Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do type 1 fimbriae promote inflammation in the human urinary tract?

Type 1 fimbriae have been implicated as virulence factors in animal models of urinary tract infection (UTI), but the function in human disease remains unclear. This study used a human challenge model to examine if type 1 fimbriae trigger inflammation in the urinary tract. The asymptomatic bacteriuria strain Escherichia coli 83972, which fails to express type 1 fimbriae, due to a 4.25 kb fimB–fimD deletion, was reconstituted with a functional fim gene cluster and fimbrial expression was monitored through a gfp reporter. Each patient was inoculated with the fim+ or fim− variants on separate occasions, and the host response to type 1 fimbriae was quantified by intraindividual comparisons of the responses to the fim+ or fim− isogens, using cytokines and neutrophils as end‐points. Type 1 fimbriae did not promote inflammation and adherence was poor, as examined on exfoliated cells in urine. This was unexpected, as type 1 fimbriae enhanced the inflammatory response to the same strain in the murine urinary tract and as P fimbrial expression by E. coli 83972 enhances adherence and inflammation in challenged patients. We conclude that type 1 fimbriae do not contribute to the mucosal inflammatory response in the human urinary tract.
Sunrise or Sunset: Selective Comparison Learning for Subtle Attribute Recognition

The difficulty of image recognition has gradually increased from general category recognition to fine-grained recognition and to the recognition of some subtle attributes such as temperature and geolocation. In this paper, we try to focus on the classification between sunrise and sunset and hope to give a hint about how to tell the difference in subtle attributes. Sunrise vs. sunset is a difficult recognition task, which is challenging even for humans. Towards understanding this new problem, we first collect a new dataset made up of over one hundred webcams from different places. Since existing algorithmic methods have poor accuracy, we propose a new pairwise learning strategy to learn features from selective pairs of images. Experiments show that our approach surpasses baseline methods by a large margin and achieves better results even compared with humans. We also apply our approach to existing subtle attribute recognition problems, such as temperature estimation, and achieve state-of-the-art results.
The Coalescent with Selection on Copy Number Variants

We develop a coalescent-based simulation tool to generate patterns of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a wide region encompassing both the original and duplicated genes. Selection on the new duplicated copy and interlocus gene conversion between the two copies are incorporated. This simulation enables us to explore how selection on duplicated copies affects the pattern of SNPs. The fixation of an advantageous duplicated copy causes a strong reduction in polymorphism not only in the duplicated copy but also in its flanking regions, which is a typical signature of a selective sweep by positive selection. After fixation, polymorphism gradually increases by accumulating neutral mutations and eventually reaches the equilibrium value if there is no gene conversion. When gene conversion is active, the number of SNPs in the duplicated copy quickly increases by transferring SNPs from the original copy; therefore, the time when we can recognize the signature of selection is decreased. Because this effect of gene conversion is restricted only to the duplicated region, more power to detect selection is expected if a flanking region to the duplicated copy is used.
Knowledge sharing motivation in the public sector: the role of public service motivation

The literature on knowledge sharing motivation has addressed the importance of both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to sharing knowledge. However, a theory of knowledge sharing motivation in the public sector requires particular consideration since government’s main concern is in public service, not profits. Therefore, the present study introduces the concept of public service motivation (PSM) to the study of knowledge sharing among civil servants. Based on the PSM theory, this study postulates that civil servants’ interest in policy making, commitment to the public interest, compassion, and willingness for self-sacrifice can drive them to share knowledge for a sacred reason – serving the public interest. By using the data collected from middle-level public managers in Taiwan, the authors empirically tested whether PSM predicts knowledge sharing, and our hypotheses received strong support. Thus, PSM opens a new window for researchers interested in the study of knowledge sharing in the public sector. Points for practitioners With the introduction of PSM, the present study connects knowledge sharing with public administration. Public service as a calling leads civil servants to share knowledge in order to create more advanced organizational knowledge and accordingly improve public service performance. Compared to situational factors (e.g. the use of information technology and rewards), PSM plays an even more pivotal role in promoting knowledge sharing, according to the results of our empirical research. Thus, altruistic motivation should be addressed and emphasized if knowledge sharing in the public sector is to be encouraged.
Cash Position and Profitability of Telecommunication Sector in Srilanka

This study has analyzed cash position and profitability among listed telecommunication firms in Sri Lanka over a period from 2005 - 2011. The objective of the study was to establish the causality that exists between the profitability and cash position. This was prompted by the need to unravel the mystery on whether profits are driven by cash position or the vice versa. The study was carried out by analyzing the two firms’ profit measured by return on assets and return on equity as the dependent variable and the cash position as liquidity measure in relation to the sales, total assets and current liabilities as the independent variables. Pearson correlation analysis was used to find out the relationships between these variables and regression analysis was used to find out the impact of cash position on profitability. SPSS was utilized to support the analysis and to provide a basis for the conclusions drawn. Based on the descriptive analysis, there is no big fluctuation in the cash position ratios, return on equity and return on assets among Dialog telecom plc and Sri Lanka telecom plc. Based on the correlation analysis, there is a significant relationship between cash position ratios and return on equity & assets in the Sri Lanka telecom plc. In contrast; there is no significant relationship between cash position ratios and return on equity & assets in the Dialog telecom plc in the Sri Lankan context. Further, Sri Lanka telecom plc, cash position ratios have the influence or impact on the profitability measures comparing with Dialog telecom plc in the Sri Lankan context.
Dermabond Skin Closures for Bilateral Reduction Mammaplasties: A Review of 255 Consecutive Cases

Background: 2-Octyl cyanoacrylate (Dermabond; Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, N.J.) has been available as a skin closure alternative or adjunct since 1997. The purpose of this study was to review a large series of 255 consecutive bilateral reduction mammaplasty patients to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Dermabond for these procedures. Methods: A review was undertaken of 255 consecutive bilateral reduction mammaplasties performed by a single surgeon from 1999 to 2005 with Dermabond used for skin closure. This series of patients was compared with an earlier review by the same surgeon of 415 consecutive bilateral reduction mammaplasties using standard layered sutured skin closures. Results: Dermabond was associated with decreased operative times compared with the sutured closures (93 minutes compared with 118 minutes; 25 minutes or 20 percent less time). The rates for minor wound dehiscence (1.18 percent), major wound dehiscence (0.78), hypertrophic scar revisions (2.75 percent), and cellulitis (2.75 percent) were all lower in the Dermabond group, but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Dermabond is a safe and effective means of skin closure for bilateral reduction mammaplasties. Shortened operative times can lead to economic health cost savings. Patient discomfort is minimized and postoperative care is simplified.
Census of vertebrate Wnt genes: Isolation and developmental expression of Xenopus Wnt2, Wnt3, Wnt9a, Wnt9b, Wnt10a, and Wnt16

The Wnt family of growth factors regulate many different aspects of embryonic development. Assembly of the complete mouse and human genome sequences, plus expressed sequence tag surveys have established the existence of 19 Wnt genes in mammalian genomes. However, despite the importance of model vertebrates for studies in developmental biology, the complete complement of Wnt genes has not been established for nonmammalian genomes. Using genome sequences for chicken (Gallus gallus), frog (Xenopus tropicalis), and fish (Danio rerio and Tetraodon nigroviridis), we have analyzed gene synteny to identify the orthologues of all 19 human Wnt genes in these species. We find that, in addition to the 19 Wnts observed in humans, chicken contained an additional Wnt gene, Wnt11b, which is orthologous to frog and zebrafish Wnt11 (silberblick). Frog and fish genomes contained orthologues of the 19 mammalian Wnt genes, plus Wnt11b and several duplicated Wnt genes. Specifically, the Xenopus tropicalis genome contained 24 Wnt genes, including additional copies of Wnt7‐related genes (Wnt7c) and 3 recent Wnt duplications (Wnt3, Wnt9b, and Wnt11). The Danio rerio genome contained 27 Wnt genes with additional copies of Wnt2, Wnt2b, Wnt4b, Wnt6, Wnt7a, and Wnt8a. The presence of the additional Wnt11 sequence (Wnt11b) in the genomes of all ancestral vertebrates suggests that this gene has been lost during mammalian evolution. Through these studies, we identified the frog orthologues of the previously uncharacterized Wnt2, Wnt3, Wnt9a, Wnt9b, Wnt10a, and Wnt16 genes and their expression has been characterized during early Xenopus development. Developmental Dynamics 236:1249–1258, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Limited attention, statement of cash flow disclosure, and the valuation of accruals

We test for the effect of limited attention on the valuation of accruals by comparing the immediate and long-term market reactions to earnings announcements between a subsample of firms that disclose only the balance sheet with a subsample of firms that disclose both the balance sheet and the statement of cash flows (SCF) in the earnings press release. Information about accruals generally can be inferred from comparative balance sheets, but the availability of the SCF makes accruals more salient and easier to process for investors with limited attention. Controlling for potential additional information and endogeneity of SCF disclosure, we find strong evidence that SCF disclosure enables more efficient pricing of accruals. Further analyses using a proxy for investor sophistication suggest that, when SCF is absent from the earnings press release, less sophisticated investors fail to discount accruals but sophisticated investors do.
Surface Sensing for Biofilm Formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Aggregating and forming biofilms on biotic or abiotic surfaces are ubiquitous bacterial behaviors under various conditions. In clinical settings, persistent presence of biofilms increases the risks of healthcare-associated infections and imposes huge healthcare and economic burdens. Bacteria within biofilms are protected from external damage and attacks from the host immune system and can exchange genomic information including antibiotic-resistance genes. Dispersed bacterial cells from attached biofilms on medical devices or host tissues may also serve as the origin of further infections. Understanding how bacteria develop biofilms is pertinent to tackle biofilm-associated infections and transmission. Biofilms have been suggested as a continuum of growth modes for adapting to different environments, initiating from bacterial cells sensing their attachment to a surface and then switching cellular physiological status for mature biofilm development. It is crucial to understand bacterial gene regulatory networks and decision-making processes for biofilm formation upon initial surface attachment. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the model microorganisms for studying bacterial population behaviors. Several hypotheses and studies have suggested that extracellular macromolecules and appendages play important roles in bacterial responses to the surface attachment. Here, I review recent studies on potential molecular mechanisms and signal transduction pathways for P. aeruginosa surface sensing.
Cheap rendering vs. costly annotation: rendered omnidirectional dataset of vehicles

Detection of vehicles in traffic surveillance needs good and large training datasets in order to achieve competitive detection rates. We are showing an approach to automatic synthesis of custom datasets, simulating various major influences: viewpoint, camera parameters, sunlight, surrounding environment, etc. Our goal is to create a competitive vehicle detector which "has not seen a real car before. " We are using Blender as the modeling and rendering engine. A suitable scene graph accompanied by a set of scripts was created, that allows simple configuration of the synthesized dataset. The generator is also capable of storing rich set of metadata that are used as annotations of the synthesized images. We synthesized several experimental datasets, evaluated their statistical properties, as compared to real-life datasets. Most importantly, we trained a detector on the synthetic data. Its detection performance is comparable to a detector trained on state-of-the-art real-life dataset. Synthesis of a dataset of 10,000 images takes only several hours, which is much more efficient, compared to manual annotation, let aside the possibility of human error in annotation.
Reelin Regulates Postnatal Neurogenesis and Enhances Spine Hypertrophy and Long-Term Potentiation

Reelin, an extracellular protein essential for neural migration and lamination, is also expressed in the adult brain. To unravel the function of this protein in the adult forebrain, we generated transgenic mice that overexpress Reelin under the control of the CaMKIIα promoter. Overexpression of Reelin increased adult neurogenesis and impaired the migration and positioning of adult-generated neurons. In the hippocampus, the overexpression of Reelin resulted in an increase in synaptic contacts and hypertrophy of dendritic spines. Induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in alert-behaving mice showed that Reelin overexpression evokes a dramatic increase in LTP responses. Hippocampal field EPSP during a classical conditioning paradigm was also increased in these mice. Our results indicate that Reelin levels in the adult brain regulate neurogenesis and migration, as well as the structural and functional properties of synapses. These observations suggest that Reelin controls developmental processes that remain active in the adult brain.
The Escherichia coli multidrug transporter MdfA catalyzes both electrogenic and electroneutral transport reactions

The resistance of cells to many drugs simultaneously (multidrug resistance) often involves the expression of membrane transporters (Mdrs); each recognizes and expels a broad spectrum of chemically unrelated drugs from the cell. The Escherichia coli Mdr transporter MdfA is able to transport differentially charged substrates in exchange for protons. This includes neutral compounds, namely chloramphenicol and thiamphenicol, and lipophilic cations such as tetraphenylphosphonium and ethidium. Here we show that the chloramphenicol and thiamphenicol transport reactions are electrogenic, whereas the transport of several monovalent cationic substrates is electroneutral. Therefore, unlike with positively charged substrates, the transmembrane electrical potential (negative inside) constitutes a major part of the driving force for the transport of electroneutral substrates by MdfA. These results demonstrate an unprecedented ability of a single secondary transporter to catalyze discrete transport reactions that differ in their electrogenicity and are governed by different components of the proton motive force.
Time Variation in the Size of the Multiplier: A Kalecki-Harrod Approach

A growing empirical literature demonstrates that the size of the expenditure multiplier varies over time, being both larger and consistently greater than one during periods of slow growth and/or recession. This paper contributes to the theory of the time-varying multiplier. It is shown that a combination of Kalecki’s dynamic theory of investment and Harrod’s “satisficing” approach to the investment decision furnish a theory in which the “crowding in” of investment expenditures following an initial demand stimulus (fiscal or otherwise) gives rise to an elevated expenditure multiplier during times of pronounced macroeconomic distress.
Organizational Innovations and Economic Growth

Analysing the USA and Japan from the late 19th century to the present day, the book provides an accessible synthesis of economics, management and econometrics to calculate the impact of various organizational innovations on economic growth. The author concludes that organizational innovations make essential contributions to sustained economic growth and that this should be reflected in economic policy both at the firm and the national level.
Stimulation of the cell cycle and maize transformation by disruption of the plant retinoblastoma pathway

The genome of the Mastreviruses encodes a replication-associated protein (RepA) that interacts with members of the plant retinoblastoma-related protein family, which are putative cell cycle regulators. Expression of ZmRb1, a maize retinoblastoma-related gene, and RepA inhibited and stimulated, respectively, cell division in tobacco cell cultures. The effect of RepA was mitigated by over-expression of ZmRb1. RepA increased transformation frequency and callus growth rate of high type II maize germplasm. RepA-containing transgenic maize calli remained embryogenic, were readily regenerable, and produced fertile plants that transmitted transgene expression in a Mendelian fashion. In high type II, transformation frequency increased with the strength of the promoter driving RepA expression. When a construct in which RepA was expressed behind its native LIR promoter was used, primary transformation frequencies did not improve for two elite Pioneer maize inbreds. However, when LIR:RepA-containing transgenic embryos were used in subsequent rounds of transformation, frequencies were higher in the RepA+ embryos. These data demonstrate that RepA can stimulate cell division and callus growth in culture, and improve maize transformation.
Gendering Cross-Border Networks in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Drawing Invisible Routes to Thailand

This article discusses human traffi cking within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in relation to the strengthened inter-state economic and infrastructural co-operation and connectivity, taking the life history of sex workers in Thailand into account. Over the last decades, Thailand became known as a hub of entertainment sectors. Traffi ckers often use socio-economic integration in the GMS to their advantage. A large number of traffi cked women ends up in the Thai entertainment industry doing sex work in confi ned conditions similar to slavery. Poor women are often lured by false promises of well-paid jobs abroad and pay exorbitant fees to agents for such an opportunity. Intermediaries introduce family members to agents who promise to make arrangements for the relevant documentation and transportation across borders. Traffi ckers use their own marked routes to transport their prey which are more invisible than generally could be imagined.
IgG subclasses in human immune response to wild and attenuated (vaccine) Junin virus infection

Different proportions of IgG subclasses have previously been reported to distinguish the immune response elicited by primary and recurrent viral infections, as well as viral vaccines. The goal of this study was to study the IgG subclasses composition in the immune response of patients with Argentine hemorrhagic fever, and vaccinees with Candid #1 strain of Junin virus. Twenty‐four individuals inoculated with Candid #1 vaccine and 67 patients with Argentine hemorrhagic fever were studied. Blood samples were drawn at 30, 60, and/or 180 days post‐inoculation with Candid #1 and 30, 60, and 90 days after clinical onset of the disease. Specific anti‐Junin virus IgG subclasses were titrated with specific human monoclonal antibody fluorescence isothiocyanate conjugate (FITC) by immunofluorescent assay (IFA). IgG1 anti‐Junin virus was found in every subject studied and IgG3 was also detected in some patients with a severe form of Argentine hemorrhagic fever. IgG2 and IgG4 were not detected in any serum sample studied. The mean titer of specific IgG1 in vaccinees was significantly lower than in patients with Argentine hemorrhagic fever (P < 0.05), but no difference was found between mild and severe cases of the disease (P > 0.05). The results of this study demonstrated a central role of IgG1 in human recovery from infection with every strain of Junin virus, an observation stressed by the immune response to Candid #1 vaccine, which resulted in no difference in IgG subclasses composition from that found in mild cases of Argentine hemorrhagic fever. J. Med. Virol. 69:447–450, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Immigration, species radiation and extinction in a highly diverse songbird lineage: white‐eyes on Indian Ocean islands

Molecular phylogenetic hypotheses of species‐rich lineages in regions where geological history can be reliably inferred may provide insights into the scale of processes driving diversification. Here we sample all extant or recently extinct white‐eye (Zosterops) taxa of the southwest Indian Ocean, combined with samples from all principal continental lineages. Results support a high dispersal capability, with at least two independent continental sources for white‐eyes of the region. An early (within 1.8 million years ago) expansion into the Indian Ocean may have originated either from Asia or Africa; the three resulting lineages show a disparate distribution consistent with considerable extinction following their arrival. Africa is supported as the origin of a later expansion into the region (within 1.2 million years ago). On two islands, a pair of Zosterops species derived from independent immigrations into the Indian Ocean co‐occur or may have formerly co‐occurred, providing strong support for their origin by double‐island colonization rather than within‐island (sympatric or microallopatric) speciation. On Mauritius and La Réunion, phylogenetic placement of sympatric white‐eyes allow us to rule out a scenario in which independent within‐island speciation occurred on both islands; one of the species pairs must have arisen by double colonization, while the other pair is likely to have arisen by the same mechanism. Long‐distance immigration therefore appears to be responsible for much of the region's white‐eye diversity. Independent immigrations into the region have resulted in lineages with mutually exclusive distributions and it seems likely that competition with congeneric species, rather than arrival frequency, may limit present‐day diversity.