Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engaged scholarship at land-grant institutions: Factors affecting faculty participation

At a time when universities and their faculty are called to work in partnership with partners to address important societal issues, engaged scholarship has become an important movement in higher education. This research examines the perceptions of tenured and tenure-eligible faculty members at land-grant institutions and describes how disciplinary differences influence faculty members' expression of and likelihood to practice engaged scholarship; work with community partners; and how they perceive engaged scholarship is recognized and rewarded by their institutions. A stratified random sample of tenure-track faculty members from all 1862 land-grant institutions was surveyed via the Internet and data were analyzed using ANOVA, crosstabulations, and t-tests to examine differences based on discipline, gender, and academic rank. Academic discipline, at least in broad categorical terms, does influence the extent to which faculty report their involvement in engaged scholarship activities and how they perceive rewards for it. Faculty that work in the applied academic disciplines such as engineering, agriculture, social work, and youth development not only reported working more in engaged scholarship, but also were more likely to report they felt this was engrained into their work as scholars. Having mentors and colleagues, as well as concrete examples of how work with community can be scholarly seems to be an important component to encouraging engaged scholarship. In addition, these disciplines, particularly faculty from the applied/soft disciplines, such as education and social work, indicated that they had appropriate, peer-review outlets for their engaged scholarship work, making it much easier for them to be rewarded for community engaged scholarship. Women in this study reported working in engaged scholarship more often than men, but all respondents, regardless of gender, expressed concerns about rewards and the amount of time required. Faculty rank also influenced how rewards and benefits to their career were perceived. No significant differences were found between the ranks in reporting whether or not they had been involved in engaged scholarship. Surprisingly assistant professors worked just as often in engaged scholarship as tenured faculty.
Mitochondrial gene rearrangement and phylogenetic relationships in the Amphilepidida and Ophiacanthida (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea)

ABSTRACT Mitochondrial genomes provide an additional data source for nuclear phylogenomics. Recently, the taxonomic classification of Ophiuroidea was changed dramatically based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis that utilized a huge nuclear dataset of transcriptome and target-capture approaches. However, the mitochondrial genome analysis of Ophiuroidea was not conducted sufficiently in depth to allow comparison with current phylogenetic relationships, especially for the Ophintegrida. In this study, eight mitogenomes were newly reported in Amphilepidida and Ophiacanthida. Phylogenetic analyses were undertaken based on the nucleotide sequences of 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA, and two rRNA, and the amino acid translated sequences of 13 PCGs. The results of the phylogenetic analysis suggested that the amino acid translated sequences were more useful than the nucleotide sequences for the analysis of higher phylogenetic relationships. The mitochondrial gene order of 13 PCGs and two rRNA in Amphilepidida and Ophiacanthida was relatively conserved. However, more complex gene orders occurred in the phylogeny of Amphilepidida and Ophiacanthida, including 22 tRNA. The results of our study suggest that Ophiuroidea has undergone more complex gene rearrangements than other classes of echinoderms.
Implied risk aversion: an alternative rating system for retail structured products

This article proposes implied risk aversion as a rating methodology for retail structured products. Implied risk aversion is based on optimal expected utility risk measures as introduced by Geissel et al. (Stat Risk Model 35(1–2):73–87, 2017) and, in contrast to standard V@R-based ratings, takes into account both the upside potential and the downside risks of such products. In addition, implied risk aversion is easily interpreted in terms of an individual investor’s risk aversion: a product is attractive for an investor if his individual relative risk aversion is smaller than the product’s implied risk aversion. We illustrate our approach in a case study with more than 15,000 short-term warrants on DAX that highlights some differences between our rating system and the traditional V@R-based approach.
Change of the Death Pathway in Senescent Human Fibroblasts in Response to DNA Damage Is Caused by an Inability To Stabilize p53

ABSTRACT The cellular function of p53 is complex. It is well known that p53 plays a key role in cellular response to DNA damage. Moreover, p53 was implicated in cellular senescence, and it was demonstrated that p53 undergoes modification in senescent cells. However, it is not known how these modifications affect the ability of senescent cells to respond to DNA damage. To address this question, we studied the responses of cultured young and old normal diploid human fibroblasts to a variety of genotoxic stresses. Young fibroblasts were able to undergo p53-dependent and p53-independent apoptosis. In contrast, senescent fibroblasts were unable to undergo p53-dependent apoptosis, whereas p53-independent apoptosis was only slightly reduced. Interestingly, instead of undergoing p53-dependent apoptosis, senescent fibroblasts underwent necrosis. Furthermore, we found that old cells were unable to stabilize p53 in response to DNA damage. Exogenous expression or stabilization of p53 with proteasome inhibitors in old fibroblasts restored their ability to undergo apoptosis. Our results suggest that stabilization of p53 in response to DNA damage is impaired in old fibroblasts, resulting in induction of necrosis. The role of this phenomenon in normal aging and anticancer therapy is discussed.
The Output Effects of (Non-Separable) Government Consumption at the Zero Lower Bound

We investigate the reaction of output to government spending shocks at the zero lower bound (ZLB) on the nominal interest rate when government and private consumption are non-separable in preferences. In particular, substitutability between private and government consumption significantly reduces the otherwise large output multipliers obtained at the ZLB. Additionally, the coupling of substitutability with a debt-stabilizing fiscal rule can generate negative output multipliers on impact.
Tocopherol Derivative TFA-12 Promotes Myelin Repair in Experimental Models of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the CNS that is associated with demyelination and axonal loss, resulting in severe neurological handicap. Current MS therapies mostly target neuroinflammation but have only a little impact on CNS myelin repair. Progress toward treatments that enhance remyelination would therefore represent major advances in MS treatment. Here, we examined the ability of TFA-12, a new synthetic compound belonging to tocopherol long-chain fatty alcohols, to promote oligodendrocyte regeneration and remyelination in experimental models of MS. We showed that TFA-12 significantly ameliorates neurological deficit and severity of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice. Histological evaluation of mouse EAE spinal cords showed that TFA-12 treatment reduces inflammation, astrogliosis, and myelin loss. Additionally, we demonstrated that TFA-12 accelerates remyelination of focal demyelinated lesions induced by lysolecithin injections. We also found that this compound induces the differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells into mature oligodendrocytes through the inhibition of the Notch/Jagged1 signaling pathway. Altogether, our data provide important proof of principle indicating that TFA-12 could be a potential therapeutic compound for myelin repair in MS.
Drivers of change in Ghana's cocoa sector

"Using a two year panel dataset, this paper offers an empirical investigation of the unprecedented production boom episode observed in Ghana's cocoa sector between 2002 and 2004. We look at the technology of production underlying the years of the boom, and suggest that most of the rise was due to a more intensive use of household labor, good weather, and to some extent the increased use of fertilizer. The drivers of the recent production boom in Ghana did not, however, alter the more fundamental and long-standing problems of the sector. Cocoa yields in Ghana remain well behind those observed in other producing countries and the key constraint of the sector remains its lack of innovation. Current production technology in the cocoa sector is labor-using and land saving, whereas it is labor that is scarce to the household. This poses more serious concerns about the incentives and policies required to promote and sustain technological innovation in the sector. " from text
Functional Connectivity MR Imaging of the Language Network in Patients with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Subtle linguistic dysfunction and reorganization of the language network were described in patients with epilepsy, suggesting the occurrence of plasticity changes. We used resting state FC-MRI to investigate the effects induced by chronic epilepsy on the connectivity of the language-related brain regions and correlated it with language performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FC-MRI was evaluated in 22 right-handed patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (11 with LE and 11 with RE) and in 12 healthy volunteers. Neuropsychological assessment of verbal IQ was performed. Patients and controls underwent BOLD fMRI with a verb-generation task, and language function was lateralized by an LI. Intrinsic activity fluctuations for FC analysis were extracted from data collected during the task. Six seeding cortical regions for speech in both hemispheres were selected to obtain a measure of the connectivity pattern among the language networks. RESULTS: Patients with LE presented atypical language lateralization and an overall reduced connectivity of the language network with respect to controls. In patients with both LE and RE, the mean FC was significantly reduced within the left (dominant) hemisphere and between the 2 hemispheres. In patients with LE, there was a positive correlation between verbal IQ scores and the left intrahemispheric FC. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with intractable epilepsy, FC-MRI revealed an overall reduction and reorganization of the connectivity pattern within the language network. FC was reduced in the left hemisphere regardless of the epileptogenic focus side and was positively correlated with linguistic performance only in patients with LE.
The Unique Role of the ECERIFERUM2-LIKE Clade of the BAHD Acyltransferase Superfamily in Cuticular Wax Metabolism

The elongation of very-long-chain fatty acids is a conserved process used for the production of many metabolites, including plant cuticular waxes. The elongation of precursors of the most abundant cuticular wax components of some plants, however, is unique in requiring ECERIFERUM2-LIKE (CER2-LIKE) proteins. CER2-LIKEs are a clade within the BAHD superfamily of acyltransferases. They are known to be required for cuticular wax production in both Arabidopsis and maize based on mutant studies. Heterologous expression of Arabidopsis and rice CER2-LIKEs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has demonstrated that they modify the chain-length specificity of elongation when paired with particular condensing enzymes. Despite sequence homology, CER2-LIKEs are distinct from the BAHD superfamily in that they do not appear to use acyl transfer activity to fulfill their biological function. Here, we review the discovery and characterization of CER2-LIKEs, propose several models to explain their function, and explore the importance of CER2-LIKE proteins for the evolution of plant cuticles.
Chryseobacterium gallinarum sp. nov., isolated from a chicken, and Chryseobacterium contaminans sp. nov., isolated as a contaminant from a rhizosphere sample.

Two yellow-pigmented bacterial strains (100(T) and C26(T)), showing 98.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to each other and isolated from a chicken in Germany and as a contaminant from an agar plate of a rhizosphere sample in Alabama, were studied by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Cells of both isolates were rod-shaped and stained Gram-negative. A comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two organisms with the sequences of the type strains of the most closely related species of the genus Chryseobacterium showed the highest sequence similarities of strains 100(T) and C26(T) to the type strains of Chryseobacterium joostei (respectively 97.5 and 98.2 %), C. viscerum (96.6, 97.8 %), C. gleum (97.1, 97.7 %), C. arthrosphaerae (97.3%, 97.7 %), C. indologenes (97.2, 97.7 %), C. tructae (96.6, 97.6 %), C. jejuense (97.0, 97.6 %) and C. oncorhynchi (96.3, 97.5 %); 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to members of all other species of the genus Chryseobacterium were below 97.5 %. The fatty acid profiles of both strains consisted of the major fatty acids iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c), iso-C17 : 1ω9c and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, but also showed slight differences (absence or presence of C16 : 0 3-OH and iso-C15 : 1 F). DNA-DNA hybridizations between the two strains and between the novel strains and the type strains of C. joostei, C. indologenes, C. jejuense, C. tructae and C. viscerum resulted in relatedness values clearly below 70 %. These DNA-DNA hybridization results and the differentiating biochemical and chemotaxonomic properties showed that both strains 100(T) and C26(T) represent novel species, for which the names Chryseobacterium gallinarum sp. nov. (type strain 100(T) = LMG 27808(T) = CCM 8493(T)) and Chryseobacterium contaminans sp. nov. (type strain C26(T) = LMG 27810(T) = CCM 8492(T)) are proposed.
Mild thyroid hormone excess is associated with a decreased physical function in elderly men

Introduction: In the adult, subclinical hyperthyroidism (Shyper) may alter skeletal muscle mass and strength. However, whether these effects are present in elderly subjects is not known. We explored the relationship between mild hyperthyroidism and physical function in a population-based sample of older persons. Methods: In a cross-sectional analysis, calf muscle cross-sectional area (CMA), handgrip strength, nerve conduction velocity (NCV), and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scores were compared between 364 euthyroid (Eut) and 28 Shyper men as well as between 502 Eut and 39 Shyper women. In a longitudinal analysis, we evaluated the relationship between baseline plasma TSH, FT3 and FT4 and the 3-year change in SPPB score in 304 men and 409 women who were euthyroid at enrolment. Results: At the cross-sectional analysis, Shyper men, but not women, had a significantly (p = 0.02) lower SPPB score than Eut controls, although with comparable CMA, grip strength and NCV, and were more likely to have poor physical performance (odds ratio = 2.97, p < 0.05). Longitudinal analysis showed that in Eut men higher baseline FT4 was significantly (p = 0.02) predictive of a lower SPPB score at the 3-year follow-up. Conclusion: Even a modest thyroid hormone excess is associated with a reduced physical function in elderly men.
Using Molecular Fingerprint as Descriptors in the QSPR Study of Lipophilicity

Using SciTegic's extended connectivity fingerprint as raw descriptors, a robust partial least-squares model for logP prediction was developed. The PLS model is based on 39 latent variables. An additional 8 correction factors are employed to account for effects such as intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The model performs similarly to ClogP for compounds with molecular weight in the 250-400 range but significantly better than ClogP for molecules with molecular weight over 400. Considering modern drug discovery tends to generate larger candidate compounds, the PLS model is better suited for drug discovery applications. The good performance of the simple PLS model indicates that the molecular fingerprints encode detailed structure information. When used properly they outperform conventional descriptors in QSPR model development.
Tissue damage and immunity in cutaneous leishmaniasis

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is caused by parasitic infection of dermal macrophages resulting in intense immune‐mediated tissue inflammation and skin ulceration. The severity of the disease is dependent on parasite species as well as the immune responses evoked by the host. Most cases of CL heal spontaneously. In rare cases, the ulcer/s become chronic, and some Leishmania species may induce mucosal leishmaniasis (MCL) leading to severe tissue damage. Due to difficulties in obtaining skin tissue, most human studies of CL have been limited to the analysis of peripheral blood. While systemic responses may be good correlates of immunity, tissue damage and local immune responses at the site of infection is seldom reflected in alterations in the peripheral blood. In this review, we discuss the different forms of CL focusing on the in situ responses in established disease and the mechanisms involved in pathology and healing of Leishmania infection. Great effort has been put into animal models dissecting the immune events behind the evolution of disease, tissue pathology and parasite control. These models of genetically engineered, immune deficient mice or mice given therapy prior to onset of overt disease poorly reflect the clinical situation, where patients seek treatment once infection is well established. Models of established disease are needed to address the clinical challenge of identifying new therapeutic targets in treatment CL. Through understanding immune deviations during CL potential benefits and risks of emerging biological drugs in leishmaniasis can be addressed.
Forearm oxygen consumption and forearm blood flow in healthy children and adolescents measured by near infrared spectroscopy.

UNLABELLED The assessment of forearm oxygen consumption (VO(2)) and forearm blood flow (FBF) by means of near infrared spectroscopy has become widespread in adults, whereas in children and adolescents no data are available. The aim of the present study was to analyze VO(2) and FBF in healthy children and adolescents. METHODS In a prospective cohort study, 20 male and 20 female healthy children and adolescents were investigated. The measurements of VO(2) and FBF were performed by means of near infrared spectroscopy in combination with the venous occlusion method. RESULTS Mean VO(2) was 0.08 +/- 0.04 ml 100 g(-1) min(-1) in male and 0.09 +/- 0.05 ml 100 g(-1) min(-1) in female subjects. Mean FBF was 1.95 +/- 1.25 ml 100 g(-1) min(-1) in male and 1.82 +/- 0.98 ml 100 g(-1) min(-1) in female subjects. No significant difference was found between male and female subjects. A significant negative correlation of VO(2) and FBF to age was observed in both groups. CONCLUSION In the present study we were able to show that VO(2) and FBF decreased with increasing age in children and adolescents without significant differences between male and female subjects.
Investigation of a Via-Loaded Microstrip Magnetic Dipole Antenna With Enhanced Bandwidth and Gain

A via-loaded microstrip magnetic dipole antenna with enhanced bandwidth and gain is proposed and investigated. The antenna is constructed on a long microstrip antenna with three edges shorted and one edge opened. The open aperture is equivalent to a magnetic dipole, which serves as the radiation source. In the long cavity, two modes are generated, in which the lower one is half-TE<sub>110</sub> mode and the higher one is half-TE<sub>310</sub> mode. By loading two sets of shorting vias around the null voltage points of the half-TE<sub>310</sub> mode, the resonant frequency of the half-TE<sub>110</sub> mode is shifted upward. Then, the two modes are merged to achieve an enhanced bandwidth. Moreover, the superposition of the far fields of the two modes results in a narrowed unidirectional beam, a reduced sidelobe level (SLL), and therefore, an improved gain. The theoretical investigation is validated with simulation results. A prototype of the antenna is fabricated and measured. Measured results show that the proposed antenna with a low profile of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.027\lambda _{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda _{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the wavelength in free space) has an impedance bandwidth of 9.1%, and a peak gain of 10.2 dBi.
Mechanisms of Chlamydia trachomatis Entry into Nonphagocytic Cells

ABSTRACT The mechanisms of entry for the obligate intracellular bacterium C. trachomatis were examined by functional disruption of proteins essential for various modes of entry. RNA interference was used to disrupt proteins with established roles in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (clathrin heavy chain, dynamin-2, heat shock 70-kDa protein 8, Arp2, cortactin, and calmodulin), caveola-mediated endocytosis (caveolin-1, dynamin-2, Arp2, NSF, and annexin II), phagocytosis (RhoA, dynamin-2, Rac1, and Arp2), and macropinocytosis (Pak1, Rac1, and Arp2). Comparative quantitative PCR analysis was performed on small interfering RNA-transfected HeLa cells to accurately determine the extent of C. trachomatis entry after these treatments. Key structural and regulatory factors associated with clathrin-mediated endocytosis were found to be involved in Chlamydia entry, whereas those for caveola-mediated endocytosis, phagocytosis, and macropinocytosis were not. Thus, clathrin and its coordinate accessory factors were required for entry of C. trachomatis, although additional, uncharacterized mechanisms are also utilized.
Frequency and Microbiology of Peritonitis and Exit-Site Infection Among Obese Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

♦ Background: Data on obesity as a risk factor for peritonitis and catheter infections among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are limited. Furthermore, little is known about the microbiology of PD-related infections among patients with a high body mass index (BMI). ♦ Methods: Using a cohort that included all adult patients residing in the province of Manitoba who received PD during the period 1997 - 2007, we studied the relationship between BMI and PD-related infections. After categorizing patients into quartiles of BMI, a multivariate Cox regression model was used to determine the independent relationship between BMI and peritonitis or exit-site infection (ESI). We also studied whether increasing BMI was associated with a propensity to infections with particular organisms. ♦ Results: Among 990 PD patients, 938 (95%) had accurate BMI data available. Those 938 patients experienced 1338 peritonitis episodes and 1194 exit-site infections. In unadjusted analyses, patients in the highest BMI quartile (median: 33.5; interquartile range: 31.9 - 36.4) had an increased risk of peritonitis overall, and also an increased risk of peritonitis with gram-positive organisms and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS). After multivariate adjustment for age, sex, diabetes, cause of renal disease, Aboriginal race, PD modality, and S. aureus nasal carriage, the relationship between overall peritonitis risk and BMI disappeared, but the increased risk of CNS peritonitis among patients in the highest BMI quartile persisted (hazard ratio: 1.80; 95% confidence interval: 1.06 to 3.06; p = 0.03). There was no increased risk of ESI among patients in the highest BMI quartile on univariate analysis or after multivariate adjustment. ♦ Conclusions: Among Canadian PD patients, obesity was not associated with an increased risk of peritonitis overall, but may be associated with a higher risk of CNS peritonitis.