Genome Sequence of Kurthia Type Species Kurthia zopfii Strain ATCC 33403T

The genome of the type strain of the Kurthia genus, Kurthia zopfii ATCC 33403, was sequenced. Nonpathogenic K. zopfii has been isolated from intestinal contents, fecal material, meats, meat products, milk, water, and air, including air at high altitudes. The predicted genome size is 2,878,279 bp, with 37.05% G+C content

Stable oxygen and carbon isotope compositional fields for skeletal and diagenetic components in New Zealand Cenozoic nontropical carbonate sediments and limestones: a synthesis and review

The stable oxygen isotope composition (d¹⁸O) of a precipitated carbonate depends mainly on the isotope composition, salinity, and temperature of the host fluid, whereas the stable carbon isotope composition (d¹³C) reflects the source of CO2 for precipitation, such as meteoric or sea water, shell dissolution, or various biochemical origins, including microbial oxidation of organic matter and methane. Despite the potentially complex array of controls, natural waters tend to show a characteristic range of isotope values which in turn are mimicked or tracked by the carbonate minerals precipitated from them. Consequently, plots of d¹⁸O versus d¹³C for carbonate materials can help identify their depositional and/or diagenetic environment(s)

Corporate Capital Budgeting Decisions and Information Sharing

Firms must overcome agency and information asymmetry problems to make efficient corporate capital budgeting decisions; this is particularly true for firms with multiple units dispersed across geographic locations. Internal communication and coordination may therefore be crucial in reducing information asymmetry and achieving efficient resource allocation. We examine the relationship between corporate capital budgeting decisions and the degree of internal information sharing using a dataset of 342 U.S. firms from 1993 to 2002. Information sharing is measured by the internal linkages observed in firms’ research and development (R&D) activities worldwide. The efficiency of a firm’s capital budgeting decisions is measured by the deviation of the firm’s estimated marginal q from the theoretical tax-adjusted benchmark. We observe a significant relationship between value-enhancing capital budgeting decisions and stronger internal linkages. Specifically, corporate over-investment is significantly reduced with better information sharing across units. All results are robust to firm- and industry–level controls.

The Perceptions of Petra Christian University Male and Female Students Toward the Language Used in a Hotel Website and the Hotel Itself

The purpose of this study is to analyze the perceptions of the male and female students of Petra Christian University toward the language used in a three-star hotel website in Surabaya and toward the hotel itself. I want to know if the perceptions toward the language will influence the perceptions toward the hotel which writes the website. The respondents of this study are 30 male and 30 female students of Petra Christian University. Here, there are some similarities and differences found between the male and female students' perceptions toward the language used in a three-star hotel website in Surabaya and toward the hotel itself. It seems that the female students usually see language as one important way to know the hotel. On the other hand, it seems that the male students do not really care about what kind of language that is used in a hotel websit

Genome Sequences for Three Strains of Kocuria rosea, Including the Type Strain

Genomes from three strains of Kocuria rosea were sequenced. K. rosea ATCC 186, the type strain, was 3,958,612 bp in length with a total G+C content of 72.70%. When assembled, K. rosea ATCC 516 was 3,862,128 bp with a 72.82% G+C content. K. rosea ATCC 49321 was 4,018,783 bp in size with a 72.49% G+C content

The (Grand) Maternal Queenly Canon

The (Grand) Maternal Queenly Canon Queens, both of them. Queen of Calypso and ‘Queene’ of English Folk, Calypso Rose and Shirley Collins are lauded musicians, recording and performing in their eighties. They are two female performers in ‘older age’ who make up a (grand)maternal canon within popular music. This canon goes across genre and includes women who are valued for both their ongoing contribution to music and for their participation in the formative histories of those musics. Performing well past the ‘menopausal gap’ they act as familial beacons in their respective genres, markers of a longevity imbricated and wrapped up with discourses of authenticity that in turn, speak to national and diasporic heritages (Bascombe, 2015). Their contributions to music are recognised in film (The Ballad of Shirley Collins, 2017), cemented by memoir (All in The Downs: Life, landscape and Song, (2018), documented through official websites that measure musical outputs and significance against broader cultural markers (www.calypsorose) and presented in music video. Using an interdisciplinary methodology the paper focuses on these metatexts of Collins and Calypso Rose who are both in ‘old’ age and producing music anew and, in part, through alliance with younger musicians and producers. As one chapter in a book on ‘Ageing and Contemporary Female Musicians’, its motive is to spotlight age as a pertinent theme of enquiry within popular music studies and to note how the production and performances of these women in their 80s signifies a veneration of a ‘grand-maternal canon’ which is both a manifestation and a rebuttal of appropriate ageing

The Texas Controversy Over the Cervical Cancer Vaccine

When GARDASIL, a vaccine protecting against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2006, it sparked political and social debate among legislatures as well as advocacy groups. By drafting and submitting legislation for the mandatory vaccination against HPV for middle school girls in Texas on November 14th 2006, Representative Jessica Farrar (D-Houston) officially began the legislative process in the Texas House of Representatives. In response, tension and protest among political conservatives, religious advocacy groups, parental rights groups, as well as Merck — the pharmaceutical company responsible for the development and sale of the drug — ensued. Proponents championed the pro-life capabilities while opposition groups questioned the drugs alleged safety despite the findings in studies conducted by Merck. The pharmaceutical giant's modus operandi of lobbying states to implement the use of its drug raised suspicion, as well as, the disclosed and undisclosed cash disbursements to interest groups and politicians. The issuance of the Executive Order by Governor Rick Perry of Texas to pilot state monies toward the purchase and administration of GARDASIL, proved only to intensify the already volatile situation. This method bypassed the normal legislative process, raising questions about the infringement on the democratic process. Inevitably, as the quagmire between social responsibility and political ideologies unfolds, the options for reaching a consensus may prove to be limited. Yet, as competing opponents and proponents strive to make their interests heard, their demands will not cease until a compromise is reached

Whose Record is it Anyway? Musical 'crate digging' across Africa

The search for old and new African sounds is based around a nostalgia culture that is endemic to Anglo-American popular music

Matrix Effects on the Detection of Milk and Peanut Residues by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA)

Food matrices are complex systems of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins in which interactions between matrix components and allergenic proteins are known to have negative effects on the recovery of allergens when analyzed by ELISA. The purpose of this study was to first evaluate the recovery of milk and peanut residues from multiple food matrices and mixes and to secondly evaluate the use of a modified extraction protocol, sequential extractions, on the recovery of milk and peanut allergens. Pastry dough matrices and pastry dough mixes incurred with milk were prepared at varying concentrations of flour and evaluated for recovery of NFDM. Secondly, a series of samples were prepared with increasing flour concentrations (wheat, corn, rice, soy flour) while maintaining a constant allergen (milk or peanut) concentration. Evaluation of sequential extractions was done on pastry matrices (wheat, corn, or rice flour) incurred with milk or peanut. Two matrix types, raw dough and baked matrices were analyzed for recovery. Recovery of NFDM was reduced in wet pastry dough matrices in comparison to dry pastry dough mixes, indicating that the formation of a food matrix influences the detection of allergens. In concentration mixes, upon the addition of each flour type, the recovery of milk residues decreased as the concentration of flour increased whereas the recovery of peanut residues was not affected by the increasing concentrations of flour. The implementation of sequential extractions yielded additional soluble protein from all matrices analyzed. Interestingly, ELISA detectable protein was only extracted from raw dough matrices. No detectable allergenic protein was extracted from baked pastry matrices. The formation of a food matrix reduces the detection of milk allergens and reduced recoveries of milk allergens were observed with both glutinous and non-glutinous flour mixes. Peanut residues are less affected in sample mixes of different flour types. The use of a modified extraction procedure improved the recovery of soluble protein (all matrices) and allergenic protein (in raw matrices only). Advisors: Stephen L. Taylor and Joseph L. Baumer