Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the role of workplace heterogeneity in recent trends of the gender wage gap

Using linked employer-employee data for Germany, I study the relationship between two major developments of the 1990s and 2000s: a stagnation of the wage gap between genders, and a pronounced rise of establishment-specific wage premiums in shaping the trends in inequality. I find that establishment premiums contribute to the wage gap between genders, and that their role has grown considerably over time: in the absence of rising workplace heterogeneity, the gender gap would have declined by around 0.6-3.6 log points, or 2.5-14.3%. An overrepresentation of women at low wage establishments is the main source of the workplace contribution in each period, whereas within-establishment wage gaps tend to reduce the role of workplaces, but decreasingly so. The trend increase of the role of workplaces is equally attributable to changes in employment and a widening of gender-specific premiums at each establishment. I document that these patterns are consistent with collective bargaining institutions compressing the wage gap within firms, and that the growing decentralisation of wage determination acts as a catalyst for the rising importance of workplaces in determining the gender wage gap.
Forward-view Endoscopic Ultrasound: A Systematic Review of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and therapeutic procedures have been performed by a curved linear array (CLA) echoendoscope since the early 1990's. This particular echoendoscope, allowing real time visualization of aspiration needles and of other devices, has substantially remained unchanged since its introduction to the market. In a context of rapidly expanding indications for EUS-guided procedures, a dedicated forward view (FV) echoendoscope has been developed and tested under different clinical conditions. The FV echoendoscope is equipped with front endoscopic and EUS view, allowing deployment of needles and other devices through the working channel in straight direction. Several new diagnostic and therapeutic applications may thereby potentially be feasible with the FV echoendoscope and the established ones may prove easier to accomplish. The published literature with the FV echoendoscope has been systematically reviewed and the results are presented analytically and discussed in detail. EUS-FNA and therapeutic procedures, including pancreatic pseudocyst drainage, treatment of gastric fundal varices, celiac plexus neurolysis, and duct drainage were reported. The FV echoendoscope showed some unique advantages, opening new possibilities such as EUS-FNA in difficult gastrointestinal tracts and combined endoscopic/EUS treatment with frontal approach. However, no statistically significant evidence of superiority of the FV echoendoscope vs. the CLA echoendoscope was found in pancreatic pseudocyst drainage. No complications specifically attributable to the use of the FV echoendoscope were reported.
On Habit Formation in a New Keynesian Business Cycle Model

Whether introduced formally or informally, habit formation has become an integral component in New Keynesian models. However, there are several ways habit formation can be modeled and this diversity is reflected in the literature. Some studies assume internal habits, others external habits; some studies model habit formation using an additive functional form for utility, others a multiplicative functional form. In this paper we examine whether these different approaches to modeling habit formation have important implications for how the models behave. In the context of a New Keynesian business cycle model, we show that, to a first-order approximation, the additive functional form for habit formation encompasses the multiplicative function form. On an empirical level we also show that whether consumption habits are internal or external has little effect on the model’s behavior. Finally, we model sticky prices according to Gali and Gertler (1999) and obtain estimates of pricing parameters that are numerically and qualitatively similar to those they obtain, but using very different techniques.
Thalamic Connections of Auditory Cortex in Marmoset Monkeys: Lateral Belt and Parabelt Regions

The primate auditory cortex is comprised of a core region of three primary areas, surrounded by a belt region of secondary areas and a parabelt region lateral to the belt. The main sources of thalamocortical inputs to the auditory cortex are the medial geniculate complex (MGC), medial pulvinar (PM), and several adjoining nuclei in the posterior thalamus. The distribution of inputs varies topographically by cortical area and thalamic nucleus, but in a manner that has not been fully characterized in primates. In this study, the thalamocortical connections of the lateral belt and parabelt were determined by placing retrograde tracer injections into various areas of these regions in the marmoset monkey. Both regions received projections from the medial (MGm) and posterodorsal (MGpd) divisions of the medial geniculate complex (MGC); however, labeled cells in the anterodorsal (MGad) division were present only from injections into the caudal belt. Thalamic inputs to the lateral belt appeared to come mainly from the MGC, whereas the parabelt also received a strong projection from the PM, consistent with its position as a later stage of auditory cortical processing. The results of this study also indicate that the organization of the marmoset auditory cortex is similar to other primates. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Aromatase activity during embryogenesis in the brain and adrenal-kidney-gonad of the red-eared slider turtle, a species with temperature-dependent sex determination.

Gonadal sex in the red-eared slider turtle is determined by the incubation temperature that the embryo experiences during the mid-trimester of development. High temperatures result in female-biased sex ratios, and low temperatures produce male-biased sex ratios. The physiological equivalent of temperature appears to be a combination of the nature and abundance of steroidogenic enzymes and their products-including estradiol and its precursor, testosterone-and aromatase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estradiol. Aromatase has been hypothesized to play a major role in the female developmental pathway in this species, and research in other species with temperature-dependent sex determination points to the brain as an organ that transduces the temperature signal into an aromatase response. In this study, we used a tritiated water assay to compare the pattern of estradiol biosynthesis at male- and female-producing temperatures in the brain and adrenal-kidney-gonad (AKG) through development. The pattern for both sexes in the AKG was one of increased activity after the temperature-sensitive period (TSP), but with no significant difference between sexes. In the brain, however, putative females exhibited a significantly higher level of aromatase activity than putative males at the beginning of the TSP, after which activity in both male and female brains decreased, dropping below detection in females before hatch. These results point to the brain as a site of aromatase response to temperature in this species, and they suggest that the product of aromatase activity, estradiol, may induce alterations in the neuroendocrine axis controlling gonadal sex steroid hormone production.
3'-Exonuclease resistance of DNA oligodeoxynucleotides containing O6-[4-oxo-4-(3-pyridyl)butyl]guanine.

Tobacco-specific nitrosamine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), is a chemical carcinogen thought to be involved in the initiation of lung cancer in smokers. NNK is metabolically activated to methylating and pyridyloxobutylating species that form promutagenic adducts with DNA nucleobases, e.g. O(6)-[4-oxo-4-(3-pyridyl)butyl]guanine (O(6)-POB-dG). O(6)-POB-dG is a strongly mispairing DNA lesion capable of inducing both G-->A and G-->T base changes, suggesting its importance in NNK mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Our earlier investigations have identified the ability of O(6)-POB-dG to hinder DNA digestion by snake venom phosphodiesterase (SVPDE), a 3'-exonuclease commonly used for DNA ladder sequencing and as a model enzyme to test nuclease sensitivity of anti-sense oligonucleotide drugs. We now extend our investigation to three other enzymes possessing 3'-exonuclease activity: bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase, Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I, and E.coli exonuclease III. Our results indicate that, unlike SVPDE, 3'-exonuclease activities of these three enzymes are not blocked by O(6)-POB-dG lesion. Conformational analysis and molecular dynamics simulations of DNA containing O(6)-POB-dG suggest that the observed resistance of the O(6)-POB-dG lesion to SVPDE-catalyzed hydrolysis may result from the structural changes in the DNA strand induced by the O(6)-POB group, including C3'-endo sugar puckering and the loss of stacking interaction between the pyridyloxobutylated guanine and its flanking bases. In contrast, O(6)-methylguanine lesion used as a control does not induce similar structural changes in DNA and does not prevent its digestion by SVPDE.
Role of DptE and DptF in the lipidation reaction of daptomycin

Daptomycin and A21987C antibiotics are branched, cyclic, nonribosomally assembled acidic lipodepsipeptides produced by Streptomyces roseosporus. The antibacterial activity of daptomycin against Gram‐positive bacteria strongly depends on the nature of the N‐terminal fatty acid moiety. Two genes, dptE and dptF, localized upstream of the daptomycin nonribosomal peptide synthetase genes, are thought to be involved in the lipidation of daptomycin. Here we describe the cloning, heterologous expression, purification and biochemical characterization of the enzymes encoded by these genes. DptE was proven to preferentially activate branched mid‐ to long‐chain fatty acids under ATP consumption, and these fatty acids are subsequently transferred onto DptF, the cognate acyl carrier protein. Additionally, we demonstrate that lipidation of DptF by DptE in trans is based on specific protein–protein interactions, as DptF is favored over other acyl carrier proteins. Study of DptE and DptF may provide useful insights into the lipidation mechanism, and these enzymes may be used to generate novel daptomycin derivatives with altered fatty acids.
Time-Induced Stress Effect on Financial Decision Making in Real Markets: The Case of Traffic Congestion

We study the role of stress induced by time constraints on investors’ decision making. The need to perform contemporaneous tasks and external interference such as arriving unexpectedly late to work, might exacerbate acute stress and its impact on decision making. Accumulated laboratory research suggests that time stress may impact financial decisions, mainly in the loss domain. We contribute to the literature studying this issue in real financial markets, as the real markets distinguish themselves from laboratory experiments through repeated situations, aggregation of outcomes and extremely high monetary stakes. We use data on traffic congestion, weather conditions and derivative prices. Our main dependent variable is the slope of the implied volatility function (IVF) of options on RTS futures (cf. Bollen and Whaley, 2004) at the left-hand side of the volatility smile. We find that, controlling for relevant factors, this slope at open of the main trading session is higher subsequent to morning traffic jams, suggesting that investors under stress assign higher weights to extreme loss scenarios.
Rapid Identification of Mycobacterial Whole Cells in Solid and Liquid Culture Media by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

ABSTRACT Mycobacterial identification is based on several methods: conventional biochemical tests that require several weeks for accurate identification, and molecular tools that are now routinely used. However, these techniques are expensive and time-consuming. In this study, an alternative method was developed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This approach allows a characteristic mass spectral fingerprint to be obtained from whole inactivated mycobacterial cells. We engineered a strategy based on specific profiles in order to identify the most clinically relevant species of mycobacteria. To validate the mycobacterial database, a total of 311 strains belonging to 31 distinct species and 4 species complexes grown in Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) and liquid (mycobacterium growth indicator tube [MGIT]) media were analyzed. No extraction step was required. Correct identifications were obtained for 97% of strains from LJ and 77% from MGIT media. No misidentification was noted. Our results, based on a very simple protocol, suggest that this system may represent a serious alternative for clinical laboratories to identify mycobacterial species.
In Vitro Production and Nuclear Transfer Affect Dosage Compensation of the X-Linked Gene Transcripts G6PD, PGK, and Xist in Preimplantation Bovine Embryos1

Abstract Equal expression of X-linked genes such as G6PD and PGK in females and males and the initiation of X-chromosome inactivation are critically dependent on the expression of the X-inactive specific transcript (Xist). The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of in vitro production (IVP) and nuclear transfer (NT) on the relative abundance (RA) of the X-linked transcripts G6PD, PGK, and Xist in preimplantation bovine embryos. In experiment 1, sex-determined IVP or in vivo-produced embryos were analyzed for mRNA expression of the 3 genes. The sex ratio was 36% vs. 64% in IVP blastocysts and thus deviated significantly from the expected ratio of 50% in the vivo control group. The RA of G6PD transcripts was significantly higher in female IVP embryos than in male embryos. In contrast, no significant differences were seen between in vivo-derived female embryos and their male counterparts. At the morula stage, female IVP embryos transcribed significantly more PGK mRNA than did male embryos. However, blastocysts did not exhibit significant differences in PGK transcripts. No differences were observed for in vivo-derived embryos with regard to the RA of PGK transcripts. The RA of Xist mRNA was significantly higher in all female embryos than in their male counterparts. In experiment 2, IVP, in vivo-developed, NT-derived, and parthenogenetic embryos carrying two X chromosomes of either maternal and paternal origin or of maternal origin only (parthenogenotes) were analyzed for the RA of the 3 genes. In NT-derived morulae, the RA of G6PD transcripts was significantly increased compared with their IVP and in vivo-generated counterparts. G6PD transcript levels were significantly increased in IVP blastocysts compared with in vivo-generated and parthenogenetic embryos. At the morula stage, PGK transcripts were similar in all groups, but the RA of PGK transcripts was significantly higher in IVP blastocysts than in their in vivo-generated, parthenogenetic, and NT-derived counterparts. The RA of Xist was significantly elevated in NT-derived morulae compared with IVP, in vivo-generated, and parthenogenetic embryos. NT-derived blastocysts showed an increased Xist expression compared with that of IVP, in vivo-generated, and parthenogenetic embryos. Results of the present study show for the first time that differences in X-chromosome-linked gene transcript levels are related to a perturbed dosage compensation in female and male IVP and female NT-derived embryos. This finding warrants further studies to improve IVP systems and NT protocols to ensure the production of embryos with normal gene expression patterns.
Income Concentration, Market Size and Informal Sector in Africa

In this study, we analyze the link between income concentration and the size of informal sector. We construct a simple model where income concentration determines demand and firms decide whether to operate in the formal or the informal economy is outlined. The government collects taxes and returns them to society either as a productive public good for its use by formal firms or as transfers to the poor. It is further postulated that income distribution affects the response of the informal sector to different fiscal policies, either demand or supplyorientated. In this case, redistribution towards the middle class decreases the size of the informal sector and increases the capacity of fiscal instruments to reduce informality. Data concerns 38 Africans’ countries in which the characteristic of income distribution is similar across countries. Using this comparable macro-level panel data between 1991 and 2013, we find strong evidence that high income concentration leads to a large informal sector. Furthermore, an economic policy, including effective application of the tax and regulatory procedures, should help to keep down the size of the informal economy. Keywords: Income concentration, market size, labour market, informal sector.
Developmental and Transcriptional Responses to Host and Nonhost Cuticles by the Specific Locust Pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum

ABSTRACT Transcript patterns elicited in response to hosts can reveal how fungi recognize suitable hosts and the mechanisms involved in pathogenicity. These patterns could be fashioned by recognition of host-specific topographical features or by chemical components displayed or released by the host. We investigated this in the specific locust pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum. Only host (Schistocerca gregaria) cuticle stimulated the full developmental program of germination and differentiation of infection structures (appressoria). Cuticle from beetles (Leptinotarsa decimlineata) repressed germination while cuticle from hemipteran bugs (Magicicada septendecim) allowed germination but only very low levels of differentiation, indicating that the ability to cause disease can be blocked at different stages. Using organic solvents to extract insects we identified a polar fraction from locusts that allowed appressorial formation against a flat plastic (hydrophobic) surface. Microarrays comprising 1,730 expressed sequence tags were used to determine if this extract elicits different transcriptional programs than whole locust cuticle or nonhost extracts. Of 483 differentially regulated genes, 97% were upregulated. These included genes involved in metabolism, utilization of host cuticle components, cell survival and detoxification, and signal transduction. Surprisingly, given the complex nature of insect epicuticle components and the specific response of M. anisopliae var. acridum to locusts, very similar transcript profiles were observed on locust and beetle extracts. However, the beetle extract cluster was enriched in genes for detoxification and redox processes, while the locust extract upregulated more genes for cell division and accumulation of cell mass. In addition, several signal transduction genes previously implicated in pathogenicity in plant pathogens were only upregulated in response to locust extract, implying similarities in the regulatory circuitry of these pathogens with very different hosts.
The Impact a Single-Gender Early Elementary Classroom Has on the Perceptions of Girls from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds Towards Education and Themselves

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the experiences and impact of singlegender education in early elementary classrooms (grades kindergarten through second) from the perspectives of the fourth and fifth-grade girls that experienced these classrooms in a lowsocioeconomic community in South Carolina at Hopkins Elementary School. The theory guiding the study was Bandura’s (1977) social cognitive theory explaining how a person’s environments impact their thoughts and behaviors. Often students who enter school from families of poverty continue to live in poverty after they graduate if they indeed make it to graduation (Hughes, 2009). To break this cycle, it is critical for students from poverty situations develop positive perceptions of education and themselves. The study utilized interviews, focus groups, a survey, written prompts, and other archived data were analyzed and coded for themes. Findings from this study revealed the girls were impacted by their experiences in the singlegender early elementary classrooms regarding perceptions of education and themselves. The girls noted an increase in personal identity in the areas of confidence and self-esteem along with an increase in academic perseverance in the areas of work ethic and willingness to try. These two areas provided the opportunity for the girls to set goals for college, careers, and their future.
Fusion of Visual and Infrared Images for Face Recognition

This paper proposes a robust face recognition method by fusing images acquired from visual and infrared (IR) sensors. Although current 2D image face recognition systems have reached a certain level of maturity, the performance of these systems has been limited by external conditions such as pose, expression and illumination. To alleviate some of these problems, infrared sensor based methods have been suggested. These methods showed very good performance when used in illumination variation environments. However, one of the main drawbacks of using IR sensors for recognition is that they are very sensitive to ambient temperatures. To solve this problem, we suggest a face recognition method that fuses both visual and IR techniques. We developed a visual and IR face image database with photographs taken under a wide range of imaging conditions. With this database, we are able to produce full combinations of comparative experiments in the field of face recognition. Our experiments showed that when using both modalities, results are far better in terms of recognition performance than when using only one modality. The overall average performance was observed to have improved under all imaging conditions
ACTIONS OF THE ENDOCANNABINOID TRANSPORT INHIBITOR AM404 IN NEUROPATHIC AND INFLAMMATORY PAIN MODELS

1 Although cannabinoid receptor agonists have analgesic activity in chronic pain states, they produce a spectrum of central cannabinoid CB1 receptor‐mediated motor and psychotropic side‐effects. The actions of endocannabinoids, such as anandamide, are terminated by uptake and subsequent intracellular enzymatic degradation. In the present study, we examined the effect of acute administration of the anandamide transport inhibitor AM404 in rat models of chronic neuropathic and inflammatory pain. 2 Systemic administration of AM404 (10 mg/kg) reduced mechanical allodynia in the partial sciatic nerve ligation (PNL) model of neuropathic pain, but not in the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) model of inflammatory pain. 3 The effect of AM404 in the PNL model was abolished by coapplication with the selective cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (1 mg/kg). AM404 did not produce a reduction in motor performance in either the PNL or CFA models. 4 These findings suggest that acute administration of AM404 reduces allodynia in a neuropathic pain model via cannabinoid CB1 receptor activation, without causing the undesirable motor disruption associated with cannabinoid receptor agonists.
Using structured and segmented data for improving data sharing on MANETs

CDMAN (Collaborative Data Management in Ad hoc Network) is a data sharing middleware specially designed for MANETs (Mobile Ad hoc NETworks). In particular, it takes into account limited battery, memory and processing capacities of mobile devices (such as PDAs) that usually compose these networks. CDMAN uses several strategies to achieve this. One of these is the use of structured segmented data. This paper first presents the structure of CDMAN's data. Then, it analyses the benefits of this structure for sharing data on mobile nodes with limited capability devices.