Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do salt bridges stabilize proteins? A continuum electrostatic analysis

The electrostatic contribution to the free energy of folding was calculated fo 21 salt bridges in 9 r X‐ray crystal structures using a continuum electrostatic approach with the DELPHI computer‐program package. The majority (17) were found to be electrostatically destabilizing; the average free energy change, which is analogous to mutation of salt bridging side chains to hydrophobic isosteres, was calculated to be 3.5 kcal/mol. This is fundamentally different from stability measurements using pKa shifts, which effectively measure the strength of a salt bridge relative to 1 or more charged hydrogen bonds. The calculated effect was due to a large, unfavorable desolvation contribution that was not fully compensated by favorable interactions within the salt bridge and between salt‐bridge partners and other polar and charged groups in the folded protein. Some of the salt bridges were studied in further detail to determine the effect of the choice of values for atomic radii, internal protein dielectric constant, and ionic strength used in the calculations. Increased ionic strength resulted in little or no change in calculated stability for 3 of 4 salt bridges over a range of 0.1‐0.9 M.
Visual artists and digital storytelling in social networking environments

Visual artists increasingly make use of digital means to promote artworks or artistic identities. One such digital means is Instagram, a Web 2.0 platform that has gained importance in the art world over the last decades. Web 2.0 platforms allow users to convey information (narratively), thereby engaging audiences. Digital storytelling has become a buzzword in this respect, and is often discussed in the literature regarding its effects on personal online reputation and consumer-brand connections. It is argued that visual artists are individuals who master branding activities for the sake of managing artistic identities, and are therefore relevant to discuss in the light of digital storytelling. However, the definition of digital storytelling is in need of further clarification. In the context of visual artists in online environments, digital storytelling is defined here as the act of visually presenting the artistic self and/or the personal self, often alongside other agents, objects or phenomena, through multiple varying and engaging SNS posts that together form a certain kind of (ongoing) chronological structure about artistic events, actions and/or outcomes. Following this definition of the concept and a deductive analysis of a sample of the nine most recent posts of 103 visual artists’ Instagram pages, this thesis concludes that visual artists deploy digital storytelling in online environments. By use of an explorative qualitative thematic content analysis, five categories of digital storytelling are extracted from a sample, which are (1) work in progress; (2) exhibition; (3) artist’s journey; (4) project and (5) inspiration. The findings of this thesis highlight the various ways in which visual artists convey digital stories within each of the themes, and may serve as a base of further research on (visual) artists’ use, and the effects of that use, of Web 2.0 platforms from an institutional or social perspective.
Persistent Language Delay Versus Late Language Emergence in Children With Early Cochlear Implantation.

PURPOSE The purpose of the present investigation is to differentiate children using cochlear implants (CIs) who did or did not achieve age-appropriate language scores by midelementary grades and to identify risk factors for persistent language delay following early cochlear implantation. MATERIALS AND METHOD Children receiving unilateral CIs at young ages (12-38 months) were tested longitudinally and classified with normal language emergence (n = 19), late language emergence (n = 22), or persistent language delay (n = 19) on the basis of their test scores at 4.5 and 10.5 years of age. Relative effects of demographic, audiological, linguistic, and academic characteristics on language emergence were determined. RESULTS Age at CI was associated with normal language emergence but did not differentiate late emergence from persistent delay. Children with persistent delay were more likely to use left-ear implants and older speech processor technology. They experienced higher aided thresholds and lower speech perception scores. Persistent delay was foreshadowed by low morphosyntactic and phonological diversity in preschool. Logistic regression analysis predicted normal language emergence with 84% accuracy and persistent language delay with 74% accuracy. CONCLUSION CI characteristics had a strong effect on persistent versus resolving language delay, suggesting that right-ear (or bilateral) devices, technology upgrades, and improved audibility may positively influence long-term language outcomes.
Effect of outdoor and indoor nitrogen dioxide on respiratory symptoms in schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND Nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), an oxidant gas that contaminates both outdoor and indoor air, is considered to be a potential risk factor for asthma. We investigated concurrently the effects of outdoor and indoor NO(2) on the prevalence and incidence of respiratory symptoms among children. METHODS A cohort study was carried out over 3 years on 842 schoolchildren living in seven different communities in Japan. Indoor NO(2) concentrations over 24 hours were measured in both winter and summer in the homes of the subjects, and a 3-year average of the outdoor NO(2) concentration was determined for each community. Respiratory symptoms were evaluated every year from responses to questionnaires. RESULTS The prevalence of bronchitis, wheeze, and asthma significantly increased with increases of indoor NO(2) concentrations among girls, but not among boys. In neither boys nor girls were there significant differences in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among urban, suburban, and rural districts. The incidence of asthma increased among children living in areas with high concentrations of outdoor NO(2). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a 10 parts per billion (ppb) increase of outdoor NO(2) concentration was associated with an increased incidence of wheeze and asthma (odds ratios [OR] = 1.76, 95% CI : 1.04-3.23 and OR = 2.10, 95% CI : 1.10-4.75, respectively), but that no such associations were found with indoor NO(2) concentration (OR = 0.73, 95% CI : 0.45-1.14 and OR = 0.87, 95% CI : 0.51-1.43, respectively). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that outdoor NO(2) air pollution may be particularly important for the development of wheeze and asthma among children. Indoor NO(2) concentrations were associated with the prevalence of respiratory symptoms only among girls. Girls may be more susceptible to indoor air pollution than boys.
Characterization of a centromere-linked recombination hot spot in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A 1.5-kilobase-pair SalI-HindIII (SH) restriction fragment from the region of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome XIV immediately adjacent to the centromere appears to contain sequences that act as a hot spot for mitotic recombination. The presence of SH DNA on an autonomously replicating plasmid stimulates homologous genetic exchange between yeast genomic sequences and those present on the plasmid. In all recombinants characterized, exchange occurs in plasmid yeast sequences adjacent to rather than within the SH DNA. Hybridization analyses reveal that SH-containing plasmids are present in linear as well as circular form in S. cerevisiae and that linear forms are generated by cleavage at specific sites. Presumably, it is the linear form of the plasmid that is responsible for the stimulation of genetic exchange. Based on these observations, it is proposed that this DNA fragment contains a centromere-linked recombination hot spot and that SH-stimulated recombination occurs via a mechanism similar to double-strand-gap repair (J. W. Szostak, T. Orr-Weaver, J. Rothstein, and F. Stahl, Cell 33:25-35 1983).
The Palliative Function of Hostile Sexism among High and Low-Status Chilean Students

Previous studies have demonstrated that justifying the social, economic, and political systems is associated with psychological well-being, which has been termed as the palliative function of ideology. However, little research has been conducted on gender stereotypes among children, comparing by socioeconomic status. This study aimed to fill this gap in the system justification literature. We present data from the Chilean version of the International Survey of Children Well-Being (ISCWeB), which was conducted in 2012. We found that the palliative function of gender stereotypes is present among this sample, being qualified by a socioeconomic status by hostile gender stereotype interaction. In other words, the effect on the psychological well-being was observed in low-status, but not in high-status students. These results extend the previous knowledge about the palliative function of the ideology, suggesting why the low-status members of a society actively engage in system justification.
Investor Overconfidence, Margin Trade and Market Efficiency: Evidence Based on a Recent Financial Market Crash

We investigate the effect of investor overconfidence and margin trades on market efficiency around a market crash. We find that the price delay in a pre-crash period is about twice the price delay in a post-crash period. After a market crash, investors become more sensitive to market movements, resulting in small price delay and high price synchronicity. Margin traders not only trade on market trends but also put additional force on it, escalating the pyramiding and de-pyramiding effects caused by the shift in market sentiment. Finally, our results show that negative information travels slowly only when investors are overconfident.
Recent Advances in Our Understanding of Receptor Binding, Viral Fusion and Cell Entry of Hepatitis C Virus: New Targets for the Design of Antiviral Agents

Improvements to antiviral therapies for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections will require the use of multiple drugs that target viral proteins essential for replication. The discovery of anti-HCV compounds has been severely hampered by the lack of cell culture replication systems. Since the late 1990s, the advent of sub-genomic replicons that model the intracellular events leading to HCV genome replication have enabled the discovery of HCV protease and polymerase inhibitors, but did not allow the study of HCV entry or entry inhibitors. More recently, retroviral pseudotyping of the viral glycoproteins and the development of a cell culture-based system that recapitulates the entire HCV replication cycle were achieved. These new experimental systems have enabled a rapid advance in our knowledge of how HCV glycoproteins, E1 and E2, mediate receptor binding and viral entry. These systems have facilitated the discovery of a range of viral receptors. Evidence is emerging that CD81, scavenger receptor class B type I, claudin-1 and the low-density lipoprotein receptor are involved in viral entry. In addition, DC-SIGN and L-SIGN may function to internalize virus into dendritic or endothelial cells, facilitating the transport of virions to sites of infection such as the liver. This review focuses on the interaction between the HCV glycoproteins and cellular receptors, and our current understanding of the viral entry pathway. In addition, key questions on the role that these receptors play in viral entry are raised and potential avenues for the discovery of new antiviral agents are highlighted.
Changes in cognitive function and brain glucose metabolism in elderly women with subjective memory impairment: a 24‐month prospective pilot study

Subjective memory impairment (SMI) may precede mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage and would offer an earlier therapeutic opportunity than MCI would. However, it is not clear whether complaints of forgetfulness are truly reflective of objective memory dysfunction or of impairments in other cognitive domains. The aim of this current longitudinal study was to investigate changes in various cognitive functions and in regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRglc) among elderly women with SMI.
Effects of Stickiness of Knowledge Transferring across Borders on Choice of International Entrepreneurial Modes

It's a strategic and urgent issue to choose a proper entry mode for international entrepreneurial entities. And knowledge transferring across borders is necessary to international entrepreneurial performance with the knowledge economy coming. While stickiness of knowledge transferring across borders has a critical effect on decision making of international entrepreneurial modes. Firstly this research does a mathematical analysis by cost minimization approach. Then on the base of theoretical results and surveying in 122 international entrepreneurial entities located in China, this research empirically finds that stickiness of knowledge transferring across borders actually affects choice of international entrepreneurial modes. Also this study result shows industry is significant variable to decision making of international entrepreneurial modes while the cultural distance is insignificant to choice of modes
Presenilin-1 acts via Id1 to regulate the function of muscle satellite cells in a γ-secretase-independent manner

Muscle satellite cells are the resident stem cells of adult skeletal muscle. Here, we have examined the role of the multifunctional protein presenilin-1 (PS1) in satellite cell function. PS1 acts as a crucial component of the γ-secretase complex, which is required to cleave single-pass transmembrane proteins such as Notch and amyloid-β precursor protein. PS1, however, also functions through γ-secretase-independent pathways. Activation of satellite cells was accompanied by induction of PS1, with PS1 knockdown enhancing their myogenic differentiation, but reducing their self-renewal. Transfection with siRNA against PS1 led to accelerated myogenic differentiation during muscle regeneration in vivo. Conversely, constitutive expression of PS1 resulted in the suppression of myogenic differentiation and promotion of the self-renewal phenotype. Importantly, we found that PS1 also acts independently of its role in γ-secretase activity in controlling myogenesis, which is mediated in part by Id1 (inhibitor of DNA binding 1), a negative regulator of the myogenic regulatory factor MyoD. PS1 can control Id1, which affects satellite cell fate by regulating the transcriptional activity of MyoD. Taken together, our observations show that PS1 is a key player in the choice of satellite cell fate, acting through both γ-secretase-dependent and γ-secretase-independent mechanisms.
Evidence of Investor Sentiment Contagion across Asset Markets

This study explores investor sentiment contagion across asset markets and relates specific asset market sentiments to other asset markets. The analysis reveals four main findings. First, investor sentiment highly correlates between equity markets. Second, investor sentiment in one asset market can affect those in other markets; for example, sentiments in the bond markets, particularly the US bond market, significantly Granger cause equity market sentiment, but not vice versa. Investor sentiments in the USD–JPY exchange market can Granger cause those in the Euro–USD, gold, and crude oil markets. Third, investor sentiments in the US asset markets have the largest contagion effects on asset markets given the resultant fluctuations in sentiments across other countries. Fourth, US asset market sentiments, especially bond market sentiment, can explain returns in other asset markets in different countries.
Identification and characterization of the terminators of the lys and P transcripts of bacteriophage Mu

Transcription during the lytic cycle of phage Mu occurs in three phases: early, middle, and late. Late transcription requires the Mu C protein and initiates at four promoters: Plys, PI, PP, and Pmom. Northern blot analysis of total RNA isolated 30 min after heat induction of Mu cts lysogens demonstrated that the full-length lys and P transcripts were approximately 7.6 and 6.3 kb long, respectively. The 3' ends of the lys and P transcripts were further localized by S1 nuclease mapping to intergenic regions between G and I and between U and U' in both the G(+) and G(-) orientations of the invertible G segment, respectively. As expected, when DNA fragments containing these termination regions were cloned into plasmids between Pgal and the galK gene, they showed efficient termination activity, even in a Rho-deficient background. Deletion analysis indicated that efficient termination required the presence of potential RNA stem-loop structures immediately preceding the RNA 3' ends. For the P transcript from phage with the G(-) orientation, full termination activity required both the region containing the stem-loop structure and upstream sequences. Taken together, these results suggest that the transcription termination sites of the lys and P transcripts are Rho-independent terminators.
Dose-dependent risk of neutropenia after 7-day courses of artesunate monotherapy in Cambodian patients with acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

BACKGROUND Fears of emerging artemisinin resistance in western Cambodia have prompted a series of clinical trials investigating whether slow responses to antimalarial treatment can be overcome by increasing doses of drug. METHODS Patients with uncomplicated malaria were allocated 1 of 3 oral artesunate monotherapy regimens (2, 4, or 6 mg/kg/day for 7 days) and were observed for 42 days. A series of safety measures, including complete blood count on days 0, 3, 6, and 14, was implemented because of a lack of safety data for these experimental doses. RESULTS After 3 doses, geometric mean absolute neutrophil counts were reduced in all groups, and 2 patients required artesunate to be discontinued because of neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count, <1.0 × 10(3) cells/μL). Recipients of the 6 mg/kg/day dosage had significantly lower geometric mean absolute neutrophil counts than did recipients of the 2 and 4 mg/kg/day dosages at 6 and 14 days (P < .001 for each). Overall, 5 (19%) of 26 patients who received the 6 mg/kg/day dosage became neutropenic within 14 days, triggering a cohort-halting rule and ending the trial early. Pharmacokinetic data from neutropenic patients showed wide variance, with plasma clearance occurring significantly slower in neutropenic patients than in nonneutropenic patients. CONCLUSIONS Artesunate remains a crucial drug for the treatment of malaria, and determining optimal dosing regimens is vital to overcome emerging resistant parasite strains along the Thai-Cambodian border. However, future experimental dosing studies must be designed with care, because the safety of such regimens can no longer be assumed. The artemisinin derivatives remain one of the safest classes of antimalarial drugs, but this study demonstrates that the dosing limit may have been reached.
Capacitance matching effects in negative capacitnace field effect transistor

Negative capacitance effects are experimentally observed in p-type bulk MOSFET with PZT ferroelectric capacitor. The average subthreshold slope of 45 mV/decade at 300 K is experimentally demonstrated with 105 on-/off-current ratio and minimal hysteresis window of 0.2 V, albeit at relatively high drain voltage. Furthermore, a change in the nature of hysteresis was observed with drain voltage, which provides insight into the issues of capacitance matching between the MOSFET and the ferroelectric capacitor.
Predictors of mortality following conservatively managed fractures of the odontoid in elderly patients

Aims Rates of mortality as high as 25% to 30% have been described following fractures of the odontoid in the elderly population. The aim of this study was to examine whether easily identifiable variables present on admission are associated with mortality. Patients and Methods A consecutive series of 83 elderly patients with a fracture of the odontoid following a lowimpact injury was identified retrospectively. Data that were collected included demographics, past medical history and the results of blood tests on admission. Radiological investigations were used to assess the Anderson and D'Alonzo classification and displacement of the fracture. The mean age was 82.9 years (65 to 101). Most patients (66; 79.5%) had a type 2 fracture. An associated neurological deficit was present in 11 (13.3%). All were treated conservatively; 80 (96.4%) with a hard collar and three (3.6%) with halo vest immobilisation. Results The rate of mortality was 16% (13 patients) at 30 days and 24% (20 patients) at one year after injury. A low serum level of haemoglobin and the presence of a neurological deficit on admission were independent predicators of mortality at 30 days on binary logistic regression analysis. A, low level of haemoglobin, admission from an institution, a neurological deficit and type 3 fractures were independent predictors of mortality at one year. Conclusion We suggest that these easily identifiable predictors present on admission can be used to identify patients at high risk and guide management by a multidisciplinary team.
Dairy products and cardiovascular disease

Purpose of review Although it has often been postulated that the consumption of dairy products is associated with a high risk of coronary heart disease, study results have been conflicting. This review summarizes recent observational and human intervention trial findings on dairy products and cardiovascular disease. Recent findings Results from more recent observational studies on dairy products and milk disagree. This may be because of the very different methods used combined with several methodological problems. A somewhat surprising beneficial association between the intake of dairy products and the metabolic syndrome was observed in some studies, although not in a single study of elderly women. Milk may have the same cholesterol-raising properties as butter, whereas cheese does not seem to increase plasma cholesterol. Some milk products fermented by specific bacterial strains have been shown to have rather moderate cholesterol-reducing properties. There is also good evidence that certain fermented products (especially by Lactobacillus helveticus) have a mildly decreasing effect on hypertension, probably because of bioactive peptides. Summary When guiding principles such as balance, variety and moderation are stressed, there is no strong evidence that dairy products increase the risk of coronary heart disease in healthy men of all ages or young and middle-aged healthy women. Human studies should investigate the role of dairy products with respect to sex and age by including classic and novel risk markers of coronary heart disease. Specific fermented milks may be beneficial in the future prevention of hypertension. The beneficially neutral effect of cheese on coronary heart disease risk factors should be elucidated further.
Relationships between exchange rates, economic growth and FDI in China: An empirical study based on the TVP-VAR model

This paper investigates the relationships between exchange rates, economic growth and foreign direct investment through a time-variant parameter VAR model using monthly data from China for the period 2001-2016. The focus is on the reaction of economic growth to a shock change in exchange rates or foreign direct investment. The dynamic impulse response function showed that the relationships do not instigate great change. A positive shock in the real exchange rate slows down FDI inflows, with no evidence to support the contractionary devaluation theory in China, which suggests that an increase in the real RMB exchange rate generally causes a negative influence on China’s economic growth. The empirical results of this research contradict what intuition suggests and indicates that FDI has generated an ambiguous effect on economic growth in the past few years. Before 2008, shock changes in FDI would cause economic growth to lag for one period. Since then, the lag phenomenon has disappeared due to better regulation and a maturing financial market.