Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Viability of Bianchi Type VIIh Models with Dark Energy

We generalize the predictions for the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy patterns arising in Bianchi type VIIh universes to include a dark energy component. We consider these models in light of the result of Jaffe and collaborators in which a correlation was found on large angular scales between the WMAP data and the anisotropy structure in a low-density Bianchi universe. We find that by including a term ΩΛ > 0, the same best-fit anisotropy pattern is reproduced by several combinations of cosmological parameters. This subset of models can then be further constrained by current observations that limit the values of various cosmological parameters. In particular, we consider the so-called geometric degeneracy in these parameters imposed by the peak structure of the WMAP data themselves. Apparently, despite the additional freedom allowed by the dark energy component, the modified Bianchi models are ruled out at high significance.
Mobilization of Genomic Islands of Staphylococcus aureus by Temperate Bacteriophage

The virulence of Staphylococcus aureus, in both human and animal hosts, is largely influenced by the acquisition of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Most S. aureus strains carry a variety of MGEs, including three genomic islands (νSaα, νSaβ, νSaγ) that are diverse in virulence gene content but conserved within strain lineages. Although the mobilization of pathogenicity islands, phages and plasmids has been well studied, the mobilization of genomic islands is poorly understood. We previously demonstrated the mobilization of νSaβ by the adjacent temperate bacteriophage ϕSaBov from strain RF122. In this study, we demonstrate that ϕSaBov mediates the mobilization of νSaα and νSaγ, which are located remotely from ϕSaBov, mostly to recipient strains belonging to ST151. Phage DNA sequence analysis revealed that chromosomal DNA excision events from RF122 were highly specific to MGEs, suggesting sequence-specific DNA excision and packaging events rather than generalized transduction by a temperate phage. Disruption of the int gene in ϕSaBov did not affect phage DNA excision, packaging, and integration events. However, disruption of the terL gene completely abolished phage DNA packing events, suggesting that the primary function of temperate phage in the transfer of genomic islands is to allow for phage DNA packaging by TerL and that transducing phage particles are the actual vehicle for transfer. These results extend our understanding of the important role of bacteriophage in the horizontal transfer and evolution of genomic islands in S. aureus.
A probabilistic approach for phase estimation in single-channel speech enhancement using von mises phase priors

In many artificial intelligence systems human voice is considered as the medium for information transmission. Human-machine communication by voice becomes difficult when speech is mixed with some background noise. As a remedy, a single-channel speech enhancement is indispensable for reducing background noise from noisy speech to make it suitable for automatic speech recognition and telephony speech. While the conventional techniques for single-channel speech enhancement incorporate noisy phase in both amplitude estimation and signal reconstruction stages, in this paper we propose a probabilistic method to estimate the clean speech phase from noisy observation. Our proposed method consists of phase unwrapping followed by threshold-based temporal smoothing using von Mises phase priors. The proposed phase enhancement method leads to improved speech quality and intelligibility predicted by instrumental measures without explicit incorporation of amplitude enhancement.
Managing climate change business risks and consequences : leadership for global sustainability

PART I CLIMATE CHANGE AND RISK MANAGEMENT * Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION: Framing the Inquiry into risk management and climate change * Chapter 2: ASKING "THE RIGHT QUESTION": * Chapter 3: BASIC CONCEPTS OF RISK MANAGEMENT * PART II THE KEY PLAYERS MANAGING THE RISKS OF CLIMATE CHANGE * Chapter 4: RISK MANAGING INSTITUTIONS - THE INSURERS * Chapter 5: CORPORATE RISK MANAGERS - THE INSURED * Chapter 6: GOVERNMENT REGULATORS DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL - RULE SETTERS, JUDGES, AND REFEREES * Chapter 7: THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING NGOS, THE PRESS - COMMENTATORS, CRITICS, AND CHEERLEADERs * SECTION III BEYOND "INSURANCE" * Chapter 8: GOING FORWARD - DESIRABLE EVOLUTION IN GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY RISK MANAGEMENT
A cooperative conjugate gradient method for linear systems permitting multithread implementation of low complexity

This paper proposes a generalization of the conjugate gradient (CG) method used to solve the equation Ax = b for a symmetric positive definite matrix A of large size n. The generalization consists of permitting the scalar control parameters (= stepsizes in gradient and conjugate gradient directions) to be replaced by matrices, so that multiple descent and conjugate directions are updated simultaneously. Implementation involves the use of multiple agents or threads and is referred to as cooperative CG (cCG), in which the cooperation between agents resides in the fact that the calculation of each entry of the control parameter matrix now involves information that comes from the other agents. The multithread implementation is shown to have low worst case complexity equation in exact arithmetic. Numerical experiments, that illustrate the interest of theoretical results, are carried out on a multicore computer.
Diagnosis of Dementia Using Nuclear Medicine Imaging Modalities

Dementia describes the loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases, and which has the potential to affect memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. Most types of dementia involve irreversible neurodegeneration, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form. Beyond AD however, there are many other diseases that can lead to dementia including dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Parkinson’s disease with dementia, corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Dementia can also be the result of many small strokes and, in such cases, is called vascular dementia. Whilst such clinically and neuropathologically overlapping dementia diseases can be predicted by clinical diagnosis, definitively differentiating them from one another has typically been attempted using high-risk diagnostic procedures (e.g. brain biopsy, Lumbar puncture) or, more commonly, during a post-mortem examination. This makes it difficult to a) differentiate dementias and treat each appropriately before patient death; b) manage the diseases early, before the onset of cognitive decline; c) select appropriate patients for assisting in dementia-related drug development; and d) track the impact of new dementia therapeutics in clinical trials. Therefore, new non-invasive diagnostic methods for managing dementia are in high demand and, reflecting this, many radiopharmaceuticals (drugs tagged with a radioactive isotope) have been developed over the last 2 decades that allow noninvasive examination of dementia pathophysiology in living human subjects using nuclear medicine imaging techniques. Such techniques include positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging, and have greatly enhanced diagnostic confidence across the entire dementia disease spectrum in recent years. This chapter reviews radiopharmaceuticals commonly employed clinically in the management of dementia patients, suffering from the diseases outlined above, with nuclear medicine modalities. The chapter is divided by disease entity, and progress in imaging the pathophysiology of each disease is highlighted. In addition to those radiopharmaceuticals with approval for human use discussed herein, there are many experimental radiopharmaceuticals for dementia in pre-clinical development, which have not yet been translated into clinical use. Comprehensive review of such pre-clinical radiopharmaceuticals is outside the scope of this book, and pertinent examples are highlighted only when necessary to indicate key concepts involved in imaging dementia patients. The interested reader can obtain additional information on radiopharmaceuticals currently in development
Green Tea Modulates Cytokine Expression in the Periodontium and Attenuates Alveolar Bone Resorption in Type 1 Diabetic Rats

Diabetes mellitus comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders with the main feature of hyperglycemia. Chronic hyperglycemia increases the severity of periodontal disease via an exacerbated inflammatory response, activated by advanced glycation end products and their receptor, RAGE. Therefore, anti-inflammatory agents represent potential inhibitors of this pathological interaction. In particular, green tea has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties mediated by its polyphenol content. Objectives: This study investigated the mechanisms by which green tea attenuates the spontaneous onset of diabetes-induced periodontitis. Methods: Diabetes was induced in rats via a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Diabetic and control animals were divided into water-treated and green tea-treated subgroups and were analyzed at 15, 30, 60 and 90 days after diabetes induction. Immunohistochemistry was performed to quantitatively evaluate tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX-2) expression in serial sections of each hemimaxilla. Morphometric measurements of the distance from the cementum-enamel junction (CEJ) of the superior distal root of the first molar to the alveolar bone crest (ABC) were performed to assess bone loss. Results: Diabetes resulted in significant bone loss and alterations in the number of cells that stained positive for inflammatory mediators. In the diabetic rats treated with green tea, we observed a decreased number of cells expressing RANKL and TNF-α compared with that observed in the diabetic rats treated with water. Additionally, green tea increased the numbers of cells that stained positive for OPG, RUNX-2 and IL-10 in the diabetic rats. Conclusion: Green tea intake reduces expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and the osteoclastogenic mediator RANKL to normal levels while increasing expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, the osteogenesis-related factor RUNX-2 and the anti-osteoclastogenic factor OPG. Therefore, green tea represents a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetes-related periodontal disease.
Effects of material properties of femoral hip components on bone remodeling

Bone loss around femoral hip stems is one of the problems threatening the long‐term fixation of uncemented stems. Many believe that this phenomenon is caused by reduced stresses in the bone (stress shielding). In the present study the mechanical consequences of different femoral stem materials were investigated using adaptive bone remodeling theory in combination with the finite element method. Bone‐remodeling in the femur around the implant and interface stresses between bone and implant were investigated for fully bonded femoral stems. Cemented stems (cobalt‐chrome or titanium alloy) caused less bone resorption and lower interface stresses than uncemented stems made from the same materials. The range of the bone resorption predicted in the simulation models was from 23% in the proximal medial cortex surrounding the cemented titanium alloy stem to 76% in the proximal medial cortex around the uncemented cobalt‐chrome stem. Very little bone resorption was predicted around a flexible, uncemented “iso‐elastic” stem, but the proximal interface stresses increased drastically relative to the stiffer uncemented stems composed of cobalt‐chrome or titanium alloy. However, the proximal interface stress peak was reduced and shifted during the adaptive remodeling process. The latter was found particularly in the stiffer uncemented cobalt‐chrome‐molybdenum implant and less for the flexible isoelastic implant.
The Influence of Ultimate Ownership on Earnings Management: Evidence from Indonesia

Governance of public companies in Indonesia is concentrated in a particular group of controlling shareholder. The group is constituted in various ways like family, government, widely owned financial institutions, widely owned companies or others as a controlling shareholder. The controlling shareholder has two rights, control rights and cash flow rights. Differences between the two rights affect agency problems. Siregar documents that 99% of public companies in Indonesia have a concentrated ownership structure with a cut off of 10% control rights. Febrianto (2005) suggests that 92% of public companies have concentrated ownership structures in Indonesia at a cut off of 20%. Based on this phenomenon, the objective of this study is to investigate whether cash flow rights and leverage influence earnings management. This study collected data from Indonesian Stock Exchange regarding manufacturing companies during the period 2001-2007. There are 786 firms year at a cut off of 10% control rights. The results suggest that the cash flow leverage rights positively influence earnings management. The result indicates that larger differences between control rights and cash flow rights, imply it is easier for the controlling shareholder to manage earnings for his/her personal benefit. The controlling shareholder manipulates earnings to hide the acquired private benefits through expropriation.
Look before you LEP

State-led restructuring of sub-national economic governance and regeneration has been rapidly evolving over the past year or so across England. With several waves of cross-boundary Local Enterprise Partnerships approved by the UK Government, it is opportune to take stock of some of the more notable shifts. Building on a preliminary analytical mapping of the rocky road from regionalism to sub-regional localism, the paper pays particular attention to the politicised process underpinning the alliances, and crafting, development and subsequent submission of LEP proposals, as well as the eventual assessment and state sanctioning of LEP bids. Examining the process from a variety of perspectives, the paper highlights unequal power relations and extracts a number of powerful policy considerations. The paper propounds the argument that the rhetoric of permissive policy masks centralist controlling tendencies and unwritten rules.
Photodynamic therapy of melanoma using new, synthetic porphyrins and phthalocyanines as photosensitisers – a comparative study

Melanoma, a cancer that arises from melanocytes, is one of the most unresponsive cancers to known therapies and has a tendency to produce early metastases. Several studies showed encouraging results of the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in melanoma, in different experimental settings in vitro and in vivo, as well as several clinical reports. Aims Our study focuses on testing the antimelanoma efficacy of several new, synthetic photosensitisers (PS), from two different chemical classes, respectively four porphyrins and six phthalocyanines. Methods These PS were tested in terms of cell toxicity and phototoxicity against a radial growth phase melanoma cell line (WM35), in vitro. Cells were exposed to different concentrations of the PS for 24h, washed, then irradiatied with red light (630 nm) 75 mJ/cm2 for the porphyrins and 1 J/cm2 for the phthalocyanines. Viability was measured using the MTS method. Results Two of the synthetic porphyrins, TTP and THNP, were active photosensitizers against WM35 melanoma in vitro. Phthalocyanines were effective in producing a dose dependent PDT-induced decrease in viability in a dose-dependent manner. The most efficient was Indium (III) Phthalocyanine chloride, a metal substituted phthalocyanine. Conclusions The most efficient photosensitizers for PDT in melanoma cells were the phthalocyanines in terms of tumor cell photokilling and decreased dark toxicity.
Governance and Boards of Directors in Closed-End Investment Companies

Boards of directors occupy a prominent position in the governance of corporations, and have been a focal point of SEC efforts to ensure that investment companies are serving the interests of individual investors. We analyze whether board structure and director independence in closed-end investment companies are related to shareholder interests in ways that are consistent with boards being effective monitors. We report that funds with relatively low expense ratios, one measure of board effectiveness, have smaller boards, a higher proportion of the board that is legally considered independent, relatively low director compensation, and charter provisions that specify remedial action if discounts become large. Evidence from our analysis of major fund decisions regarding restructuring, including share repurchases, open-ending proposals and rights offerings, is largely consistent with the expense ratio analysis. Overall, board characteristics that we identify with effective board independence are associated with lower expense ratios and value-enhancing restructurings.
From Body to Mind and Spirit: Qigong Exercise for Bereaved Persons with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-Like Illness

Bereavement may bring negative impacts on the mind, body, and spiritual well-being of grieving persons. Some bereaved persons with chronic fatigue syndrome- (CFS-) illness experience a dual burden of distress. This study investigated the effects of bereavement on CFS-like illness by comparing bereaved and nonbereaved participants. It also adopted a random group design to investigate the effectiveness of Qigong on improving the well-being of bereaved participants. The Qigong intervention comprised 10 group sessions delivered twice a week for 5 weeks and home-practice for at least three times a week lasting 15–30 minutes each. The participants' fatigue, anxiety, and depression, quality of life (QoL), and spiritual well-being were measured at baseline and 3 months after treatment. The bereaved participants experienced significantly greater mental fatigue (16.09 versus 14.44, p = 0.017) and lower physical QoL (34.02 versus 37.17, p = 0.011) than their nonbereaved counterparts. After 3 months, the mental fatigue (−8 versus −4, p = 0.010) and physical fatigue (−10 versus −5, p = 0.007) experienced by intervention group had declined significantly, and improvements on their spirituality (14 versus −2, p = 0.013) and psychological QoL (8.91 versus 0.69, p = 0.002) scores exceeded those of the control group.
Epidemiological study of wheeze, doctor diagnosed asthma, and cough in preschool children in Leicestershire.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the cumulative prevalences of wheeze and doctor diagnosed asthma and the point prevalences of recurrent cough and wheeze in children aged 5 years and under. DESIGN--Questionnaire survey of population based random sample of children registered on regional authority's child health index for immunisation; questionnaire completed by parents. SETTING--Leicestershire. SUBJECTS--1650 white children born in 1985-9 who were surveyed in 1990. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Cumulative prevalences of wheeze and doctor diagnosed asthma and point prevalences of recurrent cough and wheeze by age and sex. RESULTS--There were 1422 replies (86.2%; 726 for boys, 696 for girls). Overall, 11.0% (95% confidence interval 9.4% to 12.6%) of children had formally been diagnosed as having asthma, the cumulative prevalence in boys (12.7%) being somewhat higher than in girls (9.2%) (age adjusted odds ratio 1.47, p = 0.03). As expected, the cumulative prevalence of asthma increased significantly with age (7.5% (13/173) in children under 1 year, 15.9% (61/383) in children of 4 years and over; p < 0.001). The cumulative prevalence of wheeze overall was 15.6% (13.7% to 17.5%), being higher in boys (17.6%) than in girls (13.5%) (odds ratio 1.38, p = 0.03). The overall prevalence of recurrent cough without colds was 21.8% (19.6% to 23.9%), with a non-significant excess in boys (23.1% v 20.4%). The overall prevalence of wheezing attacks during the previous 12 months was 13.0% (11.3% to 14.8%) with a non-significant excess in boys (14.5% v 11.5%). CONCLUSIONS--These findings are baseline results and emphasise the importance of studying the age group of interest rather than relying on the recall of parents of school age children.
Boundary Associated Long Noncoding RNA Mediates Long-Range Chromosomal Interactions

CCCTC binding factor (CTCF) is involved in organizing chromosomes into mega base-sized, topologically associated domains (TADs) along with other factors that define sub-TAD organization. CTCF-Cohesin interactions have been shown to be critical for transcription insulation activity as it stabilizes long-range interactions to promote proper gene expression. Previous studies suggest that heterochromatin boundary activity of CTCF may be independent of Cohesin, and there may be additional mechanisms for defining topological domains. Here, we show that a boundary site we previously identified known as CTCF binding site 5 (CBS5) from the homeotic gene cluster A (HOXA) locus exhibits robust promoter activity. This promoter activity from the CBS5 boundary element generates a long noncoding RNA that we designate as boundary associated long noncoding RNA-1 (blncRNA1). Functional characterization of this RNA suggests that the transcript stabilizes long-range interactions at the HOXA locus and promotes proper expression of HOXA genes. Additionally, our functional analysis also shows that this RNA is not needed in the stabilization of CTCF-Cohesin interactions however CTCF-Cohesin interactions are critical in the transcription of blncRNA1. Thus, the CTCF-associated boundary element, CBS5, employs both Cohesin and noncoding RNA to establish and maintain topologically associated domains at the HOXA locus.
Microglia Proliferation Is Controlled by P2X7 Receptors in a Pannexin-1-Independent Manner during Early Embryonic Spinal Cord Invasion

Microglia are known to invade the mammalian spinal cord (SC) at an early embryonic stage. While the mechanisms underlying this early colonization of the nervous system are still unknown, we recently found that it is associated, at least partially, with the ability of microglia to proliferate at the onset of motoneuron developmental cell death and of synaptogenesis in mouse embryo (E13.5). In vitro studies have shown that the proliferation and activation of adult microglia can be influenced by the purinergic ionotropic receptor P2X7 via a coupling with Pannexin-1. By performing patch-clamp recordings in situ using a whole-mouse embryonic SC preparation, we show here that embryonic microglia already express functional P2X7R. P2X7R activation evoked a biphasic current in embryonic microglia, which is supposed to reflect large plasma membrane pore opening. However, although embryonic microglia express pannexin-1, this biphasic current was still recorded in microglia of pannexin-1 knock-out embryos, indicating that it rather reflected P2X7R intrinsic pore dilatation. More important, we found that proliferation of embryonic SC microglia, but not their activation state, depends almost entirely on P2X7R by comparing wild-type and P2X7R−/− embryos. Absence of P2X7R led also to a decrease in microglia density. Pannexin-1−/− embryos did not exhibit any difference in microglial proliferation, showing that the control of embryonic microglial proliferation by P2X7R does not depend on pannexin-1 expression. These results reveal a developmental role of P2X7R by controlling embryonic SC microglia proliferation at a critical developmental state in the SC of mouse embryos.