Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The subunit delta-subunit b domain of the Escherichia coli F1F0 ATPase. The B subunits interact with F1 as a dimer and through the delta subunit.

The delta and b subunits are both involved in binding the F1 to the F0 part in the Escherichia coli ATP synthase (ECF1F0). The interaction of the purified delta subunit and the isolated hydrophilic domain of the b subunit (bsol) has been studied here. Purified delta binds to bsol weakly in solution, as indicated by NMR studies and protease protection experiments. On F1, i.e. in the presence of ECF1-delta, delta, and bsol interact strongly, and a complex of ECF1.bsol can be isolated by native gel electrophoresis. Both delta subunit and bsol are protected from trypsin cleavage in this complex. In contrast, the delta subunit is rapidly degraded by the protease when bound to ECF1 when bsol is absent. The interaction of bsol with ECF1 involves the C-terminal domain of delta as delta(1-134) cannot replace intact delta in the binding experiments. As purified, bsol is a stable dimer with 80% alpha helix. A monomeric form of bsol can be obtained by introducing the mutation A128D (Howitt, S. M., Rodgers, A. J.,W., Jeffrey, P. D., and Cox, G. B. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 7038-7042). Monomeric bsol has less alpha helix, i.e. only 58%, is much more sensitive to trypsin cleavage than dimer, and unfolds at much lower temperatures than the dimer in circular dichroism melting studies, indicating a less stable structure. The bsol dimer, but not monomer, binds to delta in ECF1. To examine whether subunit b is a monomor or dimer in intact ECF1F0, CuCl2 was used to induce cross-link formation in the mutants bS60C, bQ104C, bA128C, bG131C, and bS146C. With the exception of bS60C, CuCl2 treatment resulted in formation of b subunit dimers in all mutants. Cross-linking yield was independent of nucleotide conditions and did not affect ATPase activity. These results show the b subunit to be dimeric for a large portion of the C terminus, with residues 124-131 likely forming a pair of parallel alpha helices.
Analysis on the Effects of Organizational Communication Climate and Career Development toward Employee Performance with Job Satisfaction

The purpose of this research is to analyze direct and indirect effects of organizational communication climate and career development toward employee performance, where the job satisfaction as an intervening variable toward the organizational communication climate and career development of employee performance at Human Resource Department and General Division of PT Pusri Palembang. This research was explanatory research approach and used 120 respondents. The primary data were questionnaires. Data analysis method was Structural Equation Model (SEM). Research findings showed that organizational communication climate had no significant effect on employee performance while career development had a significant effect on employee performance. In addition, the study also found that job satisfaction as the full mediation influenced the organizational communication climate toward employee performance while job satisfaction as the partial mediation influenced the career development toward employee performance at Human Resources Department and General Division of PT Pusri Palembang.
11C-PIB PET imaging in Alzheimer disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Background: The PET tracer 11C-labeled Pittsburgh Compound-B (11C-PIB) specifically binds fibrillar amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and can be detected in Alzheimer disease (AD). We hypothesized that PET imaging with 11C-PIB would discriminate AD from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), a non-Aβ dementia. Methods: Patients meeting research criteria for AD (n = 7) or FTLD (n = 12) and cognitively normal controls (n = 8) underwent PET imaging with 11C-PIB (patients and controls) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) (patients only). 11C-PIB whole brain and region of interest (ROI) distribution volume ratios (DVR) were calculated using Logan graphical analysis with cerebellum as a reference region. DVR images were visually rated by a blinded investigator as positive or negative for cortical 11C-PIB, and summed 18F-FDG images were rated as consistent with AD or FTLD. Results: All patients with AD (7/7) had positive 11C-PIB scans by visual inspection, while 8/12 patients with FTLD and 7/8 controls had negative scans. Of the four PIB-positive patients with FTLD, two had 18F-FDG scans that suggested AD, and two had 18F-FDG scans suggestive of FTLD. Mean DVRs were higher in AD than in FTLD in whole brain, lateral frontal, precuneus, and lateral temporal cortex (p < 0.05), while DVRs in FTLD did not significantly differ from controls. Conclusions: PET imaging with 11C-labeled Pittsburgh Compound-B (11C-PIB) helps discriminate Alzheimer disease (AD) from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Pathologic correlation is needed to determine whether patients with PIB-positive FTLD represent false positives, comorbid FTLD/AD pathology, or AD pathology mimicking an FTLD clinical syndrome.
Repulsive guidance molecule B (RGMB) plays negative roles in breast cancer by coordinating BMP signaling

Repulsive guidance molecules (RGMs) coordinate axon formation and iron homestasis. These molecules are also known as co‐receptors of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). However, the role played by RGMs in breast cancer remains unclear. The present study investigated the impact of RGMB on functions of breast cancer cells and corresponding mechanisms. RGMB was knocked down in breast cancer cells by way of an anti‐RGMB ribozyme transgene. Knockdown of RGMB resulted in enhanced capacities of proliferation, adhesion, and migration in breast cancer cells. Further investigations demonstrated RGMB knockdown resulted in a reduced expression and activity of Caspase‐3, accompanied with better survival in RGMB knockdown cells under serum starvation, which might be induced by its repression on MAPK JNK pathway. Up‐regulations of Snai1, Twist, FAK, and Paxillin via enhanced Smad dependent sigaling led to increased capacities of adhesion and migration. Our current data firstly revealed that RGMB may act as a negative regulator in breast cancer through BMP signaling. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 2523–2531, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Transit-Oriented Development Opportunities Among Failing Malls

This paper explores opportunities for the redevelopment of failing regional shopping malls as Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs) to improve transit ridership, focusing on Southern California. In effect, the study suggests an alternative to the typical sequence of first providing transit infrastructure and then changing land uses and densities to develop a TOD around new transit stations. Instead, the study suggests that failing shopping malls can provide the footprint for their redevelopment as TODs that could then be linked to transit lines. The study focuses on several major topics and reviews recent literature on the following steps in the argument for this policy: 1. The rationale for redeveloping declining malls as TODs, the supporting federal and California policies for TODs, and evidence for how different characteristics of TODs and their combination can reduce vehicle miles traveled, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions; 2. The issues that hinder the development of TODs around transit stations, e.g., difficulties in up-zoning, land assembly; loss of existing affordable housing; 3. Changes in retail, focusing on factors affecting the closing of shopping malls, e.g., the effect of Internet shopping on shopping malls, and the increasing failure of shopping malls; and 4. The potential and rationale for the redevelopment of failing regional malls into TODs. View the NCST Project Webpage
Financial institution factors influencing loan default by SMEs in Kitui Central Sub-county

xi CHAPTER ONE . 1 1.0. INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1. Background to the Study . 1 1.1.1. Financial Institution factors . 2 1.1.2. Loan_default by SMEs . 4 1.1.3. SMEs in Kitui Central SubCounty . 5 1.2. Statement of the Problem. 6 1.3. Objectives of the Study . 7 1.3. 1. General Objective . 7 1.3. 2. Specific Objectives . 7 1.4. Research Questions . 7 1.5. Significance of the Study . 8 1.6. Limitations of the Study . 8 1.7. Scope of the Study . 9 CHAPTER TWO . 10 2.0. LITERATURE REVIEW . 10 2.
Triglyceride to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, total cholesterol to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and low ankle brachial index in an elderly population.

BACKGROUND The associations of triglyceride (TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (HDL‑C) and total cholesterol (TC) to HDL‑C ratio and low ankle brachial index (ABI) were seldom investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS A population based cross-sectional survey was conducted and 2982 participants 60 years and over were recruited. TG, TC, HDL‑C, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were assessed in all participants. Low ABI was defined as ABI ≤ 0.9 in either leg. Multiple logistic regression models were applied to study the association between TG/HDL‑C ratio, TC/HDL‑C ratio and low ABI. RESULTS The TG/HDL‑C ratios for those with ABI > 0.9 and ABI ≤ 0.9 were 1.28 ± 1.20 and 1.48 ± 1.13 (P < 0.0001), while the TC/HDL‑C ratios were 3.96 ± 1.09 and 4.32 ± 1.15 (P < 0.0001), respectively. After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, obesity, current drinking, physical activity, hypertension, diabetes, lipid-lowering drugs, and cardiovascular disease history, the odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of low ABI for TG/HDL‑C ratio and TC/HDL‑C ratio were 1.10 (0.96, 1.26) and 1.34 (1.14, 1.59) in non-smokers. When TC was further adjusted, the ORs (95 % CIs) were 1.40 (0.79, 2.52) and 1.53 (1.21, 1.93) for TG/HDL‑C ratio and TC/HDL‑C ratio, respectively. Non-linear relationships were detected between TG/HDL‑C ratio and TC/HDL‑C ratio and low ABI in both smokers and non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS TC/HDL‑C ratio was significantly associated with low ABI in non-smokers and the association was independent of TC, TG, HDL‑C, and LDL-C. TC/HDL‑C might be considered as a potential biomarker for early peripheral arterial disease screening.
Lack of Associations between TNF-αPolymorphisms and Cervical Cancer in Thai women.

The risk of developing cervical cancer in women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) may be influenced by an individual's genetic susceptibility. Published data linking single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-? ) promoter region at positions -308G>A (rs1800629) and -238G>A (rs361525) to cervical cancer risk have been inconclusive. In this study, we examined 251 cervical specimens and classified them into two groups according to their cytological findings: 121 cancer cases and 130 controls (low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and normal cytology). All specimens were typed by PCR and sequencing for TNF-αpromoter -308G>A (rs1800629) and -238G>A (rs361525). The genotype distribution of SNPs in either rs1800629 or rs361525 did not significantly demonstrate higher frequency in the cancer group (p=0.621 and p=0.68, respectively). Based on these results, neither the TNF-αpromoter -308G>A (rs1800629) nor the -238G>A (rs361525) polymorphism presents a major risk factor for cervical cancer among Thai women. Larger studies are necessary to elucidate possible genetic mechanisms influencing cervical cancer development.
The Nexus Between Business-Investment Climate and Firm Performance in The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region

Business and investment climate indicators are relations between the public and private sectors. They may take the form of formal, regular, and informal interactions and their scope can include the economy as a whole or they may target specific types of firms in specific sectors or certain policy processes. Effective business and investment climate is important, because it can lead to a higher rate of investment, profits, and improved productivity, through the creation of an institutional environment, where the state provides high quality public goods, including infrastructure, political stability, and strategies for reducing consumption, fair and effective public administration. This study aims to explore the impact of business-investment climate on firm’s value added, labour and total factor productivity (TFP) in a sample of six countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Turkey. The analysis relies on micro-level data derived from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys over the period 2006-2016. To reduce endogeneity coming from possible reverse causality and the perceptions about business climate we follow an instrumental variables (IV) approach applying the two-stage least squares (2SLS) method. Based on our favoured 2SLS estimates the obstacles in business climate may reduce the firm performance measures by 15-40 per cent. These findings indicate the importance of the quality in business climate and how the improvement in its effectiveness can have a very considerable positive impact on firms’ performance and thus in the overall economic growth of a country.
Temperature‐dependent sex determination: Upregulation of SOX9 expression after commitment to male development

In mammals, birds and reptiles the morphological development of the gonads appear to be conserved. This conservation is evident despite the different sex determining switches employed by these vertebrate groups. Mammals exhibit chromosomal sex determination (CSD) where the key sex determining switch is the Y‐linked gene, SRY. Although SRYis the trigger for testis determination in mammals, it is not conserved in other vertebrate groups. However, a gene closely related to SRY, the highly conserved transcription factor, SOX9, plays an important role in the testis pathway of mammals and birds. In contrast to the CSD mechanism evident in mammals and birds, many reptiles exhibit temperature dependent sex determination (TSD) where the egg incubation temperature triggers sex determination. Here we examine the expression of SOX9 during gonadogenesis in the American alligator, (Alligator mississippiensis), a reptile that exhibits TSD. Alligator SOX9 is expressed in the embryonic testis but not in the ovary. However, the timing of SOX9 upregulation in the developing testis is not consistent with a role for this gene in the early stages of alligator sex determination. Since SOX9 upregulation in male embryos coincides with the structural organisation of the testis, SOX9 may operate farther downstream in the vertebrate sex differentiation pathway than previously postulated. Dev Dyn 1999;214:171–177. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identification of an enterovirus recombinant with a torovirus-like gene insertion during a diarrhea outbreak in fattening pigs

Abstract Diarrhea outbreaks in pig farms have raised major concerns in Europe and USA, as they can lead to dramatic pig losses. During a suspected outbreak in Belgium of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), we performed viral metagenomics to assess other potential viral pathogens. Although PEDV was detected, its low abundance indicated that other viruses were involved in the outbreak. Interestingly, a porcine bocavirus and several enteroviruses were most abundant in the sample. We also observed the presence of a porcine enterovirus genome with a gene insertion, resembling a C28 peptidase gene found in toroviruses, which was confirmed using re-sequencing, bioinformatics, and proteomics approaches. Moreover, the predicted cleavage sites for the insertion suggest that this gene was being expressed as a single protein, rather than a fused protein. Recombination in enteroviruses has been reported as a major mechanism to generate genetic diversity, but gene insertions across viral families are rather uncommon. Although such inter-family recombinations are rare, our finding suggests that these events may significantly contribute to viral evolution.
Review: ACE inhibition or angiotensin receptor blockade: which should we use in diabetic patients?

Blockade of the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) by using an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor has been proven to be of value in Type 1 diabetic nephropathy and in non-diabetic renal disease. Evidence in favour of Ang II blockade in Type 2 diabetic patients with renal damage is still lacking for ACE inhibitors (ACE-Is), while recent data indicate that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) could be the drugs of choice in this situation. On the other hand, renal damage from the onset of disease is accompanied by a very significant increment in global cardiovascular risk. This fact, as well as that of simultaneous renal and cardiovascular protection, have to be considered for drug selection. In this sense, ACE-Is have been shown to be the drugs of choice when secondary cardiovascular prevention is required, while the evidence in primary prevention in hypertensive patients has been shown with losartan in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) study. All these facts led to the conclusion that both ACE-Is and ARBs can be considered when both renal and cardiovascular protection are aimed for in Type 2 diabetic patients.
Engineering Democratization in Internet of Things Data Analytics

The pervasiveness of Internet of Things devices in techno-socio-economic domains such as Smart Cities and Smart Grids results in a massive scale of data about our society. Decision-making by system operators or policy-makers requires a sophisticated understanding of these data with real-time data analytics methods. However, common data analytics methods often serve exclusively corporate and commercial interests and result in privacy-intrusion, surveillance, profiling and discriminatory actions. This paper illustrates an alternative data analytics approach that relies on participatory citizens to contribute Internet of Things data and crowdsourced computational resources in order to compute aggregation functions in a collective fashion. This democratization calls for a fully decentralized and privacy-preserving system design with which a local data management mechanism implemented in smart phones can guarantee highly accurate computations under highly dynamic data streams. Experimental evaluation with real-world Smart Grid data illustrates the performance trade-offs and shows how they can be managed in an automated and empirical way using decision trees.
The effects of injectable hormonal contraceptives on HIV seroconversion and on sexually transmitted infections

Objectives:To investigate the association between hormonal contraceptives and risk of HIV-1 seroconversion and prevalence of other sexually transmitted infections. Design:Prospective cohort. Methods:The study population was 2 236 HIV-negative women who were screened in a biomedical intervention trial in Durban, South Africa. The association between the use of hormonal contraceptives and risk of HIV-1 seroconversion was modeled using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections were assessed using logistic regression models. Results:Hormonal injectables were the most common method of contraceptives (46.47%) followed by condom use (28.04%). Overall, compared with women who reported using condoms or other methods as their preferred form of contraceptive, those who reported using hormonal contraceptives (injectables and oral pills) were less likely to use condoms in their last sexual act. Using hormonal injectables during the study was significantly associated with increased risk for HIV-1 infection [adjusted hazard ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19–2.49, P = 0.005]; hormonal injectables were also significantly associated with higher prevalent of C. trachomatis infections (adjusted odds ratio 2.46, 95% CI 1.52–3.97, P < 0.001). Conclusion:Hormonal injectables are highly effective and well tolerated family planning methods and have played an important role in reducing unplanned pregnancies and maternal and infant mortality. However, they do not protect against HIV-1 and other sexually transmitted infections. This study reinforces the importance of comprehensive contraceptive counseling to women about the importance of dual protection, such as male condoms and hormonal contraceptives use.
The outcome of shunted hydrocephalic children.

BACKGROUND Neurological sequelae and mental retardation may result from different etiological types of hydrocephalus. The aim of our study is to determine the intellectual development and the "shunt history" of these children with regard to the complications and revision rates. METHODS We reviewed the medical history of non-tumoral pediatric hydrocephalic patients who had received first shunt insertions between 1983 and 1997 and had been regularly followed up at the out-patient clinics of Taipei Veterans General Hospital. These patients were categorized into five different etiological groups. Their intelligence test scores and the surgical morbidity encountered over this period were used as the main outcome measures. RESULTS Out of the seventy-three patients, post-meningitis hydrocephalus patients had the significantly highest shunt revision rate (2.50 +/- 0.82, p = 0.01). They also showed retardation in IQ scores, but the different was not significant when compared with other groups. The results of IQ tests were not related to either the age of initial shunt insertion (p = 0.461) or revision rates (p = 0.292). For physical disabilities, post-meningitis hydrocephalic patients showed-highest incidence of epilepsy (40%) while hydrocephalic patients associated with myelomeningocele had the highest incidence of motor deficits (56.25%). CONCLUSIONS Childhood hydrocephalic patients had different developmental neuroimpairments with respect to different etiologies. This study provides information about the physical and mental outcome of post-operative hydrocephalic patients which is valuable to assist in counsel of their families.
An Integrated Chemical Environment to Support 21st-Century Toxicology

Summary: Access to high-quality reference data is essential for the development, validation, and implementation of in vitro and in silico approaches that reduce and replace the use of animals in toxicity testing. Currently, these data must often be pooled from a variety of disparate sources to efficiently link a set of assay responses and model predictions to an outcome or hazard classification. To provide a central access point for these purposes, the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods developed the Integrated Chemical Environment (ICE) web resource. The ICE data integrator allows users to retrieve and combine data sets and to develop hypotheses through data exploration. Open-source computational workflows and models will be available for download and application to local data. ICE currently includes curated in vivo test data, reference chemical information, in vitro assay data (including Tox21TM/ToxCast™ high-throughput screening data), and in silico model predictions. Users can query these data collections focusing on end points of interest such as acute systemic toxicity, endocrine disruption, skin sensitization, and many others. ICE is publicly accessible at https://ice.ntp. niehs.nih. gov. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1759
An Extremely Efficient Chess-board Detection for Non-trivial Photos

We present a set of algorithms that can be used to locate and crop the chess-board/chess-pieces from the picture, including every rectangular grid with any pattern. Our method is non-parametric, and thus does not require the prior knowledge from computer vision and machine learning, which is instead inferred from data. We illustrate the application of our method to a variety of examples, such as chess-board cropping and regular grid-pattern localization. In addition, we present two independent algorithms: PAMG (vertices detector) and FAPL (thermal lines) that can be widely used for other tasks in computer vision.