Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Profile of Differentially Abundant Proteins at the Yeast Cell Periphery during Pseudohyphal Growth*

Yeast filamentous growth is a stress response to conditions of nitrogen deprivation, wherein yeast colonies form pseudohyphal filaments of elongated and connected cells. As proteins mediating adhesion and transport are required for this growth transition, we expect that the protein complement at the yeast cell periphery plays a critical and tightly regulated role in pseudohyphal filamentation. To identify proteins differentially abundant at the yeast cell periphery during pseudohyphal growth, we generated quantitative proteomic profiles of plasma membrane protein preparations under conditions of vegetative growth and filamentation. By isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification chemistry and two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we profiled 2463 peptides and 356 proteins, identifying 11 differentially abundant proteins that localize to the yeast cell periphery. This protein set includes Ylr414cp, herein renamed Pun1p, a previously uncharacterized protein localized to the plasma membrane compartment of Can1. Pun1p abundance is doubled under conditions of nitrogen stress, and deletion of PUN1 abolishes filamentous growth in haploids and diploids; pun1Δ mutants are noninvasive, lack surface-spread filamentation, grow slowly, and exhibit impaired cell adhesion. Conversely, overexpression of PUN1 results in exaggerated cell elongation under conditions of nitrogen stress. PUN1 contributes to yeast nitrogen signaling, as pun1Δ mutants misregulate amino acid biosynthetic genes during nitrogen stress. By chromatin immunoprecipitation and reverse transcription-PCR, we find that the filamentous growth factor Mss11p directly binds the PUN1 promoter and regulates its transcription. In total, this study provides the first profile of differential protein abundance during pseudohyphal growth, identifying a previously uncharacterized membrane compartment of Can1 protein required for wild-type nitrogen signaling and filamentous growth.
Advertising Trends in Urban China

ABSTRACT The Chinese advertising market expanded in the past decade at an average annual rate of above 40 percent. The sustainability of such a rapid growth depends in part on the general attitudes of the public toward advertising. This paper reports the results of a telephone survey of 825 consumers in five major cities in China. The survey focused on general beliefs about the institution of advertising, personal experiences, and general attitudes toward advertising. The relationships among beliefs, personal experiences, and general attitudes are modeled. The paper also investigates the relationships among demographic variables and experiences, beliefs, and attitudes. The study shows that urban Chinese have similar or more positive attitudes toward advertising than their U.S. counterparts and that these positive attitudes demonstrate resilience over time. As in the United States, younger consumers have more positive beliefs and attitudes toward advertising. But in contrast to the United States, those with higher levels of education tend to have more positive attitudes and beliefs.
Agglomeration Economies and the High-Tech Computer

This paper considers the effects of agglomeration on the production decisions of firms in the high-tech computer cluster. We build upon an alternative definition of the high-tech computer cluster developed by Bardhan et al. (2003) and we exploit a new data source, the National Establishment Time-Series (NETS) Database, to analyze the spatial distribution of firms in this industry. An essential contribution of this research is the recognition that high-tech firms are heterogeneous collections of establishments. We explicitly model the kinship relationships between the headquarters and establishments of these firms and account for their endogenous production technology choices using controls for the spatial and functional configurations of each firm’s establishment locations. The empirical results, from our preferred specification of a random parameters restricted maximum likelihood (REML) production function, are broadly consistent with several recent theoretical models of supply chain management under incomplete contracting (Combes and Duranton (2003), Almazan et al. (2003), and Rotemberg and Saloner (2000)). We find statistically significant and economically meaningful localization effects on high-tech firms’ labor input technology arising from MSA-level proximity to workers in computer services Standard Industrial Classifications (SICs) and establishment-level geographic interactivity. We also find that localization effects have economically significant impacts on the elasticities of other purchased inputs. The channels for these effects are again access to large computer services labor markets and geographically dispersed networks of establishments. Our empirical results indicate that there are few benefits associated with firm locations in labor markets with large numbers of employees in the computer manufacturing sectors. This negative result may reflect the culmination of recent trends in out-sourcing manufactured inputs to distant offshore subsidiaries. Finally, we uncover considerable heterogeneity in the production technologies exploited by firms in the high-tech computer cluster, although in general, the production technology of this industry is characterized by constant returns to scale.
Liquidity Premium and a Two-Factor Model

This paper examines the role of liquidity risk in explaining the cross-section of asset returns using a new measure of liquidity that captures its multi-dimensional nature. This new measure earns a robust liquidity premium that the CAPM and the Fama-French three-factor model cannot explain. I find that a two-factor (market and liquidity) model performs better in explaining the cross-section of stock returns than the CAPM and the Fama-French three-factor model. It not only describes the liquidity premium, but it also subsumes documented anomalies associated with size, book-to-market, cashflow-to-price, earnings-to-price, dividend yield, and long-term contrarian investment. The model also accounts for price momentum after taking into account transaction costs.
An Enhanced Approach for Medical Brain Image Enhancement

Problem statement: One of the most common degradations in medical images is their poor contrast quality and noise. The DICOM image consists of speckle (multiplicative noise). While the image is enhanced, the multiplicative noise present in the image is also enhanced. Approach: This study describes the hybrid method to improve the image quality of Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images. The idea of image enhancement technique is to improve the quality of an image for early diagnosis . Then followed by a noise reduction using speckle reduction anisotropic filter. This suggests the use of contrast enhancement methods as an attempt to modify the intensity distribution of the image and to reduce the multiplicative noise. Results: In this research study, a new approach for DICOM image is done by applying contrast stretching and anisotropic diffusion where denoising of multiplica tive noise is carried out and the level of contrast is improved. The quality of the image is enhanced and noise free for DICOM image analysis. The effectiveness of hybrid method is proved by quantit ative approach. Conclusion and Recommendation: The performance of the proposed study is compared with the existing traditional algorithm and real time medical diagnosis image.
Patent it yourself : your step-by-step guide to filing at the U.S. Patent Office

Embroidery designs in Briggs & Co.s Patent Transferring Papers. Pinned from The Columbia Book of Yarns: Knitting, Crocheting. 17th edition. 1916. More. Nevertheless, this is not a do-it-yourself book for the untrained person. The rst amendment to the 17th edition was published in 2011 and came fully into force. the winners of the 17th edition of the Hayel Saeed Anam Award Competition. ok, then dont apply for a patent for invention and keep the secret for yourself.
The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy and drug therapy on quality of life and symptoms of patients with irritable bowel syndrome

Psychotherapy and drug therapy are considered useful in quality of life (QOL) and symptoms of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The aim of this study was to examine the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) associated with drug therapy in comparison to drug therapy alone on the QOL and symptoms of IBS patients with diarrhea predominance. This study was a randomized clinical trial on 64 IBS patients. The patients were selected according to Rome III criteria and were assigned into two groups. Bowel symptom severity and frequency scale and QOL-IBS were used to investigate the patients' symptoms. The first group underwent CBT with medication therapy, and the second group received only medication. Data were analyzed using analysis of multiple covariance. The two groups showed a significant difference in the QOL-IBS in posttreatment and follow-up stages (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in the severity and frequency of IBS symptoms between the two groups after the intervention (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed at follow-up stage between the two groups (P > 0.05). CBT accompanied by drug therapy can be useful for IBS patients with diarrhea predominance. However, discontinuing this treatment may lead to recurrence of the symptoms.
Earnings Predictability and Bias in Analysts? Earnings Forecasts

This paper examines cross-sectional differences in the optimistic behavior of financial analysts. Specifically, we investigate whether the predictive accuracy of past information (e.g., time-series of earnings, past returns, etc.) is associated with the magnitude of the bias in analysts' earnings forecasts. We posit that there is higher demand for non-public information for firms whose earnings are difficult to accurately predict than for firms whose earnings can be accurately forecasted using public information. Assuming that optimism facilitates access to management's non-public information, we hypothesize that analysts will issue more optimistic forecasts for low predictability firms than for high predictability firms. Our results support this hypothesis.
Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 and Head and Neck Cancer: A Meta-analysis Implementing a Mendelian Randomization Approach

Alcohol drinking at high doses is a risk factor for head and neck cancer, and exposure to acetaldehyde, the principle metabolite of alcohol, is supposed to account for the increased risk. Individuals homozygous for the *2 variant allele of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) are unable to metabolize acetaldehyde, which prevents them from alcohol drinking, whereas *1*2 have 6-fold higher blood acetaldehyde concentration postalcohol consumption with respect to *1*1. According to the concept of Mendelian randomization, because this polymorphism is distributed randomly during gamete formation, its association with head and neck cancer should be not confounded by smoking. We carried out a meta-analysis of ALDH2 and head and neck cancer searching for relevant studies on Medline and Embase up to January 31, 2008, and investigated the consistency between the expected odds ratio (OR) among drinkers from the largest pooled analysis among never smokers and the observed OR from this meta-analysis by an interaction test. Six studies were selected (945 cases, 2,917 controls). The OR of head and neck cancer among *2*2 was 0.53 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.28-1.00] relative to *1*1 and 1.83 (95% CI, 1.21-2.77) among *1*2. The expected OR for head and neck cancer due to alcohol intake among *1*1 was 1.38 (95% CI, 0.88-2.17) and the observed OR among *1*1 compared with 2*2 from this meta-analysis was 1.88 (95% CI, 1.00-3.57; P for interaction = 0.43). Besides showing the effectiveness of the Mendelian randomization approach, these findings support the theory that alcohol increases head and neck cancer risk through the carcinogenic action of acetaldehyde. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(1):248–54)
STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF THE COMBINATION OF PLATELET-RICH FIBRIN (PRF) AND ALLOGENOUS BONE GRAFT AROUND IMMEDIATE IMPLANTS

INTRODUCTION: Following the immediate implant placement, there is a gap called jumping space which increases the risk of implant failure. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic efficiency of platelet-rich fibrin membrane (PRF) combined with bone graft surrounding immediate implants in fresh extraction sockets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A clinical and radiographic study was carried out on ten fresh extraction sockets with age range from 20 to 50 years. Sockets were occupied by immediate endosseous implant and grafted with allogenous bone graft and PRF. After placement all implants were evaluated clinically after 6 months (modified sulcus bleeding index, probing pocket depth and degree of mobility) and radiographically to evaluate marginal bone loss. RESULTS: There was less pain, edema, bleeding and probing depth in the study group than in the control group but the difference among them was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). There was significantly more bone density and less marginal bone loss in the study group than in the control group on the sixth postoperative month (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is clear that PRF is biocompatible and can improve both soft tissue healing and bone regeneration after immediate implant placement. KEYWORDS: Immediate implant, PRF, bone graft.
Reports of pain by children undergoing rapid palatal expansion.

PURPOSE This study described and quantified the prevalence, timing, and intensity of pain during the expansion phase of rapid palatal expansion (RPE) in children and investigated whether pain was related to age, sex, or rate of expansion. METHODS Ninety-seven children, 38 males and 59 females, between the ages of 5 to 13 years (median 7.7 years) undergoing RPE procedures with the Hyrax, Dentaurum, Newtown, PA, appliance were surveyed. The appliance was expanded with either one or two turns (1/4 mm/turn) per day based on the provider's preference. The child's pain response was measured no more than 5 minutes after each turn for the entire period of expansion using both the Facial Pain Scale and the Color Analog Scale. RESULTS Ninety-eight percent of the children reported at least some pain during RPE. The highest levels of pain were reported during the first 10 turns with the greatest intensity during the first 6 turns and a steadily decreasing amount of pain thereafter. Pain medication was taken after 7% of the expansion turns in the study with the majority of children taking the medication during the first 6 turns. Forty-eight percent of the children took pain medication at least once during the expansion phase of RPE. There was no difference in either reported pain or use of pain medication based on age, sex, or stage of dentition. During the first 10 turns, children whose rate of expansion was two turns/day were more likely to report pain and take pain medication than children whose rate of expansion was one turn/day, thereafter there were no differences. CONCLUSIONS The vast majority of children undergoing the active phase of rapid palatal expansion with a Hyrax appliance report pain. The pain generally occurs during the initial phase of expansion and diminishes thereafter, with two turns/day resulting in reports of pain greater than those expanding only once/day.
Pharmacodynamic effects of C-domain-specific ACE inhibitors on the renin-angiotensin system in myocardial infarcted rats

Introduction: The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a dynamic network that plays a critical role in blood pressure regulation and fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. Modulators of the RAS, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, are widely used to treat hypertension, heart failure and myocardial infarction. Methods: The effect of ACE inhibitors (lisinopril and C-domain-selective LisW-S) on the constituent peptides of the RAS following myocardial infarction was examined in rats. Ten angiotensin peptides were analysed using a sensitive LC-MS/MS-based assay to examine both the circulating and equilibrium levels of these peptides. Results: Administration of lisinopril or LisW-S caused a significant decrease in Ang 1–8/Ang 1–10 ratios as determined by circulating and equilibrium peptide level analysis. Furthermore, Ang 1–7 levels were elevated by both ACE inhibitors, but only lisinopril decreased the Ang 1–5/Ang 1–7 ratio. This indicates LisW-S C-domain specificity as Ang 1–5 is generated by hydrolysis of Ang 1–7 by the N-domain. Further corroboration of LisW-S C-domain specificity is that only lisinopril increased the circulating levels of the N-domain ACE substrate Ac-SDKP. Conclusion: LisW-S is able to effectively block ACE in vivo by C-domain-selective inhibition. The LC-MS/MS-based assay allows the evaluation of the pharmacologic impact of RAS inhibitors in different pathophysiological conditions.
Simian immunodeficiency virus—induced meningoencephalitis: Natural history and retrospective study

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is a lentivirus with morphological and antigenic similarities to human immunodeficiency virus, the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) of humans. Macaque monkeys infected with SIV show profound immunological impairment, clinically characterized by multiple opportunistic infections and neoplasms. Retrospective examination of autopsy tissue from 27 SIV‐infected animals demonstrated that approximately 60% of the experimentally inoculated animals had a meningoencephalitis characterized by perivascular infiltrates of macrophages and multinucleate giant cells in the white and gray matter and leptomeninges. Ultrastructurally, these macrophages contained typical lentiviral particles within membrane‐bound intracytoplasmic vacuoles. Other findings in the central nervous system included discrete randomly located neuroglial nodules, endothelial hypertrophy, and leptomeningeal thickening. The results indicate that the meningoencephalitis induced by SIV in monkeys is similar to the lesions of the central nervous system in patients with AIDS and that SIV infection in the macaque is a useful animal model to study the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus‐related subacute encephalitis or AIDS encephalopathy.
The Acid Stabilization of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Depends on Protonation of a Single Group That Affects Loop Insertion into β-Sheet A (*)

The serpin plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) spontaneously adopts an inactive or latent conformation by inserting the N-terminal part of the reactive center loop as strand 4 into the major β-sheet (sheet A). To examine factors that may regulate reactive loop insertion in PAI-1, we determined the inactivation rate of the inhibitor in the pH range 4.5-13. Below pH 9, inactivation led primarily to latent PAI-1, and one predominant effect of pH on the corresponding rate constant could be observed. Protonation of a group exhibiting a pKa of 7.6 (25°C, ionic strength = 0.15 M) reduced the rate of formation of latent PAI-1 by a factor of 35, from 0.17 h−1 at pH 9 to about 0.005 h−1 below pH 6. The ionization with a pKa 7.6 was found to have no effect on the rate by which PAI-1 inhibits trypsin and is therefore unlikely to change the flexibility of the loop or the orientation of the reactive center. The peptides Ac-TEASSSTA and Ac-TVASSSTA (cf. P14-P7 in the reactive loop of PAI-1) formed stable complexes with PAI-1 and converted the inhibitor to a substrate for tissue type plasminogen activator. We found that peptide binding and formation of latent PAI-1 are mutually exclusive events, similarly affected by the pKa 7.6 ionization. This is direct evidence that external peptides can substitute for strand 4 in β-sheet A of PAI-1 and that the pKa 7.6 ionization regulates insertion of complementary, internal or external, strands into this position. A model that accounts for the observed pH effects is presented, and the identity of the ionizing group is discussed based on the structure of latent PAI-1. The group is tentatively identified as His-143 in helix F, located on top of sheet A.
Financial Ratios: A Tool for Conveying Information and Decision Making

This paper aims to examine the extent of financial ratio information communicated in the annual reports of Malaysian listed companies.The sample is selected from top 100 companies on Bursa Malaysia for year 2011. The annual reports are gathered and the data are hand collected.A regression model measures the Extent Financial Ratio Disclosure (EFRD) using 10 mostly referred and cited financial ratios. Findings reveal that on average, the sample firms disclose 18.4% of selected financial ratios in their annual reports. The Net Asset Per Share (NAPS) ratio is among the popular ratios presented in the annual reports. For the corporate governance score (CGS), almost 50% of the board of directors are independent.The average percentage of shareholding of 80.63% and this implies that Malaysian shareholding is consider to be concentrated. Corporate Governance (CG) element does have a positive relationship with EFRD.Higher numbers of independent directors increase the extent of the financial ratio disclosures.It explains that the role of independent directors as proposed in the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG) actually works and it helps to add value to the quality of financial reporting
The data marketplace survey revisited

Trading data as a commodity is increasingly popular. To get a better understanding of emerging data marketplaces, we have conducted two surveys to systematically gather and evaluate their characteristics. This paper is a continuation of a survey we conducted in 2012; it describes our findings from a second round done in 2013. Our study shows that the market is vivid with numerous exits and changes in its core business. We try to identify trends in this young field and explain them. Notably, there is a definite trend towards high quality data.
Time scales of divergence and speciation among natural populations and subspecies of Arabidopsis lyrata (Brassicaceae).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Plant populations that face new environments adapt and diverge simultaneously, and both processes leave footprints in their genetic diversity. Arabidopsis lyrata is an excellent species for studying these processes. Pairs of populations and subspecies of A. lyrata represent different stages of divergence. These populations are also known to be locally adapted and display various stages of emerging reproductive isolation. METHODS We used nucleotide diversity data from 19 loci to estimate divergence times and levels of diversity among nine A. lyrata populations. Traditional distance-based methods and model-based clustering analysis were used to supplement pairwise coalescence-based analysis of divergence. KEY RESULTS Estimated divergence times varied from 130,000 generations between North American and European subspecies to 39,000 generations between central European and Scandinavian populations. In concordance with previous studies, the highest level of diversity was found in Central Europe and the lowest in North America and a diverged Russian Karhumäki population. Local adaptation among Northern and central European populations has emerged during the last 39,000 generations. Populations that are reproductively isolated by prezygotic mechanisms have been separated for a longer time period of ∼70,000 generations but still have shared nucleotide polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS In A. lyrata, reproductively isolated populations started to diverge ∼70,000 generations ago and more closely related, locally adapted populations have been separate lineages for ∼39,000 generations. However, based on the posterior distribution of divergence times, the processes leading to reproductive isolation and local adaptation are likely to temporally coincide.