Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alternative splicing directs dual localization of Candida albicans 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase to cytosol and peroxisomes.

The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is the main source of NADPH in the cell and therefore essential for the maintenance of the redox balance and anabolic reactions. NADPH is produced by the two dehydrogenases in the oxidative branch of the PPP: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Zwf1) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (Gnd1). We observed that in the commensal fungus Candida albicans these two enzymes contain putative peroxisomal targeting signals (PTSs): Zwf1 has a putative PTS1, while the annotated intron of GND1 encodes a PTS2. By subcellular fractionation and fluorescence microscopy, we show that both enzymes have a dual localization in which the majority is cytosolic, but a small fraction is peroxisome associated. Analysis of GND1 transcripts revealed that dual targeting of Gnd1 is directed by alternative splicing resulting in two Gnd1 isoforms, one without targeting signals localized to the cytosol and one with an N-terminal PTS2 targeted to peroxisomes. To our knowledge, Gnd1 is the first example of dual targeting of a protein by alternative splicing in C. albicans. In silico analysis suggests that PTS-mediated peroxisomal targeting of Zwf1 and Gnd1 is conserved across closely related Candida species. We discuss putative functions of the peroxisomal oxidative PPP in these organisms.
Biomechanics of a short stem: In vitro primary stability and stress shielding of a conservative cementless hip stem

Short stem prostheses provide conservative surgery and favorable metaphyseal load transmission. However, clinical long‐term results are lacking. Therefore, in vitro trials can be used to predict bone‐implant performance. In this in vitro study, primary stability and stress shielding of a new cementless short stem implant was evaluated in comparison to a straight stem using nine pairs of human cadaver femurs. Primary stability, including reversible micromotion and irreversible migration, was assessed in a hip simulator. Furthermore, changes in the pattern of cortical strain were evaluated. The short stem was more resistant to reversible micromotion and irreversible migration into retroversion. Axial stability was similar, with mean reversible micromotions of 9 µm for the short stem and 7 µm for the straight stem. Proximal load transmission was more physiological with the short stem, though both implants could not avoid stress shielding in Gruen zones 1 and 7. Primary stability of the short stem prosthesis was not negatively influenced compared to the straight shaft. Furthermore, proximal femoral strain pattern was more physiological after insertion of the short stem prosthesis. (c) 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31:1180–1186, 2013
Capital Structure of Multinational and Domestic Corporations – A Cross‐Country Comparison

This study investigates whether the determinants of capital structure between multinational corporations (MCs) and domestic corporations (DCs) vary across Australia, U.S., Japan, U.K. and Malaysia. Results show (i) the debt holding capacity and majority of the explanatory factors vary between DCs and MCs and also across countries; (ii) Australia, Japan, U.K. and Malaysian MCs hold significantly less long-term debt relative to U.S. firms; (iii) DCs and MCs that operate under an imputation tax system hold significantly less short- and long-term debt; and (iv) DCs and MCs operating under common law have significantly less short-term debt and significantly higher long-term debt.
Description of Riouxgolvania kapapkamui Sp. N. (Nematoda: Muspiceoidea: Muspiceidae), A Peculiar Intradermal Parasite of Bats in Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract: Riouxgolvania kapapkamui sp. n. (Nematoda: Muspiceoidea: Muspiceidae), a peculiar intradermal parasite, is described based on gravid adults, eggs, and first-, second-, and third-stage larvae collected from dermal nodules formed in Myotis macrodactylus and Myotis ikonnikovi bats from Hokkaido, Japan. The nematode is readily distinguished from 3 previously described congeners in having a globular body with brown, transverse striae in the anterior region of fully grown females. The third-stage larva is also distinguished from other congeners by having a round tail end. Nucleotide sequences of the analyzed partial SSU rDNA-ITS1 region and partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 of mtDNA showed greater similarity to chromadoreans rather than to enopleans. This is the first report of muspiceoid nematodes from Asia.
Asymmetric Federalism and Coalition-Making in Belgium

This article examines the asymmetric aspects of Belgian federalism. The term “asymmetry” covers many meanings. The cultural, socioeconomic, political party, and formal-institutional differences between the regions of the Belgian federation clearly make Belgium a strong case of asymmetry. However, these asymmetric features have largely been neutralized by preferences of the major-party leaders for building symmetric or congruent government coalitions in the federal and regional arenas. The article not only explains why Belgian party elites have acted accordingly but also demonstrates that the genuine meaning of asymmetry cannot be understood properly without putting the concept of asymmetry into the framework of party politics. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Justice Perceptions of Vietnamese Employees: Understanding Vietnamese Cultural and Managerial Practices

This paper examines the influence of cultural context on justice perceptions of Vietnamese employees. We focused on vocational training practice in the Vietnamese firms. We conducted 23 semi-structured interviews (with 5 human resources directors and 18 employees) in order to analyze their judgments about the justice of vocational training practice within their firm. This article argues that in the Vietnamese context, the employees give more importance to distributive and interpersonal justice than procedural justice. It then discusses the impact of cultural values, especially Confucian values on managerial practices.
Comparison of Japanese and North American Runners of the Ideal Marathon Competition Destination

The Honolulu Marathon has a significant economic impact on the state of Hawaii's economy. Some 25,000 runners registered for the 2007 Honolulu Marathon, making it the sixth largest in the world as well as the third largest marathon in the USA, trailing only New York (34,729) and Chicago (32,332). Of the 25,000 Honolulu Marathon runners, over 17,000 were out-of-state runners. This study asked out-of-state participants in the marathon to assess the attractiveness of Honolulu and its marathon compared with that of an ideal marathon. Data used in this study were collected by distributing a research instrument to marathon participants. The instrument consisted of 30 items to represent the destinational attributes for an ideal marathon location city based on an extensive review of the literature on the selection of sport tourism event destinations. Over 473 surveys were collected for this study. Examination and analysis of these results will be very helpful in determining what the marathon runners believe are the ideal attributes of a city to host a marathon. This information will provide marketing guidance to the organizers of the Honolulu Marathon based on a segmented analysis of participants' perceptions of the event as well as give assistance to community and event organizations interested in attracting and marketing similar events.
The Evaluation of Multiple Surrogate Endpoints

Summary. Surrogate endpoints are desirable because they typically result in smaller, faster efficacy studies compared with the ones using the clinical endpoints. Research on surrogate endpoints has received substantial attention lately, but most investigations have focused on the validity of using a single biomarker as a surrogate. Our paper studies whether the use of multiple markers can improve inferences about a treatment's effects on a clinical endpoint. We propose a joint model for a time to clinical event and for repeated measures over time on multiple biomarkers that are potential surrogates. This model extends the formulation of Xu and Zeger (2001, in press) and Fawcett and Thomas (1996, Statistics in Medicine15, 1663–1685). We propose two complementary measures of the relative benefit of multiple surrogates as opposed to a single one. Markov chain Monte Carlo is implemented to estimate model parameters. The methodology is illustrated with an analysis of data from a schizophrenia clinical trial.
Teachers` implementation of Inclusive Education in Ghanaian primary schools: An insight into government policy and practice.

The study reported in this paper is the examination of teachers’ experiences of the implementation of Inclusive Education in two districts in Ghana, Bole in the north and New Juabeng in the south in ten primary and junior secondary schools. Using the framework of Ntombela (2009, 2011) and Torombe (2013) this article replicates their study in new setting - Ghana. Employing both quantitative and qualitative data analyses procedures, the study found that teachers had limited, varied and often distorted understandings of the inclusive policy and the innovation. These understandings suggested that instead of the paradigm shift warranted by the new policy, most of the teachers still relied heavily on the old deficit, medical model of educating learners with special educational needs. The study concludes that, to be successful, the policy initiation process needs to become clear and more inclusive to enable stakeholders to embrace the agenda and to understand its purpose. Further, a new policy will not be able to challenge and change the culture and practice in schools unless teachers are well trained and the necessity of appropriate allocation and use of resources put in place. Keywords : Ghana, educational innovation, Inclusive Education, special education needs, policy dissemination.
Sensory Neurons, Ion Channels, Inflammation and the Onset of Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain often fails to respond to conventional pain management procedures. here we review the aetiology of neuropathic pain as would result from peripheral neuropathy or injury. We show that inflammatory mediators released from damaged nerves and tissue are responsible for triggering ectopic activity in primary afferents and that this, in turn, provokes increased spinal cord activity and the development of ‘central sensitization’. Although evidence is mounting to support the role of interleukin-1β, prostaglandins and other cytokines in the onset of neuropathic pain, the clinical efficacy of drugs which antagonize or prevent the actions of these mediators is yet to be determined. basic science findings do, however, support the use of pre-emptive analgesia during procedures which involve nerve manipulation and the use of anti-inflammatory steroids as soon as possible following traumatic nerve injury.
Detection of high levels of anti-α-galactosyl antibodies in sera of patients with Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis: a possible tool for diagnosis and biomarker for cure in an elimination setting

SUMMARY In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is mainly caused by Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica parasites. Diagnosis of CL is predominately made by clinicians, who at times fail to detect the disease and are unable to identify parasite species. Here, we report the development of a chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CL-ELISA) to measure the levels of anti-α-galactosyl antibodies in human sera. Using this assay, we have found that individuals infected with either Leishmania spp. had significantly elevated levels (up to 9-fold higher) of anti-α-Gal IgG compared to healthy control individuals. The assay sensitivity was 96% for L. major (95% CI; 94–98%) and 91% for L. tropica (95% CI; 86–98%) infections and therefore equivalent to restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction analysis of parasite ITS1 gene. In addition, the assay had higher sensitivity than microscopy analysis, which only detected 68 and 45% of the L. major and L. tropica infections, respectively. Interestingly, up to 2 years following confirmed CL cure individuals had 28-fold higher levels of anti-α-Gal IgG compared to healthy volunteers. Monitoring levels of anti-α-Gal antibodies can be exploited as both a diagnostic tool and as a biomarker of cure of Old World CL in disease elimination settings.
Economic Integration in the Indian Subcontinent: A Study of Macroeconomic Interdependence

The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) marked its Silver Jubilee in 2010. The SAARC’s charter, which was signed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in 1985, has many similarities to the founding charters of similar regional associations signed elsewhere. While other regional associations have made substantial progress, SAARC has yet to produce notable results. In the context of growing global economic interdependence, it is of interest to assess how far economic growth in each of the SAARC economies has influenced growth in other member countries. Adopting a vector autoregression (VAR) methodology, this paper investigates macroeconomic interdependence in the South Asian region with a view to evaluating its readiness to forge ahead with its integration efforts. The findings of the study reveal that India has been influencing economic growth in the region, as its output variability has been affecting outputs in other member countries. If SAARC has to become successful as a regional bloc, India as the biggest gainer from trade and investment relationships should take some bold steps, which would represent some readiness to part with some of the gains derived by way of trade surpluses.
Meta-analysis of the effects of sometribove zinc suspension on the production and health of lactating dairy cows.

OBJECTIVE To provide an updated evaluation of the efficacy and safety of sometribove zinc suspension (rbST-Zn), a form of recombinant bovine somatotropin, in lactating dairy cows. DESIGN Meta-analysis. SAMPLE 26 studies published in peer-reviewed journals or reviewed by a regulatory agency. PROCEDURES To be included, a study had to involve the use of the rbST-Zn formulation available to US producers in accordance with the label instructions for treatment initiation (57 to 70 days postpartum), dose (500 mg, q 14 d), and route (SC). RESULTS For cows treated with rbST-Zn, mean milk, 3.5% fat-corrected milk, fat, and protein yields were increased by 4.00, 4.04, 0.144, and 0.137 kg/d (8.8, 8.89, 0.32, and 0.30 lb/d), respectively; however, the concentration of milk components did not change. Pregnancy proportion for the first 2 breeding cycles was increased by 5.4%, and pregnancy proportion for the duration of the trial was reduced by 5.5% for rbST-Zn-treated cows, compared with proportions for untreated cows. Mean body condition score (1 to 5 scale) was reduced by 0.06 points during the period of rbST-Zn use for treated cows. Administration of rbST-Zn had no effect on milk somatic cell count, the number of days to pregnancy, or inseminations per pregnancy; rates of fetal loss, twins, cystic ovaries, clinical lameness, lameness lesions, or traumatic lesions of the integumentary system; and odds of clinical mastitis or culling. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that rbST-Zn administration to dairy cows effectively increases milk production with no adverse effects on cow health and well-being.
Modeling Agricultural Supply Response Using Mathematical Programming and Crop Mixes

Mathematical programming models are widely used in agricultural sector analysis. However, the lack of micro-level data, as well as computational requirements, necessitate the aggregation of individual producers into representative units when working at the sectoral level. This usually leads to unrealistic extreme specialization in supply responses. In 1982, McCarl introduced the "historical crop mixes" approach to avoid extreme specialization. We extend this approach by generating additional synthetic crop mixes using supply response elasticities and systematically varied commodity prices. In addition to avoiding extreme specialization, this approach provides flexibility when future supply responses can be vastly different from past responses. An application to U.S. biofuel policy analysis is presented. Copyright 2012, Oxford University Press.
Depleted Uranium, Public Science, and the Politics of Closure

The public controversy over depleted uranium (DU) seems to follow a standard trajectory-scientific closure, via the reduction of scientific uncertainty, led directly to policy closure, as government bureaucracies increasingly downplayed its dangers and denied redress to exposed individuals. Closer inspection, however, reveals a more complex dynamic. A series of expert, public science reports, while articulating a shared narrative of DU safety, actually accentuated great uncertainty concerning DU's biological effects, mirroring new uncertainties raised by ongoing scientific research. Policy closure is thus mirrored in neither the scholarly scientific literature nor in broader political realms, suggesting a close and unique relation between the expert reports and governmental policy making. Public science institutions and the expert reports they produce are crucial political resources for resolving governmental policy making but are decidedly less successful at closing the broader political debate. Copyright 2008 by The Policy Studies Organization.
Exciton Migration and Surface Trapping for a Photonic Crystal Displaying Charge-Recombination Fluorescence.

A compact donor-acceptor molecular dyad has been synthesized by attaching an N,N-dimethylamino fragment to a naphthalic anhydride residue. The dyad shows fluorescence from an intramolecular charge-transfer state (i.e., charge-recombination fluorescence) in solution, with the photo-physical properties being strongly dependent on the solvent polarity. Similar emission is seen for single crystals of the target compound, the molecules being aligned head-to-head, although time-resolved emission profiles display dual-exponential kinetics. A second polymorph with the head-to-tail alignment also gives rise to two lifetimes that differ somewhat from those of the first structure, which are assigned to bulk and surface-bound molecules. Growing the crystal in the presence of Rhodamine B localizes the dye around the surface. Excitation of the crystal is followed by sub-ps exciton migration along the aligned stacks, with occasional crossing to adjacent stacks and trapping at the surface. Rhodamine B present at very low levels acts as the acceptor for excitons entering the surface layer. Crystals embedded in a polyester resin form an artificial light-harvesting antenna able to sensitize an amorphous silicon solar cell.
CASCONet: A Conference dataset

Knowledge mobilization and translation describes the process of moving knowledge from research and development (R&D) labs into environments where it can be put to use. There is increasing interest in understanding mechanisms for knowledge mobilization, specifically with respect to academia and industry collaborations. These mechanisms include funding programs, research centers, and conferences, among others. In this paper, we focus on one specific knowledge mobilization mechanism, the CASCON conference, the annual conference of the IBM Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS). The mandate of CAS when it was established in 1990 was to foster collaborative work between the IBM Toronto Lab and university researchers from around the world. The first CAS Conference (CASCON) was held one year after CAS was formed in 1991. The focus of this annual conference was, and continues to be, bringing together academic researchers, industry practitioners, and technology users in a forum for sharing ideas and showcasing the results of the CAS collaborative work. We collected data about CASCON for the past 25 years including information about papers, technology showcase demos, workshops, and keynote presentations. The resulting dataset, called "CASCONet" is available for analysis and integration with related datasets. Using CASCONet, we analyzed interactions between R&D topics and changes in those topics over time. Results of our analysis show how the domain of knowledge being mobilized through CAS had evolved over time. By making CASCONet available to others, we hope that the data can be used in additional ways to understand knowledge mobilization and translation in this unique context.
The role of trade in ending poverty

The expansion of international trade has been essential to development and reducing poverty but the relationship between economic growth, poverty reduction and trade is not a simple one. This publication looks into this relationship and examines the challenges poor people face in benefiting from trade opportunities. Written jointly by the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, the publication examines trade and poverty across four dimensions: rural poverty; the informal economy; the impact of fragility and conflict; and gender. The publication looks at how trade could make a greater contribution to ending poverty through increasing efforts to lower trade costs, improve the enabling environment, implement trade policy in conjunction with other areas of policy, better manage risks faced by the poor, and improve data used for policy-making. This report has three key messages: 1) A sustained effort to deepen economic integration and further lower trade costs is essential for ending poverty. Strong growth in developing countries will be needed to achieve the end of poverty, and trade is a critical enabler of growth, opening up opportunities for new and better work for the poor. Although great progress has been made in reducing trade costs and integrating low-income countries into the global economy, more needs to be done. 2) Lowering tariffs and non-tariff barriers between countries are essential elements of this agenda, but this must form part facing the extreme poor, and for many, their disconnection from markets, if they are to benefit from trade. This includes challenges facing women, the rural poor, those in the informal economy, and those in fragile and conflict-affected states. Thus, in order to have the greatest impact toward ending poverty, trade policy must be made and implemented in conjunction with other areas of policy. This entails deeper cooperation across sectoral lines, government agencies, and a wider range of stakeholders. 3) The World Trade Organization and World Bank Group have made substantial contributions to trade and poverty reduction. However, a great deal more remains to be done to end poverty, and both institutions and other partners need to continually review their activities to support poverty reduction to ensure they remain relevant in an ever-changing world.