Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Specialist supplier or systems integrator? The relationship between competencies and export performance in the Norwegian defence industry

This article investigates how defence contractors’ competence profiles affect their export performance. It explores two competing hypotheses derived from international economics and business studies that (i) it is beneficial to be a specialist supplier and focus on a related set of competencies and (ii) it is beneficial to be a system integrator and assemble a broad set of competencies. It makes use of a unique and especially rich data set that includes close to 250 competency variables. These competency variables are used to compute entropy scores for the defence contractors, which again are used in in a fractional logit model to test the two hypotheses. The article concludes that the data only support the second hypothesis – that it is favourable to be a systems integrator.
Ly-6A/E gene is widely expressed among transformed nonhematopoietic cells. Autocrine modulation by interferon.

Expression of the Ly-6A/E gene by transformed cells was investigated in 14 cell cultures of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mouse origin derived from spontaneous or chemically-induced non-hematopoietic tumours and from cells transformed by SV40 virus. Histologic types included carcinomas, sarcomas and a melanoma. Thirteen out of 14 cell cultures expressed membrane Ly-6A/E antigens; only the B16-A melanoma was negative, but it expressed Ly-6A/E after incubation with IFN-gamma. The effect of in vitro permanence was studied on early (< 10) and late (> 20) passages of B16-A melanoma and MN/MCA1 fibrosarcoma. Late passage B16-A cells were Ly-6A/E-negative and refractory to induction of Ly-6A/E (but not of H-2 antigens) by IFN-alpha, IFN-beta, or IFN-gamma; MN/MCA1 maintained a high expression of Ly-6A/E, but no increase was induced by IFNs. It was found that both early and late in vitro passages of MN/MCA1 actively produced IFN-alpha/beta. The analysis of cells of fibroblastic origin revealed a significant correlation between IFN release in the culture medium and Ly-6A/E levels. Culture of fibrosarcoma cells in the presence of an anti-IFN-alpha/beta serum reduced Ly-6A/E expression, thus indicating the existence of an autocrine loop.
Evolving academic library specialties

The purpose of this review is to examine the shaping of librarianship in the academic context through the literature of career specialties, with Abbott's (1988) system of professions providing an analytic framework. The specialties investigated are systems librarian, electronic resource librarian, digital librarian, institutional repository manager, clinical librarian and informationist, digital curator/research data manager, teaching librarian/information literacy educator, and information and knowledge manager. Piecemeal literature based on job advertisements, surveys, and individual case studies is consolidated to offer a novel perspective on the evolution of the profession. The resilience of the profession's core jurisdiction is apparent despite pressures to erode it. Forays into teaching, and more recently into open access and data management, can be understood as responses to such pressure. The attractions but also the risks of embedded roles and overextended claims become apparent when comparing past and prospective specialties.
Forest Cover, Condition, and Ecology in Human-Impacted Forests, South-Eastern Madagascar

The littoral forests of south-eastern Madagascar are a national conservation priority due to high degrees of biodiversity, but face pressures from regular human use and a future mining operation. A landscape scale as­sessment of deforestation patterns, forest condition and composition of re­maining forest stands is important for understanding the nature and distribution of human pressures and could act to inform land use management and identify conservation priorities throughout the area. In light of these is­sues, the aims of this study were threefold: to document patterns of littoral forest loss at multiple spatial and temporal scales; to map littoral forest structure across the landscape; and to assess the abundance and diversity of littoral forest tree species valuable to both humans and conservationists. The methods applied include satellite remote sensing applications and ground­based ecological surveys. We demonstrate three results: first, patterns of for­est loss are spatially and temporally variable; second, forest basal area, an indicator of forest condition, can be estimated using multi-spectral satellite data, artificial neural networks and ground survey data; and third, littoral forests possess high abundance and diversity of tree populations of impor­tance for both conservation and human livelihoods, despite regular use by lo­cal people. A landscape perspective, combined with an understanding of the local human and environmental context, is crucial for understanding the na­ture and impact of human pressures on forest resources, and, thus, determin­ing optimal management possibilities.
Estimating GVAR weight matrices

ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is to illustrate how the weights that are needed to construct foreign variable vectors in global vector autoregressive (GVAR) models can be estimated jointly with the GVAR’s parameters. An application to real gross domestic product (GDP) growth and inflation as well as a controlled Monte Carlo simulation serve to highlight that (1) in the application at hand, the estimated weights differ for some countries significantly from trade-based ones; (2) misspecified weights can bias the GVAR and, hence, distort the impulse responses; and (3) using estimated weights instead of trade-based ones can enhance the out-of-sample forecast performance of the GVAR. Devising a method for estimating GVAR weights is particularly useful for contexts in which it is not obvious how weights could otherwise be constructed from data.
Genome Sequence of Rhizobium sp. Strain CCGE510, a Symbiont Isolated from Nodules of the Endangered Wild Bean Phaseolus albescens

ABSTRACT We present the genome sequence of Rhizobium sp. strain CCGE510, a nitrogen fixing bacterium taxonomically affiliated with the R. leguminosarum-R. etli group, isolated from wild Phaseolus albescens nodules grown in native pine forests in western Mexico. P. albescens is an endangered bean species phylogenetically related to P. vulgaris. In spite of the close host relatedness, Rhizobium sp. CCGE510 does not establish an efficient symbiosis with P. vulgaris. This is the first genome of a Rhizobium symbiont from a Phaseolus species other than P. vulgaris, and it will provide valuable new insights about symbiont-host specificity.
Lifestyles and Locational Choices—Trade-offs and Compromises: A Case-study of Middle-class Couples Living in the Ile-de-France Region

We explore certain aspects of the 'gentrification' process in the city of Paris and try to explain the growing fashion among upper-middle-class families for the centre of the capital. Based upon data from a survey and in-depth interviews of couples who had recently moved, we focus on their trade-offs and compromises and identify their residential choices, by comparing various aspects of the lifestyle of those who live in a Paris neighbourhood with the lifestyle of those who live in the near and the more distant suburbs. Living in the centre often means the subordination of housing to the choice of a location which expresses a strong attachment to urban values. Commuting time is also a determinant factor in the choice of housing location.
Rivastigmine as a Modulator of the Neuronal Glutamate Transporter rEAAC1 mRNA Expression

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the cholinergic, glutamatergic and monoaminergic systems in the neocortex and hippocampus. Today, the major pharmacological treatment involves the use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs). In this study, an in situ hybridisation technique (using digoxigenin-labelled cRNA probes) was used to elucidate changes in mRNA expression of the neuronal glutamate transporter, rat excitatory amino carrier 1 (rEAAC1), after treatment with the AChEI rivastigmine. Compared with saline-treated rats, the rats subchronically (3 days) and chronically (21 days), but not acutely, treated with rivastigmine showed a significant increase in rEAAC1 mRNA expression in the hippocampal areas cornu anterior 1 (CA1), CA2, CA3 and dentate gyrus (p < 0.01), but not in the cortical areas. These results provide the first evidence that the glutamatergic system is modulated following acetylcholinesterase inhibition by rivastigmine, a finding, which is likely to be of importance for the clinical effects.
Wildland Fire Management as Conservation-Based Development: An Opportunity for Reservation Communities?

This article explores the economic and cultural development potential of wildland fire management for American Indian communities. Wildland fire management provides opportunities to engage in “conservation-based development”—helping communities to strengthen their connections with the land, improve ecosystem health, stimulate small-business development, and reduce their risk from fire. Indian communities—many of which are rural and dependent on natural resources for their cultural, spiritual, and economic livelihood—are an important example of the potential of wildland fire management for conservation-based development. To examine this potential we asked the question: What are the opportunities and issues for fire-management activities to augment tribal economies, providing jobs and small-business development opportunities while restoring the ecosystem and providing opportunities for cultural development? To answer the question we interviewed representatives of all federally recognized tribes in the Pacific Northwest.
Earnings Behaviour of Financially Distressed Firms: The Role of Institutional Ownership

Using a sample of 859 U.S. bankruptcy-filing firms over the period 1986-2004, we examine the earnings behaviour of managers during the distressed period by looking at sources of abnormal accruals prior to the bankruptcy-filing year. Results show that managers of highly distressed firms shift earnings downwards prior to the bankruptcy filing. We test and provide evidence in support of two potential contributing factors. First, top-level management turnover among distressed firms leads new managers to earnings bath choices during the distressed period. Second, qualified audit opinions exert pressure on managers to follow more conservative earnings behaviour during the distressed period. Evidence is also provided that the management of distressed firms with lower (higher) institutional ownership has greater (lesser) tendency to manage earnings downwards. Results also show that higher institutional ownership mitigates the negative abnormal returns of firms with top management turnover. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that attempts to examine whether institutional ownership relates to market reaction in conjunction with a top management turnover or a qualified audit opinion during the distressed period. Prior studies focused on the investigation of earnings management or institutional ownership (separately) during the distressed period, but did not examine if the effect of institutional ownership on earnings behaviour also influences subsequent returns. Thus, the results of this study should be of interest to analysts, standard setters and regulatory bodies since our results show that management turnover, qualified audit opinions and firm governance mechanisms affect the quality of earnings and the level of abnormal returns. © 2007 Accounting Foundation, The University of Sydney.
Helicobacter pylori: resurrection of the cancer link

Abstract. Björkholm B, Falk P, Engstrand L, Nyrén O (Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Solna; AstraZeneca R & D, Mölndal; Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden). Helicobacter pylori: resurrection of the cancer link (Review). J Intern Med 2003; 253: 102–119.
Reduced CD3-mediated protein tyrosine phosphorylation in anergic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.

Mice inoculated i.v. with superantigens exhibit long lived Ag-specific T cell tolerance. An in vitro model for this phenomenon is the ensuing unresponsiveness of Th1 T cell clones activated via the TCR/CD3 complex in the absence of co-stimulation. We have previously demonstrated alterations in TCR-mediated early protein tyrosine phosphorylation events in Th1 clones anergic for IL-2 production. In this study, we demonstrate unresponsiveness in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from V beta 8.1 transgenic mice inoculated i.v. with the superantigen Mls-1a. The unresponsiveness of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells involves defective IL-2 production upon restimulation, with CD4+ T cells exhibiting an additional defect in IL-2 utilization. The transgenic model allowed study of T cell signaling in a relatively homogeneous population of unresponsive cells without elaborate purification of Ag-reactive populations. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells exhibit altered tyrosine phosphorylation of two protein substrates upon CD3-mediated restimulation. The substrates involved, p38 and p75, are of identical size to substrates similarly affected in anergic Th1 clones. Altered tyrosine phosphorylation is therefore closely associated with defective IL-2 production in these three anergic T cell types, and may play a role in the maintenance of anergy.
Crafting a Class: College Admissions and Financial Aid, 1955-1994

List of Figures and TablesForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPt. IEnrollment, Admissions, and Quality1Ch. 1Enrollment Pressures: Ebbs and Flows3Ch. 2The Admissions Process34Ch. 3Student Quality76Pt. IIResponses to Social Forces103Ch. 4The Coeducation Movement105Ch. 5Minority Recruitment137Pt. IIIThe Evolution of Financial Aid167Ch. 6The Development of Need-Based Aid169Ch. 7The Growth of Merit Aid205Conclusion228Notes233App. ASurvey Forms267App. BInterviews273Bibliography277Index286
The mevalonate-independent pathway is expressed in transformed roots of Artemisia annua and regulated by light and culture age

SummaryArtemisia annua produces a large number of unique terpenoids, making it of particular interest as a source of phytochemicals and a useful model plant for studying terpenoid metabolism. The ability to engineer fast-growing in vitro cultures to produce terpenoids in high yield would be a dramatic step towards commercial use. Two distinct pathways have been characterized in higher plants leading to the biosynthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate, the common precursor to all terpenes: the cytosolic mevalonate pathway and the plastid-localized mevalonate-independent pathway. While transformed roots of A. annua have been demonstrated to be superior to whole plants in terms of yield of the sesquiterpene artemisinin, they appear to lack functional chloroplasts, bringing into question the presence of a functional mevalonate-independent pathway. Using a cDNA library made from these roots, we isolated two clones encoding deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXPS) and deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXPR). The biochemical function of both enzymes was confirmed by complementing E. coli dxps- and dxpr-mutants. Northern blot analysis showed that the transformed root cultures expressed these genes at different levels during the culture cycle. In addition, cultures grown in continuous light showed substantial increases in DXPS transcript levels compared to dark-grown cultures. These results represent an important step towards demonstrating the presence of the plastid-localized terpenoid biosynthetic pathway in these easily engineered in vitro cultures.
Ultra-low power on-chip differential interconnects using high-resolution comparator

A global link architecture is proposed for high-speed, ultra-low-energy communication. A high-resolution comparator at receiver is used to reduce the voltage requirement. At the driver, we adopt a continuous-time linear equalizer (CTLE) with low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) to save power. Compared with the state-of-art on-chip interconnect driver-receiver co-design, over 75% reduction is observed in energy-per-bit. With dual driver supply of 1.1V and 0.8V, the interconnect runs at 10.0 Gpbs signaling. For top layer wires at 10mm distance using 2.2 μm pitch, we use ground shield on three sides. The communication achieves 21.5ps/mm latency and consumes 0.053pJ/b. For intermediate layer wires at 2.5 mm distance using 0.6 μm pitch, we use ground shield on 4 sides. The communication achieves 55.2 ps/mm latency and 0.048pJ/b energy using the predictive 45nm CMOS model.
Estimation of Cerebral Perfusion Reserve by Blood Oxygenation Level—Dependent Imaging: Comparison with Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography

Measurement of cerebrovascular reserve capacity predicts the risk of ischemic insult in patients with major vessel occlusion. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) imaging has the potential to estimate reserve capacity of the cerebral circulation noninvasively based on changes in the signal that reflect differences in the magnetic susceptibility of intravascular oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin. The authors examined the feasibility of using the BOLD technique to assess cerebrovascular reserve capacity in patients with cerebrovascular occlusive disease by comparing results with an established method of measuring CBF. Ten patients with severe or complete occlusion of the internal carotid artery were compared with 17 healthy subjects to evaluate regional differences and identify variables that indicate a change in the BOLD signal. Dilation of cerebral vessels was induced by breath holding, and the R2* change was examined with gradient-echo, echo-planar imaging. Before measuring the regional change in the BOLD signal, actual timing of “activated” and “rest” periods was corrected by shifting the phase of a sine-wave template to obtain the largest correlation coefficient. Percent signal change was calculated on a pixel-by-pixel basis and was compared with CBF measured by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after acetazolamide challenge. The degree of impairment and the distribution of impaired areas detected by the BOLD study correlated with the results of SPECT. Overall sensitivity and specificity of the BOLD technique by visual inspection were 100% and 98.4%, respectively. A negative response (decreased CBF) frequently was observed in areas of exhausted reserve capacity, suggesting that a “steal” phenomenon exists. The percent change and the ΔCBF were well correlated (P < 0.01). The mean percent change in most areas of impaired reserve capacity was more than 2 SD below the mean values in healthy subjects. The present method of semiquantitative BOLD analysis can be used to create a map of the cerebral hemodynamic state. Furthermore, the development of reliable, generally accessible techniques for evaluating cerebral hemodynamics opens the door for clinical studies to monitor and treat patients with compromised reserve. This study is an attempt to develop such analysis.
British Factory, Japanese Factory and Mexican Factory: An International Comparison of Front-Line Management and Supervision

This paper presents a case study of a Japanese-owned electronics firm, presenting a comparative analysis of the company's supervisory systems in three of its plants located in different countries – Japan, Mexico and Britain. Comparative analysis is enabled through use of the concept of a supervisory system of control, which allows us to match the relative positions of managers, supervisors and workers across the three sites. The case study data enables us systematically to examine questions of the transferability of a Japanese supervisory system – a central component of Japanese manufacturing – outside of Japan. The results suggest that ‘Japanese’ supervisory systems have been established with more success in Mexico than in Britain, and the main factors that explain this are varying local labour market conditions, limits to managerial control on the shopfloor, the relationship between the product market and the organization of production, and local and expatriate management commitment to a Japanese system.
Controlled release of a nitric oxide donor for the prevention of delayed cerebral vasospasm following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage in nonhuman primates.

OBJECT Results of prior studies in rats and rabbits show that the alteration of vasomotor tone in vasospasm following periadventitial blood exposure may be reversed, at least in part, by the administration of compounds releasing nitric oxide (NO). The authors have now generalized this finding to nonhuman primates. METHODS Ten cynomolgus monkeys underwent cerebral angiography before and 7 days following the induction of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) by the placement of 2 to 3 ml clotted autologous blood around the supraclinoid carotid, proximal anterior cerebral, and proximal middle cerebral arteries. An ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, either blank (five animals) or containing 20% w/w (Z)-1-[2-(2-aminoethyl)-N-(2-aminoethyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (DETA/NO, 4.3 mg/kg; five animals) was placed adjacent to the vessels at the time of surgery. Animals were killed on Day 7 post-SAH following repeated cerebral angiography. The mean percentage of control vascular areal fraction was calculated from angiograms. Cerebral vessels were sectioned and the mean percentage of lumen patency was calculated. One animal that had received the DETA/NO polymer died prior to repeated angiography. In the remaining animals, DETA/NO caused a significant decrease in vasospasm compared with controls, according to both angiographic (84.8 +/- 8.6 compared with 56.6 +/- 5.2%, respectively, p < 0.05) and histological studies (internal carotid artery 99.3 +/- 1.8 compared with 60.1 +/- 4.4%, respectively, p < 0.001; middle cerebral artery 98.4 +/- 3 compared with 56.1 +/- 3.7%, respectively, p < 0.001; and anterior cerebral artery 89.2 +/- 8.5 compared with 55.8 +/- 6.3%, respectively, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The controlled release of DETA/NO is effective in preventing delayed cerebral vasospasm in an SAH model in nonhuman primates. The death of one animal in the treatment group indicates that the present dosage is at the threshold between therapeutic efficacy and toxicity.
Optimization of alloy composition for high-performance strained-Si-SiGeN-channel MOSFETs

On-state and off-state performance of strained-Si-SiGe n-channel MOSFETs have been investigated as a function of SiGe virtual substrate alloy composition. Performance gains in terms of on-state drain current and maximum transconductance of up to 220% are demonstrated for strained-Si-SiGe devices compared with Si controls. Device performance is found to peak using a virtual substrate composition of Si/sub 0.75/Ge/sub 0.25/. MOSFET fabrication used high thermal budget processing and good gate oxide quality has been maintained for virtual substrates having Ge compositions up to 30%. Off-state characteristics are found to be more sensitive to strain relaxation than on-state characteristics.