Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tn5-induced mutations affecting virulence factors of Bordetella pertussis

Transposon Tn5 was used to isolate mutants of Bordetella pertussis. Strains with Tn5 insertions were screened for loss of virulence-associated factors, including filamentous hemagglutinin, hemolysin, and pertussis toxin. Several mutants deficient for hemolysin production were obtained. All produced dermonecrotic toxin, pertussis toxin, and filamentous hemagglutinin, but were found to vary with respect to adenylate cyclase production. One hemolysin mutant had no detectable adenylate cyclase activity; others had 0.6% or 16% wild-type activity, whereas a fourth seemed to be unaffected in terms of adenylate cyclase activity. Mutants deficient in the ability to hemagglutinate sheep erythrocytes were also isolated. These mutants either failed to synthesize or produced reduced amounts of three protein species of 200,000, 130,000, and 100,000 daltons, all of which reacted with antiserum to filamentous hemagglutinin. Pertussis toxin mutants were identified by screening culture supernatants for failure to induce a clustered growth pattern in Chinese hamster ovary cells, and identification was confirmed by the standard histamine-sensitizing assay in mice. These mutants will be useful to determine the relative contribution of each virulence factor to pathogenicity as well as to determine the identity of the antigens important in protective immunity.
Role of Plant Transcription Factors in Abiotic Stress Tolerance

Plants are constantly exposed to a wide range of environmental stresses such as drought, high salt, heat and extremes of temperature. Growth constraints due to these abiotic stresses result in reduced productivity and significant crop losses globally. Drought and salinity affect more than 10% of arable land, which results in more than 50% decline in the average yields of important crops worldwide (Bray et al., 2000). Tolerance or susceptibility to these stresses is also a very intricate event as stress may affect multiple stages of plant development and often several stresses concurrently affect the plants (Chinnusamy et al., 2004). Therefore, the basic mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance and adaptation have been the area of comprehensive research. Plants counter adverse environmental conditions in a complex, integrated way depending on the timing and length that allows them to respond and adapt to the existing constraints present at a given time. Plant stress tolerance involves changes at whole-plant, tissue, cellular, physiological and molecular levels. Exhibition of a distinct or a combination of intrinsic changes ascertains the capacity of a plant to sustain itself under unfavorable environmental conditions (Farooq et al., 2009). This comprises a range of physiological and biochemical adjustments in plants including leaf wilting, leaf area reduction, leaf abscission, root growth stimulation, alterations in relative water content (RWC), electrolytic leakage (EL), production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and accumulation of free radicals which disturb cellular homeostasis ensuing lipid peroxidation, membrane damage, and inactivation of enzymes thus influencing cell viability (Bartels and Sunkar, 2005). Other than these, abscissa acid (ABA), a plant stress hormone, induces leaf stomata closure, thus reducing transpirational water loss and photosynthetic rate which improves the water-use efficiency (WUE) of the plant. Molecular responses to abiotic stress on the other hand include perception, signal transduction, gene expression and ultimately metabolic changes in the plant thus providing stress tolerance (Agarwal et al., 2006). Several genes are activated in response to abiotic stresses at the transcriptional level, and their products are contemplated to provide stress tolerance by the production of vital metabolic proteins and also in regulating the downstream genes (Kavar et al., 2007). Transcript profiling can be a significant tool for the characterization of stress-responsive genes. Extensive transcriptome analyses have divulged that these gene products can largely be classified into two groups (Bohnert et al., 2001; Seki et al., 2002; Fowler and Thomashow, 2002). First group comprises of genes that encode for proteins that defend the cells from the
Clinical features and biological implications of different U2AF1 mutation types in myelodysplastic syndromes

U2AF1 mutations (U2AF1MT) occur commonly in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) without ring sideroblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and biological implications of different U2AF1 mutation types in MDS. We performed targeted gene sequencing in a cohort of 511 MDS patients. Eighty‐six patients (17%) were found to have U2AF1MT, which occurred more common in younger patients (P = .001) and represented ancestral lesions in a substantial proportion (71%) of cases. ASXL1MT and isolated +8 were significantly enriched in U2AF1MT‐positive cases, whereas TP53MT, SF3B1MT, and complex karyotypes were inversely associated with U2AF1MT. U2AFS34 subjects were enriched for isolated +8 and were inversely associated with complex karyotypes. U2AF1MT was significantly associated with anemia, thrombocytopenia, and poor survival in both lower‐risk and higher‐risk MDS. U2AF1S34 subjects had more frequently platelet levels of <50 × 109/L (P = .043) and U2AF1Q157/U2AF1R156 subjects had more frequently hemoglobin concentrations at <80 g/L (P = .008) and more often overt fibrosis (P = .049). In conclusion, our study indicates that U2AF1MT is one of the earliest genetic events in MDS patients and that different types of U2AF1MT have distinct clinical and biological characteristics.
Reducing Financial Barriers to Accessing WASH services

This paper examines the reasons why different approaches might be adopted for reducing financial barriers to accessing certain health, water supply and sanitation goods and services. The health sector has been moving towards a policy of abandoning user fees and promoting free distribution of primary health care goods and services. However, in the water and sanitation sector it is common for households to make some financial payments. For organisations like UNICEF that are interested in suitable pro-poor policies in both the health and the water and sanitation sectors, it is important to understand these different approaches and the appropriate measures which governments and others can take to ensure access for the poor. The economic concepts behind the categorisation of private and public goods provide a basis for examining the differences in the nature of various health, water supply and sanitation goods and services. Primary health goods are normally required only occasionally, and they usually have low demand but significant positive externalities. They are suitable for consideration as merit goods and to be provided free to consumers. The nature of water supplies is quite different. Water is a daily human need. A water system has substantial capital and operating costs. Moreover water requires some form of rationing to avoid over-use and waste. Providing water for free is seen to be non-viable and other approaches are required to ensure poor people have adequate access. Sanitation has a crucial behavioural change aspect that requires financing to ensure that sanitation products are then to be taken up and used. Appropriate measures for addressing financial barriers to accessing health, water supply and sanitation goods and services will vary from product to product, based on a careful examination of the nature of the product. These might include social protection measures which go beyond the scope of the water sector itself.
Complex I Defect in muscle from patients with Huntington's disease

We found a variable defect of complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, ranging in severity from 25% to 63% of control values, in muscle of patients with Huntington's disease (HD). The most severe defect was observed in the patient with the greatest expansion of CAG triplets. Muscle morphology showed myopathic changes such as moth‐eaten fibers, angulated fibers, increased subsarcolemmal oxidative activities, or an increased number of enlarged mitochondria with abnormal cristae. Multiple mitochondrial DNA deletions were found by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis in muscle of the patient with the most severe defect of complex I. Our data further support the involvement of energetic defects and oxidative damage in muscle of patients with HD.
Calculating Estate Tax Liability: 2001 to 2011 and Beyond

This report provides a basic explanation of how to calculate the federal estate tax liability for a taxable estate of any given size, using the schedule of graduated marginal tax rates and the applicable exclusion amount or the applicable credit amount for the year of death. The “applicable exclusion amount” is the amount of any decedent’s taxable estate that is free from tax. It is known informally as the estate tax “exemption. ” The “applicable credit amount” or “unified credit” is the corresponding tax credit. It is equal to the tax that would be due on a taxable estate that is the size of the applicable exclusion amount.
Alpha Heating and Burning Plasmas in Inertial Confinement Fusion

Assessing the degree to which fusion alpha particles contribute to the fusion yield is essential to understanding the onset of the thermal runaway process of thermonuclear ignition. It is shown that in inertial confinement fusion, the yield enhancement due to alpha particle heating (before ignition occurs) depends on the generalized Lawson parameter that can be inferred from experimental observables. A universal curve valid for arbitrary laser-fusion targets shows the yield amplification due to alpha heating for a given value of the Lawson parameter. The same theory is used to determine the onset of the burning plasma regime when the alpha heating exceeds the compression work. This result can be used to assess the performance of current ignition experiments at the National Ignition Facility.
Performance Indicators of social responsibility: the case of agricultural enterprise in the inter-regional/trans-national project model

This project is designed to create a platform of social responsibility (SR) performance indicators within the inter-regional/trans-national project "Creating a network for the dissemination of corporate social responsibility. " The project, created to initiate a process of exchange for public administrations and businesses, comparison and mutual learning on the subject of SR, is intended to carry out joint measures to spread best practices locally, nationally, Europe-wide and internationally. With the intent to establish a single framework so that, on the one hand, businesses and other organizations recognize and improve their SR path, inserting it into their strategy, and secondly, for public administrations (PA) to recognize and “reward” SR actions and paths, a grid of key performance indicators (KPI) has been identified, divided by production sectors and strategy areas. For these sectors we have highlighted "key performance indicators," or KPIs, considered peculiar to business activity by sector . The contribution presented regards grid identification of "management indicators of significant risk" to the food and agriculture sector, aimed at the "assessing", "measuring" and "reporting" socially responsible actions: it has been found that the reputation which descends from the pursuit of effective SR practices decreases the riskiness of the company and increases its competitiveness and social positioning. The performance indicators, on the one hand, enable businesses to evaluate and adopt appropriate forms of extra-financial communication and to initiate sustainable paths, attentive to the social and environmental impacts of economic activities; on the other, they come together in a platform necessary for those administrations wishing to adopt "reward" mechanisms for socially responsible business behavior.
Asleep at the Wheel: A Not-for-Profit Board of Directors Confronts Insolvency

Not-for-Profits (NFP) play an important role in the United States. Boards of Directors are integral components of governance associated with NFPs. This case discusses some of the financial issues with which the Board must be both aware and diligent. Students are encouraged through the case discussion of the demise of the NFP to identify errors the Board made and suggest actions the Board could have taken.
Development of a finite element model of the tibia for short-duration high-force axial impact loading

Finite element (FE) models can allow computer simulations of impact loading, providing a useful companion to cadaveric testing. These models allow injury evaluations to be conducted under a variety of conditions, but must be validated against experimental data. An FE model of a cadaveric tibia was developed using geometry from CT scans, and the quality of the mesh was evaluated. Loading and boundary conditions from experimental tests were simulated, and the model was optimised to best represent the response of natural bone to impacts. The model was shown to have good agreement for impact force, duration, impulse and strain during simulation of three non-injurious and one injurious axial impact when compared with experimental test data for the specimen. Failure criteria were evaluated for their ability to predict fracture. This model of the tibia can be used for future injury prediction assessment studies.
Towards a framework for supporting community modeling in crowdsourcing systems

It is understood that large quantities and diversity among users of a crowdsourcing system is something to be explored. So that the characterization of these users can aid in the decision-making on aspects related to crowdsourcing systems design, such as user interface design, recruitment strategies, motivating participants, among other specific challenges of crowdsourcing systems. Considering the characterization of the users' communities within the context of crowdsourcing systems, it was noted the need for a framework that helps in the identification of user-model classes more adherent to certain types of crowdsourcing systems. Thus, in this paper we present the proposal of a high-level framework that associates a set of relevant user models classes in relation to types of crowdsourcing systems. This paper also discusses the results of a preliminary study, presenting the analysis of the framework, which was capable of helping a crowdsourcing researchers' group choosing the user-model class that best fits to their business models.
The β-Amyloid Precursor Protein and its Derivatives: From Biology to Learning and Memory Processes

Intensive investigation towards the understanding of the biology and physiological functions of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) have been supported since it is known that a 39-43 amino acid fragment of APP, called the beta-amyloid protein (Abeta), accumulates in the brain parenchyma to form the typical lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). It emerges from extensive data that APP and its derivatives show a wide range of contrasting physiological properties and therefore might be involved in distinct physiological functions. Abeta has been shown to disrupt neuronal activity and to demonstrate neurotoxic properties in a wide range of experimental procedures. In contrast, both in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that APP and/or its secreted forms are important factors involved in the viability, growth and morphological and functional plasticity of nerve cells. Furthermore, several recent studies suggest that APP and its derivatives have an important role in learning and memory processes. Memory impairments can be induced in animals by intracerebral treatment with Abeta. Altered expression of the APP gene in aged animals or in genetically-modified animals also leads to memory deficits. By contrast, secreted forms of APP have recently been shown to facilitate learning and memory processes in mice. These interesting findings open novel perspectives to understand the involvement of APP in the development of cognitive deficits associated with AD. In this review, we summarize the current data concerning the biology and the behavioral effects of APP and its derivatives which may be relevant to the roles of these proteins in memory and in AD pathology.
Descriptive epidemiology of spot urine sodium-to-potassium ratio clarified close relationship with blood pressure level: the Nagahama study

Objectives: We undertook descriptive epidemiology of spot urine sodium-to-potassium ratio (Na/K) in a population sample to clarify the close relationship between Na/K and blood pressure level independently of potential confounding factors. Methods: Study participants consisted of 9144 apparently healthy citizens (aged 54 ± 13 years). All clinical parameters were obtained at baseline. Results: Na/K was significantly higher in hypertensive individuals irrespective of antihypertensive medication status (normotension, 3.12 ± 1.82; untreated hypertension 3.50 ± 1.96; treated hypertension, 3.72 ± 2.53). As urinary Na (&bgr; = 0.092, P < 0.001) and K (&bgr; = −0.050, P < 0.001) levels were inversely associated with BP, Na/K (&bgr; = 0.118, P < 0.001) was more closely associated with BP than Na or K alone, as well as daily salt intake estimated from urinary Na (&bgr; = 0.088, P < 0.001). Several factors were significantly associated with Na/K, namely age, sex, obesity, blood pressure, renal function, salt restriction status, serum phosphate and urinary creatinine level, and fasting period and season at urine sample collection. However, the association between Na/K and BP was independent of these factors (adjusted &bgr; = 0.112, P < 0.001). No direct association was observed between Na/K and large arterial remodeling assessed by pulse wave analysis (P = 0.496) or retinal arteriolar morphological change (P = 0.431). Further, a genome-wide association study failed to identify any particular genotype influencing urinary Na and K levels. Conclusions: Although we clarified several factors that might affect spot urine Na/K, these relationships were not substantial enough to confound the association between urinary Na/K and BP. A simple measure of Na/K might be more representative of salt loading obtained from spot urine samples than Na excretion alone.
Depressive symptoms and functional transitions over time in older persons.

OBJECTIVE The authors determined the association between clinically significant depressive symptoms, often referred to as depression, and subsequent transitions between no disability, mild disability, severe disability, and death. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING General community in greater New Haven, Connecticut, from March 23, 1998, to December 31, 2008. PARTICIPANTS Seven hundred fifty-four persons, age 70 years or older. MEASUREMENTS Monthly assessments of disability in essential activities of daily living and assessments of depressive symptoms every 18 months using a short-form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale for up to 129 months. RESULTS Depressed participants were more likely than those who were nondepressed to transition from a state of no disability to mild (HR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.25-1.85) and severe disability (HR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.22-2.01), and from a state of mild disability to severe disability (HR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.06-1.65), and were less likely to transition from a state of mild disability to no disability (HR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.57-0.85) and from a state of severe disability to no disability (HR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.31-0.79). CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms are associated with transitions into and out of disabled states and with increased likelihood of transitioning from mild to severe disability. More broadly, our findings underscore the complexity of the relationship between depressive symptoms and disability. Future work is needed to evaluate the likely reciprocal relationship between depression and functional transitions in older persons.
Wideband 18–40 GHz Surface Micromachined Branchline Quadrature Hybrid

This letter demonstrates two 18-40 GHz rectangular coaxial branchline quadrature hybrids designed using circuit and full-wave simulations. The chosen topologies are fabricated in a surface micromachining technology PolyStrata. Measured in-band performance of baseline wideband branchline hybrid shows |S<sub>11</sub>|<;-10dB, |S<sub>21</sub>| = -4.1 ± 1dB, and |S<sub>31</sub>| = -4.3 ± 0.7 dB. This hybrid is miniaturized by meandering the rectangular coaxial lines to obtain 57% reduction in surface area and in-band performance with |S<sub>11</sub>| <; -10dB, |S<sub>21</sub>|= -4.2±1.2dB, and |S<sub>31</sub>| = -4.1 ± 0.7 dB.
Perceived Influence of Online Consumer Reviews: a Comparison of Korea and Us

Recently, online consumer reviews are one of the important information sources of the electronic word-of-mouth around world. In this study, we developed a structural model of perceived influence of online consumer reviews and compared this model between Korea and U.S. The empirical results demonstrated that consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII) had a positive impact on the perceived usefulness of online reviews. The results also indicated that the Internet shopping experience had a significant effect on the perceived usefulness and usage frequency of online reviews, respectively. However, the Internet shopping experience did not have a significant effect on the usage frequency of online reviews for U.S. samples. The perceived usefulness of online reviews had a positive effect on the usage frequency of the online reviews. In addition, the perceived usefulness and usage frequency of the online reviews had a significant impact on perceived influence of the online reviews. This study also investigated a comparison of the structural model. The results supported the moderating effects of national culture in several paths. Based on these results, we discuss implications for international online marketing communication.
Pricing and Matching with Forward-Looking Buyers and Sellers

Problem definition: We study a dynamic market over a finite horizon for a single product or service in which buyers with private valuations and sellers with private supply costs arrive following Poisson processes. A single market-making intermediary decides dynamically on the ask and bid prices that will be posted to buyers and sellers, respectively, and on the matching decisions after buyers and sellers agree to buy and sell. Buyers and sellers can wait strategically for better prices after they arrive. Academic/practical relevance: This problem is motivated by the emerging sharing economy and directly speaks to the core of operations management that is about matching supply with demand. Methodology: The dynamic, stochastic, and game-theoretic nature makes the problem intractable. We employ the mechanism-design methodology to establish a tractable upper bound on the optimal profit, which motivates a simple heuristic policy. Results: Our heuristic policy is: fixed ask and bid prices plus price adjustments as compensation for waiting costs, in conjunction with the greedy matching policy on a first-come-first-served basis. These fixed base prices balance demand and supply in expectation and can be computed efficiently. The waiting-compensated price processes are time-dependent and tend to have opposite trends at the beginning and end of the horizon. Under this heuristic policy, forward-looking buyers and sellers behave myopically. This policy is shown to be asymptotically optimal. Managerial implications: Our results suggest that the intermediary might not lose much optimality by maintaining stable prices unless the underlying market conditions have significantly changed, not to mention that frequent surge pricing may antagonize riders and induce riders and drivers to behave strategically in ways that are hard to account for with traditional pricing models.