Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chinese entrepreneurship and small business development: an overview and research agenda

Purpose – This paper aims to focus on three main strands of research relating to entrepreneurship in China: the role of local governments in the development of entrepreneurial activities in twon and village‐based enterprises (TVEs); institutional environments and strategic responses of private firms; and culture and its impact upon entrepreneurship. It aims to suggest a tentative research agenda and offer directions for further research.Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a critical review approach to research on entrepreneurship and small business development in China.Findings – It is suggested that the combination of local entrepreneurial state theory with an analysis of the institutional environment at the macro level offers plausible explanations on the causes, context and extent of Chinese entrepreneurship development during the past two decades. The paper argues that existing theories need to be revised on a continuous basis, as ongoing reforms and developments redefine relationships bet.
Generating hypertext explanations for visual languages

PROBLEM AND APPROACH Visual languages with well-defined semantics are used for systems analysis and design, software programming, business process modeling, architectural and mechanical drafting, scientific visualization, and other purposes in a variety of fields. Many of these languages are highly expressive and employ large sets of graphical elements that a reader can find difficult to learn fully.
Seasonal Variations in Virus-Host Populations in Norwegian Coastal Waters: Focusing on the Cyanophage Community Infecting Marine Synechococcus spp

ABSTRACT Viruses are ubiquitous components of the marine ecosystem. In the current study we investigated seasonal variations in the viral community in Norwegian coastal waters by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The results demonstrated that the viral community was diverse, displaying dynamic seasonal variation, and that viral populations of 29 different sizes in the range from 26 to 500 kb were present. Virus populations from 260 to 500 kb and dominating autotrophic pico- and nanoeukaryotes showed similar dynamic variations. Using flow cytometry and real-time PCR, we focused in particular on one host-virus system: Synechococcus spp. and cyanophages. The two groups covaried throughout the year and were found in the highest amounts in fall with concentrations of 7.3 × 104Synechococcus cells ml−1 and 7.2 × 103 cyanophage ml−1. By using primers targeting the g20 gene in PCRs on DNA extracted from PFGE bands, we demonstrated that cyanophages were found in a genomic size range of 26 to 380 kb. The genetic richness of the cyanophage community, determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified g20 gene fragments, revealed seasonal shifts in the populations, with one community dominating in spring and summer and a different one dominating in fall. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences originating from PFGE and DGGE bands grouped the sequences into three groups, all with homology to cyanomyoviruses present in cultures. Our results show that the cyanophage community in Norwegian coastal waters is dynamic and genetically diverse and has a surprisingly wide genomic size range.
Mutation of mouse Samd4 causes leanness, myopathy, uncoupled mitochondrial respiration, and dysregulated mTORC1 signaling

Significance Whereas many heritable obesity phenotypes are known, lean phenotypes are comparatively uncommon. Yet they can reveal critical checkpoints regulating energy balance. During a large-scale random germ-line mutagenesis project, we identified mice with a lean phenotype, myopathy, excessive energy expenditure despite diminished cage activity, and impaired glucose tolerance. This phenotype, termed “supermodel,” was strictly recessive and was ascribed to a missense mutation in Sterile alpha motif domain containing protein 4 (Samd4), a gene encoding an RNA-binding protein with no previously known function in mammals. This study provides evidence that Samd4 modulates the activities of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1, a master regulator of metabolism. Sterile alpha motif domain containing protein 4 (Samd4) is an RNA binding protein that mediates translational repression. We identified a Samd4 missense mutation, designated supermodel, that caused leanness and kyphosis associated with myopathy and adipocyte defects in C57BL/6J mice. The supermodel mutation protected homozygous mice from high fat diet-induced obesity, likely by promoting enhanced energy expenditure through uncoupled mitochondrial respiration. Glucose tolerance was impaired due to diminished insulin release in homozygous mutant mice. The defects of metabolism in supermodel mice may be explained by dysregulated mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling, evidenced by hypophosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and S6 in muscle and adipose tissues of homozygous mice. Samd4 may interface with mTORC1 signaling through an interaction with 14-3-3 proteins and with Akt, which phosphorylates Samd4 in vitro.
THE CYCLICALITY OF AUTOMATIC AND DISCRETIONARY FISCAL POLICY: WHAT CAN REAL-TIME DATA TELL US?

This paper develops a new methodology for estimating both the automatic and discretionary components of fiscal policy in one reaction function using the differences between real-time and ex post data. Discretionary policy should respond to information available to the policy maker at the time (real-time data), whereas automatic fiscal policy should respond to the true state of the economy at the time (proxied by the final data). We find that the intended discretionary response of fiscal policy to the cycle is counter-cyclical. Our estimates suggest that the automatic stabilizers are at the lower end of the range found in the related literature. This new methodology reduces the risk present in the conventional CAB approach that part of the discretionary actions may be wrongly attributed to automatic stabilizers. In that sense, automatic stabilizers are typically not as strong as usually claimed. This could be of particular use in countries where insufficient data exist to estimate structural budget sensitivities directly.
Genome Sequence of Ostreococcus tauri Virus OtV-2 Throws Light on the Role of Picoeukaryote Niche Separation in the Ocean

ABSTRACT Ostreococcus tauri, a unicellular marine green alga, is the smallest known free-living eukaryote and is ubiquitous in the surface oceans. The ecological success of this organism has been attributed to distinct low- and high-light-adapted ecotypes existing in different niches at a range of depths in the ocean. Viruses have already been characterized that infect the high-light-adapted strains. Ostreococcus tauri virus (OtV) isolate OtV-2 is a large double-stranded DNA algal virus that infects a low-light-adapted strain of O. tauri and was assigned to the algal virus family Phycodnaviridae, genus Prasinovirus. Our working hypothesis for this study was that different viruses infecting high- versus low-light-adapted O. tauri strains would provide clues to propagation strategies that would give them selective advantages within their particular light niche. Sequence analysis of the 184,409-bp linear OtV-2 genome revealed a range of core functional genes exclusive to this low-light genotype and included a variety of unexpected genes, such as those encoding an RNA polymerase sigma factor, at least four DNA methyltransferases, a cytochrome b5 , and a high-affinity phosphate transporter. It is clear that OtV-2 has acquired a range of potentially functional genes from its host, other eukaryotes, and even bacteria over evolutionary time. Such piecemeal accretion of genes is a trademark of large double-stranded DNA viruses that has allowed them to adapt their propagation strategies to keep up with host niche separation in the sunlit layers of the oceanic environment.
Identification of an inclusion in multifrequency electric impedance tomography

ABSTRACT The multifrequency electrical impedance tomography is considered to image a conductivity inclusion inside a homogeneous background medium by injecting one current. An original spectral decomposition of the solution of the forward conductivity problem is used to retrieve the Cauchy data corresponding to the extreme case of perfect conductor. Using results based on the unique continuation, we then prove the uniqueness of multifrequency electrical impedance tomography and obtain rigorous stability estimates. Our results in this paper are quite surprising in inverse conductivity problem since in general infinitely many input currents are needed to obtain the uniqueness in the determination of the conductivity.
The Design and Delivery of Crew Resource Management Training: Exploiting Available Resources

Despite widespread acceptance throughout commercial and military settings, crew resource management (CRM) training programs have not escaped doubts about their effectiveness. The current state of CRM training is an example of how an entire body of pertinent research and development has not had the impact on practice that it could. In this paper we outline additional resources (i.e., principles, information, findings, and guidelines) from the team training and training effectiveness research literatures that can be used to improve the design and delivery of CRM training. Some of the resources discussed include knowledge about training effectiveness, training teamwork-related skills, scenario design, and performance measurement. We conclude with a discussion of emerging resources as well as those that need to be developed. The purpose of this paper is to provide the CRM training developer with better access to resources that can be applied to the design and delivery of CRM training programs.
A Continuous Time Econometric Model of the United Kingdom with Stochastic Trends: Subject Index

Over the last thirty years there has been extensive use of continuous time econometric methods in macroeconomic modelling. This monograph presents a continuous time macroeconometric model of the United Kingdom incorporating stochastic trends. Its development represents a major step forward in continuous time macroeconomic modelling. The book describes the model in detail and, like earlier models, it is designed in such a way as to permit a rigorous mathematical analysis of its steady-state and stability properties, thus providing a valuable check on the capacity of the model to generate plausible long-run behaviour. The model is estimated using newly developed exact Gaussian estimation methods for continuous time econometric models incorporating unobservable stochastic trends. The book also includes discussion of the application of the model to dynamic analysis and forecasting.
Relay Selection in Full-Duplex Multiple-User Wireless Networks

This paper investigates the relay selection (RS) problem in full-duplex (FD) wireless networks with multiple users and multiple common relays. We consider three self-interference models at FD relays. For amplify-and-forward (AF) and decode- and-forward (DF) relaying, the exact and asymptotic expressions for the outage probability are derived over Rayleigh fading channels with distance-dependent path loss for three RS schemes: i) optimal RS (ORS); ii) naive RS; and iii) random RS. Simulation results are provided to verify the analytical results.
Biogenesis of Outer Membranes in Gram-Negative Bacteria

The outer membrane, an essential organelle of Gram-negative bacteria, is composed of four major components: lipopolysaccharide, phospholipids, β-barrel proteins, and lipoproteins. The mechanisms underlying the transport of these components to outer membranes are currently under extensive examination. Among them, the sorting of lipoproteins to the outer membrane of Escherichia coli has been clarified in detail. The Lol system, composed of five proteins, catalyzes outer membrane sorting of lipoproteins. Various Lpt proteins have recently been identified as factors involved in the transport of lipopolysaccharide to the outer membrane, although the mechanism remains largely unknown. Proteins with α-helical membrane spanning segments are found in the inner membrane, whereas amphipathic β-barrel proteins span the outer membrane. These β-barrel proteins are inserted into the outer membranes through a central core protein BamA (YaeT) with the help of four outer membrane lipoproteins. In contrast, little is known about how phospholipids are transported to the outer membrane.
The Pricing Efficiency of Corn in a Minor Surplus Production Area

The U.S. grain marketing system frequently is cited as a fairly good working example of the perfect market concept. In general, research has shown that prices change as predicted, to account for the changes in the time, place, and form of the commodity. Much of the research done on grain prices over space has concentrated on the major grain producing states and/or has been cast in the Judge and Wallace general equilibrium framework. The author reports the results of an analysis of corn pricing efficiency in a minor surplus area (western New York) located in a much larger deficit area (the northeastern U.S.).
Guidelines for Socially Appropriate Tourism Development in British Columbia

The economic benefits traditionally associated with tourism development are now being measured against its potential for social disruption. Increasingly there are examples of tourist-resident tension and conflict resulting from the imposition of visitor facilities, and especially attitudes and values, on the host culture. This article is based on the premise that there is a limit, in any community, to resident tolerance to tourism: this is defined as community carrying capacity for tourism. To investigate this hypothesis, an exploratory study was undertaken in two British Columbia communities characterized by very different social conditions. The conclusions of this study were used to describe paradigms of socially appropriate tourism development. Finally, guidelines were developed for future British Columbia tourism planning that will respect resident needs and priorities while maintaining the quality of the tourism experience.
Paradigmatic identification of MMP‐2 and MT1‐MMP activation systems in cardiac fibroblasts cultured as a monolayer

Activations of MMP‐2 and membrane type 1‐matrix metalloproteinase (MT1‐MMP) have been correlated with cell migration, a key cellular event in the wound healing and tissue remodeling. We have previously demonstrated furin‐dependent MMP‐2 and MT1‐MMP activations induced by type I collagen in cardiac fibroblasts. To understand mechanistic aspects of the regulation of MMP‐2 and MT1‐MMP activations by potential non‐matrix factor(s) in cardiac fibroblasts, in the present study, we examined the effects of various agents including concanavalin A (ConA), a proteolytic phenotype‐producing agent. We showed that treatment of cells with ConA activated pro‐MMP‐2, and that this activation concurred with elevated levels of cellular MT1‐MMP and TIMP‐2. The presence of active MT1‐MMP and 43 and 36 kDa processed forms of MT1‐MMP in a fraction of intracellular proteins prepared from ConA‐treated cells suggests the possible internalization of differential forms of MT1‐MMP. The appearance of 36 kDa processed form of MT1‐MMP in conditioned media prepared from ConA‐treated cells indicates the possible extracellular release of the further processed MT1‐MMP fragment. Inhibition of furin in ConA‐treated cells attenuated pro‐MT1‐MMP processing and the cellular TIMP‐2 level, plus it reduced cell‐released active MMP‐2 in a time‐dependent manner. These results suggest the involvement of furin in the ConA‐induced activations of MT1‐MMP and MMP‐2. Furthermore, the existence of furin inhibitor‐insensitive pro‐ and active MMP‐2 species associated with ConA‐treated cells implies that a mechanism independent of furin may perhaps account for the binding of the MMP‐2 species to the cells. Supplementary material for this article can be found at http://www.mrw. interscience.wiley. com/suppmat/0730‐2312/suppmat/94/suppmat_guo. tif. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
What Goes Around, Comes Around

The authors contrast the 2002 Senate and 2003 gubernatorial runoffs in Louisiana, noting that the margin and the breadth of victory were greater for a gubernatorial candidate who enjoyed less political resources than her copartisan. The authors argue that the GOP's southern strategy has constrained its ability to diversify its coalition and contributed to the defeat of its nonwhite candidate for governor. Using aggregate parish level data and individual survey responses, the authors demonstrate that the customary polarization of whites in favor of Republican nominees was undermined in the 2003 election. The authors offer some thoughts on the implications of the findings.
A two‐component, multimeric endolysin encoded by a single gene

Bacteriophage endolysins are bacterial cell wall degrading enzymes whose potential to fight bacterial infections has been intensively studied. Endolysins from Gram‐positive systems are typically described as monomeric and as having a modular structure consisting of one or two N‐terminal catalytic domains (CDs) linked to a C‐terminal region responsible for cell wall binding (CWB). We show here that expression of the endolysin gene lys170 of the enterococcal phage F170/08 results in two products, the expected full length endolysin (Lys170FL) and a C‐terminal fragment corresponding to the CWB domain (CWB170). The latter is produced from an in‐frame, alternative translation start site. Both polypeptides interact to form the fully active endolysin. Biochemical data strongly support a model where Lys170 is made of one monomer of Lys170FL associated with up to three CWB170 subunits, which are responsible for efficient endolysin binding to its substrate. Bioinformatics analysis indicates that similar secondary translation start signals may be used to produce and add independent CWB170‐like subunits to different enzymatic specificities. The particular configuration of endolysin Lys170 uncovers a new mode of increasing the number of CWB motifs associated to CD modules, as an alternative to the tandem repetition typically found in monomeric cell wall hydrolases.
Social impact of the new form of European governance

This policy brief concerns the strong and potentially negative impact of the new forms of monetary and economic governance on employment and on social policies. This impact will be channelled by the new governance nexus of the EU2020/Stability and Growth Pact, but also by the return to a very liberal definition of the drivers of growth, as well as by a new definition of EU social policy. However, this policy brief also shows that much will depend on the strategy adopted by the relevant political and social actors.
Implementing Δps (PS-Merge) Belief Merging Operator for Belief Revision

Belief merging aims at combining information from multiple sources while belief revision studies strategies for retracting information in order to maintain consistency when the addition of new evidence to a belief base makes it inconsistent. An ordering of the sentences in the belief base is used to determine priorities among sentences so that those with lower priority can be identified and retracted. This ordering can be difficult to generate and maintain. To address this difficulty, in this paper we show how to generate automatically an ordering of the belief base sentences through the implementation of a belief merging operator. We extend the Δps (PS-Merge) belief merging operator in order to consider constraints, then we use this extension, called Δps-μ (Δps under constraints), as a strategy for belief revision. We treat new evidence as a constraint and apply the extended merging operator to obtain the revised belief base. We propose several properties of this operator when compared to other two belief revision operators solving four examples described as real-life scenarios. Finally we show a software prototype based on this approach, called Belief Reviser, freely accessible online.
The precipitating cloud population of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation over the Indian and west Pacific Oceans

The variability of the precipitating cloud population of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) is represented by statistics of echo features seen by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission's Precipitation Radar over the central Indian and west Pacific Oceans. Echo features include isolated shallow echoes, deep convective cores, wide convective cores, and broad stratiform regions. Isolated shallow echoes are ever present but most numerous during suppressed MJO phases. Broad stratiform regions dominate variability in areal coverage and maximize during active phases. Deep convective and wide convective cores are more common and variable in number than broad stratiform regions. The magnitude of variability is similar in both regions. In the central Indian Ocean, active MJO phases have synchronous maximization of deep convective entities. In the west Pacific, broad stratiform regions maximize prior to wide convective cores. Reanalysis indicates that isolated shallow echoes are most numerous in dry mid‐tropospheric conditions and strong low‐level (1000–750 hPa) shear. Mid‐tropospheric moisture increases before deeper convective features increase in number, maximizes as deep convective features maximize, and decreases as wide convective cores and broad stratiform regions decline in population. Active‐stage deep and wide convective cores occur preferentially with moist mid‐tropospheric conditions and strong low‐level shear. Acute shear may favor downdraft momentum transport and consequently more robust gust‐front convective triggering. Broad stratiform regions maximize with a moist mid‐troposphere, strong low‐level shear, and moderate upper‐level (750–500 hPa) shear that is not so strong that the stratiform region disconnects from its convective moisture source.
Temporal Changes In The Determinants Of Mutual Fund Flows

We examine how the relation between mutual fund performance and fund flows has changed over time by separating our sample into two periods (1978-87 and 1988-97). We document an increase in the flow-performance asymmetry in the second period that exacerbates the adverse incentive for fund managers to increase portfolio risk. We develop a measure of the elasticity of fund flows with respect to performance, which filters out the confounding influence of greater aggregate fund flows in the second period and allows an examination of whether current investors place more emphasis on prior performance when selecting funds. We conclude that, though top performing funds are rewarded with greater fund flows in the second half of our sample, the change is due solely to the increase in aggregate fund flows and not to an increased reliance on performance by individual fund investors.