Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Infection of a North American Raptor, American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1)

Several species of wild raptors have been found in Eurasia infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1. Should HPAIV (H5N1) reach North America in migratory birds, species of raptors are at risk not only from environmental exposure, but also from consuming infected birds and carcasses. In this study we used American kestrels as a representative species of a North American raptor to examine the effects of HPAIV (H5N1) infection in terms of dose response, viral shedding, pathology, and survival. Our data showed that kestrels are highly susceptible to HPAIV (H5N1). All birds typically died or were euthanized due to severe neurologic disease within 4–5 days of inoculation and shed significant amounts of virus both orally and cloacally, regardless of dose administered. The most consistent microscopic lesions were necrosis in the brain and pancreas. This is the first experimental study of HPAIV infection in a North American raptor and highlights the potential risks to birds of prey if HPAIV (H5N1) is introduced into North America.
The c-MYC-ABCB5 axis plays a pivotal role in 5-fluorouracil resistance in human colon cancer cells

c‐MYC overexpression is frequently observed in various cancers including colon cancer and regulates many biological activities such as aberrant cell proliferation, apoptosis, genomic instability, immortalization and drug resistance. However, the mechanism by which c‐MYC confers drug resistance remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we found that the c‐MYC expression level in primary colorectal cancer tissues correlated with the recurrence rate following 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU)‐based adjuvant chemotherapy. Supporting this finding, overexpression of exogenous c‐MYC increased the survival rate following 5‐FU treatment in human colon cancer cells, and knockdown of endogenous c‐MYC decreased it. Furthermore, c‐MYC knockdown decreased the expression level of ABCB5, which is involved in 5‐FU resistance. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we found that c‐MYC bound to the ABCB5 promoter region. c‐MYC inhibitor (10058‐F4) treatment inhibited c‐MYC binding to the ABCB5 promoter, leading to a decrease in ABCB5 expression level. ABCB5 knockdown decreased the survival rate following 5‐FU treatment as expected, and the ABCB5 expression level was increased in 5‐FU‐resistant human colon cancer cells. Finally, using a human colon cancer xenograft murine model, we found that the combined 5‐FU and 10058‐F4 treatment significantly decreased tumorigenicity in nude mice compared with 5‐FU or 10058‐F4 treatment alone. 10058‐F4 treatment decreased the ABCB5 expression level in the presence or absence of 5‐FU. In contrast, 5‐FU treatment alone increased the ABCB5 expression level. Taken together, these results suggest that c‐MYC confers resistance to 5‐FU through regulating ABCB5 expression in human colon cancer cells.
In vitro comparison of cell proliferation kinetics and uptake of tritiated fluorodeoxyglucose and L-methionine in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

UNLABELLED Estimation of tumor proliferative activity is important for the optimal management of head and neck cancer. Noninvasive metabolic imaging with PET may complement currently used cytopathologic methods to study tumor proliferation. METHODS Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and L-methionine (MET) were studied for their potential to assess in vitro the growth characteristics of three squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines established recently in patients with head and neck cancer. A time-course uptake of tritiated FDG and MET was measured over the complete growth cycle of one rapidly growing (UT-SCC-5) and two relatively slower growing (UT-SCC-1A and UT-SCC-9) cell lines. DNA flow cytometry was used for assessment of proliferative activity. RESULTS There was a strong linear relationship for both FDG and MET uptake versus the viable cell number although absolute MET uptake was consistently lower than that of FDG in the exponential and plateau phases of growth (p < 0.01), leading MET to underestimate cell number. The pattern of MET uptake followed the flow cytometric changes in the proliferation index (% of S + G2/M cells) in two of three cases (UT-SCC-1A and UT-SCC-5) while a similar, although clearly weaker, relationship was seen with FDG and flow cytometry findings in only one case (UT-SCC-5). CONCLUSION In these three human SCC cell lines assessed in vitro, FDG is a better marker of cell viability than MET, whereas MET is superior for estimating proliferative activity. Extrapolations of these in vitro data to the interpretation of PET images should be made with caution since tumors may have confounding factors that may affect in vivo tracer uptake.
'Preventive Counter Terrorism Action': Case Study of Kenya

The Republic of Kenya has in its young history been the victim of four major terror attacks in the capital city of Nairobi and Mombasa. The first terrorist attack took place in 1975 and subsequently in 1981, 1998 and 2002 the first terror attack was domestic but the issue remains unresolved to date while the 1981 and 2002 were external attacks targeting Israeli hotels and an Israeli airliner in Nairobi and Mombasa. The most significant attack was the US embassy bombing of 1998 in Nairobi. Following the 11th September 2001 bombings and subsequent UN actions and resolutions including UN resolutions 1373/01, 1377/01 and 1624/2005 constrained the Kenyan government to adopt counterterrorism strategies that included, legislative reforms, institutional building, trainings and bilateral and multilateral collaboration with like-minded states including the US and UK on the actions(s). Kenya has reported thrice pursuant to resolution 1373 of 2001 and non with regards to resolution on the 24th July 2002, 12th March 2003 and 2nd March 2004 and has not reported ever since. This essay shall examine and analyse the proactive, reactive, systematic counter-terrorism actions, challenges, human rights concerns, the lack of a clear effective counter-terrorism law and its impact on foreign policy, while arguing that the continued ― backdoor implementation of counter-terrorism actions without an effective piece of counter-terrorism legislation acts as a catalyst for impunity and violation of human rights.
Assessing Predetermined Expectations in the Standard Sticky-Price Model: A Bayesian Approach

This paper analyses the empirical performance of a New Keynesian stickyprice model with delayed effects of monetary impulses on inflation and output for the German pre-EMU economy. The model is augmented with rule-ofthumb behaviour in consumption and price setting. Using recently developed Bayesian estimation techniques, endogenous persistence is found to play a dominant role in consumption whereas forward-looking behaviour is greater for inflation. The model’s dynamics following a monetary shock and a preference shock are comparable to those of an identified VAR model. JEL Classification: E43, E52, C51
Precarity and the crisis of social care : everyday politics and experiences of work in women's voluntary organisations

In the context of shifting public expenditure and related cuts to public services, the Voluntary Sector (VS) has been given a prominent role in the organisation of social care. Government reform agendas in the UK try to thrive on public support for 'empowerment of local communities', more 'voice and choice' for service users, and a discourse of 'partnership' with the VS for implementing policies that imply an increasingly competitive commissioning of sensitive services. This research traces the neocommunitarian turn in neoliberal discourse and develops a critique of the imposed pseudo-marketisation of social care by examining everyday experiences of labour. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork in London's VS. In relation to reports in the sector on the loss of funding for women-only projects and services, it examines the transformation of working conditions and the strategies applied in dealing with the outcomes of reform. The study draws on in-depth interviews with 31 women working for 19 different women's organisations. Additional interviews were conducted with union representatives and officers working for local infrastructure organisations and commissioning bodies in two inner London boroughs, in which the outcomes of commissioning practices for the workforce in the VS were further explored. It is argued that neocommunitarian neoliberalism results in insecure work environments and the institutionalisation of volunteering, which will exacerbate the ongoing crisis of care. While employment in the women's sector has always been precarious – as being short-term, insecure, poorly remunerated and supported by high amounts of volunteering – women reported on a loss of control over the quality and direction of work as well as the imposition of inadequate workloads. This makes it increasingly difficult to endure and resist precarity in social care. It creates harmful work environments and implies a loss of needs-adequate service provision, both traced to intensify existing inequalities along the lines of class, gender and race.
Personality Traits, Partisan Attitudes, and Voting Behavior. Evidence from Germany

Political psychology has paid rather little attention to personality traits when explaining political attitudes and political behavior in mass publics. The present paper argues that personality traits contribute to our understanding of political attitude formation and decision making of ordinary citizens. Based on the Five Factor Model of Personality, we state hypotheses regarding the effects of personality traits on partisan attitudes and vote choice in Germany. We test the hypotheses using survey data obtained from a random sample of the Germans eligible to vote. The evidence confirms that personality traits indirectly affect partisan attitudes and voting behavior in Germany in predictable ways even after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. More specifically, Openness makes citizens more inclined to support parties endorsing social liberalism whereas low scores on Conscientiousness increase the likelihood of liking and voting for parties subscribing to economic or social liberalism as do high levels on Agreeableness. High levels of Neuroticism appear to promote support for parties that offer shelter against material or cultural challenges.
A novel write-scheme for data integrity in memristor-based crossbar memories

The memristor is one among the most promising emerging technologies for enabling a new generation of Non Volatile Memories. The memristor operates faster than a Phase Change Memory (PCRAM) and has a simpler structure than a magnetic memory (MRAM), while making possible the design of cross-point structures in crossbars at very high density. The presence of sneak path currents however causes an increase in power consumption and a reduction in data integrity and performance. To overcome this issue a novel write method is proposed to reduce the effects of sneak paths. Extensive SPICE simulations are provided to evidence the advantages of the proposed method.
Medium voltage and Low Voltage applications of new power line communication model for smart grids

Considering the customer demand increase on electrical energy, it is obviously seen that the new system requirements such as providing instantaneous data flow, remote monitoring and controlling, would occur. These new system requirements should be adapted to existing electrical infrastructure with minimum cost. In this paper, the system control requirements and communication architectures of electrical grids are discussed. The possibility of the usage of the power line communication (PLC) for the smart grid system is examined. In order to improve communication quality of the smart grid, a new PLC system model is designed in MATLAB . Then Medium (MV) and Low Voltage (LV) applications are simulated using the MATLAB. The applicability of this new PLC system model to smart grid communication systems is discussed.
Atomistic simulations of nanotube fracture

The fracture of carbon nanotubes is studied by molecular mechanics simulations. The fracture behavior is found to be almost independent of the separation energy and to depend primarily on the inflection point in the interatomic potential. The fracture strain of a zigzag nanotube is predicted to be between 10% and 15%, which compares reasonably well with experimental results. The predicted range of fracture stresses is 65\char21{}93 GPa and is markedly higher than observed. The computed fracture strengths of chiral and armchair nanotubes are above these values. Various plausible small-scale defects do not suffice to bring the failure stresses into agreement with available experimental results. As in the experiments, the fracture of carbon nanotubes is predicted to be brittle.
A negative correlation between insulin-like peptide 3 and bisphenol A in human cord blood suggests an effect of endocrine disruptors on testicular descent during fetal development.

STUDY QUESTION Does a relationship exist between insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and selected environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) in human cord blood (cb)? SUMMARY ANSWER In the whole population (cryptorchid and control boys) cbINSL3 correlated negatively with cb free bisphenol A (BPA) providing indirect evidence for an impact of EEDs on fetal Leydig cell INSL3 production. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY INSL3 is a major regulator of testicular descent. This hormone has been shown to be decreased in cord blood from boys with idiopathic cryptorchidism, the most frequent male malformation. Fetal exposure to several EEDs has been suspected to be involved in the occurrence of idiopathic cryptorchidism. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Correlations between cb INSL3 or testosterone and cb free bioactive BPA and maternal milk polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB153), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and monobutyl phthalate (mBP) were assessed in newborn boys in a prospective case-control study. All boys (n = 6246) born after 34 weeks of gestation were systematically screened at birth for cryptorchidism over a 3-year period (2002-2005), and a diagnosis of cryptorchidism confirmed by a senior paediatrician. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS We studied 52 cryptorchid (26 transient, 26 persistent) and 128 control boys born at two hospitals in southern France. INSL3 was assayed in CB by a modified validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Testosterone was measured in CB after diethyl-ether extraction by means of ultra-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Free cbBPA was measured after an extraction step with a radioimmunoassay validated after comparison of values obtained by high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The xenobiotic analysis in mothers' milk was performed after fat extraction by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE EED concentrations were not increased in the cryptorchid versus control group although a trend for increased mBP (P = 0.09) was observed. In the whole study population, cb levels of BPA correlated negatively with INSL3 (P = 0.01; R² = 0.05) but not with testosterone. No other EED correlated with INSL3 or with testosterone. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The levels of BPA and INSL3 in cb may not reflect chronic fetal exposure to EEDs. The deleterious impact of EEDs on fetal testicular descent during specific windows of development has yet to be demonstrated. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The negative correlation between cb free BPA and INSL3 provides indirect evidence for an impact of EEDs on human fetal Leydig cell INSL3 production and points to cbINSL3 as a possible target of EED action during fetal testis development.
Applicability of the multiple alignment algorithm for detection of weak patterns: periodically distributed DNA pattern as a study case

MOTIVATION A nucleosome DNA positioning pattern is known to be one of the weakest (highly degenerated) patterns. The alignment procedure that has been developed recently for the extraction of such a pattern is based on a statistical matching of the sequences, and its success depends on the pattern/background ratio in the individual sequences and in the generated pattern. The heuristic nature of the method and distinctive properties of the pattern bring up the question of efficiency and sensitivity in the procedure. This paper presents a method of verification for this multiple sequence alignment algorithm. RESULTS To verify the applicability of the multiple alignment approach, we constructed a set of sequences carrying the hidden pattern. The pattern was presented by weak ('signal') oscillations of occurrences of AA and TT dinucleotides along otherwise random sequences. Only a few dinucleotides of any given 145 base long sequence would correspond to the signal, appearing in about the same phase within the simulated periodic pattern. The novelty of our simulation approach is that we simulated a database as a whole, as opposed to simulating each sequence separately. The correlation between the hidden pattern and a sequence from the database is negligible on average, but our statistical multicycle alignment procedure produced the pattern with attributes very close to the simulated ones. The accuracy of the procedure was tested and calibrated. The presence in a typical sequence of as little as three dinucleotides corresponding to the signal is sufficient to generate (detect) the pattern hidden in a collection of 204 sequences.
Indicators for Measuring Fiscal Sustainability: A Comparative Application of the OECD-Method and Generational Accounting

On the basis of an empirical application for Germany, we compare two methods for measuring fiscal sustainability, the Generational Accounting approach and the OECD-Method. We show that both methods can be transferred into each other. Therefore the indicators belonging to one method can be used for the other one and consequently the set of sustainability indicators is enlarged for both methods. Furthermore we evaluate the indicators with the criteria theoretical deficiencies, tangibility and sensitivity. We draw the conclusion that a combination of indicators stemming from both approaches can give a generally understandable and theoretical correct defined description of fiscal sustainability at the same time.
Automated Discrimination of Dicentric and Monocentric Chromosomes by Machine Learning-based Image Processing

Dose from radiation exposure can be estimated from dicentric chromosome (DC) frequencies in metaphase cells of peripheral blood lymphocytes. We automated DC detection by extracting features in Giemsa-stained metaphase chromosome images and classifying objects by machine learning (ML). DC detection involves i) intensity thresholded segmentation of metaphase objects, ii) chromosome separation by watershed transformation and elimination of inseparable chromosome clusters, fragments and staining debris using a morphological decision tree filter, iii) determination of chromosome width and centreline, iv) derivation of centromere candidates and v) distinction of DCs from monocentric chromosomes (MC) by ML. Centromere candidates are inferred from 14 image features input to a Support Vector Machine (SVM). 16 features derived from these candidates are then supplied to a Boosting classifier and a second SVM which determines whether a chromosome is either a DC or MC. The SVM was trained with 292 DCs and 3135 MCs, and then tested with cells exposed to either low (1 Gy) or high (2-4 Gy) radiation dose. Results were then compared with those of 3 experts. True positive rates (TPR) and positive predictive values (PPV) were determined for the tuning parameter, σ. At larger σ, PPV decreases and TPR increases. At high dose, for σ= 1.3, TPR = 0.52 and PPV = 0.83, while at σ= 1.6, the TPR = 0.65 and PPV = 0.72. At low dose and σ = 1.3, TPR = 0.67 and PPV = 0.26. The algorithm differentiates DCs from MCs, overlapped chromosomes and other objects with acceptable accuracy over a wide range of radiation exposures.
Two Years Follow up of Domain Specific Cognitive Training in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been reported to induce neuropsychological improvements, but the persistence of these effects has been scarcely investigated over long follow ups. Here, the results of a multicenter randomized clinical trial are reported, in which the efficacy of 15 week domain specific cognitive training was evaluated at 2 years follow up in 41 patients. Included patients were randomly assigned either to domain specific cognitive rehabilitation, or to aspecific psychological intervention. Patients who still resulted to be cognitively impaired at 1 year follow up were resubmitted to the same treatment, whereas the recovered ones were not. Neuropsychological tests and functional scales were administered at 2 years follow up to all the patients. Results revealed that both at 1 and at 2 years follow up more patients in the aspecific group (18/19, 94% and 13/17, 76% respectively) than in the specific group (11/22, 50% and 5/15, 33% respectively) resulted to be cognitively impaired. Furthermore patients belonging to the specific group showed significantly less impaired tests compared with the aspecific group ones (p = 0.02) and a significant amelioration in the majority of the tests. On the contrary patients in the aspecific group did not change. The specific group subjects also perceived a subjective improvement in their cognitive performance, while the aspecific group patients did not. These results showed that short time domain specific cognitive rehabilitation is a useful treatment for patients with MS, shows very long lasting effects, compared to aspecific psychological interventions. Also subjective cognitive amelioration was found in patients submitted to domain specific treatment after 2 years.
Household Water Security and Water Demand in the Volta Basin of Ghana

As water insecurity can threaten the livelihoods of households and economic sectors, especially irrigated agriculture and hydroelectric power generation, this study investigates water security conditions and water demand behaviour in the Ghanaian part of the Volta basin in West Africa. The book examines the extent of household water accessibility, identifies key factors that influence a household's choice for improved water sources, and models household water demand in rural Ghana. A common sampling frame is developed using Principal Component and Cluster Analyses to select observation units for household data collection. The study finds low per capita water consumption and difficult water accessibility with much reliance on unsafe water sources. With water considered as a heterogeneous good and employing the Linearised Almost Ideal Demand System (LAIDS) model, the empirical results indicate that water for drinking and cooking and water for other indoor purposes such as dish washing, bathing and sanitation are normal necessity goods that play complementary roles in achieving complete household water security. Results from a Heckman two-stage procedure indicate that rural households exhibit different water demand behaviour contingent on household size, income levels, type of good and water price.
Dephosphorylation of Iqg1 by Cdc14 regulates cytokinesis in budding yeast

To study how actomyosin ring assembly is regulated during the cell cycle, four perfect CDK sites were mutated in IQG1. Cells expressing the mutant IQG1 allele exhibited defects in myosin contraction and cytokinesis. The data show that Iqg1 is a substrate of the phosphatase Cdc14 and that changes in CDC14 expression affect actin ring formation.