Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Membrane Fusion Protein αSNAP Is a Novel Regulator of Epithelial Apical Junctions

Tight junctions (TJs) and adherens junctions (AJs) are key determinants of the structure and permeability of epithelial barriers. Although exocytic delivery to the cell surface is crucial for junctional assembly, little is known about the mechanisms controlling TJ and AJ exocytosis. This study was aimed at investigating whether a key mediator of exocytosis, soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) attachment protein alpha (αSNAP), regulates epithelial junctions. αSNAP was enriched at apical junctions in SK-CO15 and T84 colonic epithelial cells and in normal human intestinal mucosa. siRNA-mediated knockdown of αSNAP inhibited AJ/TJ assembly and establishment of the paracellular barrier in SK-CO15 cells, which was accompanied by a significant down-regulation of p120-catenin and E-cadherin expression. A selective depletion of p120 catenin effectively disrupted AJ and TJ structure and compromised the epithelial barrier. However, overexpression of p120 catenin did not rescue the defects of junctional structure and permeability caused by αSNAP knockdown thereby suggesting the involvement of additional mechanisms. Such mechanisms did not depend on NSF functions or induction of cell death, but were associated with disruption of the Golgi complex and down-regulation of a Golgi-associated guanidine nucleotide exchange factor, GBF1. These findings suggest novel roles for αSNAP in promoting the formation of epithelial AJs and TJs by controlling Golgi-dependent expression and trafficking of junctional proteins.
Three years of routine Raman lidar measurements of tropospheric aerosols: Backscattering, extinction, and residual layer height

Abstract. We have performed a three-year series of routine lidar measurements at preselected times. The measurements were performed between 1 December 1997, and 30 November 2000, at Kuhlungsborn, Germany (54°07' N, 11°46' E). Using a Rayleigh/Mie/Raman lidar system, we measured the aerosol backscatter coefficients at three wavelengths and the extinction coefficient at one wavelength. The present data analysis focuses on after-sunset Raman measurements obtained on cloud-free days. Aerosol backscatter profiles are available for altitudes above 100 m, while the majority of the extinction measurements has been restricted to heights above the residual layer. The residual layer shows an annual cycle with its maximum height in summer (2000 m) and minimum height in winter (850 m). The backscatter coefficients in the residual layer were found to be about 10 times higher than above. The mean aerosol optical depth above the residual layer and below 5 km is 0.3(±1.0) x10-2 in summer, and 1.5(±1.0) x10-2 in winter, which almost is negligible compared to values measured in during daytime in the planetary boundary layer. A cluster analysis of the backward trajectories yielded two major directions of air mass origin above the residual layer and 4 major directions inside. A marked difference between the aerosol properties dependent on the air mass origin could be found for air masses originating from the west and travelling at high wind speeds. Comparing the measured spectral dependence of the backscatter coefficients with data from the Global Aerosol Data Set, we found a general agreement, but only a few conclusions with respect to the aerosol type could be drawn due to the high variability of the measured backscatter coefficients.
Measuring Skill Intensity of Occupations with Imperfect Substitutability Across Skill Types

In absence of a model-based measure of occupational skill-intensity, the litera- ture on wage inequality cannot consistently track technological progress on occu- pational level - a key ingredient of recent theories of labor market polarization. In this paper, I use the March CPS data from 1983 to 2002 to estimate such a measure corresponding to occupation-specific relative productivities of college and high-school educated. With imperfect substitution across skill types, the measure- ment of relative productivities requires estimation of substitution elasticities, and I propose a simple strategy to obtain these. The resulting measure is used to shed light on the modified skill-biased technological change hypothesis proposed by Autor et al. (2006).
Articulating a Vision: A Case of Study of Democracy, Education, and Prisoner Rehabilitation in a Day Reporting Center

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF FIGURES xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION General Statement of the Problem 1 Researcher's Purpose for Study 2 Significance of the Study 3 Research Question 10 General Design 11 Limitations 17 Definitions 17 Assumptions 20 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction 23 Benchmark of Adult Status 24 Principle Behind Rehabilitation 24 Obstacles that Hinder Rehabilitation 28 Legislation 28 Prison Staff 29 Prison Culture 30 Obstacles to Correctional Education 31 Inmates 31 Lack of Resources 32
Noise performance of frequency- and phase-locked CW magnetrons operated as current-controlled oscillators

Low-power continuous wave "cooker" magnetrons driven from industrial-quality switch-mode power supplies have been frequency locked by driving them as current-controlled oscillators in a phase-lock loop (PLL). The noise performance of these frequency-locked oscillators is reported as a function of heater power. The injection of -30- to -40dB signals derived from the reference oscillator of the PLL into the magnetron's output waveguide while the anode current is controlled by the PLL is shown to phase lock the magnetron's output. Results for locking performance are presented.
Evaluating Attitudes toward Women's Sports: A scale development and validation study

The purpose of this study was to develop a survey instrument “Attitude toward Women’s Sports (ATWS) Scale” to measure attitude toward women’s sports, and seek various validity and reliability evidences for the instrument. First, item pool of ATWS scale was reviewed by subject matter experts to collect evidence on content validity of the instrument and to refine the instrument. Second, items were tested with two pilot studies to assess effectiveness of the items within the ATWS scale by performing item analyses. Total of 49 items were deleted in two pilot studies as a result of item analyses. The remaining items were used to create the ATWS scale, and tested with women’s sport fans (n = 230). Exploratory Factor Analysis was performed to examine internal structure of the ATWS scale, and eight factors accounted for 68 percent of the variance in the items. Furthermore, relationship between attitude toward women’s sports and consumption intentions was investigated by a multiple linear regression analysis as evidence based on relationship to other variables. The regression analysis reported excitement, affect and drama as statistically significant predictors of consumption
Performance consequences of new CEO ‘Outsiderness’: Moderating effects of pre‐ and post‐succession contexts

This study seeks to reconcile inconsistent findings on the performance consequences of new CEO origin. Drawing on five decades of empirical research on CEO succession outcomes, I develop a more refined theoretical conceptualization and a finer-grained measurement of the underlying construct of the insider vs. outsider CEO, and build and test a more comprehensive and nuanced framework of the succession context. A longitudinal investigation of the U.S. airline and chemical industries (1972–2002) indicates that new CEO ‘Outsiderness’, conceptualized as a continuum raging from new CEOs who have a greater combination of firm and industry tenure to those who have no experience in the firm and the industry, has no main effect on post-succession firm performance. However, significant moderating effects are found when environmental munificence, pre-succession firm performance, and concomitant strategic and senior executive team changes are considered. Together, these findings highlight the need to consider both pre- and post-succession contextual factors for evaluating the performance effects of new CEO outsiderness. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Negotiating for Social Justice and the Promise of Community Benefits Agreements: Case Studies of Current and Developing Agreements

A community benefits agreement (CBA) is a private contract negotiated between a prospective developer and community representatives. In essence, the CBA specifies the benefits that the developer will provide to the community in exchange for the community's support, or quiet acquiescence, of its proposed development. The promise of community support may be especially useful to a developer seeking government subsidies or timely project approvals. The CBA is a relative newcomer to the toolbox of strategies that communities may utilize to ensure that development occurs consistent with the sometimes more narrow goals and desires of neighborhood residents, as opposed to the sometimes broader goals and desires of municipal and regional governing bodies. The CBA concept is still in its infancy. However, with only about ten years of experience with CBAs, a number of differences and similarities are emerging as case studies are developed and reviewed across the country. This article is intended to document a comprehensive review of major CBA processes in cities across the United States;some successful, some not so successful, and some still in the development stages to gain better insights into the legal, social, and political aspects of negotiating for social justice as part of the land development process.
The sinR Ortholog PGN_0088 Encodes a Transcriptional Regulator That Inhibits Polysaccharide Synthesis in Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277 Biofilms

Biofilm-forming cells are distinct from well characterized planktonic cells and aggregate in the extracellular matrix, the so-called extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The sinR gene of Bacillus subtilis encodes a transcriptional regulator that is known to be involved in the biosynthesis of EPS in biofilms. Porphyromonas gingivalis inhabits the subgingival and extraradicular biofilm of humans and is one of the primary pathogens that cause progressive marginal and refractory apical periodontitis. Furthermore, P. gingivalis possesses PGN_0088, which encodes a putative ortholog of B. subtilis sinR. Here, we investigated the role of PGN_0088 (sinR) on biofilm formation. P. gingivalis strains formed biofilms on saliva-coated glass surfaces in phosphate buffered saline. Quantitative analysis indicated that the biofilm of the sinR null mutant consisted of dense exopolysaccharide. Microscopic observations showed that the increased levels of exopolysaccharide produced by the sinR mutant changed the morphology of the EPS to a mesh-liked structure. Furthermore, physical analyses suggested that the enrichment of exopolysaccharide in the EPS enhanced the resistance of the biofilm to hydrodynamic shear force. The results presented here demonstrate sinR plays important roles in the ability of P. gingivalis strain ATCC 33277 to act as a negative mediator of exopolysaccharide accumulation and is indirectly associated with the structure of the EPS and the force of its adhesion to surfaces.
Assessment of Ruminal Bacterial and Archaeal Community Structure in Yak (Bos grunniens)

The aim of this study was to determine the microbial community composition in the rumen of yaks under different feeding regimes. Microbial communities were assessed by sequencing bacterial and archaeal 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragments obtained from yaks (Bos grunniens) from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. Samples were obtained from 14 animals allocated to either pasture grazing (Graze), a grazing and supplementary feeding regime (GSF), or an indoor feeding regime (Feed). The predominant bacterial phyla across feeding regimes were Bacteroidetes (51.06%) and Firmicutes (32.73%). At genus level, 25 genera were shared across all samples. The relative abundance of Prevotella in the graze and GSF regime group were significantly higher than that in the feed regime group. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of Ruminococcus was lower in the graze group than the feed and GSF regime groups. The most abundant archaeal phylum was Euryarchaeota, which accounted for 99.67% of the sequences. Ten genera were detected across feeding regimes, seven genera were shared by all samples, and the most abundant was genus Methanobrevibacter (91.60%). The relative abundance of the most detected genera were similar across feeding regime groups. Our results suggest that the ruminal bacterial community structure differs across yak feeding regimes while the archaeal community structures are largely similar.
The Allosteric HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitor BI-D Affects Virion Maturation but Does Not Influence Packaging of a Functional RNA Genome

The viral integrase (IN) is an essential protein for HIV-1 replication. IN inserts the viral dsDNA into the host chromosome, thereby aided by the cellular co-factor LEDGF/p75. Recently a new class of integrase inhibitors was described: allosteric IN inhibitors (ALLINIs). Although designed to interfere with the IN-LEDGF/p75 interaction to block HIV DNA integration during the early phase of HIV-1 replication, the major impact was surprisingly found on the process of virus maturation during the late phase, causing a reverse transcription defect upon infection of target cells. Virus particles produced in the presence of an ALLINI are misformed with the ribonucleoprotein located outside the virus core. Virus assembly and maturation are highly orchestrated and regulated processes in which several viral proteins and RNA molecules closely interact. It is therefore of interest to study whether ALLINIs have unpredicted pleiotropic effects on these RNA-related processes. We confirm that the ALLINI BI-D inhibits virus replication and that the produced virus is non-infectious. Furthermore, we show that the wild-type level of HIV-1 genomic RNA is packaged in virions and these genomes are in a dimeric state. The tRNAlys3 primer for reverse transcription was properly placed on this genomic RNA and could be extended ex vivo. In addition, the packaged reverse transcriptase enzyme was fully active when extracted from virions. As the RNA and enzyme components for reverse transcription are properly present in virions produced in the presence of BI-D, the inhibition of reverse transcription is likely to reflect the mislocalization of the components in the aberrant virus particle.
Strategic Managerial Delegation in a Mixed Duopoly with Capacity Choice: Partial Delegation or Full Delegation

In this paper we analyze the capacity choice in a mixed duopoly, considering the separation between ownership and management of firms. We introduce the following two alternatives as each firm's delegation type to its manager: (i) partial delegation - delegating only the quantity setting, and (ii) full delegation - delegating the determination of both capacity and quantity levels. First, we investigate each firm's capacity scale relative to its quantity, given its delegation type. Second, we derive the equilibrium delegation type of each firm under the endogenous decision by its owner. Finally, we consider the effect of privatization on each firm's delegation type and social welfare.
Prioritizing design debt investment opportunities

Technical debt is the technical work developers owe a system, typically caused by speeding up development, e.g. before a software release. Approaches, such as code smell detection, have been developed to identify particular kinds of debt, e.g. design debt. Up until now, code smell detection has been used to help point to components that need to be freed from debt by refactoring. To date, a number of methods have been described for finding code smells in a system. However, typical debt properties, such as the value of the debt and interest rate to be paid, have not been well established. This position paper proposes an approach to using cost/benefit analysis to prioritize technical debt reduction work by ranking the value and interest of design debt caused by god classes. The method is based on metric analysis and software repository mining and is demonstrated on a commercial software application at a mid-size development company. The results are promising: the method helps to identify which refactoring activities should be performed first because they are likely to be cheap to make yet have significant effect, and which refactorings should be postponed due to high cost and low payoff.
Metabolism of 2,6-Dichloro-4-(3,3-dichloroallyloxy)phenyl 3-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyloxy]propyl Ether (Pyridalyl) in Rats after Repeated Oral Administration and a Simple Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling in Brown and White Adipose Tissues

Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats received repeated oral administration of 14C-2,6-dichloro-4-(3,3-dichloroallyloxy)phenyl 3- [5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyloxy]propyl ether (14C-pyridalyl) at 5 mg/kg/day for 14 consecutive days, and 14C excretion, 14C concentration in tissues, and the metabolic fate were determined. Most 14C was excreted into feces. The 14C concentrations in the blood and tissues attained steady-state levels at days 6 to 10, whereas those in white adipose tissues increased until day 14. Tissue 14C concentrations were highest in brown and white adipose tissue (38.37–57.50 ppm) but were 5.60 ppm or less in all the other tissues. Total 14C residues in blood and tissues on the 27th day after the first administration accounted for 2.6 to 3.2% of the total dose. A major fecal metabolite resulted from O-dealkylation. Analysis of metabolites in tissues revealed that the majority of 14C in perirenal adipose tissue and lungs was pyridalyl, accounting for greater than 90 and 60%, respectively, of the total, whereas a major metabolite in whole blood, kidneys, and liver was a dehalogenated metabolite. The experimental data were simulated with simple physiologically based pharmacokinetics using four-compartment models with assumption of lymphatic absorption and membrane permeability in adipose tissues. The different kinetics in brown and white adipose tissues was reasonably predicted in this model, with large distribution volume in adipose tissues and high hepatic clearance in liver. Sex-related difference of pyridalyl concentration in liver was considered to be a result of different unbound fraction times the hepatic intrinsic clearance (f × CLint) of 1.8 and 12 l/h for male and female, respectively.
Protector or predator? Tackling police corruption in South Africa

Despite the positive changes that have occurred within the South African Police Service (SAPS) since the birth of democracy in 1994, police corruption remains a substantial challenge for the organisation. While the extent of police corruption cannot be easily or accurately measured, there is evidence that the problem is a widespread and systemic one. This is not to say that most or a majority of police officials engage in corruption. However, the prevalence of the problem is such that it substantially hinders the extent to which to the SAPS is able to achieve its constitutional objectives and build public trust. This is not a unique challenge facing the SAPS. Corruption is a challenge throughout the country's public and private sectors and is a specific occupational hazard of policing agencies worldwide. Given the nexus of power, discretion and inadequate accountability that often arises in policing, this profession is particularly prone to the problem of corruption.
Physical conditions in the planetary nebula Abell 30

We have analysed optical spectra of two of the hydrogen-deficient knots (J1 and J3) in the born-again planetary nebula Abell 30, together with ultraviolet (UV) spectra of knots J3 and J4. We determine electron temperatures in the knots based on several diagnostics. The [O III] nebular-to-auroral transition ratio yields temperatures of the order of 17 000 K. The weak temperature-dependence of the ratios of helium lines λ4471, λ5876 and λ6678 is used to derive a temperature of 8850 K for knot J3 and 4600 K for knot J1. Ratios of O II recombination lines, which directly measure the temperature in the coldest regions of the knots, are used to derive temperatures of 2500 K for knot J3, and just 500 K for knot J1. We calculate abundances both from collisionally excited lines and from the well-observed recombination spectra of C, N, O and Ne ions. The forbidden line abundances agree well with previous determinations, but the recombination line abundances are several hundred times higher. These results confirm the scenario proposed by Harrington & Feibelman, in which the knots contain a cold core highly enriched in heavy elements. Forbidden lines are almost entirely emitted by the hot outer part of the knot, while recombination lines are emitted predominantly from the cold core. The C/O ratios we derive imply that the knots are oxygen-rich, contrary to theoretical predictions for born-again nebulae.
Risk Insurance in a Transition Economy: Evidence from Rural Romania

We test the hypothesis of Pareto optimal risk-sharing in a transition economy using a new dataset on a representative sample of 364 rural households from Romania. We identify income shocks as instances of adverse weather, crop and animal diseases, as well as illness and unemployment spells. Despite limited participation of Romanian rural households in formal insurance and credit markets, we fail to reject the hypothesis of full insurance of total non-durable consumption and its components. Survey responses indicate that the main channels of consumption smoothing are self-insurance (for adverse weather, crop and animal diseases), public transfers (for unemployment spells), and to a lesser extent, family ties. We find that adverse weather is associated with higher growth rates of non-food expenditures. Furthermore, richer households are better able to cope with crop failure than poorer households. An alternative explanation to our not rejecting the hypothesis of full insurance is that some shocks to consumption (e.g., illness) play the role of preference shifters of the utility function.
Native Air-Formed Oxide Film and its Effect on Magnesium Alloys Corrosion

The present work uses X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis to compare the chemical composition of native oxide films formed spontaneously on commercial pure magnesium and AZ31, AZ80 and AZ91D magnesium alloys. The study considers both the outer surface and inner regions of the films with the assistance of argon ion bombardment. Possible relationships are established between the alloy Al content and the native oxide film characteristics. The Al content is very similar in the oxide films on all three studied alloys. XPS identifies a much greater film thickness on AZ80 and AZ91D specimens than on AZ31 and pure Mg specimens, which seems to be related with the presence ofphase (Mg17Al12) on the AZ91D alloy surface and of the eutectic � -Mg/� on the AZ80 alloy surface. Considerable Ca segregation is observed (directly related with the calcium impurities content in the bulk material) towards the outer surface of the metal, where it appears in the form of calcium oxide. Direct correspondence is found between the thickness of the native oxide film formed spontaneously on the surface of magnesium and its alloys and their subsequent corrosion resistance in exposure to a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution.
Linear Circuit Models for On-Chip Quantum Electrodynamics

We present equivalent circuits that model the interaction of microwave resonators and quantum systems. The circuit models are derived from a general interaction Hamiltonian. Quantitative agreement between the simulated resonator transmission frequency, qubit Lamb shift, and experimental data will be shown. We demonstrate that simple circuit models, using only linear passive elements, can be very useful in understanding systems where a small quantum system is coupled to a classical microwave apparatus.