Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactions between heterotrophic plate count bacteria and coliform organisms

Studies were initiated to investigate the interactions between heterotrophic plate count bacteria and coliform organisms. We used spiked samples to show that heterotrophic plate count bacteria could reduce coliform densities by more than 3 logs within 8 days. Some heterotrophic plate count bacteria were able to cause injury to the coliform population. A significant correlation (r = 0.66; P less than 0.05) was observed between the initial level of heterotrophic plate count bacteria and the rate of coliform decline. Competition for limiting organic carbon was hypothesized to be responsible for the observed effects.
Management of avascular necrosis of femoral head at pre-collapse stage

In osteonecrosis the success of interventions that forestall or prevent femoral head collapse and maintain hip function would represent a substantial achievement in the treatment of this disease. A review of recent literature regarding bisphosphonate, anticoagulant, and vasodilators and biophysical modalities have demonstrated efficacy in reducing pain and delaying disease progression in early stage osteonecrosis. Though it has been considered still insufficient, to support their routine use in the treatment or prevention of osteonecrosis of the hip. Core decompression with modification of technique is still one of the safest and most commonly employed procedures with evidence based success in the pre-collapse stage of AVN of femoral head. The additional use of bone morphogenic protein, and bone marrow stem cells may provide the opportunity to enhance the results of core decompression. At present, the use of large vascularised cortical grafts, the other surgical procedure with high success rate is still not common due to technical difficulty in surgery. Likewise osteotomies are also not getting common as arthroplasty is getting more acceptable, so is awaited without any intermediate big surgical interventions.
Optimal Portfolio Choice Under Incomplete Information

Models of asset pricing generally assume that the variables which characterize the state of the economy are observable. However, the distributional properties of asset prices that are relevant for portfolio decisions are in general not observable, and therefore must be estimated. The estimation of expected returns is a particularly difficult problem and estimation errors are likely to be substantial. In this light, it is reasonable to examine whether the assumption of observability of expected returns and other relevant state variables causes significant mis-specification in equilibrium models of asset prices. This paper has three main objectives: first, to derive optimal estimators for the unobservable expected instantaneous returns using observations of past realized returns; second, to establish that estimation and portfolio choice can be solved in two separate steps; third, to analyze the impact of estimation error on investment choices. The estimators of expected returns are in general not consistent, i.e., the estimation error does not tend to disappear asymptotically. The effects of the estimation error, therefore, cannot be ignored even if realized returns are observed continuously over an infinite time period.
Are business associations involved in regional politics? Evidence from Spain and the United Kingdom

Past studies of business associations conducted in the late 1980s indicated that employers were reluctant to support devolution due to economic fears and political uncertainties. However, profound changes have altered the dominant economic and political paradigms over the course of the last three decades. Regional innovation has become a linchpin for competitive economies, whereas secession has become a skyrocketing political issue in Catalonia and Scotland, and a number of regional agencies have been settled throughout Europe, even in unitary states. Have business associations adapted to this new reality? This article examines 18 regional business associations from three Spanish regions (Catalonia, Andalusia and the Valencian Community) and three UK regions (Scotland, Wales and South West England). The first part of the article discusses six theoretical arguments linking business associations and regionalism. A general overview of the cases is offered in the second section. The third section of the article performs a fuzzy sets/Qualitative Comparative Analysis to identify the main factors that bolster the regionalisation of business associations. By way of conclusion, there are two routes towards successful regional business mobilisation. On the one hand, this happens in regions where a competent institutional arrangement has been established. On the other hand, this also happens when business associations recognise the economic and political strengths of the region while they are able to interact with regional institutions.
Democracy and Inequality in Nigeria

Increasing inequality in Nigeria has been of growing interest to scholars, international political observers, and the Nigerian public since the creation of the country in 1914 by the British colonial masters. The focus of this article is on the extent to which the practice of democracy in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic has contributed to the reduction of inequality. The article begins with the dimensions of inequality in Nigeria. The study shows that democratic governance has not adequately bridged the inequality gap in country. The article further identifies reasons for the failure of democratic governance to address the problem of inequality successfully. It also discusses reactions of Nigerians to widespread inequality.
The career paths of hotel general managers in Mauritius

Examines the career paths of hotel managers in Mauritius. Three themes relating to career paths are explored: career mobility, career planning, and the value of certain skills towards career development. Previous research and the current debates surrounding these issue are presented, followed by an examination of the Mauritian context. The results illustrate that hotel managers have a high degree of international mobility, the food and beverage function is the dominant route to hotel general management, hotel managers actively engage in long term career planning, and managerial skills are considered the most important for a career in hotel management. In light of these findings, the implications for the hotel industry in Mauritius are discussed.
Outbreaks of multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhimurium associated with veterinary facilities--Idaho, Minnesota, and Washington, 1999.

CDC received reports in 1999 from three state health departments of outbreaks of multidrug-resistant Salmonella serotype Typhimurium infections in employees and clients of small animal veterinary clinics and an animal shelter. Salmonella infections usually are acquired by eating contaminated food; however, direct contact with infected animals, including dogs and cats, also can result in exposure and infection (1 ). This report summarizes clinical and epidemiologic data about these outbreaks and reviews methods of reducing the likelihood of Salmonella transmission in veterinary settings by avoiding fecal-oral contact.
Calculation of Basic Domain Width Considering Lancet Domains in (110)[001]Fe3%Si

This paper presents the calculation method of basic domain width in demagnetized states of (110)[001]Fe3%Si under tensile stress in the range of lancet domain occurrence. Accurately calculating the 180 ° basic domain width in demagnetized states is one of the important estimations to evaluate the anomalous eddy-current losses. Previously, stripe domain models, under sufficient strong tensile stress to annihilate lancet domains, were used so that the discrepancy between the calculated and the observed widths under tensile stress in which lancet domains occur became large. Applying the decrease of the surface magnetic charge by lancet domains to calculations of the stray field energy of basic domains enables us to accurately evaluate the 180 ° basic domain width under tensile stress in demagnetized states. Furthermore, the eddy-current losses evaluated using the calculated basic domain width show good agreement with the measured values under the tensile stress in the range of lancet domain occurrence.
Heterogeneous Beliefs, Speculation, and the Equity Premium

Agents with heterogeneous beliefs about fundamental growth do not share risks perfectly but instead speculate with each other on the relative accuracy of their models' predictions. They face the risk that market prices move more in line with the trading models of competing agents than with their own. Less risk-averse agents speculate more aggressively and demand higher risk premiums. My calibrated model generates countercyclical consumption volatility, earnings forecast dispersion, and cross-sectional consumption dispersion. With a risk aversion coefficient less than one, agents' speculation causes half the observed equity premium and lowers the riskless rate by about 1%. Copyright 2008 by The American Finance Association.
Building Societies and Strategic Sourcing: Criteria and Dynamics

In the literature of strategic management outsourcing has become recognised as a means to achieve a range of strategic benefits. This article examines the criteria employed by building societies to select and evaluate opportunities for outsourcing. The societies’ sourcing decisions are subject to multiple criteria that, together with a conservative culture, act to limit the use of outsourcing. Case material is used to develop a model of sourcing that relates the processes of evaluation, review and learning to changes in the technological, legal and market environment. Changes in the environment require the societies to retain the ability to monitor; review and possibly reverse sourcing decisions.
International migration and business formation in Mexico.

The impact of international migration on economic development in the country of origin is examined with data on 30 Mexican communities and U.S. destination areas using event history analysis. The results indicate that the receipt of U.S. earnings by households and communities significantly increases the odds of business formation and productive investment. "The fact that migrant-owned businesses are generally small retail ventures that generate little employment reflects generalized conditions of opportunity in Mexico not a debility resulting from the migration process itself. U.S. migration is an important factor promoting business formation by migrants and nonmigrants alike. " Comments are included by Jorge A. Bustamante (pp. 21-2) John M. Hart (pp. 23-5) and Philip Martin (pp. 26-32) together with a response from the authors (pp. 33-4). (EXCERPT)
The Effect of Commercial Paper Rating Changes and Credit-Watch Placement on Common Stock Prices

The common stock price response to the announcement by Standard and Poor of CreditWatch placement and commercial paper re-ratings is examined. Results indicate a negative stock price response to negative placements on the CreditWatch list and to commercial paper rating reductions. A cross-sectional model is estimated to identify firm characteristics associated with the stock market response. Copyright 1996 by MIT Press.
Endothelium‐dependent vasodilation predicts the development of the metabolic syndrome

Different techniques to evaluate endothelium‐dependent vasodilation (EDV) in resistance and conduit arteries have been described and have been associated with the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in cross‐sectional studies. This study aimed to evaluate whether EDV in resistance and conduit arteries could predict future development of the MetS in the Prospective Study of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study.
Role of SpoVA Proteins in Release of Dipicolinic Acid during Germination of Bacillus subtilis Spores Triggered by Dodecylamine or Lysozyme

ABSTRACT The release of dipicolinic acid (DPA) during the germination of Bacillus subtilis spores by the cationic surfactant dodecylamine exhibited a pH optimum of ∼9 and a temperature optimum of 60°C. DPA release during dodecylamine germination of B. subtilis spores with fourfold-elevated levels of the SpoVA proteins that have been suggested to be involved in the release of DPA during nutrient germination was about fourfold faster than DPA release during dodecylamine germination of wild-type spores and was inhibited by HgCl2. Spores carrying temperature-sensitive mutants in the spoVA operon were also temperature sensitive in DPA release during dodecylamine germination as well as in lysozyme germination of decoated spores. In addition to DPA, dodecylamine triggered the release of amounts of Ca2+ almost equivalent to those of DPA, and at least one other abundant spore small molecule, glutamic acid, was released in parallel with Ca2+ and DPA. These data indicate that (i) dodecylamine triggers spore germination by opening a channel in the inner membrane for Ca2+-DPA and other small molecules, (ii) this channel is composed at least in part of proteins, and (iii) SpoVA proteins are involved in the release of Ca2+-DPA and other small molecules during spore germination, perhaps by being a part of a channel in the spore's inner membrane.
Serum levels of adipocytokines, adiponectin and leptin, in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

OBJECTIVE Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is frequently complicated by metabolic syndrome, including diabetes and hypertension. Both OSAS and metabolic syndrome are strongly associated with obesity. Recently, adiponectin and leptin, which are secreted by adipose tissue, have been considered to play important roles in the progression of these diseases. Thus, to examine the association between leptin, adiponectin and OSAS, we measured the serum level of these adipocytokines in the same OSAS patients. METHODS AND PATIENTS Sixty-eight consecutive Japanese men, who recorded all-night polysomnography, were enrolled in this study, and were divided into three groups, control (n=15), moderate OSAS (n=21) and severe OSAS (n=32). We measured serum levels of adiponectin and leptin by ELISA. RESULTS Serum leptin levels were positively correlated with apnea hypopnea index (AHI) (r=0.552, p<0.001), the percentage of time with less than 90% hemoglobin saturation level in total sleep time (%T<90) (r=0.399, p<0.001) and body mass index (BMI) (r=0.807, p<0.0001). These parameters were suggested as the determinant factor for the serum leptin level by stepwise multiple regression analysis. On the other hand, serum adiponectin levels showed a positive correlation with age (r=0.361, p=0.005) and HDL-cholesterol level (r=0.274, p=0.039). Although there was no significant correlation between serum adiponectin levels and AHI or %T<90, serum adiponectin levels were chosen at a determinant factor of %T<90. CONCLUSION These results suggested that the increasing severity of OSAS induces an increase in setum leptin concentration, but the serum adiponectin levels may be regulated independently of the degree of OSAS, obesity and serum leptin levels in patients with OSAS.
The Effects of Product Market Competition on Collective Bargaining Agreements: The Case of Foreign Competition in Canada

In this paper we study the connections between product . market conditions. negotiated wage settlements. and union employment in the presence of foreign competition shocks. We exploit the fact that in a small open economy such as Canada the price of imports and exports should represent pure demand shocks. We specify wage and employment determination equations for a sample of collective bargaining agreements from 1965 to 1983. Our estimation strategy consists of specifying the wage as a function of firm-specific value added per worker instrumented with the price of imports and the price of exports in the industry. The OLS specification is rejected in favor of the instrumental variables specification using standard specification tests. The instrumental variables estimates imply that a 1% change in value-added per worker increases the negotiated wage settlements by 0.25%. Similarly, we specify union employment as a function of firm-specific sales instrumented by the price of imports and exports in the industry. The instrumental variables estimates are imprecise and the specification test fails to reject the OLS specification. The OLS estimates imply that a 1% change in firm-specific sales increases employment by 0.19%. We use our estimates to trace the effects of foreign competition on the industry and firm-level sales and value-added measures.
Do product innovation and news about the R&D process produce large price changes and overreaction? The case of pharmaceutical stock prices

Do extreme price changes of pharmaceutical stocks reflect unexpected scientific information produced during the drug R&D process, especially the approval of new drugs, but also pre- and clinical trial results, recalls and withdrawals? Do stock prices initially overreact to such information? We modelled market-adjusted daily changes in stock prices of the 17 biggest pharmaceutical firms worldwide for the period from 1989 to 2008 to detect large price changes (outliers), using an Autoregressive Moving Average–Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (ARMA–GARCH) dynamic econometric model. Then, we matched those outliers with news produced during the drug R&D process, and tested the hypothesis of no overreaction by examining cumulative abnormal returns. Our results show that there were 261 abnormal market-adjusted daily returns. In 60% of the cases, we were able to assign a plausible cause; i.e. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals in 6% of these cases, news of a scientific nature in another 25%. Only 10 of 1721 FDA approvals of new drugs during the study period were related to abnormally large returns. The impact of negative news items on stock prices is larger than of positive news items. The overreaction hypothesis is rejected; there is no price backlash, therefore, the efficient market hypothesis is not violated.
Effects of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus on the fitness of the vector Diaphorina citri

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama transmits the bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las), which causes citrus huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Although many studies have been conducted on the biology of ACP on different host plants, few have taken the plant, Las bacteria and the vector insect within one context to evaluate the effects of Las on the fitness of ACP under field conditions. Understanding the relationship between Las and ACP is critical for both ACP and HLB disease management.
Option Pricing with Extreme Events: Using Câmara and Heston(2008)‘s Model*

For the KOSPI 200 Index options, we examine the effect of extreme events for pricing options. We compare Black and Scholes (1973) model with Câmara and Heston (2008)’s options pricing model that allows for both big downward and upward jumps. It is found that Câmara and Heston (2008)’s extreme events option pricing model shows better performance than Black and Scholes (1973) model does for both in-sample and out-of-sample pricing. Also downward jumps are a more important factor for pricing stock index options than upward jumps. It is consistent with the empirical evidence that reports the sneers or negative skews in the stock index options market.
Induction of Na+/Myo-Inositol Cotransporter mRNA after Focal Cerebral Ischemia: Evidence for Extensive Osmotic Stress in Remote Areas

Myo-inositol is one of the major organic osmolytes in the brain. It is accumulated into cells through an Na+/myo-inositol cotransporter (SMIT) that is regulated by extracellular tonicity. To investigate the role of SMIT in the brain after cerebral ischemia, we examined expression of SMIT mRNA in the rat brain after middle cerebral artery occlusion, which would reflect alteration of extracellular tonicity. The expression of SMIT mRNA was markedly increased 12 h after surgery in the cortex of the affected side and lasted until the second day. Increased expression was also found in the contralateral cingulate cortex. Up-regulated expression was found predominantly in the neurons in remote areas, although nonneuronal cells adjacent to the ischemic core also expressed this mRNA. These results suggest that cerebral ischemia causes extensive osmotic stress in brain and that the neuronal cells respond to this stress by increasing SMIT expression.
Improving the Yield and Lifetime of Microfabricated Sensors for Harsh Environments

This paper details improvements in the design and fabrication of electrodes intended to function in the high temperature, corrosive environment of a molten salt. Previously reported devices have displayed low yield and lifetimes and this paper presents two strategies to improve these aspects of their performance. The first one involves reducing the critical area, which increased both the electrode yield and lifetimes. The second element utilized test structures, targeted at identifying failure mechanisms, which helped facilitate the materials/design modifications required to make the devices more robust.
Influence of hydrophilic polymers on celecoxib complexation with hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin

Complexation of celecoxib with hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) in the presence and absence of 3 hydrophilic polymers—polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and polyethylene glycol (PEG)—was investigated with an objective of evaluating the effect of hydrophilic polymers on the complexation and solubilizing efficiencies of HPβCD and on the dissolution rate of celecoxib from the HPβCD complexes. The phase solubility studies indicated the formation of celecoxib-HPβCD inclusion complexes at a 1∶1M ratio in solution in both the presence and the absence of hydrophilic polymers. The complexes formed were quite stable. Addition of hydrophilic polymers markedly enhanced the complexation and solubilizing efficiencies of HPβCD. Solid inclusion complexes of celecoxib-HPβCD were prepared in 1∶1 and 1∶2 ratios by the kneading method, with and without the addition of hydrophilic polymers. The solubility and dissolution rate of celecoxib were significantly improved by complexation with HPβCD. The celecoxib-HPβCD (1∶2) inclusion complex yielded a 36.57-fold increase in the dissolution rate of celecoxib. The addition of hydrophilic polymers also markedly enhanced the dissolution rate of celecoxib from HPβCD complexes: a 72.60-, 61.25-, and 39.15-fold increase was observed with PVP, HPMC, and PEG, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffractometry indicated stronger drug amorphization and entrapment in HPβCD because of the combined action of HPβCD and the hydrophilic polymers.
The requirements for fiscal sustainability in New Zealand

New Zealand, like many other countries, is experiencing a changing demographic profile from one dominated by young people during the twentieth century to one where the population is more evenly distributed across age groups. This has implications for the government's future fiscal position and sustainability of its spending programmes. This article discusses the link between the government budget constraint and fiscal sustainability, measures of fiscal sustainability, and why it is important. We examine New Zealand Treasury's approach to assessing fiscal sustainability, review lessons from previous fiscal adjustments, and discuss criteria to evaluate policy changes designed to achieve fiscal sustainability.