Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Savings and Investment Correlations in Response to Monetary Policy Shocks: New Insights into the Feldstein-Horioka Puzzle?

In this paper, it is argued that the observed high positive correlation between national savings and investment which is found in the data can in part be explained by shocks to monetary policy. This hypothesis, which is established by reviewing some empirical findings, is tested in a two-country DSGE-model framework in the tradition of the New Open Economy Macroeconomics. The simulation results obtained support the idea that shocks to monetary policy might contribute to the explanation of the Feldstein-Horioka puzzle.
The Functional Basis of Mycophenolic Acid Resistance in Candida albicans IMP Dehydrogenase*

Candida albicans is an important fungal pathogen of immunocompromised patients. In cell culture, C. albicans is sensitive to mycophenolic acid (MPA) and mizoribine, both natural product inhibitors of IMP dehydrogenase (IMPDH). These drugs have opposing interactions with the enzyme. MPA prevents formation of the closed enzyme conformation by binding to the same site as a mobile flap. In contrast, mizoribine monophosphate, the active metabolite of mizoribine, induces the closed conformation. Here, we report the characterization of IMPDH from wild-type and MPA-resistant strains of C. albicans. The wild-type enzyme displays significant differences from human IMPDHs, suggesting that selective inhibitors that could be novel antifungal agents may be developed. IMPDH from the MPA-resistant strain contains a single substitution (A251T) that is far from the MPA-binding site. The A251T variant was 4-fold less sensitive to MPA as expected. This substitution did not affect the kcat value, but did decrease the Km values for both substrates, so the mutant enzyme is more catalytically efficient as measured by the value of kcat/Km. These simple criteria suggest that the A251T variant would be the evolutionarily superior enzyme. However, the A251T substitution caused the enzyme to be 40-fold more sensitive to mizoribine monophosphate. This result suggests that A251T stabilizes the closed conformation, and this hypothesis is supported by further inhibitor analysis. Likewise, the MPA-resistant strain was more sensitive to mizoribine in cell culture. These observations illustrate the evolutionary challenge posed by the gauntlet of chemical warfare at the microbial level.
Differential Biophysical Properties of Infectious Intracellular and Secreted Hepatitis C Virus Particles

ABSTRACT The recent development of a cell culture infection model for hepatitis C virus (HCV) permits the production of infectious particles in vitro. In this report, we demonstrate that infectious particles are present both within the infected cells and in the supernatant. Kinetic analysis indicates that intracellular particles constitute precursors of the secreted infectious virus. Ultracentrifugation analyses indicate that intracellular infectious viral particles are similar in size (∼65 to 70 nm) but different in buoyant density (∼1.15 to 1.20 g/ml) from extracellular particles (∼1.03 to 1.16 g/ml). These results indicate that infectious HCV particles are assembled intracellularly and that their biochemical composition is altered during viral egress.
Correlating features in the primordial spectra

Heavy fields coupled to the inflaton reduce the speed of sound in the effective theory of the adiabatic mode each time the background inflationary trajectory deviates from a geodesic. This can result in features in the primordial spectra. We compute the corresponding bispectrum and show that if a varying speed of sound induces features in the power spectrum, the change in the bispectrum is given by a simple formula involving the change in the power spectrum and its derivatives. In this manner, we provide a uniquely discriminable signature of a varying sound speed for the adiabatic mode during inflation that indicates the influence of heavy fields. We find that features in the bispectrum peak in the equilateral limit and, in particular, in the squeezed limit we find considerable enhancement entirely consistent with the single field consistency relation. From the perspective of the underlying effective theory, our results generalize to a wide variety of inflationary models where features are sourced by the time variation of background quantities. A positive detection of such correlated features would be unambiguous proof of the inflaton's nature as a single light scalar degree of freedom embedded in a theory that is UV completable.
Snus use and cardiovascular risk factors in the general population: the HUNT3 study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Snus, a form of smokeless tobacco, is increasingly popular in its traditional Nordic markets, and was recently launched commercially in the United States. We examined the cross-sectional associations between snus use and cardiovascular risk factors, and compared them with the corresponding associations of smoking. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING The HUNT3 general population survey, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway (2006-08). PARTICIPANTS A general population sample of n = 25 163. MEASUREMENTS Measured triglyceride,- glucose- and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels, blood pressure and waist circumference, registry information on gender, age and education level, self-reported snus use, smoking, physical exercise and alcohol use. FINDINGS In age- and gender-adjusted linear regression analyses, extensive snus use was associated with larger waist circumference (b = 1.65, 95% CI = 0.86, 2.43) and higher systolic blood pressure (b = 2.58, 95% CI = 1.48, 3.68), but with higher rather than lower levels of HDL-cholesterol (b = 1.66, 95% CI = 0.79, 2.53). These three differences remained significant after additional adjustment for smoking, education level, physical exercise and alcohol use. Smokers had higher triglyceride and lower HDL-cholesterol than snus users, but lower systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS After adjusting statistically for major confounding variables, Norwegians who use snus extensively have a mixed profile in terms of cardiovascular risk: slightly higher waist circumference and systolic blood pressure but also higher high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.
Gene Overexpression/Suppression Analysis of Candidate Virulence Factors of Candida albicans

ABSTRACT We developed a conditional overexpression/suppression genetic strategy in Candida albicans to enable simultaneous testing of gain or loss of function in order to identify new virulence factors. The strategy involved insertion of a strong, tetracycline-regulated promoter in front of the gene of interest. To validate the strategy, a library of genes encoding glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored surface proteins was screened for virulence phenotypes in vitro. During the screening, overexpression of IFF4 was found to increase the adherence of C. albicans to plastic and to human epithelial cells, but not endothelial cells. Consistent with the in vitro results, IFF4 overexpression modestly increased the tissue fungal burden during murine vaginal candidiasis. In addition to the in vitro screening tests, IFF4 overexpression was found to increase C. albicans susceptibility to neutrophil-mediated killing. Furthermore, IFF4 overexpression decreased the severity of hematogenously disseminated candidiasis in normal mice, but not in neutropenic mice, again consistent with the in vitro phenotype. Overexpression of 12 other GPI proteins did not affect normal GPI protein cell surface accumulation, demonstrating that the overexpression strategy did not affect the cell capacity for making such proteins. These data indicate that the same gene can increase or decrease candidal virulence in distinct models of infection, emphasizing the importance of studying virulence genes in different anatomical contexts. Finally, these data validate the use of a conditional overexpression/suppression genetic strategy to identify candidal virulence factors.
Magnetoencephalography Study of Right Parietal Lobe Dysfunction of the Evoked Mirror Neuron System in Antipsychotic-Free Schizophrenia

Introduction Patients with schizophrenia commonly exhibit deficits of non-verbal communication in social contexts, which may be related to cognitive dysfunction that impairs recognition of biological motion. Although perception of biological motion is known to be mediated by the mirror neuron system, there have been few empirical studies of this system in patients with schizophrenia. Methods Using magnetoencephalography, we examined whether antipsychotic-free schizophrenia patients displayed mirror neuron system dysfunction during observation of biological motion (jaw movement of another individual). Results Compared with normal controls, the patients with schizophrenia had fewer components of both the waveform and equivalent current dipole, suggesting aberrant brain activity resulting from dysfunction of the right inferior parietal cortex. They also lacked the changes of alpha band and gamma band oscillation seen in normal controls, and had weaker phase-locking factors and gamma-synchronization predominantly in right parietal cortex. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that untreated patients with schizophrenia exhibit aberrant mirror neuron system function based on the right inferior parietal cortex, which is characterized by dysfunction of gamma-synchronization in the right parietal lobe during observation of biological motion.
Background Parenchymal Uptake on Molecular Breast Imaging and Breast Cancer Risk: A Cohort Study.

Background: Background parenchymal uptake (BPU) on molecular breast imaging (MBI) was identified as a breast cancer risk factor beyond mammographic density in a case-control study, but has not been confirmed in a cohort study. Objective: To examine association of BPU with breast cancer, and to estimate absolute risk and discriminatory accuracy of BPU using a cohort study. Methods: A retrospective cohort of women having MBI from 2004-2015, without prior breast cancer, was established. Radiologists, blinded to future breast cancer diagnoses, assessed BPU at baseline MBI as low (photopenic or minimal) or elevated (mild, moderate, or marked). Associations of BPU with breast cancer were estimated with multivariable Cox proportional hazards models of time to diagnosis. Five-year absolute risk was calculated for study subgroups. Discriminatory accuracy of BPU was assessed. Results: Among 2992 women with mean age 56.3 years (sd 10.6) at MBI, breast cancer events occurred in 144 over 7.3 years median follow-up. Median time to diagnosis was 4.2 years (range 0.5-11.6 years) after MBI. Elevated BPU was associated with greater breast cancer risk (HR=2.39 [1.68, 3.41]; p=<0.001). This association remained in postmenopausal women (HR=3.50 [2.31, 5.31; p<0.001]) but was not significant in premenopausal women (HR=1.29 [0.72, 2.32]; p=0.39). Women with elevated BPU had five-year absolute risk of 4.3% (2.9, 5.7) vs. 2.5% (1.8, 3.1) for those with low BPU. Postmenopausal women with dense breasts and elevated BPU had five-year absolute risk of 8.1% (4.3, 11.8) vs. 2.8% (1.8, 3.8) for those with low BPU. Among postmenopausal women, discriminatory accuracy for invasive cancer was improved with addition of BPU over Gail risk score alone (C-statistic 65.1 vs. 59.1; p=0.04) and over BCSC risk score alone (66.4 vs. 60.4; p=0.04). Conclusion: BPU on MBI is an independent breast cancer risk factor, with the strongest association observed among postmenopausal women with dense breasts. In postmenopausal women, BPU provides incremental discrimination in breast cancer risk prediction when combined with the Gail model or BCSC model. Clinical Impact: Elevated BPU on MBI may identify a subset of women with dense breasts who would benefit most from supplemental screening or preventive options.
Complete deletion of the aprataxin gene: ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 with severe phenotype and cognitive deficit

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 (AOA1) is a recently described autosomal-recessive neurodegenerative condition of childhood onset. It is caused by mutations in the APTX gene, which encodes the protein aprataxin. Clinical features include gait and limb ataxia, dysarthria, oculomotor apraxia, mild peripheral neuropathy and progression of neurological deficits.1 Some patients manifest parkinsonian symptoms or mental retardation, although the latter has been reported predominantly in Japanese patients.2 We report a patient with homozygous deletion of APTX , who presented with behavioural changes (social withdrawal), and subsequent rapid progression of neurological symptoms associated with severe cognitive decline. We suggest that complete deletion of APTX is associated with a more severe phenotype than that associated with point mutations. The patient is the second child of first-cousin Pakistani parents, and has two healthy brothers who are neurologically and cognitively normal. Prenatal, delivery and early neonatal history were unremarkable. Early developmental milestones were met at the appropriate times and social development was normal. At age 5 years, she began to withdraw from social contact in school and became very shy. She also demonstrated difficulties in acquiring new language. She was then noticed to become more unsteady while walking and, by 5.5 years, she began to fall. At age 6.5 years, …
Water Chlorination and Birth Defects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The authors used the Medline data retrieval system for 1966-2001 to identify and synthesize the epidemiological evidence for adverse effects of prenatal exposure to chlorination byproducts on birth defects. For 5 studies that provided estimates of the effect of exposure on 1 or several birth defects, the authors calculated summary odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using the Mantel-Haenszel method for a fixed-effects model, and the DerSimonian-Laird method for a random-effects model. The results of this meta-analysis provide evidence for an effect of exposure to chlorination byproducts on the risk of any birth defect, and of neural tube and urinary system defects. The results for respiratory system, major cardiac, and oral cleft defects were heterogeneous and inconclusive. Differences in the susceptibility of populations, and different approaches in exposure assessment, may explain the heterogeneity of the results.
An early A-signal-dependent gene in Myxococcus xanthus has a sigma 54-like promoter

A-signaling plays an essential role in the early stages of Myxococcus xanthus fruiting body development. Expression of the 452I gene, which is regulated at the level of RNA accumulation, depends on starvation and on A-signaling. To identify the cis-acting regulatory elements which allow gene 4521 to respond to the nutritional and A-factor signals, the 4521 transcription start site was mapped. The region just upstream of the start site showed sequence similarity to the sigma 54 family of promoters and to the developmentally regulated mbhA promoter of M. xanthus. A mutational analysis of this region established that the bases which were conserved between the sigma 54 consensus, mbhA, and 4521 promoters were also important for 4521 promoter activity. Changes which altered the spacing between two conserved regions centered around positions -14 and -24 abolished promoter activity. In contrast, mutations in a putative -10 region for a sigma 70-like promoter had little effect on expression of 4521. Despite their similar promoter regions, the regulation of the 4521 and mbhA genes was shown to differ with respect to timing of expression and requirement for a solid surface and extracellular signals. This suggests a model in which different activator proteins may be responsible for regulating expression of these two genes.
Survival of gram-negative bacilli and Candida albicans in hexachlorophene preparations and other disinfectants.

AbstractDispensers of a detergent containing hexachlorophene were found to be heavily contaminated with several different gram-negative bacilli. Further investigations showed unopened stock containers to be contaminated with up to 3.9 mill. bacteria per ml. Some of the isolated strains were shown to multiply in the disinfectant, but the resistance against the preparation was lost during passage through broth cultures. Gram-negative bacilli isolated from infected patients and from the hands of personnel using hexachlorophene preparations were inoculated in various antiseptic preparations for hand-washing, and the survival time was examined. The hexachlorophene preparations differed in their ability to kill the gram-negative bacilli. The addition of preservatives active against gram-negative bacilli reduced the survival time. The preparations also differed in their ability to kill Candida albicans. The necessity of sterility control of antiseptic hand-washing preparations and of regular disinfection of the .
Sensitivity of California Thrashers (Toxostoma redivivum) to song syntax

Abstract Many birds have songs with variable structure and sequences. In earlier studies, we characterized some features from the song structures of California Thrashers (Toxostoma redivivum). In the Thrashers, there were a large number of phrase types, dozens to hundreds and the songs that were sequences of these many phrases were not random, but show some structure referred to as syntax. For example, a syntactic rule might be that phrase type A can be followed by phrase type B, but not type C. We, along with others, have assumed that syntax is an important feature of songs. This paper describes an experimental attempt to determine that syntax is important to California Thrashers by recording the reaction of territorial thrashers to playbacks of other thrasher songs, some of which obeyed the syntax rules we had discovered while others violated those rules. We also obtained video recordings of their behaviour near the playback speakers. We observed differences in the reactions to the birds that heard these two types of playbacks. Resident males reacted to either playback type, but more strongly when the original order was preserved. We observed difference in their behavioural response to correct or altered syntax. This indicates that the syntax of their songs is perceived in territorial defence by the birds.
Bilateral mydriasis in common buzzards (Buteo buteo) and little owls (Athene noctua) induced by concurrent topical administration of rocuronium bromide.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the achievement of a bilateral mydriasis in raptors induced by a concurrent topical application of rocuronium bromide and to assess any side effects that might result from its use. Animals studied Ten healthy adult common buzzards (Buteo buteo) and 10 healthy adult little owls (Athene noctua). PROCEDURES Common buzzards (Group 1) received a single dose of 0.40 mg of rocuronium bromide in each eye (total dose 0.80 mg/bird), whereas the little owls (Group 2) received a single dose of 0.20 mg in each eye (total dose 0.40 mg/bird). The drug was topically instilled in all the birds of both groups. The pupil diameter was measured with a pupillary gauge and the assessment of the pupillary light reflexes was performed using a standard light source. RESULTS Maximal pupillary diameter was 8.10 ± 0.56 mm in the right eye and 8.05 ± 0.59 mm in the left eye for Group 1 and 10.0 ± 0.75 mm in both eyes for Group 2. No statistical differences were evidenced between the achieved pupillary diameters of both eyes in each group. The maximal pupillary diameter was achieved at T110 min and T40 min for Groups 1 and 2, respectively. The drug did not cause noticeable adverse effects in the examined birds. CONCLUSIONS A single concurrent topical administration of rocuronium bromide to the eyes of the examined birds induced a complete bilateral mydriasis in both eyes without causing any adverse effect.
Northeast Asia Interconnection-based integration of DG, DR, HVDC, and nuclear load-following under Smart Grid in the South Korean power system

This paper, based on the Northeast Asia (NEA) power system interconnection, presents an integration of renewable generation (RG), demand response (DR) or distributed generation (DG), high-voltage direct-current (HVDC), and nuclear power plant load-following operation under Smart Grid (SM) in the South Korean power system. The reliable power system depends on considering the reliability that affect after the system is connected or disconnected. The land-to-land power system interconnection in NEA countries will use as the back to back (BTB) technique for power transmission lines; whereas the point-to-point (PTP) will be used for over-sea interconnection, such as a Jeju Island and South Korea-Japan submarine transmission. In this paper, we will suggest how to design and analyze the operation mechanism/algorithm of the reliability side for the NEA, and an integration of RG, DR, HVDC, and nuclear power plant load-following operation under SM in the South Korean power system. Also, we present an inter-area power flow map for a power flow analysis for NEA countries to relieve the possible future power imbalances within the metropolitan areas or the southeastern area of Korea.
Vehicle Lateral Dynamics Control Through AFS/DYC and Robust Gain-Scheduling Approach

In this paper, we investigate the combined active front-wheel steering/direct yaw-moment control for the improvement of vehicle lateral stability and vehicle handling performance. A more practical assumption in this work is that the longitudinal velocity is not constant but varying within a range. Both the nonlinear tire model and the variation of longitudinal velocity are considered in vehicle system modeling. A linear-parameter-varying model with norm-bounded uncertainties is obtained. To track the system reference, a generalized proportional-integral (PI) control law is proposed. Since it is difficult to get the analytic solution for the PI gains, an augmented system is developed, and the PI control is then converted into the state-feedback control for the augmented system. Both the stability and the energy-to-peak performance of the augmented system are explored. Based on the analysis results, the controller-gain tuning method is proposed. The proposed control law and controller design method are illustrated via an electric vehicle model.