Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1)/NPC1-like1 Chimeras Define Sequences Critical for NPC1’s Function as a Filovirus Entry Receptor

We recently demonstrated that Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), a ubiquitous 13-pass cellular membrane protein involved in lysosomal cholesterol transport, is a critical entry receptor for filoviruses. Here we show that Niemann-Pick C1-like1 (NPC1L1), an NPC1 paralog and hepatitis C virus entry factor, lacks filovirus receptor activity. We exploited the structural similarity between NPC1 and NPC1L1 to construct and analyze a panel of chimeras in which NPC1L1 sequences were replaced with cognate sequences from NPC1. Only one chimera, NPC1L1 containing the second luminal domain (C) of NPC1 in place of its own, bound to the viral glycoprotein, GP. This engineered protein mediated authentic filovirus infection nearly as well as wild-type NPC1, and more efficiently than did a minimal NPC1 domain C-based receptor recently described by us. A reciprocal chimera, NPC1 containing NPC1L1’s domain C, was completely inactive. Remarkably, an intra-domain NPC1L1-NPC1 chimera bearing only a ~130-amino acid N–terminal region of NPC1 domain C could confer substantial viral receptor activity on NPC1L1. Taken together, these findings account for the failure of NPC1L1 to serve as a filovirus receptor, highlight the central role of the luminal domain C of NPC1 in filovirus entry, and reveal the direct involvement of N–terminal domain C sequences in NPC1’s function as a filovirus receptor.
Um Modelo Referencial Para a Prática da Inovação

Title: A Reference Model for Innovation Practice. Innovation has been widely recognized as a key for competitive advantage and success in business and requires a lot of effort and discipline. The purpose of this article is to present a new reference model which aims to assist leaders to implement innovation management systems in their companies. This model is composed of six stages that include the basic activities for the innovation practice, taking in account the internal and external firm’s environments, the interdependencies throughout its stages and the required networking for the establishment of the innovation process. This reference model uses a business accessible language and its main distinction from the other existing models is the classification of “intelligence environment” and “strategies definition” as independent stages, once these are essential activities that deserve dedicated coordination.
Consideration on coil position displacement in magnetic resonance type wireless power transmission system at 85 kHz

As the wireless electrical vehicle charging systems, a magnetic resonance method with primary and secondary coils is attractive and is widely studied in various ways at the frequency from 81.38 kHz to 90 kHz. In such researches, the most important issue is how to improve the power transmission efficiency. In this paper, the power transmission efficiency was formulated based on the transmission line theory and its validity was investigated in the wireless power transmission system using the magnetic resonance method. And moreover, the coil position displacement was discussed in the viewpoint of actual use.
A rapid non invasive L-DOPA-¹³C breath test for optimally suppressing extracerebral AADC enzyme activity - toward individualizing carbidopa therapy in Parkinson’s disease.

BACKGROUND Peripheral carbidopa (CD) levels directly impact on central dopamine (DA) production in Parkinson disease (PD) through extracerebral inhibition of dopa decarboxylase (AADC) resulting in an increase in levodopa (LD) bioavailability. OBJECTIVE Recent data suggests that higher CD doses than those presently used in PD treatment may result in improved clinical response. Optimizing CD doses in individual patients may, therefore, result in ideal individualized treatment. METHODS A single center, randomized, double-blind study was carried out recruiting 5 Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients already on LD/CD and 1 treatment näve PD patient using stable isotope labeled LD-1-¹³C as a substrate for a noninvasive breath test to evaluate individual AADC enzyme activity. Each patient was studied five times, receiving 200 mg LD-¹³C at each visit along with one of five randomized CD doses (0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg). The metabolite ¹³CO₂ in breath was measured for evaluating AADC enzyme activity and plasma metabolite levels for LD-¹³C and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured for 4 hours. RESULTS HVA in plasma and ¹³CO₂ in breath are metabolic products of LD. We found a significant positive correlation of ¹³CO₂ DOB AUC0-240 with serum HVA AUC0-240 following the oral dose of LD-1-¹³C for all 5 doses of CD (r² = 0.9378). With increasing inhibition of AADC enzyme activity with CD, we observed an increase in the plasma concentration of LD.We found an inverse correlation of the 13CO2 DOB AUC with serum LD-¹³C AUC. Our studies indicate the optimal dose of CD for maximal suppression of AADC enzyme activity can be determined for each individual from ¹³CO₂ generation in breath. CONCLUSIONS The LD-breath test can be a useful noninvasive diagnostic tool for evaluation of AADC enzyme activity using the biomarker ¹³CO₂ in breath, a first step in personalizing CD doses for PD patients.
The Influence of Intemational Research on the Size of National Research Systems

One of the main goals of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) research institutions is to strengthen national research systems in developing countries. Therefore, we felt that an important task of the impact study was to try to test the impact of the centers on national research. In this paper we test the centers' impact on the size of the national systems, as measured by their budgets. The national research systems of developing countries grew rapidly between 1959 and 1980. At the same time CGIAR institutions were growing rapidly. This is cited by some observers as evidence that the international centers have led to growth in research. Others have argued that national research systems would have grown more rapidly in the absence of research and note what they see as the negative effect of CIAT and IRRI on research programs in Colombia and the Philippines. The arguments supporting a positive impact of the centers have suggested two mechanisms by which national research spending is increased. First, the international centers increased demand for research through the publicity surrounding the green revolution. This publicity raised the expectations of the decision makers of many developing countries about the payoffs to research. Second, collaboration with the centers raised the productivity of national research, which also increased the demand for national research. The argument for negative effects claims that countries substitute research by CG institutions for research by national systems. A second argument is that foreign aid was diverted from national research programs into the CG institutions. Model
Fluctuations due to association and dissociation processes at nanowire-biosensor surfaces and their optimal design

In this work, we calculate the effect of the binding and unbinding of molecules at the surface of a nanowire biosensor on the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensor. We model the fluctuations induced by association and dissociation of target molecules by a stochastic differential equation and extend this approach to a coupled diffusion-reaction system. Where possible, analytic solutions for the signal-to-noise ratio are given. Stochastic simulations are performed wherever closed forms of the solutions cannot be derived. Starting from parameters obtained from experimental data, we simulate DNA hybridization at the sensor surface for different target molecule concentrations in order to optimize the sensor design.
Comparing Tennis Success Among Countries

Elite sport is 'citius, altius, fortius' by definition. In tennis, as in most sports, effective sports policy is now more important than ever. This article analyses the notion of 'success in tennis' and international comparison. We discuss how the existing ATPand WTP-rankings can be used to generate indicators of absolute success. We identify major determinants of tennis success and present a method that allows identification of successful countries while controlling for the impact of socio-economic determinants. Tennis is taken as a case study in order to propose a method for determining relative success of countries. This method allows us to place countries in more equal positions when they are compared. Introduction Over the last century, sports have become ever more competitive. At the same time, increased (media) attention and popularity of major sports events have given sports the status of an issue of 'national importance'. In this process of systematically trying to outperform competitors, governments play a crucial role. An efficient and effective sports policy has become more important than ever. Politics and a lack of effective sports policies are often blamed for inferior achievements in sport. Still, it is not unambiguously clear what the nature of efficient sports policies is. Even more, it is not even clear how to distinguish successful from unsuccessful countries in a given discipline or in sports in general. A first aim of this paper is to do just that. Using tennis as a case study, we demonstrate how different parameters for a country's success can be built. Typically, success is expressed in absolute terms. The number of medals in Olympic Games, the number of top 20 players in tennis and so on provide an indication of a country's success. Still, it goes without saying that such comparisons are biased by structural differences in the countries' socio-economic situation. It does not come as a surprise if one observes that a large and rich country such as the USA wins more medals in the Olympics than smaller or poorer countries like Zimbabwe or Ecuador. As such, indicators of absolute success carry little information on how successful or efficient countries 'really' are in allocating their (often scarce) resources. Such information can only be given through indicators of relative success. We offer a method to measure relative success of countries by making abstraction of the macro-economic determinants. As such, countries are put into comparable positions with regard to top-level performance in sports. By controlling for exogenous influences on success, the methodology allows identifying successful countries and effective sports policies. This identification is a second aim of our work. While our focus is on tennis, the method proposed has a much wider applicability. Tennis was
The Demand for Child Care Quality: An Hedonic Price Theory Approach

I use an hedonic price theory approach to estimate the demand for child care quality. Two complementary surveys, the National Child Care Survey, 1990 (NCCS) and the Profile of Child Care Settings Study (PCS), allow me to derive an implicit price for staff-to-child ratio. I use this price as an explanatory variable in a demand equation for this quality attribute. Direct purchase-of-service contracts or voucher programs, by subsidizing only those providers that satisfy state regulatory requirements, effectively lower the implicit price of regulated attributes, such as staff-to-child ratio. Results of this study suggest that such tied subsidies have almost no influence on the demand for child care quality.
Exploring Scope and Scale Issues in Choice Modelling Design

The key tasks in the design of a choice modelling (CM) experiment are to define the scope, scale and frame of the tradeoffs presented to respondents. This study explores the scale and scope of choice tasks and then develops definitions of these terms. The scope of a good in a stated preference experiment refers to the dimensions used to define the good as well as the tradeoffs involved. The scale refers to the quantities involved. The framing refers to the context in which the choices are made. The discussion helps identify issues when setting the contingent market for a choice experiment.
Enhancing Teacher Knowledge through Curriculum Reform

T he implementation of standards-based curricula in all subject areas has provided an impetus for reconsidering how both students and teachers acquire knowledge. New theories of learning have presented educators with opportunities to change teaching practices based upon research on how students learn and process information (DeCorte, Greer, &. Vershaffel, 1996; Greeno, Collins, &. Resnick, 1996). Some of the factors that have drastically changed the ways teachers approach teaching include cooperative groups, technology, different learning styles, and the use of students' knowledge of the world as the starting point for instruction.
Producer Surplus without Apology? Evaluating Investments in RD*

Comparison of producer surplus with definitive measures based on the profit function reveals potential problems with using changes in producer surplus to measure the benefits of some common types of technical change. Some illustrative applications indicate that the conventional producer surplus measures may seriously underestimate the change in profit induced by new technology, depending on the characteristics of the underlying technology which define the nature of the supply function, and the nature of the technical change. The authors provide guidelines for identifying cases where producer surplus will underestimate producer research benefits and suggest alternative measures. Copyright 1997 by The Economic Society of Australia.
Dynamics and Stability in Coordination of Multiple Robotic Mechanisms

This paper discusses the dynamical coordination of multiple robot manipulators or a multifingered robot hand. The coor dination problem is divided into two phases: determining the resultant force by multiple robotic mechanisms; determining the internal force between mechanisms. The resultant force is used for maintaining dynamic equilibrium and for generat ing the restoring force. A dynamic coordinative control scheme which guarantees the object stability is proposed, associated with the determination of the resultant forces. The internal force is used to satisfy the static frictional constraints and is related to contact stability. The minimizing internal force is defined as the internal force which yields the minimal norm force satisfying static frictional constraints and the minimizing internal force is solved by applying a nonlinear programming method. The concept of the minimizing inter nal force is fundamental and important because it can theo retically answer whether the object can be grasped and ma nipulated with the given finger placement. Contact stability means the ability for the end-effector to maintain contact with an object without slipping when the object is subjected to disturbing external forces. A method of evaluating contact stability is developed. The minimal norm force satisfying the specified degree of contact stability can be obtained by using an algorithm similar to that for the minimizing internal force. Numerical examples of computing the minimizing in ternal forces are given.
Estimating Automotive Elasticities from Segment Elasticities and First Choice/Second Choice Data

Of the share lost to one product because of a price change, diversion fractions are the fractions of that lost share going to each of the other products. This paper expresses product cross-elasticities in terms of diversion fractions and a scaling factor. Since the automotive market includes more than two-hundred products, time-series data are insufficient for estimating all elasticities. Instead, this paper estimates automotive elasticities by specifying the diversion fractions using cross-sectional first choice/second choice data and estimating the remaining scaling factor and own-elasticities using more aggregate elasticities estimated from time series. Copyright 1993 by MIT Press.
Infection with Vpr-Positive Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Impairs NK Cell Function Indirectly through Cytokine Dysregulation of Infected Target Cells

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection has been implicated in impairing various aspects of NK cell function in viremic condition, and several viral factors contribute to these defects. Here, we evaluated the effect of HIV-1 Vpr on NK cell cytolytic function and cytokine (gamma interferon [IFN-γ]) production in the context of infection and exposure. Our data indicate that NK cells derived from a peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture infected in vitro with HIV-1 vpr(+) virus or exposed to recombinant Vpr protein exhibited reduced target cell killing in conjunction with diminished expression of CD107a and reduced IFN-γ production compared to their Vpr-negative counterparts. This Vpr-induced NK cell defect is in part through differential regulation of interleukin-12 and transforming growth factor β production by the infected target cells and concomitant activation of Smad3 signaling pathway. Collectively, these results illustrate the ability of Vpr to impair NK cell-mediated innate immune functions indirectly by dysregulating multiple cytokines in the infected target cells, thus increasing disease severity and affecting the final outcome in HIV-1 infection.
Structural and functional modularity of proteins in the de novo purine biosynthetic pathway

It is generally accepted that naturally existing functional domains can serve as building blocks for complex protein structures, and that novel functions can arise from assembly of different combinations of these functional domains. To inform our understanding of protein evolution and explore the modular nature of protein structure, two model enzymes were chosen for study, purT‐encoded glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (PurT) and purK‐encoded N5‐carboxylaminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase (PurK). Both enzymes are found in the de novo purine biosynthetic pathway of Escherichia coli. In spite of their low sequence identity, PurT and PurK share significant similarity in terms of tertiary structure, active site organization, and reaction mechanism. Their characteristic three domain structures categorize both PurT and PurK as members of the ATP‐grasp protein superfamily. In this study, we investigate the exchangeability of individual protein domains between these two enzymes and the in vivo and in vitro functional properties of the resulting hybrids. Six domain‐swapped hybrids were unable to catalyze full wild‐type reactions, but each hybrid protein could catalyze partial reactions. Notably, an additional loop replacement in one of the domain‐swapped hybrid proteins was able to restore near wild‐type PurK activity. Therefore, in this model system, domain‐swapped proteins retained the ability to catalyze partial reactions, but further modifications were required to efficiently couple the reaction intermediates and achieve catalysis of the full reaction. Implications for understanding the role of domain swapping in protein evolution are discussed.
Forecasting Labor Force Participation and Economic Resources of the Early Baby Boomers

This paper forecasts the retirement patterns and resources of the Early Baby Boomers by estimating forward-looking dynamic models of labor force participation, wealth accumulation and pension and Social Security benefit claiming for older workers using seven waves of HRSdata. The two most important innovations of our proposed approach are the use of alternative measures of pension entitlements and the associated incentives, and accounting for subjective expectations about future work. Our main findings are that the Early Baby Boomers will work longer and claim Social Security later.
Study of the Correlation between the Romanian Stock Market and S&P500 Index during 2007-2009

This article aims to study the evolution of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE) and the particularities of its correlation with international stock markets during Jan 2007 - Dec 2009. The linear regression and correlation analysis on weekly and monthly data shows a good degree of synchronization between the main indices of BSE and S&P500, but also sometimes a specific behavior of the Romanian stock market that could be at least partly explained by its lack of maturity.
Strategiskt spelande för en positiv avkastning

This study compiles a total of five statistical models of how to predict the probable outcome in football games in the German football league, the Bundesliga. The models are based on quantitative historical data from 1683 games and estimate probabilities of the outcomes home win (1), draw (X) and away win (2). The purpose of the study is to test whether a more accurate prediction can be formulated with increased historical data added to the models. From this we examine if these statistical models can outperform the probabilities generated by the gambling company Digibet. It is further tested whether the models through strategic gambling may generate a positive return. The models used are based on an ordered-probit regression with 13 variables. In conclusion, the study shows that more historical statistical data results in a more appropriate model for prediction. However, there is no evidence to demonstrate that the statistical models can predict probabilities better than Digibet. A final conclusion is that applying strategic gambling in accordance with the model can generate a positive return.
How Robust is the Daily Seasonal in Irish Equities?

This paper examines, in a statistically robust manner, the question of whether daily seasonality exists in the Irish market. The paper starts with a brief literature review, and a rather longer discussion of the particular methodological challenges such investigations pose. These challenges are, it is hoped, faced and, partially at least, overcome in the remainder of the paper. The findings are that after adjusting for sample size and taking into account the non-normality of the data, the evidence for daily seasonality in the Irish market is much reduced, although not eliminated. The paper goes beyond previous work in its analysis of the second and higher moments, again employing robust and statistically appropriate methods. Evidence is provided of daily seasonality in the second and higher moments that mirror only partially the evidence in the lower moment.
Psychologic implications of orthognathic surgery in patients with skeletal Class II or Class ill malocclusion.

The psychologic profile of 100 consecutive patients undergoing orthognathic surgery for correction of Class II or Class III malocclusion was monitored in a prospective observational study. Patients and their relatives or friends completed questionnaires about their self-image before surgery, 6 weeks postoperatively, and 6 months postoperatively. Preoperatively, patients with Class III malocclusion felt significantly less attractive (P = .03), had slightly higher attention to physical appearance, and had slightly stronger feelings of insecurity regarding their facial appearance compared with Class II patients. Grading of attractiveness/self-confidence improved significantly in Class III patients at 6 weeks postoperatively (P = .006), while in Class II patients the improvement was less pronounced and only significant at 6 months postoperatively (P = .002). Grading of attractiveness/self-confidence by relatives/friends of patients with Class II and Class III was similar preoperatively, but was significantly higher for Class III patients 6 weeks postoperatively in comparison with Class II patients (P = .048). These data indicate that the psychologic profiles are significantly different between Class II and Class III patients preoperatively and show different dynamics postoperatively.