Revisiting the determinants of unit values

This paper studies the issue of how traded quantities affect trade prices, which has been relatively unexplored in the trade literature. By reproducing previous literatures' regressions which are based on the general equilibrium trade theories, incorporating the role of traded quantities, this paper shows a possibility of prevalence of the second degree price discrimination (quantity discount) in international trade, rather than the pricing behaviour of the general equilibrium theories.

Dimensions and determinants of upward mobility : a study based on longitudinal data from Delhi slums

This study based on two primary surveys of the same households in two different years (2007/08 and 2012) assesses the extent of inter-temporal change in income of the individual workers and makes an attempt to identify the factors which explain upward mobility in alternate econometric framework, envisaging endogeneity problem. It also encompasses a host of indicators of wellbeing and constructs the transition matrix to capture the extent of change over time at the household level. The findings are indicative of a rise in the income of workers across a sizeable percentage of households though many of them remained below the poverty line notwithstanding this increase. In fact, there is a wide spread deterioration in the wellbeing index constructed at the household level. Among several determinants of income rise two important policy prescriptions can be elicited. Inadequate education reduces the probability of upward mobility while education above a threshold level raises it. Savings are crucial for upward mobility impinging on the importance of asset creation. Views that entail neighbourhood spill-over effects also received validation. Besides, investment in housing and basic amenities turns out to be crucial for improvement in wellbeing levels.

Determinants of inbound tourists in Cambodia : a dynamic panel data approach

Understanding the determinants of tourism demand is crucial for the tourism sector. This paper develops a dynamic panel model to examine the determinants of inbound tourists to Siem Reap airport, Phnom Penh airport, and land and waterway borders in Cambodia. Consistent with the consumer theory of tourism consumption, a 10% increase in the origin country GDP per capita is predicted to increase the number of tourist visits to Siem Reap airport by 5.8%. A 10% increase in the real exchange rate between the origin country and Cambodia is predicted to decrease the number of tourist visits by 0.89%. In contrast, the number of foreign tourists in a previous period has little effect on the number of foreign tourists in the current period. Additionally, the determinants are different by the mode of entry to Cambodia.

The determinants of the quality of Sales-Marketing Interface in a Multinational Customer Brand Focused Company: The Latin American Branches

Customer evolution and changes in consumers, determine the fact that the quality of the interface between marketing and sales may represent a true competitive advantage for the firm. Building on multidimensional theoretical and empirical models developed in Europe and on social network analysis, the organizational interface between the marketing and sales departments of a multinational high-growth company with operations in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay is studied. Both, attitudinal and social network measures of information exchange are used to make operational the nature and quality of the interface and its impact on performance. Results show the existence of a positive relationship of formalization, joint planning, teamwork, trust and information transfer on interface quality, as well as a positive relationship between interface quality and business performance. We conclude that efficient design and organizational management of the exchange network are essential for the successful performance of consumer goods companies that seek to develop distinctive capabilities to adapt to markets that experience vertiginous changes

Flexibility, innovation and sustainability in business models as determinants of firm performance heterogeneity.

La comprensión actual de la heterogeneidad de las empresas académico rendimiento en el entorno entra industria necesita un mayor desarrollo. Gestión estratégica y el discurso sobre la literatura empresarial necesita mayor explicación de por qué los modelos de negocio aparentemente similares en el mismo sector actúan de forma diferente. También qué factores del entorno sectorial y operativo determina el surgimiento y funcionamiento de los modelos de negocio sostenibles e innovadoras permanecen sin explorar. Un marco se conceptualiza acompañado de estudios de caso sobre la compañía aérea y las industrias de energía renovable. El estudio lleva a una visión basada en los recursos de los modelos de negocio que las empresas alcancen posiciones heterogéneas de recursos. Una explicación para la heterogeneidad firme desempeño que se busca por intermediación conocimiento que genera valor a partir de la utilización eficaz de los recursos de conocimientos adquiridos a entornos entra y inter-empresa. Un marco para la aparición de nuevos modelos de negocios verdes se conceptualiza y deducciones se obtienen mediante un estudio de caso sobre la base de la industria de biocombustibles de energías renovables para explicar la dinámica de los mercados verdes y cómo se puede crear valor sostenible y capturó e innovadora de los modelos de negocios verdes. El marco desarrollado proporciona una visión cíclica de la flexibilidad del modelo de negocio en la que se propaga la acumulación de recursos basada en el conocimiento del modelo de negocio a través de los ambientes dentro y inter-empresa. Estrategias de conocimiento de corretaje del resultado ambientes inter e dentro-firma en un mejor desempeño del modelo de negocio. La flexibilidad del modelo de negocio que adquiere está determinada por la eficiencia con la acumulación de recursos está alineado con su ambiente externo. Las características de la que el modelo de negocio alcanza ventajas competitivas, como la innovación y la flexibilidad se atribuyen a la heterogeneidad de los recursos. La investigación se extiende a la literatura orientación de servicio al conceptualizar y medir la orientación a servicios como un requisito clave para la innovación del modelo de negocio, mientras que aboga por la necesidad de identificar correctamente las competencias básicas de la empresa, especialmente relevante en el contexto de la empresa orientada a los servicios, donde la creación de valor requiere recursos y la prestación eficiente de los servicios. La investigación trata de llegar a una descripción de los modelos de negocio sostenibles verdes y argumenta que la innovación, la flexibilidad y la sostenibilidad son los tres habilitadores básicos de los cuales el concepto de modelo de negocio verde puede evolucionar la explotación de nuevos mecanismos de mercado y los mercados para crear y capturar valor en el mantenimiento de su innovadora ambiente externo. La investigación integra efectivamente los conceptos de corretaje de conocimientos y modelos de negocio a partir de un recurso basado en la acumulación de vista y al mismo tiempo llega a la heterogeneidad rendimiento de los modelos de negocio aparentemente similares dentro de la misma industria. La investigación indica cómo se producen perturbaciones del mercado en una industria como resultado de modelos de negocio innovador y flexible, y cómo los nuevos modelos de negocio evolucionan en base a estos trastornos. Avanza la comprensión de cómo la estrategia de núcleo competencia y la innovación del modelo de negocio construcciones se comportan en el esfuerzo de la empresa de servicios para obtener una ventaja competitiva sostenible. Los resultados tienen implicaciones en el rendimiento de las empresas que empiezan sin recursos distintos de los suyos, o que utilizan un modelo de negocio imitado, para lograr un mejor rendimiento a través de la evolución del modelo de negocio alineado con las exitosas estrategias de conocimiento de corretaje. Dicho marco puede permitir a las empresas a evaluar y elegir un modelo de negocio basado en la innovación, la flexibilidad, la sostenibilidad y las opciones para el cambio. La investigación se suma a la literatura acumulación de recursos, explicando cómo los recursos pueden ser efectivamente adquirida para crear valor. La investigación también se suma a la literatura empresarial verde, explicando cómo las empresas crear y capturar valor en los nuevos mecanismos dinámicos de mercado.

Ecological and genetic determinants of Pepino mosaic virus emergence

Virus emergence is a complex phenomenon, which generally involves spread to a new host from a wild host, followed by adaptation to the new host. Although viruses account for the largest fraction of emerging crop pathogens, knowledge about their emergence is incomplete. We address here the question of whether Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) emergence as a major tomato pathogen worldwide could have involved spread from wild to cultivated plant species and host adaptation. For this, we surveyed natural populations of wild tomatoes in southern Peru for PepMV infection. PepMV incidence, genetic variation, population structure, and accumulation in various hosts were analyzed. PepMV incidence in wild tomatoes was high, and a strain not yet reported in domestic tomato was characterized. This strain had a wide host range within the Solanaceae, multiplying efficiently in most assayed Solanum species and being adapted to wild tomato hosts. Conversely, PepMV isolates from tomato crops showed evidence of adaptation to domestic tomato, possibly traded against adaptation to wild tomatoes. Phylogenetic reconstructions indicated that the most probable ancestral sequence came from a wild Solanum species. A high incidence of PepMV in wild tomato relatives would favor virus spread to crops and its efficient multiplication in different Solanum species, including tomato, allowing its establishment as an epidemic pathogen. Later, adaptation to tomato, traded off against adaptation to other Solanum species, would isolate tomato populations from those in other hosts.

Organizational determinants of substantive sustainability reporting practices: the role of company-level fit

As sustainability reporting (SR) practices have being increasingly adopted by corporations over the last twenty years, most of the existing literature on SR has stressed the role of external determinants (such as institutional and stakeholder pressures) in explaining this uptake. However, given that recent evidence points to a broader range of motives and uses (both external and internal) of SR, we contend that its role within company-level activities deserves greater academic attention. In order to address this research gap, this paper seeks to provide a more detailed examination of the organizational characteristics acting as drivers and/or barriers of SR integration within corporate sustainability practices at the company-level. More specifically, we suggest that substantive SR implementation can be predicted by assessing the level of fit between the organization and the SR framework being adopted. Building on this hypothesis, our theoretical model defines three forms of fit (technical, cultural and political) and identifies organizational characteristics associated to each of these fits. Finally, implications for academic research, businesses and policy-makers are derived.

Assembly, subunit composition, and footprint of human DNA repair excision nuclease

The assembly and composition of human excision nuclease were investigated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I footprinting. Individual repair factors or any combination of up to four repair factors failed to form DNA–protein complexes of high specificity and stability. A stable complex of high specificity can be detected only when XPA/RPA, transcription factor IIH, XPC⋅HHR23B, and XPG and ATP are present in the reaction mixture. The XPF⋅ERCC1 heterodimer changes the electrophoretic mobility of the DNA–protein complex formed with the other five repair factors, but it does not confer additional specificity. By using proteins with peptide tags or antibodies to the repair factors in electrophoretic mobility shift assays, it was found that XPA, replication protein A, transcription factor IIH, XPG, and XPF⋅excision repair cross-complementing 1 but not XPC⋅HHR23B were present in the penultimate and ultimate dual incision complexes. Thus, it appears that XPC⋅HHR23B is a molecular matchmaker that participates in the assembly of the excision nuclease but is not present in the ultimate dual incision complex. The excision nuclease makes an assymmetric DNase I footprint of ≈30 bp around the damage and increases the DNase I sensitivity of the DNA on both sides of the footprint.

Identification of 5′-deoxyribose phosphate lyase activity in human DNA polymerase γ and its role in mitochondrial base excision repair in vitro

Mitochondria have been proposed to possess base excision repair processes to correct oxidative damage to the mitochondrial genome. As the only DNA polymerase (pol) present in mitochondria, pol γ is necessarily implicated in such processes. Therefore, we tested the ability of the catalytic subunit of human pol γ to participate in uracil-provoked base excision repair reconstituted in vitro with purified components. Subsequent to actions of uracil-DNA glycosylase and apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease, human pol γ was able to fill a single nucleotide gap in the presence of a 5′ terminal deoxyribose phosphate (dRP) flap. We report here that the catalytic subunit of human pol γ catalyzes release of the dRP residue from incised apurinic/apyrimidinic sites to produce a substrate for DNA ligase. The heat sensitivity of this activity suggests the dRP lyase function requires a three-dimensional protein structure. The dRP lyase activity does not require divalent metal ions, and the ability to trap covalent enzyme-DNA complexes with NaBH4 strongly implicates a Schiff base intermediate in a β-elimination reaction mechanism.

Multiple pathways to bypass the enhancer requirement of sigma 54 RNA polymerase: Roles for DNA and protein determinants

Sigma 54 is a required factor for bacterial RNA polymerase to respond to enhancers and directs a mechanism that is a hybrid between bacterial and eukaryotic transcription. Three pathways were found that bypass the enhancer requirement in vitro. These rely on either deletion of the sigma 54 N terminus or destruction of the DNA consensus −12 promoter recognition element or altering solution conditions to favor transient DNA melting. Each of these allows unstable heparin-sensitive pre-initiation complexes to form that can be driven to transcribe in the absence of both enhancer protein and ATP β–γ hydrolysis. These disparate pathways are proposed to have a common basis in that multiple N-terminal contacts may mediate the interactions between the polymerase and the DNA region where melting originates. The results raise possibilities for common features of open complex formation by different RNA polymerases.

In vitro repair of oxidative DNA damage by human nucleotide excision repair system: Possible explanation for neurodegeneration in Xeroderma pigmentosum patients

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patients fail to remove pyrimidine dimers caused by sunlight and, as a consequence, develop multiple cancers in areas exposed to light. The second most common sign, present in 20–30% of XP patients, is a set of neurological abnormalities caused by neuronal death in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Neural tissue is shielded from sunlight-induced DNA damage, so the cause of neurodegeneration in XP patients remains unexplained. In this study, we show that two major oxidative DNA lesions, 8-oxoguanine and thymine glycol, are excised from DNA in vitro by the same enzyme system responsible for removing pyrimidine dimers and other bulky DNA adducts. Our results suggest that XP neurological disease may be caused by defective repair of lesions that are produced in nerve cells by reactive oxygen species generated as by-products of an active oxidative metabolism.

Stroke following percutaneous coronary intervention : type-specific incidence, outcomes and determinants seen by the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society 2007-12

Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2015. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Determinants and impact of suboptimal asthma control in Europe : The INTERNATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AND LONGITUDINAL ASSESSMENT ON ASTHMA CONTROL (LIAISON) study

Acknowledgements We are grateful to THERAmetrics for the study management, data collection and analysis. The authors would like to thank the following investigators for their contribution (>30 patients enrolled): F. Fohler, A.G. Haider, J. Hesse-Tonsa, J. Messner, W. Pohl (Austria); G. Joos, J.L. Halloy, R. Peche, H. Simonis, P. Van den Brande (Belgium); B. Bugnas, J.M. Chavaillon, P. Debove, S. Dury, L. Mathieu, O. Lagrange, A. Prudhomme, S. Verdier (France); A. Benedix, O. Kestermann, A. Deimling, G. Eckhardt, M. Gernhold, V. Grimm-Sachs, M. Hoefer, G. Hoheisel, C. Stolpe, C. Schilder, M. John, J. Uerscheln, K.H. Zeisler (Germany); A. Chaniotou, P. Demertzis, V. Filaditaki-Loverdou, A. Gaga, E. Georgatou-Papageorgiou, S. Michailidis, G. Pavkalou, M. Toumpis (Greece); K. Csicsari, K. Hajdu, M. Póczi, M. Kukuly, T. Kecskes, C. Hangonyi, J. Schlezak, E. Takács, M. Szabo,G. Szabó, C. Szabo (Hungary); G.W. Canonica, W. Castellani, A. Cirillo, M.P. Foschino Barbaro, M. Gjomarkaj, G. Guerra, G. Idotta, D. Legnani, M. Lo Schiavo, R. Maselli, F. Mazza, S. Nutini, P. Paggiaro, A. Pietra, O. Resta, S. Salis, N.A. Scichilone, M.C. Zappa, A. Zedda (Italy); M. Goosens, R. Heller, K. Mansour, C. Meek, J. van den Berg (The Netherlands); A. Antczak, M. Faber, D. Madra-Rogacka, G. Mincewicz, M. Michnar, D. Olejniczak, G. Pulka, Z. Sankowski, K. Kowal, I. Krupa-Borek, B. Kubicka Kozik, K. Kuczynska, P. Kuna, A. Kwasniewski, M. Wozniak (Poland); F. Casas Maldonado, C. Cisneros, J. de Miguel Díez, L.M. Entrenas Costa, B. Garcìa-Cosio, M.V. Gonzales, L. Lores, M. Luengo, C. Martinez, C. Melero, I. Mir, X. Munoz, A. Pacheco, V. Plaza, J. Serra, J. Serrano, J.G. Soto Campos (Spain); T. Bekci, R. Demir, N. Dursunoglu, D. Ediger, A. Ekici, O. Goksel, H. Gunen, I.K. Oguzulgen, Z.F. Ozseker, (Turkey); L. Barnes, T. Hall, S. Montgomerie, J. Purohit, J. Ryan (United Kingdom). The authors would also like to thank P. Galletti (THERAMetrics S.p.A., Sesto San Giovanni, Italy) and K. Stockmeyer (THERAMetrics GmbH, Essen, Germany) for providing editorial assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

Genetic and Metabolic Determinants of Human Epigenetic Variation

Peer reviewed

Converting a transmembrane receptor to a soluble receptor: Recognition domain to effector domain signaling after excision of the transmembrane domain

The bacterial aspartate receptor was reconstructed to eliminate the transmembrane domain, thus connecting the recognition domain directly to the effector domain. The resulting soluble receptor folded correctly and was no longer an integral membrane protein. Upon aspartate binding, this soluble receptor was stabilized to a similar extent as that of the native receptor. Of interest, this soluble receptor retained the ability to signal from the recognition to the effector domain. This result defines more clearly the role of the membrane and transmembrane domains in signal transduction and suggests that some ligand-induced motions in receptor proteins do not require the membrane or transmembrane domain for information transmission.