Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two families of sterol methyltransferases are involved in the first and the second methylation steps of plant sterol biosynthesis.

Two methyl transfers are involved in the biosynthesis of 24-methyl and 24-ethyl sterols, which play major roles in plant growth and development. The first methyl transfer applies to cycloartenol, the second to 24-methylene lophenol. About ten cDNA clones encoding S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) sterol methyltransferases (SMTs) have been isolated so far from various plants. According to their deduced amino acid sequences, they were classified in two families, smtl and smt2; in addition, smt2 cDNAs were shown to encode a 24-methylene lophenol C24 methyltransferase [Bouvier-Navé, P., Husselstein, T. , Desprez, T. & Benveniste, P. (1997) Eur. J. Biochem. 246, 518-529]. We now report the comparison of two cDNAs isolated from Nicotiana tabacum, Ntsmt1-1 which belongs to the first SMT cDNA family and Ntsmt2-1 which belongs to the second. Both cDNAs were expressed in the yeast null mutant erg6, deficient in SMT. Whereas erg6 is devoid of 24-alkyl sterols, erg6 Ntsmt1-1 contained a majority of 24-methylene sterols and erg6 Ntsmt2-1, a majority of 24-ethylidene sterols, indicating distinct functions for the expression products of these cDNAs. In the presence of AdoMet, delipidated microsomes from erg6 Ntsm1-1 efficiently converted cycloartenol into 24-methylene cycloartanol, but did not produce any 24-ethylidene lophenol upon incubation with 24-methylene lophenol. This demonstrates that cDNA Ntsmt1-1 (and most probably the other plant SMT cDNAs of the first family) encode(s) a cycloartenol C24 methyltransferase. In contrast, delipidated microsomes of erg6 Ntsmt2-1 were shown to methylate preferentially 24-methylene lophenol, as expected from an SMT encoded by an smt2 cDNA. In summary, among various cDNAs isolated from N. tabacum, one (Ntsmt1-1) belongs to the first family of plant SMT cDNAs according to its deduced amino acid sequence and was shown to encode a cycloartenol C24 methyltransferase, whereas another (Ntsmt2-1) belongs to the second family and was shown to encode a 24-methylene lophenol C24 methyltransferase. Meanwhile, two cDNAs were isolated from Oriza sativa and shown to belong to smtl and to smt2 families, respectively. These data disclose the coexistence, in a given plant species, of two distinct SMTs, each catalyzing one step of methylation in the sterol biosynthesis pathway.
Preclinical Cognitive Trajectories Differ for Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia

Abstract We investigated differences between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) from the appearance of the first cognitive symptoms, focusing on both time of onset and rate of accelerated decline for different cognitive functions before dementia diagnosis. Data from a longitudinal population-based study were used, including 914 participants (mean age = 82.0 years, SD = 5.0) tested with a cognitive battery (word recall and recognition, Block Design, category fluency, clock reading) on up to four occasions spanning 10 years. We fit a series of linear mixed effects models with a change point to the cognitive data, contrasting each dementia group to a control group. Significant age-related decline was observed for all five cognitive tasks. Relative to time of diagnosis, the preclinical AD persons deviated from the normal aging curve earlier (up to 9 years) compared to the preclinical VaD persons (up to 6 years). However, once the preclinical VaD persons started to decline, they deteriorated at a faster rate than the preclinical AD persons. The results have important implications for identifying the two dementia disorders at an early stage and for selecting cognitive tasks to evaluate treatment effects for persons at risk of developing AD and VaD. (JINS, 2012, 18, 191–199)
Towards Creating a Body of Evidence-based Interactive Digital Narrative Design Knowledge: Approaches and Challenges

In the context of this paper we take design knowledge as the methods applied by the creators (for example game designers in the case of games) of interactive experiences in contrast to for example the design of authoring tools or the design of game engines and similar computational systems. Such knowledge about rule-based game design is widespread as evidenced by numerous book publications and many university-level programs of study. In contrast, there is considerable less academic or professional knowledge on the design of interactive narratives -- for example, book publications focused on this topic number in the single digits and in academic programs the topic only exists on the margins. This paper proposes the use of empirical research methods as means to address this situation and examines specific challenges. On this foundation, we introduce a research effort to gather transferable interactive narrative design knowledge and report on a first user study. Finally, we provide guidelines and discuss future research.
Prohibitions on Health Insurance Underwriting: A Means of Making Health Insurance Available or a Cause of Market Failure?

Health insurance underwriting restrictions that prohibit insurers from using disability status, gender, and age to classify risks will in theory result in greater insurance consumption by those positively impacted by the prohibition: disabled individuals, females, and older adults. Conversely, the prohibitions are expected to result in less health insurance consumption by those negatively impacted: able bodied individuals, males, and younger adults. Multinomial logit analysis and data from the Current Population Survey are used to test these hypotheses in both the small group and individual markets for health insurance. We find evidence consistent with theory.
Indices and sweating patterns for the assessment of heat tolerance.

1) Two kinds of indices are proposed for the assessment of heat tolerance. Indices I and S are calculated utilizing the following equations:I=√A2+B2+C2, S=/√A2+C2where: A=relative water lossB=relative rise in body temperatureC=relative salt lossduring the sweating test.2) Ohara's sweating type method, representing a relation between local sweat rate and sodium concentration in sweat, was modified by using salt loss in place of sodium concentration. Sweating patterns were classified into U, N, and T Types in the Q'(salt loss)-V (peak sweat rate) plane. Type U corresponds to Ohara's Type 1, the least heat tolerant, and Type T corresponds to Ohara's Type 4, the most heat tolerant.3) Results obtained with the authors' method and Index I coordinated well. Type U showed the highest value of Index I, Type T the lowest which suggest that the lower value of Index I indicates a greater heat tolerance.4) The three type method and Index S revealed no significant correlation, which suggests that Index S is not a measure to be applied to heat tolerance. It was discussed that Index S may be utilized as an index to represent effectiveness of homeostatic mechanism to thermal regulation.5) Ohara's four sweating types and Index I showed no significant correlation. Thus, the three-type method appears to be a more satisfactory tool for examining heat tolerance.
Suffix sequences based morphological segmentation for Afaan Oromo

This paper reports on a morphological segmentation model for Afaan Oromo based on suffix sequences approach. Understanding and identifying the suffix sequences of a language allow us to detect morpheme boundaries of many words of Afaan Oromo. Morphological segmentation models can be used in many Natural Language Processing applications such as machine translation, speech recognition, information retrieval and part-of-speech tagging. A divisive hierarchical clustering and frequency distribution were used to build a tree of candidate stems from which segmented suffix sequences can be modeled. The proposed morphological segmentation model was evaluated with test word-lists. The accuracy obtained by our morphological segmentation model is encouraging.
Efficiency of RNA Interference in the Mouse Hematopoietic System Varies between Cell Types and Developmental Stages

ABSTRACT RNA interference (RNAi) is a naturally occurring posttranscriptional gene-silencing mechanism that has been adapted as a genetic tool for loss-of-function studies of a variety of organisms. It is more widely applicable than classical gene targeting and allows for the simultaneous inactivation of several homologous genes with a single transgene. Recently, RNAi has been used for conditional and conventional gene inactivation in mice. Unlike gene targeting, RNAi is a dynamic process, and its efficiency may vary both between cell types and throughout development. Here we demonstrate that RNAi can be used to target three separately encoded isoforms of the bcl-2 family gene bfl-1/A1 in a conditional manner in mice. The extent of gene inactivation varies between different cell types and is least efficient in mature lymphocytes. Our data suggest that RNAi is affected by factors beyond small interfering RNA-mRNA stoichiometry.
Improving subcontractor’s motivation by construction managers

The ability to motivate is one that is crucial for a manager in any professional field. The role of a project manager is no exception with the need to keep the subcontractors motivated and working efficiently in order to meet targets and deadlines. By improving the level of motivation you predictably increase the level of efficiency of employees and as a roll-on effect the achievement of project goals will be more assured. Motivation in the construction industry is often overlooked due to the short nature of many construction projects as well as the high turnover of employees and subcontractors from job to job. Nonetheless, if more emphasis were to be put on employee and subcontractor motivation, then project success would be easier to attain as the subcontractors would be working more efficiently and be more likely to achieve their targets and deadlines. With the benefits of improved motivation including increased project security and increased productivity, projects are more likely to meet targets and budgets. A research project has been taken with the aim to provide ways for management to improve subcontractor motivation and monitor its progress. This paper reports on the findings of the early stage of literature review. It has been found that not enough measures were being taken at the present time to positively influence subcontractor motivation and that there are many successful ways of motivating subcontractors in the construction industry, including things such as incentives, positive reinforcement, work facilitation and work participation. In particular, it was found that the main detail to take into consideration was that every worker is different and will respond differently to different motivation techniques. For this reason it is important to understand the workforce of subcontractors and motivate them accordingly.
Japanese Multinationals in European Transition Economies: Motivation, Location and Structural Patterns

The main purpose of this thesis is to provide systematic and rigorous research into the patterns, processes and corporate strategies of Japanese manufacturing MNEs in European transition economies. Understanding why Japanese MNEs decided to initiate production in or to relocate existing factories from Western Europe to CEE at a particular time constitutes our first significant concern. The subject of the examination to follow is to scrutinise local market environments in the CEE region. The quality of both economic and institutional forces embedded in national business environments is clearly paramount importance. In order to determine the appropriate FDI strategy in terms of competitiveness, efficiency, control over vital resources and legitimacy, firms should keep their eyes on the host country’s transition environment. This thesis will also aim to investigate what determines investment decisions by Japanese multinationals at the subnational level and what variables are most important to operating successfully in the CEE region based on a combination of theories. The results will help make crucial practice-oriented implications both for prospective investors and for host-based policy developers.
The Process of Internal Audit’s Involvement with Enterprise Risk Management : The Influence on Internal Audit’s Objectivity and Independence

In 2004, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) issued a paper that defined internal auditors’ role in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) as a role that relates to measuring and monitoring performance. The present study examines how high internal audit involvement in ERM-related activities and a strong relationship between internal auditors and senior management influence internal auditors’ objectivity and independence. The present study replicates the experimental design used by de Zwaan, Stewart and Subramaniam (2011) with the manipulation of the variables of (i) internal audit’s involvement in ERM and (ii) the strength of the relationship between internal audit and senior management. Similarly to de Zwaan et al. (2011), objectivity and independence are measured by examining internal audit’s willingness to report a breakdown in risk procedures to the audit committee. The results show that internal auditors are somewhat influenced by a high involvement in ERM-related activities when reporting a breakdown in risk procedures and that internal auditors consider the guidelines issued by the IIA important to follow. Further, the results do not indicate that a strong relationship between internal auditors and senior management influences internal audit’s willingness to report a breakdown in risk procedures.
Perceptions of Information Quality: A Study of Internet and Traditional Text Sources

Information retrieved from the Internet may have more severe information quality problems than information found in more traditional text sources of information such as books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. While anecdotal evidence of problems with the quality of information available through the Internet is available, little empirical research on the topic has been done. This study examines user perceptions of the quality of information found on the Internet and the quality of information found in more traditional text sources. Graduate students who have completed a course project requiring the use of the Internet and traditional text sources of information are surveyed using an instrument that builds on prior research by Wang and Strong (1996) identifying fifteen dimensions of data quality. The findings will provide a basis for the development of interventions to sensitize users of the Internet to information quality issues.
Diffusion Process of the Benzyl Radical Created by Photodissociation Probed by the Transient Grating Method

Translational diffusion processes of the benzyl radical (BR) created by the photodissociation from dibenzyl ketone (DBK) were studied by using the transient grating (TG) method in organic solvents (hexane, cyclohexane, ethanol, and 2-propanol). The values of the diffusion constants (D) of BR, DBK, and carbon monoxide (CO) and the rates for the self-termination reaction of BR in these solvents are accurately determined from the TG signals. The ratios of D of BR to that of DBK are independent of the solvent, and they are close to 1.25, which is expected from the ratio of the molecular volume of BR to that of DBK. This result is contrary to those of radicals created by the photoinduced hydrogen abstraction reaction, which show anomalously slow diffusions. A possible origin of this difference is discussed by comparison of the spin densities, dipole moments, and polarizabilities of BR and the radicals produced by hydrogen abstraction.
SUSTAINABILITY IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT: A REVIEW OF DRIVERS AND POLICY ISSUES

Spurred on by a variety of drivers and policy issues, the continued growth in the development and implementation sustainability, as an obligation and expectation within businesses, has placed more responsibilities on facilities managers. However, it is not clear which of the drivers, issues and responsibilities are most important for facilities managers to develop skills and knowledge in. It is also not clear how issues such as energy management and productivity are closely linked to responsibilities. Drawing on a web based self-administered questionnaire survey of facilities managers, the key drivers, issues and responsibilities are identified and ranked. With a response rate of 22% representing 268 respondents, the results indicate that legislative directives, corporate image and organisational ethos are the most important drivers for the development and implementation of sustainable practices. Similarly, the keys issues and responsibilities identified are energy management, waste and recycling management, health and safety, and carbon footprint. These findings demand that facilities managers develop competences in the identified areas in order to manage and improve the environmental performance of their businesses. Clearly, sustainability policies and responsibilities continue to be influenced by the proliferation of energy and carbon footprint related environmental issues than a balanced approach which takes into consideration the wider social and economic aspects of sustainability. The trend in developing and implementing sustainability will continue due to new statutory directives and requirements.
Does Trade Liberalization Affect the Composition of Government Spending in Developing Nations

Many skeptics of trade liberalization in the developing world argue that lowering trade taxes can cause significant fiscal pressures in countries particularly reliant on these taxes and result in a reallocation of resources away from important development goals. This research evaluates whether there is evidence that central governments systematically change the composition of spending priorities in the wake of lowered trade tax revenues as a share of total government revenues. We find very little evidence for this concern in a sample of 51 developing countries for the 1990 through 2005 period.
COMPARATIVE STUDY AND EFFECTS OF MACROPHAGE COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR (M-CSF) ADMINISTRATION ON NK1.1+ CELLS IN MOUSE SPLEEN AND BONE MARROW

ABSTRACT We conducted a comparative study of NK1.1+ cells in spleen and bone marrow and the effects of administration of M-CSF on them. Administration of M-CSF to mice increased the number of NK1.1+ cells in spleen but not in bone marrow. The NK1.1+ cells in spleen (Spl-NK1.1) and bone marrow (BM-NK1.1) were purified by magnetic cell sorter. Their cell surface markers and functions were then examined. The percentage of Mac-1 antigen-positive cells (and F4/80 antigen-positive cells) was higher among BM-NK1.1 than Spl-NK1.1. Moreover, the administration of M-CSF increased the number of Mac-1 and F4/80 antigen-positive cells in both Spl-Nk1.1 and BM-NK1.1. The functions (cytolytic activity and IFN-γ production) of Spl-NK1.1 and BM-NK1.1 were the same and were enhanced by the administration of M-CSF. But Spl-NK1.1 produced more IFN-γ than BM-NK1.1 when M-CSF was administered. BM-NK1.1 showed a greater proliferative response to IL-2 than Spl-NK1.1. Administration of M-CSF augmented this response. BM-NK1.1 proliferated in response to IL-4 and IL-15, but Spl-NK1.1 responded only slightly. However, administration of M-CSF stimulated Spl-NK1.1 to respond to these cytokines. Both Spl-NK1.1 and BM-NK1.1 showed only a weak response to M-CSF in vitro. But the expression of c-fms antigen (M-CSFR) increased after the M-CSF injections in vivo. These results suggested that there are phenotypical and functional differences between Spl-NK1.1 and BM-NK1.1. The administration of M-CSF led to an accumulation of NK1.1+ cells which were mobilized from bone marrow in spleen.
Altered Interaction of the Matrix Protein with the Cytoplasmic Tail of Hemagglutinin Modulates Measles Virus Growth by Affecting Virus Assembly and Cell-Cell Fusion

ABSTRACT Clinical isolates of measles virus (MV) use signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) as a cellular receptor, whereas vaccine and laboratory strains may utilize the ubiquitously expressed CD46 as an additional receptor. MVs also infect, albeit inefficiently, SLAM− cells, via a SLAM- and CD46-independent pathway. Our previous study with recombinant chimeric viruses revealed that not only the receptor-binding hemagglutinin (H) but also the matrix (M) protein of the Edmonston vaccine strain can confer on an MV clinical isolate the ability to grow well in SLAM− Vero cells. Two substitutions (P64S and E89K) in the M protein which are present in many vaccine strains were found to be responsible for the efficient growth of recombinant virus in Vero cells. Here we show that the P64S and E89K substitutions allow a strong interaction of the M protein with the cytoplasmic tail of the H protein, thereby enhancing the assembly of infectious particles in Vero cells. These substitutions, however, are not necessarily advantageous for MVs, as they inhibit SLAM-dependent cell-cell fusion, thus reducing virus growth in SLAM+ B-lymphoblastoid B95a cells. When the cytoplasmic tail of the H protein is deleted, a virus with an M protein possessing the P64S and E89K substitutions no longer grows well in Vero cells yet causes cell-cell fusion and replicates efficiently in B95a cells. These results reveal a novel mechanism of adaptation and attenuation of MV in which the altered interaction of the M protein with the cytoplasmic tail of the H protein modulates MV growth in different cell types.
Platelet activation in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVE To elucidate the mechanisms of thrombocytopenia in chronic hepatitis C (CHC), we investigated platelet activation in patients with chronic viral liver diseases. METHODS Platelet activation was evaluated with flow cytometry in twenty-five patients with chronic viral hepatitis and 11 patients with liver cirrhosis of viral etiology. Liver biopsies were carried out in all patients. RESULTS The platelet counts decreased significantly in patients with CHC and in patients with liver cirrhosis compared to controls, but not in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Patients with CHC had a significantly higher percentage of platelets positive for activation-dependent monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), and also had a higher percentage of platelet microparticles (PMP), a marker of platelet activation, than patients with CHB. There was a significant correlation between the percentage of PMP and the levels of liver fibrosis markers, such as serum hyaluronate and N-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen (P-III-P), in CHC, suggesting the relationship between platelet activation and liver fibrosis. Platelet activation was markedly enhanced in CHC patients with high histological scores of liver fibrosis. CONCLUSION Patients with CHC have increased platelet activation, which may contribute to the occurrence of thrombocytopenia in CHC. Liver fibrosis may play a role in activation of platelets in CHC.
A firm's competence development through its network of exchange relationships (Развитие компетенции фирмы посредством отношений в ее сети)

Компетенция фирмы, или сама возможность существования фирмы и успешность ее деятельности, связываются с понятием ядра фирмы - с отношениями между служащими внутри фирмы. (В работах других авторов часто используется другой термин - "внутрифирменная атмосфера".) Автор пытается ответить на вопрос, в какой степени отношения внутри фирмы влияют на ее компетенцию. На основании анализа данных двух case-studies делается вывод, что отношения между служащими - важнейший фактор, влияющий на компетентность организации. Интересен побочный результат исследований - своеобразная инерция мышления у служащих разных звеньев в их отношении к установленным на фирме правилам поведения.