Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the Causes and Consequences of Short-Term Behavioral Change during the Middle Stone Age at Sibudu, South Africa

Sibudu in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) with its rich and high-resolution archaeological sequence provides an ideal case study to examine the causes and consequences of short-term variation in the behavior of modern humans during the Middle Stone Age (MSA). We present the results from a technological analysis of 11 stratified lithic assemblages which overlie the Howiesons Poort deposits and all date to ~58 ka. Based on technological and typological attributes, we conducted inter-assemblage comparisons to characterize the nature and tempo of cultural change in successive occupations. This work identified considerable short-term variation with clear temporal trends throughout the sequence, demonstrating that knappers at Sibudu varied their technology over short time spans. The lithic assemblages can be grouped into three cohesive units which differ from each other in the procurement of raw materials, the frequency in the methods of core reduction, the kind of blanks produced, and in the nature of tools the inhabitants of Sibudu made and used. These groups of assemblages represent different strategies of lithic technology, which build upon each other in a gradual, cumulative manner. We also identify a clear pattern of development toward what we have previously defined as the Sibudan cultural taxonomic unit. Contextualizing these results on larger geographical scales shows that the later phase of the MSA during MIS 3 in KwaZulu-Natal and southern Africa is one of dynamic cultural change rather than of stasis or stagnation as has at times been claimed. In combination with environmental, subsistence and contextual information, our high-resolution data on lithic technology suggest that short-term behavioral variability at Sibudu can be best explained by changes in technological organization and socio-economic dynamics instead of environmental forcing.
Genome-wide RNAi analysis reveals that simultaneous inhibition of specific mevalonate pathway genes potentiates tumor cell death

The mevalonate (MVA) pathway is often dysregulated or overexpressed in many cancers suggesting tumor dependency on this classic metabolic pathway. Statins, which target the rate-limiting enzyme of this pathway, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), are promising agents currently being evaluated in clinical trials for anti-cancer efficacy. To uncover novel targets that potentiate statin-induced apoptosis when knocked down, we carried out a pooled genome-wide short hairpin RNA (shRNA) screen. Genes of the MVA pathway were amongst the top-scoring targets, including sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 2 (SREBP2), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase 1 (HMGCS1) and geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase 1 (GGPS1). Each gene was independently validated and shown to significantly sensitize A549 cells to statin-induced apoptosis when knocked down. SREBP2 knockdown in lung and breast cancer cells completely abrogated the fluvastatin-induced upregulation of sterol-responsive genes HMGCR and HMGCS1. Knockdown of SREBP2 alone did not affect three-dimensional growth of lung and breast cancer cells, yet in combination with fluvastatin cell growth was disrupted. Taken together, these results show that directly targeting multiple levels of the MVA pathway, including blocking the sterol-feedback loop initiated by statin treatment, is an effective and targetable anti-tumor strategy.
Banking Crises in Emerging Markets: Presumptions and Evidence

The existing empirical literature on banking crises has not produced agreement on their causes. Using a sample of 75 emerging markets in 1975-1997, we attempt to determine what we know about banking crises by establishing which previous results are robust. Among the robust causes of emerging-market banking crises are rapid domestic credit growth, large bank liabilities relative to reserves, and deposit- rate decontrol. On the other hand, there is no compelling evidence of any particular relationship between exchange rate regimes and crises. Finally, the evidence that deposit insurance or a weak institutional environment heighten crisis risk appears to be fragile.
Global characterization of Rossby waves at several spectral bands

[1] Global sea surface height anomaly signals from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimeter from 1992 to 2000 are filtered into several spectral bands. These bands include propagating (Rossby, Kelvin, and tropical instability waves) and nonpropagating (annual and interannual basin-scale variability and eddies) signals. These signals are decomposed through a series of finite impulse response band-pass filters. Phase speed, period, wavelength, and amplitude are estimated. Signal-to-noise ratio, methodological errors, and natural variability are also estimated. Results are shown for the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian basins for four Rossby wave components with periods between 3 and 24 months. Equatorial Kelvin waves and tropical instability waves are shown as peripheral results. The clearest and most energetic wave signals are generally observed for annual Rossby waves. Semiannual Rossby waves often have the largest amplitudes near the tropics. The Rossby wave phase speeds are in agreement with the linear theory, except for a ∼25% bias toward high speeds found in mid to high latitudes. This revitalizes the idea that on the average the Rossby wave signal in the ocean is in the form of free waves.
A recombinant sialidase fusion protein effectively inhibits human parainfluenza viral infection in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND The first step in infection by human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) is binding to the surface of respiratory epithelial cells via interaction between viral receptor-binding molecules and sialic acid-containing receptors. DAS181, a recombinant sialidase protein containing the catalytic domain of Actinomyces viscosus sialidase, removes cell surface sialic acid, and we proposed that it would inhibit HPIV infection. METHODS Depletion of sialic acid receptors by DAS181 was evaluated by lectin-binding assays. Anti-HPIV activity in cultured cell lines and in human airway epithelium was assessed by the reduction in viral genomes and/or plaque forming units on treatment. In vivo efficacy of intranasally administered DAS181 was assessed using a cotton rat model. RESULTS DAS181-mediated desialylation led to anti-HPIV activity in cell lines and human airway epithelium. Intranasal DAS181 in cotton rats, a model for human disease, significantly curtailed infection. CONCLUSIONS Enzymatic removal of the sialic acid moiety of HPIV receptors inhibits infection with all tested HPIV strains, both in vitro and in cotton rats. Enzyme-mediated removal of sialic acid receptors represents a novel antiviral strategy for HPIV. The results of this study raise the possibility of a broad spectrum antiviral agent for influenza virus and HPIVs.
TITLE : New Approaches to Design and Develop Real-time Telecom Applications

It is generally believed that what users want from telecommunication applications is not technologies, but services. The more services can an application provide, the more success should it be. As a result, it is vital for application designers to design their products as flexible as possible. However, current common design approaches might not be sufficient for them to develop such one-to-meet-all products due to the rapid change of user requirements. In this paper, we discuss the above issue in more detail, and then introduce some new approaches in designing and developing (real-time) telecommunication applications with the view of maximizing its adaptation to user needs. The paper also shows some case studies in which our approaches have been applied to such real-time applications as Internet Protocol-based Private Branch eXchange (IP-PBX), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Gateway and so on. Some comparisons about the effectiveness of these proposed approaches against traditional ones are also described.
Hepatitis B virus genotypes in chronic liver disease patients from New Delhi, India.

AIM To study the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and their effect on the progression and outcome in patients with chronic liver diseases from New Delhi, India. METHODS Sera from 100 HBV-related chronic liver disease (CLDB) cases were tested for HBV genotype using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and Type-specific primers-based PCR (TSP-PCR) targeting to the surface (S) gene encoding hepatitis B surface antigen. RESULTS Only genotypes A and D were present and genotype D was dominant. Genotype D was present in all CLDB patient categories. The genotype distribution for the 100 patients with CLDB was as follows: genotype A, 16/100 (16%) (7/40- 17% chronic hepatitis B (CHB); 8/47, 17%, HBV-related cirrhosis (CRB); 1/13, 7.6%, HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCCB); genotype D- 84/100 (84%) (32/40- 80% CHB; 38/47- 81%, CRB; 11/13, 85%, HCCB); genotype A+D, 3/100 (3%) (1/40- 3% CHB; 1/47- 2%, CRB; 1/13, 7.6%, HCCB); C, 0; B, 0; E, 0; F, 0; G 0, H 0; (P<0.01, genotype D vs A). CONCLUSION Only HBV genotypes A and D were present in patients with CLDB from New Delhi, India. Compared with genotype D, genotype A patients had no significant clinical or biochemical differences (P>0.05). Mixed infection with genotype A and D were seen in 3% of the cases. Genotype D was the dominant genotype prevalent in all patient categories.
An Effective Watermark Embedding Algorithm for High JPEG Compression

Digital watermarking is an important technology that has been widely applied many applications. In this paper, we present an effective embedding watermark method for JPEG image which can resist high compression attack and retain a good image quality. The proposed algorithm consists of three parts which are searching the optimal embedded position, embedded value, and embedded/extracted processing for watermark in images. First, the embedded position search, which performed in DCT domain, are achieved the optimal watermark embedding position by means of finding the number of zero in low frequency region after compressing. Next, according to above result, we calculate the distortion difference between the original image and compressed image to decide the best tolerant range and assign the embedded value. Last, based on quantization index modulation (QIM), the embedded processing can further achieve effectively to inset the watermark in images. Thus this approach can effectively resist high JPEG compression and protect the embedded information and media ownership. The experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Individualised risk assessment for diabetic retinopathy and optimisation of screening intervals: a scientific approach to reducing healthcare costs

Objective To validate a mathematical algorithm that calculates risk of diabetic retinopathy progression in a diabetic population with UK staging (R0–3; M1) of diabetic retinopathy. To establish the utility of the algorithm to reduce screening frequency in this cohort, while maintaining safety standards. Research design and methods The cohort of 9690 diabetic individuals in England, followed for 2 years. The algorithms calculated individual risk for development of preproliferative retinopathy (R2), active proliferative retinopathy (R3A) and diabetic maculopathy (M1) based on clinical data. Screening intervals were determined such that the increase in risk of developing certain stages of retinopathy between screenings was the same for all patients and identical to mean risk in fixed annual screening. Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn and area under the curve calculated to estimate the prediction capability. Results The algorithm predicts the occurrence of the given diabetic retinopathy stages with area under the curve =80% for patients with type II diabetes (CI 0.78 to 0.81). Of the cohort 64% is at less than 5% risk of progression to R2, R3A or M1 within 2 years. By applying a 2 year ceiling to the screening interval, patients with type II diabetes are screened on average every 20 months, which is a 40% reduction in frequency compared with annual screening. Conclusions The algorithm reliably identifies patients at high risk of developing advanced stages of diabetic retinopathy, including preproliferative R2, active proliferative R3A and maculopathy M1. Majority of patients have less than 5% risk of progression between stages within a year and a small high-risk group is identified. Screening visit frequency and presumably costs in a diabetic retinopathy screening system can be reduced by 40% by using a 2 year ceiling. Individualised risk assessment with 2 year ceiling on screening intervals may be a pragmatic next step in diabetic retinopathy screening in UK, in that safety is maximised and cost reduced by about 40%.
Inflation Risks and Products: The Complete Guide

SECTION 1: THE GLOBAL INFLATION-LINKED BOND MARKETChapter 1Investment Strategies: The Approach of an Inflation Benchmarked-investorJamil Bas, John BrynjolfssonChapter 2Inflation-linked Markets and Monetary PolicyCedric ScholtesChapter 3Real Estate Derivatives: A Proxy for InflationTarik SenhajiChapter 4Inflation and CommoditiesMichael Ashton Bob GreerChapter 5Hedging Inflation with Infrastructure AssetsValdimar Armann Mark A. WeisdorfSECTION 2: INFLATION-LINKED BONDSChapter 6The Global Inflation-linked MarketSeamus Brown Raoul SalomonChapter 7Inflation-linked Bonds for the Total-return InvestorBrian Weinstein, Adam Bowman, Stuart SpodekChapter 8Special aspects of Japanese Inflation-linked BondsHidesada TakiChapter 9The Australian Inflation MarketSam Mitchell, Gary VassalloChapter 10Emerging Markets InflationKoon Chow, Ralph SegretiChapter 11Inflation Derivatives Herve Cros, Brice BenabenChapter 12Inflation and Credit Asset Swaps and the Real Price for Corporate LinkersSebastien GoldenbergChapter 13Building the forward CPI Curves and Pricing Simple StructureStephane Salas Borut MiklavcicChapter 14Modelling InflationFabio Mercurio Yildiray YildirimChapter 15Inflation-linked OptionsBrice Benaben Nicolas TabardelSECTION 3: INFLATION IN PENSION FUNDS AND INSURANCE COMPANIESChapter 16An Overview of Inflation Risk within Pension Funds and Insurance CompaniesJoe Hamilton Stuart JarvisChapter 17Liability-Driven Investing and Inflation: Theory and PracticeMarkus Aakko Bob LittermanChapter 18Hedging Conditional Indexation RiskVincent van Antwerpen, Huub van Capelleveen, Peter den Iseger and Bart OldenkampChapter 19Life Insurance and Inflation RiskErwan Boscher Paul CantyChapter 20 P&C Inflation and Inflation RiskMichael Ege David BieberSECTION 4: INFLATION "PAYERS"Chapter 21Liability Management with Inflation-linked Products: UK and Canada ApproachesMyrvin L Anthony Arnaud Mares David Bolder Nicolas SagnesChapter 22Liability Management with Inflation-linked Products: The Cases of Sweden and FranceLars Horngren, Erik Zetterstrom Jean-Paul Renne Nicolas SagnesChapter 23Liability Management with Inflation Products: Utilities' ProspectsBaptiste Janiaud P. HinkelChapter 24An Historical Perspective on Issuing Index-linked Gilts and Launching Ultra-long BondsMark Deacon, James KnightChapter 25Corporate and Infrastructure-backed Inflation-linked BondsDaragh McDevitt John KirwanNB. This table of contents is provisional and is subject to change
Out-of-pocket health expenditure in a population covered by the Family Health Program in Brazil.

BACKGROUND The Brazilian public health system, free and universal, should limit out-of-pocket health expenses. However, Brazil was reported as one of the countries with the highest proportion of families experiencing catastrophic expenditure. This study was designed to assess occurrence of high health spending in a low-income population, as well as the pattern of out-of-pocket health payments. METHODS A cross-sectional study was done in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2003, with a sample representative of families covered by the Family Health Program. Health expenses were recorded with reference to 30 days prior to the interview and income data were collected with reference to the previous calendar month. Health expenditure was explored in terms of total household health expenditure >5, 10 and 20% of household income and >40% households capacity to pay. RESULTS The final study sample included 869 households. Medicines were responsible for 47% of household expenditure with health; second came private health plans which accounted for 22%. The richest spent, on average, 70 times more them the poorest with health plans, 26 times more with dental treatment and six times more with medicines. About 16% households committed 20% or more of their income with health, independent of economic position. Similarly, 12% of the households had health expenditure in excess of 40% of their capacity to pay. CONCLUSION The proportion of income spent on health was similar across economic groups, but this 'equality' is achieved at an unacceptably high level. Specific strategies to reduce such vulnerability are needed.
Microarray Study of Pathway Analysis Expression Profile Associated with MicroRNA-29a with Regard to Murine Cholestatic Liver Injuries

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that microRNA-29 (miR-29) expression is prominently decreased in patients with hepatic fibrosis, which consequently stimulates hepatic stellate cells’ (HSCs) activation. We used a cDNA microarray study to gain a more comprehensive understanding of genome-wide gene expressions by adjusting miR-29a expression in a bile duct-ligation (BDL) animal model. Methods: Using miR-29a transgenic mice and wild-type littermates and applying the BDL mouse model, we characterized the function of miR-29a with regard to cholestatic liver fibrosis. Pathway enrichment analysis and/or specific validation were performed for differentially expressed genes found within the comparisons. Results: Analysis of the microarray data identified a number of differentially expressed genes due to the miR-29a transgene, BDL, or both. Additional pathway enrichment analysis revealed that TGF-β signaling had a significantly differential activated pathway depending on the occurrence of miR-29a overexpression or the lack thereof. Furthermore, overexpression was found to elicit changes in Wnt/β-catenin after BDL. Conclusion: This study verified that an elevated miR-29a level could alleviate liver fibrosis caused by cholestasis. Furthermore, the protective effects of miR-29a correlate with the downregulation of TGF-β and associated with Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway following BDL.
The Cricket indoor location system

Indoor environments present opportunities for a rich set of location-aware applications such as navigation tools for humans and robots, interactive virtual games, resource discovery, asset tracking, location-aware sensor networking etc. Typical indoor applications require better accuracy than what current outdoor location systems provide. Outdoor location technologies such as GPS have poor indoor performance because of the harsh nature of indoor environments. Further, typical indoor applications require different types of location information such as physical space, position and orientation. This dissertation describes the design and implementation of the Cricket indoor location system that provides accurate location in the form of user space, position and orientation to mobile and sensor network applications. Cricket consists of location beacons that are attached to the ceiling of a building, and receivers, called listeners, attached to devices that need location. Each beacon periodically transmits its location information in an RF message. At the same time, the beacon also transmits an ultrasonic pulse. The listeners listen to beacon transmissions and measure distances to nearby beacons, and use these distances to compute their own locations. This active-beacon passive-listener architecture is scalable with respect to the number of users, and enables applications that preserve user privacy. This dissertation describes how Cricket achieves accurate distance measurements between beacons and listeners. Once the beacons are deployed, the MAT and AFL algorithms, described in this dissertation, use measurements taken at a mobile listener to configure the beacons with a coordinate assignment that reflects the beacon layout. This dissertation presents beacon interference avoidance and detection algorithms, as well as outlier rejection algorithms to prevent and filter out outlier distance estimates caused by uncoordinated beacon transmissions. The Cricket listeners can measure distances with an accuracy of 5 cm. The listeners can detect boundaries with an accuracy of 1 cm. Cricket has a position estimation accuracy of 10 cm and an orientation accuracy of 3 degrees. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
A Reduced-order Model for Microbeam-based Magnetic Actuators

A reduced-order model for microbeam-based magnetic actuators has been presented based on using the linear mode shapes of a microbeam as basis functions. In comparison with previous models, the present model accounts for the micro-magnetic-core reluctance and the coupling between the beam deflection and magnetic force. The integration for magnetic force is calculated by dividing the microbeam into several segments, and the nonlinear equation set has been developed based on the magnetic circuit principle. The model has been validated by comparing its results with experimental results available in the literature and finite-element solutions. The model also shows that using the linear mode shapes of a microbeam as basis functions has enough accuracy for small deflection. The number of integration segments M has almost no effect to the calculation results because the microbeam deflection curve is nearly a straight line in small deflection situation.
Essential fatty acid status in neonates after fish-oil supplementation during late pregnancy

Healthy pregnant women (n 23) were supplemented with fish-oil capsules (2·7 g n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids/d) from the 30th week of gestation until delivery. Subjects in a control group were either supplemented with olive-oil capsules (4 g/d, n 6) or received no supplementation (n 10). Fatty acid compositions of the phospholipids isolated from umbilical plasma and umbilical arterial and venous vessel walls were determined. Fatty acid compositions of maternal venous plasma phospholipids were determined as well. Maternal plasma phospholipids of the fish-oil-supplemented group contained more n-3 fatty acids and less n-6 fatty acids. Moreover, the amounts of the essential fatty acid deficiency markers Mead acid (20:3n-9) and Osbond acid (22:5n-6) were significantly lower. The extra amount of n-3 fatty acids consumed by the mothers resulted in higher contents of n-3 fatty acids, and of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) in particular, in the phospholipids of umbilical plasma and vessel walls. It is, indeed, possible to interfere with the docosahexaenoic acid status at birth: children born to mothers supplemented with fish oil in the last trimester of pregnancy start with a better docosahexaenoic acid status at birth, which may be beneficial to neonatal neurodevelopment.
A Relative Deprivation Approach to Performance Incentives in Career

To study performance incentives and reward structures, an equation based on the theory of relative deprivation is derived. The equation is applied to obtain several fundamental properties of career games and, in particular, to identify new devices for intervention that will encourage desirable behavior in such games. The last part contains comments pertaining to reference group formation, information, size, job transfers, and the general functional relationship between relative deprivation and effort elicitation. Copyright 1990 by WWZ and Helbing & Lichtenhahn Verlag AG