Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of State Minimum Wage Legislation on the Labor Supply Decisions of Parents

In the face of a rather stagnant federal minimum wage, many states have enacted generous wage levels exceeding the federal standard, while other states have not. Over the years, this distinction has provided favorable circumstances for studying the effects of this policy. The intention of the minimum wage has always been to aid low-income adults, ideally ensuring enough income to afford the bare necessities. Researchers have endeavored to expose whether the policy truly works as originally envisioned. This paper adds to the vast literature by examining the effect of state minimum wage hikes on the labor supply decisions made by parents. Specifically, my research focuses on the intensive margin of labor supply, namely hours of work per week. I use data from the Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group to study this effect. My sample comprises a wide variety of people, and utilizes different model specifications to robustly analyze the demographic of interest: parents. The models include ordinary least squares (OLS), linear probability model (LPM), logit, triple differencing, and Heckman selection correction. The results of this research suggest that there is indeed a negative, but quite small, labor supply effect from boosts to state minimum wages. My analysis also indicates an additional slight negative response for parents compared to non-parents, but with limited statistical significance depending on the model. In some cases, the effect is more robust and statistically significant when considering parents with young children, particularly children under the age of five.
Effects of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Nitric Oxide on Prostaglandins Secretion by the Bovine Oviduct Differ in the Isthmus and Ampulla and Depend on the Phase of the Estrous Cycle

To determine the possible roles of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and nitric oxide (NO) in the bovine oviduct, ampulla and isthmus collected during the estrous cycle were exposed for 18 h to TNFα, NO donor (NONOate), NO synthase inhibitors (L-NOARG, L-NAME and AMT) and oxytocin (OT) as a positive control. Prostaglandins (PGs) and NO2/NO3 in conditioned media were measured. TNFα stimulated PGF2α secretion on Day 0 (onset of estrus = Day 0) and Days 2–3, in both the ampulla and isthmus, but on Days 18–20 only in ampulla. TNFα increased PGE2 secretion in both fragments in each phase. NONOate did not affect PGF2α secretion on Days 18–20, whereas this NO donor stimulated PGF2α secretion in both fragments on Day 0 and Days 2–3. TNFα increased NO2/NO3 production in every examined phase in the ampulla and on Days 2–3 in the isthmus. L-NAME lowered NO2/NO3 production regardless of phase or fragment. L-NOARG and AMT lowered NO2/NO3 production in both fragments on Day 0 and Days 2–3. The possible role of TNFα, NO or PGs on the oviductal contractility during the early-luteal phase was also examined. Neither TNFα nor NONOate influenced contractility in either fragment. Although PGF2α stimulated the contraction in both fragments, PGE2 decreased it. When taken together, TNFα seems to play some role as a modulator of PGF2α and PGE2 production and for transferring the embryo from the oviduct to the uterus by stimulating NO production in the bovine oviduct.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Homolog of p24 Is Essential for Maintaining the Association of p150Glued With the Dynactin Complex

Stu1 is the Saccharomyces cerevisiae member of the CLASP family of microtubule plus-end tracking proteins and is essential for spindle formation. A genomewide screen for gene deletions that are lethal in combination with the temperature-sensitive stu1-5 allele identified ldb18Δ. ldb18Δ cells exhibit defects in spindle orientation similar to those caused by a block in the dynein pathway. Consistent with this observation, ldb18Δ is synthetic lethal with mutations affecting the Kar9 spindle orientation pathway, but not with those affecting the dynein pathway. We show that Ldb18 is a component of dynactin, a complex required for dynein activity in yeast and mammalian cells. Ldb18 shares modest sequence and structural homology with the mammalian dynactin component p24. It interacts with dynactin proteins in two-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation assays, and comigrates with them as a 20 S complex during sucrose gradient sedimentation. In ldb18Δ cells, the interaction between Nip100 (p150Glued) and Jnm1 (dynamitin) is disrupted, while the interaction between Jnm1 and Arp1 is not affected. These results indicate that p24 is required for attachment of the p150Glued arm to dynamitin and the remainder of the dynactin complex. The genetic interaction of ldb18Δ with stu1-5 also supports the notion that dynein/dynactin helps to generate a spindle pole separating force.
Comparison group matters for chronic stress effects of subjective social status

Inconsistent associations between health and measures of subjective social status compared to one’s community suggest that how people define community may matter. This study broke down community into status among neighborhood and friends/family to assess the impact of each domain on chronic stress in individuals differing in socioeconomic status (18 employed and 18 unemployed individuals). The findings suggest that for ratings of subjective social status, the social and physical proximity of the reference group matters. Specifically, neighborhood status was affected by unemployment, while friends/family status was associated with perceived stress, emphasizing the importance of the comparison group in assessing subjective status.
Impact of Interface Roughness Scattering on the Performance of GaAs/AlxGa1–xAs Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers

We investigate the impact of interface roughness (IFR) scattering on the performance of a series of the state-of-the-art GaAs/Al<sub>x</sub>Ga<sub>1–x</sub>As terahertz quantum cascade lasers (THz-QCLs) through a calculation of the induced inhomogeneous broadening and intersubband scattering rates. Our analysis includes two GaAs/Al<sub>0.15</sub>Ga<sub>0.85</sub>As THz-QCL devices with measured maximum operating temperatures at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T _{\mathrm {max}} =177$ </tex-math></inline-formula> K and 175 K, two GaAs/Al<sub>0.30</sub>Ga<sub>0.70</sub>As devices with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T _{\mathrm {max}} = 150$ </tex-math></inline-formula> K and 89 K, a GaAs/AlAs-Al<sub>0.15</sub>Ga<sub>0.85</sub>As device with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T _{\mathrm {max}} = 181$ </tex-math></inline-formula> K, and a GaAs/AlAs device that did not lase. The investigated QCL wafers were grown at the same solid-source molecular beam epitaxy facility and at fixed parameters, so that we expect a constant interface roughness quality for all devices. We find negligible impact of IFR scattering on the performance of devices that use <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$x =0.15$ </tex-math></inline-formula> barriers as well as for devices that use <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$x =0.30$ </tex-math></inline-formula> barriers with wide > 40 monolayers (ML) wells to support upper and lower laser levels. Fixing the barrier height to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$x =0.30$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, we calculate a drastic increase of the IFR-induced linewidth broadening from ~0.66 meV to ~2 meV when the quantum wells thicknesses reduce from ~40 ML to ~30 ML and relate this effect to the observed reduction of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T _{\mathrm {max}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> from 150 to 89 K. Furthermore, we calculate a large (~2 meV) IFR linewidth broadening and short (~1 ps) IFR intersubband scattering times for the device with pure AlAs layers and relate the consequent reduction of optical gain to the nonlasing of this device.
Alcohol Consumption and Self-Reported Drinking-Related Problem Behaviors as Related to Sex, Work Environment, and Level of Education

This study examined the relation of sex, work environment, and level of education to self-reported alcohol-related problem behaviors and estimates of weekly consumption. 216 employees of various establishments located in the eastern United States participated in the study, which involved answering a 17-item questionnaire. It was hypothesized that men would report more problems and greater consumption than women, college educated individuals more than people with no college background, and employees of alcohol-related environments more than those of nonalcohol-related environments. The results confirmed the predictions for environment and sex. There were also significant interactions between sex and environment and for sex and education concerning consumption. The triple interaction was also significant for the consumption variable. Further investigation is needed to determine the ramifications for both employers and employees of alcohol-related areas.
Effects of position on oesophageal function: studies using combined manometry and multichannel intraluminal impedance

Abstract Multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII) allows assessment of intraoesophageal bolus transit. In the supine position, bolus transit is produced almost exclusively by peristaltic contractions; in the upright position, gravity also contributes to bolus transit. MII and peristaltic pressures were measured in four positions (0, 30, 60 and 90°) using ten swallows (5 cc each) of both water and viscous liquid with body position determined by random choice. Tracings were analysed for total bolus transit time: time interval between bolus entry at 20 cm above and bolus exit at 5 cm above the lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) and contraction amplitudes at 5 and 10 cm above the LOS. Statistical comparison of mean values of all four body positions was done using anova and Bonnferoni post‐test. Ten normal subjects (five females and five males, age 24–45 years) completed the study. At each body position, liquid material transited faster (P < 0.001) than viscous material. Both liquid and viscous materials transited at lower inclinations (0 and 30°) significantly slower than at higher inclinations (60 and 90°). There was an almost perfect inverse linear correlation between angle of inclination and bolus transit time for both liquid (r = −0.99) and viscous (r = −1.00) boluses (Spearman correlation r > 0.99 and P < 0.02 for both substances). Contraction amplitudes for liquid vs viscous material were not significantly different at a given degree of inclination. Mean distal oesophageal amplitude declined with increasing inclination. Combined MII–OM identifies and quantifies the effects of gravity on the dichotomy between specific pressures measured by OM and function assessed as transit measured by MII.
Metabolism of glyphosate in Pseudomonas sp. strain LBr

Metabolism of glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) by Pseudomonas sp. strain LBr, a bacterium isolated from a glyphosate process waste stream, was examined by a combination of solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and analysis of the phosphonate composition of the growth medium. Pseudomonas sp. strain LBr was capable of eliminating 20 mM glyphosate from the growth medium, an amount approximately 20-fold greater than that reported for any other microorganism to date. The bacterium degraded high levels of glyphosate, primarily by converting it to aminomethylphosphonate, followed by release into the growth medium. Only a small amount of aminomethylphosphonate (about 0.5 to 0.7 mM), which is needed to supply phosphorus for growth, could be metabolized by the microorganism. Solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of strain LBr grown on 1 mM [2-13C,15N]glyphosate showed that about 5% of the glyphosate was degraded by a separate pathway involving breakdown of glyphosate to glycine, a pathway first observed in Pseudomonas sp. strain PG2982. Thus, Pseudomonas sp. strain LBr appears to possess two distinct routes for glyphosate detoxification.
Psychological distress of rural-to-urban migrants in two Chinese cities: Shenzhen and Shanghai

ABSTRACT Using survey data collected from Shanghai and Shenzhen, two popular destinations for rural-to-urban migration in China, this study found a significantly higher level of psychological distress among rural migrants in Shenzhen compared to those in Shanghai, which are partly attributable to the lower earnings and longer work hours among rural migrants in Shenzhen. In addition, a range of structural (e.g., socioeconomic status and work hours), social (i.e., frequency of home visits, perceived social support, and neighbourhood social cohesion), and personality (i.e., optimism) factors were found to be important correlates of psychological distress. Compared to those in Shanghai, rural migrants in Shenzhen were socioeconomically disadvantaged but psychosocially advantaged. A significant and negative interaction effect between optimism and long work hours was also found. Without the presence of the observed psychosocial advantages among rural migrants in Shenzhen, the Shenzhen-Shanghai gap in rural migrant’s mental health would have been even greater.
Garcinol Inhibits GCN5-Mediated Lysine Acetyltransferase Activity and Prevents Replication of the Parasite Toxoplasma gondii

ABSTRACT Lysine acetylation is a critical posttranslational modification that influences protein activity, stability, and binding properties. The acetylation of histone proteins in particular is a well-characterized feature of gene expression regulation. In the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, a number of lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) contribute to gene expression and are essential for parasite viability. The natural product garcinol was recently reported to inhibit enzymatic activities of GCN5 and p300 family KATs in other species. Here we show that garcinol inhibits TgGCN5b, the only nuclear GCN5 family KAT known to be required for Toxoplasma tachyzoite replication. Treatment of tachyzoites with garcinol led to a reduction of global lysine acetylation, particularly on histone H3 and TgGCN5b itself. We also performed transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), which revealed increasing aberrant gene expression coincident with increasing concentrations of garcinol. The majority of the genes that were most significantly affected by garcinol were also associated with TgGCN5b in a previously reported chromatin immunoprecipitation assay with microarray technology (ChIP-chip) analysis. The dysregulated gene expression induced by garcinol significantly inhibits Toxoplasma tachyzoite replication, and the concentrations used exhibit no overt toxicity on human host cells. Garcinol also inhibits Plasmodium falciparum asexual replication with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) similar to that for Toxoplasma. Together, these data support that pharmacological inhibition of TgGCN5b leads to a catastrophic failure in gene expression control that prevents parasite replication.
Influence of El Niño Southern Oscillation on global hydropower production

El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) strongly influences the global climate system, affecting hydrology in many of the world’s river basins. This raises the prospect of ENSO-driven variability in global and regional hydroelectric power generation. Here we study these effects by generating time series of power production for 1593 hydropower dams, which collectively represent more than half of the world’s existing installed hydropower capacity. The time series are generated by forcing a detailed dam model with monthly-resolution, 20th century inflows—the model includes plant specifications, storage dynamics and realistic operating schemes, and runs irrespectively of the dam construction year. More than one third of simulated dams exhibit statistically significant annual energy production anomalies in at least one of the two ENSO phases of El Niño and La Niña. For most dams, the variability of relative anomalies in power production tends to be less than that of the forcing inflows—a consequence of dam design specifications, namely maximum turbine release rate and reservoir storage, which allows inflows to accumulate for power generation in subsequent dry years. Production is affected most prominently in Northwest United States, South America, Central America, the Iberian Peninsula, Southeast Asia and Southeast Australia. When aggregated globally, positive and negative energy production anomalies effectively cancel each other out, resulting in a weak and statistically insignificant net global anomaly for both ENSO phases.
Apoptosis in Cerebellar Granule Neurones: Involvement of Interleukin‐1β Converting Enzyme‐Like Proteases

Abstract: Proteases of the interleukin‐1β converting enzyme (ICE) family have been implicated as mediators of apoptosis in several cell types. Here we report the ability of peptide inhibitors of ICE‐like proteases to inhibit apoptosis of cultured cerebellar granule neurones caused by reduction of extracellular K+ levels and by the broad‐spectrum protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine. Unlike apoptosis induced by K+ deprivation, staurosporine‐induced neuronal death does not require new protein synthesis. The ICE‐like protease inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl‐Val‐Ala‐Asp (O‐methyl)fluoromethyl ketone (zVAD‐fmk) was found to be extremely effective at preventing staurosporine‐induced death of cerebellar granule neurones and yet was completely ineffective in preventing K+ deprivation‐induced death. Staurosporine induced cleavage of the 116‐kDa poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase enzyme, a substrate of ICE‐like proteases, to the 85‐kDa product, and this cleavage was also blocked by zVAD. By comparison, K+ deprivation led to the disappearance of the 116‐kDa protein, with no detectable increase in level of the 85‐kDa cleavage product. Taken together, these results imply the existence of divergent ICE‐like protease pathways in a CNS model of neuronal apoptosis.
A Test to Evaluate the Physical Impact on Technical Performance in Soccer

The aim of the study was to develop and examine a test for evaluation of the physical and technical capacity of soccer players. Fourteen youth elite (YE) and seven sub-elite (SE) players performed a physical and technical test (PT-test) consisting of 10 long kicks interspersed with intense intermittent exercise. In addition, a control test (CON-test) without intense exercise was performed. In both cases, the test result was evaluated by the precision of the 10 kicks. The players also performed the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2). For the SE-players, blood samples were obtained and heart rate was measured before, during, and after the PT-test. A muscle biopsy was collected before and after the PT-test. Coefficient of variation for the PT- and CON-test was 11.7% and 16.0%, respectively. The YE-players performed better (P < 0.05) than the SE-players in both the PT-test (16.3 ± 0.8 (±SE) vs. 13.2 ± 1.3 points) and CON-test (24.4 ± 0.7 vs. 20.5 ± 1.6 points) with no difference in the relative PT-test result (PT-test/CON-test: 0.63 ± 0.03 vs. 0.64 ± 0.03). Summed performance of the first 5 repetitions was higher (P < 0.05) than for the last 5 repetitions (8.4 ± 0.6 vs. 6.9 ± 0.5; n = 20). The YE-players performed better (P < 0.05) than the SE-players during Yo-Yo IR2 (1023 ± SE vs. 893 ± SE m). The mean heart rate during the PT-test was 173 ± 4 b.p.m. (90 ± 2% of HRmax). Blood lactate, glucose, and ammonia reached 5.6 ± 0.7, 6.2 ± 0.6 mmol L−1, and 76 ± 11umol L−1 at the end of the test, respectively. After the test muscle CP, glycogen and lactate was 52.9 ± 6.6, 354 ± 39, and 25.3 ± 5.9 mmol kg−1 d.w. , respectively. In summary, the PT-test can be used to evaluate a soccer player's technical skills under conditions similar to intense periods of a soccer game.
The incorporation of Brazilian propolis into collagen-based dressing fi lms improves dermal burn healing

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Hydroalcoholic solutions of propolis, a resinous product produced by bees, have been currently employed in improving the cicatricial repair. Biological activity of propolis might be related to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immunomudalatory properties. Aim of this study: Investigate the suitability of the collagen-based films containing hydroalcoholic extracts of two different varieties of Brazilian propolis (green and red ones) on the dermal burn healing in rodent model. Materials and methods: The hydroalcoholic extracts of red propolis (RP) or Green propolis (GP) were incorporated into collagen-based dressing films (COL). Burnwounds were performed in the dorsum ofWistar rats and dressing with COL, COL+GPa (0.5%), COL+GPb (1,0%) or COL+RP (0.5%). A control group (CTR) was performed keeping the wound undressed. The histological analyses were carried out after 3, 7, 14, 21 and 30 days for histological assessment of the inflammatory response, epithelization rates (ER), myofibroblastic count (MC) and collagenization pattern. Results: GPa, GPb and RP provided significant decrease of the inflammatory severity, improved the ER in GPa in 7 (p1⁄40.000), 14 (p1⁄40.000), 21 (p1⁄40.005) and 30 days (p1⁄40.015), and induced earlier replacement of type-III for type-I collagen (po0.05) than COL and CTR. In all the groups, the MC increased progressively from 3 to 14 days, and then started to decrease slowly until 21 days. Although no significant difference was observed among the groups in 3, 7 and 30 days, the MC was significantly increased in RP in 14 (p1⁄40.0001) and 21 days (p1⁄40.04), as well as grosser interlacement of the collagen bundles compared with the other groups. Conclusion: The incorporation of hydroalcoholic extracts of Brazilian propolis improved the biological events associated to burn healing without toxic effects, but the red variety provided the best results. Therefore, these collagen-based containing natural apicultural products films may be considered a promising new dressing for wound occlusion and tissue repairing. & 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Specific and Long‐Lasting Protection from Collagen‐Induced Arthritis and Oil‐Induced Arthritis in DA Rats by Administration of Immunogens

DA rats develop transient arthritis after subcutaneous immunization with adjuvant‐oil, while chronic arthritis and collagen autoreactivity ensues when collagen is added to the oil. We show here that DA rats can be protected from oil‐induced arthritis (OIA) and rat collagen‐induced arthritis (rCIA) by addition of antigen to these arthritogenic inocula.
Effect of circular permutations on transient partial unfolding in proteins

Under native conditions, proteins can undergo transient partial unfolding, which may cause proteins to misfold or aggregate. A change in sequence connectivity by circular permutation may affect the energetics of transient partial unfolding in proteins without altering the three‐dimensional structures. Using Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) as a model system, we investigated how circular permutation affects transient partial unfolding in proteins. We constructed three circular permutants, CP18, CP37, and CP87, with the new N‐termini at residue 18, 37, and 87, respectively, and probed transient partial unfolding by native‐state proteolysis. The new termini in CP18, CP37, and CP87 are within, near, and distal to the Met20 loop, which is known to be dynamic and also part of the region that undergoes transient unfolding in wild‐type DHFR. The stabilities of both native and partially unfolded forms of CP18 are similar to those of wild‐type DHFR, suggesting that the influence of introducing new termini in a dynamic region to the protein is minimal. CP37 has a significantly more accessible partially unfolded form than wild‐type DHFR, demonstrating that introducing new termini near a dynamic region may promote transient partial unfolding. CP87 has significantly destabilized native and partially unfolded forms, confirming that modification of the folded region in a partially unfolded form destabilizes the partially unfolded form similar to the native form. Our findings provide valuable guidelines to control transient partial unfolding in designing circular permutants in proteins.