Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacterial strategies for chemotaxis response

Regular environmental conditions allow for the evolution of specifically adapted responses, whereas complex environments usually lead to conflicting requirements upon the organism’s response. A relevant instance of these issues is bacterial chemotaxis, where the evolutionary and functional reasons for the experimentally observed response to chemoattractants remain a riddle. Sensing and motility requirements are in fact optimized by different responses, which strongly depend on the chemoattractant environmental profiles. It is not clear then how those conflicting requirements quantitatively combine and compromise in shaping the chemotaxis response. Here we show that the experimental bacterial response corresponds to the maximin strategy that ensures the highest minimum uptake of chemoattractants for any profile of concentration. We show that the maximin response is the unique one that always outcompetes motile but nonchemotactic bacteria. The maximin strategy is adapted to the variable environments experienced by bacteria, and we explicitly show its emergence in simulations of bacterial populations in a chemostat. Finally, we recast the contrast of evolution in regular vs. complex environments in terms of minimax vs. maximin game-theoretical strategies. Our results are generally relevant to biological optimization principles and provide a systematic possibility to get around the need to know precisely the statistics of environmental fluctuations.
High gain, low noise Cascode LNA using T-matching network for wireless applications

This paper presents a high gain, low noise Cascoded LNA using T-matching network applicable for wireless applications. The amplifier use FHX76LP Low Noise SuperHEMT FET. The LNA designed used T-matching network consisting of lump reactive element at the input and the output terminal. The cascode low noise amplifier (LNA) produced gain of 18.5 dB and noise figure (NF) of 1.30 dB. The input reflection (S11) and output return loss (S22) are -11.5 dB and -12.3 dB respectively. The bandwidth of the amplifier recorded is 1.4 GHz. The input sensitivity is compliant with the IEEE 802.16 standards.
Voyage to Miniaturization in Lower Limb Artery Intervention

Miniaturization is rarely a bad thing in any technological field, but there is a fine balance between size and function when trying to make something as small as possible without discarding the original concept. The word ‘‘stent’’ derives from an English dentist, Charles Stent (1845–1901), who lent his name to a tooth mold; over the course of time, a stent has come to refer to an endoluminal scaffolding device. The purpose of a ‘‘stent’’ has thus expanded to include maintaining patency. In this issue of the JEVT, Bosiers et al. resolutely opened the door to stent miniaturization without sacrificing those requisite traits of initial gain and late loss. Downsizing of endovascular equipment has been a hallmark of lower limb artery interventions for over 5 decades. Dotter and Judkins first reported femoropopliteal angioplasty using 8and 12-F coaxial Teflon catheters in 1964. Thereafter, Grüntzig and Hopff contrived 6and 7-F balloon catheters. This ‘‘drive to minimize’’ in endovascular technology has brought about the use of 3-F balloon catheters in lower limb interventions. Similarly, this trend toward miniaturization has occurred in the field of coronary interventions, where the application of a virtual 3-F sheathless guiding catheter, which has an inner diameter equivalent to a conventional 5F guiding catheter, facilitated the implantation of tiny coronary stents. Now is the prime time for both endovascular specialists and biomedical engineers to embark on minimalism in the development of a stent for peripheral use. In their prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter study, Bosiers et al. used novel lowprofile 4-F–compatible stents [Astron Pulsar and Pulsar-18 (BIOTRONIK AG, Bulach, Switzerland)] to achieve comparable results to 6F–compatible stents, with technical success in all, an 81.4% 12-month primary patency, freedom from target lesion revascularization in 89.3%, and a 4.2% stent fracture rate, although TASC II D lesions were excluded from this study. These findings cleared away major concerns about stent miniaturization, such as not only less radial force but also lower durability. Unfortunately, in this study, the old-fashioned duplex criterion for restenosis [peak systolic velocity ratio (PSVR) . 2.5] was adopted. If the recently published PSVR . 2.85 criterion that is highly predictive of 50% in-stent restenosis based on quantitative vessel analysis had been employed, the patency rate of these stents would have been better. Given the fact that the area of the puncture site is clearly smaller using a 4-F sheath (5.56 mm) in comparison with its 6-F (12.56 mm) counterpart, there appears to be a definitive advantage of 4-F intervention over 6-F procedures from the viewpoint of simple hemostasis, less patient discomfort, and prevention of access site complications following the removal of the sheath. Also, the use of a smaller sized sheath is less likely to cause thickening
Loneliness as a public health issue: the impact of loneliness on health care utilization among older adults.

OBJECTIVES We aimed to determine whether loneliness is associated with higher health care utilization among older adults in the United States. METHODS We used panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008 and 2012) to examine the long-term impact of loneliness on health care use. The sample was limited to community-dwelling persons in the United States aged 60 years and older. We used negative binomial regression models to determine the impact of loneliness on physician visits and hospitalizations. RESULTS Under 2 definitions of loneliness, we found that a sizable proportion of those aged 60 years and older in the United States reported loneliness. Regression results showed that chronic loneliness (those lonely both in 2008 and 4 years later) was significantly and positively associated with physician visits (β = 0.075, SE = 0.034). Loneliness was not significantly associated with hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS Loneliness is a significant public health concern among elders. In addition to easing a potential source of suffering, the identification and targeting of interventions for lonely elders may significantly decrease physician visits and health care costs.
Retrovirally Transduced Human Dendritic Cells Can Generate T Cells Recognizing Multiple MHC Class I and Class II Epitopes from the Melanoma Antigen Glycoprotein 100

Involvement of tumor-Ag specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells could be critical in the generation of an effective immunotherapy for cancer. In an attempt to optimize the T cell response against defined tumor Ags, we previously developed a method allowing transgene expression in human dendritic cells (DCs) using retroviral vectors. One advantage of using gene-modified DCs is the potential ability to generate CD8+ T cells against multiple class I-restricted epitopes within the Ag, thereby eliciting a broad antitumor immune response. To test this, we generated tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells with DCs transduced with the melanoma Ag gp100, for which a number of HLA-A2-restricted epitopes have been described. Using gp100-transduced DCs, we were indeed able to raise T cells recognizing three distinct HLA-A2 epitopes within the Ag, gp100154–162, gp100209–217, and gp100280–288. We next tested the ability of transduced DCs to raise class II-restricted CD4+ T cells. Interestingly, stimulation with gp100-transduced DCs resulted in the generation of CD4+ T cells specific for a novel HLA-DRβ1*0701-restricted epitope of gp100. The minimal determinant of this epitope was defined as gp100174–190 (TGRAMLGTHTMEVTVYH). These observations suggest that retrovirally transduced DCs have the capacity to present multiple MHC class I- and class II-restricted peptides derived from a tumor Ag, thereby eliciting a robust immune response against that Ag.
Risk Sharing Markets and International Trade

Recently Broil and Wahl have published a remarkable article concerning the use of currency options by the international firm (Broil, Wahl, 1992). They obtain the following result: "Linking the financial hedge by currency put options to international trade we can state the following: Suppose the probability distribution of the future spot rate of foreign exchange is such that the exercise price net of the option price, i.e. b — p°, is equal to the expected exchange rate" E(e), where E(.) denotes the expectation operator (Broil, Wahl, 1992, 68). "Then optimal export of the firm when using currency put options turns out to be greater than optimal export in the certainty case" where the future spot rate of foreign exchange is fixed to E(e) (ibid.). This result is obtained for an exporting firm that "is risk-averse" (Broil, Wahl, 1992, 65). Unfortunately this result is not very robust as is shown in the sequel. First we show that the assumption b — p° = E(e) holds true only for unfair put option prices p°. Second we show that when there is the alternative of unbiased forward market operations, any risk-averse firm will prefer selling forward to buying currency puts. Thus we weaken Broil and Wahl's conclusion: "Our paper extends the results in the literature by demonstrating the importance of . currency put options for international trading firms. This has institutional implications as to what hedging arrangements should be available in the economy (Broil, Wahl, 1992, 70). In our view, currency options are of no interest for risk-averse firms when there are unbiased forward markets and when we deal with a Broil-Wahl firm with no ex-post production flexibility. Third we prove that, when ex-post production flexibility is introduced, any risk-averse firm will hedge via selling a certain currency option portfolio despite the existence of unbiased forward markets. This way of hedging induces the firm to act like a risk neutral one with respect to its ex-ante input decisions. The impact on real variables is briefly sketched. Thus we strengthen a result obtained by Moschini and Lapan (1992). Fourth we discuss the assumptions of an unbiased forward rate and of fair option prices. We point out that these assumptions open up arbitrage opportunities.
Distress, anxiety, depression, and emotional well‐being in African‐American men with prostate cancer

Objective: African‐American men have an incidence rate of prostate cancer 60% higher than Caucasian men. Over one‐quarter of men with prostate cancer experience significant distress, yet psychosocial research has rarely focused on African‐American men. This study presents novel data on emotional well‐being, distress, anxiety, and depression in African‐American men with prostate cancer.
Exploring Twitter news biases using urdu-based sentiment lexicon

Social media has become a tremendous success in recent times. It has enabled people to keep in touch with each other anytime and anywhere around the globe. People share their opinions and experiences publically through such platforms. Twitter is one of the significant social networking platform that is used by many news media to disseminate breaking news instantaneously. Sentiment analysis of social media is successfully used to gain insights regarding collective behavior of the society. In addition, sentiment analysis is used to detect positive or negative content posted on the social media for various purposes such as riots detection. In this paper, we focus on the sentiment analysis of news tweets in Urdu language by major news sources in Pakistan. By gathering tweets data over the period of 10 months, we built a sentiment lexicon in Urdu language. Moreover, we devise an algorithm that classifies Urdu text into positive, negative, or neutral classes based on the cumulative sentiment score of the text. Our sentiment analysis algorithm achieves 77% accuracy. Furthermore, we have done perspective analysis in which we estimated the bias in the news reporting through tweets with respect to the government with 77.45% accuracy.
Core pathways operating during methylotrophy of Bacillus methanolicus MGA3 and induction of a bacillithiol‐dependent detoxification pathway upon formaldehyde stress

Bacillus methanolicus MGA3 is a model facultative methylotroph of interest for fundamental research and biotechnological applications. Previous research uncovered a number of pathways potentially involved in one‐carbon substrate utilization. Here, we applied dynamic 13C labeling to elucidate which of these pathways operate during growth on methanol and to uncover potentially new ones. B. methanolicus MGA3 uses the assimilatory and dissimilatory ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) cycles for conversion of the central but toxic intermediate formaldehyde. Additionally, the operation of two cofactor‐dependent formaldehyde oxidation pathways with distinct roles was revealed. One is dependent on tri‐ and tetraglutamylated tetrahydrofolate (THF) and is involved in formaldehyde oxidation during growth on methanol. A second pathway was discovered that is dependent on bacillithiol, a thiol cofactor present also in other Bacilli where it is known to function in redox‐homeostasis. We show that bacillithiol‐dependent formaldehyde oxidation is activated upon an upshift in formaldehyde induced by a substrate switch from mannitol to methanol. The genes and the corresponding enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of bacillithiol were identified by heterologous production of bacillithiol in Escherichia coli. The presented results indicate metabolic plasticity of the methylotroph allowing acclimation to fluctuating intracellular formaldehyde concentrations.
Tourette syndrome: a hereditary neuropsychiatric spectrum disorder.

The objective was to determine if the high frequency of behavioral problems in Tourette syndrome (TS) probands is the result of the pleiotrophic expression of the Gts genes or due to ascertainment bias. It was possible to distinguish between these two hypotheses by comparing the frequency of these behaviors in nonproband relatives with TS to relatives without TS. Twenty behavioral problems were prospectively assessed in a consecutive series of 361 TS probands, 113 nonproband TS relatives, 380 relatives without TS, and 68 controls, by the administration of a questionnaire based on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and the DSM-III-R. Significance was set at a very conservative level of p < or = . 001. Except for problems with smoking, reading and compulsive eating, all other behaviors were significantly more common in nonproband TS relatives than in relatives without TS. The relatives were also dichotomized on the basis of each of the behavioral problems. Regardless of the behavioral trait used, there was a higher frequency of all other behaviors in those who were positive versus those who were negative for that behavior. Ranking according to the number of behaviors that were significant indicated that mania, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and schizoid behaviors represented higher degrees of expression of the Gts genes than chronic tics. These results indicate that the Gts genes cause a spectrum of behavioral disorders in addition to chronic tics, indicate that TS is a behavioral spectrum disorder, and emphasize the role of genetic factors in a wide range of human behaviors.
A Tomato MADS-Box Transcription Factor, SlMADS1, Acts as a Negative Regulator of Fruit Ripening1[C][W]

A tomato MADS-box gene, SlMADS1, impacts fruit ripening as a negative regulator. MADS-box genes encode a highly conserved gene family of transcriptional factors that regulate numerous developmental processes in plants. In this study, a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) MADS-box gene, SlMADS1, was cloned and its tissue-specific expression profile was analyzed. The real-time polymerase chain reaction results showed that SlMADS1 was highly expressed in sepals and fruits; its expression level was increased with the development of sepals, while the transcript of SlMADS1 decreased significantly in accordance with fruit ripening. To further explore the function of SlMADS1, an RNA interference (RNAi) expression vector targeting SlMADS1 was constructed and transformed into tomato plants. Shorter ripening time of fruit was observed in SlMADS1-silenced tomatoes. The accumulation of carotenoid and the expression of PHYTOENE SYNTHETASE1 were enhanced in RNAi fruits. Besides, ethylene biosynthetic genes, including 1-AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLATE SYNTHASE1A, 1-AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLATE SYNTHASE6, 1-AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLATE OXIDASE1, and 1-AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLATE OXIDASE3, and the ethylene-responsive genes E4 and E8, which were involved in fruit ripening, were also up-regulated in silenced plants. SlMADS1 RNAi fruits showed approximately 2- to 4-fold increases in ethylene production compared with the wild type. Furthermore, SlMADS1-silenced seedlings displayed shorter hypocotyls and were more sensitive to 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate than the wild type. Additionally, a yeast two-hybrid assay revealed a clear interaction between SlMADS1 and SlMADS-RIN. These results suggest that SlMADS1 plays an important role in fruit ripening as a repressive modulator.
The art of retaining seasonal employees: three industry-specific leadership styles

ABSTRACT The majority of leadership studies have centered on various leadership approaches, but there is limited research that has focused on seasonal employee leadership (SEL) in the hospitality literature. Hence, there is a need to develop a new leadership model which could help to understand how to retain seasonal employees in the hospitality industry. This study divided seasonal employees into three types by using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. These are suspended employees (Type-A), seasonal trainee (Type-B), and spoon-feeding employees (Type-C). Three different leadership styles were developed according to each type of seasonal employees; suspending leadership for type A, mentor leadership for type B, and spoon-feeding leadership for type C. The study makes an important contribution to the leadership literature by aligning employee types with different leadership styles in the hospitality industry.
Differential Interactions of Nucleotides at the Two Nucleotide Binding Domains of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator*

After phosphorylation by protein kinase A, gating of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel is regulated by the interaction of ATP with its nucleotide binding domains (NBDs). Models of this gating regulation have proposed that ATP hydrolysis at NBD1 and NBD2 may drive channel opening and closing, respectively (reviewed in Nagel, G. (1999)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1461, 263–274). However, as yet there has been little biochemical confirmation of the predictions of these models. We have employed photoaffinity labeling with 8-azido-ATP, which supports channel gating as effectively as ATP to evaluate interactions with each NBD in intact membrane-bound CFTR. Mutagenesis of Walker A lysine residues crucial for azido-ATP hydrolysis to generate the azido-ADP that is trapped by vanadate indicated a greater role of NBD1 than NBD2. Separation of the domains by limited trypsin digestion and enrichment by immunoprecipitation confirmed greater and more stable nucleotide trapping at NBD1. This asymmetry of the two domains in interactions with nucleotides was reflected most emphatically in the response to the nonhydrolyzable ATP analogue, 5′-adenylyl-β,γ-imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP), which in the gating models was proposed to bind with high affinity to NBD2 causing inhibition of ATP hydrolysis there postulated to drive channel closing. Instead we found a strong competitive inhibition of nucleotide hydrolysis and trapping at NBD1 and a simultaneous enhancement at NBD2. This argues strongly that AMP-PNP does not inhibit ATP hydrolysis at NBD2 and thereby questions the relevance of hydrolysis at that domain to channel closing.
Predicting aerobic versus resistance exercise using the theory of planned behavior.

OBJECTIVE To test the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in aerobic versus resistance training in a prospective design. Relationships between TPB variables, extroversion, and perceived health were examined. METHODS College students (210) completed an initial measurement and a 3-month follow-up assessment. Reasons for exercising were assessed. RESULTS TPB variables, extroversion, and perceived health collectively accounted for substantial variance in aerobic (19%) and resistance exercise (40%). Reasons for exercise included physical, psychological, and social concerns. CONCLUSION Differences in the predictive validity of model constructs suggest potential differential intervention foci for aerobic versus resistance exercise.
Fang-Feng-Tang's potential therapeutic agents for rheumatoid arthritis

Fang-Feng-Tang is a Chinese herbal formula which is designed to treat syndrome Feng-Han-Shi-Bi for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although its therapeutic effects are widely accepted, its mechanism is still obscure. In this study, by integrating leading knowledge databases of associated different domains, we explored Fang-Feng-Tang's potential therapeutic agents for RA through targeted pathway hierarchies. The molecule mechanism analysis includes compositional herbal medicine, chemical compound, target protein, and pathways enriched. Target proteins are restricted with RA OMIM genes and FDA approved RA drug targets for partial validation. As a result, 8 target proteins were matched and they are UGT1A9, GNT1, UGT1, JAK3, CCR2/5, and CMKBR2/5. What's more, they are mainly involved in pathways of signal transduction, metabolism, immune system, and disease. This research demonstrates that Feng-Feng-Tang's target proteins may regulate a wide range of different systems. This might indicate that Chinese herbal formula's therapeutic effects can be demonstrated through system-level regulation rather than targeting disease specified genes or proteins.
Small Intestinal Motility Disturbances and Bacterial Overgrowth in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension

OBJECTIVES:Altered small bowel motility and a high prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) has been observed in patients with liver cirrhosis. Our aim was to explore the relationship between motility abnormalities, portal hypertension, and SIBO.METHODS:Twenty-four patients with liver cirrhosis were included. Twelve had portal hypertension (PH) and 12 had liver cirrhosis (LC) alone. Child-Pugh score was the same in the groups. Antroduodenojejunal pressure recordings were performed, and noninvasive variceal pressure measurements were undertaken. Thirty-two healthy volunteers served as a reference group. Bacterial cultures were obtained from jejunal aspirates.RESULTS:The PH group had a higher proportion of individual pressure waves that were retrograde in the proximal duodenum during phase II (52% vs 13% vs 8% of propagated contractions; p < 0.001) as well as postprandially (49% vs 18% vs 13%; p < 0.01) compared with LC and controls, respectively. Long clusters were more common in PH than in controls (9.1 ± 2.1 vs 4.9 ± 0.8; p < 0.05), and a higher motility index in phase III in the proximal and distal duodenum was seen in the PH as compared with the other groups. The mean variceal pressure was 21 ± 1 mm Hg. Motor abnormalities were not correlated to the level of variceal pressure. Thirty-three percent of the patients in the PH group but none in the LC group had SIBO.CONCLUSIONS:Abnormal small bowel motility and SIBO is common in patients with liver cirrhosis with concomitant portal hypertension. Portal hypertension per se might be significantly related to small bowel abnormalities observed in patients with liver cirrhosis.