Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Cellulolytic Complex (Cellulosome) from Ruminococcus albus

The cellulolytic complex was isolated from the culture supernatant of Ruminococcus albus strain F-40 grown on cellulose by a Sephacryl S-300HR column chromatography. The molecular mass of the cellulolytic complex was found to be larger than 1.5×106 Da. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis indicated that the cellulolytic complex contained at least 15 proteins with molecular weights from 40 kDa to 250 kDa. Among them, 11 proteins showed endoglucanase and/or xylanase activities on the zymograms. Immunological analysis using an antiserum raised against the dockerin domain of endoglucanase VII of R. albus (DocVII) suggested that at least 7 proteins in the cellulolytic complex contained a dockerin domain immunoreactive with the anti-DocVII antiserum. Furthermore, DocVII was shown to specifically interact with a 40-kDa protein of the cellulolytic complex by Far-Western blot analysis. These results strongly suggest that the cellulolytic complex produced by R. albus resembles the cellulosome specified for the cellulolytic complex of several clostridia such as Clostridium thermocellum and respective components are assembled into the cellulosome by the mechanism common in all of the cellulolytic clostridia, i.e., the cellulosome is formed by the interaction between a dockerin domain of catalytic components and a cohesin domain of a scaffolding protein.
Differentiating Tobacco Budworm and Corn Earworm Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to develop a simple and quick technique to differentiate two economically important species, the tobacco budworm,Heliothis virescens (F.), and corn earworm,Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), which are major pests of cotton,Gossypium hirsutum L. , in the southern United States. In practice, it is difficult to distinguish the two species during their immature stages using morphological characteristics unless expensive microscopy equipment or trained technicians are available. The current studies demonstrated that the two species could be quickly and readily differentiated during early developmental stages, including egg and young larval (younger than third instar) stages, by using NIRS technology with up to 95% accuracy. NIRS technology could significantly improve pest diagnosis in cotton pest management.
The Influence of Intra-Industry Trade on Export Sensitivity to Exchange Rates

This paper adds to the literature that suggests that exports become less sensitive to exchange rate movements under certain circumstances. Focusing on the industry-specific sensitivity of export quantities to exchange rates in the context of intra-industry trade (IIT), this paper theoretically and empirically investigates this relationship. It is assumed that more IIT implies a smaller elasticity of substitution among differentiated products and vice versa. The model presented suggests that the gap in production costs has an influence on IIT as well. The empirical analysis investigates six cross-country industry-panels for the bilateral trade of eight East Asian countries, Japan, and the United States with the EU, Asia, Japan, and North America. The results confirm that export sensitivity to exchange rates declines as the extent of IIT increases. The policy implication of the results is that exchange rate revaluations become a less powerful tool to redress trade imbalances when substantial IIT exists.
Dog left ventricular midmyocardial myocytes for assessment of drug‐induced delayed repolarization: short‐term variability and proarrhythmic potential

Background and purpose: Evaluation of the potential for delayed ventricular repolarization and proarrhythmia by new drugs is essential. We investigated if dog left ventricular midmyocardial myocytes (LVMMs) that can be used as a preclinical model to assess drug effects on action potential duration (APD) and whether in these cells, short‐term variability (STV) or triangulation could predict proarrhythmic potential.
Polymorphisms in Human Langerin Affect Stability and Sugar Binding Activity*

Langerhans cells are specialized skin dendritic cells that take up and degrade antigens for presentation to the immune system. Langerin, a cell surface C-type lectin of Langerhans cells, can be internalized and accumulates in Birbeck granules, subdomains of the endosomal recycling compartment that are specific to Langerhans cells. Langerin binds and mediates uptake and degradation of glycoconjugates containing mannose and related sugars. Analysis of the human genome has identified three single nucleotide polymorphisms that result in amino acid changes in the carbohydrate-recognition domain of langerin. The effects of the amino acid changes on the activity of langerin were examined by expressing each of the polymorphic forms. Expression of full-length versions of the four common langerin haplotypes in fibroblasts revealed that all of these forms can mediate endocytosis of neoglycoprotein ligands. However, sugar binding assays and differential scanning calorimetry performed on fragments from the extracellular domain showed that two of the amino acid changes reduce the affinity of the carbohydrate-recognition domain for mannose and decrease the stability of the extracellular domain. In addition, analysis of sugar binding by langerin containing the rare W264R mutation, previously identified in an individual lacking Birbeck granules, shows that this mutation abolishes sugar binding activity. These findings suggest that certain langerin haplotypes may differ in their binding to pathogens and thus might be associated with susceptibility to infection.
An Institutional Critique of Recent Attempts to Measure Technological Capabilities across Countries

This paper will be guided by recognition of two points, both of which feature prominently in institutional economics, or, as it is sometimes called, institutionalism. The first point has to do with the centrality of technology to economic growth and development, while the second concerns the inappropriateness of technological and other concepts developed in rich countries for the very different circumstances prevailing in the poorer countries. Let us deal with each of these recognitions in turn. For two of the best-known early proponents of institutionalism, Clarence Ayres and Thorstein Veblen, the role of technology in the dynamic processes of growth and development was nothing short of overridingly important. "Ayres," for example, "placed more emphasis on technology than on any other factor which contributed to economic development" (Cypher and Dietz 2004, 172). Indeed, "For Ayres, technological progress and economic development were virtually synonymous" (172). Writing at the turn of the century, Veblen was no less insistent on the importance of technology and technological change in the evolutionary process of cumulative change in the economy. He "emphasized the role of technological change, broadly defined to include both hardware and know-how. He stressed industrial arts to a point that bordered on determinism. The adage, necessity is the mother of invention, was reversed; invention had become the mother of necessity" (Clark and Juma 1990, 21 1). In the more recent "new institutional economics," moreover, some authors continue to emphasize the dominant role of technology in creating the potential for economic growth and development. To Douglass North, for example,
Soccer and national culture: estimating the impact of violence on 22 lads after a ball

Sports have been recently conceptualized as an effective tool for development. Questioning that argument, recent evidence suggests that the practice of soccer reveals national cultures of violence prevailing in players’ countries of origin. We model violent behaviour in the soccer pitch as a function of game specific controls as well as socioeconomic, political, cultural and conflict variables characterizing players’ home countries. We construct a database for the Latin American 2008 Libertadores Cup Competition and find that across multiple specifications and estimating techniques, only game specific variables determine sanctions to violent actions. There are three compatible explanations for this result: highly skilled soccer players may not be representative average citizens; violent conflicts may not necessarily cause a violent culture affecting all corners of society; and even when violent cultures are transmitted to individual players, those values do not condition significantly their behaviour during games. After all, sports may not be a pernicious activity that intrinsically transmits violent values to youths.
Lifestyle modification and progressive renal failure

SUMMARY: There is increasing evidence that lifestyle factors impact on the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the risk of progression of CKD. Equally important is the consideration that patients with CKD are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than to reach the stage of end‐stage renal failure. It is advantageous that manoeuvres that interfere with progression at the same time also reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. Lifestyle factors that aggravate progression include, among others, smoking, obesity and dietary salt intake. Alcohol consumption, according to some preliminary information, has a bimodal relationship to cardiovascular risk and progression, with moderate consumption being protective.
Determinants of the acquisition of listed versus unlisted firms in different legal and institutional environments

The aim of this article is to analyse the determinants of the decision to acquire unlisted rather than listed firms in different legal and institutional environments. We estimate a probit model considering the mergers and acquisitions (M&As) announced by European listed firms (19 countries) that acquires worldwide listed or unlisted firms (36 countries) in the period 2002–2007. Our results show that managerial opportunism is a determinant in the acquisition of listed firms, occurring with greater probability in acquiring countries with low shareholder and minority shareholder protection. Information asymmetry is another relevant determinant that promotes the acquisitions of unlisted firms. Furthermore, the less developed the capital market in the country of the acquired firm, the greater the probability of acquisitions of unlisted firms. This article contributes to the M&A literature by showing that in addition to managerial opportunism and information asymmetry, the legal and institutional environments in both the acquiring and the target countries are also relevant aspects explaining the decision of whether to acquire listed or unlisted firms.
International comparison of R&D investment by European, US and Japanese companies

Looking across the rapidly developing world, it is even more crucial for companies to benchmark their R&D investment against best international practice in their sector and to understand the ways in which their R&D investment will affect future business performance. The globalisation of technology requires a global analysis involving companies all over the world. In this study, top R&D European, US and Japanese companies are analysed and compared using R&D investment scoreboard reports. The main objective consists of extracting clusters of companies with similar R&D policies and comparing the obtained clusters with the major developed economic areas. Results will characterise companies in accordance with different R&D profiles, highlighting some asymmetries in the three major economic areas analysed.
The Bacterial Signal Molecule, ppGpp, Mediates the Environmental Regulation of Both the Invasion and Intracellular Virulence Gene Programs of Salmonella*

During infection of mammalian hosts, facultative intracellular pathogens have to adjust rapidly to different environmental conditions encountered during passage through the gastroin-testinal tract and following uptake into epithelial cells and macrophages. Successful establishment within the host therefore requires the coordinated expression of a large number of virulence genes necessary for the adaptation between the extracellular and intracellular phases of infection. In this study we show that the bacterial signal molecule, ppGpp, plays a major role in mediating the environmental signals involved in the regulation of both the extracellular and intracellular virulence gene programs. Under oxygen limiting conditions, we observed a strong ppGpp dependence for invasion gene expression, the result of severe reductions in expression of the Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI) 1 transcriptional regulator genes hilA, C, and D and invF. Overexpression of the non-SPI1-encoded regulator RtsA restored hilA expression in the absence of ppGpp. SPI2-encoded genes, required for intracellular proliferation in macrophages, were activated in the wild type strain under aerobic, late log phase growth conditions. The expression of SPI2 genes was also shown to be ppGpp-dependent under these conditions. The results from this study suggest a mechanism for the alternate regulation of the opposing extracellular and intracellular virulence gene programs and indicate a remarkable specificity for ppGpp in the regulation of genes involved in virulence compared with the rest of the genome. This is the first demonstration that this highly conserved regulatory system is involved in bacterial virulence gene expression on a global scale.
Surgical Treatment of Nocardial Brain Abscesses

OBJECTIVE Nocardial brain abscesses are associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates. The optimal management remains unclear. We reviewed the surgical outcomes of patients treated with a relatively uniform policy at a single institution. METHODS Eleven patients were treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital between 1970 and 2001. Their clinical presentations, surgical treatment, and outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS Clinical presentations most frequently involved focal neurological deficits (91%). Predisposing factors were identified for 63% of the patients. Nine patients were treated only with aspiration and long-term chemotherapy. Two patients underwent craniotomy and lesion excision. The majority of patients required either one or two procedures. There were no deaths in this series. Management complications were observed for three patients. Abscess aspiration was complicated by parenchymal hemorrhage and ventriculitis for one patient and temporary worsening of hemiparesis for two patients. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that aspiration alone (repeated as clinically indicated) is a safe, efficacious treatment for the majority of patients with nocardial brain abscesses.
Science Exchange in an Era of Diminished Capacity: Recreation Management in the U.S. Forest Service

Promotion of effective science exchange between government scientists and managers requires thoughtful arrangement and operation of research and management functions. The U.S. Forest Service was established at the peak of the Progressive Era, when science exchange was designed to occur between researchers and resource managers who worked in distinct arms of the agency, but shared similar goals of effective forest management. In this article, the authors explore the implications of diminished agency capacity for science exchange interactions between researchers and managers in recreation management. Managers and researchers identified their current interactions, their perceptions of ideal interactions, and barriers to achieving those ideals. Reductions in agency capacity for recreation management have resulted in the erosion of interactions between managers and researchers. However, effective science exchange does occur, but requires innovative and adaptive approaches.
Investigation of a food-borne Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak in a Mexican prison.

INTRODUCTION Gastroenteritis outbreaks in prisons represent a public health risk worldwide. Identifying and characterizing the etiological agents of gastroenteritis outbreaks in prisons is important for implementing effective prevention and infection control measures. We present the first studied case of a gastroenteritis outbreak in a Mexican prison. METHODOLOGY Rectal swab samples were obtained from affected inmates. Standard microbiological techniques were used for isolating Salmonella enterica. Isolates were typed by PCR assays of DNA repetitive elements (ERIC, BOX, REP) and RAPD. Antibiotic resistance profiles were performed by the Kirby-Bauer method. RESULTS S. enterica serotype Oranienburg was responsible for the outbreak affecting 150 inmates. All patients presented diarrhea, and 70% of them also presented vomiting, with no fatal cases. The origin of the outbreak was undetermined due to the difficulty of gathering epidemiological information, but was likely the result of consumption of shrimp broth or a cantaloupe melon beverage. REP, BOX, and ERIC analyses of 26 serotype Oranienburg strains resulted in Simpson discrimination index (D) values of 0, 0.5507, and 0.5661, respectively. The D values from DG93-RAPD analyses and from the combined ERIC-BOX-DG93 markers were 0.7753 and 0.6092, respectively. All strains showed multiresistance to antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS This is the only studied case of a gastroenteritis outbreak in a Mexican prison, and of the first such outbreak caused by serotype Oranienburg. The combined ERIC, BOX, and RAPD markers adequately assessed the genotype diversity of analyzed strains. Penitentiary personnel or inmates involved in outbreaks might spread multiresistant strains outside of the facility.
Energy and Spectrum Efficient Resource Allocation in Two-Tier Networks: A Multiobjective Approach

In this paper we investigate the joint power and channel allocation problem in two-tier OFDMA femtocell networks using a multiobjective approach with focus on energy efficiency. Three main objectives are considered in our problem formulations namely, energy efficiency, spectral efficiency, and power consumption. To solve the muliobjective problems, we have utilized a non- dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) and an algorithm have been proposed to perform the resource allocation procedures. In this investigation, to preserve the quality service of users, we have applied a minimum data rate threshold for all users. Furthermore, we impose an interference threshold limit on each subchannel to protect the macrocell user quality of service. Finally, the simulation results figure out that we can achieve 30% better energy efficiency by trading the throughput by about 20%.
Psychiatric medication use before and after the onset of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents: A population‐based cohort study

Several studies showed a bidirectional association between type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders in adults. Because there is limited information on the association between type 1 diabetes (T1D) and psychiatric disorders (including psychiatric medication use) in children and adolescents, we assessed frequency of use of these medications before and after the onset of T1D.
The Impact of Police Officer Diversity on Police-Caused Homicides

Macrolevel studies of police killings generally focus on testing the conflict and community violence hypotheses. This research generally supports both the conflict proposition that minority threat is related to police violence and the community violence proposition that locations with higher levels of violence have a greater number of police-caused homicides. However, some of the most common proposals to reduce police-citizen violence, namely changing police personnel, are largely overlooked in existing research. The majority of studies that have examined police homicides do not acknowledge the possibility that the personnel composition of police agencies may affect levels of police violence. The current article extends previous lines of research on police-caused homicides by including measures of the personnel composition of police agencies as predictors of police-caused homicides. More specifically, this study examined the influence of minority and female representation within large municipal police agencies on police-caused homicides. The findings show that more diversified departments do not have significantly lower levels of police-caused homicides. The results do, however, support both the conflict and community violence propositions. Furthermore, the pattern of findings suggests the existence of a generalized threat in the nation's largest cities.
EXERGAMES E DIDATTICA DELLE ATTIVITÀ MOTORIE E SPORTIVE

The term "exergames" refers to a category of video games in which theinteraction is not based only on hand-eye coordination, but on the whole body, throughthe use of non-standard controllers, like Nintendo Wiimote or Balance Board andMicrosoft Kinect sensor. The exergames were immediately hailed as a welcomedevelopment, for the contribution they offer as a weapon against a sedentary lifestyle andthe level of user involvement, which adds to the traditional value of video games theattractiveness of natural interfaces. The current trend is to consider how the exergamespresent many potential advantages in the context of physical education and wellnesspromotion of. However, the current generation of exergames is not designed specificallyto support teaching of motor activities or rehabilitation. There are no products that cancount on the basis of a robust theoretical framework and that are oriented to theacquisition of specific motor skills, for use in physical education teaching andrehabilitation.Knowledge of basic mechanisms of motor control and of dynamics connected tomotor skills learning may be the theoretical support to the design and development ofexergames.
Radiation pattern deterioration for phase steered capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer arrays due to cross coupling

Cross coupling between neighbor elements in ultrasonic transducer arrays through surrounding fluid is a known effect. Previous work has shown that it can form a mode that is bound to the transducer fluid interface. This paper investigates how cross coupling affects the radiation pattern for finite phase steered arrays of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs). A spatially finite 2D model of a 1D CMUT array with 72 CMUTs was constructed for finite element simulations using COMSOL. The simulated transducer array was loaded with a viscous fluid, and excited by phase modulated pressure to form a steered plane wave. To model typical electrical CMUT interconnects groups of two CMUTs were excited with the same phase. This enables, for distinct frequencies, acoustic power to be coupled into the bound mode induced by cross coupling. Simulations were performed for a frequency range of 1-35MHz for different steering angles and viscosities. To relate the simulations to a physical CMUT array, displacement measurements were performed using an optical heterodyne interferometer. The simulations indicated a narrow band with significant radiation in non steered directions for low viscosity fluids.
High-performance simultaneous stabilizing periodic feedback control with a constrained structure

In this paper, controlling a set of continuous-time LTI systems is considered. It is assumed that a predefined guaranteed continuous-time quadratic cost function, which is, in fact, the summation of the performance indices for all systems, is given. The main objective here is to design a periodic output feedback controller with a prespecified structure, e.g., polynomial, piecewise constant, decentralized, etc., which minimizes the above mentioned guaranteed cost function. This problem is first formulated as a set of matrix inequalities, and then by using a well-known technique, it is reformulated as a LMI problem. The set of linear matrix inequalities obtained represent the necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of the desired structurally constrained controller. Moreover, an algorithm is presented to solve the resultant LMI problem. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated in two numerical examples, which are investigated in several relevant papers