Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The surface properties of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: isolation of the major components of the outer membrane.

SUMMARY: Outer membranes were isolated from several strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by extraction of whole cells with aqueous lithium acetate. The preparations contained a limited number of components including lipopolysaccharide and two major proteins. One protein was present in all strains examined; the second, which showed anomalous behaviour on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis, was absent from some. Fluorescent labelling of intact N. gonorrhoeae showed that the two proteins and pili were the major surface proteins. Each of the three major outer membrane components was isolated in a homogeneous form by selective extraction followed by gel filtration.
The Role of Fees in Patent Systems: Theory and Evidence

This paper reviews the economic literature on the role of fees in patent systems. Two main research questions are usually addressed: the impact of patent fees on the behavior of applicants and the question of optimal fees. Studies in the former group confirm that a range of fees affect the behavior of applicants and suggest that a patent is an inelastic good. Studies in the latter group provide grounds for both low and high application (or pre-grant) fees and renewal (or post-grant) fees, depending on the structural context and on policy objectives. The paper also presents new stylized facts on patent fees of thirty patent offices worldwide. It is shown that application fees are generally lower than renewal fees, and renewal fees increase more than proportionally with patent age.
A New Approach to Quantifying, Reducing and Insuring Cyber Risk: Preliminary Analysis and Proposal for Further Research

Few would dispute that cyber risk is a very serious problem for the global economy and for society. But there is a "disconnect" between acknowledgement of the problem and action to address the problem. What is the relationship between vulnerabilities, preventive measures, and security incidents, like the leaking of sensitive data (say credit card information) to the web? To the best of our knowledge, little if anything is known about the relationship among these variables and no one has examined this issue empirically at the micro level, that is, at the level of the firm. In this paper, we put together a remarkable and unique cross-sectional data set at the firm level that includes information on vulnerabilities, attempted email attacks, incidents (breaches), precautions (security measures.) and firm characteristics. The data set contains slightly under 1000 small and medium firms in the U.K. We empirically examine the data and show that there are meaningful correlations among incidents and the other variables. Finally, we estimate a reduced form model with incidents as the dependent variable to illustrate the potential from employing such data.
Crosses between isolates of Phytophthora infestans from potato and tomato and characterization of F1 and F2 progeny for phenotypic and molecular markers

Nineteen crosses were carried out in vitro between seven and nine isolates of Phytophthora infestans originating from potato and tomato, respectively. Oospores were produced abundantly in all but two crosses, but oospore germination was generally low (a few per cent) and depended on the combination of parental isolates. The highest fertility in F1 progeny was observed when at least one parental isolate originated from tomato, and the lowest in crosses of isolates from potato; half the crosses were not fertile. Forty-three F1 and 51 F2 single-oospore progeny of a selected cross, along with the 16 field isolates, were analysed phenotypically and with molecular markers. Phenotypic characterization included mating type; sensitivity to the phenylamide fungicide metalaxyl-M; specific virulence on potato R-gene differentials; and aggressiveness (infected leaf area) on potato and tomato leaf discs (host preference). Isolates and progeny were also assessed for mitochondrial DNA haplotype with RFLP–PCR (restriction fragment length polymorphism–polymerase chain reaction), and characterized with AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) and SSR (simple sequence repeats, microsatellites). Parental isolates were sensitive and resistant to metalaxyl-M, whereas all F1 were intermediate phenotypes. In the F2 progeny, the majority of isolates (43 of 51) were intermediate in sensitivity and four each were sensitive and resistant to metalaxyl-M, respectively. In both F1 and F2 progeny, four isolates emerged through selfing. The A1 : A2 ratio was 25 : 18 in F1 and 24 : 21 (plus six self-fertiles) among the F2 progeny. Many F1 progeny isolates were highly aggressive on both hosts, but 15 and 23% of isolates preferred tomato and potato, respectively. Among F2 progeny, few highly aggressive isolates were recorded and a quarter of isolates lost pathogenicity almost completely. Isolates preferring tomato increased, and those preferring potato significantly decreased in the F2 progeny. Inheritance of mitochondrial haplotype in F1 progeny was uniparental and mostly (25 of 27) from one parent only. Six and four different SSR genotypes were identified in F1 and F2 progeny, respectively, of which two were identical to the parents. The two microsatellite loci, 4B and 4G, segregated in the ratios 15 : 22 : 2 and 22 : 17 in F1 and 24 : 17 and 26 : 15 in F2 progeny, respectively, while the majority of AFLP markers segregated in either a 1 : 0, 1 : 1, 3 : 1 or 1 : 2: 1 ratio. There was no obvious association between AFLP and SSR genotypes, nor between genotypic and phenotypic traits.
Ultra morphology of sensilla on the head and mouth parts of the earwig Anisolabis martima (Bonelli) (Dermaptera: Carcinophoridae)

The earwig Anisolabis maritima is a cosmopolitan insect with a worldwide distribution, omnivorous in feeding, eating the eggs of different insects. Recently recorded in Saudi Arabia as a beneficial predator on eggs and newly hatched larvae of the red palm weevil Rhyncophrous ferrugineus, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed the presence of different kinds of receptor sensillae occurring on the head and mouth parts of A. maritime. The sensillae are the same, but differ in numbers on both sexes. The head surface bears three subtypes of trichoid sensillae, one type of ceoloconica. Labrum, labium, labial palps and maxillary palps, possess different kinds of sensillae. Three subtypes of trichoid have been identified on the labrum. The labium contained one type of tricoid and basiconic sensillae. There are great numbers and numerous sensillae cheatica differing in length distributed on the maxillary and the labial palps on all segments between other stutter spines. The last terminal segment of maxillary or labial palps bears the greatest number of the sensillae cheatica. Adult A. maritima may be introduced in the future as a beneficial predator of eggs of R. ferrugineus as a tool for integrated pest management.
Incentives on the Lightning Network : A Blockchain-Based Payment Network

The Lightning Network is a decentralized payment network built on top of a block-chain, in which intermediary nodes provide a trust-less routing service for end users. We provide an overview of the current state of the network and show that it can be well approximated by a scale free generative model with a fitness parameter, which suggests that nodes behave strategically on the network. Those strategic interactions between nodes can be described by a Bertrand competition model with capacity constraints. We show that there is a unique equilibrium in which a centralized network is never optimal, and the routing fee is strictly greater than the marginal cost. When nodes are heterogeneous in their opportunity cost of capital only, the equilibrium network structure can match the current state of the network.
A Joint Impulse Response Function for Vector Autoregressive Models

Many applications call for measuring the response due to shocks from several variables at once. We introduce a joint impulse response function (jIRF) that is independent of the order of the variables and allows for simultaneous shocks from multiple variables in the VAR, rather than one at a time as in the generalized IRF. The proposed jIRF controls for the cross-correlations of the several simultaneous shocks. As an application of the jIRF, we study the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on trans-Atlantic volatility transmissions across large financial institutions and show that simply summing the generalized IRFs overestimates volatility transmissions.
PHOTOPERIODIC CONTROL OF DEVELOPMENT AND PHENOTYPE IN A SUBARCTIC POPULATION OF PIERIS OCCIDENTALIS (LEPIDOPTERA: PIERIDAE)

Abstract Pieris occidentalis nelsoni W. H. Edwards from Fairbanks, Alaska, was reared under a variety of photoperiod–temperature regimes. The source population is presumably univoltine and monophenic, with a phenotype resembling the vernal one produced by multivoltine, diphenic P. o. occidentalis Reakirt in Colorado and California. Photoperiods of 10 or 15 h produced 100% diapause pupae at 15 °C and circa 65% at 25 °C. Under continuous light 22% diapaused at 15 °C and < 1% at 25 °C. About 20% of non-diapause pupae produced adults resembling the estival phenotype of P. o. occidentalis, which is unknown in wild P. o. nelsoni. Although nelsoni is more likely to diapause than the nominate subspecies from the Sierra Nevada, its potential for direct development and polyphenism is interpreted as evidence that it is derived from a multivoltine ancestor.
International Financial Crisis: Expectation Transmission and Policy Synchronisation

In recent years, the economic and financial linkages of major economies have become intertwined, and the cross-market contagion effect of the global financial crisis has become more apparent. This paper mainly studies the expectation transmission and policy synchronization in international financial crisis, netting out influence of fundamental-based factors. Contributions of this paper are two folds. First, we innovatively calculate and utilize expectation gap and policy gap. We apply Taylor Rule regression to different expectation and monetary policy stance variables, and uses respective residuals as expectation gap and policy gap. We measure expectation transmission and policy synchronization by correlation of expectation gap/policy gap between originating economy and affected economies. Second, we innovatively propose financial accelerator in open economy and Taylor Rule augmented by international factors as respective theoretical basis of expectation transmission and policy synchronization. Our empirical study covers four international financial crises and 24 economies, and finds that expectation transmission and policy synchronization are generally significant in the four crises. Transmission efficiency varies because of financial openness, financial stability and regional integration. Economic weight of the originating economy also exerts influences. These results convincingly support the theoretical analysis in this paper. Based on above results, this paper proposes relevant policy recommendations, such as to strengthen expectation management,to strike balance between domestic and international equilibrium, and to strengthen international macroeconomic-policy coordination.
Development Guideline for Cultural Tourism of Thai Ethnic Group: A Case of Thai-Puan Community

This research was aimed to develop the guideline for cultural tourism of Thai-Puan ethnic group in Suphanburi Province, Thailand. The research can be devided into 2 phases as followed: Phase I the questionaires was utilized for survey 400 individual travellers who visited Thai-Puan cultural tourist destinations in Bang Pla Ma District, Suphanburi Province, Thailand about Thai-Puan Ethnic cultural tourism demand. The questionaires were analyzed interm of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Phase II Brainstorming workshop was conducted with 32 community members in Thai-Puan Community to brainstorm about the problems and obstacles related to Thai-Puan cultural tourism management and interpeted by utilizing content analysis. After workshop, the guideline for cultural toruism was developed. The result found that; There was a high demand for ethnic cultural tourism but the main problems and obstracles were lack of tourism community leader, tourism management knowledge and community participation. The guideline for ethnic cultural tourism development in accordance with the context of the Thai-Puan ethnic group can be presented as “PUAN”: Participation, Unity, Achievement and Network.
Relationships between Coastal Ocean Conditions and Survival Rates of Northeast Pacific Salmon at Multiple Lags

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that survival rates from spawners to recruits in Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are primarily related to coastal ocean conditions during migration to the sea and soon after. We correlated measures of survival rate in units of log e (recruits/spawner) for 110 stocks of pink salmon O. gorbuscha, chum salmon O. keta, and sockeye salmon O. nerka with regional-scale indices of coastal sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity, and upwelling as well as with a large-scale index of ocean climate. We examined correlations by month and at multiple lags spanning the periods of spawning, freshwater residence, and early ocean residence of salmon. Survival rates of all three salmon species were related to ocean temperatures just prior to, during, and after out-migration, which are indicative of the early marine conditions experienced by juvenile salmon. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the early marine period is critical to the survival of juvenile salmon. However, sur.
The risk-adjusted carbon price

The social cost of carbon is the expected present value of damages from emitting one ton of carbon today. We use perturbation theory to derive an approximate tractable expression for this cost adjusted for climatic and economic risk. We allow for different aversion to risk and intertemporal fluctuations, skewness and dynamics in the risk distributions of climate sensitivity and the damage ratio, and correlated shocks. We identify prudence, insurance, and exposure effects, reproduce earlier analytical results, and offer analytical insights into numerical results on the effects of economic and damage ratio uncertainty and convex damages on the optimal carbon price. <br>
Conspecific Attraction and Aggregation in Territorial Species

For many years, field studies of birds have suggested that territorial individuals may be attracted to one another, forming territorial clusters independent of resource distributions. However, virtually no experiments have studied these phenomena in either the laboratory or the field. The present field study was designed to test whether prospective territory owners preferentially settle near conspecifics and form territorial aggregations when territory quality is held constant. Juvenile Anolis aeneus lizards arriving at juvenile habitats in clearings were given a choice of artificial homesites arranged around a clear-walled enclosure divided into two parts, one of which contained resident A. aeneus juveniles. Juveniles showed a clear preference for the homesites adjacent to the established territorial residents (the "experimental" homesites). In each of eight trials, the first arrivals appeared on the experimental homesites. Juveniles that first appeared on the experimental homesites were more apt to settle in the clearing, and colonists on the experimental side moved around less before choosing a final territory. During the colonization process, juveniles spent more time on the experimental sides of the enclosures; and by the end of the trials, more juveniles had eventually settled on the experimental homesites. Throughout the settlement process, new territory owners tended to cluster around the previous residents within the experimental side of the enclosures. These results indicate that A. aeneus juveniles are attracted to conspecifics while settling a territory and that this process can lead to territorial aggregations that are independent of territory quality.
A survey of black dot and other fungal tuber blemishing diseases in British potato crops at harvest

SUMMARY Black dot and other fungal blemishing diseases were assessed on tubers from crops in eastern England in 1987 and 1988, and in 1989 and 1990 from crops throughout Great Britain. Black dot was found on tubers in crops from all areas of the country, and was most common in those from eastern and southern England. The disease was scarce on most Scottish crops, but occasionally some were severely affected. In 1988 there was no consistent relationship between the amounts of disease on the seed and subsequent ware crop. On average, the disease was more prevalent in irrigated crops and where the interval between successive potato crops was short. In 1990 treating seed tubers with fungicide had no effect on subsequent levels of disease. Few crops were unaffected by silver scurf, and it was most common in crops from southern and eastern England. In the national survey common scab was the most prevalent disease, black scurf was less common and skin spot and powdery scab uncommon except in some Scottish crops.
Arabis mosaic nepovirus coat protein in transgenic tobacco lessens disease severity and virus replication

Summary Tobacco plants expressing the coat protein of a lilac isolate of arabis mosaic virus (ArMV) poorly supported the replication of this virus and did not display any of the signs of systemic invasion produced in their untransformed counterparts or in transgenic plants expressing a different gene (β-glucuronidase). These effects, were manifest whether the inoculum was virions or RNA. This is the first report of such coat protein protection with a nepovirus.
Impact of greenhouse whitefly management on strawberry fruit quality

The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), is an important pest of strawberries in California, USA. The adults and nymphs feed on phloem sap of leaves to remove the photo‐assimilates. The objective of this study is to test the impact of whitefly management with insecticides on strawberry fruit quality. Applications of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, buprofezin and pyriproxyfen decreased the mean adult white‐fly numbers by 2.80‐, 2.17‐, 1.69‐ and 1.39‐fold, respectively, compared to the untreated control. Similarly, the mean numbers of first and second instar whiteflies were reduced 4.36‐, 2.20‐, 1.90‐ and 2.02‐fold, respectively, while the mean numbers of third and fourth instars were reduced 5.48‐, 2.28‐, 2.71‐ and 1.43‐fold, respectively, in plants treated with imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, buprofezin and pyriproxyfen. The mean soluble solids content in imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, buprofezin and pyriproxyfen treatments was 1.04‐, 1.06‐, 1.03‐ and 1.04‐fold greater, respectively, than that in the control. The whitefly reduction enhanced the mean fruit titratable acidity by 4%‐6%. Mean glucose levels in imidacloprid and thiamethoxam treatments were significantly higher than in other treatments. However, the whitefly management did not affect the mean fructose levels. Imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and pyriproxyfen treatments boosted the ascorbic acid levels by up to 4%. The impact of whitefly management on strawberry fruit nutrition and antioxidant capacity is discussed.
TGF-β/Smad-signaling in liver cells: Target genes and inhibitors of two parallel pathways

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β is a major mediator of fibrosis in diverse organs/tissues, including liver, due to its gene regulatory properties that lead to high expression and secretion of extracellular matrix components. Whereas the canonical Smad pathway seems to be very simple, TGF-β turns out to be a multiplicity factor with a highly cell type specific outcome and therefore, no universally valid plan of its signal transduction can be formulated. In the present review, we will summarize information about the Smad dependent and Smad independent TGF-β signaling network in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and hepatocytes, with emphasis on its role in chronic liver disease. In addition, current state of the art anti-TGF-β strategies for liver fibrosis treatment are discussed.
Should Central Banks Burst Bubbles? Risk Sharing and the Welfare Effects of Bubble Policy

This paper investigates the welfare consequences of bubble policy in a greater-fool bubble model with rational, risk averse investors in an asset market. Some investors may be informed that the asset is overpriced, and try to sell to uninformed buyers. A central bank prevents speculative bubbles by revealing the state of the world to the entire market if at least one agent knows for sure that the asset is overpriced. We show that such a policy may be harmful for both buyers and sellers in asset markets, because the information revelation interferes with beneficial risk sharing between the agents, as in Hirshleifer (1971). This contrasts with previous results that show that anti-bubble policy can improve the allocation of production in asset markets. Therefore, this study suggests that asset market policy presents a trade-off between the allocation of production and the allocation of risk.
The Role of Policymakers in Business Cycle Fluctuations

This paper examines the role of a policymaker in macroeconomic outcomes. To determine the possible trade-offs posed by various policy targets, we link a well-known aggregate supply function with a policy rule. In our model we determine the conditions and explore the possibility under which a policy tack that targets inflation stability, output stability, or both, can achieve success. The role of the policymaker centers on using policy rule targets in a countercyclical manner to encourage efficient business cycle outcomes (inflation and output stability). We find that there is a range of inflation and output target weights that simultaneously stabilize inflation and output. We call this condition, produced by these weights, inflation-output co-stabilization (IOCS). Outside this feasible range of inflation and output target weights there is an increase in emphasis on an inflation (output) target that destabilizes output (inflation). As demand shock variability increases, there is a broader range for the policy rule weights to be IOCS. However, we also find that supply shock variability has the opposite effect: Larger supply shock variances reduce the feasible policy rule weight range that achieve IOCS. Our results indicate that IOCS only applies to inflation and output stability, and that implementing IOCS targeting procedures creates volatility in interest rates.
A Survey of Industrial Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Reveals Numerous Altered Patterns of Maltose and Sucrose Utilisation

A model fermentation system was used to define the abilities of 25 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, representing the brewing, baking, winemaking and distilling industries, to utilise maltose and sucrose in the presence of glucose and fructose. Three categories of sucrose and maltose utilisers were observed; repressible, constitutive and non-utilisers. In terms of fermentation kinetics, neither high rates of sucrose hydrolysis nor the early onset of maltose utilisation were correlated with reduced fermentation duration in the experimental system used. Instead better positive correlations were found between this parameter and biomass formation (R2 = 0.62) and rates of maltose or monosaccharide removal (R2 = 0.87 and 0.82, respectively). Additionally, invertase activity of brewing strains was seen to occur in two forms: cell-associated and non-cell-associated. This survey exposed a number of novel phenotypes that could be harnessed as a means of producing strains with rapid and efficient utilisation of fermentable carbohydrates.