Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rice Imports and Electoral Proximity: The Philippines and Indonesia Compared

Abstract This article attempts to explain why the pattern of rice imports in Indonesia and the Philippines, two countries that share many similarities, differ as their respective presidential elections approach: rice imports tend to increase in the Philippines yet fall in Indonesia. The mainstream agricultural political economy literature can only help provide partial answers because it overly stresses the influence of material factors within institutional frameworks. To more fully come to grips with this contrasting pattern, we also need to understand how ideas impact politics and where these influential ideas originate. I find that Indonesia’s more pro-peasant, economic nationalist history, as compared to its Philippine counterpart, acts as a constraint on that country’s politicians. It compels them to reduce rice imports as elections approach in order to appear more populist.
ESAT-6-Like Protein Secretion in Bacillus anthracis

ABSTRACT Proteins of the WXG100 family represent the prototypical substrates of bacterial type VII secretion systems that typically encompass 100 residues, lack canonical signal peptides, and form helix-turn-helix hairpin structures with WXG positioned in the turn element. Bacillus anthracis encodes six WXG100 proteins, herein referred to as EsxB, EsxL, EsxP, EsxQ, EsxV, and EsxW. With the exception of EsxB, B. anthracis proteins harbor C-terminal extensions that are appended to canonical WXG domains. When cultured in liquid broth, B. anthracis secretes two substrates, EsxB and EsxW, into the extracellular environment. EsxB is required for the stability and secretion of EsxW; however, EsxW is dispensable for EsxB secretion. In agreement with the hypothesis that EsxB binding to substrates promotes recognition and secretion by the type VII pathway, EsxB is reported to interact with EsxB and EsxW. Unlike deletions in mycobacterial EsxB, deletion of five N- or C-terminal residues does not affect the ability of mutant B. anthracis EsxB to travel the type VII pathway and initiate secretion of EsxW. Translational fusion of ubiquitin to the N or C terminus of EsxB also had no effect, while ubiquitin insertion into the center turn abrogated secretion. Anthrax-infected guinea pigs mounted humoral immune responses to EsxB, EsxP, and EsxW, which suggests that B. anthracis activates the type VII secretion pathway during infection.
Borg scale is valid for ratings of perceived exertion for individuals with Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that has traditionally been treated with anti-parkinsonian medication. There is increasing evidence that exercise is beneficial to those with PD, therefore, it is necessary to validate a measure of exertion that can be implemented across exercise settings that may not have the capability to actively monitor heart rate. The aim of this project was to determine the validity of the Borg RPE scale in individuals with PD undergoing a maximal progressive cycling exercise test. Thirty-eight males and females (58.5 ± 8.1 yrs) with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD, Hoehn and Yahr stage II–III, completed a maximal exercise test. Heart rate was monitored continuously, with RPE being recorded during the last minute of each stage of the test. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between RPE and continuous heart rate monitoring. A significant, positive correlation was present between RPE and heart rate and RPE and workload, r = 0.61 and r = 0.77 respectively. A separate mixed effects model regression analyses indicated that RPE was a significant predictor of heart rate (p < 0.001) and workload (p < 0.001). The results of a mixed effect models that RPE scores indicated that RPE values at commonly prescribed workout intensities were not associated with age, gender, or disease severity (p>0.05). Significant, positive correlation between RPE and HR indicates that the Borg category ratio scale may be used in individuals with Parkinson’s disease in which formal exercise testing may not be available.
Soft-Switching DC/DC Converter With a Full ZVS Range and Reduced Output Filter for High-Voltage Applications

A new soft-switching dc/dc converter, which can solve the drawbacks of existing phase-shifted full-bridge converters such as narrow zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) range, large circulating current, large duty-cycle loss, and a large output filter in high-voltage applications, is proposed in this paper. The proposed converter is composed of two symmetric half-bridge inverters that are placed in parallel on the primary side and are driven in a phase-shifting manner to regulate the output voltage. At the rectifier stage, two full-bridge rectifiers sharing two low-current-rating diodes are employed. This structure allows the proposed converter to have the advantages of a full ZVS range, no problems related to duty-cycle loss, no circulating current, and a significantly reduced output filter. In this paper, the circuit configuration, operation principle, and relevant analysis results of the proposed converters are presented. Experimental results on a prototype converter realized with the specification of 80-in plasma display panel sustain power module (320-385 Vdc input, 205 Vdc/5 A output) validate the theoretical analysis.
Measurements of the complex permeability of yttrium iron garnet substrates near ferromagnetic resonance

This paper describes a simple method of measurements the complex permeability of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) substrates. The permeability of YIG is measured near a ferromagnetic resonance. The method is based on the measurements of resonant frequencies and Q-factors of YIG substrate placed into two structures: single post dielectric resonator and split post resonator. The obtained results are presented.
Vesamicol Binding to Subcellular Membranes That Are Distinct from Catecholaminergic Vesicles in PC 12 Cells

Abstract: We have examined PC12 cells for the localization of binding sites for vesamicol [l‐2‐(4‐phenylpiperidino) cyclohexanol], a compound that has previously been shown to bind to cholinergic vesicles and to inhibit the uptake of acetylcholine. Initial studies presented in this article demonstrate the existence of a specific, saturable vesamicol binding site in PC12 cells. Subsequent experiments show that these binding sites reside in a membrane population that is distinct from catecholamine‐containing compartments with respect to density and antigenic composition. In particular, vesamicol binding compartments have a lower density than Catecholaminergic vesicles and, unlike these latter vesicles, do not appear to contain the vesicle‐specific proteins syn‐aptophysin and SV2 as part of the same membrane. These results suggest that vesicular transport proteins for acetylcholine and catecholamines are differentially sorted to distinct membrane compartments in PC12 cells.
Long term effects of locomotor training in spinal humans

The long term effects of locomotor training in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) were studied. In patients with complete or incomplete SCI coordinated stepping movements were induced and trained by bodyweight support and standing on a moving treadmill. The leg extensor muscle EMG activity in both groups of patients increased significantly over the training period, associated with improved locomotor ability in those with incomplete SCI. During a period of more than 3 years after training, the level of leg extensor EMG remained about constant in incomplete SCI in those who regularly maintained locomotor activity. By contrast the EMG significantly fell in those with complete SCI. The results suggest a training induced plasticity of neuronal centres in the isolated spinal cord which may be of relevance for future interventional therapies.
Patient Perception , Preference and Participation Sex differences in attitudes and experiences concerning smoking and cessation : Results from an international survey

Objective: Males and females may have different attitudes and experiences concerning smoking and smoking cessation. We examined sex differences in reasons for smoking, motivations for quitting, past quit attempts, and types of cessation support provided by physicians by surveying randomly selected smokers from 16 countries. Methods: Current cigarette smokers were surveyed by telephone about their attitudes and experiences regarding smoking and smoking cessation. Results: Of the 3760 respondents, 1516 (40.3%) were female. Overall, females reported more reasons for smoking, were more likely to be motivated to quit by life changes, and more likely to use medications or counselling for smoking cessation than males. Although 70% of respondents recalled their physician asking about smoking and advising quitting, only 39% of females and 26% of males recalled being offered assistance for cessation. Females recalled more frequent prescription or recommendation of pharmaceutical cessation aids and more assistance in setting a quit date. Conclusion: Males and females have different attitudes and experiences when it comes to smoking and cessation. Practice implications: Health care providers can significantly influence smoking-cessation success by offering efficacious treatment to patients. Our data will help physicians to optimally tailor smokingcessation interventions to patients, according to their sex. 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The systemic right ventricle in congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries is different from the right ventricle in dextro-transposition after atrial switch: a cardiac magnetic resonance study

Abstract Background Patients with a congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries show an increasing incidence of cardiac failure with age. In other systemic right ventricles, such as in dextro-transposition after atrial switch, excessive hypertrophy is a potential risk factor for impaired systolic function. In this trial, we sought to compare systemic function and volumes between patients with congenitally corrected transposition and those with dextro-transposition after atrial switch by using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Methods and Results A total of 19 patients (nine male) with congenitally corrected transposition and 31 patients (21 male) with dextro-transposition after atrial switch were studied using a 1.5-Tesla scanner. Cine steady-state free-precession sequences in standard orientations were acquired for volumetric and functional imaging. Patient parameters were compared with those of a group of 25 healthy volunteers. Although patients with congenitally corrected transposition were older, they presented with higher right ventricular ejection fractions (p = 0.04) compared with patients with dextro-transposition. Patients with congenitally corrected transposition showed a weak negative correlation between age at examination and systemic ejection fraction (r = −0.18, p = 0.04) but no correlation between right ventricular myocardial mass index and ejection fraction. There was no significant difference in the right ventricular end-diastolic volumes between both patient groups. Conclusion Although patients with congenitally corrected transposition had a longer pressure load of the systemic right ventricle, ventricular function was better compared with that in patients with dextro-transposition after atrial switch. The results suggest that the systemic ventricles might have partly different physiologies. One difference could be the post-operative situation after atrial switch, which results in impaired atrial contribution to ventricular filling.
Endothelial E-Selectin Potentiates Neovascularization via Endothelial Progenitor Cell–Dependent and –Independent Mechanisms

Background—Although potential participation of bone marrow-derived circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to neoangiogenesis has been proposed, the precise molecular mechanisms of EPC recruitment to vascular endothelium has not been fully elucidated. Methods and Results—Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from healthy volunteers and cultured for 7 days to obtain EPCs. Tumor necrosis factor-α–activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) supported significantly more rolling and adhesion of EPCs compared with inactivated HUVEC monolayer. Pretreatment of activated HUVEC with an adhesion-blocking mAb to E-selectin significantly reduced EPCs adhesion to HUVECs. When HUVECs were transduced with a recombinant adenovirus of E-selectin (AdRSVE-sel) or that of β-galactosidase (AdRSVLacZ), E-selectin-transduced but not LacZ-transduced HUVECs exhibited significantly more EPC rolling as well as adhesion. Further, effect of AdRSVE-sel or AdRSVLacZ was examined in mouse hind limb ischemic model. AdRSVE-sel–transduced mice showed significantly less limb necrosis and higher laser Doppler ratio when compared with AdRSVLacZ-transduced mice. Interestingly, blood flow recovery of ischemic limb observed in AdRSVE-sel–transduced mice was more prominent when combined with EPC administration compared with that of AdRSVLacZ-transduced mice. Conclusions—Endothelial E-selectin plays a crucial role in EPC–endothelial interaction in vitro. The importance of E-selectin was also confirmed in vivo even in the absence of exogenous EPC. These data provide molecular background for novel cell-based therapy for ischemic atherosclerosis.
Intracranial aneurysms at MR angiography: effect of computer-aided diagnosis on radiologists' detection performance.

PURPOSE To retrospectively evaluate the effect of computer-aided detection (CAD) on radiologists' performance in detection of intracranial aneurysms with magnetic resonance (MR) angiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS The institutional review board approved this study and did not require patient informed consent. Fifty maximum intensity projection MR angiograms in 50 patients were used for observer performance study. The group included 22 patients (age range, 43-86 years; mean, 60.2 years; 6 men and 16 women) with intracranial aneurysms and 28 patients (age range, 32-80 years; mean, 58.8 years; 10 men and 18 women) without aneurysms. The MR angiograms were obtained with three-dimensional time-of-flight 1.5-T MR imaging. Fifteen radiologists, including eight neuroradiologists and seven general radiologists, participated in the observer performance test. They interpreted the angiograms first without and then with the aid of the computer output by using an automated computerized scheme. The observers' performance without and with the computer output was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS For all 15 observers, average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (A(z)) value for detection of aneurysms was increased significantly from 0.931 to 0.983 (P = .001) when they used the computer output. A(z) values for general radiologists and neuroradiologists increased from 0.894 to 0.983 (P = .022) and from 0.963 to 0.984 (P = .014), respectively. Improvement in the performance of general radiologists in terms of the A(z) value was much greater than that of neuroradiologists. Performance of general radiologists with CAD (A(z) = 0.983) slightly exceeded that of neuroradiologists without CAD (A(z) = 0.963) (P = .048). CONCLUSION CAD improved neuroradiologists' and general radiologists' performance for detection of intracranial aneurysms with MR angiography; improvement was greater for general radiologists than it was for neuroradiologists.
Development and application of oligonucleotide probes for identification of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris

Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris is of considerable interest to the dairy industry, which relies upon the few available strains for the manufacture of cheddar cheese free of fermented and fruity flavors. The subspecies cremoris differs from related subspecies by the lack of a few phenotypic traits. Our purpose was to identify unique rRNA sequences that could be used to discriminate L. lactis subsp. cremoris from related subspecies. The 16S rRNAs from 13 Lactococcus strains were partially sequenced by using reverse transcriptase to identify domains unique to L. lactis subsp. cremoris. All five strains of the subspecies cremoris had a unique base sequence in a hypervariable region located 70 to 100 bases from the 5' terminus. In this region, all L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis strains examined had a sequence identical to that of L. lactis subsp. lactis 7962, which was different from other strains of the subspecies lactis by only one nucleotide at position 90 (Escherichia coli 16S rRNA structural model) (J. Brosius, J. L. Palmer, J. P. Kennedy, and H. F. Noller, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75:4801-4805, 1978). Oligonucleotide probes specific for the genus Lactococcus (212RLa) and for the subspecies cremoris (68RCa) were synthesized and evaluated by hybridization to known rRNAs as well as fixed whole cells. Efficient and specific hybridization to the genus-specific probe was observed for the 13 Lactococcus strains tested. No hybridization was seen with the control species. All five strains of the subspecies cremoris hybridized to the subspecies-specific probe.
The Composition of the Faecal Microflora in Breastfed and Bottle Fed Infants from Birth to Eight Weeks

ABSTRACT. Recent technical advances have improved the possibilities to classify anaerobic bacteria. The aim of the present study was to examine the validity of the time‐honoured opinion that the faecal flora is dominated by bifidobacteria in breastfed infants but not in bottle fed ones. The compositon of the faecal flora of 15 breastfed and of 7 bottle fed infants was followed from birth to 8 weeks. Strictly anaerobic conditions were carefully applied. At 5 days and 3 weeks the incidence of Staph, epidermidis was significantly greater in the breastfed group compared to the bottle fed one. We were unable to confirm earlier reports of difference in the anaerobic flora between breastfed and bottle fed infants. In both feeding groups Bacteroides dominated among the anaerobic bacteria and bifidobacteria occurred in less than half of the faecal specimens. The results of the study add to other recent observations that it has been increasingly difficult to demonstrate bifidobacteria in babies delivered in large, urban hospitals. We found different frequencies of bifidobacteria in infants from different wards, suggesting the importance of environmental factors in gut colonization after delivery.
Practice and Taxonomic Parochialism

Scientific endeavour has one goal: to unravel mechanisms underlying the real world with utmost objectivity. Rigorous logic and experimentation are as essential for this purpose as is the consideration of extant knowledge. Bias is the demon of science at any level, and our incessant effort is to escape its temptation. It is always worth to scrutinize our success (Gluud 2006; Lortie et al. 2007). The publication process involving peer review and editorial advice and decision is one way to keep biases down. The adoption of published evidence as basis to build on future research is another mechanism towards this end. The use of previous results as research basis depends on its relevance for a study, which is a function of its specific importance and general quality. Previous research that we use as a basis is referred to in our papers and hence included in their reference lists. A glance at the reference list of a paper hence allows to appraise its context. Any form of bias in the selection of articles to which a study refers, intended or accidental, will hamper this judgement. Nevertheless, there is ample evidence that such unwanted bias exists (Nicolaisen 2007; Bornmann & Daniel 2008). The probability of a paper to be considered and hence cited in subsequent articles is influenced, among others, by social networks (Case & Higgins 2000), the number of authors (Leimu & Koricheva 2005), the authors’ institutional affiliation (Crane 1965; Podsakoff et al. 2008), the author’s and the journal’s reputation (Merton 1968; Callaham et al. 2002; Judge et al. 2007), whether results are ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ (i.e., supportive of the hypotheses tested or not; Kjaergard & Gluud 2002; Leimu & Koricheva 2005; Nieminen et al. 2007), regional affiliations (Wardle 1995; Paris et al. 1998; Grange 1999; Wong & Kokko 2005), whether the authors are from native English speaking countries (Tregenza 2002; Leimu & Koricheva 2005), the alphabetical position of authors’ surnames (Tregenza 1997), and the citing authors’ motivation to persuade the reader (Merton 1968; Gilbert 1977; MacRoberts & MacRoberts 1996); although there are opinions and studies qualifying these observations (Garfield & Welljamsdorof 1992; White 2004; Radicchi et al. 2008). An important reason for bias is the limitation of journal space, which is why often not all sources on which a study is based can be cited (MacRoberts & MacRoberts 1989). Provided this extensive evidence of biased citation practice, any use of bibliometric data for the evaluation of research seems highly problematic (Paris Correspondence Michael Taborsky, Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Bern, Switzerland. E-mail: michael.taborsky@esh.unibe. ch
When startups exit: comparing strategies in Europe and the USA

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of trends toward start-up exits. Exits represent the “end phase” of the start-up process, at least for the founders and the early investors. For high-growth venture-capital-backed companies, exits are often considered the ultimate goal of building a profitable venture. These ventures are intended from the beginning to harvest the financial value created by the business at some point in the future, and return capital to early investors. ,The authors tracked 5,744 merger and acquisition transactions that have occurred between European and US tech start-ups since 2012. Data are drawn from CrunchBase, the most comprehensive database of high-tech companies and investors with information on the companies and investors around the world. The authors then compared the trends of acquisitions between European and US companies. ,Results show that US companies are far more inclined to make acquisitions than European ones. Acquirers of start-ups, both from Europe and the US, prefer to buy local companies. However, recently, US companies have started to show more interest in European start-ups. Thus, signaling that the European start-up ecosystem is growing and becoming more attractive for US buyers. Furthermore, results show that start-up exits typically happen within a few years after a company’s establishment. ,The research does not take into consideration the price of the transaction, or the amount of capital invested by venture capitalists in the high-tech start-ups that have been acquired. Further research should address this specific problem by helping European start-ups understand how to plan the exit phase within few years from establishment. ,The results have important implications both for entrepreneurs/managers and policymakers. Early exit appears to be a global trend among start-ups. This suggests that the exit phase should be properly planned to happen in the very early stage of the start-up process. On the other hand, the research also shows that there is still a gap to be filled in the European start-up ecosystems’ ability to produce exits and create new large innovative companies (the so-called “unicorns”). ,To date, there has been a little research about exits for young high-tech ventures. This paper will attempt to shed new light on this so far under-explored issue by specifically analyzing exits as financial strategy for investors and entrepreneurs.