Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insect Photoperiodism and Circadian Clocks: Models and Mechanisms

Photoperiodic clocks allow organisms to predict the coming season. In insects, the seasonal adaptive response mainly takes the form of diapause. The extensively studied photoperiodic clock in insects was primarily characterized by a “black-box” approach, resulting in numerous cybernetic models. This is in contrast with the circadian clock, which has been dissected pragmatically at the molecular level, particularly in Drosophila. Unfortunately, Drosophila melanogaster, the favorite model organism for circadian studies, does not demonstrate a pronounced seasonal response, and consequently molecular analysis has not progressed in this area. In the current article, the authors explore different ways in which identified molecular components of the circadian pacemaker may play a role in photoperiodism. Future progress in understanding the Drosophilacircadian pacemaker, particularly as further output components are identified, may provide a direct link between the clock and photoperiodism. In addition, with improved molecular tools, it is now possible to turn to other insects that have a more dramatic photoperiodic response.
Aflatoxin–Lysine Adducts in Haitian Patients Ingesting Peanut and Maize Products

Aflatoxins are mycotoxins mainly produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. As the major contaminants of peanuts and maize, aflatoxins are causative agents of liver cancer and are associated with immune dysfunction, stunting, and protein deficiency syndromes. Aflatoxins are known to contaminate maize and peanut-based foods in Haiti. Patients at GHESKIO clinic in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, provided blood samples and participated in a dietary survey. Blood samples were analyzed for aflatoxin covalently bound to blood albumin through lysine. Data were analyzed using nominal logistic models, least-squares regression, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Detection of AFB1-lysine above 0.25 pg AFB1-lysine/mg albumin was dependent upon frequency of peanut consumption (FP; P < .0486) but not frequency of maize consumption (FM), and a nominal logistic model demonstrated that detection was positively associated with FP. In a least squares regression model, the effect of FP was significantly predictive of log-transformed AFB1-lysine above 0.25 pg/mg. All 12 of the individuals with detectible circulating aflatoxin biomarkers who had not eaten peanuts had eaten maize or maize products. Peanuts were not the sole source of aflatoxins in the diet of these individuals and maize cannot be ruled out as a contributor of dietary aflatoxin in Haiti.
Controlling the Ups and Downs of Synaptic Strength

Neuroscientists have long been puzzled by the fact that N -methyl--aspartate (NMDA) receptors can both boost and dampen synaptic efficiency in the brain. In their Perspective, [Bliss and Schoepfer][1] reveal specific roles for NMDA receptor subtypes. According to new work ([ Liu et al .][2]), the NMDA receptor supports either long-term potentiation or long-term depression, depending on whether the receptor contains NR2A or NR2B subunits, respectively. [1]: http://www.sciencemag. org/cgi/content/full/304/5673/973 [2]: http://www.sciencemag. org/cgi/content/short/304/5673/1021
Breast cancer among Alaska Native women potentially exposed to environmental organochlorine chemicals

Objectives. To determine if an increased rate of breast cancer in Alaska Native women is related to their consumption of a subsistence diet that may contain p, p’-dichlorodiphenylethylene (DDE) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Study Design. A retrospective case control design. Methods. We analyzed banked serum collected between 1981 and 1987 from 126 Alaska Native women, including 63 case women who subsequently developed breast cancer and 63 age-matched control women who remained cancer-free. Serum was analyzed for DDT, DDE, 13 other chlorinated pesticides, and 28 PCB congeners. Results. The geometric mean for p, p’-DDE levels among case women was 8.67 ppb (95% Confidence Interval 7.48, 10.04); among control women, the geometric mean was 7.36 ppb (6.53, 8.30). The geometric mean for total PCB levels among case women was 4.55 ppb (3.61, 5.74) and for control women, the geometric mean was 6.10 ppb (4.73, 7.86). Cancer status and total PCB levels varied across ethnicity (i.e., Eskimo, Aleut, and Indian) but DDE levels were uniform among these ethnic groups. Using conditional logistic regression analysis to adjust for potential confounders (e.g., ethnicity, family history of breast cancer, parity), we found an odds ratio of 1.43 (0.46, 4.47) for the highest tertile of DDE exposure and 0.42 (0.07, 2.38) for the highest tertile of total PCB exposure. Conclusions. Although the results are limited by small sample size and restricted risk factor information, our findings of higher DDE levels, but lower PCB levels among women with breast cancer are consistent with previous research. Our results confirm exposure to organochlorines among Alaska Native women but do not identify these exposures as a significant risk factor for breast cancer.
How Urban Concentration Affects Economic Growth

If urban overconcentration really is an issue, it ought to affect economic growth rates in a robust, consistent fashion. And it does. Not only is there an optimal degree of urban concentration that varies with country income, but departures from optimal concentration result in substantial growth losses. Overconcentrated countries can reduce concentration by investing in interregional transport infrastructure - in particular, increasing the density of road networks. Henderson explores the issue of urban overconcentration econometrically, using data from a panel of 80 to 100 countries every 5 years from 1960 to 1995. He finds the following: At any level of development there is indeed a best degree of national urban concentration. It increases sharply as income rises, up to a per capita income of about $5,000 (Penn World table purchasing parity income), before declining modestly. The best degree of concentration declines with country scale. Growth losses from significantly nonoptimal concentration are large. Those losses tend to rise with level of development, peaking at a very high level (about 1.5 annual percentage points of economic growth). Results are very robust. In a group of 72 countries in 1990, roughly 30 have satisfactory urban concentration, 24 have excessive concentration, and 5 to 16 countries have too little. The list of countries with highly excessive concentration includes Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and Panama (in Latin America); the Republic of Korea and Thailand (in Asia); Congo (in Africa); and Greece, Ireland, and Portugal (in Europe). Many of these countries have explicitly unitary governments or federal structures have traditionally been severely constrained. The list of countries with too little urban concentration includes Belgium (a small, split country) and special cases such as Czechoslovakia and the former Yugoslavia. Urban concentration declines with national scale. It initially rises with income, then peaks at a per capita income of about $3,000, before declining. If the largest city in a country is a port, increased trade leads to increased urban concentration. Otherwise, increased trade leads to deconcentration as markets in the hinterland open up to trade. But trade effects are modest. Similarly, more political decentralization (or increased federalism) only modestly reduces urban concentration. However, interregional transport infrastructure - especially dense road networks - significantly reduce urban concentration, an effect that rises with income. This paper - a product of Infrastructure and Environment, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to analyze the role of economic geography and urbanization in the development process, particularly as influenced by infrastructure investment and political decentralization.
D1-Asp170 is structurally coupled to the oxygen evolving complex in photosystem II as revealed by light-induced Fourier transform infrared difference spectroscopy.

We report both mid-frequency (1800-1200 cm(-)(1)) and low-frequency (670-350 cm(-)(1)) S(2)/S(1) FTIR difference spectra of photosystem II (PSII) particles isolated from wild-type and D1-D170H mutant cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Both mid- and low-frequency S(2)/S(1) spectra of the Synechocystis wild-type PSII particles closely resemble those from spinach PSII samples, which confirms an earlier result by Noguchi and co-workers [Noguchi, T. , Inoue, Y. , and Tang, X. -S. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 14705-14711] and indicates that the coordination environment of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) in Synechocystis is very similar to that in spinach. We also found that there is no appreciable difference between the mid-frequency S(2)/S(1) spectra of wild-type and of D1-D170H mutant PSII particles, from which we conclude that D1-Asp170 does not undergo a significant structural change during the S(1) to S(2) transition. This result also suggests that, if D1-Asp170 ligates Mn, it does not ligate the Mn ion that is oxidized during the S(1) to S(2) state transition. Finally, we found that a mode at 606 cm(-)(1) in the low-frequency wild-type S(2)/S(1) spectrum shifts to 612 cm(-)(1) in the D1-D170H mutant spectrum. Because this 606 cm(-)(1) mode has been previously assigned to an Mn-O-Mn cluster mode of the OEC [Chu, H. -A. , Sackett, H. , and Babcock, G. T. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 14371-14376], we conclude that D1-Asp170 is structurally coupled to the Mn-O-Mn cluster structure that gives rise to this band. Our results suggest that D1-Asp170 either directly ligates Mn or Ca(2+) or participates in a hydrogen bond to the Mn(4)Ca(2+) cluster. Our results demonstrate that combining FTIR difference spectroscopy with site-directed mutagenesis has the potential to provide insights into structural changes in Mn and Ca(2+) coordination environments in the different S states of the OEC.
The impact of Diversity training on Commitment, Career satisfaction and Innovation

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between diversity training with organizational commitment, career satisfaction, and innovation in the organization. The paper builds conceptual understanding of the model. The paper takes organization commitment, career satisfaction and Innovation, as Innovation is the part of organization environment. There are many studies on diversity training but no one focused its effect of innovation. The paper concluded that employees who are trained for diversity are more committed towards their organizations, and more satisfied with their careers. The paper also concluded that diversity training has positive effect on innovation. This paper builds relationship among different variables through previous studies. Limitations of this paper are that it is not guaranteeing the empirical reliability of the model, than the research on innovation is difficult to conduct because innovation is very gradual and systematic process. While talking about the innovation in the organization, diversity training is a very technical and worth while approach for today’s organizations. The paper finds that diversity training has its effect on commitment, career satisfaction and innovation.
Feedforward Control Design for Finite-Time Transition Problems of Nonlinear Systems with Input and Output Constraints

The article extends a recently presented approach to feedforward control design for nonlinear systems to additionally account for input and output constraints. The inversion-based design treats a finite-time transition problem as a two-point boundary value problem (BVP) in the coordinates of the input-output normal form. To account for constraints on the output and its time derivatives, the input-output dynamics is replaced by a new system, which is systematically constructed by means of saturation functions. The solvability of the BVP requires a sufficient number of free parameters in an ansatz function. The resulting BVP with free parameters can be solved in a straightforward manner (e.g., with the Matlab function bvp4c). Input constraints can additionally be considered as constraints on the highest output derivative. The approach is applicable to nonlinear and nonminimum-phase systems, which is illustrated for the side-stepping of an inverted pendulum on a cart.
The Performance of Equity Index Option Strategy Returns During the Financial Crisis

Equity index option writing strategies delivered abnormally high returns in the past. This empirical fact is often attributed to the so-called Path Peso argument, which states that put option prices reflect risk premiums for extreme jumps in prices and volatility, which are underrepresented in empirical data. This paper uses option price data collected during the financial crisis as a natural experiment to to examine whether the empirical evidence of abnormally high index option returns persists in periods with adverse outcomes of jump and volatility risk. To this end, this paper uses S&P 500, DAX, and EURO STOXX 50 option price data to analyze returns of a wide array of index option strategies.
The role of performance measurement in business process re‐engineering

This paper argues that a performance measurement system (PMS) is a prerequisite to the introduction of business process re‐engineering (BPR) based on the role it plays in the phases of introducing change. This hypothesis was tested by examining the relationship between the congruence of PMS and the concepts of empowerment, integration and strategic alignment. Data were collected from 301 respondents in 19 manufacturing and 30 financial companies in Bahrain. Analysis indicated that PMS and strategic alignment are strongly related, empowerment is moderately related and integration showed a weak relationship.
THE MOVE FROM GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNANCE: Irish development policy's paradigm shift

English This article examines the evolution of Irish development policy, suggesting that it illustrates significant changes in government at both national and sub-national level. It is argued that pressures for change have arisen both beyond and below the national level of administration, as a result of reforms to Structural Funding at the European Union level and the growth of community initiatives at sub-national level.The chief consequence has been a redefinition of development policy which has impacted upon the structure of government, as well as the substance and style of policy delivery. Irish development policy now embraces social as well as economic policy objectives, and its implementation relies on the cooption into the policy arena of new actors and agencies, representing different interests in the development process. As a consequence, the design and direction of development policy now places greater emphasis on increased negotiation, partnership and subsidiarity. The extent of the change is characterised as a move towards governance in Ireland, and by doing so, the work seeks to develop the use of this term in a comparative context.
Emotional activation of limbic circuitry in elderly normal subjects in a PET study.

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to identify brain structures associated with emotion in normal elderly subjects. METHOD Eight normal subjects aged 55-78 years were shown film clips intended to provoke the emotions of happiness, fear, or disgust as well as a neutral state. During emotional activation, regional cerebral blood flow was measured with the use of [15O]H2O positron emission tomography imaging, and subjective emotional responses were recorded. Data were analyzed by subtracting the values during the neutral condition from the values in the various emotional activations. RESULTS The stimuli produced a general activation in visual pathways that included the primary and secondary visual cortex, involving regions associated with object and spatial recognition. In addition, the specific emotions produced different regional limbic activations, which suggests that different pathways may be used for different types of emotional stimuli. CONCLUSIONS Emotional activation in normal elderly subjects was associated with increases in blood flow in limbic and paralimbic brain structures. Brain activation may be specific to the emotion being elicited but probably involves complex sensory, association, and memory circuitry. Further studies are needed to identify activations that are specific for emotion.
DiaA, a Novel DnaA-binding Protein, Ensures the Timely Initiation of Escherichia coli Chromosome Replication*

The DnaA protein is the initiator of Escherichia coli chromosomal replication. In this study, we identify a novel DnaA-associating protein, DiaA, that is required for the timely initiation of replication during the cell cycle. DiaA promotes the growth of specific temperature-sensitive dnaA mutants and ensures stable minichromosome maintenance, whereas DiaA does not decrease the cellular DnaA content. A diaA::Tn5 mutation suppresses the cold-sensitive growth of an overinitiation type dnaA mutant independently of SeqA, a negative modulator of initiation. Flow cytometry analyses revealed that the timing of replication initiation is disrupted in the diaA mutant cells as well as wild-type cells with pBR322 expressing the diaA gene. Gel filtration and chemical cross-linking experiments showed that purified DiaA forms a stable homodimer. Immunoblotting analysis indicated that a single cell contains about 280 DiaA dimers. DiaA stimulates minichromosome replication in an in vitro system especially when the level of DnaA included is limited. Moreover, specific and direct binding between DnaA and DiaA was observed, which requires a DnaA N-terminal region. DiaA binds to both ATP- and ADP-bound forms of DnaA with a similar affinity. Thus, we conclude that DiaA is a novel DnaA-associating factor that is crucial to ensure the timely initiation of chromosomal replication.
Strategic Goals and Practices of Innovative Family Businesses

A profile of 231 Washington state family businesses is presented. This article focuses on the business strategies of these firms, analyzing the relationship between strategy, performance, and business practices. Firms categorized as Prospector firms reported more gains in their current market position than all other strategic types. These firms were more likely to value an effective management and employee team and to develop new quality products and services and career development plans for non‐family employees. Implications for family businesses are discussed.
Two Theoretical Issues Concerning the Differential Treatment of Trading Partners in Alien Species Management

The risk of unintentional biological invasions in a nation typically varies by trading partner. Because this recognition has been very recent, several theoretical issues concerning the differential treatment of trading partners in alien species management remain inadequately studied. Therefore, we use a dynamic and stochastic framework to shed light on two such issues in this paper. First, we compute the arrival rate functions of ships entering a seaport in a country called Home from N possible nations when the individual ship arrival rates can fluctuate over time. Second, for any arbitrary time t, we calculate the probability distribution function of the number of inspectors in the Home seaport who are busy inspecting the arriving ships from the N potential nations.
Influence of the number of meals taken per day on cardiovascular risk factors and the energy and nutrient intakes of a group of elderly people.

The aim of this investigation was to analyse the influence of the number of meals per day on a range of cardiovascular risk factors and on the energy and nutrient intakes of a group of elderly people. The participants in this study were 150 elderly people (64 men and 86 women) from Madrid. Food intake was followed over a period of 5 days. "Precise individual weighing" was used to determine the intake of institutionalized subjects (n = 58) whilst "food intake records" were used to register the same for independent subjects (n = 92). The nutrient and energy intake of the studied population was then determined from these data. The number of meals taken was also recorded. Serum cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels were determined using enzymatic methods. In this population, the meal most frequently omitted was breakfast. No subject took only one meal per day, though 7.4% took only two. 56.6% took three meals and 36% took four. No subject took more than four meals per day. As the number of meals taken increased, so too the covering of theoretical energy expenditure, and the intakes of a range of nutrients became closer to those recommended e.g. proteins, fibre, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, magnesium and iodine. As the number of meals taken per day increased, carbohydrate intake (in g/1000 Kcal and as % of energy) also increased, and approached recommended levels more closely. As observed in other studies, blood cholesterol levels were seen to be negatively correlated with increasing number of meals (r = -0.2297, p < 0.05). Further, those subjects who distributed their food intake more evenly throughout the day showed lower serum cholesterol (p < 0.05). VLDL-cholesterol (p < 0.05) and triacylglycerol levels (p < 0.05). The results favour the distribution of energy intake over the day as a method of improving nutritional status and as a factor that might improve blood lipid profiles.
Effect of Maize Starch Substitution on Physicochemical and Sensory Attributes of Gluten-Free Cookies Produced from Nixtamalized Flour

Nixtamalized corn flour (NCF) has a good dietary fiber profile that makes it an alternative to produce gluten-free cookies because upon hydration and mixing it yields a cohesive and machinable dough. In order to improve the texture and acceptance of cookies, five different experimental treatments were devised and compared with a cookie made with refined wheat flour. A waxy native maize or pregelatinized cross-linked starches in concentrations of 5% and 10% were evaluated. Results showed that the spread factor, diameter, and thickness of the different types of cookies were not statistically different (). With the exception of the control and cookies made with 10% waxy starch which were rated with lower scores, the rest of the treatments were not significantly different in terms of sensory attributes. The texture of cookies evaluated by panelists related to the objective texture was determined with the texture analyzer. Cookies made from the composite flour containing 10% pregelatinized cross-linked were softer or had lower maximum positive force after 5 days of storage. This particular gluten-free cookie contained 65% more dietary fiber compared to the wheat flour counterpart and had the best sensory attributes among all treatments including the cookie made with refined wheat flour.
Human resources, service quality and performance: a case study

The relationship between specific “bundles” of human resource management (HRM) policies and practices and organisational performance in the hospitality industry is not well understood. Based on open‐ended interviews with managerial staff, and examination of management documents, the human resource management policies and practices adopted by a luxury hotel in support of a strategic decision to enhance quality are considered in order to shed light on the nature of the relationship between HRM bundles and effectiveness in a quality‐focused service context. The main features of the HRM policy and practice changes are outlined, along with associated changes to work design and organisation structure. The changes adopted are shown to have measurable positive effects on the key indicators of service used by the organisation. Support for the most commonly discussed models of HRM in the service sector is found.