Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A haplotype of the human CXCR1 gene protective against rapid disease progression in HIV-1+ patients

Chemokines and their receptors are key factors in the onset and progression of AIDS. Among them, accumulating evidence strongly indicates the involvement of IL-8 and its receptors, CXCR1 and CXCR2, in AIDS-related conditions. Through extensive investigation of genetic variations of the human CXCR1–CXCR2 locus, we identified a haplotype of the CXCR1 gene (CXCR1-Ha) carrying two nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms, CXCR1_300 (Met to Arg) in the N terminus extracellular domain and CXCR1_142 (Arg to Cys) in the C terminus intracellular domain. Transfection experiments with CXCR1 cDNAs corresponding to the CXCR1-Ha and the alternative CXCR1-HA haplotype showed reduced expression of CD4 and CXCR4 in CXCR1-Ha cells in human osteosarcoma cells as well as in Jurkat and CEM human T lymphocytes. Furthermore, the efficiency of X4-tropic HIV-1NL4–3 infection was significantly lower in CXCR1-Ha cells than in CXCR1-HA cells. The results were further confirmed by a series of experiments using six HIV-1 clinical isolates from AIDS patients. A genetic association study was performed by using an HIV-1+ patient cohort consisting of two subpopulations of AIDS with extreme phenotypes of rapid and slow progression of the disease. The frequency of the CXCR1-Ha allele is markedly less frequent in patients with rapid disease onset than those with slow progression (P = 0.0003). These results provide strong evidence of a protective role of the CXCR1-Ha allele on disease progression in AIDS, probably acting through modulation of CD4 and CXCR4 expression.
Income Inequality and Export Prices Across Countries

This paper provides theory and evidence on the links between income inequality within a destination country and the patterns of trade and export prices. The theoretical framework relates income inequality to product quality and prices using a simple demand composition effect. The model predicts that a more unequal income distribution in a destination country leads to higher average prices, though the effect is nonlinear and disappears for rich enough countries. The predictions are tested using detailed firm-level data. Controlling for income per capita, prices are systematically higher in more unequal destinations, and the strength of this effect depends on income per capita. Results are particularly important for middle-income countries and hold only for differentiated goods, and in particular for products with a high degree of vertical differentiation.
Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis of the Swine Dysentery Pathogen, Brachyspira hyodysenteriae

ABSTRACT The spirochete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is the causative agent of swine dysentery, a severe colonic infection of pigs that has a considerable economic impact in many swine-producing countries. In spite of its importance, knowledge about the global epidemiology and population structure of B. hyodysenteriae is limited. Progress in this area has been hampered by the lack of a low-cost, portable, and discriminatory method for strain typing. The aim of the current study was to develop and test a multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) method that could be used in basic veterinary diagnostic microbiology laboratories equipped with PCR technology or in more advanced laboratories with access to capillary electrophoresis. Based on eight loci, and when performed on isolates from different farms in different countries, as well as type and reference strains, the MLVA technique developed was highly discriminatory (Hunter and Gaston discriminatory index, 0.938 [95% confidence interval, 0.9175 to 0.9584]) while retaining a high phylogenetic value. Using the technique, the species was shown to be diverse (44 MLVA types from 172 isolates and strains), although isolates were stable in herds over time. The population structure appeared to be clonal. The finding of B. hyodysenteriae MLVA type 3 in piggeries in three European countries, as well as other, related, strains in different countries, suggests that spreading of the pathogen via carrier pigs is likely. MLVA overcame drawbacks associated with previous typing techniques for B. hyodysenteriae and was a powerful method for epidemiologic and population structure studies on this important pathogenic spirochete.
Development of an Orientation Manual for the North Arkansas Community/Technical College Foundation Board of Directors.

In an effort to provide new members of the North Arkansas Community/Technical College ( NACTC) Foundation Board with collegeand foundation-related information needed to carry out their duties, a project was undertaken to develop a board orientation manual. To determine what information should be included in the manual and how it should be organized, a literature review was conducted, focusing on the rationale for private support, the role of volunteers in development activities, the information needed by volunteers, and concepts of handbook development. From this review, it was determined that the manual should provide information on the following areas: (1) the foundation's mission and bylaws; (2) the college's organization, mission, and goals; (3) the role of foundation board members and explanations of committee assignments; (4) the role of the executive director and foundation staff; (5) programs, awards, and events sponsored by the foundation; (6) foundation finances; (7) a schedule of board meetings; and (8) a list oL foundation members. The first draft of the manual was completed in February 1995 and mailed to members of a summative evaluation committee formed at NACTC for suggestions and revision. It was determined that the manual be produced in-house. (Contains 22 references.) (Appendixes provide manual criteria; information on members of formative and summative evaluation committees formed for the project; and the final orientation manual.) (KP) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * *********************************************************************** DEVELOPMENT OF AN ORIENTATION MANUAL FOR THE NORTH ARKANSAS COMMUNITY/TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Human Resource Development James J. Stockton North Arkansas Community/Technical College "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Salivary trace elements in relation to dental caries in a group of multi-ethnic schoolchildren in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

AIM To assess the salivary levels of Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn) and Iron (Fe) obtained from children of different ethnic backgrounds in Shah Alam, Malaysia and investigate the possible relationships with caries. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and twenty primary school children were included. They were divided into caries and caries-free groups. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected from each participant using spitting method. The salivary elements were measured using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and Pearson's correlation analysis were performed. RESULTS Salivary Cu and Zn levels were significantly higher in children with dental caries compared to those caries-free (p < 0.05). Moreover, these elements had a positive correlation with dental caries (Cu: r=0.698, p<0.001; Zn: r=0.181, p<0.05). No significant variations in Mn and Fe were observed between caries and caries-free group (p>0.05). Additionally, there were significant differences in salivary Zn and Fe among different age groups (p<0.05) and highly significant differences in salivary Cu, Mn and Fe among different ethnic groups (p<0.001). However, all elements exhibited no significant differences between males and females. CONCLUSION The salivary Cu and Zn levels showed significant differences between caries and caries-free groups. The findings also revealed significant variations in the levels of salivary Cu, Mn and Fe among different ethnic groups and salivary Zn and Fe among different age groups.
Asset Management in Volatile Markets

The 27th SUERF Colloquium in Munich in June 2008: New Trends in Asset Management: Exploring the Implications was already topical in the Summer of 2008. The subsequent dramatic events in the Autumn of 2008 made the presentations in Munich even more relevant to investors and bankers that want to understand what happens in their investment universe. In the present SUERF Study, we have collected a sample of outstanding colloquium contributions under the fitting headline: Asset Management in Volatile Markets.
ASSET FIXITY IN U . S . AGRICULTURE : ROBUSTNESS TO FUNCTIONAL FORM

The sensitivity of asset fixity conclusions, input adjustment rates, and elasticities to choice of functional form is examined using a dynamic dual model of U.S. agriculture. A very general initial specification allows tests of instantaneous adjustment to be performed for every input. Test results are mixed across functional forms for all inputs except real estate, which is consistently found to be quasi-fixed. Important differences in estimated adjustment rates and elasticities are also found among the functional forms. The translog has higher likelihood support than either the generalized Leontief or normalized quadratic functional forms for this dynamic model specification and data set.
Exchange Market Pressure and Monetary Policy: Asia and Latin America in the 1990s

Exchange market pressure (EMP), the sum of exchange rate depreciation and reserve outflows (scaled by base money), summarizes the flow excess supply of money in a managed exchange rate regime. This paper examines Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, and Thailand, and finds that monetary policy affects EMP as generally expected: contractionary monetary policy helps to reduce EMP. The monetary policy stance is best measured by domestic credit growth (since interest rates contain both policy- and market-determined elements). In response to higher EMP, monetary authorities boosted domestic credit growth both in Mexico (confirming previous research) and in the Asian countries.
Feedback in internet-based self-assessments and its effects on acceptance and motivation

ABSTRACT Internet-based self-assessments (ISAs) are tools used to support finding the right educational fit for higher education (HE) students. ISAs typically consist of a questionnaire followed by a feedback report about the results. It is unknown how the characteristics of the feedback report itself affect individuals’ acceptance and motivation to follow the advice from the report. Literature on feedback in general has suggested relationships between acceptance of feedback and motivation, feedback sign (positive versus negative) and regulatory focus (promotion focus versus prevention focus), influence acceptance and the motivation to develop. To investigate if these findings are transferable to the context of ISAs, we conducted an online study with N = 249 German university students (73% female; M = 22.84 years of age (SD = 3.73)) and a bogus self-assessment. Feedback sign was manipulated randomly, and the regulatory focus was measured by values. Regression analyses indicate a positive effect of positive feedback sign, but no differences regarding regulatory focus.
THE ABUNDANCES OF NEUTRON-CAPTURE SPECIES IN THE VERY METAL-POOR GLOBULAR CLUSTER M15: A UNIFORM ANALYSIS OF RED GIANT BRANCH AND RED HORIZONTAL BRANCH STARS

The globular cluster M15 is unique in its display of star-to-star variations in the neutron-capture elements. Comprehensive abundance surveys have been previously conducted for handfuls of M15 red giant branch (RGB) and red horizontal branch (RHB) stars. No attempt has been made to perform a single, self-consistent analysis of these stars, which exhibit a wide range in atmospheric parameters. In the current effort, a new comparative abundance derivation is presented for three RGB and six RHB members of the cluster. The analysis employs an updated version of the line transfer code MOOG, which now appropriately treats coherent, isotropic scattering. The apparent discrepancy in the previously reported values for the metallicity of M15 RGB and RHB stars is addressed and a resolute disparity of Δ(RHB − RGB) ≈ 0.1 dex in the iron abundance was found. The anti-correlative behavior of the light neutron-capture elements (Sr, Y, Zr) is clearly demonstrated with both Ba and Eu, standard markers of the s- and r-process, respectively. No conclusive detection of Pb was made in the RGB targets. Consequently for the M15 cluster, this suggests that the main component of the s-process has made a negligible contribution to those elements normally dominated by this process in solar system material. Additionally for the M15 sample, a large Eu abundance spread is confirmed, which is comparable to that of the halo field at the same metallicity. These abundance results are considered in the discussion of the chemical inhomogeneity and nucleosynthetic history of M15.
Old-age pensions and life course in rural China : the emergence of modern retirement?

Since the outset of the economic and social reforms in 1978, rural China has been undergoing fundamental changes in view of the relationship between the state, society and the individual. Social policy, not least pension policy for rural residents, has been an essential factor in this transformation process influencing the life chances of many peasants. This study deals with the relationship between social policy and individual life courses in the context of the Chinese reform process. By studying the rural pension policy, the study focuses on the power of social policy in shaping the life planning of social actors, testifying to the nexus between social institutions and human lives - first established by European life-course research for Western societies - in rural China. Main arguments of this study are that the introduction of the rural pension policy has led to the emergence of a modern "life course", namely an institutionalized temporal structuration of the life span and related orientations of action on the part of Chinese peasants. Modern "life course" denotes the emergence of a temporal partition between work and retirement. The traditional idea of ceaseless toil until death is giving way to a conscious arrangement for a life phase after work. The institutionalization of a life course is a crucial aspect of modernization in which the state policy plays a pivotal role. Both social security and life course have become formative institutions in present-day rural China. This study integrates theoretical insights from European life-course research which emphasizes the close relationship between social security institutions and the life course. Based on expert interviews and biographical interviews with peasants conducted in selected areas of rural China, this study seeks to trace the institutional development of rural pensions and to identify the variety of ensuing life-course patterns by constructing a typology of individual life courses with regard to securing old age. Furthermore, in order to explore the interaction process between pension policy and the life course, this study constructs a second typology that elucidates the diversity of meaning peasants attach to the biographical significance of pensions in their individual life arrangements. The theoretical and methodological application of the life-course approach sheds new light on a neglected aspect of both the institutional and the individual dimension of the modernization process in rural China.
NEW ABUNDANCE DETERMINATIONS OF CADMIUM, LUTETIUM, AND OSMIUM IN THE r-PROCESS ENRICHED STAR BD +17 3248,

We report the detection of Cd i (Z = 48), Lu ii (Z = 71), and Os ii (Z = 76) in the metal-poor star BD +17 3248. These abundances are derived from an ultraviolet spectrum obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. This is the first detection of these neutron-capture species in a metal-poor star enriched by the r process. We supplement these measurements with new abundances of Mo i, Ru i, and Rh i derived from an optical spectrum obtained with the High Resolution Echelle Spectrograph on Keck. Combined with previous abundance derivations, 32 neutron-capture elements have been detected in BD +17 3248, the most complete neutron-capture abundance pattern in any metal-poor star to date. The light neutron-capture elements (38 ⩽ Z ⩽ 48) show a more pronounced even–odd effect than expected from current solar system r-process abundance predictions. The age for BD +17 3248 derived from the Th ii/Os ii chronometer is in better agreement with the age derived from other chronometers than the age derived from Th ii/Os i. New Hf ii abundance derivations from transitions in the ultraviolet are lower than those derived from transitions in the optical, and the lower Hf abundance is in better agreement with the scaled solar system r-process distribution.
The relationship between prosocial behaviours, aggression types and moral—social rule knowledge in preschool children

The objective of the present study was to investigate prosocial behaviour, aggression types and moral and social rule knowledge perceptions of 4–5 year old preschool children. The study sample included 310 children (154 female and 156 male), who were attending a pre-school education institution during the 2017–2018 academic year. A personal information form, Pre-School Social Behavior Scale-Teacher Form and Moral and Social Rule Knowledge Perception Scale were used as data collection instruments. The data were analysed with descriptive analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis. In the study, it was determined that there were moderate significant correlations between prosocial behaviour, aggression types and moral and social rule knowledge perceptions of 4–5 year old preschool children. It was also determined that prosocial behaviour and aggression types scores of the children significantly predicted their moral and social rule knowledge perception scores. Keywords: Prosocial behaviours, aggression types, moral rule knowledge, social rule knowledge.
Low Complexity Equalization for Doubly Selective Channels Modeled by a Basis Expansion

We propose a novel equalization method for doubly selective wireless channels, whose taps are represented by an arbitrary Basis Expansion Model (BEM). We view such a channel in the time domain as a sum of product-convolution operators created from the basis functions and the BEM coefficients. Equivalently, a frequency-domain channel can be represented as a sum of convolution-products. The product-convolution representation provides a low-complexity, memory efficient way to apply the channel matrix to a vector. We compute a regularized solution of a linear system involving the channel matrix by means of the GMRES and the LSQR algorithms, which utilize the product-convolution structure without ever explicitly creating the channel matrix. Our method applies to all cyclic-prefix transmissions. In an OFDM transmission with K subcarriers, each iteration of GMRES or LSQR requires only O(K K) flops and O(K) memory. Additionally, we further accelerate convergence of both GMRES and LSQR by using the single-tap equalizer as a preconditioner. We validate our method with numerical simulations of a WiMAX-like system (IEEE 802.16e) in channels with significant delay and Doppler spreads. The proposed equalizer achieves BERs comparable to those of MMSE equalization, and noticeably outperforms low-complexity equalizers using an approximation by a banded matrix in the frequency domain. With preconditioning, the lowest BERs are obtained within 3-16 iterations. Our approach does not use any statistical information about the wireless channel.
QuakeSim : Simulating Earthquakes in a Web Services Environment

s: Overview of the Restoration Program from Giant Earthquakes and Tsunamis Project. 7 Estimates of Rupture Propagation for the July 17, 2006 West Java Tsunami Earthquake. 7 An Integrated Simulation of Seismic Waves and Tsunami Generation and Propagation. 8 Tsunami Alarm: A Theoretical Model. 8 Numerical Simulation of Inundation Caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in the City of Trincomalee on the East Coast of Sri Lanka. 10 Giant Earthquake and Tsunamis: Evidence from Paleoseismology. 11 On-the-fly GPS Solutions Towards an Earthquake Early Warning System: Applications in Southern California and Northern Japan.11 Study of Self-risk Management of Local Residents for ‘Nankai Earthquake’. 11 Building Resilient Communities through Long-term Post-Disaster Recovery Planning in the Cascadia Region: Lessons Learned and Next Steps. 14 A Public Health Approach to Reducing Earthquake Risk. 15 Experiences of Field Work Carried Out to Establish the Effect on Livelihood of Peoples Lives in the Aftermath of 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami-Case Study of Maldives. 15 Natural Disasters as the End of the Insurance Industry? Scaled Recovery and Managed Environments. A Media Analysis, 2004-2006. 16 Revised Dates of Large Earthquakes at Carrizo Plain Section of the San Andreas Fault, California, Since A.D. 1280. 16 Using Virtual California Simulations of the Physics of Realistic Fault Systems to Compute Earthquake Forecast Probabilities. 17 NASA’s DESDynI Mission for Studying Multihazards Around the Pacific Rim. 17 Uncertainty Models for Hazard Analysis. 17 Universal Scaling Laws for Natural Hazards. 18 Seismicity Changes Before the 1999 Chi-Chi Mw7.6 and 2003 Chengkung Mw6.8 Taiwan Earthquakes. 19 Earthquake-Soil-Structure Systems. 19 Record-Breaking Events on a Level Playing Field. 19 Progress towards a Japan Integrated Velocity Structure Model and Long-Period Ground Motion Hazard Maps. 19 Simulated Coupled Atmosphere /Wildfire Behavior Using HIGRAD/FIRETEC. 20 Psychological Intervention for Tsunami Survivors in Thailand. 20 Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing. 20 QuakeTables: A Federated Database for Earthquake Science Data in the QuakeSim Modeling Environment. 21 QuakeSim: Simulating Earthquakes in a Web Services Environment. 22 QuakeSim Web Computing Infrastructure. 22 NASA QuakeSim California remote sensing and stress change calculations with the Geophysical Finite Element Tool (GeoFEST). 23 Warehousing Earthquake, InSAR, and Hazard Data Large Data Sets and Interactive Data Publication. 23 Interactive Visualization to Advance Earthquake Simulation. 24 APRU Association of Pacific Rim Universitie s
Type-based Self-stabilisation for Computational Fields

Emerging network scenarios require the development of solid large-scale situated systems. Unfortunately, the diffusion/aggregation computational processes therein often introduce a source of complexity that hampers predictability of the overall system behaviour. Computational fields have been introduced to help engineering such systems: they are spatially distributed data structures designed to adapt their shape to the topology of the underlying (mobile) network and to the events occurring in it, with notable applications to pervasive computing, sensor networks, and mobile robots. To assure behavioural correctness, namely, correspondence of micro-level specification (single device behaviour) with macro-level behaviour (resulting global spatial pattern), we investigate the issue of self-stabilisation for computational fields. We present a tiny, expressive, and type-sound calculus of computational fields, and define sufficient conditions for self-stabilisation, defined as the ability to react to changes in the environment finding a new stable state in finite time. A type-based approach is used to provide a correct checking procedure for self-stabilisation.