Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Journal of Immune Based Therapies and Vaccines Granulocyte-macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor as an Immune-based Therapy in Hiv Infection

The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to spread despite more than 20 years of significant research and major advances in its treatment. The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy in recent years has significantly improved disease treatment with a dramatic impact in HIV/AIDS associated morbidity and mortality in countries which have access to this therapy. Despite these advances, such therapies are imperfect and other therapeutic modalities, including immune-based therapies, are being actively sought. Potential benefits of immune-based therapies include: 1) the improvement of HIV-specific immunity to enhance control of viral replication, 2) the improvement of other aspects of host immunity in order to prevent or delay the development of opportunistic infections and 3) the potential to purge virus from cellular reservoirs which are sustained despite the effects of potent antiretroviral therapy. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has been studied as one of these immune-based therapies. Several randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated benefits of using GM-CSF as an adjunct to conventional anti-retroviral therapy, although such benefits have not been universally observed. Individual studies have shown that GM-CSF increases CD4+ T cells counts and may be associated with decreased plasma HIV RNA levels. There is limited evidence that GM-CSF may help prevent the emergence of antiretroviral drug resistant viruses and that it may decrease the risk of infection in advanced HIV disease. Despite its high costs and the need to be administered subcutaneously, encouraging results continue to emerge from further studies, suggesting that GM-CSF has the potential to become an effective agent in the treatment of HIV infection. Review Introduction More than 20 years after its discovery, and despite extensive research in the field, HIV-1 infection remains one of the most important public health problems in the world. The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to spread and an increasing number of people continue to live with HIV/ AIDS and die from it. The advent of highly active antiret
Political culture in Libya

There have been few studies of Arab countries that have dealt with political culture and political socialisation or focused on people's beliefs, values and attitudes towards the government or political leaders. Undertaking such research in Arab countries, especially when using an empirical method such as survey research, has been very rare. This is because the regimes in power have generally been reluctant to allow opinion to be tested. For Libya, studies have looked at political development, political mobilisation, and political socialisation, but none of them has explored the notion of political culture. The significance of this book is that it assesses the influence of state ideology on the new generation of Libyans, and examines their political culture.
Weak Definite Noun Phrases *

Semantic accounts of the definite article have tended to fall into two general classes: ‘uniqueness’ accounts (Russell, 1905), and ‘familiarity’ accounts (Heim, 1982; see also Abbott, 2004, inter alia). It is also generally known that there are instances of definite descriptions that are resistant to such analyses, and are difficult to subsume under either treatment, or even a combination of both. Birner and Ward (1994), Poesio (1994), and Barker (in press) explicitly deal with what we are going to call “weak” interpretations of certain definite NP’s. Roberts (2003) is just one recent example of an attempt to integrate instances of this sort into a more general account.
Nuclear MEK1 Sequesters PPARγ and Bisects MEK1/ERK Signaling: A Non-Canonical Pathway of Retinoic Acid Inhibition of Adipocyte Differentiation

Uncontrolled adipogenesis and adipocyte proliferation have been connected to human comorbidities. Retinoic acid (RA) is known to inhibit adipocyte differentiation, however the underlying mechanisms have not been adequately understood. This study reports that RA acting as a ligand to RA receptors (RARs and RXRs) is not a sine qua non to the inhibition of adipogenesis. Our intriguing observation of a negative correlation between increased retinoylation and adipogenesis led us to explore retinoylated proteins in adipocytes. Exportin (CRM1) was found to be retinoylated, which in turn can affect the spatio-temporal regulation of the important signaling molecule mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1), likely by disrupting its export from the nucleus. Nuclear enrichment of MEK1 physically sequesters peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), the master regulator of adipogenesis, from its target genes and thus inhibits adipogenesis while also disrupting the MEK1-extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) signaling cascade. This study is first to report the inhibition of adipocyte differentiation by retinoylation.
Dynamic Customization of Marketing Messages in Interactive Media

As a consequence of significant advances in information technology, the marketing community has become increasingly interested in the possibilities afforded by interactive media. The explosion of the World Wide Web is the most notable example of such interest. Interactive media allow the marketer to 1) identify the consumer and characteristics of the consumer, 2) decide on the marketing message real-time, and 3) capture response to marketing communications. In contrast to some traditional media (e.g., television, radio, print), which send one standardized message to all consumers, interactive media allow the marketer to deliver customized messages tailored to the individual consumer. In addition, unlike most other marketing environments which require media planning decisions to be made in advance, interactive media allow the marketer to make decisions " on the fly, " using information about previous decisions to guide the current decision. In other words, marketing decisions through interactive media can be truly dynamic. In this paper, we formulate a unique procedure to exploit the benefits of interactive media. We study the general problem of a marketer whose objective is to maximize expected return (e.g., response rate) over the course of a direct response marketing campaign. The marketer has the ability to dynamically allocate two or more unique marketing messages (e.g., ads, Web pages) to achieve this objective. Consumer response to a particular message may depend on a set of covariates (e.g., demographic characteristics). In ignorance of the true relationship between response and the covariates, the marketer can use regression techniques to learn about the parameters of the response functions. Moreover, because the marketer can continually update the parameter estimates, he can also continually adapt the decision of which message to select. The theoretical framework we draw from is the multi-armed bandit problem in statistical decision theory in which there is a fundamental dilemma between " information, " such as the need to learn about the parameter values governing response for each ad, and " control, " such as the objective of maximizing response rate. In such problems, it may be wise to sacrifice some potential early payoff for the prospect of gaining information about consumers that will allow for more informed decisions later. An important difference in our problem is that we incorporate covariates (although our solution can handle the standard non-covariate case). Suppose that the marketer has two or more unique marketing messages available and weak prior beliefs as to the …
A novel and efficient routing architecture for multi-FPGA systems

Multi-FPGA systems (MFSs) are used as custom computing machines, logic emulators and rapid prototyping vehicles. A key aspect of these systems is their programmable routing architecture which is the manner in which wires, FPGAs and field-programmable interconnect devices (FPIDs) are connected. Several routing architectures for MFSs have been proposed, and previous research has shown that the partial crossbar is one of the best existing architectures. In this paper, we propose a new routing architecture, called the hybrid complete-graph and partial-crossbar (HCGP) which has superior speed and cost compared to a partial crossbar. The new architecture uses both hard-wired and programmable connections between the FPGAs. We compare the performance and cost of the HCGP and partial crossbar architectures experimentally, by mapping a set of 15 large benchmark circuits into each architecture. A customized set of partitioning and interchip routing tools were developed, with particular attention paid to architecture-appropriate interchip routing algorithms. We show that the cost of the partial crossbar (as measured by the number of pins on all FPGAs and FPIDs required to fit a design), is on average 20% more than the new HCGP architecture and as much as 25% more. Furthermore, the critical path delay for designs implemented on the partial crossbar were on average 20% more than the HCGP architecture and up to 43% more. Using our experimental approach, we also explore a key architecture parameter associated with the HCGP architecture-the proportion of hard-wired connections versus programmable connections-to determine its best value.
Community-based risk management arrangements: an overview and implications for social fund programs

Risk and its consequences pose a formidable threat to poverty reduction efforts. This study reviews a plethora of community-based risk management arrangements across the developing world. These types of arrangements are garnering greater interest in light of the growing recognition of the relative prominence of household or individual-specific idiosyncratic risk as well as the increasing shift towards community-based development funding. The study discusses potential advantages (such as targeting, cost, and informational) and disadvantages (such as exclusion and inability to manage correlated risk) of these arrangements, and their implications for the design of innovative social fund programs.
MOTIVAÇÃO NO TRABALHO VOLUNTÁRIO: DELINEAMENTO DE ESTUDOS NO BRASIL

Este artigo buscou conhecer quais sao os estudos acerca da motivacao no trabalho voluntario no âmbito nacional brasileiro, identificando suas hipoteses, instrumentos usados e resultados alcancados. Quanto aos objetivos, trata-se de um esforco exploratorio, pois busca maior familiaridade com o problema, procurando a construcao de hipoteses. Assume esta classificacao pois esta se esquadrinhando as teorias existentes sobre motivos do trabalho voluntario. Quanto aos procedimentos tecnicos e uma pesquisa bibliografica baseada em materiais publicados em artigos, dissertacoes e teses que discutem a motivacao no âmbito do trabalho voluntario. Os modelos teoricos utilizados nos trabalhos pesquisados foram diversos: o “conceito da dadiva”, modelos de analise da motivacao entre trabalhadores remunerados, alem da indefinicao de modelos, foram as principais referencias escolhidas. Ja as metodologias tiveram caracteristicas essencialmente qualitativas, com o uso de entrevistas para a coleta e com a analise de conteudo para analise dos dados. Finalmente, os resultados tambem convergiram para a mesma direcao: os voluntarios apresentaram motivos altruistas para a escolha e permanencia.
Solution structure of the yeast Rad53 FHA2 complexed with a phosphothreonine peptide pTXXL: comparison with the structures of FHA2-pYXL and FHA1-pTXXD complexes.

It was proposed previously that the FHA2 domain of the yeast protein kinase Rad53 has dual specificity toward pY and pT peptides. The consensus sequences of pY peptides for binding to FHA2, as well as the solution structures of free FHA2 and FHA2 complex with a pY peptide derived from Rad9, have been obtained previously. We now report the use of a pT library to screen for binding of pT peptides with the FHA2 domain. The results show that FHA2 binds favorably to pT peptides with Ile at the +3 position. We then searched the Rad9 sequences with a pTXXI/L motif, and tested the binding affinity of FHA2 toward ten pT peptides derived from Rad9. One of the peptides, (599)EVEL(pT)QELP(607), displayed the best binding affinity (K(d)=12.9 microM) and the greatest chemical shift changes. The structure of the FHA2 complex with this peptide was then determined by solution NMR and the structure of the complex between FHA2 and the pY peptide (826)EDI(pY)YLD(832) was further refined. Structural comparison of these two complexes indicates that the Leu residue at the +3 position in the pT peptide and that at the +2 position in the pY peptide occupy a very similar position relative to the binding site residues from FHA2. This can explain why FHA2 is able to bind both pT and pY peptides. This position change from +3 to +2 could be the consequence of the size difference between Thr and Tyr. Further insight into the structural basis of ligand specificity of FHA domains was obtained by comparing the structures of the FHA2-pTXXL complex obtained in this work and the FHA1-pTXXD complex reported in the accompanying paper.
Extreme selective sweeps independently targeted the X chromosomes of the great apes

Significance The X chromosome has a different inheritance pattern from the autosomes, direct interaction and potential conflict with the Y chromosome, and fewer copies than the autosomes. Natural selection may, therefore, act differently on the X chromosome. We analyze polymorphism patterns in 10 great ape species using 87 high-coverage whole genomes. We find that the X chromosome contains megabase-sized regions that are almost without variation in most species. No such regions are found on the autosomes. We suggest that independent and very strong selective sweeps are the only plausible explanation for these observations, and we hypothesize that the targets of these sweeps are multicopy testis-expressed genes in a genetic conflict with the Y chromosome for transmission to the next generation. The unique inheritance pattern of the X chromosome exposes it to natural selection in a way that is different from that of the autosomes, potentially resulting in accelerated evolution. We perform a comparative analysis of X chromosome polymorphism in 10 great ape species, including humans. In most species, we identify striking megabase-wide regions, where nucleotide diversity is less than 20% of the chromosomal average. Such regions are found exclusively on the X chromosome. The regions overlap partially among species, suggesting that the underlying targets are partly shared among species. The regions have higher proportions of singleton SNPs, higher levels of population differentiation, and a higher nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitution ratio than the rest of the X chromosome. We show that the extent to which diversity is reduced is incompatible with direct selection or the action of background selection and soft selective sweeps alone, and therefore, we suggest that very strong selective sweeps have independently targeted these specific regions in several species. The only genomic feature that we can identify as strongly associated with loss of diversity is the location of testis-expressed ampliconic genes, which also have reduced diversity around them. We hypothesize that these genes may be responsible for selective sweeps in the form of meiotic drive caused by an intragenomic conflict in male meiosis.
AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS ON THE OPERATIONAL CHALLLENGES OF INTEREST FREE BANKING WINDOW IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF KEYSTONE BANK LIMITED IN NASARAWA STATE

The main objective of this study is to empirically analyze the operational challenges of Interest-Free Banking Window in Nigeria with particular reference to the Non-Interest Banking (NIB) of keystone Bank limited in Nasarawa State. To achieve this objective, a cross sectional data was generated yielding a sample of 150 respondents, consisting of 30 staff and 120 customers were sourced via structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using chi-square and binary logit model. The research findings revealed that legal frame work, Manpower, Competition, Financial Literacy, Religion and Moral Hazard constitute significant constraints on the operation of the Interest-Free Window. Therefore, the study recommended for vigorous public enlightenment (sensitization) programme on Interest-Free Banking, intensive manpower training and development, promotional efforts, introduction of innovative services and products, progressive monitoring and supervision of business partners/ clients, co-operation with other interest-free institutions and relevant stakeholders, expansion of the scope of the operational guidelines of Non-interest Banking by the Central Bank of Nigeria and active government participation in Interest-Free Banking at all levels among others as strategies for overcoming these challenges and improving the performance of the Non-interest-Banking system not only in Nasarawa State but Nigeria in general.
ALMOST SURE INVARIANCE PRINCIPLE FOR DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS BY SPECTRAL METHODS

We prove the almost sure invariance principle for stationary ℝ d -valued random processes (with very precise dimension-independent error terms), solely under a strong assumption concerning the characteristic functions of these processes. This assumption is easy to check for large classes of dynamical systems or Markov chains using strong or weak spectral perturbation arguments.
Outsourced R&D and GDP Growth

Endogenous growth theory holds that growth should increase with R&D. However coarse comparison between R&D and US GDP growth over the past forty years indicates that inflation scientific labor increased 2.5 times, while GDP growth was at best stagnant. The leading explanation for the disconnect between theory and the empirical record is that R&D has gotten harder. I develop and test an alternative view that firms have become worse at it. I find no evidence R&D has gotten harder. Instead I find firms’ R&D productivity declined 65%, and that the main culprit in the decline is outsourced R&D, which is unproductive for the funding firm. This offers hope firms’ R&D productivity and economic growth may be fairly easily restored by bringing outsourced R&D back in-house.
Smoking and skin aging in identical twins.

BACKGROUND A twin pair can provide a rare opportunity to control for genetic susceptibility and exposure variables, which often serve as major confounders in population-based studies on the relationship between smoking and skin aging. OBSERVATIONS We describe a unique twin pair who spent not only their first 2 decades of life together but also in their later decades had the same type of job at the same latitude, resulting in well-matched levels of significant sun exposure. However, the twins differed markedly in regard to smoking history; the twin with an approximately 52.5-pack-year smoking history showed more severe skin aging than did the nonsmoking twin. CONCLUSION The difference in skin aging illustrated by this twin pair may serve as a motivator for smoking cessation.
Diminishing Marginal Utility Revisited

How quickly does marginal utility diminish? It depends on the dimension along which we consider concavity of the utility function. This paper estimates the distribution of heterogeneous curvature parameters in individuals’ utility functions from hypothetical choice data, while carefully accounting for survey response error. Types of curvature examined include relative risk aversion, intertemporal substitution, the altruism elasticity, and a new measure of how much more a dollar means to a poor family than to a rich family, called inequality aversion. The estimated distribution varies depending on the type of curvature we consider, with median values of curvature parameters ranging from 0.6 to 13.2. We estimate differences for different ways of asking about the same parameter for inequality aversion and risk aversion. Utility functions are most concave for situations involving altruism, followed by risk aversion, inequality aversion, and intertemporal substitution. Heterogeneity of curvature in the population also varies: altruism is the most heterogeneous, followed by risk aversion, intertemporal substitution, and inequality aversion. Nonetheless, curvature parameters are highly correlated (rho>0.8) across individuals for different means of examining the same parameter, and modestly correlated across dimensions in some cases, including inequality aversion and risk aversion (0.3), altruism and risk aversion (0.3), and altruism and inequality aversion (0.14).
Multimodal Affective Dimension Prediction Using Deep Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Networks

This paper presents our system design for the Audio-Visual Emotion Challenge ($AV^{+}EC$ 2015). Besides the baseline features, we extract from audio the functionals on low-level descriptors (LLDs) obtained via the YAAFE toolbox, and from video the Local Phase Quantization from Three Orthogonal Planes (LPQ-TOP) features. From the physiological signals, we extract 52 electro-cardiogram (ECG) features and 22 electro-dermal activity (EDA) features from various analysis domains. The extracted features along with the $AV^{+}EC$ 2015 baseline features of audio, ECG or EDA are concatenated for a further feature selection step, in which the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), instead of the usual Pearson correlation coefficient (CC), has been used as objective function. In addition, offsets between the features and the arousal/valence labels are considered in both feature selection and modeling of the affective dimensions. For the fusion of multimodal features, we propose a Deep Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (DBLSTM-RNN) based multimodal affect prediction framework, in which the initial predictions from the single modalities via the DBLSTM-RNNs are firstly smoothed with Gaussian smoothing, then input into a second layer of DBLSTM-RNN for the final prediction of affective state. Experimental results show that our proposed features and the DBLSTM-RNN based fusion framework obtain very promising results. On the development set, the obtained CCC is up to 0.824 for arousal and 0.688 for valence, and on the test set, the CCC is 0.747 for arousal and 0.609 for valence.
Propofol Activation of the Nrf2 Pathway Is Associated with Amelioration of Acute Lung Injury in a Rat Liver Transplantation Model

Objective. This study aimed to investigate whether propofol pretreatment can protect against liver transplantation-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and to explore whether Nrf2 pathway is involved in the protections provided by propofol pretreatment. Method. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups based on the random number table. Lung pathology was observed by optical microscopy. Lung water content was assessed by wet/dry ratio, and PaO2 was detected by blood gas analysis. The contents of H2O2, MDA, and SOD activity were determined by ELISA method, and the expression of HO-1, NQO1, Keap1, and nuclear Nrf2 was assayed by western blotting. Results. Compared with saline-treated model group, both propofol and N-acetylcysteine pretreatment can reduce the acute lung injury caused by orthotopic autologous liver transplantation (OALT), decrease the lung injury scores, lung water content, and H2O2 and MDA levels, and improve the arterial PaO2 and SOD activity. Furthermore, propofol (but not N-acetylcysteine) pretreatment especially in high dose inhibited the expression of Keap1 and induced translocation of Nrf2 into the nucleus to further upregulate the expression of HO-1 and NQO1 downstream. Conclusion. Pretreatment with propofol is associated with attenuation of OALT-induced ALI, and the Nrf2 pathway is involved in the antioxidative processes.