Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Host protein interactions with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC): 14‐3‐3τ binds Tir and has a role in EPEC‐induced actin polymerization

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) cause infantile diarrhoea and are characterized by their ability to produce attaching and effacing lesions on the surface of intestinal epithelial cells. EPEC employ a filamentous type III secretion system to deliver effector molecules that subvert mammalian cell function to generate actin‐ and cytokeratin‐rich pedestals beneath adherent bacteria. Tir is a major effector protein that is delivered to the plasma membrane of the eukaryotic cell where it acts as the receptor for the bacterial adhesin intimin. Host cell proteins that are recruited to the site of intimate attachment include focal adhesion and cytoskeletal proteins that contribute to pedestal formation. We have used Tir as bait in a yeast two‐hybrid screen to identify the protein 14‐3‐3τ as a binding partner. 14‐3‐3 proteins are a family of adaptor proteins that modulate protein function in all eukaryotic cells. Here we demonstrate that the tau isoform (also known as theta) of 14‐3‐3 can bind specifically to Tir in a phosphorylation‐independent manner, and that the interaction occurs during the infection process by co‐immunoprecipitation of the partners from infected HeLa cell extracts. 14‐3‐3τ is recruited to the site of the pedestal (3 h after infection) and can decorate attached EPEC in the later stages of the infection process (5–7 h). Pedestal formation can be impaired by depletion of cellular 14‐3‐3τ using small interfering RNAs. This study indicates a direct functional role for the 14‐3‐3τ:Tir interaction and is the first to demonstrate the association of a host protein with the surface of EPEC.
The Challenge of Competitive Procurement: Value for Money Versus Small Business Support

Both UK government and small firms believe that public sector procurement is a good way of helping to support small business and may even lead to improvements in service delivery. The article begins by examining the extensive government literature on procurement-related policies and initiatives, followed by a brief consideration of the SME policy context. It then presents and discusses evidence of procurement practice from public sector organizations, and assesses the implications for the small business sector.
The Competitive Advantage of Emerging Market Multinationals

Introduction Peter J. Williamson, Ravi Ramamurti, Afonso Fleury and Maria Tereza Leme Fleury Part I. Innovation and Competitive Advantage: 1. Innovation by Brazilian EMNEs Moacir de Miranda Oliveira Junior, Felipe Mendes Borini and Afonso Fleury 2. Innovation by Russian EMNEs Sergey Filippov and Alexander Settles 3. Innovation by Indian EMNEs Nikhil Celly, Jaideep Prabhu and Venkat Subramanian 4. Innovation by Chinese EMNEs Peter J. Williamson and Eden Yin Commentaries on Part I: i. The contribution of innovation to EMNEs' competitive advantage Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor ii. Innovation in emerging markets and the rise of emerging market MNEs Ram Mudambi Part II. Value-Chain Configuration and Competitive Advantage: 5. Value-chain configuration of Brazilian EMNEs Afonso Fleury, Maria Tereza Leme Fleury and Felipe Mendes Borini 6. Value-chain configurations of Russian EMNEs Valery S. Katkalo and Andrey G. Medvedev 7. Value-chain configurations of Indian EMNEs Suma Athreye 8. Value-chain configurations of Chinese EMNEs Kaimei Wang and Yongjiang Shi Commentaries on Part II: i. How emerging market multinational companies upgrade capabilities using value-chain configuration in advanced economies Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra ii. Value-chain configurations of emerging country multinationals Jagjit Singh Srai Part III. Mergers and Acquisitions and Competitive Advantage: 9. Cross-border M&A and competitive advantage of Brazilian EMNEs Alvaro B. Cyrino and Erika P. Barcellos 10. Cross-border M&A and competitive advantage of Russian EMNEs Kalman Kalotay and Andrei Panibratov 11. Cross-border M&A and competitive advantage of Indian EMNEs Ravi Ramamurti 12. Cross-border M&A and competitive advantage of Chinese EMNEs Peter J. Williamson and Anand P. Raman Commentaries on Part III: i. Cross-border M&A by the new multinationals: different reasons to 'go global' Simon Collinson ii. Cross-border acquisitions by EMNEs Ravi Sarathy Conclusion: rethinking the implications of EMNEs' rise Peter J. Williamson, Ravi Ramamurti, Afonso Fleury and Maria Tereza Leme Fleury References Index.
Activation of Wnt/β-Catenin Protein Signaling Induces Mitochondria-mediated Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells*

Background: Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a strong role in maintaining homeostasis of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). Results: Activated β-catenin deregulates the survival of HPCs by induction of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Conclusion: Wnt/β-catenin signaling is critical for HPC pool maintenance. Significance: This study clarifies the role of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HPCs by showing that it has negative impact on the function and survival of the cells. The canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling is activated during development, tumorigenesis, and in adult homeostasis, yet its role in maintenance of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells is not firmly established. Here, we demonstrate that conditional expression of an active form of β-catenin in vivo induces a marked increase in the frequency of apoptosis in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSCs/HPCs). Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HPCs in vitro elevates the activity of caspases 3 and 9 and leads to a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), indicating that it induces the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In vivo, expression of activated β-catenin in HPCs is associated with down-regulation of Bcl2 and expression of Casp3. Bone marrow transplantation assays reveal that enhanced cell survival by a Bcl2 transgene re-establishes the reconstitution capacity of HSCs/HPCs that express activated β-catenin. In addition, a Bcl2 transgene prevents exhaustion of these HSCs/HPCs in vivo. Our data suggest that activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway contributes to the defective function of HPCs in part by deregulating their survival.
A multi-greedy spectrum auction algorithm for cognitive small cell networks

Cognitive small cell networks consisting of macro- and small cells are foreseen as a candidate solution to meet ever increasing requirements of broadband services and new applications. However, the traditional fixed spectrum allocation policy makes available spectrum resources for small cells insufficient. Therefore, an efficient spectrum allocation method is urgently needed that allows a large number of small cells to share spectrum resources with macro-cells. In this article, a real-time spectrum auction model is presented which aims at assigning the scarce spectrum resources to small cells quickly. The co-win situation is constructed, and the trade-off between spectrum utilization and revenues is controlled. Such a problem is formulated as an NP-hard optimization problem for which a low-complexity multi-greedy algorithm is proposed to obtain prices and spectrum allocations. The proposed algorithm can achieve conflict-free spectrum allocations that maximize the utility and spectrum allocation efficiency. Compared with the Vickrey–Clarke–Groves algorithm, simulation results show the higher utility and spectrum allocation efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Endothelial–stromal interactions in angiogenesis

Purpose of reviewAngiogenesis often occurs in the context of a wound or tumor stroma. This review will focus on the recent findings on the interactions between angiogenic endothelial cells and the other components of the stroma – fibroblasts, pericytes and extracellular matrix. Recent findingsLarge-scale gene expression arrays have provided a remarkable insight into the diversity of fibroblasts in different tissues and under different conditions. These somewhat neglected cells are now understood to play a critical role in tumor growth, regulating not only the phenotype of the tumor cells but also the angiogenic response that supports them. These advances are leading to an understanding of the soil and seed hypothesis at the molecular level. In addition, there is a new focus on the role of pericytes in regulating angiogenesis and their potential as targets for tumor therapy. SummaryInitiation of new blood vessel formation requires metalloproteinase induction leading to the degradation of the basement membrane, sprouting of endothelial cells and regulation of pericyte attachment. Fibroblasts and their activated counterpart, the myofibroblast, play a large role in synchronizing these events through the expression of numerous extracellular matrix molecules, growth factors and morphogens, including fibroblast growth factors and transforming growth factor beta.
A Profile of Poverty in Tajikistan

This paper examines the profile of poverty in Tajikistan, the most remote and poorest of the independent states of the Former Soviet Union. Data is used from the first nationally representative household survey conducted since independence and the cessation of civil war. The picture that emerges is of a population facing severe economic, physical and psycho-social stress. Over 95 percent of the population are living below the minimum consumption basket, four out of five are 'poor', a third are 'very poor' and nearly 20 percent 'extremely poor'. Three-quarters of households are very concerned about how they will provide for basic necessities in the next 12 months. A significant proportion of children are now missing school due to financial hardship. This will have a damaging long term impact both upon the welfare of the child itself, but also for the nation as a whole. Despite this gloomy picture, households are also proving to be remarkably resilient to the dramatic drop in living standards most have experienced. They are surviving through a variety of coping mechanisms including the sale of assets, expanding informal sector activities, borrowing from relatives or friends and humanitarian aid. But many these survival strategies are not sustainable in the longer term and the government, in collaboration with the international community, needs to give urgent consideration to the development of a poverty alleviation strategy. The number of children in the household was one of the strongest correlates of poverty. Given this, and the widespread nature of poverty, one option would be to target what limited resources there are on children.
Extracting and Applying Smooth Forward Curves From Average-Based Commodity Contracts with Seasonal Variation

Several important new classes of derivative instruments, notably those related to weather and to electricity, have payoffs based on the average value of the underlying over some period of time. For electricity in the Nord Pool market, for example, actively traded contracts exist for a variety of partly overlapping averaging periods out several years into the future. Current market prices for such contracts inherently depend on the market's projection of the future spot price of electricity over the averaging periods, i.e., instantaneous forward prices for the relevant time periods. But since these forward prices are not observable directly, and they can be expected to exhibit the seasonality embedded in the spot market, extracting a smooth implied instantaneous forward curve from market data is a challenging task. This article offers a procedure for doing just that, by modeling the forwards to include both a seasonal component and a noise component, and requiring the noise to have maximum smoothness over the term structure of forward prices.
Rethinking Academic Work in the Global Era

Australian universities are being transformed by profound long-term changes. Inevitably, these changes are reshaping academic work and the academic profession. Universities in Australia entered a period of accelerated transformation in the late 1980s. Foreshadowed in policy circles by the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission’s (CTEC) report on Efciency and Effectiveness in Higher Education (CTEC, 1986), this period was shaped above all by the Green and White Papers issued by Commonwealth Minister John Dawkins (1987; 1988) and the mergers, managerialism and marketisation that followed. For a while, it seemed that the norms of academic work were  xed, amid a university system in which every other element—the map of institutions, institutional identity and developmental strategy, systems of management and the organisational cultures of universities, the  nancing of institutions and their economic relationship with students, the course mix, the character of postgraduate education, relations with employers, and so on—was subject to rapid change. The internal life of the academic profession seemed to be protected by its traditions, by its institutions such as tenure, peer review, and autonomy in curriculum matters; and by a certain self-imposed inertia. The reform process started from the outside and took some time to work its way into the day-to-day practices of academic staff. However, this inner sanctuary of academic work is no longer secure from the processes of organisational change. The argument of this paper is that, to the extent one can talk about a single academic profession, the academic profession in Australia is undergoing a profound transformation, though this transformation has yet to be adequately researched and analysed. In many respects, the traditional practices of the Australian academic profession are in crisis. It is uncertain what the future of academic work and academic professionalism will be. Indeed, it is plain that more than one future is possible. The processes of transformation and crisis in academic work have four dimensions, which overlap with each other:
A front-end ASIC with receive sub-array beamforming integrated with a 32 × 32 PZT matrix transducer for 3-D transesophageal echocardiography

This paper presents a power- and area-efficient front-end ASIC that is directly integrated with an array of 32 × 32 piezoelectric transducer elements to enable the next-generation miniature ultrasound probes for real-time 3-D transesophageal echocardiography. The 6.1 × 6.1 mm2 ASIC, implemented in a low-voltage 0.18 μm CMOS process, effectively reduces the number of cables required in the probe's narrow shaft by means of 96 sub-array beamformers, which have a compact element-matched layout and employ mismatch-scrambling to enhance the dynamic range. The ASIC consumes less than 230 mW while receiving and its functionality has been successfully demonstrated in a 3-D imaging experiment.
Rentenreformen 1998–2001: Eine (vorläufige) Bestandsaufnahme

Abstract Since the current German government has stepped into office, there have been numerous corrections to the `pay-as-you-go-financed’ Social Security system. Adjustments to both the pressure of demographics and the labour market will have severe intergenerational impacts, which are reported with the help of generational accounting. Our findings suggest that the recent reform proposals do in fact reduce the burden on future generations. In the early version of the reform proposal mainly the younger generations paid the price, whereas the version which has been passed into law shifts most of the burden to the elderly.
The impact of exercise reconditioning on breathlessness in severe chronic airflow limitation.

Exercise in chronic airflow limitation (CAL) is often limited by symptoms before the physiologic boundaries of maximal ventilatory or cardiovascular capacities are attained. Symptom amelioration should translate directly into improved exercise performance. We studied the impact of a 6-wk supervised multimodality endurance exercise program (EXT) on perceived breathlessness (B) and leg effort (LE) and sought a physiologic rationale for symptom improvement. Thirty patients with CAL (FEV1/FVC = 42 +/- 2%, mean +/- SEM) were tested before and after EXT. Their responses were compared with those of a matched control group (n = 30; FEV1/FVC = 44 +/- 2%) after a nonintervention period. Testing included pulmonary function tests, chronic dyspnea evaluation (Baseline/Transition Dyspnea Index [BDI/TDI]), and graded cycle exercise with cardioventilatory monitoring and Borg scaling of B and LE. Spirometry did not change (delta) post-EXT. EXT significantly (p < 0.001) reduced chronic breathlessness (TDI = +2.8 +/- 0.3) compared with control (TDI = 0.0 +/- 0.3). Exertional symptoms of B and LE also fell (p < 0.01) after EXT (slopes of B and LE relative to VO2 fell by 14 and 23%, respectively; delta B/VO2 was associated with delta LE/VO2, r = 0.52, p < 0.01). Post-EXT slopes of B over ventilation (VE) also decreased by 10% (p < 0.025). Total cycle work increased 142 +/- 70% (p < 0.001) post-EXT and correlated primarily with delta B/VO2 (r = -0.64, p < 0.001). The best correlate of delta B/VO2 was delta VE/VO2 (r = 0.47, p < 0.001). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Developmental Biology of Oxidant-Producing Enzymes and Antioxidants in the Piglet Intestine

ABSTRACT: The pathogenesis of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis is unknown, but a possible role for reactive oxygen metabolites has been postulated. We evaluated whether developmental differences exist in the levels of 1) the free radical-generating enzyme xanthine oxidase, 2) granulocyte peroxidase, an index of the resident granulocyte population, 3) free radical-scavenging enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase), and 4) reduced glutathione, an endogenous antioxidant, in the ileal and colonic mucosa of 1-d-old, 3-d-old, 2-wk-old, and 1-mo-old piglets. We found no xanthine dehydrogenase/ oxidase activity in 1-d to 1-mo-old piglets. Mucosal granulocyte peroxidase activity was higher in older animals, indicating that there was an age-dependent infiltration of granulocytes (eosinophils, neutrophils) in the distal bowel. The peroxidase activity per circulating granulocyte, however, did not vary with age. Superoxide dismutase activity was significantly higher in 1-d-old piglets than in all older age groups; glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly lower in 1-d-old animals than that of older age groups. There was no detectable catalase activity in the mucosa when tissue was corrected for catalase activity of blood. Finally, ileal GSH levels were significantly lower in 1-d-old than in 2-wk-old and 1-mo-old animals, whereas colonic reduced glutathione activity did not differ among age groups. In conclusion, the distal bowel of the neonatal piglet appears to have a limited capacity to generate oxidants via xanthine oxidase and resident granulocytes. However, the neonatal piglet intestine has a lower capacity to detoxify hydrogen peroxide than that of older animals.
Microsatellite variation within and among populations of Oryza officinalis (Poaceae), an endangered wild rice from China

Oryza officinalis Wall. ex Watt. is an agriculturally important but seriously endangered species of wild rice. To obtain more accurate estimates of population structure for improved conservation planning of the species, genetic variability at 14 microsatellite DNA loci was examined in population samples covering most of the species’ range in China. Considerable genetic variability (overall Na = 1.886, P = 62%, HO = 0.056, HE = 0.216, and HS = 0.277) was detected at the 14 loci in 442 individuals of the 18 natural populations. The evaluation of partitioning of genetic variability (FST = 0.442) suggested high genetic differentiation among the Chinese O. officinalis populations. An overall value of Nm = 0.316 suggested limited gene flow occurred among the sampled populations. Most of the populations showed heterozygote deficits in tests of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and significantly positive FIS values. This could be due to some inbreeding occurring in this predominantly outcrossing species. For effective in situ conservation and restoration genetics, maintenance of significant historical processes is particularly important, including high outbreeding, considerable gene flow, and large population effective sizes. The high FST values detected among populations in this study are instructive for adopting a conservation plan that includes representative populations with the greatest genetic variation for either in situ conservation management or germplasm collection expeditions.
An automated design methodology for yield aware analog circuit synthesis in submicron technology

This paper presents a new fully automated design methodology for analog circuit synthesis in submicron technology. It requires circuit topology and desired circuit performance as input and it produces not only the sized netlist but also the layout of the sized components. Today's submicron technology accompanies appreciable process variation. In conventional equation based circuit sizing technique there is high chance that the optimized design point is at the boundary of the feasible design space. Due to process variation the design point may fall outside the feasible design space and some of the specifications are not meet after fabrication, resulting poor yield. Our intention is to formulate a computationally inexpensive design centering technique to circumvent this yield problem in design. Analog designs are sensitive to its layout. Though in simulation any device dimension is possible but while doing layout, designers need to bring the design conforming to technology grid point. For better matching and to reduce process variation designers do common centroid layout for some special transistor pairs (differential pair, mirroring transistor etc.). Those layout related issues are considered in design phase and we produce device dimension with which direct layout is possible. Layout components are generated automatically through pcell by cadence SKILL.