger amounts of drug solution were found to be associated with a higher number of daily injections.
IFRS. FIRST TIME USERS: SOME EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM GREEK COMPANIES

The main object of this paper is to examine accounting harmonisation in a sample of companies with regard to the use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The research instrument took the form of a questionnaire, which was completed by the company accountants. Our investigation focused on the current level of harmonisation. Analysis using the independent chi-square test (p<0.05) showed that: (a) compliance with IFRS was not independent of company size or stock exchange listing status, (b) familiarity with IFRS was not independent of company size or listing status, and (c) familiarity with IFRS was independent of the type of business in which the company was engaged (commercial, manufacturing, services). The results of the study indicate that: (1) Listed firms tend to comply with IFRS earlier and more easily than non-listed companies, and (2) Large and medium-sized firms tend to comply with IFRS requirements to a greater extent. This is also valid for listed firms. JEL Classifications: M41, M49
Strategic responsiveness and Bowman's risk–return paradox

One of the most enduring puzzles in the strategy literature is the negative association between risk and return known as the Bowman paradox. This paper formalizes a model of strategic conduct based on the concept of strategic fit and the heterogeneity of firm strategic capabilities. This model is shown mathematically to yield the negative association of the Bowman paradox. Furthermore, the model makes several other testable predictions. To examine these predictions, simulated data from the model are compared with a large empirical study of 45 industries during 1991–2000. The predictions of the model are consistent with the empirical data.
Preparation of Anti , era and Gamma Globulin ( IgG ) Derivatives

Neurofilaments were isolated from desheathed and minced segments of rat peripheral nerve by osmotic shock into 0.01 M Tds-HC1 buffer, pH 7.2. Freshly isolated neurofilaments were observed to undergo disassembly by progressive fragmentation upon exposure of dilute tissue extracts to this buffer. Lowand high-speed centrifugations of these tissue extracts separated membranous and particulate constituents and produced a progressive enrichment of 68,000-dalton polypeptide band in successive supernates, as determined by analyses of soluble proteins by SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis. The final high-speed supernatant fractions ($3) of nerve extracts, which were predominately composed of 68,0000 dalton polypeptide, were used to raise a specific experimental antisera in rabbits. Utilizing techniques of immune electron microscopy, experimental rabbit antisera was shown to contain antibodies against neurofilaments. Intact neurofilaments isolated from rat nerves and attached to carbon-coated grids became decorated when exposed to experimental rabbit antisera or purified gamma globulin (IgG) derivatives. The decoration of neurofilaments closely resembled the IgG coating seen in immune electron microscopy. Antibody absorption techniques were used to identify the biochemical constituency of neurofilamentous antigenic determinants. The decoration of neurofilament by experimental IgG was not altered by additions of tubulin or bovine serum albumin, but was prevented by additions of $3 fractions as well as the 68,0000dalton polypeptide of this fraction which was eluted and recovered from polyacrylamide gels. These findings are indicative that a 68,000-dalton polypeptide is a constituent subunit of rat peripheral nerve neurofilaments. Neurofilaments occur abundantly in neurites, representing the predominant structural constituency of large myelinated axons (20, 21, 49) and some large dendrites (57, 58). Yet, neurofilaments remain a poorly understood organelle, their functional significance is still obscure, and their functional relationship, if any, to accompanying microtubules has not been clarified. Similar organelles have been recognized as 100 A intermediate-sized filaments in other cell types, some of which are also associated with asymmetrical cell processes (7, 19, 23, 33). Both neurofilaments (8, 12, 55) and intermediate-sized filaments (4, 5, 11, 14, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29) become more prevalent in tissues treated with colchicine or Colcemid, but neither neurofilaments (9, 10) nor intermediate-sized filaments (30, 48) are decorated by exposure to heavy meromyosin (HMM). 226 THE JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY 9 VOLUME 74, 1977 9 p a g e s 2 2 6 2 4 0 on A ril 0, 2017 D ow nladed fom Published July 1, 1977
The Tax (Dis)Advantage of Premium Bonds in Canada: Evidence from the Market for Government of Canada Bonds

This paper shows that, contrary to the suggestion of some investment advisors, for an individual Canadian investor subject to personal income taxation, the after-tax return on a discount bond is always higher (or, at worse, equal) to the return on an otherwise identical premium bond. This follows because the tax rate on capital gains is lower than the tax rate on coupon income in Canada. It is also shown that a decline in the capital gains tax rate raises the after-tax yield on discount bonds, but reduces the after-tax yield on premium bonds, and may even cause the yield on premium bonds to become negative. Further, a cut in the tax rate on interest income raises the after-tax yield on all bonds, but raises the yield on premium bonds relative to discount bonds. While the lower after-tax returns on higher coupon bonds might be expected to cause the pre-tax yields on these bonds to rise, no evidence of such tax capitalization is found using a large dataset of matched pairs of Government of Canada bonds for the period 1986-2006. The observed near equality of pre-tax yields since 1995 for otherwise equivalent bonds with different coupons implies that individuals in Canada earn a significantly smaller after-tax return from holding premium bonds than discount bonds. The empirical analysis suggests that the marginal investor in the bond market is an investor who pays the same rate of tax on capital gains and interest income, such as professional investors, financial institutions or pension funds, rather than an individual taxpayer.
Absolute Quantitation of Short TE Brain 1H‐MR Spectra and Spectroscopic Imaging Data

A method for determining the concentrations of the materials that produce the well-resolved singlet signals in short TE brain 1H MR spectroscopic examinations is presented. Concentration determination is achieved by a water-referencing procedure. The ratios of the areas of the choline, total creatine, and N-acetyl signals to that of the water signal from the same volume of interest (VOI) are determined using acquisitions with and without water suppression. The tissue concentrations of the molecules producing the three signals can then be determined if the water concentration in the VOI can be found. This is done with a density-weighted MR study. The MR study provides the ratio of the mean MR signal amplitude from the VOI to that from an external standard containing a known water concentration. The method's flexibility is illustrated by using it with two different single-volume localization schemes and spectroscopic imaging. Preliminary evaluations of accuracy and reproducibility are made in phantom, animal, and limited human studies. The method's advantages and limitations are discussed.
Pengaruh Kepemilikan Managerial, Kepemilikan Institusional, Kebijakan Hutang, Profitabilitas dan Ukuran Perusahaan terhadap Kebijakan Dividen

The research examines the effect of managerial ownership, institutional ownership, leverage policy, profitability, and firm size on dividend policy. The research model uses dividend policy to reflect the agency issues and conflict of interest between agent (manager) and principal (insider and outsider shareholders). Thirty two firms were used as sample listed at Jakarta Stock Exchange, and had positive earnings after tax and shared dividen from 2002 till 2005 repeatedly. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The results show that managerial ownership, institutional ownership, leverage policy, and profitability had a negative effect on dividend policy. The big firm would increase dividend policy rather than small firm.
Identifying the Value Premium: A Test of Mutual Fund Performance Measures

This paper extends recent discussion on the effectiveness of mutual fund performance measures. We utilize the well-known value premium to examine the ability of mutual fund performance measures to distinguish between the results of value funds and growth funds. Specifically, we examine the effectiveness of mutual fund performance measures over a sample period where value outperforms growth without question, where such measures ought to identify the superior performance of value funds. We find that the Capital Asset Pricing Model successfully identifies superior performance of value funds. The Fama-French three-factor model, on the other hand, provides an inaccurate comparison. We conclude that measurement using the Fama-French three-factor model is biased against value funds and should not be used to judge the performance of value funds, or in general, funds containing a significant proportion of value securities. We suggest that a similar bias would exist for mutual funds holding small-firm securities.
The Effect of Index Fund Competition on Money Management Fees

This paper estimates the effect of competition from low-cost index funds on fees in the money management industry. A difference-in-differences analysis exploiting the staggered entry of index funds finds that while actively managed funds sold directly to retail investors reduce fees by six percent, those sold through brokers increase fees by four percent. Additionally, actively managed funds, especially closet indexers, shift away from holding the index portfolio. A market segmentation model illustrates that beyond a price-competition effect, the index fund entry creates a selection effect that isolates the least-price-sensitive investors and results in a price increase for this group.
Youve Got Mail: Techniques To Increase Response Rates

While much research exists on the benefits of using postal surveys especially in B2B marketing, it is understood and almost universally accepted that postal surveys are synonymous with low response rates. The paper presents results from a study carried out within the wine industry in Australia where a variety of techniques were utilised to overcome the expected low response rates. The various methods that were implemented to test how response rates can be influenced include the accompaniment of the survey with a reply paid addressed envelope, a coversheet on University letterhead explaining the offer of results in return for completing the survey, pre-notification and reminders via e-mail and the drop and collect survey method. The findings are significant in that a combination of techniques was used on the dyad (buyer and supplier) which allowed for comparison of relative effectiveness and success of the techniques. A timeline used to test these techniques is presented and the subsequent influence is presented. This research provides valuable insights to academics who, because of various circumstances (inaccessibility, cost etc.), have no choice but to use postal surveys. It is interesting also that pre-notification by e-mail had a significant impact.
Incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in first year after myocardial infarction.

The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in the first year after acute myocardial infarction was studied prospectively using 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram tape monitoring. Of 108 patients who entered the trial, 74 completed the 12 months of study. Patients were initially studied at 2 weeks after infarction then at 3-monthly intervals. Ventricular premature beats were observed in 80 per cent of studies, with these arrhythmias occurring in 57 per cent of the total hours studied. 'Significant' ventricular arrhythmias defined as ventricular premature beats greater than 1 in 10 beats, multifocal ventricular premature beats, bigeminy or trigeminy, salvos (2 or 3 consecutive ventricular premature beats), R on T, or ventricular tachycardia (4 or more ventricular premature beats), occurred in 54 per cent of studies, with these arrhythmias occurring in 40 per cent of the total hours studied. The incidence of ventricular arrhytbmias remained fairly constant for each 3-month period while the percentage of total studied hours for which ventricular arrhythmias occurred was significantly higher after the entry study at 2 weeks. The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias was significantly higher in patients with inferior or posterior infarction after the entry study compared with those with anterior infarction (P < 04005). Patients who had cardiac failure in the coronary care unit or a peak serum aspartate anminotransferase > 200 IU/l had a higher long-term incidence of ventricular arrhythmias (P < 0.01). Four deaths occurred during the study. In all cases ventricular premature beats were observed on at least 1 period of study, with significant ventricular premature beats in 2 of the 3 patients who died suddenly. A control group of 21 normal subjects had a random 24-hour Holter study and were found to have a significantly lower incidence of ventricular arrhythmias when compared with thepost-infarctiongroup. Ventricular premature beats were observed in 48 per cent of cases (P < 04005) for 28 per cent of the total hours studied (P < 04025) and significant ventricular arrhythmias in 19 per cent of cases (P < 04005) for 35 per cent of the total hours studied. The standard electrocardiogram proved to be a poor indicator of the true incidence of ventricular premature beats found on 24-hour Holter monitoring, with 75 per cent of patients having ventricular arrhythmias and 43 per cent showing 'significant' ventricular arrhythmias when all standard electrocardiograms showed no ventricular premature beats.
Determinants of Private Investment in Pakistan

This paper investigates the determinants of private investment in Pakistan with special emphasis on the impact of government investment. Using annual data for the period 1973/74-1991/92, it is estimated that private investment was positively correlated to GDP growth, to credit extended to the private sector, and to government investment. When government investment is disaggregated into its infrastructural and noninfrastructural components, the latter is found to be negatively correlated with private investment.
Why Are Trade Credits so Damn Expensive? It's a Commitment Problem

Trade credits represent an important source of financing for all corporations. Rajan and Zingales (1995) report that account payable represent on average 14% of the book value of assets of G7 firms, which is comprised mostly of trade credits. Given that debt financing represents almost 40% of the book value of assets, it can be estimated that close to 40% of debt financing occurs through the use of trade credits. Trade credits are a very expensive form of debt financing; for instance traditional 2-10 net 30 contracts (a 2% discount if paid within 10 days, otherwise all is due in 30 days) represents an equivalent 45% annual interest rates. The goal of this paper is to present a new theory as to why trade credits are so expensive compared to bank financing and why trade credits are such important sources of financing. The theory is that non-financial firms are unable to commit credibly to an auditing strategy when the borrowing firm declares bankruptcy. In a world where entrepreneurs have private information as to the state of the world, we show that being unable to commit to verifying the true state of the world generate a higher interest rate on the loan than if the creditor could commit. We suggest that banks and financial institutions have a comparable advantage in credibly signal their ability to commit to auditing a firm who declares bankruptcy. But because it can happen that bank financing is restricted, firms need to finance their project elsewhere, from lenders that are less able to manage this commitment problem.
Case of Synovitis Potentially Caused byDolosigranulum pigrum

ABSTRACT We report a case of synovitis in a 64-year-old man who developed the infection while on steroid therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.Dolosigranulum pigrum, a gram-positive catalase-negative coccus, was isolated from two sets of blood cultures prior to antibiotic therapy. The patient was treated with 4 weeks of appropriate antibiotics, and the synovial inflammation resolved. Although synovial aspirates were never positive for any bacteria or fungi, the timing of positive blood cultures and absence of other pathogens suggest the possible etiology as D. pigrum.