Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization and environmental regulation of outer membrane proteins in Xenorhabdus nematophilus

We have examined the production of the outer membrane proteins of the primary and secondary forms of Xenorhabdus nematophilus during exponential- and stationary-phase growth at different temperatures. The most highly expressed outer membrane protein of X. nematophilus was OpnP. The amino acid composition of OpnP was very similar to those of the porin proteins OmpF and OmpC of Escherichia coli. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis revealed that residues 1 to 27 of the mature OpnP shared 70 and 60% sequence identities with OmpC and OmpF, respectively. These results suggest that OpnP is a major porin protein in X. nematophilus. Three additional proteins, OpnA, OpnB, and OpnS, were induced during stationary-phase growth. OpnB was present at a high level in stationary-phase cells grown at 19 to 30 degrees C and was repressed in cells grown at 34 degrees C. OpnA was optimally produced at 30 degrees C and was not present in cells grown at lower and higher temperatures. The production of OpnS was not dependent on growth temperature. In contrast, another outer membrane protein, OpnT, was strongly induced as the growth temperature was elevated from 19 to 34 degrees C. In addition, we show that the stationary-phase proteins OpnA and OpnB were not produced in secondary-form cells.
Inflation Convergence in the East African Community: A Fractional Integration and Cointegration Study

Abstract In this study we have examined the inflation convergence hypothesis in the five countries that belong to the East African Community and which recently signed a protocol outlining their plans for launching a monetary union within ten years. We check for common patterns in the persistence in the inflation levels. As it is argued in the literature, countries hoping to form a monetary union should present similar inflation patterns. Our study shows that the inflation rates in these countries present orders of integration equal to higher than one in all cases, confirming that shocks will most certainly not recover in the long run. Moreover, fractional cointegration relationships are also found across all the countries with the exception of Tanzania, suggesting that this country displays a different pattern compared to the remaining four, presenting also some evidence of a break in the data.
Quantitative analysis by HPLC-MS2 of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid adonifoline in Senecio scandens.

A quantitative method using HPLC-MS(2) has been developed for the determination of adonifoline, one of the retronecine-type hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Senecio scandens Buch. -Ham. ex D. Don. , a traditional Chinese herb. Using an orthogonal design test, a simple and rapid sample extraction method was developed. HPLC analysis was conducted using a C(18) column as stationary phase and a mixture of acetonitrile and aqueous formic acid as mobile phase. Good linearity for adonifoline was found in the concentration range 0.12-4.18 microg/mL, and the HPLC-MS/MS method was shown to be appropriate, in terms of sensitivity, precision and reproducibility. The quantities of adonifoline in extracts of 18 plant samples from different collection sources and from different parts (flowers, leaves, thick stems, slim stems and roots) of S. scandens were determined using the newly developed HPLC/MS(2) analysis.
TNF-α and TLR agonists increase susceptibility to HIV-1 transmission by human Langerhans cells ex vivo

Genital coinfections increase an individual’s risk of becoming infected with HIV-1 by sexual contact. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this, such as the presence of ulceration and bleeding caused by the coinfecting pathogen. Here we demonstrate that Langerhans cells (LCs) are involved in the increased susceptibility to HIV-1 in the presence of genital coinfections. Although LCs are a target for HIV-1 infection in genital tissues, we found that immature LCs did not efficiently mediate HIV-1 transmission in an ex vivo human skin explant model. However, the inflammatory stimuli TNF-α and Pam3CysSerLys4 (Pam3CSK4), the ligand for the TLR1/TLR2 heterodimer, strongly increased HIV-1 transmission by LCs through distinct mechanisms. TNF-α enhanced transmission by increasing HIV-1 replication in LCs, whereas Pam3CSK4 acted by increasing LC capture of HIV-1 and subsequent trans-infection of T cells. Genital infections such as Candida albicans and Neisseria gonorrhea not only triggered TLRs but also induced TNF-α production in vaginal and skin explants. Thus, during coinfection, LCs could be directly activated by pathogenic structures and indirectly activated by inflammatory factors, thereby increasing the risk of acquiring HIV-1. Our data demonstrate a decisive role for LCs in HIV-1 transmission during genital coinfections and suggest antiinflammatory therapies as potential strategies to prevent HIV-1 transmission.
Household debt: a cross-country perspective

Aggregate debt of the New Zealand household sector increased from 110 percent of household incomes in 2000 to a peak of 175 percent in 2008, and currently stands at 165 percent. The increase was large and historically unprecedented, but not exceptional compared to other countries' experience over the same period. New Zealand is one of a relatively small group of countries where the ratio of debt-to-income has fallen since the 2008/09 global financial crisis. This article reviews the international experience, and discusses some of the explanations for the rise in household debt across countries, together with some specific New Zealand factors.
Comparative evaluation of the polyphenol composition and antioxidant capacity of propolis and Echinacea purpurea

Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate and compare total phenolics and total flavonoides, and antioxidant capacity of propolis and Echinacea purpurea ethanol extracts. Methods: Propolis and dried Echinacea purpurea extracts were obtained by extraction methods. The extracts were tested for total phenol and total flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacity was determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Results: The content of total phenolics and total flavonoids of propolis were found to be higher than Echinacea . The E.purpurea extract exhibited nearly 10 times lower antioxidant content in comparison with the propolis extracts. The 70% ethanol extract of propolis presented maximum antioxidant content, and the IC 50 concentration was found to be higher in the 96% ethanol extract. However, both of the propolis extracts exhibited similar antioxidant activities. Conclusions: In the present study, the extracts of Echinacea purpurea and propolis were studied as sources of natural antioxidants. The results from the antioxidant assays show that all extracts can act as radical scavengers to a certain extent. They exhibit potent antioxidant activity in different solvent concentrations. Further studies in this area are in progress. © 2014 GESDAV
Microbial transformation of androstenedione by Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Ulocladium chartarum

Abstract In this work, incubations of androstenedione 1 with Cladosporium sphaerospermum MRC 70266 and Ulocladium chartarum MRC 72584 have been reported. C. sphaerospermum MRC 70266 mainly hydroxylated 1 at C-6β, accompanied by a hydroxylation at C-15α, a reduction at C-17, a 5α-reduction and oxidations at C-6 and C-16 following hydroxylations. U. chartarum MRC 72584 hydroxylated 1 at C-6β, C-7α, C-7β and C-14α, accompanied by an oxidation at C-6 following its hydroxylation, a reduction at C-17 and a 5α-reduction. 6β,17β-Dihydroxyandrost-4-en-3,16-dione 8, one of the metabolites from the incubation of 1 with C. sphaerospermum MRC 70266, was determined as a new compound.
Probing GATA factor function in mouse Leydig cells via testicular injection of adenoviral vectors.

Testicular Leydig cells produce androgens essential for proper male reproductive development and fertility. Here, we describe a new Leydig cell ablation model based on Cre/Lox recombination of mouse Gata4 and Gata6, two genes implicated in the transcriptional regulation of steroidogenesis. The testicular interstitium of adult Gata4flox/flox ; Gata6flox/flox mice was injected with adenoviral vectors encoding Cre + GFP (Ad-Cre-IRES-GFP) or GFP alone (Ad-GFP). The vectors efficiently and selectively transduced Leydig cells, as evidenced by GFP reporter expression. Three days after Ad-Cre-IRES-GFP injection, expression of androgen biosynthetic genes (Hsd3b1, Cyp17a1 and Hsd17b3) was reduced, whereas expression of another Leydig cell marker, Insl3, was unchanged. Six days after Ad-Cre-IRES-GFP treatment, the testicular interstitium was devoid of Leydig cells, and there was a concomitant loss of all Leydig cell markers. Chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, mitochondrial swelling, and other ultrastructural changes were evident in the degenerating Leydig cells. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry demonstrated reduced levels of androstenedione and testosterone in testes from mice injected with Ad-Cre-IRES-GFP. Late effects of treatment included testicular atrophy, infertility and the accumulation of lymphoid cells in the testicular interstitium. We conclude that adenoviral-mediated gene delivery is an expeditious way to probe Leydig cell function in vivo Our findings reinforce the notion that GATA factors are key regulators of steroidogenesis and testicular somatic cell survival.Free Finnish abstract: A Finnish translation of this abstract is freely available at http://www.reproduction-online.org/content/154/4/455/suppl/DC2.
Challenges in Including BCA in Planning Approval Processes: Coal Mine Projects in New South Wales, Australia

A requirement for project proponents to include a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) as a component of their environmental impact assessments is implied in planning approval legislation in New South Wales, Australia. Fulfilling that requirement in the context of three large-scale expansions of coal mines has led to the application of choice modeling to estimate values for the main environmental, social, and heritage impacts. A number of particular issues have emerged in those applications: the framing of choice sets so that incentive-compatible willingness-to-pay questions are asked; the inclusion of “existence values” associated with employment opportunities provided by mines; and the incorporation of environmental offsets as part of the choice task given to respondents. The benefit-cost analyses of the coal mining projects have proven controversial. While the government agency responsible for administering the project approval process has used them as an input to decision-making, in some cases its recommendations have been “over-ridden” by the imposition of subjectively determined administrative rules. In one case, an appeal through legal channels against an approval was successful in part because the judge who heard the appeal dismissed the BCA findings because it was contrary to his own viewpoint of the merits of the case. In response, the state government has introduced legislation that requires greater “weight” to be given to the development benefits of coal mining. These responses have left the role of BCA and nonmarket valuation in the decision-making process in “limbo,” with practitioners and policy makers unsure as to the future of the methods in politically charged contexts.
13C metabolic flux analysis.

Metabolic flux analysis using 13C-labeled substrates has become an important tool in metabolic engineering. It allows the detailed quantification of all intracellular fluxes in the central metabolism of a microorganism. The method has strongly evolved in recent years by the introduction of new experimental procedures, measurement techniques, and mathematical data evaluation methods. Many of these improvements require advanced skills in the application of nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry techniques on the one hand and computational and statistical experience on the other hand. This minireview summarizes these recent developments and sketches the major practical problems. An outlook to possible future developments concludes the text.
Impact of Time-to-Reperfusion on Outcome in Patients with Poor Collaterals

More than 200 patients with MCA +/- ICA occlusions who successfully reperfused with endovascular techniques were assessed. The probability of good outcome was not significantly influenced by onset-to-reperfusion and puncture-to-reperfusion periods in patients with good collaterals but dropped significantly in patients with poor collaterals. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between reperfusion and clinical outcome is time-dependent, and the effect of reperfusion on outcome can vary on the basis of the extent of collateral flow. We aimed to identify the impact of time-to-reperfusion on outcome relative to baseline angiographic collateral grade in patients successfully treated with endovascular revascularization for acute large-vessel anterior circulation stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred seven patients were selected for analysis from our prospectively maintained registry. Inclusion criteria were M1 MCA ± ICA occlusions, onset-to-puncture time within 8 hours, and successful endovascular reperfusion. Baseline angiographic collateral grades were independently evaluated and dichotomized into poor (0–1) versus good (2–4). Multivariable analyses were performed to identify the effect of collateral-flow adequacy on favorable outcome on the basis of onset-to-reperfusion time and puncture-to-reperfusion time. RESULTS: In the poor collateral group, the odds of favorable outcome significantly dropped for patients with onset-to-reperfusion time of >300 minutes or puncture-to-reperfusion time of >60 minutes (onset-to-puncture time: ≤300, 59% versus >300, 32%; OR, 0.24; P = .011; puncture-to-reperfusion time: ≤60, 73% versus >60, 32%; OR, 0.21, P = .011), whereas the probability of favorable outcome in the good collateral group was not significantly influenced by onset-to-reperfusion time or puncture-to-reperfusion time. In the subgroup lesion-volume growth analysis by using DWI, the effect of puncture-to-reperfusion time of >60 minutes was significantly greater compared with the effect of puncture-to-reperfusion time of <60 minutes in the poor collateral group (β = 41.6 cm3, P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Time-to-reperfusion including onset-to-reperfusion time and puncture-to-reperfusion time in patients with poor collaterals is an important limiting factor for favorable outcome in a time-dependent fashion. Future trials may benefit from a noninvasive imaging technique to detect poor collaterals along with a strategy for rapid reperfusion.
Book-tax differences and internal revenue service adjustments

*University of Arizona. This paper comprises a portion of my dissertation from the University of Michigan, entitled "Essays in Corporate Tax Compliance and Financial Reporting. " I appreciate the guidance of my committee: Russell Lundholm and Joel Slemrod (cochairs), and Roger Gordon and Douglas Skinner. I am grateful for financial support from the Deloitte and Touche Foundation and the Paton Foundation of the University of Michigan. This paper has been improved through many helpful comments by workshop participants at the University of Arizona, the University of Chicago, the University of Georgia, the University of Iowa, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of North Carolina, Northwestern University, and the University of Southern California. I also appreciate the assistance of an anonymous reviewer, whose suggestions improved the paper immensely. Confidential data were provided by the Internal Revenue Service Coordinated Examination Program, Office of Special Studies. All opinions expressed are the opinions of the author solely and do not reflect any views of the Internal Revenue Service. 1 Most of the intertemporal or cross-jurisdictional income-shifting research on the Tax Reform Act of 1986 assumes that book income shifting is equivalent to, or at least a necessary condition for, taxable income shifting. See Scholes, Wilson, and Wolfson [1992], Guenther [1994], Maydew [1997], Klassen, Lang, and Wolfson [1993], and Harris [1993]. In addition, the earnings management literature in accounting often includes a measure of potential tax savings, such as a dummy variable for tax-paying status, or an estimate of the
Stabilization of networked control systems with communication constraints

This paper is concerned with the stabilization problem for a class of networked control systems with communication constraints. State feedback controllers are considered and the resulting closed-loop NCS is modeled as a discrete-time switched system. By using the asynchronous dynamical systems approach and the average dwell time method, sufficient conditions for the exponential stability of the closed-loop NCS are derived in terms of matrix inequalities. A design procedure is also presented for the stabilizing controllers. Finally an illustrative example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Influence of Lead and Cadmium on the Susceptibility of Rats to Bacterial Challenge

Summary Intravenous administration of an acute dose of lead acetate or cadmium acetate enhanced the susceptibility of rats to intravenous challenge with E. coli by approximately 1000-fold. Since equivalent vulnerability of lead- or cadmium-treated rats to killed E. coli was observed, toxicity is probably due to the endotoxin posure of animals to such agents have not been sufficiently investigated. In view of the increasing awareness of the diverse pathological effects of lead (17) and cadmium (18), the effect of these metals, as well as other environmental agents on host susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections warrants further investigation. content of the bacteria. This postulate is further supported by the observation that equal doses of the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococci epidermidis, failed to elicit lethality in the acute lead-intoxicated rats. The synthetic glucocorticoid, methylprednisolone, prevented lethality induced by the Gram-negative bacteria in lead-treated rats. It did not, however, afford significant protection in cadmium-treated rats in the presence of E. coli. Marked alterations in hepatic morphology were apparent in both lead- and cadmium-treated rats challenged with E. coli.
Circulating Biomarkers of Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Children

ABSTRACT Tuberculosis (TB) in children is not only more likely to cause more severe disease than that seen in adults, it is also more likely to be extrapulmonary. Moreover, pediatric TB is very difficult to diagnose and suffers from a lack of understanding of host biomarkers for monitoring the progression of disease. Hence, we sought to identify the expression patterns of a variety of biomarkers in the plasma of children with pulmonary TB (PTB) and extrapulmonary TB (ETB), as well as in healthy control (HC) children. Thus, we examined a variety of circulating markers reflecting tissue inflammation, oxidative stress, innate immune activation, fibrosis, and the cytokine response. Children with active TB, compared to HC children, showed markedly elevated plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinases and their endogenous inhibitors. In addition, children with active TB had significantly elevated levels of C-reactive protein, α-2 macroglobulin, and haptoglobin, as well as hemoxygenase 1. Markers of innate immune activation (lipopolysaccharide [LPS] and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein [LBP]) were significantly lower in ETB than in PTB children. Although there were no significant differences between the two groups in their levels of cytokines (type 1 [gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 2 (IL-2), and IL-12], type 2 [IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IL-33], and most type 17 [IL-17A, IL-22, IL-1β, and IL-6] and type 1 interferons [IFN-α and IFN-β]) or most of the cytokines associated with immune modulation (IL-10 and IL-20), pediatric TB was associated with elevated plasma transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), IL-21, and IL-23 levels. Thus, pediatric TB is characterized by elevated levels of a variety of biomarkers at homeostasis, suggesting that these responses may play a crucial role in disease pathogenesis.
Motility Is Required To Initiate Host Cell Invasion by Yersinia enterocolitica

ABSTRACT Invasin-mediated invasion of host cells by the pathogenYersinia enterocolitica was shown to be affected by flagellar-dependent motility. Motility appears to be required to ensure the bacterium migrates to and contacts the host cell. Nonmotile strains of Y. enterocolitica were less invasive than motile strains, but the reduction in invasion could be overcome by artificially bringing the bacteria into host cell contact by centrifugation. Mutations in known regulatory genes of the flagellar regulon, flhDC and fliA, resulted in lessinv expression but did not have a significant effect on invasin levels. However, invasin levels were reduced for strains that harbored flhDC on a multicopy plasmid, apparently as a result of increased proteolysis of invasin.
The Ste20-like Kinase SLK Is Required for Cell Cycle Progression through G2*

We have previously shown that the Ste20-like kinase SLK is a microtubule-associated protein that can regulate actin reorganization during cell adhesion and spreading (Wagner, S., Flood, T. A., O'Reilly, P., Hume, K., and Sabourin, L. A. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 37685-37692). Because of its association with the microtubule network, we investigated whether SLK plays a role in cell cycle progression, a process that requires microtubule dynamics during mitosis. Consistent with microtubule association in exponentially growing cells, our results showed that SLK co-localizes with the mitotic spindle in cells undergoing mitosis. Expression of a kinase-inactive mutant or SLK small interfering RNAs inhibited cell proliferation and resulted in an accumulation of quiescent cells stimulated to re-enter the cell cycle in the G2 phase. Cultures expressing the mutant SLK displayed a normal pattern of cyclin D, E, and B expression but failed to down-regulate cyclin A levels, suggesting that they cannot proceed through M phase. In addition, these cultures displayed low levels of both phospho-H3 and active p34/cdc2 kinase. Overexpression of active SLK resulted in ectopic spindle assembly and the induction of cell cycle re-entry of Xenopus oocytes, suggesting that SLK is required for progression through G2 upstream of H1 kinase activation.
Respondent burden in a Mobile App: evidence from a shopping receipt scanning study.

This study considers the burden placed on participants, subjectively and objectively, when asked to use a mobile app to scan shopping receipts. Using data from both the Understanding Society Spending Study, and the ninth wave of the Understanding Society Innovation Panel allow measures of burden and related characteristics to be identified. Subjective and objective burden were found to be seemingly unrelated to one another. There is evidence of older respondents facing greater objective burden, however there was some evidence that this did not correspond to an increase in the levels of subjective burden reported. Reported willingness to participate in a task of a similar nature proved to be indicative of both objective and subjective burden.