Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A domain of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpr containing repeated H(S/F)RIG amino acid motifs causes cell growth arrest and structural defects.

Vpr is a virion-associated protein of human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) whose function in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been uncertain. Employing the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model to examine the effects of HIV-1 auxiliary proteins on basic cellular functions, we found that the vpr gene caused cell growth arrest and structural defects indicated by osmotic sensitivity and gross cell enlargement. Production of various domains by gene expression showed that this effect arose from within the carboxyl-terminal third of the Vpr protein and implicated the sequence HFRIGCRHSRIG, containing two H(S/F)RIG motifs. Electroporation with a series of peptides containing these motifs caused structural defects in yeast that resulted in osmotic sensitivity. A protein with functions relating to the yeast cytoskeleton, Sac1p [Cleves, A. E. , Novick, P.J. & Bankaitis, V.A. (1989) J. Cell Biol. 109, 2939-2950], shows sequence similarity to Vpr, and Vpr's effect in yeast may be to disrupt normal Sac1p functions. The Sac1p equivalent has not yet been described in mammalian cells, but in rhabdomyosarcoma and osteosarcoma cell lines Vpr also caused gross cell enlargement and replication arrest [Levy, D.N. , Fernandes, L.S. , Williams, W.V. & Weiner, D.B. (1993) Cell 72, 541-550]. We note that there is a correlation between the region containing the H(S/F)RIG motifs and the pathogenicity of primate lentiviruses and we suggest that the function of Vpr may be to bring about cell growth arrest and/or cytoskeletal changes as an early step in HIV-1 infection.
Attenuation of Equine Influenza Viruses through Truncations of the NS1 Protein

ABSTRACT Equine influenza is a common disease of the horse, causing significant morbidity worldwide. Here we describe the establishment of a plasmid-based reverse genetics system for equine influenza virus. Utilizing this system, we generated three mutant viruses encoding carboxy-terminally truncated NS1 proteins. We have previously shown that a recombinant human influenza virus lacking the NS1 gene (delNS1) could only replicate in interferon (IFN)-incompetent systems, suggesting that the NS1 protein is responsible for IFN antagonist activity. Contrary to previous findings with human influenza virus, we found that in the case of equine influenza virus, the length of the NS1 protein did not correlate with the level of attenuation of that virus. With equine influenza virus, the mutant virus with the shortest NS1 protein turned out to be the least attenuated. We speculate that the basis for attenuation of the equine NS1 mutant viruses generated is related to their level of NS1 protein expression. Our findings show that the recombinant mutant viruses are impaired in their ability to inhibit IFN production in vitro and they do not replicate as efficiently as the parental recombinant strain in embryonated hen eggs, in MDCK cells, or in vivo in a mouse model. Therefore, these attenuated mutant NS1 viruses may have potential as candidates for a live equine influenza vaccine.
Effect of application site, clothing barrier, and application site washing on testosterone transfer with a 1.62% testosterone gel

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the effect of application site location, clothing barrier, and application site washing on testosterone transfer from males dosed with 1.62% testosterone gel to female partners. Research design and methods: Open-label, randomized, parallel group, crossover study performed in 24 healthy male/female couples. 2.5 or 5.0 g of gel was applied to upper arms and shoulders or abdomens of male subjects. Skin contact occurred 2 hours after gel application between male and female subjects to compare the effect of wearing or not wearing a t-shirt, washing or not washing before contact, and the effect of differing application sites. Treatments were separated by a 1-week washout period. On each dosing day, 15 minutes of supervised skin contact occurred between the dosed male and female partner. Contact was either abdomen to abdomen (male to female), or upper arms/shoulders (male) to upper arms/shoulders, wrists and hands (female), depending on the male application site. Serum samples were collected from females at baseline and after contact to assess secondary testosterone exposure. Main outcome measures: Cmax (maximum serum concentration), AUC0–24 (area under serum concentration-time curve from 0–24 hours), and Cav (time-averaged concentration over 24-hour post-contact period) were assessed. Subjects were monitored for adverse events. Results: Testosterone exposure (Cav and Cmax) in females increased by up to 27% (2.5 g) or up to 280% (5.0 g) from baseline after direct skin contact at 2 hours after gel application, although Cav remained within the female eugonadal range. Transfer from the abdomen was prevented when a t-shirt was worn (2.5-g dose). When the application site was washed before contact, mean Cav was comparable to baseline, and Cmax was slightly higher (14%). Transfer was higher after direct skin-to-skin contact when the application and contact sites were upper arms/shoulders versus the abdomen. Testosterone concentrations returned to baseline within 48 hours after last skin contact. Conclusions: There is a risk of testosterone transfer from males using 1.62% testosterone gel to others who come into direct skin contact with the application site. This can be prevented by covering the application site with a t-shirt (2.5-g dose), or washing the application site before contact. Study limitations: Women for these studies were not selected by menopausal status. The study was conducted under circumstances that were intended to simulate exaggerated conditions of contact and may not represent average contact under normal conditions. Clinical Trial Registration NCT Numbers: Study was not registered (first subject enrolled 28 November 2007)
DASH transcription factor impacts Medicago truncatula seed size by its action on embryo morphogenesis and auxin homeostasis

The endosperm plays a pivotal role in the integration between component tissues of molecular signals controlling seed development. It has been shown to participate in the regulation of embryo morphogenesis and ultimately seed size determination. However, the molecular mechanisms that modulate seed size are still poorly understood especially in legumes. DASH (DOF Acting in Seed embryogenesis and Hormone accumulation) is a DOF transcription factor (TF) expressed during embryogenesis in the chalazal endosperm of the Medicago truncatula seed. Phenotypic characterization of three independent dash mutant alleles revealed a role for this TF in the prevention of early seed abortion and the determination of final seed size. Strong loss-of-function alleles cause severe defects in endosperm development and lead to embryo growth arrest at the globular stage. Transcriptomic analysis of dash pods versus wild-type (WT) pods revealed major transcriptional changes and highlighted genes that are involved in auxin transport and perception as mainly under-expressed in dash mutant pods. Interestingly, the exogenous application of auxin alleviated the seed-lethal phenotype, whereas hormonal dosage revealed a much higher auxin content in dash pods compared with WT. Together these results suggested that auxin transport/signaling may be affected in the dash mutant and that aberrant auxin distribution may contribute to the defect in embryogenesis resulting in the final seed size phenotype.
An image storage system using complex-valued associative memories

A gray scale image storage system applying a complex-valued associative memory (CAM) combined with a 2-dimensional discrete Fourier transform (2-D DFT) process is proposed. In the proposed system, input images are transformed to a quantized phase matrix through processing including 2-D DFT then provided to CAM. In addition, the elements corresponding to the high frequency, bands in the matrices are omitted in order to reduce the number of neurons of CAM at the degree in which the image degradation is not conspicuous. When a noisy or an imperfect image of a memorised one is input into the system, the corresponding perfect one is output. The image quality memorized into CAM depends on the numbers of both neurons and states of each neuron, respectively. The image quality in changing those numbers and the restoring process of CAM are demonstrated using practical images.
An Analysis of Determinants of Cocoa Export Trade In Nigeria (1981 -2014): A Bounds Testing Approach

This study examined the determinants of cocoa export in Nigeria between 1980 and 2014 using Autoregressive Distributed Lags modeling approach to cointegration, with Secondary data spanning 1980 to 2014 on Nigeria‟s value of cocoa beans exports, volume of cocoa beans exports, cocoa beans export, cocoa beans output, comparative export performance index for Nigeria in cocoa, world volume of cocoa bean export, exchange rate, price of crude oil, per capita income which were obtained various issues of CBN statistical bulletin, CBN annual reports and statement of account, statistical database of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT). The cointegration results show there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between cocoa export volume and the selected explanatory variables. The OLS results provide a positive and significant relationship between cocoa comparative export performance, and world export volume of cocoa. However, the results show an inverse relationship between cocoa export volume in Nigeria and per capita income, cocoa export price and price of crude oil. The findings of this study indicate that Nigeria has a comparative advantage in cocoa export. An enabling environment and farmingincentives supply created by Nigerian government and relevant export partners will go a long way in stimulating cocoa producers and also reposition Nigeria towards sustainable cocoa production and export in the country.
Somatostatin Plays a Dual, Stimulatory/Inhibitory Role in the Control of Growth Hormone Secretion by Two Somatotrope Subpopulations from Porcine Pituitary

Previous results from our laboratory demonstrated the existence of two subpopulations of porcine somatotropes of low‐ (LD) and high density (HD) that exhibit differences in ultrastructure and respond in an opposite manner to somatostatin (SRIF) in vitro. In LD cells, SRIF did not affect basal growth hormone (GH) release but partially blocked the stimulatory effect induced by GH‐releasing factor (GRF). Conversely, SRIF paradoxically stimulated the secretory activity of HD somatotropes. Here, we have analysed in detail the basic parameters that characterize this differential response. To this end, the time‐ and dose‐dependent effects of SRIF‐14 were evaluated on separate monolayer cultures of both subpopulations. Likewise, the direct effect of the peptide on individual somatotropes from each subset was assessed by cell immunoblot assay. Finally, we compared the effects of SRIF‐14 and SRIF‐28 on cultures of LD and HD cells. SRIF‐14 (10−7 M) induced a rapid (30 min) and sustained (4 h) 2‐fold increase in GH release from HD cells, whereas it did not affect GH secretion from LD somatotropes. Surprisingly, a low dose of SRIF (10−15 M) stimulated GH release from both LD (154.1±8.2% of basal, P<0.05) and HD (337.2±55.5% of basal, P<0.05) subpopulations, even more effectively than higher doses of the peptide. Results from cell blotting showed that SRIF stimulatory effects were exerted directly upon individual somatotropes. Finally, SRIF‐28 elicited similar responses to those observed for SRIF‐14 in both somatotrope subpopulations, yet 10−15 M SRIF‐28 was less potent than the same dose of SRIF‐14 in stimulating GH release from HD cells. Our present findings demonstrate that SRIF can function as a true GH‐releasing factor in cultures of porcine pituitary cells by acting specifically and directly upon somatotropes. Furthermore, together with previous observations, these results strongly suggest that SRIF is not merely an inhibitor of GH release in pigs, but might play a dual modulatory role. Heterogeneity of the somatotrope population contributes greatly to this divergent effect of SRIF.
Optimized marks for qualitative material discrimination

A method for the automatic qualitative discrimination of liquid samples based on their absorption spectrum in the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared regions is presented. An alternative implementation of conventional spectrum matching methodologies is proposed working towards the improvement of the response time of the discrimination system. The method takes advantage of not making assumptions on the probability density function of the data and it is also capable of automatic outlier removal. Optimized marks are obtained after PCA application on the absorption spectral data. The feasibility of the algorithm has been validated with the automatic discrimination of different oil samples (seeds and olive) that have been measured with an optical fiber absorption spectroscopy set-up. The system here proposed could be easily and efficiently implemented in hardware platforms improving the system performance.
Sensitization of human osteosarcoma cells to Vγ9Vδ2 T‐cell‐mediated cytotoxicity by zoledronate

Despite improvements in the treatment of osteosarcoma, there is a need for new therapeutic strategies, in particular for the treatment of recurrent tumors and metastases. Adoptive immunotherapy with Vγ9Vδ2 T lymphocytes represents an attractive strategy. We have investigated combining adoptive immunotherapy with Vγ9Vδ2 T cells and zoledronate to optimize osteosarcoma therapy. Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, from healthy volunteers and patients with osteosarcoma, cultures alone demonstrated moderate or poor cytotoxic activity against osteosarcoma cell lines, respectively. The addition of zoledronate further increased cytotoxicity in vitro. This enhancement was largely dependent on the granule exocytose and partly on TRAIL pathways, was TCR‐mediated and partly NKG2D‐mediated. These data suggest that combined treatment of human osteosarcoma with zoledronate and Vγ9Vδ2 T cells may be an effective complement to current chemotherapies. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:824–830, 2012
Entrepreneurship and economic theory

"This article discusses economic theories of entrepreneurship, drawing principally on work conducted in labour economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and financial economics. The article explains how incentives and constraints of various kinds affect occupational choices and entrepreneurial innovation, as well as how entrepreneurial decisions affect macroeconomic performance. Implications for public policy are drawn. "
Essays on the welfare implications of international economic integration

Title of dissertation: ESSAYS ON THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION Jingting Fan, Doctor of Philosophy, 2017 Dissertation directed by: Professor Nuno Limão Department of Economics The unprecedented international economic integration in the past few decades, in the form of global trade and activities of multinational corporations, has spurred heated discussions among policy makers and academics on the costs and benefits of globalization. Despite active research in this area, however, many aspects of globalization and its consequences are still not well understood. This dissertation examines the welfare implications of globalization, focusing on two specific aspects. The first part of this dissertation studies the determinants and welfare implications of multinational corporations’ decisions to perform R&D outside their home countries, or offshore R&D. In the first chapter, I develop a quantitative model that incorporates two motives for offshore R&D: the talent-acquisition motive, and the market-access motive. I calibrate the model and perform counterfactual experiments to understand the welfare implications of offshore R&D. I find that offshore R&D increases countries’ gains from global integration by a factor of 1.2 on average, with much larger increases for developing than for developed countries. I also find that incorporating offshore R&D has important implications for understanding the welfare impact of traditional forms of global integration, namely trade and offshore production. In the second chapter, I test the key implications of the two offshore R&D motives using firm-level data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The evidence supports the theory. The second part of this dissertation, the third chapter, studies the effect of international trade on income and inequality of a country characterized by large domestic trade costs and migration restrictions. I develop a multi-region general equilibrium model featuring domestic trade and migration, both of which are subject to spatial frictions. Quantifying the model using data from China, I find that the trade between China and the rest of the world increases China’s real income, but at the same time exacerbates the inequality in China. More than half of the rise in inequality comes from between-region inequality, while the rest comes from the skill premium. Moreover, there is an interaction between the spatial and the skill dimension of the effect of trade on inequality. Both results underscore the importance of incorporating domestic geographic frictions in understanding the welfare impacts of trade. As an additional contribution, I construct a city-level panel of the Hukou policies in China, and use it to quantify the interaction between Hukou reforms with China’s international trade integration. ESSAYS ON THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION
Cognitive test performance in relation to psychotic symptoms and paranoid ideation in non-demented 85-year-olds

Background. Clinical studies suggest that psychotic and paranoid states in late life are associated with cognitive dysfunction. However, it is not clear whether this finding would be observed in general population samples of non-demented elderly, particularly after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Method. A representative sample of non-demented 85-year-olds living in the community or in institutions in Göteborg, Sweden (N=347) was examined using a psychiatric and physical examination (including a medical history), key-informant interview, psychometric testing and review of medical records. Individuals with psychotic symptoms and paranoid ideation were compared with the mentally healthy regarding tests of verbal ability, inductive logical reasoning, spatial ability, perceptual speed, basic arithmetic, primary memory and secondary memory. Results. Non-demented 85-year-olds with psychotic symptoms or paranoid ideation performed specifically worse on tests measuring verbal ability, logical reasoning and two tests of spatial ability after adjustment for sex, education, hearing impairment, visual deficits, somatic disorders, depression, 3-year-mortality rate and incident dementia. Conclusions. Psychotic symptoms and paranoid ideation were associated with lower performance on cognitive tests related to verbal ability, logical reasoning and spatial ability in non-demented 85-year-olds after adjustment for potential confounders.
A Crucial Role for Exopolysaccharide Modification in Bacterial Biofilm Formation, Immune Evasion, and Virulence*

Biofilms play an important role in many chronic bacterial infections. Production of an extracellular mixture of sugar polymers called exopolysaccharide is characteristic and critical for biofilm formation. However, there is limited information about the mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis and modification of exopolysaccharide components and how these processes influence bacterial pathogenesis. Staphylococcus epidermidis is an important human pathogen that frequently causes persistent infections by biofilm formation on indwelling medical devices. It produces a poly-N-acetylglucosamine molecule that emerges as an exopolysaccharide component of many bacterial pathogens. Using a novel method based on size exclusion chromatography-mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that the surface-attached protein IcaB is responsible for deacetylation of the poly-N-acetylglucosamine molecule. Most likely due to the loss of its cationic character, non-deacetylated poly-acetylglucosamine in an isogenic icaB mutant strain was devoid of the ability to attach to the bacterial cell surface. Importantly, deacetylation of the polymer was essential for key virulence mechanisms of S. epidermidis, namely biofilm formation, colonization, and resistance to neutrophil phagocytosis and human antibacterial peptides. Furthermore, persistence of the icaB mutant strain was significantly impaired in a murine model of device-related infection. This is the first study to describe a mechanism of exopolysaccharide modification that is indispensable for the development of biofilm-associated human disease. Notably, this general virulence mechanism is likely similar for other pathogenic bacteria and constitutes an excellent target for therapeutic maneuvers aimed at combating biofilm-associated infection.
A multiple motives theory of church and missionary relationships

This grounded theory study examines the motives for relationships between local churches and missionaries: What motivates churches to enter into a relationship with a missionary, to continue this relationship, and to end it? Similarly, what motivates missionaries to begin, continue, or end relationships with a local church? We used purposive stratified sampling to select 17 missionaries and church mission leaders to interview for this study. We performed semi-structured interviews with both groups to discover their understanding of why they form, maintain, and dissolve relationships with each other. Multiple motives influenced all participants. These motives can be broadly categorized as either relationship-focused motives or task-focused motives. Furthermore, the task-focused motives can either be centered on specific goals shared by churches and missionaries (e.g., starting a reproducing church among a specific people group) or on specific processes (e.g., evangelizing or feeding the poor). Although all participants had multiple motives, each participant emphasized some motives over others. The motives present in each party influence many aspects of their relationship, including their communication, financial involvement, and the purpose of the church’s short-term mission trips to the missionary’s setting. In contrast to social exchange theory which provides a framework to understand conditions under which a relationship will be maintained or ended, the multiple motive theory of church and missionary relationships goes further; it describes specific motives that exist which influence whether a relationship begins, continues, or ends.