Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification and nucleotide sequences of two similar tandem direct repeats in Epstein-Barr virus DNA

Epstein-Barr virus DNA is known to have partially homologous segments, designated DL and DR, near the left and right ends of the long unique region (Raab-Traub et al., Cell 22:257-267, 1980). DL and DR are each partially composed of tandem direct repeat sequences. DL contains 11 to 14 repeats of a 124-base-pair sequence designated IR2. DR contains approximately 30 direct repeats of a 103-base-pair sequence designated IR4. The DL and DR sequences have colinear partial homology for approximately 2.4 and 1.5 kilobase pairs to the right of IR2 and IR4, respectively. IR2 and IR4 are similar sequences and evolved in part from a common ancestor. Both sequences are 84% guanine and cytosine and have limited homology to Epstein-Barr virus IR1 and to the herpes simplex virus type 1 inverted terminal repeat "a" sequence. IR2 encodes part of an abundant 2.5-kilobase persistent early EBV RNA expressed in productively infected cells, but does not encode part of the 3-kilobase Epstein-Barr virus RNA which is transcribed from the adjacent IR1-U2 region of the Epstein-Barr virus genome in latently infected cells.
Banking Crises and Crisis Dating: Disentangling Shocks and Policy Responses

Abstract We construct theory-based measures of systemic bank shocks. These measures complement banking crisis indicators employed in many empirical studies, which we show capture (lagged) policy responses to systemic bank shocks. To illustrate the importance of disentangling shocks and policy responses to these shocks, we assess the impact of deposit insurance and safety net guarantees on both the probability of a systemic bank shock and that of a policy response. We find that deposit insurance and safety net guarantees do not affect the probability of a systemic bank shock, but increase the probability of a policy response to such a shock, consistent with the results of the previous literature. The joint use of measures of systemic bank shocks and policy responses may lead to a policy-relevant re-interpretation of the findings of a large empirical literature.
Three empirical essays on the impact of discretion on public procurement performance

The use of discretion in public procurement may take place at different stages of the procurement process. The economic literature has widely investigated the benefits and limitations of its use. This dissertation focuses on two dimensions of discretion. First, a public authority has to decide whether to provide a public service in-house or privately. This dissertation empirically investigates the determinants of both remunicipalizations and privatizations for the water distribution services. This decision to switch appears to be mainly driven by economic efficiency reasons. Also, a tendency to switch from one regime to another one in neighboring municipalities influences this decision. Second, this dissertation focuses on public buyer's discretionary power towards the award mechanism. The economic literature acknowledges that even though discretion may yield a better value for money when awarding a contract, it may also facilitate corruption. This dissertation analyzes the impact of investigation for corruption over the degree of buyer's discretion used. As a matter of fact, a municipality investigated for corruption does not react by using less award procedures that allow for discretionary power. Only neighbors of municipalities that are eventually found guilty react, suggesting that responsive neighbors to investigation might also be involved in the case under investigation. Finally, the question of the effect of discretionary power over the likelihood to select a productive supplier is addressed. It follows that an award procedure that allows for discretionary power leads to the selection of less productive firms than an award procedure that does not.
Differential expression of complement C3 and C4 in the human kidney.

Complement activation is associated with a variety of immunologically-mediated renal diseases. Proximal tubular epithelial cells in situ constitutively express messenger RNA for C4 of the complement system. These same epithelial cells in culture have been reported to contain message for C3 and to secrete this protein when stimulated by IL-2. The present study compared the in situ localization of C3 and C4 message in parallel in a variety of renal biopsy and nephrectomy specimens. All adequate tissue samples (n = 23) had C4 mRNA throughout in the cortical tubular epithelium. Although C3 message was also expressed in tubular epithelial cells, there was much greater variation in its distribution. mRNA for C3 was not detected in histologically normal specimens (n = 4) either by in situ or Northern hybridization. Focal C3 message correlated with focal histologic abnormalities (e.g., focal glomerulosclerosis), while more generalized C3 signal occurred in specimens with more diffuse inflammatory processes (e.g., SLE). Infiltrating inflammatory cells and cells of the glomeruli were uniformly negative for C3 (and C4) message. Tubular C3 and C4 mRNA appeared to be translated, since selected specimens showed cytoplasmic staining by monoclonal antibodies to C3c and C4c. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that local production of inflammatory mediators could induce C3 synthesis in the renal interstitium, with the possibility that subsequent complement activation could enhance the pathogenic process.
Granular and dysgranular retrosplenial cortices provide qualitatively different contributions to spatial working memory: evidence from immediate‐early gene imaging in rats

The present study revealed striking task‐dependent differences in immediate‐early gene activity in the two main subregions (granular and dysgranular) of the retrosplenial cortex. In addition, there were activity differences along the rostro‐caudal axis of both subregions. Two groups of rats were trained on a working memory task in a radial‐arm maze, one group in the light, the other in the dark. Each working memory group had two sets of yoked controls. Working memory consistently increased retrosplenial immediate‐early gene activity (c‐fos and zif268 ), although systematic differences occurred in the granular and dysgranular subregions. Both c‐fos and zif268 expression increased in granular cortex irrespective of whether the spatial memory task was in the light or dark. In contrast, only in the light did spatial memory increase dysgranular cortex activation. Correlations based on the counts of Fos‐positive cells helped to reinforce the particular association between the dysgranular retrosplenial cortex and radial‐arm maze performance in the light. These results provide clear evidence for proposed functional differences between the major retrosplenial subregions: the granular cortex contributes to spatial learning and navigation based on both internal and external cues (light and dark), while dysgranular cortex is more selectively involved when distal visual cues control performance (light only).
Rituximab for the treatment of patients with very high‐titre acquired factor VIII inhibitors refractory to conventional chemotherapy

Summary. Acquired factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors are a rare cause of coagulopathy which are associated with a high mortality rate. Treatment of bleeding episodes is often difficult and may vary with the degree of titre elevation. Individuals with very high‐titre antibodies [>100 Bethesda units mL−1 (BU)] may have difficulty achieving a complete sustained remission and, consequently, various treatments including immunosuppression, cytotoxic chemotherapy and plasmapheresis have been reported. Rituximab is an anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody which has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of individuals with acquired FVIII inhibitors, however there is limited data in the subgroup of patients with inhibitor titres >100 BU. In this study, we present four patients with acquired FVIII inhibitor titres >100 BU who were resistant to initial therapy with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone. The patients’ inhibitor titres ranged from 249 BU mL−1 to 725 BU mL−1 and all received 4 weekly infusions of rituximab at 375 mg m−2. Each patient partially responded to rituximab therapy with an improvement in inhibitor titres and FVIII activity, however, three of the four patients relapsed thereafter. The individual who did not relapse achieved a partial response for 13 months and then died of causes unrelated to her coagulopathy. We conclude that in patients with acquired FVIII inhibitors and titres >100 BU, treatment with rituximab alone is effective but not sufficient to achieve a sustained response. Rituximab in combination with other therapies may provide a better result in this high‐risk population.
Intragraft expression of recipient‐type ABO blood group antigens: Long‐term follow‐up and histological features after liver transplantation

Several reports have shown detection of recipient‐type ABO histo‐blood group antigens (r‐ABOAg) in the liver allograft, which may represent either true intragraft chimerism or other events such as cell injury. Little is known about factors that affect the timing and extent of r‐ABOAg expression in the graft. We examined 65 recipients who underwent ABO nonidentical living donor liver transplantation (61 compatible, 4 incompatible). Ninety‐seven postoperative specimens (71 episode biopsies, 16 protocol biopsies, and 10 explanted allografts) were available for evaluation with immunohistochemistry of ABH blood type antigens. The expression of r‐ABOAg was assessed in relation to histological and clinical factors. Capillaries in the portal tracts were the primary sites of r‐ABOAg expression. The percentage of specimens showing r‐ABOAg expression increased with lengthening of the post‐transplantation period. Only 1 (4%) of 28 specimens showed endothelium with r‐ABOAg within 1 year after the procedure, but 10 (29%) of 35 did between 1 and 5 years after transplantation and 21 (62%) of 34 after more than 5 years. Proportional analysis found that chronic rejection was a significant factor (P = 0.006) for any r‐ABOAg expression in the capillaries, and allograft portal fibrosis was a significant predictive factor for extensive r‐ABOAg expression (seen in more than one third of the portal tracts) in the capillaries (P = 0.017). Sex mismatch, age of recipients, age of donors, graft/recipient body weight ratio, and histology other than chronic rejection and fibrosis did not correlate with the expression of r‐ABOAg. In conclusion, these observations suggest that portal capillaries with r‐ABOAg are the results of graft injury and repair, and some of them may be neovessels of recipient origin. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:547–554.)
Do Future Bureaucrats Punish More? The Effect of PSM and Studying Public Administration on Contributions and Punishment in a Public Goods Game

ABSTRACT: This study tests the effect of PSM and studying public administration on subjects' behavior in a repeated Public Goods Game with a costly option to punish free riders. Conducting the experiment on 136 students from three subject pools (public administration, social science and business science) shows the following: (1) PSM has a twofold effect, as compassion is associated with higher contributions and attraction to policy making is associated with punishing free riders. (2) Students of public administration do not contribute more than the other two student groups, but they are more likely to punish free riders. (3) Both, attraction to policy making and studying public administration, are associated with more severe behavior towards free riding, as these subjects punish even small amounts of free riding. Due to its implications for policy-implementation, it seems to be worthwhile to pay more attention to preferences of social norm enforcement when selecting public personnel.
An elusive Neotropical giant, Hondurantemna chespiritoi gen. n. & sp. n. (Antemninae, Mantidae): a new lineage of mantises exhibiting an ontogenetic change in cryptic strategy

Abstract We present the description of a new genus and new species of praying mantis, Hondurantemna chespiritoi gen. n. & sp. n. This species of cryptic mantis, collected in National parks in Mexico and Honduras, remained unknown despite its considerable body size. Based on a phylogenetic analysis with molecular data and traditional morphological analysis, we place this new genus within Antemninae, a monotypic Mantidae subfamily. We update the subfamily concept for Antemninae and provide a key to the two genera. We describe the external morphology of immatures and adults of the new species as well as the genital complexes of both sexes and the ootheca of Antemna rapax. The observed morphological changes between immature and adult females suggests that the selection for an alternate strategy for crypsis is a response to size increase of the abdomen during development. Immatures exploit a stick/branch habitat based on their morphological appearance while adult females appear as a leaf to disguise the profile of the body.
Nuclear localization of the dystrophin‐associated protein α‐dystrobrevin through importin α2/β1 is critical for interaction with the nuclear lamina/maintenance of nuclear integrity

Although α‐dystrobrevin (DB) is assembled into the dystrophin‐associated protein complex, which is central to cytoskeletal organization, it has also been found in the nucleus. Here we delineate the nuclear import pathway responsible for nuclear targeting of α‐DB for the first time, together with the importance of nuclear α‐DB in determining nuclear morphology. We map key residues of the nuclear localization signal of α‐DB within the zinc finger domain (ZZ) using various truncated versions of the protein, and site‐directed mutagenesis. Pulldown, immunoprecipitation, and AlphaScreen assays showed that the importin (IMP) α2/β1 heterodimer interacts with high affinity with the ZZ domain of α‐DB. In vitro nuclear import assays using antibodies to specific importins, as well as in vivo studies using siRNA or a dominant negative importin construct, confirmed the key role of IMPα2/β1in α‐DB nuclear translocation. Knockdown of α‐DB expression perturbed cell cycle progression in C2C12 myoblasts, with decreased accumulation of cells in S phase and, significantly, altered localization of lamins A/C, B1, and B2 with accompanying gross nuclear morphology defects. Because α‐DB interacts specifically with lamin B1 in vivo and in vitro, nuclear α‐DB would appear to play a key role in nuclear shape maintenance through association with the nuclear lamina. —Aguilar, A. , Wagstaff, K. M. , Suárez‐Sánchez, R. , Zinker, S. , Jans, D. A. , Cisneros, B. Nuclear localization of the dystrophin‐associated protein α‐dystrobrevin through importin α2/β1 is critical for interaction with the nuclear lamina/maintenance of nuclear integrity. FASEB J. 29, 1842‐1858 (2015). www.fasebj. org
DNA Methylation of a GC Repressor Element in the Smooth Muscle Myosin Heavy Chain Promoter Facilitates Binding of the Notch-Associated Transcription Factor, RBPJ/CSL1

Objective— The goal of the present study was to identify novel mechanisms that regulate smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation marker gene expression. Approach and Results— We demonstrate that the CArG-containing regions of many SMC-specific promoters are imbedded within CpG islands. A previously identified GC repressor element in the SM myosin heavy chain (MHC) promoter was highly methylated in cultured aortic SMC but not in the aorta, and this difference was inversely correlated with SM MHC expression. Using an affinity chromatography/mass spectroscopy–based approach, we identified the multifunctional Notch transcription factor, recombination signal binding protein for immunoglobulin &kgr; J region (RBPJ), as a methylated GC repressor–binding protein. RBPJ protein levels and binding to the endogenous SM MHC GC repressor were enhanced by platelet-derived growth factor-BB treatment. A methylation mimetic mutation to the GC repressor that facilitated RBPJ binding inhibited SM MHC promoter activity as did overexpression of RBPJ. Consistent with this, knockdown of RBPJ in phenotypically modulated human aortic SMC enhanced endogenous SMC marker gene expression, an effect likely mediated by increased recruitment of serum response factor and Pol II to the SMC-specific promoters. In contrast, the depletion of RBPJ in differentiated transforming growth factor-&bgr;–treated SMC inhibited SMC-specific gene activation, supporting the idea that the effects of RBPJ/Notch signaling are context dependent. Conclusions— Our results indicate that methylation-dependent binding of RBPJ to a GC repressor element can negatively regulate SM MHC promoter activity and that RBPJ can inhibit SMC marker gene expression in phenotypically modulated SMC. These results will have important implications on the regulation of SMC phenotype and on Notch-dependent transcription.
Cholesterol atheromatous embolism: an increasingly recognized cause of acute renal failure.

BACKGROUND Cholesterol atheromatous embolism is a systemic disease resulting from cholesterol crystal embolization to many organs, including the kidney. Vascular surgery, vascular radiology investigations and anticoagulation have been identified as inciting factors. METHODS Fifteen patients with extensive atherosclerosis, presenting with simultaneous occurrence of acute renal failure and peripheral ischaemic changes were diagnosed as having acute renal failure due to cholesterol atheromatous embolism. RESULTS The patients, 12 men and three women, had an average age of 65 years. In one patient, spontaneous occurrence of the disease was observed. An inciting factor was identified in 14 patients: aortography in 10, aortic surgery in two, and thrombolysis in two. Clinical course of acute renal failure was quite variable. Four patients required dialysis; 11 were conservatively managed. All patients had concomitant skin lesions, including digital mottling, cyanosis and gangrene of the toes, and livedo reticularis of the lower limb and abdomen. Eosinophilia was the most common laboratory abnormality. The diagnosis of cholesterol atheromatous embolism was confirmed by tissue examination in eight; in three it was based on the finding of retinal cholesterol emboli; in four patients it was made on clinical grounds. Seven patients died within 36 months. Death was most commonly from cardiac causes. CONCLUSIONS Since the population at risk for cholesterol embolism is growing and the disease is iatrogenic in origin, we should expect to detect cholesterol embolism with greater frequency as cause of acute renal failure in the future.
International Migrant Remittances And Financial Sector Development: Evidence From West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ)

In this study, we examined the effect of international migrant remittances on financial sector development with a panel of 6 countries in West Africa Monetary Zone (WAMZ). The novelty provided by our study is that we examined the effect of migrant remittances not only on the depth of the financial sectors but also on the efficiency and stability of the financial sector development which many studies failed to cover. We employed one-step differenced-Generalized Method Moments on a panel data of 6 countries and 21 observations (1996-2016) from each country. Our findings showed that international migrant remittances positively contribute to financial sector development in WAMZ. The result of robustness test indicates that the effect of remittances on the depth of the financial sector depends on the type of proxy variable used. We, therefore, recommended that effort should be made by the government to promote inflow of migrant remittances into the WAMZ sub-region. The inflow of migrant remittances according to World Bank (2015), has a far-reaching effect not only on the national level but also at the community and household level. Various researchers (Azam, Haseeb, and Samsudin Amaechina, Enebeli-Uzor and Clemens and Mckenzie Cooray El Hamma Fromentin Githaiga and Kabiru (2014), Karikari, Mensah and Harey Meyer and Shera Ncube and Brixiova (2013), (2012), Salahuddin and Gow Urama, Nwosu, and Waheed, Awoyemi, Shittu, and Olowa have examined the impact of migrant remittances on economic growth, productivity of labour, financial sector development, poverty and inequality of home countries and end up with varied results. Despite what appears to be a unanimous conclusion on some macroeconomic variables, evidence on remittances-financial sector development nexus seems to be conflicting. Fromentin and Lorraine and Cooray reported a positive impact of remittances on financial system development, while Githaiga and Kabiru (2014), indicated that remittances have a negative impact on credit to private sector and positive impact on money supply (M2). Karikari, Mensah and Harey (2016), also found that remittances do not promote financial development. This study seeks to investigate further the effect of remittances on the financial sector development, which is related to some of the literature reported above. Most of the reported literature examined the effect of remittances on the depth of the financial institution only by employing credit to private sector, M2, total bank deposit all as a ratio of GDP which measures only the depth of the financial sector. This study differs from the previous studies by examining not only the depth of the financial sectorbut will also examine the efficiency and stability of the financial sector null test and test for autocorrelation. No autocorrelation is reported in null hypothesis AR(1) p-values of first and last models are p-value model and based on we reject the null hypothesis at AR(1).
Postnatal Triiodothyronine Concentrations in Healthy Preterm Infants and in Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Summary: Postnatal changes in triiodothyroninc (T3) concentration were investigated in 12 preterm infants of 26–34 weeks of gestational age. Blood for measurement of T3 was obtained from the cord at delivery and from infants at 1 day of age and at weekly intervals for 4 weeks. Seven of the babies suffered from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and five were considered healthy. Gestational ages and body weight were comparable in both groups. In preterm infants with RDS, cord blood T3 concentration was significantly lower than that in cord blood of babies without RDS (22 ± 2.6 versus 36 ± 5 ng/dl, P < 0.05). There was no significant rise in T3 concentration of RDS babies at 24 hr of age (22 ± 2.6 versus 34.0 ± 8 ng/dl, P > 0.05), and hypotriiodothyroninemia persisted for 3 weeks. At 4 weeks of age, T3 concentration in babies with RDS, although within the normal range (80–190 ng/dl), was significantly lower than that in the healthy preterm infants (110 ± 10 versus 165 ± 11 ng/dl, P < 0.05). Postnatal T3 changes in healthy preterm infants were characterised by the absence of the initial hypertriiodothyroninemia and by a gradual rise within the first month of life. The noted difference in the pattern of postnatal T3 changes in healthy preterm infants compared to full term infants may reflecd thyroid immaturity. The mechanism and the significance of the neonatal hypotriiodothyroninemia in RDS and its long term effects on the development of these babies remain to be investigated.Speculation: Triiodo and tetraiodo hypothyroninemia seem to have been established as a concommitant of the respiratory distress syndrome. The significance of these findings in the pathophysiology of RDS remains unclear at this point. The existing evidence of thyroid deficiency before clinical onset of RDS and the experimental data in favor of a significant role of thyroid hormones in the maturation of lung surfactant suggest a causal relationship.