Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sleep, Diurnal Preference, Health, and Psychological Well-being: A Prospective Single-Allelic-Variation Study

Individual differences in sleep and diurnal preference associate with physical and mental health characteristics, but few genetic determinants of these differences have been identified. A variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the PERIOD3 (PER3) gene (rs57875989) has been reported to associate with diurnal preference, i.e., preferred timing of waking and sleep. Here, the authors investigate in a prospective single-candidate genetic variant study whether allelic variation for this polymorphism associates also with reported actual sleep timing and sleep duration, as well as psychological and health measures. Six hundred and seventy-five subjects, aged 20 to 35 yrs, completed questionnaires to assess sleep and psychological and health characteristics and were genotyped for the PER3 VNTR. Homozygosity for the longer allele (PER35/5) of the VNTR was associated with increased morning preference, earlier wake time and bedtime, and reduced daytime sleepiness. Separate analyses of work and rest days demonstrated that the increase in time in bed during rest days was greatest in PER35/5 homozygotes. PER3 genotype modified the effects of sleep timing and duration on fluid intelligence and body mass index. Genotype was not associated with physical or psychological characteristics as assessed by the SF-36 Health Questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire, the Big Five Inventory, the Behavioral Inhibition System–Behavioral Activation System scales, and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, even though these measures varied significantly with diurnal preference as assessed by the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. Whereas diurnal preference also predicts mental health and psychological characteristics, as well as sleep timing, the PER3 VNTR specifically affects measures of sleep timing and may also modify the effects of sleep on health outcome measures. (Author correspondence: a.lazar@surrey.ac.uk)
The DFS Fused Lasso: Linear-Time Denoising over General Graphs

The fused lasso, also known as (anisotropic) total variation denoising, is widely used for piecewise constant signal estimation with respect to a given undirected graph. The fused lasso estimate is highly nontrivial to compute when the underlying graph is large and has an arbitrary structure. But for a special graph structure, namely, the chain graph, the fused lasso---or simply, 1d fused lasso---can be computed in linear time. In this paper, we establish a surprising connection between the total variation of a generic signal defined over an arbitrary graph, and the total variation of this signal over a chain graph induced by running depth-first search (DFS) over the nodes of the graph. Specifically, we prove that for any signal, its total variation over the induced chain graph is no more than twice its total variation over the original graph. This connection leads to several interesting theoretical and computational conclusions. Denoting by $m$ and $n$ the number of edges and nodes, respectively, of the graph in question, our result implies that for an underlying signal with total variation $t$ over the graph, the fused lasso achieves a mean squared error rate of \smash{$t^{2/3} n^{-2/3}$}. Moreover, precisely the same mean squared error rate is achieved by running the 1d fused lasso on the induced chain graph from running DFS. Importantly, the latter estimator is simple and computationally cheap, requiring only $O(m)$ operations for constructing the DFS-induced chain and $O(n)$ operations for computing the 1d fused lasso solution over this chain. Further, for trees that have bounded max degree, the error rate of \smash{$t^{2/3} n^{-2/3}$} cannot be improved, in the sense that it is the minimax rate for signals that have total variation $t$ over the tree.
Prolixicin: a novel antimicrobial peptide isolated from Rhodnius prolixus with differential activity against bacteria and Trypanosoma cruzi

We identified and characterized the activity of prolixicin, a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP) isolated from the hemipteran insect, Rhodnius prolixus. Sequence analysis reveals one region of prolixicin that may be related to the diptericin/attacin family of AMPs. Prolixicin is an 11‐kDa peptide containing a putative 21 amino acid signal peptide, two putative phosphorylation sites and no glycosylation sites. It is produced by both adult fat body and midgut tissues in response to bacterial infection of the haemolymph or the midgut. Unlike most insect antibacterial peptides, the prolixicin gene does not seem to be regulated by NF‐κB binding sites, but its promoter region contains several GATA sites. Recombinant prolixicin has strong activity against the Gram‐negative bacterium Escherichia coli and differential activity against several Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria. No significant toxicity was demonstrated against Trypanosoma cruzi, the human parasite transmitted by R. prolixus.
Where's the Management in Collections Management? Planning for Improved Care, Greater Use and Growth of Collections

The urgent need to document and protect biotic diversity in an era when habitats are increasingly threatened, is what is generally understood to be the Biodiversity Crisis. Often overlooked is the second biodiversity crisis: the associated impact on natural history museums. These museums are being inundated with specimens from biotic surveys at the same time that most museum budgets are being cut. In order to make the best use of their limited resources, museums will have to demonstrate improved management in their collection activities. Emphasis should be on planning for improved care, greater use, and growth of collections. The Department of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural History (United States), and affiliated agencies are developing a number of innovative approaches to collection management that are presented in this contribution. They include: 1) development of curation standards and an associated collection profiling system; 2) establishment of a collection health index (CHI); 3) creation of an off-site Collection Enhancement Program; 4) development of a new way to measure collection quality, and 5) use of collection impact statements. Resource allocation priorities for research and collection management activities are also discussed.
EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES AT z = 1.3. I. THE LYNX SUPERCLUSTER: CLUSTER AND GROUPS AT z = 1.3. MORPHOLOGY AND COLOR–MAGNITUDE RELATION

We confirm the detection of three groups in the Lynx supercluster, at z ≈ 1.3, through spectroscopic follow-up and X-ray imaging, and we give estimates for their redshifts and masses. We study the properties of the group galaxies compared to the two central clusters, RX J0849+4452 and RX J0848+4453. Using spectroscopic follow-up and multi-wavelength photometric redshifts, we select 89 galaxies in the clusters, of which 41 are spectroscopically confirmed, and 74 galaxies in the groups, of which 25 are spectroscopically confirmed. We morphologically classify galaxies by visual inspection, noting that our early-type galaxy (ETG) sample would have been contaminated at the 30%–40% level by simple automated classification methods (e.g., based on Sérsic index). In luminosity-selected samples, both clusters and groups show high fractions of bulge-dominated galaxies with a diffuse component that we visually identified as a disk and which we classified as bulge-dominated spirals, e.g., Sas. The ETG fractions never rise above ≈50% in the clusters, which is low compared to the fractions observed in other massive clusters at z ≈ 1. In the groups, ETG fractions never exceed ≈25%. However, overall bulge-dominated galaxy fractions (ETG plus Sas) are similar to those observed for ETGs in clusters at z ∼ 1. Bulge-dominated galaxies visually classified as spirals might also be ETGs with tidal features or merger remnants. They are mainly red and passive, and span a large range in luminosity. Their star formation seems to have been quenched before experiencing a morphological transformation. Because their fraction is smaller at lower redshifts, they might be the spiral population that evolves into ETGs. For mass-selected samples of galaxies with masses M > 1010.6 M☉ within Σ > 500 Mpc−2, the ETG and overall bulge-dominated galaxy fractions show no significant evolution with respect to local clusters, suggesting that morphological transformations might occur at lower masses and densities. The ETG mass–size relation shows evolution toward smaller sizes at higher redshift in both clusters and groups, while the late-type mass–size relation matches that observed locally. When compared to the clusters, the group ETG red sequence shows lower zero points (at ∼2σ) and larger scatters, both expected to be an indication of a younger galaxy population. However, we show that any allowed difference between the age in groups and clusters would be small when compared to the differences in age in galaxies of different masses.
Willingness to Pay for Historic Structures Preservation: An Empirical Study of Vat Phou at Champasak Province, Lao PDR

This paper presents an empirical study of willingness to pay for the historic structures preservation project at Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape by those Lao citizens living in Vientiane capital. A Dichotomous choice contingent valuation (DCCV) survey have been conducted in Vientiane capital to assess the magnitude of Lao citizens’ willingness to donate to historic structures preservation project at Vat Phou. The study found that the mean willingness to pay of respondents was LAK 36,239.75 or around US$ 4.8. With the logit model, factors that strongly affecting individuals’ willingness to pay were the bid amount, the income and the age of respondents. The willingness to pay analysis here is important for policymakers in deciding how to preserve the structures efficiently. Keywords:
A new buffer sizing approach based on the uncertainty of project activities

A new buffer sizing method based on the uncertainty of the project is proposed in order to improve the accuracy of buffer management. Assuming that the project activities follow lognormal distribution, the model proposed first analyzes the influence of uncertainty, which is characterized as the main factor to affect the activity’s duration. Fuzzy theory is then introduced to calculate the uncertainty and is adjusted using resource tightness and network complexity. Finally, a new buffer sizing model based on the uncertainty and the project attributes is introduced. The effectiveness of the method is verified by employing the Monte Carlo simulation, and the actual duration and cost are obtained on the basis of the mean and variance of the project. The experimental results show that the buffer obtained using this method is smaller than the cut and paste method but larger than the root square error method. These findings indicate that the new model is able to avoid the excessive protection issues of the cut and paste method and overcome the root square error method’s problem as regards an insufficient consideration of project attributes. The method proposed fully considers the factors that affect buffer sizing, signifying that it can provide the project with effective protection and an appropriate buffer size.
Endometrial Carcinomas With Significant Mucinous Differentiation Associated With Higher Frequency of K-ras Mutations: A Morphologic and Molecular Correlation Study

ObjectivesK-ras gene product in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway is critical in the development of certain types of malignancies. K-ras mutation–associated pancreatic and ovarian carcinomas often display mucinous differentiation. Previous studies have shown that k-ras mutation is found in 10% to 30% of endometrial carcinomas. We investigated k-ras mutations in several morphologic subtypes of endometrial carcinomas with particular emphasis on various degrees of mucinous differentiation. MethodsGenomic DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections. Polymerase chain reaction amplification for k-ras codons 12 and 13 were performed, followed by sequencing using capillary electrophoresis. The Fisher exact test is used to compare the prevalent difference of k-ras mutation among the groups. P < 0.05 was considered significant. ResultsK-ras mutations were detected in 8 (80%) of 10 mucinous carcinomas, 12 (67%) of 18 endometrioid carcinomas (ECs) with significant mucinous differentiation (ECMD), 4 (25%) of 16 ECs, and 1 (9%) of 11 serous carcinomas. The differences were statistically significant between mucinous carcinomas versus EC (P < 0.01) and ECMD versus EC (P < 0.05). ConclusionThe findings suggest that mucinous carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma with significant mucinous component are more likely to be associated with k-ras mutation. Potential clinical implications of k-ras mutation lies in the management of recurrent or higher-stage endometrial mucinous tumors, which would not be responsive to treatment protocols containing epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors.
Criminalisation of the Use of Offshore Financial Centres in the United Kingdom

This article proposes an analysis of the evolution of the British strategy, alone or as part of an international organization, to criminalize the use of offshore financial centres (OFCs). As the analysis focuses on the use of OFCs in their modern shape, it will encompass the decades from the 1960s to 2014. The main objective is to underline the fact that the 2007 financial crisis has triggered a tougher and concerted criminalization of the use of OFCs. Here, the article analyses the whole complexity of offshore finance and the difficulty for governments and the legislator to address this problem.
Challenges for innovation intermediaries in technology transfer : forming controls and alliances

• A submitted manuscript is the author's version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Relationship of Personality Traits with Absorption Capacity : A Case of Water and Power Development Authority Pakistan

It was a cross sectional study conducted based on primary data collected from employees of Water and Power Development Authority. The multiple regression analysis was performed to test the hypotheses. The primary objective of this research was to understand the relationship between absorption capacity and different types of personality traits. It is found that conscientiousness has no-significant relationship with absorption capacity. Whereas, personality traits i.e. extraversion, neuroticism, openness and agreeableness were having significant and positive relationship with absorption capacity. A sample of 337 employees was drawn through simple random sampling and results are limited to employees working in WAPDA. For other organizations same relationship may not exist and similar studies can help in testing generalizability of the findings.
Broad Spectrum Antiviral Fractions from the Lichen Ramalina farinacea (L.) Ach.

Background: An ethylacetate-soluble fraction (ET4) from the lichen Ramalina farinacea has previously been shown to inhibit the infectivity of lentiviral and adenoviral vectors, as well as wild-type HIV-1. We now determined the antiviral activity of ET4 against other wild-type viruses, including the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Methods: Wild-type HIV-1, HSV-1 or RSV were pre-incubated with various concentrations of ET4 for 30 min at 37°C before adding to P4CCR5 indicator cell line (HIV-1), ELVIS TM indicator cell line (HSV-1) or HEp2 cell line (RSV) in 96-well microtitre plates. Controls contain virus alone without ET4. The anti-HIV and anti-HSV activities were quantified by estimating beta-galactosidase expression of the respective indicator cell lines while the anti-RSV activity was determined via an immunofluorescent technique, employing monoclonal mouse antibody against the P-protein of RSV. Toxicity of ET4 to cell lines was evaluated in parallel using either the BrdU incorporation method or the MTT method. The effect of ET4 on the enzymatic activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase was also evaluated using a chemiluminescent reverse transcriptase assay. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the whole methanol extract of R. farinacea involved sequential screening of HPLC fractions using a vector-based assay technique. Results:ET4 inhibited HSV-1 and RSV potently (IC50 = 6.09 and 3.65 μg/ml, respectively). Time-of-addition studies suggest that both entry and post-entry steps of the HIV-1 replication cycle and the entry step of the RSV replication cycle are targeted. Furthermore, ET4 inhibited HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with an IC50 of 0. 022μg/ml. Bioassay-guided fractionation of ET4 led to the identification sub-fraction rfO, with activity against lentiviral vector and HIV-1 (RNA viruses) but not against HSV-1 (DNA virus) and sub-fraction rfM, with activity against HSV-1 but not against the lentiviral vector. Conclusions:ET4 represents a novel fraction from the lichen R. farinacea with broad spectrum antiviral activity against DNA viruses (adenovirus and HSV-1) and RNA viruses (HIV-1 and RSV). The effect against DNA and RNA viruses is mediated by different sub-fractions within R. farinacea.
The Loan Covenant Channel: How Bank Health Transmits to the Real Economy

We document the importance of covenant violations in transmitting bank health to nonfinancial firms using a new supervisory data set of bank loans. More than one-third of loans in our data breach a covenant during the 2008-09 period, providing lenders the opportunity to force a renegotiation of loan terms or to accelerate repayment of otherwise long-term credit. Lenders in worse health are less likely to grant a waiver and more likely to force a reduction in the loan commitment following a violation. Quantitatively, the reduction in credit to borrowers with long-term credit but who violate a covenant accounts for an 11% decline in the volume of loans and commitments outstanding during the 2008-09 crisis, a similar magnitude to the total contraction in credit during that period. We conclude that the transmission of bank health to nonfinancial firms occurs largely through the loan covenant channel.
Business ethics as foundation for corporate management

Ethics is about an important structured behavior, in particular, how one should regulate the pursuit of self-interest when the actions affect others. Business Ethics are the critical, structured policies and practices of how people and institutions should behave in the world of commerce. It involves examining appropriate issues and constraints on the pursuit of self-interest and firm’s profits, when the actions of individuals and firms affect others. Business Ethics is the study of strategies, desired policies and practices, related to stakeholders’ preferences / priorities / benefits / values. In this paper a conceptual study has been presented regarding understanding the constituent components of business ethics. Relevance and emphasis of business ethics to major subjects such as corporate governance and corporate responsibility and their relation to corporate management have been analyzed and presented. Significance and emphasis is with focus on understanding essential ingredients of business ethics and formulation of methodologies for Operationalization, to reach the benefits to the stakeholders and the society. The endeavor is to sustain business growth and organization’s distinctive competitive advantage
Regulation of iron metabolism through GDF15 and hepcidin in pyruvate kinase deficiency

Iron absorption is inadequately increased in patients with chronic haemolytic anaemia, which is commonly complicated by iron overload. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) has been identified as a bone marrow‐derived factor that abrogates hepcidin‐mediated protection from iron overload under conditions of increased erythropoiesis. Increased concentrations of GDF15 have been reported in β‐thalassaemia patients and GDF15 has been found to suppress hepcidin expression in vitro. To further study the interdependencies of iron metabolism and erythropoiesis in vivo, the concentrations of hepcidin and GDF15 were determined in sera from 22 patients with pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKD) and 21 healthy control subjects. In PKD patients, serum hepcidin levels were 13‐fold lower than in controls (2·0 ng/ml vs. 26·2 ng/ml) and GDF15 was significantly higher (859 pg/ml vs. 528 pg/ml). Serum hepcidin concentrations correlated positively with haemoglobin and negatively with serum GDF15. These results suggest that GDF15 contributes to low hepcidin expression and iron loading in PKD.
Biogeography and diversification of colletid bees (Hymenoptera: Colletidae): emerging patterns from the southern end of the world

Aim The evolutionary history of bees is presumed to extend back in time to the Early Cretaceous. Among all major clades of bees, Colletidae has been a prime example of an ancient group whose Gondwanan origin probably precedes the complete break‐up of Africa, Antarctica, Australia and South America, because modern lineages of this family occur primarily in southern continents. In this paper, we aim to study the temporal and spatial diversification of colletid bees to better understand the processes that have resulted in the present southern disjunctions.
The Treatment of Narcolepsy-Cataplexy with Nocturnal Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate

Summary Sixteen patients with narcolepsy and cataplexy were treated with gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) given at night and tailored to achieve as continuous a night's sleep as possible. The dosage usually consisted of 1.5-2.25 gm orally at bedtime and then one or two further 1.0-1.5 gm doses with awakenings during the night, and totaled about 50 mg /kg. Apart from one patient who took only the bedtime dose, the subjective quality of night sleep improved in all patients and the number of irresistable daytime attacks of sleep and cataplexy substantially diminished. Some residual daytime drowsiness remained and this usually responded well to low doses of methylphenidate. Improvement has been maintained for up to 20 months without the development of tolerance. Two patients experienced adverse side effects necessitating withdrawal of GHB treatment, but no serious toxic effects have occurred.
Infrastructure as Creative Action: Online Buying, Selling, and Delivery in Phnom Penh

This paper describes a complex global sales and logistics network based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which utilizes Internet tools (particularly Facebook) as well as a suite of offline tools such as feature phones, paper receipts, and motorcycles to facilitate the buying and selling of clothes and other commodities. Against the gap or import models that sometimes limit HCI understandings of computational change in non-Western environments, we argue that the consumers, business owners, delivery drivers, and call center staff play active and formative roles in producing this infrastructure, integrating new tools into older cultural practices and determining how they work within the limits and conventions of the environment. We argue that resourceful and imaginative activities such as these constitute a form of creative infrastructural action and are central to the ways that new tools circulate in the world, though they often go unrecognized by HCI as innovation.