Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nest characteristics of the Clapper Rail in coastal Georgia

Abstract The nesting habitat of the Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris) is not well studied in the southeastern United States. We documented Clapper Rail nest characteristics and surrounding habitats near Brunswick on the Georgia coast. Of 159 nests found, only 29 were active. Although some nests may have been abandoned or never used, many could have been depredated. Nests were constructed farther away from tidal influences than in those populations studied in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Clapper Rails also tended to nest near tidal pools as frequently as tidal creeks, contrasting with other Atlantic coast studies. The greater tidal amplitude of Brunswick as compared to the mid-Atlantic coast may explain this finding. Tidal-creek nests were found farther away from, and were associated with taller vegetation near the banks of, a water source than tidal-pool nests. While nest placement differed based on habitat characteristics in this study, nest-structure morphometrics were similar between tidal-creek and tidal-pool habitats and were consistent with those found in other regions of the country.
Lectin analyses of glycoprotein hormones in patients with congenital disorders of glycosylation.

OBJECTIVE The congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDGs) are progressive multisystemic disorders characterized by a heterogeneous deficiency of the carbohydrate moieties in various structural and circulating glycoproteins, representing a natural model for glycoprotein hormone studies. Here, we studied the carbohydrate moiety of circulating glycoprotein hormones in four patients with a clinical suspicion of CDGs. METHODS The diagnosis of CDG-I was confirmed in two out of the four cases by transferrin isoelectrofocusing (IEF) and/or carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) test. The carbohydrate moiety of serum endocrine-related glycoproteins was investigated by means of Ricin (immunopurified thyrotropin (TSH)) and Concanavalin A (Con-A) (TSH, follicle-stimulating hormone, alpha-subunit and thyroglobulin) lectin affinity chromatography measurement. RESULTS CDT concentrations were very high in the two patients with CDG-I and moderately enhanced in the remaining two. In the two CDG-I patients, Ricin analysis of immunopurified TSH showed a severe impairment of lectin binding, both before and after neuroaminidase treatment, indicating a nearly complete lack of terminal sialic acid and galactose residues. In these two cases, Con-A analysis showed a significant prevalence of firmly bound isoforms with poorly processed carbohydrate chains. In the remaining two cases with unknown CDG classification, TSH binding pattern to Ricin was modestly affected and Con-A analysis showed the prevalence of weakly bound glycoprotein isoforms. CONCLUSIONS The results of Ricin analyses in all four patients were consistent with the CDT test and/or serum transferrin IEF. The severe alteration of TSH binding pattern to Ricin seems to be characteristic of CDG-I. Nevertheless, TSH biological properties are not severely altered, as normal thyroid function was found in both cases.
Study of the specific heme orientation in reconstituted hemoglobins.

NMR studies of the recombination reaction of apohemoglobin derivatives with natural and unnatural hemes and of the heme-exchange reaction for reconstituted hemoglobin have revealed that the heme is incorporated into the apoprotein with stereospecific heme orientations dependent upon the heme peripheral 2,4-substituents and the axial iron ligand(s). Heme orientations also depend on whether recombination occurs at the alpha or beta subunit and on whether or not the complementary subunit is occupied by the heme. In the recombination reaction with the azido complex of deuterohemin, the alpha subunit of the apohemoglobin preferentially combines with the hemin in the "disordered" heme orientation, whereas protohemin is inserted in either of two heme orientations. Mesohemin inserts predominantly in the "native" heme orientation. For the beta subunit, specific heme orientation was also encountered, but the specificity was somewhat different from that of the alpha subunit. It was also shown that the specific heme orientation in both subunits is substantially affected by the axial heme ligands. These findings imply that apohemoglobin senses the steric bulkiness of both the porphyrin 2,4-substituents and the axial iron ligands in the heme-apoprotein recombination reaction. To gain an insight into the effect of the protein structure, the heme reconstitution reaction of semihemoglobin, demonstrating that the heme orientation in the reconstituted semihemoglobin with the azido-deuterohemin complex was in the native form, was also examined. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A c Subunit with Four Transmembrane Helices and One Ion (Na+)-binding Site in an Archaeal ATP Synthase

Background: The ATP synthase of Pyrococcus has an unusual gene encoding rotor subunit c. Results: The c ring is made of protomers with one ion-binding site in four transmembrane helices and is highly Na+-specific. Conclusion: Unprecedented subunit c topology and ion configuration in an ATP synthase. Significance: Archaeal ATP synthases are a remnant of primordial bioenergetics. The ion-driven membrane rotors of ATP synthases consist of multiple copies of subunit c, forming a closed ring. Subunit c typically comprises two transmembrane helices, and the c ring features an ion-binding site in between each pair of adjacent subunits. Here, we use experimental and computational methods to study the structure and specificity of an archaeal c subunit more akin to those of V-type ATPases, namely that from Pyrococcus furiosus. The c subunit was purified by chloroform/methanol extraction and determined to be 15.8 kDa with four predicted transmembrane helices. However, labeling with DCCD as well as Na+-DCCD competition experiments revealed only one binding site for DCCD and Na+, indicating that the mature c subunit of this A1AO ATP synthase is indeed of the V-type. A structural model generated computationally revealed one Na+-binding site within each of the c subunits, mediated by a conserved glutamate side chain alongside other coordinating groups. An intriguing second glutamate located in-between adjacent c subunits was ruled out as a functional Na+-binding site. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the c ring of P. furiosus is highly Na+-specific under in vivo conditions, comparable with the Na+-dependent V1VO ATPase from Enterococcus hirae. Interestingly, the same holds true for the c ring from the methanogenic archaeon Methanobrevibacter ruminantium, whose c subunits also feature a V-type architecture but carry two Na+-binding sites instead. These findings are discussed in light of their physiological relevance and with respect to the mode of ion coupling in A1AO ATP synthases.
Examining the influence of training design and employee self efficacy on training transfer: Empirical study of insurance sector

In a present complex and competitive scenario, organizations need to retain talented and competent employees who perform excellent work in a congenial environment . Insurance industries are taking necessary steps to improve and enhance the work force for achieving organizational success. The purpose of the research is to examine the positive and significant impact of training design and employee self efficacy on the training transfer in the context of insurance sector. Three variables were being examined, which includes training or transfer design, and self efficacy as an independent variable and transfer of training as a dependent variable. For this purpose data was collected from one hundred fifty employees from various two insurance companies in India especially Delhi through questionnaires. Data from target respondents was analyzed in the form of reliability analysis. Reliability test was applied to validate questionnaire. Multiple regression was applied to find the impact of independent variables on dependent variable. Findings of the study revealed that transfer design and self efficacy have a positive and significant impact on the transfer of training. Our study provides a refresh insight of the positive influence of training practices for increasing employees’ capabilities. This study has several managerial implications and directions for future research.
On the Quantitative Analysis of Decoder-Based Generative Models

The past several years have seen remarkable progress in generative models which produce convincing samples of images and other modalities. A shared component of many powerful generative models is a decoder network, a parametric deep neural net that defines a generative distribution. Examples include variational autoencoders, generative adversarial networks, and generative moment matching networks. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to quantify the performance of these models because of the intractability of log-likelihood estimation, and inspecting samples can be misleading. We propose to use Annealed Importance Sampling for evaluating log-likelihoods for decoder-based models and validate its accuracy using bidirectional Monte Carlo. The evaluation code is provided at this https URL. Using this technique, we analyze the performance of decoder-based models, the effectiveness of existing log-likelihood estimators, the degree of overfitting, and the degree to which these models miss important modes of the data distribution.
The sarcomere length‐tension relation determined in short segments of intact muscle fibres of the frog.

1. Single fibres isolated from the tibialis anterior muscle of Rana temporaria were stimulated to produce a 1 s fused tetanus, while a short (ca. 0.5 mm) segment of the fibre was held at constant length. The segments were defined by opaque markers of hair that were placed on the fibre surface. The distance between two adjacent markers (one segment) was monitored by means of a photo‐electric recording system. The length of a given segment could be controlled to within 0.2% of the segment's length by adjusting the over‐all length of the fibre by means of an electromagnetic puller and servo system. 2. Segments producing constant force (no 'tension creep') during length‐clamp recording were studied at different striation spacings within the following ranges of sarcomere length: 2.20‐3.70, 1.90‐2.45 and 1.50‐2.20 microns. The absence of tension creep suggested (Edman & Reggiani, 1984 a) that the sarcomere pattern remained stable within the length‐clamped segment during contraction at different lengths. 3. The tetanic force of a given length‐clamped segment was consistently found to increase, as the sarcomere length was reduced from 2.20 to 1.98‐2.02 microns, the mean increase in force being 6.9 +/‐ 0.4% (S.E. of mean, thirty‐two segments). By further decreasing the sarcomere length active force was reduced. 4. The increase in force‐producing capability between 2.20 and 2.00 microns sarcomere length was further explored by recording the maximum rate of force redevelopment, dF/dtmax, after a quick release during the plateau of a fixed‐end tetanus. dF/dtmax varied with sarcomere length between 2.20 and 2.00 microns in the same way as the isometric force of a short, length‐clamped segment, increasing by ca. 10% over this range. This finding provides further support for the view that the fibre's capacity to produce force is not constant between 2.20 and 2.00 microns sarcomere length. 5. The descending limb of the length‐tension relation extended between 2.00 and approximately 3.65 microns sarcomere length. Its middle, straight portion (between 2.30 and 3.30 microns sarcomere spacings) extrapolated to zero tension at 3.49 microns sarcomere length. The upper and lower portions of the descending limb were slightly curved (at sarcomere lengths less than 2.30 and greater than 3.30 microns, respectively) giving the descending limb a symmetrical sigmoid appearance. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Whose Click Fraud Data Do You Trust? Effect Of Click Fraud On Advertiser's Trust And Sponsored Search Advertising Decisions

Online sponsored search has emerged as a dominant business model for majority of search engines and as a popular advertising mechanism for online retailers. However, sponsored search advertising is being negatively impacted by click fraud which involves the intentional clicking on sponsored links with the purpose of gaining undue monetary returns for the search engine or harming a particular advertiser by depleting its advertising budget. While search engines tend to compensate advertisers to an extent for click frauds, it still leaves an element of uncertainty in the minds of advertisers whether search engine is being faithful in reporting the click fraud numbers. Armed with additional data available from third party click fraud audit companies, advertisers may have more reasons to suspect click fraud numbers reported by search engines if there is a discrepancy between the numbers reported by two sources (search engines and third party click fraud audit companies). While the phenomenon of click fraud has been acknowledged to exist, its effect on sponsored search advertisers’ trust and their decision to advertise with a particular search engine has not been given sufficient attention in the literature. As an initial step, in this research in progress study, we develop a theoretical model to examine the effect of click fraud on advertiser’s trust in search engine and its subsequent impact on advertiser’s decision to adjust advertising spend for different search engines. In this paper, we also outline the proposed experimental design to validate the theoretical model subsequently in future. Broadly, the research suggests that sponsored search advertisers are likely to adjust their advertising spend based on level of trust they have in search engine, click fraud numbers discrepancy, and return on investment obtained from advertising on that particular search engine.
Lithium Can Relieve Translational Repression of TOP mRNAs Elicited by Various Blocks along the Cell Cycle in a Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3- and S6-Kinase-independent Manner*

TOP mRNAs are translationally controlled by mitogenic, growth, and nutritional stimuli through a 5′-terminal oligopyrimidine tract. Here we show that LiCl can alleviate the translational repression of these mRNAs when progression through the cell cycle is blocked at G0, G1/S, or G2/M phases in different cell lines and by various physiological and chemical means. This derepressive effect of LiCl does not involve resumption of cell division. Unlike its efficient derepressive effect in mitotically arrested cells, LiCl alleviates inefficiently the repression of TOP mRNAs in amino acid-deprived cells and has no effect in lymphoblastoids whose TOP mRNAs are constitutively repressed even when they are proliferating. LiCl is widely used as a relatively selective inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3. However, inhibition per se of this enzyme by more specific drugs failed to derepress the translation of TOP mRNAs, implying that relief of the translational repression of TOP mRNAs by LiCl is carried out in a glycogen synthase kinase-3-independent manner. Moreover, this effect is apparent, at least in some cell lines, in the absence of S6-kinase 1 activation and ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation, thus further supporting the notion that translational control of TOP mRNAs does not rely on either of these variables.
Investigation of downstream target genes of PAX3c, PAX3e and PAX3g isoforms in melanocytes by microarray analysis

PAX3 encodes a transcription factor, which with Zic1 is necessary for induction of the neural crest during early embryonic development. There are 7 human PAX3 isoforms (a–h). PAX3e is the full length isoform comprising 10 exons. PAX3c comprises 8 exons plus 5 codons of intron 8, while PAX3g has a truncated transactivation domain. Previous studies by us indicated that these isoforms have different activities in melanocytes in vitro. In this study, a mouse gene oligo array (∼7.5 k oligos), from the Human Genome Mapping Project (HGMP) Resource Centre, was used to screen for alterations in downstream gene expression in PAX3c, PAX3e and PAX3g melanocyte transfectants, compared with empty vector controls. The data analyses identified 109 genes up or downregulated, at least 2‐fold, and involved in cell differentiation, proliferation, migration, adhesion, apoptosis and angiogenesis. Semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR and Western blotting confirmed the changes identified by microarrays for several putative targets of PAX3, including Met, MyoD and Muc18, and previously undescribed targets, including Dhh, Fgf17, Kitl and Rac1. Thus, our data reveal that PAX3 isoforms regulate distinct but overlapping sets of genes in melanocytes in vitro. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Bad-Asset Theory of Financial Crises

We propose a simple model of financial crises, which may be useful for the unified analysis of macro and financial policies implemented during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. A financial crisis is modeled as the disappearance of inside money due to the lemon problem a la Akerlof (1970), in a simplistic variant of Lucas and Stokey's (1987) Cash-in-Advance economy, where both cash and capital stocks work as media of exchange. The exogenous emergence of a huge amount of bad assets represents the occurrence of a financial crisis. Information asymmetry regarding the good assets(capital stocks) and the bad assets causes the good assets to cease functioning as inside money. The private agents have no proper incentive to dispose of the bad assets, and the crisis could be persistent, because the lemon problem is an external diseconomy. Macroeconomic policy (e.g., fiscal stimulus) provides outside money for substitution, and financial stabilization (e.g., bad-asset purchases) restores the inside money by resolving information asymmetry. The welfare-improving effect of the macro policy may be nonexistent or temporary, while the bad-asset purchases may have a permanent effect to shift the economy out of the crisis equilibrium.
Academic achievement as status competition: Intergenerational transmission of positional advantage among Taiwanese and American students

This article compares the intergenerational transmission of relative/positional advantage for the academic achievement of secondary school students in Taiwan and the USA. Although any monotonic transformation of rank order is a valid measure of positional status, we use ‘the average number of competitors excluded’ as the index of positional status (PSI) because it is a ratio-scale metric easy to interpret and universally comparable—even among different variables and achievement test scores based on completely different tests. A PSI analysis of two large-scale national surveys of secondary school students (TEPS and NELS) shows that parental education plays a much stronger role than family income in both societies. Most important, parental education and income effects on the PSI are statistically indistinguishable between the two societies, despite very substantial differences in the institution of secondary education, including the screening and allocation of secondary students for higher education. This resemblance is especially striking given the large cross-national variation in the same PSI-based measures of intergenerational transmission of positional advantage among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Real-time Bayesian Anomaly Detection for Environmental Sensor Data

Recent advances in sensor technology are facilitating the deployment of sensors into the environment that can produce measurements at high spatial and/or temporal resolutions. Not only can these data be used to better characterize systems for improved modeling, but they can also be used to produce better understandings of the mechanisms of environmental processes. One such use of these data is anomaly detection to identify data that deviate from historical patterns. These anomalous data can be caused by sensor or data transmission errors or by infrequent system behaviors that are often of interest to the scientific or public safety communities. Thus, anomaly detection has many practical applications, such as data quality assurance and control (QA/QC), where anomalous data are treated as data errors; focused data collection, where anomalous data indicate segments of data that are of interest to researchers; and event detection, where anomalous data signal system behaviors that could result in a natural disaster. This study develops two automated anomaly detection methods that employ Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs). These machine learning methods can operate on a single sensor data stream, or they can consider several data streams at once, using all of the streams concurrently to perform coupled anomaly detection. This study investigates these methods’ abilities, using both coupled and uncoupled detection, to perform QA/QC on two windspeed data streams from Corpus Christi, Texas; false positive and false negative rates serve as the basis for comparison of the methods. The results indicate that a coupled DBN anomaly detector, tracking the actual windspeeds, their measurements, and the status of these measurements, performs well at identifying erroneous data in these data streams.
Labour Shares and the Role of Capital and Labour Market Imperfections

In continental Europe, labour shares in national income have exhibited considerable variation since 1970. Empirical and theoretical research suggests that the evolution of labour markets and labour market imperfections can, in part, explain this phenomenon. The author analyzes the role of capital market imperfections in the determination of the distribution of national income, comparing European and Anglo-Saxon countries. She uses a simple general-equilibrium model to trace the effects of credit and labour market imperfections on factor shares. Simulations indicate that improvements in capital markets can explain lower labour shares. An increase in the degree of employee power results in higher labour shares. Regression results confirm the author's findings. Improvements in credit markets and decreasing employee bargaining power have contributed to shrinking labour shares, especially in Europe. Openness is a negative determinant of labour shares.