Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Antibodies against a Purified Glucosylceramide from Cryptococcus neoformans Inhibit Cell Budding and Fungal Growth

ABSTRACT A major ceramide monohexoside (CMH) was purified from lipidic extracts of Cryptococcus neoformans. This molecule was analyzed by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry. The cryptococcal CMH is a β-glucosylceramide, with the carbohydrate residue attached to 9-methyl-4,8-sphingadienine in amidic linkage to 2-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid. Sera from patients with cryptococcosis and a few other mycoses reacted with the cryptococcal CMH. Specific antibodies were purified from patients' sera by immunoadsorption on the purified glycolipid followed by protein G affinity chromatography. The purified antibodies to CMH (mainly immunoglobulin G1) bound to different strains and serological types of C. neoformans, as shown by flow cytofluorimetry and immunofluorescence labeling. Transmission electron microscopy of yeasts labeled with immunogold-antibodies to CMH and immunostaining of isolated cell wall lipid extracts separated by HPTLC showed that the cryptococcal CMH predominantly localizes to the fungal cell wall. Confocal microscopy revealed that the β-glucosylceramide accumulates mostly at the budding sites of dividing cells with a more disperse distribution at the cell surface of nondividing cells. The increased density of sphingolipid molecules seems to correlate with thickening of the cell wall, hence with its biosynthesis. The addition of human antibodies to CMH to cryptococcal cultures of both acapsular and encapsulated strains of C. neoformans inhibited cell budding and cell growth. This process was complement-independent and reversible upon removal of the antibodies. The present data suggest that the cryptococcal β-glucosylceramide is a fungal antigen that plays a role on the cell wall synthesis and yeast budding and that antibodies raised against this component are inhibitory in vitro.
Pulmonary hypertension and the serotonin hypothesis: where are we now?

In the 1960s, serotonin (5HT) was associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) caused by certain diet pills, but has recently been the subject of renewed interest in the field of PAH. Serotonin can be synthesised in the pulmonary endothelium with the rate‐limiting step being the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase1 (Tph1). The serotonin is released and can then: (i) pass into the underlying pulmonary smooth muscle cells through the serotonin transporter (SERT) to initiate proliferation and/or (ii) activate serotonin receptors on pulmonary smooth muscle cells to evoke proliferation and/or contraction. Serotonin may also mediate pulmonary fibroblast proliferation via the SERT and/or serotonin receptors. Here we will unravel, discuss and update the ‘serotonin hypothesis’ of PAH in light of recent advances in the field. In conclusion, the activity of serotonin receptors, the SERT and Tph1 can all be elevated in clinical and experimental PAH and each offers a potentially unique therapeutic target.
Australians working together: evaluation of the impact of activity requirements for parenting payment customers on their children aged 13–15 years

Since September 2003 the Parenting Payment recipients whose youngest child is 13 to 15 years old have been reuired to undertake one or more activities (such as job search, education, training or community work) to develop and enhance their work skills and prepare them for a return to work. Michael Alexander, Jennifer Baxter, Jody Hughes, and Jennifer Renda evaluate the impact of these new provisions.
Regime Changes, Neighborhoods, and Interstate Conflict, 1816-1992

This article investigates whether a new political regime's institutional type and the political composition of its geographic neighborhood influence patterns of intraneighborhood militarized conflict. An event count model is used to analyze data on 360 new political regimes. Variables assess attributes of each new regime's geographic neighborhood, including size, political composition, stability, the presence of alliances, the presence of major powers, the distribution of capability, and the frequency of militarized disputes initiated by and against new regimes. Results show evidence of an interactive relationship between a new regime's type, the political composition of its neighborhood, and militarized disputes. However, independent of the political composition of their neighborhoods, new democratic regimes are less likely to initiate disputes against neighboring states. Furthermore, an inverted U-shaped relationship obtains between the degree of democracy in a neighborhood and the rate at which new regimes initiate disputes against neighboring states. The coherency of regimes in a neighborhood, rather than their type, may play an important role in subsequent patterns of conflict.
Communication in WIL partnerships: the critical link

The widespread use of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in the higher education sector in recent years highlights the importance of forging successful relationships with employers, business, industry and government. This article reports on a large ethnographic study conducted by Victoria University into host organisations’ perceptions of WIL. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, this study confirms the findings in the literature that good communication is important for successful WIL outcomes. However, rather more surprisingly, it found that despite the literature, a small but significant number of hosts were not satisfied with the communication practices of some of the tertiary institutions they worked with and cited examples of unsatisfactory practices. This study explores patterns in the data in relation to satisfactory and unsatisfactory communication practices on the part of tertiary institutions, showing ways in which communication practices can impact on WIL opportunities and student learning for better or worse.
The Bacillus subtilis chromosome.

INTRODUCTION . 57 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENEIIC AND PHYSICAL DISTANCES IN BACTERIOPHAGE PBS1 TRANSDUCTION. 57 SIZE OF THE B. SUBTILIS CHROMOSOME . 58 ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS . 59 DETAILED B. SUBTILIS MAP . 60 DETAILED MAP OF THE ORIGIN REGION . 61 COMPARISON OF FEATURES OF THE B. SUBTILIS AND ESCHERICHIA COLI GENETIC MAPS . 74 ITERATURE CITED. 75
Tinnitus in Temporomandibular Joint Disorders: Is it a Specific Somatosensory Tinnitus Subtype?

ABSTRACT The most significant otologic symptoms, consisting of ear pain, tinnitus, dizziness, hearing loss and auricolar "fullness", generally arise within the auditory system, often are associated with extra auricolar disorders, particularly disorder of the temporo-mandibular joint. In our study we examined a sample of 200 consecutive patients who had experienced severe disabling symptom. The patiens came to maxillofacial specialist assessment for temporomandibular disorder. Each patient was assessed by a detailed anamnestic and clinical temporomandibular joint examination and they are divided into five main groups according classification criteria established by Wilkes; tinnitus and subjective indicators of pain are evaluated. The results of this study provide a close correlation between the joint pathology and otologic symptoms, particularly regarding tinnitus and balance disorders, and that this relationship is greater the more advanced is the stage of joint pathology. Moreover, this study shows that TMD-related tinnitus principally affects a younger population (average fifth decade of life) and mainly women (more than 2/3 of the cases). Such evidence suggests the existence of a specific tinnitus subtype that may be defined as "TMD-related somatosensory tinnitus".
GIVIO‐SITAC 01

In 1989, the authors began a randomized trial to determine whether 5‐fluorouracil and high dose folinic acid (HD‐FUFA) would increase the event free and overall survival of patients with resectable Dukes B and C (AJCC/UICC Stage II and Stage III) colon carcinoma, and to assess the toxicity of the treatment and its impact on selected health‐related quality‐of‐life indicators. Early results were published as a part of an international multicenter pooled analysis (IMPACT) in 1995. This purpose of this report is to update the survival data for patients enrolled in the trial and describe their reported perceptions of their own health and quality of life.
Public Employee Unions, Reformism, and Black Employment in 1,200 American Cities

This research was undertaken to examine the impact of political, economic, and institutional variables upon black employment outcomes in several hundred American cities. The results reveal that public employee unions exert a significant negative impact upon black job success in unreformed cities. However, public employee unions do not influence minority employment patterns in reformed communities. These findings strongly suggest that a critical reevaluation of the conventional wisdom regarding the policy effects of reformed institutions is called for.
Dissertations in CACREP-Accredited Counseling Doctoral Programs: An Initial Investigation

Faculty in 38 CACREP-accredited doctoral programs in the US described their dissertation products over the last three years, composition of their dissertation committees, and their satisfaction ratings with dissertation products and processes. Results indicated traditional dissertation formats were predominant. Over half (54%) of completed dissertations were quantitative and 40% were qualitative. Committees typically included two or three counselor educators and at least one outside faculty member. Faculty were modestly satisfied with dissertations, citing the need for more rigor and consistency of standards. Higher satisfaction was related to committee composition as well as the use of a variety of research methods.
Using mature concepts to generate new ideas: technology acceptance revisited

This study contributes to literature on consumer acceptance of new technology and in line with other research in this area builds on the technology acceptance model (TAM). In the proposed model, consumer perceived value was hypothesised to mediate the effects of perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on intentions to use 3G mobile technology in Indonesia. Additionally, different levels of technology readiness were posited to moderate the process. While the mediation hypothesis was not fully supported, this unique configuration of well-known constructs provided fresh insights into the drivers of consumer intentions and these are discussed from a theoretical and managerial perspective. The paper concludes with future research possibilities.
Early Pregnancy Failure—Current Management Concepts

Approximately one in four women will experience a miscarriage during her lifetime. For more than 50 years, the standard management of early pregnancy failure has been a dilatation and curettage (D & C). Typically, the procedure is performed in an operating room, which significantly increases cost. There is little objective information in the modern literature to prove that a D & C for all patients will lower morbidity or improve emotional well being. Treatment options include expectant management, D & C in an outpatient setting, and medical management with misoprostol (not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of early pregnancy failure). The medical literature supports that expectant management may result in more complications, including the need for “emergent” curettage, if clinicians do not understand the true normal course of expectant management. In general, women prefer some form of active management. Dilatation and curettage can be performed safely in the office or other outpatient setting using manual vacuum aspiration. Vaginal misoprostol will cause expulsion in 80% to 90% of women up to 13 weeks’ uterine size or gestation, including patients who have a gestational sac present. However, these data come from only three trials involving a total of 42 subjects treated with vaginal misoprostol, and another study of 42 women who received vaginal misoprostol for “missed abortion” before a scheduled D & C. There is a significant lack of information from large-scale studies about when treatment is necessary and the relative efficacy, rates of side effects, and acceptability of these various treatment options for early pregnancy failure. Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this article, the reader will be able to summarize the current literature on the management of early pregnancy failures, describe the various management options for patients with early pregnancy failures, and contrast the efficacy and complications of each management option.
[Study on preventive and therapeutic effects of astragali radix on denervated tibial muscle atrophy in rats].

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of Astragali Radix on the denervated tibial muscle atrophy in rats, and discuss its mechanism. METHOD Totally 60 SPF-grade Sprague-Dawley rats were selected in the common peroneal nerve crush model, and then randomly divided into 6 groups: Astragali Radix high-dose, medium-dose, low-dose groups, the Mecobalamin group, the model group, and the sham operation group. They were administered with drugs after the operation. At 18 d, the pathological section staining and morphological analysis were performed. The wet-weight ratio and section area of tibial muscles were also measured. The real-time fluorescence quantification was adopted to detect the differential expression between Angptl4 and PI3K genes. RESULT (1) Wet-weight ratio: The wet-weight ratio in Astragali Radix high-dose, medium-dose groups was much higher than that in the model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). (2) Section area: The sham operation group was higher, with regular morphology; Whereas the model group showed significant decrease, with chaotic structure and obvious connective tissue proliferation; Astragali Radix groups and the mecobalamin group showed relatively small section areas, with chaotic structure and unobvious connective tissue proliferation. Compared with the model group, Astragali Radix groups showed significant increase (P < 0.01). (3) Motor end plate: The sham operation group was in uniform brownish black color and oval or round shape; Astragali Radix medium-dose and high-dose group and the mecobalamin group showed rough line edges; Astragali Radix medium-dose and low-dose groups and the model group showed decline in the number, with irregular morphology, rough line edges and a light color. (4) Angptl4 and PI3K: Compared with the model group, the Astragali Radix high-dose group showed significant increase (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Astragali Radix has a significant effect in preventing and treating denervated tibial muscle atrophy. It may delay the muscle atrophy by increasing Angptl4 and PI3K gene expressions.
Czech Business Cycle Stylized Facts

This paper deals with identification of stylized facts of Czech business cycle. Empirical time series are decomposed into trend and cyclical component using bandpass filter. Cross-correlations between cyclical component of GDP and various time series are computed. The cyclical behaviour of the series is determined, leading and lagging indicators are identified. Finally, the Granger causality between GDP and other aggregate variables is tested. All these characteristics are presented in charts and commented. Several main conclusions about behaviour of variables over the cycle are summarized, which helps to judge implications of alternative economic theories. Distinctions between stylized facts in the Czech Republic and other developed countries are also discussed.
Common Stock Returns and Presidential Elections

T'3~HAT EQUITY MARKETS are efficient in at least the semistrong sense is perhaps the most widely accepted hypothesis among financial economists. But it has always been a point of contention between academics and practitioners. The evidence from the 1960s and early 1970s overwhelmingly supported efficiency. More recently, however, an impressive body of "anomalous" data has accumulated. ' One of the more surprising developments has been the discovery of a number of patterns in security returns.2 These patterns are remarkably consistent, statistically significant, and suggest at least the possibility of profitable trading rules. Although the profitability of such trading rules has yet to be documented, we seem to be on the verge of disproving even the weak form of the Efficient Market Hypothesis. This article presents some results on the pattern of common stock returns over the four-year election cycle and over different administrations.
Contagion: An Empirical Test

Using the conditional Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), this paper tests for the existence and pattern of contagion and capital market integration in global equity markets. Contagion is defined as significant excess conditional correlation among different countries' asset returns above what could be explained by economic fundamentals (systematic risks). Capital market integration is defined as the situation in which only systematic risks are priced. The paper uses a panel of sixteen countries, divided into three blocs: Asia, Latin America, and Germany-U.K.-U.S., for the period from 1990 through 1999. The results show evidence of contagion and capital market integration. In addition, contagion is found to be a regional phenomenon.
Short-Term Employment Transitions of Women in the Israeli Labor Force

Using data on Jewish Israeli women aged 25 to 55, the author examines patterns and determinants of women's transitions among four employment categories: regular full-time employment, reduced-hours full-time employment, part-time employment, and non-employment. Israeli women are not trapped in part-time employment. Departures from reduced-hour and part-time employment occur at higher rates than departures from full-time jobs. Women who have just given birth have an increased likelihood of moving from full-time employment to reduced-hour or part-time employment. Women in female-type occupations and those in “peripheral” jobs (jobs outside core industries) are more likely than other women to reduce their work hours or exit the labor force. The author argues that although part-time work is a valuable short-term option for many women, in the long run it preserves labor market institutions that are disadvantageous to women.
Iterative Bayesian Estimation as an Explanation for Range and Regression Effects: A Study on Human Path Integration

Systematic errors in human path integration were previously associated with processing deficits in the integration of space and time. In the present work, we hypothesized that these errors are de facto the result of a system that aims to optimize its performance by incorporating knowledge about prior experience into the current estimate of displacement. We tested human linear and angular displacement estimation behavior in a production–reproduction task under three different prior experience conditions where samples were drawn from different overlapping sample distributions. We found that (1) behavior was biased toward the center of the underlying sample distribution, (2) the amount of bias increased with increasing sample range, and (3) the standard deviation for all conditions was linearly dependent on the mean reproduced displacements. We propose a model of Bayesian estimation on logarithmic scales that explains the observed behavior by optimal fusion of an experience-dependent prior expectation with the current noisy displacement measurement. The iterative update of prior experience is modeled by the formulation of a discrete Kalman filter. The model provides a direct link between Weber–Fechner and Stevens' power law, providing a mechanistic explanation for universal psychophysical effects in human magnitude estimation such as the regression to the mean and the range effect.
Function of the SmpB Tail in Transfer-messenger RNA Translation Revealed by a Nucleus-encoded Form*

Stalled bacterial ribosomes are freed when they switch to the translation of transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA). This process requires the tmRNA-binding and ribosome-binding cofactor SmpB, a β-barrel protein with a protruding C-terminal tail of unresolved structure. Some plastid genomes encode tmRNA, but smpB genes have only been reported from bacteria. Here we identify smpB in the nuclear genomes of both a diatom and a red alga encoding a signal for import into the plastid, where mature SmpB could activate tmRNA. Diatom SmpB was active for tmRNA translation with bacterial components in vivo and in vitro, although less so than Escherichia coli SmpB. The tail-truncated diatom SmpB, the hypothetical product of a misspliced mRNA, was inactive in vivo. Tail-truncated E. coli SmpB was likewise inactive for tmRNA translation but was still able to bind ribosomes, and its affinity for tmRNA was only slightly diminished. This work suggests that SmpB is a universal cofactor of tmRNA. It also reveals a tail-dependent role for SmpB in tmRNA translation that supersedes a simple role of linking tmRNA to the ribosome, which the SmpB body alone could provide.
An empirical study of important keyword extraction techniques from documents

Keyword extraction is an automated process that collects a set of terms, illustrating an overview of the document. The term is defined how the keyword identifies the core information of a particular document. Analyzing huge number of documents to find out the relevant information, keyword extraction will be the key approach. This approach will help us to understand the depth of it even before we read it. In this paper, we have given an overview of different approaches and algorithms that have been used in keyword extraction technique and compare them to find out the better approach to work in the future. We have studied various algorithms like support vector machine (SVM), conditional random fields (CRF), NP-chunk, n-grams, multiple linear regression, and logistic regression to find out important keywords in a document. We have figured out that SVM and CRF give better results where CRF accuracy is greater than SVM based on F1 score (The balance between precision and recall). According to precision, SVM shows a better result than CRF. But, in case of the recall, logit shows the greater result. Also, we have found out that, there are two more approaches that have been used in keyword extraction technique. One is statistical approach and another is machine learning approach. Statistical approaches show good result with statistical data. Machine learning approaches provide better result than the statistical approaches using training data. Some specimens of statistical approaches are Expectation-Maximization, K-Nearest Neighbor and Bayesian. Extractor and GenEx are the example of machine learning approaches in keyword extraction fields. Apart from these two approaches, semantic relation between words is another key feature in keyword extraction techniques.
Team Creative Performance

Drawing on theories of self-determination, leadership, and creativity, this study developed and tested a conceptual model that aligns empowering leadership with team creativity by simultaneously testing the mediating effects of team self-concordance and team creative efficacy. The results from survey data from managers and workers in mainland China reveal that empowering leadership positively influenced team creativity via team self-concordance and team creative efficacy. In addition, the moderation–mediation path analysis indicated that team task interdependence strengthened the direct effects of empowering leadership on team self-concordance and team creative efficacy, as well as its indirect effect on team creativity. Empowering leadership includes leading by example, coaching, participative decision making, informing, and showing concern. By implication, managers should identify tasks that require teamwork (such as guest service) and then make every effort to empower employees and improve their task interdependence.