Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mos activates MAP kinase in mouse oocytes through two opposite pathways

Activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) in maturing mouse oocytes occurs after synthesis of Mos, a MAPKKK. To investigate whether Mos acts only through MEK1, we microinjected constitutively active forms of MEK1 (MEK1S218D/S222D referred herein as MEK*) and Raf (ΔRaf) into mouse oocytes. In mos−/− oocytes, which do not activate MAPK during meiosis and do not arrest in metaphase II, MEK* and ΔRaf did not rescue MAPK activation and metaphase II arrest, whereas Mos induced a complete rescue. MEK* and ΔRaf induced cleavage arrest of two‐cell blastomeres. They induced MAPK activation when protein phosphatases were inhibited by okadaic acid, suggesting that Mos may inhibit protein phosphatases. Finally, in mos−/− oocytes, MEK* induced the phosphorylation of Xp42mapkD324N, a mutant less sensitive to dephosphorylation, showing that a MAPK phosphatase activity is present in mouse oocytes. We demonstrate that active MAPKK or MAPKKK cannot substitute for Mos to activate MAPK in mouse oocytes. We also show that a phosphatase activity inactivates MAPK, and that Mos can overcome this inhibitory activity. Thus Mos activates MAPK through two opposite pathways: activation of MEK1 and inhibition of a phosphatase.
Essays on development in open economies

This thesis analyses the interaction between development and integration into global markets. Chapter 1 studies whether international crop prices affect formal land tenure in Uganda. Higher agricultural prices induce farmers to increase their share of titled land. This effect results from the combination of an income effect, an incentive effect, and the interaction between social status and social capital. Prices have a positive impact on agricultural income and sales revenues. The effect of prices on land tenure is stronger when farmers have undertaken investment on the land, for the prices of export crops, and when farmers fear expropriation and land grabbing. In areas with lower social capital, land insecurity is higher. Elite groups in low-social-capital communities respond more to an increase in prices, whereas disadvantaged groups are better-off where social capital is higher. Chapter 2 evaluates the adjustment cost to the DR-CAFTA free trade agreement in Honduras. The agreement produces a reduction in household income in Honduran regions more intensely exposed to trade. The result is driven by local labour market effects: workers are not able to relocate across locations or sectors, and a generalised reduction in wages pushes many out of the labour force or into less lucrative, informal-sector activities. Chapter 3 investigates the relationship between migrant remittances and financial development across Italian provinces in the late Nineteenth-early Twentieth centuries. Remittances have a positive impact on the growth of bank deposits. Higher remittances are associated with increased GDP and a higher number of active bank branches, and therefore contribute to enhancing financial inclusion. Chapter 4 is an empirical application of theoretical models of trade with product variety and firm heterogeneity, and measures the gains from trade predicted by these models for Italy between 1870 and 2000. The analysis accounts for gains from variety, firm selection effects, and technology spillovers, and allows the trade elasticity to vary over time, reflecting the main economic and political phases of Italian history.
Neonatal rat ventricular myocytes force mapping using double-sided micropillar arrays

This paper reports measuring contractility of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM) using a novel cell force sensor, namely, a double-sided micropillar array (DMA) developed for both single cell force measurements using conventional microscopy as well as high-throughput cell force mapping based on the optical moiré effect. The contraction force map of NRVM cultured on DMA was acquired with nanonewton and submicron scale resolution using confocal microscopy. For the moiré-based method, the local average of the cell contraction force was derived from the moiré pattern, which allows mapping cell contraction force using a 20X objective lens, enabling the acquisition of a larger field-of-view than conventional microscopy.
Efficacy of Continuous Regional Arterial Infusion of a Protease Inhibitor and Antibiotic for Severe Acute Pancreatitis in Patients Admitted to an Intensive Care Unit

Abstract: To investigate the efficacy of continuous regional arterial infusion (CRAI) of a protease inhibitor and antibiotic for severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). A total of 51 patients with SAP requiring admission to an ICU were studied. The patients were divided into two groups: one received the protease inhibitor nafamostat mesylate and the antibiotic imipenem by continuous regional arterial infusion (CRAI group) and the other received protease inhibitors and antibiotics by intravenous infusion (non-CRAI group). To evaluate the therapeutic usefulness of CRAI of a protease inhibitor and antibiotic for SAP, the rate of surgery and the cumulative survival rate were compared between the non-CRAI group and the CRAI group. The rate of surgery was 32% in the non-CRAI group and 9% in the CRAI group (P = 0.08). Cumulative survival rates at 1, 6, and 12 months were 77.9%, 48.9%, and 48.9% in the non-CRAI group compared with 100.0%, 100.0%, and 87.1% in the CRAI group. Outcome was thus significantly better in the CRAI group than in the non-CRAI group (P = 0.002). CRAI of a protease inhibitor and antibiotic may decrease the need for surgical therapy and reduce mortality in patients with SAP.
Multiplexing Efficiency of MIMO Antennas

A simple and intuitive metric of multiplexing efficiency is proposed for evaluating the performance of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antennas in the spatial multiplexing mode of operation. Apart from gaining valuable insights into the impact of antenna efficiency, efficiency imbalance, and correlation on multiplexing performance, the metric is particularly useful for antenna engineers whose goal is to achieve the optimum antenna system design. Experimental results involving prototype mobile terminals highlight the effectiveness of our proposal.
Co-Occurrence of Threshold Switching and Memory Switching in  $\hbox{Pt}/\hbox{NbO}_{x}/\hbox{Pt}$ Cells for Crosspoint Memory Applications

To integrate bipolar resistive switching cells into crosspoint structures, we serially connect a threshold-switching (TS) Pt/NbO<sub>2</sub>/Pt device with a memory-switching (MS) Pt/Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>/ Pt device and observe the suppression of the undesired sneak current. A simpler Pt/Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>/NbO<sub>2</sub>/Pt bilayer oxide device was designed; it simultaneously exhibits TS and MS. The unique device characteristics in the metal/oxide/metal structure can be directly integrated into a crosspoint memory array without the diode; this can significantly reduce the fabrication complexity.
Suicidal behaviors and the tryptophan hydroxylase gene.

BACKGROUND To determine whether the tryptophan hydroxylase gene (ie, the gene that codes for the rate-limiting enzyme in the metabolic pathway of serotonin) may be a susceptibility factor for suicidal behavior. METHODS Genotypic and allelic frequencies at a polymorphic Ava II restriction site were revealed with the use of the complementary DNA tryptophan hydroxylase probe C2-38 in 62 suicide attempters. The psychiatric characteristics of these suicide attempters were determined using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime version with modification for the study of anxiety disorders, and these characteristics were compared with those in 52 healthy controls. RESULTS No association between tryptophan hydroxylase and suicidal behavior was detected. CONCLUSION The tryptophan hydroxylase gene was not a susceptibility factor for suicidal behaviors in the group of suicide attempters in this study.
MTJ based non-volatile flip-flop in deep submicron technology

The NVFF (Non-Volatile Flip-flop) using a MTJ is one of the powerful solutions for the low power system. However, the previous NVFF cannot provide a sufficient current to write the data into the MTJ in deep submicron technology. This problem occurs due to the lowered supply voltage (1.1V for core device in 45nm technology) with technology scaling. It can be resolved by increasing the supply voltage. However, the increased supply voltage causes a reliability problem of the core device. In order to overcome this problem, the proposed write circuit adopts an IO device with an IO supply voltage of 1.8V. In addition, the low-skewed NAND (LS-NAND) is used to efficiently interface the two supply voltage levels of 1.1V and 1.8V and to minimize the short circuit current in the write circuit. In this paper, the NVFF with the proposed write circuit is verified by HSPICE simulation using an industry compatible 45nm model parameter. The write current of the proposed write circuit is 60% greater than that of the previous write circuit and is sufficient for the proper write operation.
Dynamic Learning and Pricing with Model Misspecification

We study a multiperiod dynamic pricing problem with contextual information, where the seller uses a misspecified demand model. The seller sequentially observes past demand, updates model parameters, and then chooses the price for the next period based on time-varying features. We show that model misspecification leads to a correlation between price and prediction error of demand per period, which, in turn, leads to inconsistent price elasticity estimates and hence suboptimal pricing decisions. We propose a “random price shock” (RPS) algorithm that dynamically generates randomized price shocks to estimate price elasticity, while maximizing revenue. We show that the RPS algorithm has strong theoretical performance guarantees, that it is robust to model misspecification, and that it can be adapted to a number of business settings, including (1) when the feasible price set is a price ladder and (2) when the contextual information is not IID. We also perform offline simulations to gauge the performance of RPS on a large fashion retail data set and find that is expected to earn 8%–20% more revenue on average than competing algorithms that do not account for price endogeneity. This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.
Space time interleaving code in frequency selective channels

A new kind of full rate full diversity space time code is proposed to obtain transmit diversity gain in frequency selective channels. The code is named space time interleaving code (STIC) due to interleaving of symbols at different antennas. It is shown that STIC with random interleavers satisfies full diversity criteria in frequency selective block fading channel. Moreover, interleavers embedded in the scheme facilitates iterative decoder design. Its complexity grows approximately linearly with the number of transmit antennas. Compared with other schemes in multi-path channels, STIC provides a competitive tradeoff between rate, diversity and complexity. Numerical experiments show the effectiveness of the new scheme.
An Arabidopsis pex10 Null Mutant Is Embryo Lethal, Implicating Peroxisomes in an Essential Role during Plant Embryogenesis1

Peroxisomes participate in many important functions in plants, including seed reserve mobilization, photorespiration, defense against oxidative stress, and auxin and jasmonate signaling. In mammals, defects in peroxisome biogenesis result in multiple system abnormalities, severe developmental delay, and death, whereas in unicellular yeasts, peroxisomes are dispensable unless required for growth of specific substrates. PEX10 encodes an integral membrane protein required for peroxisome biogenesis in mammals and yeast. To investigate the importance of PEX10 in plants, we characterized a Ds insertion mutant in the PEX10 gene of Arabidopsis (AtPEX10). Heterozygous AtPEX10::dissociation element mutants show normal vegetative phenotypes under optimal growth conditions, but produce about 20% abnormal seeds. The embryos in the abnormal seeds are predominantly homozygous for the disruption allele. They show retarded development and some morphological abnormalities. No viable homozygous mutant plants were obtained. AtPEX10 fused to yellow fluorescent protein colocalized with green fluorescent protein-serine-lysine-leucine, a well-documented peroxisomal marker, suggesting that AtPEX10 encodes a peroxisomal protein that is essential for normal embryo development and viability.
Purification and Characterization of Two Functional Forms of Intracellular Protease PfpI from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus

The hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus grows optimally at 100(deg)C by the fermentation of peptides and carbohydrates. From this organism, we have purified to homogeneity an intracellular protease, previously designated PfpI (P. furiosus protease I) (S. B. Halio, I. I. Blumentals, S. A. Short, B. M. Merrill, and R. M. Kelly, J. Bacteriol. 178:2605-2612, 1996). The protease contains a single subunit with a molecular mass of approximately 19 kDa and exists in at least two functional conformations, which were purified separately. The predominant form from the purification (designated PfpI-C1) is a hexamer with a molecular mass of 124 (plusmn) 6 kDa (by gel filtration) and comprises about 90% of the total activity. The minor form (designated PfpI-C2) is trimeric with a molecular mass of 59 (plusmn) 3 kDa. PfpI-C1 hydrolyzed both basic and hydrophobic residues in the P1 position, indicating trypsin- and chymotrypsin-like specificities, respectively. The temperature optimum for Ala-Ala-Phe-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin (AAF-MCA) hydrolysis was (symbl)85(deg)C both for purified PfpI-C1 and for proteolytic activity in P. furiosus cell extract. In contrast, the temperature optimum for PfpI prepared by incubating a cell extract of P. furiosus at 98(deg)C in 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate for 24 h at 95 to 100(deg)C (I. I. Blumentals, A. S. Robinson, and R. M. Kelly, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56:1255-1262, 1990), designated PfpI-H, was (symbl)100(deg)C. Moreover, the half-life of activity of PfpI-C1 at 98(deg)C was less than 30 min, in contrast to a value of more than 33 h measured for PfpI-H. PfpI-C1 appears to be a predominant serine-type protease in cell extracts but is converted in vitro, probably in part by deamidation of Asn and Gln residues, to a more thermally stable form (PfpI-H) by prolonged heat treatment. The deamination hypothesis is supported by the differences in the measured pI values of PfpI-C1 (6.1) and PfpI-H (3.8). High levels of potassium phosphate (>0.5 mM) were found to extend the half-life of PfpI-C1 activity towards AAF-MCA by up to 2.5-fold at 90(deg)C, suggesting that compatible solutes play an important role in the in vivo function of this protease.
Utility of arteriovenous loops before free tissue transfer for post-traumatic leg defects

Crush injuries of severe magnitude involving lower limbs require complex bone and soft tissue reconstructions in the form of microvascular free tissue transfers. However, satisfactory recipient vessels are often unavailable in the leg due to their vulnerability to trauma and post traumatic vessel disease (PTVD), which extends well beyond the site of original injury. In such situations, healthy recipient vessels for free flap anastomosis can be made available by constructing temporary arteriovenous loops with saphenous vein grafts, anastomosed to corresponding free flap vessels. Our study included 7 patients with severe crush injuries of leg due to rail and road traffic accidents. Long and short saphenous vein grafts were anastomosed to Femoral artery in the subsartorial canal in 2 cases and to large muscular branches and accompanying veins in rest of the cases. Free flap transfers were performed in the same sitting in 6 cases. One case showed insufficient dilatation of the vein loop and hence free flap transfer was staged. Free Latissimus dorsi, Gracilis and Rectus abdominis flaps were performed. There were two cases of flap necrosis – one in the case of a pathologic vein graft with staged flap transfer which showed vein thrombosis on re exploration. The other case of flap failure was caused by a hematoma underneath the flap. In another patient, secondary haemorrhage occurred on day 18, without any consequence to the flap. All the other cases had complete free flap survival. We consider the use of single stage arteriovenous loops, a valuable tool to increase the applications of free flap, whenever healthy recipient vessels are not available in the periphery of the trauma.
The use of weather and ascospore data for forecasting apple and pear scab in Victoria, Australia

The release of ascospores of Venturia inaequalis and V. pirina in the field, the apple scab infection criteria and the frequency of infection periods were investigated in Victoria. Ascospores were trapped over 3 months from green-tip in early September until late November over six years. In most seasons, the majority of ascospores from both species were trapped during the period of bloom but in years with extended dry periods (> 7 days) during bloom, ascospore release was significantly delayed. Ascospore release was triggered mainly by free moisture from rainfall and by light, but also occurred during periods of dew. In all seasons, less than 17.5% of a season’s ascospores were trapped during darkness (e.g. 1900 to 0500 h). In a field study usingpotted plants, the Mills’ criteria, itsrevised version and the Schwabe index predicted apple and pear leaf scab infections during wetting events in which leaf wetness began during day-time (0600 to 1900 h) and ascospores were trapped at the start of the wet periods. In two fruit-growing regions of Victoria, infection periods began on average 8–12 days apart and the average length of an infection period was 20 h. The use of weather information and ascospore release events is discussed in relation to the forecasting of apple and pear scab for effective scab control.
Biaya Promosi dan Penghimpunan Dana Pihak Ketiga Pada Bank Pembiayaan Rakyat Syariah

The aim of this study is to analyze whether there is influence the expense of promotion is issued to against amount of third party assembled by BPRS. In addition, to analyze the variable lag time (lag) cost of promotion that the most effective effect on changes in third party funds obtained by BPRS. This study used regression analysis or AutoRegressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). The variables used are promotion cost as independent variable and third party fund as dependent variable. The result of this study showed that the amount of promotion cost has a positive and significant influence on the increasing amount of third party funds of BPRS, as explained by the results of ARDL analysis conducted by the author, that is change in third party funds affected by third party funds one quarter earlier and influenced by the amount of promotional costs the previous quarter or 15 months earlier. This indicates that the higher the promotion expense of budget, the BPRS will be able to collect more third party funds.
Differential expression of utrophin and dystrophin in CNS neurons: An in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical study

The cellular distribution of utrophin, the autosomal homologue of dystrophin, was investigated in developing and adult rat and mouse brain by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Digoxigenin‐labeled cRNA probes complementary to N‐terminal, rod‐domain, and C‐terminal encoding sequences of utrophin were used to differentiate between full‐length and short C‐terminal isoforms. Largely overlapping distribution patterns were seen for the three probes in neurons of cerebral cortex, accessory olfactory bulb, and several sensory and motor brainstem nuclei as well as in blood vessels, pia mater, and choroid plexus. The C‐terminal probe was detected in addition in the main olfactory bulb, striatum, thalamic reticular nucleus, and hypothalamus, suggesting a selective expression of G‐utrophin in these neurons. Western blot analysis with isoform‐specific antisera confirmed the expression of both full‐length and G‐utrophin in brain. Immunohistochemically, only full‐length utrophin was detected in neurons, in close association with the plasma membrane. In addition, intense staining was seen in blood vessels, meninges, and choroid plexus, selectively localized in the basolateral membrane of immunopositive epithelial cells. The expression pattern of utrophin was already established at early postnatal stages and did not change thereafter. Double‐labeling analysis revealed that utrophin and dystrophin are differentially expressed on the cellular and subcellular levels in juvenile and adult brain. Likewise, in mice lacking full‐length dystrophin isoforms (mdx mice), no change in utrophin expression and distribution could be detected in brain, although utrophin was markedly up‐regulated in muscle cells. These results suggest that utrophin and dystrophin are independently regulated and have distinct functional roles in CNS neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 422:594–611, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Peptide Release upon Photoconversion of 2‐Nitrobenzyl Compounds into Nitroso Derivatives

The photoinduced conversion via the aci‐nitro into the nitroso form was studied for 4,5‐dimethoxy‐2‐nitrobenzyl alcohols attached to various leaving groups: amino acids histidine (NHis) and aspartate (NAsp) as well as their fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl derivatives (FHis) and (FAsp). In addition, two peptides containing either of the two amino acids were studied, carrying the photoreactive group attached to a histidine (PHis), or to an aspartate (PAsp). The aci‐nitro forms with maximum at λaci = 420 nm were observed for FHis and FAsp after the decay of a triplet–triplet absorption, analogous to those of other 2‐nitrobenzyl type compounds. For both FHis and FAsp the quantum yield of photoconversion Φp is 0.03 and for the peptides PHis and PAsp ca 0.01 and 0.005, respectively.
The politics of Jesus : vicit Agnus noster

Tradition has painted a portrait of a Savior who stands aloof from governmental concerns and who calls his disciples to an apolitical life. But such a picture of Jesus is far from accurate, according to John Howard Yoder. This watershed work in New Testament ethics leads us to a Savior who was deeply concerned with the agenda of politics and the related issues of power, status, and right relations. By canvassing Luke's Gospel, Yoder argues convincingly that the true impact of Jesus' life and ministry on his disciples' social behavior points to a specific kind of Christian pacifism in which "the cross of Christ is the model of Christian social efficacy. " This second edition of The Politics of Jesus provides up-to-date interaction with recent publications that touch on Yoder's timely topic. Following most of the chapters are new "epilogues" summarizing research conducted during the last two decades - research that continues to support the outstanding insights set forth in Yoder's original work.