Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Release of Small RNA-containing Exosome-like Vesicles from the Human Filarial Parasite Brugia malayi

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a socio-economically devastating mosquito-borne Neglected Tropical Disease caused by parasitic filarial nematodes. The interaction between the parasite and host, both mosquito and human, during infection, development and persistence is dynamic and delicately balanced. Manipulation of this interface to the detriment of the parasite is a promising potential avenue to develop disease therapies but is prevented by our very limited understanding of the host-parasite relationship. Exosomes are bioactive small vesicles (30–120 nm) secreted by a wide range of cell types and involved in a wide range of physiological processes. Here, we report the identification and partial characterization of exosome-like vesicles (ELVs) released from the infective L3 stage of the human filarial parasite Brugia malayi. Exosome-like vesicles were isolated from parasites in culture media and electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis were used to confirm that vesicles produced by juvenile B. malayi are exosome-like based on size and morphology. We show that loss of parasite viability correlates with a time-dependent decay in vesicle size specificity and rate of release. The protein cargo of these vesicles is shown to include common exosomal protein markers and putative effector proteins. These Brugia-derived vesicles contain small RNA species that include microRNAs with host homology, suggesting a potential role in host manipulation. Confocal microscopy shows J774A.1, a murine macrophage cell line, internalize purified ELVs, and we demonstrate that these ELVs effectively stimulate a classically activated macrophage phenotype in J774A.1. To our knowledge, this is the first report of exosome-like vesicle release by a human parasitic nematode and our data suggest a novel mechanism by which human parasitic nematodes may actively direct the host responses to infection. Further interrogation of the makeup and function of these bioactive vesicles could seed new therapeutic strategies and unearth stage-specific diagnostic biomarkers.
Clustering-based failure triage for RTL regression debugging

Regression verification at the pre-silicon stage has experienced a dramatic boost in capabilities over the past years. With the aid of assertions, improved simulation coverage and formal verification tools, a vast amount of trace data and myriads of failures are often generated after each regression run. Along these lines, modern flows face an emerging need to appropriately categorize, prioritize and distribute these failures to the engineer(s) best-suited for detailed debugging of each failure. This task is known as failure triage. Despite its resource-intensive nature, triage remains a predominantly manual process. In this work, an automated data-mining failure triage framework is introduced that mines simulation and SAT-based design debugging data, uncovers relations among verification failures and automatically groups the related ones together. The core characteristic of the framework is a novel feature-based representation for verification failures and a new multiple-pass clustering strategy that surpass previous methodologies in accuracy, robustness and flexibility. The proposed triage engine achieves an 89% average accuracy in failure categorization and compared to existing solutions, it reduces the number of misplaced verification failures by 47% on the average.
Forecast Bias and Analyst Independence

This paper examines the accuracy of equity analysts who provide earnings forecasts for European companies. We find strong evidence of institutional bias in analysts’ forecasts, specifically, when analysts move between sell-side employers and independent employers, they issue more accurate forecasts while they are employed by independent firms. Moreover, these differences persist when we hold constant the set of firms these mobile analysts research. We find statistically significant differences in the forecast accuracy of sell-side and independent analysts. The optimistic bias of sell-side analysts appears to be related to underwriting activity. Analysts employed by lead underwriters produce less accurate forecasts for newly public companies than do either buy-side or independent analysts. The optimistic bias persists for a five-year period following an IPO.
Recessions, Inequality, and Democratization

This paper explores the extent to which episodes of democratization can be explained by variation in income inequality. Modern empirical tests of this relationship have generally yielded null results, which we argue follow from the estimation of mis-specified models. Guided by a theoretical nuance of the new economic view of democratization proposed by Acemoglu and Robinson (2001), our empirical examination considers the possibility that the effect of income inequality on democratization may be heterogeneous across the business cycle. Employing fixed effects regressions over a panel of autocratic countries, we demonstrate that variation in income inequality can explain democratization following recessions, but that there is no statistically significant relationship following periods of economic growth.
Why do rms buy back below average market prices ?

This paper examines why rms buy back at prices below the average market price. The results of the empirical analysis suggest that contrarian trading is the major driver of the di erence between average monthly repurchase price and average monthly market price. There is also evidence in favor of the notion that at least some rms are able to time the market by exploiting private information. Moreover, contrarian trading and managerial timing are not exclusive explanations of why rms buy back at a bargain. The limit-order-hypothesis suggests that rms are able to buy back at bargain prices because they predominantly use limit orders for buying back their shares. By submitting limit orders at the prevailing bid, repurchasing rms are able to earn the spread. One of the implications of this hypothesis is that the exogenous bid-ask spread and bargains are positively correlated, i.e. a higher spread is accompanied by higher bargains. Furthermore, the bargains should be higher the more trades are executed at the ask. Therefore, an order imbalance towards trades at the ask price should as well increase the bargain. The empirical evidence presented in this paper is in line with these
Level of Aspiration, Mobility, and Persistence: Factors Impacting the Number of Women in Educational Administration.

This paper examines the ways in which intent, persistence, mobility, aspirations, and attitudes influence the number of women in c'_:ucacional administration. To explore these issues, two sui. -sys were conducted. The first survey was distributed to students taking classes at either the specialist or master's degree level at a state university. A second survey was conducted of alumni who had received a degree in educational administration from the same school. The results indicate that the percentage of women (54 percent) enrolled in graduate-level programs was greater than the percentage of men. Overall, levels of aspiration, mobility, and persistence continued to affect the number of women in various levels of educational administration. Although all those surveyed listed the objective to obtain certification with the intent to enter educational administration as their most important goal, other, gender-specific reasons were influential. For the men in the master's program, obtaining certification with the intent of going into administration and moving across the salary scale were first and second in importance, whereas the women ranked convenient location and moving across the salary scale as their top two influences. As regards aspiration, 55 percent of the men, compared to 25 percent of the women, indicated that the superintendency was their ultimate career goal. (Contains 12 references.) (RJM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. LEVEL OF ASPIRATION, MOBILITY, AND PERSISITENCE: FACTORS IMPACTING THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION I. Sue Shepard, Ph.D. Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO Women in Educational Leadership Conference October 25, 1999 University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NB BEST COPY AVAILABLE Telephone: 573/651-2421 FAX: 573/986-6812 e-mail: isshepard@semovm.semo. edu U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Me This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 2 1 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
'Behr syndrome' with OPA1 compound heterozygote mutations.

Sir, We have been following with great interest the developments in the field of phenotypic diversity associated with mutations in the OPA1 gene, having contributed to describe the DOA ‘ plus ’ phenotype in a joint effort with other groups (Amati-Bonneau et al. , 2008; Hudson et al. , 2008; Yu-Wai-Mann et al. , 2010). A developing story concerns the increasingly recognized cases associated with OPA1 mutations presenting with a childhood onset syndrome combining optic atrophy with spastic paraplegia, cerebellar ataxia and possibly other neurological features (Yu-Wai-Mann et al. , 2010; Marelli et al. , 2011; Pretegiani et al. , 2011; Schaaf et al. , 2011). This phenotype fits the description of Behr in 1909, who presented a series of cases of ‘complicated familial optic atrophy with childhood onset’ including pyramidal signs, ataxia, posterior column sensory loss and mental retardation (Behr, 1909). While most of these cases apparently harboured heterozygous OPA1 mutations (Yu-Wai-Mann et al. , 2010; Marelli et al. , 2011; Pretegiani et al. , 2011), the case presented by Schaaf et al. (2011) had the peculiar occurrence of compound heterozygosity for two different OPA1 mutations, the p.V903GfsX3 frameshift deletion and the p.I382M missense mutation, respectively, which suggested that bi-allelic OPA1 mutations may lead to a complicated form of optic atrophy, i.e. Behr syndrome. Most recently, Bonifert et al. (2014) further confirmed the occurrence of DOA ‘ plus ’ cases with bi-allelic OPA1 mutations, one of the alleles carrying the same p.I382M missense mutation. We here add our observation of a similar bi-allelic OPA1 case with Behr syndrome. This proband is a 20-year-old Italian boy, born from unrelated parents (Fig. 1A, IV-4 in the pedigree), who presented a congenital nystagmus at birth and bilateral optic atrophy was recognized in the first …
A Rising Natural Rate of Unemployment: Transitory or Permanent?

The U.S. unemployment rate has remained stubbornly high since the 2007-2009 recessionleading many to conclude that structural, rather than cyclical, factors are to blame. Relying on astandard job search and matching framework and empirical evidence from a wide array of labormarket indicators, we examine whether the natural rate of unemployment has increased since therecession began, and if so, whether the underlying causes are transitory or persistent. Our analysessuggest that the natural rate has risen over the past several years, with our preferred estimateimplying an increase from its pre-recession level of close to a percentage point. An assessment ofthe underlying factors responsible for this increase, including labor market mismatch, extendedunemployment benefits, and uncertainty about overall economic conditions, implies that only asmall fraction of this increase is likely to be persistent.
Are Risk Premia Related to Real Exchange Rate Swings? Survey Expectations and I(2) Trends

This paper finds strong evidence of a positive relationship between currency risk premia and real exchange rate swings, significant at the 1% if not 0.1% level, for three USD exchange rate samples. The risk premia are measured using survey data on traders' exchange rate forecasts. This circumvents the need for an auxiliary hypothesis of rationality and enables more direct focus on risk behavior. The analysis is conducted using the I(2) cointegrated VAR which allows for time-varying trends in the variables. Evidence of persistent changes is found for interest rates, prices, and nominal and real exchange rates. Interest rate shocks appear to drive the system, while expectations are correcting only in the longer-run.
A Double Digital Divide ? The Paradox of Efficient Markets and HIV Incidence among the Digitally Disadvantaged

Although recent work has begun to examine the negative social welfare implications of easily searchable, digitized, two sided matching platforms that enable casual social connections among strangers, limited attention has been paid to whom the negative externalities of these platforms accrue. In this paper, we investigate how the availability of platforms for the solicitation of casual sex has influenced the incidence rate of HIV both at an aggregate level, and by race, gender, and socio-economic status. Using a census of nearly 12 million patients who are subjected to a natural experiment in the state of Florida between 2002 and 2006, we find that the largest negative effect accrues to historically at risk populations (i.e. African Americans and the socio-economic lower class) that, ironically, are also disadvantaged with respect to digital inequalities. Disturbingly, we find that populations generally considered at lower risk for HIV, who are also relatively digitally advantaged, similarly experience large penalties. Results further indicate a striking absence of learning and knowledge diffusion about the risks of platform use, as the infection rate is rising over time, leading to a cumulative additional infection of 2,581 patients at a cost of $1.595 billion. These findings, consistent across an extensive set of robustness tests and multiple specifications, have important implications for policy makers and contribute to the literature on the digital divide and the role of the Internet in health.
Students ’ perceptions towards Blended Learning in teaching and learning Mathematics : Application of integration

Blended learning has gained considerable popularity in training and education in recent years. This form of learning which combines face-to-face teaching with some technological aids has been widely used in teaching and learning, making it suitable to be applied in teaching and learning mathematics. A courseware has been developed on the topic of application of integration. It is designed to supplement the lectures given in class and to assist students studying the topic at their own pace and time. This courseware was introduced to students in the January 2008 semester. The objective of this paper is to determine if blended learning approach which combines the traditional classroom learning, courseware and web-based learning will help the students in learning application of integration. It also examines the influence of blended learning approach on students’ perceptions towards learning application of integration. A total of thirty engineering students were involved in the study. A set of questionnaire was given to evaluate the students’ attitudes and learning perceptions. From the findings, conclusion has been drawn regarding the role of blended learning to support teaching and learning. The result shows that students demonstrate positive perceptions using the blended learning approach.
On the Presence of Water and Global Circulation in the Transiting Planet HD 189733b

Detailed models are compared to recent infrared observations of the nearby extrasolar planet HD 189733b. It is demonstrated that atmospheric water is present and that the planet’s day side has a nonisothermal structure down to gas pressures of ~0.1 bars. Furthermore, model spectra with different amounts of CO are compared to the observations and an atmosphere absent of CO is excluded at roughly 2 σ. Constraining the CO concentration beyond that is unfortunately not possible with the current Spitzer photometry. However, radically enhanced (or depleted) metal abundances are unlikely and the basic composition of this planet is probably similar to that of its host star. When combined with Spitzer observations, a recent ground-based upper limit for the K-band dayside flux allows one to estimate the day-to-night energy redistribution efficiency to be ~43%.
Subchondral Bone in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterised by progressive degenerative damage to articular cartilage, but ultimately the disease affects the whole joint, with important implications for the affected limb and the entire body (Martel-Pelletier and Pelletier, 2010; Edmonds, 2009). There has been an ongoing debate regarding the origins of OA, and specifically whether it initiates in the bone or the cartilage. The debate is somewhat artificial because it assumes that the answer must be one or the other of these possibilities. More likely, OA has multiple etiologies, which converge to produce the recognized manifestations of joint pain and stiffness and degeneration of articular cartilage. Genetic and environmental risk factors for OA, such as increased weight, female sex, joint dysplasias and malalignment, and injury, clearly contribute to the establishment and progression of this condition (Felson, 1988). However, it is most important to consider all possibilities for the underlying cause(s) for OA because our current level of understanding has failed to produce treatments for this condition that offer much more than palliation, with many sufferers proceeding to joint replacement in end stage disease. There are well described changes that are observed in both articular cartilage and subchondral bone in OA (Martel-Pelletier and Pelletier, 2010; Edmonds, 2009; Goldring and Goldring, 2010; Kwan et al., 2010). Changes in the bone include sclerotic changes, typified by increased subchondral plate thickness and osteophyte formation, and the development of bone marrow lesions that can be visualized by MR imaging, and which seem to precede, temporally and spatially, bone cysts in the subchondral compartment (Tanamas et al., 2010). The subchondral bone does much more than provide a substrate on which the articular cartilage sits. While it does give support to the cartilage, it also offers complementarity of shape to the opposite side of the articulation, with important consequences for the joint when this congruency is lost. In addition, the predominantly trabecular structure of the subchondral bone gives compliance and shock absorption to the joint (Madry et al., 2010). It was thought that the sclerotic changes in the subchondral bone in OA made it stiffer and less compliant, resulting in increased loading of the cartilage (Radin et al., 1982) but later work showed that the bone in OA may actually be less mineralised and therefore less stiff (Day et al., 2001). The price paid for the shock absorption role of subchondral bone is the production of damage within the bone matrix by repeated loading. This bone matrix damage is repaired by bone turnover and remodeling, which are highly developed functionalities of bone cells: osteocytes to detect the damage, osteoclasts to remove the damage and osteoblasts to replace sites of damage with healthy new bone (Eriksen, 2010). A
Moss diversity: A molecular phylogenetic analysis of genera

In this study we present phylogenetic and molecular phylogenetic diversity analyses of moss taxa from a total of 655 genera of mosses. Three loci were sampled: chloroplast ribosomal small protein 4, the intronic region of the mitochondrial NADH dehydogenase subunit 5, and partial sequences of the nuclear 26S ribosomal RNA. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were performed on individual loci and on multilocus data sets. A measure of phylogenetic diversity was calculated and constrasted among major lineages of mosses. We reveal many instances of incongruence among genomic partitions, but, overall, our analyses describe relationships largely congruent with previous studies of the major groups of mosses. Moreover, our greater sampling highlights the possible non-monophyly of many taxonomic families, particularly in the haplolepideous and pleurocarpous mosses. Comparisons of taxic and phylogenetic diversity among genera indicate that the Dicranidae (haplolepideous taxa) include about 15% of moss genera, but nearly 30% of the phylogenetic diversity. By contrast, the Hypnanae (hypnalian pleurocarps) contain about 45% of moss genera, but a lower percentage of phylogenetic diversity. Agreement between numbers of genera and phylogenetic diversity within other moss clades are remarkably consistent.
Auditory Sparse Representation for Robust Speaker Recognition Based on Tensor Structure

This paper investigates the problem of speaker recognition in noisy conditions. A new approach called nonnegative tensor principal component analysis (NTPCA) with sparse constraint is proposed for speech feature extraction. We encode speech as a general higher-order tensor in order to extract discriminative features in spectrotemporal domain. Firstly, speech signals are represented by cochlear feature based on frequency selectivity characteristics at basilar membrane and inner hair cells; then, low-dimension sparse features are extracted by NTPCA for robust speaker modeling. The useful information of each subspace in the higher-order tensor can be preserved. Alternating projection algorithm is used to obtain a stable solution. Experimental results demonstrate that our method can increase the recognition accuracy specifically in noisy environments.
Life-Cycle Consumption, Asset Allocation, and Pension Design Under Non-Standard Preferences

This paper uses a behavioral life-cycle model to analyze different pension schemes when people display non-standard consumption preferences and income-heterogeneity. Retirement resources depend on public pension benefits and individual savings accumulated over working life. Individual savings crucially depend on the choice between low-risk and high-risk assets, because there is a sizable return gap. Mainstream economic models do not adequately capture peoples’ life-cycle asset allocation patterns, that is, their investment in safe and risky assets. The proposed model makes a better prediction. I investigate whether a transition towards a funded pension scheme is desirable, and whether different income classes could benefit from different pension schemes. The rationale is that a non-funded pension component provides better downward risk protection for the low-income earners, whereas a funded pension component is more appealing to rent-seeking, high-income earners. Simulation results reveal that a funded pension scheme is most promising for all income classes — considering reasonable demographic and financial market projections for Germany.