Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasmid R1 is present as clusters in the cells of Escherichia coli.

Fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the location(s) of the replication origin of plasmid R1 in exponentially growing cells of Escherichia coli. The number of oriR1 foci per cell was smaller than the number of R1 copies per cell and was found to be the same for a copA mutant of R1 and for the wild-type plasmid. The intensities of individual foci were stronger for the cop mutant than for the wild type. We interpreted these results to imply that the plasmid DNA molecules were localized in small groups/clusters, a result that seems contrary to the earlier observations that plasmid R1 replicates randomly and segregates as a single-copy unit. The implications for the quantitative behavior of plasmid R1 in stability, incompatibility tests, replication, and partition experiments are discussed.
Domestic Saving-Investment Relationship in India

Saving and investment are two vital macroeconomic policy variables and thus, the examination of their relationship is of considerable importance for any economy. This study examines the saving-investment nexus as postulated by Feldstein and Horioka (FH) (1980) for India using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds and Gregory and Hansen (1996) cointegration tests. This correlation is tested over the periods 1951-1992 and 1951-2008, the former being the period of fixed exchange rate regime and the latter being the full sample encompassing flexible exchange rate regime. The CUSUM and CUSUMQ were used to test the long-run stability of the cointegrating equation. The long-run elasticities were estimated using the ARDL model along with other two estimators, the FMOLS and the DOLS. Finally, within the ARDL framework the short-run elasticities were estimated using the error correction model. The cointegration tests suggest the existence of long-run equilibrium relationship between saving and investment in India. With high saving-investment correlation for both the regimes, the evidence suggests that the Indian economy is in conformity with the FH puzzle. However, the estimated coefficient of national saving was found to be weaker for the period 1951-1992 suggesting the imperfect mobility of international capital and home bias in the asset portfolio of domestic investors in India compared to the full sample period.
The chemical nature of the acrosome in the male germ cells.

The close connection of the acrosome of the animal sperm with the Golgi apparatus was first suggested by Bowen' in 1923, who stated that the acrosomal material might be "secreted" from the Golgi apparatus. While his cytological studies seem to support the concept that the acrosome is derived from the Golgi apparatus, the staining methods employed do not allow any conclusions as to the chemical nature of either structure. The recent development of cytochemical procedures, using specific staining reactions for the chemical characterization of cellular constituents in situ now makes possible an analysis of some of the chemical components of the dictyosomal material22 and the acrosome of the male germ cells. Arvelius albopunctatus, an hemipteran insect, provides an especially favorable material for the cytochemical studies, since the different lobes of the testis are characterized by a constant and marked difference in the size of their spermatocytes, spermatids and sperms.2 19, 20 In the present paper evidence is presented that the acrosome of the sperm is derived from the dictyosomes of the primary spermatocytes, and that both contain polysaccharides in a 1,2 glycol grouping. The amount of polysaccharides in the dictyosomal material and in the acrosome of spermatocytes, spermatids and sperms is strikingly higher in the large sized cells of the third and fifth lobes than in the normal and small sized cells of the remaining four lobes. For the identification of the polysaccharides in the cells of the testis we used the microchemical periodic acid Schiff(PAS) reaction resulting in the staining of polysaccharide structures in tissues as described by Hotchkiss5 in 1948. According to Hotchkiss5 and McManus,12 the reaction of periodic acid with carbohydrates, when present as 1,2 glycol grouping, is considered to be the following:
Predictive gene signature in MAGE-A3 antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy.

PURPOSE To detect a pretreatment gene expression signature (GS) predictive of response to MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic in patients with metastatic melanoma and to investigate its applicability in a different cancer setting (adjuvant therapy of resected early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer [NSCLC]). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients were participants in two phase II studies of the recombinant MAGE-A3 antigen combined with an immunostimulant (AS15 or AS02B). mRNA from melanoma biopsies was analyzed by microarray analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. These results were used to identify and cross-validate the GS, which was then applied to the NSCLC data. RESULTS In the patients with melanoma, 84 genes were identified whose expression was potentially associated with clinical benefit. This effect was strongest when the immunostimulant AS15 was included in the immunotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] for overall survival, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.13 to 1.05; P = .06) and was less strong with the other immunostimulant AS02B (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.97; P = .70). The same GS was then used to predict the outcome for patients with resected NSCLC treated with MAGE-A3 plus AS02B; actively treated GS-positive patients showed a favorable disease-free interval compared with placebo-treated GS-positive patients (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.17 to 1.03; P = .06), whereas among GS-negative patients, no such difference was found (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.59 to 2.31; P = .65). The genes identified were mainly immune related, involving interferon gamma pathways and specific chemokines, suggesting that their pretreatment expression influences the tumor's immune microenvironment and the patient's clinical response. CONCLUSION An 84-gene GS associated with clinical response for MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic was identified in metastatic melanoma and confirmed in resected NSCLC.
Market Estimation of a Prospect Theoretic Value Function

Prospect Theory and behavioral finance are gaining recognition as frameworks for economic behaviors’ analysis. Unfortunately, behavioral finance is generally limited to the study of specific anomalies and lacks a real unifying framework, whereas Prospect Theory is often limited to lab experiments. To bridge this gap, we estimate the parameters of the market’s value function corresponding to the Kahneman and Tversky approach by considering relative changes in the level of the VIX index as measures of the joy/pain felt by the market actors and the changes in the level of the Standard & Poor’s 500 dividend adjusted index as changes in their holdings value. We find evidence of risk aversion in the gain area, risk seeking in the loss area, and loss aversion. Parameters are within the range already observed in previous laboratory studies including real world patterns such as agency and accountability to the principal.
Effect of ethanol consumption on blood pressure and rat mesenteric arterial bed, aorta and carotid responsiveness

This study investigates whether chronic ethanol consumption increases blood pressure and alters vascular reactivity in different tissues. Changes in reactivity to phenylephrine and acetylcholine were investigated in the aorta, carotid artery and mesenteric arterial bed (MAB) isolated from rats pretreated with ethanol for 2 or 6 weeks. Mild hypertension was observed in chronically ethanol‐treated rats, which was due to rises in both systolic and diastolic pressures. Chronic ethanol consumption increased the contractile response to phenylephrine of endothelium‐intact and denuded rat aortic rings from rats pretreated with ethanol for 2 or 6 weeks. Conversely, no differences were found in acetylcholine‐induced relaxation. Neither phenylephrine‐induced contraction nor acetylcholine‐induced relaxation were altered in the rat carotid. Six weeks' ethanol consumption enhanced the contractile response to phenylephrine of endothelium‐intact, but not denuded rat MAB. On the other hand, 2 weeks' ethanol consumption did not affect phenylephrine‐induced increase in perfusion pressure. Moreover, acetylcholine‐induced endothelium‐dependent relaxation in the MAB was reduced after treatment with ethanol for 6 weeks but not after 2 weeks. In conclusion, ethanol affects both blood pressure and vessel reactivity, but the effect on vascular reactivity may take longer to become apparent in MAB than in the aorta, and was not evident in the carotid. Moreover, we provide evidence that the effect of ethanol depends on the agonist and blood vessel studied.
Adding psychologist's intervention to physicians' advice to problem drinkers in the outpatient clinic.

AIMS To test the effectiveness of a brief psychological intervention for problem drinking among outpatients in a hospital setting. METHODS Over a period of 3 years physicians screened patients who visited an outpatient clinic for general internal medicine for problem drinking. Of the 4728 patients screened, 284 (6%) scored positive on problem drinking of whom 123 participated in the study. They received a computerized baseline assessment and were randomly allocated to a brief psychosocial intervention given by a psychologist (Dutch version of W. R. Millers' Drinker's Check-Up) (n = 61) or to 'care as usual' (n = 62). They were followed up at 6 months. The outcome measures were alcohol consumption and the increase in motivation to reduce alcohol consumption. RESULTS Most patients reduced their alcohol consumption over time, but no differences were found between the intervention and control groups. A slightly, but not significantly, larger proportion of patients who received the intervention increased their motivation to change. CONCLUSIONS No conclusive evidence was found for the effectiveness of adding a brief psychological intervention to the physician's advice for problem drinking among outpatients in a hospital setting.
Social Networks and Marital Status Predict Mortality in Older Women: Prospective Evidence From the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF)

Objective: To assess the relationship between social network size and prospective mortality risk among a large sample of older, Caucasian women. Method: The study included 7524 Caucasian community‐dwelling women, age 65 or older (mean age = 74.1), who participated from four U.S. communities. Study participants completed a protocol that included anthropomorphic and health assessments at baseline and the Lubben Social Network Scale at year 2. We followed participants for an average of 6 years after they had completed the year‐2 assessment. We used hospital records and a copy of the participant's official death certificate to document mortality and cause of death in accordance to ICD‐9 revision codes. Results: A total of 1451 deaths (19.3% of sample) were observed over follow‐up, 215 (3.4%) due to cardiovascular causes. Higher social network scores were a robust predictor of lower multivariate‐adjusted mortality (RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.86‐0.98), controlling for age, comorbid disease, body mass, smoking, depression, and education. However, social network benefits were attenuated after controlling for marital status. Married participants showed lower total (RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.74‐0.94) and CVD (RR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.43‐0.81) covariate‐adjusted death rates compared with unmarried participants. Conclusions: Social network scores and marriage were each associated with reduced prospective mortality risk among older women. The relationships shown here suggest that much of the protection afforded by larger social networks in older women results from marriage rather than other forms of social relationships. Mechanisms at the physiological or behavioral level explaining social relationship benefits remain important areas for future research.
Registry Report on Kinetics of Rescue Antiplatelet Treatment to Abolish Cerebral Microemboli After Carotid Endarterectomy

Background and Purpose— Cerebral microemboli signals (MES) are associated with increased risk of acute stroke syndromes. We compared the effects on cerebral microemboli after carotid endarterectomy of tirofiban with dextran-40. Methods— We used transcranial Doppler ultrasound to study transient MES acutely after carotid endarterectomy between August 2000 and December 2010 in 128 subjects refractory to preoperative antiplatelet treatment. Antithrombotic treatment was given for MES ≥50 hour−1 (tirofiban: 40 patients [age 74 ± 1 {SEM}, males 27, and white 38]; dextran-40: 34 patients [age 69 ± 2, males 22, white 30]). In 54 patients with MES <50 hour−1 (age 71 ± 1, male 36, white 52), MES were monitored during their spontaneous resolution (controls). Data are median (interquartile range). Results— The time to 50% reduction in MES (tirofiban 23 minutes [15–28]; dextran-56 [43–83]; controls 30 [22–38]; P<0.001, Kruskal-Wallis analysis) and for complete MES resolution (tirofiban 68 minutes [53–94]; dextran-113 [79–146]; controls 53 [49–68]; P<0.001, Kruskal-Wallis analysis) were shorter with tirofiban. The early cardiovascular event rate was similar with tirofiban compared with controls but increased in patients who received dextran. Conclusions— These findings suggest that transcranial Doppler-directed tirofiban therapy is more effective than dextran-40 in suppression of cerebral microemboli after carotid endarterectomy.
Social media review rating versus traditional customer satisfaction

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects of traditional customer satisfaction (CS) relative magnitude and social media review ratings on hotel performance and to explore which online travel intermediaries’ review ratings serve as the most reliable and valid predictor for hotel performance. Design/methodology/approach In 2014, CS and hotel performance data were collected from the internal database of full-service hotels operated and managed by a large hotel chain in the USA. Each property’s social media review ratings data were hand-collected from major online travel intermediaries and social media websites. Findings The results of this study indicate that social media review rating is a more significant predictor than traditional CS for explaining hotel performance metrics. Additionally, the social media review rating of TripAdvisor is the best predictor for hotel performance out of the other intermediaries. Research limitations/implications This research contributes to the hospitality literature because it examines the incremental explanatory power of social media review rating and traditional CS on hotel performance. Among the leading online travel intermediaries, the findings show that TripAdvisor’s social media review rating has the most salient effect on hotel performance. Practical implications The result of this study provides useful practical implications for hotel marketers and revenue managers. This study assists hotel marketers and revenue managers in better allocating their budget for marketing and suggests ways for channel optimization. Originality/value The finding of this study will help revenue managers, marketing managers, and hotel owners make decisions regarding their marketing budget allocation to their social media marketing campaign and select the optimal online travel intermediaries as part of their channel management strategies.
NUCLEOLAR AND NUCLEAR RNA SYNTHESIS DURING THE CELL LIFE CYCLE IN MONKEY AND PIG KIDNEY CELLS IN VITRO

The incorporation of 5-3H-uridine and 5-3H-cytidine into nucleolar and nonnucleolar RNA in the nucleus of monkey and pig kidney cells was measured in vitro during the cell life cycle. Time-lapse cinematographic records were made of cells during asynchronous exponential proliferation, in order to identify the temporal position of individual cells in relation to the preceding mitosis. Immediately following cinematography, cells were labeled with uridine-3H and cytidine-3H for a short period, fixed, and analyzed by radioautography. Since the data permit correlation of the rate of RNA labeling with the position of a cell within the cycle, curves could be constructed describing the rate of RNA synthesis over the average cell cycle. RNA synthesis was absent in early telophase, and rose very abruptly in rate in late telophase and in very early G1 in both the nucleus and the reconstituting nucleolus. Thereafter, through the G1 and S periods the rate of nuclear RNA synthesis rose gradually. When we used a 10-min pulse, there was no detectable change in the rate for nucleolar RNA labeling in monkey kidney cells during G1 or S. When we used a 30-min labeling time, the rate of nucleolar RNA labeling rose gradually in pig kidney cells. With increasing time after mitosis, the data became more variable, which may, in part, be related to the variation in generation times for individual cells.
Trends in Texas High School Students' Enrollment in STEM Courses for Career and Technical Education (Fundamental)

So Yoon Yoon, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral research associate at Texas A&M University. She received her Ph.D. and M.S.Ed.in Educational Psychology with specialties in Gifted Education and Research Methods & Measurement from Purdue University. Her work centers on P-16 engineering education research as a psychometrician, program evaluator, and institutional data analyst. As a psychometrician, she revised the PSVT:R (Purdue Spatial Visualization Tests: Visualization of Rotations) for secondary and undergraduate students, developed the TESS (Teaching Engineering Self-efficacy Scale) for K-12 teachers, and rescaled the SASI (Student Attitudinal Success Inventory) for engineering students. As a program evaluator, she evaluated the effects of teacher professional development (TPD) programs on elementary teachers’ attitudes toward engineering and students’ STEM knowledge through a NSF DRK-12 project. As an institutional data analyst, she is investigating engineering students’ diverse pathways to their success.
DNA Damage Induces p53-dependent BRCA1 Nuclear Export*

The tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 plays an important role in the response to DNA damage. BRCA1 function is regulated by a variety of mechanisms including transcriptional control, phosphorylation, and protein-protein interactions. Recent studies have shown that BRCA1 is a nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttle protein. Its subcellular localization is controlled by a nuclear localization signal-mediated nuclear import via the importin receptor pathway and a nuclear export signal-facilitated nuclear export through a CRM1-dependent pathway. Using the human breast cancer cell line, MCF7, the subcellular distribution of BRCA1 was assessed by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting analyses of fractionated subcellullar extracts. Ionizing radiation stimulated BRCA1 nuclear export in a dose-dependent manner. This DNA damage-induced BRCA1 nuclear export utilized a CRM1-dependent mechanism and also required wild-type p53, whose function was abrogated by the E6 protein in MCF7 cells. In addition, the dependence on p53 was confirmed using a second cell type operating a tetracycline-inducible system. The effect of ionizing radiation on BRCA1 export was observed in every phase of the cell cycle, although BRCA1 localization did vary between the G1, S, and G2/M phases. These results imply that, in addition to ATM-, ATR-, and Chk2-dependent phosphorylations, cytoplasmic relocalization of BRCA1 protein is a mechanism whereby BRCA1 function is regulated in response to DNA damage.
The effect of sandstorms and air pollution on cause-specific hospital admissions in Taipei, Taiwan

Objective: Relatively little research exists focusing on the impact of air pollution on hospital admissions in Asia compared to the extensive work conducted in the USA and Europe. The issue is of particular importance because of the frequency, intensity and health effects of Asian sandstorms. This work investigates the relation between cause-specific hospital admissions and sandstorms and air pollution in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital. Methods: Time-series analyses of asthma, pneumonia, ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease hospital admissions were performed for Taipei. An eight-year time period (1995–2002) was considered for various indicators of sandstorms and the pollutants NO2, CO, ozone, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5. Pollution effects based on single-day lags of 0, 1, 2 and 3 days were explored, along with the average of the same day and previous three days (L03). Results: The risk of ischaemic heart disease admissions was associated with several sandstorm metrics, including indicators of high PM10 levels in the Taipei area, indicators of high PM10 at a monitor designed to measure background pollution, the PM coarse fraction, and the ratio of PM10 to PM2.5. However, the lag structure of effect was not consistent across sandstorm indicators. Hospital admissions for this disease were 16–21% higher on sandstorm days compared to other days. This cause was also associated with transportation-related pollutants, NO2, CO and PM2.5. Asthma admissions rose 4.48% (95% CI 0.71% to 8.38%) per 28 μg/m3 increase in L03 PM10 levels and 7.60% (95% CI 2.87% to 12.54%) per 10 ppb increase in L03 ozone. Cerebrovascular disease admissions were associated with PM10 and CO, both at lag 3 days. SO2 exhibited no relation with admissions. Conclusions: Risk of hospital admissions in Taipei may be increased by air pollution and sandstorms. Additional research is needed to clarify the lag structure and magnitude of such effects.
Stochastic modeling and prediction for accrual in clinical trials

Patient accrual in clinical trials is a topic of interest for important practical reasons. It has implications in both the initial planning and ongoing monitoring of trials. Slow accrual is of particular concern when it leads to reduced sample size. Although accrual in clinical trials has been studied and its estimation has been proposed and implemented, the existing methods are usually over‐simplified by assuming a constant or piecewise constant accrual rate, and more flexible and realistic methods are needed. In this paper, we discuss a principled framework to monitor and predict trial accrual. We model trial accrual using a non‐homogeneous Poisson process and model the underlying time‐dependent accrual rate using cubic B‐splines. The statistical inference and prediction procedure for the model are studied in a Bayesian paradigm. We conduct simulation studies to investigate the performance of the proposed approach and compare with a constant accrual rate model discussed by Gajewski et al. (Statist. Med. 2008; 27: 2328–2340). With satisfactory results, we illustrate the proposed method using accrual data from a real oncology trial. Our results show that the proposed model is more robust and achieves substantially better performance compared with the existing methods. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.