Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genome expansion via lineage splitting and genome reduction in the cicada endosymbiont Hodgkinia

Comparative genomics from mitochondria, plastids, and mutualistic endosymbiotic bacteria has shown that the stable establishment of a bacterium in a host cell results in genome reduction. Although many highly reduced genomes from endosymbiotic bacteria are stable in gene content and genome structure, organelle genomes are sometimes characterized by dramatic structural diversity. Previous results from Candidatus Hodgkinia cicadicola, an endosymbiont of cicadas, revealed that some lineages of this bacterium had split into two new cytologically distinct yet genetically interdependent species. It was hypothesized that the long life cycle of cicadas in part enabled this unusual lineage-splitting event. Here we test this hypothesis by investigating the structure of the Ca. Hodgkinia genome in one of the longest-lived cicadas, Magicicada tredecim. We show that the Ca. Hodgkinia genome from M. tredecim has fragmented into multiple new chromosomes or genomes, with at least some remaining partitioned into discrete cells. We also show that this lineage-splitting process has resulted in a complex of Ca. Hodgkinia genomes that are 1.1-Mb pairs in length when considered together, an almost 10-fold increase in size from the hypothetical single-genome ancestor. These results parallel some examples of genome fragmentation and expansion in organelles, although the mechanisms that give rise to these extreme genome instabilities are likely different.
Intelligent Identification Method for Mental Color Trace Based on Deep Learning

The analysis of metal color trace in fire scene plays an important role on fire investigation. With the help of computer vision processing technology, it can make a scientific decision on fire temperature and fire spread by analyzing the typical features of metal color trace, whether match similarity degree on the specified classification. First of all, metal plate samples are produced under several of conditions according to the actual fire scene. Then, the images of samples are captured, and image sample library is built. Finally, classified identification models are designed by deep learning method. Experimental results show that the recognition accuracy rate of trace metal color image with convolutional neural network (CNN) on material type, heating mode, heating temperature, cooling method, standing time and relative humidity reach 75.8%, 84.6%, 70.5%, 88.3%, 78.4% and 90.8%, respectively, and which can be used to realize rapid and precise characteristic recognition on metal color trace.
Security Aspects of Medical File Regrouping for the Epidemiological Follow-up

To carry out epidemiological studies at a regional level, one may need to link information collected by medical doctors working either in hospitals or in private offices or laboratories. The first problem is to respect the European legislation on nominal data processing, which does not allow the linkage of nominal files. As a consequence, we have developed an anonymous record linkage procedure, which ensures an irreversible transformation of identity and allows the linkage of rendered anonymous files. The second problem is to ensure data security during the transmission and we discuss the advantages of different methods of communication such as the norms X400 and Internet protocols.
Trade Policy and Sectoral Manufacturing Specialization 1

Trade liberalization leads to significant changes in countries’ economic structures. The implied variation in the level and nature of specialization has important consequences for liberalizing economies. Thus, adjustments costs associated with those structural changes may be substantial. Furthermore, the changing specialization profile of countries may affect growth potential, welfare, income distribution, and the macroeconomic environment. It is therefore extremely relevant for those countries pursuing trade liberalization initiatives to know their current specialization profiles and how they would look like under lower trade costs, because this will allow them to anticipate their effects on the potential for development as well as to accordingly define policy strategies. This study examines manufacturing production specialization patterns in ten Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) over the period 1990-2001, and explicitly assesses the impact of trade policy and, in particular, the implications of a free trade area with the United States. A theory-consistent measure of specialization is derived from the standard international trade theory: the share of the industry in the country’s GDP. The role of trade policy in shaping the distribution of these shares is then investigated using a simultaneous equation approach on sectoral value added and tariff and factor endowment data.
Rival Precedence and the Dynamics of Technology Adoption: An Empirical Analysis

This study employs information on the adoption of automatic teller machines by banking firms to examine the nature of firm reactions to rival precedence in the adoption process Using a failure-time estimation procedure, it is found that the ado ption of this innovation by rivals increases the conditional probabil ity that a decision to adopt will be made. The effect of spillovers f rom technology adoption and the interaction of market concentration a nd rival precedence are also investigated. Finally, the study shows w ith an example how the estimation procedure may be used to test the u nderpinnings of diffusion processes. Copyright 1987 by The Review of Economic Studies Limited.
Analysis of ER Resident Proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Implementation of H/KDEL Retrieval Sequences

An elaborate quality control system regulates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis by ensuring the fidelity of protein synthesis and maturation. In budding yeast, genomic analyses and high‐throughput proteomic studies have identified ER resident proteins that restore homeostasis following local perturbations. Yet, how these folding factors modulate stress has been largely unexplored. In this study, we designed a series of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based modules including codon‐optimized epitopes and fluorescent protein (FP) variants complete with C‐terminal H/KDEL retrieval motifs. These conserved sequences are inherent to most soluble ER resident proteins. To monitor multiple proteins simultaneously, H/KDEL cassettes are available with six different selection markers, providing optimal flexibility for live‐cell imaging and multicolor labeling in vivo. A single pair of PCR primers can be used for the amplification of these 26 modules, enabling numerous combinations of tags and selection markers. The versatility of pCY H/KDEL cassettes was demonstrated by labeling BiP/Kar2p, Pdi1p and Scj1p with all novel tags, thus providing a direct comparison among FP variants. Furthermore, to advance in vitro studies of yeast ER proteins, Strep‐tag II was engineered with a C‐terminal retrieval sequence. Here, an efficient purification strategy was established for BiP under physiological conditions.
The impact of budget deficits on national saving in the USA

This paper analyses the effect of government budget deficits on national saving in the USA utilizing annual time series data from 1967 to 1996. A model that includes budget deficits, money supply, real exchange rate, real interest rate, and the proportion of working age population to total population to explain national saving is developed. After examining the time series properties of the data an error correction model is estimated. The overall results suggest that an increase in government budget deficits tend to reduce national saving. The working age population coming out of the baby boom generation has positively contributed to an increase in national saving.
Comprehensive Screening for Novel Rab‐Binding Proteins by GST Pull‐Down Assay Using 60 Different Mammalian Rabs ‡

The Rab family belongs to the Ras‐like small GTPase superfamily and is implicated in membrane trafficking through interaction with specific effector molecules. Because of the large number of Rab isoforms in mammals, however, the effectors of most of the mammalian Rabs are yet to be identified. In this study, we systematically screened five different cell or tissue lysates for novel Rab effectors by a combination of glutathione S‐transferase (GST) pull‐down assay with 60 different mammalian Rabs and mass spectroscopic analysis. Three of the 21 Rab‐binding proteins we identified, mKIAA1055/TBC1D2B (Rab22‐binding protein), GAPCenA/TBC1D11 (Rab36‐binding protein) and centaurin β2/ACAP2 (Rab35‐binding protein), are GTPase‐activating proteins (GAPs) for Rab or Arf. Although it has recently been proposed that the Rab–GAP (Tre‐2 /Bub2/Cdc16) domain physically interacts with its substrate Rab, these three GAPs interacted with specific Rabs via a domain other than a GAP domain, e.g. centaurin β2 binds GTP‐Rab35 via the ankyrin repeat (ANKR) domain. Although centaurin β2 did not exhibit any Rab35–GAP activity in vitro, the Rab35‐binding ANKR domain of centaurin β2 was found to be required for its plasma membrane localization and regulation of Rab35‐dependent neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells through inactivation of Arf6. These findings suggest a novel mode of interaction between Rab and GAP.
Public sector leadership: new perspectives for research and practice

In this article, we aim to portray the state of the art in public sector leadership in order to recommend directions for research and training practice. To this end, we review the scattered strands of literature on public sector leadership (PSL) and classify them in a single framework. The results of the study suggest that public sector leadership is emerging as a distinctive and autonomous domain in public administration/public management studies, although the debate is still underdeveloped compared to business administration studies. Leadership skills truly do matter in improving the performance of public sector organizations, and it is highly likely that the optimum leadership style is an integrated one: Public sector leaders should behave mainly as transformational leaders, moderately leveraging transactional relationships with their followers and heavily leveraging the importance of preserving integrity and ethics in the fulfillment of tasks. Points for practitioners This study on public leadership suggests that administrative leaders in the public sector behave differently from their counterparts in the business world, and as a result there is a great need for leadership development programs which focus on these differences instead of merely mimicking programs designed for leaders in the private sector.
La performance di modelli non lineari per i tassi di cambio: un'applicazione con dati a diversa frequenza

In recent years there has been a considerable development in modelling nonlinearities and asymmetries in economic and financial variables. The aim of this work is to compare the forecasting performance of different models for the returns of some of the most traded exchange rates in terms of the US dollar, namely the French Franc (FF/$), the German Mark (DM/$) and the Japanese Yen (Y/$). We compare the relative performance of some nonlinear models and contrast them with their linear counterparts. Although we find evidence of some forecasting gains from nonlinear models, the results are sensitive to the forecast horizon and to the metric adopted to measure the forecasting accuracy. The use of data at different frequencies allows us to evaluate the possible effects of temporal aggregation.
Measuring Corruption: A Critique of Indicators in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

ABSTRACT Concern about corruption has stimulated the creation of a multiplicity of indicators by a multiplicity of methods by the World Bank, World Economic Forum, Transparency International and commercial rating agencies. However, the construction of indices varies, raising substantive and methodological issues, which are reviewed with particular reference to post-Communist transition societies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This paper systematically examines indicators, starting with the definitional distinction between measures of administrative corruption as distinct from state capture. It pays particular attention to problems arising from the aggregation of indicators from multiple sources, and the extent to which the changing composition of cross-country indicators limits trend analysis. It concludes that many of the problems of aggregation may be avoided by using single source and single dimension indexes.
Financial ratio cross-section dynamics : a non-parametric approach

This study introduces a non-parametric approach to study the cross-sectional dynamic behaviour of financial ratios and to test their convergence. A non-parametric Markov transition matrix approach is used to consider the evolution of the entire cross-section distribution. Conclusions with respect to the convergence of financial ratios are derived from the ergodic distributions. The results demonstrate high intra-distribution mobility with more persistence in the smallest and the largest size classes. Furthermore we find no convergence towards the industry average. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1997.
Income, Work Preferences and Gender Roles among Parents of Infants in Urban China: A Mixed Method Study from Nanjing*

Abstract This article explores the relationship between gender and income inequality within and across households in an urban Chinese sample by looking at survey data from 381 married couples with infants born in a Nanjing hospital between 2006 and 2007 and in-depth interviews with a subsample of 80 of these couples. We explore the relationship between family income and differences between husbands’ and wives’ work preferences. A couple-level quantitative analysis shows that in lower-income families, husbands were more likely than their wives to prefer career advancement and low stress at work, and wives were more likely than their husbands to prefer state jobs. Our analyses of the qualitative subsample show that, even though high-income husbands and wives are more likely to share similar work preferences, the household division of roles within their marriages is still gendered along traditional lines, as it is in the marriages of low-income couples.
Estimation of the Local Statistical Noise in Emission Computed Tomography

A simple modification of the filtered backprojection algorithm is presented for the computation of the local statistical noise in emission computed tomography. The technique is general in that any distribution of radioactivity may be accommodated. When applied to positron emission tomography, it is shown that the effects of photon absorption, random coincidences, radioactive decay, and detector nonuniformity may be included. Calculations have shown the effects of resolution, object size, and photon absorption on the statistical noise of disk-shaped emitters. Comparison of calculation and experiment show close agreement both in magnitude and spatial variation. Measurements of the noise level in tomograms of the brain obtained during continuous inhalation of 150-CO2 demonstrate that estimates of radioactivity concentration with a precision of a few percent are readily attainable.
Training a Convolutional Neural Network for Disparity Optimization in Stereo Matching

In this paper, we describe an efficient stereo matching algorithm which is inspired by the excellent performances of convolutional neural network (CNN) on vision problems in recent years. Our algorithm applies adaptive smoothness constraints making use of disparity discontinuous information to optimize the overall disparity map. First, we define a CNN architecture called DD-CNN to classify whether disparities of pixels in the image is continuous or not. The training data set is constructed from Middlebury stereo data sets. Once we obtain the disparity discontinuous map, different penalizes are applied to the energy function which takes the whole disparity map as argument. The algorithm imposes large penalizes to disparity differences between pixels and their neighborhoods when disparities of the center pixels are predicted to be discontinuous and small penalizes otherwise. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm performs better than the state-of-art algorithm.
Using the Internet for Surveys and Health Research

This paper concerns the use of the Internet in the research process, from identifying research issues through qualitative research, through using the Web for surveys and clinical trials, to pre-publishing and publishing research results. Material published on the Internet may be a valuable resource for researchers desiring to understand people and the social and cultural contexts within which they live outside of experimental settings, with due emphasis on the interpretations, experiences, and views of `real world' people. Reviews of information posted by consumers on the Internet may help to identify health beliefs, common topics, motives, information, and emotional needs of patients, and point to areas where research is needed. The Internet can further be used for survey research. Internet-based surveys may be conducted by means of interactive interviews or by questionnaires designed for self-completion. Electronic one-to-one interviews can be conducted via e-mail or using chat rooms. Questionnaires can be administered by e-mail (e.g. using mailing lists), by posting to newsgroups, and on the Web using fill-in forms. In "open" web-based surveys, selection bias occurs due to the non-representative nature of the Internet population, and (more importantly) through self-selection of participants, i.e. the non-representative nature of respondents, also called the `volunteer effect'. A synopsis of important techniques and tips for implementing Web-based surveys is given. Ethical issues involved in any type of online research are discussed. Internet addresses for finding methods and protocols are provided. The Web is also being used to assist in the identification and conduction of clinical trials. For example, the web can be used by researchers doing a systematic review who are looking for unpublished trials. Finally, the web is used for two distinct types of electronic publication. Type 1 publication is unrefereed publication of protocols or work in progress (a `post-publication' peer review process may take place), whereas Type 2 publication is peer-reviewed and will ordinarily take place in online journals.
Evidence for a Role of Superoxide Generation in Glucose-Induced β-Cell Dysfunction In Vivo

OBJECTIVE— Prolonged elevation of glucose can adversely affect β-cell function. In vitro studies have linked glucose-induced β-cell dysfunction to oxidative stress; however, whether oxidative stress plays a role in vivo is unclear. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the role of oxidative stress in an in vivo model of glucose-induced β-cell dysfunction. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— Wistar rats were infused intravenously with glucose for 48 h to achieve 20 mmol/l hyperglycemia with/without co-infusion of one of the following antioxidants: taurine (2-amino ethanesulfonic acid) (TAU), an aldehyde scavenger; N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor of glutathione; or tempol (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl) (TPO), a superoxide dismutase mimetic. This was followed by islet isolation or hyperglycemic clamp. RESULTS— A 48-h glucose infusion decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS), total superoxide, and mitochondrial superoxide in freshly isolated islets. TPO prevented the increase in total and mitochondrial superoxide and the β-cell dysfunction induced by high glucose. However, TAU and NAC, despite completely normalizing H2DCF-DA (dihydro-dichlorofluorescein diacetate)-measured ROS, did not prevent the increase in superoxide and the decrease in β-cell function induced by high glucose. TPO but not TAU also prevented β-cell dysfunction induced by less extreme hyperglycemia (15 mmol/l) for a longer period of time (96 h). To further investigate whether TPO is effective in vivo, a hyperglycemic clamp was performed. Similar to the findings in isolated islets, prolonged glucose elevation (20 mmol/l for 48 h) decreased β-cell function as assessed by the disposition index (insulin secretion adjusted for insulin sensitivity), and co-infusion of TPO with glucose completely restored β-cell function. CONCLUSIONS— These findings implicate superoxide generation in β-cell dysfunction induced by prolonged hyperglycemia.
International Business Cycles and Exchange Rates

International real business cycle models are not able to account for the high volatility of imports, exports, the trade balance and the terms of trade. By introducing exogenous exchange rate movements in addition to standard technological shocks, the model presented here comes much closer to replicating the relatively high volatility observed in the data while also improving other moments. Les modeles internationaux du cycle reel ne sont pas capable de repliquer la forte volatilite des exportations, des importations, de la balance commerciale et des termes de l'echange. En introduisant des mouvements exogenes des taux de change, en plus des chocs technologiques usuels, le mode presente ici parvient bien mieux a repliquer la relativement forte volatilite observee dans les donnees tout en ameliorant d'autres statistiques.
Determination of Revenue Streams Subject to Sharing in the Mobile Internet Market

Wireless operators often outsource the task of creating content to independent content providers in the mobile Internet market. Revenue streams of the mobile Internet market typically consist of two main sources, data traffic and content sales. It is often the case that only the revenue from content sales is subject to sharing between wireless operators and content providers. This paper applies the "dummy variable axiom" to the market data of a representative Korean wireless operator to show that, in some cases, data traffic revenues should also be shared between the wireless operator and content providers.
Communicative Language Teaching in English at Japanese Junior High schools

Introduction English language education is currently one of the most emphasized aspects of Japanese public school education (Shirai, 2012). Reflecting this phenomenon, the Course of Study by the Ministry of Education has emphasized English language subjects at junior and senior high schools (MEXT, 2010). One category of those statements is related to communicative language teaching (CLT) which has long been a controversial teaching approach in English classrooms. Although CLT is a well-known teaching approach, actual practice and its outcome have not been investigated thoroughly. Studies show that there is a discrepancy between the CLT policies on governmental documents and classroom realities. Therefore, the present study further investigates the reality of CLT in actual Japanese junior high school classrooms.
Assessing moral development in the liberal arts

ion also moves along religious lines. She notes that when she “hit rock bottom” during the year, she “prayed like I never had before.and I found self-love through God.now my life has meaning because of God’s love. ” She concludes with a rather idealized view of how this would work, maintaining that, “life has meaning because of God’s love. [e]ach person needs meaning, and the best and only way to find that is through the meaning that God’s love instils in each human being. ”