Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the Biomass Composition of the Demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica on Heron Island Reef, Australia

Marine sponges are a potential source of important pharmaceutical drugs, the commercialisation of which is restricted by the difficulties of obtaining a sufficient and regular supply of biomass. One way to optimize commercial cell lines for production is the in-depth characterization and target identification through genome scale metabolic modeling and flux analysis. By applying these tools to a sponge, we hope to gain insights into how biomass is formed. We chose Amphimedon queenslandica as it has an assembled and annotated genome, a prerequisite for genome scale modeling. The first stepping stone on the way to metabolic flux analysis in a sponge holobiont, is the characterization of its biomass composition. In this study we quantified the macromolecular composition and investigated the variation between and within sponges of a single population. We found lipids and protein to be the most abundant macromolecules, while carbohydrates were the most variable. We also analysed the composition and abundance of the fatty acids and amino acids, the important building blocks required to synthesise the abundant macromolecule types, lipids, and protein. These data complement the extensive genomic information available for A. queenslandica and lay the basis for genome scale modelling and flux analysis.
Consumer Product Chemicals in Indoor Dust: A Quantitative Meta-analysis of U.S. Studies

Indoor dust is a reservoir for commercial consumer product chemicals, including many compounds with known or suspected health effects. However, most dust exposure studies measure few chemicals in small samples. We systematically searched the U.S. indoor dust literature on phthalates, replacement flame retardants (RFRs), perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), synthetic fragrances, and environmental phenols and estimated pooled geometric means (GMs) and 95% confidence intervals for 45 chemicals measured in ≥3 data sets. In order to rank and contextualize these results, we used the pooled GMs to calculate residential intake from dust ingestion, inhalation, and dermal uptake from air, and then identified hazard traits from the Safer Consumer Products Candidate Chemical List. Our results indicate that U.S. indoor dust consistently contains chemicals from multiple classes. Phthalates occurred in the highest concentrations, followed by phenols, RFRs, fragrance, and PFASs. Several phthalates and RFRs had the highest residential intakes. We also found that many chemicals in dust share hazard traits such as reproductive and endocrine toxicity. We offer recommendations to maximize comparability of studies and advance indoor exposure science. This information is critical in shaping future exposure and health studies, especially related to cumulative exposures, and in providing evidence for intervention development and public policy.
Permutation Realizability and Fault Tolerance Property of the Inside-Out Routing Algorithm

In this paper, we analyze ways of realizing permutations in a class of 2log/sub 2/N- or (2log/sub 2/N-1)-stage rearrangeable networks. The analysis is based on the newly developed inside-out routing algorithm and we derive the upper and lower bounds on the number of possible realizations of a permutation. It is shown that the algorithm can provide us with comparable degrees of freedom in realizing a given permutation as the well-known looping algorithm, while it can be more generally applied to a class of 2log/sub 2/N- or (2log/sub 2/N-1)-stage rearrangeable networks. In finding a set of complete assignments for the center-stage cycles, alternate realizations of a permutation can be obtained by changing the initial position, changing the assigning direction, or even interchanging the first-level decompositions of the permutation. We also show that these numerable alternate realizations can be utilized to make the networks tolerate some sets of faults, i.e., control faults of SEs including stuck-at-straight and stuck-at-cross. Various cases of single control faults at the center stages and other stages are examined through examples. These new approaches originate from routing outward from center stages to outer stages; therefore, the center stages and two half networks may be treated separately.
FOREIGN WORKERS AND INDIRECT EXPORTS: FIRM-LEVEL EVIDENCE FROM VIET NAM

This paper explores the link between the use of trade intermediaries and foreign employment and its implications for Vietnamese ﬁrms. The role of trade intermediaries – who “purchase from suppliers for resale to buyers or [. ] help buyers and sellers to meet and transact” (Spulber, 1996) – is closely related to the export-enhancing role of foreign workers. We use a heterogeneous ﬁrm model to show that foreign employment favours the selection of ﬁrms into indirect exports as long as the gain realised by indirectly accessing all destinations is higher than the advantage to directly export to the destination of interest. We use a sample of foreign and domestic ﬁrms derived from the Viet Nam Industry Investor Survey 2010 by UNIDO. Using a two-stage Heckman selection model, we ﬁnd evidence of a positive impact of foreign employment on the probability to export indirectly and – conditional on the export mode – on the export value. Our results suggest that the employment of foreign workers eases access to trade intermediaries.
Crime and tourism: organizational opportunities and social marketing in LA Gang Tours

Existing investigation on tourism and crime has indicated a negative relation between these two concepts where crime appears as an influential factor in limiting tourist flows. Albeit tourists have repeatedly reported the importance of safety in their travels, this paper presents a paradoxically positive relation between tourism and present crime, where gang culture is the main attraction of the visit. This case study is focused on ‘LA Gang Tours’, a non-profit organization and its use of social marketing in the re-interpretation of an organization threat to an opportunity in Los Angeles, the ‘gang capital of the world’. For this purpose, I have applied conceptual content analysis of online data referring to this touristic attraction.
An Empirical Relation between U.S. Tornado Activity and Monthly Environmental Parameters

AbstractIn previous work the authors demonstrated an empirical relation, in the form of an index, between U.S. monthly tornado activity and monthly averaged environmental parameters. Here a detailed comparison is made between the index and reported tornado activity. The index is a function of two environmental parameters taken from the North American Regional Reanalysis: convective precipitation (cPrcp) and storm relative helicity (SRH). Additional environmental parameters are considered for inclusion in the index, among them convective available potential energy, but their inclusion does not significantly improve the overall climatological performance of the index. The aggregate climatological dependence of reported monthly U.S. tornado numbers on cPrcp and SRH is well described by the index, although it fails to capture nonsupercell and cool season tornadoes. The contributions of the two environmental parameters to the index annual cycle and spatial distribution are examined with the seasonality of cPrc.
Longitudinal Evaluation of a 360 Feedback Program: Implications for Best Practices

Managers (67) and raters (127) participating in a corporate leadership program utilizing a 360 feedback instrument were asked about perceptions and reactions one-year later. Participants reported that both positive and negative feedback was largely expected and the feedback increased motivation to make behavior changes largely on development areas (82.1%) as opposed to strengths (18.9%). Implications for best practices and future research are discussed. The use of multi-rater or 360-degree feedback, the process in which direct reports, peers, team members, and bosses provide anonymous feedback to managers for coaching, development and performance evaluation continues to grow in popularity reported that an estimated 25% of all companies use some type of upward feedback and Atwater and Waldman (1998) suggest that 90% of Fortune 1000 firms use some type of multi-rater feedback system as part of appraisal or development systems. Increasingly, multi-rater feedback systems have proliferated and are being used for diverse purposes (e.g., executive coaching, performance evaluation, talent management/succession planning, and leadership development). The practical use of multi-rater feedback is often based on expert opinion, publisher's suggestions or human resources fads, rather than, on empirical research or evaluation. In fact, there is a paucity of well designed research and evaluation studies to actually guide practitioners in the effective administration, interpretation and use of multi-rater feedback systems. Extending the current research literature on multi-rater feedback systems can only improve the practical implementation for a wide variety of organizational, team and individual uses and interventions. Recent research on 360-degree feedback suggests that some feedback recipients may not be benefiting from the process while others demonstrate significant may even experience discouragement and frustration when 360 degree feedback is negative or not as positive as expected (Brett & Atwater, 2001). Furthermore, it is expected that the different rater groups will provide somewhat conflicting information and data in 360 feedback processes (e. Greller and Herold, 1975). These meta-analytic studies have consistently shown weak agreement between self-ratings and ratings made by others. Kluger and DeNisi's (1996) meta-analysis on the impact of performance appraisal feedback on performance also raised the issue that performance improvement is not the only outcome that can be expected. In fact, they concluded that in one third of the cases feedback actually resulted in decreased performance. Atwater, Waldman, Atwater and Cartier (2000) reported improvement following an upward feedback intervention only resulted for 50% of the supervisors who received it. It seems that organizations using 360 …
Aminoglycoside‐induced histone deacetylation and hair cell death in the mouse cochlea

Post‐translational modification of histones is an important form of chromatin regulation impacting transcriptional activation. Histone acetyltransferases, for example, acetylate lysine residues on histone tails thereby enhancing gene transcription, while histone deacetylases (HDACs) remove those acetyl groups and repress gene transcription. Deficient histone acetylation is associated with pathologies, and histone deacetylase inhibitors have been studied in the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Here we explore histone acetylation in cochlear sensory cells following a challenge with gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic known to cause loss of auditory hair cells and hearing. The addition of the drug to organotypic cultures of the mouse organ of Corti decreased the acetylation of histone core proteins (H2A Ack5, H2B Ack12, H3 Ack9, and H4 Ack8) followed by a loss of sensory cells. Protein levels of HDAC1, HDAC3 and HDAC4 were increased while the histone acetyltransferases such as CREB‐binding protein and p300 remained unchanged. We next hypothesized that protecting histone acetylation should prevent cell death and tested the effects of HDAC‐inhibitors on the actions of gentamicin. Co‐treatment with trichostatin A maintained near‐normal levels of acetylation of histone core proteins in cochlear hair cells and attenuated gentamicin‐induced cell death. The addition of sodium butyrate also rescued hair cells from damage by gentamicin. The results are consistent with an involvement of deficient histone acetylation in aminoglycoside‐induced hair cell death and point to the potential value of HDAC‐inhibitors in protection from the side effects of these drugs.
The Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test, laboratory neurocognitive measures, and everyday functioning

Relationships among the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT), laboratory neurocognitive measures, and a rating of everyday adaptive abilities were examined in a sample of 36 Individuals with acquired brain damage. The RBMT correlated moderately with laboratory measures of memory at about the same level as these measures correlated with each other. Both RBMT and laboratory memory measures correlated with staff ratings of patients' everyday functioning. Prediction of everyday functioning by memory measures was improved by adding a measure of complex attention CTrailmaking Test B) to a multiple regression equation. Although family and patient ratings of everyday functioning were significantly correlated, neither correlated with any other measures. Results indicate that the RBMT is a valid measure of memory
Discrete Mathematics: Methods and Challenges

Combinatorics is a fundamental mathematical discipline as well as an es­ sential component of many mathematical areas, and its study has experienced an impressive growth in recent years. One of the main reasons for this growth is the tight connection between Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Com­ puter Science, and the rapid development of the latter. While in the past many of the basic combinatorial results were obtained mainly by ingenuity and detailed reasoning, the modern theory has grown out of this early stage, and often relies on deep, well developed tools. This is a survey of two of the main general techniques that played a crucial role in the development of mod­ ern combinatorics; algebraic methods and probabilistic methods. Both will be illustrated by examples, focusing on the basic ideas and the connection to other areas.
Psychiatric rehabilitation and social inclusion of people with mental illness: a Portuguese experience and a critical analysis of current barriers

The delivery of psychiatric rehabilitation interventions has been recognised as fundamental to facilitate recovery of people with severe mental illness. Although Portugal has developed a plan to restructure mental health services between 2007 and 2016, multiple barriers are hindering its effective implementation. We aim to describe a Portuguese psychiatric rehabilitation institution and analyse barriers in the mental health paradigm change. With our experience, we intend to help countries that are planning or passing through a change of paradigm in mental health care to anticipate and avoid similar obstacles. Sources used were research literature, government policy documents and legislation, in loco experience and experiential knowledge. The case study was carried out using interactive (participant observation and non-structured interviews) and non-interactive techniques (document analysis, namely the target institution reports, projects and dossiers). Barriers found include not complying with the most recent available evidence and the use of outdated and non-evidence and values-based models. Moreover, a deficient monitoring and evaluation of services' quality, resistance to change, lack of appropriate training of professionals, lack of involvement of users in their care planning and funding issues are also contributors for the perpetuation of this scenario.
Does Reasoning Occur on the Selection Task? A Comparison of Relevance-based Theories

Does reasoning occur on the Wason selection task, or are card selections determined purely on the basis of heuristic processes? To answer this question two relevance-based theories of reasoning are compared: (1) the theory of Evans (1984, 1989; Evans & Over, 1996), which takes the heuristic viewpoint, and (2) the theory of Sperber, Cara, and Girotto (1995), which takes the reasoning viewpoint. In three experiments, the effect of removing matching cards from the selection task array is examined. It is argued that the Sperber et al. theory makes clearer predictions about the results of these manipulations, which are confirmed, and that the Evans theory can only accommodate them if it allows the operation of reasoning processes. The results are also discussed in relation to Roth's (1979) account of the selection task, mental models theory, and information gain theory.
Disturbance models for offset‐free model‐predictive control

Model predictive control algorithms achieve offset-free control objectives by adding integrating disturbances to the process model. The purpose of these additional disturbances is to lump the plant-model mismatch and/or unmodeled disturbances. Its effectiveness has been proven for particular square cases only. For systems with a number of measured variables (p) greater than the number of manipulated variables (m), it is clear that any controller can track without offset at most m controlled variables. One may think that m integrating disturbances are sufficient to guarantee offset-free control in the m controlled variables. We show this idea is incorrect and present general conditions that allow zero steady-state offset. In particular, a number of integrating disturbances equal to the number of measured variables are shown to be sufficient to guarantee zero offset in the controlled variables. These results apply to square and nonsquare, open-loop stable, integrating and unstable systems.
Electricity generation and brewery wastewater treatment from sequential anode-cathode microbial fuel cell

A sequential anode-cathode double-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC), in which the effluent of anode chamber was used as a continuous feed for an aerated cathode chamber, was constructed in this experiment to investigate the performance of brewery wastewater treatment in conjugation with electricity generation. Carbon fiber was used as anode and plain carbon felt with biofilm as cathode. When hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 14.7 h, a relatively high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 91.7%–95.7% was achieved under long-term stable operation. The MFC displayed an open circuit voltage of 0.434 V and a maximum power density of 830 mW/m3 at an external resistance of 300 Ω. To estimate the electrochemical performance of the MFC, electrochemical measurements were carried out and showed that polarization resistance of anode was the major limiting factor in the MFC. Since a high COD removal efficiency was achieved, we conclude that the sequential anode-cathode MFC constructed with bio-cathode in this experiment could provide a new approach for brewery wastewater treatment.
Rapid Induced Aggregation of Gold Nanoparticles by Diolefinic Dyes

Rapid Induced Aggregation of Gold Nanoparticles by Diolefinic Dyes Aggregation kinetics of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) interaction in the presence of some diolefinic dyes, namely 1,4-bis (β-pyridyl-2-vinyl) benzene (P2VB), 1,4 bis(2-methylstyryl) benzene (MSB) and 2,5 distyrylpyrazine (DSP), were studied in methanol using steady state UV-Vis spectrophotometry and stopped-flow spectrophotometry. All three dyes induced the aggregation of Au NPs, but with different rates. The rate of interaction of P2VB and MSB with Au NPs were in time-scale of milliseconds, 6 ms-1 and 3.25 ms-1, respectively, while the interaction between DSP and Au NPs occurred in time-scale of minutes. The rates of interaction between Au NPs and these dyes go in the order of P2VB > MSB » DSP. The density functional theory (CAM-B3LYP) predicted that the dye with higher group charge on the terminal moieties possess higher affinity toward the aggregation as it strengthen its electrostatic interactions with the citrate-capped Au NPs.
Genic insights from integrated human proteomics in GeneCards

GeneCards is a one-stop shop for searchable human gene annotations (http://www.genecards.org/). Data are automatically mined from ∼120 sources and presented in an integrated web card for every human gene. We report the application of recent advances in proteomics to enhance gene annotation and classification in GeneCards. First, we constructed the Human Integrated Protein Expression Database (HIPED), a unified database of protein abundance in human tissues, based on the publically available mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics sources ProteomicsDB, Multi-Omics Profiling Expression Database, Protein Abundance Across Organisms and The MaxQuant DataBase. The integrated database, residing within GeneCards, compares favourably with its individual sources, covering nearly 90% of human protein-coding genes. For gene annotation and comparisons, we first defined a protein expression vector for each gene, based on normalized abundances in 69 normal human tissues. This vector is portrayed in the GeneCards expression section as a bar graph, allowing visual inspection and comparison. These data are juxtaposed with transcriptome bar graphs. Using the protein expression vectors, we further defined a pairwise metric that helps assess expression-based pairwise proximity. This new metric for finding functional partners complements eight others, including sharing of pathways, gene ontology (GO) terms and domains, implemented in the GeneCards Suite. In parallel, we calculated proteome-based differential expression, highlighting a subset of tissues that overexpress a gene and subserving gene classification. This textual annotation allows users of VarElect, the suite’s next-generation phenotyper, to more effectively discover causative disease variants. Finally, we define the protein–RNA expression ratio and correlation as yet another attribute of every gene in each tissue, adding further annotative information. The results constitute a significant enhancement of several GeneCards sections and help promote and organize the genome-wide structural and functional knowledge of the human proteome. Database URL: http://www.genecards. org/
Emerging Putative Associations between Non-Coding RNAs and Protein-Coding Genes in Neuropathic Pain: Added Value from Reusing Microarray Data

Regeneration of injured nerves is likely occurring in the peripheral nervous system, but not in the central nervous system. Although protein-coding gene expression has been assessed during nerve regeneration, little is currently known about the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). This leaves open questions about the potential effects of ncRNAs at transcriptome level. Due to the limited availability of human neuropathic pain (NP) data, we have identified the most comprehensive time-course gene expression profile referred to sciatic nerve (SN) injury and studied in a rat model using two neuronal tissues, namely dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and SN. We have developed a methodology to identify differentially expressed bioentities starting from microarray probes and repurposing them to annotate ncRNAs, while analyzing the expression profiles of protein-coding genes. The approach is designed to reuse microarray data and perform first profiling and then meta-analysis through three main steps. First, we used contextual analysis to identify what we considered putative or potential protein-coding targets for selected ncRNAs. Relevance was therefore assigned to differential expression of neighbor protein-coding genes, with neighborhood defined by a fixed genomic distance from long or antisense ncRNA loci, and of parental genes associated with pseudogenes. Second, connectivity among putative targets was used to build networks, in turn useful to conduct inference at interactomic scale. Last, network paths were annotated to assess relevance to NP. We found significant differential expression in long-intergenic ncRNAs (32 lincRNAs in SN and 8 in DRG), antisense RNA (31 asRNA in SN and 12 in DRG), and pseudogenes (456 in SN and 56 in DRG). In particular, contextual analysis centered on pseudogenes revealed some targets with known association to neurodegeneration and/or neurogenesis processes. While modules of the olfactory receptors were clearly identified in protein–protein interaction networks, other connectivity paths were identified between proteins already investigated in studies on disorders, such as Parkinson, Down syndrome, Huntington disease, and Alzheimer. Our findings suggest the importance of reusing gene expression data by meta-analysis approaches.