Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MAPK14/p38α confers irinotecan resistance to TP53-defective cells by inducing survival autophagy

Recently we have shown that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) MAPK14/p38α is involved in resistance of colon cancer cells to camptothecin-related drugs. Here we further investigated the cellular mechanisms involved in such drug resistance and showed that, in HCT116 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells in which TP53 was genetically ablated (HCT116-TP53KO), overexpression of constitutively active MAPK14/p38α decreases cell sensitivity to SN-38 (the active metabolite of irinotecan), inhibits cell proliferation and induces survival-autophagy. Since autophagy is known to facilitate cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy and radiation treatment, we then investigated the relationship between MAPK14/p38α, autophagy and resistance to irinotecan. We demonstrated that induction of autophagy by SN38 is dependent on MAPK14/p38α activation. Finally, we showed that inhibition of MAPK14/p38α or autophagy both sensitizes HCT116-TP53KO cells to drug therapy. Our data proved that the two effects are interrelated, since the role of autophagy in drug resistance required the MAPK14/p38α. Our results highlight the existence of a new mechanism of resistance to camptothecin-related drugs: upon SN38 induction, MAPK14/p38α is activated and triggers survival-promoting autophagy to protect tumor cells against the cytotoxic effects of the drug. Colon cancer cells could thus be sensitized to drug therapy by inhibiting either MAPK14/p38 or autophagy.
A Signature of Genomic Instability Resulting from Deficient Replication Licensing

Insufficient licensing of DNA replication origins has been shown to result in genome instability, stem cell deficiency, and cancers. However, it is unclear whether the DNA damage resulting from deficient replication licensing occurs generally or if specific sites are preferentially affected. To map locations of ongoing DNA damage in vivo, the DNAs present in red blood cell micronuclei were sequenced. Many micronuclei are the product of DNA breaks that leave acentromeric remnants that failed to segregate during mitosis and should reflect the locations of breaks. To validate the approach we show that micronuclear sequences identify known common fragile sites under conditions that induce breaks at these locations (hydroxyurea). In MCM2 deficient mice a different set of preferred breakage sites is identified that includes the tumor suppressor gene Tcf3, which is known to contribute to T-lymphocytic leukemias that arise in these mice, and the 45S rRNA gene repeats.
Physical Education: Adaptations and Benefits for Deaf Students

Human development encompasses a relationship between genetics and environment factors including affective, social, cognitive and motor development. Physical activity can reduce the risk of several diseases also stimulating health promotion, feelings expression, formation of critical awareness, autonomy development, motivation for study and others. In case of deaf students, physical education also has other benefits, including social inclusion. Many challenges need to be overcome on adapted physical education for deaf students such as the lack of bilingual teachers and also the lack of specific signs of some important words for physical education. Herein we reviewed the benefits of physical activity for deaf children, highlighting some adaptations for helping on teaching and learning and development of this public.
Government takes decline as nations diversify terms to attract investment

A new review of 324 fiscal systems in 159 countries indicates that the trend of declines in government take has continued during the last 2 years. An earlier OGJ article concluded that government take had declined considerably during the previous decade in response to an increased availability of acreage. The fiscal system rating is based on eight economic yardsticks. They are: rate of return; net present value per barrel; ability to absorb geological risk; attractiveness of incremental exploration investments; attractiveness of incremental development investments; government take; bonanza economics; and the degree of front-end loading of the fiscal system. Based on these criteria the fiscal systems are rated, based on a point system, from the most attractive (five star) terms to the least attractive (one star). Table 1 provides an overview of the rating and ranking of 50 of the most interesting fiscal systems. Figure 1 provides the government take and corporate take for the systems listed in Table 1, based on a weighted average of 12 fields. The paper discusses attractive, tough, and diversifying terms, and regional competition.
Perceiving Terrorism: A survey experiment about how Swedish students define terrorism based on the perpetrator’s ethnicity

The purpose of this study is to analyze how students perceive the concept of terrorism based on the ethnicity ascribed to the perpetrator. Studies conducted in the US have shown that the public defines political violence differently depending on the language used to describe the event, white perpetrators are more often called mass shooters while perpetrators of other ethnicities are more frequently called terrorists. At the same time, there is a lack of studies on that specific topic in Scandinavia and the aim of this study was to conduct a survey experiment to contribute to this field in a Swedish context. Respondents were reading a fictional scenario about a fatal shooting in Malmö, Sweden. Two groups (n=180) were participating in the experiment. The name of the perpetrator was deliberately changed to an Arabic name in the second group, compared to a Swedish name in the first group. Respondents were then asked to define the scenario and answer questions about the possible motive of the attack. The main result shows that the students were not more eager to define the event as a terror attack with the Arabicnamed perpetrator. This could be explained by the fact that the respondents are mainly educated female students between 18-25 years. Further studies including a higher number of respondents from different age groups, background and social statutes will be needed to investigate this complex issue. Syftet med denna studie är att analysera hur studenter uppfattar terrorism beroende på gärningsmannens tillskrivna etnicitet. Studier utförda i USA har visat att allmänheten definierar politiskt våld på olika sätt beroende på språkbruket som använts för att beskriva attacken; vita män anges i större grad vara masskjutare medan gärningsmän med en annan etnicitet blir oftare kallade terrorister. Samtidigt saknas det studier om detta temaområde genomförda i Skandinavien och denna uppsats avser att belysa ämnet närmare i en svensk kontext genom att utföra ett enkätexperiment. Respondenterna fördelades på två grupper (n=180) och läste en text med ett fiktivt scenario om en skjutning i Malmö. Gärningsmannens namn har medvetet ändrats till ett arabiskt namn i den andra gruppen, vilket ska indikera en annan etniskt bakgrund jämfört med den första gruppen där gärningsmannen hade ett svenskt namn. Respondenterna uppmanades sedan att definiera händelsen och svara på frågor om ett möjligt motiv. Resultatet visar att respondenterna inte gör någon skillnad mellan gärningsmännen, vilket kan bero på att den undersökta gruppen tillhör en relativt homogen grupp på främst kvinnliga studenter under 25 år. Vidare studier med ett större antal respondenter från olika bakgrunder, åldersgrupper och sociala gruppering behöver genomföras för att kunna undersöka detta komplexa studieämne.
Visual Receptive Fields of Neurons in Inferotemporal Cortex of the Monkey

Neurons in inferotemporal cortex (area TE) of the monkey had visual receptive fields which were very large (greater than 10 by 10 degrees) and almost always included the fovea. Some extended well into both halves of the visual field, while others were confined to the ipsilateral or contralateral side. These neurons were differentially sensitive to several of the following dimensions of the stimulus: size and shape, color, orientation, and direction of movement.
Prosodic cues of sarcastic speech in French: slower, higher, wider

Verbal irony is characterized by the use of specific acoustic modulations, especially global prosodic cues as well as vowel hyperarticulation. Little is known concerning the expression of sarcastic speech in French. Here we report on global prosodic features of sarcastic speech in a corpus of declarative French utterances. Our data show that sarcastic productions are characterized by utterance lengthening, by increased f0 modulations and a global raising of the pitch level and range. The results are discussed in the light of results on the acoustic features of ironic speech in languages other than French.
Genetic local search for the TSP: new results

The combination of local search heuristics and genetic algorithms has been shown to be an effective approach for finding near-optimum solutions to the traveling salesman problem. Previously proposed genetic local search algorithms for the symmetric and asymmetric traveling salesman problem are revisited and potential improvements are identified. Since local search is the central component in which most of the computation time is spent, improving the efficiency of the local search operators is crucial for improving the overall performance of the algorithms. The modifications of the algorithms are described and the new results obtained are presented. The results indicate that the improved algorithms are able to arrive at better solutions in significantly less time.
GALEX DISCOVERY OF A DAMPED Lyα SYSTEM AT REDSHIFT z ≈ 1

We report the first discovery of a QSO damped Lyα system (DLA) by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The system was initially identified as an Mg ii absorption-line system (zabs = 1.028) in the spectrum of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) QSO J0203-0910 (zem = 1.58). The presence of unusually strong absorption due to metal lines of Zn ii, Cr ii, Mn ii, and Fe ii clearly suggested that it might be a DLA with NH i ⩾ 2 × 1020 atoms cm−2. Follow-up GALEX NUV grism spectroscopy confirms that the system exhibits a DLA absorption line, with a measured H i column density of NH i = 1.50 ± 0.45 × 1021 atoms cm−2. By combining the GALEX NH i determination with the SDSS spectrum measurements of unsaturated metal-line absorption due to Zn ii, which is generally not depleted onto grains, we find that the system's neutral-gas-phase metal abundance is [Zn/H] = −0.70 ± 0.22, or ≈20% solar. By way of comparison, although this system has one of the largest Zn+ column densities, its metal abundances are comparable to other DLAs at z ≈ 1. Measurements of the abundances of Cr, Fe, and Mn help to further pin down the evolutionary state of the absorber.
The phosphate transporter PHT4;1 is a salicylic acid regulator likely controlled by the circadian clock protein CCA1

The small phenolic compound salicylic acid (SA) plays a critical role in plant defense against broad-spectrum of pathogens. The phosphate transporter gene PHT4;1 was previously shown to affect SA-mediated defense and its expression is regulated by the circadian clock. To further understand how PHT4;1 affects SA accumulation, here we analyzed the genetic interactions between the gain-of-function mutant pht4;1-1 and several known SA mutants, including sid2-1, ald1-1, eds5-3, and pad4-1. The genetic analysis was conducted in the acd6-1 background since the change of acd6-1 dwarfism can be used as a convenient readout for the change of defense levels caused by impairments in some SA genes. We found that compared with the corresponding double mutants, the triple mutants acd6-1pht4;1-1ald1-1, acd6-1pht4;1-1eds5-3, and acd6-1pht4;1-1pad4-1 accumulated lower levels of SA and PR1 transcripts, suggesting that PHT4;1 contributes to acd6-1-conferred defense phenotypes independently of these known SA regulators. Although some triple mutants had wild type (wt)-like levels of SA and PR1 transcripts, these plants were smaller than wt and displayed minor cell death, suggesting that additional regulatory pathways contribute to acd6-1-conferred dwarfism and cell death. Our data further showed that circadian expression of PHT4;1 was dependent on CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED 1 (CCA1), a central oscillator component of Arabidopsis circadian clock. Recombinant CCA1 protein was demonstrated to bind to the PHT4;1 promoter in electrophoretic mobility shift assays, suggesting a direct transcriptional regulation of PHT4;1 by CCA1. Together these results indicate that PHT4;1 is a SA regulator acting independently of several known SA genes and they also implicate a role of the circadian clock mediated by CCA1 in regulating phosphate transport and/or innate immunity in Arabidopsis.
The Evolution from LIMMAT to NANOSAT

In this technical report we summarize the evo- lution of SAT solvers implemented at the for- mal methods group at ETH Zurich. We start with LIMMAT and COMPSAT, which both took part in the SAT'03 SAT solver competi- tion. From the more ambitious design of FU- NEX we reach the minimal implementation of NANOSAT. We close the discussion with an overview on how our QBF solver QUANTOR can be used as a preprocessor for SAT. We high- light dierences to similar implementations, em- phasizing new ideas. No detailed experimental comparison is provided, since the main purpose of this technical report is to give a reference point for the SAT'04 SAT solver competition.
Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in China

Background Relatively little is known about the specific relationship and impact from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on multidrug-resistant tuberculsosis (MDR-TB). Methods We conducted a retrospective study included patients aged ≥40 years with a confirmed pulmonary TB at three tertiary hospitals (Shandong, China) between January 2011 and October 2014. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify the relationship of MDR-TB and COPD. Results A total of 2164 patients aged ≥ 40 years with available results of drug susceptibility test (DST) and medical records were screened for this study: 268 patients with discharge diagnosis of COPD and 1896 patients without COPD. Overall, 14.2% of patients with COPD and 8.5% patients without COPD were MDR-TB. The rate of MDR-TB were significantly higher in patients with COPD (P<0.05). Migrant (odds ratios (OR) 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.72), previous anti-TB treatment (OR 4.58, 95% CI 1.69–12.42), cavity (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.14–4.75), and GOLD stage (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.01–2.93) were the independent predictors for MDR-TB among patients with COPD. Conclusions MDR-TB occurs more frequently in patients with underlying COPD, especially those with being migrant, previous anti-TB therapy, cavity and severe airway obstruction.
PREDICTING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS OF NON-BUSINESS MAJORS : A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

This paper reports preliminary results of an ongoing project to profile entrepreneurial intentions of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) majors. The study used a self-administered questionnaire to explore the influence of vicarious experience, entrepreneurial orientation, image of entrepreneurship, and subjective norms on EI in a non business student sample. Students who expressed stronger interest in entrepreneurial careers are proactive, creative, opportunity seeking, confident, and have a positive image of entrepreneurship. Students’ major, family occurrence of entrepreneurship, and internship experience influenced entrepreneurial intentions. Results can be applied to policy and curriculum development in efforts to disseminate enterprise education across the university.
EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SELECTED GUIDANCE SERVICES IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE SAGNARIGU MUNICIPALITY-GHANA

The study was carried out in Senior High Schools in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern region of Ghana. The study examined the extent to which orientation, counselling and information services were implemented and perceived by male and female students. The study adopted the survey research design. Simple random and proportional representation methods were used to select a sample size of 480 students comprising 304 boys and 176 girls who responded to a questionnaire. Three research hypotheses were tested using t-test with an alpha level of 0.05. Results from the descriptive statistics revealed that students strongly agreed that orientation and counselling services were implemented in their respective schools. Regarding the hypotheses, the study found that there was no significant difference in the perception of male and female students towards the implementation of orientation, counselling and information services in the study schools. It is recommended that school authorities, Ghana Education Service and government should provide the needed resources and infrastructure for the effective implementation of the guidance services to address the needs of students. Besides, counsellors, teachers and parents should encourage both male and female students to patronise guidance services since the services could help them acquire good study habits and skills that can enhance their academic performance, among others. Keywords : Guidance, Senior High School, Students, Sagnarigu Municipality, Ghana.
Press freedom during the 1994 and 1999 presidential elections in Ukraine: a reverse wave?

THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM and the dissolution of the Soviet Union have reshaped the institutional context for media development in Ukraine. Against the backdrop of changes in the political, economic and legal spheres, the media set out on the path of transformation from a party adjunct to a democratic institution. As evidenced in numerous articles and reports, the route to media democratisation is full of roadblocks and U-turns in Ukraine. 1 In the early 1990s a common approach to an appraisal of media reform was to contrast the newspaper market in the post-Soviet era with that under the communist regime. 2 In the light of those studies, a tangible improvement in the extent of press freedom was observed in Russia and Ukraine. Notwithstanding the theoretical value of that approach, it is necessary to move beyond the ante/post-communism dichotomy to unravel the dynamics of media development in the 1990s. This article seeks to provide a cross-time analysis of media development in post-communist Ukraine. Two time points—the 1994 and 1999 presidential elections—are selected for the study because such major events, when a lot is at stake, illuminate most vividly the strengths and weaknesses of media development in the post-Soviet era. Drawing upon Huntington’s discussion of democratisation processes, this analysis can serve as a probe for evaluating the possibility of a reverse wave in the sphere of mass communication. Since there are few empirical studies that investigate the extent of press freedom in successors to the former Soviet Union (FSU) across time, the contribution of this article lies in filling the gap and enriching the debate on media democratisation in the 1990s.
Performance evaluation of MQTT and CoAP via a common middleware

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) typically consist of sensor nodes and gateways that operate on devices with limited resources. As a result, WSNs require bandwidth-efficient and energy-efficient application protocols for data transmission. Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) and Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) are two such protocols proposed for resource-constrained devices. In this paper, we design and implement a common middleware that supports MQTT and CoAP and provides a common programming interface. We design the middleware to be extensible to support future protocols. Using the common middleware, we conducted experiments to study the performance of MQTT and CoAP in terms of end-to-end delay and bandwidth consumption. Experimental results reveal that MQTT messages have lower delay than CoAP messages at lower packet loss rates and higher delay than CoAP messages at higher loss rates. Moreover, when the message size is small and the loss rate is equal to or less than 25%, CoAP generates lower additional traffic than MQTT to ensure message reliability.
Effects of candesartan cilexetil on carotid remodeling in hypertensive diabetic patients: the MITEC study

In hypertension and diabetes, early structural changes of the arterial wall precede or support atherosclerosis. There is evidence that some antihypertensive drugs exert an antiathero-sclerotic effect. Over 36 months, we investigated the effect of candesartan cilexetil (CC) on the common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) vs amlodipine besylate (AML) in patients with type 2 diabetes and mild to moderate essential hypertension. After a 4-week wash-out period, 209 patients were randomized to either CC 8 mg or AML 5 mg once daily for a minimum of 1 month, after which, if BP was not normalized, the dosage was doubled, followed by the addition of hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg if necessary. No significant differences were observed between the two groups for change in IMT at M12 (−0.001 vs −0.027 mm/year for CC and AML respectively, p = 0.425), at M24 (−0.033 vs −0.019 mm per year respectively, p = 0.442), and at the last visit (−0.016 vs −0.039 mm per year respectively, p = 0.549). Within the group, comparisons did not show a significant difference in changes in IMT from baseline to the three visits. At the last visit, IMT regression was observed in 52.2% of patients receiving CC and in 51.3% of those receiving AML (p = 0.908). The augmentation in carotid lumen diameter from baseline was statistically greater in the AML group at the last visit (p = 0.034). BP variations during the study were similar in the two groups. The results of this study show that CC and AML treatments may alter identically the natural progression of carotid IMT in hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients.
The Neural Fate of Task-Irrelevant Features in Object-Based Processing

Objects are one of the most fundamental units in visual attentional selection and information processing. Studies have shown that, during object-based processing, all features of an attended object may be encoded together, even when these features are task irrelevant. Some recent studies, however, have failed to find this effect. What determines when object-based processing may or may not occur? In three experiments, observers were asked to encode object colors and the processing of task-irrelevant object shapes was evaluated by measuring functional magnetic resonance imaging responses from a brain area involved in shape representation. Whereas object-based task-irrelevant shape processing was present at low color-encoding load, it was attenuated or even suppressed at high color-encoding load. Moreover, such object-based processing was short-lived and was not sustained over a long delay period. Object-based processing for task-irrelevant features of attended objects thus does exist, as reported previously; but it is transient and its magnitude is determined by the encoding demand of the task-relevant feature.