Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel P450c17 mutation H373D causing combined 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency.

CONTEXT Combined 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia presenting with hypertension and sexual infantilism. This disorder is caused by defects in P450c17, encoded by the CYP17A1 gene. OBJECTIVE We describe a 14-yr-old female with clinical and hormonal features of 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency and identify and characterize the activities of her CYP17A1 mutations. METHODS The coding regions of the CYP17A1 gene were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Mutations were recreated in P450c17 cDNA expression vectors; activities in transfected COS-1 cells were assayed by conversion of radiolabeled precursor steroids. One mutant was also expressed in Escherichia coli, and the reduced adsorption spectrum was measured. RESULTS The patient carried the previously described mutation R96W and the novel missense mutation H373D. Neither mutant had detectable activity when expressed in COS-1 cells. Membrane preparations from E. coli expressing the H373D mutant vector produced an absorption peak at 420 nm, whereas the wild-type produced a peak at 450 nm, suggesting that the H373D mutation interferes with protein folding. CONCLUSION The novel P450c17 mutation H373D abolished enzyme activity because of protein misfolding. These data indicate an important role for this residue in P450c17 activity.
A fast radar coincidence imaging approach for sparse target

Radar coincidence imaging (RCI) is a novel staring imaging technique, and sparse reconstruction algorithms are generally applied to realize super-resolution RCI by exploiting the sparsity of target. However, the computation cost is high especially under the case of large scale scene or denser grids. Herein, a fast RCI approach based on fast Fourier transform and sparse Bayesian learning (FFT-SBL) is proposed. First, the range profile is reconstructed by matched-filtering, and the range cells with scatterers are extracted to reduced dimension. Then the azimuth super-resolution imaging can be processed by SBL. The proposed approach not only reduces the computational cost, but also preserves the azimuth super-resolution accuracy.
Estrogen replacement therapy and risk of lung cancer

Some epidemiological data suggest that sex hormones may influence lung cancer risk, and estrogen receptors have been found in human non‐small cell lung tumors. We assessed the relation of the use of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) to the risk of lung cancer in our hospital‐based Case–Control Surveillance Study, conducted in four US centers during 1976 to 2001.
Ricardian Equivalence, the Italian Fiscal Tradition and WA Government Net Debt

This paper uses the discussion within the Italian fiscal tradition on the supposed Ricardian equivalence between debt and taxation to give context to the Western Australian Government’s growing net debt from the late phase of the ‘millennium boom’. It is suggested that WA’s experience, in which growth in net debt has been driven significantly by growth in general government expenses, accords best with Pareto’s main reason for rejecting Ricardian equivalence. The WA Government did have a strategy to maintain structural fiscal balance over the long term, but the targets or rules associated with that strategy were abandoned and replaced by weaker rules. It is argued that, if those rules were more ‘constitutional’ in character, then the WA Government’s net debt would not have blown out in the manner that it did.
Partisan Alignment, Performance, and Citizen Approval of Political Actors

There is substantial evidence that citizen assessments of political actors and associated institutions are shaped by shared partisanship. However, much of this evidence comes from citizen evaluations of political actors who are policy generalists—officials elected with broad policy jurisdictions (e.g., chief executives and legislators). We suggest that citizen assessments of policy specialists—officials elected with relatively narrow policy jurisdictions (e.g., labor commissioners and education secretaries)—may be shaped to a lesser degree by shared partisan leanings than evaluations of policy generalists. Using a survey experiment, we find evidence that, among out-partisans, favorable performance information has a greater positive effect for specialists than generalists, highlighting one way in which shared partisanship may be less influential for evaluations of specialists. These results may help to provide insight into the diversity of partisanship we see across policy generalists and specialists within the same governments and have potential implications for accountability.
Characterization of intracellular and extracellular vaccinia virus variants: N1-isonicotinoyl-N2-3-methyl-4-chlorobenzoylhydrazine interferes with cytoplasmic virus dissemination and release

Infectious vaccinia virus can be purified from whole cells by experimentally induced lysis (intracellular virus) or from supernatant growth medium (extracellular virus). Extracellular virus and intracellular virus differed by buoyant density (1.237 versus 1.272 g/cm3), phospholipid content and composition, and polypeptide pattern. Differences in structural polypeptides on the virus surface could be detected by lactoperoxidase-catalyzed radioiodination or Brij treatment. Characteristic of extracellular virus was an additional polypeptide, with a molecular weight of 37,000 (37K), which represented 5 to 7% of the total particle protein. Antibodies to the 37K protein detected only some of the cell-associated particles late in normal infection. Upon treatment of infected cultures with N1-isonicotinoyl-N2-3-methyl-4-chlorobenzoylhydrazine, a drug which prevents vaccinia virus release, no particle-associated 37K protein could be detected. In all other properties tested so far, except for a slight difference in phospholipid composition, the virus obtained in the presence of the drug resembled the normal intracellular virus. N1-Isonicotinoyl-N2-3-methyl-4-chlorobenzoylhydrazine prevented vesicularization of intracellular viral particles. Lack of vesicularization was accompanied by the absence of particle-associated 37K viral protein and seemed to correlate with an inhibition of virus dissemination to the cell periphery.
ESG: Alpha or Duty?

The article examines information content of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) from a factor exposure perspective. The author uses an integration approach of ESG in portfolio construction by using four broader MSCI USA ESG indices. The analyses have been done using risk-return, CAPM, Fama-French three-factor, Fama-French-Carhart four-factor, Fama-French five-factor, and Fama-French-Carhart six-factor asset pricing models since the inception of each of the four ESG indices. The author finds that most of the returns of these four indices are explained by the CAPM market factor and different asset pricing factors are significantly associated with returns of these ESG indices. The analyses show that there is no information content in the overall ESG score in constructing a portfolio; instead asset managers should incorporate relevant parameters forming part of the overall ESG score in their portfolio construction. The institutional investors should perform their duty of helping poorly ranked companies, with regard to ESG in changing their structural framework and thereby improve their overall ESG scores and then gaining through ESG momentum.
DVT prophylaxis in relation to patient risk profiling - TUNE-IN study.

BACKGROUND Patients in acute hospital care show a high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE); 52% of patients globally are at risk, with approximately only half receiving appropriate prophylaxis. OBJECTIVES The TUNE-IN study's primary objective was to evaluate the use of VTE prophylaxis in the private sector in South Africa in hospitalised patients in relation to patient risk profile, via both a clinical assessment and utilising a modified risk assessment model (RAM). The secondary objective was to evaluate the relationship between prophylaxis and the level of mobility at discharge as well as on days 3, 7 and 14 post discharge. RESULTS Of the 608 patients enrolled, 54.1% were evaluated to be at risk for VTE clinically whilst, with RAM assessment, 74.6% were assessed at risk. Adequate prophylaxis was given to only 70.9% of all patients. CONCLUSION Data appear to correlate with global findings (ENDORSE study): more than 50% of hospitalised patients are at risk for VTE. Clinical risk assessment does not correlate with RAM utilisation, resulting in possible over-diagnosis of VTE risk in low- and moderate-risk patients, with the converse happening in high- and highest-risk patients. Certain risk groups are easily defined for VTE risk (e.g. major orthopaedic surgery), but individual risk assessment is crucial as it often reveals underlying and overlooked risk factors, with BMI and age the most frequently overlooked risk factors.
Spectral sensitivities of the seahorses Hippocampus subelongatus and Hippocampus barbouri and the pipefish Stigmatopora argus

The Syngnathidae are specialized diurnal feeders that are known to possess a retinal fovea and use independent eye movements to locate, track, and strike individual planktonic prey items. In this study, we have investigated the spectral sensitivities of three syngnathid species: a pipefish and two seahorses. We used spectrophotometry to measure the spectral transmission properties of ocular lenses and microspectrophotometry to measure the spectral absorption characteristics of visual pigments in the retinal photoreceptors. The pipefish, Stigmatopora argus, together with the seahorse Hippocampus subelongatus, is found in “green-water” temperate coastal seagrass habitats, whereas the second seahorse, H. barbouri, originates from a “blue-water” tropical coral reef habitat. All species were found to possess short wavelength absorbing pigment(s) in their lenses, with the 50% cut-off point of S. argus and H. subelongatus at 429 and 425 nm respectively, whereas that of H. barbouri was located at 409 nm. Microspectrophotometry of the photoreceptors revealed that the rods of all three species contained visual pigment with the wavelength of maximum absorption (λmax) at approximately 500 nm. The visual pigment complement of the cones varied between the species: all possessed single cones with a λmax close to 460 nm but H. barbouri also possessed an additional class of single cone with λmax at 430 nm. Three classes of visual pigment were found in the double cones, the λmax being approximately 520, 537, and 560 nm in the two seahorses and 520, 537, and 580 nm in the pipefish. The spectral sensitivities of the syngnathids investigated here do not appear to conform to generally accepted trends for fishes inhabiting different spectral environments. The influence of the specialized feeding regime of the syngnathids is discussed in relation to our findings that ultra-violet sensitivity is apparently not necessary for zooplanktivory in certain habitats.
Implementation Matters: Relaxing Constraints Can Improve the Potential Returns of Factor Strategies

Eligible investors seeking factor exposures may have a choice of different investment vehicles to implement an investment strategy, ranging from fully transparent, index-based exchange-traded funds to private funds or undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities. In this article, the authors assess the impact of constraints common to these investment vehicles through the lens of hypothetical equity momentum and value factor strategies. As constraints—leverage, trading frequency, and risk levels—on the factor strategies are relaxed, risk-adjusted potential returns may improve. Conversely, moving from an unconstrained implementation to a low-turnover, long-only implementation may decrease the Sharpe ratios of momentum and value strategies by as much as 60%.
The 2015 Chinese Food Safety Law and Market Quality

Safety standards, including food safety laws, provide necessary infrastructure to improve market quality. The present study investigates the impact of the revised Chinese Food Safety Law on the quality of China's food market. Using an event study approach, we empirically analyse the impact of nine official news events relating to the new Food Safety Law on the stock prices of companies engaged in food‐related businesses. The study demonstrates that three news events have a statistically significant and robust impact, and that all the events have a negative influence on the prices. The results show the possibility of a drop in market quality in the short term in the process of improving quality.
Stimulation of Airway Mucin Gene Expression by Interleukin (IL)-17 through IL-6 Paracrine/Autocrine Loop*

Mucus hypersecretion and persistent airway inflammation are common features of various airway diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis. One key question is: does the associated airway inflammation in these diseases affect mucus production? If so, what is the underlying mechanism? It appears that increased mucus secretion results from increased mucin gene expression and is also frequently accompanied by an increased number of mucous cells (goblet cell hyperplasia/metaplasia) in the airway epithelium. Many studies on mucin gene expression have been directed toward Th2 cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-9, and IL-13 because of their known pathophysiological role in allergic airway diseases such as asthma. However, the effect of these cytokines has not been definitely linked to their direct interaction with airway epithelial cells. In our study, we treated highly differentiated cultures of primary human tracheobronchial epithelial (TBE) cells with a panel of cytokines (interleukin-1α, 1β, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, and tumor necrosis factor α). We found that IL-6 and IL-17 could stimulate the mucin genes, MUC5B andMUC5AC. The Th2 cytokines IL-4, IL-9, and IL-13 did not stimulate MUC5AC or MUC5B in our experiments. A similar stimulation of MUC5B/Muc5b expression by IL-6 and IL-17 was demonstrated in primary monkey and mouse TBE cells. Further investigation of MUC5B expression demonstrated that IL-17's effect is at least partly mediated through IL-6 by a JAK2-dependent autocrine/paracrine loop. Finally, evidence is presented to show that both IL-6 and IL-17 mediate MUC5Bexpression through the ERK signaling pathway.
Brewing yeast genomes and genome‐wide expression and proteome profiling during fermentation

The genome structure, ancestry and instability of the brewing yeast strains have received considerable attention. The hybrid nature of brewing lager yeast strains provides adaptive potential but yields genome instability which can adversely affect fermentation performance. The requirement to differentiate between production strains and assess master cultures for genomic instability has led to significant adoption of specialized molecular tool kits by the industry. Furthermore, the development of genome‐wide transcriptional and protein expression technologies has generated significant interest from brewers. The opportunity presented to explore, and the concurrent requirement to understand both, the constraints and potential of their strains to generate existing and new products during fermentation is discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Effects of Business Strategy and Inventory on the Relationship between Sales Manipulation and Future Profitability

Many researchers have found that real activities manipulation undermines future profitability, because it deviates from normal operating activities. We are interested in sales manipulation, which is one type of real activities manipulation relating to corporate sustainability. First, we empirically examine whether the effects of sales manipulation on future profitability differ according to the strategies of a firm. Next, we divide sales manipulation as a type of real activities manipulation and optimal sales manipulation and then examine how the two types of sales manipulation affect future profitability. Finally, we examine how the effects of optimal sales manipulation on future profitability differ according to the firm’s strategies. The empirical findings show that the association between sales manipulation and future profitability is more negative (−) for a product differentiation strategy than for a cost leadership strategy. Further, the sales manipulation performed by firms with a high proportion of the starting inventory and a decrease in the inventory during the current year has a positive (+) impact on future profitability. Our results contribute to the literature on business strategy by presenting evidence that core management activities are related to future financial performance, according to the business strategy. In addition, our research shows that sales manipulation can turn into an optimal operating activity, depending on the firm’s situation.
Aetiology and outcome of pneumonia in human immunodeficiency virus‐infected children hospitalized in South Africa

To determine the aetiology and outcome of pneumonia in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected children, we prospectively investigated 250 children hospitalized with pneumonia who were known or clinically suspected to be HIV‐positive, or who required intensive care support in Cape Town, South Africa. Blood culture, induced sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage nasopharyngeal aspirate and gastric lavage were performed. Of the total, 151 children (60.4%) were HIV‐infected. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), occurring in 19 (7.6%) children (15 HIV‐positive), was the AIDS‐defining infection in 20.3%. The incidence and type of bacteraemia (14.3%) were similar in HIV‐positive and HIV‐negative patients; S. pneumoniae (5%) and S. aureus (2%) were the predominant isolates. Sputum or BAL cultures yielded bacteria in 145 of 243 (60%) specimens; viruses were cultured in 37 (15.2%). Bacterial prevalence (including M. tuberculosis in 8%) and anti‐microbial resistance did not differ by HIV status except for S. aureus which was more common in HIV‐infected children. Thirty‐one (20%) HIV‐positive and 8 (8%) HIV‐negative children died [RR 1.16 (95% CI 1.05–1.28), p= 0.008]; using multiple logistic regression, PCP was the only risk factor for mortality (p= 0.03).
The Effects of Germany’s Statutory Minimum Wage on Employment and Welfare Dependency

Abstract In January 2015, Germany introduced a federal, statutory minimum wage of 8.50 € per hour. This study evaluates the effects of this policy on regular and marginal employment and on welfare dependency. Based on the county-level administrative data, this study uses the difference-in-differences technique, exploiting regional variation in the bite of the minimum wage, i.e., the county-specific share of employees paid less than 8.50 € before the introduction of the minimum wage. The minimum wage had a considerable negative effect on marginal employment. There is also some indication that regular employment was slightly reduced. Concerning welfare dependency, the minimum wage reduced the number of working welfare recipients, with some indication that about one half of them left welfare receipt due to the minimum wage.
"En temmelig lang fodtur" : HGIS, Text mining, and folklore collection in 19th century denmark

In Scandinavia, the nineteenth century “golden age” of folklore collection coincided with rapid changes in political, economic, and social organization, and resulted in national collections of extraordinary scope. Although some later folklorists have expressed skepticism about the usefulness of these collections as resources for the study of folklore, ethnography and intellectual history, this skepticism is often based on incorrect notions of how these collections came to be, rather than a deep exploration of the actual practices of the collectors themselves. Building on earlier work, we show how techniques from historical Geographic Information Systems (hGIS) and text mining, wedded to time-tested archival research methods, reveal how a folklore collection came into being. By detailing the routes taken by the Danish folklore collector Evald Tang Kristensen (1843-1929) over the course of his fifty-year active career, we trace how changes to transportation infrastructure impacted his collecting and how his attitudes toward fieldwork developed over time.
Virus-induced Heterodimer Formation betweenIRF-5 and IRF-7 Modulates Assembly of theIFNA Enhanceosome in Vivo and Transcriptional Activity of IFNA Genes*

Transcription factors of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family have been identified as critical mediators of early inflammatory gene transcription in infected cells. We have shown previously that IRF-5, like IRF-3 and IRF-7, is a direct transducer of virus-mediated signaling and plays a role in the expression of multiple cytokines/chemokines. The present study is focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation and function of IRF-5/IRF-7 heterodimers in infected cells. The interaction between IRF-5 and IRF-7 is not cooperative and results in a repression rather than enhancement of IFNA gene transcription. The formation of the IRF-5/IRF-7 heterodimer is dependent on IRF-7 phosphorylation, as shown by the glutathione S-transferase pull-down and immunoprecipitation assays. Mapping of the interaction domain revealed that formation of IRF-5/IRF-7 heterodimers occurs through the amino terminus resulting in a masking of the DNA binding domain, the consequent alteration of the composition of the enhanceosome complex binding to IFNA promoters in vivo, and modulation of the expression profile ofIFNA subtypes. Thus, these results indicate thatIRF-5 can act as both an activator and a repressor ofIFN gene induction dependent on the IRF-interacting partner, and IRF-5 may be a part of the regulatory network that ensures timely expression of the immediate early inflammatory genes.
On the design of AQM supporting TCP flows using robust control theory

Recently it has been shown that the AQM (Active Queue Management) schemes implemented in the routers of communication networks supporting TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) flows can be modeled as a feedback control system. Based on a delay differential equations model of TCP's congestion-avoidance mode different control schemes have been proposed. Here a robust controller is designed based on the known techniques for /spl Hscr//sup /spl infin// control of systems with time delays.
Desired recreation companionship and travel behaviour of people with disabilities

ABSTRACT This study examines whether people with disabilities(PWD) participate in leisure and travel activities with their desired companions and if there are discrepancies between their social networks and real recreation companions. The recreation companionship and travel behaviour of PWD have not been thoroughly explored, particularly in non-Western contexts. Accordingly, data were collected from 494 respondents in South Korea, and findings suggest that there was a significant gap between companions PWD desire and those they actually maintain. Travel and tourism were the least frequent recreation activities for PWD. The results can provide managerial implications regarding practices of inclusive and accessible tourism.