Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combinatorial Regulation by a Novel Arrangement of FruA and MrpC2 Transcription Factors during Myxococcus xanthus Development

ABSTRACT Myxococcus xanthus is a gram-negative soil bacterium that undergoes multicellular development upon nutrient limitation. Intercellular signals control cell movements and regulate gene expression during the developmental process. C-signal is a short-range signal essential for aggregation and sporulation. C-signaling regulates the fmgA gene by a novel mechanism involving cooperative binding of the response regulator FruA and the transcription factor/antitoxin MrpC2. Here, we demonstrate that regulation of the C-signal-dependent fmgBC operon is under similar combinatorial control by FruA and MrpC2, but the arrangement of binding sites is different than in the fmgA promoter region. MrpC2 was shown to bind to a crucial cis-regulatory sequence in the fmgBC promoter region. FruA was required for MrpC and/or MrpC2 to associate with the fmgBC promoter region in vivo, and expression of an fmgB-lacZ fusion was abolished in a fruA mutant. Recombinant FruA was shown to bind to an essential regulatory sequence located slightly downstream of the MrpC2-binding site in the fmgBC promoter region. Full-length FruA, but not its C-terminal DNA-binding domain, enhanced the formation of complexes with fmgBC promoter region DNA, when combined with MrpC2. This effect was nearly abolished with fmgBC DNA fragments having a mutation in either the MrpC2- or FruA-binding site, indicating that binding of both proteins to DNA is important for enhancement of complex formation. These results are similar to those observed for fmgA, where FruA and MrpC2 bind cooperatively upstream of the promoter, except that in the fmgA promoter region the FruA-binding site is located slightly upstream of the MrpC2-binding site. Cooperative binding of FruA and MrpC2 appears to be a conserved mechanism of gene regulation that allows a flexible arrangement of binding sites and coordinates multiple signaling pathways.
Incidence, Time Trends, and Predictors of Intracranial Hemorrhage During Long‐Term Follow‐up After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background To address the lack of knowledge regarding the long‐term risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the aims of this study were to: (1) investigate the incidence, time trends, and predictors of ICH in a large population within 1 year of discharge after AMI; (2) investigate the comparative 1‐year risk of ICH in AMI patients and a reference group; and (3) study the impact of previous ischemic stroke on ICH risk in patients treated with various antithrombotic therapies. Methods and Results Data about patients whose first AMI occurred between 1998 and 2010 were collected from the Swedish Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart‐Intensive‐Care Admissions (RIKS‐HIA). Patients with an ICH after discharge were identified in the National Patient Register. Risk was compared against a matched reference population. Of 187 386 patients, 590 had an ICH within 1 year. The 1‐year cumulative incidence (0.35%) was approximately twice that of the reference group, and it did not change significantly over time. Advanced age, previous ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, and reduced glomerular filtration rate were associated with increased ICH risk, whereas female sex was associated with a decreased risk. Previous ischemic stroke did not increase risk of ICH associated with single or dual antiplatelet therapy, but increased risk with anticoagulant therapy. Conclusion The 1‐year incidence of ICH after AMI remained stable, at ≈0.35%, over the study period. Advanced age, decreased renal function, and previous ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke are predictive of increased ICH risk.
School-Based Decision Making and the Empowerment of Secondary School Teachers

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher empowerment in high schools that had a school council over varying lengths of time (either zero, one, two, or three years). Teachers in this study were in a state that mandated a school governance process to involve teachers in the decision-making process. A School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) was used to measure empowerment and it contained the following six subscales: decision making, autonomy, self-efficacy, professional growth, status, and impact. Each teacher received a packet containing a demographic form, the School Participant Empowerment Scale (six scales), and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The returned data were analyzed by a MANOVA technique resulting in a significant Wilkeslambda. A follow-up procedure (ANOVA) indicated that a significant difference existed on the decision-making scale between schools with no experience with councils and those with three years experience. There were no significant differences for the remaining subscales. These results are interpreted and implications for practitioners and policymakers are suggested.
Chemical profile and antioxidant capacity verification of Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) fruits at different stages of maturation

Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae), a common plant in Cariri region, Ceara, Brazil, as well as in various parts of the world, contains high concentrations of bioactive compounds and in many communities its parts are used for therapeutic purposes. Studies describe antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-diarrheal actions from extracts obtained from leaves, but information about the activities of the fruits and comparison of these at different maturity stages (immature, partially mature and mature) are scarce. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant properties by quantifying the levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, carotenoids and vitamin C of P. guajava fruits at different stages of maturation. The content of phenolic compounds for the immature fruit, partially mature and mature were: 22.41; 34.61 and 32.92 mg of AG/g fraction. The flavonoid content for immature fruits, intermediate and mature were: 2.83; 5.10 and 5.65 mg RUT/g fraction, respectively. Following the same standards of maturation stages, the ascorbic acid content was determined with values of 0.48; 0.38 and 0.21 mg AA/g fraction, respectively. HPLC analysis identified and quantified the presence of gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, epicatechin, rutin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, quercetin, kaempferol, glycosylated campeferol, tocopherol, β-carotene and lycopene. The antioxidant activity carried out by DPPH method showed the mature fruits bearing the best results, whereas chelation of Fe2+ ions showed higher percentage for the immature fruit. The results obtained by lipidic peroxidation were not satisfactory.
Application of Probe-Vehicle Data for Real-Time Traffic-State Estimation and Short-Term Travel-Time Prediction on a Freeway

Traffic information from probe vehicles has great potential for improving the estimation accuracy of traffic situations, especially where no traffic detector is installed. A method for dealing with probe data along with conventional detector data to estimate traffic states is proposed. The probe data were integrated into the observation equation of the Kalman filter, in which state equations are represented by a macroscopic traffic-flow model. Estimated states were updated with information from both stationary detectors and probe vehicles. The method was tested under several traffic conditions by using hypothetical data, giving considerably improved estimation results compared to those estimated without probe data. Finally, the application of the proposed method was extended to the estimation and short-term prediction of travel time. Travel times were obtained indirectly through the conversion of speeds estimated or predicted by the proposed method. Experimental results show that the performance of travel-time estimation or prediction is comparable to that of some existing methods.
A Note on Quality Disclosure and Competition

Competitive pressure is lower in markets where goods are more differentiated. I analyze how a change in the degree of horizontal product differentiation affects the incentives of duopolists to disclose quality information. If disclosure is costly, then a firm discloses high qualities but conceals low qualities in equilibrium. The higher the disclosure cost, the higher the equilibrium threshold below which firms conceal quality information. I show that the effect of product differentiation on quality disclosure depends on the cost of disclosure. For low (high) disclosure costs, a firm discloses more (less) quality information if goods become more differentiated.
No protection of the ovarian follicle pool with the use of GnRH-analogues or oral contraceptives in young women treated with escalated BEACOPP for advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma. Final results of a phase II trial from the German Hodgkin Study Group.

BACKGROUND The reduction of treatment-related toxic effects is the main goal in the current trials of the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG). In this regard, the protection of the ovarian reserve in young women is very important. Therefore, the GHSG investigated the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone-analogues (GnRH-a) and oral contraceptives (OC) in young women with advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). PATIENTS AND METHODS Women (18-40 years) were randomly assigned either to receive daily OC or monthly GnRH-a during escalated combination therapy with bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPPesc). Hormonal levels were determined at baseline, during therapy, and at follow-up. RESULTS The study was closed prematurely after an interim analysis of 12 patients in arm A (OC) and 11 in arm B (GnRH-a), 9 and 10 are assessable for the primary end point. Women's median age was 25 years in both arms. The anti-Mullerian hormone level after at least 12 months was reduced in all patients. For the entire study cohort, the respective ovarian follicle preservation rate was 0% (95% confidence interval 0% to 12%). CONCLUSION We observed no protection of the ovarian reserve with hormonal co-treatment during BEACOPPesc. This result supports efforts of ongoing trials to reduce chemotherapy intensity and toxicity. Alternative strategies for the protection of fertility must be offered to young female HL patients before the start of BEACOPPesc therapy.
Ischemic Burden and Clinical Outcome: Is One ‘Culprit’ Ischemic Segment by Dobutamine Stress Magnetic Resonance Predictive?

Aims We sought to evaluate the impact of ischemic burden for the prediction of hard cardiac events (cardiac death or nonfatal myocardial infarction) in patients with known or suspected CAD who undergo dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (DCMR) Methods We included 3166 patients (pts.), mean age 63±12 years, 27% female, who underwent DCMR in 3 tertiary cardiac centres (University Hospital Heildelberg, German Heart Institute and Kings College London). Pts. were separated in groups based on the number of ischemic segments by wall motion abnormalities (WMA) as follows: 1. no ischemic segment, 2. one ischemic segment, 3. two ischemic segments and 4. ≥three ischemic segments. Cardiac death and nonfatal myocardial infarction were registered as hard cardiac events. Pts. with an “early” revascularization procedure (in the first three months after DCMR) were not included in the final survival analysis. Results Pts. were followed for a median of 3.1 years (iqr 2–4.5 years). 187 (5.9%) pts. experienced hard cardiac events. 2349 (74.2%) had no inducible ischemia, 189 (6%) had ischemia in 1 segment, 292 (9.2%) in 2 segments and 336 (10.6%) ≥3 segments. Patients with only 1 ischemic segment showed a high rate of hard cardiac events of ∼6% annually, which was 10-fold higher compared to those without ischemia (0.6% annually, p<0.001) but similar to those with 2 and ≥3ischemic segments (∼5.5% and ∼7%, p = NS). Conclusions The presence of inducible ischemia even in a single ‘culprit’ myocardial segment during DCMR is enough to predict hard cardiac events in patients with known or suspected CAD.
Essays in Applied Time Series Econometrics

This article examines the usefulness of various economic and financial variables for predicting the US business cycle regimes. To this end, I estimate Markov-switching models with time-varying transition probabilities and report both in-sample and out-of-sample results. The out-of-sample analysis produces regime forecasts one, three and six months ahead, which are then compared with the NBER business cycle reference dates. Variables are assessed by themselves and in combination with the slope of the yield curve, which turns out to be the most reliable indicator.
Prognostic Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Node-Negative (N0), Triple-Negative (TN), Medullary Breast Cancer (MBC) in the Korean Population

Background Despite the favorable prognosis for medullary breast cancer (MBC), the guidelines for the use of adjuvant chemotherapy for MBC have not been clearly established. This study investigated the prognostic role of adjuvant chemotherapy in Korean patients with node-negative (N0), triple-negative (TN) MBC patients. Methods We included data from 252 patients with N0 TN MBC, obtained from the Korean Breast Cancer Registry database. Patients were categorized as those who did not undergo adjuvant chemotherapy (group I) or those who did (group II). Clinicopathological characteristics, breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS), and overall survival (OS) were compared between the groups. In addition, a subgroup analysis for survival based on tumor size was conducted. Results A total of 252 N0 TN MBC patients with tumor sizes >1 cm who were diagnosed between April 1997 and March 2011 were enrolled. The median age was 44.95 years (range, 25–72 years), and the median follow-up period was 93.94 months (range, 23–195 months). Overall, the BCSS and OS in group II (97.3% and 97.3%, respectively) were significantly better compared with those in group I (89.2% and 86.2%, respectively). In the subgroup analysis, in patients with tumors >2 cm in size, those in group II had significant better BCSS and OS (97.5% and 97.5%, respectively) compared with those in group I (78.3% and 73.9%, respectively). In contrast in those with tumors 1–2 cm in size, there were no significant differences in BCSS and OS between the groups (both 97.1% for group I, and 95.2% and 92.9%, respectively for group II). Multivariate analysis revealed that adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved BCSS (P = 0.009) and OS (P = 0.007), but only for patients with larger tumors (>2 cm). Conclusions In patients with N0 TN MBC, adjuvant chemotherapy had a significant clinical survival benefit, but only in those with tumors >2 cm.
Temporary Jobs: Port of Entry, Trap, or just Unobserved Heterogeneity?

We use a discrete-time dynamic multinomial logit model with …xed eects to study the port of entry versus trap hypotheses of temporary contracts in Italy. The WHIP data allows us to observe several kinds of temporary contracts and to distinguish between contract transformations occurring within the same …rm and job changes across dierent employ- ers. After controlling for contract sorting due to workers' unobserved heterogeneity, we …nd evidence of state dependence in the form of: (i) contract persistence: whatever the initial state of a worker, retaining the same contract is always the most likely outcome; (ii) port of entry: the transition to open ended employment is more likely for individuals holding any type of temporary contracts than for the unemployed; (iii) yet, not all temporary contracts are the same: training contracts are the best port of entry, while quasi-subordinate work is the worst. (iv) When controlling for transitions within or between …rms it emerges that the port of entry is observed mainly within the same …rm, where a long cursus honorum from temporary to open ended contracts comes to light. Long-lasting open ended jobs are the only port of entry across …rms.
Value-at-Risk for Greek Stocks

This paper analyses the application of several volatility models to forecast daily Value-at-Risk (VaR) both for single assets and portfolios. We calculate the VaR number for 4 Greek stocks, 2 portfolios based on these securities and for the Athens Stock Exchange General Index. We model VaR for long and short trading positions by employing non-parametric methods, such as historical and filtered historical simulation, as well as parametric ones. Especially for the later techniques we use a collection of ARCH models (GARCH, EGARCH and TARCH) based on three distributional assumptions (Normal, Student-T and Skewed Student-T), while we combine the Extreme Value Theory with a volatility updating technique (via GARCH type-modeling). In order to choose one model among the various forecasting methods, we employ a two-stage backtesting procedure. In the first one, we implement two backtesting criteria (unconditional and conditional coverage) to test the statistical accuracy of the models.
Notional Defined Contribution Accounts: Application to Portugal

The amount of implicit debt is quantified in relation to the contributive regime that supports the old age pension scheme of the Portuguese Social Security and the notional defined contribution accounts system concept as a solution of financial sustainability of that regime is presented, without the need for altering the overall tax rules. In the management of the transition from a public defined benefit pension scheme to a defined contribution plan a series of theoretical principles are presented, namely, the data treatment, the acquired rights, the demographic deficits, benefits not financed and the distinct speed of conversion in the processes of such nature. The Swedish public pension system and its automatic balancing mechanism are characterized. Their underlying principles are applied to the Portuguese reality, essaying different speeds of conversion and distinct ways of computing the acquired rights. The results of the implicit debt, replacement rates, expenses and financial results of the new regimes are presented, based on a set of demographic and economic assumptions, provided by benchmark entities.
English Pig Farmers’ Knowledge and Behaviour towards African Swine Fever Suspicion and Reporting

African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable, virulent swine disease, and is a major threat to animal health and trade for many European Union (EU) countries. Early detection of the introduction of ASF virus is of paramount importance to be able to limit the potential extent of outbreaks. However, the timely and accurate reporting of ASF primary cases strongly depends on how familiar pig farmers are with the clinical signs, and their motivation to report the disease. Here, an online questionnaire survey was conducted between December 2014 and April 2015 to investigate English pig farmers’ knowledge and behaviour towards ASF in terms of clinical suspicion and reporting. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing the two variables of interest: 1) farmers who “would immediately suspect ASF” if they observed clinical signs of fever, lethargy, reduced eating and high mortality on their farm and 2) farmers who “would immediately report ASF” if they suspected ASF on their farm. The questionnaire was completed by 109 pig farmers. Results indicate that pig farmers having poor knowledge about ASF clinical signs and limited concern about ASF compared with other pig diseases are less likely to consider the possibility of an outbreak of ASF on their farm. In addition, pig farmers lacking awareness of outbreaks in other countries, having a perception of the negative impact on them resulting from false positive reporting and the perceived complexity of reporting procedures are less likely to report an ASF suspicion. These findings indicate important areas for educational campaigns targeted at English pig farmers to focus on in an attempt to increase the likelihood of a rapid response in the event of an ASF outbreak.
The Role of Strong Cultures to Information Security Management: A Goal Setting Perspective

The aim of this research is to investigate the role of strong organizational cultures in setting information systems security goals. In doing so, it explores and discusses the concept of strong culture within three financial organizations with different social organizational structures and seeks to demonstrate the importance of having a strong culture in setting efficiently information security goals. The determinants of a strong organizational culture are also discussed. This research contributes to interpretive information systems research with the study of strong culture and goal setting in a security management context and its grounding within an interpretive epistemology. Complete Research Paper
Parallel scheduling of complex dags under uncertainty

This paper introduces a parallel scheduling problem where a directed acyclic graph modeling t tasks and their dependencies needs to be executed on n unreliable workers. Worker i executes task j correctly with probability pi,j. The goal is to find a regimen Ε, that dictates how workers get assigned to tasks (possibly in parallel and redundantly) throughout execution, so as to minimize expected completion time. This fundamental parallel scheduling problem arises in grid computing and project management fields, and has several practical applications.We show a polynomial time algorithm for the problem restricted to the case when dag width is at most a constant and the number of workers is also at most a constant. These two restrictions may appear to be too severe. However, they are fundamentally required. Specifically, we demonstrate that the problem is NP-hard with constant number of workers when dag width can grow, and is also NP-hard with constant dag width when the number of workers can grow. When both dag width and the number of workers are unconstrained, then the problem is inapproximable within factor less than 5/4, unless P=NP.
Reward anticipation and processing of social versus nonsocial stimuli in children with and without autism spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND How children respond to social and nonsocial rewards has important implications for both typical and atypical social-cognitive development. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are thought to process rewards differently than typically developing (TD) individuals. However, there is little direct evidence to support this claim. METHODS Two event-related potentials were measured. The stimulus preceding negativity (SPN) was utilized to measure reward anticipation, and the feedback related negativity (FRN) was utilized to measure reward processing. Participants were 6- to 8-year-olds with (N = 20) and without (N = 23) ASD. Children were presented with rewards accompanied by incidental face or nonface stimuli. Nonface stimuli were composed of scrambled face elements in the shape of arrows, controlling for low-level visual properties. RESULTS Children with ASD showed smaller responses while anticipating and processing rewards accompanied by social stimuli than TD children. Anticipation and processing of rewards accompanied by nonsocial stimuli was intact in children with ASD. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to measure both reward anticipation and processing in ASD while controlling for reward properties. The findings provide evidence that children with autism have reward anticipation and processing deficits for social stimuli only. Our results suggest that while typically developing children find social stimuli more salient than nonsocial stimuli, children with ASD may have the opposite preference.