Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the spatial dimensions of nanotechnology development in China: the effects of funding and spillovers

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the factors driving nanotechnology development in Chinese regions. Advanced regions of China have spearheaded the country’s rapid growth in nanotechnology, aided by substantial support from the government. While this head start could potentially perpetuate regional inequalities through agglomeration economies, the results suggest that knowledge spillovers exert a substantially greater impact in peripheral regions compared with the advanced ones, and may thus be compensating for the limited institutional support they receive and their weak technological capabilities. This research contributes to the regional innovation literature by highlighting that a formal scientific network can counteract the forces of agglomeration economies and spur innovation in peripheral regions.
Oncogenic KRAS induces progenitor cell expansion and malignant transformation in zebrafish exocrine pancreas.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Although the cell of origin for pancreatic cancer remains unknown, prior studies have suggested that pancreatic neoplasia may be initiated in progenitor-like cells. To examine the effects of oncogene activation within the pancreatic progenitor pool, we devised a system for real-time visualization of both normal and oncogenic KRAS-expressing pancreatic progenitor cells in living zebrafish embryos. METHODS By using BAC transgenes under the regulation of ptf1a regulatory elements, we expressed either extended green fluorescent protein (eGFP) alone or eGFP fused to oncogenic KRAS in developing zebrafish pancreas. RESULTS After their initial specification, normal eGFP-labeled pancreatic progenitor cells were observed to actively migrate away from the forming endodermal gut tube, and subsequently underwent characteristic exocrine differentiation. In contrast, pancreatic progenitor cells expressing oncogenic KRAS underwent normal specification and migration, but failed to differentiate. This block in differentiation resulted in the abnormal persistence of an undifferentiated progenitor pool, and was associated with the subsequent formation of invasive pancreatic cancer. These tumors showed several features in common with the human disease, including evidence of abnormal Hedgehog pathway activation. CONCLUSIONS These results provide a unique view of the tumor-initiating effects of oncogenic KRAS in a living vertebrate organism, and suggest that zebrafish models of pancreatic cancer may prove useful in advancing our understanding of the human disease.
Succession of hide–seek and pursuit–evasion at heterogeneous locations

Many interactions between searching agents and their elusive targets are composed of a succession of steps, whether in the context of immune systems, predation or counterterrorism. In the simplest case, a two-step process starts with a search-and-hide phase, also called a hide-and-seek phase, followed by a round of pursuit–escape. Our aim is to link these two processes, usually analysed separately and with different models, in a single game theory context. We define a matrix game in which a searcher looks at a fixed number of discrete locations only once each searching for a hider, which can escape with varying probabilities according to its location. The value of the game is the overall probability of capture after k looks. The optimal search and hide strategies are described. If a searcher looks only once into any of the locations, an optimal hider chooses it's hiding place so as to make all locations equally attractive. This optimal strategy remains true as long as the number of looks is below an easily calculated threshold; however, above this threshold, the optimal position for the hider is where it has the highest probability of escaping once spotted.
Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in cerebral arteriovenous malformations. Diagnostic sensitivity and association of flow velocity with spontaneous hemorrhage and focal neurological deficit.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We sought to investigate (1) the sensitivity of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) for diagnosis of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and (2) the association of feeding artery flow velocity profiles with spontaneous hemorrhage and focal neurological deficit in AVM patients. METHODS We examined 114 consecutive AVM patients prospectively by TCD; 22 non-AVM patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage and 52 normal subjects served as controls. To estimate the association of blood flow velocity patterns in feeding arteries with spontaneous hemorrhage and focal neurological deficit, the total group of AVM subjects was divided into patients with and without a history of bleeding and also into those with and without clinical signs of "steal" (focal deficit unrelated to hemorrhage). RESULTS Sensitivity for large and medium-sized AVMs was high (> 80%), whereas 62% of small AVMs were missed. TCD was also highly sensitive (80%) in a group of five AVM patients with acute hemorrhage. Flow velocity profiles were not related to spontaneous hemorrhage (mean velocity, 111 cm/s in patients with hemorrhage versus 114 cm/s in patients without hemorrhage; P = .65) or clinical signs of steal (mean velocity, 111 cm/s versus 113 cm/s in patients with and without steal, respectively; P = .89). CONCLUSIONS We concluded that (1) TCD is highly sensitive for large and medium-sized AVMs; (2) in acute cerebral hemorrhage TCD may help to differentiate AVM from non-AVM bleeds; (3) the predictive value of TCD findings for clinical sequelae of AVMs remains undetermined; and (4) the concept of hemodynamic steal in AVMs is not supported by TCD data.
Antibodies to Escherichia coli-Expressed C-Terminal Domains of Plasmodium falciparum Variant Surface Antigen 2-Chondroitin Sulfate A (VAR2CSA) Inhibit Binding of CSA-Adherent Parasites to Placental Tissue

ABSTRACT Placental malaria (PM) is characterized by infected erythrocytes (IEs) that selectively bind to chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) and sequester in placental tissue. Variant surface antigen 2-CSA (VAR2CSA), a Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) protein family member, is expressed on the surface of placental IEs and mediates adherence to CSA on the surface of syncytiotrophoblasts. This transmembrane protein contains 6 Duffy binding-like (DBL) domains which might contribute to the specific adhesive properties of IEs. Here, we use laboratory isolate 3D7 VAR2CSA DBL domains expressed in Escherichia coli to generate antibodies specific for this protein. Flow cytometry results showed that antibodies generated against DBL4ε, DBL5ε, DBL6ε, and tandem double domains of DBL4-DBL5 and DBL5-DBL6 all bind to placental parasite isolates and to lab strains selected for CSA binding but do not bind to children's parasites. Antisera to DBL4ε and to DBL5ε inhibit maternal IE binding to placental tissue in a manner comparable to that for plasma collected from multigravid women. These antibodies also inhibit binding to CSA of several field isolates derived from pregnant women, while antibodies to double domains do not enhance the functional immune response. These data support DBL4ε and DBL5ε as vaccine candidates for pregnancy malaria and demonstrate that E. coli is a feasible tool for the large-scale manufacture of a vaccine based on these VAR2CSA domains.
Analysis and filter design of differential mode EMI noise for GaN-based interleaved MHz critical mode PFC converter

Power factor correction (PFC) converter consumes a large part of volume of power supply. Typical switching frequency of commercial PFC converter is usually not higher than several hundred kHz. Increasing the switching frequency of PFC converter to MHz by using GaN devices can greatly reduce the size and increase power density of power supply. In order to eliminate the high turn-on loss of cascode GaN device, critical conduction mode (CRM) is applied. However, when operating on CRM, PFC converter has large inductor current ripple and variable switching frequency. This makes the differential mode (DM) noise a serious issue for CRM PFC converter. This paper provides a more accurate model to calculate the switching frequency and DM noise of MHz CRM PFC converter. Based on the model and experiment result, interleaving impact of DM noise for MHz CRM PFC converter is analyzed. DM noise filter is designed and it demonstrates that increasing the switching frequency of PFC converter to MHz can greatly increase the corner frequency of DM filter and reduce the filter size significantly.
EMU and Labour Market Policy: Tensions and Solutions

Reforms observed in EMU do not conform to commonly expressed views that international economic integration comes with labour market deregulation, and that both are beneficial. This essay examines the country-specific policy reforms evidence generated by inception of Economic and Monetary Union and by its disruption during the Great Recession and the Eurozone crisis, outlines non-technically how a distributional perspective can explain key features of those experiences, and discusses how these empirical observations and theoretical insights may bear on the sources and consequences of more general tensions between Europe’s policymaking framework and market integration process.
SnRK1 Phosphorylation of AL2 Delays Cabbage Leaf Curl Virus Infection in Arabidopsis

ABSTRACT Geminivirus AL2/C2 proteins play key roles in establishing infection and causing disease in their plant hosts. They are involved in viral gene expression, counter host defenses by suppressing transcriptional gene silencing, and interfere with the host signaling involved in pathogen resistance. We report here that begomovirus and curtovirus AL2/C2 proteins interact strongly with host geminivirus Rep-interacting kinases (GRIKs), which are upstream activating kinases of the protein kinase SnRK1, a global regulator of energy and nutrient levels in plants. We used an in vitro kinase system to show that GRIK-activated SnRK1 phosphorylates recombinant AL2/C2 proteins from several begomoviruses and to map the SnRK1 phosphorylation site to serine-109 in the AL2 proteins of two New World begomoviruses: Cabbage Leaf Curl Virus (CaLCuV) and Tomato mottle virus. A CaLCuV AL2 S109D phosphomimic mutation did not alter viral DNA levels in protoplast replication assays. In contrast, the phosphomimic mutant was delayed for symptom development and viral DNA accumulation during infection of Arabidopsis thaliana, demonstrating that SnRK1 contributes to host defenses against CaLCuV. Our observation that serine-109 is not conserved in all AL2/C2 proteins that are SnRK1 substrates in vitro suggested that phosphorylation of viral proteins by plant kinases contributes to the evolution of geminivirus-host interactions. IMPORTANCE Geminiviruses are single-stranded DNA viruses that cause serious diseases in many crops. Dicot-infecting geminiviruses carry genes that encode multifunctional AL2/C2 proteins that are essential for infection. However, it is not clear how AL2/C2 proteins are regulated. Here, we show that the host protein kinase SnRK1, a central regulator of energy balance and nutrient metabolism in plants, phosphorylates serine-109 in AL2 proteins of three subgroups of New World begomoviruses, resulting in a delay in viral DNA accumulation and symptom appearance. Our results support SnRK1's antiviral role and reveal a novel mechanism underlying this function. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that AL2 S109 evolved as begomoviruses migrated from the Old World to the New World and may have provided a selective advantage as begomoviruses adapted to a different environment and different plant hosts. This study provides new insights into the interaction of viral pathogens with their plant hosts at the level of viral protein modification by the host.
Soil organic matter alteration velocity due to land-use change : a case study under conservation agriculture

The cultivation of native forest soils usually triggers a decline in soil organic matter (SOM) and a deterioration of aggregates. Although switching to conservation tillage (CT) can supply SOM, little is known about the temporal resolution of this change. This study aims to quantify changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) content and SOM composition of the same soil under 14 years of CT, plowing tillage (PT), and native forest (NF). Plowing ameliorates the macroaggregate-mediated loss in SOC content, in both the fine fraction and the coarse particles. Decades of CT can significantly increase both the microaggregates and fine particles related to SOC content, whereas in the finest fraction, the volume of recalcitrant SOC increased the most, and reached the original value under NF. Continuous plowing triggered SOM molecular size increases in both aggregates and the fine fraction, whereas switching to CT restored the molecular SOM size of the fine fraction only. Therefore, this fraction can be changed, even in short periods. Water dissolved the largest and middle-sized molecules of SOM, which are mainly from macroaggregates. Even if aggregation did not increase due to turning to CT, the content of the larger molecules of SOM increased in this short time.
Robust Secure Beamforming in MISO Full-Duplex Two-Way Secure Communications

Considering worst-case channel uncertainties, we investigate the robust secure beamforming design problem in multiple-input-single-output (MISO) full-duplex, two-way secure communications. Our objective is to maximize worst-case sum secrecy rate under weak secrecy conditions and individual transmit power constraints. Since the objective function of the optimization problem includes both convex and concave terms, we propose to transform convex terms into linear terms. We decouple the problem into four optimization problems and employ the alternating optimization algorithm to obtain the locally optimal solution. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed robust secure beamforming scheme outperforms the nonrobust one. It is also found that when the regions of channel uncertainties and the individual transmit power constraints are sufficiently large, because of self-interference, the proposed two-way robust secure communication is proactively degraded to one-way communication.
Differences between Licentiate and Non-Licentiate Courses: A Case Study of Students with and without ProUni Scholarships in Brazil.

With increasing access to Brazilian higher education comes increasing dropout rates in both licentiate and non-licentiate undergraduate programs. This paper reports on a comparative study of licentiate and non-licentiate undergraduate programs that enrolled students who either had or did not have a University Program for All (ProUni) scholarship. The study, conducted in 2014, analysed data on freshmen enrolled in 2005 at a non-profit higher education institution (HEI) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The study used quantitative comparative methods including descriptive and inferential statistics to analyse the data. Results indicated that graduates with a ProUni scholarship had a higher graduation rate and decreased dropout rate in both licentiate and non-licentiate degrees, p <0.0001.
Echographic evaluation with image analysis of normal skin: variations according to age and sex.

In order to identify and characterize the sonographic variations between different age groups, 48 subjects, 24 aged 27-30, and 24 over 60, were studied with a 20-MHz B scanner on six skin sites. Images were evaluated by the instrument's standard programme and by a new image analysis software package enabling the characterization of steady structures or transitory functional aspects of skin reactions, by highlighting areas in which the echo amplitudes are included within selected values, and by calculating their extension. Three bands were selected as intervals of interest, respectively, highlighting hyporeflecting parts of the dermis, tissue reflecting with intermediate amplitude values and hyperreflecting epidermis and dermis. This method was employed to assess skin thickness, demonstrating its decrease in elderly skin, to characterize and quantify the hypoechogenic subepidermal band appearing in the elderly at volar and dorsal forearm skin, and to evaluate echogenicity of the upper and lower dermis. Our data show that there is a great regional variation in the behaviour of ultrasound reflection of elderly skin in respect to the skin of young subjects. However, a general trend can be identified, consisting in a shift from low-intensity ultrasound echoes, characteristic in the dermis of young subjects, to intermediate or high reflection amplitudes, which are more frequent in elderly skin. Thus, the echographic method provides two parameters for the evaluation of skin aging. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Hin zu Marx und über ihn hinaus

Zusammenfassung Heinz D. Kurz liefert in diesem Beitrag eine kritische Würdigung von Karl Marx‘ Beitrag zur politischen Ökonomie. Marx war ein wissenschaftlicher und politischer Entrepreneur, sein Gewerbe die Disruption bestehender Verhältnisse in der politischen Ökonomie und in der Welt. Seine politischen Aktivitäten wollte er grundsätzlich wissenschaftsbasiert wissen. Sein Denken ist unter anderem geprägt durch Aristoteles‘ Vorstellung von der guten Gesellschaft und von der klassischen Doktrin der nichtintendierten Folgen menschlichen Tuns. Der unter dem Zwangsgesetz der Konkurrenz stehende Kapitalist bewirkt über Innovationen eine Steigerung der gesellschaftlichen Produktivkraft, bis die Probleme der Knappheit der Güter und ihrer Verteilung an Bedeutung verlieren und der Kapitalismus einer höheren Produktionsweise Platz machen muss. Das „Bewegungsgesetz“ der modernen Gesellschaft findet Ausdruck im tendenziellen Fall der Profitrate. Heinz D. Kurz erörtert die Marxsche Wert- und Mehrwerttheorie sowie seine Theorie der endogenen ökonomischen Dynamik der kapitalistischen Produktionsweise. Er verweist außer auf die bedeutenden analytischen Funde von Marx auf dessen gravierende Irrtümer und Fehlurteile. Es besteht gleichwohl kein Zweifel: Marx war ein Großer unseres Faches, ein Sozialwissenschaftler von bleibendem Rang, ein Vorreiter auf zahlreichen Gebieten. Er teilt in außergewöhnlichem Maß das Schicksal anderer Großer, nicht verstanden, fehlinterpretiert und politisch missbraucht zu werden.
Azithromycin iv pharmacodynamic parameters predicting Streptococcus pneumoniae killing in epithelial lining fluid versus serum: an in vitro pharmacodynamic simulation.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the azithromycin pharmacodynamic parameters predicting bacterial killing in epithelial lining fluid (ELF) versus serum against macrolide-susceptible and -resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates (with different resistance genotypes), through the simulation of concentrations achieved after a 500 mg intravenous (iv) once a day regimen. METHODS An in vitro computer-controlled pharmacodynamic simulation of human azithromycin concentrations in serum and ELF was carried out, and colony counts were determined over 24 h. Four strains with MIC values (mg/L) of 0.5 [mef(A) and erm(B) negative], 2 [mef(A) positive and erm(B) negative], 8 [mef(A) positive and erm(B) negative] and 256 [mef(A) negative and erm(B) positive] were used. RESULTS Significant (P < 0.05) azithromycin antibacterial activity versus antibiotic-free controls was found in serum and ELF against the susceptible and mef(A) positive strains, but not against the erm(B) positive strain. AUC(0-24)/MIC values around or higher than 25 were needed to achieve (time to 99.9% reduction of initial inocula of around 6 h) and maintain (24 h inocula reduction > or =3 log(10)cfu/mL) bactericidal activity without regrowth. This was achieved only with the susceptible strain in serum, but also with the mef(A) positive strain exhibiting an MIC of 2 mg/L in ELF. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study support that the suggested breakpoint for susceptibility (< or =2 mg/L) may be adequate to predict S. pneumoniae eradication with ELF but not with serum concentrations obtained after a 500 mg iv once a day regimen.
Prevalence of malignancy in psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and types of malignancy in a large cohort of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and to compare this rate with that in the general population. METHODS A cohort analysis of patients who were followed up prospectively from 1978 to 2004 at the University of Toronto Psoriatic Arthritis Clinic was performed. Patients were followed up at 6-12-month intervals according to a standard protocol, which included recording of malignancy, and tracked on a computer database. The cohort was linked with a provincial database to find malignancies that may have been missed by the protocol or developed after patients were lost to followup. Data were presented and analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Cox regression model with robust estimate of variance. Rates of first malignancy in the cohort were compared with rates in the population to derive standardized incidence ratios (SIRs). RESULTS Of the 665 patients included, 68 (10.2%) developed a malignancy at an average age of 62.4 years. The most frequently seen malignancies were breast (20.6%), lung (13.2%), and prostate (8.8%) cancer. The SIR for all cancers was 0.98 (95% confidence interval 0.77-1.24). Overall cancer type-specific SIRs were 0.69 (95% CI 0.26-1.83) for hematologic and 0.88 (95% CI 0.46-1.69) for lung cancer. In females, the SIR for breast cancer was 1.55 (95% CI 0.92-2.62), and in males, the SIR for prostate cancer was 0.65 (95% CI 0.29-1.44). CONCLUSION Overall, 10.2% of patients in the Toronto PsA cohort developed cancer. The most frequent cancers were breast, lung, and prostate cancer. The incidence of malignancy in the large PsA cohort did not differ from that in the general population.
TOP2A protein by quantitative immunofluorescence as a predictor of response to epirubicin in the neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer.

AIM Anthracyclines are commonly used in breast cancer, although they lack validated predictive biomarkers. We explored the interaction between TOP2A protein by quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) and anthracycline sensitivity. PATIENTS & METHODS Patients with estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer received neoadjuvant epirubicin. Pretreatment biopsies were analyzed using AQUA(®). Total, cytoplasmic (C) and nuclear (N) TOP2A protein concentrations were expressed as QIF scores and compared with pathologic complete response (pCR), TOP2A by immunohistochemistry, TOP2A mRNA, TOP2A and HER2 gene status, and Ki-67 level. RESULTS In total, 76 cases were assessable. C, N, and total scores did not correlate with pCR, or other markers. The N:C ratio differed significantly by HER2 status. No pCRs occurred in patients in the lowest N:C quartile. CONCLUSION Although no relevant correlation between TOP2A QIF scores and pCR was found, N:C ratio may have a negative predictive role, and may merit further exploration in a multifactorial predictive model that includes tumor and host factors.