Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SMAC mimetic potentiates tumor susceptibility towards natural killer cell-mediated killing

Resistance to apoptosis is a hallmark of cancer and represents an important mechanism how tumor cells resist immune cell destruction. Mitochondria are the central regulators of the apoptotic machinery by releasing pro-apoptotic factors including cytochrome c and SMAC upon mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP). Small molecules activating MOMP such as BH3 mimetics or antagonizer of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) such as SMAC mimetics have recently brought new optimism for a more individualized and effective cancer therapy. Here we show that SMAC mimetic potentiates cancer cell killing by natural killer (NK) cells through reactivation of tumor cell-apoptosis. Specifi cally, SMAC mimetic enhances susceptibility of tumor cells toward NK cell-mediated effector mechanisms involving death receptors and cytolytic granules containing perforin and granzymes by relieving caspase activity. Our data highlight for the fi rst time the specifi c use of SMAC mimetics for boosting immune cell-mediated immunotherapy and represents a novel and promising approach in the treatment of cancer. L eu k L ym ph om a D ow nl oa de d fr om in fo rm ah ea lth ca re . c om b y U ni ve rs ity o f C on ne ct ic ut o n 05 /2 9/ 13 . F or p er so na l u se o nl y.
South Eastern Histologic Pattern of Lymph Node Biopsies in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Background: In patients presenting with lymphadenopathy, evaluation of the biopsy specimen of accessible lymph nodes provides specific information to establish an early diagnosis which is important in the management of these patients. Method: The study is a four–year (2010-2013) retrospective audit of all histologically diagnosed lymph node biopsies of 141 cases received at the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, Eastern Nigeria. Results: Nearly one third 46(32.6%) of the 141 patients had reactive hyperplasia. Tuberculous lymphadenopathy 40(28.3%) and metastasis 27(19.7%) were other common causes. Non Hodgkins lymphoma was seen in 17(12%), while Hodgkins lymphoma was seen in 7(5%). Other cases seen were onchocerciasis 3(2.1%) and Rosai – Dorfman’s disease 1(0.7%). Acid–fast bacilli was demonstrated in 12/40(30%) of Tuberculous adenitis. All the patients with TB were screened for HIV and 14/40(35%) of them were HIV positive. Six patients had generalized lymphadenopathy and 4/6(66.6%) of them were HIV positive. Conclusion: The differential diagnoses of lymphadenopathy are many. Tuberculosis and reactive hyperplasia have remained the predominant causes in our environment; followed by malignancy and lymphoma. Accurate diagnosis and early intervention is the key to good treatment outcome. Definitive histological classification using modern techniques like immunohistochemistry and cytogenetics should be made available in our tertiary hospitals.
Newsroom : An Ethnography of Visual Newsmaking in Italy and France

This paper presents and discusses the results of an ethnographic research on the process of visual news-making, which was carried out within the newsrooms of four national newspapers: Corriere della Sera and il Manifesto in Italy, Le Figaro and Libération in France. It analyses a few case studies: the invasion of Iraq, the massacre in Beslan, the Pacific Ocean Tsunami and the terrorist attack in London (7/7). The ethnographic data are discussed by offering an analysis that relates the sociology of journalism with the cultural-sociological literature on iconicity. Three major signifying practices are identified: the search for a necessary icon, the management of potential icons and the negotiation around iconic contamination. These practices demonstrate the crucial role of newsroom work in either promoting or restricting the iconic power of news photographs.
THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING NEEDS ON DECREASING THE MENTAL SYMPTOMS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

The objective of this study is to examine whether the social and emotional learning needs are affective in preserving the mental health of students during elementary level education. To this end, it was assessed at what level and in what direction the social and emotional learning needs of students in the second stage of elementary level education relationships their mental symptoms. The participants of this study are 320 elementary school students (Girls n = 149, 48.10%; boys n = 161, 51.90%) who were enrolled to an elementary level school during the 2009-2010 school year in the central district of Izmir. The Social-Emotional Learning Scale developed by Coryn, Spybrook, and Blinkiewicz (2009) and adopted into Turkish by Totan (2011) and the Brief Symptom Inventory and the personal information form developed by Derogatis (1992) and adopted into Turkish by Şahin, Durak Batigun, and Ugurtas (2002) were used as data acquisition tools in the study. According to the research findings, negative and statistically significant relationships were determined between social and emotional learning needs and the mental symptoms. Also, it was determined as a result of multiple linear regression analysis that the social and emotional learning needs of second grade elementary level students are effective in decreasing the mental symptoms.
Characterization and important implications

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in human, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids and scrapie in sheep, are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders. The major neuropathological hallmarks of TSEs are extensive spongiosis, neuronal cell loss in the central nervous system, gliosis, and deposition of amyloid plaques.
Macroeconomic Factors' Influence on 'New' European Countries' Stock Returns: The Case of Four Transition Economies

This paper investigates whether current and future domestic and international macroeconomic variables can explain long and short run stock returns in four “new” European countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary). “Old” western European countries (U.K., France, Italy and Germany) are included in the empirical analysis, whilst USA is considered as a “foreign global influence”. Using the present value model of stock prices and a complete range of cointegration and causality tests, it is found that “new” European stock markets are not perfectly integrated with foreign financial markets, while domestic economic activity and the German factor are more influential on these stock markets than the American global factor.
INFLUENCE OF LEADERSHIP AND REWARDS SYSTEM ON TEAM PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIA PREMIER LEAGUE (NPL)

Leadership and rewards are two key management constructs that plays significant roles in organization’s effectiveness. Thus, this study investigated the impact of these two management variables on team performance in Nigerian Premier League (NPL). A total of 75 respondents comprising of 60 players and 15 coaches from 3 NPL teams were selected through a stratified random sampling technique and used in the study. The Club Structure-Performance Questionnaire (CSPQ) was the instrument used for data collection (r=0.88). A total of seventy five copies of the questionnaire were administered on selected respondents (Players=60; Coaches=15) and the data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics of t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at alpha < 0.05. The findings revealed that transformation leadership (mean=3.22) and direct financial reward (mean=3.44) recorded higher influences on team performance as compared with other variables in each group. In addition, a stronger correlation was recorded between rewards and performance as compared with leadership. Article visualizations:
Concentration of heavy metals in condensed atmospheric water vapor at three Mexican localities

The condensation of water vapor is a very useful technique in mitigating the scarcity of water resources for human consumption; however, the quality of this water must meet the highest standards to avoid becoming a health hazard. The present study quantifies trace elements such as As, Ba, Cu, Cd, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn, as well as pH and electrical conductivity (EC), in condensed atmospheric water vapor at three localities in Mexico. Atmospheric water vapor was condensed with an atmospheric water generator prototype. A total of 108 samples were obtained from three survey sites over the course of two seasons (wet and dry) during day/night shifts. The concentration of heavy metals was analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The pH and EC parameters were measured with a potentiometer/conductometer. We found Pb, Fe, and Cd in 91.66, 58.33, and 33% of the samples, respectively, at concentrations exceeding those permitted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for water intended for human consumption. Both pH and EC were within the limits established by the Department of Water Affairs of Namibia. The concentrations of trace metals in condensed atmospheric water vapor samples were within the maximum permissible limits determined by WHO for most elements analyzed in this study.
Crystallographic groups of Sol

We classify all the closed 3‐dimensional orbifolds with Sol‐geometry. These are aspherical orbifolds and so their fundamental groups determine the orbifolds completely. Thus we will classify all the crystallographic groups of Sol, together with all the Bieberbach groups, up to isomorphism.
Plasma detachment in JET Mark I divertor experiments

The experimental characteristics of divertor detachment in the JET tokamak with the Mark? I pumped divertor are presented for ohmic, L? mode and ELMy H? mode experiments with the main emphasis on discharges with deuterium fuelling only. The range over which divertor detachment is observed for the various regimes, as well as the influence of divertor configuration, direction of the toroidal field, divertor target material and active pumping on detachment, will be described. The observed detachment characteristics, such as the existence of a considerable electron pressure drop along the field lines in the scrape-off layer (SOL), and the compatibility of the decrease in plasma flux to the divertor plate with the observed increase of neutral pressure and D? emission from the divertor region, will be examined in the light of existing results from analytical and numerical models for plasma detachment. Finally, a method to evaluate the degree of detachment and the window of detachment is proposed, and all the observations of the JET Mark? I divertor experiments are summarized in the light of this new quantitative definition of divertor detachment.
Part VI . Oxygen Consumptionin Relation to Environmental Conditions

VERYfew observations have hitherto been made on the respiration of marine c.opepods and apart from the work by Plitter (1909, 1922, 1923, 1924--25)and a single observation by Ostenfeld (1913) little is known. Plitter used mixed plankton catches containing several species of copepods and other organisms in addition to phytoplankton and bacteria. By comparing the results of a number of experiments with different quantities of plankton he was able to calculate the oxygen requirements of the cope. pods which he divided into three groups, small, medium and large. Sub. sequent work, however, has shown that his results are too high. The object of the experiments recorded in the present paper was primarily to find the food requirements of Calanus jinmarchicus. In
Merit-based Selection of Public Managers: Better Public Sector Performance?: An Exploratory Study

This qualitative study explores the degree to which the merit-based selection of public managers leads to better public sector performance. Based on the findings from eight case studies in Chile and Peru, the introduction of the merit-based selection of public managers would have engendered a series of improvements in the internal management and practices of organizations -more so than in institutional outcomes. Other intangible and perceived benefits include the manager? s higher level of legitimacy in, as well as a stronger commitment to, the institution. The study also proposes a future agenda for research.
Governance role of secondary shareholders: A study of Chinese outward foreign direct investment

This study examines the effects of institutional and foreign ownership on the outward foreign direct investment (FDI) of Chinese firms. Based on agency theory and the resource-based view, we argue that secondary shareholders, i.e., institutional and foreign shareholders, are active and effective governance forces in Chinese firms. They promote and support Chinese firms to engage in outward FDI through their monitoring and resource roles. Their governance effect, however, may be hindered by the power of CEOs as a result of principalprincipal conflicts. Our empirical study of 224 Chinese listed firms revealed that institutional and foreign ownership is positively associated with the outward FDI propensity of Chinese firms. The positive relationship between institutional ownership and outward FDI propensity weakens when CEO power increases. There was, however, no support for the moderating effect of CEO power on the relationship between foreign ownership and outward FDI propensity.
Inhaled Long-Acting-Agonists Versus Anticholinergics in Older Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

TO THE EDITOR: Gershon and colleagues (1) describe an increase in death and hospitalizations in patients aged 66 years or older with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who fill a first prescription for the long-acting anticholinergic tiotropium bromide compared with patients who do so for a long-acting -agonist. These results were based on information from health administrative databases in Ontario, Canada, and contrast with the authors’ previous findings (2). Gershon and colleagues acknowledge the inherent limitations of this retrospective database analysis and conclude that “[f]urther research is needed to confirm these findings . in a randomized, controlled trial. ” We would like to note that this suggested “further research” has already been performed and published in the POETCOPD (Prevention of Exacerbations with Tiotropium in COPD) study (3), a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial that directly compared tiotropium bromide with the long-acting -agonist salmeterol for 1 year. The POET-COPD study is the largest head-to-head comparison of these 2 therapeutic regimens and comprised approximately 7400 patients with COPD. This study showed that tiotropium bromide was statistically significantly more effective than salmeterol in reducing exacerbations of COPD. In addition, the incidence of serious adverse events and adverse events leading to the discontinuation of treatment was similar in the 2 treatment groups; furthermore, outcomes were consistent across participants according to age, severity of COPD, and concomitant medication use. Specifically, all-cause mortality (vital status follow-up to day 360 was 99.1% complete) was not statistically significantly different between the tiotropium bromide (64 deaths [1.7%]) and salmeterol (78 deaths [2.1%]) groups. This finding was independent of subgroup according to age and included patients older than 65 years. In a prespecified subgroup analysis, the hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was numerically in favor of tiotropium bromide (HR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.47 to 1.51] for patients between 65 and 75 years) compared with salmeterol (HR, 0.78 [CI, 0.39 to 1.59] for patients aged 75 years or older) (4). This study is another example illustrating that associations observed in retrospective cohort studies are not necessarily confirmed in randomized, controlled trials, which remain the gold standard for proving causality (5).
Hepatoprotective activity of LIV-first against carbon tetra chloride-induced hepatotoxicity in albino rats

Liver toxicity is a major health problem of worldwide proportions. Herbal medicines derived from plant extracts are being increasingly utilized to treat a wide variety of clinical diseases. In the present study, LIV-first (16.3 mg/kg, p.o.) was used to screen the hepatoprotective activity. Hepatotoxicity was induced in experimental animals by administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) (1 ml/kg, i.p). Silymarin (25 mg/kg,p.o.) was used as the standard. Biochemical parameters like serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and serum bilirubin were measured. Cytotoxicity of CCl4 was estimated by quantitating the release of malondialdehyde. The activity of tissue antioxidant enzymes namely superoxide dismutase, catalase and the level of total protein and glutathione were also measured. Histopathological evaluation of liver sections was also done. CCl4 administration in rats elevated the levels of SGPT, SGOT, ALP and bilirubin. Administration of LIV-first significantly (P,0.01) prevented this increase. The activity of anti-oxidant enzymes in carbon tetrachloride CCl4-treated group was decreased and these enzyme levels were significantly (P,0.05) increased in LIV-first-treated groups. Histopathological studies revealed that the concurrent administration of CCl4 with the extract exhibited protection of the liver tissue, which further evidenced the above results. The study confirmed the hepatoprotective activity of LIV-first, which may be attributed to its antioxidant property. Key words: Hepatoprotective activity, LIV- first Albino rats, carbon tetrachloride, LIV- first, silymarin
Sums of algebraic trace functions twisted by arithmetic functions

Abstract. We obtain new bounds for short sums of isotypic trace functions associated to some sheaf modulo prime p of bounded conductor, twisted by the Möbius function and also by the generalised divisor function. These trace functions include Kloosterman sums and several other classical number theoretic objects. Our bounds are nontrivial for intervals of length at least p with an arbitrary fixed ε > 0, which is shorter than the length at least p in the case of the Möbius function and at least p in the case of the divisor function required in recent results of É. Fouvry, E. Kowalski and P. Michel (2014) and E. Kowalski, P. Michel and W. Sawin (2018), respectively.
Framework for event‐based semidistributed modeling that unifies the SCS‐CN method, VIC, PDM, and TOPMODEL

Hydrologists and engineers may choose from a range of semidistributed rainfall‐runoff models such as VIC, PDM, and TOPMODEL, all of which predict runoff from a distribution of watershed properties. However, these models are not easily compared to event‐based data and are missing ready‐to‐use analytical expressions that are analogous to the SCS‐CN method. The SCS‐CN method is an event‐based model that describes the runoff response with a rainfall‐runoff curve that is a function of the cumulative storm rainfall and antecedent wetness condition. Here we develop an event‐based probabilistic storage framework and distill semidistributed models into analytical, event‐based expressions for describing the rainfall‐runoff response. The event‐based versions called VICx, PDMx, and TOPMODELx also are extended with a spatial description of the runoff concept of “prethreshold” and “threshold‐excess” runoff, which occur, respectively, before and after infiltration exceeds a storage capacity threshold. For total storm rainfall and antecedent wetness conditions, the resulting ready‐to‐use analytical expressions define the source areas (fraction of the watershed) that produce runoff by each mechanism. They also define the probability density function (PDF) representing the spatial variability of runoff depths that are cumulative values for the storm duration, and the average unit area runoff, which describes the so‐called runoff curve. These new event‐based semidistributed models and the traditional SCS‐CN method are unified by the same general expression for the runoff curve. Since the general runoff curve may incorporate different model distributions, it may ease the way for relating such distributions to land use, climate, topography, ecology, geology, and other characteristics.
Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K: 2011; n = 11,000), this study examined the developmental outcomes of 5-year-old children in multi-grade classrooms (combined pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms serving 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds) c

Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K: 2011; n = 11,000), this study examined the developmental outcomes of 5-year-old children in multi-grade classrooms (combined pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms serving 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds) compared with 5-year-olds attending kindergarten-only classrooms serving primarily 5-year-olds. Results from regression and propensity score analyses revealed that 5-year-old children who attended multi-grade classrooms with pre-kindergarteners made smaller gains in math and literacy skills and demonstrated less optimal executive function at the end of the school year as compared with children who attended kindergarten-only classrooms. Classroom-level factors largely explained the differences in children’s academic achievement but did not consistently explain differences in their executive functioning. No consistent differences emerged for children’s social-behavioral development.
Great tits encode contextual information in their food and mobbing calls

The calling behaviour of Paridae species (i.e. titmice, tits and chickadees) in a predator-related context is well-studied. Parid species are known to alter call types, note composition or call duration according to predation risk. However, how these species encode information about a non-threatening context, such as food sources, has been subject to only few studies. Studies in Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) have shown that this species alters the ratio of C and D notes to encode information about the presence of food and/or the flight behaviour of the signaller. This suggests that parids also use graded signals to encode information about non-predatory contexts. No study to date has directly compared the calls of a feeding context with those of a predation (i.e. mobbing) context. Hence, the aim of this study was to compare the calling behaviour of these two situations in great tits (Parus major). Calls uttered at a feeder were recorded, analysed and compared with calls uttered in front of taxidermy mounts of sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus). In the food context, great tits reduced the number of D notes and increased the number of B, C and E notes compared with the mobbing context. Furthermore, tits produced calls with longer D notes and shorter intervals between D notes than in the mobbing context. This indicates that great tits use two mechanisms of graded signals (i.e. note type and acoustic structure of D calls) to inform conspecifics about the nature of a situation.
Anisotropic magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic semiconductor CrSbSe$_3$

Single crystals of CrSbSe$_3$, a structurally pseudo-one-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductor, were grown using a high-temperature solution growth technique and were characterized by x-ray diffraction, anisotropic, temperature- and field-dependent magnetization, temperature-dependent resistivity and optical absorption measurements. A band gap of 0.7 eV was determined from both resistivity and optical measurements. At high temperatures, CrSbSe$_3$ is paramagnetic and isotropic with a Curie-Weiss temperature of $\sim$145 K and an effective moment of $\sim$4.1 $\mu_B$/Cr. A ferromagnetic transition occurs at $T_c$ = 71 K. The $a$-axis, perpendicular to the chains in the structure, is the magnetic easy axis, while the chain axis direction, along $b$, is the hard axis. Magnetic isotherms measured around $T_c$ do not follow the behavior predicted by simple mean field critical exponents for a second order phase transition. A tentative set of critical exponents is estimated based on a modified Arrott plot analysis, giving $\beta\sim$0.25, $\gamma\sim$1.38 and $\delta\sim$6.6.