Universal Features in the Genome-level Evolution of Protein Domains

Protein domains are found on genomes with notable statistical distributions, which bear a high degree of similarity. Previous work has shown how these distributions can be accounted for by simple models, where the main ingredients are probabilities of duplication, innovation, and loss of domains. However, no one so far has addressed the issue that these distributions follow definite trends depending on protein-coding genome size only. We present a stochastic duplication/innovation model, falling in the class of so-called Chinese Restaurant Processes, able to explain this feature of the data. Using only two universal parameters, related to a minimal number of domains and to the relative weight of innovation to duplication, the model reproduces two important aspects: (a) the populations of domain classes (the sets, related to homology classes, containing realizations of the same domain in different proteins) follow common power-laws whose cutoff is dictated by genome size, and (b) the number of domain families is universal and markedly sublinear in genome size. An important ingredient of the model is that the innovation probability decreases with genome size. We propose the possibility to interpret this as a global constraint given by the cost of expanding an increasingly complex interactome. Finally, we introduce a variant of the model where the choice of a new domain relates to its occurrence in genomic data, and thus accounts for fold specificity. Both models have general quantitative agreement with data from hundreds of genomes, which indicates the coexistence of the well-known specificity of proteomes with robust self-organizing phenomena related to the basic evolutionary ``moves'' of duplication and innovation

Hierarchical Species Sampling Models

This paper introduces a general class of hierarchical nonparametric prior distributions. The random probability measures are constructed by a hierarchy of generalized species sampling processes with possibly non-diffuse base measures. The proposed framework provides a general probabilistic foundation for hierarchical random measures with either atomic or mixed base measures and allows for studying their properties, such as the distribution of the marginal and total number of clusters. We show that hierarchical species sampling models have a Chinese Restaurants Franchise representation and can be used as prior distributions to undertake Bayesian nonparametric inference. We provide a method to sample from the posterior distribution together with some numerical illustrations. Our class of priors includes some new hierarchical mixture priors such as the hierarchical Gnedin measures, and other well-known prior distributions such as the hierarchical Pitman-Yor and the hierarchical normalized random measures

Kinetic models with randomly perturbed binary collisions

We introduce a class of Kac-like kinetic equations on the real line, with general random collisional rules, which include as particular cases models for wealth redistribution in an agent-based market or models for granular gases with a background heat bath. Conditions on these collisional rules which guarantee both the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium profiles and their main properties are found. We show that the characterization of these stationary solutions is of independent interest, since the same profiles are shown to be solutions of different evolution problems, both in the econophysics context and in the kinetic theory of rarefied gases

Family businesses in Eastern European countries: How informal payments affect exports

This article investigates the effect of corruption on the export share of family firms in Eastern European countries. Using the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey and panel data methods, we find that, in contrast to non-family firms, family firms are rather sensitive to corruption. In particular, the export share of family firms is positively associated with informal payments that aim to facilitate business operations. There are at least three compelling explanations for these results. First, if family firms are more risk averse than non-family firms, informal payments may represent additional export risk insurance. Second, informal payments may help family firms compensate for the lack of managerial capabilities to export. Finally, when institutional inefficiencies obstruct business, corruption may be a tool for family firms to protect their socioemotional wealth

LMOD3 gene variant in familial periodic hypersomnolence.

INTRODUCTION Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) is a rare and debilitating disorder presenting with periodic hypersomnolence, cognitive, psychiatric and behavioral disturbances. In the absence of biomarkers it can be difficult to diagnose. Rare LMOD3 variants in a family and in seven sporadic cases with KLS have been described. Here we report a patient and her family with an unclassified, familial, periodic central disorder of hypersomnolence (CDH) in whom the presence of a LMOD3 gene variant was assessed. CASE DESCRIPTION The female patient presented since early adulthood with recurrent episodes of hypersomnolence. Over more than 20 years of follow-up the diagnoses of idiopathic hypersomnia, KLS and hypersomnia associated with a psychiatric condition were made. The family history is positive for periodic hypersomnolence and psychiatric conditions. The patient, her symptomatic mother and her asymptomatic sister carried a Proline for Histidine substitution at codon 552 of the LMOD3-gene. This variant was previously reported in two sporadic KLS patients and its frequency in the general population is below 0.02%. DISCUSSION We report the association of periodic hypersomnia with a polymorphism of the LMOD3-gene in a patient with atypical KLS and a positive family history. Further research is needed to assess the pathological and predictive value of LMOD3 variants in KLS

Legionella Resources on the World Wide Web

Internet resources that focus on Legionella and legionnaires disease are presented. Web sites were selected on the basis of their content and adherence to suggested standards of medical Internet publishing. Free, accessible, English-language Web sites were categorized according to users' needs as follows: (1) those with comprehensive information on Legionella infection (including pathophysiologic characteristics, symptoms, and treatment of legionnaires disease), (2) those with information on outbreaks and epidemiology (including information for travelers), (3) those with information for researchers, (4) those about prevention, and (5) those with information for layperson

Why and when do family firms invest less in talent management? The suppressor effect of risk aversion

none4siThis article explores the complex relationship between family firms and talent management practices. We use an international sample of medium-sized manufacturing firms to show that the relationship between family-owned firms and investment in talent management practices is mediated by the firm’s level of risk aversion, which is, in turn, moderated by industry competition. Risk-averse family-owned firms tend to invest less in talent management practices when industry competition is weak. In contrast, when competition increases, family-owned firms tend to invest in talent as much as non-family-owned firms do.openBasco, Rodrigo; Bassetti, Thomas; Dal Maso, Lorenzo; Lattanzi, NicolaBasco, Rodrigo; Bassetti, Thomas; Dal Maso, Lorenzo; Lattanzi, Nicol