Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
JIP-test in assessing sensitivity to nitrogen deficiency in two cultivars of Actinidia arguta (Siebold et Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq.

Optimal nitrogen availability is necessary to keep high photosynthetic efficiency and in consequence, good physiological condition and growth of plants. In order to examine the effect of N nutrition on photosynthetic apparatus performance we used the chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChF) technique in two differing Actinidia cultivars and we aimed to select the most reliable ChF parameters showing N deficiency. The 4-years-old specimens growing on an experimental plantation were treated with three differing N doses and ChF data were collected during two years. The results showed that PSII performance indices, performance index on the absorption basis and total performance index, are useful to detect the overall decrease in photosynthetic apparatus vitality. Efficiency of electron movement beyond QA into the electron transport chain was more susceptible to different N nutritions than maximum quantum efficiency, while a pool of QA reducing reaction centres per PSII antenna chlorophyll, RC/ABS, and a number of QA reducing reaction centres per cross section of a sample, RC/CS0, were the best indicators of N deficiency.
What's fair? Sharing chances or sharing money? Preliminary draft { Do not cite

This paper investigates experimentally whether subjects prefer to share money with another subject directly or rather share the chances to obtain the entire amount (whereby the expected payo of any subject remains the same across the two options). This design allows us to test attitude towards risk in a social context. The ndings can be summarized as follows: overall there is a preference for sharing the money rather than using a random device, at least for choices involving favourable inequality. For unfavourably unequal distributions, subjects show relatively more risk-loving, in particular when compared to equivalent individual choices under risk. One interpretation is that subjects treat other's payo as a
Regulation of fatty acid movement in human adipose tissue in the postabsorptive-to-postprandial transition.

There is net outward flow of fatty acids from adipose tissue in the fasted state but net inward flow and storage in the postprandial state. We investigated how this is regulated. Arteriovenous differences were measured across a subcutaneous adipose depot in six normal subjects before and for 5 h after a meal containing 80 g fat and 80 g carbohydrate. In five further experiments, insulin was infused at 40 mU.m-2.min-1 from 30 min after the meal, clamping the plasma glucose. Net transcapillary fatty acid flow changed from negative (outward flow from tissue to capillaries) in the postabsorptive state to consistently positive (net inward flow, implying fat storage) after the meal despite continued net efflux of fatty acids into venous blood. In the "clamped" experiments (with additional insulin), net fatty acid efflux in the venous blood was suppressed and positive transcapillary flux (storage) was more marked. Regulation of fatty acid flow appeared to depend on coordinated changes in hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) action and fatty acid esterification. Additional insulin caused no further suppression of HSL or activation of LPL but markedly stimulated fatty acid retention (presumed to represent esterification). In the absence of additional insulin, a high proportion of the fatty acids liberated by LPL are released into the venous plasma in both postabsorptive and postprandial states. We hypothesize that this "loss" of fatty acids is necessary to give precise control to the pathway of fat storage.
Genetic evidence for an activator required for induction of colicin-like bacteriocin 28b production in Serratia marcescens by DNA-damaging agents

Bacteriocin 28b production is induced by mitomycin in wild-type Serratia marcescens 2170 but not in Escherichia coli harboring the bacteriocin 28b structural gene (bss). Studies with a bss-lacZ transcriptional fusion showed that mitomycin increased the level of bss gene transcription in S. marcescens but not in the E. coli background. A S. marcescens Tn5 insertion mutant was obtained (S. marcescens 2170 reg::Tn5) whose bacteriocin 28b production and bss gene transcription were not increased by mitomycin treatment. Cloning and DNA sequencing of the mutated region showed that the Tn5 insertion was flanked by an SOS box sequence and three genes that are probably cotranscribed (regA, regB, and regC). These three genes had homology to phage holins, phage lysozymes, and the Ogr transcriptional activator of P2 and related bacteriophages, respectively. Recombinant plasmid containing this wild-type DNA region complemented the reg::Tn5 regulatory mutant. A transcriptional fusion between a 157-bp DNA fragment, containing the apparent SOS box upstream of the regA gene, and the cat gene showed increased chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity upon mitomycin treatment. Upstream of the bss gene, a sequence similar to the consensus sequence proposed to bind Ogr protein was found, but no sequence similar to an SOS box was detected. Our results suggest that transcriptional induction of bacteriocin 28b upon mitomycin treatment is mediated by the regC gene whose own transcription would be LexA dependent.
How Strong Is the Hydrogen Bond in Hybrid Perovskites?

Hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites represent a special class of metal–organic framework where a molecular cation is encased in an anionic cage. The molecule–cage interaction influences phase stability, phase transformations, and the molecular dynamics. We examine the hydrogen bonding in four AmBX3 formate perovskites: [Am]Zn(HCOO)3, with Am+ = hydrazinium (NH2NH3+), guanidinium (C(NH2)3+), dimethylammonium (CH3)2NH2+, and azetidinium (CH2)3NH2+. We develop a scheme to quantify the strength of hydrogen bonding in these systems from first-principles, which separates the electrostatic interactions between the amine (Am+) and the BX3– cage. The hydrogen-bonding strengths of formate perovskites range from 0.36 to 1.40 eV/cation (8–32 kcalmol–1). Complementary solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirms that strong hydrogen bonding hinders cation mobility. Application of the procedure to hybrid lead halide perovskites (X = Cl, Br, I, Am+ = CH3NH3+, CH(NH2)2+) shows that these compounds have significantly weaker hydrogen-bonding energies of 0.09 to 0.27 eV/cation (2–6 kcalmol–1), correlating with lower order–disorder transition temperatures.
How Do Exchange Rates Move Following an Expansionary Monetary Policy?

This paper makes inquiries into the adjustment and evolution of the exchange rate towards its new long-run equilibrium level following a change in money supply. Joint and sequential effects of interest rate parities and sticky prices on the rise, from the short-term through to the long-run horizon, have been scrutinized. A pattern in exchange rate adjustments and movements has emerged that is featured by reverse movements of the exchange rate in the short-term, which is largely regulated by interest rate parities, prior to its eventual convergence to the new long-run equilibrium, which is confined to the working of PPP. Calibrations of the model with actual exchange rate data are performed in the study. Effects of recent quantitative easing exercises fit the featured pattern delicately well.
Sperm competition games: the risk model can generate higher sperm allocation to virgin females

We examine the risk model in sperm competition games for cases where female fertility increases significantly with sperm numbers (sperm limitation). Without sperm competition, sperm allocation increases with sperm limitation. We define ‘average risk’ as the probability q that females in the population mate twice, and ‘perceived risk’ as the information males gain about the sperm competition probability with individual females. If males obtain no information from individual females, sperm numbers increase with q unless sperm limitation is high and one of the two competing ejaculates is strongly disfavoured. If males can distinguish between virgin and mated females, greater sperm allocation to virgins is favoured by high sperm limitation, high q, and by the second male's ejaculate being disfavoured. With high sperm limitation, sperm allocation to virgins increases and to mated females decreases with q at high q levels. With perfect information about female mating pattern, sperm allocation (i) to virgins that will mate again exceeds that to mated females and to virgins that will mate only once, (ii) to virgins that mate only once exceeds that for mated females if q is high and there is high second male disadvantage and (iii) to each type of female can decrease with q if sperm limitation is high, although the average allocation increases at least across low q levels. In general, higher sperm allocation to virgins is favoured by: strong disadvantage to the second ejaculate, high sperm limitation, high average risk and increased information (perceived risk). These conditions may apply in a few species, especially spiders.
Event-triggering stabilization of real and complex linear systems with disturbances over digital channels

In the same way that subsequent pauses in spoken language are used to convey information, it is also possible to transmit information in communication systems not only by message content but also with its timing. In this work, we consider an event-triggering strategy that exploits timing information by transmitting in a state-dependent fashion. We consider stabilization of a continuous-time, time-invariant, linear system over a digital communication channel with bounded delay and in the presence of bounded system disturbance. For small values of the delay, we show that exploiting timing information one can stabilize the system with any positive transmission rate. However, for delay values larger than a critical threshold, the timing information is not enough for stabilization and the sensor needs to increase the transmission rate. Compared to previous work, our results provide a novel necessary condition for scalar system subject to disturbances and a novel encoding-decoding scheme for complex systems, which can be readily applied to diagonalizable multivariate system with complex eigenvalues. Our results are illustrated in numerical simulation of several scenarios.
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphism and risk of chronic myelogenous leukemia: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE Reported evidence supports a role for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) in the risk of chronic myelogenous leykemia (CML). However, these reports arrived at non-conclusive and even conflicting results regarding the association between two common MTHFR polymorphisms (C677T and A1298C) and CML risk. Thus, a meta-analysis was carried out to clarify a more precise association between these two polymorphisms and the CML risk by updating the available publications. METHODS Pooled odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and stratification analysis were performed to estimate the relationship between MTHFR polymorphisms and the risk of CML under different genetic comparison models. RESULTS Data from the meta-analysis showed no significant association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and CML risk. However, significant associations were found between MTHFR A1298C variants and CML risk under homozygous comparison model (CC vs AA, OR=1.62, 95% CI=1.11-2.36, p=0.01) and dominant comparison model (CC+AC vs AA, OR=1.68, 95% CI=1.17-2.43, p=0.005) in overall population; especially more obvious impacts were noticed for Asian populations in subgroup analysis for homozygous model (CC vs AA, OR=2.00, 95% CI=1.25-3.21, p=0.004) and dominant model (CC+AC vs AA, OR=2.49, 95% CI=1.42-4.36, p=0.001), but this did not apply in Caucasian populations. CONCLUSION The results of this meta-analysis suggested no significant association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and CML risk, while an increased CML risk was noticed for 1298C variant carriers, especially in Asian populations but not in Caucasian populations, which suggested ethnicity differences between MTHFR A1298C polymorphisms and risk of CML.
Molecular activities and ligand-binding specificities of StAR-related lipid transfer domains: exploring integrated in silico methods and ensemble-docking approaches

Abstract In this study, cholesterol biotransformation gene-set of human steroidogenic acute regulatory protein-related lipid transfer (START) domains were evaluated from high-throughput gene screening approaches. It was shown that STARD1, STARD3 and STARD4 proteins are better effective transporters of cholesterol than STARD5 and STARD6 domains. Docking studies show a strong agreement with gene ontology enrichment data. According to both complementary strategies, it was found that only STARD1, STARD3 and STARD4 are potentially involved in cholesterol biotransformation in mitochondria through Ω1-loop of C-terminal α4-helical domain. Ensemble docking assessment for a set of selected chemicals of protein–chemical networks has shown possible binding probabilities with START domains. Among those, reproductive toxicity evoked drugs (mifepristone), insecticides (rotenone), tobacco pulmonary carcinogens (benzo(a)pyrene) and endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) including perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) potentially bound with novel hotspot residues of the α4-helical domain. Compound representation space and clustering approaches reveal that the START proteins show more sensitivity with these lead scaffolds, so they could provide probable barrier assets in cholesterol and steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) binding and leads adverse consequences in steroidogenesis. These findings indicate potential START domains and their binding levels with toxic chemicals; sorted viewpoints could be useful as a promising way to identify chemicals with related steroidogenisis impacts on human health.
GENETICAL STUDIES ON SOME IMPORTANT TRAITS IN RAPE SEED (CANOLA)

This study aimed to investigate the type of gene action and the relative amount of genetic variations as well as their interactions with locations. The study included the eight lines DH1, DH3, DH4, DH5, DH6, DH7, DH8 and DH9. These lines were homozygote. The two testers Serw6 and Serw8 were ued to produce (8 lines X 2 testers) 16 F1 hybrids. All genotypes were evaluated at two different locations. The data were recorded for some traits including: Days to 50 % flowering, plant height in centimeters, number of primary branches per plant, number of silique per plant, Weight of 1000 seeds, Seed yield per plant in grams and Oil percent. The mean squares of locations, genotypes were highly significant for all studied traits. Also, the genotypes by locations interactions mean squares were highly significant for all traits. These genotypes indicating the presence of real differences between these genotypes for these traits.These genotypes gave also different performances at the different environments. The results showed that the means of F1 hybrids were earlier where they showed less for Days to 50 % flowering, in plant height the hybrids were shorter. Thus, negative but desirable heterosis values over mid-parents and high-parent of (DH5 x Serw8) were observed for days to 50 % flowering, plant height, and weight of 1000 seed traits. Significant and desirable GCA effect were exhibited for the two parents DH4 and DH5 for Days to 50 % flowering and plant height while it was undesirable for the other studied traits. Significant and desirable SCA effect were exhibited in the F1 hybrid DH5 x Serw8 for Days to 50 % flowering and plant height while it was undesirable for the other studied traits. The results revealed that additive effects play a major role in the expression of studied traits, while dominance effects had a minor role for the other trait. Heritability estimates in broad sense (h2ь %) ) and narrow sense (h 2 n) for all traits were high. Days to 50 % flowering, Plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of silique per plant, Weight of 1000 seeds, Seed yield per plant in grams and Oil percent were: (92.09, 94.26, 36.01, 0.0, 74.13, 75.59, 9.41) and (57.96, 64.23, 27.35 , 0.0, 44.48, 75.59, 0.0) for broad and narrow sense heritability, respectively.
A real-world evidence of efficacy of palliative gastrectomy plus chemotherapy in metastatic gastric cancer patients

Background: The benefit of palliative gastrectomy for patients with metastatic gastric cancer (mGC) is controversial, and suitable candidates for surgery and treatment strategies remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of palliative gastrectomy plus chemotherapy among patients with mGC and to identify the potential patients for such treatment using real-world data. Methods: A dataset of 236 patients with mGC diagnosed at the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. The cohort comprised 80 patients who had palliative gastrectomy plus chemotherapy (SC) and 156 patients who had chemotherapy only (CO). Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to minimize the influence of confounders. Results: The median overall survival of the SC group was significantly better than that of the CO group (Before PSM: 17.0 months vs 12.0 months, P=0.038; after PSM: 17.0 months vs 13.0 months, P=0.017). In the multivariate analysis, SC (Before PSM: hazard ratio (HR) =0.68, P=0.023; after PSM: HR =0.64, P=0.021) was favored for better survival after adjustment for sex, age, year of diagnosis, primary tumor location, and tumor grade. Total gastrectomy (P=0.026) was associated with worse survival for the SC group. The significant survival advantage of SC over CO was retained in patients with single organ metastasis (P=0.016), peritoneal seedings (P=0.039), and those receiving taxane-based chemotherapy (P=0.011). Conclusion: SC could improve the overall survival of patients with mGC as compared with CO. The chemotherapy regimen and type of resection were proven to influence efficacy. Patients who received taxane-based regimens might be suitable for palliative gastrectomy.
Able or unable to work? Life trajectory after severe occupational injury

Abstract Purpose: To study the probabilities and permanence of return to work, inability to work and rehabilitation, and to explore the connection between these life situations and later working after a severe occupational injury. Materials and methods: A historical cohort of Finnish workers with a severe occupational injury during 2008 (N = 11,585) were followed up annually on the outcomes of return to work over a 5-year observation period. We examined transition probabilities from one life situation to another with Markov chain analysis, and applied logistic regression with generalized estimating equations to assess the effect of register-based determinants on return to work. Results: Within the five anniversaries, 85% of the injured were working, 9% were unable to work (fully or partly) and 2% received rehabilitation. Age, gross annual income, type of work, injured body part, injury type and the injured’s annual condition subsequent to the work injury were significant determinants of return to work. Conclusions: The probability of return to work decreased with time, but, on average, one-fifth of the injured workers succeeded in return to work after being unable to work on the previous anniversary, which indicates that it is worthwhile to conduct efforts for this target group in order to promote return to work. Implications for Rehabilitation The current life situation of the injured should be taken into account when promoting return to work, as it is a strong predictor of later working after a serious occupational injury. Rehabilitation and return to work programs should start in time due to declining return to work rates as the disability continues. Return to work on a part-time basis could be a good option during the early phases of recovery, since a notable proportion of those partly unable to work on the first anniversary returned later to full-time workers. The probability of recovery is relatively high even for those with long-term disabilities, so the promotion of return to work is highly recommended also for this target group.
Growth of Public Expenditure and Bureaucracy in Kuwait

This paper aims at studying the phenomenon of increasing public expenditure and growth of bureaucracy in Kuwait. The study attempts to assess the impact of certain macro and micro factors on public expenditure through statistical analysis. The findings show a very strong positive correlation between public expenditure and certain micro factors such as expansion of education and health services. There is also a positive relation between public expenditure and such macro factors as per capita income and population. However, this correlation is not as strong as with the micro factors. The study suggests six groups of factors that may have been responsible for the growth in public expenditure which is not explained by the micro factors specified above. In the light of this evidence, the paper puts forward some recommendations and points out certain areas for future study.
The linkage between Na+ uptake and ammonia excretion in rainbow trout: kinetic analysis, the effects of (NH4)2SO4 and NH4HCO3 infusion and the influence of gill boundary layer pH

The nature of the linkage between between branchial ammonia excretion (JAmm) and unidirectional Na+ influx (JNain) was studied in the freshwater rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Arterial plasma total [ammonia], PNH3 and JAmm were all elevated approximately threefold by intravascular infusion for 24 h with either 70 mmol l-1 (NH4)2SO4 or 140 mmol l-1 NH4HCO3 at a rate of approximately 400 micromol kg-1 h-1. Both treatments markedly stimulated JNain. NH4HCO3 induced metabolic alkalosis in the blood plasma, whereas (NH4)2SO4 caused a slight metabolic acidosis. Experiments with Hepes-buffered water (5 mmol l-1) under control conditions demonstrated that increases in gill boundary layer pH were associated with decreases in both JNain and JAmm. Thus, the stimulation of JNain caused by ammonium loading was not simply a consequence of a Na+-coupled H+ extrusion mechanism activated by internal acidosis or by alkalosis in the gill boundary layer. Indeed, there was no stimulation of net acidic equivalent excretion accompanying NH4HCO3 infusion. Michaelis-Menten kinetic analysis by acute variation of water [Na+] demonstrated that both infusions caused an almost twofold increase in JNamax but no significant change in Km, indicative of an increase in transporter number or internal counterion availability without an alteration in transporter affinity for external Na+. The increase in JNain was larger with (NH4)2SO4 than with NH4HCO3 infusion and in both cases lower than the increase in JAmm. Additional evidence of quantitative uncoupling was seen in the kinetics experiments, in which acute changes in JNain of up to threefold had negligible effects on JAmm under either control or ammonium-loaded conditions. In vitro measurements of branchial Na+/K+-ATPase activity demonstrated no effect of NH4+ concentration over the concentration range observed in vivo in infused fish. Overall, these results are consistent with a dominant role for NH3 diffusion as the normal mechanism of ammonia excretion, but indicate that ammonium loading directly stimulates JNain, perhaps by activation of a non-obligatory Na+/NH4+ exchange rather than by an indirect effect (e.g. Na+-coupled H+ excretion) mediated by altered internal or external acid-base status.