Characterization of a protein of the rodent malarial parasite Plasmodium chabaudi containing a novel leucine-histidine zipper

Clones from cDNA and genomic DNA libraries of Plasmodium chabaudi 96V covering the entire open reading frame for a yet uncharacterized malarial protein were isolated Counting the first ATG as start codon the intronless gene codes for a 229 kDa protein. In the centre of the protein a 364 amino add repeat region is located and is based on 32 11-mer repeats divided by two 6-mer repeats into three blocks.Modelling of the repeat region led us to propose a model where each of the three units forms an a-helical coiled-coil triple-helix containing a novel leucine-histidine zipper. Each unit resembles in structure the units present in spectrin molecules. The repeat region is flanked by predicted heptad based a-helical coiled-coil regions and the 229 kDa protein has an overall character of a cytoskeletal protein.Antisera raised against recombinant polypeptides from two different regions of the 229 kDa protein reacted in western-blotting experiments with a Mr 240 000/ 225 000 doublet present in protein extracts from P. chabaudi 96V. The same sera in immunofluorescence suggested a localization of the 229 kDa protein in the organelles of the apical complex, presumably in the rhoptry organelles, and an assodation of the 229 kDa protein with the erythrocyte membrane. Furthermore it was shown in westernblotting experiments with the recombinant polypqjtides that the 229 kDa protein is a natural immunogen during infection.We named the 229 kDa protein Rq>eated Organellar Protein (ROPE) and suggest that ROPE may be involved in the process of invasion, that it interacts with the erythrocyte cytoskeleton and that the leucine-histidine zipper may be involved in molecular mimicry of spectrin

Disequilibrium Macroeconomic Dynamics, Income Distribution and Wage-Price Phillips Curves

The authors of this paper formulate a disequilibrium AS-AD model based on sticky wages and prices, perfect foresight of current inflation rates and adaptive expectations concerning the inflation climate in which the economy operates. The model consists of a wage and a price Phillips curves, a dynamic IS curve as well as a dynamic employment adjustment equation and a Taylor-rule-type interest rate law of motion. Through instrumental variables GMM system estimation with aggregate time series data for the U.S. and the euro area economies, the authors obtain structural parameter estimates which support the specification of their theoretical model and show the importance of the inflationary climate, as well as of the Blanchard-Katz error correction terms, and indirectly of income distribution, in the dynamics of wage and price inflation in the U.S. and the euro area economies.AS-AD disequilibrium, wage and price Phillips curves, real wage adjustment

Quantifying the impact of structural reforms

We estimate a dynamic, intertemporal optimisation model that mimics features of European labour markets, such as sticky nominal wages and sluggish adjustment of employment to shocks for 15 OECD countries. The estimates include a measure for the degree of labour market sluggishness that compares well with standard indicators of product and labour market regulation. Calibration of the model on a selected country sample confirms its explanatory power in comparison with the standard competitive markets model. In a second step, the measure for labour market sluggishness is used as a policy variable and model variants are simulated in order to assess the extent to which the countries would have performed better with more flexible labour markets. These policy experiments show that an increase in labour market flexibility reduces the volatility of consumption relative to production, improves intertemporal efficiency but entails higher employment risk. JEL Classification: E32, C61business cycles, labour market reforms in OECD countries, nominal and real rigidities, non-clearing labour markets

Labour market policies for inclusiveness. A literature review with a gap analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered renewed interest in the use of different fiscal spending and transfer programmes to address the worsening conditions and deepening inequalities within the labour markets. This paper reviews the role of specific fiscal spending and transfer programmes in shaping labour market dynamics by disentangling different macroeconomic and microeconomic mechanisms. The paper pre- sents the recent empirical evidence on the topic in an attempt to abstract several empirical regularities and identify research gaps. The analysis also highlights gaps in the literature and suggests how future research could fill these gaps

Sectoral specialisation in the EU a macroeconomic perspective

This paper analyses trends in sectoral specialisation in the EU and concludes the following: 1) The European production structure appears more homogenous than that of the US. 2) While sectoral specialisation has shown a slight increase in some smaller euro area countries towards the end-1990s, it is too early to detect any potential impact of EMU. 3) Despite some changes in sectoral composition, the business cycles of euro area countries became more synchronised over the 1990s, which may be seen as reassuring from the point of view of the single monetary policy. 4) Sectoral re-allocation accounts for as much as 50% of the increase in labour productivity growth in business sector services in the euro area. 5) The slowdown of European labour productivity growth relative to the US since the mid-1990s is explained by a stronger performance in the US wholesale and retail trade, financial intermediation and high-tech manufacturing sectors.

Competitiveness and the export performance of the euro area

Chapter 1 provides an overview and assessment of the price competitiveness and export performance of the euro area and the larger euro area countries, as well as an evaluation of how standard equations have been able to explain actual export developments. Chapter 2 carries out a constant market share analysis for the euro area and thereby sheds light on the reasons for movements in aggregate export market shares by looking at the sectoral and geographical composition of euro area exports. Chapter 3 looks at the evolution of the technological competitiveness of the euro area and major competitors – proxied by patenting activity and R&D expenditure – and analyses some structural indicators of competitiveness using survey data. Chapter 4 then looks at the impact of FDI on competitiveness and export performance. Finally, Chapter 5 summarises the main findings of the report, but also critically evaluates their importance and implications.

German Multicenter Study Analyzing Antimicrobial Activity of Ceftazidime-Avibactam of Clinical Meropenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates Using a Commercially Available Broth Microdilution Assay

Multidrug resistance is an emerging healthcare issue, especially concerning Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this multicenter study, P. aeruginosa isolates with resistance against meropenem detected by routine methods were collected and tested for carbapenemase production and susceptibility against ceftazidime-avibactam. Meropenem-resistant isolates of P. aeruginosa from various clinical materials were collected at 11 tertiary care hospitals in Germany from 2017–2019. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined via microdilution plates (MICRONAUT-S) of ceftazidime-avibactam and meropenem at each center. Detection of the presence of carbapenemases was performed by PCR or immunochromatography. For meropenem-resistant isolates (n = 448), the MIC range of ceftazidime-avibactam was 0.25–128 mg/L, MIC90 was 128 mg/L and MIC50 was 16 mg/L. According to EUCAST clinical breakpoints, 213 of all meropenem-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates were categorized as susceptible (47.5%) to ceftazidime-avibactam. Metallo-β-lactamases (MBL) could be detected in 122 isolates (27.3%). The MIC range of ceftazidime-avibactam in MBL-positive isolates was 4–128 mg/L, MIC90 was >128 mg/L and MIC50 was 32 mg/L. There was strong variation in the prevalence of MBL-positive isolates among centers. Our in vitro results support ceftazidimeavibactam as a treatment option against infections caused by meropenem-resistant, MBL-negative P. aeruginosa

Resilience - towards an interdisciplinary definition using information theory

The term “resilience” has risen in popularity following a series of natural disasters, the impacts of climate change, and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, different disciplines use the term in widely different ways, resulting in confusion regarding how the term is used and difficulties operationalising the underlying concept. Drawing on an overview of eleven disciplines, our paper offers a guiding framework to navigate this ambiguity by suggesting a novel typology of resilience using an information-theoretic approach. Specifically, we define resilience by borrowing an existing definition of individuals as sub-systems within multi-scale systems that exhibit temporal integrity amidst interactions with the environment. We quantify resilience as the ability of individuals to maintain fitness in the face of endogenous and exogenous disturbances. In particular, we distinguish between four different types of resilience: (i) preservation of structure and function, which we call “strong robustness”; (ii) preservation of function but change in structure (“weak robustness”); (iii) change in both structure and function (“strong adaptability”); and (iv) change in function but preservation in structure (“weak adaptability”). Our typology offers an approach for navigating these different types and demonstrates how resilience can be operationalised across disciplines

How Preussag became TUI : kissing too many toads can make you a toad

In the period 1997-2004, Preussag, a diversified German conglomerate of old economy businesses, changed itself into TUI, a company focused almost entirely on tourism and logistics. This paper analyzes how this strategy was executed and how it contributed to Preussag’s underperformance of the stock market. We collect 417 announcements of acquisitions, financial disclosures and other news and disentangle the impact of different parts of the company’s strategy. We find that only the divestitures created value, that the strategy to invest in tourism destroyed value, and that the acquisition premiums Preussag paid were mostly unjustified. Bad luck like the events of September 11, 2001 cannot account for the poor performance of the stock. Poor management resulted from poor governance, combining a state-owned bank as the largest shareholder, board interlocks, and insufficient managerial incentives. The case shows how divestiture programs increase the liquid resources available to management beyond free operating cash flows and casts doubt on the positive governance role of institutional blockholders