Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
C-reactive protein protects against preerythrocytic stages of malaria

We previously reported that low doses of interleukin-1 strongly inhibited in vitro development of the hepatic stages of Plasmodium falciparum and P. yoelii. Among several hypotheses, we considered the role of C-reactive protein (CRP), a major acute-phase reactant whose concentration increases markedly in infectious disorders. We demonstrated that human hepatocytes cultured in the presence of interleukin-1 released, as early as 30 min after stimulation, an increased amount of CRP. We then established that CRP bound to the P. falciparum and P. yoelii sporozoite surface membranes, probably via a phosphorylcholine binding site. Experiments in which CRP was added to rat hepatocyte monolayers during or after inoculation confirmed that the target of the CRP-mediated inhibition was at the very early phase of infection. These in vitro functional activities were confirmed in an in vivo model; rats with increased levels of CRP in serum following an injection of turpentine oil were found to be largely protected against an inoculation of P. yoelii sporozoites. The same results were observed in animals inoculated with sporozoites previously incubated in purified CRP or in sera of rats pretreated with turpentine oil. The latter effect was inhibited after incubation of serum from turpentine-injected rats with anti-CRP serum.
Understanding dimensions of customer-based brand equity in banks

The present study is an attempt to determine the dimensions of customer-based brand equity in an emerging market like India. Measures for the study were developed based on the previous literature. A well-structured questionnaire was administered to customers of banks in a metropolitan city of India. Dimensions of customer-based brand equity were generated using exploratory factor analysis. The results highlighted tangibles, communication and competence; trust and brand image; reliability and responsiveness; and customer satisfaction as dimensions of customer-based brand equity for banks. Further, these brand equity dimensions were found to have a significant relationship with bank recommendation. Banks need to build a strong brand equity by improving upon service quality, providing better infrastructure, providing access to banking services, and incorporating technology for delivering better service in promised time.
Public acceptance of large-scale wind energy generation for export from Ireland to the UK: evidence from Ireland

Although international trade in energy may offer a flexible and cost effective means by which European countries could meet their renewable energy targets, developers in the exporting nation can face local opposition for reasons which are not always clear. Using focus groups and a public survey, we contrast perspectives between local stakeholders and wind farm operators and investigate the community impacts associated with large-scale wind energy for domestic use and export from Ireland to the UK. Although the export of renewable energy from Ireland to the UK is currently on hold, our findings suggest that significant investment is required by the state and wind farm operators in better information provision, trust building, effective instruments to internalise wind farm externalities and co-management arrangements before Ireland can fully capture the benefits of wind exports to the UK.
CEO incentive compensation and earnings management: The implications of institutions and governance systems

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of CEO incentive-based compensation on earnings management, taking into account the influence of institutional settings and corporate governance systems. ,Using archival data of 3,000 British, Australian, German, and Austrian firm-years between 2005 and 2014, the study applies fixed-effect estimator to reduce risks of endogeneity bias. ,The findings reveal that institutional factors influence the relationship between CEO incentive-based compensation and earnings management. Particularly, firms from countries within the Anglo-American model (the UK and Australia), which provide greater protection for investor, stricter legal enforcement, and higher quality of corporate governance, tend to have lower level of earnings management. However, besides corporate governance quality, it is relevant to consider weaker investor protection and legal enforcement to motivate earnings management in firms from countries within the Euro-Continental model (Germany and Austria). ,The study suggests that robust implementation of corporate governance, derived from either model, helps in restraining CEO opportunistic behavior. Importantly, more qualified institutions have higher impact on the relative adequacy of CEO incentive-based pay formulas in mitigating earnings management concerns. This can be extended by future research through comparative studies using other contexts or influential institutions.
The impact of trade and technology on wage components

We use a large sample of German workers to analyze the effect of low-wage competition with China and Eastern Europe (the East) on the wage structure within German manufacturing industries. Utilizing the method by Abowd et al. (1999), we decompose wages into firm and worker components. We find that the rise of market access and competitiveness of the East has a substantial impact on the dispersion of the worker wage component and in part on positive assortative matching. Trade fails to explain changes in the firm wage premium. The rising dispersion in worker-specific wages can be attributed to increasing skill premia and to changes in the extensive margin of the workforce, leading to a wage polarization for the remaining within-industry workers. We also account for technological change by considering how many routine-intensive jobs are substituted within an industry. The more routine jobs are cut, the higher is the effect on wage inequality, especially on the dispersion of worker-specific wages. Overall, trade explains up to 19% of the recent increase in wage inequality and slightly exceeds the technology effect that accounts for approximately 17%.
Tangled Up in Grief: Bob Dylan's Songs of Separation

This article argues that much can be learned about the ways in which individuals grieve through a careful analysis of the presentation of loss in creative fiction, especially in terms of unconscious and uncensored responses presented indirectly through figurative language and structural patterns. It takes Bob Dylan's collection of songs about the anguish caused by lost love. Blood on the Tracks, as an example. An examination of the songs included in, and some rejected for, the album reveals developing responses to grief resulting from relationship breakdown, including the search for the absent one and for reconciliation; the intrusion of deep pain into everyday situations; the problem of infidelity and guilt; the attempt to reach a more detached perspective; the consequences of the pain becoming unbearable; and the attempt at a kind of closure. Taken together, the songs reveal how complex and contradictory responses to the agony of loss can be.
An Evolutionary Algorithm That Makes Decision Based on the Entire Previous Search History

In this paper, we report a novel evolutionary algorithm that enhances its performance by utilizing the entire previous search history. The proposed algorithm, namely history driven evolutionary algorithm (HdEA), employs a binary space partitioning tree structure to memorize the positions and the fitness values of the evaluated solutions. Benefiting from the space partitioning scheme, a fast fitness function approximation using the archive is obtained. The approximation is used to improve the mutation strategy in HdEA. The resultant mutation operator is parameter-less, anisotropic, and adaptive. Moreover, the mutation operator naturally avoids the generation of out-of-bound solutions. The performance of HdEA is tested on 34 benchmark functions with dimensions ranging from 2 to 40. We also provide a performance comparison of HdEA with eight benchmark evolutionary algorithms, including a real coded genetic algorithm, differential evolution, two improved differential evolution, covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy, two improved particle swarm optimization, and an estimation of distribution algorithm. Seen from the experimental results, HdEA outperforms the other algorithms for multimodal function optimization.
Positive and Negative Effects of Research and Development

This study aims to examine the effects of research and development expenditure on economic growth and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in the panel data for the period of 1996-2011 from five nations (Germany, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States and Canada). The panel co-integration was conducted and the results show that there is co-integrated relationship among the variables (research and development [R&D], gross domestic product [GDP], energy use and CO2 emission). Then the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) test was performed and the findings explain that energy use and R&D are the determinants of GDP. Results from FMOLS show that energy use and R&D are the determinants of GDP. Energy use and GDP are the determinants of CO2 emission. Results from dynamic ordinary least squares show that R&D is important to boost economic growth while energy use, GDP and R&D can have deleterious effects on CO2 emission. Therefore, it is important to control the R&D expenditure to balance economic growth and environmental conservation.
Econometric Analysis of Labour Market Interventions

This thesis involves three essays that explore the theory and application of econometric analysis to labour market interventions. One essay is methodological, and two essays are applications. The first essay contributes to the literature on inference with data sets containing within-cluster correlation. The essay highlights a problem with current practices when the number of clusters is 11 or fewer. Current practices can result in p-values that are not point identified but are instead p-value intervals. The chapter provides Monte Carlo evidence to support a proposed solution to this problem. The second essay analyzes a labour market intervention within Canada–the Youth Hires program–which aimed to reduce youth unemployment. We find evidence that the program was able to increase employment among the targeted group. However, the impacts are only present for males, and we find evidence of displacement effects amongst the non-targeted group. The third essay examines a set of Graduate Retention Programs that several Canadian provinces offer. These programs are aimed at mitigating future skill shortages. Once the solution proposed in the first essay is applied, I find little evidence of the effectiveness of these programs in attracting or retaining recent graduates.
Influence of Communication Delay on the Performance of Fuzzy Logic-Controlled Braking Resistor Against Transient Stability

This paper analyzes the influence of communication delays introduced in online calculation of the global input variable of the fuzzy logic controller for braking resistor (BR) switching on the transient stability of a multi-machine power system. The time derivative of the total kinetic energy deviation (D) of the synchronous generators is used as the global input of the fuzzy logic controller in this work. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is proposed for the practical implementation of the calculation of the global input of the fuzzy controller. Communication delays may affect the control system, and consequently, the transient stability of the power system also. A prediction function is proposed to minimize the negative effect caused by the communication delay on the transient stability. Also, the performance of the fuzzy logic-controlled BR is compared to that of the conventional proportional-integral (PI) controlled BR. Simulation results of both balanced and unbalanced faults at different points in the system show that the communication delay associated with the fuzzy controller input calculation has an influence on the transient stability. Moreover, the negative effect caused by the communication delay on the transient stability enhancement using fuzzy-controlled BR can be minimized by the prediction method. Also, the performance of the fuzzy logic-controlled BR is better than that of the PI-controlled BR.
Biochemical, Cellular, and Biophysical Characterization of a Potent Inhibitor of Mutant Isocitrate Dehydrogenase IDH1*

Background: IDH1 R132H, implicated in glioblastoma and AML, produces the oncometabolite 2-HG. Results: A detailed binding mechanism of a small molecule inhibitor (ML309) is proposed. Conclusion: ML309 competes with α-KG but is uncompetitive with NADPH and rapidly and reversibly affects cellular 2-HG levels. Significance: Understanding IDH1 R132H inhibition sets the stage for targeting IDH1 R132H for the treatment of cancer. Two mutant forms (R132H and R132C) of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) have been associated with a number of cancers including glioblastoma and acute myeloid leukemia. These mutations confer a neomorphic activity of 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) production, and 2-HG has previously been implicated as an oncometabolite. Inhibitors of mutant IDH1 can potentially be used to treat these diseases. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of a newly discovered inhibitor, ML309, using biochemical, cellular, and biophysical approaches. Substrate binding and product inhibition studies helped to further elucidate the IDH1 R132H catalytic cycle. This rapidly equilibrating inhibitor is active in both biochemical and cellular assays. The (+) isomer is active (IC50 = 68 nm), whereas the (−) isomer is over 400-fold less active (IC50 = 29 μm) for IDH1 R132H inhibition. IDH1 R132C was similarly inhibited by (+)-ML309. WT IDH1 was largely unaffected by (+)-ML309 (IC50 >36 μm). Kinetic analyses combined with microscale thermophoresis and surface plasmon resonance indicate that this reversible inhibitor binds to IDH1 R132H competitively with respect to α-ketoglutarate and uncompetitively with respect to NADPH. A reaction scheme for IDH1 R132H inhibition by ML309 is proposed in which ML309 binds to IDH1 R132H after formation of the IDH1 R132H NADPH complex. ML309 was also able to inhibit 2-HG production in a glioblastoma cell line (IC50 = 250 nm) and had minimal cytotoxicity. In the presence of racemic ML309, 2-HG levels drop rapidly. This drop was sustained until 48 h, at which point the compound was washed out and 2-HG levels recovered.
Attentional Mechanisms in Sports Via Brain-Electrical Event-Related Potentials

In this study, we examined attention processes in complex, sport-specific decision-making tasks without interdependencies from anticipation. Psychophysiological and performance data recorded from advanced and intermediate level basketball referees were compared. Event-related potentials obtained while judging game situations in foul recognition and a control task provided insight into focus of attention, selective attention, and processing strategy (top-down vs. bottom-up). Results showed task-specific effects for advanced referees in components influenced by attentional focus and selective attention. Experts also seemed to profit from superior top-down strategy and were able to evaluate the stimuli more rapidly. These findings are discussed in connection with current models in neurosciences and theories of referee research.
Venous injuries in pediatric trauma: Systematic review of injuries and management

BACKGROUND Diagnosis of vascular injury in pediatric trauma is challenging as clinical signs may be masked by physiologic compensation. We aimed to (1) investigate the prevalence of noniatrogenic pediatric venous injuries, (2) discuss options in management of traumatic venous injury, and (3) investigate mortality from venous injury in pediatric trauma. Our objective was to provide the practicing clinician with a summary of the published literature and to develop an evidence-based guide to the diagnosis and management of traumatic venous injuries in children. METHODS A systematic review of published literature (PubMed) describing noniatrogenic traumatic venous injury in the pediatric population (<17 years) was performed according to PRISMA [Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses] guidelines. Data were retrieved systematically under the following headings: Study Design, Population Demographics (dates of recruitment, mean age, mechanism of injury), Diagnostic Approach, Vessel Injured, Management (operative technique), and Mortality. RESULTS Thirteen articles were included in this systematic review. In total, 508 noniatrogenic traumatic venous injuries were reported in children between the year 1957 and present day. Mechanisms of injury included blunt trauma from seat belt–related injury and fall from height or penetrating trauma from gunshot and foreign object. Injury to the inferior vena cava was most frequently reported, followed by femoral vein and internal jugular injuries. Primary repair was the most frequently reported technique for surgical repair (38%), followed by ligation (25%) and end-to-end anastomosis (15%). Mortality in pediatric trauma patients who had venous injury was reported as 0% to 67% in published series, highest in the series in which the most frequently reported injury was of the inferior vena cava. CONCLUSION Traumatic venous injury in the pediatric population is uncommon but may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Intra-abdominal venous injuries are associated with high mortality from exsanguination. Early diagnosis and intervention are therefore essential in such cases. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Systematic review, level IV.
COG7 deficiency in Drosophila generates multifaceted developmental, behavioral and protein glycosylation phenotypes

ABSTRACT Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) comprise a family of human multisystemic diseases caused by recessive mutations in genes required for protein N-glycosylation. More than 100 distinct forms of CDGs have been identified and most of them cause severe neurological impairment. The Conserved Oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex mediates tethering of vesicles carrying glycosylation enzymes across the Golgi cisternae. Mutations affecting human COG1, COG2 and COG4–COG8 cause monogenic forms of inherited, autosomal recessive CDGs. We have generated a Drosophila COG7-CDG model that closely parallels the pathological characteristics of COG7-CDG patients, including pronounced neuromotor defects associated with altered N-glycome profiles. Consistent with these alterations, larval neuromuscular junctions of Cog7 mutants exhibit a significant reduction in bouton numbers. We demonstrate that the COG complex cooperates with Rab1 and Golgi phosphoprotein 3 to regulate Golgi trafficking and that overexpression of Rab1 can rescue the cytokinesis and locomotor defects associated with loss of Cog7. Our results suggest that the Drosophila COG7-CDG model can be used to test novel potential therapeutic strategies by modulating trafficking pathways. Highlighted Article: A Drosophila model of congenital disorders of glycosylation diseases (mutation of Cog7) suggests that modulating secretory trafficking could provide a novel means of therapy.
Economic Determinants of Wine Consumption in Thailand

The focus of the study is economic (income), substitution and price effects. To limit effects in sociodemographic changes, the data spans the recent period of 2007 to 2014. The study finds using correlations and regressions to obtain the elasticities, that local wine is an inferior good, imported wine is a luxury good, imported wine and beer are substitutes, demand for local wine is fairly price sensitive (elastic), and demand for imported wine is not sensitive to price increases (inelastic). The research also analyses policy implications based on the elasticities for reducing alcohol consumption, switching consumers between wine and beer for health reasons, increasing government revenues and protecting local wineries. This study finds that the current tariff system on imported wines does not help local producers but is intended for interests in the beer industry and/or a source of government revenue.
Activation of the galanin receptor 2 (GalR2) protects the hippocampus from neuronal damage

Expression of the neuropeptide galanin is up‐regulated in many brain regions following nerve injury and in the basal forebrain of patients with Alzheimer's disease. We have previously demonstrated that galanin modulates hippocampal neuronal survival, although it was unclear which receptor subtype(s) mediates this effect. Here we report that the protective role played by galanin in hippocampal cultures is abolished in animals carrying a loss‐of‐function mutation in the second galanin receptor subtype (GalR2‐MUT). Exogenous galanin stimulates the phosphorylation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) in wild‐type (WT) cultures by 435 ± 5% and 278 ± 2%, respectively. The glutamate‐induced activation of Akt was abolished in cultures from galanin knockout animals, and was markedly attenuated in GalR2‐MUT animals, compared with WT controls. In contrast, similar levels of glutamate‐induced ERK activation were observed in both loss‐of‐function mutants, but were further increased in galanin over‐expressing animals. Using specific inhibitors of either ERK or Akt confirms that a GalR2‐dependent modulation in the activation of the Akt and ERK signalling pathways contributes to the protective effects of galanin. These findings imply that the rise in endogenous galanin observed either after brain injury or in various disease states is an adaptive response that reduces apoptosis by the activation of GalR2, and hence Akt and ERK.
Molecular cloning of two genes for beta-D-glucosidase in Bacillus sp. GL1 and identification of one as a gellan-degrading enzyme.

In the bacterium Bacillus sp. GL1, gellan is depolymerized to give a tetrasaccharide by extracellular gellan lyase and then the tetrasaccharide is converted to constituent monosaccharides by intracellular glycosidases. Two genes encoding one of the glycosidases, beta-D-glucosidase (Bgl), were cloned in a genomic DNA library of the bacterium constructed in Escherichia coli and nucleotide sequences of the genes were determined. One of the genes, termed bglA, contained an open reading frame (ORF) consisting of 1344 base pairs coding a polypeptide (BglA) with a molecular mass of 51 kDa and the other, termed bglB, 2268 base pairs coding a protein (BglB) with a molecular mass of 82 kDa. By homology analyses of the ORFs against protein sequence databases, beta-D-glucosidase A (BglA) and beta-D-glucosidase B (BglB) were found to be classified into subfamilies BGA and BGB of cellulase family BG, respectively. BglA and BglB purified from E. coli were monomeric enzymes with molecular masses of 50 and 82 kDa and most active at pH 6.0 and 8.0, respectively. BglA showed broader substrate specificity than BglB. Only BglA acted on the tetrasaccharide produced from gellan by gellan lyase and released glucose from the molecule.