Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogeography and evolutionary patterns in Sporothrix spanning more than 14 000 human and animal case reports

Pathology to vertebrate hosts has emerged repeatedly in the order Ophiostomatales. Occasional infections have been observed in Sporothrix mexicana at a low level of virulence, while the main pathogenic species cluster in a derived clade around S. schenckii s.str. In this paper, phylogeny and epidemiology of the members of this clade were investigated for 99 clinical and 36 environmental strains using four genetic loci, viz. rDNA ITS and partial CAL, TEF1, and TEF3; data are compared with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) genotyping. The four main species of the pathogenic clade were recognised. The species proved to show high degrees of endemicity, which enabled interpretation of literature data where live material or genetic information is lacking. The clade of four species comprised nine subclusters, which often had limited geographic distribution and were separate from each other in all partitions, suggesting low degrees of interbreeding between populations. In contrast, S. globosa exhibited consistent global distribution of identical AFLP types, suggesting another type of dispersal. Sporothrix brasiliensis is known to be involved in an expanding zoonosis and transmitted by cats, whereas S. globosa infections originated from putrid plant material, causing a sapronosis. Sporothrix schenckii s.str. , the most variable species within the clade, also had a plant origin, with ecological similarities to that of S. globosa. A hypothesis was put forward that highly specific conditions in the plant material are required to promote the growth of Sporothrix. Fermented, self-heated plant debris may stimulate the thermodependent yeast-like invasive form of the fungus, which facilitates repeated infection of mammals.
The Pharmacia story of entrepreneurship and as a creative technical university1 – an experiment in innovation, organizational break up and industrial renaissance

While innovative technology supply has been the focus of much neo-Schumpeterian modelling, few have addressed the critical and more resource-demanding commercializing of the same technologies. The result may have been a growth policy focused on the wrong problem. Using Competence Bloc Theory and a firm-based macro to macro approach we abandon the assumed linear relation between technology change and economic growth of such models, and demonstrate that lack of local commercialization competences is likely to block growth even though innovative technology supplies are abundant. The break up, reorganization and part withdrawal of Pharmacia from the local Uppsala (in Sweden) economy after a series of international mergers illustrate this. Pharmacia has ‘released’ a wealth of technologies in local markets. Local commercialization competence, notably industrially competent financing has, however, not been sufficient to fill in through indigenous entrepreneurship the vacuum left by Pharmacia. Only thanks to foreign investors, attracted by Pharmacia technologies that have opted to stay for the long term, the local Uppsala economy seems to be heading for a successful future. The Pharmacia case also demonstrates the role of advanced firms as ‘technical universities’ and the nature of an experimentally organized economy (EOE) in which business mistakes are a natural learning cost for economic development.
The Sources of Monopoly Power Before Bain (1956)

The purpose of this article is to show that there is a gap in the literature on the sources of monopoly power. It looks at the literature on the history of different topics (Industrial Organization, Models of profit maximization in non-competitive markets, Antitrust, Competition) to find out which kind of limitation to entry economists before Bain took into account, the role they attributed to the number of firms present in the market, and their ideas on potential competition. It finds that there are good reasons to investigate the sources of market power in the Italian marginalist thought. The paper demonstrate that: 1. new filiations of ideas can be traced; 2. entry is not considered before 1950s only in analytical models, while in non formalized theory there is a lot on this notion; 3. economists were perfectly aware of the situation between perfect competition and monopoly before 1930s; 4. Italian marginalists used a kind of theory of strategic competition, which was an adaptation of the classical theory of competition; 5. competition policies were requested in 19th century not only in the U.S.
Multiband multislice GE‐EPI at 7 tesla, with 16‐fold acceleration using partial parallel imaging with application to high spatial and temporal whole‐brain fMRI

Parallel imaging in the form of multiband radiofrequency excitation, together with reduced k‐space coverage in the phase‐encode direction, was applied to human gradient echo functional MRI at 7 T for increased volumetric coverage and concurrent high spatial and temporal resolution. Echo planar imaging with simultaneous acquisition of four coronal slices separated by 44mm and simultaneous 4‐fold phase‐encoding undersampling, resulting in 16‐fold acceleration and up to 16‐fold maximal aliasing, was investigated. Task/stimulus‐induced signal changes and temporal signal behavior under basal conditions were comparable for multiband and standard single‐band excitation and longer pulse repetition times. Robust, whole‐brain functional mapping at 7 T, with 2 × 2 × 2mm3 (pulse repetition time 1.25 sec) and 1 × 1 × 2mm3 (pulse repetition time 1.5 sec) resolutions, covering fields of view of 256 × 256 × 176mm3 and 192 × 172 × 176mm3, respectively, was demonstrated with current gradient performance. Magn Reson Med 63:1144–1153, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Isolation of an Unusual MycobacteriumSpecies from an AIDS Patient with Acute Lymphadenitis

ABSTRACT A nonchromogenic Mycobacterium species was isolated from an AIDS patient with acute lymphadenitis. On the basis of the results of conventional tests, the strain appeared to be an atypical nonphotochromogenic Mycobacterium kansasii strain. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed a unique nucleic acid sequence, suggesting that the isolate represents an undescribed pathogenic species.
E‐government application: an integrated model on G2C adoption of online tax

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing citizens’ intention to use e‐filing in the Malaysian context.Design/methodology/approach – The study used quantitative approach methodology. In total, 500 self‐administered questionnaires were distributed and 411 were found usable for data analysis; 14 hypotheses were formulated and tested.Findings – Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, trust of the government, image, compatibility and service quality are found to be significant predictors of citizens’ intention to use e‐filing.Originality/value – An integrated research model of online tax adoption was developed by integrating the technology acceptance model (TAM), diffusion of innovation (DOI), perceived characteristics of innovating (PCI), web trust and perceived risk, web service quality, and political self‐efficacy dimensions.
Voxel-based analysis of PET amyloid ligand [11C]PIB uptake in Alzheimer disease

Background: PET studies with N-methyl-[11C]2-(4′:-methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole ([11C]PIB) have revealed an increased tracer uptake in several brain regions in Alzheimer disease (AD). Objective: To employ voxel-based analysis method to identify brain regions with significant increases in [11C]PIB uptake in AD vs healthy control subjects, indicative of increased amyloid accumulation in these regions. Methods: We studied 17 patients with AD and 11 control subjects with PET using [11C]PIB as tracer. Parametric images were computed by calculating a region-to-cerebellum ratio over 60 to 90 minutes in each voxel. Group differences in [11C]PIB uptake were analyzed with statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and automated region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. Results: SPM showed increased uptake (p < 0.001) in the frontal, parietal, and lateral temporal cortices as well as in the posterior cingulate and the striatum. No significant differences in uptake were found in the primary sensory and motor cortices, primary visual cortex, thalamus, and medial temporal lobe. These results were supported by automated ROI analysis, with most prominent increases in AD subjects in the frontal cortex ([11C]PIB uptake 163% of the control mean) and posterior cingulate (146%) followed by the parietal (146%) and temporal (145%) cortices and striatum (133%), as well as small increases in the occipital cortex (117%) and thalamus (115%). Conclusions: Voxel-based analysis revealed widespread distribution of increased [11C]PIB uptake in Alzheimer disease (AD). These findings are in accordance with the distribution and phases of amyloid pathology in AD, previously documented in postmortem studies.
High Sensitivity Quantitative Proteomics Using Automated Multidimensional Nano-flow Chromatography and Accumulated Ion Monitoring on Quadrupole-Orbitrap-Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer*

Quantitative proteomics using high-resolution and accuracy mass spectrometry promises to transform our understanding of biological systems and disease. Recent development of parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) using hybrid instruments substantially improved the specificity of targeted mass spectrometry. Combined with high-efficiency ion trapping, this approach also provided significant improvements in sensitivity. Here, we investigated the effects of ion isolation and accumulation on the sensitivity and quantitative accuracy of targeted proteomics using the recently developed hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap-linear ion trap mass spectrometer. We leveraged ultrahigh efficiency nano-electrospray ionization under optimized conditions to achieve yoctomolar sensitivity with more than seven orders of linear quantitative accuracy. To enable sensitive and specific targeted mass spectrometry, we implemented an automated, two-dimensional (2D) ion exchange-reversed phase nanoscale chromatography system. We found that automated 2D chromatography improved the sensitivity and accuracy of both PRM and an intact precursor scanning mass spectrometry method, termed accumulated ion monitoring (AIM), by more than 100-fold. Combined with automated 2D nano-scale chromatography, AIM achieved subattomolar limits of detection of endogenous proteins in complex biological proteomes. This allowed quantitation of absolute abundance of the human transcription factor MEF2C at ∼100 molecules/cell, and determination of its phosphorylation stoichiometry from as little as 1 μg of extracts isolated from 10,000 human cells. The combination of automated multidimensional nano-scale chromatography and targeted mass spectrometry should enable ultrasensitive high-accuracy quantitative proteomics of complex biological systems and diseases.
This One's for the Children : Collaborative Leadership in a Rural Appalachian Community

THIS ONE’S FO R TH E CH ILDREN: COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP IN A RURAL APPALACHIAN COMM UNITY by Jennifer J. Scharf The current research is an ethnographic case study of one collaborative community group that worked toward solving complex problems related to early care and education in their community. The methods used consisted of conducting in-depth interviews and observations, recording and transcribing group meetings, and collecting documents that furthered understanding of the group. The research questions addressed were related to the nature of the relationships among the members, leadership enactment in the group, and how they created positive outcomes and overcame obstacles they faced. Several themes emerged related to each question, confirming and extending current understanding of collaboration and collaborative leadership. Special attention was paid to the role of the coordinator of the group. This study has many implications for future research on collaboration, leadership, cultural studies, gender, motivation, decision-making and problem solving, and many other issues related to group dynamics.
Outside Directors, Litigation Environment and Management Earnings Forecasts

This study examines whether outside directors factor in litigation costs for the firm while monitoring optimal disclosure policy. It investigates the association of management earnings forecast disclosure and the proportion of outside directors across two regimes with unequal litigation costs - U.S. and Canada. I find that the positive association between forecast frequency/precision and the proportion of outside directors is stronger in Canada. It suggests that outside directors are more likely to encourage disclosure in less litigious Canada. I also find that firm-level governance mechanisms such as outside directors and country-level litigation environment act as governance substitutes in determining unbiased forecasts. Specifically, the negative association between forecast bias and the proportion of outside directors is stronger in Canada. I also revisit the effect of legal regime on forecast disclosure in a non-U.S. context. Recent legislation has increased the likelihood of class-action lawsuits in Canada. The passage of these laws has decreased the precision in forecasts by Canadian firms.
Does a routinely measured blood pressure in young adolescence accurately predict hypertension and total cardiovascular risk in young adulthood?

Background It is insufficiently known if routine blood pressure (BP) measurement by school doctors has added predictive value for later hypertension and cardiovascular risk. Objective To assess whether screening of BP in adolescence has additional predictive value to already routinely collected indicators of later hypertension and cardiovascular risk. Methods In the Dutch city of Utrecht, routine BPs and anthropometry were collected from school health records of 750 adolescents. In The Hague, standardized repeated BP measurements and anthropometry were available for 262 adolescents. Of both cohorts, 998 now young adults were recently re-examined. Predictors of adult hypertension, systolic blood pressure (SBP) ⩾ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ⩾ 90 mmHg) and 10-year cardiovascular risk were analysed by logistic regression and area under receiver operator characteristics curve (AUC). Results A total of 167 young adults had hypertension. Single adolescent SBP and DBP predicted hypertension: odds ratio (OR) 1.04 per mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–1.06], OR 1.02 (1.00–1.04), respectively, but with little discriminative power. Gender, adolescent body mass index (BMI) and age combined predicted hypertension: AUC 0.71 (0.67–0.75), which slightly improved by adding SBP: AUC 0.74 (0.70–0.77); difference in AUC 0.03 (0.002–0.06). SBP exclusively predicted hypertension within men: OR 1.03 (1.01–1.04), AUC: 0.59 (0.53–0.65), and within women: OR 1.08 (1.05–1.11), AUC 0.74 (0.67–0.82). However, an adolescent BP of ⩾ 120 mmHg did not efficiently detect hypertensive men, while it detected 57.9% of hypertensive women. Only young adult men had meaningful 10-year cardiovascular risks, which only SBP predicted: OR risk score > 95th percentile 1.04 (1.02–1.07), AUC 0.67 (0.60–0.75). Conclusion A single routine BP measurement in adolescent girls efficiently predicts young adult hypertension. In adolescent boys, BP predicts young adult 10-year cardiovascular risk.
The Governance Structure of Ports

The recent worldwide trend towards devolution in the port industry has spawned considerable variety in the types of governance structures now in place around the world. This paper discusses the range of devolution alternatives adopted in the global ports sector, as identified by the World Bank and academic researchers. It then examines the Canadian model more closely as it attempts to follow a more novel path, that of the not-for-profit organization.
The Housing Boom and Bust in the Twin Cities

This paper explores the U.S. housing crisis from the perspective of homeowners and communities that are experiencing foreclosure. Many existing foreclosure studies rely on large quantitative datasets that, although helpful in answering some questions about foreclosure, lack the depth and nuance to unpack how and why foreclosure happened within individual households and what it means to communities. This study brings to the forefront how people wound up in foreclosure, what foreclosure means to them, and what it means in their communities from their perspective. It adds a deeper perspective to our understanding of the disaster and reminds us of the human costs of the U.S. housing crisis and why transforming the system is necessary. Finally, it concludes with a discussion of moral hazard as applied to borrowers and financial institutions.
Aggregation, Persistence and Volatility in a Macro Model

Starting from microeconomic foundations, we derive a general formula for the aggregation of outputs of heterogeneous firms (or sectors), and we solve explicitly for the fundamental intertemporal equilibrium path of the aggregate economy. The firms are subject to temporary technology shocks, but the aggregate output has radically different dynamical properties, and a special form of long memory and nonlinearity never used hitherto. We study, analytically, the implied time series properties of the new process characterizing aggregate GDP per capita. This process is more persistent than any dynamically-stable linear process (e.g. autoregressions) and yet is mean-reverting (unlike unit-root processes), and its volatility is of a greater order of magnitude than that of any of its components. This amplification of volatility means that even small shocks at the micro level can lead to large fluctuations at the macro level. The process is also characterized by long cycles which have random lengths and which are asymmetric. Increased monopoly power will tend to reduce the amplitude and increase the persistence of business cycles. Strikingly, we find that the nonlinear aggregate process has an S-shaped decay of memory, similar to the data but unlike linear time series models such as the widely-used Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving-Average (ARIMA) processes and their special cases (including fractional Integration).
Partnerships between schools and the professional arts sector: evaluation of impact on student outcomes

This two part report considers the impact of school-arts partnerships on student engagement, student voice, social learning, creative skills and arts-related knowledge and skills. Arts Victoria and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) commissioned research and evaluation of partnerships between schools and the professional arts sector in two stages, generating two reports. The research and evaluation was conducted by the Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne in 2009. It considered: the impact of school/arts partnerships on student engagement, student voice, social learning, creative skills and arts-related knowledge and skills the characteristics of effective school/arts partnerships the roles, functions and characteristics of teachers, arts professionals and school leaders in effective partnerships implications for future policy, programs and practice. Stage one: Partnerships between schools and the professional arts sector (PDF 1.6 MB) (DEECD, June, 2009) identified national and international research on the effectiveness of school/arts partnerships and the improvement of student outcomes. Download Download the full report (PDF 1.6 MB) Stage two: Partnerships between schools and the professional arts sector: Evaluation of impact on student outcomes (PDF 3.2MB) (Arts Victoria, Nov 2011) investigated student outcomes in school/arts partnership programs supported by Arts Victoria and DEECD. It includes case studies, identifies characteristics of effective programs and considers implications for future policy, programs and practice. Download Download the full report (PDF 3.2B)
Internal marketing, organisational culture, job satisfaction, and organisational performance in non-life insurance

The concept of internal marketing employed in the service sector is crucial to excellent service provision and successful external marketing. This study conducts an empirical investigation into the non-life insurance industry in Taiwan, exploring the correlation between internal marketing, organisational culture, job satisfaction, and organisational performance in Taiwan. Results show significant correlations among internal marketing, organisational culture, job satisfaction, and performance of non-life insurers. These findings can provide a basis for future studies of related topics as well as a solid reference for business owners and managers in the non-life insurance sector.
Changing Vertical Integration Strategies under Pressure from Foreign Competition: The Case of US and German Multinationals

This study contributes to the emerging body of research into the influence of foreign competition on firm scope. Industrial organization economics, the resource-based view of the firm, and transaction cost economics consistently predict vertical de-integration in the face of intensifying pressure from imports and foreign direct investment. We show this was the case for 407 US firms between 1987 and 2003. Results for a panel of 95 German firms reveal a similar reaction to pressure from an increase in imports, but show no reaction to increased exposure to incoming foreign direct investment during the same time frame.
Water Policy Networks in Egypt and Ethiopia

This article presents data illustrating the networked structure of the water sector in two Nile Basin states, Egypt and Ethiopia. Social network analysis is applied to quantify network characteristics. Implications for water policy design and implementation processes are discussed. Governmental agencies occupy the most central network positions in both countries. Intersectoral cooperation is weak, impeding effective policy integration. The limited connectedness to nonstate actors prevents the central policy makers from tapping all available expertise and implementation capacities. International donor agencies play an important role by connecting different types of actors. The higher prominence of NGOs and decentralized water authorities in the Ethiopian water sector indicates a comparably higher potential for pluralistic policy making. Social network analysis is found to be a useful tool to highlight cooperation patterns in the water sector, but its utility for explaining policy processes without supplementary qualitative information is limited.
Entrepreneurial opportunities in Botswana: (re)shaping urban agriculture discourse

Urban agriculture in southern African cities is increasingly ubiquitous – one need only drive through the garden city of Lusaka or walk along the streets of Harare to note this fact. Indeed this particular hybridisation of rural activity in urban space has become a characteristic of urbanisation processes in the region. Over the past two decades academics, researchers and policy-makers have taken an increasing interest in urban agriculture, and there is a growing number of studies documenting its extent and contribution – primarily focusing on the livelihoods of poor urban dwellers. For many such households, engaging in agriculture ensures a basic food supply, particularly during times of hardship. It may also improve nutritional intake, or free up cash for essential expenditures on non-food items. In some instances, poor households sell a portion of their produce to supplement their income (United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1996:54).