Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Directional persistence of chemotactic bacteria in a traveling concentration wave

Chemotactic bacteria are known to collectively migrate towards sources of attractants. In confined convectionless geometries, concentration “waves” of swimming Escherichia coli can form and propagate through a self-organized process involving hundreds of thousands of these microorganisms. These waves are observed in particular in microcapillaries or microchannels; they result from the interaction between individual chemotactic bacteria and the macroscopic chemical gradients dynamically generated by the migrating population. By studying individual trajectories within the propagating wave, we show that, not only the mean run length is longer in the direction of propagation, but also that the directional persistence is larger compared to the opposite direction. This modulation of the reorientations significantly improves the efficiency of the collective migration. Moreover, these two quantities are spatially modulated along the concentration profile. We recover quantitatively these microscopic and macroscopic observations with a dedicated kinetic model.
The democratic Anchorage of Governance Networks

Governance through the negotiated interaction of a plurality of public, semi-public and private actors seems to provide an efficient means for governing our increasingly complex, fragmented and multi-layered societies. However, the big question is whether governance networks also contribute to the democratic governance of society. Governance network theory and post-liberal theories of democracy claim that there are both democratic problems and potentials associated with interactive network governance. In order to be able to assess, and possibly improve, the democratic performance of governance networks, the authors of this article develop and substantiate an analytical model for measuring the democratic anchorage of governance networks in different political constituencies and in an appropriate set of democratic rules and norms. In addition, it is argued that politicians should play a key role in efforts to ensure the democratic anchorage of governance networks.
CITES and Livelihood

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is the key international agreement regulating trade in wildlife. It works through a system of trade controls based on biological and international trade data of species. Trade regulations also affect local people as many rural households, especially in developing countries, depend on trade in wildlife for their livelihood. In the last few years, there is a growing realization within CITES that effect on local populations cannot be ignored while implementing regulations to control wildlife trade internationally. This article discusses the livelihood debate within CITES and analyses whether it is an issue CITES should consider. The article concludes that as synergy between multilateral agreements is increasing and as the livelihoods debate surfaces at every CITES meeting, it is an issue CITES cannot take lightly. Detailed research studying the effect on local communities and how livelihoods is incorporated within CITES is required. Considering the outcome at the CITES Conference of Parties (CoP) 14 held in June 2007, recommendations are given in this article for paving the way forward.
Human KIR repertoires: shaped by genetic diversity and evolution

Killer cell immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIRs) on natural killer (NK) cells are crucially involved in the control of cancer development and virus infection by probing cells for proper expression of HLA class I. The clonally distributed expression of KIRs leads to great combinatorial diversity that develops in the presence of the evolutionary older CD94/NKG2A receptor to create highly stochastic but tolerant repertoires of NK cells. These repertoires are present at birth and are subsequently shaped by an individuals’ immunological history toward recognition of self. The single most important factor that shapes functional NK cell repertoires is the genetic diversity of KIR, which is characterized by the presence of group A and B haplotypes with complementary gene content that are present in all human populations. Group A haplotypes constitute the minimal genetic entity that provides high affinity recognition of all major human leukocyte antigen class I‐encoded ligands, whereas group B haplotypes contribute to the diversification of NK cell repertoires by providing sets of stimulatory KIR genes that modify NK cell responses. We suggest a cooperative model for the balancing selection of A and B haplotypes, which is driven by the need to provide a suitable corridor of repertoire complexity in which A/A individuals with only 16 different KIR combinations coexist with A/B and B/B donors expressing up to 2048 different clone types.
Bargaining with uncertain value distributions

This paper studies a bargaining model in which the seller is uncertain about which distribution the buyer's values are drawn from. The distribution of the buyer's values is fixed across periods, while the buyerâ€™s values are drawn independently from the distribution each period. In the classical model of repeated bargaining where the buyerâ€™s value is drawn from a commonly known distribution and fixed across periods, the high-value buyer has a strong incentive to conceal his value, and the seller loses most of her bargaining power. An important question is whether adding a layer of uncertainty makes the high-value buyer more willing to accept high-price offers and improves the sellerâ€™s revenue. We find this to be the case as long as the sellerâ€™s ex ante beliefs are sufficiently optimistic.
Exposure to Low pH Is Not Required for Penetration of Mosquito Cells by Sindbis Virus

ABSTRACT It is widely held that the penetration of cells by alphaviruses is dependent on exposure to the acid environment of an endosome. The alphavirus Sindbis virus replicates in both vertebrate and invertebrate cell cultures. We have found that exposure to an acid environment may not be required for infection of cells of the insect host. In this work, we investigated the effects of two agents (NH4Cl and chloroquine), which raise the pH of intracellular compartments (lysosomotropic weak bases) on the infection and replication of Sindbis virus in cells of the insect host Aedes albopictus. The results show that both of these agents increase the pH of endosomes, as indicated by protection against diphtheria toxin intoxication. NH4Cl blocked the production of infectious virus and blocked virus RNA synthesis when added prior to infection. Chloroquine, in contrast to its effect on vertebrate cells, had no inhibitory effect on infectious virus production in mosquito cells even when added prior to infection. Treatment with NH4Cl did not prevent the penetration of virus RNA into the cell cytoplasm or translation of the RNA to produce a precursor to virus nonstructural proteins. These data suggest that while these two drugs raise the pH of endosomes, they do not block insect cell penetration. These data support previous results published by our laboratory suggesting that exposure to an acid environment within the cell may not be an obligatory step in the process of infection of cells by alphaviruses.
Hospital Cardiovascular Outcome Measures in Federal Pay-for-Reporting and Pay-for-Performance Programs: A Brief Overview of Current Efforts

In recent years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded its array of hospital quality measures in cardiovascular disease. In doing so, CMS has shifted its focus from process measures to outcome measures, increasingly using the measures in pay-for-reporting and performance programs.1 The emerging measures and their association with policy initiatives have changed over time and may be difficult to track for the casual observer, even as they increasingly influence payments to individuals and institutions. This Perspective provides a primer on the CMS hospital cardiovascular outcome measures included in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program (IQR), Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP); and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) Program. We begin with a brief background on past and current CMS quality measurement efforts and then provide an overview of measure specifications for the current cardiovascular outcome measures used in these programs. We then summarize how the measures are currently used in the IQR, HRRP, and HVBP to assess hospital performance. CMS has a history of quality measurement dating back to its implementation of the Medicare Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Program in the early 1980s. Initially, the Peer Review Program conducted implicit reviews of select cases, as suggested to them via beneficiaries, providers, or sampling in order to determine if appropriate care was provided. Over time, CMS reorganized the Peer Review Program into Quality Improvement Organizations, which, in addition to their quality improvement objectives, were charged with systematically gathering and reviewing data for the purpose of quality measurement.2,3 Concerns were raised surrounding the voluntary nature of participation in Quality Improvement Organization measurement activities and the potential for bias toward high-performing hospitals, which would be more likely to participate.4 Partially in response to these concerns, CMS shifted its quality measurement activities away from individual …
The (un)intended outcome of public sector performance measurement

Purpose – To consider the extent to which regimes of performance measurement in the public sector are fit for purpose, and the likely outcomes for public services and public sector workers of such performance measurement systems.Design/methodology/approach – The article considers four key issues: the context and content of performance measurement in the public sector, the specific examples of health care and higher education, the limitations of performance measurement systems, and the likely outcomes of performance measurement systems.Findings – Current systems of performance measurement in the public sector are unlikely to have a significant influence on improving services. The most likely outcomes of these systems is further commodification of services and deprofessionalisation of public sector workers.Originality/value – The article builds on established literature and offers a systematic metaphor‐driven critique of performance management in the public sector, and discusses the implications of this.
Banking Panics: The Role of the First‐Come, First‐Served Rule and Information Externalities

This paper proposes that both the first‐come, first‐served rule and information externalities are important in causing contagious bank runs. The first‐come, first‐served rule creates a negative payoff externality among depositors. This payoff externality forces depositors to respond to early noisy information such as failures of other banks. Therefore, failures of a few banks may trigger runs on other banks. Contagious runs may occur even if (i) depositors choose the Pareto‐dominant equilibrium when there are multiple equilibria and (ii) the deposit contract is chosen to maximize depositor welfare. The feasibility of reforming the FDIC to impose market discipline is also investigated.
Consumer interactions and influences on farmers' market vendors

Abstract Consumers interact with each other and vendors on a social level at farmers' markets. Some consumer social interactions, such as enjoying the market, talking with farmers about seasonal products and making a trip to the market a family event, are significant and positive influences on spending at farmers' markets as identified through a survey of 216 shoppers at eight farmers' markets in Maine. Vendors at these markets were also surveyed, with 65 of the 81 vendors being farmers. Through direct farmer/consumer relations, farmers indicated a willingness to reduce chemical inputs to meet customer demands, suggesting that customer interaction has the potential to affect environmental quality. By examining the linkages between producers and consumers at a direct market—often embedded with a sense of local identity—there is the potential to better understand social interactions that can support the economic and environmental sustainability of local agriculture.
Interactions of Murine APOBEC3 and Human APOBEC3G with Murine Leukemia Viruses

ABSTRACT APOBEC3 proteins are cytidine deaminases which help defend cells against retroviral infections. One antiviral mechanism involves deaminating dC residues in minus-strand DNA during reverse transcription, resulting in G-to-A mutations in the coding strand. We investigated the effects of mouse APOBEC3 (mA3) and human APOBEC3G (hA3G) upon Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV). We find that mA3 inactivates MLV but is significantly less effective against MLV than is hA3G. In contrast, mA3 is as potent against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1, lacking the protective Vif protein) as is hA3G. The two APOBEC3 proteins are packaged to similar extents in MLV particles. Dose-response profiles imply that a single APOBEC3 molecule (or oligomer) is sufficient to inactivate an MLV particle. The inactivation of MLV by mA3 and hA3G is accompanied by relatively small reductions in the amount of viral DNA in infected cells. Although hA3G induces significant levels of G-to-A mutations in both MLV and HIV DNAs, and mA3 induces these mutations in HIV DNA, no such mutations were detected in DNA synthesized by MLV inactivated by mA3. Thus, MLV has apparently evolved to partially resist the antiviral effects of mA3 and to totally resist the ability of mA3 to induce G-to-A mutation in viral DNA. Unlike the resistance of HIV-1 and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 to hA3G, the resistance of MLV to mA3 is not mediated by the exclusion of APOBEC from the virus particle. The nature of its resistance and the mechanism of inactivation of MLV by mA3 are completely unknown.
Mechanisms of Superstar Formation in German Soccer: Empirical Evidence

Abstract Based on the competing theories of superstar formation proposed by Rosen (1981) and Adler (1985) it is controversial if first hand observable talent or other factors like past consumption and popularity influence stardom. This article investigates the emergence of superstars in German soccer. We use data on market values and individual player performance and publicity data to differentiate between Rosen's and Adler's theory of superstar formation. Running quantile regressions we find evidence that Adler's theory applies to German soccer stars. Therefore, not only investments in physical talent but also the cultivation of popularity is an adequate strategy for becoming a superstar.
The H Factor: A Behavioral Explanation of Leadership Failures in the 2007-2009 Financial System Meltdown

To date, several technical analyses offer causality for the 2007-2009 “Great Recession. ” This work offers a different perspective by applying behavioral analysis of the actions taken by the relatively small number of leaders in the middle of the maelstrom. Using a behavioral construct called the “H Factor,” the researchers examined how a sample of key players scored on the negative traits of hubris, hypocrisy, and hostility; and on the positive traits of honor, humility, and honesty. The researchers posit that those choosing leaders for key positions could benefit by evaluating candidates through a prism of an H Factor-based analysis.
Guns Versus Butter: A Disaggregated Analysis

Prior studies of the guns-versus-butter trade-off have focused on total military expenditures and subcomponents of welfare spending (education, health, and housing). I extend the analysis to include the major subcomponents of the defense budget. The results are consistent with Clayton's; Domke, Eichenberg, and Kelleher's; and Russett's findings of a lack of defense-welfare trade-off in the 1947–80 era but reveal very specific trade-offs during the Reagan years.
The relationship between nationality and performance in successful attempts to swim across the ‘english channel’ – a retrospective data analysis from 1875 to 2012

Objective: To investigate participation and performance trends regarding the nationality of successful solo swimmers (513 women and 1,167 men) in the ‘English Channel Swim’. Methods: The nationality and the total swimming times were analyzed for all swimmers who successfully crossed the English Channel from 1875 to 2012. Results: The number of successful swimmers increased exponentially across years in both women and men. The highest number of successful female and male swimmers lived in Great Britain, followed by athletes living in the USA and in Australia. The annual fastest women and men improved their swimming times across years. The sex difference in performance remained unchanged at 15 ± 12%. Between 2001 and 2012, the annual fastest three women and men were not able to improve their swimming times. Men achieved 541 ± 57 min and were 55 ± 47 min (13 ± 7%) faster than women with 596 ± 37 min. Regarding the nationality of the successful swimmers, female swimmers from Great Britain achieved most of the annual fastest swimming times ahead of athletes from the USA and Australia. In men, British swimmers achieved most of the annual fastest swimming times ahead of swimmers from Egypt and the USA. Considering the ten fastest swimmers per country, female swimmers from Australia were the fastest ahead of athletes from USA and Great Britain. In men, the ten fastest swimming times were achieved by swimmers living in the USA, Great Britain and Australia. Conclusions: Women and men from Great Britain, Australia and the United States of America represented the largest number of successful solo swimmers in the ‘English Channel Swims’. Additionally, swimmers from these countries achieved the fastest swimming times.
Profile of the ProAxsis active neutrophil elastase immunoassay for precision medicine in chronic respiratory disease

ABSTRACT Introduction: Neutrophil elastase (NE) is a 29kDa serine protease released from the azurophilic granules of neutrophils. It may be directly involved in the pathogenesis and disease progression in cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and COPD through the degradation of airway elastin and by impairing host defence. Areas covered: Measurement of NE activity has emerged as a promising biomarker strategy in inflammatory lung disease. The authors review studies where NE activity has been linked with clinical outcomes such as lung function decline, exacerbation frequency or other cross-sectional and longitudinal markers of disease severity. In this article the evidence for NE measurement, and the strengths and weaknesses of a commercially available immunoassay which can specifically detect NE activity in human biological samples such as sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage are reviewed. Expert commentary: NE is a promising biomarker for stratifying severity disease. NE also appears to be responsive to antibiotic and other treatments, potentially therefore allowing it to be used as an indicator of treatment response in clinical trials.
Women in informal cross-border trade: Evidence from the Central Africa Region

Following the 1980s economic crisis and the implementation of structural adjustments, several people shifted to the informal sector with the hope to earn a living. Among such groups are the cross-border traders. What are the opportunities offered through informal cross-border trade-ICBT? What are the business and institutional constraints hindering the achievement of these opportunities? What are the coping mechanisms and do they differ with gender? These issues are addressed using the survey data covering three border sites in the central Africa region e.g. Cameroon-Gabon-Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria, and Cameroon-Nigeria. A number of clear patterns emerge from the analyses. Firstly, we find significant differences in the male-female socio-economic characteristics. Secondly, opportunities related to ICBT range from the strengthening of regional integration, involvement of women in the decision-making process within households, to the fulfilment of basic needs. Thirdly, negative aspects of ICBT include violence-both physical and psychological and poor childrearing. We finally find gender differentials not only in the constraints faced, but in the coping strategies as well.
The Spoiler Effect ? : Designing Social TV Content That Promotes Ongoing WOM

Television shows are now instigating online social interactions between viewers by requesting viewers, as part of the first broadcasts, to participate in simultaneous discussions about shows. In this work, we analyze and quantify the effect of strategies used in an American reality singing show to engage viewers. We show three main results: 1) when specific tweet messages are posted on the TV screen during the show, the tweets are much more likely to be discussed by viewers than messages created by the same online social media users during the show that are not posted on the screen; 2) there is a difference between social media engagement response to specific tweet messages and more general social media content-specific tweets with new information result in more engagement on the first show airing; and 3) there is a difference in overall response to specific social media tweet messages on the West Coast of the US since results by the time of airing have been spoiled.
Site Preferences of Insertional Mutagenesis Agents in Arabidopsis

We have performed a comparative analysis of the insertion sites of engineered Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) insertional mutagenesis vectors that are based on the maize (Zea mays) transposable elements and Agrobacterium T-DNA. The transposon-based agents show marked preference for high GC content, whereas the T-DNA-based agents show preference for low GC content regions. The transposon-based agents show a bias toward insertions near the translation start codons of genes, while the T-DNAs show a predilection for the putative transcriptional regulatory regions of genes. The transposon-based agents also have higher insertion site densities in exons than do the T-DNA insertions. These observations show that the transposon-based and T-DNA-based mutagenesis techniques could complement one another well, and neither alone is sufficient to achieve the goal of saturation mutagenesis in Arabidopsis. These results also suggest that transposon-based mutagenesis techniques may prove the most effective for obtaining gene disruptions and for generating gene traps, while T-DNA-based agents may be more effective for activation tagging and enhancer trapping. From the patterns of insertion site distributions, we have identified a set of nucleotide sequence motifs that are overrepresented at the transposon insertion sites. These motifs may play a role in the transposon insertion site preferences. These results could help biologists to study the mechanisms of insertions of the insertional mutagenesis agents and to design better strategies for genome-wide insertional mutagenesis.
Quantitative Asset Pricing Implications of Endogenous Solvency Constraints

We study the asset pricing implications of an economy where solvency constraints are determined to efficiently deter agents from defaulting. We present a simple example for which efficient allocations and all equilibrium elements are characterized analytically. The main model produces large equity premia and risk premia for long term bonds with low risk aversion and a plausibly calibrated income process. We characterize the deviations from independence of aggregate and individual income uncertainty that produce equity and term premia.