Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The mutational load with epistatic gene interactions in fitness.

HE mutational load is defined as the proportion by which the population (CROW 1958). In a very large population, where the mutant genes are kept in low frequencies by the balance between mutation and selection, it represents the intensity of natural selection at the genotypic level. The mutational load in a large population was first calculated by HALDANE (1937) without assuming an epistatic component in fitness. Later, a similar but more detailed calculation was carried out by KIMURA (1961). Also, the mutational load in a small population was studied by KIMURA, MARUYAMA and CROW (1963). The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the effect of epistasis on the mutational load, using a model which assumes that the fitness is a function of the number of mutant genes in an individual. In particular, we will elaborate the case of quadratic interaction in fitness, namely, the deleterious effect of mutant genes to an individual is given by the quadratic expression of the number of mutant genes. This includes a case where the deleterious effect is proportional to the square of the number of mutant genes. Such a model may be realistic if the phenotypic suppression of mutational damage by developmental homeostasis breaks down rapidly as the number of mutant genes increases. In follows, we assume very population and investigate first the free among mutant genes. Then, investigate population of a hypothetical organism having only one pair of chromosomes within which no crossing takes place. also study the mutational load under asexual repro-duction. Finally, these results will be compared with other types of epistasis such as threshold character and “diminishing type” epistasis.
GoFish: fishing thousand words worth a picture

Marking the image content with descriptive keywords (also known as tags) is an effective way of improving the accessibility of images. However, doing so practically is boring as well as laborious to most humans. In the recent times, there have been number of attempts to inspire humans to annotate images. Notable examples are social tagging like Flickr and online games like ESP. However, existing methods in their present form are inadequate to result in annotations of superior quality. Therefore, we present GoFish, an intelligent system for semantic annotation of images. GoFish is a web variant of standard Go Fish, a popular playing card game. GoFish utilizes the theory of Emergent Semantics to ensure that all images will have superior tags. We describe the complete design of the game and discuss its benefits. Results of a preliminary user study are encouraging.
Nucleotide sequence of the Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 recA homolog and construction of a recA-deficient mutant

Degenerate oligonucleotide primers were used in PCR to amplify a region of the recA homolog from Porphyromonas gingivalis W83. The resulting PCR fragment was used as a probe to identify a recombinant lambda DASH phage (L10) carrying the P. gingivalis recA homolog. The recA homolog was localized to a 2.1-kb BamHI fragment. The nucleotide sequence of this 2.1-kb fragment was determined, and a 1.02-kb open reading frame (341 amino acids) was detected. The predicted amino acid sequence was strikingly similar (90% identical residues) to the RecA protein from Bacteroides fragilis. No SOS box, characteristic of LexA-regulated promoters, was found in the 5' upstream region of the P. gingivalis recA homolog. In both methyl methanesulfonate and UV survival experiments the recA homolog from P. gingivalis complemented the recA mutation of Escherichia coli HB101. The cloned P. gingivalis recA gene was insertionally inactivated with the ermF-ermAM antibiotic resistance cassette to create a recA-deficient mutant (FLL33) by allelic exchange. The recA-deficient mutant was significantly more sensitive to UV irradiation than the wild-type strain, W83. W83 and FLL33 showed the same level of virulence in in vivo experiments using a mouse model. These results suggest that the recA gene in P. gingivalis W83 plays the expected role of repairing DNA damage caused by UV irradiation. However, inactivation of this gene did not alter the virulence of P. gingivalis in the mouse model.
Kisspeptin: A Potential Factor for Unexplained Infertility and Impaired Embryo Implantation

Background Kisspeptin (KP) is a neuropeptide that causes the release of the gonadotropin releasing hormone, which controls hypothalamo pituitary ovarian axis and exerts a number of peripheral effects on reproductive organs. The primary objective of this study was to compare baseline KP levels in females with different types of infertility and identify possible correlations with risk of failure to conceive, preclinical abortion and pregnancy after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Materials and Methods A longitudinal cohort study was carried out from August 2014 until May 2015 by recruiting 124 female patients undergoing ICSI, after obtaining ethical approval from the Australian Concept Infertility Medical Center. Cause of infertility due to male, female and unexplained factors was at a frequency of 32 (24%), 33 (31%) and 59 (45%) among the individuals respectively. KP levels were measured by ELISA assay before the initiation of the ICSI treatment protocol. Outcome of ICSI was categorized into three groups of non-pregnant with beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG)<5-25 mIU/ml, preclinical abortion with β-hCG>25 mIU/ml and no cardiac activity, and clinical pregnancy declared upon confirmation of cardiac activity. Results based on cause of infertility and outcome groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Results Females with unexplained infertility had significantly lower levels of KP when compared with those with male factor infertility (176.69 ± 5.03 vs. 397.6 ± 58.2, P=0.001). Clinical pregnancy was observed in 28 (23%) females of which 17 (71%) had a female cause of infertility. In the non-pregnant group of 66 (53%) females, common cause of infertility was unexplained 56(85%). A weak positive correlation of KP levels with fertilized oocytes and endometrial thickness was observed (P=0.04 and 0.01 respectively). Conclusion Deficiency of KP in females with unexplained infertility was associated with reduced chances of implantation after ICSI.
Financial crises and financial market regulation: the long record of an 'emerger'

The main goal of this paper is to trace the long record of financial crises and financial market regulation from the perspective of an emerging economy. Two questions are addressed: first, what explains the incidence and severity of financial crises in an emerging market economy? And, second, what is the role of learning: how does the country learn from its past experience in financial crises to improve institutions and develop better techniques so as to successfully manage successive crisis events? To answer the above questions, I first present evidence on financial crises in Greece over a long time span. Greece has been chosen as an appropriate case-study since it is a country with a rich history in financial crises. I try to identify a variety of crisis events, thus providing a chronology. Moreover, I present a number of facts about the incidence, frequency and severity of crises events. Second, I discuss the key determinants of the crises, which are closely related to country-specific factors, such as credit expansion, fiscal imbalances, and the limited reserve coverage of the monetary base. And third, I deal with the evolution of the regulation. I place emphasis on the post-crisis regulatory responses that changed the country’s institutional developments.
Capacity of Nakagami- $m$ Fading Channel With BPSK/QPSK Modulations

In this letter, we develop a recurrence formula for the capacity of Nakagami-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$ </tex-math></inline-formula> fading channel with BPSK/QPSK modulations when channel state information is available at the receiver. For each fading parameter <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, a simply constructed series representation with a fast-convergence rate can be obtained through the recurrence formula. The series expansion provides a numerically efficient way to calculate the capacity for both Rayleigh and Nakagami-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$ </tex-math></inline-formula> fading channels. The simulation results show that the recurrence formula is a good alternative for estimating the capacity of Nakagami fading channel.
The relationship between country‐of‐origin image and brand image as drivers of purchase intentions : A test of alternative perspectives

– Against the background of mounting criticism of the country‐of‐origin (COO) construct, the purpose of this paper is to empirically contrast two competing perspectives of the potential influence of country‐of origin image (COI) on purchase intentions. , – Based on personal interviews with over 300 UK consumers, the paper investigates the relative impact of COI and brand image as independent drivers (“orthogonality” perspective), and as causally‐linked drivers (“irradiation” perspective) on consumers’ intentions to buy specific US and Chinese brands. , – Controlling for the effects of brand familiarity, the analysis shows that COI impacts purchase intentions indirectly in that its influence is fully mediated by brand image. These findings are consistent with an “irradiation” perspective of COI effects and demonstrate that brand image evaluations already encapsulate consumers’ COI perceptions. , – Based on the country/brand combinations investigated, the results show that the recent criticism against the COO construct is largely unfounded and that the construct remains relevant to international marketing theory and practice. , – COO remains a relevant and powerful influence on brand perceptions and, through them, on buying intentions and needs to be carefully managed by companies. , – The paper provides explicit empirical comparison of alternative models depicting potential COO influence on behavioural outcomes (brand image evaluations and purchase intentions) in distinct country/brand combinations.
Cytochrome oxidase activity reveals parcellations of the pigeon’s ectostriatum

The endogenous cytochrome oxidase activity of the pigeon’s ectostriatum, the primary telencephalic structure of the tectofugal visual pathway, was histochemically demonstrated and a heterogeneous distribution of the reaction product was observed. In cross-sections the medial, central and ventrolateral parts of the ectostriatum showed high levels of activity while the centroventral and dorsolateral ectostriatum remained weakly labelled. Only slight left-right and interindividual variations were found in the pattern of labelling. These data demonstrate for the first time anatomical subdivisions within the ectostriatal core and open the possibility of functional parcellations within this structure.
Towards sustainable forest management and improved livelihoods in tropical forests: lessons and conclusions

This chapter synthesises the key themes emanating from the work in Malinau Research Forest (MRF), as pointers towards the sustainable management of tropical forests and positive outcomes for forest-based livelihoods. This book, a summary of the research findings from Phase II, and the technical report from Phase 1 (CIFOR, 2002) both present a picture of extreme change, from a period of centralised control characterised by large-scale logging operations to a period, following decentralisation, dominated by many smaller operators. This has resulted in local communities getting more of the action, and the local authorities becoming more powerful and influential. A new district has emerged, roads and bridges have been constructed, the district capital has grown at unprecedented rates and new actors entered the system (e.g. potential traders in carbon, investors in proposed oil-palm plantations). Major unanticipated changes may be common in dealing with large complex natural resource systems (see the chapter on Malinau in Sayer and Campbell, 2004).
Analyzing Health Equity Using Household Survey Data: A Guide to Techniques and Their Implementation

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. Graduate students may seek permission from the graduate Chair. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Government as Industrial Relations Role Model: The Promotion of Collective Bargaining and Workplace Cooperation by Non-Legislative Mechanisms

Most collective bargaining regimes operate by establishing a right to bargain collectively at enterprise or industry level. In theory, the law operates to facilitate collective bargaining by providing that employers must not refuse to bargain collectively with employee representatives where a sufficient number of employees wish that to happen, even where individual employees are in a weak bargaining position relative to their employers.
19.7 A 16Gb ReRAM with 200MB/s write and 1GB/s read in 27nm technology

Resistive RAMs (ReRAMs) have emerged as leading candidates to displace conventional Flash memories due to their high density, good scalability, low power and high performance. Previous ReRAM designs demonstrating high performance have done so on low density arrays (<;1Gb) while those reporting high-density arrays (>8Gb) were accompanied by relatively low read and write performance [1-5]. This work describes a 16Gb ReRAM designed in a 27nm node, with a 1GB/s DDR interface and an 8-bank concurrent DRAM-like core architecture. High parallelism, a pipelined data-path architecture and innovations such as concurrent set/reset verify combine to achieve 200MB/s write and 1GB/s read throughputs in a high-density device.
Business roles enabled by Ambient Networking to provide access for anyone to any network and service

This paper will describe roles and market actors enabling new forms of co-operation and competition using Ambient Networks technology and concepts. According to the Ambient Networks vision âanyâ user will be able to connect to âanyâ network, which will challenge traditional âone operator â one subscriberâ solutions. Ambient Networks will stimulate an unbundled value network but will also facilitate the dynamic and flexible way of doing business in an environment with many access and service providers. The roles described in more detail in this paper are the Local Access Provider, Access Aggregator, Access Broker, Trusted Third Party, ClearingHouse, Compensation Service Provider and Service Aggregator.
The Role of Impersonal Data Disclosure in the Selection of Australian Retail Investment Funds

The purchase decision for a retail investor is complex, and is based upon multiple attributes derived from impersonal and interpersonal information sources. In this paper we look at the important role that impersonal data disclosure plays in the selection and retention of Australia's 2,637 retail equity investment funds. We find that fund size, past performance, agency ratings, and the management expense ratio (MER) are widely used by retail investors in investment decision making. We conclude that the only disclosure that provides any valuable utility to a retail investor is the MER. As such, the MER should be the key selection criteria for retail investors when making choices regarding investment funds.
Mutational Analysis of Vaccinia Virus E3 Protein: the Biological Functions Do Not Correlate with Its Biochemical Capacity To Bind Double-Stranded RNA

ABSTRACT Vaccinia E3 protein has the biochemical capacity of binding to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). The best characterized biological functions of the E3 protein include its host range function, suppression of cytokine expression, and inhibition of interferon (IFN)-induced antiviral activity. Currently, the role of the dsRNA binding capacity in the biological functions of the E3 protein is not clear. To further understand the mechanism of the E3 protein biological functions, we performed alanine scanning of the entire dsRNA binding domain of the E3 protein to examine the link between its biochemical capacity of dsRNA binding and biological functions. Of the 115 mutants examined, 20 were defective in dsRNA binding. Although the majority of the mutants defective in dsRNA binding also showed defective replication in HeLa cells, nine mutants (I105A, Y125A, E138A, F148A, F159A, K171A, L182A, L183A, and I187/188A) retained the host range function to various degrees. Further examination of a set of representative E3L mutants showed that residues essential for dsRNA binding are not essential for the biological functions of E3 protein, such as inhibition of protein kinase R (PKR) activation, suppression of cytokine expression, and apoptosis. Thus, data described in this communication strongly indicate the E3 protein performs its biological functions via a novel mechanism which does not correlate with its dsRNA binding activity. IMPORTANCE dsRNAs produced during virus replication are important pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) for inducing antiviral immune responses. One of the strategies used by many viruses to counteract such antiviral immune responses is achieved by producing dsRNA binding proteins, such as poxvirus E3 family proteins, influenza virus NS1, and Ebola virus V35 proteins. The most widely accepted model for the biological functions of this class of viral dsRNA binding proteins is that they bind to and sequester viral dsRNA PAMPs; thus, they suppress the related antiviral immune responses. However, no direct experimental data confirm such a model. In this study of vaccinia E3 protein, we found that the biological functions of the E3 protein are not necessarily linked to its biochemical capacity of dsRNA binding. Thus, our data strongly point to a new concept of virus modulation of cellular antiviral responses triggered by dsRNA PAMPs.
Managing globally distributed engineering teams: A case study on virtual industrial engineering

Globally distributed engineering teams face particular challenges regarding collaboration and communication. Spatial, temporal and cultural distances force a virtual cooperation that must adequately enable idea mediation and decision making within engineering teams. Thus, the engineering management plays a central role and therefore has to react to support and govern those teams. On this perspective, this contribution shares fundamental insights, results, challenges, and implications derived from a nine-month engineering project between students from Stanford University and Hasso Plattner Institute, their focus user group, and their client principal-a leading German engineering enterprise conglomerate.
Programmed death‐1 ligands 1 and 2 expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and their relationship with tumour‐ infiltrating dendritic cells

The programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) receptor ligands, PD‐L1 and PD‐L2, are co‐stimulatory molecules that contribute to the negative regulation of T lymphocyte activation. It is still unclear whether there is correlation between PD‐L1 or PD‐L2 and tumour‐infiltrating dendritic cells (TIDCs) in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). The aim of this study was to analyse PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 expression and dendritic cells infiltration in tumour tissue of CSCC patients and investigate their clinical significance. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to evaluate the expression of PD‐L1, PD‐L2, CD1a and CD83 in 61 CSCC tissues. The immunofluoresence double‐labelling technique was performed to detect the co‐expression of PD‐L1 or PD‐L2 and CD1a or CD83 in tumour tissues. We found that 25 of 61 cases CSCC (40·98%) exhibited positivity for PD‐L1, whereas 37 of 61 cases CSCC (60·66%) exhibited positivity for PD‐L2. A higher percentage of CD1a‐positive cases were observed on both PD‐L1‐positive and PD‐L2‐positive specimens compared with that of CD83‐positive cases (92·29% versus 37·60%, 83·20% versus 33·16%). The expression of PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 on CD1a+ cells was significantly higher than that on CD83+ cells in tumour tissues of CSCC patients. Furthermore, the expression rate of PD‐L1 was associated with UICC stage, and the expression rate of PD‐L2 was associated with predominant differentiation and tumour size in CSCC. Our results indicated that higher expression of PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 on CD1a+ cells than that on CD83+ cells in CSCC tumour tissues may contribute to negative regulation in anti‐tumour immune responses.
Short-term plasticity in primary somatosensory cortex of the rat after hindlimb suspension.

Since the last 25 years, the cortex is considered as a dynamic entity, susceptible of changes. Various types of modifications in stimuli may lead to the plasticity of the target neurons. These include immobilisation, denervation, amputation, deafferentation. In the somatosensory system, the most important changes are a substantial reorganisation of the cortical somatotopic representation, and an enlargement of the receptive fields (RF) of cortical neurons. Hindlimb suspension (HS) is characterized by the absence of weight-bearing and a reduced motor activity. In these conditions, the cutaneous receptors located on the foot sole are deactivated. Our hypothesis is that this condition of HS can produce a reorganisation of the somatosensory cortex (SmI) and a modification in the size of the cutaneous RF.
Investigation of a dual‐particle liquid–solid circulating fluidized bed bioreactor for extractive fermentation of lactic acid

A dual‐particle liquid–solid circulating fluidized bed (DP‐LSCFB) bioreactor has been constructed and investigated for the simultaneous production and extraction of lactic acid using immobilized Lactobacillus bulgaricus and ion‐exchange resins. The apparatus consisted of a downer fluidized bed, 13 cm I.D. and 4.75 m tall, and a riser fluidized bed, 3.8 cm I.D. and 5.15 m in height. The lactic acid production and removal was carried out in the downer, while the riser was used for the recovery of lactic acid. A continuously recirculating bed of ion‐exchange resin was used for adsorption of the produced acid as well as for maintaining optimum pH for bioconversion, thus eliminating the need for costly and complex chemical control approach used in conventional techniques. Studies using lactic acid aqueous solution as feed and sodium hydroxide solution as regeneration stream showed 93% lactic acid removal from the downer and 46% recovery in the riser under the conditions investigated. Such results prove the functionality of using the newly developed bioreactor design for the continuous production and recovery of products of biotechnological significance.
Current status of human oocyte and embryo cryopreservation

Purpose of review To summarize recent advances in oocyte and embryo cryopreservation techniques and outcomes. Recent findings Vitrification is gradually replacing slow freezing due to a better survival rate after thawing. Most units use vitrification for both oocyte and blastocyst cryopreservation, as these two biological structures did not perform very well with slow freezing technique. Basic experiments show that cellular damage seems lower after vitrification. Taken all together, this is helping vitirification to be expanding rapidly, and new clinical indications are being incorporated as well (i.e., fertility preservation). Summary Cryopreservation has been used as a complement to IVF, and recent publications indicate that pregnancy rates achieved with frozen oocytes and embryos are comparable with those achieved in fresh cycles. Multiple publications studying oocyte and embryo physiology during cryopreservation have been published recently; however, larger studies are needed to verify the efficacy of new cryopreservation techniques. Vitrification is a simple and robust technique that is being incorporated into the majority of IVF units, mainly for oocyte and blastocyst cryopreservation.