pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Electron microscopic evidence for a mucin-like region in chick muscle alpha-dystroglycan.

alpha-Dystroglycan has been isolated from chicken cardiac muscle and its molecular weight was estimated to be approximately 135 kDa. The avian protein interacts with murine Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) tumor laminin via interaction with the C-terminal LG4 and LG5 domains (fragment E3) of the laminin alpha-chain. This laminin binding is calcium-dependent and can be competed by heparin. Electron microscopy investigation on the shape of alpha-dystroglycan suggests that the core protein consists of two roughly globular domains connected by a segment which most likely corresponds to a mucin-like central region also predicted by sequence analysis on mammalian isoforms. This segment may act as a spacer in the dystrophin-associated glycoproteins complex exposing the N-terminal domain of alpha-dystroglycan to laminin in the extracellular space
First observation of Bs0→J/ψf0(980) decays

Using data collected with the LHCb detector in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, the hadronic decay Bs -> J/psi f0(980) is observed. This CP eigenstate mode could be used to measure mixing-induced CP violation in the B_s system. Using a fit to the pi+ pi- mass spectrum with interfering resonances gives R_{f0/phi} = [Gamma(Bs -> J/psi f0, f0 -> pi+ pi-)]/[Gamma(Bs -> J/psi phi, phi -> K+K-)] = 0.252^{+0.046+0.027}_{-0.032-0.033}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively
Higgs production at the LHC: Updated cross sections at the LHC: Updated cross sections at s=8 TeV

We present predictions for the inclusive cross section for Higgs boson production by gluon-gluon fusion in proton collisions at s=8 TeV. Our calculation is accurate up to next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD perturbation theory and includes soft-gluon effects up to next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy and two-loop electroweak corrections. The dependence on heavy-quark masses is taken into account exactly up to next-to-leading order and next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy, and a treatment of the Higgs boson line-shape is provided according to the complex-pole scheme
Dendritic cells ameliorate autoimmunity in the CNS by controlling the homeostasis of PD-1 receptor(+) regulatory T cells

Mature dendritic cells (DCs) are established as unrivaled antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the initiation of immune responses, whereas steady-state DCs induce peripheral T cell tolerance. Using various genetic approaches, we depleted CD11c(+) DCs in mice and induced autoimmune CNS inflammation. Unexpectedly, mice lacking DCs developed aggravated disease compared to control mice. Furthermore, when we engineered DCs to present a CNS-associated autoantigen in an induced manner, we found robust tolerance that prevented disease, which coincided with an upregulation of the PD-1 receptor on antigen-specific T cells. Additionally, we showed that PD-1 was necessary for DC-mediated induction of regulatory T cells. Our results show that a reduction of DCs interferes with tolerance, resulting in a stronger inflammatory response, and that other APC populations could compensate for the loss of immunogenic APC function in DC-depleted mice
Population types of cataclysmic variables in the solar neighborhood

The Galactic orbital parameters of 159 cataclysmic variables in the Solar neighbourhood are calculated, for the first time, to determine their population types using published kinematical parameters. Population analysis shows that about 6 per cent of cataclysmic variables in the sample are members of the thi\ud
ck disc component of the Galaxy. This value is consistent with the fraction obt\ud
ained from star count analysis. The rest of the systems in the sample are found to be in the thin disc component of the Galaxy. Our analysis revealed no halo CVs in the Solar vicinity. About 60 per cent of the thick disc CVs have orbital periods be low the orbital period gap. This result is roughly consistent with the predictions of population synthesis models developed for cataclysmic variables. A kinematical age of 13 Gyr is obtained using total space velocity dispersion of the most probable thick disc CVs which is consistent with the age of thick disc component of the Galaxy
The Cyclically Adjusted Budget Balance in EU Fiscal Policymaking. Love at First Sight Turned into a Mature Relationship

The cyclically adjusted budget balance (CAB) plays a key role in the EU fi scal surveillance
framework. It started off in a supporting role in the shadow of the headline defi cit and, before
long, turned into the linchpin of the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact. The steep ascent
was driven by high expectations which, with the passing of time, were only partly met. The everyday practice of the EU fi scal surveillance rapidly revealed a number of caveats of the CAB which, at times, hampered the effectiveness of fi scal surveillance. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the changing fortunes of the CAB in the EU fi scal surveillance framework. It portrays its main shortcomings and the way they are dealt with in practice.
A DEA approach for measuring university departments’ efficiency

This paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in order to determine the performance levels of 16 departments of a public owned university.  Particularly, the constant returns to scale (CRS) and variable returns to scale (VRS) models have been applied alongside with bootstrap techniques in order to determine accurate performance estimates. The study illustrates how the recent developments in efficiency analysis and statistical inference can be applied when evaluating institutional performance issues. The results reveal the existence of misallocation of resources or/and inefficient application of departments’ policy development.
Were british cotton entrepreneurs technologically backward?

I study the slow adoption of ring spinning in Great Britain's cotton industry at the end of the 19th century, which has been used as evidence of British entrepreneurs' declining efficiency and conservatism (Musson, 1959; Aldcroft, 1964; Lazonick, 1981, 1981b). To this purpose I use firm-level data from all of Lancashire's cotton firms over several years. The data are from Worrall's The Cotton Spinners and Manufacturers' Directory for the years 1885, 1886–1887, 1890, 1894, 1902, and 1910.
First, I show that the vertical organization of the industry, with its firms specializing in spinning
or weaving, did not act as an impediment to the adoption of the ring spinning technology, as was argued by Lazonick. In particular, I show the following: i) non-integrated firms were the first to adopt rings in Great Britain; ii) the large majority of firms that adopted rings were
incumbents; iii) vertically integrated firms that were spinning only either twist or weft yarn
were still in existence in 1910; and iv) only a negligible number of firms changed their
organizational structure upon adopting ring spinning. I also show that a large fraction of firms
installed very small numbers of ring spindles upon the adoption of ring spinning, suggesting
that firms were slowly adopting ring spindles to replace old mule spindles rather than
transitioning over to ring spinning at a single point in time.
Then, I show that the rate at which vertically integrated firms adopted rings suddenly accelerated
after 1902. I interpret this as evidence that British entrepreneurs were fully aware of the
technological complementarities between rings and automatic looms. These complementarities
could only be fully exploited by vertically integrated firms.
Investigations on the mechanical properties of the elementary thin films composing a CIGS solar cell using the nano indentation technique.

The aim of this work is to assess the mechanical properties of the different layers composing a CIGS based solar cell. Fabrication uses the magnetron sputtering deposition technique (except for the CdS layer which was deposited using chemical bath deposition process). We performed several indentation tests on individual layers (Mo back contact layer, CIGS absorber layer, CdS and alternative ZnOS buffer layers, ZnO-AZO window layer) deposited on glass substrates. We mainly report the values of hardness (H) and Young's modulus (E) on each material, through indentation tests with continuous stiffness measurement (CSM)  and using an analytical model. The Mo layer remains the hardest and most rigid with H = 8.7 GPa and E = 185 GPa, on the other hand the CIGS layer has a weaker behavior with H = 3 GPa and E = 58 GPa. One might attribute the similar mechanical properties of the ZnO and ZnOS layers to the similarity of their microstructures
Understanding parental physical activity: Meanings, habits, and social role influence

Objectives The research aimed to explore parents' understandings of physical activity (PA), patterns of PA-related behaviour, and how constructions of socialrole expectations might influence their PA behaviour. Design and method Using a qualitative descriptive design and adopting a social constructionism approach to broaden interpretations of parents' understandings, 40 adults (21 mothers, 19 fathers; aged 23-49 years) living in South East Queensland, Australia participated in semi-structured individual and group interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Parents had clear understandings of what constitutes PA and engaged in various activities which were integrated with or independent of the children. Being active with children, however, was not always constructed favourably in which many parents described the difficulties of being active with their children. All individuals experienced changes in their PA behaviours after having children. For most, a decline in PA level, intensity, and structure was experienced; however, some did experience parenthood as a time to be active. A level of acceptance for the lack of activity performed was also expressed as were feelings of resentment and envy for those who maintained previous activity habits. Parenting and partner roles were considered most influential on PA-related behaviour and were constructed in ways that had both positive and negative influences on activity performance. Parents, however, were empowered to construct strategies to resolve conflicts between socialrole performance and being active. Conclusion Results show that parents experience unique difficulties that intervention work should consider when designing programs aimed at increasing parental PA.Full Tex
Optimal dividend strategies for two collaborating insurance companies

We consider a two-dimensional optimal dividend problem in the context of two insurance companies with compound Poisson surplus processes, who collaborate by paying each other's deficit when possible. We solve the stochastic control problem of maximizing the weighted sum of expected discounted dividend payments (among all admissible dividend strategies) until ruin of both companies, by extending results of univariate optimal control theory. In the case that the dividends paid by the two companies are equally weighted, the value function of this problem compares favorably with the one of merging the two companies completely. We identify this optimal value function as the smallest viscosity supersolution of the respective Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation and provide an iterative approach to approximate it numerically. Curve strategies are identified as the natural analogue of barrier strategies in this two-dimensional context. A numerical example is given for which such a curve strategy is indeed optimal among all admissible dividend strategies, and for which this collaboration mechanism also outperforms the suitably weighted optimal dividend strategies of the two stand-alone companies
The last forests on Antarctica: reconstructing flora and temperature from the Neogene Sirius Group, Transantarctic Mountains

Fossil-bearing deposits in the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica indicate that, despite the cold nature of the continent’s climate, a tundra ecosystem grew during periods of ice sheet retreat in the mid to late Neogene (17–2.5 Ma), 480 km from the South Pole. To date, palaeotemperature reconstruction has been based only on biological ranges, thereby calling for a geochemical approach to understanding continental climate and environment. There is contradictory evidence in the fossil record as to whether this flora was mixed angiosperm-conifer vegetation, or whether by this point conifers had disappeared from the continent. In order to address these questions, we have analysed, for the first time in sediments of this age, plant and bacterial biomarkers in terrestrial sediments from the Transantarctic Mountains to reconstruct past temperature and vegetation during a period of East Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat. From tetraether lipids (MBT’/CBT palaeothermometer), we conclude that the mean continental summer temperature was ca. 5 °C, in agreement with previous reconstructions. This was warm enough to have allowed woody vegetation to survive and reproduce even during the austral winter. Biomarkers from vascular plants indicate a low diversity and spatially variable flora consisting of higher plants, moss and algal mats growing in microenvironments in a glacial outwash system. Abietane-type compounds were abundant in some samples, indicating that conifers, most likely Podocarpaceae, grew on the Antarctic continent well into the Neogene. This is supported by the palynological record, but not the macrofossil record for the continent, and has implications for the evolution of vegetation on Antarctica
And then came Complex Project Management (revised)

The subject of management is renowned for its addiction to fads and fashions. Project Management is no exception. The issue of interest for this paper is the establishment of standards in the area, specifically the ‘College of Complex Project Managers’ and their ‘competency standard for complex project managers’. Both the college and the standard have generated significant interest in the Project Management community. Whilst the need for development of the means to manage complex projects is acknowledged, a critical evaluation show significant flaws in the definition of complex in this case, the process by which the College and its standard have emerged, and the content of the standard. If Project Management is to continue to develop as a profession, it will need an evidence-based approach to the generation of knowledge and standards. The issues raised by the evaluation provide the case for a portfolio of research that extends the existing bodies of knowledge into large-scale complicated (or major) projects. We propose that it would be owned by the practitioner community, rather than focused on one organization. Research questions are proposed that would commence this stream of activity towards an intelligent synthesis of what is required to manage in both complicated and truly complex environments. This is a revised paper previously presented at the 21st IPMA World Congress on Project Management Cracow, Poland
Gene and pathway level analyses of germline DNA-repair gene variants and prostate cancer susceptibility using the iCOGS-genotyping array

Background: Germline mutations within DNA-repair genes are implicated in susceptibility to multiple forms of cancer. For prostate cancer (PrCa), rare mutations in BRCA2 and BRCA1 give rise to moderately elevated risk, whereas two of similar to 100 common, low-penetrance PrCa susceptibility variants identified so far by genome-wide association studies implicate RAD51B and RAD23B. Methods: Genotype data from the iCOGS array were imputed to the 1000 genomes phase 3 reference panel for 21 780 PrCa cases and 21 727 controls from the Prostate Cancer Association Group to Investigate Cancer Associated Alterations in the Genome (PRACTICAL) consortium. We subsequently performed single variant, gene and pathway-level analyses using 81 303 SNPs within 20 Kb of a panel of 179 DNA-repair genes. Results: Single SNP analyses identified only the previously reported association with RAD51B. Gene-level analyses using the SKAT-C test from the SNP-set (Sequence) Kernel Association Test (SKAT) identified a significant association with PrCa for MSH5. Pathway-level analyses suggested a possible role for the translesion synthesis pathway in PrCa risk and Homologous recombination/Fanconi Anaemia pathway for PrCa aggressiveness, even though after adjustment for multiple testing these did not remain significant. Conclusions: MSH5 is a novel candidate gene warranting additional follow-up as a prospective PrCa-risk locus. MSH5 has previously been reported as a pleiotropic susceptibility locus for lung, colorectal and serous ovarian cancers
Particle size determines the anti-inflammatory effect of wheat bran in a model of fructose over-consumption: Implication of the gut microbiota

We investigated the impact of the particle size of wheat bran on gut dysbiosis and inflammation induced by a fructose overload. Mice received drinking water with or without fructose (30%) and a standard diet supplemented with or without 5% of wheat bran fractions characterized by different average particle sizes (1690 μm versus 150 μm) for 8 weeks. Fructose increased Enterobacteriaceae associated with higher expression of key inflammatory genes in the liver. The two wheat bran fractions differently affected specific gut bacteria known to be involved in the regulation of the gut barrier function and/or inflammatory processes. Moreover, wheat bran with small particle size was the sole fibre that reduced hepatic and systemic inflammatory markers upon high fructose intake. The anti-inflammatory effects of wheat bran may be dependent on their particle size and could be related to the changes in caecal Enterobacteriaceae.status: publishe
Search for a massive resonance decaying into a Higgs boson and a W or Z boson in hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

A search for a massive resonance decaying into a standard-model-like Higgs boson (H) and a W or Z boson is reported. The analysis is performed on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb[superscript -1], collected in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. Signal events, in which the decay products of Higgs, W, or Z bosons at high Lorentz boost are contained within single reconstructed jets, are identified using jet substructure techniques, including the tagging of b hadrons. This is the first search for heavy resonances decaying into HW or HZ resulting in an all-jet final state, as well as the first application of jet substructure techniques to identify H→ WW*→ 4q decays at high Lorentz boost. No significant signal is observed and limits are set at 95% confidence level on the production cross sections of W’ and Z’ in a model with mass-degenerate charged and neutral spin-1 resonances. Resonance masses are excluded for W' in the interval [1.0, 1.6]TeV, for Z0 in the intervals [1.0, 1.1] and [1.3, 1.5]TeV, and for mass-degenerate W0 and Z’ in the interval [1.0, 1.7]TeV.National Science Foundation (U.S.)United States. Department of Energ
Measurement of the production cross-section of a single top quark in association with a Zboson in proton–proton collisions at 13TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of a top quark in association with a Zboson is investigated. The proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=13 TeVare used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1. Events containing three identified leptons (electrons and/or muons) and two jets, one of which is identified as a b-quark jet are selected. The major backgrounds are diboson, t¯tand Z+jetsproduction. A neural network is used to improve the background rejection and extract the signal. The resulting significance is 4.2σin the data and the expected significance is 5.4σ. The measured cross-section for tZqproduction is 600 ±170 (stat.)±140 (syst.)fb
Engineering nucleotide specificity of succinyl-CoA synthetase in blastocystis: the emerging role of gatekeeper residues

Charged, solvent-exposed residues at the entrance to the substrate binding site (gatekeeper residues) produce electrostatic dipole interactions with approaching substrates, and control their access by a novel mechanism called "electrostatic gatekeeper effect". This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that the nucleotide specificity can be engineered by altering the electrostatic properties of the gatekeeper residues outside the binding site. Using Blastocystis succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS, EC 6.2.1.5), we demonstrated that the gatekeeper mutant (ED) resulted in ATP-specific SCS to show high GTP specificity. Moreover, nucleotide binding site mutant (LF) had no effect on GTP specificity and remained ATP-specific. However, via combination of the gatekeeper mutant with the nucleotide binding site mutant (ED+LF), a complete reversal of nucleotide specificity was obtained with GTP, but no detectable activity was obtained with ATP. This striking result of the combined mutant (ED+LF) was due to two changes; negatively charged gatekeeper residues (ED) favored GTP access, and nucleotide binding site residues (LF) altered ATP binding, which was consistent with the hypothesis of the "electrostatic gatekeeper effect". These results were further supported by molecular modeling and simulation studies. Hence, it is imperative to extend the strategy of the gatekeeper effect in a different range of crucial enzymes (synthetases, kinases, and transferases) to engineer substrate specificity for various industrial applications and substrate-based drug design
Statistical mechanical theory of an oscillating isolated system: The relaxation to equilibrium

In this Contribution we show that a suitably defined nonequilibrium entropy of an N-body isolated system is not a constant of the motion, in general, and its variation is bounded, the bounds determined by the thermodynamic entropy, i.e., the equilibrium entropy. We define the nonequilibrium entropy as a convex functional of the set of n-particle reduced distribution functions (n ? N) generalizing the Gibbs fine-grained entropy formula. Additionally, as a consequence of our microscopic analysis we find that this nonequilibrium entropy behaves as a free entropic oscillator. In the approach to the equilibrium regime, we find relaxation equations of the Fokker-Planck type, particularly for the one-particle distribution function
Hints for a fast precessing relativistic radio jet in LS I+61·303

Here we discuss two consecutive MERLIN observations of the X-ray binary LS I +61◦303. The first observation shows a double-sided jet extending up to about 200 AU on both sides of a central source. The jet shows a bent S-shaped struct ure similar to the one displayed by the well-known precessing jet of SS 433. The precession suggested in the first MERLIN image becomes evident in the second one, showing a one-sided bent jet significantly rotated with respect to the jet of the day before. We conclude that the derived precession of the relativistic (β=0.6) jet explains puzzling previous VLBI results. Moreover , the fact that the precession is fast could be the explanation of the never understood short term (days) variability of the associated gamma-ray source 2CG 135 + 01 / 3EG J0241 + 6103