Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absence of Cardiolipin in the crd1 Null Mutant Results in Decreased Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Reduced Mitochondrial Function*

Cardiolipin (CL) is a unique phospholipid which is present throughout the eukaryotic kingdom and is localized in mitochondrial membranes. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells containing a disruption of CRD1, the structural gene encoding CL synthase, have no CL in mitochondrial membranes. To elucidate the physiological role of CL, we compared mitochondrial functions in the crd1Δ mutant and isogenic wild type. Thecrd1Δ mutant loses viability at elevated temperature, and prolonged culture at 37 °C leads to loss of the mitochondrial genome. Mutant membranes have increased phosphatidylglycerol (PG) when grown in a nonfermentable carbon source but have almost no detectable PG in medium containing glucose. In glucose-grown cells, maximum respiratory rate, ATPase and cytochrome oxidase activities, and protein import are deficient in the mutant. The ADP/ATP carrier is defective even during growth in a nonfermentable carbon source. The mitochondrial membrane potential is decreased in mutant cells. The decrease is more pronounced in glucose-grown cells, which lack PG, but is also apparent in membranes containing PG (i.e. in nonfermentable carbon sources). We propose that CL is required for maintaining the mitochondrial membrane potential and that reduced membrane potential in the absence of CL leads to defects in protein import and other mitochondrial functions.
Developing Coalitions for Effective Action: The Five Horsemen of the Modern World: Climate, Food, Water, Disease, and Obesity. By Daniel Callahan

The “five horsemen of the modern world” are climate change, food shortages, clean water shortages, chronic disease, and obesity. Cofounder and former president of the Hastings Center— a biomedical research organization—Daniel Callahan covers each of these horsemen in his new book titled: The Five Horsemen of the Modern World. Each topic has a unique history bridging the often tenuous relationship between science and public policy. According to Callahan, however, the horsemen share a single feature: Problems arising from climate change, food and water shortages, chronic disease, and obesity are getting worse despite several decades of expensive and concerted efforts to mitigate or eradicate them. Peppered with facts and vetted by experts, part one of the book reviews how we arrived at our current state. The information presented allows an interested behavior analyst to detect and understand ideological splits, relevant academic and research disciplines, specialized university programs, meetings, organizations, and pertinent journals. By providing all of this information in one location, Callahan helps anyone new to the depth of each topic to catch up quickly so they can begin to participate more fully. Behavior analysts hoping to increase their impact for any one of these problems would benefit greatly from the information in part one. “Examining the pathways through the thickets” fittingly titles part two of the book. In each chapter of this section, Callahan covers familiar pathways to solving societal problems. These include increased use and advances in technology; changes in public policy, public opinion and media; and regulation via law and governance. Compounding the thickets is an ever-growing and increasingly aged population. Population dynamics exacerbate the five problems by requiring the development of novel solutions as well as demanding more from existing solutions. For behavior analysts interested in any one of the pathways, each chapter provides an overview of the disciplines that span policy and regulation, through academic research. In addition, Callahan provides substantial references to some of the current researchers and people involved with advances in technology, public policy, media, law, and governance. Where part one provided the outsider with relevant history, part two provides the outsider with current interventions and active players.
Spatiotemporal Expression of C-CAM in the Rat Placenta

We investigated the expression of the immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecule, C-CAM, in developing and mature rat placenta. By immunohistochemical staining at the light microscopic level, no C-CAM-expression was seen before Day 9 of gestation, when it appeared in the trophoblasts of ectoplacental cones. On Day 10.5, spongiotrophoblasts and invasive trophoblasts around the maternal vessels of the decidua basalis were stained positively. On Day 12.5, C-CAM was detected in the spongiotrophoblasts of the junctional layer, but labyrinth trophoblasts and secondary giant trophoblasts were not stained. On Day 17.5, C-CAM was found only in the labyrinth and lacunae of the junctional layer. At this stage, both the labyrinth cytotrophoblasts of the maternal blood vessels and the endothelial cells of the embryonic capillaries were strongly stained. Placental tissues from gestational Days 12.5 and 17.5 were analyzed by immunoelectron microscopy to determine the location of C-CAM at the subcellular level. On Day 12.5, positive staining of the spongiotrophoblasts was observed, mainly on surface membranes and microvilli between loosely associated cells. On Day 17.5, staining was found primarily on the microvilli of the maternal luminal surfaces of the labyrinth cytotrophoblasts, and both on the luminal surface and in the cytoplasm of endothelial cells of the embryonic vessels. RT-PCR analysis and Southern blotting of the PCR products revealed expression of mRNA species for both of the major isoforms, C-CAM1 and C-CAM2. Immunoblotting analysis of C-CAM isolated from 12.5-day and 14.5-day placentae showed that it appeared as a broad band with an apparent molecular mass of 110–170 kD. In summary, C-CAM was strongly expressed in a specific spatiotemporal pattern in trophoblasts actively involved in formation of the placental tissue, suggesting an important role in placental development. In the mature placenta, C-CAM expression was confined to the trophoblastic and endothelial cells lining the maternal and embryonic vessels, respectively, suggesting important functions in placental physiology.
Deviant Nicotinic Acid Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NAADP)-mediated Ca2+ Signaling upon Lysosome Proliferation*

Accumulating evidence suggests that the endolysosomal system is a novel intracellular Ca2+ pool mobilized by the second messenger, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP). Although lysosomes in neurons are known to proliferate in numerous neurodegenerative diseases and during the normal course of aging, little is known concerning the effect of lysosomal proliferation on Ca2+ homeostasis. Here, we induce proliferation of lysosomes in primary cultures of rat hippocampal neurons and PC12 cells through chronic treatment with the cathepsin inhibitor, Z-Phe-Ala-diazomethylketone. We demonstrate that lysosome proliferation increases the size of the lysosomal Ca2+ pool and enhances Ca2+ signals in response to direct cellular delivery of NAADP and glutamate, an identified NAADP-producing agonist. Our data suggest that deregulated lysosomal Ca2+ signaling through NAADP may contribute to neuronal dysfunction and highlight the usefulness of lysosomal hydrolase inhibition in probing NAADP action.
Assessing the odd secondary structural properties of nuclear small subunit ribosomal RNA sequences (18S) of the twisted‐wing parasites (Insecta: Strepsiptera)

We report the entire sequence (2864 nts) and secondary structure of the nuclear small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene (18S) from the twisted‐wing parasite Caenocholax fenyesi texensis Kathirithamby & Johnston (Strepsiptera: Myrmecolacidae). The majority of the base pairings in this structural model map on to the SSU rRNA secondary and tertiary helices that were previously predicted with comparative analysis. These regions of the core rRNA were unambiguously aligned across all Arthropoda. In contrast, many of the variable regions, as previously characterized in other insect taxa, had very large insertions in C. f. texensis. The helical base pairs in these regions were predicted with a comparative analysis of a multiple sequence alignment (that contains C. f. texensis and 174 published arthropod 18S rRNA sequences, including eleven strepsipterans) and thermodynamic‐based algorithms. Analysis of our structural alignment revealed four unusual insertions in the core rRNA structure that are unique to animal 18S rRNA and in general agreement with previously proposed insertion sites for strepsipterans. One curious result is the presence of a large insertion within a hairpin loop of a highly conserved pseudoknot helix in variable region 4. Despite the extraordinary variability in sequence length and composition, this insertion contains the conserved sequences 5′‐AUUGGCUUAAA‐3′ and 5′‐GAC‐3′ that immediately flank a putative helix at the 5′‐ and 3′‐ends, respectively. The longer sequence has the potential to form a nine base pair helix with a sequence in the variable region 2, consistent with a recent study proposing this tertiary interaction. Our analysis of a larger set of arthropod 18S rRNA sequences has revealed possible errors in some of the previously published strepsipteran 18S rRNA sequences. Thus we find no support for the previously recovered heterogeneity in the 18S molecules of strepsipterans. Our findings lend insight to the evolution of RNA structure and function and the impact large insertions pose on genome size. We also provide a novel alignment template that will improve the phylogenetic placement of the Strepsiptera among other insect taxa.
Aggregate Outbound Tourism Demand in South Africa: an Econometric Analysis

This paper, with the use of annual data covering the period 1975 to 2008, seeks to identify the determinants of outbound tourism demand (outbound tourist outflows) in South Africa. We employ cointegration analysis by utilising an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach proposed by Pesaran et al. (2001) to make inferences about the long run and short run relationships. The results indicate that in the long run, outbound tourism demand is influenced by the real domestic income and the relative prices. Our results indicate that outbound tourism demand is a luxury good with an income elasticity of 3.5. In the short run, only relative prices have an impact on outbound tourism demand in South Africa. Outbound tourism demand was found to be price inelastic in both periods.
A great or heinous idea?: Why food waste diversion renders policy discussants apoplectic

Abstract Comprehensive agri-food policy includes food waste reduction as an important policy goal. Food bank donor indemnification is codified in law in several countries to support the charitable food sector. Other policy instruments to address waste reduction have emerged recently, among them tax measures to incentivize private sector action. These have been increasingly linked to the discourse on hunger in many jurisdictions. We asked 17 Canadian food insecurity policy entrepreneurs to comment on a vignette scenario featuring a hypothetical proposal for food waste diversion as a policy response to household food insecurity; the polarization in responses – ‘Not human garburators,’ vs. ‘everyone wins’ – was remarkable. This case of an unexpected divergence in the response to a policy idea in the food insecurity realm provides an opportunity to understand fundamental differences in societal perspectives that might be relevant to public health more generally. In particular we address the parallel humanist and ecological imperatives at work in contemporary public health practice. It appears that objections to food waste diversion for human consumption could be crystallized in terms of Mary Douglas’s theory of morality within particular worldviews. From a humanist viewpoint, the proposal was an indignity; for those with an ecological worldview, it was sensible and pragmatic. Public health has embraced ecosystem thinking and takes for granted that its ecological approach is sensitive to humanist perspectives but the two worldviews may differ and humanist ideals of dignity may raise moral rancor when considered in the context of ecological good.
The validity of statistical analyses in the transfusion medicine literature with specific comments concerning studies of the comparative safety of units donated by autologous, designated and allogeneic donors

Numerous studies and audits of prestigious medical journals (including a prestigious transfusion medicine journal) have shown that even elementary statistical methods are misused in over 50% of published articles (Kanter & Taylor, 1994; Glantz, 1980; Gore et al., 1977). Most of the statistical methods which were noted to be misused are those generally taught in an introductory course. Misuse of statistics has the potential to allow incorrect or misleading results to be published in the literature (Altman, 1981). Once one study is published with some statistical errors, it may cause other investigators to repeat the study to confirm or refute the first study. Frequently the result is a propagation of the same errors. This may cause great confusion as well as a waste of scarce research funds (Glantz, 1980). We believe that this propagation of poor statistical design has occurred in the study of the safety of crossover of autologous and directed donations. In these studies investigators have attempted to compare the prevalence of infectious disease markers in allogeneic donors, autologous donors and directed donors. If the prevalence is higher in one or more groups, a conclusion is drawn that these units are not as safe. Many such studies have appeared in the literature, some only in abstract form (Cordell et al., 1986; Shah et al., 1987; Nicely et al., 1987; Pepkowitz et al., 1987; Grossman et al., 1988; Kruskall et al., 1988; Starkey et al., 1989; Williams et al., 1992; Evans & Chervenak, 1994; Pink et al., 1994). Because of their importance, however, they have generated great controversy and debate. The remaining portion of this editorial will delineate the types of inappropriate statistical analyses that we have observed in these studies.
Hypothyroidism and obesity. Cause or effect?

OBJECTIVE To establish relationship between obesity and hypothyroidism and to analyze the frequency the frequency of primary hypothyroidism in obese patients and frequency of obesity in primary hypothyroidism patients. METHODS We conducted this retrospective, observational study in the Department of Endocrinology and Obesity Clinic, Medwin Hospital, Hyderabad, India in Mar 2008. In the last 18 months (between September 2006 to February 2008), data on 625 consecutive primary hypothyroidism patients (Group I) and 450 patients from obesity clinic (Group II) were analyzed. Frequency difference between the 2 groups was assessed by Chi-square test. RESULTS In Group I, 278/625 (44%) had body mass index (BMI) >25 kg/m2. Obesity was higher (46% versus 34%) in overt hypothyroidism than in subclinical hypothyroidism (p=0.21). More patients were overweight in overt hypothyroidism group than in subclinical hypothyroidism group (p=0.02). In obesity patients, overt hypothyroidism was present in 33% and subclinical hypothyroidism in 11% patients. CONCLUSION Overall thyroid dysfunction was found more in obese individuals with varying degree of significance. Detailed studies are required to assess the cause and effect relation between obesity and hypothyroidism.
Advances in Applied Econometrics: Binary Discrete Choice Models, Artificial Neural Networks, and Asymmetries in the FAST Multistage Demand System

The a priori imposition of a theoretical structure upon a statistical model can leave the model misspecified, resulting in biased and inconsistent estimates as well as erroneous inferences. The classical approach for specifying statistical models with binary dependent variables in econometrics using latent variables or threshold models does not avoid this criticism. Furthermore, methods for trying to alleviate such problems, such as univariate generalized linear models, have not provided an adequate alternative for specifying statistically adequate models. Thus, this paper re-examines the underlying statistical foundations of statistical models with binary dependent variables using the probabilistic reduction approach, which allows the modeler to efficiently capture the probabilistic information in the observed data being modeled. This re-examination leads to the development of the Bernoulli Regression Model and in turn the Multinomial Regression Model. The construction of these statistical models, without the imposition of a priori theoretical assumptions, allows modelers to reliably test the theories these models are hypothesized to summarize.
Modelling the optimal lysine to threonine ratio in growing chickens depending on age and efficiency of dietary amino acid utilisation

1. Experiments were conducted to establish the requirements and optimal dietary ratio of lysine to threonine for fast growing male chickens (genotype Ross 308) depending on age, daily protein deposition and of dietary amino acid efficiency. 2. A total of 216 growing chickens were utilised in nitrogen-balance studies in three age periods (10 to 25 d; 30 to 45 d; 50 to 65 d) using graded levels of protein supply (60 to 360 g/kg crude protein) in lysine or threonine limiting diets. 3. Supplementation of crystalline amino acids (L-Lys, L-Thr, DL-Met and L-Arg) provided the following amino acid ratios: lysine limiting diets (Lys:Met + Cys:Thr:Arg = 1 : 1·01 : 0·91 : 1·14), threonine limiting diets (Lys : Met + Cys : Thr : Arg = 1 : 0·85 : 0·54 : 1·16). 4. The principles of the diet dilution technique using an exponential function were applied for the modelling of lysine and threonine requirements. For equal daily protein deposition, optimal lysine to threonine ratios 1 : 0·69 (10 to 25 d), 1 : 0·70 (30 to 45 d) and 1 : 0·74 (50 to 65 d) were established. 5. For the commercial growth period of fast growing chickens, the derived optimal lysine to threonine ratio was constant (1 : 0·69). The applied modelling procedure gave conclusions for quantitative requirements and optimal dietary lysine:threonine ratios in line with actual recommendations.
Resilience at Work: An exploration of the process of resilience with marketing agency professionals

Professionals who work in marketing communication agencies face the challenge of continuously producing creative work while facing nearly constant critique, feedback, and rejection from clients and colleagues. Frequent messages of criticism combined with fierce competition, demand for creativity, tight deadlines, and long work hours makes careers in this field stressful for the practitioner. Despite critique and rejection, these professionals must recover from setbacks and bring new work and new ideas to their clients on a routine basis. This study explored the process of resilience with marketing communication professionals who have encountered setbacks on the job using in-depth interviews (N=22). These interviews yielded in-depth accounts of the types of situations that serve as trigger or springboard events for individual resilience and the strategies and processes participants report they call upon to recover from setbacks. Despite the fact that researchers now believe resilience is important for job success and at least in part something that can be developed, very little research has been dedicated to how individuals can develop their own capacities for resilience and how people, such as managers, could help develop the capacity in others. This research adds to the emerging body of literature on individual resilience in the workplace. Findings demonstrate there are general strategies used by professionals with experience to bounce back from setbacks at work. This research makes theoretical contributions to the developing body of resilience literature by exploring the communicative tools and strategies used by those who report to be able to successfully tap into their own resilience and by providing qualitative evidence that resilience is a developable capacity. This research adds to the agency literature by exploring the iv normative nature of client incivility and how it may contribute to the industry's high turnover and by offering a new application of the concept of client capture. This research also adds to the agency literature by presenting the voice of the account manager, which is notably absent in much of the recent agency literature. This research also offers practical implications. In particular, this research offers specific strategies that can be enacted by individuals and modeled by managers to help them bounce back from adversity and develop the capacity for resilience.
Isolation and characterization of the nifUSVW-rpoN gene cluster from Rhodobacter sphaeroides

The rpoN gene from Rhodobacter sphaeroides was isolated from a genomic library via complementation of a Rhodobacter capsulatus rpoN mutant. The rpoN gene was located on a 7.5-kb HindIII-EcoRI fragment. A Tn5 insertion analysis of this DNA fragment showed that a minimal DNA fragment of 5.3 kb was required for complementation. Nucleotide sequencing of the complementing region revealed the presence of nifUSVW genes upstream from rpoN. The rpoN gene was mutagenized via insertion of a gene encoding kanamycin resistance. The resulting rpoN mutant was not impaired in diazotrophic growth and was in all respects indistinguishable from the wild-type strain. Southern hybridizations using the cloned rpoN gene as a probe indicated the presence of a second rpoN gene. Deletion of the nifUS genes resulted in strongly reduced diazotrophic growth. Two conserved regions were identified in a NifV LeuA amino acid sequence alignment. Similar regions were found in pyruvate carboxylase and oxaloacetate decarboxylase. It is proposed that these conserved regions represent keto acid-binding sites.
Thrombospondin mediates adherence of CD36+ sickle reticulocytes to endothelial cells.

Initiation of vasocclusion in sickle disease pathophysiology may involve abnormal red blood cell (RBC) adhesivity to endothelium, a phenomenon influenced by both RBC and plasma factors. Using human umbilical vein endothelial cells and a gravity sedimentation adherence assay, we have examined thrombospondin (TSP) as a plasma factor in this adhesive event. The already-abnormal adherence of sickle RBCs in buffer/albumin is significantly augmented (P < .001) by the addition of TSP, with half-maximal effect at about 0.3 microgram/mL. This effect is abolished by antibodies to either TSP or glycoprotein (GP) IV (CD36), as well as peptides RGDS and CSVTCG. The even greater adherence (P < .005) of sickle RBCs in autologous platelet-rich plasma (without added TSP) is dramatically inhibited by alpha CD36 antibodies (OKM5 and alpha GPIV) and significantly diminished by alpha TSP, by peptides RGDS and CSVTCG, and by two antibodies to the vitronectin receptor (7E3 and LM609). Studies of density-separated subpopulations and of RBC adhesion to immobilized proteins, as well as analysis of sickle RBCs using fluorescence-activated cell sorting and single cell microfluorometry, show that TSP responsiveness is a feature of the immature sickle "stress" reticulocytes, which carry CD36 (and not GPIIbIIIa-like receptors) as the TSP-receptive moiety. The endothelial cell's participation in this phenomenon appears to be more complex, and the data are consistent with the notion that it involves TSP interaction with other plasma proteins and/or multiple receptor structures. Other potential adhesogenic proteins (plasma von Willebrand factor, vitronectin, fibrinogen, and fibronectin) neither exhibited an affinity for reticulocytes nor supported increased sickle RBC adherence when added to buffer/albumin in these assay systems. In aggregate, our results indicate that TSP may be the major promoter of RBC adhesivity in plasma, and they suggest that therapeutic benefit might derive from interference with sickle reticulocyte CD36, as achieved by antibodies and CSVTCG in these studies.