Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutant Allele-Specific Uncoupling of PENETRATION3 Functions Reveals Engagement of the ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter in Distinct Tryptophan Metabolic Pathways1[OPEN]

A specific mutation in the gene encoding Arabidopsis PEN3 ATP-binding cassette transporter indicates diverse tryptophan metabolites as PEN3 substrates. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PENETRATION (PEN) genes quantitatively contribute to the execution of different forms of plant immunity upon challenge with diverse leaf pathogens. PEN3 encodes a plasma membrane-resident pleiotropic drug resistance-type ATP-binding cassette transporter and is thought to act in a pathogen-inducible and PEN2 myrosinase-dependent metabolic pathway in extracellular defense. This metabolic pathway directs the intracellular biosynthesis and activation of tryptophan-derived indole glucosinolates for subsequent PEN3-mediated efflux across the plasma membrane at pathogen contact sites. However, PEN3 also functions in abiotic stress responses to cadmium and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)-mediated auxin homeostasis in roots, raising the possibility that PEN3 exports multiple functionally unrelated substrates. Here, we describe the isolation of a pen3 allele, designated pen3-5, that encodes a dysfunctional protein that accumulates in planta like wild-type PEN3. The specific mutation in pen3-5 uncouples PEN3 functions in IBA-stimulated root growth modulation, callose deposition induced with a conserved peptide epitope of bacterial flagellin (flg22), and pathogen-inducible salicylic acid accumulation from PEN3 activity in extracellular defense, indicating the engagement of multiple PEN3 substrates in different PEN3-dependent biological processes. We identified 4-O-β-d-glucosyl-indol-3-yl formamide (4OGlcI3F) as a pathogen-inducible, tryptophan-derived compound that overaccumulates in pen3 leaf tissue and has biosynthesis that is dependent on an intact PEN2 metabolic pathway. We propose that a precursor of 4OGlcI3F is the PEN3 substrate in extracellular pathogen defense. These precursors, the shared indole core present in IBA and 4OGlcI3F, and allele-specific uncoupling of a subset of PEN3 functions suggest that PEN3 transports distinct indole-type metabolites in distinct biological processes.
Lethal Effects of Pollution and Economic Growth: Efficiency of Abatement Technology

The accumulation of pollution negatively impacts human health. Extreme increases in pollution, in particular, may have lethal implications for human beings, and, indeed, all living organisms. This paper thus devises a new model of economic growth that takes into account these lethal effects of accumulated pollution via a pollution threshold to show two key results. First, if an abatement technology is relatively inefficient, there exists a stationary steady state in which consumption and pollution stop growing. Second, if the abatement technology is sufficiently efficient, there exists a path along which pollution decreases at an accelerating rate until it finally reaches zero. In this case, consumption grows at a constant rate.
Debt Shift, Financial Development and Income Inequality in Europe

Does financial development increase income inequality? Ambiguous answers to this question to date may be due to over-aggregation. In data over 1990–2012 for 26 EU economies, we study the effects on income inequality of different components of financial development. We find that bank credit to real estate and financial asset markets, which increases the wage share of the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) sector, increases income inequality. Credit to non-financial business and for household consumption supports broader income formation, decreasing income inequality. There was a large shift of bank credit allocation since the 1990s, away from supporting investments by non-financial firms and towards financing capital gains in real estate and financial asset markets. Combined with our new findings, this ’debt shift’ helps to understand the growth of inequality.
Influence of Investors' Monitoring on Equity Mutual Funds' Performance

This paper analyzes the effect of investor monitoring on the performance of equity investment funds. For that purpose, we analyze the relationship between fund performance, measured using four-factor Alpha, and a set of control variables and monitoring proxy variables. We used monthly data for 1.317 funds, from January 2005 to April 2015. We organized the sample data into two subsamples, retail and institutional funds, to compare the performance of those funds whose clienteles presents, in principle, different monitoring capacities. Institutional funds presented superior performance compared to retail funds measured by net annual return as well as by four-factor Alpha. The variables investment , measured as the minimum initial investment requirement, and type of manager were statistically significant in the retail funds sample. The results show that greater capacity to monitor fund manager behavior could diminish the occurrence of activities against investor’s interests, which is one of the main contributions of this research.
Dissemination vs. dialogue: an analysis of public engagement in science online

In 1985 the Bodmer Report was released, which discussed the need for scientists to more effectively communicate their research to the public. The report opined that there was an information deficit among the public, and were this deficit to be remedied, then there would be a greater interest in science among the public. For some time, this model of science communication was the model of choice. In 2000, the Science and Society Report was released by the House of Lords. This report denounced the Bodmer Report. It stated that its core assumption was false, that an increased public knowledge could not be certain to increase public interest. This new report called for engagement with the public and the creation of a dialogue. It suggested that the public should be involved in all aspects of scientific discussion, even in the discussion as to the direction science should take. Since the Science in Society report, a multitude of papers have been published discussing this need for engagement. This opinion calls the Bodmer Report’s approach condescending and unnecessary. While benefits of having two-way dialogues are often discussed, there has been criticism of this movement, pointing out there is a lack of agreed topologies of science engagement, and while most espouse the need for engagement, fewer discuss the defined direction it should take. There have also been suggestions that the public desire differing levels, or “modes” of engagement depending on the platform, and that older models of science communication are sometimes preferred. Through a thematic analysis of popular “YouTube” videos and a discussion analysis of comment threads on various popular websites, it is shown that, even in this relatively new media platform, people still gravitate towards a one-way mode of engagement.
Sympathetic Nervous System and Lymphocyte Proliferation in the Fischer 344 Rat Spleen: A Longitudinal Study

Aging is associated with reduced cellular immunity, which leads to increased rates of infectious disease, cancer and autoimmunity in the elderly. Previous findings from our laboratory revealed an age-related decline in sympathetic innervation of immune organs that affects immunity. These studies suggested potential sympathetic nervous system involvement in age-induced immune dysregulation. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to longitudinally characterize the effects of age on sympathetic neurotransmission in the spleen and net sympathetic activity/tone in male Fischer 344 rats. Methods: Splenic sympathetic neurotransmission was evaluated between 8 and 24 months of age by (1) splenic norepinephrine (NE) concentration and turnover, (2) β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) expression and (3) β-AR-stimulated splenocyte cAMP production. Measures of sympathetic neurotransmission were correlated with age-related changes in Concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated splenocyte proliferation. Results: Splenic NE turnover increased during middle age, then subsequently declined by 18 months of age compared with 8-month-old controls (young). Splenic NE concentration increased at 10 months and decreased at 18–24 months, compared with young rats; however, plasma NE levels were not affected by age. Plasma epinephrine levels were decreased at 24 months. NE synthesis blockade increased and decreased the rate of plasma catecholamine depletion in middle and old age, respectively. β-AR-stimulated cAMP production increased in splenocytes by 15 months. An age-related decrease in Con A-induced splenocyte proliferation was apparent by 10 months and persisted through 24 months. The decline in Con A-induced splenocyte proliferation correlated with the age-related increase in cAMP production. Conclusions: Aging alters sympathetic nervous system metabolism in the spleen to affect β-AR signaling to splenocytes, suggesting that altered sympathetic-immune modulation changes are evident by early middle age.
Are the GIPS Sovereign Debt Markets Efficient During a Crisis?

The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) has been around since 1962. It is a theory based on a simple rule, which states that the price of any asset must fully reflect all available information. Yet, there is empirical evidence suggesting that markets are too volatile to be efficient. In essence, this evidence suggests that the reaction of market participants to information or events is the crucial factor, rather than the information itself. This highlights the need to include behavioral finance theory in the pricing of assets. This paper aims to analyze the efficiency of the Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish (ie, GIPS) sovereign debt markets during crises: in essence, the recent global financial and sovereign debt crises. We use a generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH)-based variance bound test to test the null hypothesis of the market being too volatile to be efficient. In general, our EMH tests gave mixed results; this points to an acceptance of our null hypothesis that the market is too volatile to be efficient. Interestingly, a number of observations also pointed to a rejection of the null hypothesis that the market is too volatile to be efficient.
HAGGLING AS A SOCIOPRAGAMTIC STRATEGY IN SELECTED URBAN MARKETS: AN AMALGAM OF ENGLISH AND NIGERIAN LANGUAGES

This study undertakes a socio-pragmatic investigation of haggling exchanges between vendors and their customers in three large open-air market locations in southwest Nigeria; one in Ibadan (Bodija market) and two in Lagos (Katangwa and Agege) metropolis respectively. Audio recordings of haggling exchanges between selected vendors and their prospective customers were analysed in order to identify and categorize various socio-pragmatic elements and functions in the encounters. The study employs Dell Hymes’ ethnography of communication and aspects of the pragmatic theory of Mey and Gricean Co-operative Maxims. Findings reveal that several languages come into contact with one another, including English, Yoruba, Pidgin, Igbo and Hausa in the market transactions in Lagos and Ibadan metropolis in Nigeria. Respondents employ various bargaining and pragmatic strategies which include greetings, humour, cajoling, flattery, pleading, swearing, abuse as well as code-switching and code-mixing. This study helps to establish some socio-pragmatic patterns in language use in contact situations in the Nigerian multilingual/ multicultural market contexts. It also shows the pragmatic use of Interrogatives, Declaratives, Exclamatives and Imperatives in bargaining interactions. Keywords: Socio-pragmatics, haggling, Nigerian languages, pragma-intonation
Are ASD and ADHD a Continuum? A Comparison of Pathophysiological Similarities Between the Disorders

Objective: The objective of this study was to review and compare the similarities between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD with regard to symptomatology, neurological deficits, metabolic and endocrine-related conditions, and brain pathology. Method: A comprehensive review of the relevant research literature was carried out. Results: A number of important similarities between ASD and ADHD were identified, including recent increases in prevalence, male-biased incidence, shared involvement of sensory processing, motor and impulse control, abnormal patterns of neural connectivity, and sleep disturbances. Studies suggest involvement of androgen metabolism, impaired methylation, and heavy metal toxicity as possible contributing factors for both disorders. Conclusion: ASD and ADHD share a number of features and pathophysiological conditions, which suggests that the two disorders may be a continuum and have a common origin.
Effect of fatigue on landing biomechanics after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of fatigue on lower limb biomechanics during landing in patients who had undergone anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. METHODS Fifteen male participants who had undergone primary ACL reconstruction 15-19 months previously and 11 uninjured male control subjects had three-dimensional lower limb kinematics and kinetics quantified during single-limb landings, both before and during progression to fatigue. The single-limb landings were a vertical drop from a 30-cm platform, and subjects performed repetitive bilateral squats to induce fatigue. RESULTS Fatigue led to reduced flexion in the lower limb, increased hip and knee abduction, increased knee rotation, and reduced knee joint moments. The response to fatigue was similar between the ACL-reconstructed limb and the control group as well as the reconstructed limb and the contralateral limb. The only kinematic variable to show a between-group or between-limb difference was hip flexion at initial contact, whereby flexion was greater for the reconstructed side. Although knee flexion and adduction moments were smaller for the reconstructed knee compared with the contralateral knee, they were not different from the control group. CONCLUSIONS The results show that having an ACL reconstruction does not necessarily mean greater vulnerability to the effect of fatigue during single-limb landing. Nonetheless, some of the landing positions that were observed with fatigue potentially compromise the knee and integrity of the ACL graft.
Does IFRS adoption decrease the cost of equity of the global tourism firms?

This article answers the question of whether the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) reduces the cost of equity capital, with a focus on the tourism industry. We employ a set of global tourism companies and find that mandatory IFRS adoption has a significantly negative relation with the cost of equity capital. However, we find that this relation is varied with different business cultures and geographic areas. Moreover, from interactive analyses of country institutions for the relation between mandatory IFRS adoption and tourism firm’s cost of equity, we show that adopting IFRS complements the deficiencies of various country institutions, such as investor protection, the strength of legal enforcement, and corporate governance.
Incidence and prevalence of lameness in dairy cattle

A survey was made of 37 dairy farms in Wirral, mid- Cheshire, mid-Somerset and Dyfed, Wales, to assess the incidence and prevalence of lameness in the cows between May 1989 and September 1991. The incidence was obtained from records made whenever a cow was examined for lameness or received preventive foot-trimming. The mean annual incidence was 54.6 new cases per 100 cows with a range from 10.7 to 170.1 and the mean values during summer and winter were 22.9 and 31.7, respectively. The prevalence of lameness was measured by regular visits at which locomotion was scored on a scale of 1 to 5, and the prevalence of lameness was calculated for each visit as the proportion of cows with scores of 3 or more. The mean annual prevalence over the whole period was 20.6 per cent with a range from 2.0 to 53.9 per cent for the 37 farms. The mean prevalences during summer and winter were 18.6 and 25.0 per cent, respectively. The prevalence measured at a single visit in midsummer or midwinter was significantly correlated with the mean prevalence over the whole corresponding period and may be useful as an assessment of the extent of lameness in a herd and the efficacy of control measures. There was evidence that training farmers to recognise early cases of lameness and request veterinary treatment resulted in a marked reduction in the duration of cases of lameness.
Evaluation of an evidence based quality improvement innovation for patients with musculoskeletal low back pain in an accident and emergency setting

Abstract We conducted a five stage pilot study which initially consisted of a review of 75 case notes of people attending an emergency department (ED) in an inner London Teaching Hospital with musculoskeletal (MSK) low back pain (LBP). This review highlighted inconsistencies in how they were assessed and managed across and within different staff groups. We found patient documentation was often incomplete and that a biomedical model approach to the management of these patients was common. As a result, four further stages in the project were conducted. Our primary aim was to evaluate the impact of implementing a locally developed quality improvement intervention for the assessment and treatment of MSK LBP in this ED. Secondary aims were to explore the user experience of the new pathway, measured by the patient experience questionnaire (PEQ), and any associated health economic costs of changes in practice. The quality improvement intervention consisted of an evidence based low back pain pathway (EBLBPP), a staff educational program, and a patient education booklet. We undertook a retrospective baseline audit of 100 clinical records of patients was undertaken prior to the instigation of the quality improvement intervention, and four months post implementation. The pre-defined variables of interest were: documentation of the case history, examination, classification of back pain (and if correct), prescribed management and if the documentation was compliant with medico-legal standards. All patients in the study were sent a PEQ to complete and return in a self-addressed envelope. Estimated health costs associated with each patient episode of care were calculated including re-attendance episodes for any people presenting with MSK LBP within a four week period. There was a significant improvement in all areas evaluated post implementation in all groups (simple, referred and simple, referred and serious spinal pathology combined). In particular; screening for red flags (22%) and biopsychosocial factors (29%), as well as noting the prevalence of previous symptoms (44%), observation of the painful area (57%), and analysis classification (59%) at a at 95% confidence interval (CI). In terms of management, an increase in adherence to the analgesic ladder, patients receiving reassurance and appropriate referral back to their GP’s increased 45%, 23% and 44% at 95% CI respectively. Unfortunately, there was insufficient data to draw any meaningful conclusions from the patient experience data due to a low response rate. In conclusion, the introduction of the EBLBPP, patient education leaflet and teaching training for staff involved in the treatment of MSK LBP patients has improved the quality and consistency of the documented assessment and subsequent management of MSK LBP patients.
Skill acquisition and self-employment in Malaysia: A sufficient condition?

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of skill training on self-employment practice among Malaysian University Graduates, as a means of assessing the success of several entrepreneurship development programs of the government. Studies have shown that skill acquisition is the most critical factor in the utilization of entrepreneurship opportunity for self-employment. However, vital as it may be, is skill acquisition a sufficient condition or factor for self-employment practice among Malaysian youths? Without other factors such as micro-credit, savings and social capital, can the skill-trained youths venture into self-employment? This is the focus of this study. The study adopts a quantitative survey by use of questionnaire and a proportionate stratified random sampling method to collect data. The study adopts data analysis using regression method. The study proffers solutions to the Malaysian Government for policy decisions that would engender greater participation of graduates in self-employment practice.
ANALISIS FAKTOR - FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PRODUKTIVITAS TENAGA KERJA DAN PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI DI SUMATERA BARAT

This study aimed to analyze the effect of (1) public investment education sector, the health sector and public investment on labor productivity IPM West Sumatra (2) labor productivity, shopping areas, infrastructure and income inequality on economic growth of West Sumatra. This type of research is descriptive and associative. While this type of data is data documentary, source of data is secondary data as well as data in the form of data panel with 19 districts / cities from 2010 - 2013. This study uses a simultaneous equation model analysis tool with Indirect methods Stages Least Squared (ILS). The study concluded that (1) public investment education sector, the health sector and public investment IPM significant effect on labor productivity in West Sumatra. With the meaning of words, if public investment and public investment education sector increased health sector and accompanied by HDI is the better it would be the better labor productivity in the area. (2) shopping areas, infrastructure and income inequality affects economic growth in West Sumatra significantly. That is, the increase in shopping areas, improved infrastructure and declining inequality of income then this condition will lead to an increase in the economic growth. Based on these results the policies suggested the government may need to increase budget allocations for education and health. Good quality education will give a good effect on the mindset and behavior patterns of people of West Sumatra. With the increase in budget for health, the public will have better access to services and to health.
Carbohydrate and satiety.

This review focuses on what is known about the effects of carbohydrate on food intake, the potential mechanisms mediating these effects, and the impact of different monosaccharides in humans. The inhibition of subsequent food intake associated with ingestion of carbohydrate appears to result primarily from gastrointestinal signals, including those generated by orosensory stimulation, gastric distension, and perhaps most importantly the interaction of nutrients with receptors in the small intestine. The latter is associated with the release of putative satiety hormones, including glucagon-like peptide-1 and amylin, and slowing of both gastric emptying and small intestinal transit (thereby prolonging gastric distension and increasing the time available for nutrient absorption). The effects of carbohydrate on food intake are dependent on the route of administration (i.e., oral, intragastric, or intraduodenal). Changes in blood glucose and insulin concentrations per se probably do not play a major role in the induction of satiety. Studies relating to the comparative effects of different monosaccharides/carbohydrates have yielded inconclusive results, probably in part owing to substantial differences in methodological approaches.