Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Altered Active Site Flexibility and a Structural Metal-binding Site in Eukaryotic dUTPase

dUTPase is responsible for preventive DNA repair via exclusion of uracil. Developmental regulation of the Drosophila enzyme is suggested to be involved in thymine-less apoptosis. Here we show that in addition to conserved dUTPase sequence motifs, the gene of Drosophila enzyme codes for a unique Ala-Pro-rich segment. Kinetic and structural analyses of the recombinant protein and a truncation mutant show that the Ala-Pro segment is flexible and has no regulatory role in vitro. The homotrimer enzyme unfolds reversibly as a trimeric entity with a melting temperature of 54 °C, 23 °C lower than Escherichia coli dUTPase. In contrast to the bacterial enzyme, Mg2+ binding modulates conformation of fly dUTPase, as identified by spectroscopy and by increment in melting temperature. A single well folded, but inactive, homotrimeric core domain is generated through three distinct steps of limited trypsinolysis. In fly, but not in bacterial dUTPase, binding of the product dUMP induces protection against proteolysis at the tryptic site reflecting formation of the catalytically competent closed conformer. Crystallographic analysis argues for the presence of a stable monomer of Drosophila dUTPase in crystal phase. The significant differences between prototypes of eukaryotic and prokaryotic dUTPases with respect to conformational flexibility of the active site, substrate specificity, metal ion binding, and oligomerization in the crystal phase are consistent with alteration of the catalytic mechanism and hydropathy of subunit interfaces.
Measuring the Welfare of Intermediaries

We investigate the welfare of intermediaries in oligopolistic markets where intermediaries offer additional services. We exploit the unique circumstance that in the empirical setting studied, outdoor advertising, consumers can purchase from manufacturers or intermediaries. Intermediaries provide additional services to the consumers and charge a margin for them. Intermediaries provide the following additional services: search services (information about products), purchase-aggregation services (access to quantity discounts), and consulting services. We specify an equilibrium model and structurally estimate it using market-level data. The demand includes consumers with costly search and channel-specific preferences. The supply includes two distribution channels. One features bargaining about wholesale prices between manufacturers and intermediaries and downstream price competition. The other is vertically integrated. We show how Google search data can be used to identify the search-cost parameters. We use the estimated model to simulate counterfactual scenarios where intermediaries do not offer additional services. We find that the three services considered provide value to consumers, with search playing a prominent role. Our analysis helps explain why intermediaries are ubiquitous in modern economies despite the double marginalization. This paper was accepted by Matthew Shum, marketing.
Mid-Air: A Multi-Modal Dataset for Extremely Low Altitude Drone Flights

Flying a drone in unstructured environments with varying conditions is challenging. To help producing better algorithms, we present Mid-Air, a multi-purpose synthetic dataset for low altitude drone flights in unstructured environments. It contains synchronized data of multiple sensors for a total of 54 trajectories and more than 420k video frames simulated in various climate conditions. In this work, we motivate design choices, explain how the data was simulated, and present the content of the dataset. Finally, a benchmark for positioning and a benchmark for image generation tasks show how Mid-Air can be used to set up a standard evaluation method for assessing computer vision algorithms in terms of robustness and generalization. We illustrate this by providing a baseline for depth estimation and by comparing it with results obtained on an existing dataset. The Mid-Air dataset is publicly downloadable, with additional details on the data format and organization, at http://midair.ulg. ac.be.
The effect of L-carnitine on cardiac injury in an experimental aortic ischemia-reperfusion injury model

Correspondence: Sevi Umaroğlu Öztürk, MD. Başkent Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Kalp ve Damar Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı, 06490 Bahçelievler, Ankara, Turkey. e-mail: sumaroglu@hotmail.com 1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medicine Faculty of Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey 2Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, İstanbul University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey 3Department of Pathology, İstanbul University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey 4Department of Molecular Medicine, İstanbul University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey
Diurnal and Seasonal Patterns of Photosynthesis and Respiration by Stems of Populus tremuloides Michx.

The photosynthetic and respiratory rates of 5- to 7-year-old aspen stems (Populus tremuloides Michx.) were monitored in the field for 1 year to determine the seasonal patterns. The stem was not capable of net photosynthesis, but the respiratory CO(2) loss from the stem was reduced by 0 to 100% depending on the time of year and the level of illumination as a result of bark photosynthesis. The monthly dark respiratory rate ranged from 0.24 mg CO(2)/dm(2). hr in January to a maximum 7.4 mg CO(2)/dm(2). hr in June. Individual measurements ranged from 0.02 mg CO(2)/dm(2). hr in February to 12.3 mg CO(2)/dm(2). hr in June. Gross photosynthesis followed a pattern similar to the dark respiratory rate. The mean monthly rate was highest in June (1.65 mg CO(2)/dm(2). hr) and lowest in December (0.02 mg CO(2)/dm(2). hr). Individual measurements ranged from 0.0 mg CO(2)/dm(2). hr in winter to 5.5 mg CO(2)/dm(2). hr in July.Winter studies showed that stem respiration continued down to -11 C, the coldest temperature during this study. Upon warning to -3 C, the dark respiratory rate showed a sudden sharp increase (7- to 12-fold) which required many hours to return to normal levels. No measurable photosynthesis occurred below -3 C. Between -3 and 0 C, the maximal photosynthetic rate was reduced to less than 50% of the respiratory rate, but increased to 89% between 5 to 10 C.On a yearly basis, bark photosynthesis in P. tremuloides reduced the stem respiratory CO(2) loss by 28.7% on a daytime basis and an estimated 16 to 18% on a 24-hour basis.
Motivated motive selection in the lying-dictator game

A large body of evidence suggests that people are willing to sacrifice personal material gain in order to adhere to a moral motive such as fairness or truth-telling. Yet less is known about what happens when moral motives are in conflict. We hypothesize that in such situations, individuals engage in what we term ‘motivated motive selection’, choosing to adhere to the motive that most closely aligns with their personal interest. We test this hypothesis using a laboratory experiment that induces in subjects a conflict between two of the most-studied moral motives: fairness and truth-telling. Our experimental design has the attractive features of being both parsimonious and closely related to both the classic dictator and lying games, implying comparability with a wealth of benchmark evidence. In line with our hypothesis, our results suggest that participants are more likely to adhere to the motive that is more in line with their self-interest.
Wealth distribution and taxation in EU Members

After a short overview of the distribution of private wealth and asset-based taxation in EU Members, this paper provides a range of economic arguments to make the case for assetbased taxation. Thereafter, aspects of design and implementation of specific asset-based taxes, notably housing, net wealth, and gifts and inheritances, are discussed from a distributional perspective. Finally, the possible role of the EU level of policy making in the adoption of such tax instruments is addressed
Ability of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli strains to adhere in vitro to human intestinal mucosa

A collection of 44 enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) strains isolated from infants with diarrhea in India and the United Kingdom were examined for their ability to adhere in vitro to human intestinal mucosa and by electron microscopy for production of putative adherence factors. None of the strains adhered to human duodenal mucosa, and six strains tested did not adhere to ileal mucosa; all 44 strains, however, adhered to human colonic mucosa in localized aggregates. Electron microscopy of infected colonic mucosa indicated fimbrially mediated adhesion of the EAggEC strains. Four morphologically distinct kinds of fimbriae, including a new morphological type of E. coli fimbriae consisting of bundles of fine filaments, were identified among the EAggEC strains; this new type of fimbria was observed in 43 of the 44 EAggEC strains. Forty-three of the 44 EAggEC strains were positive with a DNA probe developed to identify EAggEC, and most of the strains belonged to serotypes unrelated to the other major classes of diarrheic E. coli. These results suggest that EAggEC may be a large-bowel pathogen and colonize the colon by a fimbrially mediated adhesion mechanism.
THE EFFECTS OF PHUBBING ON SOCIAL INTERACTION 2 The effects of “ phubbing ” on social interaction

This research experimentally investigated the social consequences of “phubbing” – the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by concentrating on one’s mobile phone. Participants viewed a three-minute animation in which they imagined themselves as part of a dyadic conversation. Their communication partner either phubbed them extensively, partially, or not at all. Results revealed that increased phubbing significantly and negatively affected perceived communication quality and relationship satisfaction. These effects were mediated by reduced feelings of belongingness and both positive and negative affect. This research underlines the importance of phubbing as a modern social phenomenon to be further investigated.
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF MENTAL DISABILITIES IN RUSSIAN RESIDENTIAL CARE INSTITUTIONS

Introduction: The paper examines the situation of people with mental disabilities currently living in long-term residential institutions in the Russian Federation, with a primary focus on congenital intellectual and developmental disabilities. The goal was to reveal the ways in which contemporary Russian society conceptualizes disabilities by describing the attitudes towards disability of different groups of care-workers in an institutional setting. Methods: The research is based on qualitative methodology, and the data was collected mainly by participant observation and analysed using grounded theory methodology. Results: Two contradictory attitudes to mental disabilities were revealed through lay and professional discourses and social policy-making: the first was a paternalistic medical approach characteristic of representatives of the state residential institutions; and the other was the ideology of normalization and the social model approach, as advocated by nongovernmental organizations and disability rights activists. Conclusion: Implementation of the normalization principle by grass-root organizations is now partly supported by an official social policy that is slowly turning towards deinstitutionalization, following the western European and North American model of inclusion. The boundaries of the cultural notions of norm and normality have now changed to include a wide variety of individuals who were previously isolated in specialized institutions, labelled as mentally disabled and considered barely human.
Effect of heparin on secondary brain injury in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage: an additional ‘H’ therapy in vasospasm treatment

Objective Secondary brain injury leads to high morbidity and mortality rates in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). However, evidence-based treatment strategies are sparse. Since heparin has various effects on neuroinflammation, microthromboembolism and vasomotor function, our objective was to determine whether heparin can be used as a multitarget prophylactic agent to ameliorate morbidity in SAH. Methods Between June 1999 and December 2014, 718 patients received endovascular treatment after rupture of an intracranial aneurysm at our institution; 197 of them were treated with continuous unfractionated heparin in therapeutic dosages after the endovascular procedure. We performed a matched pair analysis to evaluate the effect of heparin on cerebral vasospasm (CVS), cerebral infarction (CI), and outcome. Results The rate of severe CVS was significantly reduced in the heparin group compared with the control group (14.2% vs 25.4%; p=0.005). CI and multiple ischemic lesions were less often present in patients with heparin treatment. These effects were enhanced if patients were treated with heparin for >48 hours, but the difference was not significant. Favorable outcome at 6-month follow-up was achieved in 69% in the heparin group and in 65% in the control group. Conclusions Patients receiving unfractionated continuous heparin after endovascular aneurysm occlusion have a significant reduction in the rate of severe CVS, have CI less often, and tend to have a favorable outcome more often. Our findings support the potential beneficial effects of heparin as a multitarget therapy in patients with SAH, resulting in an additional ‘H’ therapy in vasospasm treatment.
Antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activities of three Parmelia species.

BACKGROUND Lichens are symbiotic organisms consisting of algae and fungi. They are used for human and animal nutrition and in the production of colours, perfumes and alcohol. Lichens have also been used in traditional medicine to treat diseases such as jaundice, pulmonary, stomach and cranial diseases. In this study the acetone extracts of three lichens, Parmelia caperata, Parmelia sulcata and Parmelia saxatilis, were tested for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer potential. RESULTS Of the lichens tested, P. saxatilis had the highest free radical-scavenging activity (55.3% inhibition). Moreover, all tested extracts showed effective reducing power and superoxide anion radical scavenging. Strong relationships between total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant effects of the tested extracts were observed. The extract of P. sulcata was most active in terms of antimicrobial ability, with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 0.78 to 12.5 mg L⁻¹. All extracts were found to have strong anticancer activity, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 9.55 to 22.95 µg mL⁻¹. CONCLUSION The present study showed that the tested lichen extracts exhibited strong antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer effects. This suggests that lichens may be used as possible natural antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer agents.
Intervocalic consonant sequences in Korean " '

This paper reports the results of an instrumental phonetic study of intervocalic consonant sequences in Korean. The study explored a putative positional neutralization produced at the phonetics/phonology interface. It was designed to determine whether Korean intervocalic laryngeal consonants are phonetically distinct from geminates, plain consonants, or laryngeal consonants in consonant clusters. The results showed that the contrast between intervocalic tensed singletons and geminates was neutralized, and that both of these patterned with heterorganic consonant sequences rather than plain singletons. Moreover, we found that this neutralizati~n persisted across (limited) variation in speaking rate, although intervocalic tense consonants were more compressible in faster speech than were post-consonantal tense consonants.
DEPOCEN Working Paper Series No . 2013 / 6 Infectious Diseases and Economic Growth

This paper develops a framework to study the economic impact of infectious diseases by integrating epidemiological dynamics into a continuous time neo-classical growth model. There is a two way interaction between the economy and the disease: the incidence of the disease affects labor supply and investment in health capital can affect the incidence and recuperation from the disease. Thus, both the disease incidence and the income levels are endogenous. It is a general framework to study the effect and control of infectious diseases where there is an interaction with physical capital and health expenditures. The dynamics of the disease make the control problem non-convex and thus, a new existence theorem is given. We fully characterize the local dynamics of the model. There can be multiple steady states, and as the underlying parameters change there can be bifurcations. There can also be steady states where the disease is endemic but the optimal response is not to spend any resources on controlling it. We also see how the endogenous variables change as some underlying economic parameters are varied.
HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN WATER FROM FISHING SITES IN FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY AND FOUR SELECTED STATES IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

Water collected from fifteen active fishing sites in Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Benue states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were analyzed for its physico-chemical properties (pH, temperature, conductivity, total hardness and dissolved oxygen). The heavy metal contents (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb and Cd) of the water samples were determined using MP-AES. The results obtained show that the pH of the water collected from Aliara fishing site in Kwara State was higher (8.111) and significantly different (p<0.05) from the pH of the water collected from other fishing sites. The mean conductivity values of the water collected from the study area (110.667-115.111 μs/cm) showed significant differences (p<0.05) from each other. Also, the Cu content in the water collected from Jabi mechanic fishing site (1.046 mg/dm) was higher and differed (p<0.05) from the Cu content in the rest samples. Generally, the Zn (0.016-0.863 mg/dm), Ni (0.001-0.074 mg/dm) and Cr (0.001-0.062 mg/dm) in the water samples from the study area were lower than the WHO permissible limits. However, the Cd content in these water samples evaluated in this study (0.005-0.015 mg/dm) was higher than the WHO recommended permissible limits. The Principal component analysis (PCA) showed the following sequence: Pb>Ni>Cd>Cu>Zn>Cr. High level of heavy metals in River waters could be toxic to aquatic life and invariably affect humans following consumption. Relevant governmental agencies should enlighten the fishing communities on the best way to discharge their waste.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of the 1303 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle

This paper examines the flow over the 1303 UCAV platform, with a focus on the behaviour that causes the onset of pitch break. The effect of applying wash in and wash out on the outer section of the wing are also examined. Simulations were performed using the commercial CFD package FLUENT, using an incompressible, steady solver with the k−ω SST turbulence model at a Reynolds number of 5.6 million and Mach 0.25. Water tunnel flow visualisation experiments were also performed to validate the numerical model and provide further understanding of the flow field.
Experience of Intimate Partner Violence and Help-Seeking Behaviour among Women in Uganda

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is recognised as a fundamental violation of women’s human rights and a widespread phenomenon in Africa. Women’s low socioeconomic empowerment, cultural acceptability, and lack of social support exacerbate the health and psychosocial outcomes of IPV among African women. To date, there is no systematic research on IPV and its association with healthcare use among adult women in Uganda. Therefore, we conducted the present study on IPV among Ugandan women of childbearing age (15–49 years). Cross-sectional data on 7536 women were collected from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS—Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016). The objectives were to assess the predictors of IPV as well as help-seeking behaviour for victims of IPV. IPV was assessed by women’s experience of physical, emotional and sexual violence and healthcare use was assessed by self-reported medical visits during the last 12 months. Logistic regression methods were used to analyse the data. According to descriptive findings, which showed that more than half of the women reported experiencing any IPV (55.3%, 95%CI = 53.6, 57.0), emotional IPV (41.2%, 95%CI = 39.6, 42.8) was the most prevalent of all three categories, followed by physical (39.3%, 95%CI = 37.7, 40.9) and sexual IPV (22.0%, 95%CI = 20.7, 23.3). In the multivariate analysis, higher age, rural residence, religious background (non-Christian), ethnicity (Banyankore and Itseo), secondary/higher education and husband’s alcohol drinking habit were positively associated with women’s experience of IPV. Husband’s alcohol drinking was found to be a significant barrier to seeking help among those who experienced IPV. In conclusion, our findings suggest a noticeably high prevalence of IPV among Ugandan women. There are important sociodemographic and cultural patterns in the occurrence of IPV that need to be taken into account when designing intervention policies. Special attention should be given to women living with husbands/partners who drink alcohol, as this might increase their odds of experiencing IPV, as well as reduce the likelihood of seeking help.
The PaIntE Model of Intonation

The PaIntE model (Möhler and Conkie, 1998; Möhler, 2001) was originally developed for F0 modeling in text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis. Its purpose was to generate F0 contours that are as close to natural, human-produced F0 contours as possible. We will show in this chapter that it can also be used for more general research on intonation. The PaIntE model assumes that only the F0 contour in the vicinity of so-called intonation events contributes to the intonational meaning of an utterance, whereas the stretches in between these events arise from interpolation and do not affect the overall meaning. This view is manifested in the model’s name, Parameterized Intonation Events, or PaIntE for short. PaIntE can be classified as a sequential model of intonation, in that it composes the F0 contour from a sequence of local contours, each associated with some kind of meaningful tonal event, and that these events or local contours do not interact or affect each other. PaInte shares this view with the well-known, phonologically motivated, Tone Sequence Model (TSM, Pierrehumbert, 1980) for instance. The sequential approach is also popular in speech synthesis, with the Tilt model (Taylor, 1998) as probably the most wide-spread example.
Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999-2015.

KEY FINDINGS Key findings Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality ● The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2015 (16.3 per 100,000) was more than 2.5 times the rate in 1999 (6.1). ● Drug overdose death rates increased for all age groups, with the greatest percentage increase among adults aged 55-64 (from 4.2 per 100,000 in 1999 to 21.8 in 2015). In 2015, adults aged 45-54 had the highest rate (30.0). ● In 2015, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths among non-Hispanic white persons (21.1 per 100,000) was nearly 3.5 times the rate in 1999 (6.2). ● The four states with the highest age-adjusted drug overdose death rates in 2015 were West Virginia (41.5), New Hampshire (34.3), Kentucky (29.9), and Ohio (29.9). ● In 2015, the percentage of drug overdose deaths involving heroin (25%) was triple the percentage in 2010 (8%). Deaths from drug overdose have been identified as a significant public health burden in the United States in recent years (1-4). This report uses data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) to highlight recent trends in drug overdose deaths, describing demographic and geographic patterns as well as the types of drugs involved.